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India’s Digital Library model gains Global traction!

Viral Dholakia — Sat, 23 Apr 2011 09:43:45 +0000

India has already woken up to the task of protecting her traditional knowledge available in the public domain by digitizing its resourceful content, so that nobody can claim patent on them, through ‘Traditional Knowledge Digital Library’ (TKDL), a collaborative project between CSIR and Department of AYUSH.

Usually, I am quite vocal about the misdeeds of our government organizations and employees. But, this is one such initiative where Indians can really feel proud of the government’s achievement; something which even other nations are looking forward to emulate India’s footsteps.

India has around 5000 years of history during which period many great personalities and even common people have mastered the knowledge in various fields such as medicine, mathematics, naturopathy, meditation and yoga, science, etc.

The West has time-and-again tried to patent and misappropriate knowledge of basic things which are part of our society for almost hundreds and thousands of years. The most undesirable of them was the US Patent and Trademark Office granting patent rights on Basmati rice and grains to RiceTec, based on the firm’s false claim of having invented traits of rice lines and plants, which are characteristics found in our traditional Basmati varieties.

For Basmati rice which is prominently grown in North India and Pakistan, the patent grant to RiceTec meant that no Indian or Pakistani company could sell original Basmati rice without coming into conflict with that company. It took years for India and Pakistan to fight against that patent and get it struck down from its core claims.

Further, a report points out that India has also made available a database describing 1300 yoga postures and videography of 200 popular among these, to international patent offices through TKDL, as part of efforts to prevent patent pirates from exploiting it for commercial purposes.

Thus, a TKDL-like model plays a crucial role in documenting precious national heritage in the areas of traditional health care systems, preventing bio-piracy and grant of wrong patents at the International Patent offices – creating an enabling model that could prevent misappropriation of traditional knowledge and global intellectual property systems.

In latest, representatives of over 35 countries have expressed interest in replicating India’s TKDL model for preventing misappropriation of knowledge and cultural heritage from grant of wrongful patents by any of the trilateral offices, where most of the international patent applications gets filed, like US Patent and Trademark Office, European Patent Office and Japan Patent Office.

Moreover, a TKDL study also reveals a sharp decline of 44% on filing of patent applications concerning Indian systems of medicine at European Patent Office.

Are Indians time insensitive?

Ravi Prakash — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 10:42:59 +0000

Remember Maggi commercials and the eternal promise of making noodles in 2-minutes ? I adore the commercial yet have never met anyone who claims to cook it in 2-minutes. It got me thinking – Are we really not concerned about time?

Being late and delaying stuff was a part of growing up for me until I started working and visiting places. Seriously, it is disheartening to see many of us regardless of education, cast, creed and other exceptions are always delaying things. We always say bas, 5 min aur!

The irony is that we are very consistent throughout every sector in being late and procrastinating things and more often than not being proud of it. There is even a FB group dedicated to us for that!

Let’s see how our various sections of our society share this “proud” habit.

Administrators (aka politicians/judiciary etc.)

Oh yes! All of us criticize them. And why not, after all they set the example for us. Whether it’s implementing the promises in manifesto or setting up infrastructure in rural India delays are ubiquitous. The vicious cycle of babudom and the time taken in transferring files from one department to other has time and again proved to be detrimental for our country.

Consider our “awesome” judiciary system in Kasab’s case. To show you a small example of how much we can waste time, Kasab’s trial was delayed over and over again and it cost (and still is!) around Rs. 9 lakh per day. People might argue there was an investigation etc. but hey you know what, he was the guy murdering in cold blood and that has been captured on video. If this isn’t an example of wasting time to the extreme then what is?

Indian Businesses:

I was in Bangalore this summer and trust me I didn’t meet a single small business worker who had an urgency to work, to perform and to be as productive as they can. While at home, I waited for the plumber, the electrician, the phone and Internet connection guy. Outside the home I waited in banks, post offices, and even doctors’ offices. So much so that it often took restaurants about 30 min to serve food! I don’t know how to quantify the time wasted and business lost in these activities but I hope they do the math soon and fix the system on which they do business.

