Why do we have this urge to prove our worth all the time to everyone? Who cares anyway?
Have you noticed the increasing use of the "I" word in conversations around us? "I did this"; "I said that" "Ultimately, I had to resolve the situation" When someone goes wrong, "Didn't I warn you beforehand?" When someone achieves something, "Oh, I always knew you would win this!" When something untoward happens, "I did have a premonition"
And don't just smile and nod in agreement. You do it too! All of us have this deep-seated, all-pervasive need to make our mark on events around us. Most conversations end up being nothing but an overlap of "I-s", where each one tries to tell his story, or tries to prove her point. A long, dissatisfying talk later, you realise all you did was exhaust yourself trying to get your words across the other's! Why this urge to prove our worth all the time, with everyone? Why do we need to keep stressing and advertising our ideas, our thoughts, our dreams, our successes, both big and small?
Perhaps the phrase, "pushing your boundaries" or "pushing yourself to perform better" takes on a whole new meaning for us when we try to impose our thoughts and ideas on those around us! Rather than pushing ourselves to perform better and going outside our comfort zone in pursuit of greater success, we think the more noise we make about our accomplishments, the better we become.
But to those who listen carefully, the echo of a hollow "I" is very clear. A senior colleague enjoys quoting the instance when he interviewed a young executive who spent time convincing him how he was a single-man team at his previous job! "You know what this told me about the guy?" asks the colleague. "So much use of 'I' showed me he was an extremely poor team leader!"
In a world overpopulated by celebrities perhaps the need to prove our own worth increases. And easy availability of social media encourages a self-promo! tional a udience to indulge with impunity. Generation Y is certainly all about "I, Me, Myself" and older generations perhaps see no harm in picking up a bit of the attitude from them. The internet news blog mashable.com quotes a recent survey of college students on attitudes, "Almost 40% (of Gen Y) agree that "being self-promoting, narcissistic, overconfident, and attention-seeking is helpful for succeeding in a competitive world!" There was a time not long back when after a certain age, with a good job in hand and a family around us, we would settle down to stability and comfort. The only bit of promotional indulgence would be to encourage kids to recite a nursery rhyme or sing a song to impress visiting uncles and aunts. Today however, it is not just the kid, but the dad, the mom, the dog and even the house help who all set out to prove their accomplishments. For we are all told we need to keep growing; stopping and resting on your laurels just isn't an option anymore. And so you are subjected to stories about the supposed intellect of kids you know for sure are duffers, and incidents cooked up to prove everyone's superiority to the person next in line.
Where even celebrities and pseudo celebs feel the need for and use all available opportunities to promote themselves, the pressure on ordinary mortals to do likewise becomes immense. So then what happens to those amongst us who want to sit back and take it easy? Those of us who accept that we do not excel in anything to the extent of overshadowing all others! Can we not just be happy as good human beings going about our lives without having to compete with the best? After all, there can be only so many who march ahead and for that, there will have to be others who need to take a backseat. Need taking that seat necessarily mean having lost the race?
A colleague's young life cut short unexpectedly due to immense stress brings home like nothing else the message that we are all running around like headless chickens for nothing! Must all growth and ! developm ent be outward? Some time ago The Times of India dropped the capital 'I' to be replaced by a smaller 'i' on its edit page. Would it be so tough for us to do the same in our daily lives?
Why can we not stop "I"ing to the outer world and start "eyeing" our inner selves? For if we shine from within, the peace and contentment will be reflected to rest of the world around us as well.
Lets go beyond 'I'
India cap has just become more precious
What is the value of the India cap? Does anybody really covet it in days of instant riches and overnight stardom? These were the shrillest questions over the weekend as the usual rant against the Indian Premier League gathered momentum.
Well, here is the answer: it is worth a cool Rs 7 crore; the figure, presumably, takes care of the second question too.
To understand the math behind this mystery, however, put Saurabh Tiwary and Manish Pandey on the same plane: both are 21 and, no doubt, special talents. One made an immediate impact in the light blue of Mumbai Indians; the other blazed in the red and gold of Royal Challengers.
If Manish can be described as the quintessential boy-next-door, Saurabh can be termed debonair, with a maverick streak too; both are aggressive batters with a penchant for the big, glorious shots as well. Not surprisingly, they are hot favourites among the teen brigades too.
Interestingly, they have enjoyed remarkably similar career trajectories: Saurabh has 1,707 runs from 23 first class games while Manish has 1,832 from 26; in T20 too, if the former has garnered 830 from 34 matches, the latter has 867 from 41. Eerily close.
There is just one glaring difference though: the magic figure of Rs 7 crore.
Yes, Saurabh fetched a whopping Rs 7.3 crore for himself at the IPL; but Manish didn't even feature in the auction. As the gold-dust settles down, he can only hope to get a maximum of Rs 30 lakh, assuming that there are no secret deals.
Does it mean Saurabh is more talented? Or has his value gone up because he is more stylish, as is the wont of southpaws? No and no. The difference is the India cap: Saurabh is already a Man-in-Blue; Manish is yet to break into the national squad.Saurabh, to be sure, has played only three One-day games, and has scores of 12 and 37. These are not compelling figures, not knocks that would transport a player into a higher stratosphere. So why has he taken a multi-! million- dollar jump over Manish? Well, because he has crossed that last hurdle, taken that final leap.
Manish, on the other hand, is waiting on the other side; there are, sadly, many such players in the Indian market. The whizkids in the Board have branded them uncapped players: they even pegged their rates at Rs 10-, 20-and 30-lakh. Surely, it is not one of its smartest moves.
The entire purpose of putting a cap on salaries was to protect youngsters, to prevent them from being overridden by greed. But is it really fair to all those who have been in the grind for many years? Wouldn't it only be reasonable to allow them to make a killing, at least in the final stages of their careers? Or should they be condemned forever, merely because the India cap passed them by?
At the other end, youngsters like Jaidev Unadkat (one ordinary Test in South Africa) and Umesh Yadav (three average ODIs), journeymen like Naman Ojha and Ashok Dinda and over-the-hill players like Ajit Agarkar and Venugopal Rao have all bagged decent contracts only because they played for India.
Figures and markets, of course, do not always reflect the true picture. But it's easy to conclude that the India cap has become even more precious now; that one game can make a difference between a few lakhs and a few crores. Maybe, it won't mean the same once a player grabs it; but that's another story for another day.
Laziness, Love & Quantum Physics
Most people get a kind of glazed look in their eyes, and they start looking at their cellphones,if there is mention of anything to do with high science, especially such stuff as relativity, quantum mechanics, etc.
Returning from Kolkata after attending a quantum conference, conversations went like this:
Oh, hi! Whereve you been?
I was in Kolkata covering a conference on quantum entanglement. It was..
[with glazed look] Wow!
.being attended by big dads like Penrose, Legget, Aspect, Bennett, Ekert and
Great! How was the weather? Delhi has been rotten.
So, here are some interesting non-scientific things about some of the big dads.
One of the most colorful personalities in the conference was Artur Ekert, professor at both Oxford and Singapore, and considered one of the inventors of quantum cryptography (thats encoding information like credit card numbers for communication using quantum properties). While not working on computers, Ekert indulges in his passion for water sports, and wine.
Ekert has written an astonishing article (here) called On Ignorance and Laziness. He argues that both these bad traits can actually lead to more creativity. Sometimes just lazing around you can get a flash of an insight. And, if you dont know about something that everybody else knows about, dont mind you may have a fresh point of view!
Then there was Charles H.Bennet, another father of quantum information processing. He is with IBM Research. He gave a hilarious talk about how information is never lost, about how much information the earth loses to the surrounding space each year and what all this means for us. Some of the scientists didnt like what he said. Too general and playing to the galleries, they said. But for us commoners, it was great.
Bennett has written a paper called A Quantum Love Story (here) where he exp! lores ho w two lovers Alice and Bob who are separated by hostile families, can reach each other only through a hole in the wall that is one atom in width. He has also written about How to flirt with Someone who has Fallen into a Blackhole (here). The answer in both cases is: through quantum entanglement. He has also written on English Phrases with No Meaning, and Infinitely Many Meanings (here). An example: if a toll house cookie is a type of cookie served at toll houses, a toll house cookie delivery truck toll house cookie is a more specialized type of cookie served at toll houses where tolls are collected from trucks delivering ordinary toll house cookies.
Alain Aspect the French physicist is a legend in his own right. Way back in 1982 he devised a superb experiment to prove once for all that quantum entanglement exists. [Quantum entanglement means that two particles continue to share some properties even after separation, and changing such properties in one brings changes in the other even over large distances. Einstein called it spooky action at a distance] With lush graying moustaches that he keeps sharply curled up at the ends, he looks like a military man. Till he gives his radiant smile. Everybody there said that he is probably the best experimental quantum physicist around. Example: he has devised ways by which you can allow only one photon to be emitted and then trapped for studying. A photon is a massless packet of energy that makes up light and other electromagnetic waves. In the conference he was all over the place, asking questions, chasing down latecomers. I asked him how come there are still people who dont accept entanglement. He gave a characteristic French shrug and said, They should devise an experiment which shows that it is not true.
