Nisadas

I came across an article on the Freakonomics blog today about the difference between autorickshaw (3-Wheeler in Sri Lankan parlance) drivers in Delhi and Mumbai.

According to law, autorickshaw drivers must only go by the meter reading that is reported after a commuter’s trip is finished. However in Delhi, there are hardly any autorickshaw drivers who go by this law, and instead they quote nefariously high prices. In Mumbai though, no matter what the time of the day or night, the drivers go by the meter.

The reason for this difference put forward by the writer Abhishek Rawat (himself a reader of the Freakonomics blog) is simply competition – there are more 3-wheelers in Mumbai than Delhi and there are less alternatives in Delhi. As a result, the commuters in Delhi are more likely to pay whatever the three wheeler driver asks for and get to wherever he or she is headed.

Stephen J. Dubner put forward the following first three reasons, whereas the other reasons were also submitted in the comments;

• Differences in law enforcement in Delhi and Mumbai
• Whether or not drivers belong to a fleet or operate independently
• The possibility of differences in professional culture (Abhishek discounted the notion of cultural differences).
• The government-set rates are not sufficient for the drivers in Delhi to make a profit
• Differences in the commuters’ economic status in the two cities – Delhi having wider gaps between the rich and poor while Mumbai has a middle class more interested in value for money.

This reminded me of the All Island Three Wheeler Drivers Welfare Association (Meter taxis, contactable on 0712-500800) which has gained a lot of Word of Mouth popularity these days. Here in Sri Lanka there are plenty of three wheelers around. The profession isn’t viewed very favourably, which led to the formation of the Association, as can be seen in Duruthu Edirimuni Chandrasekera’s article about the Meter Taxis from the Sunday Times.

Calling the hotline mentioned on the website revealed that the rates are now Rs. 50/- for the first kilometer and Rs. 30/- for each thereon. Given the current situ, I’m wondering if they qualify for the reduced rate of petrol for three wheelers announced for the 2009 budget. They certainly meet the requirement of having a meter.

So what are the chances of mass adoption of meters by the Sri Lankan three wheeler drivers? Pretty slim, I think. My reasons?

1. Regulation and the lack of it. Apart from registration (due mostly to the negative reputation of the profession) with the local police, there doesn’t seem to be any other type of regulation. Without any formal rules, I’m not convinced that many of the three wheeler drivers will adopt using the meters.
2. Peer pressure – not everyone wants to give up the opportunity of fleecing prospective customers, especially foreigners. With most three wheelers operating from “stands” where groups of 3 or more operate, the guy with the meter is likely to be ostracized. This will result in resistance to using a meter. For example, anyone picking a 3 wheeler from near Odel or Majestic City will be surprised at the rates charged by other three wheelers.
3. Lack of information. In the article mentioned above, the profit per day from running with a meter is given as Rs. 1,500/-, while there is also mentioned a greater demand than the Association can meet. However, I don’t think many three wheeler drivers are aware of this.
4. Lack of customer pressure. People who use three wheelers often would have honed their tactics (or Tuktics) for getting the best rates. Some people will travel with only a selected few, whom they contact on their mobile numbers and are guaranteed reasonable rates. This leaves the occasional traveller to deal with and that probably doesn’t warrant the trouble of having to fix a meter.

However, given the popularity of the three wheeler as a means of transport and the difficulty in parking in Colombo during the day (and sometimes night) there’s a likelihood the situation will change in favour of the meter. That should benefit the traveller by means of more economic transport, while also providing the owner/driver with more business. More business because the hassle of bargaining is taken out and transparency in the pricing is created.

It doesn’t help very much when the monitor needs constant gamma correction to work. When the RAM just dies and I’m left with half of the full complement (another good reason to have two DIMMS) things just get ornery.

Then there’s the constant trouble with the network adapter, generally fixed with a reboot. Ditto for the newly fixed SATA HDD (connected via the chinese-made PCI card) suddenly vanishing trick.

By all indications, it looks like I need to upgrade my PC. The dust factor hasn’t helped either, so probably a good dusting is in order before that. But definitely, I need a new power supply, motherboard, processor, monitor and RAM.

Back in my school days, when I was a lot more techno savvy the method of finding out about the costs of putting a PC together meant trawling the shops at Unity Plaza and dealing with people who had no idea about the specs of what they were selling. The vendors in general were pretty clueless about anything that wasn’t in their shops; often they were clueless about what they were selling in the first place. Heaven forbid you even asked them about future-proofing.

But now that we’re pretty firmly in the 21st century and capable of putting world class websites online, I expected a plethora of hits when I searched for sri lankan computer retailers. Alas, I was mistaken.

