This kid is one of my best junior who has "invested" all his money for his passion for cars.
Actually what makes him special is, he does not know driving but he has too much of passion to race. Good luck junior enjoy every pleasure of driving.
The passion for driving
This kid is one of my best junior who has "invested" all his money for his passion for cars.
Professional ??? - who wants to be one
3 years into an automobile sector will definitely make u the so called PROFESSIONAL.
I remember my friend when he left for higher studies said, " the only best thing I learnt in my job is 100 different ways to screw people".
Well, that was not the learning I wanted to have or I never aimed at it.
The only time I think I was serious in learning the job was the first year. I loved it. The next year I was handed over the best team, 3 people to work with me. They are the fastest at work in my department, very young too(with better technical skills and exposure than me). So all I need to do was to tell them the work. The project we are associated is a milestone for Maruti." We design and we test" the model that we are going to launch 3 years later. Hence the board is very strict.The test reports that I used to make in a hour ended after 3 days. The work I do is small but heavy documentation and observation remarks were expected, which I have never done nor my 'fast' team.
We were slowed downed in every report that we sent. And if any query sent by Japanese officials, we are screwed. Just to answer his query, I would have to spend 2 days. But when I recieved so many queries (imagine questions like what is the ambient pressure in test track?), at one point of time I stopped answering them.
But working with this team, I would say is the biggest lesson. All my life be it school or college or my first 2 years at Maruti, I never aimed for perfection. The 100 percent.
Now whether I like it or not, I should be perfect.
I thought becoming professional is simple. (Talk less. Smile less. Ask as many why and how questions). But the biggest factor is like I was taught in college is the'common sense' or Leadership.
I think that is for the individual to think and develop. And I think I will make it in this year.
This is my target this year and I know I will die to make it.
(and one more target, changing the minds of few assholes who still think we are a government organisation)
'Working for' a company ????
I remember one of my conversation with my dad (when I was a school kid) at a small hotel while we were eating there, I calculated how much the hotel earns and how much is his profit approx. I told him it is as equal to what you earn or more than that. ha ha.
That was a good conversation. He told me a lot of things his experiences and learning about business. He said the target is earning money only, and people generally go to any extent for achieving it. The basic quality one should have to do business is to lie.
Well that created a bad thinking on my mind on people who do business. (I even thought that the people who do business are rich because they suck the money from the commons by cheating)
But later when I joined college, I could meet good people and it questioned my basic beliefs. The best one is the above. It made me to think on how each and everything can be turned into business though I was not interested much in starting up own immediately after college as I seriously lacked direction.
A big truth is that in most of the families (in south India especially) are brought up by saying study hard and then one can get good 'job in esteemed organisations'. Entrepreneurship is not a term used at all. It is actually looked down. Usually people who do not get jobs try their hands in it.
That is not the scene now. One of my friend in college, is now a CEO of logistics company. What he did? He invested in lorries and he is having considerable amount of profits now. And one more guy, left his job and started a drinking water purifying plant in Coimbatore. Well I can list down more and more people I have known who are now 'real young masters of business administration'
I had a conversation with one such young entrepreneur, and few important things I could find is,
-- he was not interested working for a company (he indirectly abused me by saying they are giving peanuts to what we do)
-- he went to streets of India to understand business. (The guy drove a truck for a month to understand pros and cons)
-- the risk taking ability
-- the best one I found is, the urge for money. He spoke to me like as if he wanted to turn time, space and his life into money.
It made me feel great. But when I asked myself about it, I was still a BIG NO. In fact many. Hence we are "working for" company. ha ha. (we are people who like what we do!! ha ha)
My Car
Finally I bought a Wagon R.
Took a 12 ‘o’ clock drive on the same day along with other friends till the needle showed some ‘empty sign’ for fuel. Ha ha.
Let me tell you about my confidence builders in buying a car.
Test Track – My first confidence builder
I learnt driving after coming to Maruti and my love for it increased when we (only lucky 3 guys out of 268 people in my batch) were put in department which owns the test track. We were first asked for government license. I did not have and I went to a training school for learning and “making” a licence.
Actually licence at Haryana is very simple process. Pay Rs. 2000 and you get the license in a week. Everybody knows that. But unfortunately for me I did not even have a “government ID card” as proof. I did not have Voter ID, or Pan Card or even my name in the home Ration card (as we had just shifted out house back to
I learnt driving on test track. Initially a small patch was blocked (so that no vehicles comes in the way) and we were allowed to drive with “experienced” persons (actually they all have experiences of banging their car during their 20 years of driving). Later after weeks we were allowed to drive with hazard lights ON. (Indication to other test persons that some “hazard” is driving) I used to drive after 5:30 pm as there will be fewer vehicles in test track. (But some seniors do not permit as it gets dark).
Driving in a test track is very easy. Broad and perfect roads and you are sure that there is no vehicle close to you, no vehicle opposite to you as well. And one full year went driving inside test track. I have taken my vehicle in all kinds of tracks, muddy, sandy(this is the best one I loved it is hard sometimes), rough road, high gradient etc. (I still remember when I was practising stop and go in gradient, the cluch burnt very badly and there was heavy smoke from vehicle. poor vehicle!! 4.5 lakhs burnt out in just 1 hr and no body used it after that).
The accidents – Second confidence builder
I have seen accidents in test track. (How did I see matters more).
In codriver seat. I remember it still. It was an SX4 and its suspension was completely altered and was out for trial. The vehicle swayed like hell, went out of control and in fraction of seconds we were into bushes leaving a long tread marks from tyres. That is a huge learning. It thought me morals of driving. From that day I respected “seat belt” and safe driving. I am sure I would have been out of front windshield if I was not wearing it.
(I think this will be my only order to loved ones, “wear your seat belt else you are not coming with me” )
I should also mention about my boss, I do have broken some headlamps and body dents etc. He always asks, “Are you OK?” and no action / lectures from him.
Once the track in charge made a complain for speed driving and he replied, “New guys are doing high speed turns huh. Good yaar, they have learnt it fast”
He has been our motivation and he always asks us to be cool when driving.
“The outside driving” – the ultimate confidence booster
3 different routes of 200 km each in Haryana and
I would have covered around 2000 kms on Indian roads and I would have at least clocked 10000 km of driving in my 2 years at Maruti. What else you need to buy a car? (Apart from money, which I think I am paid enough, to quench all my thirst)
Sports and Me
I think it started very early. In my dictionary Sports always mean fun and smiles. I had people with me to play cricket and badminton even at 1st std. Chess, carom, video games, cricket, football, volleyball and even I tried basket ball and every other game that was there available at school.
I think sport is the best thing I learnt from school. I walk to my school till 5th std when at Chennai.(I mean my home is so close to the school so that we can play till late evening) I think that was the best period of my sports life. Every body loves to play. There will be schedule for competitions all over the year. I think that is the best part of Chennai schools. (at least the one I studied)
Then got shifted to
Like most of the Indians I am also impressed of cricket. Well for playing rather than watching. We played in streets and even in smallest possible places. I was one of the youngest to be in the school team that usually gets lost in either first or second match. I remember playing 50 overs match and we were all out in 15th over.
My childhood heros for me were the best players and the sports staffs in school.
College it was different. I was not even selected in top 20 list for cricket. (Actually I was not that interested as I thought college is the best and last chance that I have, to show to the world that I have some brain.
So did not turn to sports till I got placed) :((
And in final year, back to the ground, quenched all my thirst for games. 3 hrs in the morning then go to sleep and 3 hrs in the evening and have a nice dinner with friends and sleep. This was my routine after I got placed. (And in 7th sem I think I got my least marks )
Still after coming to Gurgaon we sometimes find time to play. If late night it will be football and in holidays we played cricket especially during winter. The best part here is the company organises events and hence it would have waving period of lull and peak.
And one more, there is an automatic alarm set in my brain - when ever my waist exceeds 34 inches, I start to work out heavily in gym. I think it first happened in college when I became a 82 kg idiot at the end of third year and brought it down to 72 kgs (sporty) at the end of final year.
I am sure I will take care of my waist as it is the confidence meter for me I guess.
I love sports and be sportive. Ha ha
My Junior in College joins as junior at Corporate as well
From the day we joined Maruti we 6 classmates (brother from another mother!!!) are staying together in a rented home. After our one year of training, 2 guys got the opportunity to leave
What good things happened to be after that?
