I was intrigued by his take on the terrorist attack on Mumbai, and a comparison with the destruction in New York. Here’s his 7 Dec 2009 article:

26/11 vs 9/11

Last week I was in Bombay exactly 1 year after the terrorist attacks of a year ago (26/11). I made it a point to visit VT station and the Taj Mahal Hotel (site of two of the terrorist attacks).

VT station was its normal, bustling self. The only signs that anything untoward had happened there was that there was one armed military person behind a stack of bags at one entrance, a few other armed policeman loitering around and strangely enough a bunch of metal detectors at the various entrance and exit points which hardly anyone bothered to walk through. No signs any bullet holes or any indication of any kind of memorial to those 50 odd people who had been killed at this location last November.

The Taj Mahal Hotel (across from the Gateway of India monument) looked exactly the same as it did prior to the terrorist attack of last year which had left several sections of the hotel on fire. The only changes that I saw was the side walk around the Taj was cordoned off and at the main entrance, one had to go through a metal detector and bags were also scanned separately. On walking around inside, I met a Commander Ramamurthy who told me that he was a consultant to the Taj (presumably on security matters). I asked him about any memorial that might be present to remember those dozens of people who had died in the terrorist attack. He directed me towards the Golden Dragon restaurant where most of the killings had taken place and to the adjacent area where some of the terrorists had been killed. However on going to these locations, I could not find a single indication of bullet holes or more importantly any memorial to the tragedy that had taken place at this hotel.

Bottom line – after the terrorist attack of 26/11/2008, people in Bombay had just cleaned up and resumed business as usual at all the locations that had been hit. India had not invaded Pakistan to capture or kill the terrorists (who are clearly based out of there) and so no war had resulted which could have thrown the whole region into a turmoil. But despite this, no further overseas based attacks had taken place a year since 26/11 either because security in Indian cities had been improved so much or just sheer luck or that Pakistan itself was now in turmoil with the home grown terrorist creating havoc there or a combination of all of these.

Compare that to the attacks on NY City of 9/11/2001.

Eight years later, the site where the World Trade Center stood is still a hole in the ground as competing interests (including politicians, lawyers, builders and victims’ groups) compete with each other to decide what exactly to build at that location. The place has been given a new name (Ground Zero) and a grand memorial is planned to be located there to honor the victims / heroes that died there on that day. Afghanistan was invaded to eliminate Osama Bin Laden and Al Qaeda but after more than 8 years of war involving more loss of thousands of US lives and billions of dollars in expense, this mission has yet to be accomplished.

Bottom line – the mark that the terrorists made on NY City continues to be there for all to see.

So why has 9/11 had such a different impact than 26/11?

In my opinion following are the reasons:

* India has been used to terrorist attacks and mass deaths due to the same and so 26/11 quickly became just another blip in history while for the US, which considered itself fairly immune to overseas terrorist attacks in recent times, 9/11 was a seriously, unexpected shock
* India was in no position to invade Pakistan (since it is a country possessing nuclear weapons) while Afghanistan had no such weapons to defend itself against a US invasion
* Indian people have not yet developed the individualistic mentality of those in the US and the Indian Government was no compulsion to listen to bunch of people’s opinions as to when to rebuild and how to memorialize those who died in the attacks and so could swiftly move to restore normalcy

So while India has apparently brushed itself from 26/11 and moved on (for better or for worse), the US continues to wallow in the aftermath of 9/11 having failed to rebuild the edifice that was destroyed and getting mired in an unending overseas conflict.

So in which instance did the terrorists win? The answer, at least in the short term, appears to be obvious …..

They forecast 2010-2012 will be another 2-3 years of adjustment in Europe and North America.  “We see no reason to lift our US forecast from 2.2% for 2010 and 2.8% in 2011.”

But Asia’s already growing to the point of inflation pressures. Says IMA Asia:  “the outlook in Asia [is] improving with the prospect of strong demand growth by mid-2010 and rising inflation due to shortages of materials, skilled staff and shipping capacity.”

• China’s GDP growth forecast is 9.7% for 2010 and 9.4 % for 2011. Its inflation (measured as CPI growth rate) is only 4-4.5%.
• India, though, is looking at inflation as high as 15% in 2010 and 9% in 2011, off of a GDP growth rate of 7.5-7.8%.

