Deep seated memories - # infinite

Oscar Wilde in “The importance of being earnest” wrote – Memory is the diary that we all carry about with us. How true. December 30^th, around eleven o clock in the night while I was returning to my room, the moderately cool breeze teleported me to the same time three years back. The year was 2008 and I was in Bangalore.

A newly joined job in a remote corner of the city and the end of the year was a perfect recipe to find an escapade. And I did find an escapade in the then recently released movie – Ghajini. The much awaited Aamir Khan starrer was a must watch and a plan was hatched with Pravat, his young uncle and his friend. We met at Rex theatre. It was cold December evening and the crowd was thin. We had dinner at the moderately priced place of Brigade road, American Corner (if my memory srves me right with the name). Well if you are expecting any special thing to happen, I am sorry to disappoint you.

We enjoyed the movie.  It was close to 1 a.m when we retuned back to Pravat’s place, almost 18 kilometers away. The empty road, the speeding old bike and the cold breeze. Teeth clattering and humming ‘behka, main behka...’ we came back.

Today three years later, I messaged Pravat if he remembered the incident. He had forgotten. Then he called and then him being the meticulous person that he is, recalled about the bike, the ‘Big Bazaar’ which we crossed while we were discussing how cold it was and so on and so forth.

But we both agreed on one issue. The issue of time flying past at a rapid speed. It doesn’t feel if it were three years back. Those were tough days in more than one way. The memories formed in those days have found a deep seat in the brain. Time flying quickly is again an issue of perception. For some its longer to bear and for some it is like a few months.

The mere date, the cool breeze was enough to take me back to three precise years. The memories that are written in pages of a thick invisible book in the brain are brought to the fore when the conducive environment arrives. Very less of the text gets deleted. It is all stacked up there. Both good and bad.

It is amazing how the memory works. Like the Scottish novelist James Matthew Barrie wrote “ God gave us memory so that we might have roses in December”.

News Media – Veena Maliks and Sunny Leones

Two central functions of news media are credible information giving and being critical-investigative-adversarial. The first function is quite simple to understand and if the second function is to be delivered in an oft used word it would be ‘watchdog’. There however exists another paradigm of ‘pastime’ function of media. Also called as whiling away the time pleasantly, which the French called the ‘pleasure principle’, this aspect of news media is certainly proving to be a stirring a hornets’ nest. It is only when the pastime function of media overshadows and obliterate the two central functions does it become an issue to be pondered upon and condemned. And the present day news media is just doing that.

The case in point would be two ladies who have become household names, courtesy the ‘footage’ they have received in the past few days. One of them had a primary qualification to fame by being a former girlfriend of a match-fixing tainted Pakistani cricketer, and the other a non resident Indian who happens to be an actress of exotic movies in the US. Veena Malik and Sunny Leone. Both were roped in by the Big Boss, a show run by Endemol, who get their fair share of TRP’s by attracting such controversial names. Should a TV channel resort to such gimmicks to grab eyeballs is open for another debate.

The story however doesn’t end at that. It begins right there for the news media and the entertainment media. In the rat race of media where channels sprout like mushrooms, all trying to edge past others, be it in the cyberspace or on the television sets, it boils down to who grabs how many eyeballs. And it is at that point that titillating takes over ethics. Advertorial revenues are directly proportional to TRP’s and number of clicks online. That TRP in itself is not a fool proof method is another issue, but more about it later. And nothing sells better than controversy, especially of the fairer kinds.

Another factor that compounds the issue is lack of regulation. Regulation is one word bound to create hue and cry with regard to freedom of media, but as Justice Markandey Katju, president of Press Council of India, recently put it – “no freedom is absolute”. It is responsibility which gives freedom its sweet taste. His comments though unfair yet true regarding the level of aptitude that media professionals possess can in a distant fashion be linked with this issue. Half the graduates of journalism wouldn’t even know who Justice Katju is, forget about his scathing comments. A testimony to that would be to forget for a moment about the content concerning the above mentioned ladies, the crass language used in reports further aim at objectification and sensationalism.

Believers of absolute freedom retort with a view that no one is forcing upon these ladies on the audience, whatever be their credentials, and one may choose either to watch or refrain from watching them or news related to them. But when leading newspapers and news channels (leading here would mean subscribers and viewership respectively) dedicate enough of space and time to news related to either concerning posing for a magazine, offers of movies, their relationship status and preferences, their dressing style or the lack of it, and any and many such trivia, de facto thrusting the ‘news’ on audience of a large spectrum results. And that is unwarranted.

The second claim of a hypocritical society is often raised who would endorse Veena Maliks and Sunny Leones but would not acknowledge their presence in the mainstream. Even though it would qualify for hypocrisy, for matters of private choice it could as well be so. Would claimants of broad mindset agree with authority that they have been hypocritical, or call it espousing personal choice over popular beliefs, ever? There is absolutely no discomfort about the choice of lifestyle a Veena Malik or a Sunny Leone has adopted. They have all rights to it. It is about the undesirable infiltration of their lifestyles into the TV and its impact on society – children and adults alike which is a matter of concern.

As Justice Katju put it, entertainment by news media is essential but only to a minor extent. It is imperative that in a growing society, which has moved from impoverishment to prosperity in few decades, the role of media, often dubbed as the fourth estate is paramount. Social responsibility overweighs the need of cheap entertainment. Intellectual development, critical thinking, credible information giving, watchdog, should take the front seat. Not the Veena Maliks and Sunny Leones.

Philosophy of Miniaturization

Our computers have more or less shrunk into objects that can be held in hand. That it was inconceivable a few decades back is a fact. The device in hand not only makes calls, plays music and movies but brings any information to the fore at the touch of a button. All said and done it is as of now the concept of miniaturization, where our world has been brought to our palms. Hold on, not only has the computer shrunken, shrunken has many other things today. Relations, attention span, nature, space, they have all been miniaturized.

