We had a Deepavali Get Together at a Community Hall in Kami Yamada, Suita shi, Osaka on 22nd October 2006. Myself, Nandhini and Akshaya visited Jeyakumar's house on Deepavali day (21 October). Kavitha, Jeyakumar's wife had prepared a nice lunch for us. In the evening Jeyakumar and myself went to Yamada to purchase few gifts for the get together at Toysaurus. Next day we went to the community hall where other friends also gathered. Around 30 people gathered for the event. Kurinji provided everyone with sweets, he ordered from Tokyo. Jeyaprakash, Kamal, Kurinchi and myself took the initiative to organize this get together. Lunch was served around 1:00 pm. We ordered lunch from a nearby Indian restaurant but unfortunately that guy sent very less quantity and it was over soon. Kurinji and myself rushed to nearby Kansai super market and got some bento, fried chicken and ice cream. Somehow we managed lunch time and then we had blind walk and bingo competition. Everyone seems to enjoy the event but I guess most of them were not happy with the lunch. Anyhow it is good that we were able to celebrate Deepavali in Osaka.
Big Country with men of talent
Today in the NHK program Current Closeup (クローズアップ現在), Ms.Kuniya Hiroko (国谷裕子) covered about India in a program by name "India, Big Country with Men of Talent" (インド、じんざいだいこく「イ ンド、人材大国」). It was a nice interview focussing on the current growth of India as a global IT powehouse. She will cover China tomorrow under the topic China, the world's factory.
She interviewed Commerce Minister Kamal Nath and Wipro Chairman Aziz Premji.
Some of the excerpts of the interview are quit interesting.
Kamalnath says the following.
It is evident that China follows a model mainly based on FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) whereas India encourages its Private sector to contribute to growth. Both have their plus and minus and I believe India has the advantage in the long run since it mostly depends on its own for its economical growth rather than outside influence or stake.
Aziz Premji responded to Kuniya Hiroko's question that the "West fears that all its IT jobs are being taken away by Indians". Aziz with a cool responded that most of the Indians use Nike shoes and its company uses air-conditioners manufactured by American companies and that's how Global economy works.
I feel that The country with an IT strength wins IT jobs from all over the world while a country like America has an upper hand on Research and Hi-tech product manufacturing like Airplanes
It's evident from the fact that the Koreans and Japanese dominate in the Indian car sector.
Premji disclosed that Accenture with a Global headcount of 140, 000 has a current head count of 25,000 in India. Accenture will increase its head count in India to 50,000 in the next couple of years and that is how Global companies who fear of being taken over by Indian counterparts can make a counter move by exploiting Indian talent.
It's really nice that Japan which mostly focus on South Korea and China started putting its focus on India in one of the famous NHK program that focuses on world trends.
On 6th September, Princess Kiko, wife of Prince Akishino, the second son of present emperor Akihito gave birth to a baby boy. He is the first prince to be born in the Imperial family in almost 41 years, after his father Akishino.
There is lot of debate going on in Japan over whom to succeed the throne after the present crown Prince Naruhito. Koizumi was briefly active to revise a Imperial law allowing women to succeed the throne, by which Princess Aiko will succeed his father Naruhito, as the first female successor after many decades. He constitued a council which finally gave the nod for the revision after a series of studies. But just before Koizumi could bring the law revision in the Parliament, Aiko got pregnant at the age of 39. Koizumi was pressurised by the right wing politicians to abandon the imperial law revision. Shinzo Abe who is almost certain to succeed Koizumi as the next Japanese Premier has already thrown the bill to the dust bin. The right wing hardliners does not support a woman to succeed the throne stating that will bring impurity into the royal family blood, if they marry either a commoner or a foreigner.
Though, it is upto the Japanese people to decide on their royal family's fate, one thing that annoys me is that Women are not given equal rights and opportunities even in a developed nation like Japan.
Same is the case in the United States. So many years after independance, a woman is yet to be elected as a president. I am little happy that being a third world country, India has seen a Premier 35 years ago in the name of Indira Gandhi and has several past and present women Chief Ministers
Though 56% percent of the interviewees in a recent survey by NHK in Japan favoured the revision of the law, most politicians and right wing activities does not favour it. This is one more proof that Men are superior by birth, even now, in certain parts of the world in the 21st century.
Japanese Chief Cabinet secretary Shinzo Abe said that Japan won't join with Brazil, Germany and India in resubmitting a new UN resolution for reforming the Security Council. It clearly shows that there is no unity among G4 anymore and UN reforms will take a big blow due to this split among the G4. Japan believes that it can gain a permanent seat in the security council by sidelining with the US dumping Brazil, Germany and India half way. But I think Japan will never get a permanent seat in the UN security council with China firmly opposing it from day 1. Though several countries are vying for reforms so long, in reality UN seems more like a puppet. It don't give proper representation to people from all over the world. Rather it serves the interest of only the P5. As an Indian, I believe that India should cut its expenses and military contribution to the UN since it is a useless body and reforms wont happen unless India, Germany and Japan do so. c
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