Nomad on the block

After close to eight weeks of continuous activity in the College hullabaloo, a 9-day Spring Break was a much needed getaway. I took this as an opportunity to see places, both big and small, as a guest, couch-surfer, and wannabe young tourist-y investor-y man.

First stop, suburban Baltimore.

This was a good relaxing start to the travel week. My roommate, Dave, is an eagle scout - a big deal in the United States. Its positive to observe how an entire community comes out encouraging its members. From President Obama, to the Governor of Maryland, to the local county administrator, everyone sent in a note of encouragement congratulating Dave. (While in Chicago, I saw parents volunteering at schools, taking time out to coach the community-kids in activities from sports to speech.)
The best of both, communism and democratic living, have been adopted in this culture. Something practiced successfully in Scandinavian Europe. 
Also, it was rather satirical to see the Caplans' average american lives being influenced by India. Here is a family that has been in Baltimore for generations, and has nothing to do with anything outside the United States of America. But, today, the mother's work is to coordinate with her colleagues in Bangalore. Her Son rooms with a guy from Pune. And their favorite TV show is "Outsourced" - a comedy show depicting a story of the impact of outsourcing of work to India. 

I also had the opportunity to interact with my roommate's grandfather who was involved in the world war II building American fighter planes. He added that he worked for another decade or so at General Electric, building microwaves, refrigerators and appliances of the like. It felt as if he was an ambassador to the lines in history books that tell us how America transformed industry and manufacturing in the 1950s.

Second stop, New York City.

After experiencing that carrying a bag with a laptop while travelling is a menace to the shoulders and back, I decided for better, this time. All I had on me were clothes (duh?), a blazer, a pen, and a map. I was supposed to meet a friend at her UNICEF office around the UN Plaza on 42nd Street. But She sent me an email a couple of days before my departure saying that she wouldn't be able to keep the meeting. But that wasn't going to deter any of the motivation, mate. 

As I got off the bus, the close-to-zero temperatures (and rain) made me shiver rather violently for someone well-layered. So I walked down a block, and decided to fill the empty stomach with warm food and hot tea. I entered this Indian-looking cafe run by a seemingly Indian lady. Therefore, I assumed that the "Herbal Tea" on the menu would be the familiar hot Indian masala chai, or at least somewhere close. Turns out it was a Turkish Cafe, and no one had anything to do with India in there. The herbal tea wasn't Indian after all, but good nonetheless. It warmed me up, and the cold wasn't an issue henceforth.

For the next four hours, I kept walking on these streets, from Penn Station, Times Square, Grand Central Station, NY Public Library, to the UN Plaza which I anyway wanted to see. From the 42nd street down to the 14th - ah, let me be honest, I took the metro on that last leg.

Honestly, I was disappointed with the City. Having always grown up with Utopian dreams of a big and beautiful New York, all it seemed like was an advanced version of Mumbai. The emotion of the people at Penn Station was the same as that of the people at VT or Churchgate. Everyone seemed to be in the same hurry. The air, strangely, smelt the same. The people looked the same. Only, the buildings were taller, traffic better controlled, and the Indians more courteous. 

Alas, I did want to walk on Wall Street most badly, and was only 7 blocks away, but I had to catch a bus sooner than what I had booked in order to catch the metro in DC. That shuts down at 1 am, and in retrospect it was good to have taken the earlier bus. Else, I would have had to sleep at the Union Station, DC, which probably wouldn't have been the best thing to do. 

Third stop, Baltimore. The City this time. (Its interesting to note the highly distinguishable difference between American cities and their suburbs - unlike in India)

I was supposed to meet with two friends in the country side but I missed the 11:30 am train to my destination. The next one was at 5.30 pm. Instead of waiting at the station, or going back to college, I thought of checking Baltimore City out. So I took the train to Baltimore's Penn Station (hey, whats with the fascination with Penn and trains?) and my word, it is one the most under appreciated cities. Its inner harbor gives a Gulf like - Abu Dhabi, Muscat like - feeling. Walk in a block, and find yourself in the standard American downtown with tall buildings. Walk in a few more blocks and its amazing how you're confused if you were in Baltimore or Barcelona. The roads, the architecture of the buildings, and the entire feel had something European about it. Indeed, the beautiful Charm City is terribly undervalued. Perhaps because of the crime rates and large number of ghettos; nonetheless, it looks like an opportunity-pot worth keeping an eye on.

Fourth stop, Bel Air.

The logic to visit the country side was to observe the contrast between the largest and smallest. Something an Uncle of mine advised after reading my childly blog on my winter-travel: "Chicago, NY, etc are fine", he said, "see the farms, see the rural side, see the real America."

My hosts, Puerto Rican-Americans, were most homely and in fact prepared a special Indian dinner that night. Chole Bhature (Chickpeas), Rajmah (Beans), Chawaal (Rice) and Pappad (I have no idea what the English word for this is.) Added was their traditional Guacamole (like our Indian Chatni) and the meal was blissfully satisfying. The good times.
Even though this doesn't specifically relate to my being in the country side, I drove a sports car. A two-seater real deal sports car. And I'm still pumped about it. :)
As far as the contrast that I wanted to observe: the buildings weren't there, the crowds weren't there, and all those other distinct differences were obviously evident. These were what I - or anyone else - would expect. But there wasn't any subtle realization as such. However, intuitively, I'm sure I have taken something out of the whole journey.

Fifth stop, Edmonston.

