Fuel price rise is becoming a global crisis. We can no longer piggy back on Left Ideology and play Ostrich with the impending economic disaster. Everybody has tomake some sacrifice to tide over the crisis.

The Government on its part could drastically reduce duties on petrol and diesel.Government every year has its target for collection of duties from each economic activity and let’s say for this year from the sale of petroleum products it is targeted at Rs.1000 crores. The rate at
which oil prices are increasing globally,this target will be met easily and possibly surpassed. The Government could do a bit of sacrifice (if they are serious about controlling price) and reduce the duties on petroleum products. Further, the Government should be bold enough and adopt differential pricing for domestic gas cylinders. It is ridiculous to note that a family living in a premium apartment (costing Rs.1 Crore) pays the same price for a domestic gas cylinder as a family which stays in a slum. It is very easy to implement this because every subscribers address is known. A similar method could be adopted for supply of diesel and petrol also. Differential rates should be adopted for public utility vehicles and private vehicles. Similar differentiation could be done in case of two wheelers and four wheelers. If the oil companies want to suffer losses by supplying at the same rate for all types of vehicles, so be it. That is part of their benevolence and nobody can help it. It is time that the Government made some serious investments for research in the field of Solar Cooking. In a country like India, even if 30-40% of the families switch to this method and use it for 7-9 months a year (given the
weather conditions), the differences that it could make to our fuel bill will be enormous.

The Opposition on their part especially the confused Left should understand that global prices of fuel are increasing and we have no means but to comply. Why don’t these people understand that just because we don’t charge market rates, OPEC Countries don’t supply fuel to us at subsidized rates?At the end of the day, we have to pay market rates and this money comes from nowhere but from within our Budget. Does the Left support a situation wherein a capitalist is getting subsidized fuel from the money which is meant to prevent a poor farmer from committing suicide?

We on our part could reduce the use of personal transport as much as possible but then for today’s urban middle class it is shame to land up at a friends place and say I have come by public transport. For our own economic good and to prevent global warming let us walk for distances less than 2 kilometers and also teach our children to do so. As far as possible
let us use public transport to commute, these days they are quite good and frequent also.

The situation is very grim. We have to change our old habits of using fuel or else face the fate of inhabitants of Jurassic Park. Politicians on their part should stop worrying about their votes. Those in the ruling party have to take strong calls and those in the opposition have to adopt
a policy of “Bolthi Bandh” and not call for bandhs over every fuel price rise. If we don’t learn to make little sacrifices as a country, we better get ready to kiss goodbye to the growth we have achieved in the past 5 to 6 years.This situation is going to hurt all of us but then we have no option but take the bull head on. If we bury our heads in the sand just like an ostrich does, sooner later, economic disaster will hunt us down.

Remember 1990, we had to pledge our Gold.

Balu AM

As per the official statistics of the Election Commission, 56% of the registered voters in Bangalore did not cast their vote during the Elections held on 10/05/08. These 56% had better work at home than to decide what will be the shape of their future Government. Some of this 56% would have found going to a resort, family picnic or a movie as being more important than casting their vote. Most of these 56% will continue to point their fingers as to what is wrong with the Country but don’t want to stain their fingers with the election dye on 10/05/08. These are the people who crib about corruption but on 10/05/08 left their votes for possible manipulation.

There were many people who turned up to vote but did not find their names on the list. This 56% had their names on the list but did not believe in the power of democracy and a vote. This 56% will continue to complain about poor infrastructure, corruption and every conceivable problem under the sun but could not walk a few 100 meters on 10/05 to cast their vote.

Ask them they will say, what guarantee is there that the person whom we vote for does win and more importantly deliver on his promises. Excuse me, don’t we lock houses our even though we know that burglars still can break in. Do we middle class stop investing in the share market just because we lost money on one particular share? Why do we plan vacations during holidays given for voting? Would we plan for vacations during our children exams? Elections are the examination for the country. We fail to vote we have to suffer for five long years.

Name not present in the voter list is the excuse which does not hold water in today’s internet world. Voters Lists are frequently displayed on the web by the Election Commission. If we care for our vote, we will definitely ensure that our name is in the final list.

Don’t ask what difference will one vote make? The power of one is infinite. Have we forgotten Buddha, Mahatma Gandhiji, Dr. B R Ambedkar or for that matter sport icons like PT Usha and Kapil Dev? One person can make a lot of difference to the society. Only if each one of us rises to the demands of the society, will a change come about? Thank God the generation that fought for our freedom from imperial rule did not have a pessimistic mind set like ours.

Balu A.M.- LeadCapper

From an interview with APJ Abdul Kalam

India Knowledge@Wharton: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?

Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India’s satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India’s “Rohini” satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources — but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.

By 1979 — I think the month was August — we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts — I had four or five of them with me — told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.

That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference — where journalists from around the world were present — was at 7:45 am at ISRO’s satellite launch range in Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure — he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite — and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, “You conduct the press conference today.”

I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.

“Imagine what we can study from a tiny insect. They have an amazing four-part philosophy.

First part: Ants never quit. When they are going somewhere and you put your foot in their path and stop them; they will not say, “Oh a giant foot, we should go back”. They will look for another way. They will climb over, around and under if they can. That is the way it should be; never quit, keep looking for a way to get where you are supposed to go. There is no failure but feedback.

Second part: Ants think winter all summer. That’s an important perspective. You can’t be so naïve as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering in their winter food in the middle of summer.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that ants think summer all winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants reminds themselves “This won’t last long; we will soon be out of here” And the first warm day the ants are out.

And here is the last part of ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All that he possibly can. What an incredible philosophy, the all-that-you-possibly-can philosophy.”

Above is taken from a very good book “Reach for the Sky” by Dr. A. Abraham, director of MindMasters and a Master Practitioner in NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming).

There is abundance of learning for every leader who is ready to learn. The ant philosophy is one among them. When we put some effort to learn, we will not only see the forest, but also the trees.

Mohammad Nibras P.K.
LeadCap

Five scores after, you or I will not be there to stride on this earth. But the foundation we are laying through the leadership movement will be there. Dream, of a tomorrow where our vision of making India a nation of leaders is fulfilled and our country becoming a leader of nations! India will be a nation from which other countries will take lessons on leadership and revive their nations on the foundation of democratized leadership. We need to ask ourselves the hard questions, dream really big, and start acting rather than waiting for everything to be fine and then do something. Whole of India should awaken to the call of democratized leadership at the earliest.

Let us incarnate the freedom fighters’ mind in ours. Let the patriotism run in our blood with all its vigour. Let us stand up and say that we are leading our nation. Let us do it for the nation. Let us make it happen now. Let us join our souls and hands for the nation. Let us do it now.

Mohammad Nibras P.K.
Leadcap.