1. He gets up early and wakes me up on time. (it is six sigma till now. No errors)
At least once in a week I will be late to office. I sleep late and hence one alarm is not enough to wake me up the next morning. In fact he is better than alarm. Sometimes I used to have shock treatments (shocks but not electric) and wake up baffled.
2. We burn out in gym. We get motivated by each other. The attendance has terribly improved to more than 20 days a month which used to be 5~6 days a month
3. A good source of information also. Our conversations sway from anything to anything on earth. Just out of college !! they will obviously be very very curious about industry that makes us to think.
Well these things are not because I got a junior; it is because of the person. (And these are what I have mentioned others will even write more)
I remember when I was in college I used to dump him with all club activities and at last I took him for a grand dinner in one of the best hotels in Coimbatore (as a way of telling him a big thanks for his support).
Being with college mates (hostellers in fact) itself is a real blessing and when ‘best’ junior also joins the club, ha ha, my personal life is rocking with fun.
Thank you junior.
You have been a positive change for us.
Car, car and cars
I think of most of the people in India, buying a car is really a big thing at least in my family. From the day I joined Maruti I force my dad to go for one. I suggested him an Alto as he can learn driving and may be after few years we can upgrade. But his answer surprised me.
“Naresh I think, Alto is little puny and I think I will go for SWIFT”
This happened at around 2008. And I succeeded in end of 2009. And still he feels that it is something a sort of expense rather than a need. (Unfortunately the SWIFTs have become hot selling car in recent times that we have a huge waiting period).
This is one part
Second one, a car for me, to use in Gurgaon. (Gurgaon has one of the worst weather conditions, best roads and good must visit places in just a 6 hrs drive which makes it a need rather than a pleasure toy). I started to hint for a car to dad once I finished my training. My dad never refused but he did not comment as well. I saw some of the second hand vehicles Altos, Wagon R etc (but only Maruti cars as I can understand and service small issues by myself) but every thing I felt like shit. I told my father I am going for a newly launched vehicle and he said OK.
Now the confusion starts.
Should I go for a vehicle that costs about 3.5 ~ 4 lakhs or should I save?
Am I going beyond my limits?
Will a car turn to be a burden?
And to add to that my sister also confused me.
“Naresh do you really need it? You are so young to own one? Save money? What will happen if there is economic slowdown again? What will happen if you bang somewhere and cry for help (Ladies have their own imagination)”
I also think car is not a necessity.Also I love cars. I want it. So I need it. I trust the future is great and I do not go bankrupt because of buying a car. I feel I am missing a car badly.
Ohh sister I am buying just a car, not an airplane.
“Naresh I think, Alto is little puny and I think I will go for SWIFT”
This happened at around 2008. And I succeeded in end of 2009. And still he feels that it is something a sort of expense rather than a need. (Unfortunately the SWIFTs have become hot selling car in recent times that we have a huge waiting period).
This is one part
Second one, a car for me, to use in Gurgaon. (Gurgaon has one of the worst weather conditions, best roads and good must visit places in just a 6 hrs drive which makes it a need rather than a pleasure toy). I started to hint for a car to dad once I finished my training. My dad never refused but he did not comment as well. I saw some of the second hand vehicles Altos, Wagon R etc (but only Maruti cars as I can understand and service small issues by myself) but every thing I felt like shit. I told my father I am going for a newly launched vehicle and he said OK.
Now the confusion starts.
Should I go for a vehicle that costs about 3.5 ~ 4 lakhs or should I save?
Am I going beyond my limits?
Will a car turn to be a burden?
And to add to that my sister also confused me.
“Naresh do you really need it? You are so young to own one? Save money? What will happen if there is economic slowdown again? What will happen if you bang somewhere and cry for help (Ladies have their own imagination)”
I also think car is not a necessity.Also I love cars. I want it. So I need it. I trust the future is great and I do not go bankrupt because of buying a car. I feel I am missing a car badly.
Ohh sister I am buying just a car, not an airplane.
Upset? Are you feeling low?
For everyone there can be a great period of joy and success happening. But a period of lull is also not avoidable. That is the testing period of a person. I think the best time to attack a person is when he is confused / stressed / mentally sick / when he is angry.
By my personal experience, I think during those lull period every person needs support. And that 'support' is very crucial. Some fall prey to other people who takes advantage and become masters of them. The best example are the "gurus"(so called gurus) who say they give salvation and peace to souls. You can see many big industrialists and many professionals falling pray seeking that "support"
This is a wonderful mail from my inbox. Dated somewhere around end of my college final year.
This email was written to me from my senior when I went through for a period of lull and when things were all out of my hand.
Hi Naresh,
It was nice to have that long conversation with you last night. Just want you to keep a few things in mind:
1. We have limited/no control of our environment - what we have control over is our performance and only excellence speaks in the long run.
2. What would be required is that you make sure you understand yourself first, then it'd be easier to understand the others .... what I mean by this is know the strengths and weaknesses (not a placement question!) - in other words, know the possible mistakes and flaws - let me illustrate this - say you know that you can do 98/100 things to be done right and there's 2/100 you do wrong - then it'd be easier to make sure you do not make these 2 mistakes rather than think of the 98 you can do right - in this way you never go wrong. If you make a mistake, 1 out of the 2 in 100 - then you still learn. You can make yourself 99/100 right .... I'm not confusing you with length nonsense, but think about it ... winners don't take the joy ride to the top, people introduce bumps on the road below and don't be surprised if they introduce the bump from above also!
3. I like eagles - for one reason - (I'm not speaking like a maniac poet ;-)) - do you know that mother eagles drop their offspring from great heights and see their little offspring scream as it goes crashing towards the ground? The mother catches the offspring before it hits the ground - it does this maybe 5 times, maybe 10 times, but the next time - the little offspring soars high on its wings!
4. I'm not sure if you'd like this example, but I like it - The Bible. Look at the life of Jesus - he was killed and humiliated by his own people (the Jews, not his disciples/believers). What did he do wrong? Nothing other than speak the truth and heal and bless people.
5. Reality now - keeping these and making one self strong is not at all easy. It can be traumatic. I still get disturbed and irregular heartbeats when someone knocks/bangs the door in the dark. But, the end result for us is that we come out a stronger person.
Please take whatever would be of use to you from this e-mail and discard the rest.
Pls do keep in touch.
I came across this mail today in my Inbox. Wow it gave me a great feeling that I do have good people who can "support" me.
Please friends if you are upset about something all you need is 3 good friends for support
KRA - Key Result Area
This is the most used abbreviation in the month of March. It tells whether the person can be promoted in 2 years or 3 or 4 depending on the grade he gets.
I still remember my immediate superior tearing his letter of appreciation (as ‘good’) when my boss delivered to him. When I asked him few days before about the grades, he said he wasn't interested in it. He he!!!!!
My KRA is over. I tried not to fill stories. I tried to quantify the work that I have done (like 10 testing, learnt xy testing procedures and so on and was ready with back ups too. Let me tell you the best and worst of my first year
The bad ones first,
- Twice had minor accidents in test track and twice had near miss case. (I one such case I even tried to kill my boss but somehow he managed to escape. You know accident is really a good term rather than calling it as brutal killing)
- Documentation and me are always at last minute.
- My boss told me to organise for review meeting but never did it happen.
- I went home even when I did not achieve my daily targets(because no one in my department work with daily, weekly or monthly targets. Whatever comes with a tag "important, urgent" is done rest postponed)
- I could not get the work done. Well it includes all new age engineers. My boss always used to tell me it can be got only by experience.
The good ones, I have only one
- I cleaned all the mess I created. (I stayed back which is not usual for my department) I could prepare documents such that the Japanese are satisfied (seriously in my department if Japanese are happy boss is very happy but if they ask any query then we are on toes)
On the day of giving grades, he invited me inside a separate hall (ordered a cup of coffee) and he was really cool to give feedback. He started asking me about our department,
how happy are you here?
(I am sure very few department heads dare to ask such a question)
Are you comfortable working with the present team, give your feedback about me, department, senior managers ?
I did not give negative feedback on individuals but I gave him stings. (Actually this is the perfect time to give because he asked for feedback) I told him we plan but things never go according to plan. I think either we should plan robust or have some contingency plan so that the work does not suffer. It sometimes makes me that I am an Assistant MIS-MANAGER.
Please improve your network........Get the work done from others.........
And finally,
If you have problem talk to me man. You do not talk to me at all. Many times you give me a feeling that I dumped a lot of work on you.(J)
I think I will have a happy learning. J
My Friend's Book
This is a great work from my friend who studied with us during college. Well I am not sure we have studied together but we stayed in hostel together. We had a hai-bye relationship except while watching "Da Vinci Code" movie where he already studied the book and explained to us how the movie is different from book. This novel will be available in market in July.
