New Policy: World's highest drinking age and how to deal with it

Maharashtra Government recently introduced new policy  on drinking age. Well, it was 21 as minimum age for drinking. Now they have raised age bar to 25, which is world's highest. Most of countries worldwide has policies in between 18-21.

I have been wondering about it for few days. I didn't understand what caused someone to introduce this policy. I am damn sure that the policy will make things worse, if it does anything at all. Anyone can make sense out of it. 

I went to recall some statistical fact. In Pune alone, there are around 80 millions people living. In India, more than 60% of population is under 25. That comes close to 48 millions who are under 25 in Pune alone. I think most of people start to drink from the age of 15. So, the total number of drinkers between age 15-25 is 19.2 millions (almost 20 millions). This figure must be just double in Mumbai. Now, total 15-25 aged drinkers is about 60 millions. About same numbers of youths must be living in rest of Maharashtra. Hello 100 millions bright young drinkers!

Now let's talk some of things related. Policy by default, is introduced to make things better (At least this is what policymakers think) But good intention is vague term. This policy will fail badly because it is not applicable. Drinking is rooted in human civilization. In fact it is one of thing which evolved with time. People drink simply because drinking is need as well as want.  Many scholars have done research about it and most of them agree that drinking is good for health. (Over addicted is obviously not good). Basic human needs evolve over the time. In stone age, human used stones to hunt and make fire to keep them warm. They didn't have other materials. Things changed. Now we have so many things that are essential. We can't live without them. I need vehicle to move, internet and mobile to communicate, verities of foods to eat and fancy apartment to live. None of our forefathers enjoyed the life I have. Same as that. Human used fruit juice as drink. Later they learned to make different drinks out of it. Now we have hundreds of drinks branded within our reach. This has been our need.  Let's put it this way; it has been our basic human need.  And it is basic want/need of 15-25 aged. This is most active age group, thus highest needs and wants. Simple as that.

So Government is trying to make our basic need illegal. I am damn sure that making it illegal won't stop men/women from their need/wants. Making brothels illegal had never stopped gentlemen to visit again and again. This hadn't happened in human history. They will drink. They will have fun same way they used to. But problem here will be that all of us are going to be forced 'criminal'. The policy will not stop ill things, but make it worse and we 'bright young'  will be dark criminal. Some officers must be silently partying somewhere. A new regulation means, a new way of milking money out of people. Even cops in street must be cheering. They had to check driving license, now they will just see someone's face and start to show 'Mahadev ka tin netra'.

There is another irony. People are given voting right at the age of 18. Basic assumption is that they are mature enough and they can take their own decision. The same person whom those 18+ voted, now thinks that 18+s can't decide on drinking. If that is true, 18+s didn't know who is the good, the bad and the idiot. The voted for last one.

I used word 'criminal' here. Don't worry. There is way out of it. 100 million 'bright young' can rule the world.  Here are some ways we can keep having fun, legally.

1. Drink at home. Freeze it, drink like hell. This will be no fun if you live with family. Otherwise, this is the best way to keep having fun. Most of people live off the family in this age I think or you can find a friend's house as well as company. That's your right to do whatever you want inside home right?
2. Want to visit bars? Make some ID cards which states your age above 25. Don't know applicability, but this can be tricky.
3. Avoid bar zones. Those places where there are so many bars and pubs. You know cops might be around. Instead, you can visit less popular places. If you happen to be in those bar zones, leave earlier than closing time.
4. Drive down to Goa/Karnataka. I have heard that Goa offers excellent drinking culture. Obviously this is not what Goa is recognized for,  but this can be most exciting thing to do. Karnataka is also no too far way.
5. Visit some Concan beaches, pack some drinks and enjoy! There are some of the best beaches, some are completely out of crowd. Best place to spend weekend. And it's not far from both Pune and Mumbai.

