Tuesday, October 25, 2011

10 Second Reading - Words

We have a tremendous facination for the "Spoken Word" despite the fact that it is not the most natural means of expression that humans possess... Silence speaks louder, Eyes express better, Touch conveys faster, still we want the words to confirm what we already feel...And inevitably they never do...

Friday, October 7, 2011

The Poor God...

The hands in the clock were getting ever so close on this lovely Friday night and today they seemed like two blessed lovers who were about to enter a minute of eternal embrace. Although, only a minute is what they will get since the horses of time will pull them away for another hour of wait while the cycle of life keeps repeating itself...

But they seem happy to have this eternal minute to look forward to, where as I have been hopelessly plodding away on my laptop for what seems like an eternity.

I think Albert must have got the idea of relativity while working on a Friday night...The time does slow down and if the work involves making compelling power point presentations while your friends are out at a pub; Mr. Time just comes to a grinding halt.

It is the season of hectic activity...A season that is not ear-marked by the movement of mercury encased in a glass shell but by the quickly receding ink in the stamping pads at the emigration counters. Loads of business visitors from across the world besides visiting Taj Mahal and shopping for antiques, visit our offices and listen to the great stories emanating from the impressive power point presentations that we serve believing that the crucial decision of whether they will do or increase business with us will depend on how impressive the presentation is...Interestingly this season typically coincides with the end of the financial year when the expenses need to be increased to exhaust the budgets...

Now, whether the travel is necessitated by the need to transact business or to exhaust budgets....my guess is as good as anyone else’s...

Anyway, whatever is the reason and whatever be the outcome, I need to make sure that my presentation leaves a positive impression in my bosses’ mind because that is all that will matter when the decision on my future well being and prosperity will be taken.

“Version 13.4”...Little exhausted, I save the file to grab a cup of coffee oops cappuccino...(Coffee sounds so primitive) feeling ridiculous at the number of revisions that this epic had gone through and also trying to recollect all the feedback that poor old version 13.3 had received...

“The data needs to be massaged a little more, we need to represent it in better light and yes we need to be little more economical with the truth”...my superiors voices were reverberating in my head and I wondered how many lies do I need to manufacture to make this darn presentation compelling.

“This is irritating...why can’t we just represent Truth, the Plain Truth and nothing but Just the Truth”...I think in the mind but out of frustration murmur the last words little loudly and suddenly something eerie starts to happen...The floor under me starts to shake, the energy efficient fluorescent lights begin to flicker, the room fills with smoke and strange sounds fill the air...The deserted office suddenly takes the look and feel of a sci-fi movie set.

I am dumbstruck to believe my eyes...My rational mind is confused and too numb to accept what it is seeing...This can’t be real...I am overworked and hallucinating for sure...I rub my eyes, pinch my arms but before I could think another thought, a human figure starts to materialize on the leather sofa placed in the lounge for visitors, not necessarily for the visitors that materialize out of thin air though...and then everything turns pitch dark.

Some water droplets hit against my eyes helping me regain my conscience and an outline of a serene face begins to form in front of them...I Contract the pupils to refocus my vision and see a wrinkled but calm and smiling face looking ever so gently at me...

“Get up Son”...”I am extremely happy with your Penance and Tapasya that you undertook in search of truth and enlightenment and therefore I thought it appropriate to provide you with my divine audience”
The words do not really register as I am busy checking him out...
Tall, fair, long hair, salt and pepper beard, bright eyes though a little sad, ornate, dull golden robes... the bloke looks like a character from one of these mythological sitcoms that run on all TV channels...Although the appearance is not as dazzling...The face is bereft of makeup, The robes look a little worn out and the gold plated ornaments are losing colour...

“Son...I am the God of Truth, You were seeking me and I am here to grace your life” the baritone breaks my thought process...

I am still very confused, He definitely doesn’t look like GOD, “Gods don’t wear dusted robes or worn out ornaments, at least, not in the sitcoms on the telly...And yes they definitely don’t wear rugged sports shoes but he did appear out of nowhere”...My rational and now awake mind is prancing like a horse on steroids... “He for sure must be an impressionist and an intruder”...I try to recollect all Privacy and Physical Security policies that we are always forced to read to find a solution to this potential Security issue that has manifested in front of me.... “Call Security...yes I should call security”

“Son, don’t be confused and you can call security...but they won’t be able to see me, as my audience is restricted to my most ardent devotees only”...

