What a life!

Showing posts with label India. Show all posts

Thursday 11 October 2018

What are we really focusing on?

Are the words Trust and Faith, really just words or do they truly matter?

These days, and most nights too, are really about nerve wracking, brain hurting, deep and constant thinking. Primarily because, in as much as, I would like to think that most people are decent and believable, it seems otherwise in reality. This is apart from systems, practices and processes that stellar constellations which seem to move at their own indescribable and mysterious ways. Surely, these must be the result of influences by the august governance, judicial and cultural mores of India.

Image credit: Shutterstock. Modified by Anish Kumarswamy.

All it takes to open one's eyes is to see the kind of business practices that have been and continue to reign in India to date, simply because of the convoluted thinking processes and policies which have been followed and implemented by successive Government regimes - be it at the central or the state level.

The current Indian Prime Minister embarked on a "destroy unaccounted / black money drive" by demonetising an entire range of currency denominations. Yet, I see that on the street, in the real world, unaccounted cash driven business practices are still the norm, rather than the exception. Seems nearly seven decades of systemic abuse is quite resilient to such surgical strikes!

After having resided in the UAE wherein systems and processes are not as complex or at least, geared for making life easier for the ordinary person, and far more transparent, this momentous eye-opener for me has been the equivalent of an volcano going off in my head! Further, for someone like me, who has no black money at all, but rather a little bit of hard earned legal and completely accounted for money, colloquially known as white money, as well as potentially - documented, collaterally secured high interest loans to invest into a fledgling business, the not so surprising but personally earth shattering revelation happens: faith and trust have only one outcome - it will be abused. Everyone simply loves the challenge on figuring out how to game the system. So instead of correcting the system, we make it even more complex.

The whole process of even starting a business is so complicated and fraught with the high possibility of getting abused by either the system or the people entrenched in the system, that this is far more than an entry barrier for most people. It is actually a huge, rock solid, wall of detriment over which those who choose to sweat blood and tears to clamber over, may even find that success is not getting on top of this wall. It is not even about figuring out if the drop on the other side, may only break their legs if not necks! It is so much more than such simple achievements. Should one succeed to overcome this phase, then comes the next uphill struggle of remaining afloat and working crazy hard to maybe achieve a semblance of returns!

Isn't this why as a nation, we are still struggling to get out of being a third world nation?

More updates on my bakery & restaurant business attempt will follow once I can get my head around the same. More anon.

Friday 5 October 2018

Back in action

Here we go again!

It has been a whirlwind four years since the last post that I had put up in 2012. That year, among the many momentous milestones, one was a meeting with a friend and his friend - a former rally champion, who had partnered with the national football team captain. Their objective was to create a brand and messages that could save lives needlessly lost on the roads. Convinced that this would be an opportunity to not just re-engage with Oman, but truly make a difference by saving lives of people, I accepted the offer to create a startup.

What a journey it was. Two years of non-stop mega-humbling action. No mean task to begin from scratch and set up everything. From branding to the organisational structure to securing sponsorships and then some. 15 hour work days, dragging myself back home and crashing on the bed with the glint of a smile in the eye, thinking that somewhere out there amongst the myriad blacktops criss crossing Oman, somebody had heard what we had to say and had maybe thought just enough to make a minor change in their driving behaviour which led to many a life being saved.

By mid-2014, life as an ongoing set of constant adrenalin pumping challenges once again intervened in a manner, wherein moving to Dubai became an option that I just could not refuse. Next thing was working with a firm completely run by Indians. UAE, its work and spend culture which I had detailed many a time before (tourist, job-hunter, philosophy), still managed to surprise me in more ways than one. From moments of sheer bliss to absolute horrifying let-downs. I shall leave it at just this - it was an eye-opener in so many ways that even my words may not have the power to make the reader fathom the impact.

Circa 2018, I am back in India for good. Hope soars as a strategy and plan to get going with my own business which began as a seed has now begun to sprout. Now, am on the cusp of getting the business started, whilst another project in nearby Kochi, keeps me more than somewhat occupied. Somewhere in the midst of all this clamour for time, space, energy, familial duties, monetary concerns, and whatnot, which not so strangely, features rather strongly in the typical life of a middle class Indian, there was this yearning to pen the words that convey my feelings out to the world.

