Stream Wars

It’s that time of the year again. Following the declaration of the class twelve-examination results by school boards, universities in India have released the cut-off percentage for admission seekers. The 100% cut-off percentage set by Delhi University for non-commerce stream students seeking admission in its premier college, namely Shri Ram College of Commerce, has been the contentious topic of debate is newsrooms and drawing rooms alike.

Critiques of this unprecedented high, read next to impossible, cut-off argue that it is discriminatory towards students who opted for the science and liberal arts stream in Classes XI and XII. School principals and counselors, who are supportive of the Human Resource Development Ministry’s call for lessening the ‘burden’ and ‘pressure’ of studies on students, argue that this leaves students at a disadvantage.

However, as is a trend with my posts, I belong to the contrary school of thought. An important thing that this move would do, would be to quash the misconception that most science students have, which is that since they have opted for the science stream, they are intellectually superior to a student from the liberal arts and commerce stream. It is important to establish a clear fact that a student opting for the science stream (with the exception of students with economics) doesn’t want to join Delhi University’s commerce related course over say joining engineering at IIT or medical at AIIMS. Also, if a commerce student cannot join IIT or AIIMS after 12th, why then should a non-commerce student be able to join B.Comm at SRCC?

As far as lowering the ‘astronomically high’ cut-off for even commerce students is concerned, my firm belief is that any such move would detrimental for the education system of India. It is not for nothing that India is lauded on the world stage for producing the sharpest engineers, doctors, economists, et al. There is no dearth of sub-standard colleges in India. However, the need of the hour is the setting-up of institutions offering quality education that are at par with global institutions. We must focus on quality, not quantity. Simply passing value judgments on the quality of faculty in Indian institutions shall not suffice (Jairam Ramesh, had claimed that it was the students that made the IITs great not the faculty). The government needs to step-up its game if it aspires to take the giant leap from being a developing nation to a developed superpower.

Mission Geronimo Accomplished

‘We got the bastard.’ ‘Obama 1-0 Osama.’ ‘ Justice, finally!’ These newspaper headlines aptly punctuate the jubilant mood that the Americans were in on receiving news of the killing of the world’s most-wanted man, Osama-bin-Laden. Civilians, irrespective of their social standing, were to be found on American streets singing praises of the Obama Administration and the Navy SEALS for having brought the perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks to justice. Cyber-space was abuzz with netizens from all over the globe rejoicing and congratulating each other. World leaders, the security of whose countries were compromised by the Al-Qaeda and its affiliates, took a sigh of relief. India stood vindicated in its charge against Pakistan for providing a safe-haven to terrorists.

While the world views Osama’s death as a harbinger for safe and peaceful times, it is important to note that Al-Qaeda was never a one-man show. If reports are to be believed, Osama had passed on his operational duties to Al-Qaeda’s second–in-command Ayman Al Zawahiri after the 9/11 carnage. Al-Qaeda has a vast and extensive network of subordinate militant groups all over the world, many of which have sworn to avenge the ‘martyrdom’ of the ‘Sheikh’.

While this a great battle that has been won in the war against terror, complacency must not be allowed to set in. Having gained the upper hand, nations should work collectively towards uprooting the very existence of militancy and terrorism. Excluding countries like Pakistan from the peace process would prove to be a grave error of judgment that must not be committed. It’ll be crucial for the States to closely monitor the activities of certain rogue elements within the administrative and military set-ups of its allies like Pakistan, so as to ensure that the aid provided does not fall into wrong hands.

ALL'S FAIR IN SPORT, LOVE AND WAR

It is not for nothing that Sachin Tendulkar is referred to as the ‘God of Cricket’. Not only is he the most-skillful batsman, but also he is the most taint-free and non-controversial batsman the world has seen. This blogpost throws light on an incident involving the ‘Master Blaster’ walking off the ground despite being adjudged not out by the on-field umpire during the India-West Indies game.

The incident in contention occurred in the very first over of the match. The bounce in Ravi Rampaul’s delivery took Sachin by surprise and ran straight through to the wicket keepers’ gloves. A phlegmatic appeal from the bowler failed to impress the umpire, who seemed to be without an iota of doubt that the batsman hadn’t nicked the ball on its way to the keeper. Without taking a second look at the umpire, India’s favourite son embarked on the long walk back to the pavilion. Many may laud Sachin for upholding his honesty, but I would like to tread a slightly varied path.

