the brook

I’ve been meaning to read this book for a long time, just never got around to it until now. The book was written around 1996 and presents the high points and trends of India’s history from independence till that time.

One of the things that inspired me to finally read and finish this book was hearing a speech by Shashi Tharoor a few weeks ago in Singapore, and I was happy to find that he’s as good a writer as an orator. He presents facts, arguments, personal anecdotes and humourous insights in a continuously engaging manner, which I must admit from past experience, is difficult to do in a non-fiction book about India.

As a contemporary history book, I found it compelling. It explains very lucidly the choices of India’s leaders and how they led to our growth, or lack of it. The book touches on the major issues - the move from socialism to capitalism, the role of religion in India, the pros and cons of true democracy, the caste system and even has a chapter on NRIs, which although a bit isolated from the rest of the book, was nonetheless a very enjoyable read.

One of the things my friends (my generation, maybe, but I don’t have evidence of that) and I feel, and have always felt as we grew up in a modern, urban, cosmopolitan Indian environment is confused. Corruption, religious riots, seemingly deliberate measures to curb economic growth, illiteracy, public sector inefficiency, hunger and a thousand other things have left us wondering - why? Surely these are not insurmountable problems? Questions like these used to leave me feeling out of depth and powerless, to be answered with a shrug and a quote - “Mera bharat mahaan”. There was a distinct feeling that these ills had been dumped upon our country and our way of life without cause or forseeable remedy. This books goes a long way in explaining exactly why India is what India is, and in that light, what could be done toward solving these problems; indeed how they are being solved and corrected in some ways.

Although the book is old and discusses some 1996 topics as “current”, the main debates presented in the book are very relevant even today, and in many cases the author’s insights and observations have been proved true by the course of events since.

If you haven’t read it already, it’s definitely worth a read if you’re interested in Indian affairs.

If you’re a small-time business operator and move into a seedy neighbourhood, you probably wouldn’t feel too surprised to see a ruffian walking up to you one day and demanding that you pay his gang some protection money, or “hafta”, as they call it in India. These days, however its not ruffians but chairmen and CEOs whom even the biggest companies find walking up to the door and demanding pretty much the same thing.

Exhibit A - Novell and Microsoft. I don’t particularly think the Novell deal with Microsoft violates the GPL (disclaimer - IANAL). What Novell did do however, is to sign a contract which said, among other things - SUSE Linux users will not get sued by Microsoft over patent violations. Since SUSE Linux is pretty much Linux most of the way. This is pretty much tantamount to saying: “we are afraid that we’ve done something wrong - please don’t hurt us.” Putting aside the fact that this is completely untrue, (even according to Novell, who say they are aware of no known infringement), they have stated this on behalf of a large number of open source and free software developers who have nothing to do with Novell and who certainly will oppose making any such implicit statement. The consequences became pretty clear a few days later when Steve Ballmer of Microsoft gave an interview:

“Novell pays us some money for the right to tell customers that anybody who uses SUSE Linux is appropriately covered,” Ballmer said. This “is important to us, because [otherwise] we believe every Linux customer basically has an undisclosed balance-sheet liability.”

Of course, Microsoft has been saying that for years, except now they’ve got validation from a huge Linux company, which as Ballmer correctly points out, makes all the difference. Microsoft also indicated that they would be happy to accept payment from other Linux vendors in exchange for similar agreements. Surprise, surprise.

Exhibit B - Microsoft and Universal. By now everyone knows that every Zune sale will have a cut destined for Universal music, as a “piracy tax.” Universal believes that all MP3 players are used solely to pirate music, and therefore anyone who uses an MP3 player owes them money. Not that I’d ever want to buy a Zune, but the unequivocal stance that if I do, I’m assumed to be a thief would cure me of any such desire in short order. I didn’t know “Welcome to the social” actually meant “Join the criminal club”.

These companies - Novell on behalf of developers who have contributed to it’s operating system and Microsoft to consumers who buy the Zune - have a responsibility not to be bullied. As consumers though, we can do little but hope and vote with our money and our usage.

Google wants to give you free, ad-supported mobile phones (via). I think it’s a lousy idea.

A mobile phone is essentially an interrupt device, and not a leisure device. I use my phone either when I’m reminded that I need to call or SMS someone, or when I get an interrupt from the device itself that someone is calling or messaging me. Which means that my usage pattern is based on interrupting something I’m doing (which is presumably important / interesting), which means that the reason I’m interrupted had better be good. People I know calling to keep in touch, make plans or share information is fine. Strangers referred to me by people I know are fine. But nothing irritates me more than SMS ads or cold sales calls.

Showing ads while your surf or check email on your phone is still OK, but you can already do that since phones have web browsers and e-mail clients. I’m assuming any mobile service thats completely free will include interrupting ads, and thats simply not acceptable.

In general ads are acceptable under the following conditions: they should be a (preferably small) part of any activity that you’re engaged in (TV shows, surfing), not be hugely unobtrusive (I love text ads for this reason), but most importantly - I should not be forced to view them. I can mute the TV, and not look at ads while surfing on the web or reading a magazine. The usage of a phone, however is such that I have to process interrupts - I won’t be ignoring SMSes in case some genuine information is coming my way, which basically means every time the service owners wish, they can make me stop whatever I’m doing and force me to view an ad.

No thanks.

Software bugs cause you to believe in a higher power… that likes to mess with your life.

Word is out that the Mac guy, Justin Long will no longer be doing commercials for the Apple “get a mac” series. The PC guy though, will still be around. Perfect time for a new PC ad:

Mac: Hello, I’m a Mac.
PC: And I’m a PC. Say, you’re the second Mac aren’t you?
Mac: Oh yeah. I’m the new guy.
PC: What happened to the other one?
Mac: Uh…
PC: Got a virus? Crashed? Wasn’t cool with the lifestyle stuff? Got thrown out of his job?
Mac: No, no, nothing like that. I’m just a better guy, thats all.
PC: You guys don’t seem to last very long, do you? How does that make you feel?
Mac: Hey, I feel just great. Did you know I now have an Core 2 Duo processor and can manage a digital lifestyle better than anything else?
PC: Right. Maybe I should just give up. You have the same hardware I did a couple of months ago, but you’re so easy to use and so totally cool that you completely eclipse my entire reason for existence….
Mac: Hey, come on PC, there’s no reason to feel so ba…
PC: That is, until everyone, including your own company, feels bored and compelled to throw you out.
Mac: Uh… Touché?
PC: You know what, I believe you got that right.

And predicts that it might have a hard time ahead:

After five years of frustration, the 600m of us around the world who, out of sheer laziness, ignorance or corporate decree, find ourselves dependent upon Internet Explorer―the Microsoft web browser that comes pre-installed on every Windows-based computer―have finally been granted some relief. Has the wait been worth it? No, but we’ll take what we can get.