“He is reading my mind and, yes, the security guard that just passed by didn’t notice him...He sure seems to have some super natural power...Is he really God? The Truth God?”

“OH My God!!! He can help me, He can do anything, Get me promoted, Increase my salary, make me successful and yes he can make that compelling presentation for me” My thoughts are again racing, but this time with lot more euphoria...

“I am the Truth God, son; The God of enlightenment; the God of Salvation; The God of Nirvana and cosmic truth: I don’t make presentations, or provide earthly gains, I can help you move out of the cycle of Maya and achieve super consciousness” The Baritone not only breaks my thought process but also my budding dreams of prosperity...My facial expressions change from euphoria to despair, I feel like a child who was promised a toy that was never manufactured.

“I have the worst luck in the whole universe...Out of the 330 Million Gods who roam around the universe, only this dishevelled, gibberish speaking, artificial jewellery clad bloke decided to pay me a visit and, that too, on a Friday midnight when I am working on this damn presentation”...

Suppressing my anger and disappointment I blurt out “Thanks God for your kindness and visit, it was really a pleasure meeting you but I need to get back to work now”

“I can’t leave right now...My minimum appointment is 4 hrs”...”But God, I need to finish my work and moreover I don’t need any of those things that you have...Please let me go now”...I start moving away...
The expressions on his face changes from calmness to sadness and helplessness... “I have come from a long way to meet you, at least show some courtesy and offer me a coffee before I leave”

His almost pleading voice meltes my heart and I anyways want some break from version 13.4...

Sitting in the office compound, we sip on our coffee in absolute silence...His eyes seem to be distant as if wandering in a different world... “Son; things were not like this”...finally his voice fills the ether around us.

By now even I was eager to know what exactly the story was...Why would a God be in such poor condition and most importantly why would HE visit someone like me who never really beckoned him...

Having gulped down the last sip of the coffee, He lights a non-filtered cigarette and begins:

“Long time ago, when the Supreme God conceived the universe, he made a beautiful and rich abode for Gods called Heaven”...His eyes light up... “Those were great days when everything was in abundance and we lived a life of riches and pleasures...

But as you would know son, abundance always brings in callousness, we also, like humans were oblivious to the fact that there is a limited amount of natural resources in the universe...Our population growth rate was very high and in-fact till about 50 years back we even out-numbered our worshippers...Thankfully, the rate has lowered now and we are more or less stable at 330 Million...

But, like humans, the good sense didn’t prevail on us till it was way too late...The greed made sure that the natural resources kept dwindling to a point where the Supreme God had to intervene and make all of us accountable...

A clear economic system was laid out in which all of us got paid in accordance with the set rules and regulations: Our income was directly linked to performance on various parameters like, number of worshippers, our recall value, number of consulting and servicing hours etc

“Consulting?”...I responded a little baffled...

“Yes son, consulting!!!”... “As you would know, humans worship us for gains and ultimately, once we feel that you guys have done enough penance, we pay you a visit and provide consultation on how to achieve what you want...

“Interesting” I thought...

“Initially this arrangement worked well...There was enough work for all of us as earth was inhabited mostly by God fearing humans and in fact I was one of the richest Gods”

Taking another deep puff, his eyes develop a twinkle as he continues, “The demand for me was so high that the waiting time to get my audience used to be as high as three continues lifetimes of penance, and I would never provide more than a few minutes of appointments...Besides, having the highest fan base and recall value, my endorsement earnings also were sky high....I still remember, even your Bollywood used to make movies relating to me...

I had the best robes and ornaments to wear, the best palace to live in, we used to go on vacations to exotic places and my kids studied in the most expensive schools... “What days!!!”

But then, as they say...all good things in life come to an end...the priorities of the earth’s inhabitants changed, you guys became more materialistic, greedy and selfish and my demand started to dwindle...

My fan base started to shrink, endorsements disappeared and the consultation requests became few and far in-between....Such was the impact that I had to sell off my palace, antique ornaments and even my golden robes to feed my family...

I tried everything possible to stay in business, even relaxed the penance requirements to what you did today...just three consecutive utterances of the word “Truth”...but nothing worked and the worst thing is that my poor twin “The Untruth God” who used to feed off my pittance started to get richer and powerful...
Today, he is the most powerful God with huge fan following and consultation demand...Infact to cater to the increasing demand he had to establish 24*7 call centres that are flooded with calls from across the globe.”

