Save The Girl Child

Census is an activity which is carried out in India every decade. The aim of the census is to take a count of the population of the country, understand the detailed demographics and use this for detailed planning of future activities and resource distribution.

India Census 2011 has been completed recently, in Feb 2011. Among the significant highlights are the the following facts.

• India's current population is a staggering 1.2 Billion - almost 17% of the world's population.

• The population has grown by 181 Million in the last decade - but at a rate slower as compared to the previous decade. 

• The sex ratio has been tagged at 940. It means that for every 1000 men, there are 940 women.

These statistics highlight the immenseness of our population. As for the sex ratio, it has been a positive move from 2001 - when the sex ratio was 933. 

However, there is another alarming statistic that has emerged.

• The child sex ratio (determined for children between the the age 1 day to 6 years) has declined to 914 from the 2001 value of 927.  

• This child sex ratio is the lowest since our Independence in 1947.

A closer look at the detailed demographics would reveal that the child sex ratio is less than 900 in 8 states across India - including the two biggest states - Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra. 

If this statistic is alarming, the next graph would leave you dismayed.

The child sex ratio has been continuously reducing since the 1961 i.e. for the last 50 years.

What is it that is causing an unabated decline in the Child Sex Ratio? 

It would be worthwhile to go back to the school days and understand how a baby boy or a baby girl is born.

• Every human being has 46 chromosomes - a total of 23 sets. Each of the two parents contribute one from each of the 23 sets to the baby - a total of 23 chromosomes.

• One set of chromosomes determine the sex of the baby.

• The lady has only one type of egg - with an X chromosome. It can be either the X or Y chromosome containing sperm - from the man - that fertilizes the egg.

• If the baby has two X chromosomes, a baby girl is conceived. If the baby has a X and a Y chromosome, a baby boy is conceived.

And considering the fact that you cannot govern whether a sperm containing a X chromosome or a Y chromosome  would fertilize the egg, the probability of conceiving a boy or a girl would be uniform. In simplest terms, it would be 50-50.

But if this is the case, what is it that is causing such an imbalance in the Child Sex Ratio? Why is is that you have just 914 little girls for every 1000 little boys? Is there something which does not meet the eye?

Let's go back to 1971. It was in 1971 that Abortion was legalized in India. The Indian MTP (Medical Termination of Pregnancy) Act laid down the conditions under which an abortion could be taken up. It aimed to empower the women - to take a conscious decision to give birth to a child - and protect her from harmful medical conditions.

But as all good things come with certain bad things, this too had its own share.

Using a technique called as ultra sound scanning, the people could determine the sex of the baby carried by the lady. If this was just for information purposes, it wouldn't have done any harm. 

But people started misusing this information. If the sex of the baby was not as per their expectations, or the expectations of their family, or other such conditions - abortions were done to terminate the pregnancy. Sometimes it was with the concurrence of both parents, while in many many cases - it was done without respecting the thoughts and views of the lady or both the parents.

A child was being killed before he or she was born. This was foeticide. And it was female foeticide which resulted in the imbalance in the child sex ratio.

The Indian Government woke up to this harmful practice in 1994 - by making ultrasound scanning, just to determine the sex of the fetus, illegal.

While this was a step in the right direction, it has not completely arrested the problem. If you would read this news article, you would understand that still we have many people in the society who beat the law to carry out ultrasound scanning for the very purpose it was banned. 

You would be hurt when you read that a district, with 19 ultrasound scanning centers, has a very low child sex ratio of 774. Definitely, malpractices are on. 

I'm wrong - it's not malpractices. It's murder. And no one is being punished.

To understand the reasons why people go to such clinics, it would be important to consider an example - which I came across recently. 

The question plaguing the mind of the lady is simply depressing.

==

I have been married for seven years into a very good family. I have a daughter and am pregnant with my second child. My husband wants a son to carry on his business. I explained to him that we cannot choose what sex our child is born, children are God's gift. But he says we must keep trying till we have a son. I don't want to have more than two children and am very disturbed. My in- laws also are with my husband on this issue. What do I do?

==

Here you have a lady who is definitely well educated, with an equally educated husband. She has her mind over her shoulders. Yet, her husband and family are pressurizing her to have a boy child - a thing which she can't control.

