Hardly a time to celebrate

Deepawali is almost here. The pompous festival of wealth and prosperity, which forces even the poorest of the poor to give a token service to goddess Lakshmi in lieu of happiness in the future, brings with itself scenes of jubilation and rejoice. Masses throng to banks and jewelers in hordes and a shopping frenzy grips the entire nation. Like every diwali, this too shall pass. The after-effects of 3 days of gluttonous celebrations will be felt by a few, but the country will go back to normal very soon. Except that this might not be the best time to let laissez faire get in our way of pondering over where exactly India stands right now. 

In terms of polity, fractures abound in the ruling and the opposition camp. Team Anna has severely dented the chances of the UPA, with the most recent bypoll rout suggesting that the public has had enough of its tardy response to corruption. The prime minister has firmly retrenched himself to the background, and all promises of being 'more communicative' to the nation in future appear shallow. The two senior-most ministers are engaged in a power struggle of sorts, and it almost appears like the UPA II is just hoping to making it to the finish line at this time, even though that appears to become harder every passing day. Achievements like the world's cheapest tablet 'Aakash', developed specifically to aid India's growing advancement in IT by rearing a new generation of internet-savvy youth, are outnumbered by blunders like the still tied-up defense procurement issues as well the Air India saga. Not to mention that the hyper-active HRD minister is all set to toy with perhaps the last remaining indigenous brands, the IITs. On the opposition side, an octogenarian is visiting parts of the country exposing the ruling coalition's dubious record on corruption, when two of BJP's own chief ministers were recently fired from their jobs on corruption charges. Talk about charity beginning at home! 

The issues which plague our country's economic development are getting severe every passing day. FDI inflows have sunk to unimaginable lows, inflation is showing no signs of easing, and petrol is actually costlier than liquor. The power sector is reeling under the unintentionally comical tug-of-war between the competing ministries. The incendiary T-issue is raging again, with AP bearing the brunt of the central government's dilly-dallying on the issue. Investor confidence is understandably at a low, and why should it not be? Policy paralysis is the graveyard of business expansion. None of these issues are unmanageable, unless the government chooses to overlook the glaring omissions in it's list of priorities. As the aspirational nature of India's youth firmly establishes itself to the forefront, the political class will have to answer sooner or later. One can only imagine that true bliss is around the corner. 

PS: It is not as if we have nothing to look forward to. The inaugural Indian grand prix is only a fortnight away. Here's the interactive track map in the words of Mark Webber himself.

A big mess

Last week, the worst fears of Aditya caterers came true. For long, Messrs Aditya and co. had felt that they will be able to avoid the limelight that inadvertently follows a reputation of the most healthy and tasty food served in a community mess anywhere in India. Keep in mind that this is not just any community, but postgraduate students (and a smattering of undergrads mixed in there, that is when they feel too lazy to pick up the phone and order a Domino's or call Laksmi) of IIT Bombay, people who live and die by good culinary habits. It is no mean feat to serve a staggering 2000 men with burgeoning appetites that correlates with their hunger for class notes. And because of that, I bow to thee Aditya!

However Murphy was not a man of discrimination, and in their attempt to refine the tastes of these hungry men, Aditya and co. fell into his trap. A dinner of chinese food went horribly wrong, and next day, 500 (that is only 25% statistically speaking!) landed up at the doorsteps of another landmark at my alma mater, the IITB hospital. Of course, the hyperactive Indian media couldn't resist itself from shoring up some attention through another story linked to IITians (remember when a fake IITian story was hyped by TOI for days?), and food poisoning became the new buzzword for parents inquiring from their wards staying at the campus. Yes, a story about food poisoning at IITB grabbed more print space than the newly implemented biometric attendance system. If one was to probe the economics of running a mess at any educational institute, especially places like IITs where students feel entitled to better things (not that there is anything wrong with being aspirational), it is not difficult to realize that these messes are being fueled by a magic lamp than anything else. The mess advance is Rs. 10,000 per semester, and the amount actually charged for food is something around Rs. 1500 per month at hostel 13 (figures not adjusted for inflation). In this rather paltry amount, which many students would outspend on movies and weekend jaunts, the caterer is expected to serve a 4-course meal replete with essential nutrients. You get my point!

Of course, my friends and myself went wild on FB poking fun at survivors we left behind at H-13. Who doesn't like having some enjoyment at the expense of a re-hydrated friend? The big question was lost in the lurch. At a time when the honorable HRD minister is going all out to prove his bravado to a bunch of pandering journalists, whether it be proposing a 6-fold hike in the fee or scrapping the benchmark exam we love to remember as JEE, it might be prudish to solve the bigger infrastructural problems plaguing IITB. Among them, ghost-house-sque hostels, crumbling furniture in classrooms, and not the least, incandescent bulbs. A rationalization in the price of mess food, while being unpopular in the short term, will go a long way in making sure that a repeat of food poisoning grabbing headlines doesn't happen. Otherwise, the residents of these hostels are only abetting their caterer to serve them cheap food fast, and not better. Cooking (for myself) is actually a big chore, so my sympathy has shifted from friends back home to the cooks who do the labor. You don't get it till you actually do it! 

PS: The chinese-style dinner was never popular in any case, but I remember long queues in front of the 'extras' line serving butter chicken for dinner. Perhaps a swap would work! Yeah, that was wishful thinking.

Came across this group recently and must I say, they are pretty good!