Roar: Graphic Novels

Adults only

By Mahul Brahma, Sajith Kumar Apr 14 2011

Tags: Graphic Novel, Leisure Writing

There’s a world beyond DC and Marvel. The world of Maus, Sandman, Marv and Digital Dutta. Doesn’t sound familiar, right? They are the Batmans and Spidermans of graphic novels. A graphic novel is a form of comics with lengthy and complex storylines, catering to a mature audience. The term was popularised after it appeared on the cover of paperback edition of Will Eisner’s groundbreaking A Contract With God (1978). Here’s the journey of our protagonist in the world of graphic novels.

F:Comics is so for kids. But it is bad that we don’t have something for adults.

M:Says who? Haven’t you heard of graphic novels? It is a form of comics that caters to a mature audience.

F:Is it? Does it have action, sex, violence?

M:You bet. You should check out Frank Miller’s Sin City series. You will meet professional killers.

F:Hi, do you have graphic novels? Which one do you recommend?

M:For starters, you can check out Pulitzer winner Maus, based on the holocaust where the Nazis are depicted as cats and Jews as mice.

F:But this is too serious how is Sin City?

M:It’s all about sin, written in a film noir style. The interesting ones are The Hard Goodbye and The Yellow Bastard. You should also check out Sandman series by Neil Gaiman.

M:So, which one did you choose?

F:Let me take Marv home today. Will keep my date with Sandman next week.

Tale of Autograph

During my schooldays, like most teenagers, I was glued to fiction—both English and Bengali. It is an important phase in any person’s life because this is when you graduate from bed-time stories of Snow White and Rapunzel, which are imposed on you every night by your parents, to a more ‘mature age’ of superheroes, super detectives and super adventures. It is a time when you first exercise your choice in selecting the book you want to read. You are exposed to Sherlock Holmes, Tin Tin, Superman, and in a more vernacular context, my favourite detective—Feluda, a creation of a great filmmaker and a noted author Satyajit Ray. (Unfortunately, Harry Potter was not around then). With age, you become selective and get glued to your favourite authors. As school was over, I moved on and started focusing on more mature pieces, perhaps in an effort to prove I have grown up, by serious writers such as Faulkner, Neruda and Kafka, and not to mention mature graphic novelists such as Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman.

However, in my heart of hearts, Feluda remained and still remains my favourite hero. My childhood dream was to get a chance to meet Mr Ray and get his autograph on my favourite Feluda book. Unfortunately, even before I was old enough to travel by myself to his Bishop Lefroy Road residence in Kolkata he had passed away. Years passed by, but the desire of getting his autograph never died knowing fully well Mr Ray himself has. Last summer, I was going through piles of old books in the Kolkata heat at College Street, a place where all you get is books and more books. Suddenly, I saw a nearly-torn, dog-eared Feluda book. I instinctively picked it up as I couldn’t resist my hero’s appeal. I opened it and, to my surprise, saw Mr Ray’s autograph to a boy named Mukul dating back to 1981. I don’t know why this Mukul sold off this priceless copy but I am glad that he did. It was a miracle. Mr Ray lives on and still manages to delight his readers.

Off the mark: Forecasting is best left to professional agencies in private sector

It is time for the government to consider getting out of forecasting and leaving it to the pros. Forecasting forms an integral part of decision making in any organisation, especially if it has a client base of 1.2 billion. The Indian government has proved its efficacy in getting incorrect forecasting on a consistent basis.

Let us look at inflation first. Even if we keep aside a fact that the over-hyped figure has a very limited influence in our daily lives, it is interesting that the government even manages to estimate it incorrectly on a regular basis.

Another crucial area where forecasting is the key is weather. ‘Met gets it wrong, monsoon delayed’ is a headline that we encounter quite often. The excuse often sounds like “although IMD had prepared this year’s forecast over Kerala on the basis of improved statistical models applying six predictors, ground stations from the southern state have not reported favourably”. In a nation where majority of our population stares at the sky to find out whether they will survive this season, predicting the monsoon incorrectly failing to identify a possible drought can and has been very costly. And we all are aware of how monsoon impacts the farmers directly and the consumers indirectly, in the form of food price inflation. Thus a wrong Met prediction leads to wrong food price inflation estimation and the cycle goes on.

We totally agree that in weather, tiny differences in input could quickly become overwhelming differences in output, something called The Butterfly Effect—the notion that a butterfly stirring the air today in Tokyo can transform storm systems next month in Manhattan. But isn’t that why the taxpaying common man is paying through his nose for the supercomputers and the ‘superbrains’?

