Nuclear Deal

Buddha smiled and so did the 7th largest Nation of the world on May 18, 1974. It was on this momentous day that the first confirmed nuclear test by a nation outside the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council was conducted by India. The reaction of the world to India’s nuclear test was the formation of the Nuclear Suppliers Group also known as the London Club. The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) is a group of nuclear supplier countries which seeks to contribute to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons through the implementation of Guidelines for nuclear exports and nuclear related exports. The NSG Guidelines are implemented by each Participating Government in accordance with its national laws and practices. Decisions on export applications are taken at the national level in accordance with national export licensing.

In 1992, the NSG decided to establish Guidelines for transfers of nuclear-related dual-use equipment, material and technology (items which have both nuclear and non-nuclear applications) which could make a significant contribution to an unsafeguarded nuclear fuel cycle or nuclear explosive activity. The 439 nuclear reactors operating in 30 countries provide 15 % of the world’s total electricity. Nuclear expansion is centred in Asia where 18 of the 32 reactors now being built are located. It is in this context that the state of India which is already fighting against the energy deficit wanted to wrap up the nuclear deal with USA.Most of the Nuclear Plants in India are operating at around 54 % efficiency.

India doesn’t have large stocks of Uranium which it can use as nuclear fuel. It was in order to satisfy this primary need of electrification that the government decided to go in for Nuclear deal with USA. The Indo-U.S. civilian nuclear agreement is the bilateral agreement on nuclear cooperation between the United States of America and India under which India agreed to separate its civil and military nuclear facilities and place civil facilities under IAEA safeguards and, in exchange, the United States agreed to work towards full civil nuclear cooperation with India. The most important aspect of this deal is that India doesn’t need to sign the NPT and can still get the nuclear fuel and technology for Civilian purpose. This deal is also known as 123 Agreement. The 123 Agreement between the US and India was operationalized on Oct 10, 2008.

The implementation of this waiver makes India the only known country with nuclear weapons which is not a party to the Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) but is still allowed to carry out nuclear commerce with the rest of the world. The Hyde Act is the domestic US law which is binding on the United States. The Hyde Act cannot be binding on India's sovereign decisions although it can be construed as a guideline for future U.S. reactions. No domestic law can supersede any international agreement as per the guidelines of Vienna convention. This should actually silence the critics of the nuclear deal.The fact that India has announced the nuclear moratorium should not matter much as it has been India’s adopted line of approach since long ago. It doesn’t take away India’s right to test though it does not stop any NSG country from reacting.

After the waiver from the NSG, the next step is getting into bilateral agreements with different NSG countries for fuel supply and Reactor technology. India has done so with the US. Similarly India has clinched the bilateral agreements with France and Russia as of now.

In my opinion, nuclear deal is the demand of time and we should try to utilize this opportunity to address our energy concerns apart from the strategic closeness with US. Being home to 25% of world reserves of thorium, the government should invest more in R&D and try to gain the technology to process thorium as a nuclear fuel. The govt should also look at our alternate opportunities like Helium 3 as fuel which is readily available on moon. The govt. has to come up with Liability Act so that the companies know what to expect in case of any mistakes or wrongdoings. For all its strategic, economic, environmental and energy considerations, it is a deal in India’s favour where India stands to gain a lot. Indian Govt. stands to gain in recognition as Nuclear Power ,Business stands to gain in terms of building new Nuclear Plants along with foreign companies involving technology transfer and society benefits to gain by number of jobs and electricity for masses and industries.

The Day that was

Finally came the day that had held us to near ransom for so many days. We were supposed to start the day at around 5:30 a.m.Our apprehensions of us not getting up on time were proven right when we missed the wake up call of 5:13 a.m.. But as luck would have it, our admin people gave us a call and we started the day with luck already tilted in our favour. The stage was set for the event with no major hiccups but for minor aberrations in the internal schedule just before the start of the event. The irony of the fact was that the person who was to get the bus move on right time was the last one to board the bus.
The event started with the lighting of the lamp by the dignitaries led by Ms.Anu Aga of Thermax fame, Padamsri Sudha Raghunathan (Noted Carnatic Vocalist), Ms.Mridula Ramesh of Sundaram Textile and our very own Padamsri Bala V Balachandran, Honorary Dean of Great Lakes. The Guest of Honour Ms.Anu Aga recounted her journey and the ups and downs she has seen in her professional life. She shared some of the major learning from her professional life and work experience with the students of Great Lakes.Padamsri Sudha Raghunathan’s speech was woven around the personal and professional life experiences and the factors that led to the making of her as a Carnatic exponent. Her speech that continued for nearly an hour was followed by a mesmerizing song by her that captured the imagination of the people who followed classical music especially Carnatic.Ms. Hemu Ramaiah stressed on the need to think out of box and spoke about the take away’s from her entrepreneurial venture, Landmark. It would be a sin to talk about successful women and not to talk about the underlying factors responsible for the success.Ms. Mridula Ramesh stressed on the the four factors that form the backbone of a successful women.Family, courage, role models and early proven competence are the four success enablers for women.