What else? Shoot out on comment section. Share if you have any other ideas? May be we will make things better over the time :)

PS:  I think if the country is young, it should believe on youths. India has badly realized that restrictions and regulations can do no good. In fact it makes things worse. This is single lesson the country learned since Independence to 1991. After that, India was freed partially, and it flew in the sky. Freedom is good thing, and it starts with an individual.

( I recommend an excellent article on Tehelka Magazine: Man Can't handle drink, at any age)

Graduate school for unemployed college students

(This is best article from my favorite Seth Godin's blog. Reposted.)

Fewer college grads have jobs than at any other time in recent memory—a report by the National Association of Colleges and Employers annual student survey said that 20 percent of 2009 college graduates who applied for a job actually have one. So, what should the unfortunate 80% do?

How about a post-graduate year doing some combination of the following (not just one, how about all):

• Spend twenty hours a week running a project for a non-profit.

• Teach yourself Java, HTML, Flash, PHP and SQL. Not a little, but mastery. [Clarification: I know you can't become a master programmer of all these in a year. I used the word mastery to distinguish it from 'familiarity' which is what you get from one of those Dummies type books. I would hope you could write code that solves problems, works and is reasonably clear, not that you can program well enough to work for Joel Spolsky. Sorry if I ruffled feathers.]

• Volunteer to coach or assistant coach a kids sports team.

• Start, run and grow an online community.

• Give a speech a week to local organizations.

• Write a regular newsletter or blog about an industry you care about.

• Learn a foreign language fluently.

• Write three detailed business plans for projects in the industry you care about.

• Self-publish a book.

• Run a marathon.

Beats law school.

If you wake up every morning at 6, give up TV and treat this list like a job, you'll have no trouble accomplishing everything on it. Everything! When you do, what happens to your job prospects?

Wanted: Manipuri/Nepali/North Eastern spa girl!

Always I write because I think I know something that people might like or get interested even if they dislike what I have to say. This is the first time I am posting because I don't know.

Somehow  I don't understand why people want Manipuri/North Eastern/Nepali girl in spas. Do they have clean sexy hand that is too touchy and people are happy to pay the money they demand? Or is it just that they are readily available? If spa is in Pune, why not recruit whole bunch of girls from Pune as well as girls form outside? Why not recruit very diverse spa girls so that guests can get whoever they want? In Delhi, why not recruit all of above as well as girls from Punjab? You know they are beautiful.

I am asking these questions because I got phone call from a friend this morning. He needs a spa girl for medical purpose and he is looking for Manipuri/Nepali/North Eastern girl for the job. He desperately need to fill that vacancy, but he is not going to recruit anyone who doesn't belong to above tags. (Great news for those who belong , you have comparative advantage over others who don't belong to place where you belong.) I asked him why doesn't he get someone from Pune?  'No, we don't want them'  is what he said.

Later I talked with a friend about it. He said, because girls who belong to those tags are more liberal than others. But being liberal is damned thing in most of South Asia. This reminded me of IPL cheerleaders. Girls cheering on those 'cash rich' games were white South Africans. They must have made lots of money. More papers to spend on lipsticks or may be some French wines.

Well, the world today is very complex. It's becoming more liberal day by day. It has to be. I need to eat some Chinese food, wear Thailand made denims, and use US invented machines daily. I have to respect them, everyone of them just because I am also one of them.  Or let me put it this way; I can't live without Chinese food. Who will go out of home without Thai denims? Man, this US made laptop is so great.

Moral? Simple, I can't exist without all these things. Voluntary exchange and mutual interest is deeply interwoven.

To you Manipuri/North Eastern/Nepali girls; I respect you as much as I respect Chinese Chef/American inventor/Thai designer. May be someday spa will be integral part of my lifestyle and I won't be able to live without you. And you know you are ahead of so many South Asians. You are global citizen!

