Sexual orientation should be a “Freedom of Choice”

With due respect to the Apex Court, but the Supreme Court’s judgment on Section 377 of IPC which inter alia penalises homosexual relations is quite unfortunate and regressive. Section 377 of the Indian constitution is a descendant of an archaic law from the colonial British rule, which described homosexual acts as “unnatural”. It was incorporated into the IPC in 1860. The judgment discloses an intolerant mindset and which is also insensitive to the real problems of those with a different sexual orientation for which they are not to be blamed nor branded.

LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) community are equal citizens of this country and thus entitled to all the constitutional protections of equality, liberty, privacy, dignity and health. By setting aside the Delhi High Court ruling , the Supreme Court — the supposed protector of fundamental rights of citizens in this country, particularly the marginalized communities — has snatched away from the LGBT community all these fundamental rights.  It more or less brands them as criminals and is grossly unfair.
The right to choose must be left to an individual and cannot be forced upon. As long as it is a consensual relationship between 2 adults, no one has the right to impose their views on them. It defeats the basic principles of equality, freedom and liberty enshrined in the Constitution. Its absurd to believe that relationships must be only between a man and a women. Its a norm laid down by the society in the past. Times have changed, the world has moved on and become more liberal and tolerant to diversity. In these liberalised times, people are increasingly speaking up for the rights of deviants. Even the current Pope who represents the Catholic and who were once terribly opposed to Homosexuality and same sex marriage has openly expressed that its not a sin, which shows changing mindset by religious leaders.  India once again joins the ranks of countries such as Afghanistan, Iran, and Saudi Arabia, where homosexuality is considered a criminal offence and the penalty is life imprisonment or even death.
Its heartening that this judgement has opened a huge public debate and seen people from all walks of life expressing their disappointment and disagreement to this judgement. The politicians for once are listening to the voice of the public and are talking about taking corrective action through an amendment to the Article 377. It is against the right to life as it includes one’s freedom to choose one’s life partner. It is an inviolable right of an individual to choose his partner for life. One must have a broad outlook to analyse the emerging trends and the transformation that society is going through. Homosexuality is a social reality since mythological times, and it has been accepted worldwide. India cannot pretend not to see the reality….

Contrasting experience with Public Services

During the past few weeks we had 2 needs. To renew the Passport for my daughter and to apply for a Death Certificate for my father in law. We had two contrasting experiences. One good and the other pathetic experience.

PASSPORT RENEWAL

We were planning a holiday during the Christmas holidays and suddenly we found that my Daughters Passport was due to expire in 1st week of January. Normally embassies insist on atleast 6 months validity of Passport to issue a Visa. There was a pall of gloom over my Daughters face. Will we be able to get our passport renewed in time and apply for a Visa.

We discovered on a Saturday and had about 40 days time to travel. Immediately we swung into action. Browsed the Passport website and educated ourselves as to what is to be done to renew a passport that is due to expire. It was very simple to navigate, very user friendly and very educative. We applied for an appointment for a Tatkal Visa and lo to our surprise we got an appointment for Tuesday 12 pm. We had heard horror stories about the Passport office and it was a pleasant surprise that we got an appointment in just 2 days.

We ensured that we got all our documents right (as clearly enunciated in the website) and went to the Passport Office on Outer Ring Road, Bellandur, Bangalore. We had an invitation to be present at the gate by 11.45 am. We were there by 11.30 am. The security guard allowed us in without much hassle. As my daughter was a minor – 16yrs old, they let the father in.

We stood in a que at the Reception for about 10 mins and we were at the counter. They collected our appointment letter, checked our documents and gave us a File and receipt and token number. We were then ushered into the Main Passport processing office. There was  big crowd but fairly organised. Within 5 minutes our token number was flashing and in we went to the 1st counter, manned by TCS staff. Very polite and professional, took our application file, scanned our documents, took out Tatkal fees, too finger print and photo graph of my daughter and then cleared us for the second round. All over in about 10 mins. We had to wait for some time for the second round (15 mins) and then the officer checked our documents again and then cleared us for the 3rd round. Again we had to wait for another 15 mins and then the Passport Officer checked the documents again and then cleared us. We were good to go. We enquired when can we expect the Passport and he said as a Tatkal case it will be delivered in 3days much to our disbelief. All over in 1 hour. Except for the cramped space and crowd, every thing was well organised and went as per the que system as determined by the Computer.

That was Tuesday and on Friday morning my daughter called me in office and told me that she has recieved the Passport. It was a great surprise. In 3 days as promised the Passport was delivered home.