In this case, if the lady has to meet the whims and fancies of her husband and the family, she would end up having more than two children - a thing which she is averse too (in our modern difficult times).

While in some cases the parents do have more than two children with the intention of having at least one boy child, for others - it is simply not possible - given their economic and social conditions. And in such cases, they go in for female foeticide.

And if this is the case with well educated people, consider what would be the case with women who are not literate. Women who don't have the power to choose. Women who are not economically and socially independent. The situation is indeed dejecting.

To understand the gravity of the problem, you can consider the note below.

==

A survey by Action India of Women in Delhi revealed that even the highly educated women have resorted to as many as a whopping eight abortions to ensure that they only give birth to a son. 

==

Why is someone averse to having a girl child? Is it because they are apprehensive that the girl child will not be sucessfull in this world? Or is it because they want a boy to take care of them in their twilight years? Or is it just for the sake of it? 

Or is it just to meet the wishes of senior members of the family? Or is it because the difficulties the girl will face in her life, in a society - which many perceive as - a male dominated society? 

A study by Government of India indicates the few significant reasons for such situations.

• Menace of dowry   

• Fear of loss of face in local community     

• Desire to keep the wealth within the family, through sons

• Fear of dependence of the girl on the family, for life   

• Attempt to control family size 

• Wish to appease Gods in times of crisis

As you can see, most of the reasons are social. And most are irrational. Most are unjustified. It is very important to understand these reasons and causes, because only then steps can be taken to avoid the situation due to any of this causes.

The reasons for not having a girl child can be many. But all such fears are unfounded. All such concerns are irrational. The social reasons are created by the society itself and they need to be banished.

It is important to ask some questions which would make someone think twice - if the thought of being averse to having a girl child - would cross his or her mind. 

If it is a question of being sucessfull, a woman can be equally sucessfull as a man. In some cases, she can be much more sucessfull. 

In the real life illustration quoted earlier, the father wanted a boy child so that he could carry forward his family business. Doesn't he know that you have many intelligent and sucessfull women at the top of many businesses? Doesn't he know that the President of our country is a lady? 

Doesn't he know that some of the biggest politicians are ladies? And doesn't the entire nation listen to them when they take on to the dais? Aren't our girls the best in the world of sports? Haven't we sent our girl to space?

And if someone is thinking that a woman can be sucessfull only in a urban environment, then he or she is wrong. You should have a look at this news article - featuring Sunita Devi. 

Sunita Devi is the sarpanch (head) of her village in Haryana. She has made a difference to the life of women in her village and will inspire other women in other villages in similar situations. 

While this was a case of a traditional middle-aged woman donning the roles of a leader, Chhavi Rajawat is an inspiring new age lady. She is a management graduate and the head of her village. 

She had recently being to the U.N. - speaking about the "Role of Civil Society in Fighting Poverty and Promoting Development". You should read this news article about her U.N. visit. She was also featured on India Today.

Well, the writing is on the wall. There isn't absolutely anything that a girl cannot achieve. She can win the world. 

India is considered to be a land of many God's and Goddess's. We pray to these Gods and Goddess's to seek their blessings - both in good times and time of needs. The all powerful Goddess's are also women and we look upto them. And we should also look upto the girls. And should abolish the discerning thoughts of having a girl child.

There is absolutely no harm in having a girl child. The parents and the society should be empowered to make the girl ready for the future, ready for her life ahead.

A little girl should be given the right and the best possible education. She should be bought up without any prejudice against her. She should be given whatever her parents are capable of. And if all these are done, there isn't even an iota of doubt that she is on the road to success. 

She will definitely be sucessfull enough to take care of her family. Her independence - social and economic - would make her strong and brave to face our difficult world. And such a girl would certainly be able to take care of her aging parents.

If someone is so detrimental to have a girl, and would like to have a boy child, they should think that some two decades down the line - they would be searching for a suitable girl to get their son married. And if all parents would just like to have boys - like they do - where would you get a girl from?

Haven't we heard of the quote - Educate a man, you educate one person, educate a woman, you educate a complete family. It is here you can understand the importance of a lady. 

The Government of India has taken steps in the right direction to improve the situation. Some prime initiatives include free and compulsory education for the girl child, and enacting laws against dowry. 

