Munia is joining IGIDR

Munia has got through to the M.Sc( Economics) course at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR) at Goregaon in Mumbai. The course starts on August 1'06. I am accompanying Munia to Mumbai on 30 July'06 by train. I return on 2nd August by the Air India evening flight.

IGDIR is an RBI supported reserach institution. The M.Sc course was introduced only three years ago and has already gained a reputation for being an ideal entry to the world of Economics and Development Studies for students who want to change from the Science stream. Munia ( Nandana Sengupta) graduated this year from DU and St Stephens College in Physics Honours with a First Class (more than 71% aggregate marks), but she felt that she would do better if she moved to Economics and perhaps get into Policy Research. Good for her. I hope that the stint in IGDIR for the next two years will give her the necessary impetus in that direction. I spoke Shovan Ray, our friend from the Cambidge days and presently a faculty member in IGIDR. He confirmed that IGIDR is now one of the best schools of its kind, and has a friendly environment. Munia will have to work hard but she should also have an interesting time.

Asia's 25 Best Young Entrepreneurs

Today I have sent a nomination for the 25 Best Asian Young Entrepreneur in Business Week Magazene in the name of my friend Dipinder Sekhon. Following is the short write-up I have posted in the Entry Form against the query "Why do you recommend this person?"

Dipinder Sekhon and his co-promoters consisting of six other graduating students of the 2002 Computer Science batch from IIT Delhi became some kind of pioneers in Indian Entrepreneurship movement when they decided to initiate a Technology Start-up Company in incubation mode at IIT Delhi. They all had alternate high initial salary job offers or scholarship options for post graduate studies in USA, but decided to try their hand in entrepreneurship at the Institute with the support of their faculty supervisors of their project thesises and the Industry Interface unit FITT which encouraged them with initial seed funding and fellowship grants for six months. After four years, KRITIKAL Soultions, which moved out of the Institute last year to their own corporate office, have grown into a $2m 45 men Company having their own niche Technology Products and even started a subsidiary Company themselves. These talented entrepreneurs, I believe, are truely the representatives of a new generation of young Indians.

My Yahhoo Blog Questions on 7/11 Mumbai Blasts

Following is the Question and write -up associated with it posted in Yahoo on 20 July 2006. This is being transferred to my this blog for records. By the way, in Today's Anandabazar Patrika from Kolkata quoted Biman Basu of the CPM raising the same question.

"Is there a possibility that the Mumbai Blasts are the handiwork of some Hindu Fanatics like the Shiva Sena ?

Only a week ago there was mayhem in Mumbai by Shiva Sena activists for alleged desecration of the Statue of their leader's long dead wife. They are politically feeling sidelined, their party is breaking up. Elections are due a year or two from now. They need communal polarisation, and a Hindu Muslim riot could be the ideal stepping stone. The first reaction of a number of people interviewed on TV after the blasts was to "shoot those criminals being protected by the Government", meaning Muslims perhaps? I wonder.

Or is it the Al Kaida? The technical precision with which the acts were carried out may be beyond the competence of Shiva Sena. Or are the "Pakistan based" terrorists responsible? What can be the motive? To destabilise the Government, in Maharashtra or in Delhi? Is it a reprisal against Gujrat riots four years ago? Then why don't someone come out and say so? They can easily do so, incognito, on an unknown website and send it to "Al Jazira". I wonder. "