Reservations for Kapu community in AP

The Kapus are primarily an agrarian community based in the Andhra-Telangana region. It is one of the dominant caste groups with political influence in the state. The Kapu community in Andhra Pradesh comprises nearly 26% of the state’s five crore people.

The Kapus sway is secondary to that of Kammas and Reddys, who they accuse of wielding political power, denying them their due. About one hundred years ago, probably at the end of the nineteenth century, Kapus social status was no different than that of the Kammas. But the Kammas took to business, commerce and education faster. Hardworking they are,  the Kammas were able to take rapid strides to land at the top of the social hierarchy.

The Kapu community demanding inclusion in the ‘Backward Castes’ category which they enjoyed till 1960. But Kapus are not that backward warranting inclusion in BC's list. Separate reservation quota for Kapus is not possible since reservations can't exceed 50%,  and inclusion of Kapus in BC list would be detrimental to other BC's interests and hence untenable.

When Kammas could progress with sheer hard work, why can't Kapus? 

Demanding BC reservation is a matter of shame for Kapus. 

There are no shortcuts for progress & prosperity.

Kapus being 26% of population, during election campaigns, almost all politicians in their attempt to grab their votes made promises of Kapu reservations several times in the past and both knows very well that it won't happen because of conflict of interest and limitations.

After 70 years of independence, reservations in the present format is a colossal failure and has resulted in vertical division of the society rather than doing any good and discussions are afoot for dismantling reservations. A dominant community demanding reservations is ridiculous and untenable.

It has become fashion for politicians who lose in election or position to arouse public sentiment in the name of region, religion, caste or anything to be in limelight and Mudragada Padmanabham a politician of over 35 years did the same. The same was done by Marri Chenna Reddy (MCR) in 1968 and K.Chandra Sekhar Rao (KCR) in 2000. Mudragada was MLA, MP & Minister and he never raised the issue of Kapu backwardness at any point of time in the past. Addressing a public meeting without obtaining permission and arousing passions leading to burning of train, railway station, buses etc are unacceptable and law must take its course.

He (1) won as  MLA in 1983 from TDP and became Minister, (2) won as MLA in 1989 from Congress, (3) Lost in 1994, (4) won as TDP MP in 1999 (5) lost MLA in 2004, 2009 & 2014. In 2014 he even lost his deposit. This explains his political frustration.

Finally fast unto death, suicide etc are now a days being used to steal lime light and must be dealt with sternly and I suggest automatic arrest without bail for six months.