Another small town, I went to volunteer at a farm here. The farm, named 'Eco-farms', is run by alumni of the University of Maryland. Here are these two social entrepreneurs, whom I fondly referred to as the solution in my Peace and Politics blog post, who are trying to develop models for economically viable organic farming. Christian, the co owner, believes that organic farming has commercial potential and deserves a much greater market share. According to him a large number of small community based farms - where the people volunteer - can do the job of increasing that market share. Christian has just started out and in all likelihood there is a long way before he successfully creates a sustainable duplicable model. But meeting him, seeing his effort and visibility of work, was an experience of good learning in itself.

Alas, Catonsville.
I got together with my fellow-countrymen, Indians, to celebrate our festival of colors Holi. Best described as spiritual and childish, we all had a good time. By the end of the celebration, we were all drenched in powdered color from head to ..... shoe. My hair had a nice mix of yellow, green and purple which I must admit looked rather cool. 


And that was Spring break. At heart, I'm not the full-fledged adventure person. But I do hope to cover ground in the coming future, learning more about life, culture, and people as I progress.

Peace and Politics: an unlikely synergy

As I think, "What does peace mean to me?", the words, “A peaceful world is one where everyone has equity in access to opportunity and where every child has equity in access to education, nutrition, and love” ring in my head. But, the ringing of these very clichéd words stops as soon as it begins. I feel the realistic and practical need to question if peace comes from this need for equality or education and nutrition.


Considering the margin for imperfection: disparities, crimes, wars and violence will always exist in society.

So, what really determines peace? 

A good starting point to question the dynamics of peace in society should definitely be politics; after all, our leaders and their policies determine the environment of our surroundings. 

Let’s begin by looking at the three forms of governances – Monarchism, Communism and the (Western Capitalist) Democracy – and see whether peace prevailed in either of the three.

It is a well-known fact that the Maurya, Gupta, and Chola kingdoms of ancient India were considered the “Golden periods” of our history. People not only prospered, but were happy, peaceful and content with their lifestyles under their Kings – a reason why India was the envy of the entrepreneurial European sailors. In monarchies such as these, people never had an equitable access to opportunity. The caste system then in prevalence, assigned the Shudras, or in today's terminology the lower-class, the jobs of the farmers, cleaners and service-men. The business-folk and the warriors were Vaishyas and Kshatriyas respectively. The Brahmins, or teachers, imparted knowledge to the people as well as advised the Kings on how to rule their kingdoms. No one ever tried to switch their "career-paths"; everyone stuck to their duties. And back then, according to our government sponsored history books, things were good. 

So why didn't this sort of a system work? The power wielded by the monarchs most often ended up being misused by the lethal combination of corruption, influence and greed. Repetitive trends made mankind brand the system of monarchism as “un-progressive”. At the center of this unbalanced equation, lays the answer to the most recent Arab world uprisings: in Tunisia, Egypt, Bahrain, and Libya.

Then, there were/are the communists of Eastern Europe, Russia and China, who believe(d) that a system of governmental control and dominance yield both, prosperity and peace. In theory, there is no reason not to believe that such a system would create a happy society. For instance, the Native Indian American society was built on the community-based model of living. There was no sense of ownership, yet the people lived peacefully content lives.
However, in recent communist regimes things have changed for the worse. Governmental oppression led to the human-induced Ukraini Holodomor famine. It also led to revolutions in the Soviet Union and its' post-Cold War collapse. Meanwhile China’s forceful centralization of everything - from farmlands, education, media, business, to the economy - shows nothing but a hazy picture of happiness in that society.

Fast forward to the 21^st century era – a small and globalized world dominated by democracy and capitalism. Today, people have the freedom of thought, speech, movement, and most importantly freedom to access every opportunity possible. 

However, today's vicious cycle of buy, throw and buy, is not only fostering the infamous greed is good principle, but is also hurting the middle and poor classes of people. Even though the absolute measure of poverty has improved (the percentage of people living under a $1/day, as per 1970 UN Metrics, has reduced), inflation-adjusted relative poverty has increased. Let’s not forget the damage tribal groups, and the repeated rape our environment and planet have undergone.

When one looks at a country that has excelled in providing all fair and democratic services to her citizens, the United States of America, the current speaker of her Congress, John Boehner, comes to mind. A janitor in his teens who lived the American Dream to become the top-boss of the World's most powerful democratic body. How more peaceful, according to those words that rang in my head, can a world get?

Not really much, right? 
But when we look at this piece from the average plane, we see that average Americans work all throughout the week on things that they dislike (according to a survey by Market Watch, 53% of Americans said “I hate my job”, even before the economic crises crippled the luxury of opportunities), and then, get drunk, drugged and wasted on Friday nights. As an indirect result of which, homicides, violent crimes, rape, assaults, robberies, have ensued into swollen American prisons. This somehow doesn't look more than an illusion of peace.

In all the three governing models, the end results are theorized to hover very closely around peace. The actual results are stark and diametric opposites of any such projections.

So how does one work around this? Do we lose hope in the harsh reality that a greedy race of men can just never create a peaceful environment?

There are no definitive solutions to this. Activities occur in our world in random, multifarious and incredulously large volumes. Integrating solutions and ideas into the invisible forces of activity would end up being a bigger problem than being the solution. 

Whom we need most today, for the most effective change, are social entrepreneurs; those entrepreneurs who are not driven by individualism. 'Cause while greed maybe good, its only so for the individual, not for the society in entirety. The greater the inequality, the greater the masses are disadvantaged. The greater the masses are disadvantaged, the greater the loss of peace. 