Professionals:

I am sure we all have come across in our offices people who stay late at night. They typically come in at 11am and leave around 11pm. I remember how I was frowned upon as I left office at 7. The truth is for working efficiently and timely you shouldn’t take 1 hour lunch break, couple of 30min coffee breaks, and smoking breaks. And yeah, there are TT, gym and newspaper breaks too!

What’s really surprising is that these are the people who complaint about how their janitor wastes time and why their maids is always late. Moreover, every appraisal cycle these people have the most negative feelings about their bosses and cohorts because of their perception that they stay late but are not paid for! Reality check: It’s important to work productively rather than stay in office! The amount of time professionals waste has been affecting the corporate clients and often results in losing one.

We, the common man:

I was getting ready for a party which was supposed to start at 8. My friend started mocking me and said that I am a moron because I will be arriving on time!!! It’s a part of our culture to be late in parties and informal dinners.
Reason? To show-off that we are important, busy and have a hectic life. That’s sick because it means wasting your time as well as not paying respect to others. I have seen people in United States and how they manage probably every hour of their day and make the best use of it. Being late is considered offensive and irresponsible and rightly so. Our habit of not respecting time has made us insensitive to time. Politicians and other administrators exploit this habit and procrastinate realizing that we are use to it.

The story doesn’t end here. Students are late for classes, teachers are late for lectures, dealers are late in supplies, public transport is consistently late, even emergency doctors are late! The only thing that is on time is procrastination.

While on one extreme we see people loitering around aimlessly or engaging in conversation with total strangers on the other we see people jostling and pushing at bus stops and vegetable markets, as if their time is most precious in this country and it’s absolutely critical to reach their destinations or completing their tasks in record time. The contrast in attitude towards time is no different from the other spectacular disparities that are so stereotypical of Indian life. However, I think we should soon get rid of the famous concept of Indian Standard Time (IST) or it going to all pervasive and make our children even more time insensitive.

Whats more frustrating is that dealing with IST in daily life is impossible because your life is so intimately dependent on people around you. Both at work and outside, I find myself alone and helpless, racing beside the vast majority that slowly marches on at a completely different pace.

Grow up India, it’s not uber-cool to be late!

Indian Stereotypes: That’s how we are

Ravi Prakash — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:32:47 +0000

Yesterday in one of my classes at B-school we had this discussion over how Bollywood movies are a Hollywood story with songs, dance, and how kissing is a strict no-no in the movies. It wasn’t offensive because of the context but it made me think that about our stereotypes and how does it impact our lives whether in India or abroad. So I thought I will get opinion from you guys!

You talk to anyone about Indians (or about people from other states in India) and there is almost always a preconceived notion.

Here are a few of them from my experiences.

1. Do you have Snake-Charmers all over the streets?

My first reaction is I laugh out and then explain how rare it’s to see one these days and how I really enjoyed that when I was a child. The point however is does it portray an image of India when I say yes? I think it does as it triggers an explanation session about other aspects of India which are way more important beyond snake-charmers!

2. Is it true that you guys marry without seeing your partners?

I am not annoyed when people ask this. It’s slightly unusual for them to understand this concept which is understandable. I don’t think there is particular impact of it but it leaves me thinking about bigger issues like dowry, exploitation etc. The debate between love and arrange marriage is another topic but we need to think about these issues and how we can best handle them as a society. So do we care about this stereotype? Well I will say Yes and No.

3. Bollywood is all about songs, dance and colors:

I enjoy this conversation whether in India or abroad because it triggers so many different responses. I think any sane businessmen would like to pursue a hit idea. So there is nothing wrong when directors portray these characteristics in their movies because that’s what we are about and we love it! It goes without saying that we have witnessed radically totally unique movies in past few years and they have made some serious global impact so I guess there has been a positive impact of this particular stereotyping.