So here, we go again. Am truly looking forward to a better future for all of us. Let's engage, chat, debate, discuss, share and care.

Sunday 2 October 2011

The Father is dead

Today is the day, the Father of India was born. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. He lived for a large part of his life and also died, for the very notion of a free, liberal, secular and democratic India.

Who cares?

I do. I am sure, there many people out there, who do. And I am equally sure that there are many from 5 generations of Indians, who have very little resonance with the man, his ideals, goals and dreams.

Thinking about this man who literally moved mountains, this man who singularly managed to rouse enough Indians to get the once mighty empire to leave this country - I can not help but feel a sense of awe equally coupled with sadness.

Fast, fast, fast

Gandhi, the man was not perfect. Who is? But his ideas were genuine and worthy. His single biggest weapon of fasting and the resultant sparking of mass movement for the birthright of every human - freedom, showed the world what true sacrifice can bring. Awe.

Yet today, 'fasting' has become more used as a political tool to bend the will or showcase the might or simply rebel. With resultant media attention. There is nothing sacrificial about today's applied Gandhian philosophy. Sadness.

Alcohol and drugs

Gandhi's principles made his idea of an alcohol and drug independent nation of people, who would rise from temptation and self induced stupor to actually work towards creating and sustaining the very essences of democracy - a reality. Awe.

Yet today, our governments rake in the highest amount of revenues from the 'official' sale of both alcohol and drugs. The state in which Gandhi was born, continues to maintain an alcohol free image, but reality is that it is rather easily available at every nook and corner. As covered in The NRI blog post, some people from Kerala actually like the BBC covering a story on this place being the highest liquor consuming state in India. Sadness.

Gender equality

Gandhi wanted India to be a nation, where both men and women have equal rights to freedom, education and the opportunity to improve their lives. In his own words, "Women will enjoy the same rights as men." He ensured that in the movements to democracy, not once were women kept away or behind. Awe.

Today, this very nation has people who are ashamed and worried about having a girl child. Our clearly declining gender ratio or number of women abused every day are horrifying stories revealed across our multiple media sources, calmly watched or read and - nothing. We have become truly immune in our souls. Sadness.

The viral factor

Sixty to seventy odd years back, a man wearing a simple cotton cloth, brought the nation to stand as one with him in the quest for a life not enslaved. He did not have massive marketing budgets. He did not have qualified chartered accountants and finance managers who secured his funding. He had charisma. Awe.

Today, it is every piece of paper with this very man's image on a that is valued way more than anything else he stood for. As a dialogue in a film a few years back, made it so aptly clear - people love Gandhi and adore his value, for every Indian currency note has his face on it. Sadness.

Yesterday, today, tomorrow

Yesterday, the mountain of a man idealised and created a nation.

Today, the nation 'respects' him by watching movies on him, singing his songs, quoting his quotes, changing statuses and profile pictures on Facebook - for a day!

Tomorrow, we march on in the singular "pursuit of happyness", in our own way. I agree, looking back and running forward will only result in a fall. But stopping ever so once in a while, looking back and then turning forward can help us realise whether we are actually running in the right direction. Isn't it?

Happiness

This train of thought led to me to another monumental figure.

JRD Tata - another great man with gigantic ideas, responsible for creating one of India's most respected organisations and making a real difference in the lives of many a people globally. He had once said, he does not want India to be an economic super power. Rather, he wanted India to be a happy nation.

We are happy, or are we? We have some of the richest people in the world from India. We have a 400 million strong and growing middle class. We also have 200 million people too poor and unable to eat one meal a day. We have race riots, but India has not yet splintered into multiple countries. We have true freedom, even if we take it for granted. We have systems, even if they are antiquated and manipulated by the government. We really are in the pursuit of happiness, but we get more thrilled to be known as an economic super power with enough clout to make the world listen to us. We are happy to have a powerful car to drive, but we are happier at having beaten the red light by milliseconds.

Having thought about all this, I only felt a sense of bewilderment. Have we become dysfunctional? Can we be more and importantly better than what we have become? Yes. Will we actually become more and better? Who knows.

On a different offbeat note, an important realisation was seared into my psyche a few days back.

Beware! Truly "unwatchable"

I had heard of blood diamonds, but I had not heard of blood minerals. Until I watched the film, at http://www.unwatchable.cc/thefilm/. I do recommend that each and every one of you, do watch it. But beware, it is truly unwatchable.

