JOBS WITHOUT WORK

There is an overlooked epidemic sweeping the country. I’d call it the Indian Flu but it doesn’t quite fit the requirements to be a noveau-vogue disease like Swine Flu. It is not new, not fatal and definitely not something that can be cured or warded off. In fact, once afflicted one may as well abandon hope. And the one fact that especially distinguishes it from other diseases is that the suffering is almost exclusively borne by other people, those around the afflicted rather than the afflicted themselves. The effects produced by the illness include frustration, anger, anxiety, stress – in other people, of course. In the case of the afflicted, the biggest and most telling symptom is an extreme reluctance to do anything even remotely of use to anyone.


And anyone, absolutely anyone is at risk! It could be the cab driver who refuses to actually drive anyone anywhere. A waiter who quite literally makes everyone wait forever. The contractor who frequently goes over-budget but is nowhere close to finishing the job. The bank teller who is always on break. The executive who never returns a call or replies to e-mails. This disease like death does not spare anyone. Lofty parliamentarians and humble construction workers are equally likely to fall prey.


The disease is contagious but no one knows how it spreads. We just know that it does spread. Entire organizations from the BMC to the Indian Parliament have been afflicted. Why else would Mumbai roads be in the condition they are despite an annual spend of hundreds of crores of rupees over the last 20 years? And why else would critical debate on the Lok Pal Bill be adjourned in favour of a discussion of what the Russians may choose to censor in their own country? Anyone who has ever awaited a Tata Sky repairman in a building other than Bakhtavar (where Ratan Tata lives) knows what I’m talking about!
This insidious disease is doubly dangerous! It does not seem to affect those who make up the high unemployment figures in the country so much as it affects those who are effectively employed. Once the disease strikes, the income continues even though the work becomes negligible.


Is there a cure? Well, we haven’t even understood the causes yet! Is it an infectious attitude of helplessness, hopelessness or despair? An inborn inertia, inefficiency or incompetence? Or is it simply an act of deflection, opposition, defiance towards the progress of the nation or any of its citizens? The truth is that we just don’t know!


All we know is that despite the general optimism in India and the world regarding Indian achievements and prosperity, there is a large part of India intent on dulling this shine and negating the progress. These afflicted are determined to hold onto jobs but do no work. Since they do not directly suffer, they have no motivation to seek treatment. It is then, up to the rest of us, those not yet afflicted but suffering all the same, to understand the causes and seek a cure on their behalf. If more of us succumb to the epidemic then there is no hope for us or the country or our rosy expectations of the future!

THE JUDGE AND THE JUDGED

Like many others, I am angry at Kapil Sibal – the current minister for communications & IT, who recently suggested censorship of content posted on the Internet. Unlike many others, I don't think the issue is just about freedom of expression. A related freedom is at risk, one that is rarely acknowledged. I want to retain my freedom to criticize and judge!

Indians can be justifiably accused of being a judgmental people. We pass judgments on everything - from a person's race & culture all the way down to his clothes & accessories. No wonder "what will people say" is such an important consideration in our own lives. Every decision we make from life-changing ones of careers and marriages to seemingly meaningless ones like Facebook status updates is driven by this.

When other people's judgment is such an overwhelming presence in my life, my judgment of them is a hard-earned perk of putting up with it. It's a never-ending game of tit-for-tat where unwritten scores are being constantly tracked. When we say offensive things we mean to offend. There is no nice diplomatic way of provoking the reaction we intend.

We are a culture of clashes - our 'unity' doesn't come despite our diversity but out of the resulting clashes. Each of us judging and metaphorically putting each other in place are simultaneously being judged and shifted. This constant chaos is the energy that drives us and makes us who we are.

Coming back to Mr. Sibal: who is he to break out and say he will not be judged while casting his own judgment on the rest of us? No one is exempt from judgment, not even those who think they are. Especially not 'public servants', a term politicians like Kapil Sibal choose to use only when seeking election. Once elected, he may see himself as a Maharaja with the right to judge his public but come the time for re-election, he will humbly need to seek and submit to the public's judgment. I suggest he remembers that!