We need social entrepreneurs to change the current linear system of consumerism, which is nothing but out-of-control capitalism, of extract resources, produce, sell, and throw to a sustainable cycle that would repeat itself - Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. How we manage our resources is a critical factor that would influence the random order of activities that occur simultaneously in our world. This would ultimately influence peace.


We also need the more privileged people to adopt a socially responsible mindset. To help undo the damage done on our poor. Instead of having debt-laden governments' - except China's - try to organize education at the grass-roots level, which they anyway make a mess of, the educated urban folk should come out more often and help the lesser privileged sections of society as part of voluntary social service. With due credit, there are salutary examples of such existing groups of people: Teach for America, Times Group's Teach India, YUVA Unstoppable, The Joy of Giving Week, and so on. Such groups now need to expand, infect and reach out to as many members of society as possible.

Sounds simple, doesn't it? "Its all about converting the straight lines (that go to nowhere) into efficient cycles." But it requires heaps of effort and determination. With that, I leave you to the sound of your thoughts: are you doing your bit?

Why Chin-dia cannot be world superpowers

In today's post-recession scenario, China is out-innovating, out-building and out-educating the world. The question Barack Obama put forth to his fellow citizens at The State of the Union - can America out-innovate, out-build, and out-educate the world (or more precisely, China)? 

Maybe, maybe not. 
But thats irrelevant to who-ends-up-being-the-next-superpower.

To go a little deeper, lets have a look at a little bit of history.

Great Britain and her navy successfully ruled the world and its seas for almost two-hundred years. Her explorers dominated land in every direction, east, west, north and south. They opened the world for British markets - and therefore created one of the most robust economies in the time. Her armed forces (mainly, naval) were most feared and quite invincible.

Then came the wars. The Great War of 1914 (better known as World War I) and the World War II. Both of these events drained her economy; during the war of 1914, Great Britain spent as much as 45% of her GDP on military. Hardly recovered by that one big economical hole created by war, She spent another, this time 50% of her entire GDP, chunk on battling out during the second world war.

This severe drain of resources allowed the USA, fresh with surpluses off all the manufacturing and entrepreneurial innovation stirred by Franklin D Roosevelt's (the then American President) economic policies (The New Deal), to take over the baton as the World's leading superpower. 

The rest has been history. We know the might of the USA up until today. Dreams envisioned by American people have changed the way the world works...... up until today.

(Here comes a deja vu moment)

Today, the United States of America is in the same position as was the United Kingdom during the Great wars of 1914 and World War 2. The difference is that the US is plagued not only by wars in the Middle East against terrorists who seem to enjoy volunteering to die, but also by deficit-laden governmental spending that doesn't seem to be tamable - despite all the political will mustered.

Meanwhile China has all the economic surpluses in its kitty, courtesy its seemingly infinite capability to manufacture for the entire world. Also, her army, air force, naval and nuclear capabilities are well-feared world over. Whats best is, She has a billion hard-working, smart folks - which also makes them desirably cheap. Something like how the US felt before, during and after World War 2. 

Deja vu? 

.......Somehow, it is indeed difficult counting the US out to China already. The USA still has the largest purchasing power in the world, largest GDP, and most private wealth - numbers dwarfing those of China. It still attracts people from all the world to come and live the American dream. 


However, for assumptions' sake, assume that America loses its power on the World in the next decade - to China. Can China really take over the mantle? With all thats going behind Her, She possibly can. But the chances are bleak. Hypothetically, even if China does become the sole superpower, She won't be able to hold on to it for more than a decade. Here's why;

The Americans had a lot of things going for them when they took power over from the British. The most important was the language - English. The British, through all their global adventures in the past centuries, have made English The World's language. A South Korean randomly bumping into a Swede will try to converse with him/her in English, more than in Russian, French or even Arabic. All international business is done in English. Which didn't make it hard for the Americans to lead the world head on, as most of it understood their language - English.

Consider Cantonese and Mandarin, the two Chinese languages. Both have ancient histories, and an entirely alien script - as opposed to the Latin script followed by most languages including Spanish, English and a list of others. The grammar is absurd to an outsider. I find it hard for a Dutchman in Amsterdam, or an Argentine in Buenos Aires, to understand that the word, 'ma', in Mandarin can alone be pronounced in five different ways to mean five different things. 

Alas, the Chinese culture is very deep and complex as opposed to the western, easy-going, likable, American way of life. 

What makes things worse for China is her following communist principles. The Chinese government (run by the Communist Party of China) actively participates in human rights violations and a high degree of censorship. It is a well known warning, when in Beijing (or any other part of China) do not utter a word about the government in public. You'll most likely land in prison. Would such blind worship of the government be appreciated in mostly democratic nations around the globe? Uh uh, unsustainable form of world leadership.

Consider also the entrepreneurial nature of the two. However smart the Chinese folks are, they aren't natural entrepreneurs. It takes entrepreneurs, who build corporations, create jobs, innovate and build societies, to build a world-leader out of a nation. You would rarely find a Chinese businessman flashing a two-feet wide comforting smile as opposed to his American counterpart. At the end of the day, these seemingly small differences make all the big difference.

Coming back to Barack Obama's State of the Union speech. He also warned that America must compete against India. Indians who are smart and hard-working. Who are doing a better job for corporations (mainly American) around the world at an average of 1/8th the cost of American labor. 


