Looking beyond the Odd-Even Rule

As Delhi braces itself for the implementation of the Odd-Even rule to help decongest the roads and bring down the extremely high levels of pollution in the city, it's also important to think about some of the other solutions that will help smoothen the flow of traffic.
If you have driven (or have been driven) on any city in India you will agree that one of the main reasons for traffic jams (apart from the high number of vehicles on the road) is the complete lack of adherence to basic rules of driving like sticking to lanes, following traffic lights, etc. In my view if we  are able to convince/coerce people to follow some of these simple rules then a lot of the traffic congestion can be eased. I derive this understanding from my visits to developed countries where people (including Indians) tend to follow the rule of law and that really eases the flow of traffic and eases the stress of driving on the roads.

How to get people to follow traffic rules?
Fear of law. Period. That's how people in developed countries are kept in check, because they know that if they mess up, there is a high probability that they might be caught and penalized heavily.
I can hear you all saying "Well we all know that!" and "It's easier said than done", and although I may partly agree to your outbursts, I still believe it may not be difficult to implement this if we can cross the threshold of political and bureaucratic lethargy.

Here is the plan.

1. Identify a few key junctions/points around the city (and keep these a strict secret)
2. Install high resolution video cameras that record the traffic movement and relay to a central server.
3. Create a team of 10-15 traffic officers that pick a random time of the day and analyze the footage to identify offenders.
4. Send challans to the offenders with photographic evidence, also use newspapers to highlight the offenders that were caught to further drill the point among others.

"The Plan"

What would it take to implement this?

1. High resolution cameras
2. Storage space for the recorded footage
3. Video analysis software to go through the footage
4. Team of slightly tech savvy traffic officers
5. Software to record and generate challans (If one doesn't already exist)
6. Heavy fines for offenders.
7. Co-ordination among traffic and transport departments.
8. In case of Delhi, political will from Central (owns traffic police) & State (owns transport) govt.

There will be some hurdles in the way and I am sure we can iron them out to create a sense of fear of law. For instance, you might say:

"This is going to be really expensive"

[Response] Well, we can start small, maybe just with 15-20 key places for starters and then ramp up slowly. Cameras and storage space needed of this small number may not be cost inhibitive, if these places are kept a secret then even this small number may be enough to keep people guessing and instill the fear of law among people. Also, if this is successful the benefits may far outweigh the costs.

"It's going to be really time-consuming to review the footage"

[Response] Not all the footage needs to be analyzed, the traffic officers can pick random periods every day and identify the offenders during that period, they don't need to analyze the footage for the entire day. Again, the idea is to instill fear that if you don't follow the law then you will be caught.

"How will you penalise out-of-town vehicles"

[Response] This is something that I still haven't been able to work out. Does anyone have any suggestions?

"People may not pay for the challans/fines generated from an "automated process" and still keep driving around"

[Response] - To begin with, publish the car numbers that have been issued fines on a website. Also, allow people to pay for these fines online. For any challan/fine that is unpaid for more than x days the fine amount is doubled and if it remains unpaid for an year then visit the address and impound the said vehicle, also you can enforce insurance companies to not issue insurance policies to such vehicles until their fines have been cleared.

This solution is not new and in all probability has been suggested by someone else, but I still think its worth trying in addition to the other initiatives that would help.

The 10 Year Itch!!

In 10 years, the building has moved, the profs (quite a few) have left, the hairlines have receded, and the beer bellies have flourished, but the camaraderie has remained intact and so has the joy of exchanging tons of those memorable stories.

What started as a casual conversation on a WhatsApp group culminated in the 10 year reunion for the batch of 2003-05, obviously none of this would have been possible without some very industrious batch mates and the alumni office at GIM. Around 30 of us made it to Goa from all over the globe with some of us coming from the US, Europe, and the Middle East to make this reunion a grand success and help us relive those wonder years.

