bet u didnt know this trick

The most recent World Bank estimates for India are based on household surveys carried out in 1999-2000. It was found that almost 80% of purported superpower India's population was surviving on less than $2.15 a day (in PPP terms). That is, about 800 million people were living on $0.40 a day or less. Nearly 35% (350 million) were found to be living on $0.20 a day or less. Even if the proportion of poor people has fallen somewhat during the past 5-6 years, the absolute numbers would not look too different today.


To make purchasing power across countries comparable, economists developed what is known as the PPP (purchasing power parity) index. Taking into account the lower cost of living in impoverished countries, a conversion factor is now applied to market exchange rates to calculate what is minimally necessary to survive there.

Using widely quoted World Bank numbers on GDP, this conversion factor for a country like India (2005) can be computed to be approximately 5.3. This means that $1.08 a day in India should effectively imply a purchasing power of about 20 cents a day to an American--or indeed anyone--unacquainted with the nuances of PPP calculations. However, given how the numbers are quoted everywhere, the dominant impression that is conveyed is that the poor are living on less than $1 or $2 a day when, in fact, it would be enormously more accurate, as far as everyday English is concerned, to say that the poor are living on less than $0.20 or $0.40 a day.

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want an english speaking ministerial horse?

The Hindu reports - Railway Minister Lalu Prasad's prized possession-- a horse which responds only to English commands-- finally found a new master today.

'Pawan', who was on display for the last three days at one of Asia's biggest cattle fairs in Bihar's Sonepur, was sold for Rs 1.1 lakh to a farmer, Baleshwar Rai, who lives in Raghopur Assembly constituency of Prasad's wife Rabri Devi.

The horse had a price tag of Rs 1.51 lakh. "Since Rai belongs to Rabri Devi's constituency, it is expected that he will look after the horse carefully and that is the reason the horse was sold at a lower price to him," Prasad's Private Secretary Bhola Yadav told PTI.

Supporters of the JD (U) MLA from Mokama, Anant Singh, offered a higher price for Pawan, but Rai refused to part with the horse, he said.

Pawan, his trainer claims, "can race against a Bolero on a smooth road" but it can only follow commands in English, which put off most bidders at the auction.

Also there were no takers for Prasad's pet as it arrived at a time when most horse trades had struck deals and left the place.

apology letter

A School Master from a remote rural area in Bihar was
transferred to a new School in Mumbai.


He reported for duty two days after the actual
date of joining.


Consequently he was asked for an explanation in
writing...

____________ _________ _________

Deer sur,


If small small mistakes getting inside my letter, I
big you pardon, ass I am not a good englis speaker.


This is my fist vijit to Bombai. Stickly speaking, I
wanted to joint your school more fastly,


but for the following region, too much time
lost in getting slipper reservation in three-tyre
compartment.


I tolded


I has head ache problem due to migration. Still the
clerk rejected to give ticket to I and my sun.


I putted a complain on station masterji.


He said I to go to the lady clerk.


At first she also rejected. I then pressed for long
time and finally with great difficulty


she gave a birth to my sun.


Anyway I thanked the station master also


because he was phully responsible for getting birth
of my sun.


Ass a hole it was a bhery diphicult experiment in my
hole life.


I hope u will look into explain my hole story after,
and late me joint first.


I am now ending this fastly. I am a waiter for
your responsement.


May God blast you!"


Yours awfully,


RAMKHILAWAN YADAV

an outsiders view

My first passage to India - boom times trigger memories of dotbombs by ZDNet's Tom Foremski -- [This is an account of my first trip to India, traveling as a guest of Tibco Software, (an SVW sponsor). Vivek Ranadive, the CEO of Tibco is launching his business IT strategy book "The Power to Predict" in India, and he invited me to come along as he meets with politicians and some of India's top [...]

moon dust in the desert

Some billed it as the indian woodstock, some as the next goa, and some as another cynical ploy to lure tourists. The villagers viewed it differently and the police always eager to investigate white girls dancing got into the act too.. A friend who went there says it was mindbogglingly awesome till they had to cut and run at 4:30 am.

The venerable Times newspaper in UK has this to say -

The days when India turned a blind eye to drug abuse by Western backpackers may be over It was billed as the biggest music festival of its kind in India — a four-day “psychedelic trance” party in the middle of the desert in Rajasthan.
But the inaugural Moondust Festival has been shut down on its second day in the latest sign of a backlash against the New Age culture that has attracted Westerners to India since the 1960s.

The move comes after a ban on all-night beach parties in the southern Indian state of Goa. Police broke up the Moondust Festival at about 3am on Monday after local villagers complained that the 3,000 guests were drinking alcohol, taking drugs and indulging in “indecent behaviour”.

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also other stories about this can be viewed here

been a long time

been a long time since i up and wrote...its been a rather busy time at work...lots of stuff to wrap up...and have to see as much of americana as i can before its time to head back home....hope to get a little unbusy soon and then sit back and ponder over the last 3 months and pour out my impressions of the land of the car.