Then, there were professors Sam Braunstein and Tony Sudbery from York University who kept up a patter! of talk , Braunstein delivering straight-faced wisecracks, Sudbery guffawing with bare restraint. Professor Korepin from State University, New York too was a restless soul and a natural comic, though deadly serious during sessions.
All in all, the quantum physicists were a highly entertaining, varied lot, their minds abuzz with curiosity and completely at ease in Kolkata.
[Those interested may read an interview with the legendary cosmologist Roger Penrose online at the TOI-Crest site here]
Of presidents, beaches and the in-betweens
It was a holiday for the President of the country, Prathiba Patil, more known for being a staunch loyalist of the Gandhi family - her claim to fame was being in the kitchen cabinet of India's most powerful Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi. It was supposed to be a quiet sojourn. Yet, the visit created some flutter because of some shutterbugs who went clicking her pictures from afar.
While it's not a crime to have a holiday, nor is it a crime to be seen among a few foreigners who are shirtless and bikini-clad, it was matters of protocol that got everyone talking. As per protocol, anyone in front of the President has to be fully clothed. And her security too needs to be tight; she cannot get mixed up with bikini-clad and shirtless people on beach fronts.
While Prathiba Patil went to Benaulim beach to have a siesta in the afternoon of January 4, she did not account for it turning out into a controversy, worse an embarrassment, as one in the President's entourage would put it later. But the photo that The Times of India's regular freelancer captured said it all. No words can describe the story that the photograph gave out.
The picture hit straight into the eyes of everyone, including the much gritty Special Security Group (SPG) guarding the President. And that led to a chain of informal, though serious, inquiries by all those who wanted to defend themselves. Goa police, who were caught off guard, called up the photographers who had captured the picture. They were baffled that the lenses could shoot an angle that they had not thought of. It was frighteningly a big security lapse, since they started imagining that the same angle can be used to shoot bullets.
So calls went around on the morning soon after the pictures were seen and they found the missing angles that went uncovered. Goa police called up the photographers to their office for a few hours, checked their cameras threadbare, couldn't find any bullets though, or well, the camera doesn't turn a gun for heaven'! s sake. They spoke to three photographers who had managed to click pictures of the President on the beach and on the seas. They, in fact, spoke to the photographers at length - it was supposed to be a friendly chat, from 9.30am to 2.15pm, recorded their statements, and prepared "secret" reports for their bosses!
Well, tell them the real terrorists are roaming freely in the country, having access no common man can have, and are having a whale of a time with the small little machines they have. Some others are dons, and still others are don turned politicians. Why trouble some poor photographers who were just taking some snapshots, so beautiful to look at? They would have never seen their President among bikini-clad and shirtless people. Well, Indian audiences have seen the likes of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in their swimsuits, though.
In the case of Prathiba Patil, there is no real danger or security threat from anybody, except that she happens to be the President. But if it were to be some of the other VVIPs who are under constant threat, then the sleuths on high duty had missed a few angles for sure. They were lucky in this case that only some light shot through the rays and captured the sari-clad President in deep conversation on a cellphone. An instrument that the security set-up will not allow any journo, leave alone the "aam admi" carry anywhere near the President's entourage. After all, here the President was only showing her human side, while talking on the phone, and enjoying the beach that everyone else wants to.
So one doubts now whether our security apparatus was worried about the culture shock the picture gave to the President's entourage? Well, in the first place how did the foreigners land where the President was supposed to be? For Indian common people will not be allowed anywhere nearby.
This apparently happened because the President, who had gone lunching to Taj Exotica, wanted to get a feel of Benaulim beach. She got into the beach from the hotel ! entrance . The same beach where Amitabh Bachchan was seen with his granddaughter, playing water sports, the same day. By the way, photographers had clicked those pictures as well, and also those of Priyanka Chopra and her family, who had enjoyed water sports on the same beach a week ago.
The President's office apparently had called up the hotel authorities about her desire to visit the hotel while she was holidaying. And the request came just a few days ahead of her visit to Goa. The hotel could not throw out its foreign guests. And by the same yardstick could not prevent them from walking on the same sands where the President of India was chattering away, after a boat ride on the seas for some fun.
BSY factor is like a spoke in the BJPs campaign wheel
Is B S Yeddyurappa proving to a big liability for the BJP? Or rather, a thorn in the flesh? It appears so. The more the party shies away from acting against him over corruption and nepotism charges, the harder it finds the task of taking on the UPA government over the 2G, CWG, Adarsh and Bofors scams.
While it has stalled work in Parliament, in its own backyard, the Congress-JD(S) combine has done a tit-for-tat by bringing assembly work to a halt demanding an adjournment motion on land scams and illegal mining. Getting a taste of its own medicine, as the saying goes.
Yeddyurappa has, in fact, created a vertical split in the central party leadership. To sack or not to sack is the party's biggest dilemma.
* One section is keen that he is sacrificed to prove that the BJP practises what it preaches. His exit will save the party from embarrassment and help in intensifying the campaign against the UPA government. The Congress has taken the lead by showing the door to three of its accused members -- Ashok Chavan, Suresh Kalmadi and A Raja. This section suggests the party replace Yeddyurappa with someone with a cleaner image and thus blunt the Congress weapon.
* Another section fears that his removal might herald the end of the BJP rule in Karnataka, the party's first in the South. He has already warned of a revolt by the Lingayat community to which he belongs, and has threatened to split the party unit. The party cannot afford to let go off this prized catch. Moreover, finding an alternative to him is a tough task. The Congress and JD(S) have raised a pitch as they know they cannot beat the BJP at the hustings, feels this section.
So divided is the BJP that, at the recent national executive meeting at Guwahati, it chose to brush this issue under the carpet. Unless the party cleans up its act, its fight will carry no weight. What if the NDA partners were to put intense pressure to act against Yeddyurappa? Can it afford to antagonize them? Can it go without them in the ! event of a mid-term poll? The leadership has its back to the wall.
Yeddyurappa may be putting up a brave front. He might have survived every crisis that he has faced. His biggest rivals within, the Reddy brothers, may no more be a threat, thanks to the noose tightening around them over the mining issue. He may have won the crucial panchayat elections. He may be thumbing his nose at the Congress and JD(S) by threatening to expose their misdeeds. He may be threatening the party top brass with a revolt in the event of his sacking. But the truth is that he is proving to be a stumbling block in the party's bigger fight.
Will the BJP save itself from this embarrassment? Will he win this battle for survival yet again? We have to wait and watch.
PARTING SHOT
Get ready first
Yet another deadline. The Metro Rail Reach 1 will become operative by January end, says chief minister Yeddyurappa. Umpteen deadlines have been fixed by now. We all know that Reach 1 work is nearing completion. Once the work is over and metro stations are fully equipped to take in commuters, the day of inauguration can be announced. Doesn't it make sense?
Prabir Purkayastha: On the Mekong
A rugged paradise and the mighty Mekong which runs the length of the landlocked country of Laos, Prabir Purkayastha of Ladakh fame sends me an image once in a while to tickle my sensory leanings. And this single image of a fishermans canoe had all the trappings of tradition and the aroma of surreal savourings.
Mae Nam Khong, or the Mekong, is one of worlds largest watery canvases.flowing gracefully, and often murderously, through China, Burma, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam it has been a rich repository of life and a steadfast guardian of Asian culture for countless centuries.
The latent life-force that sleeps and flows within these coffee brown mystical waters isolates my vision. This creative desolation is at once harmonious and chillingly fearsome, states Prabir, the once upon a time Creative genius of Mudra Communications.
Traversing down her winding course, during the past 5 years, my photographic compositions seem to sing and soar on happy days.and then there are those untold dark moments when the brooding blackness surges from her secret depth and stalks me silently like the dreaded Horsemen of the Apocalypse, he adds.
This is an untouched land that hasnt been defaced by tourism. Here quiet or colourful villages are separated by rice paddies where during every daylight hour farmers stoop over green stalks. Instead of celebrating water and emerald green rice stalks, Prabir hinges on the solace of solitude. This image revels in the resonance of darkness. It whispers of the timbre of wooded forests and evergreen haunts. The fishermans net glistens in the dark like pearls. The luster of the aluminum sheets creates a backdrop of subsistence. But it is the swamp filled lotus leaves and the darkened density of water around that presents a perfect foil to the study of the canoe. Human presence is evoked more by! the abs ence. A pair of plastic slippers is the only object of contemporary character. Everything else is a rural reflection of abject humility.
I have in the past called Prabir Indias Ansel Adams. As a shutterbug, he is a loner, he stays ahead of the crowd, in search of the composition that frames vintage vitality even as it surrenders to a sunset. This image is packed with emblematic cunning. It shows Prabir both as creator and the personification of his art austere, sharply angular, pressed into the tight containment of his silent soliloquies. The mahogany-dark shades burn from the subtle luminosity. For this photographer with a gravel filled meditative slant, all is uncompromisingly clean and clarity filled. This is a study in the deadly earnest pursuit of perception. Mystique and moodiness blend to conceal her soul.