Just one of the breathtaking views from the new campus

The reunion kick started with an informal get-together the night before the main event at GIM, which followed the next day.  Given the late night, it was amazing to see that everyone was up and ready in the morning to take the longish ride from Candolim to the new campus together. When the talk of moving to a new campus was initiated a few years back we all thought that it would be really difficult to find a location that can come close to the Ribandar campus, but the new campus is not only located in one of the most scenic places in Goa but also boasts of ultra modern facilities like centrally air-conditioned classrooms, well-maintained hostel accommodation, in-campus faculty housing, a huge auditorium, tennis and (indoor) badminton courts, a well equipped gymnasium, and (my favorite) a huge swimming pool.

Prof. Parulekar also ran us through the other things that have changed since we left campus. The batch size is now 240 as opposed to 110 in our days, we also have more than 50 full-time faculty to support this growth. GIM is also involving itself more actively in the industry and picking up consulting projects to supplement the brand. Probably the most impressive initiative is the outreach into the local community through various touch points and with an overall objective of sensitizing students to the lives of the vast populace that is underprivileged. We all left from campus with the overwhelming confidence that the institute is poised to take itself to greater heights in the near future.

The reunion rounded-off with a grand party in the evening where we all got down and boogied like the clock had never moved. If your batch is next in line for a re-union then, don’t think, just do it! I promise it will be worth it! 

And again, a BIG THANK YOU to Divye Goel, Ajay Chopra, & Mohit Golcha for pulling us all together and to the folks at the GIM Alumni office for all their leg work. This wouldn't have been possible without you!

View of the faculty housing & beyond at the new campus

The one's who made it!

Ban IPL, it Sponsors Terrorism

This is not just an eye catching headline, I put it up there since I honestly believe it to be true.
Most of us have been angered, disgusted, felt cheated (and I can go on on the emotions) etc with the news of the latest betting racket. However, unless you (and me) stop watching the IPL (Indian Punters league) there is no scope for a positive impact on Indian cricket and possibly other sports in India.

Courtesy: www.liveindia.com

It may be a radical view but in my opinion people involved in betting and IPL are sponsoring terrorism and need to be dealt with in the strongest terms. After all where do you think Dawood and his gang (the main beneficiaries of betting) are investing their money? They finance the ISI and terrorist groups for assistance and protection.... (Obviously you've forgotten their role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts.)


Just remember the next time you watch an IPL match (or the India team play a cricket match) you are probably financing a plot to take out someone dear to you.... Unless obviously the world turns around and we are able to ensure transparency in Indian cricket. Don't dismiss this as a rant from a cricket hater, I'm a religious follower.... if you still don't believe me just ask my wife.

Who's line is it anyway?

There are many things wrong about the policing system in India but the one that baffles and frustrates me the most is the constant squabbling over (police station) jurisdiction. This problem may seem overstated or incomprehensible for people who have been fortunate enough to NOT need police assistance in our country. However, this is the single most irritating aspect of policing in India since it occurs at the initial touch point when one calls the police helpline for assistance. 

The police are not so much concerned about the incident, its seriousness or the type of assistance required than by the jurisdiction where this incident has occurred. The worst part is that if you tell them the location they still won't be able to single out the police station and will not hesitate in asking your opinion about which police station the incident comes under.

My frustrations come from the belief that had been ingrained in my conscious mind (via movies, tv shows, tax receipts paid to the govt. etc) that whenever a police helpline is contacted and the location and incident spelled out, the closest available police van/s will be dispatched to help out or investigate.
No one ever told me that there could be a significant delay in helping me because the incident that I witnessed or was affected by happened be in a area which fell in an apparent no man's land.


This was also one of the many shortcomings that were highlighted in the Delhi police's response to the victims of the recent gang rape case in Delhi as well as the case of a TOI reporter who was harassed by an auto rickshaw driver who refused to take the reporter to her destination during the evening hours.
I know that there are many problems that are bigger and probably need more attention, but in my view this should be a quick and easy one to implement and something that could enhance the customer experience at the first touch point.

Also, I am convinced that there are simple and cost effective technology based solutions using smart phones and/or tablets that can be used to increase accountability and effectiveness of the police force in atleast the major cities. Any ideas/thoughts?

