Think please !

A snippet from the news channel telecast last evening is the inspiration, if you wish, for this blog entry – “Thousands of people across the country are showing their support to Anna Hazare. People in Gujarat are showing their support by getting together and clinking dishes and spoons in unison”… (it may sound ridiculous, but true!)”

Of late, I have developed this habit of getting into “healthy” debates about issues – social ones. For instance, my husband and I got into discussing the issue of reservations in our education system. No, it’s not all complaining and cribbing; but as educated and informed individuals, we formed (or reinforced) strong opinions quite contrary to the entire hoopla surrounding it.

“Anna’s campaign”, “Team Anna”, “People march, Government crawls”, “Down with corruption”… these phrases are used by one and all. Witty one-liners on Facebook and Twitter were never liked more or re-tweeted this often. Thanks to the media journalists… (P.S. ever thought you guys could have had made a decent career in marketing as well?). I wonder if the people who are supporting Anna in herds by innovative means, have really thought through of what they are supporting. Are you saying that -
1. Anna “be allowed” to fast?
2. the Lokpal bill be formed by the civil society alone?
3. the PM be brought under the purview of the Lokpal?
4. the bill, once drafted, be passed immediately in the Parliament?
5. the bill is our answer, our bhrahmastra, to eradicate corruption?

There are a number of things that I could have listed. And you will agree despite assuring one or all of those (if that is possible) is not going to be an all encompassing solution. The agenda is not only long, it is disconnected.

In my personal opinion, anyone who wants to fast can do so, without having to take permission, by his right to freedom. Women in Indian households have been holding God to ransom for centuries with their weekly and monthly fasts. However, prior to this thought, one should also think whether it is reasonable to threaten (and I say threaten because it is just that) someone by fasting-unto-death! Yes, Gandhi may have pioneered this thought and many have subscribed to it; as they have subscribed to his other ideas and philosophies. But is that going to help you achieve your objective? Will fasting unto death ensure that your version of the Lokpal is placed in the Parliament? Will that ensure that the same version is approved? Will public support from all strata of the society ensure (so called) “Anna’s victory”. Over and above all these issues, what logical thought process leads you to believe that it, the very Lokpal, will reduce or eradicate corruption from our society?

With due respect to Anna Hazare and his colleagues; I want to believe that they know what their destination is and the means to reach it. However, my main concern lies with the “aam junta” who is following blindly and is quite opinion-less. Yes, your support in large numbers is shaking the government; they are concerned because you are their vote bank. They are worried about certain social elements running amok, wrecking havoc and causing damage to public life and property; and this episode haunting them during their next election campaigns. Manish Tiwari’s foot-in-the-mouth episode where he retorts that Anna is deep in corruption – is that your victory against the government? People like Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi et al, given their attitude and aptitude, will strive for this cause regardless of hundreds supporting them or millions supporting them.

My earnest request to people is to THINK! Anna can make a difference using his Gandhian ways. The question really is, given your position and profession, what can you do? I refuse to believe that protesting on streets in front of TV cameras can be your only claim to fame. If corruption is what you are fighting against, does it exist only at the center of big scams? Does it not lie in the depths of your mind? Are not envy and green buried in the pits of corruption? Are these attributes not human, or are they diseases that inflict only the affluent and powerful? Can it entirely and truly be eradicated then? However, I want you to rationalize at this point that corruption can be kept in check. There can be governance structures that can contain it, if not completely eradicate it. Although I am not aware of the fine print of the Lokpal bill; it could be one such governance structure. At your level and mine, the grassroots, we can make a difference by dealing with these diseases at the core of the society, thy self.

We have known certain things to be a boon as well as a bane. Recognize that the media also has an unpledged alliance; it is not unbiased as it is supposed to be or thought to be. Let us be sure of what we are working towards and what our actions shall bring on. Yes, let’s get every penny, which we pay as a tax, accounted for. Let us also account for our actions. Let them not be acts of a puppet dancing to a tune – sometimes sung by sadhus and sadhvis , by activists or by some joker running a news channel or newspaper.