4. Wow! “their” son is studying in America:

Seriously? Trust me most of the people abroad would rather join our AIIMs, ISBs and IIMs than any other university in the world. They probably go abroad maybe because of excessive competition (which isn’t good at all). It’s frustrating at times if you realize high-quality education is often based on one-exam on one particular day. The positive impact of such stereotyping is that government is working religiously on expanding high quality education. I just hope they do it in all areas and not just engineering and MBAs. On a lighter note, you have to see how Indian students at times behave abroad, it’s hilarious!

5. India has a lot of poor people?

This one is disappointing because it is true. We still have a high infant mortality rate, areas without basic sanitation and clean water, farmers dependent on rains for their crops, and numerous other factors. The situation is sad but it’s hearting to see that we are evolving. Studies about rising middle class and rich outnumbering poor have time and again proved that. I hope one day I can deny this stereotype and say “oh no, we don’t have anyone below poverty line”.

6. See that “Chinese” girl (usually from North-Eastern states India), she is so low-character:

This one pisses me off, because

they are Indians and
you are an Indian and racist, and
by judging someone’s character by outer appearance tells something about your character.

While I haven’t done any research on any particular state of India but from my experience, Eastern states are one of the most progressive and literate states in India. They vote judiciously, they don’t talk about politics and cricket all day instead their mantra is to work hard. I think if such stereotype doesn’t end it can impact our citizens, workforce, students etc from North-Eastern states which can adversely affect India’s growth in general.

Do we care?

We do and we should. I believe such stereotypes are reflection of what we are. You may like them or dislike them but it’s a mirror of how we behave and what we do. So, I would say take these stereotypes in a positive way and let’s make some changes to make us a better society.

These are just very few of 1000s of stereotypes we see everyday around us. I am sure you also have heard many of them, let us know what they are and how you think they impact our society.

Surprise, Surprise, Indian citizens are most environment friendly!

Indian Workforce most aspiring in the world!

Viral Dholakia — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:29:40 +0000

“I am working in IT industry since last 5 years and with my present company from past 7 months. I have joined this company with almost double salary. But, I am on bench and now I am planning to join another company. However, I have confusion in my mind. Please suggest me whether I should go for new company with a decent salary hike or wait here for more time and settle down finally?”

Most of us would have come across such dilemma-filled queries during our lifetime of job activity. Times are changing fast and with time are changing the trends of job profile and activities.

This has led to a unique shift where permanent jobs in all sectors are being replaced with temporary ones, contract-based jobs or part-time (or varied shift) works to say the least.

According to a work monitor report, Indians are the most mobile & aspiring workers in the world, willing to switch jobs for better career opportunities backed by higher aspiration levels with focus on promotions.

Most Aspiring Employees in the World

The mobility index that Indian workforce was the most flexible in the world at 147 index points closely beating China and Mexico for the top spot. Delhi seems to be a notch higher than the other Indians in terms of job shifting, says the report.

In the ultimate analysis, the job shifting culture depends to a great extent on personal traits of employees such as ones desire in life, the levels of skill and patience, your financial standing and your ability to negotiate and extract with larger pie of goodies.

The report points out that employees earning in the salary bracket of Rs.5-10 lakh tend to shift more jobs than others. In deed, this is a classic salary bracket where young employees form a part of the middle level management and aspire to penetrate higher into the corporate system.

In fact, I am of the opinion that Indians, have always moved around within their own country for better opportunities, so they have never had the inhibition of moving across the globe.

The cultural diversity within India itself provides for a strong platform to develop one’s ability to mingle with a new culture and yet retain the inherent strengths as demonstrated by the Marwaris, Baniyas, Gujjus, and many others who have traversed the length and breadth of the country for business prospects and have gelled well and prospered in any circumstance.

