Bite and kill!

-
Bite and kill, if you can, India,
or shut up and hold your peace.

 
Pick up the newspaper. Watch TV.

What’s up?

 

Not much of a reader of Hindi poetry but these lines are so befitting today.......

 
क्षमा  शोभती  उस भुजंग को जिसके पास गरल है
उसका क्या जो दंतहीन विषरहित विनीत सरल है

लो अतीत से उतना ही जितना पोषक है
जीर्ण शीर्ण का मोह मृत्यू का द्योतक है

 
Make your judgement!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

IRMS, a cure worse than the disease: Infinitely Redundant Management Service

-
Image
  IRMS, often humorously dubbed the Indian Railway Mismanagement Service, serves a rather unique purpose—one might say it is the ultimate Innovative Redundancy Management Scheme . It keeps the practically redundant railway executives in a state of confused bliss, humorously elevating them with a sense of importance even as their roles are being made increasingly marginalised. I have explored this subject extensively in my blogs and newspaper columns, both with serious analysis and a tongue-in-cheek approach (some references in the end). Soon, I resigned to the realization that the IRMS was a dice too firmly cast or a goose too far cooked and held my peace. But recently, my interest was reignited upon stumbling across this intriguing news item:   https://theprint.in/india/governance/as-reform-of-railway-services-merger-unravels-murmurs-of-demerger-gain-ground/2242702/   A bit of background, very briefly.  No one can downplay the need for a positive resolution of...
Read more

Guard Your Legacy, ICF! Why Surrender Your Crown?

-
Image
I have long maintained that, in the absence of any significant technological advancement in the Vande Bharat train technology since the prototype in 2018—aside from some cosmetic enhancements here and there—it is high time for ICF to shift gears and focus on designing and developing an indigenous 240-250 kmph train for Standard Gauge. My blog connects: http://anindecisiveindian.blogspot.com/2024/03/export-of-vande-bharat-trains-south.html This would not exactly send the Japanese scrambling to slash their reportedly sky-high prices they have offered for the High-Speed Railway (HSR) trains, given that the Mumbai-Ahmedabad HSR corridor is being built for speeds of 320 kmph. Nevertheless, it would channel India’s indigenous capabilities in the right direction, including a great opening in the field of exporting trains to   middle-income countries. So, the Railway Board’s decision asking ICF to take on this challenge was a breath of fresh air. With the right leadership and unwaver...
Read more

High-Speed Talgo Trains in Uzbekistan Much faster than Vande Bharat!

-
Image
  High-Speed Talgo Trains in Uzbekistan Much faster than Vande Bharat! Sudhanshu Mani I recently visited Uzbekistan with my wife and some friends. For me, a lifelong wish to experience the land of the invader Amir Timur, or Tamerlane (1336-1405), who never lost a battle and to decipher the intrigue. A Turco-Mongol conqueror who founded the Timurid in areas which are now Central Asia, Agghanistan, Iran and even Russia, o ne of the greatest, albeit also one of the most brutal, military leader in history, yet also reputed as a great patron of art and architecture. He was the only one to have defeated the Ottomons and of course, we all know about his plunder and massacres in India after defeating the Rajputs and the Delhi sultanate in India. And added to this intrigue was the quest to know about Babur, his much-maligned descendant, who conquered Delhi and established the Mughal empire.   The experience was quite rewa...
Read more