Frankly, Rahul .....

I am reminded of a segment relating to a two-minute game-play telecast in a Tamil channel, where the participant will have to give totally irrelevant reply to the questions shot at him in order to be declared a winner.  Hardly any one wins.  Alas, how Rahul Gandhi, one wonders, could endure 90 minutes, in full flow!  Or is it one of those left-brain right-brain balancing exercises?

True, any Congress grassroots worker could have given a better perspective and defended the Party.  The interview was a test of humor and patience for Rahul Gandhi & Arnab Goswami, respectively and a hilarious evening for many.  It was depressingly and seriously sad for Congress supporters.  A historic number of tweets followed.  This is merely a trailer.  When and if at all he becomes the Prime Minister, you will see the main movie, which by all accounts ought to be more hilarious than a Charlie Chaplin movie. 

Well, the theme of pointing fingers at somebody else can endlessly go on and on, and enough has already been said, written and caricatured.  What are the simple lessons one can learn from this comical event?  Yes, you, me, and of course, Rahul?

Key takeaways:

1.  The interview can be used as a case-study for management students on the importance of communications and how it can make or mar a situation. 

 2.  Importance of homework:  Even our children will tell us the consequences of not doing their homework.  It is said that a boy was once told that there would be a question about a “cow” during the exam.  In the exam, unfortunately, the essay was about a coconut tree. The boy didn't give up. He wrote everything he studied about the cow, and at the end he wrote 'such a cow can be tied to the coconut tree'.  Pappu’s interview was pretty much on similar lines.

 3. Body language:  The body language of the candidate must exude confidence and should not show weakness and submissiveness. Rahul, you appeared edgy; at one stage, you were waiting for the interview to end.

 4. Value of knowing history:  Today's politics is tomorrow's history.  If you had studied the politics of your forefathers, you would have been abreast with the knowledge of our history and you would have fared much better in the interview.

  5. To become a successful politician, you should be either knowledgeable or manipulative; you displayed neither quality.

 6.  Leadership:  If you are averse to reading books, you could have at least watched the Indian cricket captain, M.S. Dhoni, which would have imparted to you glimpses of leadership traits/tenets and tips about how to handle the most telling and turbulent of situations.  Watch the after-match captain comments.   You should first learn how to play the game before you aspire to lead the team.

 7. Apology: Humility is the prime requisite of every human being.  Every parent and every teacher advises children to tender apologies when there are mistakes on their part, and society has accepted this norm as an unwritten law.  While you have admitted that some of the Congressmen were involved in the massacre of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, you have refused to even tender a word of apology in order to appease the severely hurt feelings of the Sikhs and people in general. While this is not only a disappointing response, it also sounds unsympathetic and arrogant. 

 8. Owning responsibility: Every individual, all the more a leader, must own responsibility for all his or her actions/inactions. When you try to shy away from Congressmen’s "involvement" in 1984 riots, it reminds me of a bank clerk trying to bank on excuses like "It is not my job," or "I was on leave that day," or "the previous person has been transferred", for a moment forgetting that he/she, by sitting behind the counter, is a representative of the bank, an ambassador of the institution. Mind you, you want to lead our nation.

 9. Anticipation: Even when you drive a car, your natural instincts would guide you to look for an unforeseen crossing of the lane by a pedestrian, a two-wheeler, or an auto-driver; this would help you stay alert. When the interviewer asked you "Why you are avoiding a one-on-one interview with the media?" you were caught unawares. A simple and normal question like this was only to be expected!

 10. Preparation: If you had prepared well, not only would you have fared well, but you would also have dominated the proceedings. 

 11. Excuse of inexperience:  If someone attempts to defend you saying that you are politically inexperienced, there are not many takers to this theory.  Hereditarily, you hail from the Nehru family, which is perfectly public knowledge.  You can ask your own Rajya Sabha member, the maestro Sachin Tendulkar, at what age he stepped into international cricket, the segment that he indisputably dominated during his tenure and was venerated as the God of Cricket. 

 12. This so-called interview is also a lesson to many parents.  If you push your children into an activity in which they are not passionate about, the outcome can be enormously embarrassing.

13. Clarity:  It is plain common sense that when a question is asked, say, “what is 1+1,” your answer should be 2 (right answer) or 3 or any other number (wrong answer), or even "I don’t know" (confession of ignorance).  Instead if you reply with an answer like “4+5 is 9", it is ridiculous.