Ambedkar BR - Fact Sheet

1. He was Independent India's first law minister and the principal architect of the Constitution of India.
2. A Jurist, economist, politician and social reformer.
3. Campaigned against social discrimination against Untouchables (Dalits).
   He suffered discrimination in school, being an untouchable.
4. Earning doctorates in economics from both Columbia University and the London School of Economics. He was the first Indian to pursue a doctorate in economics abroad.
   He had been awarded a Baroda State Scholarship of £11.50 (Sterling) per month for three years under a scheme established by Gaekwad of Baroda providing opportunities for postgraduate education at Columbia University in New York City.
5. Ambedkar had been invited to testify before the Southborough Committee, which was preparing the Government of India Act 1919. At this hearing, Ambedkar argued for creating separate electorates and reservations for untouchables and other religious communities.
6. In 1936, Ambedkar founded the Independent Labour Party, which contested the 1937 Bombay election to the Central Legislative Assembly for the 13 reserved and 4 general seats, and secured 11 and 3 seats respectively.
7. Ambedkar was a victim of caste discrimination and "untouchabality". 
8. He justified the Partition of India but condemned child marriage and the mistreatment of women in Muslim society.
9. He was never member of Congress Party.
   He never participated in freedom struggle nor ever sent to jail by British.
10. Under the influence of BR Ambedkar, in 1932, British announced the formation of a separate electorate for "Depressed Classes" in the Communal Award. Gandhi fiercely opposed a separate electorate for untouchables, fearing that such an arrangement would divide the Hindu community. Gandhi protested by fasting and was imprisoned in the Yerwada Central Jail of Poona. Following the fast, Congress politicians signed Poona Pact between Ambedkar (on behalf of the depressed classes among Hindus) and Madan Mohan Malaviya (on behalf of the other Hindus) giving reserved seats for the depressed classes in the Provisional legislatures, within the general electorate. 
11. Ambedkar announced his intention to convert to a different religion and exhorted his followers to leave Hinduism. He repeated his message at many public meetings across India.
12. Ambedkar in his book "Annihilation of Caste" of 1936 criticised Hindu orthodox religious leaders and the caste system and included "a rebuke of Gandhi" who wanted to abolish 'untouchability' but not caste.
13. Ambedkar objected to the decision of Congress and Mahatma Gandhi to call the untouchable community as Harijans. 
14. Through out his life Ambedkar fought for Dalits but never for the country's independence.
15. Ambedkar served on the Defence Advisory Committee and the Viceroy's Executive Council as minister for labour.
16. The constituent assembly was elected indirectly by the members of the Provincial legislative assembly, which existed under the British Raj. It first met on December 9, 1946, in Delhi. On August 15, 1947, India became an independent nation, and the Constituent Assembly started functioning as India's Provincial Parliament. Dr. Ambedkar drafted the Constitution of India in conjunction with the requisite deliberations and debates in the Constituent Assembly.
17. Dr Ambedkar could not find a place among the 296 members initially sent to the Constituent Assembly. It happened after a Dalit leader from East Bengal withdrew, paving the way for Dr Ambedkar to enter the Constituent Assembly as a member in his own right. He was forced to seek election from Bengal, a province he did not have much connection with because he lacked the requisite support in his home province of Bombay.  Dr Rajendra Prasad and Sardar Patel were closely involved in the effort to ensure that Ambedkar remained in the Constituent Assembly. 
18. Dr. Ambedkar was the sole Schedule caste representative in the Constituent Assembly.
19. Ambedkar independently contested election in 1952 fromBombay (North) to the Lok Sabha. But the Congress opposed him and put up a candidate and ensured his defeat. The Congress candidate, Narayan Kajrolkar, had been Dr Ambedkar’s assistant once. In the 1954 Lok Sabha by-election in Bhandara district of Maharashtra, the Congress did the same thing to defeat him. 
20. He was appointed to the upper house, of parliament, the Rajya Sabha in March 1952 and would remain as member till death in 1956.
21. Ambedkar opposed Article 370 of the Constitution of India, which granted a special status to the State of Jammu and Kashmir. Patel got the Article passed while Nehru was on a foreign tour. 
22. He opposed income tax for low-income groups. 
23. The Reserve Bank of India was set up, based on the ideas that Ambedkar presented to the Royal Commission on Indian Currency and Finance also known as the Hilton-Young Commission.
24. Mahatma Gandhi, Dr Rajendra Prasad and Sardar Patel supported the idea of Ambedkar heading the Drafting Committee of the Constitution but Pt. Nehru was not keen. Even when he took oath as the country’s Law Minister in 1947 after independence, it was as an independent member of the Central Legislative Assembly and not as a Congress member.
25. He became the Law Minister because of Mahatma Gandhi’s insistence. Gandhiji insisted that two people, namely, Dr Ambedkar and Syama Prasad Mukherjee should be included in the Cabinet. Baba Saheb differed with Nehru on many policies including several amendments to the Constitution. In September, 1951, he resigned from the Nehru Cabinet — disgusted and disappointed. In his resignation letter of 27th September, 1951, Ambedkar revealed that Nehru never trusted him and scrupulously avoided giving him important portfolios.
26. In 1956 he converted to Buddhism, initiating mass conversions of Dalits. 
27. Ambedkar considered converting to Sikhism, which encouraged opposition to oppression and so appealed to leaders of scheduled castes. But after meeting with Sikh leaders, he concluded that he might get "second-rate" Sikh status.
28. Since 1948, Ambedkar suffered from diabetes. He was bed-ridden from June to October in 1954 due to medication side-effects and poor eyesight. His health worsened during 1955. Ambedkar died in his sleep on 6 December 1956 at his home in Delhi. A Buddhist cremation was organised at Dadar Chowpatty beach on 7 December, attended by half a million grieving people. A conversion program was organised on 16 December 1956, so that cremation attendees were also converted to Buddhism at the same place.
29. After his death, senior Congress leaders, including the then PM Nehru, did not attend his funeral. 
30. In 1990, the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian award, was posthumously conferred upon Ambedkar, by the VP Singh government. 
31. Dr Ambedkar’s portrait in the Central Hall was also unveiled in April, 1990 by VP Singh Government.