With such a mismatch in the prospects of two major regions, the uncertainly is “reflected in wildly diverse outlooks for commodity markets.” Forecasts for growth in global oil consumption this year range from 120,000 – 1,400,000 barrels per day, with the price by early 2011 either close to  US$71 or $100 .

Fasten your seat-belts.

My numbers have been on the US National “Do Not Call” registry since mid-August 2008. Enough time, one would think, for the idea to sink in and for the numbers to work their way through the system. Instead, I’ve received perhaps a hundred calls from Dish Network. The conversation predictably goes like this:

Them: Hello ma’am, this is “Someone” calling from “Somedum Corp” for Dish Network. (From the accent, I can tell the call is from an Indian call center. I feel bad for the youngsters who are doing their jobs. So I’m polite.)
Me: I’m not really interested, and you know, my number is on the Do Not Call registry.
Them: I’m sorry Ma’am, I didn’t know.
Me:  But I say this every time you guys call. How is it still on your list? Please take my number off the list.
Them: Yes Ma’am, we don’t make the lists, ma’am. I’ll tell my supervisor.

And, predictably, there will be another call. The record was the day they managed to call three times within 4 hours.
—-
So I searched the Internet a bit, and found the FTC sued Dish Network in March 2009 for violating DNC norms. In Aug 2009, two of its authorized dealers settled with the FTC. The case against Dish itself apparently continues. I presume for the present, nothing prevents them from moving on to new dealers and new violations.

I also found that you can get yourself placed on Dish Network’s Internal Do Not Call list. (Apparently a national registry is just too impersonal. Though the impersonal registry was able to instantly confirm that my numbers were indeed still registered.)

Except they want your full street address. I can see what would follow. Junk mail. Who knows, perhaps some hardworking earnest person will even show up right at my door with “Ma’am, I am representing Dish Network.”

They did provide a phone number to call, and I’ve done so; the automated system claimed to have placed my number on their list. Now let’s see if the calls stop.

Excerpt from Dish Network's Do-Not-Call Policy (color added)

I’m not exactly optimistic. Their own policy (revised May 2009 and available as a PDF here) suggests that the recent call should never have happened; I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked their Representatives to remove my number from their list.

Dish Network, if you’re listening, Don’t Call us, we’ll call you. Maybe.

Things have changed a lot since then.

So it was with some surprise (and, let me say, delight) that I saw the product recently in a Tokyo supermarket. Here, for your amusement: Indian Curry Powder.

Paypal (or, maybe, its clients) just learned the hard way.

India doesn’t have a freely convertible currency. Paypal’s just discovered that it isn’t actually authorized to transfer funds cross-border there. Until the Reserve Bank of India and Paypal resolve whether it complies with all the regulations, Paypal abruptly put parts of its India service on hold.

Here’s what Anuj Nayar said on their blog: “I’m writing to let you know that personal payments to and from India and transfers to local banks in India have been suspended while we work with our business partners and other stakeholders to address questions they have about the service. During this time, customers can still make commercial payments to India but merchants cannot withdraw funds in Rupees to local Indian banks.”

The India business – small but fast-growing – isn’t sure how long it will take to resolve the issue; at the very least, some months. Meanwhile, to judge by the comments on its blog, many users have been left with financial issues to resolve.

Paypal is wholly-owned by Ebay, which entered India in 2004 by acquiring Baazee.com. However, the Ebay India site doesn’t use Paypal; it has a similar but independent method called Paisapay. Until recently Paypal did accept financial transfers into and out of India.

——–

(I’d say this is the international business equivalent of “Read The ****  Manual” except that the “manual”  in this case is hugely complicated and would probably occupy very many phonebooks…)

In the ten years since, I doubt the article has become any less accurate – except that the speed of traffic in all major cities has slowed to a crawl during much of the day. (The picture below was taken in Delhi.)

I stand by my book’s recommendation – expats and visitors to India should not attempt to drive there. Hire a car with a driver instead, read the article, and be not daunted.

Keep Distance...

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DRIVING IN INDIA by Coen Jukens (2000?)

