Food for all

For a country that had successful Green and White revolutions some 20 years back, how did we ever reach a stage where the tax payer has to fund the govt so that no one goes to sleep hungry? Yes, we are a welfare state, and yes, no one should sleep hungry. The intention is noble, but i think this bill is not a holistic way to go about it.

All fables and all stories, advice us teach a human being to be self-sufficient, so in the long run, he can help himself. I don't think giving food at 1, 2 and 3 rupees helps. Call me cynical if you want, but the farmer will have to sell the crops at a lower cost to the government, the subsidy for that will be borne by the taxpayer, the food typically will be siphoned by the PDS agents, and the hungry will continue remain so.

Multiple sources put the numbers of hungry / malnourished between 5% to 20% of the population and cost to country anything between Rs. 25,000cr to Rs. 650,000cr to put the food security bill in effect. However, the procurement, storage, transport and making it available in a non-corrupt environment is be the biggest challenge, from where most people see it.

Lets say, we go with the government goal to ensure no one sleeps hungry in the next five years. We will make sure everyone gets food. Feeding the people isnt the problem. I see many organisations, corporates, NGOs, charitable organisations doing that. Even regular people. Feeding people is curing the symptom, not finding a solution to the problem.

If food is freely available or available at a subsidised rates, at a continued duration, it will aggravate the tax payer middle class, which will prick the political class. That too is pretty myopic. The larger concern is, the farmers wont farm anymore!! Soon, we could have a year when there will be no farm produce, and we will import food from outside. So, what part of that food will go for people who can pay for it, and what will go to those living off the subsidy?


Hence, first things first. We must encourage and incentivise agriculture and agri-research. For a country that's largely agrarian, our economy for many years has been driven by industrial growth and service sector. Yes, the second and third wave will be the driving force and factor; but we must not discount agriculture. The day the farmers think what they put into cultivating is not coming back - they will lose the plot. It has been happening pretty regularly over the last 20 years or so. The cost of living isn't coming down, then why should the minimum purchase price remain stable? Other than holding on to his land, what reason does the farmer have to yield the produce and sell the food at government prices?

Having said that, a strong willed approach is necessary for irrigation projects, making seeds available, encouraging organic produce. The reason why there is large scale migration to urban areas is disillusionment with the existing systems. If all factors are made available to the farmer, and his energies are focused on the crop cycle, where he is ensured a decent margin over his production cost, i don't see any reason why food and nutrition will be a concern. Plus, we can actually look at a realistic reverse migration model.
The farmer can put a vague and arbitrary cost to his daily effort - which will translate to higher market price and so on and so forth. That definitely can be checked with per acre sweat cost depending on the terrain etc.

The key is the government should be able to make whole grains, vegetables and fruits more accessible and cheaply available. We can look at multiple models - like, weekly bazaar where farmers directly sell the produce in markets set up on the city peripheries. Local produce should get more importance over imported or transported crops. To bring best available food to the people, either the price of the produce should be raised or heavy taxation on processed foods should be introduced.

Importance for local produce is necessary to avoid what is happening in Kerala, where cash crops (rubber, spices etc) are primary produce and they import rice, dal and vegetables! Since the cost of labour is very high, they have to get farm help too from outside! However, the locals claim joblessness.
Look at Panjab. Similar stuff - but prosperity has led to alcohol and drug abuse. And the land is concentrated due to over consumption of fertilizers etc.


Let agriculture be part of the growth story. That will ensure more food. More food for all. Yes, there will be distribution challenges but that is easy. When the local produce is plenty, you wont need to stock or transport. We need more non-SEZs led opportunities in rural areas. We need to generate more employment in the most employable sector - food, glorious food.

The Road and The King

On 6 November this year, i completed 15 years of driving with a licence. Much said already :)

Over the years, i have figured some truths about the roads and driving in India, stuff that sometimes amuse, irk, trouble, and entertain us during the daily commute.

Passing the blame: Not one to shake hands and let go. Every child knows "taali ek haath se nahi bajti", but try to say that on the roads and you are at your own peril. Of course, there are exceptions. The mandvali is usually preceded with  the charade of power connections, curious onlookers, and there never is a moment where sense prevails.

The connections: Among the things done in an accident, one of the first things is to pull out the mobile phone and call - not to inform near and dear ones, but the "connection" - be it goons, cops, politician.


