LAZY 8 - A Book review

 Introduction: Thanks to my friend Harie Heffes for inspiring to finally start the YouTube channel. I met Harie through the FIREBOLT cricket team. Harie is a Cyber security professional with a dream to become a film maker and make it big in life.

 About the book: “LAZY 8” is a sci-fi based book about 2 speleologists Anora and Yadav exploring caves. Harie had spent considerable time last year talking to potential producers, yet he hasn’t got the right backing. Not being dejected, he decided to take the route of Book publishing (Drishyam Style) to reach his audience. He feels, the audience feedback will give this story the second wind and help him convince the producers on the commercial viability

 Story Highlights: The book originally written for Big Screen; hence the writing style isn’t that of conventional book writing. Its also written in simple English.

The team led by Anora and Yadav embark on exploring a cave with Pappu, a curious village boy as their guide. Despite facing numerous challenges and dwindling resources, they uncover mysterious aspect of the cave. The funding crunch, force their boss JK to halt the exploration.

 Undeterred, Anora and Yadav continue their quest secretly shifting their activities to nights. One such night, Yadav goes solo and gets lost inside the cave. Anora accompanied by Pappu, sets out to find him. Anora decides to go deep into the cave, warns Pappu to stay put and continue communicating through walkie-talkie and in emergency, use her mobile for calling for help.

Soon, Pappu realizes Anora is also lost in the mystery of the cave and decides to take matters into his own hand. He finds, an EMF machine left behind by the team for his search. With the informal training of the machine, he manages to find the duo but, in his excitement, he loses his footing, hits his head and dies.

 Panicked Anora and Yadav, dispose Pappu body within the cave and flees the scene. When calmness prevails, Anora realizes her mistake of handing her mobile. They go back to cave and are stunned to find Pappu alive and wet. What was more stunning was, Pappu doesn’t remember anything about his accident. The duo, drops him home and at home they get into deep thought and plans their next move.

 Their next move and repercussion form the rest of the story and would be a spoiler. This section alone, I felt Harie could have been crispier and he may need to rethink while filming it.

 Discussion with Harie: My conversation with Harie after reading the book was in itself an experience. I never had an opportunity like this to have creative discussion with any book author, where I could pick his mind. To be honest, I was mind-blown. Right from choosing the title “LAZY 8”, to design of the book cover, he has poured lot of creative thoughts. I am shell shocked, how a person with a hectic job, who never misses a cricket game, manages to be creative. It’s a God’s gift.

 I hope Harie’s dream of directing this story comes true. If you’re into Sci-Fi, grab your copy and share your thoughts! This talented author needs our support to keep creating. Let’s encourage talents like Harie, to entertain us with more such stories.

 Harie thank you so much, wishing you the best.

 

 

Enhancing City Public Road Transport with Advanced Technology

 As an infrequent user of public transport, the inconveniences I experience during my travels inspired me to pen this article. Common issues such as long waits for buses, difficulty in finding seats, and overcrowded conditions make journeys tiresome. It's high time the government adopts a mix of advanced technologies like IoT (Internet of Things), AI (Artificial Intelligence), NFC (Near Field Communication), and Machine Learning to make daily commutes more comfortable.

Passenger Module

Intent to Travel: Passengers can use this module to inform the transport corporation of their travel plans (destination, number of people). The corporation will read the user's location and accordingly plan the fleet services and provide Bus registration number and expected arrival time. A partial amount will be withdrawn from the passenger's wallet to ensure accountability.

Bus Tracking module: The passenger's then can track the status of bus and plan their commute to bus stand accordingly.

Ready for Pickup: Upon reaching the bus stand, passengers should confirm their arrival through this module. The corporation will verify the passenger's location using IoT and provide a QR code ticket and bus registration number. At this point, half the fare will be deducted from the passenger's wallet.

Transport Corporation Module

Reservation Module: Upon receiving a request from the passenger through the Intent to Travel module, the corporation can use machine learning to prepare a fleet service chart. They can set a minimum number of passengers required for a bus to start from the base stand and fill passengers from subsequent stands. The algorithm should rework the chart in case of no-show passengers and alert the remaining passengers if necessary.

Passenger Alert Module: As the bus nears the stand, an AI agent should call the passengers to alert them to be ready to board.

Ticket Scanning Module: Conductors equipped with QR scanners will scan the ticket shown by passengers, and the bus fare will be deducted from the passenger's wallet. After a specific wait duration, the bus will depart. If any passenger misses the bus, they will be informed by AI agents. Machine learning will rework the chart via the reservation module and analyze passenger behavior to impose penalties for repeated no-shows.

Help Desk Module: There could be tourist who are new to city ,who may not have this app in their mobile, for such users they can approach the agent at the stand for assist.

Driver Health Module: This module will monitor drivers' time and distance driven and their vitals. Drivers will be replaced based on set health standards. Continuous inputs will be analyzed to implement any necessary course corrections for better driver health.

This is a preliminary attempt to define a system that addresses problems faced by both corporations and passengers using technology. There may be practical scenarios I missed, but the goal is to improve the public transport experience.

Do let me know your thoughts and if there are similar applications available elsewhere. I would be excited to see such technology adopted in my city, encouraging people like me to use public transport more often.

A Proposal to BCCI, for the game of Cricket

This article has been cooking in my mind since India's remarkable Test series victory in Australia. A large and strong contingent of Indian cricketers played a famous and memorable Test series defeating the Australian team.The 20-21 series witnessed an injury plagued Indian team emerged victorious in a fiercely contested series, ultimately winning by score of 2-1.Numerous experts believed that Australia was defeated by what was considered to be India's B and C team.It. was during this period that a thought took shape in my mind.I hope I have not burned by over cooking thought process and you like my writing .

Cricket, as a sport, has witnessed significant evolution, adapting to multiple format that cater to different segments of cricket enthusiasts.While some nations with a history of producing champion teams are encountering difficulties in sustaining the game, others facing internal conflicts have managed to field teams that defeated cricketing powerhouses in world cups.

With its talented players and devoted fan base, Indian cricket has transformed into a prominent financial force. Such is its influence that it holds the ability to shape the future of the sport, and the individual brand value of its players can be utilized to advocate for and secure a spot in prestigious events like the Olympics. As a testament to this, the International Olympics Association has recognized the significance of cricket and intends to incorporate it into the 2028 edition of the Olympic Games.

The BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) has effectively capitalized on the game's popularity and financial potential, transforming Indian cricket into a lucrative enterprise. Not only does this benefit the BCCI itself, but it also generates substantial revenue for other cricket boards, players and cricket investors. The immense popularity of Indian cricket is evident from the packed stadiums and high broadcasting viewership whenever the Indian cricket team plays. Nevertheless, I believe that the BCCI has been fortunate in its success and still has much work to do to further develop the game within and outside of India. In this write-up, I would like to propose a few ideas for consideration. I welcome your comments and feedback on these suggestions.

