AAP

Why are we cynical about AAP?  Why are so many of us waiting for his 'inevitable' downfall?  I think this says something about our society, our past experience with the govt. and our basic sense of pessimism as Indians about India.

I think Arvind is the face and force of nature.  Once India was a leader in the world in science and philosophy.  We have turned ourselves into caricatures of those qualities.  It takes a lion among men to go forth on a path of righteousness which most of us would never dare venture on - except maybe in our fantasies.

I believe that we are evolving as a nation - the India we see now is a lot different from the time we were children.  It is now that there are nationwide protests against crimes which were routine before.  The high-profile corruption is now laid bare 24/7 for all to see.  It is no coincidence that AAP won beyond all calculations.  Emotions cannot be accurately measured.

The biggest test for AAP and the biggest cause of cynicism regarding its continuity are the people it will govern.  For the govt. to be successful, its citizens should shun corruption as well.  If enticements are readily offered once too often even the more well intentioned officials may succumb.  Out of turn favors are what the wealthy are accustomed to and they are willimg to pay a high price for it. Corruption has become a way of life in India.  Even with salary hikes most govt employees do not make as much money as those in corporate sectors.

There may be a win-win situation here.  It's a lesson I learnt at Tirupati.  There is one single line leading to the main inner shrine.  People get in the line based on the cost of the ticket purchased.  A high priced one will ensure that you get to see God earlier than others.  The money goes to the temple fund.  It's capitalism and socialism at it's best - and no one rants at any injustice being done.  Simiarly if those guys who can afford to, pay more for faster services let the money go the the govt. kitty and maybe a part of it as perks and bonuses to the officials who do the jobs on overtime.

The other potential threat to AAP is its leader.  He is a committed individual and its sole leading light. A party by definition means more than one.  Being a giant is sometimes not enough, niurturing and mentoring future giants will ensure a long run - one that can eventually change a nation.

As of now I wish that God is with Arvind in his endeavors as I am sure that as per His records Arvind has bought the highest priced tickets with the sincerity of his soul.

Indian Sports

How and why do most of us fans expect us to be the worlds best in cricket, as consistently like the Aussies, I do not fathom. All the other teams have fluctuating ranks. At least in cricket we are in the top eight.  Of course if US, China and Germany or Korea start playing, thngs may look different !! The US team may be entirely composed of people of India, Pak or SL origin :-) We are mediocre at best in most of the other sports we play - especially in the Olympics or football or even hockey (where we were in fact at the top for sometime, albeit a long time ago). 

In which other sports are we anywhere near the top with our consistency in cricket? Or is it the other way round?  Let us ask ourselves in which other sports do we participate in message boards like this?  Or have a dedicated TV channel for? That cricketers are making money is a fact - read about IPL or BCCI (Both the “I” s are for India).  It’s because of you and me, people.  We are the ones giving our time reading about cricket, seeing it and talking about it.  India has the richest Board for this sport, a far cry from the state of our economy w.r.t. England or Australia.  We are the customers and they are marketing our eyeballs for cash.  The cricketers are the performers and they wholly deserve this money.  They make only 1% of what a top footballer in an European club makes per year.  From what I see, BCCI is a giant sports management agent.  They are making so much more money than the players that it is enticing even hardcore politicians to play the game. Let BCCI distribute some of its earnings for development of some other sports as well :-) We might as well see resurgence in hockey. How about an Astroturf ground next to every BCCI venue? 

I do not know if there was similar money invested in other sports might we have seen similar excellence or is it that we are genetically suited only for cricket.  I think that there are enough people in India to produce more than the odd world-class sportsperson we have.  We need money - and not like SAI - give the right kind of money to athletes and sportsmen to make more than a decent living.  Let it be like an Academy - like the IAS or IIM and let there be a nationwide entrance test to get in and get the best of coaches and training facilities with full stipend to the players. There can be different academies for different sports. Those selected can be as young as thirteen and tutored to graduate through on-campus schools.  They specialise in their own fields and then go out to complete with the best.  We must be careful of "brawn drain" though :-)

Religion

All religions are based on trying to make sense of the unknown in our universe.  For people to remain convinced about a religion’s view, each religion has to dangle a pretty big carrot for everyone to follow.  I broadly can think of two categories – what each religion teaches and towards which goal.

Punishment vs. Reward:

Islam – penance – heavenly afterlife

Christianity – sacrifice – heavenly afterlife

Judaism – penance – heavenly afterlife

Emancipation:

Hinduism – contemplative meditation – inward understanding

Zen Buddhism – spontaneous simplicity – inner peace

The first group of religions was born out of strife, in adverse sociological conditions – the second through meditation and philosophical discourse.

As to which path is better of the two – only God can tell :-)

Upliftment

Root cause of unrest is lacuna or the feeling of it.

It is when basic necessities are lacking that the protests become violent.

Our economy is so often based on exploitation - our history of land acquisition is pathetic and much abused - there is no trust factor any more.

This is the time to empower the people - to regain thier trust

Cooperative villages - catering to the local or foreign market

Landowners and homeowners retain their status

Farmers can join hands to open lands for better machinery, technology and economy of scale training their farmers into research and management 

From potters to weavers to toy makers, each group can benefit by numbers - in terms of funds for equipment, QC, packaging and marketing resulting in competitive pricing and greater profits.