The first one is to make the girl ready for her future, make her independent and enterprising. The second one is to set her on course for the rest of her life - without causing any hardships for her family and herself.

But what is more important is to have a mindset revolution. People should discard the gender bias they have in their mind. People should overthrow any apprehensions they have towards the girl child. 

They have to realise that she is very important for the success of our society. That's why the Girl Child Campaign in India says - A happy girl is the future of our country.

After all, a Girl Child can become an inspiration for your life!!

India Wins Cricket World Cup 2011

India has won the Cricket World Cup 2011. India is the champion of the world of Cricket. Blessed by God Almighty, India has won the ultimate prize in Cricket - sending the entire nation into a state of frenzy.

In the biggest showdown in the world of cricket, hosts India took on co-hosts Sri Lanka in a high voltage final at Wankhede stadium, Mumbai on 2nd April 2011. 

Sri Lanka won a controversial toss and decided to bat first. They scored a majestic 275 runs, inspired by a great century by Mahela Jayawardane. 

Chasing under pressure was never India's forte, and the top order collapsed. However, powered by a great sheet anchor knock by Gautam Gambhir and super cool innings by uber cool captain - MS Dhoni, India won the World Cup it style. Gary Kirsten - India's coach - was also a great influencing factor in this victory.

Winning moments like these are rare, and India have done it in great style.

India had last won the World Cup in 1983 - under the leadership of Kapil Dev. And in 2011, just less than 10 hours back, entire India was on tenterhooks. Sachin was playing in what was most likely his final World Cup match, and the entire nation wanted Team India to win the Cup.

The toss was a disaster. MSD threw the coin and Sangakarra made the wrong call. Incidentally, neither the referee nor MSD had heard what the Sri Lankan captain had called. The referee insisted that the toss be done again. The Lankans won it this time and chose to bat. The entire country contemplated whether this toss-gate would result in the loss of the Cup 9 hours later.

Sri Lanka got off to a good start - but not a great one. Their top players - Tharanga, Dilshan and Sangakarra - couldn't score freely and were out without scoring heavily. 

Mahela Jayawardane stepped up and took on the responsibility of steering the innings. He scored 103 runs - proudly cheered by his wife. The lower order batsmen too hit some great boundaries and sixes. Sri Lanka made it to 275 runs, a score which would have scared most Indians.

Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh and Munaf Patel had kept their cool in the most important match of their career. Yuvraj too bowled his quota of 10 overs, taking crucial wickets. The surprise selection - Sreesanth - took some stick. Yet, he didn't let the match  completely slip out of India's match.

And when India took to the field to start the batting, the hopes of the entire nation rested on master blaster Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag. 

Sehwag got out in the first over of the match - caught leg-before-wicket to Malinga. My thoughts raced by to 2003, when Sachin had got out to McGrath in the finals against Australia. Would India lose the finals again? 

Next came Gautam Gambhir. If there is any man in the Indian team who is the most under-rated, it's Gautam. If there is any man who plays without seeking any attention, it's Gautam. 

Sachin Tendulkar looked to be in great touch, scoring good runs. But then came then moment which the entire nation feared. Sachin Tendulkar got out for 18 runs, and people across the country felt that the Cup had slipped out of India's hands.

Virat Kohli came into the middle and scored a respectable 35 runs. He was caught out by a stunning catch by Dilshan. At this moment, India were under immense pressure. The fire was on. And in walked the uber-cool skipper, MS Dhoni, ahead of the man in form - Yuvraj Singh.

If you have noticed MSD keeping the stumps, you would notice that he goes about his job with heavy concentration and supreme determination. India needed these very qualities at this moment. 

Dhoni rose to the occasion. He went about scoring runs with a quiet pace. He kept Gambhir on his feet and made him do the same. And after doing all the hard work though the middle of the innings, India were standing at the door steps of victory.

Gambhir got out on the score of 97, with India needing just 53 odd runs. I had got into a superstitious habit of not sitting down for the last 20 overs. Incidentally, I sat down for a single ball and Gambhir got out. That made me curse myself, but only to make a resolution of not sitting down - until India wins the World Cup.