Since the inception of the T20 World Cup in 2008, there has been a noticeable decline in the performance of some traditionally dominant cricket teams at the international level. This has led me to believe that teams can now be categorized into three tiers based on their quality. Shifting the focus to domestic cricket, the BCCI has been instrumental in organizing a significant number of matches. For instance, in the 22-23 season, around 1500 matches were played, and more than 1800 matches are planned for the 23-24 season across various categories including Men's, Women's,Under-25, and Under-19 matches (excluding IPL matches). However, despite this extensive domestic cricket structure, there exists a substantial gap in quality between teams like Mumbai and Assam, for example. This is an area where I believe the BCCI should intervene and support states and countries in cultivating and nurturing high-quality cricket sides.

Proposal 1: The Indian cricket team possesses a wealth of talent and depth within its player pool. To leverage this advantage, it is proposed that a season begins with three teams competing against each other. A point system would be employed and based on this , 3 proper balanced team will be formed (Team A, B and C).

A proposed structure entails Team A competing against Category A teams both at home and away, while Team B faces Category B teams in a similar manner. Team C engages in bilateral series against Category C teams in away fixtures but plays test matches in a bilateral and limited over matches in Tri/Quad series format at home. By implementing this series, cricket boards can address player burnout concerns, offer regular opportunities for other boards to face against competitive Indian team, and enhance the competitiveness of their own sides. Additionally, the BCCI can generate more revenue through this structure and allocate it towards game development. Moreover, players will benefit from increased opportunities to represent India, as more players can earn national caps and regularly participate in international cricket. This heightened competition among players ultimately contributes to their overall growth as well.

Proposal 2 : The BCCI currently operates only one high performance centre, the NCA in Bengaluru, relying on state and zonal camps to groom talented individuals. However, many Indian states with limited cricketing heritage find it challenging to assemble competitive teams for domestic tournaments. Players from these states must be then naturally blessed and lucky to be coached by passionate coaches to get attention and play for Nation. To address this disparity, it is crucial to implement periodic measures such as establishing additional high-performance centres. Priority should be given to states lacking adequate cricket infrastructure. Moreover, the BCCI should utilize its financial resources to establish sports-focused colleges that specialize in areas like sports medicine, nutrition, and skills development related to sports such as commentary, umpiring, and coaching.

Proposal 3 : There are 38 teams in the country ( I am of the opinion , we need to eliminate teams like Railways and Services as in yester year players took to sports to get jobs in these sectors which may not be the case going forward ) . We should replace these teams with 2 associate nations. BCCI conducts both red ball and White ball tournaments for Women , Men, age category, and college tournaments All major tournaments for Men , should be extended to the Women players. Ranji Trophy, which is the premier red ball tournament for Men, is currently played in Elite, Plate division format, which I believe, will only further the skill gap between the team, instead should follow the Syed Mushtaq Ali format of having 5 groups and teams within the group playing each other once , top 2 from each team qualifying for Knockout. A similar format should be adopted for  age group also.

Last year or before , I saw Mumbai team tour Oman and play them before their start of the domestic season, this should be adopted by all teams , wherein they go on foreign tours giving players exposure on foreign soil, which will not help boost the national base of players but help associate nations in their cricketing journey.

Proposal 4 : When reflecting on an exceptional cricket match, we often appreciate outstanding batting or bowling performances, but we tend to overlook the essence of a joyous crowd and the captivating voices of expert commentators, especially when watching on TV. Indian domestic cricket has long missed the vibrant atmosphere created by a live crowd and the magic woven by commentators. The BCCI should consider taking steps to bring back the excitement of the crowd. One way to engage the crowd is by waiving the entry fee for domestic matches. Taking inspiration from countries like New Zealand, where crowds are rewarded for catching sixes hit towards them, we should explore similar initiatives. For instance, lucky attendees of domestic matches could receive tickets for international matches, enjoy special experiences like lunch with superstar players, spend a day with Indian cricket team or receive signed memorabilia from them. Another suggestion to enhance the fan experience is to legalize in-ground betting. For example, spectators could contribute a small amount, like 5 rupees, which would be pooled together. Winners would then be chosen through a lucky draw, and the prize money would come from the collected pot. These ideas present a unique opportunity for fan engagement and adds to the overall excitement of the game. By implementing these ideas, the BCCI can create a more captivating and inclusive atmosphere for domestic cricket matches, reinvigorating the joy of being a part of the live crowd and heightening the overall experience for cricket enthusiasts. 

I am proposing these to BCCI, as an ardent fan of cricket.World cups , may be a good tournaments to popularize the game , but it is not enough for taking the game forward.I feel BCCI should grab the opportunity at hand , which  ECB and ACB missed in the past, to propel the game of cricket to new heights domestically and internationally.

Time for e-Voting

“Every elections is determined by the people who show up “– Larry J Sabato

Elections is an important process in any democratic country. Right to Vote is an important right to given to any Indian who turns 18, which should be exercised. However we see from the voter turnout elections after elections is that this right is not fully utilized by all of us. There are many reasons to this.

In India, there are many types of elections. Indians vote in General elections to elect the Members of Parliament, in assembly elections, they elect the Members of State Legislative assembly, in Panchayat and City Corporation elections, the Panchayat and Corporation members are elected. There are also By-elections which is conducted if the earlier elected representative couldn’t continue for the term. With these many elections happening, the migrant community of Indians both inside and outside of India may not be in a position to travel back every time for exercising their right.

India witnessed one of the largest General elections in 2019, and with each passing elections, it is becoming bigger. An eye popping statistics below (credit Wikipedia)

1.       Elections was conducted in 7 phases
2.        911 million people were eligible
3.        Overall voter turnout was 67 %, which was highest
4.        Highest ever participation by women
5.        A total of 3.96 million EVM in 1,035,918 polling stations was used
6.        Approximately 270,000 paramilitary & 2 million state police personnel provided security for this mammoth polls

Despite such elaborate provisioning only 67 % voted. I belong to the 33 % of voters who didn’t exercise my right. I was outside India and couldn’t fly to vote. Many like me, who still respect the electoral system are left out of this festivity due to not having alternate provision.

A very few percentage of Indians have the options to cast their vote through postal system, which now being extended by an amendment of Election rules, 1961. This will allow, any citizen aged above 65 years and those infected with Coronavirus/suspected of having the infection can vote by postal ballot. State of Bihar, could see this amended rule being implemented, as otherwise they would need more booths and personnel to conduct a fair and social distancing adhering poll to ensure the safety of the people.

This news along with the news title “How Estonia’s digital society became a lifeline during COVID -19” took me back to year 2007, when I was in my final year of Engineering.