The population of world recently reached seven billion is right, but the same increase applies to the available space on earth, or the natural resource it has is not true. So when there are more people and less resource, what is the way out? Miniaturize! Imagine the space desktop computers would occupy as compared to laptops or tablets (for people of Stone Age – if laptop is notebook, tablet is a sheet of paper)! The same applies to the cordless phone type mobile phones of yesteryears.

The gramophones gave way to cassettes, both audio and video, and cassettes to compact discs, they to DVD and now DVD to Blue Ray discs. Moral of the story – Miniaturization at its best! It will be a bit difficult for a kid of today to calculate the number of video cassettes that would equal the movies in a DVD (for the simple reason being he/she has in all likelihood not seen what a video cassette is!). Now let me not talk about data storage floppy disk (anyone remembers the 5.1 inch ones?) and flash drives (floppy vs flash!!).

Material goods of everyday use like telephone and televisions have all been miniaturized beyond imagination and are on the verge of the next revolution of being invisible (or see through as we may better call it). Our books have shrunk and are largely finding it in hand held gadgets. That large families have shrunk is not a recent trend, but small car for the small nuclear family is a smart and pragmatic marketing concept.

The more buying power we attain the smaller the goods become that we buy. The other day I went o buy a Rs. 5 Munch chocolate and it had miniaturized to the point of rapacious laughter. At the end of the day we will get used to it. The concept of small and cosy has been hard sold to us and projected as the dream of millions.

Sadly enough we as humans have also miniaturized. Our attention span has miniaturized, with us not being able to help but switch channels at the drop of the hat, checking mobile phones every minute or fidgeting with anything around. Our bonding with people have miniaturized, we see people as objects increasingly, only analysing their worth in terms of return of investment (our ‘marketing friends’ are so familiar with the term). The forthcoming generations’ faith in God has miniaturized, their respect for the elder, the institutions have also miniaturized.

While some miniaturizations have changed the world and our personal lives for good, other miniaturizations affecting the core of us human beings have had a contrary effect. And if anything amongst all the miniaturization is getting inflated, it is our egos, corruption, earthquakes, terrorism, unrest, prices, tsunamis, diseases, distances between hearts, and yes last but definitely not the least inflation itself.

(Acknowledgement : Idea of the article is a discussion with Bijay Kumar Barik and Snigdha Mishra)

The iDIE App

If you are asking yourself a question if it is about Steve Jobs, the answer is both yes and a no. Yes because it is the death of a revolutionary technology leader that has triggered this piece of writing and no because it does not intend to talk about Jobs. Nevertheless, mourn has gripped large swathes of people who view the person who was responsible in a little or large way for the ‘font’ we use on the ‘computers’ and the songs we listen on little devices, whose technology and aesthetic appeal stand them out of the league. It is indeed a sad day.

The 2005 speech of Steve Jobs at Stanford has become his ‘Last Lecture’ of sorts. It is excerpts of this speech that is being played over and over again and is being used for quotes for motivation, for leadership, and largely for imparting a sense of way-of-life. But in his demise I would like to remember one of his comments where he says that it is the fact that he will die someday, sooner or later, that drives him to achieve things, which motivates him, which pushes him, that helps him prioritize, and that helps him do what he does.

It is in that belief probably which elevates someone from ordinary to great. Enormous wealth could have made Steve Jobs live longer even with a rare pancreatic cancer but money certainly could not render an attitude to a person. Jobs was no saint and it does not need a saint to get that attitude either. It is to be cultivated. Cultivated because it does not have a pre existence. It is inherent to fear death. We usually always grow up in such an environment  and continue living in it until we actually do meet death. The illusion of life and reality of death certainly is not a concept which is easy to understand. It is the quest of searching an answer to this question which takes many a lifetimes.

What Steve Jobs or for that matter many leaders, achievers, dreamers, are able to do is to transform that fear into motivation, into a driving force. There does come numerous strings attached which is not easy to snap to achieve such levels of competence of transformation. And large part of our lives revolve around those strings. And they are important to be held on to too. Those strings are part of our existence, our responsibilities and our belongings. But a fine balance of holding on to some strings and the ability to rise above them is the key to success.

The words above are not meant to pass for being motivational or philosophical. It is just a reflection. A reflection that has arisen due to words, thoughts, beliefs of a man who was instrumental in affecting a whole new generation. There has to be many things special about a man like that. Steve Jobs - mastering the art of the iDIE app.  

Farewell - September 2011



For a very special batch of students...their journey of couple of years...and unbound memories........

In your bright eyes with many dreams
Two years back and not very far it seems
On a rainy day you had come to this place
You added new meaning in that time space

A little younger with many apprehensions

A mixed bag of fun, seriousness and tensions
You inched slowly into stronger broader steps
You always worked your ways for ‘the Steps’

You would have encountered bouts of frustration

Working your way through jumbled machination
A whole lot of things that you thought meaningless
But you put up with them bravely nevertheless

You showcased brilliantly your various facets

Shone brightly out of the curricular closets
You took charge of things, displayed leadership
Maintained dignity at the face of hardship

As have you as pupils it was a pleasure

You do us proud in more than one measure
Rarely do so many greatly move you at one point
Who make the experience of teaching so buoyant

For many of us all of you will remain special

Any hard feels I believe will appear trivial
For in our hearts we wish best for you
Proud we feel by the achievements of you

In your journey many friendships we forged

In many diverse fields our thoughts merged
We shared evenings laughing our lungs out
Forgetting your follies and then how I shout

Mimicking, cribbing and even tuneless singing
With memories plenty moments are wringing
With cups of coffee on a few late evenings
Sharing and bonding over innate feelings

People come and go, its a process inevitable

It is the attachment that makes it unstable
Sometimes it is just a process so mechanical
Other times it becomes a situation emotional

Goodbyes are sometimes not an easy task

Why easily of people we grow fond one could ask
For it could so happen that parting is for ever
But affection in heart would lessen never

A group of people you will remain a special set

Always remembered fondly I could safely bet
As you bid adieu to us on a rainy evening
May all success be yours and happiness unending.