His voice started to grow louder “Infact lying and deceit has become such a universal language that his call centre agents don’t undergo any communication, language or accent neutralization training...The callers from across the world just understand what they say...”

Taking the last puff from his fifth nicotine stick, he looks at his watch and suddenly gets up...

“Oh!!! It is almost morning...” he says rather nervously...

“Son...thanks for your hospitality but I need to leave now...and you know what to do in case you want to meet me again”

“Yes...but what is the hurry”

“I am late for my shift son”

“Shift?”

“Yes, I work as a part time trainer in my twin’s call-centre...Ironically he is the only one who still needs me...He and his team need to know the “Truth” before they can “Lie”...and I in return make some extra money to support my family in this inflationary economy” he said running away in those rugged Sport shoes...

Standing there, I see him disappear into the morning, wondering what we humans should do to re-instate the status of our God...The Poor God...

“I sure will become more truthful in future” I promise myself, while switching on the laptop...

First I need to complete “Version 13.4” though....

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Pretty Paris

Paris by Night


Witness to Parisian History

Seine

Seine Again

The Chapel

Chateau

Hold your Head High

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Chapters from an Untold Story...


Because I do...

It was after a long week, I was back at the place where normally my evenings would transform into the early night...Arched buildings, the foot bridge, leafless trees, cruise boats, evening birds and clouds in the sky; everything looked the same, although, the incessant rain and thunder storms that had kept me away did seem to have added a little bit more golden rust to the handles of the ever so enduring wrought iron bench, adding to its charm and character; the very bench that we used to sit on for hours watching the calm waters of Seine.

The only thing that seemed removed from the other evenings and rather reduced the charm of this otherwise beautiful evening was her absence...She was still angry despite all my attempts to woo her back...Infact the last that I heard from her was almost two days ago; two days, that felt like two eons...Despite being a charmer I had not been able to give a convincing answer to her rather simple question... and the mumbled response had only added to her doubts.

I had been asked this question in my past and it had never proved to be too tough for me....“Wordsmith” of the Spoken word that I was, I had always used it as an opportunity to appeal to the vanity of my lady hence swooping her of the feet, but, this time my words had failed me...

It was a particularly beautiful evening, with orange skies from the setting sun that are rather rare in the ever cloudy autumn. We were perched on this very bench with her pretty face resting on my shoulders...and I, as always, lost in her beautiful mysterious eyes that are a mirror to her soul. They express more than the most adept tongue and I am always intrigued by their depth which I find deeper than the mighty waters of the river on whose shore we were nestled. The river that since eternity has breathed life and love into this magnificent city living on its shores

We were particularly silent that evening, just soaking in the beauty of the nature...In an instinct she clutched on to my hands, smiled the enchanting smile and asked the question...

"Why do you love me?"

Considering it just a tease I smiled and gave a peck on her forehead in response...which didn’t seem to convince her as she repeated the question...albeit firmly now...The smile in her eyes had been replaced by vulnerability and some kind of strange fear that I couldn’t understand properly... the transformation was way too quick for my comprehension...”Because...I” is all that I could muster, before she stood up and started to leave...

“Think about it and we will meet once you know” she said, turning back for the last time before walking away into the setting sun.

And that is what I had been doing for a week ...”Thinking”...

For the first couple of days, my mind had turned blank as I was still pinching myself to check whether it was a bad dream...however sadly it was not and her separation was making me realize the reason for her question and the expression in her eyes...Love is a dichotomous emotion that can make a person feel secure as well as insecure at the same time and she must have felt the same insecurity that I was experiencing now.

I had still not given her a convincing answer but the hopeless hope of love had made me come back to our favourite spot the moment the thunder storms relented hoping to find her waiting for me on this very bench. But I found the bench still cold and wet from the rain...

However there was something inexplicable about this evening...I was feeling less insecure, my mind was calmer and something was telling me that the worse is over and she is going to return and take back her rightful place in my life. I sat there, listening to the soft murmur of the flowing water and the silence of the calm twilight...The light was fading and very soon the night sky had engulfed the city...

Suddenly, I realized that the darkness of the night was showing me something that the light never could. Light by nature is discriminating, hence differentiates. When it was bright I could see the buildings, the trees, the river and everything around me as different entities with each having a unique identity and character, however in darkness the boundaries had become blurred and everything including me had become one big shadow...We had all lost our individual identity and had merged into a larger conscience...