Venture Capital required to fund equipment and technology, set up a marketing team. Return plus interest will come once the cooperative starts earning.

World peace

Is conflict the only solution to settle differences or does compassion and compromise play a role?  We are all humans born with a heart the same as others, then what is it that takes hold of some minds towards inhuman deeds? Is it genetic defect and if so can this be modified.
But there is a flip side to genetic manipulation - the urge to produce superhumans.  The Defense departments will be the ones to get it first and produce a martial force that will first work for them and then may take over the world.

Population

If people believe that their will be severe economic hardships - more than the possible benefits from fathering more than 2 children - will they then stop?
If US can be a trillion dollar debtor, why cant India borrow some measly billions to take care of the shelter, food, water and health needs for its poorest citizens with voting rights?
It is the denial of basic rights that takes the fight out of Indians. Ensure that and then see the power of the educated masses - educated in skills and trade that can feed the world.  If India is truly a place where industriousness fetches just rewards, each person will be free to choose the type of life to live while respecting the others' rights.  Our core philosophy is strong - it needs to spread its wings for all to see. As of now, we as a nation can only be united in the face of war from outside or cricket matches. There's very little else to be proud about - but that can change

Planning for a better Kolkata

The first service providers for new residential colonies outside of the main city of Kolkata are shanties.  Because of political pressure, once they set up shop, they cannot be dislodged.   And it is also a fact of life that only shanties with their low capital cost will venture first in these untested waters.  Big commercial comes much later, when returns are assured in sufficient volume to cover their large overheads. Hence for the early birds in any new residential colony, these shanties and the morning market (haat) is god-sent.  

When the area is fully developed, however, there is often a hue and cry about the existence of these very shops and very often by the early patrons themselves.  Lack of hygiene and assault on aesthetic sensibilities are primarily cited as the overwhelming reasons for their removal. Depending on political inclination (a risk few leaders take), sometimes the vendors are forcefully evicted, leading to resentment.  It is obviously a genuine and sudden loss of livelihood for people who have very few opportunities for honest living in these times of overpopulation, and recession.

Basic principles of town planning and urban sociology dictate that this needs to be managed. As both sides of the issue have very valid and cogent arguments in their favor, a solution to address both will need to be implemented .  Land should be set aside on site-n-services or plug-n-play basis to accommodate a fixed no. of such service providers.  Selection should be by lottery (conducted by Govt. in presence of judiciary) and beyond the stipulated no. any further such ventures should be strictly prohibited. In case of Govt. projects, suitable area should be earmarked in the master plan,  For large housing projects, provisions may be incorporated in the by-laws, allowing such structures to be beyond FAR, while ensuring allotment of area within the premises. The same rules of allotment will apply for the spaces provided within private development as for Govt. allocations. Right to the area will remain with the Govt. as the Lessor.   

Army of the World

Who funds the US Army if USA is in trillion dollar debt.

It is the rest of the world who have invested in USA, put their money and faith in their system. US Army has the mandate to be the peacekeepers of the world.

But there's the catch - who will monitor he monitors?

Science of Magic

As we know all magic is science. But to me, all science is magic as well. It is a miracle that there are things called cells and that they join in so many strange and beautiful ways. We understand science as defined by these miracles - the creation came first, our understanding later.

Us and Them

Only when we begin to accept each other's differences we start gaining familiarity, appreciating someone else's quirks and qualities.  I have been fortunate to count among friends, people from different countries, and their basic aspirations are all the same.  Fewer that one percent would want to truly harm another human being.

New World Order

If we sit back and introspect the type of world it is going to be a hundred years from now - do you visualize a brave new world order that stands united, or do you see one that is more torn apart than ever - as the population increases and resources decline?  The pace of expansion ensures that the balloon of support the earth provides is going to burst with the demands of her human population.  At its extreme there would be a major upheaval, wars and civil wars - like Darwin turned mad all over again.

What emerges at the end will be the true test of humanity's survival instincts.  If only we are armed with deeper knowledge and sense of responsibility, can we hope to mold our lives in empathy with each other and our environment. It will be a test for us to find out what we really need in life as opposed to focusing solely on our wants.

Humans are not alike.  There is diversity in society, language, custom, religion, politics, all of which, specially the last two, have been the cause of great strife and conflict.  In India, we even see states wanting to separate on the basis of a language. So I guess it is not Esperanto we are headed for anytime in the near future.  Russia is fractured, Spain wants to divide, Gorkhaland will probably happen, Naxalites are a fact of life.  Civil wars are rife in many countries.

However, two countries hold fast - US and China.  We empathize with US way of life because we have had the good fortune of western education.  Probably we need to accept that as people are different, they may need to be governed differently.  Perhaps there is something not altogether wrong in a system as in China for countries with high population. It reduces crime and curbs the violence.  They have achieved economies of scale that nobody can beat.

It is only India that could have countered this by efficient human resource management and more honesty within a truly democratic framework. But a broken up and corrupt India's bite will lack the teeth to take on even their smaller neighbors, let alone China and the world.