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Is the Indian Government getting more stingy about the duration of visas it issues to backpackers who supposedly come to stay in the Himalayas for months to enjoy the easy access to cheap drugs? And with a good number of these from Israel, is the Israeli Government getting worried about the image of its country?

During my recent trip to Mcleodganj and surrounding areas in the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh I met Nimrod, one of the thousands of Israelis for whom this region of the Himalayas are Shangri-La - not mythical but real; many of them are supposedly here to unwind after undergoing the rigours of compulsory military training. Or at least this is what a lot of people told me. The Israeli Government seems to be getting concerned about the image of their country with its citizens ‘reveling’ in the Himalayas according to an acquaintance of mine; while consumption of drugs was commonplace, he claimed to have seen them having an orgy in the jungles once. But nothing seems to have been done to date. Read more

No matter what the Chinese say, Tibetans seem to continue to suffer from some of the worst form of state sponsored violence. All for asking for some basic human rights like dignity of life and a degree of autonomy that would allow Tibet to preserve its cultural, religious and social values intact as they have over the centuries. The Dalai Lama has not even asked for independence from China.

If killing Tibetan protesters was not bad enough, the Chinese soldiers strip the bodies of all their valuables, and then steal the organs from the bodies to feed the thriving black market for these in China. To add to the indignity, these bodies are then dressed in those of Chinese soldiers to show the world that the Chinese authorities are being forced to retaliate to violent acts of the Tibetans. Looks like propaganda of the Goebells and the Hitler kind did not go away with the second World War. Read more

So, international cricket star Harbhajan Singh has been banned for 11 matches of the Twenty20 Indian Premier League for slapping fellow cricketer Sreesanth. While the two represent India in international matches, they play for Mumbai Indians and Mohali Kings teams of the IPL respectively.

This is not the first time Harbhajan has got into trouble. The recent series against Australia had seen the game of cricket being played in an atmosphere of a war of words with Harbhajan being the centre of all controversy. Matthew Hayden went to the extent of referring to him as an ‘obnoxious little weed.‘

But why is the whole world after Harbhajan only? It seems he deserves every bit of it, according to a senior official of the Delhi and District Cricket Association (DDCA). Read on to know what this official has to say

This is supposedly a true story I heard from a Tibetan migrant on my trip to Mcleodgang (the Himalayan town where the Dalai Lama lives and runs his Government in exile). A Tibetan girl’s brother went missing after taking part in protests against the Chinese, and what this girl saw in the mortuary can only be described as gut-wrenching.

Not that she could get easy access to the mortuary in the first place: she had to bribe way through; China is one of those countries where money can achieve a lot. She had a hard time even identifying anyone, with faces either already decayed or disfigured with acid. Tragically, her brother was there too – face unrecognisable – but identifed by a unique neck piece (Tibetans believe in wearing different kinds of stones on their body, and he was wearing one on a string).

What made the trip even more shocking was the sight of many other bodies with life still in them – the dying were left to die with the dead. Read more

I have written a book, Let’s Connect: Using LinkedIn to get ahead at work and it came out just a few weeks ago. Going by the initial response, I feel it has the potential to make a difference for the readers.

LinkedIn is currently the hottest professional networking site going around, and millions are benefiting from using it around the world. In this book, I talk of how you too can get this site to work for you as a professional. Full of interviews and testimonials to support my analyses and opinion, this book could well be a must-read for all kinds of professionals.

For more information, sample chapters and how to order, click here. You can also order on Amazon directly.

Here is one way ABN AMRO bank in India tries to act smart with its credit card holders. And take you on an ‘air’ ride, literally.

I got a call from the bank for a very tempting offer. This is the deal I was entitled to as a credit card holder issued by the bank:

• For a sum of Rs. 4,000 I would be entitled to four one way air tickets on Indian Airlines (now merged with Air India) to be used within India only. Taxes, surcharges and airport charges would be extra.
• These could be used on any sectors where this airlines flies.
• The vouchers would be valid for one year.