14. Two wrongs cannot make a right.  Your bid to equate 1984 riots with 2002 riots will only muddy the waters more and infuriate a discerning public.

15. Public relations:  At the age of 44, after 10 years as Vice-President of the Congress party, it is unfortunate that this is your first media interview.   When you address speeches, it is one-way traffic; you speak and people who are paid to applaud do so.  More media interaction and press conferences are imperative for you to stay in constant contact with the public.

16.  Interview etiquette demands that you have to respond to the questions raised and not question the interviewers themselves.  Also, when you asked about the interviewer's qualifications, it sounded downright silly and childish; the people were more interested in your own qualifications since you being projected as the aspiring candidate. When millions of people are watching you, the element of personality that is in play is paramount in deciding fortunes.

17. Selfishness: When it comes to "apologizing" for the 1984 riots, your inexperience expeditiously took a back seat and you became personally and politically alert. People wonder.  When you are not ready to even apologize for a riot organized by your own party which was in government, how are you going to provide justice?

18. Self-introspection:  When you come to a media interview like this, you should have delved deep into research on the possible questions about corruption and misuse of power indulged by friends in your own camp and how to undo the wrongs and set right the malaise.   

19. Sense of humor:  If you had displayed a tiny dose of humor during the interview, it would have added color to the event.  In any case, humor should only supplement, not supplant the content; instead, you have yourself become the national laughing stock.

20. Honesty in reply:  If you don't know the answer, you can always say, "I don't know or I am not sure.  I shall consult the experts and get back to you".  Instead, if you give incorrect, irrelevant, and incongruent answers, these will only breed confusion and vitiate the atmosphere.

If you can appreciate the feedback and follow the above suggestions, you may even earn better grades in the next interview and the nation would resound with cries of  “Pappu is baar pass ho gaya!”

==

http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2014/01/congress-then-and-now.html
http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2014/07/miles-to-go-before-i-sleep-wake-up-call.html

BEWARE: YOUR DORMANT ACCOUNT CAN BE A TARGET FOR FRAUD!

“A bank executive has been arrested for stealing almost Rs. 50 lakh from the inactive account of an NRI who had died, by breaking every rule of professional ethics, ferreting out customer information and manipulating safety procedures  ............” That was a news item carried in "The Times of India" dated 07/01/2014 (Read full report link at the bottom).

Bank frauds are not new.  Dormant account frauds are almost always carried out by a few insiders.  If a staffer is involved in an embezzlement of Rs.50 lakh, how else you can term him other than a bankster (blend of banker and gangster).  Money and crime always share a  nefarious nexus.   A banker looting the customer funds is like a police robbing.

A savings account/current account is considered as inoperative account if there are no transactions in the account for over two years.  Dormant account  results from a variety of reasons: death of a customer who has failed to update his legal heirs the requisite information, failure by account holders to notify their bankers in the event of change of address, the fact of the account-holder himself having forgotten about the existence of an account opened many years before, or cases in which a person has opened an account in the name of another without informing the latter person (eg. Account opened in the name of minor by his parents/grandparents).  Depositing aside money for a rainy day ...... and then forgetting about it; senior citizens affected by Alzheimer disease...

All of us have savings banks accounts, at times end up having many.  Tracking of multiple accounts often breeds confusion.  Ignoring a bank account for a long time can cost time, money and also the accompanying agony.

While frauds are committed even in operative accounts, it is no wonder such frauds are happening in inactive accounts.  The reason is that in case of inactive accounts, the constituents do not come to know immediately that a fraud has been perpetrated, as they do not track the account regularly.  Moreover, maintaining such accounts increases the overall cost for the bank.  Banks need to maintain the database of dormant accounts, which increases the cost.  Also, it requires manpower which can be used elsewhere.

It is learnt that a mind-numbing amount of about Rs.2,500 crore is lying as unclaimed deposits. The largest stash of unclaimed money is in savings bank accounts of nationalised banks amounting to Rs.425 crore in 8.7 million accounts.

The fradulent staffer  tampers with the inactive accounts by executing or authorising scores of  fraudulent entries. When a few customers became aware of unauthorised activity in their accounts, s/he corrects the “errors” by depositing funds from other customer’s accounts.  Then s/he sends letters to the customers reporting that there had been an error in their accounts and falsely note in the bank database that  the accounts had been “corrected” and the customers notified.

