The Fearless

In the movie, the Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan had made an error. The bank robbers should have been wearing a different kind of masks, the mask of perfect gentlemen. Then the bank would have straight away given the key to the vault. Mr. Nolan has too little imagination!

Fear makes a person work hard and earn. Fear gives strength. Fear keeps a person honest. It is the fear of failure that made people like Virat Kohli what he is today.
Fear makes a person steal. Fear kills. Fear makes people lie. It is the fear of facing life that makes the likes of the suicide committing students what they are today.

Nirav Modi had no fear. He worked hard to earn by stealing. He had no fear. He lied that he was honest. He had no fear. He lived a successful life. A life which thousands dream of. To rub shoulders with celebrities. To be the patron of stars, to deal with the highest class of people, live in the best possible of localities and create a brand around one's name. A month ago, Virat Kohli would probably have been shopping for the finest diamond necklace from a Nirav Modi's shop and students from IIM Ahmedabad would be writing thesis papers on the Nirav Modi brand.
Nirav Modi had a clout. So did Vijay Mallya, Lalit Modi, Dawood Ibrahim, Haji Mastan and many others who are still wearing a mask on their faces. Don't panic if your favourite filmstar or cricketer loses his mask and gets exposed.
Yes, mask it is. Nirav Modi had no fear. Neither does Lalit Modi or Vijay Mallya. They had their masks on. If you don't believe this, browse through all their company catalogues or videos, you will understand. They probably have no fear now, because the mask has been removed. So why not live the common man's dream. Vijay Mallya watches cricket matches leisurely while Lalit Modi tours one country a day. Nirav Modi would probably start dating one hollywood beauty every day. The common man will move on and continue dreaming while such people will live those dreams.

The opposition is having a field day. The government is in loggerheads with the opposition about the point, who is it to blame for the mishap. Finally, it is sure that there were multiple number of noses under which Nirav Modi swooped through and created an empire for himself. There is no point asking Raghuram Rajan what he was doing or telling P Chidambaram and Arun Jaitley to give an explanation. The damage is done and there adds up another set of NPAs for the public sector banks. No Manmohan Singh or Narendra Modi can save it in a day. Every government had been struggling to keep the PSUs alive for quite sometime now. By the way, just a point of observation. Too many siphoning cases are coming into limelight after 'Chotta' Rajan got caught in Bangkok a year and half ago. Any coincidences?

Yes, the public is shaken. So am I and are the millions of depositors in the PSUs who in reality stand guarantee for people like Vijay Mallya and Nirav Modi. But as always, the public has a volatile memory. There is too much to read about, already. Soon, this will phase out. Just like the commonwealth games, 2G, coal, augusta westland, adarsh and countless other scams before, this scam will be forgotten. There will be other massive scams that will come up in future about which the public has to talk about. Brace yourselves! And oh, if all goes well and if people truly forget the scams, then like D. Raja and Kanimozhi, Vijay Mallya and co would probably make a comeback too.

It is a fact that such people live a king size life. Just type in Vijay Mallya/Lalit Modi/Nirav Modi king-size life on google, you will know. And they had no fear. They could now as well give a motivational talk which goes like, 'Do not have fear. Live your life. Chase your dreams. The Naomi Watts and Kate Winslets shall automatically come to you. Just keep one thing in your mind: Nobody is a saint but everyone is a gentleman. Just keep the mask on. Don't worry about the others, they will keep dreaming!'

Puppy Shame!

It was Friday night and Mahati invited her friend home for dinner. She finished garnishing the pulihora and bisibelebath and they both were setting up the dinner table when her flatmate stormed into the room. She was coming back from her office and was visibly upset, angry and both. A concerned Mahati said, 'What's up? Anything wrong? I invited my friend for dinner and made a Andhra special.' Her flatmate did not quite notice Mahati's friend. She asked, 'How can people be so mean?' Mahati quickly put all the dinner in a hot pack.

'The guy that my parents wanted me to marry rejected me saying I am too thin for him.' said her flatmate. 'How can people judge someone based on their looks and physique? Is that not mean and hurtful?' Mahati replied, 'Absolutely. But what you should actually be doing is feel happy and grateful that you would not be married to someone who did not even interact with you to know about you. He let the weighing machine weigh your character. Obviously you would not want to marry a person like that. It is good news. Let us be happy for that, no.' 

Her flatmate did not cool down yet. 'Yeah, you are true, I should be happy. But what if all the people I know and will know in the future are like that? That is because, now that I think of it, girls who I thought would befriend me for what I am and of course, all the elderly aunts in my family also are the same. They judge me because I am thin. How correct is that? I am sure that some aunty lady would have told the guy that "look she is too thin. she is not suitable to marry." In fact, some so called friends are worse, whenever we go shopping for clothes, they direct me to the kids section. Is it my fault that I am thin? Is every one of them perfectly shaped? Does every woman need to have a so called curvy figure? Why can people not just be themselves and not indulge in bashing others for something they have no complete control on!'

Mahati understood her flatmate's agony and tried to console her. She said, ' Try not to think of all those. You might have only a handful of friends or people who like you for who you are. Only worry about those. Do not bother about others. When friends do such body shaming, it generally is in a very friendly manner, try to think of it that way. And when relatives say so, well, they are all relatives after all, what more do you expect.' she winked. 'However, even relatives try to tell for our "own good" you know. We do not realise it but we also do it quite often. After all, we are relatives for others too, is it not. None of us are Buddha or Gandhi. We do hurt others unknowingly. Just try to only take from what you hear, what you really need. All this might seem to be a way to escape the taunts of the society and not stand up against it boldly. But trust me, you would achieve nothing out of standing up. Nor do I say that you should start eating and exercising once someone comments on your skinniness and start dieting once someone starts bashing you for being a kilo heavier. Whatever others think of you, you do know that there always is someone who knows what you are. Don't let go of them! And now, enough of philosophy and let us eat before thermodynamics starts working on the imperfect hotpack!'

Mahati's friend who was listening all along laughed and asked, 'But what about me?'
Mahati's flatmate, who in her furore have not seen him till then, had a look at him.
He was five feet, three inches tall!

Turning the Tables

"Why don't you come over one day. It's fun. I have been working in this industry for five years now and there was not one day when I felt bored" said Mahati's friend. He worked as a sound manager for a TV show. He entered the film industry hoping to become a good director and had his write friend make some wonderful scripts ready. He wanted to earn an extra rupee, so he grabbed the first opportunity that came to his hand: to work as a sound manager for a TV show. As fancy as the name sounds, all he has to do is to click the right button at the right time. It of course is exciting and not boring because, one small mistake and he would be vapourised by the director.

It was any other routine day. Mahati felt that she should rather go to the shoot since it was a movie shoot of the hero on the TV show and it could be a change from the regular. She could see how a film is shot and would actually see the hero in action. Mahati went along with her friend to the shoot. Her friend was busy managing the reflector paper, so Mahati was left for herself. On the set was a movie in which the hero played the role of a poor guy. Mahati pondered what the hero's past had been. He had come from a humble modest family of a cashier in the government vegetable market yard. The hero had faced a lot of pressure at home to not take up acting since it would not guarantee a fixed income. The hero also had to face lot of insults multiple times from multiple persons in the film industry. 'What a man!! He definitely must know how hard life is,' thought Mahati. She felt great to see him in action.