P.S. If you are interested, don't forget to contact me before the vacancy gets filled. You might actually get the job! :)

Arindham Chaudhary and the IT Act

I usually don't watch TV. Or better put it this way; I don't spend much time on TV shows. Recently, while I was in Shimla on summer vacation, I was checking facilities provided by our hotel.  I checked plugs, bed sheets, ashtrays, bathroom and everything. Then I turned on TV just to check it out whether it was working or not.

It was working. There was a man on the screen: Arindham Chaudhary.

I don't know much about this man. But, I have taken him granted  as one of youth icons in India. He or his family runs one of the most famous education franchise; IIPM. I know they do lots of advertisement,  because of that, I doubt their quality. I have heard he has written some books too. Once I found him spending lots of cash to ask people to follow him on twitter. Few people do so, and I don't think an icon should.

Most unbearable was the time when I saw him on TV. That was not some speech or talks in a program. Rather it was advertisement, a showcase of Mr. Chaudhary himself. He whole heartedly supported/shouted recently passed Indian IT Act. Almost all the youths and aware public are against it, (obviously including internet entrepreneurs and geeks) the icon comes on 21 inch flat screen and says 'It must be enforced.' (I think you have seen his self proclaimed promo)

Well, numerous articles/essays are written against the Act. I think I don't need to write one. See some of the links you can refer if you are unaware of it.

Here is a piece from Tehelka Magazine written by Masheh Murthy.

Rules that allow anybody to simply tell a website or blog to take down any content that is in your eyes “grossly harmful, hateful, invasive of others’ privacy, blasphemous, threatens friendly relations with foreign States or threatens the unity of India” among a milelong list of potential no-nos.

I’m certain any odd person can find the Shruti Haasan article “invasive of privacy”, the SKS Microfinance news “grossly harmful” to the company’s prospects, the CPM news “dangerous to State unity” and the government’s own anti- Pak claims as “threatening to friendly relations with foreign states”. And if you happen to be one of those who decides that your sentiments are hurt, all you need to do is to send a signed letter to the publisher and bingo, they are rule-bound to take it down. No legal authority to decide whether your claim is right or not but hey, the content goes down right away.

And he gives some ways to fight back.

Increasingly, online is the medium that is scaring authority everywhere, from Tunis to Tripoli to 10, Janpath. And the new rules are just that — a ham-handed approach to muzzling what’s said online. And it’s high time we did something to stop this embarrassing stupidity from being part of our canon of laws.

The first thing to do is to put this in perspective. Online is now the mainstream medium and ‘they’ know it. They are doing this because digital is now bigger than traditional media. There are already about 108 million Internet users and only about 103 million households have access to cable and satellite television.

Second, use a loophole. If you are scared about what you might say online, do so on a website that has no office in India — our laws can’t touch them.

Third, popularise the controversial content. Spread it around to friends. ‘Like’ it or retweet it.

Fourth, use it against the government. Put a thousand complaints against the government’s own websites. Start with India.gov.in and congress.org.in

Fifth, fight it. I do wait for the right case and civil society lawyers who can help stop this silly piece of legislation from changing the way we live and share information online. The Internet, as our babus will soon understand, cannot be controlled.

  

Pune, 'Oxford of the East'? Think Again!

Pune is known for 'Oxford of the East' and 'Education city of India'. While University of Pune is sole body that administers almost all the colleges in Pune which are affiliated to it, there are numerous others. Well, I think it is 'Education City of India' but I am cautious enough to say 'Oxford of the East'.

Why Education City of India?

Simply because what it is. There are thousands of students who come to Pune for a single purpose i.e. education. While other larger metros drive folks not only for education but other things job prospects, family and friends, distance etc., Pune differs here. During some annual events, I have heard that education culture is bit old. Look at Fergusson College which celebrated it's 100th anniversary last year.  It's one of classic example.

One of the main reason it makes favorite among students is cool climate. You don't feel too hot in May/June. You don’t even think about it if you have already lived in cities like New Delhi or Kolkata.  Summer starts in June till September. Light rain, cloudy everyday. Everyone loves summer. Then winter comes in Pune. It's not cold. It's cool. You don't need to carry heavy jacket or sweeter. One of the best time to be around.