It seems the same indifference that you can find meted out at so many of the general PC shops in Sri Lanka is now extended to the web. I’m pretty sure this has got to do with the fact that Sri Lankan domestic users don’t present themselves as much of a market. Even better, I’m sure the average retailer must be thinking “well, if they haven’t got a computer already, then they won’t be surfing the net looking for one” and follow that up with “now that they have a computer, they know where to find us”.

Well, it seems that the high-end consumer will always have someone willing to fawn over them for their rupees. But for the average guy like myself who’s rather annoyed at having to part with his money in this age of high inflation and what-not, it looks like the place to go is still Unity Plaza.

I tried out the websites of some of Sri Lanka’s better known retailers. Some of those links can be found at OnlineLanka, but I’ve no idea how updated those links are. As a matter of fact, the only site I found interesting (apart from the ones selling second-hand computers) was ABC Computers. That too, because I was solely interested in prices. My email enquiry from the people at ABC elicited the response that their site was not very up-to-date, but in the process of being updated. Not bad – certainly a step in the right direction

Some of the bigger names have sites with a lot of heavy wording and fancy flash graphics, but little substance. One of the better known companies has only a prototype site up which showcases PC equipment and the descriptions of jewellery.

Perhaps I’m missing something here, but it looks like I’ll have to slip back into my school-day approach of trawling Unity Plaza again… What a waste of time and energy…

The tension of watching and waiting, wondering whether our boys would actually make it to that score of 352…

…has been replaced with the tension of wondering why there’s black smoke coming from the bambalapitiya/wellawatte area; why there were sirens blaring; why there are people standing about outside offices…

…and the biggest questions – what’s happened? why? what happens next?

My regular travel via the privatised modes of public transport is almost the only time that I ever listen to the radio anymore. The fact that this is almost entirely against my will and at ear-splitting volume only means that I either complain and earn the ire of my fellow travellers, or resign myself to total deafness. And Monday evening entertainment on the radio seems to pander to some very strange tastes…

Recently in keeping with the election aura permeating Sri Lankan society, two radio stations began a poster campaign – each claiming to be “The No. 1″ station as per the public’s manape. Since the private bus operators of the country are my only link to these stations, I’m not able to verify the claim.

Anyway, here I am on Monday evening on my way home at around 7pm. I have the misfortune to get a seat directly under a speaker in the private bus I got into. The station being tuned into is one of the two aforesaid ones, playing some pretty catchy tunes. So no complaints, except for the incredible volume that is threatening my ear-drums.

A female voice earnestly (in Sinhala) welcomes the listener to a “show” – a show about the cruel twists of fate, about the wicked ways of real life – all the way upto 10pm. Hmmm….

Then, to my utter shock, everyone listening in (or able to discern anything from the loud volume) is subjected to the story – acted out with dialogue and sound effects – of a young, possibly underaged female in some remote part of the country being drugged and raped by two men.

Why my shock? The “show” is a radio drama “based on a true story” that relates this sordid tale in 3-4 minute bursts. To liven up the otherwise dreary and cruel story, the 3-4 minute bursts are separated by lively songs, which judging from the number of times they’re played – are quite popular.

Somehow, “Rape of an underaged girl, to the accompaniment of Sri Lanka’s hit music” doesn’t sound like the most appealing of radio shows to listen to. Fine, so the sound effects were not exactly very graphic, but still??

Needless to say, I’m very disturbed by this.

As I got off the bus, I wasn’t so much consumed by a curiosity to know what the rest of the story was about, but a sense of bewilderment at the things people will do…

It’s weird. I like the service I get from HSBC. I don’t bother them very much. I have friends who work there.

So why should they (the local branch) have a problem with me switching to a more secure and less crash-prone operating system/web browser?

When I took up my first intern/trainee job, one of the things I did was get an HSBC card. Not only did it look good, but it also meant that come payday, I would be one of the lucky people to get my hands on the cash first. The others would have to wait a day or two longer before their allowance was in their accounts. So I’m happy.

But I stopped using Internet Explorer and switched to Opera. Bad move. The Internet Banking facility doesn’t work for me. But thankfully Firefox came along and things were ok.

Fast forward to 2005: I’ve switched completely to Linux when it comes to surfing the net. This is because I’m paranoid about spyware/adware/zombie networks and frankly I haven’t the faintest of confidence in Internet Explorer’s security.

And then I try to access MY account via Internet Banking. No dice. Opera (even with “Identify as Internet Explorer” enabled) doesn’t work. Neither does Firefox.
I’m told that

To access internet banking, please use

• Internet Explorer version 5.0 or above; or
• Netscape Communicator version 4.72 or above (version 6.x currently not supported)

What gives?

So I inform the bank of the issue. This I do on September 12, 2005.
I get the following reply on September 15, 2005:

We refer to your mail of 12 September 2005.

Please be informed that we have taken your request to consideration and are looking at the possibilty of enabling Linux Users to login to our Internet Banking Service.

