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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

#81

Post by atlantic »

test001only wrote: post #78
pitt1980 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not totally sure I understand your point, but I think that I don't agree with this at all. In any particular country, each citizen, of course, plays their own tiny part, but ultimately, its truly a tiny part. For the vast majority of people, they make better decisions thinking about the path of a country as an impersonal force that they can react and respond to, but have functionally no actual control over when you a…

Aggregate political will is a feature of democracy. The fact that any single person on his/her own wish cannot make a big impact change is how a democracy is designed to work. For a democracy to work people need to take active part in the political process including things like consensus building. Changes start at grassroot level and is usually localised. You would have more impact at your constituency level than at…

That's the myth of democracy, yes. Glad to see there are still a few true believers. But in practice, 1/10^9 is the same as zero.

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

#82

Post by atlantic »

eevilspock wrote: post #77
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…

Yeah colonialism and Britain's control, exploitation and distortion of India over 300 years has nothing to do with India's problems. "The West" "solved" a bunch of its problems as it created problems in the rest of the world.

Empires have been doing what empires do since the beginning of recorded history. The West is no exception in this respect.

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

#83

Post by dragonwriter »

test001only wrote: post #78
pitt1980 wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not totally sure I understand your point, but I think that I don't agree with this at all. In any particular country, each citizen, of course, plays their own tiny part, but ultimately, its truly a tiny part. For the vast majority of people, they make better decisions thinking about the path of a country as an impersonal force that they can react and respond to, but have functionally no actual control over when you a…

Aggregate political will is a feature of democracy. The fact that any single person on his/her own wish cannot make a big impact change is how a democracy is designed to work. For a democracy to work people need to take active part in the political process including things like consensus building. Changes start at grassroot level and is usually localised. You would have more impact at your constituency level than at…

> But the fact is that significant number of people do not even fulfill their most basic duty of voting.

The most basic duty is participating in civic discussion; voting is secondary. One of the problems with American democracy is the idea that voting is the most fundamental mechanism of participation.

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

#84

Post by mrguyorama »

mbrumlow wrote: post #80
apexalpha wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't the 'you need JS' in order to let the captcha work? I believe I have to whitelist certain scripts in uMatrix before those things work (or even appear!). edit: also the website just works for me even without scripts. I think your IP has triggered a flood warning leading the captcha and for that to work you need JS (which makes sense).

Regardless of why I was interrupted, the TOS is total crap.

As they typically are. Hence why they so rarely actually get tested in a court of law

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

#85

Post by toast0 »

sandGorgon wrote: post #20
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.

there's no better time to come back. Do come. Its about what you can create in the world's largest democracy. Are we the only country with constitutionally guaranteed Right to Privacy ? come and build. Oh and that goes for everyone else too. We have a lot of American, Brit and Chinese founders building successful startups in India.

> Are we the only country with constitutionally guaranteed Right to Privacy ?

From what I can tell from afar, access to courts in India is mixed at best. A constitutional guarantee only goes as far as its enforced/enforcable.

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

#88

Post by madengr »

gowld wrote: post #87
madengr wrote: post #50

What’s the deal with these Gurus, and how can they have millions of followers? They are simply cult leaders and fraudsters.

"Gurus" in India are "Churches" in USA.

Oh, I agree. I guess guru and cults have 24x7 compounds; churches don't.

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

#89

Post by naravara »

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.

>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.

In the "old" India things like this would have gone on as a matter of course. The fact that such financial crimes are publicized and prosecuted, and that large industries are being subjected to professional management instead of capricious rule by the rich scions is definitely forward progress.

If anything is incentive not to move back at this point, it's the traffic, poor urban planning, and air quality. In that one respect, everything seems to be getting worse.

(Communalism seems to be rearing its head in nasty ways too)

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

#90

Post by fellellor »

madengr wrote: post #50

What’s the deal with these Gurus, and how can they have millions of followers? They are simply cult leaders and fraudsters.

It's not that simple. Indian societies are ancient and have deep flaws. Usually involving social division, superstition, oppression of some kind or the other. In such situations Spiritual gurus saying the right thing in a sincere manner manage to build a large following over a period of years. The need for such "therapists" is real and cuts across income levels.

Eventually though as the guru's following explodes, big money comes into play, and money corrupts so you end up with the gurus or their followers exploiting their situations for profit or worse.

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