Once Gambhir was back, the Man of the Series Yuvraj Singh joined his skipper in the middle. Both the champions went about scoring the runs with ease, never letting the pressure get on to them. At the same time, they didn't let the strike rate to climb.

They say - Strike while the iron is hot. True to this axiom, when Kulasekara came to bowl in the 47th over, Dhoni and Yuvi ripped apart his bowling to bring India on to striking distance of a victory - a victory which could not have been stolen from the nation - come what may!!

And in the 49th over, the skipper MS Dhoni won the World Cup for India, hitting the biggest six of the match, in great style. India had won the World Cup. India were crowned as the Champions. India had won the title - sending the entire nation of 1.2 billions into a state of euphoria, pride and happiness.

If you have to relive those moments, it is these three minutes of magic. The entire country wanted Dhoni to finish it in style with a four. He delivered a sixer - the most stylish one. He didn't start celebrating until the ball had landed in the stands. After that, it was just party all the way. 



Jubilant and emotional scenes were seen across the entire nation. Almost every single player said that they had won the Cup for Sachin. Sachin was his modest self in the victory, crediting the entire team. MSD was his frank self - playing a captain's knock in the most important match of his career, backing his decisions, laying any doubts about his leadership capabilities to rest.

Importantly, a great team work powered India to this majestic victory. Different player fired when it mattered the most in different matches. India made true of the saying - the sum is more than its parts. 

After a long gap of 28 years, India had won the World Cup. I was not even a 28 day baby when India had won the Cup back in 1983. And today, it is a proud moment to see India being crowned as the Champions of World Cricket.

Jai Ho!!! 

(All pictures courtesy - Getty Images, Google and The Times Of India)

Arab World Protests And Crisis

The Arab World is in turmoil. Agitations are the order of the day - across several Arab world countries. And many of them are on a verge of a mass social and a political upheaval.

This has caused media furore all over the world. The eyes of the entire world is focussed on this region.

Which countries exactly are said to be a part of the Arab world? 

The picture above would give you a broad idea. Right at the center of the world map - slightly above the equator, these countries compose the elite Arab world.

Starting from the Middle East countries - Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Bahrain, and Kuwait to the countries in the north of Africa - Mauritania, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Lebanon and Sudan are a part of the Arab world. 

Also included are the African power houses - Egypt and Jordan. Iraq too is a part of the Arab world. And so is Somalia - which is known as the pirate capital of the world these days.

You might wonder why did I use the term elite to describe the Arab world nations?

It's not without a reason. First of all, these Arab countries are rich in oil. Not just rich - they are mega rich.

Oil is something which drives the energy generators across the world. It is the fuel for the vehicles which you own. And all of this increases the dependency of the world on these oil rich Arab countries.

A conflict in Iraq sends the cost of the oil barrel right through the roof. And this has a downward spiraling effect on the rest of the economy - right across the world.

How are these Arab world countries structured - socially, economically and politically?

Arabic is the first language for most countries in this part of the world. And most people practice Islam as their religion. A good point to note is that most of these countries enjoy a good literacy rate.

Arab countries are considered to be economically thriving. The Sheiks of the Arab worlds are the icons of this mass wealth. They make their money by selling oil, gas and other petroleum products.

Most countries are considered to be emerging economies. Dubai, a part of the UAE, for example, is a hub for expatriates and home to the tallest building in the world - the Burj Khalifa. Qatar has been chosen to host the Soccer World Cup in 2022.

Bahrain is the fastest growing economy in the Arab world. And Qatar tops the charts for the highest GDP in the world.

If oil and gas money unite these countries on the economic front, the style of leadership unites them at the political front.

Almost all these countries have an authoritarian regime. If we consider the Freedom Index, then it would be noteworthy to understand that countries with authoritarian regimes are considered to be dictatorial.

They would indicate a considerable lack of democratic freedom. And lack of democratic freedom would have an impact on various parts of life - the social freedom, the economic freedom, the political freedom, the press freedom etc.

Human rights are a reason of concern in these countries. Women rights too are a matter of concern.

With all this background information, you would be thinking of one thing.

If the economies of the Arab world are thriving, so must be its people? And if the people are thriving, are they really happy? Or aren't they thriving at all? What is it that is causing the sea of protests at the heart of the Arab world?

To give you a pre-cursor, have a look at this statement by the Saudi Prince - Bandar Bin Sultan.