I visited Mumbai recently and agree with the observations about driving. For the benefit of every Tom, Dick and Harry visiting India and daring to drive on Indian roads, I am offering a few hints for survival. They are applicable to every place in India except Bihar, where life outside a vehicle is only marginally safer.

Indian road rules broadly operate within the domain of karma where you do your best and leave the results to your insurance company.

The hints are as follows:

Do we drive on the left or right of the road? The answer is “both”. Basically you start on the left of the road, unless it is occupied. In that case, go to the right, unless that is also occupied. Then proceed by occupying the next available gap, as in chess.

(The rest of the article is under the jump…)

1. Just trust your instincts, ascertain the direction, and proceed. Adherence to road rules leads to much misery and occasional fatality.

2. Most drivers don’t drive, but just aim their vehicles in the intended direction. Don’t you get discouraged or underestimate yourself. Except for a belief in reincarnation, the other drivers are not in any better position.

3. Don’t stop at pedestrian crossings just because some fool wants to cross the road. You may do so only if you enjoy being bumped in the back. Pedestrians have been strictly instructed to cross only when traffic is moving slowly or has come to a dead stop because some minister is in town. Still some idiot may try to wade across, but then, let us not talk ill of the dead.

4. Blowing your horn is not a sign of protest as in some countries. We horn to express joy, resentment, frustration, romance and bare lust (two brisk blasts) or just to mobilize a dozing cow in the middle of the bazaar.

5. Keep informative books in the glove compartment. You may read them during traffic jams, while awaiting the chief minister’s motorcade, or waiting for the rain waters to recede when over-ground traffic meets underground drainage.

6. Night driving on Indian roads can be an exhilarating experience (for those with the mental makeup of Genghis Khan). In a way, it is like playing Russian roulette, because you do not know who amongst the drivers is loaded. What looks like premature dawn on the horizon turns out to be a truck attempting a speed record. On encountering it, just pull partly into the field adjoining the road until the phenomenon passes. Our roads do not have shoulders, but occasional boulders. Do not blink your lights expecting reciprocation. The only dim thing in the truck is the driver and the peg of illicit arrack he has had at the last stop; his total cerebral functions add up to little more than a naught. Truck drivers are the James Bonds of India and are licensed to kill. Often you may encounter a single powerful beam of light about six feet above the ground. This is not a super motorbike, but a truck approaching you with a single light on, usually the left one. It could be the right one, but never get too close to investigate. You may prove your point posthumously. Of course, all this occurs at night, on the trunk roads.

During the daytime, trucks are more visible, except that the drivers will never show any signal. (And you must watch for the absent signals; they are a greater threat.) Only, you will often observe that the cleaner that sits next to the driver will project his hand and wave hysterically. This is definitely not to be construed as a signal for a left turn. The waving is just an expression of physical relief on a hot day.

Occasionally you might see what looks like an UFO with blinking colored lights and weird sounds emanating from within. This is an illuminated bus, full of happy pilgrims singing bhajans. These pilgrim buses go at breakneck speed, seeking contact with the Almighty, often meeting with success.

Unique to Indian traffic:

Auto Rickshaw (Baby Taxi)
[That would be the yellow-top in the picture above]

The result of a collision between a rickshaw and an automobile, this three-wheeled vehicle works on an external combustion engine that runs on a mixture of kerosene oil and creosote. This triangular vehicle carries iron rods, gas cylinders or passengers three times its weight and dimension, at an unspecified fare.

After careful geometric calculations, children are folded and packed into these auto rickshaws until some children in the periphery are not in contact with the vehicle at all. Then their school bags are pushed into the microscopic gaps all round so those minor collisions with other vehicles on the road cause no permanent damage. Of course, the peripheral children are charged half the fare and also learn Newton’s laws of motion en route to school. Auto-rickshaw drivers follow the road rules depicted in the film Ben Hur and are licensed to irritate.

Mopeds
The moped looks like an oil tin on wheels and makes noise like an electric shaver. It runs 30 miles on a teaspoon of petrol and travels at break-bottom speed. As the sides of the road are too rough for a ride, the moped drivers tend to drive in the middle of the road; they would rather drive under heavier vehicles instead of around them and are often “mopped” off the tarmac.