My View: No one is responsible for historical wrongs. Dalits suffered in the hands of forward castes, in Hindu religion, for thousands of years is indisputable fact. That doesn't mean that forward castes should now get subordinated to Dalits and suffer humiliation. The present day reservations are subconsciously doing that to certain extent, even though not by design. Reservations in present format is resulting talent suppression, talent subordination and talent migration resulting in national underachievement and pulling down progress. Caste system will automatically disappear with education, civilization, prosperity and globalization, overtime. Other than 30% women reservations all other reservations must go. Economically disadvantaged people should get financial incentives, training etc to compete in the level playing field. Merit, the essence of democracy in all walks of life must be preserved. Otherwise we will be cultivating hatred between reserved categories and others.

Vidura Neethi

Mahaatma Vidura was an incarnation of Yama or Dharma Raja born as son of a nobel & pious women by the grace of Bhagvan Veda Vyaasa. In Mahabharata, Vidur is shown as an ideal devotee, a high class hermit, straight forward and a good statesman. Vidura was also the was half-brother to Dhritarashtra and Pandu.  Vidura was a true Rishi & a well known scholar of all shastras.

1. A man who is respected by good men, who is not proud, and who earns as per his capability such man acquires glory in short span of time.
2. Advice only when requested.
3. People who suffer sleeplessness are
   (i)   Lovers
   (ii)  People with no moral values
   (iii) People with skills lacking resources and
   (iv) People usurped the wealth of strong people through deceit.
4. Leaders who delegate authority to unworthy people lose peace of mind.
5. Success and Happiness
   (i)   Success of a person is judged by others
   (ii)  Happiness is felt by you.
   (iii) Only peace of mind gives you happiness
6. One should identify tasks which require minimum resources and effort and will give maximum benefits and swiftly implement them.
7. Impulsive decision should not be taken.
8. Never divulge strategic initiatives prematurely to others.
9. Treat other people the way he would like to be treated by them.
10. Silence is preferred to indiscreet talking.
11. Be well balanced in successes and failures.
12. A person acquires qualities according to
    (i)   with whom he moves
    (ii)  under whom he serves and
    (iii) whom he keeps in heart as role model
13. (i)  Old age destroys beauty
    (ii)  Temptation destroys patience
    (iii) Greed spoils malicious man
    (iv)  Anger destroys wealth
    (v)  One's good nature sours as a result of servicing the wicked
    (vi)  Lust destroys shame
    (vii) Ego destroys everything
14. Never eat or travel or celebrate alone.
15. Giving money to undeserving people and not giving to deserving people are the easiest ways to waste money.
16. The man who is proud, who talks about big schemes even in poverty, and who desires money without hard-work  is nothing, but a fool.
17. Speak politely and never entertain or tolerate the enemy.
18. Those who forgive despite their strength & capabilities and who do charity even in poverty are two kinds of men who seek position higher than heaven.
19. Aphrodisiac, greed, and anger are like doors to hell and prove corrosive to ones soul.
20. Avoid stupid, lazy, rash, and bard people.
21. A prosperous man must provide shelter to old members of family or a person of high clan facing troubles in life, a poor friend, and widowed sister.
22. Gaining wealth, remaining healthy, having a beautiful wife with sweet voice, having obedient sons, and having education that earns you money are the six things that let you enjoy ultimate-happiness in this world.
23. Absence of diseases, absence of debt, no compulsion to stay in foreign land, good relation with friends & relatives, having control on livelihood, and living a life free from fear are the six things that deliver ultimate joy to a man.
24. An envying person, hater, dissatisfied, angry, suspicious about everything, and a person who lives on mercy of others; remain unhappy forever.
25. The best policy for a wise man is to marry, friendship, and talk with people who are his equivalents. 

Reservations

After 70 years of independence, what good reservations have done to us. While crores of peoples in these categories exist, few hundreds are enjoying benefits of reservation from generation after generation as if it is their hereditary estate. A big nothing. On other hand it helped social divide which was been exploited by political parties with their vote bank politics. Reservations by its very definition is anti constitutional and violation of democratic principles, where merit is the the sole criterion.

Substandard people occupying important positions has resulted in national underachievement. This has also resulted in talent suppression, talent humiliation and talent migration detrimental to national interest.

Recently SC struck down promotions based on reservations as invalid and all political parties unanimously  passed constitution amendment for fear of loss of vote banks.

Ambedkar asked for reservations for SC 15% and ST 7.5% only for a period of 10 years, while drafting constitution, we have gone several steps ahead with caste, religion & region based reservation for indefinite period speaks volumes about our hypocrisy & selfish interests rather than any national good.

Caste based, religion based reservations and region based reservation are fundamentally flawed and will not be acceptable in any sane society and will be detrimental to unification of diverse India.