The Office Corner

It is at the farthest end of the office space; and it is not a separate demarcated area. Invisible boundaries, if you will, define that space of somewhat 6’ x 6’. Special qualities this spot has, for people, their thoughts, their words undergo a dramatic change within it. It is often said that the computer is a window to the world, where one can go miles away and do things at a click. But this spot, a few feet away from the “window to the outside world”, is a window to the world within.
We frequent this spot with cups of steaming coffee or tea. While cribbing about the current state of affairs is a daily ritual; it is also a platform that oftentimes veers the discussion towards each one’s aspirations; sometimes towards trivia drawn from the richness of experience. In speech they sound similar to the great deeds of men of history. We live those moments of past and also conjure a life beyond the present moment. Even if it is for the briefest moment, we give the larger landscape of our lives a genuine thought – we dream! The spot may be just a few tens of meters above the ground, but it has the potency to deliver us into a world of our own; albeit for a flash of the moment.
I have seen people become less guarded and diplomatic, more open, liberal and ever more expressive. I have seen them in a different light here – ordinary techies transforming into unordinary people who have sold big ideas to CIOs, been the one man army during difficult times only to be sidelined in good times, I have seen dreamers who shall own a restaurant and tapas bar someday, dreamers with immense confidence in their solutions to national issues too! I have heard words spilling out that would otherwise have been safely guarded.
Why, you would wonder, does this topic even deserve to be in my blog, or devour character space at all? It is humbug, hogwash... emotional atyaachaar “literally”!!
Well, I just had a few intriguing thoughts about this office corner. Is it solely the complexity of nature-made human mind that pans out such transformations? Or does the man-made office corner have an unfathomable effect of its own? Most of you will say, “Clearly, it’s the former”. Hold on a minute - stop and think of those spaces which have brought tranquility or agitation each time you visited it. Some of you would have witnessed that a particular place brings back the same or similar thoughts (not memories mind you, but thoughts which are barely associated with that place). Recollect those times when you felt the surroundings come alive; when you thought – “This place, there’s something about it!”
While you look for your “office corner”, I am headed to mine… Tell me if you have already found yours :)

Peaking at the right time

This is Dhoni’s motto for the world cup. Is team India really struggling against minnows or is it simply underplaying their prowess? Instinct tells me that it is the latter. While I believe logic can explain both possibilities, here is my take on Dhoni’s captaincy and team India’s performance so far.

Against Bangladesh, it was pure revenge and besides what could be a more spectacular opening to the 2011 World Cup; even the best fireworks display would have paled against the fine display of shots. Moreover, Sehwag had a lot of work to do for the words he spoke and the strokes he played (or did not play) pending from 2007.

Against England, it was a true clash of equals and the results are testimony to it.

Against Ireland, I would certainly not say India struggled. It was more of a strategic gamble that Dhoni orchestrated. When he played Chawla, he was testing his form for future games. When he chose to field, he was testing his side to chase in case luck would not favor him in an important toss. The top order did not seem to crumble, rather it looked like it was on the agenda to have all the 7 batsmen come out and play. Amongst the seven, four made decent contribution (relative to the target) at the SR of 65. Yusuf Pathan, the last batsman in, was told to play his part, i.e. wind up the match, and he shone with a SR of over 100. Our bowling is not an asset and therefore attributing any strategy to it would be overkill.

Yesterday, against Netherlands – again Dhoni’s men may have found it to their advantage to underplay to some extent and ease a bit of the hype and expectation built around them. After all, expectations have been known to build pressure and bring down the mightiest. I must note here that I hold both Ireland and Netherlands in great respect for showing absolute resilience until the match result. Their spirit for the game is commendable.

And now a bit for team India on a whole - the batting line up, the bowling attack and fielding.

While I do not believe that India is the best side in this World Cup as it lacks the bowling attack, what I do believe that if India ever had a good chance to lift the World Cup, it is now. More than it has ever had since the year I was born (1983). Point to note, even then, it was not considered as a side that could lift the coveted Prudential. However, in hindsight our “gifted” commentators and analysts can do all – derive strengths (that were not), admonish weaknesses, create opportunities (and Gods) and tell off threats in a manner most convincing!

Our bowling attack is relatively no better or worse; while comparing with our past let’s save for aberrations like Kumble we have been lucky to have in the recent times. To put it more aptly, it is in a confused state. Spinners don’t deliver, part-time bowlers contribute brilliantly (read Yuvraj) and what did you say.. pace.. eh what? In my opinion the only one in decent and consistent form is Zak. He may not have peaked (in his captain’s words) but he hasn’t failed so far either. Chawla got plain lucky when Dhoni decided to give him one more chance and play against the Dutch. I hope Dhoni puts Ashwin to test in our next games instead of Chawla. That would be an indication of his gameplan as I see it.

