Route 32- A Short Story

Set in Bangalore, India, my third short story is about a bus driver in Bangalore’s much maligned BTS (Bangalore Transport Service).

Please see “Route 32” at:-

http://prem-rao.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/10/route-32.htm

As always, your comments are welcome,

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"Ask If You Will"

A new interest has been re-kindled within me. Short story writing. Haven’t done it for years.

My second short story called “Ask If You Will ” has been posted at http://prem-rao.sulekha.com/blog/post/2007/10/ask-if-you-will.htm

I hope it will bring back fond memories of Enright Hall to XLers as it did to me.

IT Pay Around The World from Mercer

Mercer, the well known HR advisory firm released its survey results recently of IT Pay Around the World. The survey compared the total annual cash compensation and total remuneration information for IT staff in 6,545 companies in 35 different countries.

6 of the world’s 10 highest-paying countries for information technology (IT) managers are in Western Europe. Switzerland pays the highest salaries followed by Denmark, Belgium and the UK. The United States and Canada are ranked 6 and 8, respectively. Indian IT managers were fourth from the bottom, earning an average of $25,000.

In the most-junior career band surveyed, defined as IT Professional – Experienced, employees in Switzerland earn the highest salaries at an average $101,510, ahead of Belgium (2), Germany (3) and Denmark (4). The UK ranks fifth with an average of $64,340 followed by the US (6). In the lower-paying countries, Vietnam again pays the least at $5,570, followed by the Philippines and India at $8,130 and $9,630, respectively.

The survey also highlighted that the relationship between experience/skill level and pay is different in different countries. For example, large pay gaps exist between junior and senior career streams in Indonesia, India, Brazil, Chile and Vietnam, which have the highest pay progression ratios between the lowest and highest career streams. In the US and many western European nations, pay increases more proportionately with experience.

Here’s how I see this survey. Although the survey may point to Indian IT professionals being paid less, it is a fact that the profitability of many mid-size Indian IT companies is under pressure. They have to pay higher compensation to attract and retain talent while the appreciation of the rupee is eroding their profit margins.

Log on To See The Funeral

The world is changing and changing fast. A news item that caught my attention was an announcement by the Madras Cemeteries Board.

The Madras Cemeteries Board which regulates the burial of Christians of various denominations in and around Chennai, erstwhile Madras announced that they plan to have online telecast of funerals . This will enable relatives and friends from far away to see the funeral without being there themselves.

Said Dr. Bosco Alangar Raj of the Board : “Globalisation has taken Indians far and wide. Back home, when someone dies, the body has to be kept for three or four days till the close relatives arrive. ” For those who live and work in distant countries, it’s very difficult to reach even after three days. So, watching the funeral services either live or deferred is a matter of consolation and convenience. That’s where this service becomes relevant,” he said.

Interesting trend.

Murali Kartik. Hero of the Day.

Seldom do I post exclusively about a sporting hero. Today I must because of the splendid performance shown by 31 year old Murali Kartik in the last One Day International against Australia at Mumbai yesterday.

The Railways left arm spinner, fresh from a successful season at Middlesex had been brought into the team at the express desire of the new captain M. S. Dhoni.

Murali’s 6 for 27 in 10 overs with 3 maidens was one of the best performances of high quality spin bowling one will see. What made it all the more impressive was that it was against the mighty Australians who have scored over 300 in all the ODIs against India this season.

The day was not over for Murali yet. At one stage India was in deep trouble at 64-6. Thanks to Uthappa and Harbhajan, India recovered with a 65 run partnership but the best was yet to come.

In a thrilling finish, Murali and Zaheer Khan put on an unbeaten 52 for the ninth-wicket in 62 balls amidst much pressure. Zaheer (31 not out, 43b, 3×4, 1×6) and Kartik (21 not out, 34b, 3×4), a right-left combination, survived with some luck, pluck and some effective strokeplay.

India won by 2 wickets with 4 overs to spare. Well done, Murali. You are the toast of India today!