My tryst with India's IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw

India's IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw recently said - "India stands nearly at par with the US and China in the global AI race". He said this on a serious note. I sincerely hope he wasn't joking or smoking something.

It reminded me of my brief encounter with Mr. Vaishnaw which goes back to the year 1994. I was working as the District Informatics Officer (DIO) of National Informatics Center (NIC), an organization affiliated to the Government of India. Apart from the Collector and SP of the district, I was the only one who had an Air Conditioning in my office. (Not that I was some biggie, rather Computers needed AC and as the man in charge of the computer I was entitled to that luxury. It's another matter due to frequent power cuts and malfunction of the AC it required to call AC maintenance folks from Rourkela on regular basis).

At the same time our present IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw was posted as an IAS trainee in the district of Sundargarh. Apparently with a lot of free time to spare, he used to come to our office and play Solitaire, a classic popular cards game played on computer and to communicate with his friends using NICNET, a precursor to email in the days the internet was still strictly fantasy. We two used to do a lot of chit chatting and I sensed he was kind of friendly towards me. He got even friendlier when he found out that I had a job offer from the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and was on the verge of quitting my government job. He told me - "You are an Engineer. For an Engineer if you want to live in india better be an IAS Officer. Otherwise settle in the United States of America". I asked him - "Would you have gone to America if you didn't get selected for IAS". His reply was - "I aimed for IAS and IAS only. Any other Civil Services job would have made me go out, particularly US to pursue higher studies". On another occasion he stepped away from his Solitaire session for a moment, exposing his notebook whose pages started to flip on their own propelled by air from the ceiling fan in full swing. One of the few lines he scribbled on the notebook caught my attention - "Don't get too close to the locals. Always maintain a healthy distance from them". Point well taken.

Time rolled by. I developed wings and flew away to America. That was exactly 30 years ago. Early in the Y2K I was visiting India. One fine morning while sipping my cuppa tea I saw Mr. Vaishnaw's photograph while glancing at the vernacular newspaper "Sambad". He was posted as the Collector of Cuttack, a politically sensitive district. He was in news for getting into a fight with local lawyers who acted as goons and ransacked his office. Aswini narrowly escaped from being manhandled. Soon after this incident he got his transfer to center. (The lawyers of Odisha are champion law breakers. The lawyers practicing at the Bhubaneswar sessions court on Lewis Road always make sure to park their vehicles on the roadside in a haphazard manner blocking the traffic with police looking the other way. I once asked a lanky, pot bellied policeman why doesn't he take action against these  recalcitrant brats. His reply was "ARRE BABA, OKILA KA SANGARE KIYE LAGIBA" (Oh my ! It's ain't risk taking action against the lawyers) !

Years after this incidence I saw his picture again in the front of newspaper. This time he was elected as a Rajya Sabha MP from Odisha. Though aged a bit, accumulating more gray hair and chubbier face, he hadn't changed much. Reading his profile out of curiosity, I tried to catch up his whereabouts during this missing time frame of more than a decade and half. After moving on to the center he eventually quit the Civil Services, came to USA for higher studies, joined the American multinational GE (General Electric), left his job again to plunge into politics and become a minister in Modi's Cabinet.

The man had already traveled a long road. It's good to be an optimist, but probably his long, tiring journey has fogged his mind to see India closing gap on USA and China on the race for AI. It's said that a man is known by the books he reads and company he keeps. Not sure about what books he reads, but certainly doesn't keep good company these days. 

Turbulence in Airplane

 An Air India flight from Phuket, Thailand to New Delhi, India gave passengers a frightening few minutes on Tuesday after the aircraft hit sudden mid-air turbulence, injuring several people on board as it plummeted 300 feet midair. One passenger's head made a dent in the ceiling and few were admitted to hospital. 

This is the time for summer holidays and many will be travelling far and wide. Unfortunately it is also the peak time for turbulence due to unstable tropic air clashing with jet stream on multiple fronts. I love winter travels, when the weather is salubrious, the air is still and crispy and unlike summer season, the flights are less prone to turbulences - at least in Northern hemisphere.