The movie reflected Mahati's mood. The villain was a billionaire whom the hero once helped on one occasion. Obviously, when the hero needs help, the villain does not come forward voluntarily. Hence, he is the villain. 'What an actor!! He definitely must be aware of life lest he cannot express emotions that well' Mahati thought. She mentally thanked the wonderful director who was responsible for introducing and bringing fame to the hero. Despite of multiple failures and insults to the hero by many others, this particular director never stopped believing in the hero. He made him what he is today. Then she remembered that the director died recently because of poverty and illness. She felt sorry for him for a moment and went back to adoring the hero and his acting skills. The hero ended the scene with a strong dialogue on poverty, common man and the power of a single man, who without a strong backing can have mighty influence on the society. 'What a simpleton!! He definitely must know what poverty is and being left out by those who had once approached him for help feels like' thought Mahati.

Something in the back of her mind struck her. As she was trying to process what she had thought in a while, the hero who had donned a poor guy's character and championed the cause of the common man sped past her in a chauffeur driven Rolls Royce to his home in Bandra. 

The Morgan Effect

Back in 2004-05, when Sachin Tendulkar was facing continued failures, mainly due to his tennis elbow problem, Indian fans condemned him and some wanted him to quit cricket. We know what all he achieved after that! Ten years later, when a Russian tennis star confessed she did not know who Sachin was, the entire nation exploded. Forget Sachin, Sharad Pawar who is a living legend for the corrupt, was supported by one and all in India when he was pushed from the stage by the Champions trophy winning Australian team in 2006.

We Indians are a funny lot. We are so patriotic that we let not one bee sting our country and its integrity. But among ourselves, we love to do that one thing: stab one another in the back nicely. Well, India's got talent too, Mr. Morgan. Lets not blame him, it is a natural wonder for any person to see one and a fourth billion people celebrating two medals. But Piers Morgan does not know the Indian way in which we are used to sharing one Roti over ten people in a household and we love the bonding. There is similar bonding in the country men after two Indian women succeeded at the wonderful sporting event that is the Rio olympics, a true banner-man of  world peace and health.

Health reminds us of two unhealthy things about India. India has a gift (?) of population, the best renewable source of energy. Those people have gotten themselves a beautiful gift of laziness, the enemy of sports. Sports is human nature but laziness isn't a human virtue. We Indians eat a lot of sweets. That is probably the reason why PV Sindhu failed to win the gold medal, she is too sweet to snatch away victory from the Spaniard. But seriously, does she require so many gifts? Crores of rupees, BMW cars, plots for house. Do we want to turn her into a cricketer? What are we encouraging? medals or sports? It is one thing to encourage players to win medals and another to encourage people to play sports. If one had followed Deepika Kumari in the archery re curve, one would have known the amount of focus that she had. But no one remembers her because she has not won any medal. It is like our athletes are remembered only once in four years, during the Olympics. Can we imagine Kohli's name chanted only once in four years for the world cup? Talking about cricket, even though Sachin has come out of other sports now, why could he have not done that while he was an active cricketer?

Missed the BMW target!? :(

It is the medal that got them the BMW, not their passion!

How can other sports pick up in India? Unlike cricket, many of the sports are post-independence games and it is true that we need more time before India becomes a strong presence in every game. We have enough coaching academies; maybe not; but still, focus should be on developing the players physically and mentally; For example, what do the archers need? better focus. Mental training is required than physical - mental training to tune the body physically; This would prove to be quite cheap and in fact quite indigenous. We fail to identify the greatness hidden in our backyard. The US athletes do yoga whereas ours pray to gods; they have a control over their physique whereas we eat junk food - all possible junk food. Since, we are an open minded nation, we eat the junk from every corner of the world: Mexican, Italian, Chinese and of course, Indian.
We should encourage sports and sports players than medal winners - that might be good in another sense as well that is, with more competition at home, there is better quality from the country. Star sports is taking good steps towards this. This might get us more medals. Because, in the end only medals matter!! 

Water, Water Everywhere...a Resolution

I have never taken a new year resolution. Why, I never even took a resolution. I just took decisions influenced by my surroundings and inspired by people. It is time I have my influence on my surroundings and maybe inspire people. A new year resolution might be a nice one to do that. A resolution, not regarding my character, attitude or habits, but about what and how I can do to change something for good this year.

Mahati is not used to going to the fast food restaurants for dinner. For her, like many other Indians, the occasional dinner outside was in a Udipi or a North Indian restaurant, where she would order Chinese noodles. The waiter asks if she wants mineral water or regular for which her reply would be regular water, which is served for free along with the dinner. However, she one day went to a fast food restaurant to eat chopped vegetables stacked between two bread pieces for an amount at which she could go to Mumbai, buy those vegetables and return. Used to drinking 'regular' water during dinner, she asked for it. She got a reply that she has to buy bottled water only. She asked for just tap water, not even the fancy RO-UV protected and filtered water. The restaurant which boasts of baking their own bread apparently did not have a tap in their kitchen! The regulatory authorities should take a look into this matter: A restaurant's kitchen not having a water tap.

Not a drop to drink!

Not only there, an ice cream shop which has items ranging from pasta to pista ice cream on its menu had only one glass to serve water in. A bakery which had seating arrangements could not afford to have a water dispenser. A pizza shop which earlier had a water filter removed it. In fact, the same shop provided a Pepsi  for free with the pizza but could not give a glass of water. Poor workers. They get water from their home. Well, a waiter in a restaurant gets his own water bottle from home! What's happening to the country?

Is this all to facilitate the sale of packaged drinking water. Water that is filled from the same kitchen tap and sealed, added with some salts which the person about to devour a 2000 calorie burger does not require?? Of course, the sale of bottled water will rise. Not every one can remain adamant like Mahati and not buy bottled water. People are made to buy them . The surroundings are arranged accordingly. The advertisements are created to scare people into buying tap water filled and stored in plastic!

I am not sure if there is a law in India that mandates all eateries to provide free pure drinking water. If there is, it is not working. But I am sure there is enough water to satisfy the needs of the people. We are just unable to use it properly and are wasting it. This is my resolution. I will join those who seek 'Free Basics.' The basic elements of air and water to remain free at least (purity has gone down the drain long ago). I will spend money for those added salts if I want to. But otherwise, I want water for free. Maybe Zuckerberg will join and support Free basics too.

Another day, Mahati went to a stationary shop to buy color pencils. She felt thirsty. The boy in the shop gave her a glass of water from a pot he kept in the shop!

How Clean am I???

The Central Vigilance commission is the apex vigilance institution of the country and naturally is trying its best to demonstrate the necessity of vigilance for the country's good, to curb corruption. The vigilance awareness week will be celebrated this year from 26th to 31st October under the theme, "Preventive Vigilance as a tool of Good Governance." There is a joke that runs in the streets of Lutyens Delhi that the Prime Minister's Office even knows the amount of ink left in a cabinet minister's pen! But Mahati knows that the common man is no different when it comes to vigilance. She told her friend, "Even Facebook, a website that began as an alternative to the conventional slambook, now monitors the authenticity of the names of its users. Such is the heights to which vigilance on even common public rose to. Jeez, so much for chatting and sharing general information."