Today, in order to progress we must dismantle all types reservations except those of 30%, for women and protect economically poorer people irrespective of of caste creed or anything and provide them with free training & financial assistance to compete in the level playing field. Otherwise we won't be able progress as a Nation.

An Example: 
A candidate appeared for PG Medical Exam in AP some years ago. Even though he obtained 1st Rank, he could not get seat of his choice in the college he desired i.e. MD (Radiology) in Osmania Medical College due to rostering & reservations.

Waat The Fart

If you’ve ever been on a matrimonial date, you would definitely relate to this video; the awkward moment when a male chauvinist pig (MCP) shows up. Forget about getting married, you tend to explore ways of escaping from the idiot.

But why escape when you can make him taste his own medicine!

This video is a hilarious take where a girl have had enough & left the guy embarrassed with her perfect response!

Published on YouTube on Dec 6, 2014

Views by June 2016 more than 4 million

Be our Pondati

Published on YouTube Apr 4, 2016

Views touched one million by end of June 2016.

A parody video by three IIT, Madras students on Indian arranged marriages.

There is no greater way to convey the trials and tribulations of your standard Indian arranged marriage than a power pop ballad. This was the belief of three IIT students, when they decided to make a video parodying singer Carly Rae Jepsen’s song, ‘Call Me Maybe’, for a contest that was taking place on campus, entitled Be Our Pondati. Final-year students Asmita Ghosh and Anukripa Elango revamped the lyrics, while Krupa Varghese took centre stage as the typical Indian mother on a vehement mission to find the perfect bride for her son. On a whim, they uploaded it on YouTube.

In a little more than a week, they’ve gone viral, with hundreds of shares and more than 40,000 views, exceeding the expectation of 5,000. 

P.S. - Pondati means 'wife' in Tamil. 

Corruption - A National Bane

• Corruption is simply the misuse of public property for private gain.
• India, is 69th most corrupt country out of 90, according to recent survey.
• More than 62% of Indians have experience of paying bribes to get jobs done in public offices successfully, a recent survey reveals.
• Black market in India constitutes 40% of economic activity.
• About 50% of wealth created goes outside tax net in India.

A person can get money in three ways (1) by earning (2) by inheriting and (3) by way of gift or loan and in any other way, is corruption.

Reasons for corruption:

1. Political corruption, mother of all corruptions, and corrupt politicians will do any thing to get into and stay put in power compromising national interests.
2. Political corruption breeds corruption in all corners of public and private life.
3. High costs involved in winning elections is another reason. But it is lame excuse since there are many instances where good people get elected with meager spending from time to time.
4. Almost all the crises, scams & scandals have political roots with selfish tendencies.
5. Conviction rate on corruption charges at less than 6% makes corruption low risk and high profit activity.
6. Materialistic and unpatriotic tendencies at all levels is another reason.
7. Too much emphasis on materialistic and mundane things effecting priorities.
8. Poverty is another reason for corruption.
9. Large societies like in India, many layers of intermediaries are necessary between government and people during transitions which are good times for corruption with social rules blurrier.
10. Corruption not dealt in time will assume larger proportions and acquires social norm status. In a way it already happened in India.
11. Liberalization without proper safety nets has made inequalities worse and worsened corruption in India.

Effects of Corruption:

1. Slows down economic growth.
2. Increases inflation.
3. Effects investments and market stability.
4. Funds gets diverted due to corruption and welfare gets effected.
5. Corruption is anti poor, anti national & anti development. At least one-third of welfare budget spend for poor gets siphoned off by the corrupt officials & politicians.

Remedial Measures:

1. Simpler procedures.
2. Well defined processes.
3. Remove discretionary powers at all levels.
4. Eliminate abusive powers while extending support to citizens.
5. Training civil servants into higher professional level into auditing, accountancy and legal matters.
6. Responsibility and Accountability must be well defined with incentives & disincentives.
7. Withdraw all high value currency notes.
8. Make all transactions, including petty cash payments, through Aadhaar/PAN linked bank transfers, mandatory.
9. Create awareness among general public with easy & quick redress mechanisms.
10. Enforcing transparency in fundraising activities of political parties.
11. Reform investigation and law administration process to enable white collar offences non bailable and process must be closed by investigating authority in 6 months, trial court in 3 months and appellate court in 1 month time frame.
12. Empower anti corruption agencies with autonomy & deep teeth to deal with corruption effectively.
13. Impart ethical education, including moral & spiritual values, in school curriculum.