Everything was in perfect harmony...I felt one with the Bench, the trees and the Water in the river..., Infact I was the water flowing in the river, the heart beating in that tree, the golden rust of the bench and all of these were as much a part of my soul...We were all made of the same elements and were merely different manifestations of one unified consciousness. My entire being was filled with peace and Solitude...The darkness had rid my soul of all strife and Insecurity... I was feeling very secure as I realized that I can’t lose her...How can I lose something that is a part of me...and I was beginning to realize the true nature of love which was revealing itself in its truest and purest form.

I started to feel enormous love within and around me. I felt the love of the river for me and for all the beings that it had been breathing life into and I realized that it loved all of us because it just did...It was the nature of the river to love.

I felt the enormous love that the trees have in their bosom for me, for all the travellers who sit in their shade, for all the hungry souls that feed on their fruit, for all the little children who play under them and for all the people who cut their branches to light a fire to keep warm in cold nights...And they loved because they just did...It was their nature...

I felt the selfless love of the bench...It waited each day for me to return so that it could hold me in its lap and shower its love on me...

It is Love that binds all of us in one large conscience...and it is a feeling, an emotion, that just is...It is not something to be understood, as to understand is to question and to question is to not have faith...And Love can’t exist without faith. Love does not exist in the realm of reasoning, it emanates only in the state of super consciousness, where there is no question or causation...Just pure truth and acceptance...

The evening had been extremely generous to me as it had revealed to me the answer that I had been seeking... I was really happy and felt the desire to rush back to her to tell her all about my experience...I started walking briskly on the cobbled road that lead to the place in the city where she lived...The protruding stones of the cobbled street that I would always complain about were no longer hurting my feet as I was light as a feather and they were also a part of my consciousness.

I was visualizing the meeting with her; how I will take her into my arms and tell her all that is to be told...I was seeing the expression in her eyes and suddenly my feet started to slow down as I realized that I still don’t have an answer to her question...I realized that I can never have an answer to her question...Infact there can never be an answer to this question...and she will have to realize that on her own as each one of us needs to go through our own journey to experience what can’t be understood.

I stopped over at our favourite cafe and sipping on our favourite coffee I sent her the only answer that I knew and it read “Because I do...”

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Hail World's Largest Monarchy...Oops Democracy!!!

With every passing day...my worry for the future of India is increasing manifold....Well..The reason of my worry is not increasing corruption, inflation or other pity things that the entire Indian populace seems to be pre-occupied with...I am worried about something more profound and urgent...Something that, if not taken care of now will have a huge impact on future generations of India...

Something needs to be done and needs to be done now as he is not getting any younger...Yes he is already 40...Infact I am surprised that he has taken so long and still not realized or fulfilled his duties towards the nation...Therefore I think it is time for the elders in the congress party to start "Satyagrah" "Fasting" or even pass a resolution to make sure that he gets married at the earliest...and give India its "Heir Apparent"...After all how can we imagine an Indian Monarchy oops Democracy without a Heir Apparent from the Gandhi Family...

After all Indian Politicians even after 60 years of democracy, still owe their alligence to Kingship or should I say Queendom (in the current era), otherwise how can one explain senior Congress Leaders whose Political Careers started before Rahul was born looking up to him to be their Messaih and show them the eternal light to tread into the future...

Or...Are they the smartest ones, Interestingly History suggests that they are...If we look at the Political History of free India, only Congress has really sustained as a National Party, other parties like CPI, RSS, Janta Party, Janta Dal to name a few have been like a flash in the pan...maybe because they did not have a perinneal source of Princes and Princesses...Maybe Congress has understood the Indian psyche much better than others...Probably they realize that we Indians have Heiarchy in our blood and that is the easiest way to mobilize us...Also, maybe it is a way for them to manage Internal Conflict and Aspiration...Whatever it is...it is working for them...

Infact other smaller fiefdoms (Parties) have learnt their lessons, and are waiting for their Heirs from the Abdullah Clan, Scindia Pricipality, Yadav family, Patnaik household, Reddy Family and the list goes on...


Long Live the Indian Monarchy Oops Democracy...

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Communication – The key Skill...or is it?

You are a good communicator; your communication skills are exemplary; you need to improve your communication skills; you lack communication skills; I am adding communication skills to your development plan...And the list goes on...