Game Theory - example
I remember talking about game theory with one of my friend. He was explaining to me about it. Beautiful Mind movie……. John Nash…….. they were the only two words I understood from his long lecture. (But I was shaking my head because he was in a mood to make me understand about game theory). But he developed enough curiosity that I came home and checked some of its basics and some case studies. The best and simple example I have just copied for you. A really good one.
Prisoner’s dilemma
Blogs
It is great to see many of friends blogging. I really love to read their blogs. (And I still expect few more who are really great people to blog) They show the same character as I knew when studying with them. Some choose to write about their Job, some about their passion and some always has a sad note attached to it. Be it anything it is great to read about their work and their thoughts. I think blogs have also become an important feature to networking among friends.
My 2 years with Auto industry – Part 3
Yes the Engineers returned from Suzuki Motor Corporation,
Every one who visited Japan, at least for their next 3 months talk about only one thing, how the same work that is done in India is different from how it is done there. As per them, the amount of work that we do is almost the twice that that of what Japanese do, but the lag is at the quality of working. They make big reports presentations and forcefully make us sit and listen and make us try to implement in our work.
I should appreciate one person. Certainly one of the gem that Maruti has. He is very systematic in work. He is not the god with high technical background but he can screw any one, to be precise he does not mind to kick anyone if he finds it is a flaw.
“If it is his boss the kick will be on his face, if he is a subordinate like me it will in our butt”.
He was so brute with work (only with work) that our head calls him for every problem that he has and I have seen 99% of the time it will be resolved by him. I will definitely call him perfect. (But I always consult him for critical issues that I face). He breaks every problem into bits and find out the way. I will definitely call him the best guy I have met in MSIL. I think I can call him a mentor rather than boss. Well he is just 2 years elder to me and I always loved his sincerity in work and commitment. I have become his follower though I rejected to join his team. (as I felt he was too perfect and I will not have the luxury to experiment with my style of managing / mismanaging the work)
My 2 years with Auto industry – Part 2
My 1.5 years at Dynamic evaluation group
I still remember the first few days in Dynamic evaluation group, I was nervous and could not digest the fact that I was not into static group. The group head was in SMC,
The first meeting 2 with my boss was interesting. He gave us a mail, which said time, date, venue and the agenda. He was sharing a lot of things with us. His experience and some general rules and what will be our training at the department and what he is expecting from us. He also specifically mentioned do not fear about the punch timings and said that he is interested in work and do not mind about when you do it. I took it as a golden statement and I was late to company 44 days in 280 working days in the previous year.
I was in training again. But this was different. There were only 2 engineers, immediate seniors and other engineers were at
I remember my first on the job training. Since I was new they asked me work with hands. The first work I did is preparing the vehicle for the test. The person incharge asked me to change the tyres (as the tyres were old and test that we are going to do, required new tyres) and set the pressure. I managed to remove it but during fitment I changed the direction of the wheel nut and tightened it. At first glance he did not find it but when I was about to finish the final wheel he found the direction of the nut different and commented with smile. “Welcome Engineer”
I think he 3 did not know that I am an automobile engineer else he would have laughed more.There were many instances, like above happened. I have a good knowledge on only systems that fail or show some observations. Some systems like speedometer, Airbag, sensors never failed in our test and hence even today I am at the learning stage.
My immediate senoir during training was also very good. We were not in good terms initially as I have not spent time with him. But when I said I was very comfortable working with him he was happy and we started to work together. He was really fast and capable but lost interest in work as time passed. (May be as he was fast more and more work was dumped on him) He was the coordinator for Ritz, the new Wagon R and the new Alto where we have the BS4. The Wagon R project was at initial stage and I started to work with him. I asked him that I will work for Wagon R and asked him to take care for other models by himself (as they were not sexy and not many tests were planned). I learnt a lot working with him especially the technical stuffs and whom to contact for what issue.
The work load went high with new upcoming models and every project was not within time line. I think that made the difference. I learnt the work and I could manage with his help. I concentrated only in Wagon R and he did for the rest. Later the departmental structure was changed as there were too many projects because of BS4 norms and I became the model coordinator for Wagon R and he was given in charge for the review meetings and another new model.
I can say I was over enthusiastic about my first project. ( I still remember his comments that I will lost interest after one year. May be because he said I was keen not to lose) I raised very small observtions as issues in meetings (Once our senior boss asked my senior to teach me, to quote his exact words, “yaar please teach that kid yaar he is raising unwanted issues. He is not given this project to take a benz out of Wagon R. He will make his and our life miserable”
Then the remedy, I never raised issues as critical in meetings but discussed directly, personally and in informal conversations with the concerned.
My boss has a specific style. If work is to be done he comes to our seat, catch us and have a cup of tea with us and discuss. I soon became an expert at this. Like many I also find it easy to discuss a serious issue during tea breaks than discussing as critical.
Things changed when other engineers returned from
I will update in my next blog.
1. I quote this line “I am home at 5:30 pm” for the past 2 years to every software engineering friends and I love their reaction as manytimes they also have some weird scoops and make me gape. I do remember one of my friend called me up at 3 am in morning and said he will be in
2. Later I became allergic to meetings. I hate it. I remember one of the meetings with our Japanese counterpart from SMC. He knows a little English and we were discussing the issues in new Wagon R. That is the longest meeting I did. It started at 9:15 am and went till 2 pm. My ass was paining sitting in the chair without moving or giving it some air. That was a painful day but my boss appreciated me for the work just immediately after the meeting in front of other senior people. It became a painful good day.
3. Well, he is not a engineer but diploma holder with 6 years of experience and one of the best person in our department. He is a fast tracker who gets the best grading every year. He taught me driving and how to work and resolve the problems that come during development of vehicle. Every engineer in our department is dependent on people like him to understand the defects and to resolve. Still we are their boss by hierarchy, a degree makes the difference!! Only different work that we engineers do more then them is we try to understand how countermeasures are taken and we approve that it is effective. I felt really proud to sign in the document when suspension tuning was done.
My 2 years with Auto Industry - Part 1
Come June 2, I will be completing 2 years in Indian auto industry. If I turn back I remember,
The KICK start
The 4 months class room training (the best period in organisation as you do not have responsibilities). I will write a separate blog on how we enjoyed.
The FUSION (Confusion)
I belong to people who were confused to choose their departments. I had one lovely senior who said every work here is important (it did not click at that time that any organisation will do the work if it important) it is up to you to choose what you like.I found in R&D, one will be confined to very small part in an automobile but understands the design of the component. I was not really interested to design a small bracket in engine for one year. But still “R&D” a brand name I wanted. It would be sexy to say for a automobile engineering student. I told him that I wanted to have good exposure to all automobile systems and learn about the organisation its structure.
But few statements from HR changed my mind.
There is a requirement of 200+ engineers at R&D (our batch strength is 270). Also I confirmed that it is not that only charming technical people enter R&D.
I felt I do not want to be with the crowd.
I wished to take service department for only one reason that I can go back south. But I found that we will be transferred every 3 years, it made me rethink.
Also working in industry atmosphere, experience is unmatchable. That is the best part of the job. I can bet on my experience in future. This made me think that I should be in Gurgaon though I was not happy with its scorching sun temperatures.
(I love the winter though it is also severe. The best part is winters are dry. There will be no rain. The rain and cold combination makes me dull)
Finally I choose Quality Assurance department (you can find stamped signature of our Manager in the letter head that is given to every car buyer)
Two groups out of five were looking sexy. Both deal with new model evaluation. They play with the babies (proto cars). One takes care of static check and other the dynamic part.
(static check include appearance, checking for any body dents, color mismatch, emission checks and measurement checks and dynamic check where they drive the vehicle as worst customer and points out the issues in proto cars)
I underwent training in one group who does the static check. I found the department very organised and it is very small department and work is also very small. They work for 2 hours and make reports for next 2 hours and they show output as double. (I mean they make reports of how work was done to highlight it to management). I liked it as I was there for one month and it became my obvious choice.
But I did not get that group “fortunately”. I was put in Dynamic group and it gave me a power start.
(I divided my blogs into parts as I felt a long blog is not very interesting to read)
Gurgaon - My Experience
Since I am from South India everything in Gurgaon (
But still it is
Long queues which are now slowly disappearing because of advent of Information Technology. Crowds even at places where we expect privacy and people who are necessarily interested in gossips and rumours then minding their own work. Rules are always ruled out here. (Well not only traffic rules, every rule).