My view: What ever may be the reasons for corruption & its effects, corruption will continue to flourish as long as it is low risk and high profit activity. If catching corrupt and conviction rates are increased from 6% to 60% with quick disposal and stringent punishments with high penalties making corruption a high risk and low profit activity is the ultimate remedy. Political will and administrative honesty are important ingredients for achieving this.

Reagan's letter to son on the eve of his marriage

Michael Reagan
Manhattan Beach, California
June 1971

Dear Mike:

Enclosed is the item I mentioned (with which goes a torn up IOU). I could stop here but I won't.

You've heard all the jokes that have been rousted around by all the "unhappy marrieds" and cynics. Now, in case no one has suggested it, there is another viewpoint. You have entered into the most meaningful relationship there is in all human life. It can be whatever you decide to make it.

Some men feel their masculinity can only be proven if they play out in their own life all the locker-room stories, smugly confident that what a wife doesn't know won't hurt her. The truth is, somehow, way down inside, without her ever finding lipstick on the collar or catching a man in the flimsy excuse of where he was till three A.M., a wife does know, and with that knowing, some of the magic of this relationship disappears. There are more men griping about marriage who kicked the whole thing away themselves than there can ever be wives deserving of blame. There is an old law of physics that you can only get out of a thing as much as you put in it. The man who puts into the marriage only half of what he owns will get that out. Sure, there will be moments when you will see someone or think back to an earlier time and you will be challenged to see if you can still make the grade, but let me tell you how really great is the challenge of proving your masculinity and charm with one woman for the rest of your life. Any man can find a twerp here and there who will go along with cheating, and it doesn't take all that much manhood. It does take quite a man to remain attractive and to be loved by a woman who has heard him snore, seen him unshaven, tended him while he was sick and washed his dirty underwear. Do that and keep her still feeling a warm glow and you will know some very beautiful music. If you truly love a girl, you shouldn't ever want her to feel, when she sees you greet a secretary or a girl you both know, that humiliation of wondering if she was someone who caused you to be late coming home, nor should you want any other woman to be able to meet your wife and know she was smiling behind her eyes as she looked at her, the woman you love, remembering this was the woman you rejected even momentarily for her favors. 

Mike, you know better than many what an unhappy home is and what it can do to others. Now you have a chance to make it come out the way it should. There is no greater happiness for a man than approaching a door at the end of a day knowing someone on the other side of that door is waiting for the sound of his footsteps.

Love,

Dad

P.S. You'll never get in trouble if you say "I love you" at least once a day.

Ethics

What are ethics?

1. At its simplest, ethics is a system of moral principles. They affect how people make decisions and lead their lives.
2. Ethics is concerned with what is good for individuals and society and is also described as moral philosophy.

Ethics covers the following dilemmas:

• How to live a good liife
• Our rights and responsibilities
• The language of right and wrong
• Moral decisions - what is good and bad?

The field of ethics (moral philosophy) involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior.

Each field or profession has its own detailed ethics which must be adhered to people in that profession failing which his/her license to practice profession might get revoked/suspended apart from subjecting to laws of the land.

Only Business and Professional ethics are listed out for general guidance.

Business Ethics & Benefit

Business ethics is defined as the application of moral code of conduct to the strategic and operational management of a business.

1. Promotes strong public image or reputation
2. Helps building trust and retaining good employees
3. Enable build customer loyalty
4. Generates positive work environment to cultivate teamwork and enhance productivity
5. Avoids legal problems
6. Build lasting relationships with business associates
7. Promotes law compliance and make policies legally valid
8. Results in transparency of operations
9. To act consistently at all times
10. Eliminates stress
11. Ethics helps avoid criminal acts of "omission" and can reduce fines
12. Helps in doing right things at all times

Professional Ethics in the Work Place 

1. Always strive for excellence and stand-out
2. Be trustworthy by proving integrity over time
3. Be courteous & respectful to avoid conflicts and earn respect
4. Be honest, open & transparent and increase your personal value
5. Be competent and improve continually by learning & adapting for offering professional services
6. Always be ethical with clear moral conscience especially when rule book is inadequate
7. Always be honorable and act with integrity and character with certain values, believes and principles with consistency in action and outcome
8. Be respectful of confidentiality by respecting rules and by not disseminating information
9. Set good examples by showing and leading by example

Professionalism is highly valued by every organization and professionals are hardly out of work.

Follow ethics at all times and enjoy wonderful, professional & prosperous career.