As part of degree, we are supposed to do a project showcasing our ability in engineering. I like many other graduates, approached a project centre for help. My project coordinator presented with a catalogue of ideas for the project, from which one idea caught my attention. “Online Voting using Fingerprint Sensor”, on enquiry I understood that apart from sensor nothing else relates to my field of specialization. I was somewhat fixed and couldn’t think of any other idea for doing the project. I, after couple of days thinking and convincing my project team and department staff went ahead with this idea. I was proud of the output and as a team we could successfully demonstrate the working model to the external supervisor to pass the degree. Like many ideas turned projects, this didn’t see any further light as I moved on with life, but to be honest every now and then I think of this.

After the success story of Estonia and current trend of seeing anything and everything being moved to digital platform, I see a ray of hope for my project and if this article could catch the attention of any influential think-tank or the election commission , I see myself voting from anywhere in the world for electing my representative to power.

By deploying such digital system, there are many advantages

1.       Countries can gives its eligible citizens a chance to participate in the electoral process
2.        Reduces the physical infrastructure required for conducting polling
3.        Reduced timeline/phases for conducting polling
4.        Reduced personnel and cost
5.        Ensure free and fair elections

This system being digital has an eminent risk, which is the possibility of hacking by exploiting the flaws of the system, however this can be  overcome by tightening the system and even if such hacks happen, the possibility of identifying and re-conducting of polls can be done easily and quickly

My project was only built to be accessed from computer, which can be enhanced for mobile version. My project worked on the principle of recognising the finger print of the voter and displaying the candidates list of his/her constituency and recording the vote. All that is possible today, as Election commission can utilise the UIDAI database which is being used by the government for various other schemes. Any organisation, which employees more than 10 should make provision to allow their employees to cast their vote. Election commission with a period of time, can create confidence in the system and thereby allowing even individuals sitting at home vote, just like today how they are doing transactions in banks and ordering food. You still may not achieve 100 % turnout, but you give opportunity for citizen like me to exercise their rights.

End of my dream...

Dear Mentor/Influencer/Friends,

“When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it” – Paulo Coelho

I joined Maveric in February 2008 as LIBA Trainee as part of LIBA 5 batch. Until that day, never did I think of doing a management course in a reputed institute like LIBA. That day brought a change in me, I started to dreaming logical dreams and Maveric has helped me in achieving all of it.  12 years and 3 months later, I look back with admiration the numerous opportunities that crafted my career from a LIBA Trainee to what I am today.

In this duration (dream), I was fortunate to be associated with Maveric’s who were passionate in whatever task they do, thereby making this a great place to work and grow. Lot of you have personally touched my life with positivity and care. With few simple words, I don’t believe I could express my feelings to them. I commit to them that; I would continue to find opportunities to spread the positivity and care in others’ lives.

The decision to wake up from this dream, had surprised many, who had known me closely. In the 3 months’ notice period, many had tried to talk me out of this decision, but I felt, this is the right time to wake up.

I am now getting prepared for another dream with the hope that it will be as sweet as this dream. I would like to thank, appreciate all my seniors, peers and juniors who have helped me live the dreams, allowing me to enjoy and stay for the period I wanted in those.

I would like to wish each one of you, ALL THE HAPPINESS in the world. I wish, MAVERIC a sustained, incremental growth in the years to come.


Signing off as an Employee of Maveric systems, with a promise to remain Maveric for Life…

Wake up Call

Wake up Call 1: One of the first impression, you get when you go to any tier 1 city in India, is how congested it is. Ease of doing business, made many big companies of India choose these cities. These companies lobbied with the government for rolling out policies, which brought in allied industries to the same place. Government policies made more companies to opt for the same place. With each companies being opened, more and more people started migrating. These cities have reached a stage wherein life in these cities is choking, but people here don’t have much choice other than to live with it. Government on its part is trying to enhance the living conditions but I always feel these are temporary solutions. Many past events have exposed the structural problem of these cities but unlike Covid, they were not successful in breaking the resilience of the people. Covid, has brought these cities to standstill forcing the migrant workers to go back to their hometown. I feel, this is a golden situation for government to correct many of the past mistakes and even out the growth across cities, thereby reducing the burden on tier 1 cities in India. Today India has better infrastructure and capital which can be made available for companies to flourish from tier 2, 3 & 4 cities. Without touching the agricultural lands in India, government can make available lands for industries to cater to the demands of India and the world. I sincerely hope, industries wake up to utilize the opportunity being provided to have a sustained developmental growth.

Wake up Call 2: Everybody wants a good return on the money they spend. We would opt for a product/service if it is one rupee less. Chinese companies provided us products which was seen as value for money. China flooded markets including India first with products which didn’t have durability but was cheap. Upon capturing the markets, they quickly cemented their supremacy with their engineering capabilities. Quality products still at a cheaper rate are being provided by these Chinese players, which pushed local complacent players to the periphery in their own markets. Local players kept complaining and influencing government to hold on to the market without much focus on R&D to match the Chinese competition, but these didn’t have any effect, as Chinese players were able to provide product at cheap cost despite paying higher duties. Common people, who were not affected by disruption of their local industries preferred these Chinese products, as they were getting value for their money. The recent border dispute and unfortunate loss of our soldiers life, has brought in a change in mindset and there is an emotion prevalent across the country to boycott the Chinese products. Government, which is already faced with reverse migrations of people to the Hindi heartland, is seen to be taking steps to create employment by rolling out beneficial policies for Industries which wants to set up their units. Global companies which are having units in China are being wooed to move their business to India. The local players, who were sidelined have to grab this glimmer of an opportunity to produce goods in India which gives value for money being spend. It is easier said than done, as this is huge battle to be won against the superiors and capital rich Chinese companies. Government tough stand coupled with strong sentiments of the people should be the nitro-booster used by these companies to catch up with these companies. There wouldn’t be a better time than this.

My Covid Katha

This photo is of significance. This father and son photo was taken after me adhering to 14 days of room quarantine (not home quarantine), after I had to travel from Mumbai to Chennai.

I had to travel to Mumbai in the month of March for a short duration engagement. I was supposed to be back home well before my son’s 1^st birthday, but supreme power had different ideas. Towards end of March, with covid cases increasing the government decided to impose lockdown across the country, forcing us all to be confined to our homes. I had an opportunity to travel back to Chennai, but I decided to stay put in Mumbai considering the risk of carrying the virus back. I didn’t expect the situation to worsen further and looking back the decision to not travel was a poor one.

As days passed, the count of people getting affected by the virus was exponentially increasing and Mumbai was leading the pack. This brought in lot of tension at home. I would be asked on a daily basis on the plan to come back, for which I didn’t have any answer. The frustration level at both side grew to an extent, I decided not to speak to my family members.

Government went about with its lockdown measures which along with the increasing cases had telling effect on the people of this country. People were desperate and tried whatever possible ways to go back to home and seeing those on TV was painful, least to say.I too tried few safe options like applying e-pass to travel by private car but couldn’t get the approval. Desperation from my family members were passed on to my relatives, who started contacting me , their opinion were also tried by me, but there was no improvement in my situation and I continued to be struck in Mumbai. I was in peace with myself and knew that I would have to wait for the lockdown to be lifted to join my family back.