"If you tell me that building this whole country ... out of $400bn, that we misused, or got, $50bn, I'll tell you, 'Yes. So what?'."

This would give you a view that Arabian leaders are quite cocky. And if the allegations are true, they would have amassed a mass of wealth while ruling their respective nations. The ex Egyptian president - Hosni Mubarak, the Saudi rulers, the former leader of Iraq - Saddam Hussein were known to be filthy rich.

It all started in Tunisia on Dec 2010. Starting 18th Dec 2010, people took to the streets of Tunisia - protesting against corruption, lack of freedom of various points which compose the Freedom Index, inflation, unemployment plus a lot of other factors.

The heat was directed towards the President Ben Ali who was in power for the last 23 years. Ben Ali could not sustain the pressure of mass unrest and resigned on 14th Jan 2011 and fled to Saudi Arabia. The winners were the Tunisian people.

But the real take away of the Tunisian revolution was the motivation it set in the mind of the other people in the Arab world - who were also be suppressed under such long running leaders.

The Egyptian protests began on 25th Jan 2011. People took to the streets of Cairo, Alexandria and other major Egyptian cities.

Hosni Mubarak had been the Egyptian president for 3 decades. He tried his best to quell the people's uprising but was unsuccessful. After trying to take some steps to make him appear good in the eyes of the nation, he finally resigned on 11th Feb 2011. Since then, he has been untraceable. But the Egyptian people got what they wanted.

Protests also started in Algeria in late December 2010. The people of Yemen and Jordan too have started with the protests against their regime since Jan 2011.

They have been unsuccessful till now to overthrow the current rulers. But with the kind of heat building up across the region, the leaders are bound to succumb and hand over the reins to the authorities chosen by the masses.

Taking a cue from the victorious Egyptian people, the janata in Bahrain and Libya have also taken to the streets in Feb 2011. In Bahrain, people took to the streets of Manama - demanding greater political freedom and an end to the rule of the monarchs.

The leaders of the Bahrain have used the military to squelch these protests. Till today, the protests are on. And these brave people are hopeful that they will get what they want.

The protests in Libya have been more bloody. Libya is under the rule of Muammar Gaddafi who has been ruling the nations for a long 42 years.

Now, four decades is a long time to be in power. And if someone in power for such a long time in modern times, you can safely conclude that brute force has played its part.

Needless to say, Gaddafi has the tag of been the worlds longest ruling autocrat. He has been accused of ordering the bombing of a Pan Am jet off the coast of Scotland in 1988, which resulted in the death of 270 people.

Protesters have been demonstrating strongly in Tripoli, Benghazi, and other Libyan cities. The protests have later spread to other cities too. While Gaddafi asked his armed forces to launch a deathly offensive against his own common men, some of the armed forces revolted against him and have gone against his order.

This has resulted in a deathly battle across various Egyptian cities. Gaddafi has also resorted to bombings by fighter jets to quell the uprising.

Libya is the largest producer of oil in Africa. And this conflict has sent the prices of the crude oil through the roofs. The cost of crude oil is hovering around 110 USD. This has resulted in soaring prices of the commodities across the world.

The entire world watches these protests in Libya and other African nations closely. They hope for a speedy resolution. They expect that the people of these nations are victorious, without loss of precious lives of men and women. All of this is in hope for a more democratic and secure world.

Respect Food Save Food

Food - It is the most important thing along with oxygen and water that drives life.

Me and You can consider ourselves lucky that we can afford meals everyday to satisfy our hunger pans. After all, there are several people across the globe who do not get enough food every day - resulting in hunger, stress, ailments etc.

I try my best not to waste food. Avoiding wasting can mean taking only the required quantity of food at meal time. Avoiding wasting can mean eating what was cooked for you as you had told. 

But sometimes circumstances come up where I simply can't avoid the waste. It leaves me feeling bad and guilty.

But off late, I have observed, that when such a thing happens - I end up not getting an opportunity to eat a meal in the next few days. 

This can be due to being busy in meetings at meal time. Or coming back home late - only to realise that the cook hasn't shown up. Or not getting your required choice of vegetarian meal on a plane. And maybe several other reasons. 

Maybe this is God's little way of showing that I need to show more respect for food when it is available.