The Power Talk segment having the speeches of four celebrities from different walks of life was followed by the launch of SWIM magazines having articles written by successful women and articles about successful women. The tea break was followed by the Panel Discussion on the topic -“Educated, Intelligent, energetic, and just in her forties – can she still pursue her career dreams”. The panel discussion moderated by Mr. T.N.Seshan, former CEC, again involved people from different walks of life-Ms. Pushpa Kandaswamy, Noted TV producer, Ms. Indra Subramanyam, MD, Ehrlich Lab, Ms. Lalitha Maheswaran, HR Consultant and Ms. Sarda Ramani, president of C I Global Solutions- presenting their views on the topic.
After the Lunch break, the video’s Life@Great Lakes and SWIM were played which were received well with cheers, laughter and whistles by the audience. This was preceded by the quiz Prelims which was conducted amid the lunch break. A sum total of 46 teams participated in the quiz named as ‘Les Quizerables’. The quiz conducted by Vinod Ganesh was a big success with even the audience remaining unmoved during the quiz. The top three teams shared among themselves the prize money of Rs 35000 which was distributed by Ms. Pooja Mahadevan, SWIM Chairperson. The event came to the end with the rendition of National Anthem.
The event was a success by all the means. The event was followed by group photographs and congratulatory messages. With the event having come to an end by 5:00 p.m., people had enough time to plan and execute other plans that they could make for the night like ‘Singh is King’. Success of SWIM has made people look with heightened expectations towards other events like Sangamithra, HR event and Latitude. Whether Singh is king or not, but for that day the organizing committee was the king.

ALL ROADS LEAD TO SWIM

Every man, for that matter, every woman has a dream. A dream an individual cherishes and has close to his or her heart. Every Dream has a time span and every individual wants to see his or her dream come true. You start as a child with some dream in your eyes. You grow up and the dreams start to take shape. In the life of women comes a time when you have to take a break from your professional life to meet your family obligations. And when you see the prospect of those dreams turning into reality, you mostly go through this period of mid life professional crisis –crisis, because you need to take a break of unknown duration.. It is at this point that you have to take a call whether you want to refocus yourself on the target post break or call it quits. You have copious reasons to abandon that dream but one sole reason to pursue your dream –the joy to see your dream crystallize into reality in spite of all the road blocks.
SWIM 2008 celebrates and deliberates this issue with an aim in giving an insight on this particular issue. The celebrities from different walks of life join people at Great Lakes Institute of Management at Green Park Hotel, Vadapalani, Chennai on 12th Aug to unlock this mystery. In a unique event of this kind amongst all the B-Schools in India, this annual event showcases Indian Women as a Power Leader who balances her professional and domestic chores with ease and elegance. SWIM (Successful Women In Management) marks the celebration of this triumph-the triumph to see her dreams translate into reality against all the odds .In the battle of the sexes; she has proved beyond doubt her claim of being an equal partner rather than a subservient one.
This year the theme for the event is
'Women as Trailblazers: Dreaming, Exploring and Discovering new horizons’
and the topic for the panel discussion is
Educated, intelligent, energetic and just in her 40's – Can she still pursue her career dreams?

SWIM 2008 will have key note speeches delivered by eminent guests such as Ms. Anu Aga of Thermax, Padmasri Sudha Raghunathan, Noted Carnatic Vocalist and Ms. Hemu Ramaiah, Founder of Landmark apart from a panel discussion featuring Ms. Pushpa Kandaswamy, Ms. Indra Subramanyam, Ms. Lalitha Maheswaran and Ms. Shradha to be moderated by Mr. T.N.Seshan.
The event comes to an end at 5 P.m. with national anthem which is preceded by Inter College & Corporate Quiz: Les Quizarables to be hosted by Mr. Vinod Ganesh.The event has also been covered by ERGO (http://www.goergo.in/?cat=355). For details of the event, please visit http://glakes.org/swim.php. Mark your attendance at the venue and feel this lifetime experience of an academician, an entrepreneur, a successful women producer and a Great Lakes Alumni go through the rigors of discussion under the watchful eyes of Mr. T.N.Seshan.Need we say more. See you there. Remember,the event starts at 9:30 a.m.

