'It makes me hungry for more victories and drives me forward for more races with confidence'

Rakesh Ramkumar

Rakesh Ramkumar revved up his racing career with the Toyota Open Karting Challenge in Saudi Arabia. His first Indian race was the Volkswagen PoloR cup, 2013. In October this year, Rakesh also did a podium finish in the third round of the Volkswagen Polo Support race held at Buddh International Circuit, New Delhi after a successful show in September this year at Coimbatore Support race. Given below is the transcript of his interview with Nebil Nizar.

Q1- Congratulations, Rakesh. How does it feel to be a winner? What is the winning formula in the race?

Rakesh: Being a winner is most cherishable. It makes me hungry for more victories and drives me forward for more races with confidence. The key to success in a race is to be calm and stay focused during the entire race weekend.

Q2- What is the biggest hurdle that you have faced in races till now? What are the positives that you took away from the last race?

Rakesh:I always have a good result in the qualifiers, but I struggle when it comes to race pace. I’m working hard on it with the help of data analysing, which helps drivers improvise their pace by setting up a reference.  In my last race I had a few technical issues but I could still finish third. Every sport has its own ups and downs but it doesn’t mean that you have to succumb to them; you should rise up at all means and never give up.

Q3- This is the second time you raced at Buddh International Circuit. How do you rate you experience?

Rakesh: BIC is a world class circuit; it has its own standards. As a driver, it is fun to race at BIC – its flat out corners and long stretches makes for more challenging races and the encouraging crowd that swells over 25k makes you happy.


Q4- Rakesh, what pushes you ahead during the run up to the races?

Rakesh: I believe passion is most essential for achievement. My passion is racing and it is what drives me forward.

Q5- What got you into the world of racing?

Rakesh: I was never inspired by anybody, nor do I come from a racing background. I had it in me right from the time I was training as a professional jockey. That’s when I realised I wanted something more exciting than horse riding.

Q6- Do you feel that recognition of motor sports in India is still at an early stage?

Rakesh: Yes, it is definitely in its early stage. People still think of it as entertainment. On the other hand, it is gradually gaining recognition as a sport with the Indian government recognizing the Federation of Motor Sport Club of India (FMSCI) as its official governing body.

Q7- How important is physical fitness for a racer?

Rakesh: It is important for a race driver to be healthy – mentally and physically in order to endure the grinding that one undergoes during a race. It may look simple, but there are a lot of issues like dehydration at an average cabin temperature of 50 degree Celsius. A professional racer must also have skill sets like quick decision-making, reflex, agility, etc. When it comes to exercise, I mostly focus on cardio.

Q8- What other sport attracts you?

Rakesh: Football and table tennis.

Q9- A word to youngsters who wish to take the wheel.

Rakesh: The ideal time for a person to start racing is at the age of 8-9 by participating in karting championships for a couple of years, until he/she gains confidence for higher races, because karting is like a stepping stone to the next level, in which the individual has to choose from different forms of racing such as single seaters, touring cars, endurance racing, rallying and so on.


(This interview originally appeared here at http://pixorange.com/interview-with-indian-car-racer-rakesh-ramkumar/ )

The Great Indian Power Struggle

Supreme Court of India.
Photo: NDTV

By Nebil Nizar

Supreme Court of India will resume the hearing in the much celebrated National Judicial Appointments Commission Act tomorrow.  The Executive branch of the largest democracy in the world is in a power struggle with one of the most independent Judiciary in the world. As both sides weigh heavy, we have to cross our fingers and watch the closing round, even though one side is now in an advantageous position.

The Government’s first salvo with Institutions was with the Reserve Bank of India headed by the former I.M.F. Chief Economist, Reghuram Rajan. The move to strip the powers of the central bank to control interest rates was seen as a threat to the ‘Independent monetary policy’ of India. The Government ‘beat a retreat’ when economists and bankers attacked the controversial move with tooth and nail.

The ‘modus operandi’ of the Government plan to hijack the decision making power of the RBI was by appointing a rate fixing committee comprising of seven members- four from the Government of India and three from the RBI. When this move failed, the same modus was applied on the Indian Judiciary. A committee was proposed to appoint Judges to the Supreme Court and High Court comprising of nominees of the Executive and Judiciary. The committee was also to have two independent members, whose qualifications were not prescribed, but who could veto any decisions. After the Central Bank and economists, now the Indian Judiciary and lovers of Independent Judiciary were shocked.

Despite being advised by eminent jurist, Upendra Baxi, to take the much safer Advisory Jurisdiction route, Government of India went ahead with the Constitutional amendment route. The controversial decision was portrayed by the Executive as ‘Judiciary versus Legislature’. Finally, the decision in the Fourth Judges case was pronounced last month- Judiciary asserted its Independence. The constitutional amendment was scrapped by the Supreme Court.

The apex court now asked the litigant, Government of India, to suggest steps to improve the existing Collegium system. The irony is that the decision for making the now scrapped 99^thConstitutional Amendment was Government’s opposition for the same Collegium system. The next move of the heavyweight, Executive, in the Temple of Justice is closely being watched by most in intellectual circles.

The Executive has four options which may be exercised in unison or multiple-

1.       Refrain from giving its ‘wise’ counsel to the Supreme Court

2.       Share its slice of wisdom with the highest seat of Justice

3.        File a Review petition against the Judgement.

4.       Bring in another Constitutional Amendment plugging the loop.

When noted political thinker Montesquieu urged in ‘The Spirit of Laws’ for a constitutional government with three separate branches, he might have legitimately expected each branch to respect the other. India should not go back to the infamous power tussle of the 1970s between then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and the Judiciary. Let History not repeat itself.


*myidnebil@gmail.com