But I find it hard for India to be a global leader. Credits to us for coming up so quick and rich. However, our politics is rotten and the civil situation gets worse at home by the day; for example in Kashmir, for example about Telangana, for example through the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, for example by the Gorkhas in the North East. Meanwhile our smart and efficient middle-class prefers staying out of politics, content with well-paying jobs and a great sense of (mostly Western) lifestyle. All this presents a sadly grim story that our politicians are decently incompetent to lead the world... at least for another two decades.

That being said, if there is a fall in the world power wielded by Washington D.C., it is assured that it won't go solely to one place - Beijing, Brasília or even New Delhi. The polarity of world power, most probably, will be evened out between the developed and the currently developing.

A two billion dollar stor(e)y

Antilla, a $2 billion home in downtown Mumbai. The richest residence in the world.

Its immodest stats have been flaunted all over the press; 600 working staff for maintenance, 6-floor parking for a capacity of 168 cars, three helipads, a movie theater, personal health-centers for each of the five family members, lush sprawling gardens on every level, over-stretched 27 floors (that in standard measurements would have resulted in 60 floors), and all the jazz one could ask only Alladin's genie for.

Obviously, this has led to heated debates. Some view Bill Gates' - and other Western billionaires' - philanthropic lifestyle as the modest comparison that should be adopted by India's rich. Others suggest the evident contrast between rich and poor in India is woeful: a $20 home next to a $2billion one. Having walked on Mumbai's Altamount road just a few months back, home of the Antilla, I can vouch for the bitter display of inequality.

Even India's Prime Minister has had something to say. He, politely, asked India's rich to "show moderation and to lead by example." Hmmmmmmmmm.....

. . . . .  This case holds an interesting argument. On one hand, there are social and environmental ethics involved, while on the other, its his money afterall. Frankly, who the hell are we to be potential financial advisers telling him how to spend his billions?

Lets give Mukesh Ambani a break. He hasn't done something unheard of. Historically, showing off money and power has been a hobby of the rich - Ancient Egyptians, Mughals, modern day Westerners, and Arab Sheikhs. Everyone has participated...everyone is guilty.

Shah Jahan, the great Mughal emperor, built the Taj Mahal as a tomb for his wife. The Taj Mahal was constructed using materials from all over India and Asia - at a time when the only form of inter regional transport was that of the foot. Over 22,000 laborers and 1,000 elephants were employed during the entire 22-year construction period. What made it worse was that all the 22,000 workers had their hands mutilated (so that building a replica of the Taj would be impossible.) The same can be said for Egyptian pyramids. The amount of money and resources spent on such structures, if calculated in today's denomination, has been an incredulously brutal waste.

Our response to the Taj Mahals and the Pyramids of Giza? The United Nations (UNESCO) names them World Heritage sites. 

Back to modern India. 2 billion dollar homes are not built everyday. Antilla must be given its due rather than be the topic of bitching at dinner tables, "Oh, Ambani is a crazy man." 

The prime concerns of lavish living, are these:  social inequality and environmental inefficiency.

Social Inequality: Had Mukesh Ambani had not spent his money the way he has, would India's social inequality woes have ceased to exist? Or, realistically, diminished even marginally? Social Inequality exists as it has since the times of ancient India thousands of years ago. It may not have been as stark as it is now, with Antilla in the frame. But the cover-page doesn't change the contents of the book.

On the contrary, Antilla is a brand ambassador of the new power rising in India. Else, all Mumbai had to offer was British era built infrastructure, overcrowded trains, and slums (as shown to the world in Slumdog Millionaire.)

To those suggesting Ambani should have given away $2 billion to poor instead,  I would like to ask: how much do you, Sir/Ma'am, give to the poor or social initiatives as percentage of your total wealth?

Meanwhile, $2 billion have trickled down the Indian economy. Laborers, manufacturers, engineers, consultants, drivers - there have been jobs created, and families have been given whole new livelihoods. I'm glad he spent his money this way; there are people who have been rewarded for their hard-work, tangibly.

The real downside of the whole episode is this: If one rich man has done it, it paves way for other rich men to do the same. People are inspired to lead such inefficient lifestyles, leading to inefficient consumption of society's limited resources. The environmental consequences can be troubling. Honestly, I can't defend this aspect of the argument with a fitting argument. But here's what we're doing, like we do all the time: on 9/11 2752 people were victimized. Over time, America has waged wars on the Middle East and plunked hundreds of billions of dollars; and the general American population is still haunted by that memory. But today itself, as you read this post, close to 30000 people have died all around the world from under nutrition related issues. Which one is more pressing in terms of lives lost? Where have we focused our energies instead?

Give Ambani his due, he's created a marvel.

A Paradox: solved (?)

There is a lot of interest around the paradox of the Unstoppable force. In fact in the Batman thriller, The Dark Knight, The Joker says, "this [the paradox in the movie scene] is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object", referring to himself as the unstoppable force, and Batman as the immovable object.

Where can we go with this? Lets see.

Wikipedia, for instance nails the realistic possibility of such an instance saying that such forces/objects cannot exist in finite universe (click here for link)

Meanwhile, interesting videos on Youtube (link) try to argue that such forces exist, but not separately. This is what they come up with: The unstoppable force is the immovable object.

Hypothetically, consider that such a situation is realistic; and that the two entities exist separately: An unstoppable force, and an immovable object.

It could, simply, just reflect/bounce off the immovable object and continue in its path of everlasting motion. 

PS. Excuse me, for the unpardonable graphics ^_^

Chicago

10 years ago, as an 8 year old child I was fascinated by these tall American skyscrapers. They always looked as if they were pals with that seamless sky.