A recent incident on the need to respect food left me humbled.

In a foreign land, I was rushing to office at 7.00 o clock in the morning. After giving the keys of my room at the reception, the lady told me that my friend - who had checked out a day earlier - had left behind some food stuff for me.

I asked her - Is it OK if I collect the bag later in the evening? 

The city was Moscow, Russia and a delay of few minutes could result in getting stuck in a big traffic jam. And I had a very important meeting coming up in an hour and a half.

She replied in negative. She said that I should take the bag now itself, go back to the room and put all the stuff in the refrigerator. She said that the food stuff would spoil if I wait till the evening. And she gave me back the keys - like a commander-in-chief.

I thought for a moment and I agreed with her.

Rushing back to the room, I kept all the stuff in the refrigerator and then came running back to the reception to hand over the keys to the lady. And then I departed with a big thank you - Spasiba Bolshoi.

This hadn't taken more than three minutes. And the delay was almost negligible. And I ended up saving some food stuff.

This lady - with this very small incident - had shown me the importance we should give towards food. It is important that we take adequate steps to ensure that the food is not wasted. 

She didn't have any stake in ensuring that the food items remain unspoilt. But yet - with her basic life skills - she insisited that I respect food and save food.

She was my Hero for the day.

PC

This blog post is dedicated to three PCs - one of the them who is a part of my life for every single day, one of whom who is a known public figure in India, and one who is a stylish super model and filmstar.

While one of them is just 28, another is 40 years old. The last one has seen 65 years under this sun.

The first PC is the Personal Computer.

When did I see her first? Maybe, some 18 years back. And  in those days, she was a bit on the heavier side. 

Back then, I could hardly operate her. And she did a few things when I wrote a few simple commands.

Today, she is a much more sleek and one of my cherished possession. 

She keeps me connected to the world. And keeps my company too. She is my music player. She is my video player. And then she keeps me engaged after work and on holidays!!

The next one is P. Chidambaram, an Indian politician, popularly known as PC.

PC has essayed multiple roles in Indian politics. His standout work has been in the role of Finance Minister of India.

He was a part of the team which opened up the Indian economy back in 1991 - with Manmohan Singh and Montek Singh Ahluwalia. He presented the Dream Budget in 1997. 

He also made significant changes in the tax structure in the Feb 2008 budget - opening the doors for the victory for the UPA in the May 2009 elections.

And for the last 22 months, he has been India's home minister - tacking one challenge after another - the Maoist Challenge, the Kashmir insurgency and protests, and the tense situation - before and after - the Ayodhya Title Suit verdict.

And the last one is Priyanka Chopra. And PC needs no introduction.

A decade back, she was the runner up in the Miss India competition. And she went on to become Miss World.

Since then she has acted in close to 40 films across several Indian languages. 

I will call her the most successful model who has made an effortless transition to being an actress. People have been impressed by her beauty and by her charm, and also by her acting.

2008 was her best year - where she had two super hit films - Fashion and Dostana. 

Both these films catapulted her to the top. And since then, her every film is looked forward to by her avid fans.

So what do we say for these three PCs?

Well, I wish you all the best success in the coming years!!

Tennis - A Brand's Money Spinner

The Sport of Tennis is not unknown to anyone. 

It is widely followed across the world. The season extends long - starting a few days before the beginning of any new calender year and finishing right at the end of November in that year.

Spiced up with four Grand Slam tournaments - The Australian Open, The French Open, The Wimbledon, and The U.S. Open - the game draws huge eyeballs. And with the sport so popular among the masses, the sponsors also make a beeline to make their presence felt at the tournaments.

Needless to say, the players themselves are considered as models or brand ambassadors for various products. 

Top players are signed by multiple brands. The brands get a lot of visibility and the players rake in the money.

You have the sensational and talented men players like Roger Frederer and Rafael Nadal being ambassadors for top brands. 

Frederer, after his huge success at Wimbledon, is the representative for watch maker Rolex, among others. 

Nadal is the ambassador for various brands like Nike, Quely, Kia etc etc.

The ladies - with their attraction quotient - get a significant number of sponsorship deals.