Sunday 18 September 2011

A short lived pleasure?

The pleasure

I like to fly. No, make that - I love to fly! I have flown on many airlines to various continents and countries. Each has been a different experience. Long distance flights, usually do mean a stop in between, giving the benefit of being out of the tube for a bit, stretching the legs, gazing at the products on sale, people watching, etc. Shorter distance flights mean smaller aircraft usually lesser leg room, but more take-off and landings. Either way, being in a flight from 100-40,000 feet above mean sea level, means many things to me. From the excitement of actually having lifted off, the destination, the beautiful working people on board i.e. the Flight Attendants, the conversations that happen between total strangers who are bound together in a flying tube for a few hours, the movies watched or food consumed, all of it brings a different sort of sensory pleasure in the 1-2 kilos of soft jelly-like substance inside my skull.

Maybe it, really, is about the whole 'movement' principle. If you are moving, chances are, you are doing something meaningful, in some manner, so to speak. Driving long distances is an equally good example. Love it too. Managing the steering wheel, keeping a fine balance of safety and speed within regulated limits, listening to music, watching places, people and objects go by - all bring that sensory pleasure. Maybe it really is true that life is about searching and experiencing the little and large pleasures. Maybe it is the seeking that is the pleasurable part. Either way, making sure that you live life to the fullest has to be an objective that you would agree with, wouldn't you?

All of the above now seem like a short lived pleasure!

Having spent some time in the Gulf, where fuel prices are really low in comparison to the rest of the world, and link infrastructure - especially roads, are in fantastic condition, I could say, I was spoilt with the consumption of the sensory pleasures of driving or flying. Even on a visit to Hong Kong, using public transportation that moved me efficiently was a pleasure. And while the price of owning vehicles is quite high due to limited land mass and congestion, the price of fuel, or travel, is not.

The Pain

Having been back home in India, for a bit now, reality has started sinking in to my dismay. I feel like that hungry child from whose hands, the treat has been snatched away. Make no mistake about it, I am an Indian and happy about being one. But am discontent with the way in which the policies of this country's government are created or implemented. Sure, I understand that there are 1.2 plus billion people in this land and that it is the 7th largest country in the world. But that, is no excuse for 60 years of ridiculous action or reaction, by the people's representatives, elected by the masses to govern, with the hope that these people will make life easier rather than almost impossible.

The latest blow to the Indian, has been the pricing of fuel. Regular petrol now costs: R 70 per litre equivalent to USD 5.7 per gallon (3.8 litres). It costs approximately USD 2.5 per gallon in America which is one of the largest consumers of fuel. An article by the Times of India, indicates that after taking into account the purchasing power parity after accounting for international fuel prices and currency exchange rates for India, petrol is still more expensive than all other countries in the world, barring 3 small countries! Diesel is more expensive than 136 other countries. In my opinion, fuel prices in some of the European countries are also higher than India. Whatever way the statistics are read, fact remains that Indian fuel pricing strategy is an anomaly that needs some serious attention from all of us. And not be misled by the publicly pronounced massive subsidies that the government claims to provide.

The policy mess

It is not merely foolish, it is downright crazy! Even if we import 70% of fuel from outside India, we have a pricing mechanism that ensures we pay far more than necessary. Over 50% of the cost of fuel in India is added taxes. This mechanism in reality, hurts everybody and everything - economically, financially and personally. Every time, fuel prices are increased there will be spate of activities ranging from strikes to protests to violence - which itself has a huge cost to all of us. And a few days later, we go back to our lives, grumbling and groaning in pain. Maybe this is because we are the great Indian democracy. Or maybe it is our ability to soldier on, thinking it is really beyond our control. Or maybe we are being extremely foolish.

First the government taxes fuels way too much. Then it claims to provide subsidies to keep prices down. Then it adjusts for inflation by increasing interest rates. The government does not create quality infrastructure from these taxes. This results in more bottlenecks as the number of people out in the market increases. Thus consuming even more fuel. This leads to even higher fuel imports. It is a vicious, never-ending cycle. Unless, the government can actually focus on streamlining the whole tax and fuel pricing mess. But who actually cares? Who actually wants to do anything about it? We can have a nation marching together for an anti-corruption crusade, but is there anybody out there who wants to sort this mess out?