As expected, government came up with measures to ease lockdown as we all started to accept the fact that, we have to live with the virus. Train services were announced but to my dismay, the trains were operated from Capital to selected cities. I had to continue staying in Mumbai and continue with the work, wait for further relaxation of travel. After a wait of 2 more weeks, government decision to allow flight travel brought much needed relief.

Covid cases were continuing to raise with newer highs being reached across the country. My managers cautioned and advised me to stay put in Mumbai and avoid travelling, but I was stern in my decision to travel back as I didn’t see Mumbai curbing the rise in the spread of infection. I through my office admin team, booked for an 11 am flight, as this allowed me time to be prepared for the new procedure to be followed at airport. 2 other roommates in my PG had also booked to travel their home town. There was a sense of relief and elation amongst us. Mine and another roommate’s elation though were short lived, as our flights got cancelled. I was not going to sit dejected, without wasting much time I booked for late evening flight for the same day. I slept a nervous sleep not knowing if this flight will also be cancelled. My fears, came true as this flight also got cancelled. Through my admin person, I understood that there was lack of patronage for Mumbai-Chennai route and airline operators were forced to cancel these flights.  What more could I do, I didn’t know. I informed my family about the flights being cancelled and went back to my work, I again went into radio silence , only person I communicated was my admin guy, whom I kept bothering to book the travel back to Chennai. Travelling from Mumbai to Chennai was now like travelling to any European state, with travel time being 17-18 hours and it was an overnight journey. I had to ensure that I don’t get infected during these travel and avoided such itineraries. Opening up of Hyderabad sector proved to be the turning point, as this route allowed me to Chennai with shorter time period. A nervous me, undertook the travel not knowing what more hurdles I would need to face. I took this travel by not informing my family, as I didn’t want to make them more desperate. All sign favoured me, and thanks to   Indigo airlines, the travel was safe and smooth.

There are plenty of stories filled with agony and in comparison, you may not see my katha to be no way closer to those stories, but let me remind you that I and my family had to undergo anxiety for no reason of ours. My intention with this blog is to re-iterate the commitment each one of us have towards the safety of our family and our society. Government is in unlock down phase, wherein they are allowing opening up of required workplaces with necessary safety measures.  They are also allowing religious institution to open. Like the decision taken by government to enforce lock down, these decisions are also being heavily criticised. Friends, there are people who violated the lock down decision and there are people who are staying in home and only venturing out when the need is of utmost importance when the government has relaxed the conditions. I have decided to adhere to the safety measures and request you, who is reading this to post to adhere also. This will help the government and medical people to protect us from this pandemic situation.

Better me, Better us  and together let us build a better living world.

Who Mugged him?

“How Secure is contactless payment? 4 common misconceptions”– An article in money control. I read this article 3 day back and from that time, I have been itching to write this post.

Banks have robust systems which can track every single rupee being transacted using its systems. It has different department to take care to monitor it. Despite all this, you could be like my friend, who could lose money through the cards provided by the bank and find not much help from the bank in recovering the money. Yes, this post of mine is about the ordeal my friend underwent when he was mugged in Paris, France.  Yes! such petty crime does happen in an advanced society like Paris.

January 2020, would never be forgotten by my friend or me, as I was with him through this difficult time.

Paris was undergoing one of its worst transport strikes, thereby making our commutation difficult. We couldn’t go and visit many historical places and have a pleasant memory of this trip. We ended up with a bad memory. We had stayed close to 2 months in this place and we started craving for authentic south Indian food. We heard about this place which housed many famous restaurants from our state and decided to try. There were many good restaurants in this place and nothing much else to do, we decided to try these restaurants for the remaining weekends we had. The first Sunday it went well and we were relieved to have our style food. The disaster struck us in the next week, when we decided to hit this place on a Saturday afternoon. To reach this place, we had to change trains, these trains were being operated for limited time due to the strike. Owing to the strike and being a Saturday, there was a huge crowd in the transit station. My friend kept reminding me to be careful with the wallet. As the train halted at the station and after lot of people getting out, we along with the huge crowd tried our luck to board the train. After trying and realizing that it is difficult to board, we retracted, only for my friend to realize that he lost his purse.

Within minutes of he being robbed of his purse which had multiple credit & debit cards along with identity proofs, and we realizing what to be done, he started getting sms of money being withdrawn. We both started contacting the customer care numbers to block the card to avoid further activity on the card, but couldn’t get through as we were getting automatic response saying the numbers are not valid. By searching the internet and repetitive calls, we were only able to block 1 card and during this time, my friend had already lost close to 4.5 lakh INR(21000 AED plus 15000 INR). One Indian bank had put a temporary block after one withdrawal, we also got some time to successfully block the other cards due to greediness of the fraudster, who was trying bigger denominations. After multiple attempts we managed to block the cards.

All our excitement of the day turned into gloom and we decided to go back to our room and decide the next course of action. On our way back, we reluctantly called a client side person to seek suggestion, she advised us to register a police complaint.

We as common man, have apprehension in going to a police station, blame it on films and news we hear and see. With such apprehension, my friend visited the police station and had to experience a long queue to register the complaint. He understood that many in this queue were unfortunate people like him who were mugged at various metro stations. He also saw one Indian, still frantically trying the customer care number of his bank to block the cards, this guy had lost close to 10 lakh INR. My friend's experience with the police was good, wherein they took his complaint and help him with multiple copies of official documents, so that he could use it for substantiating his story with banks and government departments (he had lost government issued proofs also). Police also told him they will check with the metro station video feed and if they nab the culprit, they will call him and suggested him not to frequently visit the police station. The last statement, brought back the apprehension and when checked with client, our fear was substantiated. We were told that; this is the best you can expect from the police.

 Armed with the police provide documents, we contacted the banks from India and Abu Dhabi to register the fraud claim on the money swiped from the cards. Abu Dhabi bank, had a bot to guide us on registering the fraud and after that case was registered, the call was transferred to the customer care representative, who further advised us to email the soft copy of the police complaint along with the claim form which had details of transaction which we wanted to dispute. Bank from India had also advised us to follow the same steps.

 We are quality assurance professionals, who have worked for such bank project implementation and know what happens during such dispute process. With this knowledge, he waited for the banks to respond.

Bank from India (15k INR) were the first to respond positively and acknowledged the dispute. The money was returned to my friend. The bank from Abu Dhabi, took time and had to be followed up before they responded. There was no positive response from the bank and we couldn’t reach the right team to reverse this decision.

From the day of response till mid of march, my friend had to run from pillar to post to make the Abu Dhabi bank to reconsider his case and reverse the decision. In meantime he had to arrange for the money and pay the bank to avoid penal charge amount. Our manager in Abu Dhabi was also helpless, as bank didn’t entertain the complaint from him and wanted my friend to visit the branch and lodge the complaint. After lot of explanation and follow up, bank finally relented to refer the cases to VISA, this gave my friend a ray of hope. VISA also took time to investigate the case, but didn’t give a positive response. Bank has also categorically refused to further investigate the case.

