The Flip-Flop Week!

The past week has been a flip-flop week, too many flops and embarrassing flips. The week started on a good note, Mr. Dinesh Trivedi presented a bold Railway budget with the innate vision to change the state of Indian railways. The focal points were:–

a. Safety;

b. Consolidation;

c. Decongestion and Capacity Augmentation;

d. Modernization;

e. Lower operating margins.

The rail budget quite spectacularly demonstrated that there is scope of improvement in our rail infrastructure. Mr. Trivedi’s budget had more plans for the future than self lauding testimony of achievements in the past year (something Mr. Trivedi’s predecessors Ms. Bannerjee and Mr. Yadav frequently resorted to).

The Indian Railway certainly requires a leader with vision and desire to change its existing predicament and to ensure its progress towards a future laden with accomplishments. But then came the biggest flop, the ever petulant child of UPA – TMC could not really comprehend and appraise the conation. I wonder how TMC contemplates to raise funds for the railway if not through marginally raising fares (2p/KM) for the most travelled segment of a train “the second class”. The pertinacity on a partial rollback of fares seems more like a politically motivated charade to woo, as the esteemed leaders address, the ‘aam junta’ than a well thought out plan for progress. Am sure if Mr. Trivedi’s plans were implemented in ‘Mission Mode’ as he envisioned them, then it would have created numerous employment opportunities and, which in turn would have ensured the uplift of the ‘aam junta'.

By the way I really detest the phrase ‘aam junta’ we are probably the only nation in the world that calls the esteemed citizens of the country – “common people”. Are we still in the shackles of despotism? I honestly believe that commoners, courtiers and royalty are things of past! We are in a democracy and our elected representatives are not the Monarchs of this country, they rather are a set of people entrusted to run the society and duly paid for their efforts. Is there a country in the world that truly imbibes the principles of democracy, where the elected representative is the ‘aam aadmi’ and not his electorate?

Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, the young and dynamic leader of UP, with hopes of the electorate pinned on him, formed a cabinet of 47 ministers, and guess the flip - 28/47 minister have pending criminal charges against them. So hope at your own risk! Governance of UP could turn out to be big FLOP!

Another flop was the Union budget, I mean it never had anything that one could rejoice about and the tax levy on sale of equity above fair market price @ 30% would surely sour the rate of P/E & VC funding to startups.

Flip-flop at Asia cup is atleast less soul-wrenching: Sachin scored the century of centuries and then came the archetypal flop - India lost that very match (quite like rail budget and TMCs reaction to it). Now, though India won against Pakistan yet our hopes to play the final depend on Sri Lanka and unlike last time, we hope they win today!

Thanks for reading! J

Un-Politically Correct!

I begin with a very thought provoking quotation:

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors" - Plato

Mr. Akhilesh Yadav said, after his party’s thumping win in Uttar Pradesh, - “Politics is like that. We lost last time, but we won this time. There will be no politics of revenge or comparison, and no breaking of statues. There is enough space available for creating hospitals and institutions within those premises, and that is what we will do. There will be no place for law-breakers within the party!”

Impressive! Certainly impressive! If Mr. Yadav sticks to his words, then the public of Uttar Pradesh will be vindicated, and be glad that voting for a historically tainted regional party under a young and promising leader was indeed the right move!

I believe that the coolest move of Samajwadi Party (SP) was appointing Mr. Akhilesh Yadav as the face of the party. With his affable and approachable image he seemed more close to the public at the grass-root levels and hence more effective as the SP brand ambassador. And I believe he has done a much better job in improving the public opinion about his party than the Bollywood glitterati and star campaigners of the past. Be it denying ticket to Mr. D.P. Yadav or contesting Dr. Abhishek Mishra (ex-faculty IIM-A, Phd Univ Cambridge) from Lucknow, it seems he is out there to give SP a makeover by breaking the silos of caste, creed and social status. The 2012 assembly election results of Uttar Pradesh certainly testify that his strategy has borne results.

My comrades at IIM-Lko and I were closely watching the election result proceedings, after all Uttar Pradesh will be our home for the next one year; and who knows if better policies are crafted to encourage the growth of businesses and industries we might stay forever - as corporate leaders, as entrepreneurs or as change makers. Uttar Pradesh is my birth place and the place that has given me my identity, so more than most others I am looking forward to creation of better breeding grounds for commerce and industry in Uttar Pradesh, because I want to stay in Uttar Pradesh – for good and be the part of the change that will take my state back to its lost glory. It may be too early to predict the change as many of you might think but I am pinning my hopes on this young, dynamic and “guy-next-door” leader, I hope to see him perform at par with the likes of Mr. Nitish Kumar and Mr. Narendra Modi. He may chose to stay out of the government but the success or failure of SP in Uttar Pradesh would be largely attributed to him.

The youth will set their eyes on Mr. Yadav and observe his governance for the next five years, whether Uttar Pradesh follows the Bihar/Gujrat model of growth and prosperity or returns to the politics of hooliganism laden with corrupt desires - will be clear in the next couple of years. Mr. Yadav will be well aware that the electorate is cognizant that Uttar Pradesh has immense potential and he must understand that if he does well in this state then it is quite possible that his party may catapult itself to prominence on the national political scenario.

The current elections clocked as huge as 82% voter turnout (in Goa), which clearly indicates that the electorate is awakened and aware of its duty to vote and is now thus keen to participate in democratic form of governance. We have all the reasons to cherish such statistics, in most of the states victories are clear mandates, political parties have been voted to clear majority– this indicates that the electorate desires a party to rule by itself and when once given a chance it’s should either perform or perish, coalition politics may be on its way out for good.

-AD

Encourage thy heroes!

I recently finished reading the Rashmi Bansal trilogy (SHSF, CTD, IHD)*, and I must say for all those with fire in their bellies and burning desire to make a difference, the books are a must read! And I also recommend it to those happy with their lives, you might experience excitement for a change.

Prasoon Joshi in a Times Now debate very rightly said that "We depend on Heroes, our Society waits for the next hero to come and alleviate our problems." His apt example was Sholay - an entire village waited for 2 people to come and mobilize them to fight against an evil force. I wonder what would have happened if Jai & Viru had to first toil hard, to raise the Seed Capital, then VC funding - Series A, Series B and so on and so forth, to fight Gabbar! Thankfully they had their committed Angel Investor in our dear Thakur Sa'ab.

Outside the silver screen the Jai's & Viru's of the entrepreneurial world don't find their Thankur Sa'abs so easily. The society needs to wakeup and realize that the entrepreneurs are our real life Heroes and they have the potential to assuage our socio-economic issues. All we have to do is create an amicable environment for them, that is to let the seed nurture and grow in a fruit bearing tree. Why is finding funds such a difficult task? Aren't their innovative ways to counter this issue. Am sure if there is more support, the growth and success rate of new ventures will increase many folds.

Why aren't there more high risk mutual funds where the money is invested into startups and the equity returns become the risk & reward. How about not investing in an overpriced share and expecting 15% RoI but investing in a lesser known but a credible and aggressive entrepreneur and expecting 150% returns, why notchannelize these investments through capable fund managers. Isn't this a better form to give back to the society as well? As that investment may create jobs and change lives of scores of people. The more daunting question is if such mutual funds are created would there be adequate investors? Can we plug in our surpluses into such ventures?

We are hitting new lows on GDP growth rate, can the situation be improved by nurturing and encouraging entrepreneurs...?

- AD.

* SHSF - Stay Hungry Stay Foolish.

* CTD - Connect The Dots.

* IHD - I Have a Dream.