Leaning Tower of Passes
Most bus passengers are given free passes and during rush hours, there is absolute mayhem (hell). There are passengers hanging off other passengers, who in turn hang off the railings and the overloaded bus leans dangerously, defying laws of gravity but obeying laws of surface tension. As drivers get paid for overload (so many Rupees per kg of passenger), no questions are ever asked. Steer clear of these buses by a width of three passengers.

One-way Street
These boards are put up by traffic people to add jest in their otherwise drab lives. Don’t stick to the literal meaning and proceed in one direction. In metaphysical terms, it means that you cannot proceed in two directions at once. So drive as you like, in reverse throughout, if you are the fussy type.

Lest I sound hypercritical, I must add a positive point also.

Rash and fast driving in residential areas has been prevented by providing a “speed breaker”; two for each house. This mound, incidentally, covers the water and drainage pipes for that residence and is left un-tarred for easy identification by the corporation authorities, should they want to recover the pipe for year-end accounting.

If, after all this, you still want to drive in India, have your lessons between 8 pm and 11 am – when the police have gone home. The citizen is then free to enjoy the ‘FREEDOM OF SPEED’ enshrined in our constitution.

Having said all this, isn’t it true that the accident rate and related deaths are less in India compared to US or other countries ?

by Coen Jukens

In October 2009, the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC) recommended approval for transgenic eggplants that would resist the shoot borer, a major pest. (It doesn’t protect against bacterial wilt, a different major pest.) The main US player, naturally, is Monsanto, through the Indian company Maharashtra Hybrid Seeds  Co (Mahyco).

[Edited to Add: On Feb 10, 2010, the government put Bt Brinjal on indefinite hold. There were some reports of planned 180-day rat studies instead of the usual 90-day ones.]

There’s been a storm of protest. Activists, farmers, and political leaders are upset. Some have actually called it poison.

Minister for the Environment Jairam Ramesh  has asked for further investigation and public input, while Minister for Food and Agriculture Sharad Pawar is pushing for its introduction.

Meanwhile, the Chief Ministers of the three largest eggplant-producing states have said they do not intend to grow Bt Brinjal. (West Bengal, Orissa and Bihar together account for over 60% of India’s eggplant production.)

Why the controversy?

So far, India’s main GMO crop is cotton, modified with Baccillus Thuringiensis genes that are meant to protect it from bollworm. Like many issues in India, this has been controversial ever since it was introduced 5 years ago – and maybe even before that. Some allegations:

• It doesn’t work. Bt Cotton, according to some sources, is more vulnerable to drought and to other pests, so yields quickly fall.
• It’s tough to control and study. Indian agriculture, made up of large numbers of independent farmers, is not suitable for controlled usage.  Bt genes can spread through cross-pollination, and no controlled studies are possible as to whether Bt Cotton performs better or worse than normal cotton.
• Farmers must repurchase the seeds each year, since the plants are not designed to breed true. This is a considerable expenditure; when the cotton does not perform, farmers go deeper into debt, sometimes hopelessly. Anti Bt activists have suggested that the spate of farmer suicides have been linked to the introduction of agribusiness inputs like these.
• Some sources have said that sheep and cattle grazing on the post-harvest stubble – as they traditionally do – were poisoned when they grazed on Bt Cotton fields.
• There have been allegations of allergic reactions among cotton-pickers.

Though cotton is the single largest transgenic crop in India, investigations have been underway on several others. In 2006, India’s Supreme Court stopped trials on Bt Brinjal so it could examine the issues raised in a public interest petition, but eventually they were re-started.

————-

Meanwhile, pro-GMO sources have suggested that with genetic modification, yields have risen, pesticide use fallen, and it’s all been worthwhile.

India’s Prime Minister, in his speech at the 97th Indian Science Congress said:

“Developments in biotechnology present us the prospect of greatly improving yields in our major crops by increasing resistance to pests and also to moisture stress. BT Cotton has been well accepted in the country and has made a great difference to the production of cotton. The technology of genetic modification is also being extended to food crops though this raises legitimate questions of safety…“

India’s not one of them. Almost all foreigners need visas for India. (Citizens of five countries qualify for 30-day visas-on-arrival.) In fact, India has a whole bunch of visa categories: Tourist,  Business, Journalist, Conference,  Transit visa, Entry Visa,  Employment, Student, Missionary, Research, Sports.  Recently, thanks largely to a single terrorist, the rules were tightened further.