The solution

Irrevocably, free the pricing. Privatise the oil supply and marketing firms. Less than 1% of Indians are employed in the government oil firms. Offer them the option of 3 years pay, until they either secure a job in the private firm or let them go. Let the market and currency exchange rates decide the price on a daily basis. Realistic taxation on the sold market prices of fuel, not the current rates which are unhealthy. Can you believe that over 65% of the Indian GDP basket taxes is from fuel alone? Imagine if for one month, none of us actually used our vehicles? Many of the government plans to spend money would be down the drain, without the easy revenue generated from fuel taxes. And note, it's only plans for reality is a different matter.

Whenever the price for crude goes down, the prices will come down automatically. And vice versa. Averaged out, the Indian will still pay much lower that what we do, right now! And by paying, I am not referring only to the actual price paid for fuel, but the indirect and direct taxes as well as inflated prices for various products and services, that also contribute to the way the policy makers currently mess up the whole supply and pricing equations.

Saturday 10 September 2011

The great Indian democracy

Once again, as my mind has been a bit focussed on what is happening in this lovely nation, I came across this beautiful article. As I do not know, from where it has really originated or who composed it, I am unable to give any credits. But I can say for sure, that it is a must read insight into the great Indian democracy and its continued survival.

"HINDU WISDOM

The beauty of being a Hindu lies in your freedom to be who you want to be. Nobody can tell you what to do, or what not to do. There is no central authority, no single leader of the faith. No one can pass an order to excommunicate you, or like in some countries, pass a decree that orders your death by stoning for walking with a strange man.

We don’t appreciate our freedom because we can’t feel the plight of others who aren’t free. Many religions have a central authority with awesome power over the individual. They have a clear chain of command, from the lowliest local priest to the highest central leader. Hinduism somehow escaped from such central authority, and the Hindu has miraculously managed to hold on to his freedom through the ages. How did this happen?

Vedanta is the answer. When the writers of Vedanta emerged, around 1500 BC, they faced an organised religion of orthodox Hinduism. This was the post Vedic age, where ritualism was practiced, and the masses had no choice but to follow. It was a coercive atmosphere.

The writers of Vedanta rebelled against this authority and moved away from society into forests. This was how the ‘Aranyakas’ were written, literally meaning ‘writings from the forest’. These later paved the way for the Upanishads, and Vedanta eventually caught the imagination of the masses. It emerged triumphant, bearing with it the clear voice of personal freedom.

This democracy of religious thought, so intrinsic to Vedantic intelligence, sank into the mindset of every Indian.

Most couldn’t fathom the deep wisdom it contained, but this much was very clear. They understood that faith was an expression of personal freedom, and one could believe at will.
That’s why Hinduism saw an explosion of Gods. There was a God for every need and every creed. If you wanted to build your muscles, you worshiped a God with fabulous muscles. If you wanted to pursue education, there was a Goddess of Learning. If it was wealth you were looking for, then you looked up to the Goddess of wealth — with gold coins coming out of her hands.

If you wanted to live happily as a family, you worshiped Gods who specially blessed families. When you grew old and faced oncoming death, you spent time in contemplating a God whose business it was to dissolve everything — from an individual to the entire Universe.

Everywhere, divinity appeared in the manner and form you wanted it to appear, and when its use was over, you quietly discarded that form of divinity and looked at new forms of the divine that was currently of use to you. ‘Yad Bhavam, tad Bhavati’… what you choose to believe becomes your personal truth, and freedom to believe is always more important than belief itself.

Behind all this — was the silent Vedantic wisdom that Gods are but figments of human imagination. As the Kena Upanishad says, “Brahma ha devebhyo vijigye…” — All Gods are mere subjects of the Self. It implies that it is far better that God serves Man than Men serve God. Because Men never really serve God — they only obey the dictates of a religious head who speaks for that God, who can turn them into slaves in God’s name.

Hindus have therefore never tried to convert anyone. Never waged war in the name of religion. The average Hindu happily makes Gods serve him as per his needs. He discards Gods when he has no use for them. And new Gods emerge all the time — in response to market needs. In this tumult, no central authority could survive. No single prophet could emerge and hold sway, no chain of command could be established.