And yet, I wouldnt ever hesitate to sail her mystical watersin search of that one defining picture that would reveal her soulto meand to the world says Prabir Purkayastha.
It is over-consumption related to over-population that matters
Overpopulation is not a myth, but, steps should be taken to control population. As a result of controlling population, intra-uterine devices (IUD), Norplant (Sub dermal contraceptive), condoms for women and birth control pills or operation is done to sterilise men.
The population in India is expected to reach 1.5 billion by 2040 (an increase of 500 million in 50 years).
Before stating any points on birth control methods, one needs to look at the causes for overpopulation. For example: If a developing country like India is considered in terms of population, there are many other factors which should be considered in order to study the population growth which has increased manifold times in the past few decades.
The factors which directly or indirectly affect the population are:
1.Women and child health2.Poverty and hunger
3.Environmental sustainability
4.Education
5.HIV and other diseases
Now, consider women and child health. Apart from looking at schemes like ICDS (Integrated Child Development Services) which includes providing supplementary nutrition to mothers and children, vaccinations, mothers meetings, pre and post-natal care and pre-school for children below six, infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality rate (MMR), child marriages, female infanticide, feticide, human trafficking and sex work also affect population.
According to a report by International centre for research on women (ICRW) India ranks 11th in top 20 hot spot countries for child marriages in the world with 50 perce! nt of gi rls less than 18 being married. The present IMR in India is 52 deaths per 1000 live births and MMR is 230 according to WHO statistics. Human trafficking and abduction top the list of crimes committed in the country. According to Child Rights Trust, 50 percent of women between 15 to 49 years of age suffer from anemia in India.
Poverty and hunger has been a major problem in India. The gap between the poor and the rich is increasing day by day when it should happen the other way round. According to WHO report, 43.5 percent of children under five are underweight. And, farmers who produce crops go hungrier and poorer day by day.
Environmental sustainability is a major challenge globally. But, in India, with many burgeoning industries trying to establish their base in our country, environmental damage has been happening. For example: SEZs was called as the National Land Loot Act by Aridham Chaudari. In places like Singur, Nandigram, Kalinga Nagar, etc. people have been promised rehabilitation and have been displaced from their lands which has converted them into ecological refugees from ecosystem people. Proper water and sanitation facilities are accessible only to a handful of people in our country.
Though Right to education (RTE) act is brought into force, many children lack access to good education from the very basic level.
India tops the list in the world with highest number of HIV cases in the world. In fact, many diseases are caused because of sanitation, poverty and lack of proper health care systems.
Apart from these factors, we should also look at how China has been successful in implementing one-child policy as a drive to control population. Though India had a policy of hum do humare do in the 1970s, it was largely criticized because of sterilization techniques which were proved fatal to many in the country.
In the film Something like a war, doctor speaks about the three lakh operations he did in 13 years. He m! akes it appear as if it is something very normal, but with hindsight, those operations did not benefit many women as they had side effects and had to suffer from many other diseases. Especially diseases related to hormonal imbalance in women.
As India and China are compared to each other in terms of population or development, when we consider population, Indias population is said to exceed that of Chinas. But in terms of development, India is far behind, violating basic human rights like right to water, food and proper sanitation. But China has managed to tackle these problems with proper planning and implementation of programs.
Also Chinas research and development sector has 4000 people working under a single project in the sector while India has hardly 40 people working under one project in this sector.
In terms of technology, sustainability and economic development, China is far ahead of India. What one has to look at is not China or Indias technological advancement, but development with inclusive growth.
According to Ramchandra Guha, development means "economic efficiency, social inclusion and environmental sustainability". Another definition he quoted was, "Minimisation of suffering and maximization of welfare".
But this concept of development can be followed through proper implementation of programs/ schemes on birth control, educating people about family planning. In the process, many uneducated people who are unaware of safe birth control methods take to sterilization processes, contraceptive pills which adversely affect their health worsening their condition.
Though fertility rate has dropped in the past decade, the existing population has to be aware of family planning and birth control methods in order to spread the word to the coming generations. Also, the existent population should use the available finite resources very carefully in order to survive on this planet.
Like Fred P! earce sa ys The truth is that the population bomb is being defused round the world. But the consumption bomb is still primed and ever more dangerous. It is over-consumption related to over-population that matters.
IPL slavery
In the mid-19th century Abraham Lincoln fought a civil war in America to free the slaves. In the 21st century, over 60 years after it gained independence, India continues to be enslaved. To cricket, particularly to IPL cricket. This was forcibly brought home by the IPL auctions. How much for this prize specimen on the block! Ladies and gemmelmen, look at those arms, look at those legs! Look at that batting average, those runs, the wickets he's taken! The ads he's appeared in! The endorsements he's made, for everything, from cars to colas, ganjis to gutka! What am i bid for this prime hunk of cricketing flesh, and bone and muscle? 3 crore? 3.15 crore? 3.38 crore? 4.05, from that lady in the rhinestone sunglasses and chandelier earrings in the back? 6 crore, from the gemmelmen in the day-glo safari suit? Thank you, sir! And it's going, Going, GONE for 6 Big Ones!
Just like the slave auctions they used to have in the bad old days before slavery got abolished. Except in the case of IPL the slaves are not the ones who are being bid for but the ones who are doing the bidding, the megabuck socialites and tycoons, and the zillion other fans across the country glued to their TV sets to catch the action.
There was a time, long, long ago, when cricket was a leisurely game played with a bat and a ball and three wickets on something called a village green on a small, wet island called England. Today in India, bats, balls and wickets are still involved in cricket, but only peripherally so. In IPL cricket (is there any other form of the game?), while bats, balls and all that old paraphernalia are still around somewhere the focus has shifted to the razzmatazz around the sport, starting with the auctions: the prime-time TV slots, the ad revenues to be made at a squillion Rs a minute, the cheerleaders, the backdoor deals involving sweat equity, the scams, the accusations of match-fixing, you name it and IPL's got it, in 3D and Surroundsound. Village green? England? Who dat?!
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If IPL has enslaved us - and there's no if about it, it has - there have never been slaves happier in their bondage. Onion prices? Inflation? Total logjam in Parliament? Pakistani terror? Saffron terror? Chinese incursions into Ladakh? We swat them away like the pesky machchars that they are. Don't worry, be happy, IPL's here.
But what about that minuscule - and never has cule been more minus - minority who out of some strange and as yet undiagnosed pathological condition doesn't much care for cricket, not even IPL cricket, and can't tell a Rajasthan Rider from a Royal Knight? What about that wretched bunch of IPL-less no-hopers, to which i confess i belong? Are unfortunates like me free of the magical spell of enchantment that IPL casts over the nation? Not really. In fact not at all.
The other evening i was at a social get-together, a dinner party. Everyone was busy talking about the IPL auctions, who'd bid how much for whom, and conversely who hadn't bid for whom, and how come not. While everyone was busy talking cricket, i was also busy. Busy polishing off the pre-dinner snacks, plus more than my fair share of the buffet dinner.
It's not just dinner tables to which IPL obsession enables non-IPLwallas like me easy access. Movie halls, restaurants, markets, malls, shops, my daily evening walk are all pleasantly and conveniently uncrowded as the IPL epidemic sweeps the country. Everyone's too preoccupied with cricket to go anywhere and do anything else, which leaves the field free for me.
I'm so glad i'm not enslaved like everyone else by IPL. Or aren't i? By becoming so dependent on others' slavery to cricket, haven't i become a slave to their enslavement? A slave of a slave? Boy, how slavish can one get. Yikes.
Calling Bengali / Bihari Verghese Kuriens for a new green revolution in the east
Rising prices of vegetables and of other articles of food are a problem, of course, but also an opportunity to give a boost to the incomes of rural producers, with a little imagination and organisation.
Two states that can deliver a swift boost in farm production and productivity are Bihar and Bengal, with their fertile soil and water ever present on the surface or just below it. Assam would also qualify, except for its greater logistical challenges in getting the produce to the rest of the country.
Policy is perennially schizophrenic when it comes to farm prices. Jai Kisan, shouts the government and promptly clamps down on exports whenever food prices turn up the political heat.
Procurement prices are the same as minimum support prices, and the latter are hiked every now and then, and surprise feigned when food commodity prices go up. Except in the case of procured grain, the link between the price the consumer pays and the price received by the farmer is tenuous. Middlemen not only add on huge margins but also are in a position to inflate these margins at the slightest indication of a supply shortfall.
A supply chain and trading system that give such enormous leverage to middlemen do serious damage of two kinds: one, transmission of the price signal arising at the consumer all the way to the farmer turns fuzzy and, two, the trader acquires the power to manipulate prices. An organised retail industry is the only thing that can tackle this.
