old memory

this video is from a past life that i had almost forgotten. i thought i had lost the video as i changed many phones since. this was the zee international team party @ aarey, goregaon. i dont know what got into me, but i downed the entire beer bottle in 30 secs!
well, those were the times when i didnt have to worry abt "battle of the bulge."

Fiefdom v/s Freedom

Decision making has always remained a function of a select group. It always will. However, the amount of shame i feel when crores of citizens, more or less are in agreement to have scion after scion take over the mantle of democracy, can clearly be attributed as a failure of Indian democracy. This is Fiefdom, not Democracy.

Democratic process and / or putting democracy in practice remains an unfulfilled dream in present day India. Going back in history, as Indians came together to fight for independence, under INC or by the call of Satyagraha or even the Socialist and Extremist version - they were busy putting pressure on the Brits by various means. The sole motive was to gain / win independence. A quasi democratic process had been operational with local representation but in no way had it filtered down. It was a non-inclusive domain of educated elite, erstwhile Raja's etc.

What will we do once we get freedom was never thought, debated, pondered, imagined. The transition from kings and thakurs and small mai-baap role serfs, to East India Company and Brits taking over almost every arm of administration and executive, and uniting us - and then the events leading to freedom was the most damaging thing. In hindsight, we will never know if we had united on our own against the Brits, what would have happened. But thats another topic altogether...

What the system before-angrez and after-angrez hasn't done for us, is "change the approach to life". The dependency and looking up, instead of stepping up and taking responsibility, shows in almost every aspect of our lives. Look around you - there always is only a small group of people making decisions. The cabinet decides whats best; the planning commission chooses the way ahead; the board of directors makes business decisions; the patriarch decides how his family should lead their lives. So on and so forth.

The tragedy is, we need constant role modelling and someone to tell us what to do and what is best for us.
When i started writing this blog, i was hoping to do some reflection on crown prince Rahul, but as the events unfold, i am thinking more and more abt lakhs of people who were swayed by the Team Anna anti-corruption movement.

Is it to be blamed to the rote factor in education system that discourages creative n liberal thinking? Perhaps. Does it make us risk averse? Yes! What about staying away from politics and policy making? Who made it a family business? Why did we allow it? Were politicians always untrustworthy or was there a different breed who actually had a vision? Did someone make a condescending decision that "local self government" will never work?

Are we good enough just for executing? Look at the IT sector. Hardly any research happens in India. We send so many workers to middle east - they are mostly manual labour. The number of patents filed in India is nowhere close to countries of similar size and education levels. How many technical graduates, MBAs and such set up businesses and create employment? Look at your own batch and you will get a fair estimate.

Maybe the time has come for the fiefdom to "let go". The 0.5% folks who run the show, can continue to make decisions that affect the top. The elite who have been guiding us, can continue to guide. Let democracy function, in its true chaotic form. Yes, there will be some anarchy for some time. Let people make decisions. With authority, give people autonomy and accountability. When people make mistakes, they learn. Maybe the general intelligence of the average Indian is low, but the survival instinct is strong, the desire to change lives is peaking. When more and more people get educated, employed, and have spending power, they want to fly. With restrictions that growth will not happen. When the forces of change clash with the power centre, one of them will have to give way.

Imagine a pyramid who has a very broad base and tapers with even 60 degrees till the middle. And then, suddenly, its a narrow column thats just putting pressure on one point. That point is the middle class. Second generation educated kids, who are patriotic, who dutifully pay taxes, who give to charity, who have dreams of making a difference.

Will the fiefdom relent? 2012 will tell.

The Metallica concert

I have been meaning to put pics from the Metallica concert on the blog for a long long time - since 30 Oct 2010 - actually... And am getting around to it only now!!
Well, such is life. You get opportunities to re-live some moments again.

Before we started, hoping Delhi doesn't repeat.

The largest gathering of black tee shirts

Black sea @ Palace grounds

The waiting before Biffy Clyro opened

The two most "protected from the mob" people

Yes, it was raining and we still made space to pose!

Thats Biffy Clyro in action. Very groovy metal.

This fellow jumped into the area between compartments. When i called him, "Gurgaon wale bhai sahab", he was offended.

Another loser who jumped sections and blocked view for everyone else.

Thats how view is blocked when people jump sections.

Wave of happiness

Finale

Final Pyro

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.