It Is That Time Of The Year Again

The morning sky when you wake up and for the large part of the day has bright blue sky. A few white clouds float past once in a while against this backdrop. The sunlight is not so harsh on skin. A few varieties of flowers spread their fragrance in the air. The evening has a lovely orange hue of the setting sun. The nights are pleasantly cool and the sky presents itself with bright stars. Mild due settles on benches in parks, on vehicle seats and elsewhere. Yes, this is that time of the year when all of the above happens.

Two months of the year which I would count from mid of September to mid of November is a special time of the year. That the weather becomes pleasant in many parts of the country is true but not only that, the festivities of this time period made it all the more special. Navratri, Eid, Durga Puja, Diwali being the primary festivals, involve large swathes of people across the country providing that time of the year where you can buy new clothes, meet relatives, be religious, hog on food, burst crackers or go on a vacation to name few.

It is rightly said that memories shaped in the formative years of childhood stays with you forever. And for years together after having taken out of the environment where the memories were formed they come back to make you nostalgic. A similar thing happens during this time of the year to me. Having grown up in a big extended family, in a place where Durga Puja is celebrated pompously, and ten odd days of holidays and friends around, it has always been a fun time, this part of the year. The nostalgia therefore grips tight during this time.

Seeing the idol of goddess Durga being made, monitoring its progress after school each day, then seeing the bamboo gates and structures starting to get erect and the colourful clothes draped around them always built up a strong curiosity. The family get together, the distant uncle and aunts, the delicious dishes being made and the ritual shopping at the nearest big city has so deep embedded in psyche that one comes to feel of emptiness with the lack of it. The evening trips of the festival with friends, taking enough money to have chaat and ice creams, or the toy guns and huge balloons when still younger which seem just a normal child-play now has definitely formed emotions that express during these times.

Life takes you to places, removes you from your natural habitat, becomes more complex by the day, and simply changes everything. But however far, how much ever time apart, the memories that had been formed into in your childhood will always stay, even though dormant like a volcano, only to erupt when provided with the right environment, one of which is this time of the year...

Of 'La Tomatina' and India

       Bangalore is all set to host the maiden La Tomatina festival. It is set to replicate the event which originated in Spain way back in 1945. The event which began as a street brawl and gradually developed into a festival of sorts has the central theme of quashing tomato and throwing it on revellers turning the scene, the street and the people red! While many knew of such an event, the La Tomatino became institutionalised recently owing to its depiction the popular Bollywood flick ‘zindagi na milegi dobara’. Now that organizer has set the date (18^th sept) and time (11 a.m) for the event, larger questions hog the limelight.

       The first question that pricks your conscience is that in a country like ours, where considering whichever statistics you follow, around 40 million people do not get two decent meals a day, is this waste of tomatoes a wise or fun thing to do? What might be fun for one participant could very well be essential food to prevent starvation for many. It is probably to answer this ethical question that the organizers on their website have mentioned “will ensure that a part of the earnings are donated to NGO's or Foundations which feed the needy. Details will be posted once things are concrete.” (this can be found on their facebook page). ‘Part of the earnings’ , ‘once things are concrete’ and no mention of which NGO or Foundation are misleading, untrustworthy and  on the face of it appears mere jargon.
     
    By now you could be caught thinking that we engage in millions of activities which could be branded as anti poor, be it wasting food each day, in however small or large quantity or indulging in spendthrift activities every weekend. And thus it is not our job to curtail our fun activities. It is our right to be part of any activity we think is fun. Or rather the onus is on the government to feed the poor, so what if we can afford tomatoes to be thrown down the drain. Yes you may be right if you think all of the above.

        But the larger issue here is the blatant spectacle that the La Tomatino provides. At the point of writing the article some 55 thousand people had clicked on ‘attending’ on the organisers page. I am not sure if such number of people will turn up but imagine a spectacle of tonnes of tomatoes being quashed amongst thousands, many DJ’s blaring away chartbusters, gallons of water used for the ‘rain dance’ that is part of the event, and also gallons of booze that will be downed all carefully and closely brought every home courtesy ‘News’ channels. How well do you think will the spectacle go down with those 7 million people who have just been rendered homeless by floods in Odisha?
       
          The tomatoes that are used in La Tomatina in Spain are specifically grown for the festival and are of inferior quality for consumption. The organizers in Bangalore have also mentioned that they have ‘acquired’ tomatoes which are ‘not edible’ and are ‘NOT ROTTEN’ (in capital letters). It leaves me wondering which tomato in India which is not rotten would not be fit for consumption. And if the organisers suggest that they have imported such huge quantity of tomatoes, it is a much graver sin in that case. These statements, aiming to provide credibility to this exercise, appear more as cover ups than answering the ethical debate that the event has arisen. Probably the conscience of larger masses would not have pricked if it was to do with any other valuable, but food, the first basic necessity for humans, makes it a different ball game altogether.

         Just because the affluent can pay a ticket of twelve hundred rupees, arrive in their fancy cars, dress not much different than what they have just seen their screen idols do, and a few page 3 celebrities posing to shutterbugs doesn’t mean that a moral licence for such events. The Bhagvad Gita says "The serenity of mind, gentleness, silence, self-restraint, and the purity of mind are called the austerity of thought." It is this austerity which is missing. The question remains whether such an organised event for people to have ‘fantastico time’ as they have claim, is justified where the slums not far than hundred meters from the place have people starving for food, and  a component of that food which might flow in the drain upon which they have built their twigs and tarpaulin huts.