Organised retail brings Wal-Mart to mind. But why? Mother Dairy in Delhi and its counterparts around the country in the cooperative sector are also organised retail. Amul is an example of an efficient, farmer-friendly supply chain management company that captures the bulk of the price paid by the retail consumer for the farmer. We need to build more such institutions.
Opening up organised retail to foreign direct investment has been a major area of debate. The energies wasted in this would be better spent in building up a wholly ! domestic retail chain with the farmer as the starting point. We launched Operation Flood when resources were meagre and technology rudimentary, but Vergehese Kurien's pioneering cooperative movement built India's dairy sector into the world's largest.
Today, when the resources at our disposal are far greater and knowhow, far more sophisticated, we should be able to outdo Operation Flood. Instead, we have Paralysis Trickle.
However, Bihar and Bengal do not need to wait for a new distribution chain to be built to step up farm production and feed fast-growing India's rising appetite for food, superior foods and non-food agricultural commodities. In the short run, they can act to step up the output of vegetables of all kinds.
The increase in supply will both find ready takers in the existing retail formats, and halt the rise in vegetable prices. Since reining food prices in is of immense political significance for the Centre, it should be possible for these states to negotiate special devolution schemes from the Centre, linked to time-bound delivery of additional food output. These should be able to cover most of the outlay the state governments need to make in the effort.
What is crucially needed is organisation and administration, and money plays a secondary role. The crop that is best suited for a production boost in each micro region has to be identified fast. In all probability, the data exists, in local farm lore, if not in the regional agricultural university or some colonial catalogue meticulously compiled to make the best possible use of India's resources.
The government could make the needed inputs available, including seeds, manure, micro-nutrients and crop husbandry practices, but without subsidy.
Organising scattered, small-scale producers into production units that use standardised farming practices and seeds and other inputs and do so in coordination with one another is one crucial task. The other is procurement of the produce, its cleaning, packaging, sale, despatc! h and de livery to bulk consumers with speed, hygiene and efficiency while realising the best possible price and kicking it back to the producers.
What these tasks call for are new commercial organisations. Farmer companies, in which all members have the same voting rights and are free to sell stake to outside investors, should be just as welcome as cooperatives of the Amul kind. Let multiple companies/cooperatives be formed in each region.
It would be a good idea to invite fresh graduates of the Indian Institutes of Management and the Institute of Rural Management, Anand to lead these enterprises. The challenge and the opportunity to prove their worth should be sufficient incentive for young talent, even if a chance to solve the world's food crisis and step into Verghese Kurien's shoes looks too daunting.
Enabling swift registration of companies/coops, keeping at bay the tentacles of red tape and seed capital should be the states' contribution. Enthusing small producers to embark on a new adventure should be the prime contribution of political leadership.
Buddha and Nitish have little to lose by giving this a good try, and a whole new world to win, if they succeed. Let's hope they will.
Food in the heart of Asia
Malaysia is foodie heaven. Food is an obsession here: it's everywhere, and it's cheap. Walk a couple of streets in Kuala Lumpur, and you'll find hawker stalls, Tamil mamaks, Chinese and Malay roadside open-air restaurants, and a wide range of more upmarket al-fresco places. Then there're the giant food courts in the malls...
We chose our hotel with care. The stars don't matter: location is everything. Who wants to eat in a hotel? Bukit Bintang (KL's shopping area, full of shops, plazas, malls, night markets, and lots of food) was the place to be. Corona Inn cost us Rs 2k a room-night. Together with Air Asia's deals (we paid Rs 12k a person for the round trip from Delhi), KL makes a great budget getaway for the foodie, with spectacular meals starting at Rs 500 a person, beer and all...
Most importantly: our hotel is across the road from Jalan Aror, KL's cheap-and-cheerful foodie hotspot. So most of our meals are right here... (You will, of course, find lots of stuff online on KL's cafes, pubs, restaurants, mamaks.)
Jalan Aror, KL's bustling food street,
is packed with open-air Chinese, Malay and Thai eateries
All over KL, mamak stalls, the Tamil-muslim dhabas, serve cheap food round the clock. The common drink is teh tarik (pulled tea&rdquo
But tea with condensed m! ilk didn 't sound so hot to Bengalis brought up on fine Darjeeling, so we stuck to the white coffee. Among the best I've had--fresh-brewed coffee and condensed milk (can't get away from that!) all frothed up. You'll get this coffee at the many street-side kopitiams (Malay for coffee-shop&rdquo
Breakfast: Snail curry and roti-prata with fresh coffee...
mamaks are cheap, round-the-clock Tamil food stalls all over KL
That was our breakfast at a mamak stall across the road: coffee, roti-prata and egg paratha with snail curry, dimsums and glutinous rice from another hawker down the road, and fresh coffee. The snail curry sounded and looked more exotic than it tastedmore red chilli paste than snail--reminding me of the rabbit at Chennai's Ponnusamya fiery beginning to a week-long food adventure.
Food in the Heart of Asia
Malaysia is foodie heaven. Food is an obsession here: it's everywhere, and it's cheap. Walk a couple of streets in Kuala Lumpur, and you'll find hawker stalls, Tamil mamaks, Chinese and Malay roadside open-air restaurants, and a wide range of more upmarket al-fresco places. Then there're the giant food courts in the malls...
We chose our hotel with care. The stars don't matter: location is everything. Who wants to eat in a hotel? Bukit Bintang (KL's shopping area, full of shops, plazas, malls, night markets, and lots of food) was the place to be. Corona Inn cost us Rs 2k a room-night. Together with Air Asia's deals (we paid Rs 12k a person for the round trip from Delhi), KL makes a great budget getaway for the foodie, with spectacular meals starting at Rs 500 a person, beer and all...
Most importantly: our hotel is across the road from Jalan Aror, KL's cheap-and-cheerful foodie hotspot. So most of our meals are right here... (You will, of course, find lots of stuff online on KL's cafes, pubs, restaurants, mamaks.)
Jalan Aror, KL's bustling food street,
is packed with open-air Chinese, Malay and Thai eateries
All over KL, mamak stalls, the Tamil-muslim dhabas, serve cheap food round the clock. The common drink is teh tarik (pulled tea&rdquo
But tea with condensed m! ilk didn 't sound so hot to Bengalis brought up on fine Darjeeling, so we stuck to the white coffee. Among the best I've had--fresh-brewed coffee and condensed milk (can't get away from that!) all frothed up. You'll get this coffee at the many street-side kopitiams (Malay for coffee-shop&rdquo
Breakfast: Snail curry and roti-prata with fresh coffee...
mamaks are cheap, round-the-clock Tamil food stalls all over KL
That was our breakfast at a mamak stall across the road: coffee, roti-prata and egg paratha with snail curry, dimsums and glutinous rice from another hawker down the road, and fresh coffee. The snail curry sounded and looked more exotic than it tastedmore red chilli paste than snail--reminding me of the rabbit at Chennai's Ponnusamya fiery beginning to a week-long food adventure.
Establishing contact with rational people
Rationality, therefore, brings us peace and happiness. In order to find out whether one is rational or not, there are three axioms in terms of the science of Economics, which are mentioned below:
1.The Axiom of Transitivity: This means that if there are three options: A,B, and C.
And the person concerned prefers A to B, and B to C, then he must prefer A to C.
2.The Axiom of Completeness: This means that if there are two options: A and B. Then the person prefers either A to B, or B to A, or he is indifferent between the two.
3.The Axiom of Continuity: This means that if there are two options A and B, and if the person prefers A to B, then he must prefer A to the neighbourhood of B.
Once these three axioms are fulfilled, the person concerned is fully rational. He either maximizes whatever it is, or optimises it. Such a person will surely have the three virtues that we have mentioned above.
Sweet speech and good behaviour is a great virtue
There is another example of this:Once when I was the president of one of the Rotary Clubs in Allahabad, we had organised a survey to make some shopkeepers realise the effect of humble and sweet language. We had chosen about 15 worst shopkeepers in a given area of the c! ity who never behaved nicely with their customers. It was in fact, linked with buyers and sellers relations in the area of community service. All these worst shopkeepers were then asked many questions, essentially in an indirect way, about the behaviour with their customers. And finally we selected the best seller amongst the 15 worst sellers. He was then awarded a prize, and he was really proud to receive it. You will be surprised to know that this particular seller is now one of the best sellers in that area.
Leg before
It was past the first hour of the New Year when Captain Dhingra rang. "My right leg is numb and kind of weak." Dhingra's was a case of spinal cord inflammation with weakness in the legs; we had discharged him the previous evening. "What's your overall situation, captain?" I asked. "Post-discharge, sir ". "I know that," said I, but realized that he meant something he had just gone through. "OK, how are you placed?". "On top, sir, retracting." "Roll on to the bed on your back right away, and stay that way till the ambulance comes to pick you up". A female voice, settling her gasps came on the line: "Will he be fine, sir". "Hopefully, he should start walking again; beyond that is your personal matter. Happy New Year, anyway," I put the phone down.
