I have been watching the developments of the Pink Love campaign. I am interested in this campaign because this is one of the rare occasions in the recent times wherein the women and men of the usually aloof Indian middle class and upper class have risen against the atrocities committed by a hooligan group in the name of religion/custom.
Most of the posts on that blog have attracted comments from some brain dead morons in the general direction of what my title suggests, ie, don't these women have any better work to do? Some of the critics of the campaign have listed out other social evils happening around us, including dowry deaths, female feticide, poverty etc. According to them, organizers of this campaign should be catering to the so called 'graver' issues of the society rather than taking up this 'relatively trivial' issue.
This is an argument which is deemed to be a 'no-argument' in most of the rational discussion forums, i.e., it is no more accepted as an argument point. The fact of the matter is, you can never start working on the resolution of an issue if you first set out to make a list of all the available issues, sort them in the order of importance, start attacking the most deadliest ones first and so on. It doesn't work that way.
It is illogical to come up with the argument that the work somebody else is doing is not important, or there are more important issues elsewhere. If you think so, you are welcome to do whatever you feel like doing about those neglected issues. Nobody is stopping you. Just don't waste everybody else's time.
Given the sparse time and resources at the disposal of each of us, there is a definite limit to the things we can do. We will not be able to solve all the issues of the world, and to be very honest, we might not even be interested in solving all the issues of the world. But we might be able to at least start solving one issue at a time. When we pick an issue, its usually something we strongly feel for. All those people who feel there are better issues to be solved, should stop wasting their time and start solving one of those 'graver' issues. The point in short is, as long as I am not forcing you to join my cause, don't criticize the relevance of my cause.
We have a lot of preachers and very few workers. If you attach any importance to yourself, then its your duty to prove that you don’t stop with just plain talk and you plan to actionize on the talk. So come on, all of you armchair critics, find something to work on, and start working on that.
Showing posts with label Social. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Social. Show all posts
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Monday, December 01, 2008
Resignation remedy for Mumbai Terror Attacks
Yesterday was a field day of resignations and resignation offers in Indian politics and bureaucracy. First of all, let me summarize this post before I start - I welcome Mr.Shivraj Patil’s resignation.
Home Minister Mr. Shivraj Patil hesitantly offered to resign and his offer was gleefully accepted by the Prime Minister and the President of India. Taking a cue from this, National Security Adviser Mr. M.K. Narayanan stood up, with a resignation letter in his hand but his resignation was dutifully rejected and he was asked to remain seated. During the CWC meeting which took place yesterday, Defense Minister Mr. A.K. Antony, Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee dramatically offered to resign when their respective departments were put under the hawk’s eye for their (lack of) efficiency and all three offers were conveniently ignored by the rest of the lot.
If resignation is the solution to all our problems, all of us Indians should try resigning from whatever posts we hold and see what happens. We all know that is not the case and this is not the answer we are looking for. Then why did I say I welcome Mr. Shivraj Patil’s resignation? Because I want to see it as a change in the way the Indian politicians function. I want to see this as an instance of a politician being held accountable for his actions (or the lack of them). Accountability is a very crucial and utmost important aspect painstakingly missing in our politicians and bureaucrats.
“With great power comes great responsibility” said Uncle Ben to one Peter we all know. Indian politicians are a breed which are blessed with immense power but are not responsible for anything. They abuse their powers to lead a posh lifestyle and enjoy all the comforts they can get, bend each and every rule in the book to their and their kin’s advantage, indulge in unchecked bribery and are still protected from the clutches of the law on account of their authority and power.
This is the background from which I say I welcome Mr. Shivraj Patil’s resignation. Not as a symbolic gesture or as a face saving measure for the government. But as a strong message that we won’t tolerate incompetence anymore. We want people who are responsible and are accountable. A Home Minister should not be allowed to get away with excuses like “I didn’t know about the terror attacks”, “I will tackle it next time”, “Why am I the only one responsible” and so on. At the best, he can give the excuse “I was caught unaware this time, I will make sure it does not happen again” on the very first time. But not again and again, week after week. There have been more than 10 brutal terror attacks this very year and he cannot just go on parroting his rehearsed speech every time, without even rearranging sentences. Hopefully this is going to be a new beginning when we start expecting the politicians to start delivering.
Now that dust has settled on Mr. Shivraj Patil, here are the rest of the lot whom I would like to see quitting, for the same reasons of incompetence and lack of accountability.
Mr. R.R. Patil, deputy CM and Home Minster of Maharashtra.
For issuing the statement “…small things like this happen in big cities…”. He belittled the effort and struggle of the police officers and NSG commandos who lost their life, he doesn't value the lives of innocent men and women who were killed in the melee and he just could not comprehend the seriousness of the situation. On one hand he could do nothing to avert this incident, or do something to take control and expedite the counter attack, and when everything has settled down, he has the audacity to come up and make such an atrocious statement which hurts millions of us. I do not think we the general public agree with the sentiment he expressed. Since he is a complete misfit, show him the door.
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh, CM of Maharashtra
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh should be kicked out for denying that there was intelligence reports about a possible attack on Mumbai. Either he is not being informed about what is happening to his state by his colleagues in his government, in which case he does not deserve to continue. If that is not the case, either he is lying or the RAW spokesperson is lying. One of them must go. We want our politicians to be accountable for their actions or at the very least for their words. They should not be allowed to get away with blabbering about anything and everything without checking the authenticity of the information they pass on and often blatantly lying.