Over the last decade our obsession with the word “Communication” has become pernicious...All of us have said or heard the above statements a numerous times...Sometimes albeit rather losely...Infact some very enterprising folks are riding the tide and have set up institutes to develop magic potions that are being delivered through numerous well packaged training programs to rid us of our “Communication Deficiency Syndrome”.

Hence, I feel it is time to take a step back and reflect a little more on this word...

Let’s start with a small exercise...Close your eyes and say “Effective Communicator”...and visualize this word.

I guess this word initiated a specific chemical reaction in your mind, and you visualized someone standing on a dais and delivering a speech or someone talking brilliantly in a meeting or some other setting of Individual oratory brilliance...Also, I feel that you would have seen someone who can influence you with his words and thoughts...Therefore I truly believe that effective communication is definitely a little bit about, Choice of Words, Intonation, Grammar etc but more about Intensity, Clarity, Conviction, Passion and most importantly Honesty behind the thoughts that are communicated.

However, before you dump this article as another “10 steps to effective communication” I should clarify that I am not selling any medicine here rather I want to discuss something more ethereal...i.e.,Psychology of the word “Communication”

Words influence our psychology which in turn reflects in our thoughts and feelings and ultimately gets expressed through behaviours and actions and it is no different with the word “Communication”.

If we go back to the visualization of the above exercise, what we saw was Individual Brilliance...and that is exactly what communication as a word is about...The complete focus is on the speaker...The listener only plays a passive role of understanding and acknowledging the speaker...Therefore this word creates the feeling of “I”, “Me” or “My Brilliance” Which I believe is important for one's self-development however it does not necessarily invoke the feeling of “We”, “Our” or “Our Success”...as the word is rooted in "ego"

There is another word that I used to hear a lot in my childhood but not so much these days, i.e., “Conversation”...If I repeat the above experiment what visualization does this word lead to...I see discussion, equal participation and togetherness and I am sure you see similar pictures or events....This word invokes a feeling of “We”, “Us” and “our” in me...and the sensation is bereft of “Ego”.

The above visualizations might make us believe that the two words are in contradiction with each other, however that is not the truth, the two words are in complete harmony and share a symbiotic relation...The first one focuses on Individual Development (Which has to be the starting point) and the second one dissemenates that brilliance to the larger group and also completes the knowledge cycle.

I believe, what we need though is to develop a better balance between “Communication” and “Conversation” to become more effective managers, Leaders and most importantly better people...
In a nutshell, continue to develop as effective communicators but do have more conversations....

Finally if you stop at just reading this piece, it will stay in the domain of Communication, however, if you choose to comment, you will complete the knowledge cycle and transform it into Conversation...Cheers

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Who is Naive

Have been following the events in India very closely...And am wondering is the congress government so naive that they are letting "Anna Hazare" take the centre stage and allowing masses to rally behind him...(Not taking anything away from him...He is doing a fantastic job in creating awareness and angst against corruption...) Somehow I smell a rat...Congress is the oldest political party in India with leaders that have a tremendous political skill (We have to give it to them...Afterall they have won maximum elections in India...so they do know a thing or two about mobilizing masses and managing people)...
Also, I dont think corruption is going to end in India by just creating a strong anti corruption law...If that was the case it would not have been so rampant in the first place...It is more about strong execution of the law...(If Judges can take bribes to pass not so correct judgements so can the ombudspersons tomorrow)...And I think it will be Naive to think that the Politicians dont know that...I have a strong feeling that the politicians are playing along and letting this hysteria get created so that the focus that was so strongly on CWG, 2G and Foriegn bank black money has got shifted to Lok Pal...
I see it in unfolding in the way too familiar way...The struggle will continue for a few days...Then The government will create an all party committe including Anna's team and draft a ameaneable Lok Pal Bill...We emotional Indians will celebrate the victory and euphoria for a few days and then go back to our daily grind of earning our livelihood and the politicians...being the Ultimate winners...will be back at doing what they are best at...SCAMS...And media will move on to a new issue and debate that will bring them the required TRP's....
You and I will still be paying a bribe to a clerk in Government office to move our stuck files....

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Life after Lokpal...