Oops …….Those Office Days

Cut back….March 1st week… ……..I was overjoyed once I heard that I had been selected for the MBA program at Great lakes, Chennai.The recollections of my school days started weaving the web of nostalgia and the air of euphoria through my head. The prospects of relishing those golden days once again –Probably for one last time in this life .No tension .Nothing. I was just giving shape to my dreams. My dreams of enjoying that one elusive year in which I will do all that I liked and had done in college and all that I had not done and wanted to do.
Cut back …..June 7, 2008……….One and a half month in the college, I realized many a dreams of mine. I enjoyed every day as if there was no tomorrow. Going to movies ,watching the movies at home, going to beaches ,roaming around different places, starting the long discussions and debates about every other thing including that single most discussed topic among guys…..girls. Unfortunately I ignored an important component of school life. Those days of study in school.

Circa…..June 10, 2008….Realization dawns over me that the knowledge or lack of knowledge of Psychology did me in. We look for the positives from our past and ignore the negatives from the past to construe a very rosy picture full of gladden and bereft of sorrow.Oh, I really miss those office days when I used to enjoy the comfort of office, the days when I used to work and need not care about the results. The days of examination have made a comeback with a bang and without that saviour , preparation leave ,that was the only time when one used to study for the exams.Oops, I miss those office days - The days of comfort and no exams.

Opinion Makers and Decision Enablers

Opinions showcase me to the world for they mirror my personality. It is the culmination of the thought process based on certain information, assumption and beliefs. It is these opinions when taken in totality and practice decide my destiny. A perfect opinion based on right facts, right assumptions and unbiased approach is what distinguishes a winner from a loser. It is the opinions that decide the future of an entity and you base your opinion on the opinions of some people who are the subject masters. Who are these people? It is these people who are known as opinion makers or decision enablers. It is solely this reason that makes these opinion makers so important to the growth and progress of an entity, a nation. And it is solely for this reason that I am surprised and dismayed at the role of so called Opinion makers in the current Nuclear Deal Imbroglio.
A battle which had to be fought between the intelligentsia of our Nation was fought between 543 Lawmakers (rather say lawbreakers) most of whom didn’t have an iota of an idea about the nuclear deal. A battle which had to be fought among the clerisy for the welfare of the nation was fought for the personal ambitions, personal egos and Personal space in the electoral arena.A discussion that ought to focus on Nuclear Deal focused on the everything except nuclear Deal. Who is to be blamed for the current mess? What happens when an lawmaker opposes a deal because he cannot understand the deal (It is a different matter that the lawmaker is out of jail just to exercise his right to vote in the Indian parliament ).What happens when a lawmaker decides to abide by the decision of elders in his party ? It is a different matter that the law maker doesn’t have any idea about the deal and is more interested in his second innings in Indian Cinema. What happens when a lawmaker says that she doesn’t have any idea about nuclear deal but will whole heartedly support the deal?(It is a different matter that the lawmaker is the youngest lawmaker in parliament and is our future hope).What happens when a Lawmaker (PM in waiting) says that our first PM was against the NPT? It is a different matter that the concept of NPT came in 1970 and the premier PM had died in 1964.What happens when the lawmakers from a particular party strongly disagree with another lawmaker and make him revert from using some objectionable words? It is a different matter that the opposition rather than to the policy is to the suffix ‘wati’ that is also a postfix to their Party president’s name.
In spite of all this, all the lawmakers will get away with it .No one will be penalized for the fact that they wasted the taxpayers money. Nobody will be penalized because they didn’t discuss the issue. No lawmaker or political party will be penalized for taking wrong sides because the public in general still doesn’t know what the deal means and how is it going to effect every strata of society. It is the media that is shirking its responsibility as a medium of knowledge. It is more interested in letting us know who scored some brownie points over its opponent. Rather than getting us the information on the topics like nuclear deal, it will show us what happened in Kyunki Saas Bhi kabhi Bahu thi.Rather than getting us a discussion between the intelligentsia, it is more keen in showing us a boy being dug out from the well. It is more keen in playing with the emotion of the masses and capitalize on that rather than empowering us with the weapon of knowledge and then capitalize on its good work. It is the clerisy that has to be blamed for they robbed us of a chance to know who is working for our welfare, for the welfare of our nation rather than the welfare of an individual or welfare of a particular political party. What amazes me more is that our former President (subject Guru) who is popularly known as People’s President doesn’t take a determined and vocal stand.
If India has to progress, it is these people who need to come out of the closet and give us a piece of their mind and educate us and arm us with the information so that we can give power to their thoughts with that single important weapon in our armory known an Right to vote .