The ability to adapt, adjust and learn quickly coupled with flair to speak polished English has put Indian workers on the Global map. Further, if the business is getting all this at a lesser cost then why not?

At the same time, one should not get carried away with unrealizable aspirations and expectations of never ending growth prospects of job profile. A 20-30% Growth in Salary levels or promotions Y-o-Y will not be forever feasible.

Further, it’s always good to take on more challenging roles and responsibilities but job-hopping just for a few extra bucks or for frivolous reasons certainly doesn’t augur well in the long run. What really is required for Human Resources is to develop a pragmatic approach to both Employer and Employee expectations and come up with effective solutions to engage this dynamic and aspiring Work Force.

What’s your view on highly aspiring Indian employees?

Western & Southern India better on Well Being & Female Security Index !

Arun Prabhudesai — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 03:08:32 +0000

Southern India stands out when it comes to general well-being of citizens, so does Western India as compared to other parts of the Country. In eastern parts of India people lack well being, while in North India scores very low when it comes to Female Security.

These are some of the findings of report released by management consultancy firm TSMG (Tata Strategic Management Group) on the Well Being Index (WBI) and Female Security Index (FSI).

It is interesting to note that some of the economically and socially well-off districts (Which rank best on well-being index) are among the most insecure places for women to live. One such district is the Capital’s business hub – Central Delhi – which ranks ‘best’ on the Well Being Index (WBI), but ‘worst’ when it comes to Female Security Index (FSI) in India.

Here is representation of WBI & FSI

Key Findings on Well Being Index

Eastern and Central India are markedly worse than the rest of India
The Northern states of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi are amongst the best.
Even within the same state there is significant disparity amongst districts. For
instance, huge variation across districts in Karnataka is noticeable: while
Bangalore is amongst the ‘Best’, Bellary and Gulbarga are ‘Bad’ and Bijapur,
Koppal and Gadag are amongst the ‘Worst’.

Key Findings on Female Security Index

There is a clear divide between North India on one side and South & Eastern
India on the other.
Most districts in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka & Andra Pradesh are votes “best” on FSI
while it is exactly opposite for districts in Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, UP & northern region where most districts are voted “worst”.
Uttaranchal and Eastern UP fare comparatively better
Some large states exhibit huge disparities among districts for e.g. in
Rajasthan, Dungarpur is classified as ‘Best’; Bhilwara is ‘Good’ while Alwar
and Kota are among the ‘Worst’.

This is bit off-topic, but it just highlights the fact how diverse India is, in every aspect, be it the culture, language, food habits, religion, prosperity etc etc. To top that, we are a Democratic country. Sometimes, it is a surprise how our government even functions :)

What are your thoughts ?

India 2nd most difficult to relocate after China

Arun Prabhudesai — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 15:39:14 +0000

India is not an easy place to live, I don’t think anybody disagrees with that (or do you?), especially for people who relocate from western countries.

When I see a westerner walking on the road, this thought always passes by my mind – “How different (aka difficult) it must be for these guys to live in this part of the world”. I never thought about it earlier but after living in US for a few years, I can surely imagine the plight of foreigners when they first land in India.

Mind you, I am not criticizing India in any way, I prefer living in India any day and hence I came back for good. But at the same time – for these people, it is a completely different life and it surely takes a lot of adjustment to settle down.

A recent survey released by Brookfield Global relocation services company points that India is the 2nd most difficult country to relocate after China.

Here are some of the Interesting findings of the survey:

Most Challenging Destinations for Expatriates

Among all the respondents of the survey, China was cited by 16% of respondents, followed by India (14%), and Russia (7%).
China and India always have been among the top seven destinations presenting the greatest assignment challenges. With one exception (when it was ranked in second place), China has always been cited as the most challenging destination for expatriates.