However we wish to inform you that we are not preventing any users of Linux from accessing the Internet Banking Facility.

Right.

It’s become common knowledge that Microsoft’s Windows OS and Internet Explorer browser aren’t exactly the most secure software in the world. Even if the developers manage to patch the security holes, the very fact that Windows/IE are so popular the world over make them ideal targets for hackers. This was common knowledge ages ago – that’s why alternate browsers have been able to make such an impact in the global internet community.

While I agree that there is no silver bullet for surfing on the web, I feel that institutions shouldn’t place restrictions on how people access the information they put on the web.

A little searching led me to this email at the Lanka Linux User Group(LKLUG) that seems to discuss the problems in the JavaScript code at the site that seems to restrict users. Note the date: July 19, 2005.

I’m not a coder, but according to the email, it seems that the web site doesn’t consider Linux as an operating system that the potential visitor might be using.

It’s been more than three months since the LKLUG have figured out what’s wrong with the web site’s code. So how come the problem hasn’t been fixed yet?

Ah well.

For anyone interested, there’s a workaround (thanks to Chamindra) . The simplest method (which I’m using now) is to download the User Agent Switcher and install it on Firefox.

UPDATE: As of late 2007, the HSBC site got revamped and now supports internet banking with many different browsers. I have so far had success with Firefox, Opera and Safari (on Windows).

Moving on from my previous post, I was going to blog about something that crossed my mind while typing it last night. However, it seems Morquendi has beaten me to it on Nittewa.

My point being – what defines your identity?

I spoke to some friends of mine. Apparently, whatever the scholars say, most average people seem to equate identity with name, ethnicity, nationality or religion in most cases. And it would seem that many people will pass judgement on others based on these labels… a practice that has been carried forward throughout human history.

He hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million; laughed at my losses, mocked at my pains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies; and what’s his reason? I am a Jew. Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die?

– Shylock, from Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice

The labels we give to distinguish ourselves have hardly ever been used for a good purpose. But what bothers me is how these archaic labels still exist in our global village. Why is it that even at a time when we are so clearly able to see that the biggest differences among us are figments, we continue to revel in these labels, directing hate and passing judgement on those we feel are different from us?

Maybe a few hundreds of years ago, when travel between nations was rare and multi-cultural towns were exclusively sea-ports or trading posts, the labels had more meaning than they have today.

How do you define someone’s ethnicity today? DNA testing – or do you take their word for it? Does following a particular religion mean you have the right to put down the followers of another religion?

What about the people who are born into a race or religion they don’t like? Are these matters of personal choice or social custom?

What if you were born abroad, in a country different from that of your parents’ home – but were brought up in a totally different country? What would be your nationality?

Personally, I’m proud to be Sri Lankan. I’m proud of what my ancestors achieved in the past.

But I will not be defined by society’s whims or the ruins of my ancestors. Frankly, I’d rather just be me. I will define who I am by my actions. I’m thankful to my friends, who by being themselves and constantly challenging my beliefs, help me maintain my individuality. Maybe I’m being an idealist, but I would rather be an idealist seeker of the truth than a hypocrite defined by the company he keeps.

It’s election time. Time to make promises, shake hands, pay people to throng at your speeches and wave majestically. It is a time for many things. Perhaps even a totally irrelevant and irreverant post on something that came to mind (these kind of thoughts occur very often, but very few are ever published). Before reading the rest of this post, please ensure that you’ve got a sense of humour and most importantly, an open mind – I can be very confusing sometimes, which can be a good opportunity to laugh at me. If you lack the two – I hope that you have free will. This entails being able to understand that No, I Don’t Need To Read The Rest Of This Stupid Post And Get All Hot And Bothered About It. If you find yourself lacking in all three departments – please don’t read any further. If you’re still reading this, you’re implicitly agreeing that you posess the first two qualities yadda yadda yadda yadda…

So anyway. I watched Ms Nisha Pillai on BBC speak to Lord Naseby of the British-Sri Lanka Parliamentary Group with regard to the issue of the EU travel ban on the Tamil Tigers. It was quite interesting to watch the conversation and the reactions of the two individuals concerned.

However, for details and discussion on matters re: LTTE, GOSL and the “ethnic” conflict in Sri Lanka – might as well check Mephistopheles or Nittewa. Nothing on those lines here. Sorry, Politics is a subject that I refrain from discussing (specifically) or debating in public – as someone once said, “It’s like wrestling a pig – not only do you end up getting dirty, but the pig actually enjoys it”.

Rather, much in line with the strange ways that my mind works – watching that little tete a tete cultivated a (rather weird) vision of the future. A glimpse of the world as it soon could (will?) be.

A quick trip to the Wikipedia (don’t we all love that site) will show just how many separatist movements are at work in the world today. I will not discuss the validity or the idealogy behind these movements.