Although most dormant accounts have small balances, those with larger balances are tempting targets for dishonest employees.  A Teller or other bank insider authorised to access these accounts simply need to make debit entries and steal the money.  Because the legitimate account holder is not monitoring the account, there is little chance the fraud will be detected (in a few cases, the legitimate account holders are deceased).

A similar version of this embezzlement involves external fraudsters who intercept the bank statements that arrive at the address from where the legitimate account holder has moved.  If funds are available in the account, the fraudsters can use the account information to commit identity fraud by posing as the legitimate customer and withdraw the funds.

What to do?

Spare a few minutes to verify the entries appearing in your statement.  Promptly notify the change of address and ensure you get the acknowledgement to the new address.  Though you have ATM and online banking facility, visit your branch periodically.  Share all the bank details to all your family members.  Close the unwanted accounts rather than merely abandon them, as it is easy to monitor minimum number of needed accounts.  Destroy unused cheques from inactive accounts.

The bank audit team has a special and serious role to play.  The team should always make surprise visit, as some banks still give sufficient notice before the visit which alerts the insiders. The latter defeats the very purpose of audit.  We receive many cold calls from bank sales team regarding credit card, home loan, auto loan etc., whereas they extend secondary treatment  to customers if account is about to become “inactive”. If the bank shows little concern to inform processing either by SMS, phone or email (all of these), frauds can be reduced.  An autogenerated email advice appears suffice from management’s perspective, where the personal touch and courtesy is missing.

Preventive and positive measures from the banks' reach is imperative apart, proactively protect yourself from the predators.  After all, the value of money is better appreciated when it is not there!

Happy banking!

                ====    

Also read: http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2014/08/bank-frauds-are-direct-attacks-on.html

                

 Reference:

1) www.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/nri/Bank-executive-forges-signature-of-dead-NRI-steals-Rs-50L-from-account/articleshow/28489329.cms

2) www.http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/Rs-2500cr-lying-unclaimed-in-bank-accounts/articleshow/18981034.cms

Your feed back is welcome at: krs1957@hotmail.com

CONGRESS – THEN AND NOW

Soon after India attained independence on August 15, 1947, the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi suggested to the then Congress leaders that the main purpose of starting the Congress party was to fight for freedom.  In the process, the Congress completely dedicated itself to this herculean task amidst enormous stress and distress. Subsequently, we became Free India, delinked from British clutches.  The goal of freedom was accomplished and it was time to wind up the party.  Senior Congress leaders like Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhai Patel, and Rajendra Prasad, should meet, review, and expeditiously take a decision in this regard, said Gandhi.

Gandhi would have probably forethought that in the latter days, Congress party leaders of subsequent generations would recall the party’s active role in the freedom movement and gain political mileage, which he felt was wrong and ought to be halted.  The aforementioned senior leaders of the party did not pay heed to Gandhi’s suggestion to close the shop.

The Congress party plunged into the electoral battleground.  India was proclaimed a Sovereign Republic on January 26, 1950 and the Indian Constitution came into effect.  Accordingly, parliament at the Centre and legislative assemblies in the states came into existence.  On the basis of the Constitution, the Congress party appealed to the people to elect their representatives.

The Party highlighted their role during the freedom struggle, amplified the sacrifices made by the Nehru family, and enticed the electorate.  For over 30 years since Independence, the Congress party reigned in the Centre and in many states.  During that period, the opium of power slowly but surely raised its head.  Corruption also in small and definite doses started showing up.  The leaders of the Congress party during the freedom struggle movement were spotless nationalists.  When they jumped into the freedom struggle, they sacrificed all their comforts and luxuries.  They even forgot their families. 

Due to the selfless sacrifices of the erstwhile leaders, we initially had corruption-free governance.  Sardar Patel was a remarkable leader-cum-administrator during that period.  Due to his diplomatic efforts, many princely rulers surrendered their sovereignty and agreed to annex their jurisdictions to streamline with India.  

