Tushar Mangl Media

Indian banking system is a sad story. We have one of the largest concentrations of government dominated banks around the world. India has also a rigid and strict regulatory system for banks. Such is the inscrutably of the regulators that they encourage cheap and bulk loans to large corporates but should such big people try to own banks, it is frowned upon. Customer service is an alien concept to Indian banks, public or private. Convenience to the public is least of their worries as the penetration of formal lending is quite less giving them a God like status. It is no wonder though that a parallel economy exists in India right under the nose of well-heeled bankers and regulators. They act as enablers to this system, fostering an economic activity that forms most of the financial transactions in the country. Indeed, India being a cash-oriented economy is largely due to indifference and lack sided attitude of banks. People prefer to keep cash at home than banks ev...

So our Prime Minister told us all on Tuesday who the real boss in the country was. Let the UP wallahs and Tata walas debate on their own bosses. The country knows clearly who its boss is. The extreme reaction to his announcement is bewildering. You had shops opening way past midnight even of those branded companies whose CEOs tell you how concerned they are for the economy and bullshit. They opened over night to facilitate currency conversion to gold and other expensive items. And then there was the mad rush to ATMs. Within hours every ATM in the country was bled dry of its hundred rupees notes and other currency. As the PM announced that old currency will still work at Petrol Pumps, each pump was made bone dry as if cars were lurking around thirsty without petrol nd diesel. This coming from people who want their politics clean and neat. Who rant about at every forum how their government does nothing for them. I feel that the way situation was handled by the government was super...

It is a decade now since I started my first blog, My Musings in October of 2006. Over the years, it has transformed into different avatars, some successful some not, but my effort to blog has remained as eager as ever. In ten years, the blog not only changed names or URLs at times but also its themes and genres. It became the launch pad for my first story The Thakur Boy which I wrote in 2007.  The Avenging Act also became possible due to this blog. Whenever I am about to do something new, I like to come back here, the comfort place for all things creative for me. So many people ask me, how did you manage so far. Several bloggers drop down after some time of beginning to blog. In my case, blogging gave me a life I had never known. I never knew I could write stories. I still can't believe I could even attempt to pen poetry (hence I named my poetry collection as The Reluctant Scribbler). There have been a variety of lows, including declining readership with advent of microb...

Nearly four years ago when Cyrus Mistry became chairman of the Tata Sons Board, one of India's largest conglomerate, he inherited a huge mess left over by his predecessor. Nearly any company your pick from the Tata stable, mismanagement from the top is clearly written over them. Like a sarkari company, they all are moving along in a zombie kind of way, knowing that their name would survive them. Indeed, Ratan Tata started off his own stint at Tata started in the 70s with big duds like NELCO and Empress Mills that failed badly. In recent years, his Nano project was by and large a media hype and nothing else. You declare a car for 1 lakh, sell it for more than that, and then the cars keep burning on roads. They are not sold properly, they have quality issues. Again, the name kept him going. In another company, in another country, perhaps the chairman would have been asked questions. Here, things were coated in PR about affordable cars which no one wanted. Look at the Indian Ho...

When some terrorists from Pakistan attacked Uri the other week, the biggest casualty was the image of our Prime Minister. A quick peep into social media would have shown anyone the impatience for action, like he had promised. I was amused to see people bringing out Indira Gandhi's name as someone who was really bold enough leader. That was of course more insulting to Dr. Manmohan Singh then to Mr. Modi as Singh unlike Modi had been at help for a decade yet the Congress had to dig into 70s to find a name to prop against Modi By sanctioning a surgical strike yesterday Modi has really shown his mettle as one of the shrewdest PMs we ever had. What he tried was risky, innovative and immensely successful, First, he took the bitter pill of bad publicity to his name as someone not doing enough. Then with Sushma Swaraj's help at the United Nations, a diplomatic offensive was launched. At the sideline was talks about Indus Water Treaty and MFN status to India. With people hammering fo...