How to make a Terrorist - 101

How to make a Terrorist - 101. 

This is a course being taught at the Indian Parliament and its many subsidiaries (nearly all the Vidhan Sabhas) since our so called Independence. Most of us city dwellers generally read about this stuff as conspiracy theories and dismiss them since it doesn't directly affect our deadline driven lives. 

I was among the many who find it hard to fathom why someone would take to arms. All this changed in a hurry when I got a 'crash' course in "How to make a Terrorist - 101".

I was on my way back from a nice little vacation at a little known hillstation called Chakrata. Having done some very basic research we found another route back home to Delhi which promised to be shorter by 50 km.
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Route: The route is on State highway 57 and starts from a small town called Herbertpur.

Herbertpur - Behat - Saharanpur - Tajpur - Baraut - Bagpat
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The first 50 km on the road were like a dream and I almost patted myself on the back for my excellent Googling skills but before I could handout the prizes I hit the first pothole and then the next and the next and so on. It seemed the American army had unleashed a barrage of Napalms on the entire stretch of 240 odd kilometers and infact the road had craters rather than potholes. On hindsight I should have turned back but something inside me kept telling me that the craters would magically vanish and be replaced by something we humans call a road. The stupid voice got me to the point of no return and soon there was no turning back. 

I covered the entire distance at an average speed of 10-20 km per hour and my darlings (car ....and wife) screamed and grunted at each hurdle. It was so mentally and physically draining that halfway down the road I lost patience and had to ask my wife to take over the wheel. So what's the big deal in that, well given my confidence in her driving abilities and the love for my car this was a BIG DEAL. I could go on without pause to try and explain how bad the road was but I am going to end this bit by stating that it would have been better if there were no road at all.

But this blog is not about me or my insignificant existence, its about the people living in the many villages and towns that we crossed on the way (and there are many on this route in the heartland of UP, the most populous region in the country). Its about the torture that they have been subjected to by the administration of the state and the entire country. The few hours on that road made me want to gun down everyone even remotely responsible for its current state and I can only imagine what someone who has to endure this day in and day out would be willing to do. A simple thing like a drive to work or school or to the farmers market could rearrange your skeletal structure. What if someone you knew or loved fell ill and needed urgent medical attention and wasn't able to get help in time due to the state of the road. Wouldn't that enrage you to no end? 

The interesting thing to notice is that there is a very sizeable population of the Muslim community that reside on this stretch and suffer as a consequence. It would be so easy to convince a youth living in this area that this country discriminates against Muslims. If you factor in the number of youth that would reside in this 240 km stretch its enough to create a small army of jehadis and if you factor in the sorry state of roads in the other remote areas of the country and remove the community aspect (lack of basic infrastructure pisses off everyone equally) then we probably have the equivalent of the Pakistani army residing right here.

Will this ever change? What can I do to change this other than vote and pay my taxes honestly?

I don't have the answer to these but do know that this course and its advanced levels will continue to be taught at the democratic institutions of our country, while we struggle to get a hold of our deadlines....

My First....My Preciousss

I am one of those people who never really took to blogging, infact I am one of those who actually mocked the concept when I first learnt about it and for a significant period of time afterwards.

So what am I doing here you ask???

Well after having thought long and hard about this I realized that I need to have good reasons to start blogging, and mine are:

Why I decided to start?

- To Capture my experiences, thoughts and opinions for my own self.... rather than anyone else. So that I can relive them at sometime.

- To Improve my writing skills and develop the ability to put my thoughts in a sensible congruent manner.

- To Discover and experiment with something new, something that brings me out of my comfort zone. (like most men im not very good at sharing stuff)

- To Make effective use of the 3 hrs I spend each day travelling to and from work.

 Once I have got this sorted out I need to figure out what to blog about and here are some of the things I thought I could write about:

- Work life balance
- Travel
- Sports
- Funny incidents from life & relationships
- Software project management and my experiences with Agile project execution.

 Challenges to overcome in this journey:
- Being regular
- Being clear and concise
- Writing with passion & purpose