Another reason many students are attracted to it is size. Bigger metros don't provide the quietness and calm environment that Pune offers. Life is not as fast as Mumbai. People are simple. I think students like that. And yeah you get good flat/room/hostel to live in, cheaper than bigger metros. Some of the famous colleges of India are in Pune. Look at some rankings, Pune don't fall far behind. It is ahead of many bigger cities. Colleges attract students themselves.

I think these things make it 'Education City of India'. You are free to debate on it.

If so, why not 'Oxford of the East'?

Again, simply because it is not Oxford. Or let me put it this way;  it's not fair to compare with Oxford. Here number of colleges doesn't count. Weather that attracts students also doesn't count. Saying that here are so many top colleges is just showcase. Top doesn't mean great. Top means better than others. It means better than other colleges in India (Mostly on undergraduate level), not the world.  I think research is one of the integral part of university life. I find not much inspiring here. University of Pune has monopoly over colleges. It is everywhere in India that almost all colleges are affiliated to a big university. Government funds these mega-trusts. They are giving return as most of Government corporations do;  negative in proportion to resources employed.

Pune is not 'Oxford of the East' simply because it has no great college/university as Oxford. It has so many colleges all average that it has forgot to make some great one. Still, I think there are some very fine colleges than in other cities. Pune deserves a good deal of education share, but not the tag people use. That is too misleading.

Create, Break Some Rules, Build! Creativity can not be Killed

I am just back from my travel to Himachal. On the way is the city of Chandigarh. 

Chandigarh is city I always wanted to travel. I had heard a lot about the city. A planned, highest per capita income and well managed city traffic. To my astonishment, the city was better on almost all my expectations. One of them was Rock Garden!
 

Frankly, I hadn't heard of it before I went there. Rock Garden? My guide was saying that it is some famous garden and one must not miss it if he/she happens to be in Chandigarh. So we went in. I was surprised to see art  and sculpture shown there. It was hand crafted, most of materials used seemed liked recycled one. And one has to stay in queue just to enter inside. Big crowd! (See a picture below)

  I could not wait to know more about the great creativity that touches mind and souls of thousands of visitors daily. After talking a while with my guide, knew about it's origination and existence.

The Rock Garden of Chandigarh was started by Nek Chand. In 1957 he began to clear a little patch of jungle to make himself a small garden area. He set stones around the little clearing and before long had sculpted a few figures recycled from materials he found at hand. Gradually Nek Chand's creation developed and grew; before long it covered several acres and comprised of hundreds of sculptures set in a series of interlinking courtyards. After his normal working day Chand worked at night, in total secrecy for fear of being discovered. 

When people did discover the garden, local government officials were thrown into turmoil. The creation was completely illegal - a development in a forbidden area. It was too great to demolish. However, rather than demolishing the garden, they decided to give Nek Chand a salary so that he could concentrate full-time on his work, plus a workforce of fifty laborers. That's what stand 'Rock Garden' in Chandigarh. Daily thousands of people visit the place to witness the creativity and to search soul on it.

Moral of story : Think out of box, break some rules, create, build. Regulations in developing countries like India are not on our favour. In fact they are not even in developed countries. Break some rules, create, build; because creativity can not be killed!  

The Deal Maker : Only Book Youths in India Ever Need!

Do you have courage to become most prosperous in the world? Do you want to wipe poverty out of this land? Do you badly hate corruption? Do you want to solve Kashmir issues? If your answer is ‘YES’ read ahead. I am not going to show some magic tricks here but after 20/30 years, things may seem magical.

 If your answer to above questions is ‘YES’ then read a book titled ‘The Deal Maker’. Seriously, I am not making fun of you. The Deal Maker is story of a village boy near Delhi – Sudesh Kumar.  It is journey from a village boy to the Prime Minister of India. Story unfolds in between.  Here is official introduction of the book.

