A SubPrime Crisis for India

India is always fast in picking up various trends from the International markets. Whether it be clothing, fashion or foreign policy. Thus how is it possible that India not pick up international faults and repeat them in its own style? Well, I’m not just talking about the cost fluctuations due to Oil Prices and the whims of the Oil Sheikhs and those of the Federal Bank of the US. I’m talking about taking the biggest blunder of the century being adapted to the Indian scenario. We all know what the sub prime crisis has done to the United States, the world’s biggest economy is now at the brink of a recession best remembered way back between the World Wars… And its not even War right now, it least not for a majority of the world (I hate to say this, but I’m wrong, it IS war for most part of the world). But India is Unique in that unknowingly it is having a sub prime crisis too. No, not food grains, Cellular connections. India is currently one of the largest growing cellular markets and in order to woo the populace, the many cell operators in India Introduced very early various schemes for which the ICM (Indian Common Man) fell hook, line and sinker. But these amazing schemes have a draw back. Lifetime prepaid is a dream well dreamt, but most people are not staying with it at all. Thousands of free smses per month are a boon for the college student, but the companies providing these facilities are now facing the heat of not just TRAI but also the fact that they have to earn money in order to buy more spectrum in the coming years. So companies like Hutch (now Vadophone) and Spice have done a volte-face and upped their prices. MTNL and BSNL still hang on to the Great Dream but they too will soon realise that the government is not interesting in funding their whims and fancies.

Worse of all is the fact that the govt will be introducing Number Portability as early as 2009 in many circles. This will give undue power to the consumer in threatening the Cellular Operator into giving away freebies or loosing vital subscriber database which already has their favourite phone number. This will lead the companies to join hands under the Aegis of TRAI and set the minimum standards for call and sms rates. This will also lead to a uniformity not achievable as yet as each operator tries to use some loophole to their benefit.

For Example- TRAI told all operators to start charging rupee 1 per sms on goverment denoted holidays or festivals. This was a bane for prepaid consumers who had to develop strange habits of being overpunctual in wishing their relatives a day before the festival in order to save precious talktime. But odd it is when you still recieve many smses on the good day too! These are from PostPaid consumers who, amazingly have been granted the boon of being exempted of such silly reforms.

May God only Intervene in the Crisis now ravaging the minds of the mobile happy ICM.

Hoping that solutions be Just a corner away,

Nitin.

In Silence

In shed my tears in silence

I shed them in pain

I shed them for the pride I lost

I shed them in vain

No angels came to wipe my tears

And the tears kept coming back

No angels came to talk to me

But the tears never turned their back

The world left me behind

Ran farther in the race

Even people who showed up after me

Showed only once their face

I died a thousand deaths that day

And grew a million years old

Yet not a trickle of sense came to me

Nor did I become bold

I walked in the dust, the dawn, the dusk

I thought I was followed by friends

Yet walked not they fore or aft

Not with or past or near the farthest ends

I called myself the Lucky One

For I had many a friend

Yet when I tried to choose a special one

Not one was left with me at end

Neither time nor tide stood by me

Yet I cared not at all

But surprised I was when not even my near ones

Stood when I took my fall

I thought I was special

I thought I was gifted

But when I saw that everyone was normal

I knew I was no more than a misfit

I proudly flowed along the tide

Thinking I had found the right way

But had I flowed against the rush

I would be someone else today

I envy my that other self

Loathe him yes I do

For he would have had his way always

And I can only want to

But afraid I am

For when I went

Against the beaten path

They told me I had broken those rules I knew I had only bent

I thought myself to be a fool

To not listen to others

Yet so much did I listen to them

That no one no more bothers

I don’t know if I’m a loser

Or just a lazy bum

But I do know I did what they said

Yet I’m still not their chum

I’m lost

For I followed them

When I was to make my own

And now I stand w/o a friend, it’s now either me or them