Chaos of the onlooker: Joblessness is a real condition in our country and its visible when there is something that happens on the roads. I once was stuck on a bridge, cos some idiot jumped off the bridge and all those walking, driving on it, stopped their vehicles in the middle of the road to see the rocky end of the one who jumped.


Signal boredom: Yes, its true. No one likes traffic signals. They just add unnecessary seconds to our already behind schedule lives. However, just cos you are late, must you dig you nose?
Pseudo leftists: Despite 60 odd years of the Congress party, our country remains largely leftist. If all those who overtake from the left joined the left front, the Chinese wont need to do all this under bullying.

Curious case of the unfollowed lane: First came the road, then came the road widening, and then the mad rush. Yes, most of our roads are very narrow. However on the ones that are wide and have lanes, can we follow the line? Nope!! The best is Dilli syndrome, where you drive "on" the white lines - going whichever lane the traffic eases up.


Middle class surge: Folks came from very humble beginnings, wanted to get ahead in life. They took any opportunity, no matter how small to make their lives and those of their loved ones, better. They passed on those values to their kids. Unfortunately, on the roads too. Two wheelers, cars, tempos, trucks - take whatever vehicle. Whenever there is an opportunity to get a foothold, they will attempt to put their vehicle in there.

Cross over at the railway gates: In manned as well as unmanned railway crossings, this is a common sight where vehicles will block the left AND the right side of the road. When the gates open, those who have crowded the wrong side of the road, from both sides, want to move ahead. Folks who arrive earlier  and are on left side of the road, are stuck till blokes who want to go from wrong side of the road to left side, for equal number of idiots on the other side want to make similar passing.


Gone with the Wind: its easy to judge, but from cycles to bikes, from auto rickshaws to buses to luxury cars - we have people spitting out - oblivious to everything else.

Blame is proportional to the size of the vehicle: Take any accident. More often than not, the one with the bigger vehicle is the villain. Its not only the attitude of party involved, but the onlookers, the system and even the police. Its the sense of entitlement that is pissing off. I have seen bus guys getting beaten up just cos they have a bus! I have given money for damage that was not my fault of mine. Sometimes i wonder what did i avoid by encouraging that beheviour?

Jaywalkers: If there is one category that has begun to anger me too much, its the pedestrians. I respect those on their feet, and those cycling. I always wait till they pass, give them preference at intersections. When i dislike them most is, after a 2 mins signal, they continuing to walk by simply raising their hand. This can be seen best at Swargate. Either, we re-program the signals, where after the vehicles turn, there should be a 20-30 sec vehicles stop for pedestrians. And of course, there are those who walk on the road, even if there is a footpath is in place.


Some  things that pop up:

• There is absolutely no value of human life. At least people behave that way. 
• The traffic police is severely understaffed. There is zero deterrent value to our punishments. And there are no incentives for good beheviour. 
• At no point of upbringing is civic sense taught. Parents think its the schools responsibility, the schools think parents should do it. And lets accept it, we are bad teachers for those with impressionable minds.
• We have screwed up. We can fix it.

Lesson in Socialism

(Borrowed from the FB page of my senior from Sainik School Satara, Pravin Sathvara)


An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.
The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan".. All grades will be averaged and everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).
After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.
The second test average was a D! No one was happy.
When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F.
As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.
To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed.
Could not be any simpler than that.


These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:


1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.
2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.
3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.
4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!
5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.


Can you think of a reason for not sharing this? Neither could I.

Rocky Life of a Rockstar

I enjoyed Rockstar. I might watch it again, when i have the time to spare. Perhaps on television. I loved the existentialist bit from the "Sadda haq", although i thought the song was out of place in the movie. That, in India we don't have a "real" rockstar and music for us equals to Bollywood, is subject for another blog. This one is is about essence of a rockstar.

Everyone at some point in their lives wants to be rockstar. Live the irresponsible, reckless and mannerless life, not be answerable to anyone, live in the present, say and do things without second thoughts, not care about the consequences. The classic "rebel without a cause."

Some even manage to do it for few years, mostly in their college and youth - as pretentious as it sounds. Torn jeans, walk with a swagger, date a few girls, buy some porn. Little bolder ones might cheat in exams, shop lift, walk out from eateries without paying bills. You get the picture. And then, its time to grow up and wear formal clothes and polished shoes and get on with "haan-ji" life that they are destined to live. The rat-race begins, never to end. Everything else follows - wedding, EMIs, kids, more EMIs - and the "babu" coded in the DNA wins.