The reason given by bank and VISA is that, the transaction had happened by entering the PIN and hence the claim for dispute can’t be entertained. The fraudster, we believe had sophisticated simulators which helped him crack the PIN and withdraw the amount from multiple shop POS machines, which otherwise is impossible.

My friend during this time also tried to get help from French police to recover the money. He gave evidences of the Shop and the location (We googled with details in SMS to locate the shop) and requested them to investigate. To his disappointment, he was told by police that, they can’t investigate anything as there was no video evidence maintained in the Metro station and can’t go to these shops (which were in 1 km radius of this station), instead he was again given copies of same set of documents and asked to follow up with the bank.
Friends, I am not writing this to earn sympathy for my friend who has and is undergoing hard time in paying back the amount, but to warn you about the ordeal you could undergo in similar situation. After reading this post, who do you think mugged him, is it the fraudster, or the police or the banks. Banking systems are designed to prevent frauds and help people banking with them to safeguard the money.

Role of QA in Transformation engagement

This blog of mine is about the role of QA in a transformation engagement. I have written the same through my own experience and the experienced shared by my colleagues and seniors. Please give your feedback, correct me wherever I am wrong.

Trigger for writing this blog has been the article shared by my brother. The article is titled “Yin & Yang in Testing”.

IT projects are majorly classified as Transformational projects or Upgrade projects. Transformational project means, transforming from the current systems/practices to a newer qualified system. A project could be taken by organization due to various number of reasons. Revenue generating department could demand for systems which aid them to generate more revenue or the management could decide to bring in better systems to overcome operational challenges or to reduce cost.

Revenue generating teams, which mainly will be the Business users could have a large say in the budget for the project and what they expect in the new system. Technology team could have a say in what technology/product to invest in. They could also influence in the decision of whether to for in-house development or to purchase a product and customize to meet the requirements.

Success of such implementations dependent on the collaboration of both the teams. During the course of the project, there could be lot of clash of views, as Business would try to get the maximum out of the systems, whereas the technology team will have their challenges in implementing all the business requirements.

QA team, which reports to the head of technology team plays a crucial role and has to do a balancing act in such implementations.

In the Middle East market, from where I gained my experience, majority of such transformation engagements still continue to follow the traditional waterfall model of delivery, with certain clients attempting more modern development model. QA team, whether it is the in-house team or outsourced have to be the bridge between the technology and business team.  They have to liaise with the build team to understand the architecture of the implementation and on the other hand have to liaise with Business analyst, in their absence directly with business to understand the expectations.

The team, at least majority of them are not involved right from the conceptual stage of the project and have to rely on the documents made available to them. The team don’t have the luxury of time to ascertain whether these documents have captured the business expectations to the fullest. During the course of engagement, they have to remain unattached from the technology team and business team. However, they have to be mindful of what the technology team can deliver and how much of this meets the business expectation. The team has to bargain with IT team when they find gaps in the delivery, convince the business by explaining the limitations of the products.

Success of QA team lies in how they navigate the above challenges by continuously balancing both technology and business expectation. A successful QA team, will adhere to time tested processes, lay out clear objectives and should know to successfully YIN & YANG in the context of below points.

-Understanding a Software under test

-Designing Testing scenarios and cases

-Using the cases, to evaluate the software under test

Author of the article is titled “Yin & Yang in Testing” has clearly explained the YIN & YANG in the context of above points via a beautiful pictorial article. Please refer to the same.

Bias,Lies & Politics

After reading my previous post "Leadership Skills : an important skill for a successful manager", a good friend of mine, whastapped me to appreciate. He also put forth a question: “can a Manager be biased, indulge in office politics and Lie? “

While thinking of the answer, 2 characters from Mahabharata came to my mind. Let me reintroduce them to you.

Sri Krishna:  He played multiple roles in this epic story, he mentored, motivated, safeguarded the Pandeva’s.  He wanted to play a crucial role in this epic to retell the Bhagavad gita, which was being forgotten by the mankind. He recited the same to Arjun, when he was in the most vulnerable state of mind, which was during the Kursekthra war. Krishna had to be biased towards Arjun and Pandeva’s, do politics and lie many a times before and during the war. Pandeva’s victory in the war was not possible without Krishna’s role.

Shakuni: Prince of Kingdom of Gandhar, who couldn’t learn all warfare’s like many other princes of his time due to his physical limitations. A helpless brother had to see her sister Gandhari being forcefully married to Dhritarastra by the mighty Bheesma, who had to use pressure tactics on this small kingdom. He on the very same day, took a pledge to destroy the Kuru dynasty. He decided to stay with his sister to accomplish the same. During his stay, he could see, how the wise men’s of Hastinapur where plotting against his sister’s family and son’s. He took it upon himself to protect them using his sharp and cunning brain. This resulted in numerous clashes between Kaurava’s and Pandeva’s and the epic war.



Both Krishna and Shakuni succeeded in their objective but the action of one has had progress of mankind and the other brought an end to a dynasty.



Now coming back to my friend’s question. Yes, you can as a manager be biased, lie and play politics, if it does good for the project and the team involved, thereby having a positive impact for the company. No, you shouldn’t be biased, lie, play and allow politics if it to satisfy your ego thereby having detrimental effect on the company.



Managers or leaders are also humans, whatever be their actions, they are going to be seen as person who is biased to a set of people. Are you as manager, biased, because they are performers and future leaders or because they blindly listen to whatever you say, even if you are wrong.

Both Pandeva’s and Kaurava’s were cousins to Sri Krishna, but he had a liking towards Pandeva’s and amongst them he had a special liking to Arjun. Dharmaraj Yudhishthira was not chosen but Arjun was chosen to listen to Bhagavad gita. Shakuni too had liking towards Duryodhana and Dushasanna compared to the other Kaurava’s, as their behaviour and actions perfectly suited his plan. Similarly, in work, leaders tend to pick/side with people, who will help them to meet their objectives.

Many of us would have experienced bias, politics at work. If the experience has been good, you tend to not speak about it, if the experience hasn’t been good, you tend to blow the trumpet and ensure it is spoken in cafeteria’s.

 Are you a performer who want to be recognized by a leader like Krishna or are you an obsequious person who would resort to flattery to be in good book of a leader like Shakuni. To be Arjun or Yudhishthira or Duryodhana or Dushasanna, is in your hands. Based on your character and career growing choice, a leader will pick you up. You want to be benefited or face decline in your career is solely in your hand.

Leadership Skills : An important skill for a successful Manager

Companies direct expectation on managers is to deliver a project within the scope, schedule, cost and effort. A manager is rated as good, if he/she has the knowledge and capability to deliver the project with the above said parameters. Many a times, an individual strive hard to equip themselves with knowledge either through various courses available in market or being associated with another successful manager. The person tries to emulate the learning in a project but might have limited success, as I believe obtaining/possessing of these skills doesn’t make a person good manager. Apart from the skills, you need to know how to effectively lead people.

