Socially Responsible Globalization

Here is the speech I gave on the topic:

On 24^th April this year, an eight-story building collapsed in Bangladesh. The building housed many garment factories. Over one thousand people died and over two thousand were injured. It is regarded as one of the deadliest accidents in modern history. Could it have been prevented?

Good morning friends, today I am going to speak on Socially Responsible Globalization. Firstly, I will speak on globalization and it’s advantages. Then, I will talk about some challenges before globalization, and, finally I will talk about the need for social responsibility.

Globalization has led to interconnected world, interconnected economies. It promotes efficiency in production and promotes economic growth. Consumers get the maximum benefits. It is said, that globalization is like a rising tide, which lifts all boats. Globalization has created lot of jobs in various poor countries, lifting millions out of poverty.

There are many challenges for globalization. For most multinational companies the aim is to maximize shareholder value, and maximize profits. Many companies outsource their production to poorer countries where the cost of labor is considerably less. In most cases, they claim that the local factories are responsible for any accident that may take place. There is a lot of competition and in the process of cost cutting, the factories compromise on working conditions and also pay less. There has been a considerable progress in making companies accountable for adhering to environmental standards, but there has been limited progress in addressing social issues, human rights, transparency and corruption.

Accidents such as the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, or the suicides in Foxconn factory in China, or any poor working condition in sweatshops lead to an instant public outcry. The company concerned looses some credibility, and image. Therefore, now, there is a need for socially responsible globalization, wherein the stakeholders are important and not only the shareholders.

Consumer demands and preferences have already made many companies more aware, more socially responsible.  Starbucks claims to sell responsibly grown and ethically traded coffee. Nike, which was once associated with bad labor practices, has turned its image around. It was one of the first in industry to publish a list of factories that it has contacts with. It publishes a report on the working conditions and pay in its factories acknowledging various issues.

Many people claim that sweatshop factories should be closed. Many argue that these factories are perhaps the best alternative available to those people. The factories cannot be closed, however the working conditions can surely be improved. Globalization should lead to creation of regulatory frameworks across nations. Companies should be incentivized to be socially responsible.  This combined with consumer activism and initiatives taken by multinational companies will help in preventing accidents such as the Rana Plaza in future.

Every company needs to be socially responsible, for its own benefit and for the benefit of the society. It is a win-win proposition.

Costly Petrol

The petrol prices in India has been revised quite a many times. The oil companies are said to be in heavy losses. It is startling to know the amount of tax levied on petrol by the government. A report in Times of India states that the price of petrol in India is much more than in United States.

Country----------Price of Petrol per litre

UK----------------Rs. 96.39

Germany---------Rs. 95.99

France------------Rs. 94.97

India (Delhi )----Rs. 63.70

US-----------------Rs. 42.82

Pakistan----------Rs. 41.81

Sri Lanka---------Rs. 50.30

Bangladesh-------Rs. 44.80

In other states in India, the price of petrol is much higher, depending on the tax levied by the respective state governments.

Without taxes, petrol cost in Delhi would be Rs. 23. 37 !

Common Cause

Never in my life have I seen this kind of a movement. Today, I could see many people carrying flags, chanting slogans and wearing the popular " I am Anna" caps. The supporters are everywhere- the metro, streets, jantar mantar, india gate and many other locations. Its not just in Delhi, there are similar reports from other parts of the country as well. The protestors include people from all walks of life- working professionals, college students, intellectuals, NRI's, foreigners, and basically the aam aadmi.

It is present across all news channels and the print media. The people of India have raised their voice against corruption. This peaceful anti corruption campaign with the aim of bringing the Lokpal bill in effect is led by Anna Hazare. He has undertaken an indefinite fast to press for a more stringent Lokpal bill be passed by the parliament. This movement comes at an appropriate time, when the news of rampant corruption seemed to be crippling our democracy.

The proposed anti corruption law, popularly known as the Lokpal Bill has some history to it. It was first introduced by Shanti Bhushan in 1968. It got through Lok Sabha in 1969 but couldn't go through Rajya Sabha.Subsequent versions were re-introduced in 1971, 1977, 1985, 1989, 1996, 1998, 2001, 2005 and in 2008 but none of them passed.Renewed calls for the bill arose over resentment of the major differences between the draft 2010 Lokpal Bill prepared by the government and that prepared by the members of the associated activists movement — N. Santosh Hegde, a former justice of the Supreme Court of India; Lokayukta of Karnataka; Shanti Bhushan; Arvind Kejriwal; Prashant Bhushan, a senior lawyer in the Supreme Court; and members of the India Against Corruption movement.

Most of the information regarding the proposed bill is available across all news websites. So I choose not to include them here.

This protest is very unique. People all across India have spontaneously and voluntarily joined the movement. Everyone is convinced that the corruption in the country has reached dangerous proportions and it needs to be controlled. In many cities, towns and villages people have come together to show their support for the anti corruption law. Its unique because the people, millions of them, have come forward without being called, without a leader to guide them. The news channels report the support of people from different states, all united in the cause. And all this has indeed forced the government to rethink. From denial mode they have now moved on to have mediators solve the issue. The arrest of Anna ji and the counter attacks by the congress spokespersons have angered the public and mostly strengthened the movement.

There are debates going on. There are some who strongly favor it and some who outrightly reject it. The government must realize that it has to do something to check the corruption and ensure the people that it cares about it. A strong Lokpall bill is definitely the right way to go about it. It should at least be open to discussion about it and respect peoples sentiments.

