Hari's Corner

I have recently started using GnuCash to maintain my personal finances and I have really begun appreciating the benefits of financial accounting (though I don't presume to understand all the concepts in it). But once you get the simple concept of double-entry book keeping, it's plain sailing. The biggest challenge is not the theory, but the practical business of updating the books every day so that the accounts match reality. Again, there are certain principles of financial accounting that tell you how to enter different types of transactions and under what heads. Since I will become a professional in a few months and earning a (variable) professional income, I think this is essential for me. Maintaining a tab of daily spending or earning is just good discipline. One feels more in control of money if it is accounted for properly. The reason I chose GnuCash is because it's Free Software and probably one of few that works under Linux natively. It's also sufficiently feature rich to expand into a small business accounts management software. I plan to expand my knowledge of basic financial accounting so that I can manage money better in the future. Yes, it is a chore but I think it's essential for any self-employed entrepreneur or independent professional to manage proper personal and business accounts. Gone are the days of greasy ledgers, registers and manual reconciliation; software tools like GnuCash make this process so simple, I see no real excuses for people not to use them.

சட்டம் எல்லோருக்கும் சமம் என்பது பொது அறிவு. இந்த நிலையில் ஒரு நீதிமன்றத்தில் வழக்கை நடத்துவதற்கு ஏன் வழக்கறிஞர் தேவை? சிறிது அளவு சட்டம் தெரிந்தாலே போதுமே! நீதிபதியே ஒரு வழக்கில் உள்ள சட்ட நுணுக்கங்களை அறிந்து தீர்ப்பு கூற முடியாதா? ஏன் தேவையில்லாமல் பணத்தை செலவு செய்து வழக்கறிஞரை தேர்ந்தெடுத்து நம் சார்பில் நீதிமன்றத்தில் வாதாட வைக்கவேண்டும்?

சட்டம் இரண்டு வகையானது: செய்முறைச் சட்டம் ஒன்று. மற்றொன்று நடைமுறைச் சட்டம். ஒரு வழக்கை நடத்துவதற்கு இரண்டும் தேவைதான். நீதிமன்றங்களில் பல விதிகளும் நடைமுறைகளும் உள்ளன. பொது மக்களுக்கு இதையெல்லாம் தெரிந்து கொள்ள வாய்ப்பு இல்லை. வழக்கறிஞர்களே பல வருடங்கள் தொழிலில் பயிற்சி செய்த பிறகுதான் சட்டத்தின் விதிகளையும் நடைமுறைகளையும் நன்றாக அறிந்து ஓர் அளவுக்கு திறமையைப் பெருக்குகிறார்கள். நடைமுறைகளை ஒழுங்காக கடைபிடித்தால்தான் நீதிமன்றத்தின் நேரத்தையும் வீணாக்காமல் செயல்பட முடியும், நீதியின் தேவைகளையும் பூர்த்தி செய்ய முடியும். இதற்கு தேவைதான் சட்டத்தை மூன்று அல்லது ஐந்து வருடங்கள் படித்த பட்டதாரிகள்.

சட்டம் எல்லோருக்கும் சமம் - இல்லை என்று சொல்லவில்லை. ஆனால் சட்டம் ஒரு கடல். அந்த கடலில் கப்பலை ஒழுங்காக கரைசேர்க்க வேண்டிய பொறுப்பை நாம் ஒரு திறமையுள்ள வழக்கறிஞரை நம்பி தான் ஒப்படைக்கமுடியும்.

அதாவது ஒவ்வொரு விலை ஏற்றத்திலும் இவங்களுக்கெல்லாம் "பெட்ரோல் பணக்காரர்களின் எரிபொருள்" என்ற ஒரு சுலபமான விளக்கும் இருக்கிறதே!

ஏன் TVS 50, ஆட்டோ ரிக்ஷா போன்ற வாகனங்களை ஒட்டுபவர்கலேல்லாம் என்ன காற்றையா எரிபொருளாக பயன்படுத்துகிறார்கள்? அல்லது அவர்களெல்லாம் என்ன பரம்பரை பணக்காரர்களா?

மத்திய அரசு யாருக்காக? யாரால் தேர்ந்தெடுக்கப் பட்டது? மக்களாலா அல்லது பெட்ரோலிய நிறுவனங்களாலா? மாண்புமிகு பெட்ரோலிய அமைச்சர் திரு முரளி தியோரா பதில் அளிக்க வேண்டும்.

How does one earn respect in the legal profession? I believe a lot of it has to do with the 3 Ds: decency, dignity and decorum. Sadly these are the qualities that are gradually eroding in today's competitive environment.

I don't blame the lawyers entirely for degradation of professionalism and professional ethics in the profession. The public at large is equally to blame for this. People who come to lawyers usually expect the lawyers to solve their problems by hook or by crook and do not entirely appreciate the duties of a lawyer to the judicial system or the profession. Any semblance of honesty and integrity takes the back seat. In today's scenario if a lawyer tries to advice a client to do the right thing and this goes against their interests, the client goes away and finds another lawyer to take on his case. Truth and justice are thus strained to the utmost as lawyers do a tight-rope walk balancing their professional ethics with the demands of their clients and the advancement of their careers (and bank balance).

The first D stands for decency; I still believe that honest, decent lawyers can succeed if they eschew short-term monetary gain for long-term career growth. The legal profession is entirely dependent on reputation and goodwill and a lawyer who conducts his personal and professional life with decency will earn a positive reputation over time and attract the right kind of clients. I think this applies even to criminal lawyers who regularly associate with the lower strata of society. Conduct does matter and decency in personal and professional life will contribute to the right image.

This brings me to the second D: dignity. Lawyers chasing after clients is an undignified spectacle and brings down the reputation of the entire profession. Only brokers and low-level agents do the client-chasing in most professions. I believe lawyers should refrain from such unseemly and undignified conduct. Even new lawyers should avoid getting into a bidding war with their professional colleagues in order to get a client. I believe that dignity goes a long way towards building a good reputation.

The final D: decorum is closely associated with dignity. But I think there is a slight difference. Dignity is what comes from the inside and decorum is the reflection of that inner dignity. The two cannot be divorced. I believe that lawyers should stay within the behavioural norms of social conduct. While a really top class lawyer can get away with rude speech and crass or indecorous behaviour by the sheer quality of his/her work alone, proper decorum will go a long way in establishing respectability for the lesser mortals.

While all this might seem a bit too much to ask for in the real world, the 3 Ds will actually go a long way in re-establishing respect for the law and the legal profession among the public if adhered to by a majority of lawyers. In fact, it will benefit the profession as a whole. The 3 Ds should be an ideal to aspire for every budding legal professional.

Well, here's wishing everybody a happy new year in advance!

There you go: have a card

I am currently developing a crossword puzzle creator in Python. The tool is but half-done, but it is now possible to create a puzzle with the tool and also export it either as an Across Lite text file or a HTML with image for online publishing. The puzzle creator application is not a GUI application but runs in the command line interactively but I am currently writing a player for puzzles created using this app in PyGTK.

You can see the HTML export of a sample puzzle here: sample puzzle.

The gitorious repository is here: gitorious.org/getaclue

Update: Screenshot for the player app in development:

Requirements: Python 2.6 or above, python-cairo, PyGTK (for the player application).