The Day When The World Changed

        I have a lucid memory of that defining moment, the moment which changed the way the world used to be. It was a pleasant evening and my desktop computer was malfunctioning. I rode the scooter to a nearby place and got hold of a computer mechanic (that is how they were called), got him home and as he worked I switched on the TV. And there with divided attention I switched between the computer repair work and towards the scene playing on the TV. The channel that started playing on it was the News channel, which was by default. But on that day and that moment for a few long seconds it didn’t seem to be a News channel. The precise description I had that moment was of wondering whether these are scenes of some Hollywood movie.

      Yes there it felt like an action flick playing where an aircraft rammed into a very tall building. And as if it was an extended sequence, the scene repeated itself. That moment, which made me literally stand up, raise the volume and call in everyone to watch, was to change the world. The World Trade Center bombing, the most spectacularly gory event was to redefine terrorism for everyone. That moment took with it three thousand lives, that moment shocked the most powerful nation of the world and brought it to a standstill, that moment made Osama bin Laden a household name, and that moment registered forever in all the history books.

        Ten years have passed since. Today marks a decade since the twin towers crashed. There crashed not just two buildings of steel and concrete, but along with it crashed the belief that any country however powerful was safe. Along with it crashed the belief that a powerful country could protect its citizens. Along with it crashed to some degrees the sanctity of a powerful religion. Along with it crashed a lull of large scale war. Not to forget the crashing of the lives of people, thousands then and millions as an aftermath.

So much in and around all of us changed for those few minutes. Two countries were reduced to rubble based on ‘hunting down perpetrators’ and the never found weapons of mass destruction. Annihilated with bombs dropped amounting much higher than their GDP’s. 9/11 marked the beginning of the phenomenon of bringing terror right to your doorstep, to your train station, to your airport, into your flight, in your marketplace and much deeper, into your hearts. A vicious circle ensued and continues to grapple us all, irrespective of where you are.

         Security became paramount at the cost of personal liberties many a times. Suspicion based on religion became the order of the day. Many conspiracy theories surfaced and still continue to. The economy turned down and the wisdom of wars questioned. Human rights violations took the world by storm. Also the man behind the crime hunted down after a decade. The war that was raised at a distance of half the world made millions homeless.

        Summing it all up in a few words beats the decade long changes which have become part of the world we live in without our even realizing it now. In the Indian context terrorism has played a havoc always which has been exacerbated after 9/11. The world might have become a little safer with many evil souls eradicated but the questions remains whether it is as safe as we would like it to be? How would our generation remember this infamous date 9/11, a day that was Tuesday, as? A decade later today, and decades later, this date is certain to be The Day When The World Changed.  

As we celebrate Independence Day

Tomorrow we will unfurl the lovely tricolour

Pay homage to the courage and valour

Of the people who brought upon us this day.

To celebrate another Independence Day

How many of us will attend the flag hoisting?

Would we curtail a few hours of sleeping?

Go to offices, colleges, or the parade grounds.

To watch what; some marching rounds?

We see everything wrong with the country

The commoner today reduced to peasantry

A myriad of problems that keep haunting it

Leaders all around just busy snatching it

Corruption the red hot evil today

Economy not shining, no making hay

Homebred extremists ripping apart

Cricketers even not playing their part

Roads are bumpy, trains leave the track

In every system exists at least one deep crack

More most of it you can do nothing

‘It happens this way’, response for everything

The youth books its flight to greener pastures

The farmer, the poor for most some alien creatures

Status symbol today all the brands foreign

Non English speakers looked upon with disdain

Yes today there are problems galore

But they certainly are better than yore

And it is not that bad as made out to be

The fact remains that we actually are free

To be born in free India we are privileged

Not seen emergency when rights got infringed

The worth of which not easy to comprehend

Ask the Arabs who have nations to mend

Our views are not muzzled, we can voice opinions

Would not fathom such freedom the Chinese dominions

Least worries day to day for the safety of life

Unlike the Pakistanis a country forever torn in strife

The small city man realises his dreams

Future brighter for young one seems

Women do not have to stay in a veil

Rags to riches many story’s tell tale

Proud we must be for a rich heritage

We belong here, dollars just a mirage

All the while we have enjoyed its fruits

Could we deny that here lie our roots?

So many evils haunt this nation

But the train has not yet left the station

Yes there are dark gloomy clouds all around

But also little things to make us proud

I am no optimist to paint a rosy picture

But it is our duty to make things better

Motherland that we call it needs our love

Only will then fly in the sky the white dove

Cricketing Blues



          It doesn’t matter even if Indian cricket team miraculously pulls off a win in the third test match. What have been blatantly displayed over a period of few months and about half a dozen test matches is the sheer chinks in what was touted as a formidable armour in world cricket. Of course Indian cricket has been on a high tide in the recent past with notching the top ranking in Test cricket and the world championship of course. Then what went wrong all of a sudden? How did a sudden streak of failure hit the invincible (as they were projected to be)? I believe there are four reasons (not exclusive of course), all inter related, behind this present gory picture that the team represents.

       Firstly, what is so glaringly visible in the fall-of-house-of-cards Indian batsmen is something that has nothing to do with how the bat comes along or how leg moves, it is do with what makes it all move – the mind. The human mind unfortunately doesn’t have a switch which can be turned off and on with relation to the format of the game. It just appears as if the switch has not been turned on for Test match for most of the players. The lack of patience, the quality of shots, the inability to ball long overs both by pacers and spinners, the body language, the clinical approach of a Test match, are all displaying incongruity.