The irony is that almost every department has its own forecasting team comprising eminent statisticians and economists. The decisions that are taken by the government, which determines our fate, are solely based on these projections and they are at times way beyond the accepted level of statistical error of 5 per cent. The performance of our five-year plans is a clear indication of the potency of our forecasting prowess. Although you may wonder how is it possible to have a five-year planning process along with a market economy, let us not get into that. Even if we look at the government’s annual budget estimates, the poor marksmanship is obvious at the end of the year on a regular basis.

Business organisations that have a big stake in getting accurate forecasting in areas of their interest increasingly rely on private and paid sources rather than on free public data.

The time has come for the government to realise that forecasting is a professional job, which is best outsourced to forecasting agencies. Collecting data in a vast country of great diversity and 1.21 billion people it is not easy and government agencies such as the CSO, which collects national accounting and industrial production statistics, and RGI, responsible for conducting Census of India every 10 years, are doing a fine job on that front. However, they are not so proficient when it comes to forecasting key numbers. While data collection and population enumeration has to remain with the government departments and data made available in public domain, forecasting should be left to professional agencies which have to compete and be accountable to their paying clients, including the government, for the accuracy of their forecasts. Public policies and programmes would stand to gain the most if forecasting is on the mark.

Off the mark: Forecasting is best left to professional agencies in private sector

It is time for the government to consider getting out of forecasting and leaving it to the pros. Forecasting forms an integral part of decision making in any organisation, especially if it has a client base of 1.2 billion. The Indian government has proved its efficacy in getting incorrect forecasting on a consistent basis.

Let us look at inflation first. Even if we keep aside a fact that the over-hyped figure has a very limited influence in our daily lives, it is interesting that the government even manages to estimate it incorrectly on a regular basis.

Another crucial area where forecasting is the key is weather. ‘Met gets it wrong, monsoon delayed’ is a headline that we encounter quite often. The excuse often sounds like “although IMD had prepared this year’s forecast over Kerala on the basis of improved statistical models applying six predictors, ground stations from the southern state have not reported favourably”. In a nation where majority of our population stares at the sky to find out whether they will survive this season, predicting the monsoon incorrectly failing to identify a possible drought can and has been very costly. And we all are aware of how monsoon impacts the farmers directly and the consumers indirectly, in the form of food price inflation. Thus a wrong Met prediction leads to wrong food price inflation estimation and the cycle goes on.

We totally agree that in weather, tiny differences in input could quickly become overwhelming differences in output, something called The Butterfly Effect—the notion that a butterfly stirring the air today in Tokyo can transform storm systems next month in Manhattan. But isn’t that why the taxpaying common man is paying through his nose for the supercomputers and the ‘superbrains’?

The irony is that almost every department has its own forecasting team comprising eminent statisticians and economists. The decisions that are taken by the government, which determines our fate, are solely based on these projections and they are at times way beyond the accepted level of statistical error of 5 per cent. The performance of our five-year plans is a clear indication of the potency of our forecasting prowess. Although you may wonder how is it possible to have a five-year planning process along with a market economy, let us not get into that. Even if we look at the government’s annual budget estimates, the poor marksmanship is obvious at the end of the year on a regular basis.

Business organisations that have a big stake in getting accurate forecasting in areas of their interest increasingly rely on private and paid sources rather than on free public data.

The time has come for the government to realise that forecasting is a professional job, which is best outsourced to forecasting agencies. Collecting data in a vast country of great diversity and 1.21 billion people it is not easy and government agencies such as the CSO, which collects national accounting and industrial production statistics, and RGI, responsible for conducting Census of India every 10 years, are doing a fine job on that front. However, they are not so proficient when it comes to forecasting key numbers. While data collection and population enumeration has to remain with the government departments and data made available in public domain, forecasting should be left to professional agencies which have to compete and be accountable to their paying clients, including the government, for the accuracy of their forecasts. Public policies and programmes would stand to gain the most if forecasting is on the mark.

Anything for MIB

Moving to a new city is never easy. You have to get used to a new set of unwritten codes that define every city. And ‘neighbour laws’ play a very important part in that. Your neighbour-onomics determines the future of peace in your house. You are lucky if it is rented as you can leave anytime, and ‘god have mercy’ if you have bought.

Till date, I have maintained a very safe distance from all my neighbours, without exception and across geographies, to avoid any unwarranted issues. After moving to the capital, I naturally followed the same law.

Things seemed okay until I realised that India might bring home the World Cup and my TV was still in transit.

I didn’t mind not having a TV as long Sri Lanka was holding fort and things were looking pretty dismal after Sachin and Sehwag walked back to the pavilion. But, hell broke loose when Dhoni started turning the match around. And the only thing I could hear was my neighbours cheering for India and screaming on every single, leave out fours and sixes, with a decibel level well above 65. I started frantically calling my friends for the score. But then, as true friends, they switched off their mobiles. I was helpless, asking God ‘why me?’.

