Arab Spring, Indian Summer & European Winter

2011 definitely has been an interesting year so far. We are almost 3 quarters down this year & already we have witnessed a bloody Arab spring & an ongoing non-violent (hope it remains that way too!) Indian summer. With things going downhill rapidly as they are in Europe & US, we maybe on the verge of witnessing an eventful European Winter as well. Talk about hijacking the normally placid seasons!

From Egypt to Israel to India to Greece, Spain & London, young people are coming out & protesting on the streets against unemployment, political corruption, economic scandals & widening income gaps. It is definitely a sign of growing mistrust of the governing authorities & their increasing fear of a bleak future. Many riots have been seen in the last couple of decades,but for once it is great to see people dropping inconsequential  issues like religion & fight against issues that actually matter!

However in the midst of the various uprisings, India's fight against corruption carves a different path. More than anything it implies the strength of the Indian democracy as it criticizes the Govt in a non-violent manner as well provides a constructive alternative to the existing issues. Personally, however, I am becoming increasing wary of the proposed Lokpal structure & the hype centred around one man- Anna Hazare. If too much power is given to the Lokpal (like including the entire legislative, judiciary as well investigative agencies under its purview) without proper checks & balances, we may be just be substituting one type of corruption with another. Nonetheless, it is a good thing that the resilient Indian man has finally woken up from his slumber & is fighting for his rights. 

It is quite interesting to be living in US these days (though not as fun!) The almost-from-nowhere emergence of the extreme-right Tea-party has turned US politics & economics on its head. Its emergence & growth is nothing short of another type of revolution happening in this western part of the world. As we head into an election year here in US, one can see a pitched battle coming forth between two vastly differing sections: one, a unabashed capitalist, the other a deep-grounded socialist. The Ayn-Rand-fan in me will be quite excited to see the outcome.

After years of unabashedly following 'figure-cooking & borrowing' policies, the Greek & Italian govts are not only seeing mutiny by their own people but have also seen consequences of their actions engulfing entire Europe. With Germany & France too reporting a economic slow-down, things are looking to get worser from here. Now the question  remains- are we seeing a double-dip or considering Japan's woes as well, a far darker depression? 

However, one good thing has definitely emerged from all these mutinies.The fight against existing realities has brought the world together in many ways. How else could we have seen an Israeli protestor holding a placard (during a demonstration against unemployment) saying-" Walk like an Egyptian"

Individual, Who?

Saw Delhi Belly yesterday & loved it! Loved it in its full glory too, with all the gaali-galoch & the urban chutzpah. Finally a comic film for the adults, which actually treats the viewers as adults. Had been following the 'what he said, what they didnt' controversies about the movie for a while now & honestly, am pleasantly surprised that the censor board showed the maturity to actually pass the movie without any strategic 'beeps', inspite of scores willing eagerly to point out that the film is not 'Indian culture'. 

The other news I have been following is what the local media here is calling 'a civil rights movement' in India- the Lokpal andolan. While I am completely supportive of the right to a transparent governance, I couldn't help think after the movie yesterday that having some shades of transparency in governance or getting rid of corruption in the upper echelons, could never make our civic society 'liberated'. Many people talk the talk about having a free society- and they define freedom by the freedom of religion, equality, expression etc, but when it comes to actual implementation, one right which is abused more than other fundamental right in our country is the right to individuality. Individuality is the basic tenet of civil rights. And till individuality is not cherished, 'India could never be a land of the free'

Funnily, this is one wrong-doing which we cant blame entirely on the government, as we are wont to do. We Indians are taught  to put the family above the individual right from our cradle- when we are born, the mother who bore the pain for 9mths to bring us in the world cannot name us, the right belongs to the grandparents or the myriad relatives.We start going to school & what we read in school-textbooks is not the truth as we actually see it, but what the government sees fit for us to read (even if the course contents look like they belong to our grandparents era & has as much use as that!). As we finish our schooling, most often than not we are deemed unfit to determine our vocation,  its our parents who do the honors for us. Whichever novels we read/movies we see, we owe that to some 'upholders' or censors of the moral-society, who ever so magnanimously do us the favor of deciding whether something is 'Indian culture' or not. Nd ofcourse whenever we marry, its again the parents & the society deciding who is worthy to be our life-partner. Thankfully, society has left it upon the individuals to have kids & did not turn it into a collective affair!

Ah yes, we owe a lot to the Bhishma-pitamahs of the society. We have them to thank for deeming us old enough to vote, marry, even have the responsibility of kids at 18 but probably not mature enough to consume alcohol till 25. We have them to thank for for raising the population to a cool 1.2 billion, yet immoral for us to see or hear about sex on-screen or even have a meaningful discussion about it with our parents during our teenage years. We have also them to thank for letting us follow the tenets of any religion, but probably not good enough to criticize any. God save us from these morality-spewing collective do-gooders!

Kudos to the writer of Delhi belly for having the guts to show that every movie doesn't have to be about the kid & his grandmother. Wish we had someone scripting the same in our civil society as well.

An ode to Heartbreak Hotel

Not to be confused with the famous Elvis Presley song. Had written this poem eons ago, as an ode to Presley, to Casablanca, to Chaplin, to Sinatra and all the other classics that still fascinate me. Another day, another time, nothing remains now but only a  foot-print in the sand!