Ha ha :) but we Indians always adjust.
Cars and roads are the most beautiful things in
I am living in the best part of Gurgaon, really in a sweet home, perfect place to rest after work. We have a cook from
The market place is the real happening place. The malls are huge and the best part is they have the crowd who can spend huge sum of money. There are about 8 malls in the distance of just 3 km in Gurgaon (that would be the total number of malls in south
I should tell about the people and their work culture. I like the dressing sense and outlook. Mannerism is very different. Respect is given only if and when required. Even kids love inviting trouble. Some take pride in it as well. Work culture, similar to developed countries, avoiding work after working hours. Work is given to people who work and many times the credit as well. (sometimes shared to everyone in team)
And the best things that I loved here (and I never dared in south) is dancing in streets during marriages. Marriages here are vibrant. I really liked their wedding style. The best part is the dancing. The bridegroom is made to sit on a horse and friends and relatives dance on their way to wedding hall. I have attended about 4 wedding, all are guys who are bright engineers just 24 years old.(I mean wedding is very early, 27 years for males is considered late in many families). I have every time danced on streets and I loved it. I even remember in one such wedding(in fact a rich wedding), a relative of the bridegrooms was distributing alcoholic drinks to everyone and when I refused, he gave a staring look as if I have committed a sin. (well I mean to say drinking is very common, unlike south it is not “assumed” that the person who drinks is a bad guy or would one day die of cancer only)
I must tell about women also. They are really brave and on par with guys (and as idiotic as we are as well). They are more sociable compared to the south. I was really happy when a girl invited me for coffee. I think that is the first time a woman has invited me in this 22 years of my living. As time passed these things became very common and one never takes pride or stress saying, “a girl invited me for coffee / lunch /dinner”. Nor do they. I never know women can be so cool and could make jokes as well. (As far as I knew women and jokes are really far apart).
I think this is the best time I am having in my life. I really feel free. (I feel like as if I got independence after coming here to Gurgaon). I am soo sick of bloody South Indian rules and their mindset. (I still remember my mom force me go for temple in Friday evening but I always loved playing cricket in ground). But, I also learnt to praise south for the clean government, their values and ethics and the way it bought me up.
"Bees that gives honey gives stings too". There are positives and negatives. I liked learning both at gurgaon.
A new beginning
I am really very sorry for posting some really boring posts in my blog. (I myself felt bored reading it). It gave me a feeling that I was so obsessed with work (at least in my blog. I am now luckily free this year. I will update some of the best things I have come across in my future blogs.
Training at Maruti
I joined Maruti with a pride on 2nd June 08.
We were given a good training schedule. And training is good though I would not rate it best. There was another best thing happened, immediate pay rise by 30%. It was like a real boost to us. I saw a lot of happy faces taking home the cash with a huge smile in hearts.
Training period was the best, we were divided into batches of 20-25 each and we followed a “rotational” training. (getting trained in all the departments). I never expected my training program will include some management development, Time management classes, and training program in MS excel. (when I was in ‘on the job trainng’ under production, I worked with one single excel file for one full month). The best part of my training is the On Board Training. We were take to a very nice place Gym Corbett, a forest, santury famous for tigers. we were served with excellent food as well. we had very adventurous type of sports. I would rate it the best moments in Maruti
The best part of training is also we left at 5: 30 pm everyday. There would be a good number of people who used to stand at the punching machine (for attendance) even 10 minutes before. This was how my first 4 months of training went. We were so bored without work that we started playing NFS in IT department. (Thanks to the person who installed it.
Though the training period for juniors remains the same, they have gone really strict and they have cut the cost wherever required.
We were given a good training schedule. And training is good though I would not rate it best. There was another best thing happened, immediate pay rise by 30%. It was like a real boost to us. I saw a lot of happy faces taking home the cash with a huge smile in hearts.
Training period was the best, we were divided into batches of 20-25 each and we followed a “rotational” training. (getting trained in all the departments). I never expected my training program will include some management development, Time management classes, and training program in MS excel. (when I was in ‘on the job trainng’ under production, I worked with one single excel file for one full month). The best part of my training is the On Board Training. We were take to a very nice place Gym Corbett, a forest, santury famous for tigers. we were served with excellent food as well. we had very adventurous type of sports. I would rate it the best moments in Maruti
The best part of training is also we left at 5: 30 pm everyday. There would be a good number of people who used to stand at the punching machine (for attendance) even 10 minutes before. This was how my first 4 months of training went. We were so bored without work that we started playing NFS in IT department. (Thanks to the person who installed it.
Though the training period for juniors remains the same, they have gone really strict and they have cut the cost wherever required.
A Special Promotion
Today is a special day in my life. I have a person who will be officially reporting to me. I remember our senior manager from our department decided months ago that there will be one person associated with me and my job will be to train him. And 2 months passed, I did not do any kind of homework for him to work with me nor he bothered to come to me. Our senior manager asked for a review a few days back of what we have done together and we had no words except to say no for all the questions for what he asked.
We had a meeting, the day after I received a blast from my boss. And on the same day it was officially announced and circulated. The instruction reads “kindly train him in XYZ till June 2010”. My boss also commented, “If he is trained you are trained” and I think is true.
I love teaching. I am asked to look after the training needs of my department (may be because I did not show any slight interest in making reports or presentations to my boss)
My first learning trying to train him are,
• Be prepared before going to him. I started to have notes what all I wish to tell him. Prepare for some time and then talk. Because I am not only spending my time, his time as well (and instructions - clear). (It feels bad when some important issue comes to discussion without preparation) He is not the kind of person who questions. But I need to prepare for the worst.
• Have a definite plan (broad plan). The other person may not think the same way as I think and always I started to have an alternate plan (contingency plan). (Especially what if does not turn up / delays in job etc.)
• Do the training without affecting their (mine as well) day to day work.
• The important part is the motivation and to bring the intention to learn. I try to keep that spirit in me and the same rhythm in him. I benchmark him with me, (If I can do the work in x days with y % accuracy. I wish him to be more or on par with it.)
To cap all,
work with targets(preferably with time frames), I call it discipline and he calls it strict.
And I have only one change in my working style, I usually work for only 8 hrs a day (back home at 5 : 30 pm). Now I increased by one good hour for him. He too has the same change but sometimes more than one hour.
I wish I am called brute boss. (I am brute only for targets and work till 5 30 pm not after that or anything apart from that) ha ha.
I do not know he is enjoying as my junior but I am enjoying my new work.
I will update more in my future blogs.
We had a meeting, the day after I received a blast from my boss. And on the same day it was officially announced and circulated. The instruction reads “kindly train him in XYZ till June 2010”. My boss also commented, “If he is trained you are trained” and I think is true.
I love teaching. I am asked to look after the training needs of my department (may be because I did not show any slight interest in making reports or presentations to my boss)
My first learning trying to train him are,
• Be prepared before going to him. I started to have notes what all I wish to tell him. Prepare for some time and then talk. Because I am not only spending my time, his time as well (and instructions - clear). (It feels bad when some important issue comes to discussion without preparation) He is not the kind of person who questions. But I need to prepare for the worst.
• Have a definite plan (broad plan). The other person may not think the same way as I think and always I started to have an alternate plan (contingency plan). (Especially what if does not turn up / delays in job etc.)
• Do the training without affecting their (mine as well) day to day work.
• The important part is the motivation and to bring the intention to learn. I try to keep that spirit in me and the same rhythm in him. I benchmark him with me, (If I can do the work in x days with y % accuracy. I wish him to be more or on par with it.)
To cap all,
work with targets(preferably with time frames), I call it discipline and he calls it strict.
And I have only one change in my working style, I usually work for only 8 hrs a day (back home at 5 : 30 pm). Now I increased by one good hour for him. He too has the same change but sometimes more than one hour.
I wish I am called brute boss. (I am brute only for targets and work till 5 30 pm not after that or anything apart from that) ha ha.
I do not know he is enjoying as my junior but I am enjoying my new work.
I will update more in my future blogs.
Karan Thapar - The man of Questions
Karan Thapar is one of best guy to screw people. I love the way he asks questions. One of the best of his interview is the one with Jayalalitha, ha ha she reacted as if she met her death.
I have attached the Karan Thapar of CNN-IBN interviews UIA Chairman Nandan Nilekani in Devil's Advocate.
Taken from a leading newswebsite.