Here are some of the verbatim comments by the respondents of the survey on why India is such a challenging country:

tax…living conditions…lifestyle, cultural (work and personal), family settling in…cultural differences, complexity of move…cultural…costs, reliable DSPs [destination service providers]…housing and cultural…assignment policies are difficult to structure to be both attractive to an assignee and compliant with external and internal requirements…cultural differences, Indian regulations…availability of appropriate schooling…various regulations and requirements, hardship location…changes in immigration laws and sales tax collection (TDS [tax deducted at source])…visas, accommodation, transport…unrealistic expectations…standard new location challenges (understanding the tax system, familiarization with new processes, etc.)…security, developing country…constant change…changing legislation and little/lack of communication…cultural issues…introduction of mandatory provident fund contributions…security concerns, living conditions, cultural differences…hardship location…assignee expectations…

From comments you can know that most of the challenges refer to cultural as well Tax & Legal implications.

You can get full report here

What you may not know about Ganesh Festival: An appeal !

Arun Prabhudesai — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 13:57:59 +0000

[Note: I had written this article in September 19, 2007, but I am reproducing this again before Ganesh Festival, so that you will take proper precautionary measures while buy Ganesh Idols. The links in the article are not working anymore, but the information in the post is very pertinent. Please spread the word]

Ganesh Festival is really a time for festivities; it slowly starts to get Indian people into festive season mood that spans till end of Diwali. If you live in cities like Pune and Mumbai, you will know the kind of celebration that happens for 10 straight days. The streets are overflowing with people to see the beautifully decorated Ganesh Idols. The roads are closed at night, loud music and expansive lighting greets you everywhere.

At the end of 10 days, the Ganesh idol immersion is done with even bigger processions. It’s like a carnival. Dhol and Tasha sounds fill the air.

What happens next ?
Have a look…

Source: Ultrabrown

The sight of these Ganesh Idols is appalling. To be honest I could not even see the pictures, it is so awful. Seeing the Ganesh Idols lying on the shores like these, whom we worship all our lives is mind boggling. Thanks to Ultrabrown blog to bringing this pictures up.

This post is an appeal to Trakin readers to spread the awareness and importance of using Environmentally friendly Ganapati Idols. Read this…

The idols are made out of Plaster of Paris(PoP), which casts typically disintegrated water, thus making it necessary to be non-suitable for bathing, showering, or other activities involving contact with water. In addition, Plaster of Paris casts are not air permeable, and thus do not allow for the circulation of air beneath the cast which greatly facilitates the evaporation and removal of moisture trapped between cast and skin. This often leads to skin maceration, irritation, or infection.

These idols are then painted with ‘some’ dyes which contain poisonous elements like lead,mercury,carbon and cadmium.

In Mumbai alone every year 70-80 thousand Ganpati idols are immersed at about 50 different places during Ganesh Chaturthi resulting in huge amount of pollution. This polluted water is a threat not only to water creatures, but to us equally.

*** Do you know that photography is not allowed the next day at the beaches where immersion takes place? If you ask why then that’s because the beaches are full of desecrated idols, decaying flowers and dead fish the next day, and the Government tries its best to hide this from media and other activists.***

EcoGanapati is an initiative by bunch of guys from fropper. I wish them all the best in this initiative and I am sure Indian bloggers will join this cause, spread awareness and sign the petition that they have put up.

Here is the message from EcoGanapti:

Since internet is one of the greatest sources available in the modern world, it will assist us in spreading knowledge, escalating the matter and, thus, a greater and a purer revelry.

So, what we intend to do is:

Spread knowledge

Seek public interest

Learn more ways and ideas of celebrating the occasion with more purity

Share the results of this activity with the Government, the Mayors of Mumbai and Pune and the other concerned authorities.

*** I intend to take print-out of the Petition page and, personally, deliver it to the concerned ministers and the Mayors.***

Also, the matters will not end with just submitting the petition, I will keep on updating about the action being taken by the authorities in this matter and will follow up diligently.

