Miyan Biwi Razee …

… but no says the Qazi. Is that how you would describe the Reliance Fresh situation at UP and some other states?

The arrangement seems to benefit the farmers – they get more choices, better prices and quick payments. It benefits you and me, the consumers – we get to save. Leave out the farmers and consumers, whats left? Oh yes, the small traders and middlemen. They get to lose some, I mean after minting profits for ages, they now have a wave passing them by.

Netas are usually smart at arithmetic. So they would know that farmers + consumers > small traders and middlemen. So why do we still have that situation at UP? Whats the big flaw in my logic and thinking here?

Politics (Pro-SP Reliance vs BSP) more than anything else, right?

Mumbai airport – pretty picture

Looks good isn’t it. That is the new domestic terminal at Mumbai Airport. It has been in that state for a few months now, even though they announced the terminal ready only after finishing up the arrival/departure roads.

Waiting for our own airport here (BIAL), which I am sure would look even more spacious if not better than this :)

Choked Bangalore – Heart of the matter?

[Cross posted at Praja]

The best piece of news I have heard this month came last week. It goes “BBMP to book crook engineers“. Its something we all know and suspect to be true for ever now, and the plan to break the so called ‘nexus’ is ambitious:

BBMP will book the engineers of the erstwhile CMCs and TMC who have sanctioned projects on storm water drains, valleys, in agricultural lands etc. … Taking a serious note of rampant violation of zoning regulations and building bylaws, the BBMP … will trace these officials … and recommend action against them … In the wake of demolitions being carried out across the city, the BBMP has stumbled on several cases where engineers have encouraged encroachments in exchange for kickbacks running into lakhs of rupees.

Not that we haven’t heard similar language before, but there is an interesting twist to BBMP’s threat this time.

No phone in car – two predictions

[Cross posted on Praja-Bangalore]

Click on this ad Karnataka government put out in newspapers on Monday. The message is pretty loud and stern – if they find a phone on inside your car or two wheeler, your driving license will get canceled.

Well, I like the idea, and I was thinking that the folks who gain most are FM radio operators. Imagine being stuck in Bangalore traffic – it being such a real thing, you don’t have to imagine anything here – for hours together, and you can’t use your phone, not even with a hands-free set. Wont FM radio would be your only friend, unless you get the time to replace music CDs in the car every morning :)

That thing called ‘Collective Wisdom’

Our flight to Denver started 30 minutes late, so we were in danger of missing the onward connection to San Jose. The plane made up some time in air, 10 minutes or so, which meant that we would get about 3 minutes to run to the departure gate of our connection.

3 minutes to get out and do a half-kilometer jog? Sitting few rows deep inside this packed plane, I wasn’t too sure of making it. An unplanned night halt at Denver looked imminent. But then came this announcement from the cabin crew.

“All those who have a connecting flight within 10-15 minutes of arrival at Denver, please raise your hands”.

My colleague and I raised ours, and so did about a dozen more passengers.

Who is it – city government or us?

[Cross posted on Praja-Bangalore]

How interesting to see different media houses use varying headlines to describe one same PriceWaterhouseCooper (PWC) survey on Bangalore city and governance.

• “We’re to blame for city’s woes” says Times of India Bangalore
• “Bangaloreans rue city governance” goes NDTV
• “B’lore citizens seek better urban governance” went the source at PTI

Here are some interesting notings from this PWC survey:

Mallya and ICL – why not?

So Mr Vijay Mallya picked BCCI over ICL. I am a bit surprised, why? Perhaps because he hopes to be the president of BCCI someday.

When I dreamed of Mumbai Marathas and Bangalore Bombers last year, I had Mr Mallya sitting in a VIP box enjoying the game. What I didn’t write then was this. I seriously thought Mr Mallya would be the one to start ICL. He doesn’t have any presence in media business. And he needs ways to surrogate-sell Kingfisher word in our living rooms.

India, professional sports, cricket and TV – that is a marriage made in heaven, a combination yet to be sold in a package here. I bet Mr Mallya is aware of this proposition, and that is why I was half sure of ICL turning into Kingfisher cricket league.

But looks like it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. What big sponsors are left standing as possible backers of ICL then? Unless soda makers hedge between BCCI and ICL, I am thinking a telecom player could be the first big win for ICL. Reliance communications or Hutch – they could do with some brand building over Airtel. Private Banks too are a possibility – Axis cricket league anyone!? How about a software company seeking to attract employers? HCL has been trying hard to appeal to engineers, them?

PS: Mr Mallya has been trying to do his bit for professional sports – enticing Formula 1 to come to Bangalore. Formlua one race at Bangalore, wont that be a classic oxymoron? I can’t remember the last time I did 60 kmph here!!