This, in no way is a life to be ashamed of. Its a perfectly alright and acceptable life - with solid definition, strong rights and wrongs and moralities. Millions would kill to get a sorted, mundane life like this. Those of you living this life, are blessed, my friends.

Few continue the inexcusable beheviour all their lives and they too have a stories to tell. Not the 9-5 water cooler gossip, or the polite dinner time tales though. These are the wild stories - Of living on your terms and risking heart break and unrealised dreams; Of going out on a whim and ending up friendless. They never grow up. They don't want to grow up and put a pretense of civilised beheviour. They continue to rub institutions, establishments, and everyone else the wrong way. Most times over a stoopid pretext of wanting to be different, or some such belief and endure whatever comes their way. Everything else - love and hurt, things said and unsaid, actions done never to be undone, ecstatic joy and unbearable pain - are all part of the rocky existence.

Each one is a rockstar. Everyone who pushes whatever limits is a rockstar. For the former, what seems boring, could be the most exciting thing ever. Pushing through the day, surviving the mundane, making compromises, not feeling like a speck of dirt could be an achievement. And that makes them rockstar.

The wild ones, have no limit. They go on with this unstoppable force that burns them and everyone around them. They continue to be embarrassments, social menace - thinking thats the only way to do things and they carry that cross forever. And that makes them rockstars too.

The ultimate motive of life is to end. Just like everything else. Everyone finds a meaning and purpose in moments that make up a lifetime, and lives it in their own ways - justifying everything, or carry on unrepentant.

Karte kya ho?

The other day at lunch, the discussion veered to an interesting question that was asked in the film ZNMD: "Karte kya ho?"
What do you do? At times, appearing superficial cos of the regularity with which it is used,  the question actually is very incisive. In an interview it tells more than you expect to hear. At a social gathering, it is an indicator of your social status. When we meet someone for the first time, it is one of the first few questions you ask to kill the silence. The top answer, however, and unfortunately, is mentioning what you do in your "professional" capacity. Work - something that roughly occupies 33% of our work life and almost 60% of our waking time.
The question is, has the professional identity surpassed the individual identity?
The front page in todays TOI says that 1/5 of all Indian adults have hypertension or diabetes and the ratio is almost 1/3 in Maharashtra, and that takes question really on the forefront. Have we been so conditioned by our education system, that what we do can be answered only by what we do for a living?
Apparently, the trend to answer that question with your work profile is a very Mumbai thing. Considering it is the financial captial of the country, i might agree with it. There is a chase. Constantly. However, is seems that question can be answered in a "non-bread and butter" reply in Delhi. People have lots more than just work, up there.
Is it possible that because we spend more and more time at our work and thinking abt work and socialising with work people, and most calls on our mobile phones are for work related stuff, that we tend to think work is life? Or work defines what we do??
Has work-life balance become a thing to say and not to follow? Perhaps its time now to introspect and reflect on the question: Karte kya ho?

Living as a Weekday Bachelor

(Something i was writing for Femina Pune. However, before i finished it, the Editor told me it wont get published as some pages got dropped. Thought i should finish the piece the way i saw it originally, and post it here!)

Six months into our marriage, we realised the key to happy matrimony is separate bathrooms.

In these blissful months, we explored most of the travails in the “just married” category – which side of the bed is whose, cross cultural eating habits, television viewing, choosing furniture; and the social bits like, guest appearances at functions, family lunches, having friends over, going out with work people and such.

In two years, as Pune didn't offer much in terms of career, Shiril moved back to Mumbai to pursue a career.

There are two ways to look at the situation. One can choose between Weekend Couple or Weekday Bachelor to define our relationship. In the “weekday bachelorhood”, the party never ends! Imagine coming home and not getting bothered with where you take off your shoes or throw your clothes. Or how long you watch the television or when or where and what you eat for dinner? Imagine being married and still getting to live the bachelor pad life!!

However, weekday bachelor living is not as easy a life that it appears to be. The man is at his vulnerable best through the week. Since it’s very easy to go back to survival mode learnt during college days, a lot of domestic things are compromised on. The maid knows that you cant argue on the clothes that need to be washed or items in the fridge that need to be thrown out. Of course, one can never have a discussion on the days she bunked. The cook rings the bell only once and waits for exactly 20 seconds for you to open the door. Post that you are on your own for all three meals for the day. You will find abt essential commodities and supplies running out, after they have run out. The dhobi wont change his schedule for you, so you will find yourself wearing tee shirts and sweatshirts or ironing shirts in the morning. 