My New Guitar

Model : Ibanez GRG 150 WH

Purchased from: Raj Musicals

Price: Rs. 12,500/-

Accessories: Carry bag, strap, picks, amp. chord

Amplifier Purchased: Marshall MG-10

This is my first electric guitar. I have been playing an acoustic guitar (Hofner) up till now.

Features: It has 24 medium sized frets, a maple neck and rosewood fretboard with dotted inlays. It has a basswood body. It has tone and volume controls, 5 way pickup selector and a floating tremolo bridge. It has surprisingly good features for its price.

Sound: I haven't played much. This guitar plays well both in clean and in distortion modes. I usually play a variety- Metallica, Dream Theatre, Guns and Roses, Clapton, etc. This seems to be suitable for all of them. I am presently using it with a Marshall MG-10 Amplifier. They make a great combination.

Action, Fit and Finish: The action is very low. Its suitable for fast playing. It has a glossy white finish and looks great.

Reliability and Durability: Its been only a day since I purchased it, but I am sure that the construction is rugged and will last long. The control knobs appear to be sturdy and the pickups and tremolo bridge also have good fit and finish. The strings are hard ( its a new guitar !) but are of good quality.

Impression: This is the best guitar I could find in the given price range. Other guitars available were- Greg Bennett (Avion) , Fender Strat, ESP, Yamaha. I tried some of them, and I found Ibanez outstanding. An awesome guitar for beginners/intermediate with a great price.If I were to buy another guitar for the same price range I would purchase another Ibanez or perhaps an Epiphone Les Paul Special II.

I would rate it an overall of 9/10 (in its range).

My presentation at a workshop in the Applied Power Electronics Conference 2011, in Fort Worth, Texas

My team from Delhi Technological University (formerly Delhi College of Engineering) participated in the International Future Energy Challenge 2011, organized by IEEE. The challenge was to develop a solar powered water purification system. The system uses a low power induction motor and the challenge was to develop a suitable drive for the motor.

We were looking for a similar topic for our final year project. We were told of this competition by our faculty advisor. We theoretically designed the layout of the system and the drive and sent in the proposal, just in time.

The results were announced in november 2010, and we were delighted to be selected. All the selected teams were invited to attend a workshop in APEC 2011( Applied Power Electronics Conference) in Fort Worth, Texas on 6th of March 2011. We were required to present our idea at the workshop and the organizers would share some details regarding the competition. They would sponsor 1 team member's visit to this workshop.

My team elected me for this and I also had the support from our faculty advisor.

I arrived for Fort Worth on 4th of march. I had booked a room in Hilton Fort Worth. It was just two blocks away from the Fort Worth Convention Center where the workshop was to be held.

On 6th, I reached the venue, two large halls inside the Fort Worth Convention Center. I interacted with other teams. We shared knowledge on the project and on our universities and our countries. Some teams had come with their faculty advisors and graduate advisors. Most teams had sent two representatives. We were given introductory speech by the competition chair and encouraging speech by the sponsors. We were given details regarding the project-the specifications, etc. During lunch I got the opportunity to interact with Prof. Joao Pinto (competition chair), Prof. Mauricio (topic B coordinator) and other academics.

We were to present our progress report after lunch. I presented the report on behalf of my team. My presentation was focussed on the various design strategies adopted by us, our progress and planning for future. Other teams also presented their reports and shared their progress towards the project.

After the presentations there were discussion regarding the details provided, and about the evaluation procedure that would be adopted for the final competition. The workshop concluded with the organizing committee handing out cheques for the travel grants and then there was a group photograph.

Presentation at the workshop and the visit to Fort Worth was an pleasant and unforgettable experience.

We were required to send the qualification reports a month later on the basis of which the teams were to be shortlisted for the final round. We worked hard and got selected. The final competition is in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on 20th of July. I am looking forward to it.

Delhi gearing up for Commonwealth Games, 2010

The nineteenth Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in Delhi, from October-3 to 14th. The games will be the largest multi-sport event conducted to date in India. There are many news reports on the delay in most of the developing work . The work in some parts of the city looks far from complete. A visit to Connaught Place gives a true picture of the amount of remaining work.

In today's times there are two articles side by side on the sports page- one says, "Delhi gaping for breath just two months from the games" and the other, :London way ahead of schedule for 2012", and they are joking of conducting mock Olympics. There are reports of corruption allegations, construction materials and waste spread across the sites, and probable delays. One congress MP, Mani Shankar Aiyar, says he would be unhappy if the games turned out to be success. The opposition has raised questions on the manner in which funds are being used.

The games budget has also been shooting up. Delhi government which started off with a Rs. 770 crore estimate three years ago ended up spending Rs.11,000 crore on it.With 67 days to go the situation seems quite precarious.

Some people are saying, the Games are a waste of money. Given the status of preparation, they may have lost hopes of successful Games. I would like to differ on this. It is true that a lot of resources have been put into the preparations but this kind of development and at this pace couldn't have been possible if the Games weren't held here. Look at the bright side, metro has successfully completed most of it's work-adding many new routes as well as new coaches, other projects are slowly catching up their deadlines and IGI's new terminal 3 is also now open. Taking the task of conducting the Games was a challenge, and perhaps only such challenges can put the development on the right track. Besides, all the reports of the shortcomings may pressurize the officials to perform better, more efficiently. Lets show some optimism and hope the Games are conducted successfully.