          Secondly, which serves as a primary cause for the above mentioned point, is the overdose of cricket especially the shorter versions of the game. Long gone are the days when cricket was supposed to play with sweaters in the cooler months. There is 24/7/365 cricket played. And the Indian cricket team plays the maximum of it. It is such an issue that everyone talks about as player but is not ready to do anything about it. Players of other countries, including star players, absent themselves if they feel it is taxing on their performance. Is that even a possibility in our cricket team? Throw in the attractive models of 20-20, new talent waiting in the bench (wonder why they don’t make it big) and you have everyone wanting to play every format and every time.

         Thirdly, which is intertwined with the above reason is people like Messrs Sharad Pawar. The fiefdom called BCCI (its inclusion is more important than the PM’s in Lokpal) which is run by people who seem less like administrators and more like members of some secret society. Just because of the viewership, a cricket frenzy nation (despite match fixing being a persisting phenomena), and the revenue it generates, BCCI has a clout in ICC and is wielding the stick at its own will. Touted as worlds richest sports body it has made players more like machines. The tight schedules that are planned, with a separate window planned for IPL in the international curriculum (no marks for guessing what could be the reason) are definitely taking its toll on players.

           Fourthly, the present debacle of the cricket team has a larger deep rooted link to the psyche of present Indian mentality. Fuelled by economic consolidation and the growth story which has catapulted people from lower levels to higher, where ‘winning’ has become a necessity and being a ‘winner’ an identity. The numerous reality shows are a case in point. We are not ready to accept the faults that a Sachin Tendulkar might have. We are in a state of denial regarding Sehwag’s partial hearing loss. We are not ready to accept that cricketers have a shelf life too. The hype created, the aura built and the demi god statuses given to our cricketers have created an invincible and unbeatable image. Add the winning streaks (largely in home conditions) to that and you have a heady mix for people who just cannot fathom the fact that the team can be tamed.

           There is no denial of the fact that we are a cricket crazy nation. Large swathes of people are bonded by cricket. It has been believed to be a religion in our country (the communists though have severe objection to this). And it hurts people when the gods of the religion let them down. The break neck pace at which cricket is being played, the magnitude at which newer formats and newer rules are incorporated to make it more appealing to people, the overdose that people are fed with, all of it places cricket on a still higher pedestal. However the present state of things managed by the mandarins of cricket in India clearly depict a disconnect between aspiration of the public at large and fitness of cricket in general on one hand and raking in the moolah on the other.

Benefits of Scam



Who says scams are the worst thing to happen? Are not there any advantages or positive meanings drawn from the multitude of scams, gigantic upon that, that plagues our country? Am sure you are ready with the answer. You will say it has made the scamsters richer. Well that is a very obvious fact. But what good has it done to the public at large, to the ‘aam aadmi’? Well let us find out.

The section of crowd which is benefited with the number game of scams is our school going children. That too especially in the lower classes (though am sure for some until matriculation too!). Scams have now widened the horizon, err the number game too, to learn large numbers. A simple question which is sure to make a 5th grade kid annoyed at you is how many zeroes do you think is there in 1.73 lakh crores? Until Raja kids were fine with five zeroes in lakh, seven in crores, but lakh and crore together! With a decimal point thrown in. Huh! Seriously?

The next group benefiting out of the scams are a little older students. When you are already familiar with large sums of money next you might be asked a question: if ‘x’ crores of rupees is stacked in Swiss banks, how much would it be in dollars? Ah, sure to get you thinking. For that you need to know the present dollar rate (with recession part II in offing, it is changing at the rate of any Bollywood actress changes clothes in one single song). It can still be made better with a multiple choice question where you choose the politician or businessman and calculate his or her worth in dollars.

Rising little above in classes, the next arithmetic benefit of scams goes to students of commerce. Now they could be asked questions which will have to do all of the above plus calculation of tax if that amount of money was here in India. And that how much would it help decrease the fiscal deficit on the whole. And of course one has to calculate it considering the rate of inflation (which has been rising steadily in the recent past). See, quite a tough question. A real challenge to students which will sharpen their skill.

The beneficiaries of scams directly is the media. No we aren’t talking about media scams (yet). Tentacles of Rupert Murdoch is sure to cause ripples in Indian media too but we will deal with it in a separate essay. But yes the scams have provided enough fodder to Messrs Arnab Goswami to steal away TRP’s from talent shows and Ekta Kapoor’s. Scams have generated employment opportunities for journalists and marketing professionals who on prime time have to sell all possible aspects of scams starting from what Kanimozhi had to eat in Tihar to the laptop Yeddyurappa threw in rage. Employment opportunities sure are signs of benefits.

There are a host of other people who are benefited by scams like your chai wala at the nukkad. Its for you to think how! Anyway, you see with crores becoming the new thousand (they don’t talk about any scam in lakhs) you have to get your numbers right. Additional zeroes for kids to count, dollar to rupees and vice versa conversion, ad space by News channels, these are all but a few examples of benefits derived from gargantuan scams our country is facing. And they say scams have no benefit?

P.S – the article is not to be read when seething in anger over scams in India.

Progress or Retrograde

I could hear the voice but not see them. I could listen to the conversation even though i did not want to, as it was happening right over my shoulders, literally. It was in a bus. And they were sitting in a cramped space behind me. It was a conversation of two 17-18 year olds. I had to/heard it for about an hour and a half.

For the mundane part of the information, they have joined for engineering course, the guy hails from chennai and the girl from delhi (role reversal as in '2 states' by Chetan Bhagat?). Even prior to orientation day, they had ventured to Mangalore to shop and have a nice time. I-pods, suave mobile phones, branded carry bags stuffed with goods, all pointing towards a well off background (you dont expect 18 years to earn that much in India, do you?).