Everyone may pass a judgment and offend anyone he chooses provided he understands that the same rules apply to him. Better a war of words on the Internet than a war of bombs and guns. If Mr. Sibal succeeds in censoring our words, we will have to resort to other ways of criticism, like slaps and shoe-hurling. Our right to judgment cannot be taken away - it will find an outlet of expression. I'm sure the honourable minister must have realized by now that in seeking to escape, he has effectively painted a bulls-eye on himself!

COMMUNISTS SUPPORT CAPITALISTS!

Ever since Anna Hazaare's crusade against corruption gained momentum, India's politicians have injected renewed vigour into exercising their right to protest. They believe that if they create a noise big enough, public support will materialise from nowhere. Instant legitimacy for whatever cause has caught their fancy.

The cause in vogue today is retail FDI. The government is for it so by definition, the opposition must oppose. Regardless of ideology or the people they claim to represent. The opposition's most vocal protesters are from the 'left' parties, with communist leanings but whose interest are they really serving through this protest? Not the common public for sure. Retail FDI and big chains like Walmart expanding operations will provide many benefits like better access, cheaper prices and greater job opportunities, all of which will benefit most of the population. Those already employed in the retail sector will not be threatened. Their employers will be forced to treat them better as the risk of attrition becomes stronger.

Who, if anyone, will suffer when retail FDI opens up? A handful of traders who own retail shops and home-grown retail chains who will face competition in retaining their customers, employees and profit margins. This too is a short-term prospect if they have the willingness to adapt. International retail giants will bring more than just money to the industry - there is a real opportunity to learn from them and improvise, which is the key strength of Indian businesses.

So why the hue and cry? Communists are trying to gain political mileage by supporting a handful of capitalists, who have inadequate faith in their ability to handle market forces...as the saying goes, "it happens only in India!"

FANTASY MEETS REALITY

In an earlier era, fantasy was an escape. A vicarious view of the life we might have had; had we been allowed to dictate it. Tightly bound by the constraints of society, religion, economics, politics and indeed our own minds, reality was the life we looked to escape. Our attitude was fatalistic. One was born and could hope to die in very similar situations; sons and daughters pretty much filled the same roles that their fathers and mothers did. Where reality was narrowly defined, fantasy was imaginative and free.

Bollywood was built on fantasy. It presented the utopia we craved, the challenges we wanted to surmount, the rewards and respect that eluded us in reality. Ordinary men proved themselves and went on to live extraordinary lives on the screen, while the audiences went back to their ordinary lives, sustained by the glimpses of something totally out of reach. Fantasy was an escape and nothing more, a pleasant dream to soothe our eyes and minds. An interlude – a break from the monotony of real life.

Post liberalization as our reality has progressed; we have begun to fantasize of dreams within reach.

TV serials are built on accessible fantasy. They present the real problems, dilemmas and struggles of everyday life with a little glamour, showing us that reality need not always be so stark and depressing. Everyday life can be beautiful too, if we invite fantasies that thrive within our limitations. We may not have the red carpet but we can surely get red roses, we may not own the world but the exercise of power in our own sphere is still possible.

Reality shows are bringing fantasy down to real life. Real life transforms to celebrity life overnight. Not just through talent and hard work in competitions like Indian Idol & Dance India Dance, but also through outrageous & bad behaviour in shows like Roadies & Splitsvilla.

And anyone can get a ‘following’ on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube. Air your views on anything under the sun, publish your writing, show off your exotic vacations. Complain, admire, shock, criticize, like, friend, trash, protest, put down – all within sight of a global audience.

Video & Internet games allow us to ‘live’ in other dimensions that though made of fantasy, feel just as real. Get a virtual life, fight in a virtual war and even have virtual sex. Anything seems possible today.

Living one’s fantasies was once impossible – who could reach for a dream that was elusive, as far out of reach as the moon? Today even the moon does not feel out of reach with space tourism seeming like a distinct possibility. A moment’s fantasy transforms rapidly into reality in a relatively quick passage of time. Perhaps, there is no longer much difference between fantasy and reality.