My father had told me this when I was 7, "Oh, America is the best country in the world." I don't remember anything else from that age other than those words of his. The impact was severe. And I'm sure he must, if he remembers, regret telling me this as I am here in this country today against his favor. :)

Things have changed; back in the mid to late 1990s, America's yearly deficits were well controlled (at a point, at as low as $0). Today, they swell over a trillion dollars, adding to the massive overall debt pile of ~$14 trillion. The might of America has reduced. Countries no longer get bullied by its gun-diplomacy tactics. The American youth is, in majority, unmotivated to be as successful as the previous generations'. . The Brazilians, Russians, Indians and Chinese (among a horde of other developing countries) all want a share in the pie. America is no more #1 in everything.

But, I await to experience my childhood fantasy. Of being in these cities, and straining my neck to see the top of tall buildings and still not being able to fit the entire picture in one frame. 

....you may be wondering, where am I heading to?

-Not anywhere much, intellectually. 

Be it on Google images, Michael Jordan's basketball team, or car-racing on the shitty video graphics of Midtown Madness. I have always been awed by the metropolis of Chicago.

Today, I booked my tickets to land in, what I had fascinatingly come across, in grade 5, as the world's busiest airport, Chicago's O'hare airport. 

I know not what awaits me; most probably, deathly freezing winds. But I feel those butterflies in my stomach as I wait for the 21st of this month, to see my childhood fantasy come alive. 

"The Portrait of a Lady" Revisited.

"Well, once, I had killed a snake, and put the snake in Monali's (Mom's sister) drawer. There was quite a lot of noise from her side of course, I laughed and ran for it as soon as I heard Ma coming. I climbed the tree and sat there. Ma was so furious, that she didn't realise that if she climbed to the first floor she could have whacked me with a stick easily! Instead, she threw her chappal at me! Forget hitting me, it almost hit Monali when it fell backdown! I cracked up some more in the tree..."
I laughed along with mys iblings as mom recalled that "fateful" event. I imagined a younger Ma (my grandmom) racing around the house with a chappal in her hand and chucking it at a teenaged mom. I smiled inwardly.

Onviously, the lady in my imagination had no idea what God had in store for her.

Smt. Shailaja Patankar. Commonly referred to as Ma in my household, as that's what mom called her. Apparently, they had had muslim neighbours who called their mother "Ma" and it was picked up from there.
Ma was a beautiful woman. I saw all her old pictures recently, and black and white or not, she radiated beauty and intelligence of the purest kind. Although she was very young when she had gotten married, I'm sure she had been mature beyond her years.

She had been a wonderful sportsperson. Her mother had been an associate of the Maharani, and due to her sports ability, she got to frequent the Palace for games of Volleyball and the likes, in her childhood.

She paid tremendous attention to the education of my mother and her sister. She didn’t get to finish her education, but that didn’t mean they shouldn’t. When my aunt, Monali Maushi, was doing her architecture, Ma made an ingenious drafting table for her, involving bricks and a drawing board.

Ma ADORED gardening. I guess she found solace in her garden. She single handedly maintained the most BEAUTIFUL garden I have ever seen. As I write this, I can smell the mogras in her garden, and feel the chafas on her tree. I can remember countless times when I was little, and I sat next to her in the mud, playing with ants, while she loosened soil, planted saplings, removed weeds, all the time muttering to herself, and talking to her plants.

She had a different nickname for all of us…
I was Vinkie, Srushti Dinkie, Shrey Shambhu, and Rudra (my cousin) Nandu. She stuck to them like glue :D

When we used to stay in Kalyani Nagar, many a time and oft, Ma would take me out in the evenings. I still remember how she would mutter prayers while she bathed, and when she came out, she’d still be muttering them. Then she’d put on her flowery saree, with a sleeveless blouse ( I used to think she was SO “in” :D) and I can literally smell the talcum and the moisturizer called “Charmis” she used to apply. She took me out, no matter if it was just for buying groceries. Once, she asked me, “You want to ride in a new rickshaw?” “which rickshaw?” “That,” she said pointing at a nearby six seater, “ is a dukkar rickshaw.”

I still call six seaters dukkar rickshaws to this day.

I made a lot of trips to Ahmedabad from Baroda by bus with her. We would pass the National Institute of Design. “Maahitiye vinkie? Ek divas tu ithe abhyaas karnaar. Mama pan khub drawing karaaychi. Mi tila kadhi NID exam nahi deun dili” she said. At that time, I guess I was too small to get it. “You might not be my only grandchild, but you were the one who made me a grandmother.”

When I went to Baroda during my vacations, I used to sit in front of the TV every evening at five, to watch the Little Lulu show. I really REALLY loved that show, with the curly haired girl in thelittlered dress, and the fat boy Tommy (who I always hated!) When I used to switch on the TV, Ma used to bring me Parle G and Bournvita and used to come and join me. Soon, she knew the story too. Baba (my Granddad) once told me that she sometimes watched it when I was in Pune, coz it reminded her of me.

But as they say, “God gets jealous and weary of too much prosperity somewhere.”

We first started noticing the signs of the illness when she began doing the same chore around thrice a day. If Baba said anything to her, she’d retort and snap at him, so he stopped saying anything. If you pointed out that “Look, the plants are already watered. You’re going to do it again Ma”, she’d say “Oh did I do that already? I think I’m getting old,” with a smile.
We initially only thought it was age, or too much work. So it was ignored.

Soon, it started getting worse.