From what i could listen to, the guy and the girl were trying to find their compatibility. The guy using the f word at the drop of a hat, oblivious to the fact that middle aged and aged men and women were travellin in the same air conditioned bus(i mention this because in an otherwise bus the voice drowns). All through the journey he tried to impress upon the girl how 'filthy rich' he is as told by some 'future reader'. That he is going to shine in 'research', to which the girl shot back (i liked that part) 'what research are you going to do?', to which he mumbled a reply doing something with MTech and so on (to remind the readers that he is yet to begin his first Engg class).

The girl on the other hand was trying to express how unknown guys have gotten her number and someone texted asking about some detail of the curriculum, and that she 'usually' doesnt reply back asking 'who is it', but today she did so and someone is kind of troubling her. As they flipped part some pictures (possibly on their phones), all expressions of 'i look fat in this'. 'the angle of the pic isnt good in this', 'this is so awesome' and all emanated from behind. There was no topic of discussion that she was uncomfortable with it appeared.

I could not help but ponder upon some questions. Is this what the young generation today really is? Are the boundaries of morality fast disappearing? How advisable or desirable is it to give children expensive gadgets, give children leeway, give children freedom without responsibility? Have movies made a deep impact today which legitimises foul language? Has children of today accepted that what matters at the end of the day is aiming for the sky, it doesn not matter how you reach there?Are gravity in personality, soberness in attitude and brevity in talks all attributed to the bygone era? Is recognition and acceptance today restricted to the brand they wear? Is this a case in point or the generalisation? Is this what we are calling as progress or is it actually retrograde?

I shuttled in feelings of anger, astonishment, curiosity, reflection and many others. I dont know why but i wanted to see the faces of the voices which filled me with all these thoughts, all these questions for nearly an hour and half. Bu just before i could do that, and on hindsight i feel it happened for the better, they got down, ironically, at a wrong bus stop.

Movie Review - Z N M D



          When Farhaan Akhtar conceptualized Dil Chahta Hai hit the screens exactly a decade back, it served to add a new dimension to Indian movies and needless to say salvaged the career of two protagonists Saif Ali Khan and Akshay Khanna. His sister Zoya Akhtar presented another movie of the same genre with three protagonists, none requiring any salvation of their careers this time, and proved her mettle as a director, a rare breed of female director at that. Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara from the Akhtar stable is a crisp, well written, nicely performed, importantly not overdone and very importantly well cinematographed (Carlos Catalan) movie.

         The movie is primarily about three friends on a Roadtrip to picturesque Spain which is part of a bachelor party and how they exorcise ghosts from the past in the journey. In the process of which comes their way daredevil adventures, lady love (read Katrina), Chudail alert (read Kalki), a lost father (read Naseruddin Shah), and numerous pranks. The dialogues are funny and ones that the youth easily relates to, the poetry of Javed saab is touching and its rendition by Farhaan Akhtar soulful. Shankar Ehsaan Loy have provided lovely numbers yet again but they do not serve as a high point of the movie though you might go back humming ‘Senorita’.

          The movie can qualify to be an advertisement for Spanish tourism, but then as Zoya Akhtar mentioned in an interview, she wanted to show Spain on 70 mm screen to people in India. So do not worry if less fortunate folks in villages gasp at the amount of tomato crushed in the Tomatino festival. The movie could have been slightly better edited, avoiding divergence before coming to the main story. However the performances make up for it. Chemistry between Hrithik and Katrina, Abhay Deols subdued and constrained act, and Farhaan Akhtars happy-go-lucky-wrenched-within roles stand out.

         Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara works as a buddy movie, with the friendship among the three protagonists being the hallmark; just as in Dil Chahta Hai (a comparison is but obvious). It also works because it has a take home message, which is a changed and better perspective towards life. Although one could say that when ones father owns a thousand Crore construction company and one is investment banker in London there is enough time and moolah to think about life. That apart the first Indian Roadtrip movie leaves you with a smile on your face. It lets you drop your worries for a while, it takes you above the mundane routine called life, it allows you to dream big, it makes you break the shackles that constantly bind us.

The theme can be summed up in these lines of the movie:

Ye jo gehre sannate hain; Waqt ne sabko hi baante hain,

Thoda gham hai sabka kissa; Thodi dhoop hai sabka hissa;

Aankh teri kyun nam hai; Har pal ek naya mausam hai;

Kyun aise pal tu khota hai? Aye dil aakhir tu kyun rota hai...

My English translation of it:
These deep expanse of silence; Time has given all of us, Little pain and sadness,
Of all our stories is a part, A little sunshine, Of all we deserve is a part,
Futile in your eyes is the tear; Every moment is a new weather out here,
Why such moments do you let go by; O heart, after all, why do you cry...

Katrina Kaif vs. Rahul Gandhi



The media was abuzz with activity over the past few days over a statement made by the leading bollywood lady Katrina Kaif comparing her citizenship status with Rahul Gandhi, the leading contender for Indian Prime Ministership (readers would recall that Manmohan Singh is ready to quit, immediately when asked to). Allegedly Katrina told the interviewer what if she has a British passport, or that she is half Indian, so is Rahul Gandhi. The context of her statement was concerning the fact that how she and Rahul being half Indian affect their work or their acceptance among people.

But the statement snowballed into a big issue, or that is what was projected in the media. This was courtesy Messer Manish Tiwary and Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, the official spokespersons of the Congress party. Foot-in-the-mouth has become a household phrase thanks to its overuse in media with respect to statements made by Congress leaders including Dr Singh. A similar situation was created by Mr Tiwary when (I don’t know what was he smoking) he asked mediapersons if he should seek Johnny Levers views about Rahul Gandhi too. It appears as if sycophancy in the party has reached such a pinnacle that an apolitical (Katrina I am sure never intends to join politics) statement by an actress cannot be taken in right spirit. Forget about right spirit, just that Manish Tiwary has a microphone to speak to facing scores of cameras, doesn’t allow him to make such callous, critical and cacophonous comments.