The couple reported in the OPD the next day. Ricky (Rakesh) Dhingra had earlier been through a short military commission, and was a senior manager at a five-star hotel. Ruby (Rupinder) Kaur, his spouse, was as "Rubys" come in Punjab. Ricky walked in trying to kill a limp, with Ruby, predictably painted and rouged, holding his arm. As they took their seats, Rocky opened up. "Doc, sorry to have bothered you, but you had not mentioned any such abstention in the relieving summary. I am fresh out of the Army, you can understand my plight lying flat on my back for four weeks. I took good care of my spine, but could not handle the recoil. This was an unwritten New Year ritual in my regiment, irrespective of the posting!"
On a legal platform, there was nothing in writing to dissuade Captain Dhingra. Medical directions in crucial illnesses are supposed to be in print. On the other hand, neither the law nor religion has yet clarified that prescriptions can be so explicit in defining the word "abstain". I believe, in future one should mention that for further clarifications on "abstentions" refer to the Constitution or your Holy book!
The Lord gave spine for man to be straight, retain a stature, and stretch tall. Anything short of that is an ! abuse. T he animal kingdom is clearly differentiated into "vertebrates" and "invertebrates". The vertebrates on their own have self-classified themselves into "straight", "bent", "stooped", "prostrate" and finally "spineless". Had he seen better days, Darwin probably would have added a chapter on "The Evolution of the spine". He probably could not foresee spinal upgradations in man for political survival. Focused on the paradigm "survival of the fittest", he fell short of defining "fitness" on the evolutionary scale. Survival of the "survivors" would have been more apt.
Coming to the variously shaped 33 round to cubical bones that constitute the spine, nature gives maximum flexibility at the neck and the lower back. "Nodding" or "rotating" your head side to side are the ones that cause the least "wear and tear". I suppose, short of speech and expression, the skeletal system only allows a "yes" or a "no" by movement. A gentleman need not keep options beyond that. A straight lumbar spine is recommended whether you are a chairman or his secretary, or rattling off an imminent peristalsis on the "western" or "Indian style" closet in a Rajdhani sliding on Maoist-tampered fish plates, crossing Bhowani Junction.
The neck and the lumbar spines have been defined to have two basic postures "the bent" and the "stooped". The "bent" is sort of an abjection before a higher power, the degree of deviation expressing in those particular "cultural units", your surrender to the authority. The "stoop", however is volitional, has a bargaining element, and willingness can further be expressed with folded hands and an expression which you will understand if you see some of YS Jagan Reddy's snaps. To tell one posture from the other is rather subjective, in fact a special chapter on political body language.
Most people use or abuse their spines for worldly or political gains. In that case, going prostrate, hands just about cupping the "holy feet" is a gre! at piece of acrobatics, and instant messaging. Nothing massages the soul so instantly. There is no strain on the spine, but a political belly thrust on the floor can increase the carbon levels through the release of methane and other ignoble gases. Since political maturing of the brain goes along with maturing of the prostrate, one may defeat one's purpose by soiling the floor around the "holy feet". Good politics contradicts the principles of good physiology.
Though all spines are designed equally, the differential prosperity between the "butt" and the "bust" makes it difficult to ascertain the "fulcrum" with changing alliances. If that be known, man would be able to exercise his discretions with minimal attrition to his stature. But if stature be defined in other terms, you have to let go of some basic idioms in anatomy!
Political attire goes with political body language. Undergarments have been made compulsory, particularly for men. The dhoti in the cow belt is asymmetrically wrapped around, giving more exposure to the bandy, uglier leg, with an intention of playing down motives. If you have to define "class", you can make that end longer and hold it in your hand, or give it to your shadow. Wrinkle-free lungis, with the final wrap slightly off-centre, suggest modesty, and a signal to the opposite sex that you have self-imposed restrictions in not throwing your legs apart. It is a subtle cultural concealment of the crotch, even a hydrocele. The off-centre wrap margin may show willingness but not without consent. Doubts of a "wardrobe malfunction" may remain, but that is discomfort to the onlooker!
The cross-cultural "pyjama" took "swadeshi" overtones with the freedom movement. Nehru defined his "churidars" with flairs above the knees, which went well with his trademark jackets. They went well with most others, except the ones with unruly calves. Bahugunaji, the hillman from Garhwal, was one such example. Between Rae Bareli and Benares, there are no such pretensions, and each barre! l of the garment is stitched on the dimensions of the wind sock you see at airports. Finally, the property of a garment lies in what it conveys and conceals, and the ease of dressing and undressing, so well defined by Tiwariji, secretly adored by every politician in the country, be it pro- or anti-2G licensing! The Prime Minister is the only one who retains equanimity even in hugely contrasting accusations.
Ricky and Ruby visited again. Ruby gave a revealing smile. It was a happy ending.
Not saffron or green
Is so-called saffron, or rightwing Hindu, terror an answer to so-called green, or radical Islamist, terror? No, it isn't. Terror - by whatever name it calls itself, or that others call it - is never an answer to anything: it is an affirmation. It is an affirmation of the only demonic gods that terror, of any stripe, worships: hate and fear.
This cannot be emphasised enough at a time when investigations into several bomb blasts in the country, including the explosion on the Samjhauta Express, have evoked the spectre of a retaliatory 'bomb-for-bomb' 'saffron' terror to counter 'Islamist' terror. The confession made to the authorities by the self-styled 'Swami' Aseemanand about the involvement of terrorist conspirators with RSS links has sparked a war of words between the Sangh Parivar and what calls itself the secular camp, led by the Congress. While the secularists have once again raised a demand for banning the RSS, the organisation's chief, Mohan Bhagwat, has said that those suspected of the bombs were no longer part of the parivar fold, having either left voluntarily or been externed. This in turn has provoked a Congress spokesperson to respond that it was a case not of "rats leaving the sinking ship, but of the ship leaving the rats".
This politicisation of terror, of dividing an indivisible menace into two opposing camps, is exactly what terrorists of all hues want. It has been said before but it needs to be said again, and yet again: terror does not owe allegiance to any faith or religion except to its own perverted and obscene creed which thrives on the massacre of innocents.
The dynamics of terror are based on the twisted logic of obsession. Hatred and fear - the evil twins who always go hand in hand, each reinforcing the other - are both the propagators as well as the spawn of terror. How does the perpetrator of terror ensure its own escalation? By destroying the feared and hated Other, the Enemy? No, because the Other, the Enemy, is necessary for the terrorist himself ! to exist ; without the hated Other, the terrorist has no reason for existence. The survival of the terrorist and his unholy credo dictates a strategy very different from the destruction of the Other. The terrorist doesn't want to destroy the Other, for that would mean self-destructing himself; he wants to turn the Other into a mirror likeness of himself, each locked to the other in an antagonistic embrace of mutual fear and hatred. 'Hindu' terror and 'Islamist' terror aren't mortal enemies; they are incestuous siblings, each feeding of the other's insatiable lust.
The real Enemy, the true Other, of the terrorist is not another terrorist - the two are in fact allies - but the common humanity, the shared cycle of birth and death and the rites of passage in between, that binds us together, regardless of our differences of belief, or caste, or race, or colour. It is this common humanness - humaneness, if you prefer - which is the real target of the terrorist, of whatever kind. For the terrorist, whatever prefixes or suffixes he attaches to himself, the real Other, the Enemy is humanity, the civil society of ordinary people accommodating each other's differences and occasional disputes as they go about the everyday business of living.
The everyday business of the terrorist - saffron or green, or pink, or polka-dotted - is not living but dying, causing the deaths of others and often of himself as well in suicide missions. What happens when a country's way of life becomes a way of death? Today Pakistan - arguably the biggest exporter of terrorism in the world - has shown with tragic inevitability what happens when, left unchecked, terror consumes itself.
Let's not colour-code terror, by saffron or any other shade. Terror is not just colour-blind; its eye-for-an-eye spiral of vengeance makes for a world of sightless darkness.
India Rejuvenation Initiative responds to your comments
Dear readers,
In the post - Get involved if you want India rejuvenated that went live on November 30, 2010, I had talked about the India Rejuvenation Initiative with a promise that your comments about how to tackle the menace of corruption in this country would be shared with the former Chief Justice of India, R C Lahoti, who started this initiative. Later, in another post - Dont let up against corruption, that went live on December 14, 2010, I had shared that IRI was quite excited about the comments and had promised to send a detailed response to your comments.
They have now responded and this post is to share that response with you. I think it augurs well that an initiative takes pain to go through almost 200 comments and then respond. It is also heartening that they got the gist of the sentiments expressed by most, including why IRIs letter was marked to the UPA chairperson, Sonia Gandhi and not to the nations Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
I only hope the there is no let up in the recent momentum gained against corruption. As long as the common man, who ideally should have the loudest voice of all, demands what is his and exerts pressure, it will work, else there is no way it can be sustained.