Karan Thapar: Hello and welcome to Devil's Advocate. Why do we need a unique identification number and does the proposal itself make good sense. That's the key issue I shall explore today with the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority, Nandan Nilekani.
Mr Nilekani, let me start with a simple question. It is said that 80 per cent of Indians have Election Commission identity cards, others have ration cards, some people have BPL cards, others have driving licence and passports, there are even PAN cards. Why on top of this do we need a unique identification number?
Nandan Nilekani: We need one single, non-duplicate way of identifying a person and we need a mechanism by which we can authenticate that online anywhere because that can have huge benefits and impact on public services and also on making the poor more inclusive in what is happening in India today.
Karan Thapar:When you say one online way of identifying a person, am I right in assuming what makes the unique identification different to anything else is that in addition to name, age, sex, date of birth and address, you actually have the individuals biometrics which are unique to that individual?
Nandan Nilekani: Absolutely. It is a combination of most probably fingerprints and picture and a biometrics committee will finalise that but finally that makes it unique. And we will also make sure that there are no duplicates. That's another important decision.
Karan Thapar:Let's come to the problems that are inherent in this task. First, the issue of technology. Quite simply, does the technology exist? I ask because the London School of Economics did an analysis and survey of a similar project that was being considered by the British Government and this is the conclusion that they have come to: “The technology envisioned for this scheme is to a large extent untested and unreliable. No scheme on this scale has been undertaken anywhere in the world. Smaller and less ambitious systems have encountered substantial technological and operational problems that are likely to be amplified in a large scale national system”. Now, if that is true of Britain it has to be true of India in spades?
Nandan Nilekani: There is no question that this is a project where we are going into uncharted territories, the technological challenges are immense and one of the risks of this project is the technology.
Karan Thapar: The technology is so essential to the project that I put it to you, this is not just uncharted territory, this could end up being a case of India's ambition outstripping its ability. After all, even today, we can't issue identity cards with a guarantee that the name is correct or that the address hasn't been misspelled. We could end up making a complete hash of biometric details.
Nandan Nilekani: There are certain risks in this project but I think given the enormous opportunity and developmental benefits that it can give, it's worth taking on the project and trying to mitigate the risks so that we get the outcomes that we want.
Karan Thapar: But you do accept that the technology is not just uncharted but at this moment not actually fully known?
Nandan Nilekani: There is no other country in the world where a billion peoples’ biometrics have been captured and stored in an online database. In that sense, it has not been done before.
Karan Thapar: We actually have to invent the technology for this size and scale of operation?
Nandan Nilekani: No, we don't have to invent the technology, we have to scale up the existing technology to work at this scale.
Karan Thapar: But it's such a fantastic scaling up that it's almost a reinvention.
Nandan Nilekani: It's not a reinvention but a scaling up.
Karan Thapar:The second problem inherent is the problem of cost. Once again, the London School of Economics (LSE) did an analysis of a similar project that the British government was thinking of, and that remember is a country which is one-twentieth the size of India and the LSE concluded that the probable cost for Britain would be between 10 to 20 billion pounds. Frontline magazine believes that the government in India has a guesstimate of somewhere around Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Is it worth it at that cost?
Nandan Nilekani: I don't agree with that estimate. I don't know what the exact figure is but it is much less than that by a factor of 10.
Karan Thapar: If you don't know the exact figure, how can you say it is lesser by a factor of 10?
Nandan Nilekani: The bulk part is certainly going to be lesser than that.
Karan Thapar: But it's a guess that you are giving me, isn't it?
Nandan Nilekani: It's a guess but it's an informed and educated guess.
Karan Thapar:So the truth is we don't know what the exact cost will be?
Nandan Nilekani: We don't know what the cost will be but I am very confident that whatever the cost is the social, economic and efficiency benefits of it would make it well worth it.
Karan Thapar:Let me question that. India is a poor country. I put it to you that this order of money could be better spent if you expand education, health and sanitation or if you use it to feed the 40 per cent of Indian children who are chronically malnourished.
Nandan Nilekani: We certainly don't want to take away money from important social programmes but remember that as we expand our social programmes, the efficiency of the social programme depends on the fact that they reach the right people and that there are no duplicates who are taking away the benefits which are meant for the poor. We need to make them more efficient. So you need the infrastructure at the bottom to make that happen.
Karan Thapar:There is no doubt that the unique identification number could play some role in targeting benefits better at people who deserve it, but when in India the prime need is education, health and particularly health for women and children, sanitation (700 million Indians do not have proper sanitation facilities), surely this money could be better used.
Nandan Nilekani: The investment of money in this project will actually make all those other monies be spent more efficiently. Think of it as an infrastructure for enabling you to spend money more effectively.
Karan Thapar:All of that depends on the assumption that technology can tackle these problems. Despite all the positive potential benefits of the project, the assumption that technology can actually tackle the ills of social inefficiency and social problems -- that's a huge assumption.
Nandan Nilekani: Certainly it's a huge assumption.
Karan Thapar:Maybe an unjustified one?
Nandan Nilekani: Look at it simply. You talked about maternal care, we have 10 million women who get health benefits under the JSY programme but we have to make sure that the right women get it before their pregnancy so their health will improve, the quality of the delivery will improve. These are all real social problems that this information can help you to solve.
Karan Thapar:Let me tell you why that is an inadequate example. You can only target better those women who are actually availing of the benefits but not receiving them fully. Take the example of BPL, it is a much better quoted example. The real problem in India is not that people who should receive BPL assistance do not get it properly and that there is leakage. The real problem is that there is a vast number of people who qualify and are not included in the BPL threshold at all. How will you be addressing the second problem?
Nandan Nilekani: What happens today in a particular state is that there may be more BPL cards than the population of the state because there are multiple cards issued to an individual. With the UID, you will be able to actually trim that down to one card per individual and therefore we will actually know who is not getting this now.
Karan Thapar:But what you can't do is to identify the people who should have BPL cards and do not have them because they are outside the system, they have been ignored. Technology won't improve that?
Nandan Nilekani: This (UID) is not a panacea for all the problems. This is an enabler which will allow more effective public delivery.
Karan Thapar:Which is why I say to you that the order of sum of money involved could be better spent in targeting education, sanitation and health not to mention child malnutrition because you would actually then get real benefits rather than what I am describing as 'notional benefits.'
Nandan Nilekani: Suppose in a country we are spending 100 to 200 thousand crores a year on different kinds of subsidies and social benefits, to make investment which is a part of that one time, to make those investments more efficient is definitely well worth it.
Karan Thapar:Is it a one-time investment? In fact, the Frontline magazine says that the government's estimate of Rs 1.5 lakh crore does not include recurring cost. The recurring cost could add to that and we don't know by how much?
Nandan Nilekani: On the scale of money that we spend on public programmes and the ability of the project to deliver better public programmes it will be well worth it.
Karan Thapar:That is the debate. We are leaping in the dark in the belief that technology would help us deliver our programmes better. But as you say the technology is not known, it has to be upgraded in such an enormous scale that I call it a reinvention although you dispute that. The cost itself is unknown, you agreed to that. And therefore I put it to you again, there are so many imponderables about technology, size and cost that is it wise for a poor country like ours, where there are huge levels of poverty (Arjun Sen Gupta Committee report says that 80 per cent of India live under Rs 20 a day), should we therefore be spending this sort of money on this project?
Nandan Nilekani: The Government has come to the conclusion that this project is stragetic and worth it. I have been invited to lead this project. I believe that it is viable and I will do my best to make it viable.
Karan Thapar:Let me come to the third inherent problem in the unique identification number project. How can you ensure that the database that you are creating will be secure and that it won't be misused and it won't, worst of all, result in an invasion of privacy?
Nandan Nilekani: That is a very legitimate concern. We are looking at the design as to how to make it secure. We are saying that nobody can read this database. All they can do is verify the authenticity of an identity. You can ask a question like -- is x x? and the only answer we will give is yes or no. So there is no data coming down from the pipe. But there is no question that once the UID is implemented and the UID becomes ubiquitous in many applications, then there are challenges of privacy and I think along with this project, we have to put in other checks and balances, including laws.
Karan Thapar:Can you ever put in sufficient checks and balances? You said that people can only verify against this database. They won't actually be able to read it, but professor Ian Angle of the LSE, a world renowned authority on precisely the creation of such database, says with relevance to England, and it will apply even more to India, that what you are going to end up with is the "Olympic games of hacking." You are going to provide people the biggest challenge to hack through. No one believes in the perfectability of computers, so hackers will hack and succeed.
