I left my watch at home
And my mobile under the pillow
Bid adieu to the seconds
As I swiped out.
Plunged into a book
Reached home in a jiffy
Inspite of a sad traffic jam
Time-lessness feels great !
Lunatic Bard
The first citizen of this Nation has always been a puppet, with multiple strings. But one man chose to differ. He, himself is a living example of pure honesty, sheer intellect and endearing simplicity. Definetly not a man of our decadent times. I happened to read an interview of President Kalam today,some excerpts which caught my attention:
Young India:
What do you feel about the innumerable interactions you have had with students all over the country?
Well, I have met children and youth throughout the country from all walks of life. I have seen students in islands, north-eastern States and tribal areas. One thing I find uniformly among 150-170 million students of 17 years age is that they want to perform. Their enthusiasm is very high and they want to live in a competitive India. No one can beat the youth power of our country, which is the most powerful resource. But, it is understood very little in the mechanism of our political and bureaucratic system.
All this rhetoric about the youth power has never sold well with me, for I believe the youth of today are so consumed by consumerism and are blinded by slefishness on all 360 degrees, that even the very immediate social circle, vis-a-vis the family blends into the background.
Quelling my pessimistic sentiments, is the Prez's response to another question.
In recent months, the IT and ITES sectors have taken away the cream of students around the country. How will the manufacturing and other sectors manage?
We are generating 3 million graduates every year. The migration to IT industry is only 1-1.2 million. Even if the IT industry absorbs one more million, there are graduates for the manufacturing sector. The shortage is imaginary. Like in the IT, Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology industries, challenges have to be created in other areas also. Focus should be on the Small Scale Industry that makes an impact on the nation's economy. The whole IT industry is a result of youth power. Similarly, in the manufacturing, agriculture and other sectors, youth power is required.
Despite one's leftist misgivings, one has to hand it to the IT industry for bringing the radical and exponential growth that a devoloping nation with a humungous population such as India's desperately needed. Inspite of a growth that was not ideally equitable, the very same consumerism which I so badly loathe, gave into a number of supporting services and products,generating employment oppurtunities, hitherto unimagined.
The Political Milieu:
Politics shall always be dirty. Power makes shenanigans out of good men. People who have climbed the rungs of the political ladder have done so, trampling innocents at every step. Even the so-called elite politician, can, by no reasonable means, boast of an un-stained hand. Politicans cant help being dirty. And Politics shall remain dirty. Poaching the predators with a shot-gun , ala RDB style, isnt practical and doesnt solve a single issue, and instead giving rise to unwarranted militancy and misleading naxal movements.
Working against the system requires strength of will,muscle and money. Working with the system will drag us into depths of degeneration. Working a change within the system, is probably what the most pragmatic of us would do. And thats what the scientist turned Head of the State, has tried to do.
You have addressed Parliament and several legislatures. What do you feel about the quality of debate in the Houses? Do you think live telecast of the proceedings can contribute to a more orderly conduct of the Houses?
No, I don't want to say much about it because everything is beamed (live telecast) directly now. But I have two things to say that will electrify political/Parliament activities and development missions. Politics has two components — political politics and developmental politics. The political politics concerns elections to the Assemblies and Parliament. Developmental politics is about the plan to develop the nation on different fronts. Elected representatives should focus 30 per cent on political politics and 70 per cent on developmental politics. The nation is bigger than political parties.
One book, that left a mark on me, was "The Man" by Irving Wallace. It describes the trials and tribulations of the first black man to become the President of United States, in a racially torn America, the forces around him that fabricate an impeachment case and how he survives the ordeal, never, even once compromising his character. So deep was the impact of this book, that I ended up wishing for such a man to lead the country I lived in. Guess my wish was granted, albeit within the system.
Saw Lage Raho Munnabhai last weekend… My roomies resorted to a tactfully conjured concoction of bribery, blackmail and sheer muscle force to make me wake up on time for the 11.30 am show, the fact that it was a Sunday morning not to be missed in the fine print. Finally yielding to sustained pressure from multiple dimensions, I agreed to comply, provided they didn’t mind taking me along, without a bath. On my part, I offered to spray a copious amount of deo and perfume upon my bodily self. Thus the deal was struck and we set out on our flight to fantasy.
Not a brilliant movie in terms of technique, but a pleasant watch and of course with lots of take-home wisdom.
Sometime back, somewhere near the latest blast in Mumbai, I left a comment in one of the blogs I read on and off. The write-up was on the spirit of Mumbai which rises above the embers of violence, everytime and on the commendable job of the NGOs in a moment of crisis. It was a fairly good post which spurred me into thought. All that brouhaha about the spirit of humanity is fine with me, but why in the first place should the threat spring up from within? What makes a man kill so many innocents? Personal vendetta garishly mixed up with ideological megalomania could create an explosion that reverberates far beyond its times. The collective memory of the masses is phenomenally short lived and is perhaps what we dub as “the spirit” of the human race.
Life goes on. Because no one cares, as long as it doesn’t happen to them. And if it happens to them, they would go and perpetrate it to some one else. And thus the vicious circle sustains. No one bothers to find the starting point of this maddening race and no one wants to end it where it started. What makes a man who is capable of immense love, harbor lethal hate? Why don’t any of the world bodies spend sufficient time and money on studies into a terrorist’s psyche?
Well, the comment I left on that post, was somewhat on these lines. I ve always belived Gandhiji to be a myth. Someone glorified beyond reality by his admirers. Or someone not so relevant to the current state of affairs. Though I have deep respect for the “myth” of Gandhiji, the lurking doubt in the corner of my mind never vanished.
Lage Raho Munnabhai, is a simple story, spluttered with stray incidents from real life. The solutions provided weren’t very realistic, nor did they reach deep within. But there were essayed in such a manner, that they created little ripples which had the ability not only to reach far and wide, but also permeate beyond the petty superficial prejudices. In the heart of the plot, lies the spirit of the Mahatma, seen by the hero as a hallucination. The capacity to forgive, the strength to tell the truth, the patience required to wait for it to bear fruit, the stamina to take the straight route are simple lessons that when learnt in spirit and practiced in essence could solve many a burning issue. Above all having a constant view of the bigger picture, would show how small and insignificant our problems, hopes and dreams are, and yet how potentially constructive or destructive they could be.
Though all this sounds incredibly unrealistic and impractical, if when imbibed in the little things we do everyday, life tends to be a lot easier, for us and for the world.
I am still not able to dispel the doubt I have about Gandhi, the man, but the movie did clear a little bit of the haze that clouded Gandhi, the philosophy.
That evening, we went strolling in the lovely Bangalore dusk, and stopped by a roadside shop to have some snacks. An old man, probably in his seventies, picked up a conversation with one of us. The others were in a mixture of suspicion, mild amusement, and complete detachment. The “uncle” ended up inviting us for tea with “aunty” the following weekend, and even pointed out his house to us. The old man looked dignified, spoke flawless Urdu (according to S.N) and his house was a tastefully done brick and plaster upper class residence, all of two storeys.
We bid a polite goodbye, promising to keep up the appointment. As we were returning to our home, the myriad of emotions were given voice. The doubts, appreciation, and dispassionate musings were raised.
S.N, the lady who had engaged in the conversation recounted above, said “ He seems to be a nice man, even reminds me of my grandpa, and it is so rare in these days that someone invites a stranger to their house for tea. But still, we can trust no one”. Letting out a feeble sigh, she continued “Too bad we live in such times”.
And all the chatter died a natural death.