What follows is IRIs response to the post. Please comment on this too. Let them know if you are satisfied with this or think this is superficial.
Thanks and regards
Response from India Rejuvenation Initiative
Dear Mr. Kalra,
Sorry for the delayed response. Thanks for writing such a nice piece. IRI is also grateful to all those who sent their comments on the issue under discussion that is what should be! done to tackle corruption. At the outset we would like to submit that although corruption has become an all -pervasive problem, experience suggests that corruption at the top is the real issue.
As you are aware, IRI is a group of individuals drawn from various walks of life who are deeply concerned at the sharp deterioration of probity in public life and have decided to take positive action to arrest this trend in the short run and try to reverse it in the long run. The group seeks to focus public attention and mobilize public opinion on ways and means to check corruption and ensure probity in public life. A non political organization, the forum will use all legal means to bring about probity in all matters connected with the lives of the common people.
We would also like to state that all those who are associated with IRI, consisting of both serving and retired persons, have come together with only one purpose i.e. to bring back probity in public life and many of the members of IRI had the good fortune of serving the nation at the highest levels with utmost integrity.
These distinguished persons had the occasion (leaving aside political posts) to serve at the top of institutions like judiciary, UGC, IIT, Governments at the centre and states, Election Commission, Police, Intelligence, CBI etc. They have seen the system at work from very close quarters and tried their best, while in service, to discharge their duties with utmost sincerity. IRI believes that every person, whosoever he may be, needs to work with utmost integrity and should try to ensure that the environment around him should also remain clean. IRI debated, in depth, the issue of tackling corruption which has now become all pervasive and has acquired serious dimensions, and came to the conclusion that to tackle the problem, we now need to take collective action, some kind of a public movement. IRI is of the view that the rot has spread so deep in the system that it is now beyond the capability of any one indiv! idual to stem the rot.
With this in mind IRI issued a public appeal (copy enclosed) both in Hindi and English which was published in all the editions of Indian Express, Hindustan,
Hindustan Times and Dainik Jagran newspapers inviting people to join the campaign against corruption. This public appeal evoked very encouraging response from all across the country and particularly from states like U.P, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttarakhand, Maharashtra, Delhi, Goa, M.P, Punjab, A.P, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Orissa, Haryana, Chhatisgarh. Now IRI is in the process of organizing meetings in these states to forge a strong movement against corruption in the country. We have already organized nearly a dozen meetings in the state of U.P, Uttarakhand, Mumbai and Delhi. Those who attended these meetings showed keen interest in this campaign and are willing to take it to its logical conclusion.
Volunteers in the field are being given an agenda to organize people for this campaign and raise issues of corruption at the local levels with the support being provided to them by the state unit and central unit IRI members. Similarly IRI has been raising all the issues which it considers important to bring back probity in public life. They include the issue of Electoral reforms, MPLAD scheme, Declaration of assets by all the public servants, tackling corruption at the top by making all those who occupied or are occupying top positions (both political persons and those belonging to services) in the system, to account for every paisa that they possess today, setting up of Integrity Commission, ensuring men of integrity only are appointed to the posts of CVC, CEC, CBI, CAG, CJI, etc.
In addition, IRI took up the issue of various scandals that came to light and tried to persuade the concerned authorities to act. IRI also filed PIL on the issue of recovery of Indias stolen assets stashed in foreign countries and banks and also on the issue of appointment of CVC. A brief of the decisions take in the meeting! s of IRI during the past five years is available in the website of IRI at www.iri.org.in. As for as issue of writing the letter to Mrs. Sonia Gandhi is concerned, we would like to state that we initially addressed all the letters to the P.M or to the concerned ministers but when they failed to respond, then it was decided to also write to the UPA Chairperson. There was no other reason behind the move.
As part of its activities, IRI is trying to target corruption at the highest level and bring to book those, who in utter disregard of the law of the land, think that the 'state' is their personal fiefdom to be used and enjoyed by them. IRI also tries to bring before people the details of the policy interventions which are implemented in the name of public interest but which are targeted to serve a few select cronies of the powers that be. IRI has also decided to consider taking up Public investigations in some important matters of public concerns. It will try to bring to people the true facts about how corruption, lack of accountability, partisan and selfish attitude of corrupt public servants (politicians and bureaucrats) has led to the overall deterioration in the country.
IRI is aware of the enormity of the task and is aware of the fact that the task can be accomplished only when people from all walks of life come forward to lend their support in whatever way they can.
With regards,
Coordinator IRI
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Why Sonia is worried
Sonia Gandhi is worried. Highly placed sources tell me that her anxiety has to do with something other than the spectrum scandal and the rise in food prices. The Congress supremo feels that her party MPs in Telangana have the potential to destabilise the fragile UPA government in New Delhi.
There are 11 Congress Lok Sabha members from Telangana and all of them are mighty incensed these days. They feel that they have been led up the garden path by the government-appointed Srikrishna Committee. As is known, the committee has plumped for a united Andhra Pradesh.
This means they have given a thumbs down to Telangana. And all this more than a year after home minister P Chidambaram announced that the government would begin the process of initiating a separate state. Chidambarams announcement led to rising expectations in the Telangana area and deepened sentiments in the region.
Now that the Srikrishna report has said no to Telangana, the public mood is hostile. The public wants the Congress MPs to quit their elected positions in protest. Already there are attacks on the houses of some Congress MPs in the Telangana area.
Politicians as a rule are endowed with the skin of rhinos. Public criticism often fails to move them. But this time the MPs know that the failure to quit their public posts will anger their electorate so much that their deposits will be lost the next time that they contest. So these MPs can continue if they have plans to join some other profession in future. Faced with this reality these MPs have issued an ultimatum to Sonia Gandhi. Either get a bill for creating Telangana introduced in the budget session of Parliament or accept our resignations.
Take it from me, the Congress party is finished in Telangana if nothing is done. It will be wiped off, a Union cabinet minister says.
The realisation that these MPs have been driven up the wall is what is worrying Sonia. She knows that the MPs cannot hold on beyond a point notwithstanding the Congress culture o! f bowing down to the wishes of the supreme leader. After failing to tame these MPs via the good offices of the man for all seasons, Pranab Mukherjee, Sonia has dispatched Union minister Jaipal Reddy to persuade these MPs. Jaipal is himself a Lok Sabha member from Telangana and is equally angry, though in public he is careful about what he says. Jaipal was greeted by agitations outside his house the moment he landed in Hyderabad and it looks doubtful whether he can broker peace. I am sure that in coming days there will be more peace missions from Delhi, each of them offering goodies to the public representatives.
Left to herself, Sonia would not have minded conceding Telangana, notwithstanding the Srikrishna report. But the problem is that it would push to the edge Congress MPs in the rest of Andhra Pradesh. Naturally, because the people there are strongly opposed to a new state in the form of Telangana. So it is a difficult situation for the Congress boss, almost a devil and deep blue sea choice for her. What is complicating matters is a young man called Jaganmohan Reddy.
The son of the late chief minister Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, Jagan (as he is known) thinks that it is his right to become chief minister. After waiting for a year for Sonia to anoint him as chief minister, Jagan has now quit the Congress and is touring the state, almost nonstop. And he is drawing large crowds and also the support of local Congress units. When he went on fast for 48 hours two weeks ago, many Congress MLAs rushed to be on his side. This was in spite of the fact that the fast was to protest against the policies of the ruling Congress government ! Jagans shenanigans too should be a matter of concern for Sonia.
In some ways, Sonia herself is responsible for the drift in the Congress in the state. YSR was an able manager who delivered numbers to her (MPs to the Congress kitty) and also resources (funding Congress elections elsewhere). So Sonia, finding a useful aide, gave him a free hand: YSR used the opportunity to ! build an empire for himself with legislators who owed their loyalty to him alone. It is my understanding that if YSR had survived he would have at some point raised the banner of revolt and formed his own YSR Congress.
The Congress would have been wiped off because he would have walked away with the entire lot (well, almost) of Congress legislators. His main opposition would have been the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and the polity of Andhra Pradesh would have become like that of Tamil Nadu where two regional parties face each other. YSRs untimely death resulted in Jagan giving shape to the ambition of his father. And brought Sonia face to face with a problem that she would have had to encounter a few years later.
The problem for Sonia is serious considering that Andhra Pradesh is one of the very few states left where the Congress runs the government. If the party is on the back foot in Andhra Pradesh once called Indiramma Pradesh by Congress to demonstrate how powerful they were then its chances of making the cut in Delhi in 2014 will be reduced to zero. Thats if it is able to survive the present crisis on account of Telangana. Not a good omen for Sonia and the party she heads.
One must learn good habits
Let's not use the S word
We have almost perfected it, the Art of Intolerance. We cover it up by giving it many names. But the ugliest of them is the S word. What we don't like or disapprove of, what's politically inconvenient has now acquired a new description: Anti-national. In short, Sedition. A word we have begun to use indiscriminately.