Maria Sharapova, currently ranked 16th in the world, is the representative for top brands like Tag Heuer, Sony Ericsson, among others. As a goodwill gesture, she is also the ambassador for the UNDP. 

Ana Ivanovic, known for both her game and beauty, has a life time contract with Adidas. Plus she is also the National Ambassador for UNICEF in her native country Serbia.

The Williams sisters - Serena and Venus - promote Nike. And then you have Anna Kournikova, who has not won even a single tennis tournament, but yet manages to get millions in sponsorship deals. This is purely driven by her glam quotient - nothing else.

The sponsors get their brand logos embedded on the merchandise which is used by these icons - the caps, the racquet's, the tennis balls, the clothes, the shoes et all. 

All of this transform into increasing the level of exposure the brands have in the public domain - finally translating into extensive sales.

And then you have brands bringing in celebrities from other fields to rub shoulders with these sporting icons. Such joint events give a boost to the brand and its products.

Nike recently had super model Bar Rafaeli make a appearance with the almost namesake - Rafael Nadal - at the Nike Tennis Prime-time knockout event ahead of the upcoming U.S. Open 2010.

Needless to say, the event got the required attention. Although both Maria Sharapova and Roger Frederer were participating in the event, Team Rafa - Rafael and Rafaeli - were the winners, both on and off the court.

This made me think about one thing. 

I have always wondered whether these lady tennis players were actually sportswomen or super models. With their beauty and grace, they give the fashion models a run for their money.

But if stunner's like Bar Rafaeli join the game of tennis - it won't be long before the people forget about the Sharapova's and the  Ivanovic's. 

You wouldn't know who would win or who would lose. But one thing is certain - the brands would be definite winners.

Traffic Jams

Traffic Jams - These days, it is the most common things in cities and towns.

You must have experienced one on the way to the office. Or one on the way back home. Or one when you are on the way to do something urgent and important.

But these traffic jams give you a sense of hopelessness. When the vehicles in these jams don't move, you feel your life has stopped moving. Needless to say, it results in sheer frustration.

A strong explosion in the number of vehicles on the road - two wheelers, four wheelers et all - is one of the strong reasons for such common traffic jams. 

And with the current rainy season in India, the situation has already compounded. Add poor infrastructure to this position, then you are in a lose-lose situation.

Well, what can you do if you are caught in such a jam?

If you are a passenger, them possibly you can sleep, or read, or talk, or listen to music, or do similar such things. But if you are vehicle driver, you wouldn't have any such options. All you can do is focus on the road - and just hope that the traffic moves quickly.

I remember this one particular incident with a colleague who was on the way to an airport on his way back to India. 

In-spite of starting for the airport a decent four and a half hours before the flight time, he was unable to reach the airport on time. He reached the airport just 10 minutes before the flight departure - but then it was too late to check in and board.

What must have compounded his frustration that day was the fact that he managed to return back to the hotel from the airport in just under 30 minutes.

This incident was in the city of Moscow, the capital of Russia, which also earns the tag of the traffic jam capital of the world.

The situation in India too isn't all that good too - with major cities across India facing similar problems. The issue is more prevalent during the hours when most people go to office and return from office.

A lack of effective mass rapid transit systems in most cities is a contributing factor for such traffic jams. 

But if these kinds of jams were tormenting, then my thoughts go out to those drivers in China who are now caught in a jam of their life.

It would stun you - vehicles have been caught in a traffic jam in China for more than 100 kilometers.

And for how much time? 

For 9 days.

Can you believe that??

Yes. For nine long days, these vehicles, these humble drivers have been caught in a traffic jam.

Check out this news article to read more.

Needless to say, the drivers have been exploited in this traffic jam. The infrastructure has been found lacking. 

And considering the fact that it is happening in the most populous country on earth shows you a sign of the coming times.

And if some news reports have to be beleived, this traffic jam has earned the tag of being the worst ever traffic jam.

All that we can do now is pray that the jam is resolved at the earliest. And the authorities in China take adequate steps to ensure that such a thing does not ever happen. 

And for the rest of the countries - somethings can be learned from this incident to prevent such an occurence in our own nations.

Succession

Succession is a tricky subject.

For a king from the centuries gone by, it meant choosing a heir who would be be the next mogul. For a politician from yesteryears and today, it means choosing a tutelage who would carry forward his or her legacy. For a corporate entrepreneur, it means choosing a successor who would carry forward the organization's vision.