(Following is a work of fiction and any resemblance to anyone is purely co-incidental...The author does not advocate anything...Readers are advised to use their own judgement)

Some loud noises woke me up from my deep slumber...I could hear commotion and a sense of desperation in the voice, but my still inebriated brain couldn’t register what was going on...I had had a few pints too many in the last night party that I hosted to celebrate passing of the “Strong LOKPAL Bill”...It was a great occasion to catch up with all friends and colleagues and celebrate the “People’s victory” which had come after so much struggle and steadfastness. Everybody in the party (I admit after a few drinks though) had accepted that the bill should be christened the “Holy Text” of Indians as it had the highest galvanizing power that any document has had in the history of free India.

Although I must admit, that I did come across a slight disadvantage of LOKPAL later in the night as I had to search for a Taxi post mid-night. I decided against driving as I was afraid that the breath analyzer test will not turn negative for the proverbial 100 rupees. Also, the Taxi Driver seemed to have realized his monopoly and charged me twice the normal fare... (I wonder why we left them out of this all pervading bill)...Anyways my spirits both figuratively and physiologically were still very high as I was looking forward to a reformed India that was about to awaken in a few hours. (For the first time I realized why my grandfather used to get goose bumps while talking about the eve of 15th August 1947, when the atmosphere must have been as filled with anticipation as it is today)

But, the noises that woke me up did not somehow seem to represent the Reformed Nation...I opened my drowsy eyes and tried to focus my attention on the noise...and soon realized that it was my panic stricken wife talking on phone to the neighbour about the second most critical thing impacting the Indian middle class... (First being Corruption of course...although some would argue that the order is reverse) The House Maid

Looks like our newest maid has changed her loyalty for extra 300 bucks...and my wife is complaining about this to her neighbour friend... (A spectacle that happens at least once a quarter)...”I paid her 3000...she used to eat the same food as we did... she was treated like a family member...I don’t remember how many clothes I gave her...and this is how she returns the favour” My wife fumed over the phone... “10% hike, similar benefits”...a good calculated decision...anyone working in the private sector would have taken that....I thought.

More importantly the figure 3000 struck me...Roughly 45 pounds...and my friend who lives in London had told me something a few days ago about the minimum wages policy that they have there to avoid exploitation. And based on some calculations that he did, the minimum salary of a similar domestic help would be roughly 1000 pounds per month. I thought to myself...how lucky we are not to have a minimum wages policy...after all how can I pay 70,000 of my hard earned money for domestic help...although the term “exploitation” was bothering me a little.

What was bothering me more was the hangover and headache and my system needed a nice cup of tea...However I couldn’t muster the courage to ask my wife for the same...after all she had still not recovered from the grave loss and it would have been insensitive on my behalf to ask for a tea in such circumstances...I got up, made some tea and handed over a cup to her as well...She looked calmer post the phone call...we got chatting and started discussing the daily chores...And she reminded me that I need to go to the passport office to file an application for the renewal of my expiring passport. “What a waste of time”...I exclaimed...”Why can’t we get it done through the agent that did it last time for us...”It is not only convenient but cheaper as well”...I reasoned...”He only charges 5000 for a passport, which is lesser than my daily earning that I actually lose if I take a day off to stand in a queue in the RPO”... (I felt a sense of pride while calculating my daily wages...after all they were comparable to what my London friend was earning...and he couldn’t afford domestic help as well...)...She gave me a knowing smile (All wives know that husbands avoid domestic work,..Whatever reason we give) but ultimately gave in.
This is an agent who I had regularly transacted with...All my family and friends’ government and judicial work was done through him...He was a very smart person who not only did your work but also advised you regarding government and judicial matters...And all this with a can do attitude, warm smile and a hearty Laugh...

I called his office but heard a hoarse voice from the other side asking me for my order!!!...My first reaction was...”Wrong Number”. On checking twice I realized the number was right....However, the voice told me that it was a Sweets Shop... (Halwai)...and I couldn’t believe my ears when on enquiring about the agent I was told that “Lalaji is busy frying Samosas”. I felt stupefied...and decided to check on the agent/Lalaji on my way to office to understand this sudden change in his profession and more importantly to find out if he knew of some other agent who could help me...