"Ofcourse, we cannot blame Facebook, can we?" wondered Mahati. "Do we not see every other day in the news about ISIS or Al Qaeda recruiting terrorists by posting provoking stuff on Facebook? It has become a platform for terrorist recruitment. How many times a week we hear about guys with fake profiles luring and cheating girls(vice  versa too), fake companies, fake tenders, fake organisations, events, pages. Cheating. Cheating everywhere. How, then can we blame Facebook for being careful about people misusing social networking? It is all about how clean we are! Before criticising others or even supporting or justifying the action of others, we should think that one thing. How clean am I?"

Mahati and her friend are students in a central university. She started by pondering on what possible scams that an average university graduate might be capable of. She should then begin with herself. Though she graduated and no longer is a student of the university, she is staying "on the campus" until she finds for herself an internship and subsequently accommodation. She then wondered, a bit shamefully, how many hundreds of more students possibly might be staying illegally for years, on the campus! In the class, there are hardly ten students whereas the register mentions atleast twenty five!
But hey, when there are teachers who bore the students and take loads of extra hour classes, what else can one expect
? How clean am I? In the mess, for every meal, there are double the number of students, no, people eating than the number that is supposed to be eating. She again, is one of them. "Well, should I justify my wrong doings by arguing that the mess secretary by the end of his one month tenure earns enough dirty money to buy a laptop and a motorbike? Of course not, its all about how clean am I. In the library, the computer center, printing, scanning, in the laboratories and everywhere. Not forgetting the examination hall. HOW CLEAN AM I?? Only once I check myself, does my blood attain the qualities required to boil looking at wrongdoings in the society."

As a government sponsored student, Mahati felt that one must realise that close to a million rupees are spent on them per annum, only to give quality education! How clean am I?

Finally, to be clean is just not enough. Keeping oneself in check and being clean is when responsibility comes into picture. We cannot individually stay clean and not bother about others. That would be selfishness. It is equally important to speak up against those doing wrong things. Feeling this as a duty and being responsible for ourselves and the society is the meaning of vigilance. For more information about the Central Vigilance commission, see this http://cvc.nic.in/

One of the worst things!

Mahati went about her daily chores. Wake up an hour after the alarm ring, get ready to slog for ten hours in a crammed cubicle in a centrally air conditioned building which largely smelled of coffee from the cafeteria. She made sure she got her lunch box, lest she has to spend seventy rupees on a muffin. She also made sure she wore the right shoes so that she would not slip on the highly polished floor in her office.

In the quarter hour she managed to get to grab a bite, she finished her lunch. She had no option to sit down and relish the taste of every morsel of food. She, however made sure she did not waste any food. She ate to the last piece carefully. "There are millions of people who don't get this one tiny box of food for an entire day," she thought. "Every farmer when he gets the harvest to his hand, feels one thing more than anything else. He is not worried about how much profit he gets. All he is worried is whether his hard work would be useful for some purpose or will it go waste? Profit, he might get a lot sometimes. Sometimes, he might not. He just have to understand the demand of the market. But will his sweat-child feed people? Or will the harvest lay wasted in those useless go-downs? Will it be enjoyed by those disease infecting rodents?" Mahati felt an increased respect for farmers in the country. Their love for the land and its gift to humankind. "This is definitely the mindset of an average farmer. His hardship should never go wasted. We should consume only how much ever we need. Not a bit more, not necessarily a bit less!"

She looked around in the dining area. People got food from the cafeteria in trays, filling them with a plethora of the non-local food they could find. Mahati observed that nobody ate fully. A farmer's heart is welling up somewhere in this world, she thought. Wasting food is one of the worst things man can ever do. It should be considered a sin. Maybe, wastage should be made a part of gluttony as the seventh deadly sin. It should be propagated well by the world leaders. Every religious and scientific text talks about the importance of food. Why don't people see the greatness and the difficulty in germination, in growth? It is very easy to throw away food. You need not check the soil condition, need not worry about manure, rain, irrigation, pests. You need not constantly monitor the food when you throw it away. You just drop your food in the bin with no second thoughts. "Well, yeah India now has the highest number of hungry people. They could be fed if the food is not wasted in such huge amounts. If the wastage in a small cafeteria itself is so huge, what about big restaurants, marriage ceremonies and even those silly birthdays which are celebrated as grandly as the independence day celebrations! There is enough to feed everyone in the world. Only that everybody does not get the access! There is one password. Money!," thought Mahati and left the place furiously.

"On the top of all this, the most disgusting thing is that, those who waste food do so in the confidence that there is always somebody or the other who will accept those leftovers. That is pathetic. That kind of thinking should definitely change" concluded Mahati as she traveled to her flat. She saw her roommate and asked what they should do for dinner. She got one immediate reply.
"First, throw the leftovers in the rice cooker from lunch to some dog!!"

Just Justice!

Mahati's friend came to her for a help. He wanted her to accompany him to the prison as he wanted to meet his jailed father. He wanted some mental support too. Mahati gladly agreed to help her friend. Also, she has never been to a prison before. So, she wanted to check it out too. It wasn't exactly cinematic. It was so informal. There was no bullet proof glass, no telephones, barricades. It was normal. A little stricter than a hostel visit. They waited while his father was called for.

He was arrested for a bank fraud. A relative of his took a loan of ten lakhs from the bank in which he was working as a clerk. Since it was a relative, he himself gave assurance and granted him the loan with a gentle warning to not mess the money and his name. That was it. He never again heard from the relative again. The routine Indian drama where everybody knows who the gentleman is. Well, on the outer side, the richer guy is always the gentleman. He can buy things. He is smart. The sincere man got arrested, sentenced for seven years in jail, his house seized and felicitated with the name 'gadar.' No bail. He had no money, how would he get bail?

Mahati friend's father entered the place slowly. He lost all energy. Most importantly lost hope!! He was carrying newspapers of three different days. As the father-son duo were exchanging niceties, Mahati looked at the papers. They read,

News 1
A "celebrity" actor was granted bail not two days after he got arrested in hit and run case. Well, there are thousands dying daily. Is a bus driver or conductor arrested if the bus runs over a bike? The biker has to be careful. What if the "celebrity" hunts down a black buck? Was a train driver ever arrested for the hundreds of elephants that died by getting hit by trains? The elephants got in the way of the train. The black buck got in the way of the bullet! The case was under litigation for 13 years.

News 2
This "celebrity" actor turned chief minister was acquitted from an disproportionate assets case. All she had were ten thousand sarees, 25 Kg gold, 750 Kg silver among many other valuables, farm houses, lands and buildings. She only drew a salary of Re.1 as chief minister. After a litigation of 18 years, she was convicted for seven months and then acquitted. Her supporters are jubiliant. They all cannot wait to fall on her feet, stand behind her with their head bowed in reverence to the great warrior lady. She is the 'mother' after all.

News 3
Another "celebrity" who has been praised as the 'Bill Gates of India' by many, who even sat along side Mr. Gates in a function was granted bail finally, after a struggle for 33 months, hundreds of 'poojas,' 'yajnas' and donations on his name! The person and his brother were involved in the biggest accounting scandal the country has ever seen. Beat that Harshad!! In the scandal which shook the country and put the future of IT in India in jeopardy, there was a manipulation of accounts by $1.47 billion. Start counting!