My neighbours cheered again. I shot out of my house and rang the doorbell. I didn’t know their names and even before saying hello I asked for the score. However, they were sweet enough to tolerate my intrusion and invited me to watch last few overs.

Together we saw Dhoni leading the country towards making history. We cursed every dot ball, cheered every run and when India won, we screamed with joy, just like a family. Instead of champagne, we celebrated with family pack of a cola.

If cricket can bring two hitherto unknown neighbours closer, what can it do to the country? I saw what it did to the nation in the papers the next morning.

Cricket makes us crazy. We love the game so much that we can do things that we normally wouldn’t even think of doing.

It certainly taught me that you can’t have fixed rules in life.

The futility of strategy

We always want to be in control. Always informed. Strategy makes us feel in control of the future. Typically, in a strategy we consider all the possible outcomes and the possible ways to tackle them. For people like us who have fallen in love with an Indian game called chess since our childhood, strategizing is our favourite pastime. And we feel proud about our mastery is making strategies.
However, I have realized that no matter how much you try to assess the future, the uncertainly will always remain. A simple example will illustrate what I mean. Suppose you have a job offer and you are also wanted by your current employer. You will spend an inordinate amount of time thinking, even before it is materialsed, about everything you can do to use it.
What a waste of time if you die tomorrow. Just imagine, the last day of your life you have spent sitting and thinking about things that aren’t there and not enjoying what you have. Neither have you enjoyed your offer, nor have you enjoyed your work place, which you might be leaving pretty soon. And leave along the fact that you forgot about spending time with your wife or girlfriend because you are busy strategizing.
Poor you.
It is wise to accept and to enjoy. In this case, your wife or girlfriend, your offer and the last days in your office and may be the expression on your boss’s face—in that order.
I know it is easier said than done, but no harm giving it a shot.

Basu's legacy--a remittance city of joy

I regret the death of Jyoti Basu. Because he should have lived a little longer to see the dethroning of CPI-M form West Bengal. Unfortunately, I can't say I am exited about the party that is likely to take over the reins either.

It took Basu decades to make West Bengal and more so Calcutta, what it has become today:

1. It has no industry left, so economic growth is "high hopes", thanks to CPI-M's rotten, dated, obsolete, and bad policies

2. Even if the Red Brigade wants to mend its ways now, The Grassroot Opposition will not let industry come in because of political agenda.

3. And no industry means no jobs for the service-sector dominated economy

4. In Calcutta, lets face it, farming opportunities are limited.

Therefore, very soon, if not already, West Bengal will become a remittance economy and Calcutta -- a remittance city of joy (or joke).

The lakhs of graduates and thousands postgraduates that the city/state rolls out every year only find employment, albeit skilled, outside the premises of the state.

What Middle East or US or UK is to India , Mumbai , Delhi or Bangalore is to West Bengal--source of remittance.
And very soon Calcutta will be an old-age home, a place to retire, obviously because you can't work there.
I think that's what late Mr Basu had in his mind.
I wanted him to die a little later because that day is not very far.
I regret his early demise.

Life's Funny

Whenever you want something very badly, life inevitable makes you wait, and wait and wait a little longer till you lose interest completely. That's life. The fun part is you end up getting it after you no longer yearn for it. That's also life.

I am not complaining, on the contrary, I find it funny sometimes. After spending sleepless nights there comes a point where you realise you won't get what you wanted so badly, at least not now. In despair you take refuge in spiritualism and tell yourself that what you wanted the most was just Maya and nothing will happen if you don't get it.

Knowing fully well that you are bullshitting yourself you temporarily slip into a state of mind where you find solace in a world without what you wanted so badly even a moment back.

And when you are done with reconciliation, spirits, Maya, then suddenly one fine day you have it. You don't long for it anymore, neither do you know what to do with it and most importantly whether to take it in the first place. You have no value for it.

They say you can only value something when you have no attachment with it, you don't desire it you don't yearn for it. I find it hard to believe but may be their claim to sainthood lies in explaining something that's really weird.
Life's funny.

Michael Jackson lives on

MJ is not dead. He is alive and will live on till popular music rocks and rolls. He is god, ethereal and omnipresent is billions of hearts. His contribution to popular music is beyond compare. Unfortunately, the king's troubled personal life killed him, a fate shared by many rulers. But, death be not be proud as this king's rule is not over yet. Black or white, we all love you Micheal. I think the Lord wanted to see some moonwalk and that's why MJ was busy perfecting it in his last days. We won't miss you Michael, you are with us, always.