What a relief. Unbelievable from application to delivery in 6 days. We had heard about the crowd, the corruption, the agents, the inefficiency at the Passport Office. But our experience was just the opposite. It was very efficient, prompt and treated very well. No middlemen, honestly no facilitation fee given to any one and service rendered in quick time.

We would like to Congratulate the Passport Office for their excellent service and appreciate them for streamlining the process and ensuring Customer Delight. What a Great experience.

DEATH CERTIFICATE

My father in law passed away on 15th Aug 2013. I cremated him in Banashankari burial ground. We were given an acknowledgement late at night and told that we can collect the Death Certificate 15 days later from Bommanahalli BBMP office. We went promptly to the BBMP office in Bommanahalli after 15 days to collect the same. They told us that they havent got the information from the Burial ground and that we need to wait. We went after a week and the same story. We went to the Burial ground after 3 weeks and followed up with them. They hadnt sent yet. Then they told us that we need to provide another form with Doctors Certificate indicating the cause of death. After having this form filled up by the Doctor, we went to the Bommanahalli BBMP office to submit this form. They said that 21 days has expired and we have delayed. We explained to them that we were not aware of this rule and that the Burial ground had delayed. They said that the Health Inspector will have to inspect our house and give a report, after which they will send the file to the Head Quarters and we will get the Death Certificate. After  a few days of chasing and follow up the Health inspector came home and then filed his report

By now 40 days over. My son went to follow up after a week and the clerk said we have sent to the Head Quarters and awaiting. This went on for 2 months. Every week visit to the BBMP office and same reply “Sahibru inno sign madila” ie. the officer has not yet signed the form.

Finally my neighbour used his influence to find out whats happening. He told us that we need to go to the Upparpet Head Quarters and follow up with the Health Officials there. My Mother in Law and Son went there and finally traced our file and got it signed by the Health Officer there. No explanation given for delay. Just sitting over the file, while blaming us for delayed application.

After that my mother in law took the file to the BBMP office and handed over to the clerk. Finally taking pity that my mother in law her self came, the Health inspector immediately processed and handed over the Death Certificate.

It was issued after 3 months and more than a dozen visit to the BBMP office.

There was no sense of remorse for the delay, no sensitivity shown to the deceased person or to my Mother in Law.

What a contrasting experience with 2 Government Public service organisations. One a sheer Customer Delight and other a Pathetic Experience.

Well do we have a choice………..

Adios – Sachin….There will never be another cricketer like you

Its indeed a sad moment to all of the cricket fans the world over, that the Master Blaster has hung his boots and will never again be playing another cricket match. Its hard to believe that a 24 year career running between 22 yards has come to an end. Its yet to sink into Sachin and also to the millions of his fans the world over. He was an embodiment of passion, excellence, discipline, mastery over the game, controlled aggression, boldness and above all humility and humbleness.

Its quite possible that another cricketer may overtake his records but there will never be another Sachin – the human being. Despite all his glory, adulation, fan following, wealth, fame and power, he was always humble and down to earth. No exuberant celebrations, no extravaganza or public display of his emotions. He was as calm as a rock and unmoved whatever the occassion. His farewell speech will go down in history as one of the greatest and one that moved millions the world over. And especially his last visit to the 22 yards and paying respects to it, was a very touching gesture.

Am sure given his exuberance, child like enthusiasm and the ooze of talent within him, he will put it to use in other areas and rise to be a Master in the larger canvas of life.

As his wife Anjali said – “maybe cricket can do without Saching, but Sachin cannot do without Cricket” shows what cricket meant to this gentleman. As he said in his own words “Cricket is like Oxygen to me”, lets all pray that God gives him the courage to move on and help him utilise his talent and passion in the larger canvas of life.

Wishing him a great life ahead and eagerly looking forward to his second innings in the Real LIFE. 

Adios- Sachin there will never be another Cricketer and Human being like you. We miss you…….

My interview with Nisha Raghavan on India HR Live on Talent Development

Talent Development Framework at Schneider Electric

indiahrlive.com

India HR LIVE is honored to have Ramesh Ranjan, Vice President – HR Services at Schneider Electric India to talk about “Talent Development Framework at Schneider Electric” on October 22nd, Tuesday…

Am happy to share that I was interviewed and aired live on India HR Live on Tuesday, 22nd October at 8 PM India time. I was interviewed by Nisha Raghavan of India HR Live on the subject Talent Development Framework. You are invited to watch the interview live on India HR Live or on Facebook, Twitter, Youtube……

http://indiahrlive.com/talent-development-framework-at-schneider-electric/
It was a great opportunity to be featured on India HR Live and a privilege. It was a nice experience being interviewed live and I really enjoyed it. You can see this interview on India HR Live or

Children of the Lesser GOD

Wonder who is the Childern of the Lesser GOD.  An article in todays TOI newspaper, reports that a Karnataka Minister is exhorting banks to give loans to the weaker section (minorities) of the society and not be strict with them. He says that even if they default – quote “cheat” its ok and banks should not desist from giving loans because of this. He wants them to give loans upto Rs.50 lakhs under this scheme. So in effect he is entertaining members of the weaker section not to bother about repayment and if they default its ok.


