Didi versus Madam [261/365]

No more Mr Nice Guy

Okay, I must admit. I had that feeling.

Do you have the feeling that someone important is actually reading your blog? Ten days after I wrote about how Mr PM needs to get his act together, he actually does it. Having announced FDI in multi-brand retail and airlines, he has in one masterstroke done what the country needed from him for several years.

While the skeptics ask 'Who are you and what have you done to the PM?', no one will privately deny that this has actually added shimmer to the Indian Dream.

Critics and armchair protesters will tell you how this is the end of Indian independence and how millions of people will be unemployed and yada yada yada...
Didi, the chairwoman of Indians Against Progress has already given a 72 hour deadline to the UPA government. Rollback or Else.
Or else what, Didi? You dont have the gallbladder to do shit.

I can't understand how allowing people who are interested in investing in you can be bad for you. Seeing how Kingfisher (not the drink) and Air India are barely breathing, I wonder how FDI can hurt them. If anything, something like this can actually open up employment to millions. NGOs like Unnati, who've trained thousands of people who would've otherwise added to social poverty statistics can actually be the change that we need today. The only reason why the government won't shut down sick airlines like KF and AI is because shutting them down can mean serious trouble for the economy. Reviving them with bailouts are simply not sufficient.

I'd like to see critics of progress do a reality check. Not take a protest march.
Our country can no longer afford to have politicians like Mamata. By the time we wake up tomorrow, Didi would have withdrawn her ministers from the government. While she has helpfully added that she will still support the UPA from outside, this is the UPA's chance to 'go down fighting'.

Advice to Didi: 'Take a hike'.
Advice to Mr PM: 'Dont stop and dont look back. Didi's taken a hike'.

The Obituary of an Airline [50/365]

Oh Yeah!

Famous saying: 'What goes up, must come down'.
They also say how when the good times roll, the world parties with you till dawn. Slip once, and suddenly you are the fire hydrant as the world lifts its hind legs for a baptism with piss.

The ever so flamboyant liquor baron, parliamentarian, cultural/sporting enthusiast, car/woman lover and real estate magnet recently slipped. For those who just came in, here's the latest - Dr Malya's five star airline; Kingfisher Airlines, does seem to be the albatross around his cashmere draped neck.
The Airline has not made any profit since inception. Faced with piling losses, spiraling fuel costs, dwindling passengers, disgruntled employees and some acquisitions that went wrong, the airliner did the only thing it could do- Cancel flights. (Read more about the sorry state of affairs here)
Now, the downside of this is that passengers by the planeloads have been inconvenienced and left ranting online.
But of course considering how short our public memory is, we will forget all this in a few months.

While we are quick to write the king's obituary, it is time to think deeper.
What ails the domestic airline sector? With the national carrier in as big a mess as the king, it is only fair that we understand that this is not mere coincidence.

Air travel is still a luxury in India. As thrifty as we are, Indians have a multi-tiered approach towards splurging on air travel. Air travel is still something that an average Indian would only consider if all the trains and inter city buses to the destination are completely booked and if the journey is absolutely urgent and necessary.

That being said air travel is important for an economy like India's. Turbulent times don't last, the tough players do. Airliners in the West have been through the same. One of the reason why the king's troubles have hit the headlines is because many still refuse to believe how a savvy businessman like Malya could've gone so wrong. Some refuse to believe that Malya is running out of money only because his other businesses are doing great. While the man himself has admitted that all is not well for a long time, the shrewd businessman that he is I am sure he still has a few tricks up his Armani sleeve. Let's just hope this story has a happy ending.

Here's to the king and the maharaja. Bon Voyage!