Vedanta had injected an organised chaos into Hinduism, and that’s the way it has been from the last thirty five centuries. Vedanta is also responsible, by default, for sustaining democracy. When the British left India, it was assumed that the nation would soon break up. Nothing of that kind has happened.

The pundits of doom forgot that the Indian had been used to religious freedom from thousands of years. When he got political freedom, he grabbed it naturally. After all, when you can discard Gods why can’t you discard leaders?

Leaders like Gods are completely expendable to the Indian mindset. They are tolerated as long as they serve the people, and are replaced when needs change. It’s the triumph of people over their leaders, and in this tumult, no dictator can ever take over and rule us. Strange how the thoughts of a few men living in forests, thirty five centuries ago, can echo inside the heart of every Indian. That’s a tribute to the resurgent power of India, and the fearlessness of its free thinking people.

Fact still remains that as a people, we are far more open minded on many aspects and equally close minded on many others. This confuses the hell out of anybody who is not really an Indian. Given that change is a fact of nature, it is also the case that Indians may have roots that may not change, but their reaction and action to external events may. With this country emerging as one of the top 3 countries in the world within the next two decades, will mean significant chaos and change across the board at political and psychological levels. Of course, it remains to be seen how it eventually works out.

Thursday 14 July 2011

Blasted! again and again

Today, I write this with a feeling that is anything but normal. But I am going to exactly express, what I feel. And if any of you who read this, feel the same way and choose to do something...anything, whatever you can, then it is one more step taken in the right direction.

Yesterday, once again Mumbai was shaken by multiple deadly 'Improvised Explosive Device' blasts. Once again the TV channels were running around showing repeated footage of the terrible event. Police were trying to figure out what was going on. Hospitals were trying to save lives. And many others rushed to see what is it like to be blasted! Newspapers have carried the ghastly images bringing them in printed color formats to the numbed senses of millions.

There are many of us out here, who feel a complete sense of outrage. A sense of being uncared for by the very people and the system which we subjugate to, every working minute, the Indian government leadership.

Terrorism of any sort is abominable! How many times do the citizens of India have to take these deadly intrusions into their lives? How many mothers have to cry? How many children have to be orphaned? How many fathers have to bleed in their hearts?

Safety and Security are not some optional check box on the list of living conditions in India. It is a necessity. It is a right.

Why is it that this right, this necessity is not being delivered by our leaders? A friend suggested that they are all corrupted and will not do anything beyond the immediate action of conducting press conferences.

Yes, the usual action of professing sympathy, displaying solemn grief with the victims is all fine. But what are our leaders doing to prevent this farce of security and safety to remain?

I agree that Indian civilians are courageous and continue to live despite the odds. However, our beloved leaders tread the path of indifference, making these very civilians ordinary and insecure and scared and living with the cudgels of fear around their minds.

The American, British, Australian, and more more other country leaders will go to war over its extraordinary citizens. They do not and will not accept that it is okay for their citizens to be targeted repeatedly by cowards who hide behind a the cloak of 'jihad' or 'injustice' or 'religious morals' or whatever it is that they subscribe to.

We all know that no activity takes place without a set of people teaming up. That includes Indian who are support and enabling other Indians and non-Indians to conduct this shameful and sad act of cowardice - killing regular Indians from a distance and more importantly - repeatedly showing how weak and ineffective our systems are in rebutting their attempts.

The point is, what are the Indian leaders going to do???

Do You Have It in you to take on the responsibility of securing our lives?

Do You Have It in you to go after those who commit these dastardly acts and bring them to our courts or deliver justice in any other manner?

Do you?

Thursday 18 March 2010

Tiger! Tiger!

I received this deeply disturbing note from a friend. For security reasons I am not naming this individual. However, I decided that I will publish it as is. If, after reading you feel that this is an important issue and really want to help in any small way, do share it with all your friends and comment on what you are really willing to do. If you are in the media, do think about publicising this point of view. And if you want to get in touch with this individual on a personal level, do let me know.

------------------- A note to worry about -------------------------------------

Just saw comments on Bhandhavgarh by a great naturalist and friend - Anand. Frightening! Combined with the news that Corbett [national park] also lost a tiger recently!! The amount of comments that Corbett's tiger loss has received has really astounded me.It really is heart warming to see so many people crying aloud about our state of wildlife and also heart wrenching to know that most of these people will stop with just that.