Fielding is something what our players do when they ain’t batting, bowling or warming the benches. I wonder if it means anything beyond this to most of our players. As Dhoni candidly put it after the clash with Ireland, “Our fielding will be the same. Our exceptional fielders can get better but the slow ones will remain slow”.

And finally for Mr. Captain … I believe he is amongst the best and coolest captains India has had, not only by his win ratio but more importantly by the way he uses his head. He has in him what a captain should – he exuberates confidence when he conducts himself (unlike Azhar who learnt by rote what to say in an after match presentation). He understands that each player has a different motivating factor, some need to be provoked to perform; with some others he offloads pressure if required. And if he thinks criticizing the team on national TV for fielding will push them to perform, he has the audacity to do it. He maintains a good balance - shields and exposes his team as he deems fit. In sum, he takes calculated risks and is open to experiments. Sometimes they fail, but he ensures each one takes away a lesson from it.

With this I shall end my long blog and hope that the Men in Blue do indeed peak at the right time. While some of you may call this line of analysis wishful thinking, to each one his own.

Please bring home the coveted cup… !!!

Kit-Kat Break Banta Hai …

Despite being humans, we begin our day like machines would. Everything is timed, subconsciously if not knowingly. Today was no different for me. Knowing that the alarm had snoozed twice, I could allow myself 30 minutes to dash out of the house and make it for the bus in time. The bus arrived, I found a seat, out came my earphones; and almost automatically switched to FM and ….
“Mana ki life bahut busy hai, par kabhi kabhi …..
….Kit-Kat break banta hai!”

And it had begun. No, I did not see squirrels singing a duet! But I noticed things that I would not have otherwise. This blog is about those visuals and their coherence with the songs playing in my head.

Along the highway was a teenager clad in her school uniform, sitting by her mother and helping her in the farms. Another girl, a friend perhaps, frantically waved out to her and she scrambled out of the fields with her books and onto to the local bus. And the song playing in my head was “Badal pe pao hain…”

Further ahead was a patch of dry with a lonely but verdant tree at its midst. A tire swing hung from one of its many massive boughs, a simple yet entertaining sport for a bunch of kids that took shelter from the sweltering sun. And the song playing in my head was “Dil chahta hai…”

And this one takes the cake – a young boy, not more than 4 years may be; on the first floor balcony was holding the toothbrush to his mouth with the most bored and lethargic looks on his face. It suddenly lit up when he saw something below. It was a young girl being dropped to school by her father. The change of expression on his face was most amusing. And the song playing in my head was “Dar lagta hai ishq karne mein ji… Dil toh bachha hai ji”

Here the medley ended on a high note as I reached office. The lady guard at the gate said “Kaise hain madam, Good morning”. As if her greeting me was not unusual enough, when I offered her my laptop bag for checking, she smiled and replied “Rehne do madam, roz ka kaam hai. Pass to hota hi hai aapke paas.” I don’t know what change had overcome this lady! This lady would not allow me to pass through the gates if I were holding the ID card in my hand instead of wearing it around my neck.

Perhaps, she too was taking a Kit-Kat break ;)

Shakespear's sonnet in "modern" English

If we had it our way, one of the most famous of William Shakespear's sonnet would read somewhat like this -

Whn my luv swears dat she s made of truth
I do blieve her, tho I knw she lies,
Dat she mite think me sme untutored uth,
Unlearned in da world's false subtleties.
Dus vainly thinkin dat she thinks me young.
Altho she knws my days r past da bst,
Simply I credit her false speaking tongue:
On both side thus s simple truth suppressed:
But whr4 sez she nt she s unjust?
And whr4 say nt I that I am old?
Oh! luv's bst habit s in seeming trust,
N age in luv luvs nt 2 hav yrs told:
Dare4 I lie wid her n she wid me,
N in our faults by lies we flattered b.

In our endeavor for speedy communication, one of the channels man explored was quicker methods of writing – he invented shorthand and then came what we now call the “txt lingo” or “sms lingo”. This language was solely introduced (and is continually being developed) as a means for short, written communication. As with everything, we yearn to widen the scope of utility; while our attempt at this has only proved quite unfortunate in this case; because on our way forward, we lost the importance of it being meant for short and written communication.

I have often come across social updates and emails that are as long as letters and are written in this awfully irritating language which when read aloud sound like words emanating from someone suffering from serious speech impediment. Yes, these new so-called languages reduce the writer’s effort as it brings down the character count. But somewhere at the reader’s end, it counters this advantage. His normal flow of reading is disrupted by the incessant hold-ups in identifying what “cld” really means - “could” or “cold”? And whether the closing line “LOL” really meant “lot’s of love” or “laughing out loud”? You could argue that one can figure out the meaning with the context in place; but hey! Can you really expect someone to build a context when he’s still trying to tie some meaningless words together?