I parked my car outside the sweets shop where once his office stood...and was ushered in by the ever smiling Agent/Lalaji...His eyes were rather sad though...Over simmering Samosas, Lalaji explained that he had to shut down his flourishing business and move over to this family tradition because the officers in the government offices had stopped working with the agents for the fear of LOKPAL. They were no longer accepting bribes and hence all the agents were out of business...I was stunned...I had never imagined that the reformed India will mean no agents, long queues outside government offices and eventually loss of all convenience that I as a well earning member of the middle class society could buy (read bribe) for a pittance...
With a rather heavy heart and some malice towards reformed India, I went to the Delhi RPO and the scenes outside the building made me numb...There was utter chaos, People were stranded in their cars as no one was providing unauthorised parking (That used to absorb 80% of the vehicular traffic)...There were long queues outside the office waiting for the counters to open...which had not been opened even at 11 am. While I was trying to understand what is happening...I saw a procession of government employees heading towards Ram Lila Maidan...On enquiring with a few of the agitators, I was given to understand that the government employees are planning to stage a peaceful agitation and Satyagraha to demand for “non bribery allowance” because the current salary levels were not enough for them to make the ends meet in the high inflationary environment that has besieged India. And when I asked how can they do that in working hours...an employee shot back...”Lokpal forbids me from taking bribe only...it can’t make me accountable”

Realizing that my passport renewal will need to wait a while, I decided to head towards work, but before I could make my next move, I received a call from my child’s school requesting me to pick her up as the school needs to be closed for the day...Before I could ask for the reasons, I heard some uproar in the back ground and the phone got disconnected...Little worried, I rushed towards the school, still wondering what kind of reform has India gone through.
The compound of one of the best (read costly) schools of Delhi bore a rummaged look ... There were more parents than kids there and I saw the Principal and the Governing Body Members being carried away like criminals in the back of police vans....The picture in front of my eyes was so disturbing that my mind initially rejected to believe it...However it was happening...These esteemed members of the society had been arrested for corruption charges for seeking unlawful fees like donation, capitation, building fund etc for admissions...I started feeling good that something like this was happening as I remembered how I had to withdraw money from my mutual funds to pay for all these fees. However my joy was short-lived as I heard a few parents talking to the teachers and urging them to drop the fee or cancel their children’s admission as they could no longer afford the steep fees structure of the school... (This probably was that strata of the society whose main livelihood was dependent on the parallel economy running in our country...The corruption economy) What really stupefied me was the size of this stratum...There were government officers, small business men, middle men, professionals like lawyers, doctors, engineers, chartered accounts who in unison were feeling the negative impact of reformed, corruption free India on their earning potential.

I picked my child and decided to head back home, as I was too numb to do anything else after what I had seen at the Regional Passport office and now at her school...My brain was spinning as I could not decide whether I should feel good or bad about what I saw. There were too many questions in my head...

- Is corruption the real economy that runs my country rather smoothly?

- Am I also a culprit since I also fuel corruption for my convenience?
Is corruption driven by need or greed or both? If both, then where can we draw a line?

- Is corruption really the only problem? Or is it the multitude of problems like Un-equal distribution of wealth, poverty, Lack of Social Security, Lack of Infrastructure like good public education and health system.

- Most importantly...Can we truly get rid of Corruption without solving other basic issues?


I reached home, curious to know what the news channels are airing on this momentous day, I switched on the TV and heard a reporter talking about a sting operation that had been carried out in the “Lokpal selection board” where the selection committee members were caught accepting huge bribes from potential candidates for the office of the Lokpal...Further in the program the reporter also spoke about how the office of the Lokpal had become the most sought after assignment among administrative officers given the power it had...
I got really restless and thought of requesting Anna ji for help, but his team informed me that Doctors had advised him rest after such a long fast and struggle and we will have to fight this battle on our own...

I was feeling too restless and helpless when suddenly I felt a tap on my shoulder....My wife was standing there with a cup of morning tea...”You are getting late”...” remember...you have taken leave from office to go to Ram Lila Maidan today to support Anna ji and Jan Lok Pal”...she said...

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Who is “WE”

It is commonplace to hear and use the term “We”....All of us use this in various conversations that we have every day. Infact I believe, if I plot the frequency of the usage of this term over the last few years, I will see a nice upward trending curve. And I thought it to be a positive trend, as this small two letter word signifies “Inclusivity”, “Acceptance”, “Mutuality” and most importantly “Lack of Egoism”...Unfortunately there is another graph that is also showing an upward trend and that is of “Strife”, “Anger”, and “Mis-Trust”.