”Witness the dream of millions of Indians come true. Witness the crown of prosperity adorning the head of India. The road to opulence kick starts with the earnest actions and sharp intellect of a village boy Sudesh. From the poverty of a village to the highest political office of India, this epic of Sudesh’s journey is woven beautifully with the epic of a rising India. It is a miraculous yet believable, a struggling yet zealous, an overwhelming yet humble account of how one man takes India to undreamt of wealth.”

Let me put few points I admire about the book

   1. It’s about future. The novel starts from the year 1989. But wait, it goes till 2024 and beyond. Few past years seem exactly as our past. Birth, education and growth. However, future seems very fascinating. A village boy grows in a small village, fortunately travels to New York and finally makes to highest political office. His journey is challenging, fascinating and heart wrenching.

2.       Places are familiar. Last time I was in Kathmandu at the time of book launch. Speaker at the event Anil Chitrakar said “The places on the novel are familiar, that makes me feel like it’s my story”. The events are interwoven in urban as well as rural farms that you will actually feel like you are Sudesh yourself.

3.       Each time you read, story gets more real. There is a police officer fighting hard to control crimes rate, a family struggling hard for living, a girl who goes in brothels for money to send her brother school, a tech-geek turned millionaire entrepreneur, and boy obsessed with cricket. They all make story whole. Its novel, still feels like its real.

4.       You learn how economics works in real life.  Wadhwa teaches great economic lessons while telling engaging story. Why everyone in US have royal like lifestyle, and so many in India still starve? What went wrong with India? What motivates human being? Why AirIndia makes millions of losses? These questions will be answered. You don’t need to worry, story does teach everything.

5.       Free Economic Zones. Brilliant idea.  Here Wadhwa propose to create Free Economic Zones which are geographically part of India, but are free from any kind of administrative regulations. Low tax rate, no trade unions, free from political intererance as key features. This makes great sense. Our bureaucratic system badly needs these kinds of creative ideas. This region in the world map is one of the most hardworking and it can be productive too provided that they are set free.

6.       Liberty and Prosperity. Sudesh establishes a new party. I have heard that a section on Indian constitution is added and only socialist can register a political party. But, don’t worry. The author is law graduate and he must have figured it out legally. He hasn’t told much on the book but it gives enough inspiration to those who are looking something fresh and new in age old socialist democracy.

7.       Prime Minister is nailed. Later Sudesh is caught on a mistake he had made earlier. He is happy here and accepts rule of law. He thinks none can be above the law of the land. Every one of us accepts it right?

8.       Kashmir issue is solved. Everyone knows how hard it is to deal between India and Pakistan and primary issue is Kashmir. Sudesh has solved it using trade between two as means. Many readers will be skeptical of Wadhwa’s idea. I think new creative ideas need to be generated and tested. Nothing is working in what these two countries are on. The great new world needs different ways.

9.       India becomes largest and most prosperous country in the world.  Many economists are also predicting same. Unlike economists and data, Wadhwa gives complete details about what it takes to make on the top in the form of story.

Finally what I admire about book is its author. He says this book was conceived 25 years ago by himself. After those odd years he has given a precious gift. He has earlier written another book titled ‘India, 3rd World Why?’ in which he had advocated that ‘India can become larger than US’. He was right at that time. In 1991 liberalization started and India took off. Many people are saying same now.

So question here is ‘Are you gonna be real Sudesh Kumar?’ Make this book your guide and you should get enough inspiration to move ahead. If you love to read, there are plenty of other resources too.

[Mr. Wadhwa is Executive Director of Everest Hotel in Kathmandu. He regularly writes in leading international dailies and the book was published by Rupa. You can find in stores or order online in India. If you are in Pune I can gift it out. Email me] Here is official website The Deal Maker See interview with author about the book

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

-by Robert Frost

Related articles

• The Road Not Taken [Robert Frost] (thewarriorsoul.wordpress.com)
• The Beginning (jessicahull.net)