During the Nehru era, the India-Russia pact was signed.  Also, the other leaders - Abul Kalam Azad and Rajendra Prasad, in particular – played an exceptional role in the discharge of their administrative duties.   India began to advance in many sectors.  However, after the departure of these leaders, subsequent generations deviated from the path of honesty and integrity, eyed only power, and indulged in corrupt practices.  Corruption which started in small trickles began to multiply to the highest proportions.  Whenever elections approached, the Congress party would highlight the past struggles of their predecessors, the sacrifices of the Nehru family, and of the Indian National Congress leaders to hoodwink the voters, and they merrily exploited the electorate.

  

However, over a period of time, people identified their true colors and slowly stopped voting for them.  Result:- The 30-year Congress rule at the Centre was disturbed. 

New political parties emerged in the states captured power.  In spite of all these,  Congress continued to remain a reasonably powerful party.  At the same time, the party tried to cover-up the corrupt deals indulged by its representatives while in power.  A stage has come that they cannot fool the people by singing the old songs.   There is a huge difference between the Congress prevailed during/soon after Independence, and the Congress ruling today. One need not look at BJP and other political parties for Anti-Congress forces.  Make a simple comparison between the Congress that stood for Indian freedom and the corrupt-tainted Congress of today.  The latter is a distinct Anti-Congress in itself.

Dissolve the Congress party

Keeping this in mind and to cherish the historic Indian national ethos, the present-day Congress leader, Sonia Gandhi, in deference to the original wishes of the Mahatma should dissolve the Congress party.  Let her start a new political party under a different name.  Though she is of Italian origin, she has become a naturalized Indian.  She has all the competencies to start a new party.  After all, the original Congress was started by a British civil servant, Allan Octavian Hume.  If Sonia Gandhi can initiate a decision to that effect, she would be rendering yeoman service to the cause of Indian democracy in general and the Indian National Congress in particular.  Referring to Mahatma Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi in the same breath is akin to equating Swami Vivekananda with Nityananda!

Happy Republic Day Greetings.

====

Also Read:  http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2014/05/congress-good-riddance.html

                   http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2014/01/mani-shankar-aiyar-hosts-tea-party.html

Mani Shankar Aiyar hosts the 'Tea Party'

When I used to prepare for my examinations , my mother would make tea for me to stay long awake at night and study hard.  But I didn’t know that the hot cup of tea can also stimulate “sleepless nights” to many politicians and political parties. Probably the ‘tea’ is strong, the ‘tea-vendor’powerful and the 'flavour' political.

For the first time after the post-1975-Emergency elections, it doesn’t require any astrologer to foretell the fate of the Congress in the coming Lok Sabha polls, which is deafeningly loud and distinctly clear. Quite a few seasoned leaders of the party are in the process of maturely reconciling with the offshoot.  Of course, there are bound to be a few aberrations.  Mr.Mani Shankar Aiyar, the diplomant-turned-politician belonging to the Congress party, is one such deviation.  He mocked at  Mr. Narendra Modi's Prime Ministerial ambitions and said a place will be identified for the Gujarat Chief Minister to distribute tea.  He also said that "I promise you in 21st Century Narendra Modi will never become the Prime Minister of the country. ...But if he wants to distribute tea here, we will find a place for him," Mr. Aiyar said at the venue of the AICC meeting in New Delhi.  Sometime back,  the Samajwadi party leader Naresh Agarwal  also echoed a similar comment. 

From a media perspective, anything nonsense one speaks also becomes “news” due to the so-called element of personality.

While the ‘beverage’ is brewing up, the BJP and other anti-Congress outfits are milking the opportunity, mixing the requisite quantity of masala and maintain the political aroma.

A cursory view at Mr.Aiyyar’s comment not only insults the communiTEA, but all the Indians. It also prompts you to perceive his feudal and sub-standard mindset. The bulk of the Indian psyche has digested the familiarity of goondas and criminals in Indian politics and the same logic is now arguing for “why not a tea-vendor?”  If a tea-boy becomes a PM, it would be a better success story, says another theory.  True, have we not witnessed Bandit Queen Phoolan Devi elected to parliament from the Samajwadi party?  And scores of tainted MPs and Ministers?

It is not new to Mr. Aiyar to indulge in such shoddy controversies.In an article in The Telegraph on Sep. 12,2002, Mr. Aiyar wrote, "When J.Jayalaithaa became Chief Minister, she donated a baby elephant to the Guruvayoor temple. When I become CM, I intend donating Jayalalithaa to the Guruvayoor temple. And to become CM, I am planning to move a bill in parliament to ban fading actresses of cinematic origin from becoming Chief Minister." (Ref. The Hindu, October 16, 2003- See link below).

