A bribe by government

Yesterday morning was surfing through the channels and read this headline: "Maharashtra Government to give 1 lakh compensation to the families of the kids who died due to improper vaccination."

My general understanding of the compensation given in tragedies was to make up for the lose of income or for resettlement of the families. There is no such case in a minor death. The grief of the family in case of child death is immense which cannot be reduced by any amount disbursed to them. And especially in this case when they are trying to do the right thing, trying to make sure that their child grows into an healthy individual and then facing such results. 

What is the government trying to achieve by disbursing money in such cases? Do they feel that they have done with their responsibilities by giving money to grieving families? I see it as a bribe given by government to these families so that they don't question the inefficiency of the people in charge. Won't the money be better used in research & development, testing so that these cases don't happen again? But then do we live in an era where the government is concerned about doing the right thing

Joke of the day

Kenichi Ohame author of the book "Mind of the strategist" has this solution for the current financial problems:

http://www.livemint.com/2008/09/23231153/5-trillion-cash-pool-needed-t.html?h=A2

Why do proponents of free markets want them only when the going is good? Taking risk means that you are also ready for the downside risks, why should government bail them out in these scenarios?

The mighty fall

Was just wondering, did all the people who didn't get an Investment Bank posting at their B School are they deriving some sort of sadistic pleasure in seeing the I Banking world virtually disappear from Wall Street ;)

Does the end of Investment Banking as we know means that we won't have subjects such as "Financial Derivatives" in the B School Curriculum? How I hated that subject :-)

Mission to Moon

What new things to do Indian space scientist wish to uncover on their mission to moon that the Americans and Soviets haven't discovered so far?

Can't the money be put to better use in research which is more relevant to our society and times, rather then these flights of fantasy?

It happens only in India

While the world worries about more pressing issues, the political top brass in the state of Maharashtra is worried about getting the Maratha caste registered as an Other Backward Class. Maratha's who pride themselves on being the decendents of The Great Maratha - Shivaji and have been the ruling community in the state for last 300 years now want the privileges of OBC reservations. Well where else but in India can people tower over each other to declare themselves backwards. If Maratha's are backward it will be of their own doing rather then oppression by other communities. With 15 of 25 cabinet ministers in the state belonging to Maratha community the reservation might be a reality with the impending elections in the state. And that may be the only thing the incumbent government has to show for its 5 years in power

Valley of Flowers

Finally the much awaited trip is over and must say that it was one of the most satisfying experiences. The 60 km walk in 3.5 days also gave a good indication of the state of physical fitness, which I must say while not good is not bad either :-)
http://picasaweb.google.com/dhananjays02/ValleyOfFlowers
Link to the photos of the trip. Will add captions in due course of time.
Border Roads Organization: - The road from Rishikesh onwards is under the control of BRO and it’s a commendable job they are doing. Himalayas, the youngest mountains on the planet is in a state of constant flux with land slides happening all over the place. Yet it’s the tenacity of the BRO which keeps these roads operational with as little delays as possible.
Faith: - Have always heard and read that a little faith can do wonders. Saw it first hand during the trip. How else do you explain 60 plus people scaling to the heights of 4800 meters without any aid? The only reason I could come up was Faith and belief.
Indian Tourist: - While as a nation we have progressed a lot in many areas, civic manners is something which we lack. A NGO worker told us that they clear 60 tonnes of plastic garbage from Valley of Flowers and Hemkunt Saheb every year. Considering that the entire area is open only during a 3-4 month window and is not easily accessible the amount of garbage cleared is staggering. Was walking down the last 14 mile with a pilgrim, a really warm human being, but he tossed his empty bottle of Limca in the valley without a second thought
Many faces of Ganges: - The Ganges which is calm and serene in Allahabad showed its many different faces during the journey. The entire journey is along one or other tributary of Ganges. Pushpavati in Valley of Flowers was playful taking small jumps enjoying its path through the valley. Laxman Ganga from Hemkunt was eager to move on jumping huge heights to meet Alaknanda in GovindGhat. Alaknanda was a torrent, constantly churning, gurgling ravishing anything that came in its way, yet beautiful. And, finally the Ganga at Rishikesh, forceful in a calm collected way.
On Human Nature: - The nature showed its many faces during the journey. Himalayas the sentry on our north can turn hostile within a flick of a eye and unleash hell. Ganges is always eager to take in, anything that comes its way. We heard of an accident which washed a car into Ganges containing a father and a daughter. Yet in such conditions life survives and survives well. Roads which were built yesterday can be broken by a land slide overnight. But it’s the human tenacity which clears them the next day. In the end the trip told me a lot about human endurance courage and determination then about the natural beauty.