Mangalore shame

Women are at a risk of being manhandled/molested/raped at pubs as men lose control after they get drunk. And therefore women (and not men!!) should not go to pubs. This was the logic given by a politician justifying the Mangalore act. I can understand that the concerned politician knows his and his team members' nature and he unwitiingly admits that he(they) turn into rapists once he(they) get drunk. So women should be careful of these rapists on the loose. But I cannot agree that all male pub goers are like these hooligans who lose control and are prone to misbehaving. I don't understand why don't these politicians f**k off and mind their behaviour.

Maximum City

It is a burden that the city carries. Mumbai feels it is its duty to face hardship with a smile. No one has ever seen the city complain. The city has silently suffered bomb blasts, mass murders, floods and riots. But everytime, it has emerged as a winner, forgetting the past and starting afresh as it nothing has ever happened. That's the spirit of Mumbai, Aamchi Mumbai.

Skeptics say that the city suffers most because it can grin and bear it. Any other city would have been perhaphs devastated if it had to go through everything that Mumbai has faced. They say that it is the spirit of the , which we all are so proud of, is working against it. The city has the right to cry out, shout and complain. It has the right to say "Enough is Enough". It does not have to be so spirited after all. Why can't it be just like other cities, where it takes some time before the city comes back to normalcy after a tragedy.

But, isn't it this spirit that we love the city for? Isn't it why we call it the maximum city?And isn't Mumbai's spirit the only thing the terrorists fear?
So be it. Let's keep the fear alive in the hearts of these terror mongers. Let us all keep the Mumbai spirit high.

Brishti Bheja Shohor (A Rain-soaked City)

Somewhere down by the lakeside a soggy crow is looking around, sozzled by the first rains. Couples are running with utmost haste, their hair and umbrellas askew. Trees swing wildly at the first rush of showers and the storm picks up, spraying water at all and sundry.
Many passers-by have taken shelter under the ledges and in the doorsteps of old, calm houses. A young boy peers out from his raincoat, as the heat abates, bringing a cold whistling wind in its wake.
On such days I would sit and watch the sky from my window as it turned black from a murky grey. Curtains would move heralding the coming of a storm. And then the rain would come, accompanied by squeals of joy from the children next door.
These are the scenes, which inspired the meghdootam, telling tales of a long lost love. This is the atmosphere which inspires many a Tagore song, perchance Emono dine taare bhola jaay? (Can one forget her on such a day). Perhaps it is Kolkata which one remembers the most at such times.
I remember a particular day when I had gone down to the house of a dear friend. Next to a cavernous wind-swept highway, was a pretty pool surrounded by many a protective house. The rain felt it lovingly with its fingers creating ripples of varied geometric designs. Later, ale in hand I looked on at this picture the rain god hath drawn. And wondered, how many more rains would I be privileged to witness? And yet this moment was all that would matter till the end.
Now I can only feel the caress of the rain through the panes of a wind-lashed toweras the city beneath me floats. It is at such times that I miss home. Emono dine taare bhola jaay?

(Written by a dear friend)

A sneak-peek into Graphic Novels

There’s a world beyond DC and Marvel. The world of Maus, Sandman, Marv and of course Digital Dutta. Don’t sound familiar, right? They are the Batmans and Spidermans of graphic novels. A graphic novel (GN) is a form of comics, with lengthy and complex storylines, catering to a mature audience. The term was popularised after it appeared on the cover of paperback edition of Will Eisner's groundbreaking 'A Contract With God' (1978). Each story has a beginning, middle and an end, like in Sin City Marv avenges the death of his beloved Goldie and dies. Unlike a comic series like Daredevil or Elektra where there’s a new adventure in each issue.
Pulitzer Prize winner Maus: A Survivor's Tale is a memoir by Art Spiegelmen of his father's struggle to survive the Holocaust as a Polish Jew. It also follows the author's troubled relationship with his father and the way the effects of war reverberate through generations. The Jews are depicted as mice and can be seen as weak and helpless victims, as well as satarising the Nazi depiction of a Jew. The Germans, as cats, suggest power over the Jews, as well as malevolence (cats often play with mice before killing them).
Frank Miller's Sin City, on the other hand, talks about a fictional town in American Northwest where a large number of attractive women were 'imported' by Roark family to keep the miners happy. They made a fortune and turned a struggling mining camp into a thriving , bustling city. I know you were wondering where the 'Sin' came from. Not really kid's stuff, isn't it? It was written in a film noir style, which is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime drama, particularly those that emphasise moral ambiguity and sexual motivation.
It's movie adaptation with stars like Bruce Willis and Mickey Rourke, was a blockbuster. The movie remained very true to the GN, even the colour scheme was not tampered with — and that was the reason behind its success. Even, the latest flick based on Frank Miller's 300 follows that golden rule. It's about the Battle of Thermopylae (480BC) where Spartan King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fight against the army of one-million soldiers of Persian King Xerxes. It inspires Greece to unite against Persian invaders.
The one that tried to experiment with the feel and made look like any other movie was 'The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' starring Sean Connery and Naseeruddin Shah. It bombed at the box office.
There are others, like Maus and 300, which have been inspired by history, but fortunately, not limited by it. The latest being Sarnath Banerjee's second tranch The Barn Owl's Wonderous Capers. It's inspired by the legend of the Wandering Jew and is an irreverent tale of illicit sex and drunken religiosity.
Movies have a wider appeal and have given GNs a larger audience. But, to fall in love with graphic novels you don’t need a movie adaptation.