What is worse is that we have now started talking in this language. We combined “tell me” to “temme” not just in written form but also in spoken English; while of course “let me check” became “lemme chk” when written and “lemme check” when spoken. God knows if we had the supreme power to pronounce words without vowels, we would do so! What’s unnerving however is when we use “ma” for “my”, “da” for “the” and “fa” for “for” as we speak. Imagine this… “I am going for the movie with my friends” actually sounds like “m goin fa da movie wid ma frenz”. I came across a smart butt who “by mistake” wrote on a chat window “I’ll send that 2 u” and then immediately followed it with a correction “dat*”. I say, that may have sounded “kewl” but supremely lame as well.

While we understand the need for quicker messaging, let’s just stick to messages and not speeches where we use this language. Leave some respect for what is really called modern English as against the old Shakespearean English.

Just another day?

Stuck in traffic and late for an appointment, waiting at the airport endlessly for your flight, calls that upset your schedule...well, most of us detest such disruptions in schedule and everything else that affects a change in your plans. I do too. The perfect day would be when nothing went wrong or when everything happened the way you planned it; be it a weekend getaway, day at work or simply getting the daily chores done. At the end of such a day you are left feeling satisfied. “Lovely life” - you would say... or would you?

Sunday mornings always begin with a lazy and elaborate breakfast. Monday morning blues begin to set in from Sunday night. You do not even care to notice the Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays that pass by... they are all the same. And then, thank-god-it’s-Friday!!; Because Saturday nights are definitely wild and fun. And then ... there is this one day, like today, when you find the time to ponder and look at your life from high above, as an outsider. We all like to settle down and lead a good life but that challenge of walking a tight rope allures you. You want to break the monotony, however peaceful it may be. Satisfied you are, but there is no excitement. There are memories, but not a memorable event that you want to relive.

If you were told to think of the most memorable day of your life, I would bet it wasn’t a regular one. Yes, you could come up with milestone events like your graduation day or your wedding day. Excepting them, the one that would be etched in your memory would be a gross aberration from routine. So vivid it would be that you could probably recount every detail with unimaginable precision. When you see your life go by in the flash of a moment, you see these days.

Deviations from routine are an opportunity for us to convert the mundane stuff into a memory. one day, smile at that face you see almost every day at the crossing, take time to share a joke from your days as a scout with a bunch of kids, buy a drink for that solemn-looking solitary face at the bar; for your presence in their lives, albeit brief, is a novelty. Take off for the weekend without a destination or agenda in mind; you may end up having the most relaxed trip. Try not to follow a recipe; you may end up with a unique blend. Don’t just let these deviations happen; welcome them ... embrace them, for they add a touch of colour and vigour to our otherwise gray lives.

The Verdict

The streets of Mumbai rang with the sound of crackers. An expression only resorted to on occasions of happiness and sometimes success like weddings and festivals. But in stark contrast, the occasion yesterday was a man being sentenced to death.

“Yeh hamara tareeka hai” (This is our way); Judge M.L. Tahaliyani was quoted in the Times of India dated May 7. As expected, the media is galore with speculations on the verdict; is it appropriate? Capital punishment? Human rights? To all this there is one response from the judge that could put all these arguments to rest - “The common man will lose faith in courts if they give inadequate punishment.”

Truly, capital punishment for Ajmal Kasab does not mean the end of terror. Neither does it mean that justice has been done; for the masterminds and the accomplices are still unknown and at large. The danger is no less. Some minds are crafted to sacrifice their life for certain personal causes. Does the verdict deter them? No, the verdict also does not guarantee that no such attack shall occur again. In short, the event will be celebrated and forgotten soon, only to be unearthed by the media when another terror attack happens.

But despite the status quo, we find relief in this end. Personally, I am not in strong favour of or vehemently against capital punishment. But in cases like this one, where there is no guilt or regret and the audacity to defend oneself of such cold-blooded murder and conspiracy, I feel no remorse in celebrating the verdict. Not even on humanitarian grounds, for what happened then was nothing but demonic.

Call it the dark side of me, but to me the verdict and that too so quickly, has come across as a reinstating faith in the Indian judicial system. Thank you Judge Tahiliyani, your verdict, as difficult as it may have been, has brought cheer to many.