A reporter goes deep into the Maoist's territory and brings out an amazing account of one of the most turbulent movements of Independent India. Rahul Pandita does not simply go by secondary research, indeed most of the reportage here is first hand. He has himself interviewed various people supposedly associated with the Maoists. The cause itself is a lost one now. Even China could not benefit entirely from his vision. It was the men who followed him, truly built the superpower that China is. But the bitter truth also is that the Maoist movement succeeded and failed mostly due to the complete apathy of large urban populace to the plight of the country.  A book I would highly recommend to all who are interested in India's modern history.

Rahul Pandita's Our Moon has Blood Clots is an insightful read into the travails and hardships faced by Kashmiri Pandits over decades. They have been forced into exile time and again, their religion making them an easy mark, their identities always under grave threat. It is indeed true that the Indian State's attitude towards Pandits is mostly to ignore them, as if wishing that ignoring a problem will solve it. In his book, Rahul takes us through his childhood home and how Pandits used to live in the Kashmir Valley.He chronicles the bloody exodus of thousands of Pandits in the 90s and how they were made unwelcome in their own land. The state of refugees is appalling as Rahul describes it, and one wonders why no ever raised a voice against it. His research is well done. He does not stop at one story, he digs up many stories of Kashmiri Pandits to get that right picture, the right perspective. The butchering of Pandits in 1947 add to the text and some how complete...

Curfewed Night is Basharat Peer's first book. It is narrated in a form of a survivor story whose live revolved around some of Kashmir's toughest times. The book mirrors the h ypocrisy of Kashmiris , enjoying subsidised schooling, government jobs, studying in state run Colleges and never being grateful about it. Instead we have romanticism for AK 47s and pride of militancy. The book also throws light on the total aloofness of Delhi politicians towards the hatred of Kashmiris. This is reflected in Army's treatment towards the Kashmiri populace, the torture and rapes. The army it seems has been stuck into this wonderland with no particular sense and plan to do something. Its prerogative is to maintain 'peace' but what can it do for the turmoils within? Read this book, if you want to feel sympathetic towards the Kashmiri cause. Which is to have everything and to do nothing for it. Indeed, when I was reading about the tortures and shoot outs, I wondered, why would...

At a time when the society is discouraging surge pricing by taxi operators, the Indian Railways  has shocked one and all by asserting its monoplistic structure.  It has introduced surge pricing, on so called premium trains even though they are actually overpriced shoddy trains which are preferred by people mostly due to the alternates. The last time I travelled in a Shatabadi, the window in the toilet was absent. Instead they had fixed a paper carton like the ones we use for packaging to fill in the gap. The alternate trains are more shoddy have a poor time table and very badly managed. In most of such trains the tickets are not even checked properly. Thus allowing more indiscipline and chaos. So, by the reason of railways, since it is a monopoly why not loot people in the name of surge pricing? And what better time than the festive season when people are going home to bring this measure in? The central government was expected to bring in effeciency to railways to cut...

Navjot Singh Sidhu has finally opened up his cards by creating a rag tag party of rebels. He has also picked up a unique name, Awaaz e Punjab, as in voice of Punjab. While it remains to be seen, how many more dissidents he is able to attract, he already has created ripples in political circles. He is an astute politician and this can be gauged from the fact that he disassociated with BJP when the writing on the wall is clear that its ship is sunk. Also he has created this new front with Bains Brothers and Pargat Singh. Not known much beyond their political constituencies but they are significant people. With them, he has shown that he is ready for entire Punjab, as he is active in the Majha region, Bains Brothers are active in Malwa region and Pargat is an MLA from the Doaba region. All three regions covered. Also important is the muscle power and financial power of this new front. These leaders also enjoy a cult fan following, which could make a difference on the ground reali...

A beautiful but heart wrenching story of Sona and Shammi how they diverge only to meet in another form years later. Dhirendra Tiwari has penned down an excellent and gripping story. The title seemed odd at first but as I turned pages I realized it does suit the book very well. If you are fond of rom  stuff, this one is for you. Publisher - Srishti Pages - 232 Price - INR 195 Recieved a copy from the author courtsey of the goodreads giveaway program.