She began to cry at the drop of a pin. She would throw tantrums if anyone would tell her she’s doing something wrong, the perfectionist that she was. Baba would tellall this to us on the phone. Soon he started getting weary of her, and couldn’t control her anymore. So they moved into our house in Pune.

She started repeating one sentence over and over again. It used to sound like she was muttering to herself. She lost a TREMENDOUS amount of weight. Because of that, she looked like she had grown shorter by a few inches. We got it confirmed by a neurologist. It was Alzheimer’s.

I was in the eleventh then. Around the time they moved into our house, I started losing interest in academics. I started spending a lot of time in the DPS library, during breaks, and whenever we had free lessons, trying to find out more about the disease.
All we could do then, is try not to stress her emotionally…. And wait.

She lost her joyous nature. She lost her ability to express emotions. She would stuff her mouth with food, forget how to chew, and try to talk at the same time. She would drink water, with almost no water going into her mouth, and water falling out from all sides. She forgot how to put on clothes, and how to bathe. She forgot she has to comb her hair. She forgot everything in a very small span of time. I can’t even recall how short that time was. And how very scary.

Soon, she forgot my family. She only remembered me. Vinkie.

From when she would get up it was “Vinkie la zaaychay na?” “Vinkie la jevan de na?” “Vinkie la exam aahe na?” right down to the evening “Vinkie la class aahe na?” “Vinkie yetiye na? Vinkie?”

She scared the hell out of me once, when I emerged from my bus in the afternoon, and saw her standing on the road in her nightgown. She rushed over to me caught hold of my hand like a little kid, and I took her home. I don’t think I ate anything that day. And spent most of the night sleepless and in shock.

The next day she did the same. And the next. And the day after the next. Soon, I started locking the door from outside when I left for school, just worried that she’d go somewhere, and forget how to come back.

She stopped eating. I had to feed every morsel into her mouth and say “Ma eat” and pretend like I’m chewing something so she could imitate me. I had to pretend to drink water so she could imitate me. I had to pretend to sleep so she would lie down next to me and imitate me. I stopped going to school at that point. It was too much for me to take.

One day, she woke up at three am, and came up to my room where I was awake studying. “Vinkie… architecture cha form laaglaay na? tula architecture karaaychay na?”
I calmly led her back down and put her to sleep.

Baba told me the next day, that she continuously bugged him all day about how I “need the arch form” and how “the dates will slip by”. By this time, I was worried beyond limit.

Soon, she forgot all the elementary things too. She couldn’t tell when she felt like excreting. She couldn’t tell when anything happened to her, around her. She was like this hollow being. With no soul. Hapless. Helpless. And I could do NOTHING but WATCH. I had watched a flower deteriorate in the worst way possible, and seriously, could do nothing.

On my birthday that year. Second of September, I called a few of my DPS friends home. She realized there were people at home, and came out. There was pin drop silence, as she sat down on the sofa next to Aneesh. She patted his thigh and looked at him.

And smiled. That was the first time I had seen her smile since she came to our house.

Soon, Monali maushi decided to come to Pune to pick Baba and Ma up and take them to her house in Bombay. We dressed Ma up in a beautiful Salwar
Kameez. It hung loosely on her, but still looked nice. They left for Bombay that day. September the Seventh.

The next evening, eighth of September, we got a phone call that she was no more.

I didn’t know how to react. I was sad. Terribly sad of course. But in a way, I was happy. She had escaped from the most TERRIBLE disease I had ever had the misfortune to witness.

I realized then the importance of Khushwant Singh’s words as he described his grandmother,

“She could never have been pretty, but she was always beautiful.”

The paradox of elections

Just the other day, I was watching this live telecast of the elections for the Governor of the State of Nevada in the United States of America.

One of the candidates, Mr. Rory Reid, gave a high-sounding speech deserving of an enthusiastic applause. I will do this. And I will do that.

Something we keep hearing during election campaigns, I will do this much more. And I will do this as well! I will bring change! I will, I will, I will.. Does this "I will" translate - in a few years - to "Yes, I have"? History tells us, most of time - no. 

Barack Obama, current president of the United States, had courageously promised a list of tough tasks during the 2008 presidential campaign. America emphatically gave him presidency. 500 days later, there is growing resentment to his ways. People have begun being critical of him. Where I personally admire him, I think his promises were too herculean to be realistically met. Whats amazing is, when speeches are being delivered, when applauses are deafening, the power of the word - not action - is given most importance. By the time it comes to action, the expectations were always too high. Bloop bloop.

Hasn't this been happening in India, too? Where politicians come in all melodramatic emotion swaying the masses with their melodious rhetorics - coupled with free blankets and country liquor. While action, is an agenda ignored and lost in the euphoria of promises and words.

Perhaps this image of politicians is what has even detracted the Indian middle class from exercising the most simple - yet most powerful - power vested with them, by the constitution, of voting.

We have, by experience, been skidded into the thinking that politics is a dirty business and nothing can - or will - change. Period. Let me do my own business. Period.

This is a gene common to all - most - politicians across races, countries, and I'm sure if they have elections in the  animal kingdom, the animals have it too. The lion for instance, has the loudest - powerful - roar. But he just simply lazes around in the fields, sleeping and staring blankly in the open! 

Imagine, would your attention be taken by a politician or someone desirous to bring change even if he/she did not speak with the greatest of charisma, and did not promise to bring you rocks from the moon?

Would we, as the people, be any moved by such a leader who is modest in his/her goals and aims. I don't think so. Which is why, we're fed what we want to eat, big promises. We like hearing big. And we forgive lack of action, in the next speech which is just another round of big promises.

