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The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

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Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#61

Post by rayiner »

hiyer wrote: post #19
xaranke wrote: post #4

As someone who left India for the US, this article gives me pause as to whether things have actually changed in shining New India or if it's just a facade with air conditioning. More specifically, I'd like to move back at some point and I'm not sure if I ever should.

Why do you feel the US is better in this respect? The US has several other obvious advantages compared to India, but equality of wealth distribution and lack of crony capitalism don't seem to be among them.

You think the US has wealth inequality! In India its common for upper middle class people to have several full-time servents. Not only that, they are a whole separate class of people. They are treated like servents, not like employees.

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#62

Post by gregcrv »

test001only wrote: post #38

It is interesting to see Indians talking of themselves and India as a separate entity. Now, I am fine with people moving out of the country and I can understand the appeal. A lot of problems in India have been long solved in the west and there are problems which are unique to India. But it is hypocritical to blame the ills on "India" as if it exists without it's people. Citizens make a country and they are equally re…

I don’t think it’s unique to India unfortunately. I feel this is also strong in the US where the « people » and the « government » always seem very separated and opposing each other. I am also annoyed by the characterization of « government land » rather than « public land ». Not sure if the low turnout in US elections is the cause or consequence of that separation.

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#63

Post by sokoloff »

sidlls wrote: post #60
sokoloff wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why wouldn't the police take a sample of the meat for lab testing and evidence? It would seem to be a crucial piece of motive for the mob crime; it's also unlikely that the man killed was solely responsible for the entire chain of killing, butchering, and transporting the finished beef product, so other people may be implicated as well, etc.

Why would it matter whether the meat was beef or not with respect to motive? The crowd thought it was beef and beat him based on that belief; they didn't test the meat first.

WRT motive, the fact of whether it was or wasn't beef when introduced into evidence may prove to be exculpatory (if the finders of fact decide that it was justified) or may prove to be further damning (if the finders of facts decide that it was pre-meditated). I wouldn't want the police on the scene to be in the business of deciding what possibly relevant facts in the case will prove to be crucial. Collect, catalog, and preserve the evidence as best you reasonably can in a major crime case, and let the court system figure out what's relevant.

Additionally, if it was beef, there's a reason to look upstream to where the dead man got the beef and chase down those leads.

What's the external/societal cost to them taking the meat to the lab? It's not like the police not taking the beef to the lab will suddenly summon the cow back to life nor that they took the beef and tested it by eating it.

(I'm assuming from context that beef for consumption is locally illegal. That seems a safe assumption.)

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#64

Post by mcny »

sokoloff wrote: post #63
sidlls wrote: post #60

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why would it matter whether the meat was beef or not with respect to motive? The crowd thought it was beef and beat him based on that belief; they didn't test the meat first.

WRT motive, the fact of whether it was or wasn't beef when introduced into evidence may prove to be exculpatory (if the finders of fact decide that it was justified) or may prove to be further damning (if the finders of facts decide that it was pre-meditated). I wouldn't want the police on the scene to be in the business of deciding what possibly relevant facts in the case will prove to be crucial. Collect, catalog,…

It is not illegal and even if it were it does not, in any lawful society, justify extrajudicial torture and/or murder.

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#65

Post by kamaal »

xaranke wrote: post #4

As someone who left India for the US, this article gives me pause as to whether things have actually changed in shining New India or if it's just a facade with air conditioning. More specifically, I'd like to move back at some point and I'm not sure if I ever should.

>>I'd like to move back at some point and I'm not sure if I ever should.

That's entirely your decision to make.

But nothing much has changed in any real sense. Some highways have been built and there is slight change in infrastructure.

But if your question is if some huge changes have come to pass, alas nothing significant has changed in a real sense.

I had to return permanently due to my parents health, but if I really had a chance I would return to US though.

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#66

Post by blackoil »

rockyj wrote: post #8

And here I thought that "Wild Wild Country" on Netflix was too crazy to be true and something like that would not happen again. (*fixed typos)

When in mood search for Asaram, Rampal, Nirmal Baba, Sant Ram Rahim. These are prominent Godmans with millions of followers and 100s of million of dollars worth of empires prosecuted in last few years for charges including rape, fraud, murder etc. Courts now has grown some balls to take action against these people, despite risk of mob violence. These Godman's had patronage from all political parties as they control too big a vote bank. Some of these like Nirmal baba, Sathya Sai baba are so comical and ridiculous, Borat will have trouble spoofing them.

In India, people trust gurus and babas even for problems like pollution, water conservation, economy and healthcare. I have seen software engineers, working in top tier US product companies, who believe India had planes, nuclears 1000s of years back.

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#67

Post by xaranke »

test001only wrote: post #38

It is interesting to see Indians talking of themselves and India as a separate entity. Now, I am fine with people moving out of the country and I can understand the appeal. A lot of problems in India have been long solved in the west and there are problems which are unique to India. But it is hypocritical to blame the ills on "India" as if it exists without it's people. Citizens make a country and they are equally re…

As someone who has spent a majority of their formative years outside India and always felt out of place when I lived there, I definitely see India as a separate entity. The only really Indian thing about me is that I hold the passport.

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#68

Post by alasdair_ »

test001only wrote: post #38

It is interesting to see Indians talking of themselves and India as a separate entity. Now, I am fine with people moving out of the country and I can understand the appeal. A lot of problems in India have been long solved in the west and there are problems which are unique to India. But it is hypocritical to blame the ills on "India" as if it exists without it's people. Citizens make a country and they are equally re…

>It is interesting to see Indians talking of themselves and India as a separate entity.

Apropos of that, I have an Indian acquaintance who is an activist, focusing on women's rights and poverty. She's told a couple of stories stories about going into tiny, remote villages in India and telling people about their basic rights under the law, only to be asked "what is India?" and having to explain that the place these people live is called "India".

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#69

Post by geerlingguy »

th1nkdifferent wrote: post #17
xaranke wrote: post #4

As someone who left India for the US, this article gives me pause as to whether things have actually changed in shining New India or if it's just a facade with air conditioning. More specifically, I'd like to move back at some point and I'm not sure if I ever should.

I don't share the negative sentiments expressed by others in response to your question. I think things have changed significantly for the better. I'll leave you with these two images - you can decide for yourself if anything has changed: https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/in... https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/thumbnails/image/in... Source: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2017/new-…

I'm on an astrophotography kick lately, so the only thing I see is "increase in light pollution". So goes progress, but it would be neat if some places found ways to advance without also leaving behind the vision of the stars that used to fascinate and inspire so many people.

Re: The Billionaires and The Guru: How an Indian Family Burned Through $2B

#70

Post by sandworm101 »

test001only wrote: post #38

It is interesting to see Indians talking of themselves and India as a separate entity. Now, I am fine with people moving out of the country and I can understand the appeal. A lot of problems in India have been long solved in the west and there are problems which are unique to India. But it is hypocritical to blame the ills on "India" as if it exists without it's people. Citizens make a country and they are equally re…

Dangerous logic. We may have to blame americans for thier country too.
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