The curious case of Rahul baba’s citizenship has always been a no issue for the Indian polity, for Indian psychology doesn’t see it wrong for a half Indian male to become Prime Minister. That there are remote chances for him to get the top post especially at this dismal rate of performance is a different story altogether and requires a different essay. It is probably Katrina’s not-on-purpose kicking a small dust storm which has irked the party. Thanks to the media which carefully crops headline-worthy quotations of any interview, however relevant or irrelevant it is to the larger topic, that we get to see headlines like ‘Katrina questions Rahuls citizenship’, ‘If I am half Indian, so is Rahul Gandhi’ and much more vicious and incriminating ones at that.

With the renewed hatred towards politicians among the masses, what Congress fails to realise is that, no one will see Katrina’s statement as harmful but will take Congresses attack as vile. An old adage says “vinaash kale viparit buddhi”, and no one other the grand old party is proving it right at the moment. When there are larger issues to be addressed, when there are opportunities to come out clean, when there are stronger messages to be sent to, what they are engaging is in picking up all trivial issues and painting it in gaudy colours which looks sore to the eye and pricks the senses of common man.

Facets of Facebook



     

   ‘Hey Rikoo (my nickname), did you receive the friend request I had sent you?’ asked my mother’s maternal uncle, whom I met a few days back after a decade or so. ‘We have seen all your photos, the place you are in is so beautiful’ told another couple of relatives, the same evening, whom I fail to remember when I had last seen. ‘Did you see the photos of my grandchild? She was born just last month’ Another question to which I mumbled a faint yes. And all the while these questions, these statements, kept churning a thought process.

        All right, on the exterior of it the above statements might not seem strange. But a closer look will bring out the theme, which clearly is where the ‘friend request’ was sent and where the ‘photos’ were viewed – facebook! You must be wondering what is so strange about it now! Yes it doesn’t seem strange to us anymore. Yes for millions of people across the world who have access to internet and are part of it, facebook has become a part of life, small or large. It is like the ring which was new once and after having worn for so long on the finger has become a part of you.

         Life never remained the same after ‘social networking’ took the world not by storm but slowly and steadily. Just like in the process of building aircrafts, after many failed attempts, smaller projects and boisterous ideas that bombed, social networking found its first jumbo jet flying high in the sky with flair – the facebook. The inroad it has made into our lives is remarkable. Whether it makes more and more people socially inclusive or fosters exclusivity in children, whether it benefits us or troubles us, whether we are attaching to more people electronically and detaching personally are just a few questions that are associated with the ascent of facebook.

        ‘The web is what you make if it’, the catch line in the Google advertisement is largely true, but how much are we enslaved by it rather than us controlling it needs to be pondered upon. With the delivery of a child captured and posted on FB (I am sure it doesn’t sound Greek now), the process of growing up is shared with friends and family. Of course is a nicety. Your heart fills with warm emotions seeing the child of your friend or relative living far away. Classroom discussions in school is now hovering around ‘hey are you on FB?’, ‘My mom told no FB till I am in high school’, ‘Ha, you know what my brother already opened an account for me’ and so on and so forth.

        Come to teenagers, now this is where we are talking about real issues regarding FB. As much as teenagers connect on FB, equally is stalking (though we in India barely understand the term and what it encompasses), meeting random people (sure is a benefit of FB people claim), unwarranted comments, and many such sour experiences fostered. Such is the merit of this question ‘How much of information to share?’ that it could well be another topic of discussion. The idea that what you do electronically is not directly harmful encourages people to push it to limits but that it might have repercussions otherwise is what needs to be understood.

       FB is truly a society. It is a matchmaker. Many people are getting married having ‘met’ on FB. FB provides fodder for gossip. ‘Hey did you see what footwear was she wearing in that photo’ ‘Which one?’ ‘The one in the album titled ‘Trip to US – Part 1’. No sooner that one leaves for somewhere photos starting from airport, aircraft, my bag, and zillions of such start steaming if not live, almost so, on your ‘notification’ pages. Your office work, its nuances are all on FB for the world to see, whether they like it or not. FB has provided a never before platform for showcasing your talent, your trips, your relatives, your skills, or let us call it showcasing your life.

         The other day my sister told me about her ‘friends’ on FB who happened to be non-friends in the classroom. Is it because of a horde for ‘Hey I have more people on my FB friend list than you’? Workplaces beginning from clinical laboratory to multinational software firms are swarming with people whose break from work every fifteen minutes is logging on to FB to check for ‘Recent Activity’. Harmless on the exterior again but what is it doing to our attention spans? Something lame like ‘I am brushing my teeth’, to something necessary like ‘ I support anti corruption’ to something potentially dangerous like’ I am going to kill so-and-so’, to something very concerning like ‘I am so depressed’ and anything and everything that you can think of is up as ‘status message’. Where should we draw the line between sharing information and becoming vulnerable?

        Various aspects of our lives are now up on facebook. Its infiltration into many lives is pretty complete. Increasing privacy settings are being incorporated to make it closer to a real social setting. FB has in the past few years changed things forever. Birth and death are reported as ‘posts’ today. This electronic entrenchment is where people express happiness and grief and share host of other emotions. Millions today live a second life on FB. The incorporation of Facebook has enriched many aspects of our lives today, precisely the reason for its acceptance, but the process will be meaningful and sustainable only when it is carried out with maturity, greater understanding and responsibility.

Jantar Mantar our Tahrir Square ?

         Tahrir square, a town square in Cairo, the capital of Egypt became the biggest symbol of a revolution in the recent past. Two hundred fifty thousand people, classless, ageless, and genderless gathered to overthrow the corrupt, tyrant, autocratic regime which lasted more than three decades. And finally overthrow they did. It was a true uprising, a peaceful revolt, a reaction after years of suppression and a fight against all that was not right in Egypt.