Nandan Nilekani: This again is a legitimate concern but we will have to design it as good as possible.
Karan Thapar:Can you design it to prevent hacking?
Nandan Nilekani: We can certainly create checks and balances.
Karan Thapar:The risk of hacking can never be removed hundred per cent?
Nandan Nilekani: In every system, there will be people who will try to hack on it. Some are impenetrable, some are not. The important thing is -- is the risk of hacking and privacy large enough not to do this project? And the view is that the project has so many significant benefits for the poor in making it inclusive and in giving them a chance to participate in the country's progress, that it is worth it and we have to mitigate those risks.
Karan Thapar:In India, you are creating a system which in the wrong hands would be a powerful tool for either religious or caste profiling. How can you ensure that unscruplous politicians won't misuse it for their benefit and against your intentions and the best interest of the Indian people?
Nandan Nilekani: We are not keeping any profiling attributes in our database.
Karan Thapar:You mean you won't have any details of people's caste?
Nandan Nilekani: No.
Karan Thapar:In which case, how can you say to me that you will better target benefits at BPL and other categories because if you don't know someone is SC or ST, if you don't know that they are OBC, how can you ensure better targetting?
Nandan Nilekani: That is the responsibility of the applicant that provides those services.
Karan Thapar:So then they will add in that feature into your detail?
Nandan Nilekani: That is outside our system. Our system has only basic attributes like the name, address, date of birth.
Karan Thapar:When you say that it's outside your system, you are providing the fundamentals for someone else to misuse? But misuse, if not at your end, will happen later on.
Nandan Nilekani: There are databases today which are accessible and therefore along with this we have to create the necessary laws, checks and balances, the citizen oversight to guard against these things.
Karan Thapar:The first thing that you conceded or accepted is that even if there is no misuse at your end, there is a huge potential of misuse at the end of other people who have access and use it and add to it. What you are doing therefore is that you are creating a weapon which you may not misuse but others could?
Nandan Nilekani: Today itself we have electronic databases in the country which potentially can be used the way you are suggesting. We are not doing something different from what already exists.
Karan Thapar:You said a moment ago that you would create checks and balances. I put it to you that you can never create sufficient and the reason say is this -- In the UK, in the US and in Australia, because the authorities couldn't respond to public concerns about misuse, they have effectively put on the backburner consideration of similar schemes for those countries. Now if developed countries cannot tackle the problem of misuse, then how can India, where 35 per cent of the people are illiterate and 22 per cent live below the poverty line? How can India claim that we can tackle these problems?
Nandan Nilekani:What these developed countries have put on hold is giving national ID cards to people. But both the countries, US and UK have a number. For example in the US, you have the social security number, in the UK there is the national insurance number. They already have a numbering system, which is what we are going to propose.
Karan Thapar:Except for the fact that it is nowhere near as extensive or as complete in terms of the biometeric details as what you are proposing in India. The national insurance in Britain has been around and developing slowly but it doesn't have any details that could lead to an invasion of privacy. It doesn't have any details that can be misused for profiling. Yours could have both?
Nandan Nilekani: As I said, these are legitimate concerns and I think we have to address them in the public as well as in the laws and so on. But notwithstanding these concerns, the social benefit, the inclusivity that this project will provide for the 700 million people in this country who are outside the system is immense enough to justify doing this project.
Karan Thapar:Can I challenge that justification? You are making it as an assertion, you are making it perhaps as a system of belief but what's the proof that the benefit will actually justify the risk?
Nandan Nilekani: The benefit is a profound benefit because the poor who don't have identity in this country will be able to get an identity, it will empower them, it will help to meet their aspirations, they are the people for whom this is being done and I do believe they will benefit greatly from this number.
Karan Thapar:you talk of giving people an identity but the problem is you are not a demographer, you are a technocrat. How are you going to handle the inevitable problems of internal migration or illegal immigration which are going to bedevil your scheme. How are you going to ensure that the wrong people aren't captured in your system and given an identity and made Indian?
Nandan Nilekani: Having this number does not confer any rights, benefits or any entitlements. All it does is confirm that X is X.
Karan Thapar:There are hundred ways of doing that. Why are we spending close to Rs 1.5 lakh crore on this project just to be able to claim X is X?
Nandan Nilekani: To have a system which uses a unique identifier like biometrics, having a system which ensures there are no duplicates and having a system that provides online authentication is, we believe, something that can have a lot of social benefits for the poor.
Karan Thapar:I won't question that belief although I call it a catechism of faith. One either accepts it on faith or one doesn't
Nandan Nilekani: I am not a high priest of technology.
Karan Thapar:I will end by quoting the conclusion the LSE came to when they reviewed a potential British concept along the lines of what you are doing in India: "The success of a national identity system depends on a sensitive cautious and cooperative approach involving all key stakeholders, including an independent and rolling assessment and regular review of management practices," and the LSE concluded that did not exist in the UK. If it does not exist in the UK, that environment certainly doesn't exist in India?
Nandan Nilekani: We are trying to make sure that all the checks and balances are there. We will have a very wide consultative process. We will involve everybody. We will make it public. All these are legitimate concerns and we have an obligation to meet these concerns.
Karan Thapar:I Hope you succeed. A pleasure talking to you.
Nandan Nilekani:Thank you.
I have attached the Karan Thapar of CNN-IBN interviews UIA Chairman Nandan Nilekani in Devil's Advocate.
Taken from a leading newswebsite.
Karan Thapar: Hello and welcome to Devil's Advocate. Why do we need a unique identification number and does the proposal itself make good sense. That's the key issue I shall explore today with the Chairman of the Unique Identification Authority, Nandan Nilekani.
Mr Nilekani, let me start with a simple question. It is said that 80 per cent of Indians have Election Commission identity cards, others have ration cards, some people have BPL cards, others have driving licence and passports, there are even PAN cards. Why on top of this do we need a unique identification number?
Nandan Nilekani: We need one single, non-duplicate way of identifying a person and we need a mechanism by which we can authenticate that online anywhere because that can have huge benefits and impact on public services and also on making the poor more inclusive in what is happening in India today.
Karan Thapar:When you say one online way of identifying a person, am I right in assuming what makes the unique identification different to anything else is that in addition to name, age, sex, date of birth and address, you actually have the individuals biometrics which are unique to that individual?
Nandan Nilekani: Absolutely. It is a combination of most probably fingerprints and picture and a biometrics committee will finalise that but finally that makes it unique. And we will also make sure that there are no duplicates. That's another important decision.
Karan Thapar:Let's come to the problems that are inherent in this task. First, the issue of technology. Quite simply, does the technology exist? I ask because the London School of Economics did an analysis and survey of a similar project that was being considered by the British Government and this is the conclusion that they have come to: “The technology envisioned for this scheme is to a large extent untested and unreliable. No scheme on this scale has been undertaken anywhere in the world. Smaller and less ambitious systems have encountered substantial technological and operational problems that are likely to be amplified in a large scale national system”. Now, if that is true of Britain it has to be true of India in spades?
Nandan Nilekani: There is no question that this is a project where we are going into uncharted territories, the technological challenges are immense and one of the risks of this project is the technology.
Karan Thapar: The technology is so essential to the project that I put it to you, this is not just uncharted territory, this could end up being a case of India's ambition outstripping its ability. After all, even today, we can't issue identity cards with a guarantee that the name is correct or that the address hasn't been misspelled. We could end up making a complete hash of biometric details.
Nandan Nilekani: There are certain risks in this project but I think given the enormous opportunity and developmental benefits that it can give, it's worth taking on the project and trying to mitigate the risks so that we get the outcomes that we want.
Karan Thapar: But you do accept that the technology is not just uncharted but at this moment not actually fully known?
Nandan Nilekani: There is no other country in the world where a billion peoples’ biometrics have been captured and stored in an online database. In that sense, it has not been done before.
Karan Thapar: We actually have to invent the technology for this size and scale of operation?
Nandan Nilekani: No, we don't have to invent the technology, we have to scale up the existing technology to work at this scale.
Karan Thapar: But it's such a fantastic scaling up that it's almost a reinvention.
Nandan Nilekani: It's not a reinvention but a scaling up.
Karan Thapar:The second problem inherent is the problem of cost. Once again, the London School of Economics (LSE) did an analysis of a similar project that the British government was thinking of, and that remember is a country which is one-twentieth the size of India and the LSE concluded that the probable cost for Britain would be between 10 to 20 billion pounds. Frontline magazine believes that the government in India has a guesstimate of somewhere around Rs 1.5 lakh crore. Is it worth it at that cost?