Turbulence in airplane scares the hell out of me. I have acropolis, the fear of heights. Once on top of the Sears Tower Chicago when my son jumped on thick glass enjoying the sight of cars plying underneath him looking like matchboxes in motion, I felt dizzy enough to step few feet back to my comfort zone. Now flying for 30 plus years it hasn't gone unnoticed to me that the occurrences of turbulences in air have gone up in recent times. To vindicate my observation, as per a report published in National Geographic magazine, because of climate change due to global warming the extreme weather events that breed turbulence are likely to become more frequent and intense. That means air travel which is already getting costlier and less customer friendly, is going to have the additional baggage of more bumpy rides. This is less pleasing and more scary scenario for all of us.

Nineteen years ago in July, 2007 at peak of the monsoon season in India moments before my flight landed at Bhubaneswar Airport, dark clouds started engulfing the plane. The Alliance Aircraft (ironically related to Air India as its subsidiary) encountered severe turbulence as it was pelted with powerfully packed tropical air currents. Unlike the violent winds outside, inside wafted a calm and composed female voice - "MAUSAM KHARAB HONE KE KARAN AAP APNI KURSI KI PETI BANDH RAKHIYE (Due to bad weather please keep fasten your seat belt). I promptly followed her order.

The plane shook vigorously, shaking my confidence to the hilt. Some slid down their window to take a peek outside, not knowing that turbulence can only be felt, can't be seen, for High School Science says Air is a mixure of invisible gases. There is no debris or dust flying at 35,000 feet to make the air visible. I am sure they must have been disappointed.
As the Aircraft shook violently, for a moment I thought the overhead baggage compartment will break open, spilling the bags on hapless passengers. The shaky roller coaster ride which lasted a few minutes seemed like eternity. It was enough for the agnostic in me to suddenly turn into a believer in God. My agnosticism vanished into thin air as I closed my eyes and started remembering all our 33 crore (330 million) Gods and Goddesses mentioned in Hinduism, including the little Goddess under the Banyan tree near my home whom I conveniently forgot for so long.

Finally the ordeal was over. The flight touched the ground amidst pouring, torrential rain. The passengers rejoiced by clapping and whistling. Soon I could hear murmurs of HEY PRABHU (O Lord) and JAI (Hail) JAGANNATH from the passengers repeatedly touching their foreheads with folded hands, offering their thanks to God Almighty for saving their lives and letting them live another day. As the flight came to complete halt, I was back to my normal self and my belief in agnosticism. The selfish me forgot once again the plethora of Gods and Goddesses I remembered only moments ago.

Flight plans avoid regions in atmosphere known to be prone to severe turbulence, but these regions constantly move. Hence it is difficult to predict exactly where the severe turbulence is going to be. Per Stanford University, USA based NASA Center of Turbulence Research help is on the way. One US airline debuted new turbulence detectors that use special radar to predict the levels and locations of turbulence in the flight path. Yet such prediction isn't 100% accurate as nature always holds the Trump card over us humans. It is going to be a perennialongoing battle between man and nature in the game of upmanship. It is very reassuring to note that , with the improvement in technology it is extremely rare for an Airline to crash due to turbulence. 

Floodgate to open after the success of Jantar Mantar

After the success of the Jantar Mantar protest the right wing media and supporters of Modi/BJP are back to their old game to discredit the agitators. I smell a rat as Bhakts fueled by BJP's notorious IT cell are in full campaign mode to defame the protesters by doing their character assassination. After failing to brand them as disruptor, anti nationals, foreign agents, they are back to their old game again. They are now siting Gen Z's rampant usage of profane filled vocabulary directed at the establishment to discredit their movement obviously with a nefarious goal. 

Profanity has been there for generations, but as we say in Odia there is be a STHAANA, KAALA, PAATRA (place, time and object) for everything. Usage of offensive terms should be kept private. Most of us, including women, use cuss words in private. But by using expletives in front of camera and making reels, sharing them on  powerful social media they have taken it so far. Point made is well taken.

Castiging the Gen Z for this fine, however the question here is look who is talking ! It is easy to be critical of the young generation. But let's not forget that, forget social media, we didn't have internet or cell phone back then when we were at their age. If we had social media at the peak of our youth in late 80s and early 90s, I bet we would have done the same. It's like preaching chastity without getting opportunity. 

Many who are currently espousing morality and doing character assassination of Gen Z, blaming the latter's lack of moral values, were hardly the epitomes of outstanding ethics, moral values and character to boast about at their age. No wonder we are world's champion hypocrites.