Keep an eye out for any candidate who isn't promising the stars. If he has a good track record, he/she might well be a deserving candidate who should be given a chance! (But first, do you vote?)

The Blackberry mess.

A new security issue that has been boiling up. Which has different perpendiculars to it.

The Blackberry saga. That hi-fi business phone which has got all the savvy features.

The Indian leadership (along with that of several others - including UAE, Indonesia, Lebanon, etc) has a problem with its founders - Research In Motion (RIM).
The issue is this, quite simply: The government can't intercept data (ie emails and instant messages/chats) exchanged via blackberries. Which, rightly, poses a threat to the nation's security.

But, the rhetoric is here to stay - will terrorists/illegal elements stop functioning if the blackberry (worst come to worst) is banned? Is this a solution? Because we can't monitor XYZ, ban it?

Now, lets assume the Blackberry is banned. Great. So the government can have a record of all data being shuffled around in this system. Great (for the nation's security). But if you block me passage by an airline, won't I start using the train. If you block me passage by train, won't I use a car? Now you're not going to get cars off the roads!

They'll find new ways!
But why inconvenience the public because of this?

Or, this could open up another dimension, does the government want to keep all reins with itself (in the name of national security) but actually use it for espionage, or other benefits to elements of it? Yes, this is a highly fictional angle. But definitely worth pondering over.

So this should be an eye-opener. Tomorrow, if terrorists find out a way to not be traced/tracked on the internet; will the government put the gear to last-resort and press the ban-accelerator so quick? Yes, it will definitely contribute to the safety of the public. But what about general inconvenience?
Anyone listening to that?

The Poona Blind School

Its the hard truth - in India, without influence, its not easy to get things done. For a simple act, such as this, I was shown the door twice: once by the principal, and then by a social activist (who I'm sure had nothing to do with the administration of the school, but was just throwing his weight around.)

However, once serendipity was by my side - things just flowed like silk. And I was there. With these bunch of positive humans! Who have all the talent, humility, goodness and the flame to do something despite their limitations. Despite being visually impaired, they have the hunger to succeed. Which is a great lesson for anybody who has the luxury of basic necessities in life! It certainly was for me.

Our team of three - Ishan, Abhishek and me, arrived at the school at a little before noon with absolutely no plan in mind for the session that we would do with these students. It was a classic case of being consciously extempore. Which, I believe, worked out very well. 

A certain Mr. Mahajan took us to the dormitory. There he called, no - yelled, out to the kids as if he were their general taking them to war. "AYYYYE CHALA CHALA CHALA. PUDHE GHEYU. CHALAA". There was, however, a kindness in his yell. The group self-assembled themselves. And our threesome was guided by these lively guys to the recreational hall. 

Here, we thought we should begin with ice-breaking and we began talking to to each one of them. Asking their names. What IPL team they support (and those who didn't root for the Mumbai team, received some gentle leg-pulling from the Shiv Sainik in me! Ha ha)

This very sincere looking guy, Shankar, volunteered to sing for the group. And his voice had an emotion at least I hadn't heard live before. It was, unflatteringly, simply outlandish.

One dude Mahesh, was wearing stylish clothes that made him stand out (yeah, like a complete dude!). I complimented him (and everyone who I could) on that and, wow, what a beaming smile each one of them have! Like, its made their day. It felt so good. We took all of their hands to shake. And taught them to shake it firm, like men. Great ice-breaker session!

So the singer, Shankar, took us to the music room (as some of the rest wanted to go for a swimming session that a group of German volunteers had organized for them.)

They have a way to communicate with people. They stick to them. In the outside normal world, gestures like these will be considered atrociously indecent. However, with these guys, it didn't feel odd at all. Some of them were stuck on to me. Their hands were their eyes. The rest were with Abhishek and Ishan.

In all, it was the three of us and this group of boys - Sachin, Ankush, Madhav, Abhijeet, Harshad, Pravin, Rishikesh, Sandeep, with their Sir, BK (Bala Kamble). We had a good time listening to their soulful music. They used harmoniums, tablas and the bongo. After each music piece of theirs, the three of us showered them with chants of "Awesome, dude, Awesome!". It was warming to see, every instrument in the room had been donated by someone. A small act of kindness making a difference! 

It was also interesting to learn how they played the game of cricket. Conventionally, there is a bat and ball. The ball is chucked, and you have to smash it with the bat. For them, its a different ball game altogether? However, with their inherent spirit to fight, they play the sport by putting on these dangler like objects on the ball so that using their sense of sound, they can connect it to bat! Amazing, ain't it?

As the whole thing was approaching an end... I took over and we had a discussion on football. It was great to see the fanfare for the beautiful game! We ended up talking about Brazil. And I made them do a small Brazilian dance - O Yapo O YaYa ae ae ae. Which gave us all a real kick!
Their voice made me believe, our aim had been accomplished. Our team had given them reasons to feel good about life!

Some of their eyes made me scared, some made me think, some inspired me. It felt great to be hugged by so many of them.
I thought we'd take 30 minutes. But we ended up spending hours.

Here, I'd like to give a special mention to the group of German friends, as the boys called them. These are foreigners, in an unwelcoming environment, they have striven to make a difference. And they have done it! On a little tour of the premises, we were shown this tree-house that the German friends had designed and built. They have been regularly coming down every day of the week, for the past year, taking the blind kids for swims, talking to them, teaching them to speak fluent English and German, and so on! They are the real heroes. Salutes!

