Mohan:
How are you doing? Video Email for India's poor. Seems the Indian villager is leapfrogging into the next century. My feeling is that this will be the future for India's poor and the unlettered. It is simple, fast and may become ubiquitous as the Long-distance Telephone booths. Sharing email is also a good idea. One village can have one Video email address for the entire village. Neat idea.
BTW, I am following your posts on CPQ, Channel stuffing etc. Thanks for the info.
Here is something on the President of India from EB
Narayanan, Kocheril Raman
A remarkable moment in history occurred on July 25, 1997, when Indian
Vice Pres. Kocheril Raman Narayanan was sworn in as the country's
10th president and thus became the first untouchable (a member of
India's lowest social caste as determined by heredity) to occupy the post.
Supported by nearly all of the main political parties, Narayanan won the
vote of 95% of the mainly upper-caste federal and state lawmakers and
defeated former chief election commissioner T.N. Seshan in the election.
The occasion held even greater significance because Narayanan's
installment preceded the 50th anniversary of India's independence from
Great Britain by only a few weeks. Although caste discrimination had not
been completely eliminated in the intervening 50 years and had, in fact,
led to recent violent eruptions, his election was viewed as a harbinger of
social and political change that could lead to a more democratic India.
Narayanan was born on Feb. 4, 1921, in the town of Uzhavoor, now in
Kerala state. Although he faced difficulties as a result of his family's
poverty and social status, he possessed a keen intellect and thus qualified
for a government-sponsored college scholarship. After earning a B.A. in
English from the University of Travancore (now the University of Kerala)
and graduating with top honours, Narayanan launched a career as a
journalist for the Hindu (1944-45) and the Times of India (1945). He
then won a Tata scholarship to the London School of Economics. While
studying abroad (1945-48), he received top academic honours and also
served as a foreign correspondent for Social Welfare Weekly.
Upon his return to India, Narayanan was aided by a letter of
recommendation written by a professor, the distinguished British political
scientist Harold Laski, and addressed to Indian Prime Minister
Jawaharlal Nehru. This glowing introduction inspired Nehru to help
Narayanan enter foreign service, despite opposition from upper-caste
officials. During a long and distinguished career as a diplomat (1949-83),
Narayanan held posts in numerous countries but was especially effective
while serving (1976-78) in China, where he helped mend relations
following a 15-year rift in diplomacy. He was also ambassador to the
U.S. at a time (1980-83) of strained relations between the two countries.
In 1979 he was named vice-chancellor of Jawaharlal Nehru University.
An intellectual and scholar, Narayanan was the author or coauthor of
works on Indian politics and international relations, notably India and
America--Essays in Understanding (1984) and Non-Alignment in
Contemporary International Relations (1981).
After 1984 Narayanan became active in politics, serving in the Lok
Sabha (People's Assembly), as a Cabinet minister, and as vice president
from 1992. Although his role as president was largely ceremonial, many
predicted that Narayanan would have an opportunity to play a key role in
forming and stabilizing the government because he had the power to
appoint the prime minister when the government was made up of a
coalition. During his confirmation address, he expressed concern over
violence, corruption, international relations, and the disadvantaged in
society, as well as emphasizing that he intended to be a president for all
Indians.
AFRODITE MANTZAVRAKOS |