The silence after weeks of protest, post police actions and authority inaction is deafening, but it could be the harbinger of such events in the future as the fear of the establishment has been alleviated. Remember, fortresses do not collapse overnight. They commence with a crack. Reminds me of Sher Shah Suri, a master military strategist and an able administrator who during his short regime in the 16th century was famous for building the Grand Trunk Road, while attacking forts focused on relentless mortar attacks using cannons until a crack developed and floodgate opened. The floodgate could open anytime as crack has appeared in the embankment for too long. This is a warning salvo fired at Modi with a successful test run. The resignation of the education minister is the first crack, certainly not the last to appear on Modi's fortress which he succintly built. Wait for more action in the near and not so near future.

Mutiny of birds and protest at Mantar Mantar

 With the current imbroglio of the student protest at the Jantar Mantar in India's capital still fresh in memory, the mention of a story by my friend JP Jagdev about a story from our childhood which could be related to the incident who caught the nation and the world's attention.

Remember the story BIHANGA BIPLABA (The Mutiny of Birds) from our School SAHITYA (Odia literature) textbook ? Taught to us in Class VI, it is a very funny story with powerful connotations.
A bunch of birds protested to their Bear King against the ordeals they had to go through in their jungle milieu due to the inept official of the court - the shrewd Monkey. The so called wise King gave them a patient hearing. He was about to give his verdict in their favor, when the clever monkey against whom the birds revolted intervened to manipulate his decision by bribing the King with a ripened Jackfruit (a delicacy for Asiatic Bear who is a fine climber, known to go up the Jackfruit trees and feast on its fruit). 

The shrewd monkey threw a hint to the Bear King - "TIKE AGAKU PACHHAKU DEKHI BICHAARA KARANTU" (Please deliver your verdict after looking at both front and back sides. Lost in translation, the phrase TIKE AGAKU PACHHAKU DEKHI in Odia carries its own meaning, i.e. look to the surrounding before making your decision). 

The old King didn't see anything in front, but behind the back of his throne he saw the ripe Jackfruit, enough to lure him into reversing his verdict, now favorable to the monkey. The betrayed birds took their anger on the Bear King by swooning over him, mauling him to death. I still fondly remember a sentence from that story - RE KAAU RAAU RAAU HUANA (Hey crow, don't caw with you coarse voice).

PS : The story is purely fictional, any resemblance with any person dead or alive is purely coincidental.

The Resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan on NEET Issue

The resignation of Dharmendra Pradhan as India's education vindicates the popular adage - "too little, too late". This should have happened at least a month ago, if not before. Not after as the classic Odia DHAGA (proverb) goes - "NEDI GUDA KAHUNI KU BOHI JAICHI" - "Jaggery from the palm had already flowed to the elbow", simply meaning "too late to be recoverable".

Nero fiddled when Rome burned and delayed taking action for long time to quell the fire. Not sure why the modern day Nero's able advisors didn't tell him that procrastination or inaction is not an action. It could be that well into 3rd term, after 12 years in power arrogance, ineptness and complacency has crept into the current administration which made the two men in charge (it's a duo poly government ruling India now) didn't see this storm coming.

Dealing with students, especially those from the Generation Z isn't easy and can be extremely sensitive. They are young, youthful, emotionally fragile and effervescent in nature. They need to be handled carefully like a crate of glasses or crockery with a warning "handle with care". Students aren't Farmers agitating against some Farm Bill who could be easily branded and dismissed as Khalistani Deshdrohis (anti-nationals). They aren't SAR protesters who could be easily alluded as traitors funded by foreign agents whose list is long - from George Soros to China and Pakistan's notorious ISI. They are just simple students like our kids who are young. Like every boy and girl at their age, they too have dream of a romantic future. The NEET paper leak has certainly turned their dream into a nightmare. Their protest is genuine, creative and largely non violent. These young men and women are like lightning rods, touching whom could be catastrophic. Stepping on their toes is like stepping on a live wire or the tail of a Cobra which could bite back viciously. The government conveniently forgot this fact and got bitten in this process.