I don’t know if BJP would get a clear majority, but the self-seeking political “Aiyyars” and “Agarwals” have clearly ensured playing into the prospects of BJP. All the more, when the Congress party is already tormented by their performance balance-sheet presented before the people , spewing such outbursts only hammered the final  nails.  Further, despite being a highly qualified academic and also having  authored many titles to his credit, Mr. Aiyar has catered to wicked public mudslinging. The chances of the Congress party is comprehensively and convincingly doomed.  Now tell me, Mr. Aiyar, who is more realistic: The “educated-you” or the enterprising tea-vendor?   All the non-congress parties are grateful to you and your likes, thanks to your verbal diarrhoea (due to fear).

In spite of knowing fully well that such discretionary abuse of choicest epithets will be counterproductive, you have pandered in “poll-fixing”, like spot-fixing events frequented in cricket. After all, there is total unanimity that ethics  and fairness are bad words in politics. 

If you want to attack your political rivals, you could have done it any number of ways, but it is puzzling why you opted to affront the tea vending community?  "Can’t a tea-vendor have a national perspective" is a natural query of any aam aadmi (no pun attempted). Selling tea is more honourable than an Honourable Minister looting the public funds, true or false?

Mr. Aiyar, please wake up! A newspaper seller made us proud by becoming the President of India; in fact, Mr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the most respected visionary,  the free India  ever had.

Abraham Lincoln, the son of a shoemaker, became the President of America.. 

Every time we drive a car, it is good to remember Henry Ford, who started from scrap, yet managed to steer his way through to riches and harness the benefit to mankind.

Dhirubhai  Ambani was born to a humble school teacher.  While there was nothing to indicate that he would rise above the lower middle-class level, the corporate giant Brand Reliance is an icon to reckon with.

The chapter on Rajnikanth’s life story has been incorporated by the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) board to motivate children to be successful and take pride in whatever work they do, just like their favourite superstar has , no matter what the job was – being a bus conductor or the most loved super star of India.

Washing your own clothes, cleaning your own utensils, doing all your things by yourself is considered below one's dignity. This attitude was attacked by Gandhiji, who is not only the Father-of-the-Nation, but also a founder-member of the Congress party, to which you proudly belong to.

History is replete with plenty of inspiring success stories.  May be, any day ahead, a tea vendor too would nail his national identity.

By your utterances, Mr. Aiyar, you have failed to honour the dignity of work, caused unlimited disrepute to your party and hurt all your fellow-citizens.

Well, its time for a cup of hot tea, not to be haughty!

http://www.hindu.com/2003/10/16/stories/2003101605230400.htm

Thai Tigers – Pets, or predators?

Venue: Tiger Temple, Bangkok, Thailand

Yeah! I recently petted a tiger in absolute amusement, but candidly at that moment I missed a heartbeat and contrived a smile for a perfect picture. That moment with the big cats firmly remains etched an integral part of my memoirs.

Upon getting to the Tiger Temple, I was required to sign a disclaimer stating that if I were injured or killed during my visit, I won't hold the  monks or the temple liable for any damages.  Dress code requirements: 1. No red or bright coloured clothing.  2. No flowing skirts or scarves. 3. No clothing made out of materials that produce audible noise. 

We were then escorted to the area where the tigers were laying about in the sun.  There were a few monks at the spot watching over the tigers and also controlling the flow of tourists.  You are permitted to go and pose with  each tiger (crouching beside or sitting next to) and the volunteers move you in an orderly fashion.

My first impression: I was in complete awe about the whole thing.  Even now, when I see my small frame flanked by the enormous 200 kg.+  big cat, it triggers something weird going on, how can they not react at all.  I figured,  and also shared by many, that the tigers were and had to be drugged to stay docile. Just seems impossible that they are not drugged, even though guides around there insist they weren’t.  There is a lot of confusion.

Are we to believe that they don’t have the hunting instincts? Why are these tigers so tolerant of human activity around them?  Perceptions vary.

It is hard to accept that tigers are displayed as tame creatures that could actually be damaging their identity.They are gorgeous, strong and scary.  The spectacle of a few cats, of course the big ones, on chains is a little depressing.  I was thrilled and chilled by the prospect of close contact with big cat and having photographed next to it, an opportunity which I would not have preferred to miss.  