Dry dry days

Why does India need to have dry days at all? If I feel like raising a toast to those responsible for making India a sovereign and socialist republic on the Republic Day I can't. Because it's a dry day. Why can't we celebrate days that are so important to our country by boozing? It's very much a part of every other celebration. With due respect to teetotallers.
Aren't we free to celebrate the way we feel like?
The sad part of the story is that booze is available, albeit in the grey market, at a higher rate. So, basically these days are a boon in disguise for the liquor sellers. So, dry days aren't so dry.
India has come of age and it's time for the government to understand that Indians are responsible and have the right to live life and enjoy on their own terms.

Cricket Crazy Country

Some say we love cricket, some even say we eat it, sleep it and dream it too. Cricket crazy Indians, that's what we like to call ourselves. But are we really crazy about the game? Which team was the Ranji trophy winner this year? Any clue? No? But, we know for sure which cricket star is linked to which star-let. So, we are chooset about being crazy. Why? The answer lies in the word 'star'. The thin line that divides a cricketer from a cricket star determines whether Indians like to be crazy about him or not. Even much-neglected hockey's popularity depended on a star — SRK.
So, it's stardom that we, the people, are crazy about. Cricket is loved, hated, adored because of its stars, not for the game. Here at least we are in the international league. We are proud that we not only play the world cup but also have won it once. Neither football nor hockey can give us this pride. And so our pride lies only with Team India or the Men in Blue and not with the numerous other talented players who aspire to become a cricket star one day.
Take the case of Sri Lanka or the Carribean, even a school cricket match draws a crowd of over 1000 people. Moreover, Sri Lankans love cricket so much that they don't forget to mention even in orbituaries that the departed had played cricket in school. Wow, that's love, that's craze for the game.
So in this starry starry game we just weave our dreams. We become one with the glamour of the game, make it a part of our lives. We love to watch only international cricket and don’t mind missing parts of the first and last balls in every over for the ads, neither do we really feel cheated if we find out later the match we were so exited about was rigged.
The day any other sport reaches international arena and proves its mettle Indians would love to love or hate that game, say kabaddi. And we never know, we may then be called kabaddi-crazy nation.