Mahati then put down the newspapers. She then looked at the title of the newspaper. "Witness," it plainly translated into English. 'The money invested into running this newspaper itself is manipulated money, darker than black and the owner of the paper is leading the opposition of a state while on bail and all the innocent and powerless people can do is read in his paper about those who could "buy" things and only blabber about bad things going on in the country, have food, watch cricket and go to offices, accepting that the country will never change. If the leader of the opposition is out on bail and running one of the largest circulated newspapers in the world, what about those sitting in the all powerful seats? And those who supported those in power?' Mahati wondered while the poor man and his son talked as much as they could in the little time they had together.
The police sentry blew a whistle indicating that the visiting hours were done for the day.

To Kill a Mocking Bird!

Every year, thousands of birds from the Siberia region come to nest in India, a land of ever increasing number of castes and sub castes among human beings even though historically, there has been discrimination based on caste! Probably the animal stock and bird population of the country have started having the differences too. The entire flock of the Indian birds, which earlier used to welcome the birds from Siberia with warmth, like a whole family treats visitors, now no longer do so.

Few birds stayed on a beautiful tree, as beautiful as a central university in the capital city of Hyderabad. The birds have had their differences and started various unions, but never failed to welcome the birds from Siberia. They are special. Special because, when they go back to Siberia, they should tell among themselves what a wonderful place they had been to and more importantly, they should feel like home and go back not wanting to. They should be happy. As happy and free as they had been always! That is the reason why, even if there had been differences among various unions of the hosts, they never let that affect the hospitality the guests received.

The visitors were never restricted to any limit. They wandered free, sang happily and played joyously. The hosts either played along or did not, but they never restricted them. They had to go back smiling, thinking of the wonderful reception. One day, one league of the hosts had a festival. Since it was a strong league and felt that they had a strong reason to celebrate, they filled the tree with their feathers, including the residing place of the visiting birds! How much ever beautiful the feathers are, they looked bad in such huge numbers. When few other birds questioned them, they reminded them of their previous mistakes. Two wrongs make a right!!
Some birds were even threatened in the middle of night. 'Save our wings,' a new revolution started among the rest of the birds. Every bird chirped its own voice. This would have been better without the threatening but such massive discussion and 'tweeting' would not have occurred otherwise!

Unfortunately, when a visitor bird quavered its opinion, it was pushed to a corner. The bird, which was used to moving freely, was confused at this and decided to discuss with one of the host birds. It was told to stay within its limits. Never wander beyond it. Then it was told all about how certain birds historically did not have certain privileges. It could not understand why when there was a possibility for each and every bird to "tweet" its opinion and know others opinions, there had to be such a large feather show!! None of the explanations by the host bird came close to answering any of the doubts the visitor had and they could not even explain what its limits were in the tree!
The bird will go back wondering why it was called a white racist just because it was from Siberia and would doubt what racism really is!!   

Art of Asking

I started to write a series involving a common, thinking youth, Mahati. The second of such articles. This series is thanks to people who stood as an inspiration to me. I hope to make a difference, at least among one or two people in this small world.

A busy and a go-around Sunday was planned. Mahati and her friend decided to do a lot of things for the Sunday outing. No time wasted, they set out. Breakfast at a big hotel. The ambiance was great, the waiter hefty, serious and prompt, the food tasty and the bill...high. Mahati wondered how many home made Onion Masala Rawa Dosas one could possibly get for the amount spent on one at the place. The waiter came with the receipt and the change and looked expressionless at the payee. She gave him a fifty rupee note as Mahati looked on. The waiter gave her a refreshing smile and accompanied them to the door.

Next destination, Temple. Slippers were left on the ground though there was a counter to deposit slippers for a small fare. The temple was old, clean and well maintained. Free prasad was being distributed too. The deity looked simple though, ever smiling. Few priests were busy inside reading out hymns and mantras. A man with a pot belly stood at the entrance, pushing away people who stayed looking at the God for more than ten seconds. As their turn came to look at the God, the person blessed them on behalf of God with a serious face. Mahati's friend took out twenty rupees and offered him. The man gave a refreshing smile and allowed them to have a long look at the God.

Mahati thought deeply. Only if the plump waiter and the pot bellied guy at the temple had a smiling face throughout, they would have probably got more money. A smiling face always earns respect, which means more rewards. Just then, an old lady of about sixty years came to them with a bright, expecting face and told them that she had been guarding their unguarded slippers and asked for some money. Wow! thought Mahati. A smiling face and that too by a person who have done something without asking!! Such favours will be well rewarded.

Mahati's friend searched in her purse for some time and took out a rupee coin and dropped it in the hand of the old lady.
The old lady continued to smile. 

Circle has no Ends

This is the first of the series of articles involving a young, passive, educated Indian who only does anything but think of bettering the country. This series is a tribute to the "common man" of one of the most imaginative and not silent cartoonist, Rasipuram Krishnaswamy Iyer Lakshman. You said it sir!
The name's Rajnikanth! Naam tho sunaa hoga! But then it would be routine, so I will use my favourite name, Mahati

Mahati like every other day, stood on the platform waiting for her never-on-time local train from Vidyanagar to Lingampally. After a long wait which included watching the same advertisement on the television on the platform for 23 times, she got into the train and obviously had to wait till two stations before the destination to get a seat. As Mahati sat down looking at the passing buildings and dump yards, about to drift into thoughts about the fate of the country, the train stopped at a station and passengers poured in.

Mahati's attention was caught by a beggar who entered the train along with the crowd with her 3 year old child singing famous songs hijacked by beggars in the local train. After successfully reproducing the songs in a most repugnant way, she sat down on the floor in front of her, counting the hour's earnings, bundling certain things and carefully tucking them below her elbow, staring out of the door. Mahatis attention turned to the child.

It was obvious that the kid though is quite well fed, was growing up in poor conditions. There was no proper clothing and it did not seem that the child would be ever sent to school, forget getting quality education. Mahati's thoughts drifted again. What if the kid was given proper clothing and sent to school? The biggest problem is at the grassroot level. Primary education. If that is achieved, the country reaches heights unknown before. Just then, the child started spitting on the train floor and making designs. The mother was still in her thoughts, looking out of the door. Only if children are well directed and properly taken care of, Mahati thought, he/she could be anything hem wanted to become. Who knows, the discipline lacking child could become like the trim bodied, neatly dressed policeman standing in one corner of the train compartment, only if educated. Every body in the country should go to primary school, high school and later get atleast a degree for the country to prosper, concluded Mahati.

The train stopped at her destination - the final stop of the journey. Mahati was walking towards the exit as the policeman from the compartment crossed her, walking briskly. Mahati felt proud as she saw an elegant public servant and hoped one day the kid would be like this and would not grow into a person who spit at the wrong places.
The policeman turned his face left and smoothly spit on the platform.

For Our Eyes Only!

I don't know if the world is scientifically "advanced" right now or if we are using science and technology just for a luxurious life. We actually do not know if the science we have is really advanced. So much to explore. So many possibilities. We have to keep our eyes open. Read nature and explore it. Because there is so much to find out. One life is not enough. It takes generations. Milena. To carry the legacy forward. The legacy of understanding, exploring.