Things I believe that many of us, (people who care for the enviironment/wildlife) forget are:

a) Most of the youngsters, interested in wildlife do not join the forest department, since it is not [apparently] a great job! Since this is the case - how in God's name are we going to save any of our species!!

b) Blaming the forest department, without even knowing the kind of issues involved does not do any of us any good. Like how many of the enthusiasts know that in most of the Indian states there is only one vet for monitoring/protecting et.c the wildlife in the [entire] state ? Some "Project elephant" reserves in this country have to wait for a months time for the reimbursement of fuel expenses!!

c) The above brings us to the question as to why dont vets or youngsters join the forest department? Try and change the system by working within it! It is a fight which might not result in any win [immediately] - but then atleast there is a start and you set the battle for change rolling!!

d) Running campaigns, creating awareness is all great, but at the grass root levels what changes occur within the machinery? Like it is a known fact that 70% of the forest department staff is made up of temporary workers (like the gaurds, anti-poaching watchers etc). While their salary is a pittance (about one evening's spend for many of us) their duty calls for risking their lives day in and day out. Jokes apart, in many states their salary is about roughly about 60-120 rupees a day, and that too paid after a three month delay.

e) These same temporary workers are the people who pit their lives day in and day out. Like you would understand and agree with me, meeting a [wild] bull or lone elephant in any of the jungles in the western ghats is the most frightening encounter. To protect and safe guard themselves, the guards (in certain conflict prone areas) have rifles with blank catridges to scare off [wild animals], when absolutely necessary. Now before someone makes a cry about [the] scaring off [tactic] and taking the above in an alltogether different context, guys, these blank catridges are for the old, purana .303 rifles which most of you would have used during your NCC training. And these catridges have to be accounted for IF used!!! And the replacement for the used catridges when will it come is a question? And these are the same weapons the guards have to use for saving our wildlife from poachers !! So it is a great feeling to having to meet a poacher armed with the most sophisticated weaponry :)

f) The forest department's funding is a very funny thing and mostly incomprehensible to sane people. To do a independent survey of an established tiger/elephant reserve, the ministry would spend in crores, but would not give funding to a particular reserve to staff it well! When the morale of the grass root level worker, who has not recieved his salary for three months is at the lowest ebb, what is the purpose of survey, green cover increase etc, when it is the same guy who has to do the job?

Another thing on the funding front, none of the anti-poaching camps are properly equipped to do their primary duties. Like the men have no torches, clothing against natural elements like rain or cold weather, no chargers available (for charging their equipment like walkie-talkies, torches if any, their gps if any etc). Solar panels and their batteries are as usual like most government stuff the cheapest you can find, thanks to corruption at various levels.

g) Questions like why are we not rewarding those men who risk their lives to protect our green wealth are unanswered? Personally I know of men (temporary workers) who have fought bare handed against poachers and have almost lost their lives, rewarded with about 10,000/- !! What a great motivation !! In a few other cases, where some of these men have been showered with awards, nothing has been done to elevate their financial conditions! They CONTINUE WORKING AS TEMPORARY WORKERS FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS !!

h) The officials in the forest department are a breed altogether different. They should probably be classified as a different species. Totally corrupt and interested in getting their promotions and money, most of them have zilch interest in wildlife. And many of them are old timers who have no proper education in wildlife or training. They are more trained in social forestry and timber harvesting than wildlife. Why? that is how the entire ministry and the country have looked at forests so far! Though things are changing, it could be late !! It looks that the ministry / government are neither concerned nor interested in protecting this nations wealth.

h) As far as corporate funding for wildlife is concerned, it seems that all they are interested in is media exposure! Rather than run a media campaign about saving our wildlife/tigers, they could spend one tenth of that money and adopt a tiger reserve/wildlife sanctuary. Given the way our government works, this would be a herculean task. But if there is serious interest in really doing something constructive, i am sure they can work their way around and find a solution. After all we are talking about saving this nation, and if it means no media exposure and thereby no publicity - so be it. Again on a personal note - when I approached some of these corporates - the one question they want answered is - what does our company get in return ? Sorry - but being an ex-media person - I really don't think that I have an answer for that!! So - if a telecom giant sponsors a rehabilitation of say, a sloth bear or a leopard, should the animal in particular be wearing a sign board saying "rehabilitated by so and so"? Would love to see that if it happens!!
All put together , unless something drastic happens or a miracle, things look very bleak for India's eco-wealth.