I dont know whether the Minister is aware that the money in the banks is the hard earned savings of millions of middle class citizens and not the private property of the Minister. Wonder what he would do if he were a money lender. Would he let go someone go scot free if they default in repaying him. He has no right to advocate this to the banks. This “rob Peter to pay Paul” strategy is unethical and against the law. Who will pay for these defaults. Ultimately the larger society. The banks will become unprofitable and go into loss. Governments will have to bail out loss making Banks and will have to compensate by increasing taxes and am sure will not allow Banks to default on their creditors. The larger section of the society will be penalised to appease to this weaker section / minority community. Am sure if challenged in the Court of Law, this will be seriously viewed by the Courts of India – who seem to be only Savior of our democracy along with the Media.

Our Indian economy is already in shambles. The GDP is dipping faster than ever before and is at an all time low of 4.5% – a far cry from the double digit growth about 5 years ago. Inflation is nearing double digit. Rupee at an all time low. Employment generation at an all time low. Fiscal deficit is higher than budgeted and nearing all time high. If there is still some semblance of safety in the Indian economy, its because of the vigilant RBI and the strict controls by the Banks. No doubt the NPA (non performing Assets) is also rising, the Banks are still sound and reliable, unlike the situation in the US where Banks went bust due to reckless lending and subsequent defaults in payments by the creditors.

Our politicians must realise that even in their interest of vote bank politics, this strategy is not prudent and is detrimental to the society at large. A stable and a vibrant economy is a must. They must realise that the middle class is rising – an estimated 400 million people and growing. The youth are no longer enamored by the vote bank politics. Religion or caste based electoral strategy is not going to win them elections.

People look for good Governance, vibrant & growing economy, secure jobs, safe place to live and some fun for recreation. No wonder a Gujarati is making waves and is able to connect with the large neglected  middle class population.

However it also leaves us to wonder who is the weaker section of the society and if the middle class has become the Children of the Lesser GOD………or do the politicians think “who’s money is it anyway!!!!!”

The Correct way of EATING FRUIT – can even cure Cancer !!!!

Dr Stephen Mak told …..that he treats terminal cancer patients in an “un-orthodox” way, and many patients recovered. He explained, that before he uses solar energy to clear the illnesses of his patients, he believes on natural healing in the body against illnesses. See the article below.
——
Dear Shereen, 

Thanks for the email on fruits and juices. It’s one of the strategies to heal cancer. Lately, my success rate in curing cancer is about 80%. Cancer patients shouldn’t die.. The cure for cancer has already been found, whether you believe it or not.
I am sorry for the hundreds of cancer patients who die under the conventional treatments. Very few live for 5 years under conventional treatments, and most live for only about 2 to 3 years… The conventional treatments don’t make any difference, because most cancer patients also live for about 2 to 3 years without any treatment. It is difficult to cure cancer patients who’ve undergone chemo and radiotherapy, as their cells are toxic and weak. When there is a relapse, the cancer spreads very fast, as the resistance is poor. 

Thanks, and God bless.
Dr Stephen Mak   

  

This is informative!
 
 
We all think eating fruit means just buying fruit, cutting it up and popping it into our mouths. It’s not that easy. It’s important to know how and when to eat fruit. 

 
What’s the correct way to eat fruit? 

 
IT MEANS NOT EATING FRUIT AFTER A MEAL! FRUIT SHOULD BE EATEN ON ANEMPTY STOMACH.
 
 
Eating fruit like that plays a major role in detoxifying your system, supplying you with a great deal of energy for weight loss and other life activities.. 

 
FRUIT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FOOD.
Let’s say you eat two slices of bread, then a slice of fruit. The slice of fruit is ready to go straight through the stomach into the intestines, but it’s prevented from doing so. 
 
In the meantime, the whole meal rots and ferments, and turns to acid. The minute the fruit comes into contact with the food in the stomach, and digestive juices, the entire mass of food begins to spoil.
 