The character that separates humans from other species is the ability to be curious. The capacity to explore. The art of skepticism. We are not blind at heart. Humans did not start blind. They explored, broad minded. Atleast I feel that they did. Because they were not complicated socially, like we are.Today! Architecture, engineering, astronomy, warfare, social behavior. Man developed himself. Or did he? Did he complicate himself? So complicated that man had to understand himself instead of the nature. Thus, social behavior brought in castism, racism and religion, glorifying and adoring humans instead of nature; creating persona to represent human greatness. Warfare brought in new, deadly inventions which were used to protect religions and human beliefs.

No wonder now we fight over who did better in everything. Religions have so much in common. Yet, we fight over which is better. Ancient scientists had so much in common. Yet, we are fighting over who fared better in research. The Upanishads might have talked about the Heisenberg Uncertainity Principle but we have to realise that it was Heisenberg who carried the legacy of those great books forward and became a major reason for Quantum Mechanics studies to be continued at a large scale. If not for him, probably we would not be doing "Re"search in that area. The uncertainity principle that the Upanishads talked about would be left behind in those yellowing pages!! I don't think a Rajnath Singh would be working on the topic.

Science as we know never had any boundaries nor it has right now. So, it is a wrong thing to stake claim over some work. How can then people not recognise the work of ancient Indians? While it is true that we should carry on research on aeronautics instead of just blabbering about the fact that ancient Indians did work on Vimana Sastra, we should acknowledge the work they started. The west has realised the works of Archimedes, Pythagoras, Euclid etcetera and are working on what they started, giving them good credit. Why are we Indians, less than the world (other countries are concentrating better on ancient Indian science more than the Indians) are failing to carry forward the legacy left behind by age old Indian scientists?

I feel that the problem occurs because ancient Indian science is associated with religion. Not everybody thinks like Dr.Abdul Kalam and follows the scientific achievements without a religious eye. Archimedes and Euclid are not associated with any religion and Christian, Jew and any other scientist in the modern world follows their science equally. Why is that people associate Indian science with religion is surprising. Is it because an Indian renaissance has not yet occured? Or have we missed the renaissance due to pure laziness for which we are known for?? For perks, if we believe in the art of skepticism, we should not blindly believe in God and we should not blindly not believe in God too, right??

A Process of Causing Something to Change...

That is the dictionary meaning of conversion! The most trending word in our country right now! Nope, not hunger, not development, not Katrina Kaif, not Sachin and not even ISL or New year 2015. Everybody, including the Allahabad high court is interested in this, most important of them, the media and the press. Crucial, relevant bills to be passed in the parliament are kept aside and religious unions are protesting!

Not the religion...the newspaper!

According to the article 25 of Sovereign India's constitution, citizens of India can practice, preach and propagate their faith without disrupting general public order. It is known that several states have passed anti-conversion bills and anti-illegal conversion bills. But all these were long ago and are quite useless and have lots of loopholes. I say, they are "vote bank bills" set to satisfy a certain fixed group of voters political parties have. But the question is, why now? Are thousands of people not being converted into Christianity every year? Why did no one raise questions then? Why Christianity, are people not being "re-converted" to Hinduism every year? It would be a joke if the recent "ghar wapsi" in Agra is first of its kind. All these religious businesses have been happening for centuries, right from when the missions and missionaries set their targets! Does the opposition political parties want a deviation or what?

Power and religion go together so much! Maybe that is why most Gods and prophets chosen to be worshipped were kings, centers of power. Ram, Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Mohammed and countless others! The church is probably the most powerful thing on the planet right now with its head trying to capture the hearts of non believers with stupid remarks for which even the lamest person would laugh. No, I am not criticising any religion nor am I against any. Just when most religions are derivatives of something (the Abrahamic ones) or have prophets, heroes, stories and rituals in common, whats the point in being under different names and still in practice do the same kind of worship? At most the difference in different religions is you get to eat or not eat certain food items. That is all.

Keeping aside the reason for conversions, what is the big necessity for political parties to make it a key issue now in the parliament especially when there are important things to deal with? I smell a dead rat, a conspiracy! And when asked for anti conversion bill, the opposition is now calm ans not surprisingly, churches are wary. They are protesting an anti-conversion bill. There is a National United Christian Forum apparently and these people wrote a letter to the prime minister to not allow anti conversion bill. Hey, is it not good to remember Christmas even in the government as a good governance day? How on Earth would that take away the importance of Christmas? It only gives more importance. Why protest for everything the government does?

True, many a times the family of the ruling party have lost control over their knowledge and what they were speaking. Personally, I did not so like the speech by the prime minister himself at a hospital inauguration though he might have given the speech to match the situation. However, that was the cue! Who cares if Heisenberg uncertainity principle WAS known to ancient Indians? How many modern Indians are working as good as Heisenberg did? And the Gita does not change its charm if it becomes a national scripture or an International scripture. Though the statements carried enough amount of stupidity with them, governance need not be interrupted because of them!

It is the politicians who need to convert into true representatives of the country. True, secularism is the country's identity now. It can never be touched and we should all take utmost care of it lest we don't want to become like some of our neighbours. The upper house members should realise that they are not there only to oppose any bill the government considers important and that there are more important matters to discuss!
Those who voted people to power expect development irrespective of whether the concerned representative is in the government or not! And of course the media. Do you not know that conversions happened, are happening and will happen? When lakhs of people were converted earlier, did that news appear on the front page? Now daily, the front page is dedicated to VHP!! Cm'on, you are giving them free publicity! Stop this nonsense.
Don't disrupt, deliver!

A Kiss of Love!!..??

In the southern most state of a country belonging to the Northern hemisphere, India, the most multi-ethnic country on the Earth, where people are punished for lighting candles on the festival of lights, a couple was beaten up for hugging and kissing in a public dhabha which led to protests against 'moral policing,' very prominent in India. While standing up against beating people, this public kissing reminds me of a telugu movie, Ye Maaya Chesave in which the hero and heroine are separated for a brief period and again meet, not in India but in New York. A dialogue the hero says then is, "This is not India, we can kiss in public." A movie naturally reflects the society and its behaviour. Are we really ready to all of a sudden accept people coming out and kissing?

Agreed, the country should be socialised. How to talk, laugh, teach, dispose waste, welcome guests. This is our culture. Whilst I am happy many people now accept this, there are some people who turned violent. We are part of the most tolerant and flexible religion, not a muscle flexing religion. We say Athidhi Devo Bhava but how well are we welcoming guests in our country and giving them nice hospitality? We also say Matru Devo Bhava, Pitru Devo Bhava and Acharya Devo Bhava thus equating parents and teachers to being the supreme. How much are we respecting them? The greatness of India and its culture can be told in terms of its accommodating capabilities. Many western ideas have been incorporated into Indian thinking. Best example, the adoption of English Calender and days into Hindu Calender. In that case we should seriously have a discussion about how to socialise the nation in accordance with the international situation. One should not walk on Indian roads with folded hands and bent head whereas in, say, Germany with hands over a girl's shoulder. Being a Roman in Rome is fine but in what sense should also be thought of.
How right is it to use the public toilets, throw waste in waste bins and buy ticket for using public transport in the United States but do exactly the opposite in India!!?? H.E.Dr.Abdul Kalam requested every Indian exactly the same.