Mr Deshmukh also had the audacity to tour around the Taj, after all the action was over, accompanied by his actor son and the film director Mr. Ram Gopal Varma. How could these people from the film industry be included in the official team which visited Taj? Doesn’t the incident expose the seriousness the CM gave for the official visit of a spot which shocked the entire nation?
The authority who should take action on a security tip off by the RAW or the RAW spokesperson.
Either the RAW spokesperson lied to us when he said his agency had passed on security warnings or the authority which is supposed to take action ignored the warnings. One of them must go. First of all, these people could not protect our motherland from being attacked, and when it happened, they are trying to pass the blame on to someone else. Make them accountable for their words at least. As a next step, we can make them accountable for their actions.
The coast guard officers who intercepted the terrorist vessel.
They are plain incompetent in carrying out their duty. If terrorists can fool them and get past them, then what are they getting paid for? If they were as effective as a bunch of village lasses in stopping a terrorist ship even after intercepting it, then why were they given the training to do their jobs? I am not asking for their resignation. Let them understand what their duties are, get necessary training and be truthful to their job.
And last but not the least, all the media persons who made this entire incident into a sop serial.
I have kept this to the very last so that I can elaborate on this. These are the people who think they are the modern Messiahs of India, but they are the ones who should be reprimanded and berated the most. What happened in Mumbai from Nov 26th to 29th was a national tragedy. It is not the time for these bastards to increase their TRPs with some irrelevant, inaccurate and inappropriate coverage and reporting. It was not a cricket test match to be telecasted live across the globe. There has to be some guidelines and restraint in place when they are covering a national tragedy.
Why should they telecast live images from the site of the adversity? It is not an action movie. Lives of hundreds of innocent men and women were trapped inside. Who is it going to help, except for the terror groups which are spread around the globe planning their next attack? Will the relatives of the people trapped inside the hotel be any more comfortable hearing about the barbaric acts committed by the terrorists? Who was supposed to enjoy the sight of the building going up in flames in front of their eyes? What we are looking for is actual news and details about the people who are rescued and are still trapped inside. I don’t think a reporter doing some bloody drama of crawling on the floor while jabbering away to glory will be of any comfort to the viewers across the globe.
And these very media men are betraying our commandos and army men who risked their lives to rescue the hostages, when the exact details, strength and movements of the commandos were telecasted real time. Don’t tell me that the TV lines to the hotel were cut, because that does not deter the terrorists from getting information through satellite phones from their accomplices spread around the world. Don’t tell me that they were not divulging military secrets and were misleading the terrorists, as the situation did not look like it was under anybody’s control for him to marshal the information being passed on to the media. Media was sneaking into unnecessary details and trying to create panic among onlookers and sensationalize the issue.
Some specific set of people from the media for whom I have specific questions to ask.
The reporters who reported that there was firing in the CST station on the second day afternoon and the presenters who presented that news on “Your Channel”s. The reporters should resign their jobs and opt for manual labor as they lack competency for anything else. They substantiated a baseless rumor and sent shockwaves to thousands. What if people had reacted violently? What if there was a stampede in or around CST station? What if there was a communal riot because of that news? The presenters who screamed that news at the top of their voice should apologize on air and admit that “Your Channel”s screwed up big time.
The presenter and reporter who were hypothesizing on a theory about who it could be when they showed a man falling out of a window. Initially they reported that it was a terrorist being thrown out. Then they corrected themselves and said it was a commando getting out. After sometime the original story was repeated again. We are not seeing a horse race or a football match for the commentator to bet and hypothesize. Report it if you know what had happened, else keep your trap shut. Nobody expects you to take educated or calculated or whatever else guesses. Neither the channel is paying you nor the viewer is watching the channel to see you gamble and bet amongst yourself and fool general public.
Bakra Dutt - For hanging out there most of the time and coming up with utter nonsensical statements every once in a while. I just want to mention your winding up speech when everything was getting over. You managed to get a set of local chaps to surround you, wave at the camera and push and pull eachother to be on air. It looked as if they were a set of spectators at a T20 cricket ground. Unfortunately in this great country, you get dime a dozen to gather around you and smile at you if you have a TV camera pointed at you. That doesn’t mean you have to capitalize on it and show the world how immature Indians are. You were prompting them to jump around you, cheer, applaud and shake hands with the tired commandos who were waiting inside the buses. It was a shame to see the way a set of mumbaikers monkeying around, dancing to the tunes of a TV reporter.
I feel it is high time we have some guidelines on what the Media can cover and what they cannot. Media should verify each and every sentence before it is aired, especially in troubled times. There should not be any live coverage of national calamities. Army and commandos should be the ones who control a catastrophe hit area, not brain-dead camera-wielding journalists and reporters. Aim of the media should be to pass accurate information in the form of news bulletins every once in a while, and not in covering it live with all the gory details.
PS: As somebody rightly pointed out, the morons with the Thackeray sir-name don’t even deserve a mention when we talk about serious issues concerning Mumbai. They are absolute lunatics who should have been chained years ago. So skipping those jokers.
