Where have I been?

Busy with a job-change and stuff. Will be busy for some more time, till I get stuff into shape and stuff.

I shall be in New Jersey from 10 Feb 2006 for a month or so. Anyone in New Jersey? Leave a comment.

So what has been happening in the Indian Blogosphere when I wasn’t paying attention? Ah, yes, there has been the start of an exciting new blog that has rather pompously set out to educate us on How the Other Half Lives.

A commendable initiative, but the posts are too long to read. I am too hardhearted and too busy making money to go through them. I’ve fully read only one post, this famous post by Dilip, that seems to have generated the maximum acrimony and the most comments. My only thought is, whatever possessed him to include Airport employees in “the other half”? How rich must the rest of the country be if someone drawing a Central government payscale qualifies as part of the “bottom half” of the population? Is this a tacit claim by him that poverty has become history in India?

16 thoughts on “Where have I been?”

  1. Hi Ravikiran
    Best of luck in your new position.
    There are lots of NRI’s in New Jersey. I’m sure some of your readers live there. Are you going to be staying closer to New York or Philadelphia?

  2. Ravi,

    The other half is about those working in public sector , drawing salaries without having to perform.

    Liberalization is a danger to this utopia.

    Regards

  4. Oh Ravikiran! How I was missing you! Glad you are back. WHat a breather!

    Firstly, we never said we are educating anyone.

    Secondly, do you have anything to say about Dilip’s post? All he’s saying is that someone in the govt should communicate with the striking employees, if that is what the govt claimed. Which is eventually what happened.

    What connection does that have with ‘how the other half lives’? You would have known if you had read the About page of the new blog. You see, little knowledge is a bad thing.

    Gaurav Sabnis writes: “The other half is about those working in public sector ,…”

    14 posts since Jan 31, Gaurav, and only 1 remotely connected with the public sector. Again, if you read our About page…

    Gaurav wrote: “…drawing salaries without having to perform.”

    Considering you are fond of logical fallacies, that’s a generalisation. If they didn’t ‘perform’, how come the airports were functioing, and still are? If they didn’t perform, why should the strike have affected the airports and flight schedules, as it clearly did?

    The two of you are indulging in misrepresentation, which may or may not be a logical fallacy. But if it makes you happy, good for you.

    Btw, how much money are you making, Ravi? 🙂

  8. There was a time when newspapers used to write article showing deep concern about railway stations. Those were also the time when air travel was for the super-rich and most people including upper class people and politicians used to travel by train.

    Now air travel has become common among the upper class and guess what newspapers are worried about? Yes, airports. All this while India’s railway system slowly decays away.

    What else would newspapers be concerned about other than the problems of its owners, advertisers and corrupt jounalists?

    If privatisation really works by improving efficiency, then let us see them do that without firing workers. Let us see if there are other “efficiencies” to be gained. Most of the time, it involves firing workers, selling off land and squeezing salaries which are hardly improved efficiencies.

    NJ? Hmm!

  9. First this is getting tiresome, I order from now on people will be known by their UIDs. My UID will be ZBXHNT420. Alternatively Gaurav Sabnis should rechristened as John Galt.

    Second I consider it my birthright to commit logical fallacies.

    Third Coming from a family of government servents, I reserve the right to attack government servants without context or reason (unless my comments get banned, then I will ramble on my blog).

    Fourth This other side is just lots of hogwash by status quoists. Atleast the cartelians have the good sense to discuss policies, What are typists doing , except for dishing out banal proses and remonstrating others.

    Fifth Those who are casting the companies as villain for downsizing, I assume they employ maids, cooks and drivers just for sake of employing people. I also assume they pay them minimum wages (or more).

    Regards

  10. Secondly, do you have anything to say about Dilip’s post? All he’s saying is that someone in the govt should communicate with the striking employees, if that is what the govt claimed. Which is eventually what happened.

    Shivam, Dilip wanted the government to assure the workers about their jobs. That is not what EVENTUALLY happened. That happened long back. Even the head of the AAI said that job losses were never a problem. What eventually happened was a face-saving measure, in which the PM said nothing substantial.

  11. “Which is eventually what happened”

    Shivam, as a student of journalism, I see that you are picking up the exacting standards of accuracy that has made Indian journalism what it is today.

  14. Gaurav: The govt had merely wanted the private companies to ensure that 40% of the workers are reatined; the private companies said they will retain 60%; the workers didn’t want the privatisation at all; Dilip wanted the govt to assure the workers that no one will lose the job.

    Ravikiran: By any chance, do you know what an ad hominem is? IN any case, I am a not a student of journalism but one of Literatures in English.

    And you didn’t answer my question about how much money you’ve been making?

  15. I just read your post about you being in jersey now… I live in Jersey too, pretty close to Clark. mail me.

Comments are closed.