The IPL, politics, and a little bit of drama

All this noise around the IPL, its commissioner Lalit Modi, and Dr. Shashi Tharoor has caught everyone’s fancy off late. For the wrong reasons. But maybe it was meant to....?

There is another proceeding taking place, simultaneously, which has been suppressed by the sheer popularity of the controversy surrounding the Indian Premier League. That of price rise and inflation. Inflation has jumped up to 10% from sub-zero levels a few months back. A silent volcano waiting to erupt.

It might also be interesting to note, that the opposition parties in the Parliament have called for a cut motion. If this cut motion is passed. Quite simply, the government will fall – disastrous for Congress' reputation. In the light of such high stakes, a mere four billion dollar brand (the league) hogging up precious time not only in the media, but also on the floor of the Lok Sabha, could just be a detour to shift the focus off imminent issues and the approaching cut motion.

Analysing this nexus, I would like to begin with Mr. Sharad Pawar, Union minister for agriculture. He might have to face the loudest music for the rising food prices if the cut motion is passed next week. I have never read or come across a single article in the damned media raising questions over his suspicious (and massive) hold on real estate/businesses/properties/even some of the biggest media houses/etc all over the country that, actually, amount to greater worth than that of the Ambani brothers combined.

His over-zealous participation in cricket politics, off-late, than in his ministry portfolio (of agriculture), in front of the media calls for something very clever. In very subtle ways the light has been thrown off of what holds potentially disastrous consequences for him and his government.

Secondly, the income tax raids on the IPL offices and broadcasting companies. What is the I-T department at the end of the day? A part of the finance ministry, and therefore; a part of the government. (Of course it isn’t a part of the day-to-day politics that take place in Delhi, it is an integral part nonetheless.)

The government, as per its fancy, can “influence” the I-T department to conduct raids. Which explains the hullabaloo surrounding the raids on the IPL. And come on, like everyone was so dumb that they didn’t know about the hanky-panky transactions and violations of investment laws that obviously took place in a fast-growing, billionaire fueled, business such as the IPL!

Thirdly, Dr. Tharoor. With my interactions with certain senior Congress Party members in Delhi last November, I concluded that there is a stark resentment against the ways of Dr. Tharoor. Giving him the boot because his ways are transparent, and he uses a little too much of Twitter would have called for serious flak from the international community (in which Dr. Tharoor impeccably served for 27 years on the trot!)

He seemed the perfect bait for the entire IPL story. So that fits well too.

Lastly, Mr. Lalit Modi. It is a well-known fact, that saving Mr. Pawar, everyone staunchly hates Mr. Modi in the Cricketing politics of India. Surely, for Sharadji, Mr. Modi wouldn’t be much of a sacrifice to save an entire government at the end of the day. Meanwhile, many other powerful people will be happy too. It will be interesting to see how that unfolds on April 26^th. What advantage he does have, is the unrelenting support from franchisee owners; India’s respectful throb, SRK and liquor billionaire Mallaya. This will be a real interesting battle to see.

There is nothing novel in this move, if at all it is one. This is what politics is. What started as an innocent little contemptuous tweet, turned into a potential juggernaut, that the Congress seems to have fired in the hole!

Mahatma Gandhi..... did he make India what she is?

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. The man who spread the message of honesty (satya) and peace (ahimsa). Yes, he is one of those rare gems that will keep shining brightly (for eternity perhaps) in India's history. But.... is he responsible for India's freedom? Has he rightfully been accredited as the Father of our nation?

It is a fallacy that Mahatma Gandhi's non-violent policies drove the British away. Far from it....

The British left our lands in 1947. Two years after the end of the IInd World War. The end of this war marked the re-alignment of world power from the British throne to the US and the USSR. Right... and of course it also marked the establishment of the United Nations. 

As per the United Nations charter signed in 1945, countries that previously held colonies had to begin decolonization. Which meant, a formerly dominating powerhouse like Britain had to let loose of all its colonized outfits. And therefore, not just India, but a string of thirty odd countries gained independence during the post-ww2 period. 

So, how come... we blasphemously accepted that it was Gandhiji's truthfulness that drove our colonizers out? Isn't that very docile? Yes, he must be remembered and his paths must be followed - but to the extent of blindfolded acceptance that he has made our country what she is, is.... well, thats not just very progressive now, is it?

Gandhiji, is an exemplary and a great teacher. But leader? I doubt there was any progress during the twenty-five odd years of his "moderate" freedom struggle. He was responsible for the execution of deserving brave-hearts; Bhagat Singh and co. His Dandi March, today, has been hailed for its good natured cause and peaceful effort. But back in 1930, its yield was poor. All that resulted was a dis-satisfactory and rhetorical truce between Gandhi and Irwin (rep. of the Britishers in India back then).. and that too a whole year later (in 1931).

To an extent, Gandhiji's humble persona and his soothing nexus with the poor made him the ideal face of a newly independent India. But you know what? It took crores of rupees (in those days!) to keep M.K.Gandhi in poverty! Hah :)

The principles of Gandhigiri, when followed, will definitely transform society into a more humble, humane abode. But... have our historians painted a colorful picture, as in a 256 million colors one, and have we, the independent India, blindly accepted it in the euphoria of being independent? 

Defaming Gandhiji of the honors bestowed is no solution. We have imminent problems to find solutions to, and will do much better to focus on them rather than revisit history that will have no possible effect on the progress of the country... That is not the point... However, as educated people, we can only try our best not to be victims of the blind-following the-blind system by letting the sound of our thoughts inspire some thinking....

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