You as a manager may or may not possess skills, time required to complete a project and hence your organization assembles a team. Most of the time, you don’t get to choose the team that you end up working with.

This post of mine, discuss certain points on how to lead a team which may or may not share the same vision as you in a project. How you get them to work within the defined boundaries of the project will determine the success of you as manager, who is fondly remembered by your team.

There is a famous saying in Tamil

“Aadura Maata, Aadi than karakonam, Paadura Maata Paadithan karakonam”

This means a restless cow must be milked by force and a gentle cow must be milked with kindness.

Similarly, in a project, you would have people with different characteristics, different skills. Knowing what is required to get the best out of them is the foremost point to be focused. There aren’t one size fits all leadership method. Knowing each associate at the early stage of the project allows you to tailor your approach.  If you are required to manage a large team, it is impossible to know each associate inside out, hence it is essential to know your direct reports thoroughly and through them get to know the team.



Plan time for familiarization: Most organization/Manager during estimation for a project don’t factor time for familiarization and later struggle to find time. It is highly important to budget for time during the planning stages. Each Manager has his/her method of knowing the team. Some use formal scientific method whereas some prefer probing talks. Based on the method, budget the time. The most important thing to remember is to utilize this time effectively and not to consume this time for other project related activity.

Context setting of Project:

“Than Ratathin Oru Pathi Paalaka Piripathu Pasumatin Vellaiyappa” – a line from song from a super hit Tamil film “Annamalai”


Similar to this the project team mates put their heart and soul into the project, spend blood, sweat and tears in delivering the project. While doing this, what frustrate them the most is the feeling of working without understanding the context of the project. As their leader, it becomes your duty to give them the better understanding of the overall project purpose and objective.

Kick-off meeting shouldn’t be done just to tick the checkbox in the project management documents, but should be effectively used to detail out the plan for the project. Whenever there is change in the project or new team member is added to the project, the objective should be reiterated. An organization takes up a project with certain overarching objectives and if you are able to connect that with the team, then your job in making the project successful is half done.



There are other wise people in Project: Most manager behave as the sole custodian of the project and end up complicating and creating burdens for themselves and others in the project. Organizations hire/train people and place them in project and it will be beneficial for managers to remember that the team given to you is not completely novice at work. They might have experience in working in similar type of engagement or bring to table experience which need to be utilized. Involving them in various stages and soliciting their feedback at regular interval could help in making things better in a project.



Don’t Micromanage the team: According to me, lack of trust in team makes you to micro manage things and making it a living hell for the team to work. Trust the team in executing the plan laid out with their own judgement could augur well for the project and the team. You shouldn’t be cut off from the team and shouldn’t be seen as someone who tracks the project in systems or excels. By just having periodic check-in meeting to be aware of progress, in which you ask questions to know the health and give valuable feedback could mushroom future leaders for your organization.

You are a LEADER:

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more “– Jim Rohn

By virtue of leading/managing a project wherein the team spends considerable duration of their career, they look up to you for many things. Team members look up to for Inspiration, Motivation, Constructive feedback, guidance and some see a role model in you. Just like how your association with a successful manager shaped your career, many in your team would like to associate with you. It becomes your moral responsibility to provide them with their requirement. In course of the project, you too can be benefitted with constructive feedback which you should be glad to be receiving.



A manager’s success is dependent on the success of the team. I believe by looking and applying these points while managing a project, you could be viewed as a leader by your organization. I am in this constant endeavour to be recognized as a leader, How about you?

  

Why can’t I not have an opinion as Celebrity?

Is the question Katrina Kaif asked, joining the growing list of new age celebrities who are challenging the journalists who have been forcing them to express their view on topics of national interest.

If you have watched any of the Film promotion interview, the journalist ask the actors not only questions about their role and experience of working in the film, but also ask these celluloid stars to comment on the current affairs. The same comments are distorted according to the journalist talent for words and are both published and telecast to catch the eyeballs of the public. Dodging of these questions is also made into revenue generating articles and episodes.

People of our country can make a person a hero, if he/she represent or support their view; otherwise you see them use the filthiest language to belittle the person. A person who had been worshiped ,could quickly disowned by the same fans. Rajnikanth is biggest example for it.

Actors need to be respected and left alone, if they don’t feel like commenting on a topic. Channels and Magazines already have many means of keeping the TRP high, like wardrobe malfunctions, commenting on the dress worn for award nights, linking of co-actors and tearing their private life.

On the other hands, actors should also maintain consistency of not reacting or commenting on current affairs or take political sides by favoring any person or party. They shouldn’t be using their star value to influence people.  If you still want to use your stardom to payback your benefactors, then chose the right forums for it. By choosing to be careless of forum, you are asking for trouble, as well as allowing people to generalize your fellow actors.

Journalist can’t be entirely blamed, as they are forced to such dirty tricks by their paymasters. If this trend has to be ended, it is in the hands of these actors to think and act judiciously. You dont have to be the next MGR, Jayalalitha or NTR.

Roger's Muddled thought

Roger Federer, the player with most number of singles Grand slam titles in open era for a male player, has decided to skip the French open 2017 and most of clay court tournaments to concentrate on the grass court seasons.

This decision to skip a Grand slam in a year, wherein he is having a dream run has really surprised me.  Unless injured, I don’t see any other reason for him to skip a Slam. He could have his own reasons or being advised by his set of advisers for skipping the French open, wherein his record is not enviable as other slams. I though disagree with his reasoning and if I was he, would have given my best shot to win the slam.

Roger should consider, this year’s French open as his best chance to add to his tally of 18 slams and improve his record in the Clay. Roger’s improved fitness and with many of top ranked players not showing the consistency, he should consider only Nadal, his nemesis and king of clay as the biggest threat. His recent success against Nadal and improvement in his game should instill the required confidence to defeat him once more, if required and go on to lay his muddy hands on the trophy. This could be a double delight for Roger as well as his fans. Winning this year’s tournament, could have enhanced his legacy.

Roger is not getting younger and I am not sure, how many more opportunity he will get in French open to add to his sole trophy.  If, he doesn’t go on to win any more French open, it would continue to question his supremacy of tennis over all surfaces.

I don’t know , if it is too late to reverse the decision, if not I would urge him to reconsider and play these muddy tournaments to have a happy retirement and leaving nothing for critics to dig upon.

IPL- Edition of X Factor

IPL –X has caught my attention unlike few of gone by seasons. For an innocent viewer & lover of any game of cricket, this season has provided the much needed entertainment, wherein we had got to witness plenty of individual brilliance, collective contributions leading to many close encounters.

We are in the last day of league matches and we are yet to identify teams which will play the Playoffs. This proves the competitiveness of this league.