The fielding side is within its rights to appeal to the umpire if it’s confident of having gotten the better of the batsman. It is then the job of the umpire to pronounce his decision. The recently introduced Umpire Decision Review System (UDRS), as I understand it, empowers team captains to review the validity of decisions made by the on-field umpire. With the extensive use of technology, both sides are amply safeguarded against any wrong decision that may unfavourably alter the course of the game. Why then should a batsman display such misplaced integrity? Can we expect an opponent to display the same level of honesty? I would like to reiterate my stand with the help of a hypothetical situation. Would such an action be easy to laud if India had their last batting pair at the crease with two runs still to get for a victory? The same preachers of honesty would have then blamed Sachin for having cost India the game by walking off!

Women as Match Officials

Football viewers across the world were in for a surprise on the 22^nd of January. The ever-dynamic paradigm of football experienced a revolutionary measure when for the first time in the history of the sport; a woman, namely Sian Massey officiated in the Wolverhampton Wanderers-Liverpool game. Barring a few misogynistic spectators, most viewers welcomed it as an encouraging move. Facing the huge risk of drawing flak from feminists, this blogpost seeks to discuss how the move would impact the attitude of footballers and commentators on the field.

It is often said that football is a gentleman’s sport played by hooligans. With the introduction of women as match officials, bull-doggish protests by players would from now on be a thing of the past. In my view, player-referee run-ins only add to the spice of a match. Depriving us excitement-starving hooligans of a few violent and passionate moments is nothing but criminal!

Also, football presenters and commentators would from now on have to tread extreme caution while passing comments about referees. Expect no more damning judgments by the otherwise outspoken and forthright Martin Tyler and Andy Gray. Any criticism of a questionable decision by a female referee would draw a barrage of abuse from the feminist circles.

Despite all the issues surrounding the inclusion of women as match officials, the move will do a world of good in the empowerment of the female gender that has for decades been considered inferior to the male sex. It is my strong belief that this move is for the present and most certainly the future!

The Year of The Leaks

The year gone by can most certainly be classified as the year of the 'leaks'. From the infamous Wikileaks to the hugely controversial Niira Radia tappings, the year 2010 has seen it all!

It all began in April 2010, with the publication of the 2007 video, ‘Collateral Murder’, bringing the merciless killing of Iraqi civilians and journalists by U.S. Forces into the public domain. Wikileaks followed this round of leaks with the release of comprehensive details of the wars waged by the U.S through the 'Afghan War Diary’ (released July '10) and the 'Iraq War Logs’ (released October '10). With its slogan as 'We open governments', Wikileaks ended the year with a bang releasing certain 'U.S. State Department Diplomatic Cables’. This new round of leaked cables were the communications between diplomats in the American Embassies all around the world and The U.S. State Department back in Washington D.C.  The American Government, in absolute damage-control mode, condemned these cables for jeapordising international diplomatic relations and global security. In an attempt to curb the actions of the 'Jacobins-like' organisation, the American Congress notonly introduced an 'Anti-Wikileaks' bill, it also instructed its national banks and organisations such as Pay Pal and MasterCard to cancel all transactions to and from Wikileaks. 

Meanwhile in India, the leaked telephonic conversations of lobbyist Niira Radia with influential politicians, businessmen, journalists and bureaucrats created all the buzz. As is evident from these conversations, Radia not only succeeded in securing important ministerial posts for her clients, but she also played a pivotal role in getting government policies tweaked to favour her business contacts. Taking full advantage of the embarrassing situation that the ruling-coalition found itself in, the BJP-led opposition questioned the morals on which the UPA functioned. It wasn’t only the political class that was affected. Journalists and bureaucrats such as, Barkha Dutt, Prabhu Chawla and Sunil Arora too were at a loss for words. Ratan Tata moved the Supreme Court in order to curb the leak of these tapped conversations, as he believed this invaded the privacy of individuals.

I for one am a strong supporter of these leaks. Not only do such leaks keep the common man informed, they also help in bringing the ugly face of governance out in the open. If it weren’t for the leaked diplomatic cables, we wouldn’t have seen the real face of American diplomatic relations. Also, if the telephonic conversations hadn’t been made available to the public, we would have had no idea about the murky interlinking of politics and business in India. As far as I am concerned, keep the leaks coming!