Since this was sounding too good to be true, I asked more than one salesperson of the bank if this was exactly what it was. And I was told yes. When I asked for it in writing, they said they cannot do that but there is no ambiguity here. All right, if you say so.

And when I opened the vouchers today to redeem them, what do I see? I had been totally misled by the bank’s representative. Read on to know how

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, speaking at a seminar titled ‘Right to Education – Actions Now’ in New Delhi today, came up with an interesting thought on how to address the issue of poor primary education in India. His suggestion: involve the unions of teachers working in the public education system.

Now this did sound a bit of a surprising statement, especially as the event was organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry and the audience comprised some of the who’s who of Indian business. What was Dr. Sen’s reasoning? This is what he said, and I would tend to agree with him: Read on, it’s worth it…

This post was triggered after reading an interview in the New York Times featuring Kim E. Jeffery, CEO of Nestle Waters (owner of brands like Poland Spring and Perrier). This is also the first in a series of DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Activism posts - it’s about small things you can do to make a much better world out there.

The health conscious and the thirsty on-the-go may be opting more and more for bottled water, but imagine the colossal amount of plastic waste it is adding in the landfills.

Ok, we all drink bottled water for various reasons – most justified – but there can be ways to reduce if not eliminate this waste altogether. Environmentalists have been targeting bottled water companies but we cannot expect them to stop selling at the expense of their business interests. Here are some suggestions to make a difference: Read on…

Have you ever wished to travel with just a carry-on? Some tips on how to turn a few clothing items into a week’s wardrobe and pare down toiletry supplies.

[Click here - 3MB PDF file -to read this piece published in Outlook Business or read it on this blog]

Just because you travel business class does not mean you have to use the generous baggage allowance it comes with. More so since airports are the great levellers; all but a few treat passengers and their bags equally, irrespective of the class they are travelling in. Read on for some useful tips

So, Rahul Gandhi is general secretary of the Congress Party, the lead partner in the coalition currently ruling India. So, does anyone care about this except the party workers (who think this is like winning the World Cup, but more on this later)? Here are five reasons why it cannot be a big deal unless proven otherwise:

1. Where is the charisma? Don’t go by the crowds one sees following Rahul in his constituency, aptly covered by Doordarshan, but where else have you seen people swooning over him? Does he realise charisma is no longer spelt ‘Gandhi’? Or is his coterie of advisors, like his late father’s, leading him up the garden path too?
2. A youth leader? Is he? Does he represent Indian youth and their aspirations? Do they really care about him – their icons are now Infosys founder Narayan Murthy, former President Kalam, actor Shah Rukh Khan and cricketer Rahul Dravid. And everyone else who became what they have with no family name and fortune, and showing the way to do it.
3. Does anyone want his dole? Continuing the point 2, Rahul Gandhi is still caught up in believing development is only through the dole route – the first thing he insisted upon after being appointed General Secretary was expansion of the National Rural Employee Guarantee Scheme. No talk of taking education, healthcare and infrastructure to the interiors which will generate employment on its own and in a much bigger and sustainable manner.
4. Is he really smart? Tough, considering his suspect academic credentials and subsequent work experience, if any. Can one recall any inspiring statement by Rahul Gandhi to show he has a vision for India and its citizens? And his smile, quite uncharismatic at best, cannot hide all the times he has ended pushing his own foot in the mouth when he does open it to speak.
5. Leadership has to be proved, even if it is thrust upon you. Rahul Gandhi has got the ‘crown’ easily, but his ‘leadership’ has shown little success other than winning seats for only the family members. The party is losing ground – largely due to a lack of leaders who can motivate and discipline workers to perform for results.

Rahul Gandhi, show you can lead the youth – and then all posts like General Secretary etc etc will not be of any consequence. And to so that you need to start conversing with them first.

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