Kolkata flyover collapse: An Act of God for Builder, for Politicians an Election Time God-send

Indians can now proudly proclaim “Bharat Mata Ki Jai“

A flyover under construction in Kolkata since 2007 collapsed today, leaving 18 people dead and hundreds still trapped. 

In any other country, the tragedy will have touched the hearts of its leaders. You can hardly expect that in India, particularly with elections round the corner.

Not surprisingly, all parties, from the BJP to Trinamool, are playing politics. The criminal Indian leaders have found this a god-send to take political mileage out of it. To the builder, it is an act of God! 

Can these lumpen elements inspire one to proudly proclaim “Bharat mata ki Jai“?

 

G Joslin Vethakumar

Super Singer 5 Cheating is a Non-Issue, says Vijay TV

Tamil Channel Now Ridiculing Online Critics / Viewers

The Tamil public who have been critical of Vijay TV’s Super Singer 5 deceit are now being openly ridiculed by the channel.

“It is a non-issue”, singer and Super Singer 5 judge Srinivasan thundered today on TV. He was referring to the fact that the Super Singer 5 title winner had sung songs for a few films even before he entered the contest.

Concealment of Truth is the Real Issue, Not Contestants Having Already Been Playback Singers

The issue is not whether the channel was right in letting playback singers participate in the show. What has bugged followers of the show is the truth that it made no attempt to enlighten viewers that most of the contestants were playback singers.

If this fact was relayed during the show it will NOT have received the kind of following it had. So it was a commercial decision to keep viewers in the dark! To that extent it is fraudulent.

Ignore Losers: Srinivasan went on to say that people would always be finding fault with winners, urging Anand Aravindakshan to ignore the losers

Vijay TV then brought on the show a few of the past and present contestants to say that they had also been playback singers earlier.

In effect, Vijay TV was seeking to drive home the message that cheating was in its blood and a non-issue.

Defending Deceit: At least the channel has been honest enough to admit and defend its deceit.

So Vijay TV was effectively asking the public to go for a toss if they felt that the Super Singer show had all along been making them believe the contestants were raw with no film singing background.

It has clearly emerged that Vijay TV is an untrustworthy channel. It’s time for viewers to shut the channel off.

My earlier post on the issue: https://joslinv.wordpress.com/2016/03/28/vijay-tv-nay-fraud-tv-justifies-hiding-truth-behind-super-singer-title-winner/

G Joslin Vethakumar

Karjakin Wins Challengers, to Face Carlsen for World Title

Caruana Finishes Second and Anand Third

Russia’s Sergey Karjakin (26) has earned the right to challenge World Champion Magnus Carlsen (25) of Norway with a win over Italian-American Fabiana Caruana yesterday in Round 14 of the Candidates Tournament held in Moscow.

The world title clash will be held in November this year in New York City. Former world champion Russian Garry Kasparov, a vocal critic of President Vladmir Putin, has been living in exile New York since 2013

Marketing, Advertising Ammunition: The chess world has been crying for a new, younger challenger to Carlsen for greater marketing and advertising ammunition. With Karjakin they have got what they wanted.

Karjakin, ranked world number 13, is a surprise winner with top-seeded Caruana having started as the favourite.

But Karjakin had a very good tournament, staying on top of the leader board almost throughout and finishing with 8.5 points, a clear point ahead of second-placed Caruana.

His only loss in the 14 rounds was to Viswanathan Anand, who finished third with 7.5 points.

Anand started the tournament well and was in the lead till Round 3, but his loss to Karjakin in Round 4 put the Russian in the spotlight. He regained lead after his win over Karjakin in Round 11.

Anand did raise visions of emerging as a challenger yet again but two losses in the last five rounds (to Caruana and Nakamura) pushed him back.

Creditably, he had more wins than anyone else in the tournament – four (against Karjakin, Aronian, Svidler and Topalov). But he also suffered three defeats. His failure to secure draws during crucial games impaired his prospects badly.

I will not write off Anand, a five-time world champion, yet, but he will find the going tough. He will have to seriously think of the support he has been getting from his seconds.

There were eight players in the race with each pitted against one another twice during the tourney. 

Congratulations, Karjakin, and best wishes for the title clash against Carlsen.

G Joslin Vethakumar

“Fraud” TV Justifies Hiding Truth Behind Super Singer Title Winner!

So, No Lessons Learnt!