Home Minister Mr. Shivraj Patil hesitantly offered to resign and his offer was gleefully accepted by the Prime Minister and the President of India. Taking a cue from this, National Security Adviser Mr. M.K. Narayanan stood up, with a resignation letter in his hand but his resignation was dutifully rejected and he was asked to remain seated. During the CWC meeting which took place yesterday, Defense Minister Mr. A.K. Antony, Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh and External Affairs Minister Mr. Pranab Mukherjee dramatically offered to resign when their respective departments were put under the hawk’s eye for their (lack of) efficiency and all three offers were conveniently ignored by the rest of the lot.
If resignation is the solution to all our problems, all of us Indians should try resigning from whatever posts we hold and see what happens. We all know that is not the case and this is not the answer we are looking for. Then why did I say I welcome Mr. Shivraj Patil’s resignation? Because I want to see it as a change in the way the Indian politicians function. I want to see this as an instance of a politician being held accountable for his actions (or the lack of them). Accountability is a very crucial and utmost important aspect painstakingly missing in our politicians and bureaucrats.
“With great power comes great responsibility” said Uncle Ben to one Peter we all know. Indian politicians are a breed which are blessed with immense power but are not responsible for anything. They abuse their powers to lead a posh lifestyle and enjoy all the comforts they can get, bend each and every rule in the book to their and their kin’s advantage, indulge in unchecked bribery and are still protected from the clutches of the law on account of their authority and power.
- The PWD Minister is not accountable for the sad state of our roads.
- The Home Minister is not accountable for the unchecked rise in crime in our cities. He and the Internal Affairs Minister are not responsible for the recurring terror attacks.
- The Defense Minister is not accountable for the miss on the military’s part in guarding our nation.
- The Education Minister is not accountable for the sad state of affairs in our government schools.
- The Prime Minister is not accountable for any of the above even though he is supposed to oversee, control and direct all of them.
The system is so bad that the general public does not even expect these politicians to be accountable.
- When these same set of incompetent, partisan and corrupt politicians come begging for our votes in the next election, we happily elect him/her without sparing a moment to think about his/her accomplishments or credentials.
- We are so used to being held up, waiting in hour long traffic jams just to see one of these ministers speeding by through a free way, often to attend some private function.
- We are content and raise no questions when we see these politicians enjoy state sponsored trips abroad accompanied by a battalion of his clan complete with his grandson and puppy.
- We do not raise any questions when we see a pauper becoming a billionaire after joining politics.
- We do not raise any questions when we see crores getting spent on the politician’s birthday and when even more crores are spent on erecting these beggar’s statues across the state.
This is the background from which I say I welcome Mr. Shivraj Patil’s resignation. Not as a symbolic gesture or as a face saving measure for the government. But as a strong message that we won’t tolerate incompetence anymore. We want people who are responsible and are accountable. A Home Minister should not be allowed to get away with excuses like “I didn’t know about the terror attacks”, “I will tackle it next time”, “Why am I the only one responsible” and so on. At the best, he can give the excuse “I was caught unaware this time, I will make sure it does not happen again” on the very first time. But not again and again, week after week. There have been more than 10 brutal terror attacks this very year and he cannot just go on parroting his rehearsed speech every time, without even rearranging sentences. Hopefully this is going to be a new beginning when we start expecting the politicians to start delivering.
Now that dust has settled on Mr. Shivraj Patil, here are the rest of the lot whom I would like to see quitting, for the same reasons of incompetence and lack of accountability.
Mr. R.R. Patil, deputy CM and Home Minster of Maharashtra.
For issuing the statement “…small things like this happen in big cities…”. He belittled the effort and struggle of the police officers and NSG commandos who lost their life, he doesn't value the lives of innocent men and women who were killed in the melee and he just could not comprehend the seriousness of the situation. On one hand he could do nothing to avert this incident, or do something to take control and expedite the counter attack, and when everything has settled down, he has the audacity to come up and make such an atrocious statement which hurts millions of us. I do not think we the general public agree with the sentiment he expressed. Since he is a complete misfit, show him the door.
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh, CM of Maharashtra
Mr. Vilas Rao Deshmukh should be kicked out for denying that there was intelligence reports about a possible attack on Mumbai. Either he is not being informed about what is happening to his state by his colleagues in his government, in which case he does not deserve to continue. If that is not the case, either he is lying or the RAW spokesperson is lying. One of them must go. We want our politicians to be accountable for their actions or at the very least for their words. They should not be allowed to get away with blabbering about anything and everything without checking the authenticity of the information they pass on and often blatantly lying.
Mr Deshmukh also had the audacity to tour around the Taj, after all the action was over, accompanied by his actor son and the film director Mr. Ram Gopal Varma. How could these people from the film industry be included in the official team which visited Taj? Doesn’t the incident expose the seriousness the CM gave for the official visit of a spot which shocked the entire nation?
The authority who should take action on a security tip off by the RAW or the RAW spokesperson.
Either the RAW spokesperson lied to us when he said his agency had passed on security warnings or the authority which is supposed to take action ignored the warnings. One of them must go. First of all, these people could not protect our motherland from being attacked, and when it happened, they are trying to pass the blame on to someone else. Make them accountable for their words at least. As a next step, we can make them accountable for their actions.
The coast guard officers who intercepted the terrorist vessel.