The Game of 64 squares

The game of 64 squares is a game of skill, a game of strategy, a game of thoughts, and a game of give and take. It is a game where skill and honesty is a virtue. It is game that is played by certain rules-rules that are common to all the participants where all the participating players start on a level playing ground. It is a game where there are no outside factors to be factored in. It is a game of defence and attack.
The game of 64 squares was at full display in the current trust vote and was played to near total perfection by all the relevant players. Every participating player had something at stake . Everyone had something to gain and something to lose. The only rule that was followed in the game was that I play the game to my own rules. Everyone played the game by its own rules –rules that suit its own agenda ,where some outside factors needed to be factored in ,where honesty was vice rather than a virtue, where along with mind power ,money power and muscle power were at display in full strength.
It is a game of give and take. Congress, which had the support of Left parties for four years, gave up the support and took the support of Samajwadi party. It is a game of defence and attack. The BJP attacked the nuclear Deal and defended its opposition albeit without giving any concrete reason for opposing the deal. Samajwadi Party’s thinking process suddenly turned pro deal once they could sense the alliance with the Congress and a chance of defeating the BSP.The BSP suddenly became vociferous against the deal and the deal became anti –Muslim for it once it saw the Congress-SP alliance coming in the picture. The Left continued to oppose the deal because it shows India forming a strategic relationship with US while Left wants India to toe China Line.
There were some other smaller parties who used this opportunity to take sides so that they can get some support for next elections. Some independents also took sides so that they can also get their pie in this power game. Money and Muscle power were at show with the everyday trading of the lawmakers. The game of 64 squares has been played with some clear winners and some clear losers. It is the follow up strategy of this game that will decide who are the eventual winners of this game. Time will be the best fortune teller.So let us keep our fingers crossed and wait for the events to unfold at their own pace in the next six months.
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An Inspired Blog

Inspirations, they say, come from some usual and some unusual events. Blogging is something that I had thought for a long time but then my habit of procrastination made that go further than every intended date. What finally inspired me to go for it was another blog from a friend of mine who was reeling under the effect of examination result. Not that my result was any different than his though a bit better due to proper utilization of resources and team work (in short copying), but the effect is totally different which probably can be explained only by the Psychology of two underlying individuals.
As I was going through his blog, I just remembered something that we have written and talked a lot about in our hey days .Mass can neither be created nor be destroyed but only converted from one form to another .If it is so then what will be a parallel for the same hypothesis in the field of knowledge. Probably in the same time period with the same amount of input, you can’t have more knowledge than others but varied knowledge. So, I think my friend is in a better position to do better in the other subjects. The next test, which is a stats test, comes tomorrow. And my dear friend, who wrote a blog and had started studying, has already been sleeping for the past two hours. After the statistics exam, I feel my friend is going to show us his knowledge of statistics and show us in terms of statistics like mean, median and deviation where exactly he stands in the class so that we have the empirical evidence to check where exactly he stands in the class.
I hope to keep a date with blogging next week with one of the subjects closest to my heart – Reservations .Just thought will market my self a bit since this Monday we start with a new subject that goes by the name of marketing management. By then me and my friend would have had our date with term examinations and some more Chinese classes.
In the battle of two, one always overpowers the other. Similarly, I n the battle between me and procrastination, the latter has once again overpowered me. I had thought of this blog as of 30th May and I think this blog will in all probability see the light of day only on 30 the July. I and my friend have already appeared for most of the exams of another term and I don’t think the results or means used were any different. It is Indian Railways which has finally provided me with an opportunity to join the world of Bloggers and proclaim with pride ‘I Blog and I am here - http://billz-lettherebelight.blogspot.com/ ’. Though my friend has taken the lead but I intend to catch him soon with the perfect platform being provided by Indian Railways.
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