Here are the two facets of Vijay TV’s fraud:

1. First, Vijay TV showed dishonesty by hiding the playback singing past of the title winner
2. Today, after getting pilloried in the social media for the deceit, Vijay TV had a special programme to justify its decision to keep him on the show. 

·        Perhaps the con-game is a best practice in Vijay TV’s lexicon.

I have seldom hidden my dislike for Vijay TV and Sun TV, with both pushing their own agenda and fooling viewers. They are perhaps living by the signs of the times. Even the print media have their own axe to grind.

In fact, on the first day of 2016, I had a post calling Vijay TV the worst of Indian channels. In 2011 also, I blogged about how the judges insulted the then Super Singer 3 title winner and the public who voted from him in a manner that questioned the latter’s choice!

Falsehood: Recently after the Super Singer 5 title winner, Anand Arvindakshan, received his grand coronation, it was exposed in the social media that he was no newbie. It appears that he had already sung some songs in films, which ought to have disqualified him from the contest on day 1.

Vijay TV hid the truth till the very end. That is the issue I have with the channel. He may have been a nondescript playback singer, so to cement his position he could have jumped into the Super Singer fray.

I found Anand a very good singer though I thought Siyad was better for his simplicity and honesty, making no attempt to capitalise on his humble background.

Clever, possibly, Cunning Ploy: His participation does not bug me. But keeping it under wraps till the very end is not something that can be condoned. Eliminating him during the top 5 stage and then bringing him back through the wildcard is a clever, possibly cunning, Vijay TV ploy.

To cap it all, Vijay TV does not appear to have learnt any lesson as it had a special show today to defend their chicanery. Their argument: he did not make any headway in films and that singers of a lesser calibre were making it big in cinema. So this was a second chance for him.

Fair enough, but why hide it from the world!

Don’t tell me even the judges and the special guests the channel brought on stage did not know it.

All of them appear to have conspired with Vijay TV to fool audiences worldwide. Shame on the channel and the judges!

G Joslin Vethakumar

What Price Nationalism!

Even Hot-Selling Holi Products were made in China, are Still Available in Alibaba

Holi has come and gone, but China-made colour powders and other products associated with the celebration are still available in Alibaba. Figurines of all Indian Gods have for long been made in China, sold much cheaper than those made in India.

Indian manufacturers of the same products made locally are thus said to have been hit hard by the Chinese invasion, going by this report in The Times of India.

Sloganeering Not New: Indians show their nationalism only in shouting their lungs out with patriotic slogans. As for purchases they love those from China. To them, it is price that counts, to hell with nationalism and all the sloganeering! They are just for public consumption to help politicians.

They cannot be blamed if Indian businesses price themselves out. Whether it is their greed or if their costs involve the bribes they need to fork out to politicians and officials ultimately it is the nation that gets hit.

The government may have an easy, convenient explanation. They will say our focus is on high-end manufacturing, not these chota chota (small, small) items. But I doubt India will be able to catch up with China even there as all Western businesses are well entrenched there.

“Yes to computer chips, no to potato chips”: This reminds me of the decades-old slogan, Be Indian, Buy Indian, that older people may not have forgotten. Congress governments of the past have consistently tried to sell India to Indians. They had their priorities right but product innovations were hardly happening.

When the Rao government, with Dr Manmohan Singh as Finance Minister, initiated economic liberalisation, the BJP tried to put spokes in the way with such slogans as “yes to computer chips, no to potato chips.” That is just political jargon as such selective opening up of the economy simply does not make sense!

G Joslin Vethakumar

 

Went Shopping for Easter Goodies, Found Unique Cakes at Takashimaya

Happy Easter

I went to Takashimaya on Easter-eve to buy some goodies that are a part of the festival celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I picked some Easter eggs and bunnies from Cold Storage and Hot Cross Buns from Cedele.

It is always a challenge to find these across the island during Easter – not even at the confectioners that are open every 100 metres.

But I ran into a new shop at Takashimaya that was selling some unique cakes, including one with pomegranate topping.

Even the carrot cake available there looked different and inviting.

I didn’t buy any there as I was keen on buying just those relevant for Easter.

I will reserve that for another day. I won’t wait for another occasion, any day is good enough for them.

It is just a question of having an appetite for them.

Happy Easter!

