Distributional Coalitions

        I came across this term in Bimal Jalan's book - 'Future of India'. He explains these as groups or lobbies that affect or influence the 'distribution' of wealth and also country's policies in their favour. Bimal Jalan says that these are a serious threat to India's future. At first glance it didn't strike much, but as i ponder over and relate things - most of the problems of India can be traced to these 'coalitions of interest'. Be it the strikes of different labour unions, the powerful lobby of farmers of Punjab/Haryana that corner the benefits of high MSP for food grains, or the opposition of FDI in multi-brand retail.
        Particularly the current issue of FDI in multi-brand retail - there is opposition from small Kirana stores and some other lobby groups. Its no surprise that these are also 'distributional coalitions'. Currently these Kirana stores provide some employment, but this employment comes under 'unorganised sector' that has no future as there's no growth or skill up gradation. On the contrary with retail employment there can be more opportunities of training and all other advantages of 'organized sector'. Job creation for semi-skilled or unskilled workers is the only way to get rid of poverty. No second thoughts about this. Also another lobby group is the 'middlemen'. FDI in retail can weed away many of these unnecessary layers of  'middlemen' and increase the farmer's recovery prices and also reduce the food prices and inflation. Everyone gains.
       Our government failed utterly in building the rural infrastructure necessary for the growth of agriculture - lack of godowns and food grains getting rotted, 25-30% vegetable losses due to pathetic roads, no cold storage facilities etc. FDI will allow farmer's to grow those that are in demand (fruits, vegetables, pulses) and might also reduce the 'malnourishment' problem. So overall it seems FDI in multi-brand retail has many advantages, but the policy makers should guard towards 'emergence of a new breed of distributional coalitions' under this FDI guise.

Random Vignette

Some recent 'terminology' that caught my attention:
Perennial Underachievers : Obviously this can be no more attributed to 'Spain's Soccer team'. But still this can be used for South Africa's Cricket team. Will the Spain's success on their soil inspire the Proteas? We have to wait till next year world cup in India. And how much can we Indians be worth of this tag? Yeah, i think we too can be referred with this when ever i see Media headings like: "Yet another Indian-American in Obama's team", 'Kerala's rubber for Jabulani Balls', "Famous Wimbledon towels-Now Made In India". If these headings are treated as (under)achievements, then we are worthy of this tag.

Contagious: Not just new words are being added every year (much to the chagrin of the Purists at Oxford), but even the context and usage of many words are changing. Just like you can no longer be 'gay' :) See the new contexts in which word 'contagious' is being used - contagion of financial meltdown, contagious scourge of 'horror killings' or 'communalism'. May be that's why the 'contagious' viruses strike back now and then..

Vuvuzela: This plastic horn of Africa has been voted as the word of this world cup. But the Uganda bomb blasts on the final of the world cup took my attention to the real 'Horn of Africa' - the countries Eritrea, Dijibouti, Ethiopia & Somalia. As per UN Stats, Eritrea is with highest number of refugees per capita and recently 'Somalia' topped the list of 'World's failed states'. Seems like our India- Bharat contradictions, Africa also has its share of contradictions.

Jagannatakam

        Natakam (i.e drama) is an ideal word to describe most of the antics of our politicians. Jagan's 'Odarpu Yatra' (Consolation Yatra) is nothing but one more of this type. Or should we say 'milking the dead cow' ? His father YSR was just another CM, but after his death he was projected as a demi-god. With the aid of media at his hand (Jagan has a newspaper and a news channel), his son is glossing his father's achievements. YSR started so many projects and schemes, but how many were completed is anyone's guess. Also imagine the huge amounts cornered by the whole 'system' in these projects. Recently the current C.M was trying to juggle the state finances to continue some of those mindless schemes. If the yatra shows us anything its the opportunism and the insensitivity of this desperate wannabe. Jagan has paid Rs. 6.6 Crore advance tax in the first 6 months of year 2009-10, whereas his previous tax payment was just Rs 2.92 lakh for the full FY 2008-09.(Source: TOI). No second thoughts about the way he made this much of money in a short span of 6 months.
       If at all anything the people of Andhra need now, its 'Viramam' ie. interval from the stupid bombardment of YSR legacy everyday. Give us a break.

Just Do It / Do The Dew.

                 It seems Indo-Pak diplomats are experts in creative writing and that's why they frequently come up with new and catchy phrases. See some of the terms they use often:
Oper Hearts.
Uninterrupted engagement.
Confidence building measures.
Insulation of talks with the flash-points.
Mountain of Evidence.
Intentions are not being questioned, we need outcomes.

Enough of rhetoric, long back only we have proved that we master English better than an English man.  Is it a hangover from our past - the 'oral tradition' of Vedas making us fastidious about our vocabulary? (Yeah, i am also getting inspired in throwing words like 'fastidious' :)) By the way glad that Pak didnt quote Bhagavat Gita to counter Chidambaram saying 'intentions matter and not consequences' :) Recently even G8/G20 critics are also dubbing these meets as 'talk-shops' with no tangible action. Apparently they also threw some
good vocabulary - Risk of synchronized exit from stimulus, staggered and calibrated exit, tailored to national circumstances. I think time for all politicians of the world to realize that actions matter more than words.

Saina's Secret of Success

              Saina Nehwal is silently achieving what she wants and also achieving it pretty fast. World number 3 ranking and 2 Super Series titles back to back. I have a feeling that she will definitely become Number 1 one day and unlike her other Hyderabadi celebrity player, she will not lose her way in the middle. There can be many valid reasons why celebrity status might not get into this girl's head - Family background, upbringing or individual personality etc. But i think one reason may be her 'Coach' too. Yes, P. Gopichand who has the rare honour of receiving all the 3 Sports awards of India (Arjuna, Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna & Dhronacharya Award). [ I couldn't resist from digressing and refer to my earlier post - see the odd name of Rajiv Gandhi in this list, where as the other 2 are named for special reasons of our history]. P.Gopichand is known for his conviction and hard work and achieving things silently. Imagine the conviction needed to refuse signing a cola deal for the belief that they are harmful to health. An amount of 10+ lakhs against a belief. This amount may be a pittance for Cricketers, but its much more than that for a less publicized sportsperson and a sport whose prize-money is also relatively very  less. I guess Saina learnt some of this 'conviction' too and will stay on her course to achieve what she wants.

P.S: By the way Sania Mirza Malik lost in the first round of Wimbledon. Shit, the Media lost an opportunity of one more 'Breaking News' - Sania Mirza reaches 2nd round..Whatever, As if she gives a damn.

Mayajaal

               I think Mayawati needs to be appreciated, at least for one thing - giving it back to the 'First Family of Congress'. She created a 72nd district in U.P with a part of fiefdom of first family of Congress and named it after 'Chhatrapati Shahuji', a social reformed of Maharashtra. I dont know exactly who he is but its good at least in recognizing a 'contributor' to India other than Nehru, Indira and  Rajiv. All the airports, bridges, social welfare schemes etc everything in the name of first family of Congress. Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission, Nehru Urban  Renewal Mission, Indira Awaas Yojana, Rajiv Gandhi Rural electrification ... Enough of this crap man. Recognize that India is vast and there are thousands and thousands of local contributors and please do recognize local culture and their emotions. So if any one needs to be blamed for this 'name game' of Mayawati or for that matter even for the giant elephant statues - its Congress. This 'naming' culture is one more contribution of the GOP of India in addition to the 'normalization' of dynasty rule across different political parties and states.