We have always known that when a positive increases, negative should decrease, therefore, it is rather ironical that two variables that have a negative correlation should follow similar trajectories in the same space time. There has to be a reason for this contradiction and to understand the real reason for that, I think, we need to deliberate more and demystify the term “WE”.

In the strictest sense “Pure WE” originates only and only when at-least two “I’s” are willing to abdicate their “Independent Will” and dissolve into a larger identity “We”. This can happen only when we truly surrender our Selfishness and Ego that represents “I” and become selfless and formless like Water to merge and take shape of “WE”...This “WE” is far bigger, better and powerful than its individual “I’s”...However, it is not easy for humans to become this “WE” as it is in contradiction with our basic nature. We are an “Intelligent” species that thrives on logic...and Logic forces us to act in accordance with the laws of “Causality” and “Reciprocity”; And complete surrender and Selflessness is neither based on Causality nor Reciprocity. Hence this state of “WE” is possible only when we move into the super conscious stage of “KNOWLEDGE” that does not need Logic.

However, we need not despair, as there is a lesser “WE” that is in conformance with the basic selfish nature of humans that works in the framework of Causality as well as Reciprocity...It is created when at-least two “I’s” find common ground and interest...Based on the level of commonality, varying degrees of “WE” get formed...which in turn lead to corresponding levels of gratification. At the highest level of commonality there is pure acceptance and no or little compromise...At reducing levels of commonality, the “WE” depends more and more on compromise and hence become weaker and weaker...

The Lowest form of “WE” is when it is used only as a Term to gain acceptance...It is only a form of communication used to sound more engaging and patronizing...This “WE” is negative that breeds more Individuality and Selfishness as it is used towards self gratification only...
I think it is the Negative “WE” that is being used by us more often in all walks of life and hence the unfortunate increase in the second graph...

Let’s start asking ourselves this question “Who is “We”? When we use the term next time...

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Reflections

The journey of life has brought me to a place where I look back and see so many landmarks that I rushed by...I should have stayed there for a while...what was the hurry...I still have so much time left before the sun sets and anyways I don’t think I will miss much even if I stopped now...because once I start again, I will run towards some unknown destination missing all the beauty of the path that leads to it.
Have I left some people behind as well??? Should I have spent more time with my friends and loved ones who I met along the way, should I have wasted some time doing nothing to find something....maybe meaning of why I was walking...I might have gained more experience....or just nothing....just that I would have enjoyed the smile on their faces for a bit longer....

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

You can be great

All human beings have almost the same potential to be great...
To become great...one needs to do something extraordinary...and do something extraordinary...one has to come up with an innovative idea...An idea is nothing but a thought...
So, if we follow the simple causation logic...it simply means that Innovative ideas lead to Greatness...
Everybody knows this, so what am I trying to drive to...The point that I want to make is that Thought has been proven to be a form of energy and we have studied in very elementary science that the sum total of all energy in universe remains constant...Which means the concept of 'New Thoughts' is rather contradictory...
In simple terms, the way I understand it is that all thought already exists in this universe and the people who spend time on training theirs minds to think in a sequential manner are able to attract these thoughts better than others...exactly in the same way as a piece of iron is able to attract other pieces of iron when its internal scalar forces are arranged in a sequential manner...We must bear in mind that every piece of iron has a potential to become a magnet but it needs to let electricity run through it to align its scalar forces...

Similary, every human mind has the potential to Innovate, and consequently become great if it is ready to let the 'ELECTRICITY' run through it...

Friday, March 25, 2011

The Power of Thought

Man has made great progress and we see so many great Innovations, Inventions and Discoveries happening around us every day...We have seen so many new and fantastic things appear around us and they have changed the way we LIVE...We Marvel at these great Inventions and spend a lot of time in understanding the science behind all these...We go to the extent of creating new disciplines to understand the process, the technolgy that goes behind creating all these great innovations... One thing that probably does not get its due credit (and I say that because even after so many great inventions that have happend in the last 20 years, I havent seen a great study or research happening on this subject) is the THOUGHT that germinates the idea of creating these Innovations...After all, whatever we see around us from Space Technology to Nano Technology is nothing but manisfestation of a thought that germinated in someone's fertile mind...All the great Products from Computers to Ipads, that we see around us, were first concieved as thoughts... So, it wont be an exaggeration to say that whatever we see around us is nothing but a THOUGHT...which has manifested itself....
JUST A THOUGHT....:)