COMMUNITY CONSCIENCE

Anna Hazare has sparked off the revolution for India's post-liberalisation generation. And this one is not for 'freedom' but against 'misuse of freedom'.

Democracy is alive and thriving in India but perhaps our elected and appointed representatives are thriving too much at the public's expense. Corruption used to be something that even the corrupt were ashamed of...it existed in secret coded langauge and behind closed doors. Today, corruption is in the open...flaunted with a smirk and accepted as an institution.

The government response to the Gandhian protest proves this point. Even if I did not suspect the Congress of corruption before, now I feel sure. Why else be so defensive about having any sort of check on their powers? Democracy is about accountability too!

And I'm not naive enough to believe that the opposition is any better. I commend Team Anna for not allowing any political party to appropriate this cause and make it another empty electoral promise.

While Parliament consists of representatives of the people, the judgement of how to hold these representatives accountable should be left to the people too. Why give them the power to decide what they are answerable to?

As a concerned citizen, I support this movement. But I feel the need to add that this is not just a revolution to be fought in the country as a community - it is equally & critically important to continue the fight in the conscience as individuals.

We the people are India. So if we want the country to shed the persona of corruption, we need to decide never to contribute to it in any way.

RESPONSIBILITY – PERSONAL OR PUBLIC

NO END, NO BEGINNING

An empty world
Light fills in
Yet still empty
A hungry soul
Thoughts feed it
Yet still hungry
A yearning need
Met again and again
Yet still yearning
Complete the circle
Follow the trail
Return to the beginning
And start again

TIME

Time speeds up
Time slows down
This is a good time
Oops, bad timing
Our time is too short
All we have is time
In ten million years
Or in a second
We could understand
If time really matters
Important or insignificant
Worth chasing
Or escaping from the illusion

CAN TERROR BE KILLED?

A terrorist is dead. Ok, the world’s most famous and hated terrorist is dead. Justice has been served – the taker of innocent lives has had his own life taken from him. But it doesn’t mean that the world is any safer or that we can sleep any easier.

Osama Bin Laden and other leaders of terror are merely the sparks that ignite a long line of kindling to the final fire. The sparks can be banned and eliminated but as long as there is kindling the possibility of fire remains. And no one can be safe.

Franz Kafka said “So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being.” What is simple is true. It is hunger and want and need that drives one man to hate another. We become our destructive best when we feel we have nothing left to lose. When we have no homes to protect, no means to educate or feed our children, no voice that can be heard....what options are left?

Options. Do terrorists have any? We ask terrorists many things – we question their humanity & sanity rhetorically through media and probe details of operations and agendas more physically through torture. But does anyone ask the other pertinent questions – what were his options? Did he have alternative means of providing for himself and his family? If he did, what prevented him from resorting to them?

Why would a 12 year old boy become a suicide bomber? Is it the hunger in his stomach that craves such a final satisfaction? Or are there multiple stomachs that will only be fed with the price of his blood? Or is it the intense propaganda of those who have known deprivation intimately and are skilled in exploiting it?

We can kill terrorists. We cannot kill terror. It comes from the fire of hatred that is perpetually burning in different corners of the world. It is fuelled by prejudice, discrimination, exploitation, greed, revenge, ignorance, manipulation, differences of attitude & lifestyle....but the kindling is always the same – poverty.

CRICKET MANIA OR SANITY

After 28 years, the World Cup has come home to India and all who witnessed this great triumph will remember it forever! Even people like me, who fall in the tiny niche that doesn’t really follow the game. Nothing unites India & her people better than this colonial game – not religion nor language nor culture nor intellect and definitely not politics.

In fact, politics has sought to divide our incredibly diverse country further & further on real and imagined differences in religion, caste, communities, etc. Cricket can overcome even this delusion as portrayed by this SMS, which has been circulating since the match –

"Dear Raj Thackeray,
A Chandigarh lad, a Jharkhand captain and a Delhi boy won the world cup for us and dedicated it to a Marathi legend.
Your regional hatred has failed.
Jai Ho!!"