Rather, I will say this – today, more than ever before in the history of mankind, we are living in greater proximity to each other. Something of a global village. If not physically, then virtually. Advances in technology such as the Internet and satellite broadcasts have brought cultures diverse and different in contact with each other. People who only 20 years ago would have led lives that hardly strayed beyond the borders of their little hamlet in the border villages in Sri Lanka may now watch various american television shows on their solar powered TVs. What does Siripala make of “Sex and the City”? (Okay, so its a dumb example – please provide a better one)

So in this modern Babylon where races, religions and cultures are continuously confronting each other, I see people getting increasingly anxious about their individual identity. This is followed by perceived or (sadly) actual social/political/economic disadvantages that tend to frustrate people and cause problems. Hmmm….

Sure – I’m unique – but so’s everyone else. Oh dear, I’m feeling a little – just a little – bit insecure now. How come those other people are getting a better deal than I am?

So lets all gang up depending on what our most common factor is. Let’s get Tribal. After all, the Tribe knows whats best for its members. Or rather, the head of the Tribe knows what is best.

So lets assume the Tribes are set up. These will be split along the usual lines of race first. Perhaps religion can be a secondary distinction. Caste, Social status, Job satisfaction, Sports involvement and voluntary services provided can be used as filters afterwards. Being of mixed racial background can be a hindrance. Best to go with the secondary distinctions then.

So what does that give us? Hypoythetically, we’d have The Sinhala Bauddha Govi Madhyama Panthika Rekiya Wirahitha Upadhidharee Pakshaya (translated: The Sinhala Buddhist Govi-caste Middle-class unemployed-graduate party) could be set up, where it would find itself in polar opposition to the Sinhala Bauddha Govi Madhyama Panthika Rekiyalabhi Upadhidharee Pakshaya (as before, but employed-graduates), on the grounds that employment was given out by central government on a purely arbitrary basis that discriminated them.

But why stop there? Let’s get geographical. We can get these various groups to agitate (first peacefully, then violently – subject to actual weaponry and training available) against whatever central government is around, asking for a separate state. This would enable the different parties to pursue their various agendas independently.

But where do we draw the line? Is the setting up of separate states the solution to problems brought about by globalisation? Where do we draw the line and say that separatism by the Horton Place Progressive Front, the Mirihana People’s Alliance or the Melbourne Idama Liberation Kangaroos are people with serious issues as opposed to other separatist movements?

The planet we live on is like an island in an ocean of stars. Until there are viable alternatives (like the proposed colonies on the moon and Mars), there’s little we can do. The world population has been growing at what seems to be a dangerously unsustainable rate. This leaves all of us with increasingly less land to live on, much less die on. Are we to keep splitting it up into tinier and tineir pieces?

Do we really need to go back on millennia of evolution, technological and social progress to relive the ways of our ancestors and their tribal feuds (“My grandfather offed your grandfather 100 years ago, so the fact that your father offed my father is no reason for you to claim ownership of this piece of land”)?
If we keep splitting up the land we have based on the various labels we give ourselves – what will be left of us as humanity?

Have we as humanity grown up? Or do we still dwell in our little individual wells, admiring the sky above and ignoring the world around us?

My favourite movies are generally on the lines of “Lion of the Desert” starring Anthony Quinn, “Patriot”, “Braveheart”, “The Lord of the Rings”, “Last Samurai” – you get the picture. Breathtaking scenery, cavalry charges, flag waving, suicidal warriors – the works.

On Thursday evening, I had the opportunity (thanks to Thiva) to attend a film with a much more personal look – “Samanala Thatu” (“Butterfly Wings”) is now on at the Savoy.

I’m not by any definition of the term, a film critic. I’m certainly not qualified to be one. I fell asleep – twice- in an attempt to watch Titanic and have watched hardly any Sri Lankan movies.
Therefore, this post cannot (and certainly should not) be construed as a review.

But basically – Samanala Thatu is, IMHO, a good movie. It doesn’t necessarily preach about any topic in particular, although there seemed to be a focus on children’s rights.

What struck me the most, however, was the manner in which the life of the less-privileged of urban Sri Lanka was portrayed. Everyday concerns were clearly displayed and the camera hid nothing of the stark reality that so many people today sadly face in our island home.

Having read Prabhath’s wonderful post on being a Third World Designer the theme of this movie was even more relevant.

A fascinating point that was also brought up was the role played by Child Protection Agencies(CPA). Throughout the movie, the plight of street children was clearly presented, with many ways in which they are exploited by those around them. The CPAs however, it would seem have the best of intentions, but not the best of methods to implement them, in the movie. I don’t have much of an idea on how they work in real life, so no comment on that either.

But enough of all the meandering statements. Samanala Thatu is a really good movie – I enjoyed watching it and appreciated the insights into scenes of life that we could so easily ignore.