An Urgent need for socialising the country!!

That apart, maybe, as we socialise ourselves, in due course of time, probably, kissing in public might not be considered an offense. But it is now. I don't think breaking rules and defying law comes under socialisation. According to the present society and its thinking, kissing in public is still not digested and people are uncomfortable with such incidents. In the presence of kissers, others might feel really uncomfortable, irrespective of age. And then there are children. Whatever we do, we talk about future generation! Be it pollution, resource management or scientific discoveries. Children should be free to talk, play, laugh and most importantly, be curious. What answer can a parent give to HEM curious children when asked about obscene scenes. There are definitely certain things every age group should not and does not want to watch. Why else is there a censor board in the country? We, the young people are okay with anything. However, just as the violent moral policing groups cannot impose their 'no-kiss in public idea', we cannot impose our 'kiss in public' idea! Is anyone really bothered what young couples are doing in parks in the evenings? In fact there is a section in every 'public' park where the moral police can find enough people to fight a battle. There are certain areas where public display is uncomfortable to others. Not me, who is okay with it, not someone who is not, let the country decide if it is ready and is fine with such actions. Let there be a proper definition for freedom in public. This only comes with socialisation.

I was shocked to know that the protesters were detained, not for kissing but for not taking permission. The High Court of Kerala apparently said it does not mind kissing in public when the law says otherwise. In western countries, kissing in public may not be an offense, but they have their own ways of curbing such activities. In fact, there are kissing protests in countries like Chile and Canada for things like fee hike. That we in India used kissing protest, though illegal and aggressive, against moral policing is a step towards freedom. When the Prime Minister himself is taking excerpts from Hollywood movies for his speeches, there is nothing wrong in asking for freedom to express love. I do not say that those who feel this is right should mobilise people, win seats in the legislature and change laws. No! Just because one is in a position of power cannot make his ideology a law. Let the society think, discuss and debate as to what is culture, what is the limit of love expression in public, etc.. till then, don't kiss protest in public without permission.

A protest against G20 and G8 summit

I am still wondering as to who is responsible, the media? the protesters? or the society for successfully shifting focus from discussing about Moral Policing to discussion about whether kissing in public is right or wrong?!!?
And by the way, my friend says this is how an 80-year old thinks but not a 20-year old. For you my friend, the following
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2181789/Why-20-year-olds-failing-grow-up.html
20-year old or 120-year old, one must think rationally and logically!!

Inheriting India

"The heir has arrived!!" A popular dialogue in Indian movies. Or probably I should say it is a popular dialogue in our country itself. Right from the dynastic times in our country! So we are used to not dream big and leave it to the children of great people to continue the good work in the respective fields. If Dhirubhai Ambani built an empire out of scratch, his two sons chopped it into pieces and distributed it between themselves. Now, two more 'heirs' have arrived. But to my knowledge, none of the 'heirs' have proved to be any good. Can the children of celebrities set examples like their parents did??

It is natural for living things to inherit traits from parents. But for us, we also inherit riches if we are rich and poverty if we are poor. We are used to dynastic practices in politics, business, sports and cinema, the four famous pillars of the country. Ramachandra Guha says, in the case of Jawaharlal Nehru, the sins of the daughter, grandsons, granddaughter-in law and great grandson have retrospectively visited on him. Being the first prime minister of India, it definitely took a lot of effort from Nehru, with the help of his team to integrate the country and bring it into a constructive mode. But the moment he gave in to his daughter's wish and dissolved a democratically elected government in the country, the screen for dynastic politics lifted. The dynasty is still there and has just been weakened. Nothing else. In such an inheritance infected country, I am not sure how long a non married chai wala can survive at the top post. Of course I cannot imagine what would have happened to the country if the Shehzada is crowned the king!

How many success stories, inspiring ones come out of Indian entrepreneurs? I can only recall 'Infosys' Narayanamurthy. Forget the Tatas. They are a different story altogether. Be it Azim Premji or the Ambanis, though they are very good and highly successful, can some one wanting to become a business tycoon really get motivated by them? In the United States every entrepreneur has #Hem own story, inspirational ones. Micheal Dell's is my favourite. How many love Abhishek Bacchan as much as Amitabh Bacchan? The 'angry young man' from Allahabad has such a great journey to glory much like Shahrukh Khan. But do the kapoors or chopras have any such odysseys?? If Kareena is not a kapoor, probably she would still be trying to get a chance to be in the dancers group in the background. It is also natural that in a house of musicians, dancers or sculptors, the off springs generally grow up to be good in those fields. But this is not at all like the cinema. You have to prove yourself. No second chances. Sunil Gavaskar can only lobby to get his son a place in the National team. It is up to Rohan Gavaskar to play and impress the selectors and audience which he could not.

Why is it becoming difficult for children of celebrities to think of doing something different from what their famous parent did? It is not difficult to chose a field. There are hundreds of opportunities. Superstar Rajnikanths daughters chose their own different jobs, occasionally coming into cinema field but Kamal Hasan's daughter chose cinema. She might be good but she got established as a 'Hasan' else probably she would be singing maybe. I will abstain myself from talking about Telugu film industry which is infested by this stupid inheritance. It is so appalling to see a father acting opposite the same heroine his son acted with earlier! Are the celebrity children unable to see any other profession in this world of opportunities??

There is one more very serious problem in this inheritance way of the famous people. If India is to be among the top countries in the world, it is high time we think about creating entrepreneurs, politicians, singers, actors, sports persons...not giving birth to them!! Government reforms will be helpful. More than that a change in general mind set will be most welcome. One should be brave to be adventurous and explore various opportunities in life. If Sachin Tendulkar's son becomes a cricketer, a cigarette manufacturer, who is a big fan of Sachin also might feel that, if his favourite cricketer's son grows up to be a cricketer, then his son also, like him should enter the cigarette business! How right is that? Everyone should have hem own success story. This should be the trend now especially with the Prime Minister claiming himself to be a poor tea seller in his childhood and climbing the political ladder by hard work. Fair Enough!!

Come, Make in a CLEAN India

In the last few months, the broom(jhadu) has gained more popularity in our country sweeping away many other instruments which are technologically more advanced than it is. Probably after jhadu is going to be the next 'broom' in advancement from the 'Nimbus 2000' and the 'Firebolt.' From political parties to private companies, everyone is attracted to the jhadu. So much that people are fighting in associating themselves with this magical broom.

JHADU 2014

Like any other of his famous speeches, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a beautiful speech before launching the much acclaimed project, Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan. It is nice to see the leader going out of his way to initiate such a nice campaign. It is also very clever of him to nominate an argumentative opponent, a famous sportsperson nominated to the Rajya sabha by the opposition and a film star addressing social issues for some time now to take initiative in the Swachh Bharat mission. Narendra Modi has captured the hearts of those 'thinkers' mostly the middle class through this 'dream project.' Of course, this project has had been the dream project of many leaders but nothing much has changed until now. It is not because earlier leaders could not mesmerise people like Modi. They could. It is that people just remained mesmerised. Did nothing more!!

