Daily Archives: November 12, 2001

Personal

Short Term / Long Term Goals 2001

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I’ve got a lot of plans and goals, but I’m having a lot of trouble figuring out how I’m going to attain them.  I’m worried about the uncertainty, but I know that I have some very clear lifetime goals… knowing my destination should help me find the right path.  Don’t laugh!!!

| Short-Term Goals | Lifetime Goals |

  Short-Term Goals (next 10 years)

There are several things that I would like to get done in the next few years.  I have several academic goals, personal goals, professional goals, and physical goals.  These are liable to change continuously, but they will always reflect progress toward my lifetime goals.

  • Academic Goals – If I do go to grad school, I really want to go to Stanford and get an MBA.  Currently, I would also like to learn more about US government and constitutional rights, just in case I want to pursue a political future.  I’ve spent a lot of time staring at the governor’s mansion here in Austin, and I think I’d like to be there someday.  
  • Personal Goals – I would like to devote some time to self- improvement because it seems like all my time is spent meeting deadlines that someone else has come up with.  I almost feel like someone else controls my destiny, and all my personal deadlines are always pushed back in favor of their plans.  I want to make efficiency my most recognized strength.  In order to be more efficient, I need to be punctual.  I also need to control the number of simultaneous projects that I’m involved in…. perhaps by setting limits.  Too often, I struggle balancing my projects and time.  My spiritual goal is to find my theme song.  Every show on television has a theme song, and it really defines who they are and their motivations.  I believe that every person should find their theme song too… site subdomains . I’m still searching.
  • Professional Goals – My Peace Corps assignment should give me some time (as it is a two year commitment) to think about a long term occupation.  After the Peace Corps, I hope to either start a business or work as a strategic or net consultant (my skills may be 2 years out of date).  No matter what I choose when I return, my heart is dead set on founding a successful company within this ten year time frame.  I hope to someday teach as well or head up a national non-profit organization.
  • Physical Goals – I plan to place in the top 100 at the Boston Marathon sometime in the next decade.  I’m an avid runner, and I love the thrill of competition.  I am also an avid fan of weight training, and I hope to at least achieve 3 sets-8 reps of 250 lbs bench by the time I turn 25.  I want to max squat at least 3 times my current body weight, dead lift 5 times my mass, and have perfect abs.  I have a long way to go!

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  Lifetime Goals

For my lifetime, I hope to either:

  • create the first true online elite university.  I want to bring all the best professors together to teach at this university and have open admission to millions of students world wide.  The cost to attend this university would be minimal, but the number of students would make the professors the highest paid people on the planet and all students would have the opportunity to learn from the best.
  • create the ultimate internet think thank, where hundreds of people from around the world would be paid millions to sit around and generate ideas.  “But Sandeep!” says you “What’s so special about that?” Well, this think tank would be completely open source.  Along with the full time thinkers, millions of people could participate.  The full time thinkers would have to go through an intense application process and would be paid via company offerings.  They could share these offerings with people outside this circle who contribute to the full fledged development of ideas.  The ideas would be offered to all those who were interested for free.  The catch: implementation would be left up to the companies that pick up the idea.
  • create an online portal that would catalog the products available in brick and mortar stores.  Instead of waiting for a product to ship to you, you would be able to find it in a store near you.  You would no longer have to call stores, or window shop.  You could search for a product and within seconds find the closest stores to you that had it in stock… and you could either get a map to that store or have it delivered to you!!!
  • become the first Indian-American Senator from the State of Texas… or maybe I’ll settle for governor.  I’d want to chair the committees on environment, education, mental health, internet issues, and national security.
  • become the head of a major non-profit organization such as the Red Cross, Peace Corps, America’s Promise etc.
  • something else not on this list 🙂

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Political

Insurgency in Kashmir

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  The Reasons for the Insurgency in Kashmir

There are several views on the principle factors that contributed to the insurgency in Kashmir in 1990. The Pro-Indian view is that Pakistan supported Islamic fundamentalism that ignited trouble in the valley. The Pro-Pakistan view is that India refused to provide the people of Kashmir with the right of self-determination. Some believe the insurgency was the result of the destruction of the Kashmiri ethnic identity due to different nationalistic ideals. Historical transcripts and accounts also provide some useful information, but all of these arguments seem to ignore one or more aspects of this crisis. The most complete reason for the insurgency is Sumit Gangulys theory of political mobilization against institutional decay.

Political mobilization occurs when people have political knowledge and desire political participation. Institutional decay occurs when political systems crumble. Although the older generations accepted corruption as commonplace, the younger Kashmiris were outraged with the state of Kashmir prior to the insurgency. They were generally very literate as their education up till the university level was free. They were also well informed as Srinager was the third media center in India, and newspapers, television, and information flow freely among Kashmiris. Despite being literate and well informed, Kashmiris did not have a true political voice due to the fact that democratic ideals in Kashmir were crushed time after time. This is especially evident when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ignored Kashmiri views and dismissed Farooq Abdullah after she believed that he had consorted with her competition. The TADA acts were also abused in Kashmir to oppress people with the excuse of stamping out terrorism. The National Conference, which was established by Sheikh Abdullah, was so closed to newcomers that the new generation was not able to use it as a means for change.

The lack of economic opportunities despite the superior education level also frustrated the Kashmiris and many joined Islamic fundamentalist groups. Madrassas that taught Islamic ideals became commonplace and they were taught by Maulvis from Assam who came to Kashmir to escape Indian oppression. The Maulvis had suffered through many killings in Assam, and thus had a strong anti-Indian sentiment. The Kashmiris also learned about the success of intifida from Palestinian Liberation Organization students who studied in Kashmir during the late 70s and early 80s.

Politically, things went from bad to worse after the Rajiv-Farooq accord where Rajiv Gandhi promised to make Farooq Abdulla chief minister again if he worked with the congress party in exchange for aid for Kashmir. sub domains . Farooq agreed to this arrangement but the Kasmiris no longer saw him as a man of the people but instead as a tool of an oppressive government.
A new party called the Muslim United Front (MUF) emerged that wanted to challenge secular ideals and help Kashmiris attain rights. In the controversial election of 1987, Farooq was dubiously elected in a hostile environment where many were discouraged to vote. This increased hostility in the area tremendously and it reached a crescendo with the kidnapping of Rubaiya Sayeed, who was the Union Home ministers daughter, by the Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front in December 1989. The insurgency had begun.

The literacy and political awareness of the Kasmiris helped them recognize the institutional decay all around them and when they found no way to make changes through a government that failed them, they chose to react violently. peta dunia Without the element of institutional decay or political mobilization, the crisis in 1990 could have been averted. This argument explains both the motives and the timing of the crisis.