Mumbai Indians players have put their hands up and made them counted in whatever opportunity they have got and repaid the faith the team management had, thereby making the selection process look brilliant. They have become the first team to comfortably qualify and top the table.

The Knight Riders and Sun risers have been brilliant on most of the days to earn a spot in the playoffs, but will have nail biting time and wouldn’t know their fate until the King’s XI versus Rising Pune Giants match gets over. This match could shake up the table position.

Whichever be the teams playing the playoffs, there is one fourth possibility of new team being crowned the Champions. I for the, underdog have been supporting the Preity’s Kings and hope they qualify for the playoffs and go on to be crowned Champions.

Rising Pune Giants under the leadership of Smith, also stand a chance to claim their maiden title. Their title winning effort could further spice up the post edition discussions of future conduct of the league.

The X factor of IPL will continue even after this edition comes to a closure. There are plenty of questions lingering in the minds of IPL fans, about the future of the teams and the fate of players, who have played their hearts out to create fan base for their team. I expect plenty of actions in the boardrooms before we move to the next phase of IPL.

With lot of excitement and expectation, I look forward for remainder of this edition and course it takes to remain a competitive league, which has something for anyone associated with it.

Its NERAM

Contribution to the world of Arts & Literature by the Varma community from Kerala has been significant. I, Adarsh Varma have been both proud and dejected of this history. Proud, of the fact that I belong to family which has made telling contribution, and dejected because my contribution towards the continuation of this legacy has been a big ZERO. But one person in my family who has been relentlessly trying to contribute has been Shabareesh Varma and it is his NERAM now to shine.

Has his NERAM come?

 

I and Shabareesh are of the same age and have always found him to be hyperactive, witty and incredibly talented from our childhood days. He seems to have an ambition of making a name for himself in the world of cinema, which brought him to Chennai to do a course in the field of Sound. He was also lucky to have liked minded friends who too wanted to contribute to world of cinema. Despite being in the same city for 4 years i haven’t been to see him and he absents himself from even our family get together as he use to spend his NERAM in labs working on the providing quality sounds to films. His association with the film industry enabled to get him a break in a film titled “NERAM”.

 NERAM is a bilingual starring ‘Thattathin Marayathu’ famed Nivin pauly. Shabareesh would be the second hero in this film and has also sung 2 songs for this film. The promo song which has been sung by him is a peppy number has really created hype for this film which is getting released in the month of May. I am sure that this jolly song will give him the break is wanted and I hope his performance in the film will bring in more meaningful role his way.

With more film under his kitty I expect him to establish a strong presence in the industry which will help him in getting a chance in direction which I hear from other relatives is his preference. Film world is a place for survival of the fittest and I hope Chabbi as we call him is strong enough to survive and make good movies which is appreciated by critics and film goers.

I am happy to share his song through this blog and wish him a wonderful career ahead. Shabareesh you are a flag bearer for our next generation.

Folks enjoy this song and share your comments. Please also watch this film in theaters ….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuuypjzzqRw&feature=youtu.be

The Beggar

Today while travelling from thrissur to pazhainoor by bus i happened to witness an unpleasing act by my fellow passengers; this was repeated by another set of passengers in my return journey. On reaching home i shared my unhappiness with aunts and uncles and found out to my dismay that it has become a routine on this route.

What was it are you wondering? If you are a keralite and have travelled in this route you might have seen it too, who knows you too would have done it.

People of kerala have become immensely rich that they have started tossing coins from their seat in bus to the creator of mankind the GOD ,thus making him a beggar seated inside a place called temple which was considered a place of worship by our ancestors, what made the scene even more ugly for outsider like me was that of temple personal catching these coins showing his desperation to increase the bank balance of his boss(read as god). 

Hundis were placed in temples for worshippers to drop their offering to the almighty, slowly it became a collection centre where some people deposited god's share for helping them realize their wishes or as advance money for the help he is going to do. I accepted these activities as this money was used for conducting various rituals at the temple thus maintaining the positive vibration of that place. People should realize that by tossing the coin they are not pleasing rather belittling the very source of his existence, god has never demanded you for shares so if you don’t have the patience to get down from your vehicle and drop your offering please don’t throw coins and disrespect him and thus disrespect yourself.  

Was that a Great Advertisement?

Darren Sammy portrayed himself to be most relived man in world today after his team avoided a defeat at the hands of Indians in the third test which was a dead rubber. None would have expected such a finish on the final day after what was dished out on the first four, but that is test cricket as experts would say -where every session is important. The captain of the team which had scored close to 600 runs and had a healthy lead of more than 100 during his post-match presentation said this was great advertisement for game of cricket and which was agreed by many people who would have watched he turn of events through this test.

Great advertisement- was it? No! I would never call this match a great advertisement to the game, instead I would like to point out that the West Indian team is not a worthy opponent against whom we could expect thrilling matches, they despite having first innings lead twice in this series have let their opponent crawl back and secure the series 2-0.Media and cricket board sponsored commentators through their repeated expert view can create a pseudo feeling of greatness about these kinds of matches and sell the game.

Analyzing the history of any competitive sports would point to us that no nation can dominate any popular competitive sport for lengthy time, the decline of one nation has seen the rise of set of other nations which would have enabled that sport to move forward in terms of competitiveness which in turn would increase the passion among fans and thus increasing the popularity. Unfortunately for cricket no new nations have taken the mantle from leaders like West Indies and Australia in moving the game forward. Had countries like Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Netherland, Kenya, and Scotland put a strong team which they have failed to do, we wouldn’t have seen a year like this where teams like India and England had to play back to back series against each other. Money generated today have neither being used properly in expanding the game in newer countries nor have it been used to expand the infrastructure of existing nations.

Fatigue and boredom has set amongst the fans watching meaningless series being played by the same set of nations. Excitement would be temporary with small tweaks of changes like introduction of power play in one day games or bowling with different set of balls from two ends, day and night test and test championship which has been proposed would ignite the interest amongst fans for quite a while but cannot sustain the interest unless we see development of game in more nations with the funds being generated today. Boards would not require advertising the game when we see more nations with equal strength competing against each other nor back to back series in the same year.

Who Cares

‎

I recently read a quote in Facebook on different stages of buying petrol

“1. Denial 2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Depression 5. Acceptance ... The 5 stages of buying petrol “

Around this time a year ago, Government of India announced to the citizens of this country that they no longer would be regulating the fuel prices. This bold and historical move was met with hue and cries from the opposition party who claimed that this would increase the inflation rate making the life of common man miserable. Despite all the protest, the government went ahead with the decision and thus the oil companies where given the right to decide their own pricing.

State run petrol companies which supply 90% of the fuel that is being consumed in India have thus so far raised the prices of petrol 7 times in the last one year with the blessings of the government. Every time the prices were raised, we the common citizen got to witness the same drama played by both opposition and ruling party.  Every time there was hike, opposition parties calls for Hartals and strikes which were considered powerful form of protest,which had little or no effect on the government but did/do create lots of inconvenience to AAM JANATA.