From 'Mahatma' Gandhi cleaning toilets to Narendra Modi cleaning roads, we have praised the leaders wh ocame forward with such actions and raised them to new heights. But do we get the message? If the leader is emphasising on a clean surrounding, that does not mean he will come and clean our surroundings. If Narendra Modi keeps the Prime Minister office clean, we should keep our classrooms/workplaces clean. Everyone of us should be involved. With a charismatic leader like Modi giving a message about cleanliness, every body in the country has taken to the streets shouldering a broom. Assuming this is not entirely for clicking pictures, one question arises, is this what is cleanliness about?

The PM wants to shift the idea of using the broom for caste discrimination to cleanliness drive. How long will we still associate cleaners with low caste (I don't understand low and high here!!) or vice versa? How long will we confine ourselves to only applauding someone who takes initiative and not ourselves do the good work? When there are people finding reasons to criticise the leader how much ever good his initiative might be; When there are people who buy coconut water and throw the empty coconut shell on the road and drive away; When there are people who so involuntarily drop off chocolate wrappers as soon as they open it; When there are people who instead of in a corner of their plate, throw food waste on the table, making a heap of chewed vegetables and chicken bones thus successfully making it impossible for others to sit in the same place; When most importantly there are NO ONE questioning any of these irritating attitudes, how can one attain Swachh Bharat?

It takes more than a broom to attain a clean India. More than a vacuum cleaner. With technology, it is very easy to identify, segregate, clear and recycle waste. Energy can be harnessed from garbage too, now. There is no dearth of young people with innovative ideas, ready to work on waste management. Jobs can be created. Meghnad Desai feels that beggars can be involved in clean India campaign thus helping the country in two ways. So, the municipality will soon oust the railways in terms of number of employees. As the common Indian throws garbage where ever he wishes, the government sends an army to clean up after this. Guinness book of records will write India as the largest producer of waste yet the cleanest!! But is this what we want? No. We want less waste production than just cleaning the garbage.

Prevention is better than cure. Instead of killing the tenth grade students with coaching for entrance exams, a lot of emphasis should be on cleanliness, reducing waste production, maximising the use of renewable energy sources at the same time minimising the use of natural resources. It is not at all wrong to include in the curriculum simple things like the importance of switching off lights and fans when not in use. Even this can be a job generating opportunity.
Unemployed youth can be trained to educate people about cleanliness, use of toilets, ill effects of littering, open defecation and urination and most importantly the bad effects of over population. More health related jobs can be created too. There is a huge opportunity for private partnership too. Guess this is the emerging sector in the Indian market.

A clean environment will give confidence and security for interested people to invest in the country. I sincerely hope this is the motive behind "Swach Bharat Abhiyan" We shall all go along with those sincere leaders who wanted a clean India.


 

Mangalyaan, a product of success!!?

"Remember remember, the fifth of November

 of India, ISRO and an ambition..

 We all know the outcome of that ambition...

 The MARS ORBITER MISSION"

    -- Anonymus 

I am a student at one of the largest universities in Asia in terms of area. The distance from my hostel to the classroom is three kilometers. My classes start at 9 AM so naturally I start from my hostel at 8:55 AM on my bicycle. I guess in order to reach class on time and to listen to the lecture from the first word, I should know precisely how long it takes me to land down the stairs of my hostel, unlock my bicycle, ride as fast as I can, park it, lock it, run towards the classroom, take out the handkerchief, swipe my sweat, go to the last bench and sit. I should be very calculative in order to achieve all this under five minutes. Quite an achievement.

Now, imagine, instead of three kilometers, a distance of about 200 million times that. And a vehicle some hundred times the weight of my bicycle and ten thousand times the complexity. All this in 300 days. Hell of an achievement! This is exactly what those scientists in Bangalore, Sriharikota, Thiruvananthapuram, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad etc have achieved! The fact that India is the first country to put its satellite in Mars orbit on first attempt proves it. The statement made about Mars Orbiter Mission(MOM) or Mangalyaan by China, 'It is the pride of India. The pride of Asia' proves it!!

Picture sent by the MCC on Mangalyaan

On November 5 2013, the Mangalyaan was put into a heliocentric orbit by the PSLV C25, ISRO's most successful launcher. The idea was to keep it in Earths orbit, keep increasing the distance from Earth (apogee) and then fling it towards Mars. Once flung, the engine was shut off for three hundred days. Of course, the moment the 440 Newton engine successfully fired without complaining a day before the D-Day confirmed the success of the mission. Keep your car in one corner of the garage without disturbing it for a year and notice the difference. You will agree about the degree of achievement(more about the placing in orbit, later). The orbit is a 421 km by 77000 km one for the next six months. The payload consists of a Mars Colour Camera which already sent beautiful photos of the 'red planet.' The methane sensor and the infrared spectrophotometer will I am sure give a good amount of information about the methane, hydrogen, deuterium and the mineralogy of Mars. Even though MOM is 200 kms away from its counterpart, MAVEN(sent by NASA), it will still send down some really important data about the Marsian atmosphere. This is a brilliant step by India and the world, a huge leap towards Mars-kind!

One thing saddens me though. When multiple GSLVs failed, ISRO was criticised. This was answered by them recently by successfully launching a geosynchronous satellite. Those who did not stay with ISRO during their failures are now rushing ahead to congratulate us! To shake hands with us! Is this the result of success?? Only as long as the mission is a success are there praises about the project being cheaper than a Hollywood movie or about the charge per kilometer!! Failed? Forget consoling, you would get criticised for misusing public funds on an over ambitious mission to Mars. Everyone is praising ISRO on the success of MOM. What about during ISRO's bad times?? Are we ready to support it? In its good and bad times?? Only time will tell.

Nevertheless, all thanks to every ISRO scientist who made the INDIAN proud!

From the prime minister's words, "We have gone beyond the boundaries of human enterprise and imagination INTO THE UNKNOWN"

Patriotic or Nationalistic??

It is quite enlightening to hear people give the "subtle" difference between nationalism and patriotism.
"Patriotism means loving your country in a passive way.
 Nationalism means to show your love towards your country in an active and political way."
Thanks for the summary by those people who feel that Nationalism is a threat.
I did not care until now if patriotism and nationalism are different. I always "actively" loved my country. So probably I am a nationalist. I would not mind considering politics if its for my nation.

There is a pot analogy regarding this. A plant in a pot feels that it is lucky to have been born in that particular pot. Well, I say, that pot can be any pot. It need not be India you love. If you are born in China, you are free to love your country. By the way, for a plant grown in one pot, it is very difficult to transfer it to another pot. Most likely it will not survive. There is of course a bonding the plant gets with the environment it was born and grown in. The benefits of growing up in a diverse culture like India, the great grand mother of tradition are immense. That is what we love about our country!!

