Monthly Archives: March 2009

Airtel India: Cooking their books?

Leave a reply

Though they claim to adhere to “highest standards of corporate governance” (whatever that means), Airtel has been accused of “cooking their books” by showing increased revenues for national long distance carriage charges which attracts a lower revenue than the mobile division.

Most of the telcos claim that they are running into losses since their account books are not open for public scrutiny. They resort to “shady deals and practises” to keep themselves afloat. No one knows their real valuations and the truth behind “window dressing”.

The strange thing, despite the “losses”, companies can afford to expand, go on an advertising spree and hire their “brand ambassadors”. No one knows for sure as to how much money exchanges hands.

Does that make a difference to you? Should you be concerned? The higher termination charges and the fact that companies have resisted all attempts to reduce the interconnect charges means that you continue to pay extremely high charges for all your calls. Clearly, value added services has added to their kitty but their practise of using differential tariffs for different markets has paid them rich dividends. They are slowly becoming monopolised and cartelised and even though you may think that you are the king, they suck you out of your money.

It’s high time these buggers need to be made accountable for the practises because the spectrum they use is clearly public property. They are just service providers and despite their claims of paying for the spectrun doesn’t give them the divine right to own it too. Plus, they owe thousands of crores to the Government (indirectly you and me) in terms of unpaid licencing money.

Scam. It’s a scam. It’s always been a scam.

Reliance India Mobile: Out of my life!

Leave a reply

Oh boy. It was an impulse decision to subscribe to Reliance Mobile’s “One India” plan. I was “seduced” by the idea of having a single number and talk “unlimited” to any other Reliance number.

Unfortunately, I ran into network issues. I faced the maximum number of call drops, static and overall terrible customer care. It was pathetic to know about their billing cycles which very way off the mark. They charge for the time you connect on to call any other GSM network which is usurious.

Any amount of pushing the customer care to do their bit did not help. I had to request, cajole, shout at them to make the thing work. It would have been worthwhile to stick on to their plans had they improved “customer delight”. Their bills delivered by email were way too late and the printed bills reached me at the end of the billing cycle.

At any given point of time (whenever I used to be in Reliance Showroom to pay the bills), I saw angry customers shouting at the front desk.

Reliance, in my opinion, is a lousy service and one could just get on to them if you have tonnes of money to spare or burn. Or else, if you are suffering from masochism that you take delight in being served the wrong end of the stick being stuffed up through your back side. It’s that kind of an experience with them.

I am glad to be out of their “clutches”. I feel that they have lost their bearings and are hanging around as also rans in the market. With the sole exception of concenterating in the smaller moffussil towns like Jhumri Taliyan where you’d find their lousy signals and dumbstruck village idiots paying through their nose without realising the way they are screwed.

Anil Ambani perhaps has better avenues to concenterate on.

Friends for BJP

Leave a reply

India goes to polls in a few days. The systematic rot brought out by the Gandhi Nehru complex is for all to see. In this backdrop, I would be glad to see the present dispensation out.

In the heydays of BJP in power, India had all round development. Although, the regime was “marked” by Godhra riots, it is increasingly clear that the guilty were brought to book despite the prostestations of the English Language Media. Contrast to this, even after 25+ years, the guilty for Sikh riots have been given a clean chit to contest the elections.

I remember reading about the reason for the security prevalent during BJP’s rule. Although POTA had been implemented across the country, the “alleged excesses” were overhyped. The then police commissioner in New Delhi had been given clear orders to smash the sleeper cells in the city after the audacious parliament attack.It remains a mystery to me as to why a decisive action against Pakistanis was not taken as per Operation Parakram but it was clearly the largest military movement I had seen till date.

BJP has a lot at stake for very obvious reasons. The media, which is permanently opposed to the cause of “hindutva”, has been drumming up support for Congress and it’s allies. The excesses of the present Government have been ignored. Interestingly, no one speaks about the reservation issue; given the fact that affirmative action for the “benefit of minorties” anywhere has met with abject failure.

Given this, it is heartening to see that the same people who have such apathy towards the political process in general have identified the cause of BJP and united on a common front for promoting BJP. Their methods are more reliant on the present information age tools namely SMS, Internet and Web 2.0 channels. It would be heartening to know the outcome of these efforts. Even if BJP does not obtain a clear majority, it has clearly set a process whereby ordinary Indian feels a part of his nation and is keen to develop the country for greater common good. All the more, it would give these people to redouble their efforts and ensure greater victory for BJP at the hustings.

I was genuinely amused to hear about this “Obama style campaign”. In US, it is the huge amount of “industrial complex” money given as “political donations” that calls the shots. A country where media dominates and stupefies a vast majority of “born again” morons, it is the person with the “right credentials” manages to win. Per se, the policies don’t change overnight because that is what keeps American hegemony intact.

Indian elections are dominated by local issues and increasingly in this election time by the national issues, mercifully. The collective conciousness is not “awakened” because of many varied factors. I rarely come across any “south Indian” in North or vice versa who proudly claims that he is Indian. Given this backdrop, it is an uphill task to get the “cohesiveness” and get the nation to vote as a block for the party that truly represents the electorate on the issues that matter.

I rarely make any political statements on this blog, but it would be worthwhile to have BJP to come to power. I personally want Narendra Modi to get a national perspective and be projected as a BJP mascot. He the gumption and the farsightedness to have the country on rails.

I am keeping my fingers crossed for the final outcome. I hope that the elections are free and fair with the exercise of the voting rights by majority of people.

Here’s to the the friends of BJP. Three cheers and keep on the good work!