This is the generation of social media which is on the rise. Love it or hate it, ignore the social media at your peril. Armed with a smart phone, every Tom, Dick, Harry or Ram, Rohit or Rekha is a reporter who can snap a picture or video and it global in seconds. Such is the power of the social media these days ! This is not our generation of 1980s where police brutality in daylight can escape the camera. Delhi Police Additional DCP Sandeep Lamba, seen wearing a stylish RayBan Meta AI smart glasses was not only recorded slapping a girl, he was also heard telling his troops "HADDIYAN TODO INKI" (break their bones). It's appalling that at this age of social media when thousands could snap your private activities in public, an official from India's premium Indian Police Service (IPS) would behave in such a blatantly casual manner. Sorry to say this, but probably with exception of sub Saharan Africa, in no country the police is as biased, partisan and corrupt as in India. So, let's not just blame it on the students as hooligans. Police is the "ASLI CHOR" (real thief) these days.

Politically biased people can never see the truth behind these educational issues, related to universal education which a basic human right every boy or girl is entitled to. If one tries to show them these brainwashed folks the reason, he or she will be termed as either a leftist elitist, or for worst an anti national who should be banished to Pakistan. The reputed newspaper Indian Express (14 June 2026) has reported more than a dozen question paper leaks in the past two decades and there was no resignation or youth movement. In a month since the government slept when the situation slowly started getting out of hand. If there are mistakes in the system, then the government should take the responsibility for solving them internally, not indulging in blame game.

Some hardcore supporters of Modi/BJP (the order is deliberate as they perceive Modi as BJP and even India) are blaming the opposition parties, primarily the Congress for supporting the student's agitating. Imagine if this happened during the MMS government between 2014 - 2024. These hardcore blind devotees would be talking in a different tone today and BJP would be talking in a different language if their position was swapped. Talk about hypocrisy !

I think governments should have a 10 year term limit. Invariably after 10 years in power, they become arrogant and complacency creeps in. This is where they tend to make mistakes. No wonder Mark Twain famously said - "Politicians and Diapers should be changed often for the same reason". Incidentally, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, arguably two most well governed states change their government frequently.

Regardless, there is definitely a lot of genuine discontent amongst India's youth which needs to be addressed immediately with a serious note. Brushing it under the carpet in the guise of conspiracy theories like foreign hands, George Soros, China, Congress, Gandhi, Nehru etc isn't the solution, it's rather kicking the can down the road. Clearly, the government has mishandled this issue so far. Announcement of Pradhan's resignation might take some steam out of the movement which could gradually fizzle out. They made Dharmendra Pradhan the fall guy little late for comfort, but one can take comfort with the fact that it's "Better late than never". The seed of discontent has been shown. The situation still is akin to a room filled with inflammable gas. It just takes someone to gaslight it. Tomorrow is after all another day.

San Diego trip July 2026 - Concluding part

San Diego is the Bangalore of USA. A la Bangalore it is called air conditioned city, having salubrious weather all through the year. But any similarity ends there. Traffic in this southern most city of California isn't even a fraction of what we see in Bangalore. Last time I was in the capital city of the state of Karnatak in India and praising the flora and canopies of greenery across the city, the man driving me around said - "Sir, we have turned the Garden city to a Garbage city". In contrast San Diego is pretty clean and far less congested.

The city of San Diego is full of Mesa - a term for isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill bounded from all sides by steep escarpments standing distinctly above surrounding plain. It is filled desert, thorny shrubs which can survive long dry spells. Mesas are known to harbor varieties of rattlesnakes of different shapes and sizes - from the runt Pygmy rattlesnake to the lummox Western Diamond back variety. The desert dry weather made my skin already naturally moisturized by the humid Georgia weather feel itchy in San Diego. Streets are named in Spanish, like "Rancho Cordova", "El Camino Real", "Camino Del Norte" and so on. Lot of names start with San, which in Spanish means "Saint". There is a lot of Spanish flavor in this area.

The lovely day commenced with a brunch (breakfast-cum-lunch) at Stone Brewing World Bistro and Gardens. We sampled varieties of local ale, followed by a trip to the Cabrillo National Monument. In the year 1542, 50 years after Columbus discovered America, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo became the first European to set foot on the West Coast of America. Cabrillo National Monument not only tells the story of the 16th century explorer, it houses a wealth of historic and cultural resouces. Highly recommended for visiting San Diego to visit the monument location at a picturesque, higher elevation caressed by soothing, cool sea breeze.