G Joslin Vethakumar

Singapore Must do More to Address ICT Skills Gap among Citizens

Singapore Manpower Minister Lim Swee Say told Parliament on Thursday that two-thirds of personnel employed in the ICT sector were residents. By residents, he meant both citizens and PRs.

Data covering only citizens will have been helpful as PRs are foreigners too, just as those on work permits here. I have no doubt they will be available, it is the responsibility of newspapers to go beyond quoting Ministers and make reporting meaningful with such statistics. One can hardly expect that from The Straits Times.

Intelligent Island and a Smart Nation: Having been in the ICT sector for the last 20 years, I have found a skills gap among locals. The Singapore government has consistently been technology-focused, transforming the country into an Intelligent Island by year 2000. Its current push is on making Singapore the world’s first Smart Nation.

But not much has been done in terms of preparing locals to support the drive. The Education authorities do not seem to have done enough to draw Singaporeans into science and technology courses in the local universities.

I find that even diploma holders from countries such as India have been able to land ICT jobs here. Is Singapore that desperate?

The government needs to do more to encourage citizens to take up ICT courses in universities.

Let them also be more transparent when they release critical data – without clubbing Singaporeans with PRs.

G Joslin Vethakumar

South China Sea Disputes: Why ST is not Questioning the Big Bully?

But it’s happy to ask “Can Trump be Stopped”

In a post yesterday, I wrote about a piece in The Straits Times, raising the question of whether Donald Trump can still be stopped from winning the Republican Presidential nomination.

A more serious problem for the region has been China’s expansionist mindset leading to disputes with countries in SE Asia over the red giant’s land reclamations.

Yesterday, Malaysia claimed over 100 Chinese fishing boats have been spotted within its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off Sarawak. Indonesia had a similar issue earlier this week.

So, why isn’t The Straits Times raising such questions as “Can China be Stopped”?

Interestingly, a report this evening says a Chinese flotilla is heading for Indonesia for joint drills. A spat followed by a thaw? Politics is a complex game!

G Joslin Vethakumar

Needless Intolerance Towards Djokovic and Moore

The World is Fake, NOT Free!

Politically correct public statements from those who will indulge in sly, behind-the-back bitching can make one tired!

The smart are liars, pretenders, outwardly free thinkers but at heart dishonest to the core. These so-called liberals conjure up politically correct statements smacking of insincerity but winning encomiums all the way.

On the other hand, a Djokovic has had to apologise for saying the pay disparity between women and men players is justified.

Indian Wells director Raymond Moore, a former player, faced all-round flak for saying: “If I was a lady player, I’d go down every night on my knees and thank God that Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal were born, because they have carried this sport.”

Serena Williams squealed, other present and former players followed suit and Mr Moore had to relinquish his position.

Just a Matter of Fact: I don’t think any of the two men was wrong. It is no secret that the male players have to work a lot harder than their female counterparts to come up with performances that enthrall audiences. This does not amount to insulting womanhood or the calibre of the women players. It is just a matter of fact, without any prejudices!

So why grudge the extra bucks they make? Why make it out as sexist, discriminatory pronouncements? It is just politics at work.

Sly Bitching in Corporate World: Let individual sport not become like the corporate sector where it is common to come across people making politically correct statements in the open. Just that behind one’s back they will have different stories to tell! That’s called sly bitching!

Greater tolerance is needed in a world that is predominantly democratic with freedom of expression.

As long as statements do not verge on hate mongering and are not made to incite social disturbances the world can afford to be tolerant.

The kind we saw coming from Djokovic and Mr Moore should have just been seen as their individual opinion without reading too much into it.

G Joslin Vethakumar

Can Trump be Still Stopped?

Why Should the World Try to Interfere in Democratic Traditions of U.S.

The Straits Times seldom fails to amuse and amaze me. It is a newspaper that is quick to get critical about democratic developments globally while paying little attention to investigative reporting in Singapore.

Today’s edition of the daily had a report on whether Donald Trump can still be stopped?

In fact, even sections of Americans are trying to hit Mr Trump, a Republican Presidential candidate holding a comfortable edge, below the belt. China and many other countries in Asia are also worried about the businessman’s rise in politics.

Why should The Straits Times and the world be worried about this? The U.S. is a democratic country, so its people must be allowed to have their say. They are not a stupid bunch to be swayed by an agenda-driven world!

Whether Mr Trump’s popularity is good or bad for the world is worthy of analysis as long as objectivity is not compromised.

G Joslin Vethakumar