Even Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen said so last week, while releasing a book on Binayak Sen, the renowned doctor who has spent most of his life treating the tribals in Chhattisgarh, among the poorest people in the region. You would have expected him to get a Padma Vibhushan for that. Instead, he was recently sentenced to life imprisonment for sedition. Yes, sedition. It's a curious charge to be made against a person with such credentials. His crime? While treating his patients, he carried a letter or two from them to friends and family. Some of these patients, it's now alleged, were Naxalites. What confirmed the crime, as per police records, is that when they raided Sen's home, they found exactly what they expected -- Marx and Lenin stacked beside Grey's Anatomy. It was enough to cry treason.
By this argument any postman can be tried for sedition, any bookstall owner. Millions of intelligent, middle class Indians read Marxist literature and indulge their foolish fantasies that it's still possible to have a political uprising where the poor can change the brutal and exploitative nature of our society, install a more just and equitable regime. You may as well make day dreaming into a criminal offence. From when has India proscribed imagination? And, more important, from when has it become seditious to read political literature of any kind? In fact, unless you read Marx, you will never figure why, despite its appealing ideology of social justice, Communism has failed everywhere.
But logic is the first casualty when it comes to politics. We are a nation is desperate search of villains. So, even a man like Sen, whose remarkable achievements are there for all to se! e, gets jailed for sedition. In effect, the Chhattisgarh police have done to Sen exactly what Dara Singh and his murderous goons did to another famous doctor, Graham Staines who worked among the poor tribals of Orissa, They beat him mercilessly and then set him and his two young sons, barely 10 and 6, on fire. What was his crime? Staines ran a leprosy mission and, apart from providing healthcare to the tribals, he was trying to educate them too. Dara Singh's charge was the same: Staines was anti-national. Why? He was educating the tribals with the purpose of converting them. Sounds exactly like the Chhattisgarh police's charge against Sen, that he was trying to make Naxalites out of them.
Arundhati Roy has also been accused of sedition because of her views on Kashmir. I have never agreed with her but to accuse her of sedition is absolute nonsense. The issues she has raised are certainly worth thinking about, even if we choose to reject them outright. The very fact that they are not part of the hysterical majority view makes them that much more important. For democracy is not only about accepting the majority view. It's also about respecting minority views, however wrong they may appear to be. That's why dissenters exist, to prise open new windows of our mind, as quickly as the political Establishment tries to shut them down. If such views didn't exist we would remain forever slaves to the dominant political wisdom of our time. Change will never occur.
The Marxists are equally guilty. They harassed Jack Preger, also a remarkable doctor who set up his clinic in a Calcutta slum and worked among pavement dwellers. He treated them free, started schools for their children, and eventually became an iconic figure among the city's poor. Even Mother Teresa hailed his work. But the Left Front did its best to throw him out. They jailed him for overstaying his visa, forced him into a tiny cell with hardened criminals, rats and roaches. He too was labelled anti-national.
What is it about us that ! we call such people anti-national? Is it because they represent the constituency of the absolute poor? Or is it because they shame us all by doing the right things? Why is it that we get so angry when Arundhati Roy raises issues that we feel are beyond political debate? Is it seditious to do so in a country that's so boastful of its democratic traditions? Is it wrong to question what we accept as political verities? And, finally, why is every act of goodness seen as a threat to the nation? India belongs to each of us who live and work here. Surely we all have the right to see it in our own light.
No, patriotism is not about conforming to the Establishment view. It never was. It's about bringing in change. And if you charge every agent of change with sedition all you will be left with is callow conformists.
(More) best new Bollywood music
Lots of new releases in the filmi music duniya of late. I pick the ones that interested and entertained me the most.
Badraa (Mirch)
For those who forgot about Monty Sharma but miss him every now and then, Mirch is a great way to get back into his music. Badraa is constructed as Shastriya Rock. Its full of wrenching guitars and aalaps. This song is tailor made for Shankar Mahadevan. He improvises on virtually every line of the chorus to bring variety to an emotionally drenched song. Monty ends this song by having Shankar sing right through the climactic crescendo of instruments it takes you by surprise but still sounds pretty good.
Tikhi Tikhi Mirch (Mirch)
Im a sucker for a singer who steps in and transforms a song. Tikhi Tikhi is a song about sex referred to as mirch in the lyrics. Its built around a writhing sexy melody. But Akriti Kakkar has such a pure, ringing voice that she brings layers of seductiveness to the song and entirely elevates the composition.
Babe De Kripa (No Problem)
Pritams song starts with a rap, although its more like a rhyme. Its followed by a chant, a Punjabi dance beat, dhols and then Kalpana starts singing R&B. Vikrant steps with a bhangra verse. This whole contraption is called Babe De Kripa. And this song is on my list to remind us all to enjoy Pritam while he is still around. Later well all look back on this and say: Hells bells we were silly and young (admittedly only one of the two applies to me personally) and this will be the soundtrack of our lives.
Aanvayi (Band Baaja Barat)
Aanvayi is a high energy foot tapping song.
Dum Dum (Band Baaja Barat)
This is the movies big club song. Such songs are so common place that composers struggle to bring something new to these types of compositions. Salim-Sulaiman make this special by composing complex vocal parts (this song is tough to sing!) with lots of low notes. They hire two singers who sound great when singing low notes: Benny Dayal and Himani Kapoor (who is absolutely terrific on this). The best thing about the song are the bridges which are punchy, dramatic and very entertaining.
Title Song (Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey)
Sohail Sen did composing duties on Ashutosh Gowarikars last movie Whats Your Rashee. He composed songs with spare instrumentation and wonderful melodies. On this CD, his instrumentation is much more sophisticated, but he hasnt sacrificed any of his delicate, gorgeous melodies. Vocalized by kids from Suresh Wadkars academy this title song is meant to be an epic and rousing song and Sohail delivers on both fronts with a lot of facility.
Yeh Des Hai Mera (Khelein Hum Jee Jaan Sey)
Composed with a melody that invokes a pop bhajan, Sohail sings this himself. Using trademark minimal programming: sitar, tablas, some violins Sohail fills this song with devotion. But he wisely also fills the song with lots of hooks to alleviate the somewhat tedious melody.
Title Song (Impatient Vivek)
Dominique Cerejo is one of my favorite singers. She does a lot of backing vocal work in Bollywood but doesnt nearly sing lead on songs as much as she deserves to. Impatient Vivek is a composition that isnt worthy of her, but its still a pleasure to listen to her sexy pulsating voice. Later Vivek Sudershan sings a verse in Very Special English which means I know its English but I cant understand most of it.
Chori Chori (Kis Hudh Tak)
Much like its name might have you inclined to think, Chori Chori sounds like an 80s Jatin-Lalit song full of lilting flutes. Only its composed by Abid Shah. And instead of Udit Narayan it has Amitabh Bhattacharya who Ill have you know writes lots of songs for films (and sings quite a few of them for Amit Trivedi who seems to love him). Chalo, chalega!
Title Song (Tera Kya Hoga Johny)
Filled with themes of betrayal and intrigue, this song is essentially a pounding club song but with lots of interesting things going on. It has a swirling dance beat and verses sung breathlessly by Sukhwinder Singh. Coiling his vocals tightly, Sukhwinder gives the song a strident pace and nifty drama. Composer Pankaj Awasthi adorns this song with some quirks loopy backing vocals, breaks in the melody to make this a really interesting composition.
Teri Parchhaiyan (Tera Kya Hoga Johny)
Written, composed and sung by Azmat Ali, Teri Parchhaiyan is a song of longing. Azmat fills the verses with melancholy guitars and almost whispers through them. He unleashes the yearning in the lyrics via a ! grungy c horus sung in harmonies. Later almost seamlessly the guitars get positively skippy and the song sounds happier. Its an interesting approach in composition and makes for a very beautiful song.
What is making the cops shiver
NAGPUR: The cold wave in Vidarbha may have sent the mercury dipping to record levels last week. For cops though, cold wave seems not to be the only reason bringing them shivers. There have been many occasions in recent past when cops experienced the shivers even though temperatures were not so low.
A murder at Sonba Nagar, in which name of a politically connected goon surfaced last week, seemed to have given more shivers to Kalamna cops than ambient temperature going down to five degrees celsius. Like the strong current from north that is causing the chill, there is a 'north' factor behind apparently immunity that the goon enjoys from cops. It is said that the political godfather of one time accused of Maharashtra Control of Organized Crime Act is also from northern part of the city. A handful of senior cops are known to be loyal friends of the godfather.
Source in the police department said that the former jailbird's name had surfaced in three murders across the city in recent past, including that of the high profile former corporator Bharat Mohadikar at Lakadganj. The cops seem to be pondering about this conspiracy even two months after the murder. Forget arresting the goon, senior cops were left trembling just facing media questions about his involvement. A senior officer even denied knowing that the don was called to the police station to record his statement. This at the very time when the ex-gangster was being quizzed. It is not clear whether it was weather or gangster-turned-real estate dealer's political affiliation that made the cops shiver.
