Happy Children's Day

So we have Children's day today .. Great!! a day for the kids to enjoy .. as if on other days they are not supposed to!!!
But just look up the children around you.. and you will realize that even a dedicated day also fails to force the kids let loose and enjoy, forgetting all the mundane chores. You ask what's keeping them from the fun and the answer is screaming right in your face - STUDIES!
I read an article today in our cherished TOI (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/3707932.cms) citing the same issue. Little kids of age eight and ten making statements like “My parents tell me that to be a step ahead of my contemporaries as far as academics are concerned, I must read the encyclopedia, or “There is hardly any time to play, there are many exams, and I have to do well.” really makes one to think what has been done to the childhood of these kids and so many like them.
As the peer pressure grows and the expectation of parents looms over their heads like some dagger, children struggle to keep up with the pace. I myself have been part of this rat race which is never ending so cant say its not needed. But to what extent.. to what extent can we push them is a question each parent will have to ask himself/herself.
I so wish that this rat race ends and the children are able to go back to ..as the paper say..paper boats and fairy tales but I know it ain't gonna happen anytime soon. So good luck to all those who are part of this mad race.
May All Win!

Obama gets 2 cr as compensation...

So the United States has a new President and there is huge furor in the press about the first colored President of the United States. There is huge interest in the world over as each country/business is keenly looking forward to the "change" in policies that the new President may bring in - a mix of fear and anticipation.
Talking to my dad, I got to know the immense interest in the Indian politics and market about the same. In the same vein I read an interesting article comparing the compensation of Obama and our President, stating a factor of ten between the two. Apparently Obama is being paid 2 cr i.e. 16 lakhs per month and our poor President one tenth of the same. I couldn't help but laugh at the sheer prospect of comparing the two figures. Its utterly stupid on two counts - economical and value-added work. I wont argue much on the later as it is quite self evident but to do a direct multiplication by a factor of 50 is insane. One needs to compare a lot of factors before comparing the real value of the money whether in $s or Rs. Money parity is an important factor which people particularly Indians forget before comparing the dollar value of anything. Its essential to take into account the living costs, taxes, insurance etc before a sensible comparison can be made.
I am not denying that $400k is a decent sum by any means but, I think the leader does deserve this paltry sum to maintain a standard in line with the job he needs to carry out. I just wish that he makes good use of the power, money at his disposal to pull out the economy out of the recession it is heading into.