They are plain incompetent in carrying out their duty. If terrorists can fool them and get past them, then what are they getting paid for? If they were as effective as a bunch of village lasses in stopping a terrorist ship even after intercepting it, then why were they given the training to do their jobs? I am not asking for their resignation. Let them understand what their duties are, get necessary training and be truthful to their job.
And last but not the least, all the media persons who made this entire incident into a sop serial.
I have kept this to the very last so that I can elaborate on this. These are the people who think they are the modern Messiahs of India, but they are the ones who should be reprimanded and berated the most. What happened in Mumbai from Nov 26th to 29th was a national tragedy. It is not the time for these bastards to increase their TRPs with some irrelevant, inaccurate and inappropriate coverage and reporting. It was not a cricket test match to be telecasted live across the globe. There has to be some guidelines and restraint in place when they are covering a national tragedy.
Why should they telecast live images from the site of the adversity? It is not an action movie. Lives of hundreds of innocent men and women were trapped inside. Who is it going to help, except for the terror groups which are spread around the globe planning their next attack? Will the relatives of the people trapped inside the hotel be any more comfortable hearing about the barbaric acts committed by the terrorists? Who was supposed to enjoy the sight of the building going up in flames in front of their eyes? What we are looking for is actual news and details about the people who are rescued and are still trapped inside. I don’t think a reporter doing some bloody drama of crawling on the floor while jabbering away to glory will be of any comfort to the viewers across the globe.
And these very media men are betraying our commandos and army men who risked their lives to rescue the hostages, when the exact details, strength and movements of the commandos were telecasted real time. Don’t tell me that the TV lines to the hotel were cut, because that does not deter the terrorists from getting information through satellite phones from their accomplices spread around the world. Don’t tell me that they were not divulging military secrets and were misleading the terrorists, as the situation did not look like it was under anybody’s control for him to marshal the information being passed on to the media. Media was sneaking into unnecessary details and trying to create panic among onlookers and sensationalize the issue.
Some specific set of people from the media for whom I have specific questions to ask.
The reporters who reported that there was firing in the CST station on the second day afternoon and the presenters who presented that news on “Your Channel”s. The reporters should resign their jobs and opt for manual labor as they lack competency for anything else. They substantiated a baseless rumor and sent shockwaves to thousands. What if people had reacted violently? What if there was a stampede in or around CST station? What if there was a communal riot because of that news? The presenters who screamed that news at the top of their voice should apologize on air and admit that “Your Channel”s screwed up big time.
The presenter and reporter who were hypothesizing on a theory about who it could be when they showed a man falling out of a window. Initially they reported that it was a terrorist being thrown out. Then they corrected themselves and said it was a commando getting out. After sometime the original story was repeated again. We are not seeing a horse race or a football match for the commentator to bet and hypothesize. Report it if you know what had happened, else keep your trap shut. Nobody expects you to take educated or calculated or whatever else guesses. Neither the channel is paying you nor the viewer is watching the channel to see you gamble and bet amongst yourself and fool general public.
Bakra Dutt - For hanging out there most of the time and coming up with utter nonsensical statements every once in a while. I just want to mention your winding up speech when everything was getting over. You managed to get a set of local chaps to surround you, wave at the camera and push and pull eachother to be on air. It looked as if they were a set of spectators at a T20 cricket ground. Unfortunately in this great country, you get dime a dozen to gather around you and smile at you if you have a TV camera pointed at you. That doesn’t mean you have to capitalize on it and show the world how immature Indians are. You were prompting them to jump around you, cheer, applaud and shake hands with the tired commandos who were waiting inside the buses. It was a shame to see the way a set of mumbaikers monkeying around, dancing to the tunes of a TV reporter.
I feel it is high time we have some guidelines on what the Media can cover and what they cannot. Media should verify each and every sentence before it is aired, especially in troubled times. There should not be any live coverage of national calamities. Army and commandos should be the ones who control a catastrophe hit area, not brain-dead camera-wielding journalists and reporters. Aim of the media should be to pass accurate information in the form of news bulletins every once in a while, and not in covering it live with all the gory details.
PS: As somebody rightly pointed out, the morons with the Thackeray sir-name don’t even deserve a mention when we talk about serious issues concerning Mumbai. They are absolute lunatics who should have been chained years ago. So skipping those jokers.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Medical Insurance Trap
A friend of mine recently fell from his bike while taking a turn, and ended up getting some minor bruises on his leg. He approached a 'reputed' hospital in Bangalore to get his leg attended to. On realizing that my friend is an IT professional, the doctor casually asked him whether he had medical insurance coverage. When my friend proudly produced his TTK card, the Dr advised him to get admitted for a day so they could start their treatment. They gave him a local anesthesia and proceeded to clean the small wound on his leg and then dressed it up. He was asked to take rest under observation and was subsequently discharged after a day. The bill for a day of treatment was 22,000 Rupees. My friend was not that bothered as he could use his TTK card to foot the bill.
A win-win situation for you and the Dr, right?
WRONG!
We are actually allowing ourselves to be trapped into a black hole. We might think that medical insurance premium is anyway covered as a part of our cost-to-company and we don’t have to keep contributing anything in an active manner. The premium we pay may look poultry when compared to the bills we are able to pay using the card. But one simple thing we need to realize is there is nothing called a free meal. We will have to pay the prize, if not today, then tomorrow. And if might be a case of us paying through our noses.