Just like the cops' teeth-chattering experiences have nothing to do with cold currents, so their turning cold on certain occasions. Cops seem to go into a freeze in dealing with anything that requires them to go beyond the beaten track. They never proceed on cases related to killing of or cruelty to animals or violation of forest or environmental laws.
"Ask them to take action against perpetrators of cruelty! to anim als and they would turn to ice requiring us to coax, cajole, talk to their seniors or even get politicians to make calls," said an animal rights activist. The activist in recent times had harrowing experience with the cops.
The animal right activist, along with colleagues, had gone to Kalamna police station seeking help from the cops against a bunch of herdsmen taking buffaloes for slaughter. The cops turned to spectators as herdsmen thrashed up the activists. There were nearly 40 buffaloes. The cops did take the herdsmen in custody but claimed they had no clue where more than 30 buffaloes disappeared. The activists, to their disappointment, learnt the animals were returned to herdsmen.
In another case involving officials of government mental hospital who had killed and quietly buried several stray dogs in the premises before visit of a senior official, cops were similarly reluctant to move. Police accompanied the activists to the hospital premises but refused to have the site excavated and recover carcasses, a crucial piece of evidence. It was after much cajoling that the cops moved.
Beware! Big Coal strikes back
After suffering initial setbacks, the coal industry appears to be gathering its wits to again lay claim to coal deposits lying under prime forest areas. In recent times, it has sharpened attacks on environment minister Jairam Ramesh. Ramesh's demarcation of forest areas into 'Go' and 'No Go' zones appears to have hurt the industry badly. The policy specifies certain areas as 'No Go' for all development projects after having determined that these natural habitats are absolutely critical for maintaining ecological health of the country. Any proposal for diverting forest land in such areas would face automatic rejection.
The policy has been under discussion for some time but industry lobbyists always assumed that they had enough muscle to steamroller any objections to their plans. This changed in recent times when mining plans of some of the biggest conglomerates in the country were rejected. While industry reaction itself is not surprising, it is shocking that people in government like coal minister Sriprakash Jaiswal and Planning Commission deputy chairperson Montek Singh Ahluwalia should also join the chorus in criticizing the policy.
Ahluwalia appeared to be questioning the basic intelligence of Ramesh when he asked if the environment minister realized that his policy was going to hurt investment. Jaiswal, who also is opposed to the policy, offered to invest certain proportion of miners' profits in afforestation efforts so that damaged caused by the industry could be mitigated. He said his ministry would guarantee green cover over two or three times the area of forest that a particular project would destroy. Ultimately, the issue has gone to PMO to sort out.
This does not augur well for conservation efforts. Any compromise that PMO works out would necessarily involve that Ramesh's ministry make some concessions on 'No Go' areas. That would defeat the very principle that he is trying to establish: That some natural habitats have to be preserved at any cost. For the first ! time, ec ological approach is being given precedence over economic one. If this principle is set aside then everything goes for a toss.
Of course, we need coal for thousands of megawatts of additional power generation we want in coming years. We also need other minerals. These are vital to maintain economic growth and ensure better life for our huge population. But continued existence of forests and natural habitats is vital to our existence itself. Going for economic growth at all costs can be terribly shortsighted. While coal as well as other minerals can be imported, forests and wildlife are irreplaceable.
Not just that, these forests can themselves turn out to be huge economic growth drivers. The option of using them for tourism not only preserves our natural heritage as well as the planet but also provides more employment to local people unlike industries that almost always generate jobs for city dwellers. Gadchiroli, the most backward and Naxalite-affected district in Maharashtra, has prime forests in excess of 10,000 sq km. In size and wildlife potential, these forests rival parks like Serengeti and Masai Mara. There is also iron ore underneath them. Using these forests for ecotourism could uplift entire district from abysmal poverty and turn it into an international destination. Going for iron ore there destroys everything and benefits just a couple of companies. It is a no-brainer actually.
The coal ministry offer of afforestation is plain dishonest. First, even successful afforestation cannot replace a natural forest built over centuries as a biodiversity resource. Second, history of afforestation efforts worldwide is disappointing. In India it is unspeakable. Of course, hundreds of crores would be earmarked and duly spent but don't count on them producing any worthwhile green cover. If Jaiswal is serious, let him first green two or three times the area that coalmines have already denuded over decades. Once we see those lush forests teeming with wildlife in a few years, he ! might so und more convincing.
What coal ministry is asking for is actually a carte blanche on mining coal wherever it exists. It is used to having its projects okayed on the basis of environmental mitigation plans that it has no intention of implementing. A simple look at such plans submitted for earlier projects and their present status would bear this out. It is unable to come to terms with the fact that some projects are actually being rejected. The coal lobby believes if it makes enough noise, it could have its way.
The issue going to PMO is actually a victory for the lobby. The law is very clear: Environment and forest ministry is to judge the impact of each project and its mitigation plan and take a decision. To have PMO impose a compromise and present the ministry with a fait accompli on certain projects actually defeats the intent of the law. It must be vigorously opposed. It appears that greens have yet on realized the importance of what is happening. They need to gear up for this battle.
Of India, Bharat & HyperBharat
There was a time when it was very easy to tell a person's background, both economic and social from one's external appearance. The educated elite could be told apart from those from the business who in turn were very differently turned out than their counterparts in smaller towns and as for those from rural India, well, they could be identified with obvious ease. Increasingly, it is not quite that simple anymore. The visible cultural divide between different classes seems to have narrowed, and it is increasingly difficult to tell where one come from on the basis of appearance alone.
This could easily be read as a sign of the expanding middle class, and in some ways it is exactly that. In purely economic terms, the Indian middle class is opening its doors to an ever increasing number of people. And yet, this seeming similarity hides a fundamental and deeply significant difference. This new breed of consumption-enabled Indians represents a new mindset- one that is miles away from the middle class that has dominated our consciousness for so long.
The middle class has historically spoken for all of India. As a category, it is more a cultural formulation than an economic one, and one with which a large part of the India that is seen and heard identifies itself. It represents a certain worldview which tries and balances the conflicting needs of growth with continuity, individual self-expression with collective order, and the quest for uniqueness with the need for restraint. Its size has become an index of India's attractiveness as a market and serves as a sign of its potential in the future as an economic superpower. At a cultural level, the middle class has been the sole arbiter of values we see as being Indian, as it implicitly determines what is legitimate and what is not.
It was perhaps Sharad Joshi of the Shetkari Sangathana, who first suggested that the Indian economy was split into two- India, being the more westernised, enabled part and Bharat, which still lived without! access to the most basic means of getting ahead in life. This economic divide has deepened into a cultural one, with India pulling away from its counterpart as it has plugged into the larger world of consumption and economic progress. Enabled by a media that increasingly focuses on its own consumers, India has become an assertive force, arrogating to itself the right to speak for the entire country, while being narrowly focused on its interests. At one level, as many have argued, the India/Bharat divide has deepened, with affluence making the better off part of the country becoming blind to the other India, but perhaps the full reality is a little more complex.
With greater access to affluence, the new class that is emerging is neither India, nor Bharat. More tellingly, it is not a part of Bharat that wants to belong to India, it is instead a Bharat that strives to be a brighter shinier and altogether more muscular version of itself. What we are seeing is the emergence of HyperBharat, a new social class, with its own priorities , value systems and consumption codes. In terms of mindset, this class has no desire to mimic the values of the erstwhile middle class and shares few of its apprehensions about consumption. The great need of the middle class is to balance the past and future, something that does not concern HyperBharat at all.
For this new class, consumption is a legitimate vehicle of hope, a new language to express their own mobility in. Unlike the middle class, which is shackled both by the weight of the past and the burden of future expectations, HyperBharat does not valorise the past or fear the future and sees all gain as a bonus that it gleefully embraces. It shows great openness to change and understands the power of appearances. It feels no compulsion to try and align its external appearance with its internal reality and does not think of material progress as a way of changing one's fundamental way of life. It is open to change without feeling compelled to embrace it and feels! little sense of shame about itself.
The middle class was India's solution to the staggering social diversity that it had to deal with. It cut across caste lines to a certain extent, and created a buffer zone where we could suspend regional differences. It homogenised the visible part of India into a single category with a common set of goals, priorities and anxieties. It contained our impulses and channelized our energies and gave us a mirror in which to watch ourselves critically. It earned the right in its own eyes to represent a notion of Indian-ness, and made that the benchmark for other classes. The rise of HyperBharat challenges with unipolar notion of progress in India, one which assumed that all affluence would be funnelled through the middle class.
The rise of HyperBharat comes on the back of the slow conversion of political power into economic clout by those groups that were left out of the economic and cultural mainstream of society. The process of slow accretion of electoral significance in the post-Mandal era is translating into an increased ability to consume in a more discretionary manner. As affluence deepens in India, a lot of assumptions about what constitutes the Indian way of life will need to be dismantled and reconfigured. It is early days yet, but the hegemony of the middle class is likely to be an artefact of the past.