Tucked in a far corner of Never-land

People find a way here,

when their dreams turn into sand

Dragged myself & rang a bell
The sign on the wall said ‘Heartbreak Hotel’

"Sir ;May I help you?" 

"One peg whiskey, no,make it two."

Fixing up drinks, lending a shoulder to cry
Staying up late ;cooking fish fry.
Drunken jokes to sadness quell;
Yes, its just another day at Heartbreak Hotel.

.
In a dark corner, sits a silent soul
Ice- cold water splashed on burning coal.

"My dear Sir ,would u like some beer?"
"Get me some rum, I wiIl dilute it with my tears"

In came another fellow-

"Oh my, Sir, you are dripping wet!""
"Walked here in the rain ,what do you expect?
"But why, Sir, walk in the pouring rain"
"So that no one notices me crying in pain."

Stories follow: of hopes raised ,dashed to the ground
Of shattered dreams,heaped in a mound;
Of love rejected or even brutally murdered
Of hearts maimed and cruelly tortured

“Sir,try your luck again ,I feel u can”
“Nay, my friend, her heart belongs to another man”
A song for sadness, a melancholic melody
For the young lovelorn, a moving threnody.

"Sir, should I play another song?"
"No! Play it again Sam, play it all night long."

Thus it goes on and on
Stories of heartbreaks from dusk to dawn.

A soak for sorrows, a sponge for tears
Comforting conversations and a couple of beers.

All is well that goes on well
Between the walls of heartbreak hotel.

Lessons from a Cucumber Seller

The law of inertia has stuck my fingers apparently. Every time I see something interesting, I think about the potentiality of me blogging about it....but then my brain sends a msg to my fingers, nd my fingers say naaah....dont want so much botheration, nd so my half-formed ideas remain at that!

But today I found something, which every part of my body agreed was worth taking the trouble for. This is an autobiographical excerpt from Subroto Bagchi, Co-founder of Mind-tree & management writer. I kinda loved the article for the simplicity of thought presented....a true fact that most of us care two-hoots about the events & fresh ideas unfolding around us.

"At peace with himself and with the world rushing past, this man was dressed in poverty. But in his presence, it was I who felt poor...

On a hot July day, my colleague Moses and I were trying to locate our car on Chennai’s Nungambakkam High Road in front of Nalli Silks when I saw a roadside cart laden with cucumbers. The seller was vacantly gazing at passersby. Clad in a white shirt and a dhoti worn in the traditional Chennai style, he had long hair and an unkempt beard. I did not know Tamil, and asked Moses to find out the price. One rupee apiece, came the reply.

We wanted one piece each. The cucumber seller began deftly slicing them to put salt and the delectable red chilly powder on the neat halves. As we bit into the cucumber, I asked Moses to tell him that his pricing was too low, and that he should raise it. Moses conveyed this. The seller shook his head, and replied that “customer satisfaction” is more important than extra profit. The words ‘customer satisfaction’ were in English. I gulped my patronising comment. At this time, Moses excused himself to find our car. After a few moments, the seller asked me in English where I was from. From Bangalore, I replied. What follows here is our conversation. His statements are highlighted.

Isn’t the Karnataka budget due to be presented tomorrow? Yes, that is true. Living in Karnataka, it was easy for me to concur on this.

I wonder how the governments of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will ever solve the water-sharing problem. Man cannot solve this problem. It has to be God. After all, it is an issue of how much rain is going to fall! I nodded. I was not sure if I had a view at all.

See the way the monsoon is progressing. It does not look good. The progress of the rains is leaving a ‘V’ of a dry patch as the clouds move north. Bihar, Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and the states up north will have problems. Politicians are the ones who use such problems to create a divide among people. They always do it. They use water, religion, anything they can, to create a divide. Look at the way Amarinder Singh of Punjab is taking a stand. I looked at him, in part admiration and part disbelief.

You’re from Bangalore. Things are going well for you folks. But I don’t understand how people with shady business interests can become representatives of public opinion there. It was part complaint and part observation.

At this point, a fellow peddler arrived — helped himself to some of the cucumber, and the two had a quick conversation on some issue I did not understand. After the other person left, I asked him if selling cucumber was his full-time vocation. He told me that right now it was. Earlier, he sold lottery tickets, the trading of which has since been banned. As a result he had to switch his business to selling cucumbers on the wheeled cart. No complaints and no issues. Meaning to engage him further, I asked him his religion. This drew an instant look of disappointment from him: “Sir, I am an Indian. That is my religion. In my eyes, all people are equal, and it does not matter to me at all.”

The clarity of his response and his conviction took me completely by surprise. His net worth was probably equal to his day’s turnover. The newspaper and magazines he reads, to keep abreast of things, wipe off the disposable income he generates. Bare feet on this busy, dusty road, he sold a low-value, perishable product from a rickety cart. At peace with himself and with the world rushing past, this man was dressed in poverty. But in his presence, it was I who felt poor.

We are not complete if we are not connected. It is only when we are connected that things make sense. Only when things make sense, we can form an opinion. Standing there, I wondered how many in the corporate world know who the chief minister of Punjab is, and about the progress of the monsoon! How many have an informed view on river water politics and budget proceedings of another state.

Soon, Moses appeared with our car. It was time for me to go. I shook hands with the nameless cucumber seller of Chennai. Actually, I wanted to touch his feet."