India had always given long-term multiple entry tourist visas to foreigners who wished to visit the country regularly. Thousands of visitors took advantage of it, including people who used it essentially as a business visit visa.

David Coleman Headley allegedly used it for a more nefarious purpose – to research potential targets in Mumbai ahead of the horrendous terror attacks on the Taj Hotel, the Oberoi Hotel, and a major train station among others.

The Indian government will now prohibit a visitor – even one with a multi-year, multiple re-entry visa – from returning in under two months. Exceptions may be permitted with an advance itinerary – if for instance your travels take you into other countries and back through India for two or more short stays.  However, if the total period exceeds 90 days (or 180 days, depending on the visa), then the two month gap becomes a requirement.

The government is also becoming stricter about the de facto use of tourist visas for other purposes – like business.

People with Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) or Person of Indian Origin (PIO) status do not need to get Indian visas, no matter what nationality they have.

———–

We’ll all get used the the new visa rules eventually. But meanwhile, the first, very public, evidence of the visa inconvenience showed up in the Indian press.

Several guests who’d planned to speak at an important Literary Festival in Jaipur didn’t get there for visa reasons. The Indian Express reported the following:

• Eminent Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates – the gentleman who shot into the headlines after being arrested on his own front porch by mistake – didn’t get a visa in time. The rules had been tightened after his application went in, and the consulate went by the new rules. Apparently they wanted a copy of his birth certificate and his college diploma…
• Andrew Lycett, from the UK, had visited in November, and had a tourist visa valid for six months. But since he needed to re-enter within 60 days, it wasn’t. It wasn’t the right type of emergency…
• Palestinian-American poet Suheir Hammad tried to get a visa from London, though she is from New York. The passport was sent to New York for verification, and hadn’t returned by the time the festival started.

(Of course, Delhi is in the grip of fog season, which adds its own complications to travel. Today’s news is that visibility is down to 100 meters, and over 100 flights are affected. Not to mention the trains.)

———–

If terrorists measure their success in terms of inconvenience caused to the public at large, this is another point for them. Along with shoe-removal when visiting the US and several other countries, no liquids permitted on board, a wide range of items prohibited in carry-on luggage, finger-printing at Immigration in some countries, and coming soon to an airport near you, full-body scanners.

Then again, I suppose all these measures are generating jobs and economic activity…

But that’s not what I want to write about today. Today, it’s kudos to the Microsoft security people based in Chennai.

My computer had been colonized by the Alureon CT trojan, or actually rootkit . I didn’t even know: Norton Internet Security, (which is what I had) doesn’t see it, let alone block it. Then one day, someone suggested downloading Microsoft Security Essentials. It found Alureon CT, cleaned the computer, and then suggested I restart the machine. I did. And within minutes, Alureon was back.  (Norton still showed nothing amiss.)

Rinse and repeat.

The infection explained some weird things that had been happening – like search hijackings, where clicking on a link took me someother-place.com. I’d attributed it to my computer aging and becoming incompatible with updated search engines. The thing is insidious; it keeps very quiet, but  it can steal passwords and make your computer part of a network outside your control.

I also found that getting rid of Alureon was Not Easy. Someone on one forum opined “formatting and reinstallation of the operating system is the only sure way…“

Someone else suggested opening a support file with Microsoft.  “Start here – https://support.microsoftsecurityessentials.com/ and select the link that says I think my computer is infected and then select the support option for phone (or email if phone is not offered for your region).”

So I did. Within minutes, I was in touch with their 24/7 phone help, given a case number and immediate assistance. “Nanda” shared my computer, performed a scan, emptied my temp files and cookies, and pronounced it cured.  But it wasn’t.

I e-mailed him (the engineer who’s been helping you provides an e-mail address) that it wasn’t working, and sent them a link to a particularly dire article on Alureon. I assumed the only solution was to go off and rebuild my computer with much cursing.

Well, Microsoft called back. The case isn’t closed until the problem is fixed. They wanted to give it a second try. This person had actually heard about rootkit infections. “I am going to run Kaspersky’s tdsskiller,” he said.