Nandan Nilekani: I don't agree with that estimate. I don't know what the exact figure is but it is much less than that by a factor of 10.
Karan Thapar: If you don't know the exact figure, how can you say it is lesser by a factor of 10?
Nandan Nilekani: The bulk part is certainly going to be lesser than that.
Karan Thapar: But it's a guess that you are giving me, isn't it?
Nandan Nilekani: It's a guess but it's an informed and educated guess.
Karan Thapar:So the truth is we don't know what the exact cost will be?
Nandan Nilekani: We don't know what the cost will be but I am very confident that whatever the cost is the social, economic and efficiency benefits of it would make it well worth it.
Karan Thapar:Let me question that. India is a poor country. I put it to you that this order of money could be better spent if you expand education, health and sanitation or if you use it to feed the 40 per cent of Indian children who are chronically malnourished.
Nandan Nilekani: We certainly don't want to take away money from important social programmes but remember that as we expand our social programmes, the efficiency of the social programme depends on the fact that they reach the right people and that there are no duplicates who are taking away the benefits which are meant for the poor. We need to make them more efficient. So you need the infrastructure at the bottom to make that happen.
Karan Thapar:There is no doubt that the unique identification number could play some role in targeting benefits better at people who deserve it, but when in India the prime need is education, health and particularly health for women and children, sanitation (700 million Indians do not have proper sanitation facilities), surely this money could be better used.
Nandan Nilekani: The investment of money in this project will actually make all those other monies be spent more efficiently. Think of it as an infrastructure for enabling you to spend money more effectively.
Karan Thapar:All of that depends on the assumption that technology can tackle these problems. Despite all the positive potential benefits of the project, the assumption that technology can actually tackle the ills of social inefficiency and social problems -- that's a huge assumption.
Nandan Nilekani: Certainly it's a huge assumption.
Karan Thapar:Maybe an unjustified one?
Nandan Nilekani: Look at it simply. You talked about maternal care, we have 10 million women who get health benefits under the JSY programme but we have to make sure that the right women get it before their pregnancy so their health will improve, the quality of the delivery will improve. These are all real social problems that this information can help you to solve.
Karan Thapar:Let me tell you why that is an inadequate example. You can only target better those women who are actually availing of the benefits but not receiving them fully. Take the example of BPL, it is a much better quoted example. The real problem in India is not that people who should receive BPL assistance do not get it properly and that there is leakage. The real problem is that there is a vast number of people who qualify and are not included in the BPL threshold at all. How will you be addressing the second problem?
Nandan Nilekani: What happens today in a particular state is that there may be more BPL cards than the population of the state because there are multiple cards issued to an individual. With the UID, you will be able to actually trim that down to one card per individual and therefore we will actually know who is not getting this now.
Karan Thapar:But what you can't do is to identify the people who should have BPL cards and do not have them because they are outside the system, they have been ignored. Technology won't improve that?
Nandan Nilekani: This (UID) is not a panacea for all the problems. This is an enabler which will allow more effective public delivery.
Karan Thapar:Which is why I say to you that the order of sum of money involved could be better spent in targeting education, sanitation and health not to mention child malnutrition because you would actually then get real benefits rather than what I am describing as 'notional benefits.'
Nandan Nilekani: Suppose in a country we are spending 100 to 200 thousand crores a year on different kinds of subsidies and social benefits, to make investment which is a part of that one time, to make those investments more efficient is definitely well worth it.
Karan Thapar:Is it a one-time investment? In fact, the Frontline magazine says that the government's estimate of Rs 1.5 lakh crore does not include recurring cost. The recurring cost could add to that and we don't know by how much?
Nandan Nilekani: On the scale of money that we spend on public programmes and the ability of the project to deliver better public programmes it will be well worth it.
Karan Thapar:That is the debate. We are leaping in the dark in the belief that technology would help us deliver our programmes better. But as you say the technology is not known, it has to be upgraded in such an enormous scale that I call it a reinvention although you dispute that. The cost itself is unknown, you agreed to that. And therefore I put it to you again, there are so many imponderables about technology, size and cost that is it wise for a poor country like ours, where there are huge levels of poverty (Arjun Sen Gupta Committee report says that 80 per cent of India live under Rs 20 a day), should we therefore be spending this sort of money on this project?
Nandan Nilekani: The Government has come to the conclusion that this project is stragetic and worth it. I have been invited to lead this project. I believe that it is viable and I will do my best to make it viable.
Karan Thapar:Let me come to the third inherent problem in the unique identification number project. How can you ensure that the database that you are creating will be secure and that it won't be misused and it won't, worst of all, result in an invasion of privacy?
Nandan Nilekani: That is a very legitimate concern. We are looking at the design as to how to make it secure. We are saying that nobody can read this database. All they can do is verify the authenticity of an identity. You can ask a question like -- is x x? and the only answer we will give is yes or no. So there is no data coming down from the pipe. But there is no question that once the UID is implemented and the UID becomes ubiquitous in many applications, then there are challenges of privacy and I think along with this project, we have to put in other checks and balances, including laws.
Karan Thapar:Can you ever put in sufficient checks and balances? You said that people can only verify against this database. They won't actually be able to read it, but professor Ian Angle of the LSE, a world renowned authority on precisely the creation of such database, says with relevance to England, and it will apply even more to India, that what you are going to end up with is the "Olympic games of hacking." You are going to provide people the biggest challenge to hack through. No one believes in the perfectability of computers, so hackers will hack and succeed.
Nandan Nilekani: This again is a legitimate concern but we will have to design it as good as possible.
Karan Thapar:Can you design it to prevent hacking?
Nandan Nilekani: We can certainly create checks and balances.
Karan Thapar:The risk of hacking can never be removed hundred per cent?
Nandan Nilekani: In every system, there will be people who will try to hack on it. Some are impenetrable, some are not. The important thing is -- is the risk of hacking and privacy large enough not to do this project? And the view is that the project has so many significant benefits for the poor in making it inclusive and in giving them a chance to participate in the country's progress, that it is worth it and we have to mitigate those risks.
Karan Thapar:In India, you are creating a system which in the wrong hands would be a powerful tool for either religious or caste profiling. How can you ensure that unscruplous politicians won't misuse it for their benefit and against your intentions and the best interest of the Indian people?
Nandan Nilekani: We are not keeping any profiling attributes in our database.
Karan Thapar:You mean you won't have any details of people's caste?
Nandan Nilekani: No.
Karan Thapar:In which case, how can you say to me that you will better target benefits at BPL and other categories because if you don't know someone is SC or ST, if you don't know that they are OBC, how can you ensure better targetting?
Nandan Nilekani: That is the responsibility of the applicant that provides those services.
Karan Thapar:So then they will add in that feature into your detail?
Nandan Nilekani: That is outside our system. Our system has only basic attributes like the name, address, date of birth.
Karan Thapar:When you say that it's outside your system, you are providing the fundamentals for someone else to misuse? But misuse, if not at your end, will happen later on.
Nandan Nilekani: There are databases today which are accessible and therefore along with this we have to create the necessary laws, checks and balances, the citizen oversight to guard against these things.
Karan Thapar:The first thing that you conceded or accepted is that even if there is no misuse at your end, there is a huge potential of misuse at the end of other people who have access and use it and add to it. What you are doing therefore is that you are creating a weapon which you may not misuse but others could?
Nandan Nilekani: Today itself we have electronic databases in the country which potentially can be used the way you are suggesting. We are not doing something different from what already exists.
Karan Thapar:You said a moment ago that you would create checks and balances. I put it to you that you can never create sufficient and the reason say is this -- In the UK, in the US and in Australia, because the authorities couldn't respond to public concerns about misuse, they have effectively put on the backburner consideration of similar schemes for those countries. Now if developed countries cannot tackle the problem of misuse, then how can India, where 35 per cent of the people are illiterate and 22 per cent live below the poverty line? How can India claim that we can tackle these problems?
Nandan Nilekani:What these developed countries have put on hold is giving national ID cards to people. But both the countries, US and UK have a number. For example in the US, you have the social security number, in the UK there is the national insurance number. They already have a numbering system, which is what we are going to propose.
Karan Thapar:Except for the fact that it is nowhere near as extensive or as complete in terms of the biometeric details as what you are proposing in India. The national insurance in Britain has been around and developing slowly but it doesn't have any details that could lead to an invasion of privacy. It doesn't have any details that can be misused for profiling. Yours could have both?