The tigers appear in good health, but there seems to be something missing that they would allow so much human contact.  When asked the guide if the big cats are sedated at the Tiger temple, he told point blank that they had not been administered drugs.  On the contrary, he told that they were brought to the temple as cubs and as such they don’t have the hunting instincts.

Somewhere I wish to reason out that tigers living in harmony with humans doesn’t sound natural.  Tigers shouldn’t be kept as pets, because they aren’t.  Can these ‘pets’  be returned to the wild?  Can they restore the hunting instincts? They are so much conditioned to be around humans. It is challenging to discard the fact that tiger and ferocity can be split.

Many a time when we drive to wild life sanctuaries in Karnataka - Kabini, Nagarhole, Bandipur….to have a glimpse of “animal sighting”, we don’t even sight the big cat’s footmarks.  The jungle lodges staff would mindlessly convince us that they sighted the wild animal “only the previous day”.   Well, when compared to such experiences, a visit to the Thailand Tiger Temple comprehensively erases your “failed” memories.

Again, though at the risk of being redundant, are the big cats in the Temple really drugged?  I hope and wish it is wrong.   Well, the debate gets endless.

These cats are, doubtlessly, a highly-sought-after-tourist-attraction.

http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2013/12/siam-niramit-thai-celebration.html

"Coffee Santhe" - a report

An otherwise Sunday afternoon (12/01/2014); M.G.Road, Bangalore; friendly weather. Take a stroll.  A bunch of banners sporting  the sign “Coffee Santhe” beckons you.   If you are a coffee freak, you would n’t have liked to give a miss. There is no next opinion that Bangalore  and coffee are made for each other.   Though it is not easy to drink so many varieties of coffee in a matter of few hours, the aroma and the flavor of the quality beverage was enticing.  “It doesn’t, after all , require an excuse or planning to sip  the aromatic beverage”,  said a student at the spot.

Bayar's, Hatti Kaapi, Coffeelab, Flying Squirrel (The Artisan Coffee), Classic Pride are a few of the brands who showcased their products.  Barring Cafe Coffee Day, one could experience an array of the traditional filter coffee quality.  The event also enabled a bit of learning coffee-based concepts like robusta, arabica, coffee beans ....

The "Coffee Santhe" was organized by Women Coffee Alliance of India (WCAI).  The purpose was not just to promote and market their products, but more importantly divert the proceeds of the Santhe for the cause of health and educational needs of the children of  women coffee workers.  WCAI is a registered Charity Trust whose primary objective is to better the status of the Indian women coffee workers. "So many hands that go to make a cup of coffee are the less privileged ones", said Ms. Sunalini Menon, Chief Executive, Coffeelab Ltd.   Ms. Menon is  the first woman coffee-taster in India.

Women, who lent a homely touch in most of the stalls,  inspired enthusiasm to explain the right method of filter coffee preparation. "Many households spend more money on coffee powder and milk, but failed to brew good quality beverage", thoughtfully lamented Mrs.Renuka Gangadhar, an organiser. An exclusive  stall depicted the story of the journey of the coffee bean from plant to coffee cup. 

Coffee filters (in different sizes and shapes), coffee mugs, coffee-based soaps, coffee-plants, jewellery and other accessories made from coffee beans  were part of the display.  Cold Coffee and coffee-flavoured eats include cakes and cookies also added to the assortment.

The brand HATTIKAAPI (Hatti in Kannada means a house in village, kaapi is coffee)  claimed their quality process consists of coffee bean lot are handpicked by the specialist and roasted through a German roaster. The beans are then dried, powdered and then packed.  They use bisleri water to prepare decoction and add best quality milk.

It was not a mere slurping and enjoying the beverage.  You also get introduced to the art of brewing coffee. What makes a great cup of coffee?  Coffee Board extended their courtesy by providing the right method of brewing a good cup of coffee in a stainless steel Indian filter:  Wash the stainless steel (filter) and the brewer (container) with hot water.  Place the brew basket inside the brewer. Take a spoon of coffee powder (in the spoon of coffee powder into the basket (filter).  If it is a 2 cup filter, place 2 level spoons of coffee powder. Gently levelling the coffee powder, place the plunger inside the brew basket.  Pour fresh boiling water into the basket (filter) upto the neck.  Close the lid.  In about 10 minutes the decoction is ready in the brewer (container).  Remove the brew basket (filter).  Pour the coffee into  the cup.  Enjoy the aromatic cup of fresh coffee.  Optional: Add milk  and/or sugar as per taste.