We are going through the nascent phase of medical insurance industry in India. All the sops we enjoy now are part of the incentives the medical insurance industry is sowing for a grand harvest for them tomorrow. In simple words, they are promoting medical insurance policies by making them easily affordable for the majority. They will be more than happy to foot your bills for a limited period, gain your trust and then suck you in.
Some of the hospitals in Bangalore have two different rates. A lesser rate for people who pay without medical insurance and a rate which is multiple times the original rate which is for people who pay using medical insurance. Nobody complains as they are not aware of the danger yet. In future, as more and more people are lured in to taking a medical insurance, these hospitals will start making the hyped up rate their default rate. Insurance companies will start increasing the premiums to their liking. You and I will be left with no option but pay the high premiums as the medical costs will become unaffordable otherwise.
Cut to USA. One of the major issues in this year's presidential election is going to be related to medical expenses, universal medical care and affordability of health insurance. Each of the presidential candidates has come out with their own strategy to address the issue and most probably this is going to be the single largest issue which will decide the outcome of the poll. The way the medical industry functions in USA is really pathetic. Costs of hospitalization and treatment are astronomical and are not affordable for general public. You cannot survive without having a health insurance policy. And the insurance policies are not cheap as they are here in India. The policy will amount to a substantial part of your salary, if you are opting for full coverage for the entire family.
Something from my personal experience: A simple dental root canal surgery costed me around 2200$. Because I had a copayment insurance I had to pay around 400$ and the rest was taken care of by the insurance company. Just compare this with the current rates in India. Even the copayment I made is much more than the entire cost of surgery if performed in India now.
According to Wiki:
The U.S. spends more on health care, both as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) and on a per-capita basis, than any other nation in the world. Current estimates put U.S. health care spending at approximately 16% of GDP. The health share of GDP is expected to continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5 percent of GDP by 2017. In 2007, the U.S. spent a projected $2.26 trillion on health care, or $7,439 per person.
Americans without health insurance coverage at some time during 2006 totaled about 16% of the population, or 47 million people. Health insurance costs are rising faster than wages or inflation, and medical bills are overwhelmingly the most common reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States.
Cut back to India. If anyone goes to Manipal Hospital for delivery with a TTK card, they will invariably opt for cesarean and hand them a bill of 50,000 Rs. The simple reason is that is the upper limit set for a delivery by TTK. I have heard rumors that TTK has blacklisted Manipal Hospital because of their atrocious claims.
In India, we have a chain of solid, reliable and not so expensive state owned and private hospitals due to the good work of a lot of doctors, hospital administrators and government regulations. We should not allow that backbone to be broken to satisfy the greed of a bunch of private hospitals and insurance companies.
Things we can do
1. Spread awareness.
2. Even if you are paying using insurance, make sure the charges are just and reasonable.
3. Find out the regular rates at the hospital. Object to paying more and try to bring it to higher authorities' notice.
4. Pay from your pocket and get it reimbursed later. (suggested by Sand)
A win-win situation for you and the Dr, right?
WRONG!
We are actually allowing ourselves to be trapped into a black hole. We might think that medical insurance premium is anyway covered as a part of our cost-to-company and we don’t have to keep contributing anything in an active manner. The premium we pay may look poultry when compared to the bills we are able to pay using the card. But one simple thing we need to realize is there is nothing called a free meal. We will have to pay the prize, if not today, then tomorrow. And if might be a case of us paying through our noses.
We are going through the nascent phase of medical insurance industry in India. All the sops we enjoy now are part of the incentives the medical insurance industry is sowing for a grand harvest for them tomorrow. In simple words, they are promoting medical insurance policies by making them easily affordable for the majority. They will be more than happy to foot your bills for a limited period, gain your trust and then suck you in.
Some of the hospitals in Bangalore have two different rates. A lesser rate for people who pay without medical insurance and a rate which is multiple times the original rate which is for people who pay using medical insurance. Nobody complains as they are not aware of the danger yet. In future, as more and more people are lured in to taking a medical insurance, these hospitals will start making the hyped up rate their default rate. Insurance companies will start increasing the premiums to their liking. You and I will be left with no option but pay the high premiums as the medical costs will become unaffordable otherwise.
Cut to USA. One of the major issues in this year's presidential election is going to be related to medical expenses, universal medical care and affordability of health insurance. Each of the presidential candidates has come out with their own strategy to address the issue and most probably this is going to be the single largest issue which will decide the outcome of the poll. The way the medical industry functions in USA is really pathetic. Costs of hospitalization and treatment are astronomical and are not affordable for general public. You cannot survive without having a health insurance policy. And the insurance policies are not cheap as they are here in India. The policy will amount to a substantial part of your salary, if you are opting for full coverage for the entire family.
Something from my personal experience: A simple dental root canal surgery costed me around 2200$. Because I had a copayment insurance I had to pay around 400$ and the rest was taken care of by the insurance company. Just compare this with the current rates in India. Even the copayment I made is much more than the entire cost of surgery if performed in India now.
According to Wiki:
The U.S. spends more on health care, both as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) and on a per-capita basis, than any other nation in the world. Current estimates put U.S. health care spending at approximately 16% of GDP. The health share of GDP is expected to continue its historical upward trend, reaching 19.5 percent of GDP by 2017. In 2007, the U.S. spent a projected $2.26 trillion on health care, or $7,439 per person.