Patriotism is to love one's country in a passive way. So, does this mean that I go to the Middle East, earn millions, wish my friends on August 15 and feel that I am patriotic? If nationalism means that I stay in my country and take up an active role for its progress in whatever way I can, I go for it. No caste, religion, race. Only the country. Yes, I say, I shout and shout loud from my rooftop that my country is the greatest in the world. It is, for me. The budget talks in India must be given more focus than to stall parliament sessions to know what the government stance on Gaza issue is! However, just because I say I love my country (Nationalistic love!!, new word?) does not mean that I hate every other country. We(nationalists) stood by the innocent, non armed kurds of Iraq who were brutalised by the Islamic State of Syria and the Levant(ISIL). When Japan was devastated in the latest Tsunami, we 'nationalists' helped them in anyway we could. So was the case in thousand other situations. We love our country and mankind!

After all, we are mankind. But I have a certain jurisdiction only in which I can form my own laws and enjoy certain rights and importantly perform my duties duly. If I am seeking freedom, it is possible only in MY country. That is why the affection. I have certain liberty in and with MY country which I miss with other countries! This is the place where I can demand for employment and this is again the place where I can turn to for a supporting shoulder whenever I am in need. But what pains me the most is how selfish one can be, putting aside the nation that gave everything until then! People go to the middle east to make a lot of money and remain as a "passive" patriot. But when war tears up, India has to shift them to a safe place-India!!

What is wrong in actively loving one's country? I am eagerly waiting for the ISRO's indigenously built Mars Orbiter Mission to reach Mars. Such achievements make me want to be a part of the organisation. I know that NASA has achieved a lot more than ISRO. But the victory of ISRO gives immense satisfaction. After all, it is OUR taxes which helped build the country. I have a sense of ownership towards my country. We better help in its building as a nation. There might have been nationalists in the history who started wars but there were nationalists who won hearts!

Maybe I am a nationalist!! If I am, I am very happy about it. I love my country.

जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी

The P.M, the BMW and the Message

"I am Narendra Modi. I request all my fellow Indians to buy products manufactured only by Indian Companies for the next ninety days. Please kindly keep rotating the rupee in the country and contribute to its strengthening." This is a message being circulated in social networking applications like Facebook and Whatsapp. The prime minister has not given any such official statement. He has not held any press meet nor did he post a tweet. It is quite ironical that, when the entire country and even the world is interested to see what plans are in store for foreign investment by the cabinet of the man who now moves about in a BMW 7 series, here we are, telling among ourselves that the prime minister has urged the country to use only 'Indian products.'

Do not buy BMW, Audi, Ford cars. Buy only TATA, Maruti Suzuki and Mahindra cars. This is a nice call. We can and should encourage Indian companies to rise. Government policies can be made to help indigenous power. However, we have to understand few things. Almost all the known automobile companies have manufacturing plants in India. Tamil Nadu is a hub of the automobile industry. It is well known that Chennai is called the 'Detroit of Asia.' India exports a lot of automobiles too. Hyundai and Ford companies are two of the largest automobile manufacturers in India. Many of these manufactured automobiles are exported. The Hyundai i10 is manufactured only in its Chennai manufacturing plant, is exported globally and is considered a highly successful car! Most of the automobile companies, well, except BMW, have a Research & Development wing in India. According to Business Line, India is set to become the top R&D hub of the world in coming years. What if we do not buy and encourage the products of these companies?

The government of India allows Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in many sectors except fields like real estate, cigarettes, atomic energy, betting (legal in many countries) and chit funding. Apart from increasing competition and subsequently leading to an increase in the quality of products and decrease in the cost, foreign investments will clear a lot of budget deficits. Personally, I feel that FDI is very much important in our defense sector which is limping with second hand equipment. The only major complaint is job production. This can be taken care of, by policies adopted by the government. Indian companies can be encouraged by the government in its own way. There might be as many drawbacks due to FDI as many benefits there are.

But what the message being circulated says is that the rupee should be kept in India itself so that its value rises. But if we keep our cards to ourselves, can we achieve that? It all depends on how much we import and export. The more the exports are, the more is trade surplus and higher goes the value of the rupee. If the imports are higher than the exports as is the case in India, more is the account deficit and lower the rupee value. So, we need to improve on exports. How do we do that? Solution: more manufacturing plants in India. If we do not encourage any foreign company into India, how can we expect a surge in exports and in the rupee value? And what about job production?

Apart from all these, we have to consider one more thing. I do not remember if any Indian automobile company (TATA excluded) has done this but I know that Ford India invests a lot in Corporate Social Responsibility. From educating poor children to relief funds, they do a lot of social work in India. Cocacola has come up with the concept of 'Open Happiness', Live-in denims launched eco-friendly jeans made out of waste plastic bottles. We should be strong and accept the competition from foreign companies and make sure that Indian brands are equally good. That doesn't mean that ideas are copied from the foreign market into the local one and low quality replicas are sold at cheap prices. No, Indian companies too should invest in Research & Development a lot and with the potential India has, we can definitely keep up in the race!

It is not only very immature to use the name of the newly elected prime minister to forward such messages but also, it does no good to the country as it is being propagated.

Because What You Read Matters!!

So much controversy over one book!! Hindus: An Alternative History has really made history by being discontinued by its publisher, Penguin India whose motto is, " Because What You Read Matters"!! The author, Wendy Doniger is, one, a historian and two, is not an anti-hindu like many authors in India itself. Though her book has many mistakes temporally, geographically and historically, I wonder if it was more economical for the publisher to discontinue the book rather than making corrections. Either way, it is better to get facts right whatever your opinion is while writing books, especially such controversial ones!!(If it is popularity you want, then this is a bea...utiful way to gain it!!)

Freedom is NOT free!

But one thing. I don't understand why this book was forced out of existence! C'mon, it is impossible for everyone to have the same idea about any thing in this world! Anyway, this book is no worse than hundred other books written by Indians only, on Hinduism. Or is it the ego that a foreigner wrote about Hindus that led to this! Do not forget about Sister Nivedita and her accounts on the greatness of Hinduism! In Telugu alone, I have read books which made me nausea-tic. Such was the way those books (better not call them so!!) were written. And believe me, such stupid books were awarded the Sahithya Puraskars too!
I do not need to mention M.F.Hussain here!
On the other hand, it is wrong to dismiss the case of those who petitioned against Doniger's book. According to the Indian Penal Code 295, intentions of outraging the religious feelings of ANY class of citizens of India is an offense and is punishable. But again, why only this book? Of course, famous books which were denied life in India include "The Da Vinci Code" by Dan Brown which was banned to please Christians whose beliefs were hurt due to the book! Tasleema Nasreen's book on the plight of Hindus in Bangladesh and the book, "Satanic Verses" by Salman Rushdie.

I do not understand how critics mange to raise voices only against select issues. Where were they when the last two mentioned authors received such impedance that fatwas were issued by Islamic groups which said killing them would attract prize money!! Both the writers had to go into hiding for years! But when some one paints nude pictures of goddesses who are worshiped by millions, they said it was Modern art!! When the movie of a great Indian actor was banned quoting reasons unknown, they said nothing. The actor had to put all his self respect aside and beg people and government to let his movie release after which it was a grand hit! "Selective hearing" I guess! Everyone and every belief should be given equal importance. However,...
while views and opinions should be expressed fearlessly through books and art, it should be done with care. Not to impress/satisfy some random people but to respect the art form one is using to express his feelings! Because, what you read/view matters. This is a free country. Make full use of it in the "right" sense!! No pun intended!

P.S: I took a lot of care and put in a lot of effort in writing this article!!