Talking of these aam janata, are they really being affected by the price hike?
If you go to any petrol bunk on the day when the price hike is announced you would find huge line of smart commoners awaiting their turn to fill up as much fuel as possible with the intention of saving few precious pennies from their earning. Looking at this scene you would feel pity, but soon this pity would turn into anger and helplessness, as you could find these same people which include the state run transport buses wasting fuel at transport signal. What happened to their smartness? Today, vehicle are technically  so advanced that you just have to press a button to start the engine, despite this  I find the people lazy to turn their engine off at signals where they are brought to stand still for more than 120 seconds.

Despite various efforts taken by NGO’s, government agencies, petroleum companies to educate the public to act smart and save the fuel, their reckless attitude continues.
I have got mails which says petrol are priced cheap in foreign countries and blaming our government on imposing on us this heavy price but have we thought about how much we our self are to be blamed ?

I am not here to give you the gyan on how to reduce the consumption of petrol but here to say that ,there are persons like me  who are bothered by this frequent price rise and its effect on my bank balance.I don’t wish to contribute my earnings for you to waste……

“The Cup that Counts” to the Rainbow Nation.

First round of matches of all the nations competing in the Cricket world cup 2011 are over with all the major nations scoring upright win over their opposition, which was expected. The format of the 10^th edition of the world cup is such that we can safely predict the 7 of 8 quarter-finalist even before the tournament got underway. There is a tossup between West Indies and Bangladesh for the final spot in the quarter. So the real competition would start once the quarter final starts.

Let’s analyse the strength of each nations to predict the finalist and the winner of this edition of the world cup.

West Indies/Bangladesh : It is tough to predict the team which would make it to the quarter final, but if the passion and intensity on the field is to be considered then to me Bangladesh should make it comfortably to the last eight. Bangladesh has been improving their cricket steadily and has quality players like shakib and tamin iqbal who for their cricketing talent can make it any top international side, but as a team they would still struggle to beat any top teams.

New Zealand: Men in black have had a poor run of late in the sub continent with their batsman not been able to score big nor are their bowlers been able bowl out the opposition cheap. If they have to progress to semi final they require lots of luck and their star batsmen like Brendon Macullum, Rose taylor,Jesse ryder to score big while chasing. Chasing would be their better option.

Sri Lanka: The champions of 1996, have a strong team who can fancy themselves to lift the trophy this time too. Their batting is full of stars that on any given day can make opposition bowler sweat a lot. This team has in Angelo Mathews and Perera two quality all rounders. The only weakness I see is their fast bowling at death overs, if they don’t manage to take early wickets and put pressure on the opposition batsmen then they would bleed runs. So if they need to succeed they need their slow bowlers to pick wickets at regular intervals.

Pakistan:The team that most of the opposition would like to avoid till the final would be Pakistan as they are the most unpredictable team playing in this competition. Finals of 1992 and 1999 are the best examples showing us the highs and lows they can reach. Akmals,Guls,Afridis,razzaqs can win matches on their own. According to me their temperament and how well they play as team would decide whether they could lift the trophy and provide a soothing touch to a nation which has been rattled by repeated controversies.

England:The team which holds the record for appearing the most number of time in the finals of the world cup. I have always felt that they don’t exert themselves very much and are the most lazy bunch of guys who are just satisfied to make the finals, but the current team by winning the T-20 world cup in caribbeans they have shown to whole world that they have the killer instinct and cannot be taken lightly. This team coached by Andy flower is a balanced team and have players for all kind of situation that would spring up during this world cup.

Australia:Men in gold are unbeaten in  the world cups  for more than a decade and would like to maintain that record for as long as possible, but the current team is on a downward slide for some time.The team have come to this competition with bowlers who could slinge balls at scorching speed, these fellows could bowl out team cheap or could leak runs in plenty . Batting is more stable if the likes of Watsons,haddins,pointings and Clarke score heavily.Only weakness I see is their lower middle order which once belonged to players like bevan and mike hussey who were renowned finishers of the game.

India: Sehwag,sachin,Gambhir,Virat,Yuvraj,Dhoni,Pathan…Wow  is there any other team who could boast of such a batting line? No would be the answer, if one fails then another would strike which is guaranteed. Chasing should be their option if they have to win this world cup for sachin. The bowling attack  is heavily dependent on a fragile zaheer and harbhajan singh,as the rest of the bowlers struggle to pick up wickets at crucial juncture.

South Africa: Chockers, this tag have stayed with this team for a very long time and it is high time they prove to the world that they have the mental strength to win at big tournament. Their batting strength is probably as strong as India with the top 4 averaging more than 50 for more than 2 years and their fast bowling pair is the best bowling pair in the world who could take wickets whenever required, they have come into this tournament with variety in their slow bowling department, a leg spinner, a left arm spinner and an off break bowler.

Looking at the strength and weakness of all the teams I see the men from the sporting nation of South Africa as the clear favourite to lift this trophy. They need to win this trophy for the betterment of this game and for the South African people who  have cheered all kinds of sports and have shown to the world that they are the best sport loving people.

Attention Job Seekers

The global economic meltdown which started in 2007 reached its crescendo in the year 2009 when many big companies and banks across the world collapsed leaving millions jobless. Indian companies took a safety first approach although the our economy was in a better shape. The recruitment were freezed and there was nil or minimal hike in the salaries for the experienced. It was a nightmarish year for the students who passed out in 2009 as they had to struggle to get jobs. But things has changed this year especially in the software field, the professionals have got their chances to make up for the last year’s remuneration loss by demanding a significant hike from their current company or by hoping to new ones.2010 passed out students are also in demand as companies are found to be in  recruiting spree. With the steady recovery of the global economy, other industries too have started to defreeze their recruitment process. The coming years will see millions of job being created across levels in all the fields.

The financial crisis of 2007-2009(10) is considered to be the worst financial crisis since the Great depression of the 1930’s by many economist who are also of thee opinion that, there could such crisis  in the future. If you are also of the same opinion and also feel that a government job would insulate you from this sort of crisis then watch out, many government organizations are and will recruit people in the coming years. Government investigating agencies like the CBI could the front runner in the recruitment drive!!!

India has been rocked by many scams starting with the IPL.CWG, 2G spectrum, Adarsh society(felt furious when certain media broadcasted it as Adarsh scam),Multi crore housing scam which involved LIC housing, food scam(regarded as Mother of all scams) soon followed. Cases were filed in the highest court of the India and CBI have been roped into investigate in each of this scam. CBI have been moving slow in collecting evidence and questioning the people involved in these cases due to the complexity of these scams.CBI have been left gasping for breath and there would be acute shortage of man power if we are to believe in the ability to our politicians to loot money.

So job aspirants brush up your skills and learn more regional languages and watch out for job advertisement from the India’s premier investigating agencies THE CBI.