Americans without health insurance coverage at some time during 2006 totaled about 16% of the population, or 47 million people. Health insurance costs are rising faster than wages or inflation, and medical bills are overwhelmingly the most common reason for personal bankruptcy in the United States.
Cut back to India. If anyone goes to Manipal Hospital for delivery with a TTK card, they will invariably opt for cesarean and hand them a bill of 50,000 Rs. The simple reason is that is the upper limit set for a delivery by TTK. I have heard rumors that TTK has blacklisted Manipal Hospital because of their atrocious claims.
In India, we have a chain of solid, reliable and not so expensive state owned and private hospitals due to the good work of a lot of doctors, hospital administrators and government regulations. We should not allow that backbone to be broken to satisfy the greed of a bunch of private hospitals and insurance companies.
Things we can do
1. Spread awareness.
2. Even if you are paying using insurance, make sure the charges are just and reasonable.
3. Find out the regular rates at the hospital. Object to paying more and try to bring it to higher authorities' notice.
4. Pay from your pocket and get it reimbursed later. (suggested by Sand)
Monday, April 14, 2008
Idiot Box News
If there is a poll to find out the worst English news channel, I am sure 'Headlines Today' will win it by miles. You get trash and only trash from that channel. The channel is dedicated to airing stupid celebrity gossips 24 by 7. Day before yesterday their prime time was dominated by the breaking news "Shahid Kapoor and Sania Mirza spotted together in a Mumbai mall". Since they didn’t even have the visuals to go with it (not that having visuals will make that gossip any more newsworthy), they caricatured Shahid and Sania and kept repeating those cartoons over and again. Yesterday their main news was about Sanjay Dutt calling off his marriage to whoever that girl is. If there is some event related to the word cricket taking place anywhere, then the entire day is dedicated for cricketers. So many things happen in the world and all they can find are these stupid celebrity news. They are not happy with reporting these gossips as passing news items, they take pains to turn these gossips into full-fledged shows for an hour or so with the so called 'reporter' reporting directly from the scene and 'experts' from all over the country calling in with their opinion about the incident.
The advertisement they show for their channel is an apt one for them. The adv shows some news channels airing pointless 'blah blah blahs' as news and debate, and for a 'refreshing change' the suggested channel is Headlines Today. In fact the adv looks more like it is a straight lift from what gets aired on Headlines Today.
When writing about Headlines Today, how can I miss their super hit show "Grand Stand"? Is that stupid lady who anchors that show really mad or is it only acting? How can people tolerate her in the studio? Is the recording man deaf and blind? I am sure if he sees what he captures he will grab the chair next to him and whack this lady. Her accent, actions, hairstyle and the way she presents things will convince you that either she is mad or you are going to become one soon. If she is really not mad, then I must appreciate her acting skills as it is too close to call.
From the worst channel to the worst programme - MTV Roadies 5.0.
I happened to watch a couple of episodes and now I am confused about the meaning of the word Roadie. I took Wikipedia’s help and here is what I got "The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians." But that wasn't the meaning I had attributed to the term. I don’t think that is what the game show organizers also mean.
A roadie to me is someone who can ride (preferably a bike, as driving a car is much too simpler) in adverse conditions and who is a bit rough and tough to handle difficult situations and perform difficult tasks. Keeping that in mind, the show is a big disappointment to say the least. All you get to see is a set of real dumb girls and sissy guys arguing and bitching about each other throughout the show. Very few of the participating 'Roadies' know the art of driving a bike. They already had 2 accidents; one was a collision among their own bikes. Doesn't that talk volumes about their driving skills? All of them are such great stunt performers that most of them couldn't complete even one of the tasks assigned to them. That too tasks such as bowling at unmanned stumps and others like that. After a string of tasks with no results, the organizers had to invent tasks such that there will be natural elimination of one participant and hence they can declare the other as winner. Most of the episodes are filled with arguments between the lady participants on 'interesting' topics such as who among them has been flirting with the most number of guys and who is using a push-up bra (or is it pull-up?) and such crap. The guys too chip in once in a while with their contribution like "That day you tried to flirt with me. Don't you have any feelings for me?"
CRAP!
Now to the worst commercial - Pepsi YungiStaan
No words to describe this adv which features Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor. Let me just say that the adman who directed that adv should be shot dead. Or better still, he should be forced to watch his own creation a couple of times every day. Since I hate this adv so much, I was delighted to see the spoof by Sprite. The one in which a Ranbir-look-alike falls down after getting an electric shock when he tries to climb up the wall and then crying out things like "I am from JungleStaan, Kabaristaan" and all that... And the way the Shahrukh-look-alike cries out "Kaanthiii" is also funny. It is too good a reply and a slap on the face to the original absolute crappy adv. I am not a Sprite fan but I couldn’t resist myself from going out and buying myself a Sprite as a salute to the adv.
The advertisement they show for their channel is an apt one for them. The adv shows some news channels airing pointless 'blah blah blahs' as news and debate, and for a 'refreshing change' the suggested channel is Headlines Today. In fact the adv looks more like it is a straight lift from what gets aired on Headlines Today.
When writing about Headlines Today, how can I miss their super hit show "Grand Stand"? Is that stupid lady who anchors that show really mad or is it only acting? How can people tolerate her in the studio? Is the recording man deaf and blind? I am sure if he sees what he captures he will grab the chair next to him and whack this lady. Her accent, actions, hairstyle and the way she presents things will convince you that either she is mad or you are going to become one soon. If she is really not mad, then I must appreciate her acting skills as it is too close to call.