“I read that Norton, McAfee, Kaspersky, none of them work,” I argued, annoyed. This was going to be another afternoon of rote, by-the-book attempts. “I read that I have to rebuild.”

“Yes,” he said. “But sometimes the people on the forums are not aware of special programs like tdsskiller. I believe we can clean your computer without having to reinstall the operating system.”

I had nothing to lose, so I stood by while “Allan” took over my computer.

What do you know? It worked. I ran a full MSE scan, which took 2.5 hours. My computer was clean. Now, 36 hours later, it’s still clean.

I told my brother, who’s been active in the outsourcing space. “Those young people in Chennai,” he said. “They’re good.”

Yes. They are.

Thanks, Nanda, Alan/ Arul, and all the folks on the forums.

——–

[ETA: Some people still think it makes sense to reinstall the OS even after Alureon has been removed, because Alureon could have allowed undetected malware including keystroke loggers to lodge in the computer. As a precaution, I'm not using this machine for anything sensitive.]

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When Haagen Dazs, the super-premium ice-cream company owned by the US corporation General Mills, recently announced it would be opening its first store in India in New Delhi, they probably weren’t ready for the internet sh*tstorm that was about to descend.

Someone sent me an article from a Times of India blog. The Haagen Dazs ice-cream franchisee in Delhi decided on a grand opening that involved a special preview for international travelers: “Access restricted only to holders of international passports.” Those international passports did not apparently include Indian ones; when the blogger’s friend “Ramit” tried to enter, he was turned away.

It’s already up on Boing Boing, one of the internet’s most influential blogs.

Foreign companies do sometimes make mistakes in their assessment of Indian markets and consumers. It’s usually carelessness or cultural obtuseness. This time, though, the problem seems to be home-grown. The franchisee is Indian; the location is Indian; and the man reportedly denied entry is Indian.

The embarrassment is truly multinational. The internet knows no borders.

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For companies, it suggests that apart from avoiding self-inflicted wounds like this one, it also makes sense to have a corporate policy for dealing with any issue that is likely to capture the public eye. There’s no such thing as far away.

Between blogs, social media, and people willing to “boost the signal”, it is impossible to *contain* such problems. They have to be responded to, and defused.

Right now, apologies would be good. And maybe some explanation: What was the man thinking?

There isn’t anything on the websites of Haagen Dazs, or of General Mills, as of Dec 15th, anyway.

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Followup: An article in India’s Economic Times, says the local manager claims it was all a mistake. The banner was supposed to imply that the ice-cream would be bringing a European flavor to India (though the brand is a US one.) And apparently Ramit was excluded not because he was Indian, but because the store was too crowded. Tempest in a teacup or frantic damage control? Difficult to tell, but better than nothing.

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2nd Followup: Anu Bhatia, of General Mills India, sent us this response (click on “read more”)…

Dear Ms. Bose,

At the outset, we thank you for writing to us, and appreciate your message. There have been some reports on various online media alleging that the recently opened Häagen-Dazs shop in New Delhi, India, denied access to Indians. We vehemently and categorically deny this. Häagen-Dazs products and our Häagen-Dazs shop in India are and will always be for our consumers in India.

The recently opened Häagen-Dazs shop is open to one and all, and there’s no question of barring entry to anyone on any basis. The preview on Thursday, 10th December had a morning media event which was attended by journalists of repute from Indian media. The same evening we had a launch party for our friends and families, less than 5% of whom were foreigners. Also, during the mock training days at the shop leading up to 10th December, a lot of interest was generated and hundreds of walk-ins were given free samples of our ice cream. The store is now open to all public and seeing brisk business.

The poster in question was part of initial local store communication at a few locations within the same mall announcing the opening of the new Häagen-Dazs shop in the mall. The message was intended to suggest that you can enjoy, for instance, a taste of the French Riviera without traveling to France – by enjoying Häagen-Dazs. Unfortunately the reference to the international passport holder on the poster may have led to a significant miscommunication. This was completely unintended. It was a wrong choice of words, and we regret the error. We sincerely apologize for creating this misimpression that may have hurt our sentiments as Indians.

Regards,

Consumer Relations Manager, General Mills India