Nandan Nilekani: As I said, these are legitimate concerns and I think we have to address them in the public as well as in the laws and so on. But notwithstanding these concerns, the social benefit, the inclusivity that this project will provide for the 700 million people in this country who are outside the system is immense enough to justify doing this project.
Karan Thapar:Can I challenge that justification? You are making it as an assertion, you are making it perhaps as a system of belief but what's the proof that the benefit will actually justify the risk?
Nandan Nilekani: The benefit is a profound benefit because the poor who don't have identity in this country will be able to get an identity, it will empower them, it will help to meet their aspirations, they are the people for whom this is being done and I do believe they will benefit greatly from this number.
Karan Thapar:you talk of giving people an identity but the problem is you are not a demographer, you are a technocrat. How are you going to handle the inevitable problems of internal migration or illegal immigration which are going to bedevil your scheme. How are you going to ensure that the wrong people aren't captured in your system and given an identity and made Indian?
Nandan Nilekani: Having this number does not confer any rights, benefits or any entitlements. All it does is confirm that X is X.
Karan Thapar:There are hundred ways of doing that. Why are we spending close to Rs 1.5 lakh crore on this project just to be able to claim X is X?
Nandan Nilekani: To have a system which uses a unique identifier like biometrics, having a system which ensures there are no duplicates and having a system that provides online authentication is, we believe, something that can have a lot of social benefits for the poor.
Karan Thapar:I won't question that belief although I call it a catechism of faith. One either accepts it on faith or one doesn't
Nandan Nilekani: I am not a high priest of technology.
Karan Thapar:I will end by quoting the conclusion the LSE came to when they reviewed a potential British concept along the lines of what you are doing in India: "The success of a national identity system depends on a sensitive cautious and cooperative approach involving all key stakeholders, including an independent and rolling assessment and regular review of management practices," and the LSE concluded that did not exist in the UK. If it does not exist in the UK, that environment certainly doesn't exist in India?
Nandan Nilekani: We are trying to make sure that all the checks and balances are there. We will have a very wide consultative process. We will involve everybody. We will make it public. All these are legitimate concerns and we have an obligation to meet these concerns.
Karan Thapar:I Hope you succeed. A pleasure talking to you.
Nandan Nilekani:Thank you.
Crime Next Door
There was a gunbattle in the heart of Delhi's posh suburb as police and assailants exchanged fire in Palam Vihar in Gurgaon. According to witnesses, five men armed with weapons had arrived at the C-Block residence of Anoop Choudhary, a senior executive in an automobile major (Maruti) at 9:30 Friday night.
The men at gunpoint overpowered Choudhary's son, ankur who had just returned from work and took away his SX4 Maruti car. Ankur's father overhearing a commotion immediately called the police. In the ensuing commotion, three of the men drove off the car into a dead end and abandoned it.
Meanwhile, two of the assailants had rushed into the house and barricaded themselves on the first floor. At least five family members were inside the house. Two of the robbers have been killed and three escaped.
"The police were in touch with them," said Vikram, neighbour.
According to the police, the shootout lasted for an hour, at the end of which two of the men were killed and it is believed that some escaped, efforts are on to try and locate them.
The police have set up several barricades in Gurgaon and neighbouring areas. The latest incident highlights the growing concerns over crime in the city.
*** This article is taken from NDTV website.
Gurgaon, India is industrialized City and most corrupted city as well. The only problem that this city faces is the presence of Arms by gangsters
The men at gunpoint overpowered Choudhary's son, ankur who had just returned from work and took away his SX4 Maruti car. Ankur's father overhearing a commotion immediately called the police. In the ensuing commotion, three of the men drove off the car into a dead end and abandoned it.
Meanwhile, two of the assailants had rushed into the house and barricaded themselves on the first floor. At least five family members were inside the house. Two of the robbers have been killed and three escaped.
"The police were in touch with them," said Vikram, neighbour.
According to the police, the shootout lasted for an hour, at the end of which two of the men were killed and it is believed that some escaped, efforts are on to try and locate them.
The police have set up several barricades in Gurgaon and neighbouring areas. The latest incident highlights the growing concerns over crime in the city.
*** This article is taken from NDTV website.
Gurgaon, India is industrialized City and most corrupted city as well. The only problem that this city faces is the presence of Arms by gangsters
THE NANO EFFECT - 2
Nano is really an Indian marvel. Perfect engineering (or I can tell perfect supply chain) There is nothing in a car that one find it odd. I got the chance to give a drive check for nano. I drove the car the highest variant with my boss on co driver seat.
My feedback on Nano,
1. They have definitely benchmarked M800 in almost everything.
2. Since it is a rear engine rear wheel drive its steering effort is very less. But above a speed of say 50 Km/h one can feel a slight loss of stability.
3. Gear Shift the best. I really admired it. No stickiness, slip, or even a slight uncomforting feel during the gear shift.
4. The noise outside is bad but cabin noise is very less and cabin vibration is very less compared to the benchmarked car.
5. Braking is comparable.
6. Space – wow here is where the nano scores the best. The front seats are best and very comfortable. But I heard from my test drivers that the seat cushion is hard for a 6- 8 hrs drive.
There are few things that also came up during the drive check. The rear seat vibration, observed high and one person pointed out there is slight feel of engine heat.(but I do not trust his words) Frankly I did not check the rear sear.
Certainly it is the second and the best revolution happened in Indian Auto sector. The Japanese never used to drive the cars which are to be launched in India. But they are coming from Japan and will be feeling the car (for first 15000 Km ) along with top heads of our company.
There is another nano that will be stripped completely and a group of engineers study the level of engineering into the car. The nano may be the smallest car but it is considered highly confidential and only big boys handle it (I handle a model which is planned for a launch in April but my boss handles the nano. Ha ha ) that’s the Nano real effect.
Jai ho! Nano.
My feedback on Nano,
1. They have definitely benchmarked M800 in almost everything.
2. Since it is a rear engine rear wheel drive its steering effort is very less. But above a speed of say 50 Km/h one can feel a slight loss of stability.
3. Gear Shift the best. I really admired it. No stickiness, slip, or even a slight uncomforting feel during the gear shift.
4. The noise outside is bad but cabin noise is very less and cabin vibration is very less compared to the benchmarked car.
5. Braking is comparable.
6. Space – wow here is where the nano scores the best. The front seats are best and very comfortable. But I heard from my test drivers that the seat cushion is hard for a 6- 8 hrs drive.
There are few things that also came up during the drive check. The rear seat vibration, observed high and one person pointed out there is slight feel of engine heat.(but I do not trust his words) Frankly I did not check the rear sear.
Certainly it is the second and the best revolution happened in Indian Auto sector. The Japanese never used to drive the cars which are to be launched in India. But they are coming from Japan and will be feeling the car (for first 15000 Km ) along with top heads of our company.
There is another nano that will be stripped completely and a group of engineers study the level of engineering into the car. The nano may be the smallest car but it is considered highly confidential and only big boys handle it (I handle a model which is planned for a launch in April but my boss handles the nano. Ha ha ) that’s the Nano real effect.
Jai ho! Nano.
NAN0 EFFECT
Well I am talking about the TATA’s NANO car. Well it has a nano effect in market since its volume of production is very less compared to its demand. But it shocked my organisation and we are taking it serious. We have planned to evaluate the vehicle for definite cycles and each parts will be tested for reliability (actually for re engineering, like how most of the Indian companies do). The car was launched almost a month back but I have seen only one car on road, and that belongs not to a person who is in middle class but a upper –middle class family. It has rewritten some basic rules of Indian auto sector. A good learning. I will update you regarding NANO after stringent evaluation.
A one good example, for the saying, 'the real talent would do things what others things it is impossible'
A one good example, for the saying, 'the real talent would do things what others things it is impossible'
Independence Day - I celebrate my independence.
Well in 1947, India got its independence and from the day I am in school I think I have celebrated the day. In college at least we used to badge Indian flag though not a visit to the flag hoisting.
For the past two years Independence Day means a holiday, a happy day where we spend at home either sleeping or sleeping heavily.
Well I have grown lazy after coming to North India. Do you know the reason?
I have complete freedom from every one. I speak to people who I want and I like and no fakes.
I am having independence. Ha ha
For the past two years Independence Day means a holiday, a happy day where we spend at home either sleeping or sleeping heavily.
Well I have grown lazy after coming to North India. Do you know the reason?
I have complete freedom from every one. I speak to people who I want and I like and no fakes.
I am having independence. Ha ha
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