From the worst channel to the worst programme - MTV Roadies 5.0.
I happened to watch a couple of episodes and now I am confused about the meaning of the word Roadie. I took Wikipedia’s help and here is what I got "The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians." But that wasn't the meaning I had attributed to the term. I don’t think that is what the game show organizers also mean.
A roadie to me is someone who can ride (preferably a bike, as driving a car is much too simpler) in adverse conditions and who is a bit rough and tough to handle difficult situations and perform difficult tasks. Keeping that in mind, the show is a big disappointment to say the least. All you get to see is a set of real dumb girls and sissy guys arguing and bitching about each other throughout the show. Very few of the participating 'Roadies' know the art of driving a bike. They already had 2 accidents; one was a collision among their own bikes. Doesn't that talk volumes about their driving skills? All of them are such great stunt performers that most of them couldn't complete even one of the tasks assigned to them. That too tasks such as bowling at unmanned stumps and others like that. After a string of tasks with no results, the organizers had to invent tasks such that there will be natural elimination of one participant and hence they can declare the other as winner. Most of the episodes are filled with arguments between the lady participants on 'interesting' topics such as who among them has been flirting with the most number of guys and who is using a push-up bra (or is it pull-up?) and such crap. The guys too chip in once in a while with their contribution like "That day you tried to flirt with me. Don't you have any feelings for me?"
CRAP!
Now to the worst commercial - Pepsi YungiStaan
No words to describe this adv which features Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor. Let me just say that the adman who directed that adv should be shot dead. Or better still, he should be forced to watch his own creation a couple of times every day. Since I hate this adv so much, I was delighted to see the spoof by Sprite. The one in which a Ranbir-look-alike falls down after getting an electric shock when he tries to climb up the wall and then crying out things like "I am from JungleStaan, Kabaristaan" and all that... And the way the Shahrukh-look-alike cries out "Kaanthiii" is also funny. It is too good a reply and a slap on the face to the original absolute crappy adv. I am not a Sprite fan but I couldn’t resist myself from going out and buying myself a Sprite as a salute to the adv.
Friday, March 07, 2008
“The Loot” Marthahally, Bangalore
"The LOOT loots you!!!"
This is about the apparel store “The Loot” at Marthahally, Bangalore. I must say they have chosen an apt name for their store, as they intent to do just that, ie, loot you. Here is my account of a not so pleasant shopping experience there.
03/FEB/2008
I bought two pairs of Lee Jeans from this shop on Feb 3rd. Both had their waist size printed as 34, but one of them was a defective piece. Its actual waist size was 32. I realized this only after reaching home.
05/FEB/2008
I went back to the store and reported the issue. They said I could pick another jeans in exchange. I checked out their collection but couldn’t find any other pair of size 34. They only had blue jeans in size 34. I had already purchased one pair in blue. So the sales supervisor (Sadakat) told me he would get fresh stocks in a week and I could select after a week. He took down the jeans size, cut, color etc for tracking and assured me he would call me within a week. He also gave me a letter authorizing me to perform an exchange any time I wanted.
A week passed by...I didn’t get any call from Sadakat. I called him up. He said the stocks hadn’t come and asked me to wait for another 10 days. He promised he would inform me when the stocks reached. I waited for 2 more weeks. Same story again. He didn’t even bother to call me. I had to call him up once again. He said he hadn’t got the stock for size 34. I told him I wanted my money back. He said he could not refund the money and could only replace the merchandise. I told him I had been waiting for almost a month to get a replacement and that’s why I asked for reimbursement. I said I would have to look for other options like moving to consumer court or something like that. At that point he asked me to visit the store and settle the matter.
01/MARCH/2008
I went to the store to get my money back after almost a month. Sadakat started repeating the same story, ie, I can pick any stuff in exchange and he cannot return the money. I asked him to hand me a pair of 34 size LEE jeans which is not blue. He couldn’t do that and kept on repeating the same statement over and over again that I need to adjust and accept a replacement. I said I have waited for a month to get a replacement and since they were not able to get me the stuff I needed, I wanted my money back. After some more pointless argument, this guy went inside and sent another person who was introduced as the store manager Rafeeq. Rafeeq had the same set of stupid arguments “you have to adjust… pick up a blue jeans… our policy is that we don’t refund money” and some such crap.
Come on. How many pairs of blue jeans will I pick from the same store? How can a store have a policy of their own, violating the law of the land? How much more arrogant can a store manager get when he says “You do whatever you want, I will not refund your money”. That too when I have already waited for a month to get a replacement for a defective piece he sold me.
The Loot is one of those shops which is least bothered about customer satisfaction. They don’t mind being arrogant to you even when they very well know that they are on the wrong side of the law. I tried looking on the net for an email id or a phone number of Loot where I can raise a complaint. But none is available. I know one Mr. Jay Gupta is the owner of this firm but no contact details are available on net.
My request to you all, please stay away from this place and don’t get looted.
This is about the apparel store “The Loot” at Marthahally, Bangalore. I must say they have chosen an apt name for their store, as they intent to do just that, ie, loot you. Here is my account of a not so pleasant shopping experience there.
