Necessary preparation before demonetization?

The whole country is standing at an inflection point of development. One path leads to the corruption free promising India while other may trigger a nightmarish experience of national collapse. A glimpse of the initial chaos can be seen outside banks and ATMs but the real pinch will be felt when the demonetization will lead to job loss and a decline in industrial production. Many expert analysts have predicted short-term threats to our social economic and political life. But very few people have commented on the timeliness of the decision. Was this the best time for this move in terms of preparedness? Could we have made some arrangements? Is secrecy not given a paramount importance which has led to this situation? Was this jerking off of whole nation from the black money hangover the only way to execute this plan? Is this the economics which drove the politics of the move or vice-versa?

In my opinion, following ten things could have been done before taking this initiative.
1. Hire at least 10000 IRS officer on contract basis to conduct the tax collection drive in the entire country. There are lakhs of UPSC aspirants who are qualified enough but falls on the other side of luck. The government could have absorbed them through the existing scheme of the examination on a 10-year contractual period.
2. Land records digitization should have been expedited and connected with the Adhar accounts. The technological prowess of overlaying techniques should have been used.
3. The mobile van model of ATM should have been tried and tested and popularized in the whole country.
4. The government could have waited few more years. The GST bill was on the anvil. This is expected to bring down taxation rates. This would have increased the taxation compliance for the large segment of population by itself.
5. The RBI should have increased the prevalence of lower denomination currency. At least the figure of 86% prevalence of rs. 500/1000 could have been brought down to 65% without getting attention in the public in a gradual manner over one to two years.
6. The report of Ratan P Watal commission on the spread of card payment was pending. The government could have waited and implemented its implementation first before shaking the whole nation.
7. The original scheme of Jan Dhan account should have been fully implemented. By this the country would have been prepared to switch to banking system. Today those accounts are conveniently used by rich people for conversion of black money to white money.
8. At least all the government offices, services and amenities should have started accepting the card payment and online payments. This would have reduced the corruption to large extent.
9. Jewellers, real estate people, mining barons and politicians account could have been scrutinized and audited by the additional force of 10000 in a detailed manner.
10. Political parties funding, NGO funding and religious organizations funding could have been brought under RTI rule.

Overall, I feel the step was premature. It was taken in haste, without proper political and economic accounting. Modi is a seasoned player of politics so it is hard to believe that how could he make such mistake or take such a polarizing and risky decision. Black money is substituted by the dark thoughts about the future of the country.

Rules of Negotiation

1. Always plan your conversations.
2. Know your options.
3. Do not hurry in responding.
4. Never cross etiquettes.
5. Everything is a perspective.
6. Do not take it personally.
7. It's fun.
8. Always have a plan B and know when to trigger it.
9. No regrets.
10. Do not accept others excuses.
11. Capitalize on others mistake.
12. Don't vie to gain sympathy.
13. Be calm and be forceful in your ways.
14. Never raise voice.
15. Always keep smiling.

Emotional Intelligence

Last time when I wrote the review of Emotional Intelligence book, I missed one very important point. The point is "Emotional intelligence is unlike intelligence quotient". Your IQ more or less remain stable. But Emotional Intelligence varies on the seasonal basis. Whenever a new experience occurs, some rejig takes place in your emotional corner. Neurons move up and down in the limbic system. Some people find the new equilibrium very soon and come back to their normal state while others take some time to understand the new incident and to tackle its emotional repercussions.

Why does this happen? It happens because every day when we begin, we carry an emotional baggage of the previous day. The bags get heavy and heavier as the time passes and eventually it causes huge disequilibrium in your emotional state of mind. Eventually, one fine day, a naturally calm person turns violent or vice versa. There is nothing called right or wrong emotion. But awareness of self and other emotions and ability to manipulate self and others emotion is the key to higher emotional intelligence. So let say you get angry one day. This does not mean you are not emotionally mature or intelligence. The question is "whether you were aware of being angry? Were you able to control your anger? Was the anger intentional to get what you want from the other person?"

For me, last one month was turbulent. My focus was divided. My attention was missing. There was self-doubt about my own priorities and my ways of getting what I want? Even today I am not sure if this is the way to go about it. But then comes the wisdom. Play everything as if it is a game. Do not fear to loose anything. Do not bow down. Negotiate hard. Take it as an experience. Do not show your soft side. Do not tell others about your weakness. Do not let your priority become your weakness. And most important learn to not let your work spill into your studies.

During IAS preparation, the best way was to ignore ignore ignore and let go let go let go. So now if you are not letting it go, make sure that you don't let this interfere with your studies. That would be the best emotionally intelligent behavior.

Principles of politics

Never fear to experiment.
Be ready to backtrack.
Know your strength.
Hide your weakness.
Wait for the moment.
Challenge the powerful.
Discover escape routes.
Network is the key to win.
Identify the polarizing issues.
Communication is your skill.
Know the weakness of your opponent.
Keep opponent confused.
It is a risky game.
Always fight to win.
Never loose hope.
Opponents make mistakes.

Girish Nikam

"Hello and welcome to the Big Picture". These lines reverberate in my mind whenever I think of Girish Nikam. The guy has left an indelible imprint on my psyche and psyche of many others. His shows were like the staple diet for aspirants of Civil Services Examination. I always dreamt of giving a civil service interview with Nikam as one of the interviewers. What an experience that would have been? However, death is the ultimate reality of life. Howsoever high any one becomes in the life but death will ultimate dust all of us.

Nikam did not just deliver the content. He taught us a way of thinking in multi-dimensional and multi-perspective manner through his program. My respect for him increases multifold when I juxtapose him with Rajat Sharma, Rahul Kanwar and Arnab Goswami. The latter set of journalist sold their journalistic ethics to sensationalism, partisan politics and money power. Among those soulless spirits, Girish was a vanguard of ethical ans sensible journalism. May his soul rest in peace. Your lines will keep reverberating in my mind for time to come.