Eat your fruit on an empty stomach, or before your meal! You’ve heard people complain: Every time I eat watermelon I burp, when I eat durian my stomach bloats, when I eat a banana I feel like running to the toilet, etc. This will not happen if you eat the fruit on an empty stomach. Fruit mixes with the putrefying other food and produces gas. Hence, you bloat! 


Graying hair
baldingnervous outburst, and dark circles under the eyes – all of these will NOT happen if you eat fruit on an empty stomach. 
 
There’s no such thing as some fruits, like orange and lemon are acidic, because all fruit becomes alkaline in our body, according to Dr. Herbert Shelton who did research on this matter. If you have mastered the correct way of eating fruit, you have the Secret of Beauty, Longevity, Health, Energy, Happiness and normal weight.
When you need to drink fruit juice drink only freshfruit juice, NOT from the cans. Don’t drink juice that has been heated. Don’t eat cooked fruit; you don’t get the nutrients at all. You get  only the taste… Cooking destroys all of the vitamins. 


Eating a whole fruit is etter than drinking the juice. If you should drink the juice, drink it mouthful by mouthful slowly, because you must let it mix with your saliva before swallowing it. You can go on a 3-day fruit-fast to cleanse your body. Eat fruit and drink fruit juice for just 3 days, and you will be surprised when your friends say how radiant you look! 


KIWI:
 Tiny but mighty, and a good source of potassium, magnesium, vitamin E & fiber. Its vitamin C content is twice that of an orange! 

AN  APPLE 
a day keeps the doctor away? Although an apple has a low vitamin C content, it has antioxidants & flavonoids which enhances the activity of vitamin C, thereby helping to lower the risk of colon cancer, heart attack & stroke. 

STRAWBERRY:
 Protective Fruit. Strawberries have the highest total antioxidant power among major fruits & protect the body from cancer-causing, blood vessel-clogging free radicals. 
 
EATING 2 – 4 ORANGES 
oranges a day may help keep colds away, lower cholesterol, prevent & dissolve kidney stones, and reduce the risk of colon cancer. 

WATERMELON:
 Coolest thirst quencher. Composed of 92% water, it is also packed with a giant dose of glutathione, which helps boost our immune system. Also a key source of lycopene, the cancer-fighting oxidant. Also found in watermelon: Vitamin C & Potassium..

GUAVA & PAPAYA:
 Top awards for vitamin C. They are the clear winners for their high vitamin C content. Guava is also rich in fiber, which helps prevent constipation. Papaya is rich in carotene, good for your eyes.. 

Drinking Cold water after a meal = Cancer!
Can u believe this? For those who like to drink cold water, this applies to you. It’s nice to have a cold drink after a meal, however, the cold water will solidify the oily stuff that you’ve just consumed, which
slows digestion. Once this ‘sludge’ reacts with the acid, it will break down and be absorbed by the intestine faster than the solid food. It will line the intestine. Very soon, this will turn into fats and lead to cancer.. It is best to drink hot soup or warm water after a meal. 

When do we say “QUITS”

Honorable Exit !