03/FEB/2008
I bought two pairs of Lee Jeans from this shop on Feb 3rd. Both had their waist size printed as 34, but one of them was a defective piece. Its actual waist size was 32. I realized this only after reaching home.
05/FEB/2008
I went back to the store and reported the issue. They said I could pick another jeans in exchange. I checked out their collection but couldn’t find any other pair of size 34. They only had blue jeans in size 34. I had already purchased one pair in blue. So the sales supervisor (Sadakat) told me he would get fresh stocks in a week and I could select after a week. He took down the jeans size, cut, color etc for tracking and assured me he would call me within a week. He also gave me a letter authorizing me to perform an exchange any time I wanted.
A week passed by...I didn’t get any call from Sadakat. I called him up. He said the stocks hadn’t come and asked me to wait for another 10 days. He promised he would inform me when the stocks reached. I waited for 2 more weeks. Same story again. He didn’t even bother to call me. I had to call him up once again. He said he hadn’t got the stock for size 34. I told him I wanted my money back. He said he could not refund the money and could only replace the merchandise. I told him I had been waiting for almost a month to get a replacement and that’s why I asked for reimbursement. I said I would have to look for other options like moving to consumer court or something like that. At that point he asked me to visit the store and settle the matter.
01/MARCH/2008
I went to the store to get my money back after almost a month. Sadakat started repeating the same story, ie, I can pick any stuff in exchange and he cannot return the money. I asked him to hand me a pair of 34 size LEE jeans which is not blue. He couldn’t do that and kept on repeating the same statement over and over again that I need to adjust and accept a replacement. I said I have waited for a month to get a replacement and since they were not able to get me the stuff I needed, I wanted my money back. After some more pointless argument, this guy went inside and sent another person who was introduced as the store manager Rafeeq. Rafeeq had the same set of stupid arguments “you have to adjust… pick up a blue jeans… our policy is that we don’t refund money” and some such crap.
Come on. How many pairs of blue jeans will I pick from the same store? How can a store have a policy of their own, violating the law of the land? How much more arrogant can a store manager get when he says “You do whatever you want, I will not refund your money”. That too when I have already waited for a month to get a replacement for a defective piece he sold me.
The Loot is one of those shops which is least bothered about customer satisfaction. They don’t mind being arrogant to you even when they very well know that they are on the wrong side of the law. I tried looking on the net for an email id or a phone number of Loot where I can raise a complaint. But none is available. I know one Mr. Jay Gupta is the owner of this firm but no contact details are available on net.
My request to you all, please stay away from this place and don’t get looted.
Thursday, July 13, 2006
They hit 'me' once again
Of all the places I have been to, Mumbai is my dearest. I simply adore the spirit of that city, the feeling of being treated as a ‘Mumbaikar’.
And those bastards hit me where it matters. This is not the first time, and probably this wont be the last also. But then, we don’t care. We will fight back. Just to prove all those bastards wrong, we will stand on our feet again, continue our work as if nothing happened.
Long live the brotherhood!
And those bastards hit me where it matters. This is not the first time, and probably this wont be the last also. But then, we don’t care. We will fight back. Just to prove all those bastards wrong, we will stand on our feet again, continue our work as if nothing happened.
Long live the brotherhood!
Saturday, January 22, 2005
Benny Hinn , Bandh and Bangalore
Got up at 10:30 yesterday... was up n ready by 11 and was on my way to office...
when i reached bommanahalli, the road was jam packed… it was unusual at 11 in the morning… took a couple of sharp turns, crossed the path of a truck and took my enticer to the service road… service road was more or less empty… seeing my id card, a colleague stopped me and asked me not to proceed…
That was when I took a look at the road ahead… two or three buses were parked across the road… stone pelting was going on… vehicles going towards electronic city came to screeching halts, took u-turns and sped away twice as fast as they were coming… police had started a small scale lathi-charge. Since I was not so interested in being a part of the drama any longer, donated a screeching 180 degree turn to the protesters and started my journey back home…
Dialed up my teammates who hadn’t yet started from home, to warn them about the potential danger to their automobiles… since I had some important work to finish, couldn’t afford to take a day off… again ventured out at around 12… this time the road was calm… not even a single mob of protesters throughout hosur road… reached office by 12.30…
Its sad to see Blore following Kerala's way of observing this barbaric ritual called Bandh. This surely is not expected of this metro.
when i reached bommanahalli, the road was jam packed… it was unusual at 11 in the morning… took a couple of sharp turns, crossed the path of a truck and took my enticer to the service road… service road was more or less empty… seeing my id card, a colleague stopped me and asked me not to proceed…
That was when I took a look at the road ahead… two or three buses were parked across the road… stone pelting was going on… vehicles going towards electronic city came to screeching halts, took u-turns and sped away twice as fast as they were coming… police had started a small scale lathi-charge. Since I was not so interested in being a part of the drama any longer, donated a screeching 180 degree turn to the protesters and started my journey back home…
Dialed up my teammates who hadn’t yet started from home, to warn them about the potential danger to their automobiles… since I had some important work to finish, couldn’t afford to take a day off… again ventured out at around 12… this time the road was calm… not even a single mob of protesters throughout hosur road… reached office by 12.30…
Its sad to see Blore following Kerala's way of observing this barbaric ritual called Bandh. This surely is not expected of this metro.
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