-------- End ------------

Saturday 5 July 2008

Random thoughts...

An interesting discussion I had with a friend recently, regarding thoughts rather than opinions on blogs, sparked this post off. This is a set of some thoughts... random thoughts. Agree? Disagree? or just don't care? Feel free to write whatever you feel about any of these thoughts.

I recently happened to get a forwarded video about a chap called Matt who's paid by a company to roam around the world (really, how lucky can you get???). Interesting and funny video, but what got some me a bit riled up was, what he has posted on his blog. Do visit the site http://wherethehellismatt.com and you can see his blog entries (check out Jan 2003). While there ar

e some people who feel that he writes as he sees it, some believe that he is opinionated and a racist. My thought was, what is right and wrong in the whole debate that's going on? Is it right to be politically incorrect or is it wrong to call a spade a spade? Is it wrong to defend your feelings about your country and its culture and is it right to demean others in doing so? After all are we not all different yet similar?

I happened to later drift on to a blog by a lady from Aussie land. Very interesting posts she's got about some of the Indian 'customs' and 'traditions' and how it leaves her completely baffled. Like the 'arranged marriage' concept. An ancient tradition, that many a generation of Indians believe in, and this despite all the education, exposure and experience they may have had in their lives. Come to think of it, I too am equally baffled about some of the other traditions we have e.g. leaving the footwear outside the door. When we remove the footwear, our sweaty feet (with or without socks) actually collect more dirt from outside the door and spreads it on the floor on which we step. On the other hand, wiping the shoes on the door mat before entering will in most cases ensure that we do not carry any dirt in, but that would be disrespectful as our homes are like temples. Huh?

The other day, saw a picture of one of our top political leaders feeding a cow on the road. Feeding the cow is an important tradition in our culture. What I couldn't help noticing was that the cow and the person were standing on one of the main roads of that State, right in the middle of a rubbish pile full of peels, rotting food, discarded plastic bags and what not! Does our tradition not advocate public cleanliness? Does sense not advocate cleanliness to avoid spread of disease causing bacteria and of course the stench?

Moving on to relationships. I do believe that any relation between two humans is complex, even more so when the two are from different species. While it is all well and good to read, hear, experience and see the 'he says' and 'she says' angles, who is really right and wrong? Is there a right and wrong? Why is it that the very same thing which seemed so right months ago, now seem so worthless and pitiful to have agonized about? Is it about time? I just happened to see the movie - Holiday starring the very beautiful Cameron Diaz along with talented actors like Jack Black, Kate Winslet and Jude Law. If ever an optimistic movie about the romance between individuals who are unlikely to think of it in the first place, this is it. A playboy father who actually weeps, a sexually charged up successful businesswoman who can't cry, a push over production assistant and yet another push over music director - seem like typical characters, yet the passion that is in them comes out with the right sort of place, time and situation. While this may be a movie story, I think quite often, reel life is nothing but an exaggerated reflection of real life. So does it happen in real life? Does one come across that perfect individual who sweeps all other thoughts out of your head? Why is it that quite so often, a few months or years down the line, one has to work at it? Is there a companion meant for every person on this earth? I have my doubts, but I am willing to be proved otherwise :)

Which brings me to the thought of why do relationships fail? Is it about expectations? Is it about familiarity, breeding maybe not contempt, but maybe boredom? Is it about treading an unknown path?

In my own experience, I have have gone through times, today which, when I look back in one of those crazy flashback moments, seems difficult to believe that it was even actually possible to have felt all those intense emotions at that stage for 'that' particular individual. At the cost of sounding a bit brittle and possibly not so sweet, is there really true love (for want of another phrase)? It is something I am not yet in a position to comprehend or even believe wholeheartedly. It is not that one does not want to have a companion with whom one can share one's deepest fears and hopes and more, but just that it seems increasingly a tough goal to achieve. All one has to look at is the percentage by which divorce cases have gone up - 60% and these are legal situations, not to speak about the many relationships which do not even make it to the legal stage and keep being broken!

What a life!