Cyber security market to grow 100 times in 5 years

Not long ago, one of India’s well-known banks received a complaint from a clerk that there may have been an accounting error in the charge of interest rates on overdraft accounts. The bank usually charged an interest rate of 10%, but on a few accounts, the charge was just 5%. The difference ran into several lakhs of rupees. All records were checked and found to be accurate, but still the money was missing. The bank hired a small firm specialising in detection of cyber crimes to check if a fraud had been committed on its network. The firm checked the 259 programs that the bank used and found in the systems nine more that were not in the official list of software. Three of them that accessed the database produced no audit trail. The firm came up with the hypothesis that someone should have briefly reset the interest rates. The extra software could have been installed when the bank was upgrading its systems to newer software. The day of the fraud was identified, the accounts named and the officer staffing a certain desk questioned. It didn’t take much to extract the confession from him. The bank took remedial action without involving the police. A small firm had busted a racket that a big bank could not initially fathom. This case is illustrative of an increasing number of cyber crimes in India and abroad, which have in turn, yielded business opportunities of various hues for small entrepreneur-driven firms. Large companies have a high cost base and depend on nimble start-ups to swoop down on online criminals threatening their business. Cyber security for large and small firms is not merely important, but critical. A leading Supreme Court advocate says the market for cyber security services and products will grow 100 times within five years, due to increased adoption of technology and higher awareness and possibility of cyber crimes. For instance, if there is a major security breach in the banking industry or the stock market, the impact on the country would be devastating. The lack of security could undermine the growth and credibility of India’s outsourcing industry, which has given the country global attention and recognition. “Terrorists and criminals will continue to add their contribution to make the security business prosperous. Be prepared to plan for a long term and you will reap the benefits,” says Naa Vijayashankar, director, Cyber Law College and founder of Naavi.org, a techno legal information security consultancy based in Bangalore. As criminals become more and more tech savvy, a war has broken out between them and law keepers. Nations and companies need an army of specially trained warriors to take the attack to the criminals, Mr Naavi says. Like any other start up in a new field, investments are the key and appealing to a venture capitalist is difficult. Unless the services are institutionalised, investments are hard to come by. Saurabh Srivastav, the president of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TIE), Delhi, says that investing in the area of cyber security is finding global interest. However, he adds: “You won’t succeed unless you have a world-class product or service, as today you are competing in a global market. You can’t offer something that is simply the best in India. Cyber security is not country specific. It isn’t like banking software, where the software for an American system of banking is different from the Indian system. Cyber security is cyber security, the world over.” It is very important for entrepreneurs not to lose sight of individuals since security is important for every information user. If ‘Mobile Security’ is a target, then millions of mobile users are also the target clients. Ultimately, client selection is part of a business strategy and a good mix of mass markets which are stable but of low individual value has to be planned along with high value clientele who would obtain services on retainership. “There is plenty of scope for start up companies in the field of ‘cyber security products’.
There are several small and large software products which are required by the netizens all over the world. There could be professional services rendered on call such as ‘Security Audit’, ‘Implementation of Security Audit suggestions’ as well as ‘Certification of Information Security Status of a company,” says Mr Naavi. Like in all fresh businesses, cyber security start-ups will have their own difficulty in terms of establishing trust in the market. Being a security business ‘Trust’ is more critical in this business than in any other. The gestation period for brand building is therefore high. Additionally, users still look at ‘Security’ as an ‘Avoidable Expenditure’. Evangelising and ‘Concept Selling’ is still required. Renowned cyber lawyer Pavan Duggal calls entrepreneurship in cyber security a highly under-populated sector. “Industries still don’t see it as a necessity and therefore people don’t see it as viable business. This is because, we as Indians have a notion that information has to be shared. The idea that information has to be protected still hasn’t been ingrained.” In fact, security education is in itself a huge business opportunity, he points out. Start-up firms could start something as simple as reselling security software, but there is a large untapped demand for more sophisticated services, Duggal said. “Experts in the area of data security will be desperately needed soon. There is an increasing amount of pressure on companies from the government to ensure compliance with the IT-Act. Within five years there will be a boom. We can expect to see the industry grow to 100 times the current size,” states Mr Duggal. With 21 years of experience in the information security business, cyber detective Rakesh Goyal highlights the mindset needed for the job. He says, “Besides the technical qualifications, an understanding of the business processes of the client they are catering to and an idea of the workings of the criminal mind and criminal intent is needed.” An information technology system has over 600 risk prone areas. Four hundred of these can be plugged, while the remaining 200 need to be monitored, says Mr Goyal, founder and managing director of Sysman Computers. Therefore, he says, there is a lot of business opportunities requiring a lot of people. There is also enough room for a large number of players. According to Goyal, banking, stock broking and e-governance offer ready market for cyber security services already as they have regulatory requirements to meet. The systems in these sectors need to audited by an IT security auditor empanelled by the central government's CERT-In. In the near future, hospitals and telecommunication companies will also have an increasing need for it. Duggal says airlines may start hiring security services firm because planes are often used as a weapon by terrorists. With an array of services and products demanded for the security of an increasing number of vulnerable businesses, the cyber sky is only the limit for online security firms.
(With Jacob Cherian)

Why discontent? Globalisation's made trade in services boom

Globalisation promises us best prices of goods and services available globally. All you need is their free movement across borders. But, when we discuss globalisation, we generally refer to internationally-accepted prices of goods and tend to leave services aside. Even the conflict at international meets cater to unequal treatment as far as prices (or subsidies) of goods are concerned. Why is it so?

Because, there's no conflict. The free movement of skilled labour already exists. But, the story is different for the unskilled labour. We'll leave it for some other day. Free movement is fine, but are the prices offered fair and at par with international standards? Services deserve the best prices, it's also up for sale, isn't it? And it needs to be debated at global meets. But, the issue isn't taken up. Trading in services is not discussed. Maybe, we aren't ready to accept that our services are also up for sale and should fetch the best global price, just like rice or wheat does. Take for example, the IIMs and now the IITs — they are flooded with international 'bids' for students' expertise. It's just globalisation of services, what else? What's more, many students are finding Indian bids more lucrative. It's just gives you the feel of the Great Indian Takeover as Indian cos are out with best offers, better than their global counterparts. The job market has really come of age.

Globalisation has changed the way New India perceives the job market. Long long ago, there was a concept called ‘lifers’. In simple terms, it means your job, just like your wife, should not be changed. You are married to the job — enter as a trainee and retire as the chief. Just as it happens in government services. My dad is one. And thousands like him prefer to stick to their organisations. Rolling stone gathers no moss, you see.