Having a temperate weather, Southern California place doesn't see a freeze. It's vegetation is a veritable blend of tropical and Mediterranean. My friend has Mango, Guava, Curry leaf plants rooted in the ground in his backyard. In surrounding neighborhood I saw stucco homes with Pomegranate, Oranges, Apricot trees blooming with fruits, branches striving to lean over the fences. Felt like being in a whole different world far cry from the state of Georgia. Even the accent here is different from the predominantly southern accent I am used to. When I told someone that I am from Georgia the person retorted back - "You are too away from home, my friend" ! He wasn't far from truth.

California is expensive, at least the coastal cities. Regular unleaded Gas here costs more than $5 a gallon here in San Diego. In fact, everything here, starting from the groceies to fast food are at least 30 to 40% more expensive than Columbus, Georgia. Now back home back to to hot and muggy Georgia from the cool comfort of coastal California. Thus concludes my travelogue until my next sojourn.

San Diego trip Day I - July 2026

 I rarely miss an opportunity to meet and greet my close friends. On the wrong side of 50 and Inching towards 60 years of age, I invariably look forward to such encounters as we never know what's in store for us in the unforeseen future. As the last line of the famous novel by Margaret Mitchell "Gone with the wind" and the movie based on it goes - "tomorrow if after all another day". Life is a lottery. It's ike a box of chocolate, you don't know what you are going to get. That said my short trip to San Diego, California after a long, hard couple of work weeks was exactly what I was looking forward to.

Arriving early at  the Atlanta's Hartsfield Airport, post checking in and clearing the security, I was starving and looking forward to a hot breakfast and a strong coffee to shrugg off my jaded nerves. I wanted to fill my stomach before I catch my coast-to-coast flight, because these days the Airlines offer peanuts, often literally. There was a long line at the Chick-fil-A inside the Airport but it was moving fast. The popular chicken based fast food outlet of Southern United States does brisk business anywhere it is located. But the price of the items was about 30% more than normally it would be. Food is invariably expensive at Airports. I remember seeing Samosa displayed at Rs. 250 a piece behind glass cover at New Delhi Airport, which reminded me a saying in Hindi - "BOSS PE BHAROSA AUR AIRPORT MEIN SAMOSA, DONO MEHNGI PADTI HAI" (Trust on Boss and Food at Airport could be costly).

As I was dragging my bag towards the departure gate, some one whizzed past me talking in thick Barhampuri Odia. The Doppler's effect which we studied in High School Physics forbid me to catch only part of the conversation as the guy melted away. But I could hear him saying "GHANTE ADHE EKKA" or "SADHE GOTE" as they say in unaccented Odia - both meaning "one and half hour". Wasn't sure if the man meant that the flight was at 1.30 or was late by 1.30 hours by his "Ghaante Addhe".

It was quite conspicuous that I didn't see a single Desi (a slang for Persons of Indian origin) boarding the aircraft, sans a Sardarjee (Sikh). It's said that Sardarjees and potatoes are found everywhere in the world. Neil Armstrong was greeted by a Sardarjee when he landed on moon. It was a rarity sight these days whether you fly domestic or international. The boarding was orderly and every one sat patiently and waited for their turn to stand in a line to board the flight. Didn't see a bunch of folks clustered around with multiple lines struggling to merge with the main boarding line, as if rivers Kathajodi and Kuakhai struggle to merge into the river Mahanadi.

The 4 hour long flight from Atlanta to San Diego on the South West tip of the United States was a full flight, considering it was summer weekend.
Summer had its challenges too. No sooner we boarded the flight, than we discovered to our discomfort that the the Air Conditioning inside the Airplane wasn't working. Passengers started fanning themselves with the aircraft safety guideline pamphlet. We were deplaned, diverted to another get and boarded another plane. The flight was delayed by 2 hours. Not too bad. It's better late than never.

As flight descended closing in to San Diego I peeped through the light, variable white fleece clouds flying below, trying to race with the jumbo bird. I looking at the vast California desert interspersed with gigantic wind mills which would have made Sancho Panza of Don Quixote novel proud. Looking from the top they looked like like pins fixed on a gray sandpaper. A few water bodies were around surrounded by grayish green, sand covered dull looking desert shrubs, far cry from the lushly green flora of Georgia.

The airplane finally touched down arriving after 4 hour flight duration it felt very pleasantly sunny San Diego at 73°F with dry light wind blowing. A drop of 20 degrees from 93°F plus humidity weather in Georgia felt a lot salubrious. A co-passenger sitting nexr to me, a proud San Diego resident beamed - "Welcome to California - tge richest state of America which by itself is the 4th largest in the world". More later...