There always comes a time when the king, or the politician, or the corporate leader, must pass on the baton. 

There are two critical points in this activity.

To whom?

And how?

The answer to the first question is - The Successor.

Who is a successor? 

Well, he is a person who is deemed fit to receive the baton. He is the person who is chosen, or elected, or selected, to hold the reins and drive the carriage forward.

But is choosing an successor an easy task?

No. The answer is a strong No.

Choosing a successor is an activity which is fraught with risk. 

A bad king can spoil all the good work done by his forerunner. A poor politician can undo all the benefits created by his predecessor. And an incapable corporate leader can spoil the reputation of the organization.

Choosing a successor is one of the most critical activities which is carried out by a leader.

The next thirty months would be one of the most followed ones for India Inc. 

Two of India's most cherished organizations - Infosys and Tata Group - are looking for successors.

Infosys is a company with a focus on Business Consulting, Information Technology(IT) Services and Outsourcing. It's an organization with revenues of approximately 5 Billion USD, employing more than a 100 thousand people.

Tata Group is India's largest private sector corporate group. It has a wide range of business' in its stable - Steel, Cars, IT and Consultancy, Hotels among others. With revenues of more than 78 Billion USD and employing more than 300 thousand people, it is one of the most respected organizations in India and around the world.

Infosys is a company founded in 1981 with just 250 USD. Under it's visionary leader - N. R. Narayana Murthy - fondly known as NRN - the companies revenues have grown to over 5 Billion USD.

NRN was the CEO of the company for 21 long years. Since then he has been the Chairman. There hasn't been a day in the life of Infosys without NRN.

But all of that will change on 20th Aug 2011 when Mr. Murthy will retire as the non-executive chairman at the age of 65.

For an organization who will be without it's founder for the first time in 30 years, choosing a successor for the post of a Chairman will be a important task - to say the least.

The company will look for someone who can carry forward the vision of the organization. Someone who can be a guiding light for the CEO. 

Someone who can help Infy strengthen its position as a IT bellwether. Someone who will help steer the organization into the league of IBM and Accenture, if not better.

Someone who can be that leading light who will uphold NRN's vision in difficult times. Someone who can be a face of the organization over the world.

The task of choosing the successor would have been simpler if Nandan Nilekeni, another co-founder and it's CEO for 5 years, had not left Infosys to join the Government of India in implementing its Unique Identification Program. 

Read this blog post to understand the risks which were visualized in the transition at Infosys. 

But Infosys is a company which thrives of challenges. And we strongly hope that a leader is chosen who would take forward the company to greater heights.

Tata Group is an organization with a history of more than 142 years. It was founded in the era when the Britisher's ruled India. It has been led by visionary leaders in its years of existence. 

Ratan Tata is it's current leader. He worked in the Tata Group of Companies for 29 long years (from 1962 to 1991) before taking over as the Chairman of the Tata Group.

Tata has been a visionary and the organization has flourished under him. Managing more than 12 leading companies is not an easy task. But Ratan Tata has made it seem simple. 

He recently awed the world by producing a car that costs only 2200 USD. Tata Group has gone for strong foreign acquisitions under his guidance - right from Jaguar Land Rover to the Corus Group of England.

And he is set to retire in December 2012 at the age of 75. 

For an organization who has seen a single leader, a charismatic leader for 20 long years - choosing a successor will not be simple.

Ratan Tata has a vision of transforming the group from a patriarchal concern to an institutional enterprise. 

Making things difficult is that fact that in its 142 year old history, only one non-Tata person has been the chairman of the Tata Group. Another critical point is that a Parsi has always headed the Tata Group. This makes the task of choosing a person from outside Tata Group as the Chairman a bit difficult.

Same is the case with Infosys - with many people favoring someone from within the Company to be it's next Chairman.

But then India Inc has changed its face in the recent years. Investors from across the globe have put in their money counting on the success of these organizations. 

And they would want the best people to succeed these icons. And take these organizations to more glorious heights. 

To a higher pedestal of success - so that they can become the beacons for other corporate organizations in modern India.

And someone out there will be the successor who will lead these organizations to further pinnacles.