The way our government works..... Mr. Nandan put on bench :-) :-)

I will summarize an article written by Arun Shourie, a former Union minister in the NDA government in his book Governance and the sclerosis that has set in. It points towards how our government bureaucracy works....

In 1999 Jan a bureaucrat in Ministry of Steel had signed in a file. That file went to another officer. He thought something unusual. One has signed in Red and the other in Blue. Is this permissible? What kind of ink color can be used? So he drafted a letter to Administrative reforms and public grievances department posing a question can any other ink be used. The concerned department called a meeting which proved inconclusive and since it was a matter related with the ink the question was posed to department of Printing press. May 99, they met and after a months deliberation they sent it to department of Ministerial staff and training. This process of consulting various departments continued and finally on Aug 5th, 2000, after deliberating the same matter for a period of one and a half years they decided something which hardly matters: based on the cadre the color of ink can be used flexibly. :-) :-) This is a real story which transpired in the government machinery.

Back to 2009...

After our Nandan Nilekani took over as chairman of Unique Identification authority of India, a fun story is circulating in the net. Its an imaginary diary written by Nandan on his first day at the parliament. It goes as follows...

The House was in pin drop silence. I was brimming with anticipation and excitement. Manmohan had informed me that my introduction was one of the important points of the agenda. I hoped that I will be able to make my speech properly. After so many interviews and conferences, I was nervous today.

After the Speaker indicated that the proceedings of the House could begin, Manmohan formally introduced me to the entire House. He mentioned that as the head of the Unique Identification Authority of India, I was responsible to ensure that each and every Indian had a digital smart card as a proof of his existence.

Manmohan spoke about why I was selected and also some references to the various projects executed by me in Infosys were mentioned. The House listened with rapt attention. I was asked to say a few words and I did exactly the same.

I thanked the Government of India for having given me this opportunity and I assured the House that I would strive to successfully deliver this project. The Speaker then formally inducted me into the House. After the lunch break, it was the moment for me. It’s time to give a presentation on the identity project.

I suddenly found that my laptop did not have any reserve power. I went to Manmohan and apprised him of the situation. I was sweating. He calmly replied that this would not be a cause of concern. I was flummoxed!

The Speaker asked me to explain to the House on what were my plans for the Unique Identity Project. I replied that I have a plan and I have presentation to make for which I need a power socket, a projector and a screen. I had no idea what was going to happen after this.

The next couple of minutes were a complete jolt for me. I was completely in a tizzy. Let me just summarize what happened. A Joint Cabinet Secretary Committee was set up to judge the feasibility of my request.

The Under Secretaries for the Ministries of Power, IT and Broadcasting will prepare a Viability Report after scrutinizing National Security threats to my request. This was because the power socket comes under Power Ministry, laptop comes under IT and projector comes under Broadcasting.

I have also been told to reconsider my timelines of 30-60-90 days and start thinking in terms of years. Probably, they are right. I did not have the foresight in this matter.

The summary of the issue is that I need to come up with a more inclusive, democratic, comprehensive long term plan for this project to be executed over the next five years. I have also been given a presentation slot 6 months from now (by which the issues related to the power cord etc will also be resolved).

I am filled with mixed reactions. I was planning for a quick resolution; the management wants a strategic solution. I come out of the House and text Murthy.

You won’t believe it but these guys work just like us. I am on a NATIONAL BENCH for the next three months!!!!!!

Use caution when pressing Ctrl+C

These days we are very dependent on Internet for anything and everything. The amount of transactions we make through internet using credit and debit card is increasing. Everyday we discover new kinds of online frauds which predominantly employ techniques to steal the credit or debit card information. I read an article from times of India newspaper on this and thought of posting it so that we can all be cautious while making transactions online. The article begins.....

Everytime you do a harmless keyboard shortcut Ctrl+C in your computer, the text you copy online may be stolen on the web. This copied data is accessible on the internet when you visit websites that use a combination of javascript and ASP or any server side language like JSP, PHP, from which the data that you copy can be transferred to another server.

Most websites are javascript enabled. Not convinced? Try copying some text and just visit sourcecodesworld.com/special/clipboard.asp, a website that provides free source codes and projects. You necessarily need not even press the ‘paste’ button. The ‘paste’ happens automatically. The website just provides an example of what could potentially happen to you, especially if you have copied your credit card details, bank details or any other sensitive information.

“This is one of the main reasons that credit card companies and banks ask you not to copy, paste your card and bank details. Everytime you copy some information, it gets stored in your computer clipboard. In case, you end up visiting a malicious website or a phished site, your information can be easily stolen. This information can be read in a hidden manner, that you will not be aware of it being seen by someone else. So, anyone who wants to steal your info can do so easily and store it in his backup for future reference and use it at a later date,” G Anbarasan, an IT expert told The Times of India.

Sourcecodesworld.com says this hacking can be done by a simple source code. This happens especially if you are using Internet Explorer. One of the ways it can be avoided is to use a better browser, Anbarasan says. Internet Explorer, one of the most famous browsers has had many technical glitches over the years.

But for those who are dependent on using Internet Explorer, Sourcecodesworld.com says this problem can be rectified by the following action: Under the tools tab, click Internet options, go to custom level and in the security settings there, select ‘disable’ for the option ‘Allow paste operation via script’.

Online PS to PDF converter

I really had a hard time to know how to open a .ps file and convert it to pdf format so that i can use it.

Finally found an online converter which converts .ps to .pdf file. Its very good. You can also install the GPL Ghostscript 8.64 software to do this conversion as well.. Visit the site http://www.ps2pdf.com to know more about this...

To All Married Couples and Singles Who Intend To Get Married

This is an internet forward. Many might have already read it but i thought of having it in my blog. I am not sure whether its a fictional one or a real story. But reading it definitely makes sense in todays fast paced world. It goes as follows... Do not substitute I with my name though :-) :-)

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly. She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why? I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; I had lost my heart to a lovely girl called Dew. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her! With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, 30% shares of my company and the car. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, res ources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Dew so dearly.


Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now. The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Dew. When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again. In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me , but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a months time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage. This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day. She requested that everyday for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request. I told Dew about my wife’s divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully. My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped beh ind us, daddy is holding mummy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms.


She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office. On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest.. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her. On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me. On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Dew about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. She was choosing what to wear one morning . She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily. Suddenly it hit me; she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head. Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mum out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school.



I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy. I drove to office... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind... I walked upstairs. Dew opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Dew, I do not want the divorce anymore. She looked at me, astonished. Then touch ed my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Dew, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death does us apart. Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away. At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote: 'I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.


The small details of our lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, the property, the bank balance that matters. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!