Times have changed, unlike my dad, my average stint in an organisation is perhaps less than a year. Shameless? Not really, this is the case with most of the new-age professionals. So, why the frequent changes? And what have they gathered? Not moss, I believe. GenY has gained double promotions, 100% salary hikes. Today, on an average, where they stand, had they followed my dad's policy, it would have taken them 10 more years. Strange, but true. Now things are done a bit differently — that's all. Sorry dad, no hard feelings.

Offers and counter-offers are what life's made up of. Good or bad — it works well with the individuals as well as the organisations. Everything boils down to matching demand and supply. Poaching, as it is called, has become a well-accepted phenomenon. The result — high attrition rate. The defence — a sleuth of anti-poaching pacts between organisations (who, in turn, poach from other companies).

The fun part is that you don't have to do anything, it will happen on its own. You just have to watch the fun — how your skills and expertise are auctioned. And, when the bidding concludes, you only hear: SOLD. Obviously, at the best price available. Please don't attach any morality with it. It's your skill set and not you that is sold to the best buyer in the free market. You are paid for your service, that's all — be it in India or abroad. It's all in the game — trade of services.
However, there are certain fear factors. First, if when your expertise is 'bought' at such a high price the organisation (in India or US) will ensure that you deliver, otherwise you are jobless. No job security — the hire and fire policy — you know. Globalisation in services has made labour laws and unions pre-historic notions. It's now a harsh world. And the fittest will survive. An excellent offer might make you feel that every dog has its day. But, at the end of it, it's a dog's life.

Dreams Unlimited

We are stuffs as dreams are made on and our little life is rounded with sleep. Why are dreams important to us even after we wake up? Why do they linger in our minds? Because, we are made up of dreams. Hang on, isn't reality all that matters? Sure it does, but what is real? What we see or feel or touch or hear — but these are electrical impulses or signals send to the brain. These are what we perceive as 'real'. Remember Morpheus in The Matrix.
It's very diffult to be sure of what's a dream. And when are we dreaming. Which world is real and what's our imaginary space? When we think we wake up, do we really wake up or start dreaming a new dream? The only difference is that this reality 'dream' has a connection. Everyday, it's a new story. There's a consistency in the plot and the characters. It's like a programme. Everyday, you can predict a bit, but there's always an element of surprise.
Our conventional dreams are irratic, haphazard and random. But we are connected to it. We react to it just as we do to a real life situations. We cry, feel good and sometimes scream in fear — nightmare. If these dreams are so unreal why does our rational mind react to these impulses.
So, should we accept this world as real just because it's programmed to match perfectly our beliefs or the given data that is fed by someone into our systems? Or should we think and focus more on our real dreams? We should try to find out if that is the real world and not a dream then what are we? And who is programming us?
If god is a super power, he might as well be an alien trying to keep us away from reality in a fake world. If it's all in the mind we can use the conventional dream to sneak peek into the other reality or the real world, maybe.
So, next time you dream, be there.

Wild Wild West — The Budget Saga

"When you shoot, you shoot, don’t talk." Remember, the Clint Eastwood starrer 1966 epic The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. It reminded me of P Chidambaram-starrer Union Budget 2007-08. Strange, but couldn't help it. Why? See, the run-up to the Budget is like a treasure hunt with every word of PC (even his gestures) are taken as clues. Corporate India, Common Man and Left-backed Common Minimum Programme (CMP) are the three contenders. Don’t call them good, back or ugly. Please. Each one eyes the treasure, the key to which belongs to PC.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly tells the story of three men seeking a fortune in buried coins, the catch being that no single one of them knows the exact location. At one stage of the film, one knows the name of the grave the coins are buried in, the other two know only the name of the graveyard. Well a clear case illustrating modern day mantra — Information Is The King. The contenders only have bits of information and ideally needed to team up to get the spoil. This way they could have easily avoided all the bloodshed and pain. Unfortunately, they fight and the fittest survives — Darwin still rules the globe. If we look closely the three contenders in our case also have bits and pieces of information and the one with the key data will come out as the winner.
A closer look will tell you that the areas of interest of the three actually overlap. Surprised? See, the CMP is basically for the Common Man but the latter is reluctant to believe that. He actually thinks that there are high chances that the CMP may hold back the economy and if that happens, he will be the ultimate sufferer. Well, globalisaton and free market economy are not that bad and isn't rocket science for our Common Man to understand. He also believes that corporates should be given support and help they need to compete globally. But, that can't be at the cost of the Common Man's income. He's happy with the support as long as his income is not axed.
Our second contender, CMP, believes it's fighting for the Common Man. Of course, it is for, by and of the people. It understands the needs of the Common Man better that he does. And it knows that Corporate India will exploit him for its bottomline.
Finally, Corporate India, which only understands profits, fails to realise what's the need for CMP. It's a free market and the fittest will survive. And with competition and takeovers reaching global standards, the great Indian takeover as they say, the economy will grow at a fast pace and Common Man will only gain in a booming economy. So, what's the problem with them growing?
So, our contenders don't really hate each other, like the movie, but are confused. This, in effect, confuses PC.
The treasure here is the document that PC will unveil on February 28. The reformer, we are sure, knows that the spoil belongs to all the three. There's no Clint Eastwood here. As a matter of fact, here all the three are the heros. So. lets see how PC, the star of this version of the Italian epic spaghetti Western, has scripted the ending of the saga. I am sure, when he’ll shoot, he will shoot and will talk too.