The Board also shared the relationship between coffee and good health. The Board reveals that according to research coffee drunk in moderation (4-5 regular sized cups  a day) is safe for healthy adults and can even have beneficial health implications as part of a healthy diet and physically active lifestyle, adding that coffee may help, provide protection against the development of liver disease. Research also suggests that coffee drinking may be protective against Type II diabetes (non-insulin dependent diabetes).

A brief interaction with a cross-section of the visitors:

"A nice event. I am a coffee connoisseur.  I have come to check out various blends.  I drink about 5-6 cups a day.  Filter coffee is my forte. I constantly keep experimenting.  We explore lots on coffee in other countries", conceded Mr. Sharath, Rediff.

"Some  literature should have been displayed regarding the variety of coffee/coffee beans.  There are only standardised coffee-makers.  Traditional coffee-making techniques should have been exhibited. Making coffee obviously differs from one hand to another when it comes to presentation . I generally drink my best coffee from "Maiyyas" (Jayanagar IV Block)",  confessed Mr.Amruthkumar, Engineer.

"I am a coffee freak.  I have just tried Hattikaapi.  Before I leave I will taste a few more flavours", said Mr. Gangadhar (Retired).

A few overheard:  

"Coffee Santhe is the right place to test and taste blends.  The taste of coffee drinkers have become more discriminating and they demand more flavour from the cup".

"Some bitterness is desirable, to keep the coffee from tasting bland".

"The (coffee) beans should be neither under-roasted, nor charred".

"I prefer pure filter coffee as against coffee with cream and sugar, as, in the latter, the defects may not be noticeable".

"There is no single "best" coffee".

The "Coffee Santhe" is a prelude to the upcoming INDIA INTERNATIONAL COFFEE FESTIVAL 2014 (IICF)to be held at The Lalit Ashok, Kumara Krupa High Grounds, Bangalore-560001  from January 21 – 25, 2014. The highlights of the IICF include skill-building workshops relating to coffee Processing, Roasting, Brewing and entrepreneurship programme.  The IICF is also likely to throw light on changes in the global market, the healthy side of a cup of coffee, innovative methods of coffee delivery to the customer and many more.  The Festival is also expected to showcase the best coffees in the market, the latest technologies employed and the accompanying business opportunities.

Over to INDIA INTERNATIONAL COFFEE FESTIVAL 2014!

http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2012/09/me-without-coffee.html

Your feedback is welcome: krs1957@hotmail.com

Dr.Manmohan Singh’s tenure : A corruption decade decayed the system

In a rare press conference, Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh called Mr. Narendra Modi as a “disastrous choice” if he becomes the Prime Minister, in addition to declaring that  he will not seek the PM’s office for the third term.  Mr. Rahul Gandhi will be the appropriate choice with all the credentials as the Congress party candidate, Dr. Singh added.

I am not a big follower of politics.  I, however, happened to watch the entire press conference yesterday (03/01/2014) and it left me with a disgusting impression.  When Dr. Singh was long ago introduced to the parliament, for a moment I thought that we are going to be blessed with a statesman amid tainted politicians,  but yesterday I noticed to see the body language of an apologetic guilty-Singh.

It was childishly ridiculous that Dr. Singh gave a clean chit to himself during his tenure for nearly a decade.  During his interaction with the media, he mentioned that history would be kinder to him than the media and the opposition parties.  He floated the flippant theory that most scandals of UPA-2 occurred during UPA-1.  It is unfortunate that he sought to take refuge that people endorsed Congress to power in 2009, desperately attempting to ratify the wrong-doings of UPA-1.  It was also sickening to listen to him when he bid to distinguish between his personal conduct and the performance of the government.