There are many more critical services that are paramount to your status as a working adult that need to be looked after. Even if you aren't running the world, these things need to be managed, and guess who does it in a weekday bachelor home?

Of course, a lot of chores do tend to get pushed to the weekend, which also is the only time the couple gets to spend together. She comes home expecting to unwind and relax whereas the i might have some unfinished tasks lined up. Luckily, the bills are paid online in our case and what remains is random commitments and shopping for groceries. I am the lazy one and Shiril has to drag me out to get supplies. She makes the list, we drive, she picks things off the shelf, sometimes asks my opinion, i push the cart and pay. Its clinical, but it works and keeps the fridge well stocked thru the week.

There are times when we get lucky and spend more than a weekend together in either cities. Those are fun days! We chill, have late breakfast, catch a movie, go out for dinner, eat ice cream and such wonderful things. Sometimes, when we are together, friends come over from either town and we have a house party.

On the outset it might be difficult to imagine how two people can fluidly get into two different roles and manage two different sets of expectations. Living in two cities is a functional decision. Yes, in the long term, we could be wrong in the emotional distancing. The over all idea is to cherish the weekends we get together. With the maddening work pressures, distance putting strain on the relationship, we look at the times spent together as a much needed sanctuary. 

All relationships need to be worked on day after day. We are working on it in our own way - and having fun too.

Endurance - PERSONIFIED - 2

(Girish Kulkarni has written a mail capturing the moments leading up to his Limca record to “Ride a Gearless bicycle for 100 KM with an average speed of 30 KM/Hr” on 25th September 2011 at National Highway 4.)


He wants to spread the message of “Cycling: Fitness, Environment & Adventure and thank his  parents, relatives & friends who helped him to make this attempt successful. 

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What an event it was… Amazing... Awesome... Tremendous... Terrific, take all the synonyms of these words and it was there in the closing lap of the event.

24^th Sept 2011 – 22:00 hrs. – A small team of volunteers with four cars and three bikes reached Satara (120 kms from Pune). The atmosphere was tense – Would he do it? Some of them were able to take a nap and some just lay awake discussing as the time passed by - very slowly.

25^th Sept 2011 – 04:00 hrs. – It was chilling night and the team got together to load their belonging into their cars and bikes and last moment updates were shared. Groups were formed and jobs allotted were reviewed so that everyone was on the same page and knew their role well. A hot cup of tea was served and team ready for the adventure.

25^th Sept 2011 – 05:00 hrs. – Team gathered at the starting point and locals could be seen coming to give their blessing to Girish. After taking blessings from his parents, he started his warming up cycling around. Count down started.

25^th Sept 2011 – 05:30 hrs. – Girish started his journey to get into that dream of being a part of Limca Book of National Record and India Book of Record. Starting speed 32kmph. Good start. Team boosting his morale and cheering him up continuously.



25^th Sept 2011 – 07:25 hrs. – Steep road and wind blowing against Girish. OH... Problem, the front brake cable gave up, as if God too wanted to test him. He was struggling hard as he had covered only 55 kms in 2 hours approx. Another 45 kms to go in 1:40 mins. Will he do it? He was determined - so were his team, who were cheering and motivating him and giving him assurances that he can do it. No time to change bicycle or repair it. Team covers him from all sides. GO Girish GO...

25^th Sept 2011 – 08:00 hrs. – Just crossed the Katraj Toll plaza. 30 mins to go and miles to cover. One more steep and Girish made up his mind to cover this faster. Then came the final lap… Strategy put in place. Three cars covering Girish from the rear so that no other vehicle overtakes him. One car clearing the road ahead and bikes covering from side as media cars struggle to take the shoot of the last lap. Girish gears-up and the speed – AMAZING – 62 kmph. One could hardly see the tired Girish who has pulled the bicycle for around 80 – 85 kms.

25^th Sept 2011 – 08:48 hrs. – YES… he made it 2 mins short of the record determined to set. Joy seemed no bounds to Girish and team. “Thanks Team” said Girish!!!


No one – who participated in the event, could forget the last lap of 62 kmph speed and the time ticking down.



Stats:
Kms covered: 100
Average speed: 30.60kmph
Least speed: 12-15kmph
Max speed: 62kmph