When do we call it “Quits” is a million dollar question and unfortunately most people find it difficult to take this call. The famous Indian Opener of Indian Cricket said that “one should quit, when people ask – WHY and not when people ask – WHYNOT”. A simple statement but a very powerful one.
The debate in every household and at every party is when is Sachin going to “retire”.  An icon in Indian Sports all these years but seen failing in the last one year and seen as clinging to the team due to his past history than his current form. Its  just not Sachin, when you look around in all walks of life, you have Michael Schumacher, Roger Federer, Dr Manmohan Singh, LK Advani, Narayan Murthy Amitab Bachan, Sri Devi etc who are clinging to fame and stardom despite having crossed the hill.
Schumacher was the epitome of Formulae 1 in his 1stinnings and when he called it quits it was really a shock as he quit during his prime time. But sadly his return from retirement was a disaster and every sundry driver was overtaking him and it really a bad fall and taken the sheen on Schumacher.
It’s the same story with Roger Federer. He has won every title on the Tennis circuit and is the highest Grand Slam winner but sadly clinging on to the circuit and being beaten by lowly ranked player this year. The invincibility around him is gone and he has become a easy target for anyone to beat.
The less said about Dr Manmohan Singh, the better. He was held in the highest esteem and seen as  the architect of modern Indian economics and a man of impeccable integrity in his first innings as Finance Minister under Narasimha Rao, but sadly in his second innings as a Politician he has become the butt of ridicule. Not only does he seem to have failed as a Politician (surrounded by corrupt Politicians) but also as a Economist, with the Indian Economy having hit the lowest nadir in it its economic history in the last 3 decades.  He fails to understand that a watchman’s primary duty is to safeguard the safety of the property and the people that he has been assigned to and cannot absolve himself of his responsibility when allround theft is happening in front of his own eyes. The joke was when he was nursing his ambition to have another go as Prime Minister a third time around. He is 86 and wants to continue to run the Government at 92. Running a country is no joke (sure he must have realised by now) and requires able bodied people and sure Dr Manmohan Singh is not able bodied any more – physically or mentally.
The same with LK Advani in his later eighties wants to have a shot at the Prime Ministers post again and playing spoil sport in allowing Modi have a shy at it. What a poor climbdown from a statesman.
Well if we were to only blame politicians, Narayan Murthy has been a real disappointment. When he said that the CEO’s role must be a limited tenure and must have a definitive retirement age, every one in the industry welcomed his idea and he set a great example. But his sudden return to Corporate life 5 years after he retired has raised eyebrows in all quarters. Adding salt to his injury, a person who vociferously lobbied against promoting dynasty rule whether in politics or in business, got his son into Infosys as his Executive Assistant and earned the ire of many inside and outside of Infosys. What a climbdown from the high pedestal of morality.
And so it is the same case with Amitabh Bachan or Sri Devi. They still want to be in the limelight competing with younger heroines and heroes.
There are very few who got it right like Sunil Gavaskar, GR Vishwanath, Steffi Graff, Pete Sampras etc, who quit when they were still in their prime and left with their head still high.
Its often said that its lonely at the top and the glaze of stardom is their only company. May be its true. These stars find it very difficult to go out of limelight for fear of being nudged out of attention.  What they fail to see is that the reputation that they had assiduously built over the years and the invincibility that they had gathered around them is slowly disintegrating and they might set into sunset as a failed HERO.
It not just for these stars. Even in normal life we find it difficult to time our Exit. How long do Parents continue to call shots in a family and force decisions on their children and control the family. How long do Senior Executives in Corporate world cling on to their post even when business is declining and blocking the growth of talented youngsters. How long does a spiritual Guru / Godman hang on to his pedestal. Its time that seniors pave the way for youngsters and gracefully pass on the mantle rather than be forced or eased their way out. 

Well its easier said than done and looks like a strong temptation that many stars are finding it difficult to resist…………Even a lesser known mortal like me is struggling in this regard !!!!!!

Schneider India HR Services Team Wins ‘Shared Services Organization Network Award’

 “Customer First” philosophy of HR Services India team at Schneider Electric, has won them the coveted ‘2013 Shared Services Organization Network Award’.
The glittering awards ceremony was a part of the 16th Annual Asian Shared Services Outsourcing Week (SSON) meet in Singapore held from 2-5 September, 2013. On behalf of the India team Bryan Chong, Senior Director, Global HR Services received the plaque in presence of 400 attendees from over 16 countries.

The awards honour, recognize and promote both captive and outsourced shared services that demonstrate winning practices. Schneider Electric was recognized by this international forum for ‘Customer Service Excellence’ category.  The awards showcased our Voice of Internal Customer programme practised by the HR Services team in India which captures the thoughts of employees at every stage of the Employee Life Cycle(See the Total Employee Experience model). An eminent panel of international judges recognized the programme as one of the Best Practices and awarded Schneider Electric India, HR Services second in the category. Wipro was adjudged the winner in this category.

The awards form the industry’s benchmark in terms of best practice and business excellence and the entries were judged by a panel of leading industry experts including;
  • Goh Kim Lee, Senior Director SBS Finance Asia Pacific, Philips Electronics 
  • GV Prasad, CEO, AXA Business Services
  • Jocelyn Nguyen, General Manager Shared Services, International SOS
  • Irina Chernousenko, Director Shared Services Transformation, Coca-Cola Far East 
  • Alice Ling Wan Wan, Head of HR Shared Service Centre, Maybank

 An elated Bryan shared his thoughts from the awards night, “I am delighted and honoured to receive this award on behalf of the HR Services team in India. Our presence and winning this coveted award has been an excellent employer branding opportunity for Schneider Electric in Singapore. The team in India have every reason to be proud as this year the number of contenders for this award has been four times more as compared to last year.”

“You have made all of us proud”, said Ernesto Prado, VP HR Performance & Customer Service, as he congratulated the team.  

Applauding the efforts, Ramesh Ranjan, Vice President – HR Services said, “This is an award to the TEAM and would not have been possible without the efforts of all team members and support from the larger HR community. I believe that this recognition and award will spur us to raise the bar of Service levels to our stakeholders to greater heights.”
More details of this program can be seen @  http://www.ssweekasia.com/Default.aspx