His utterances lacked even political logic.  Dr. Singh accused Mr. Modi  of “presiding over the massacre of 2002 riots” in Ahmedabad.  That the Supreme Court has already cleared Mr. Modi of all the charges is public knowledge, Dr. Singh’s allegation against Mr. Modi amounts to reviewing the Court ruling.   Can somebody clarify that under the recently enacted Lok Pal Bill, can a contempt petition be filed against a sitting Prime Minister?  As a PM , Dr. Singh could have, nay, should have initiated appropriate action against Mr. Modi.  Yet again he exposed his inability in saving the situation.   In the same breath, did not Congress party instigate the anti-Sikh riots in the aftermath of Mrs. Indira Gandhi’s assassination?  Applying Dr. Singh’s formula, are we to believe that Mr. Rajiv Gandhi was a “disaster” for presiding over the 1984-riots?

For once, I was able to observe a decisive politician in Dr. Singh.  The more he smacks of Mr. Modi, make no mistake, the more stronger the latter will be.  Hate speech against Mr. Modi only diminishes Dr. Singh’s stature.  Or is it that Dr. Singh is subtly playing the self-side goal as a settling score to the ignominy he suffered  all these years in the hands of the Gandhi family? After all, when it comes to politics, there is no permanent friends or foes!    On a serious note, it felt like a contrite looser talking to media, not like a PM of India.

The best joke comes when he says that Mr. Rahul Gandhi has outstanding credentials to become the PM, showing how low sycophancy can take you down.

Hopes were aplenty with the people, because as a former bureaucrat before joining the government, Dr.Singh knew all kinds of inefficiencies existing in the bureaucratic system.  Alas, he failed to apply his knowledge for the improvement of the economy.  Or is it because he had to work under remote control?   In the whole of media comments and analysis, I found one thing common – corruption and inflation, huge issues we are facing today.

Pause for a moment.  Recall the series of scams – Common Wealth Games (CWG), Adarsh Housing scams,  2G scam, Coalgate – to name a few.  If you can restore the swindled amount, the Finance Minister will be presenting “Surplus” budgets, year after year; and I don’t have to pay Rs.100/-for a kg. of onions.

Or does he want to come to the open and say that the black money or hoards of it, all these, are due to “coalition partnership”?   Well, if you want to enjoy power, you should as well take ownership, Dr. Singh.  Or does he want to say that these are entirely the misdeeds of the Congress alone and the “beneficiaries”  have taken monstrously unfair leverage of the meekest PM we have ever had?  Or does he want to say the Congress had used the most qualified PM, as a shield and made him the obvious scapegoat who will be blamed for the Congress’ failures and the party will emerge out of this whole shoddy affairs as an unintended victim of a  bad prime-ministership and in the same stroke Mr. Rahul Gandhi will emerge as the savior?  Or at least, does he think that he could have done a better job as a Finance Minister than a thankless Prime Minister?

The reality is that after 10 years to Dr. Singh and 60 years to Congress, we are flooded with scams and rapes and inflation.  The people are visibly angry and disappointed.  Public opinion is severely against the Prime Minister and the Congress government.  India is potentially a rich country, but its fortunes are stolen by a few and stacked offshore.  Dr. Singh has grossly failed to communicate effectively what his government was, is and intended to do to curb corruption at high levels.  The anger and anguish of the people shoots because Dr. Singh is most educated and a seasoned economist.   He is relating the inflation to international economic changes.  Is the price rise happening in all countries?

But as a top leader Dr. Singh should know not the price increase, but the rampant corruption that led his party down in the recent assembly elections.  He can explain the price rise and always say it was beyond his control, but it would have been qualified statesmanship if he had taken  cognizance that corruption was the chief factor for the crisis.  Never in free India’s history has food inflation touched the dreaded double-digit.  All the hopes aspired by the people of this country are belied, thanks to the spinelessness displayed by the technocrat-turned-politician.  Sadly, he was unable to rule or control.  The people of India should be very careful in exercising their franchise.  Even if they poll for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the coming Lok Sabha elections, it tantamounts to allowing the same corrupt Congress through the back door.

Yet with all the failures, Dr. Singh still claimed that he was not a “weak leader”.  He has dented his goodwill.  His arguments were totally indefensible.  Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh has paved the way for Mr. Rahul Gandhi and Mr. Narendra Modi, leaving the government with a legacy of guilt and shame.After all, there is a huge gap between a good man and a good Prime Minister.

Let historians script their documentation.   Can we simultaneously expect the PM-in- office-not-in power, Dr. Singh relax and pen a memoir annexed to his conscience? 

Jai Hind!