What you can do is:

Participate

Spread knowledge

Learn more waysÂ and ideas of celebrating the occasion with more purity.

Please also check Relevant Links page to read more about this and to learn how to make eco-friendly Ganesha idols at home.

So, please do sign the petition and leave your comments. The onus lies on us to make a difference with whatever resources we have. For suggestions, or if you are interested in joining this awareness campaign, please leave me a mail at ecoganpati@gmail.com.

Again, sign the petition and help the cause.

Trak.in Blog featured in Times of India, Delhi Edition

Arun Prabhudesai — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 22:07:31 +0000

This weekend was quite good for Trak.in, it got featured in Times of India. If you are one of the readers in Delhi, India, you must have already seen the special report on “10 years of Blogging” that appeared in Times of India Delhi Edition.

Trak.in was mentioned along with two other blogs (One is the usual, Amit Agarwal).

I am not sure if there is an online version of this report that Times has come out with. Here is the partial snapshot of the report that appeared in the newspaper. (Click on the image to see what is written about trak.in)
Update: This article is available online here

Like I have mentioned here, the visitors and subscribers to this blog have been growing constantly and that has given me a boost to write more on Trak.in.

One of the things, I have mentioned often on my blog, “In a few years time, blogging will be as important a tool as Email is today “.
Here are the 10 reasons why I blog, and why you should start blogging today. You have excellent free and easy to use blogging solutions, Blogger and WordPress. Both are extremely easy to use and you can start publishing your first post within minutes of registering.

If you are new to blogging and need some help, contact me, or mail me back at admin (at) trak dot in. I will be glad to help you get initiated in blogging.

Update: This article is available online here

Starting a Business: Do Indian Entrepreneurs lack the killer instinct?

Arun Prabhudesai — Tue, 31 Jul 2007 16:30:44 +0000

India has moved from being an agricultural economy to a knowledge economy in past decade and a half. The Indian doctors, scientists and engineers have created their mark across the globe and India. This is one of the main reasons why India is at the forefront of IT Outsourcing and off-shoring revolution too. This shows that Indians are not bad when it comes to knowledge, talent and skills. But why is that only very few Indians are looked upon as entrepreneurs ? Why is it that we hear about only selected few people who have made it big ?

I am telling you this because I was looking at huge disparity among the number of Indian Entrepreneurs versus Americans. India has less than 1/10th of them as compared to US Counterparts.
America has approx 12% of population, who have either started their own Business or are self employed. Comparatively, India has less than 1% of population who start their own business.

Why is it so?

At external macro level there are number of reasons, like unfriendly government policies, less stress on entrepreneurship in schooling and colleges, Indian culture, financial security, corruption etc…

However, there is one thing that Indian’s as individuals lack (Now I may put off a lot of readers by making that statement), which I give tremendous importance to -

It is the lack of Killer Instinct!

Indians are generally quite concerned about society and we do give a lot of importance to what people will say about us. That itself gives us an intense fear of failure. Most of us do not even think in that direction for the simple reasons “What will they say if I fail”. Some of them who do take the step, the lack of “killer instinct” does not let them go beyond certain point. Most of them surrender at first glimpse of pressure. They are unable to wade through the stormy waters of entrepreneurship.

A fine example, although not from business perspective is our cricketers. Look at them, they are highly knowledgeable, talented and skilled, but they never stay on top. They do have occasional moments of greatness but they just lack the consistency.

The reason again is lack of Killer Instinct!

I would love to hear what readers have to say…Do Indians lack killer instinct ?

However, the scenario is fast changing in India. A lot of Indians who traveled west in last 3 decades are coming back in big numbers. And these new breed are not only financially strong, but they come back with the killer instinct that is required to succeed.

I am not aware of the current numbers, but from what I see, it is amply clear that entrepreneurship is growing at a fast pace India!

Suggested Reading (pdf file): A Brave New World Beckons Indian Innovators and Entrepreneurs