       The recent crusade of Gandhian Anna Hazare against corruption and demanding the rightful implementation of Lokpal Bill has grabbed the attention of many. Awareness regarding the cause has grown over the last couple of days. The civil society has come forward in its support for the man who is now widely seen as beacon of light in times when the country seems to have been relegated to gory days of corruption. His fasting at Jantar Mantar is being seen as a revolution akin to one that occurred at Tahrir square a few weeks ago.

    But will Jantar Mantar be our Tahrir square? The answer would be both Yes and No.

           Yes because the movement has stirred up the passion among people for a fight against corruption. Thanks to the age of internet and social networking (the hero of Tahrir square you would remember was a Google employee) protests, let me not name it a revolution yet, have taken a different shape. They are now difficult to be contained. Support pages, information passing, fact representation has all become possible at the click of a button. If not anything else the ruling government would be worried about the discontentment of large masses of people.

          Yes because major sections of society has come forward in support of it. When an Aamir Khan pledges support, when an army chief pledges support, when a Sri Sri Ravishankar pledges support, (though I wonder why a Tendulkar or Dhoni have not come forth given their present iconic status) it seems to represent the right cause for people. In times of despair people look forward to leaders who would steer them through, and this movement has brought to the fore a few people capable of doing it.

          Jantar Mantar will not be our Tahrir square because the country is too diverse. There are so many social, economic and political forces at play and at so many levels that nullifying all the factors and unifying everyone in a classless, ageless and genderless fashion is a near impossible task. Geographical vastness of the country dilutes the effect that a gathering of mere two hundred fifty thousand people at Tahrir could do. The media still obsessed with cricket (now IPL) lacks in providing a spirited helping hand to the movement.

            Jantar Mantar will not be our Tahrir square because even though awareness about the movement is high, it is still miniscule. The power to any movement given by the youth participation is lacking. The ones who could take to streets on a world cup win would even not bother to read up what Lokpal Bill is all about. They are not to be blamed entirely though. Acceptance of corruption is in our psyche thanks to the political class.

             Though there might be doubts whether a single Bill would help eradicate corruption in our country, what is for sure is that it is a welcome step for fight against it. Even though a lone movement cannot wake up everyone who is in a slumber sedated by corruption it sure can help wake a few. Even though the government might find a way of dilly dallying the issue what it for sure cannot put on hold is the fervour against it. A revolution against corruption is in the making albeit in strong small steps.

This is where we do it wrong!

       For a cricket frenzy nation what could be better than winning the World Cup of the game. A powerful and passionate performance, a fitting payback for all the prayers, astute achievement which registers in record books for all tested times to come. And the men who made it possible are indeed heroes for making it possible for the nation. It was indeed heart warming to see celebrations break out throughout the nation. But to the ire and displeasure of many though, I would take the liberty to raise a few questions at this juncture.

       Are we overdoing it? Do we need to give them the next-to-god status? Should they be rewarded with cash awards amounting to a few crores per person? Should we come together as a nation only at the achievement of a sporting championship? Should media take these eleven odd men to a pedestal so high that any future human error would make them criminal? Should downing record litres of alcohol, record underage drinking, come as an additional baggage with the win? Should television channels dig into the kitchens to find out from the cooks what the cricketers ate every day? Would Bharat Ratna qualify to be the only award remaining to be conferred upon them?

        I have a few answers. Yes we are overdoing it. If as a nation of 1.3 billion people, who profess cricket as a religion for the majority, we could not win the world cup for 28 long years then the folly is of the BCCI and the players entirely. Everyone would agree to the fact that it is not the dearth of quality cricketers that is the shortcoming. Ask any aspiring cricketer, barring a few wonder stories, politics in cricket as a malaise has been and still today haunts all levels of the game beginning under-14 teams to national teams. Will this world cup win change that?

          Showering the members of winning team with crores of rupees as cash is a filthy display of wealth and clout. It is not that our cricketers that like of many nations go for office work in the daytime. The match fees given the amount of cricket they play, the private tournaments (read IPL) and of course not to mention the endorsements they make, all of it doesn’t definitely put them in middle class category anymore. What justifies gifting hundreds of lakhs Ms Sheila Dixit when millions of poor can be fed instead? BCCI we all know is the richest sports body in the world with a turnover more than many companies. Do they have any social responsibilities as well?

          Cricket binding the nation together is a good notion and a healthy one too. But it only does so when it plays arch rival Pakistan or when it gets home a major tournament trophy. Hit by the match fixing scandal, the fire of which engulfed many a players and refuses to be extinguished even today, the image of cricket took a serious beating only to be revived majorly in the recently concluded tournament. Therefore the idolising of cricketers makes it a over stretched affair. Just like you and me do our jobs, slog to do it most of the times, isn’t winning for a country the cricketers job as well?

         Chanting of ‘Vande Mataram’ by thousands together post winning is emotional for any Indian. It imbibes a feeling of deep rooted nationality in times where political leadership (or the lack of it) has let everyone down. But what change does that bring to the functioning of the country. Do the same number of people as the revellers were on streets that night, come out to vote? Do they post comments on news articles, lest support them, when a Anna Hazare fasts unto death for Lokpal Bill? Downing lakhs of litres of alcohol, rise in about hundred percent of underage drinking in the capital have also been hallmarks in the book of achievements. How about the social work that our men in blue indulge in?

        This is not to take away the credit from the well deserving men in blue. Thanks to them for bringing the nation together for a moment. Give MSD news space but also do not forget Anna Hazare. Give them adulation unlimited do not shower unlimited money on them. Make them heroes do not make them god. An overdose of everything can be distasteful. This is where we do it wrong.