Ecstatic

I am overjoyed, ecstatic and relieved to know that the Lalu Prasad Yadav rule in Bihar has finally come to an end. It looks like Nitish Kumar and co have won about 150 of the 243 seats in the assembly elections in Bihar. This would mean that withing the end of this week Nitish Kumar (ironically, he was the Railway Minister in the BJP government when Lalu ruled Bihar...Now Lalu is the railway minister) would assume power as the Chief Minister of Bihar. I really dont know Much about Nitish but am fairly confident that he will be better than Lalu. I hope some semblance of normalcy returns to Bihar. One of the first things that must be tackled is Corruption and Violence in this state. The Centre must take this opportunity to invest in some long-term plans for the state. Improving the living conditions of the people while simultaneously educating them is absolutely essential. Orgainizing handloom, handicraft and very very small scale industries and distributed rural employment centers is one option in this regard. But unfortunately the Congress is in power at the center. The problem is that Lalus support is essential for the Congress. Lalu will do everything in his power to keep the Nitish government from being successful which essentially means that he will put pressure on the congress towards inaction. The congress by natutre is quite an inactive and sleepy party. So eventhough their investments in Bihar is absolutelty essential and strategic vision for the country it is highly unlikely that they will come through.


Another interesting result of this electons is the delicate balance of power/party and ideology struggle at the center. The party struggle is led by the Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi led Congress combine that must keep all their allies most of whom oppose their ideologies in order to maintain poer at the center. Power struggle will of course be led by the one-and only Lalu. Now that he is ousted fromnn power at the state, he will have to show his might at the central level. Especially with the fodder scam ruling scheduled to be out by March 2006, he will be facing mounting pressure to let the congress combine know that his continued presence in the combine is essential for the government to maintain majority. How the Manmohan Singh-Sonia Gandhi combine manage to keep him at bay while retaining his 20 odd seats will be an interesting battle that could endanger the stability of the central government. (We can of course ill afford the cost of another election. ) The ideologyvstruggle of course is led by the left parties who dont want to ever hear the word "efficiency". The policies of disinvestment that the Congress would ideally like to undertake are the antithesis of the left parties ideologies. And keeping the left happy takes even more importance now that the Lalu faction will definitely crave for unfair and power hungry policies.

An interesting year ahead if nothing else :))

Obsession with Television

I am convinced beyond doubt that the Television watching habit that most of us have acquired is turning us into teleborgs who stop thinking. The entire passive exercise of watching television characters emote and think and run makes us all feel happy as though it was us who did all those things. The end result - a consequently lower IQ...

And now some study reported on BBC

reports that its not just our IQ and eyesight but our happiness too :))
Anyway, my television watching time has increased significantly in the last year or so. I am hoping to cut down my television time to a minimal. Lets see how that goes :)). Meanwhile I am just peeking out into the open after having submitted a conference paper to CVPR. I have about a week to refresh and reload the spirits. Then its time to work on that Adaptive Control project thats been pending. And then of course the MUCH AWAITED ALL IMPORTANT INDIA TRIP :))


BTW, this is the Mysterious List that takes you closer to happiness

The 10 steps to happiness

1. Plant something and nurture it
2. Count your blessings - at least five - at the end of each day
3. Take time to talk - have an hour-long conversation with a loved one each week
4. Phone a friend whom you have not spoken to for a while and arrange to meet up
5. Give yourself a treat every day and take the time to really enjoy it
6. Have a good laugh at least once a day
7. Get physical - exercise for half an hour three times a week
8. Smile at and/or say hello to a stranger at least once each day
9. Cut your TV viewing by half
10.Spread some kindness - do a good turn for someone every day

Temples in the US!!!

A classmate of mine from IITM happened to land on this NRIGuide which contains...YES

A list of temples in the US geographically indexed with the Google Maps

Interesting isnt it?

I guess you could sue for just about anything

Read this article.

The man is apparently suing Home Depot for 3 MILLION DOLLARS because he got stuck to a toilet seat at Home Depot. Now as soon as u hear that i am sure you are telling yourself..."Now thats a first"....Apparently not. This man has reportedly got stuck to a toilet seat twice....And yes you heard me right 3 MILLION DOLLARS.

The next thing you know, ppl like him will be suing Walmart because he got arthritis...from walking up the long aisles of the superstore :))

This is Really True

Read this article about the changes to the education system in Kansas.

Wishes

I am feeling totally bored and feel no enthusiasm to work hard today. I was hoping I could find some company to play some Pool/Billiards today and get to learn to play the game...But that seems to be an unlikely event since all those I have tried asking seem to be busy with their work :((