Kiranas Forever

Super-powered supermarkets are taking over by storm. But, unlike the perfect storm, it's not able to wash away the little corner shops better known as kirana stores. Long live the great Indian middle class, and perhaps, longer lived are these stores.
Human factor coupled with convenience makes these stores a part of the common man's daily life. These Shuklajis, Mishrajis and Hasmukhbhais (the store owners) mean more to us than mere shop owners. Have you ever wondered what's the name of a salesperson in a supermart? They know you personally, ask about your family, well-being and are also ready to give you credit, if you want. "No issues, you can pay later," they'll quip and quickly open your account.
The growing Indian middle class can't live without them. Though they are regular supermart-goers, but they will also frequent a Manoj's Multi-purpose Store, for instance. Unfortunately, the store owners aren't very secure about their long-term existence.
I quizzed a few kirana store owners across the city. What would they do if suddenly a supermart comes up just beside their store? Whether they have any defence mechanism like a cartel to resist it? Or, do they have a strategy like changing the product mix or starting a price war to tackle them? Or are they confident that their loyal customers won't let them down?
A majority of them admitted that they fear supermarkets may eventually throw them out of business. And if you shop in bulk, they lose out on the best buys that the retail chains offer. But, their doomsday won't come in the near future, kirana owners feel. They are confident on the long-term ties they have developed with the clients i.e. on the human bondage.
"It's a matter of trust that we share with our customers. Most of them have their accounts open with us and they pay us at their convenience. Moreover, they know me by my name. I don't think they can ever develop such a relationship with a supermarket," says Ganesh, owner of Tirupati Supermart in Kandivali (what's in a name).
Well, besides trust on loyalists and the human factor some also have faith in the almighty. Says Aziz Khan, a Thane-based kirana owner, "No, there's no cartel to prevent super stores from setting shops. They are far more powerful than us. But, god is with me and I believe my shop will run even if there's a mart beside it."
Well, they are right. Andheri-based Manisha Goel, a housewife, and an "account holder" in her neighbouring kirana shop says, "The best part is you can pay them later. I also buy from the super stores but there are times you don't need to shop in bulk. Say if you need just a small item in the month-end, you won't certainly go to a supermarket and use your credit card for it. Kiranas are very convenient."
But, weekend shopping at the supermarkets isn't a happy experience, feel some customers. The marts are crammed and you need to jostle your way to get the stuff. Moreover, there's a perpetually long queue at the cash counter.
Malad-based banker Ankita Ghosh says, "They even remember the FMCG brands you use. You just give them a call and they'll deliver them at your doorstep."
When asked would she still prefer kiranas if the supermart gives her home delivery, she says, "Yes, I would still go for kiranas. Because, first, I am sure the phone lines will be busy forever. Second, even if they take your call, if the quantity required is small, they'll refuse to deliver saying the total amount does not exceed their pre-determined threshold for delivery."
Despite the support from these loyal customers, the superstores have been able to hit the bottomline of these stores. "Our sales figures would have been much higher had the supermart not been there. They can offer goods at a cheaper rate because they buy in volumes. I can't beat them on the price front. But, still my shop is doing good business," says a Mulund-based shop owner Mohan.
A few shops have also started keeping mobile recharge coupons to attract more customers. Some have included ice creams, cold drinks and even cosmetics in their product mix.
However, super markets also have their share of loyalists. Mulund-resident Anita Shukla, a BPO employee, Says, "The superstore is just a 5-minute walk from my house and I shop there in bulk once a week. I save quite a lot. Kiranas can't offer me stuff at such cheap rates."
Supermarkets and kiranas can co-exist, peacefully. Though they share a common customer base, they cater to different needs of their clients and that's a specialised job. They can't replace each other.
So, they can live in harmony happily at least for a few decades, if not ever after.