And apart from obvious nationalistic pride, there was so much that inspired in the last few moments of the match and the ultimate victory. The stress-free attitude of captain Dhoni, the faith & teamwork of the entire team, their willingness to share the credit & glory....the sheer joy that was instantly felt by 1.2 billion people. Equally inspiring was the grace with which the Sri Lankan team accepted the defeat despite their brilliant performance in the match and indeed, the whole tournament.



While many deplore ‘cricket mania’ on the subcontinent and try to steer us towards more serious issues, I wish we could hold onto the unity & team spirit engendered by the world cup in addressing them. Our problem may be easily resolved – my or your problem may never be. And if the sport makes for better attitudes and inspires us to unite & forget petty differences, cricket ki jai ho!

PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE

In the Internet age, anyone can be an instant celebrity. With a thousand friends on Facebook and a million followers on Twitter, a person can broadcast every thought, deed and opinion. And celebrities get to use the same media to appear more accessible and interactive with their fans. The gap between ordinary & extraordinary is blurring....so-called ordinary people may display extraordinary talent or perspectives and at the same time the celebrities we brand extraordinary can share personal details that tell us that they can be ordinary too.

Social equalisation is on in full swing and regular people are discovering the secrets of image management just as celebrities (and “their people”) are discovering what it really means to get real. The narrowing of this gap has meant that no one knows any more where to draw the line between private and public.

Miley Cyrus has used her experience with Twitter to create this video. As she said to David Letterman on his show, “You can’t complain, about like ‘Oh I don’t have a private life and I’m so upset – paparazzi are following me everywhere’ if you’re going to tell them where you’re going.”



Sharing a personal movie review, photographs from a glamorous event, updates on the latest antic of a child or pet all seems innocent enough. But we’ve all heard the stories of people getting fired for Facebook posts or celebrities caught in a controversy over their Twitter updates. And of cyber-bullying, where anything you share could make you a possible target. It’s exciting to get instant responses & to have made a favourable impression but it’s also stressful & painful to be ignored or ridiculed just like in the offline world.

People who have no qualms about ignoring people in the offline world are suddenly beset by fears of appearing rude online! It seems that social media is the latest balm for achingly lonely people everywhere – if you wake up in the middle of the night needing to talk, you may fear to wake your spouse or call a friend at an awkward time. Or if you want to ‘share anonymously’ the things you can’t in person, there’s always the stranger online who can help you feel less alone.

We’re all in the same boat, craving attention and connection but afraid to put it all out there. What we cannot say face to face to one person, we are broadcasting to millions online in the hope that someone may understand. Hiding behind a computer makes it feel easy but ultimately, we are making ourselves more vulnerable than ever before. What’s personal may not be private anymore.

LIMITED FREEDOM

If we go by popular media, Americans love to say “It’s a free country.” They express pride in their freedom but as the rest of the world knows to its peril, American freedom does not always allow for the freedom of other nations. In fact, it usually comes at the expense of some other nation’s freedom.

Wikileaks should be applauded for living up to a quintessentially American ideal – the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press. Instead, the USA is persecuting it, appearing to put far more effort into this than they have into nabbing any terrorist group. President Obama, who was the source of hope and inspiration to many around the world, now seems to be no less imperialist than any of his predecessors. It is unfortunate that he may feel compelled to defend a war he did not start but one cannot feel too sorry for him when there is evidence of innocent lives being recklessly taken by US soldiers with the same careless abandon they might use while playing a video game.



Shocking yet true. While there is outrageous uproar on ‘security concerns’ and ‘treason’, there is no denial of the facts. What is even more distressing is that the debate is centred on whether or not Wikileaks has any moral right to do what it did rather than on whether the US war policies & practices are moral or not!

For all the rhetoric around US soldiers risking their lives to protect ‘freedom’, the real heroes are the whistle-blowers who have the courage to stand up for what really matters. Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan – those who still believe in the good intentions of the USA waging war on foreign soil are either hopelessly naive or themselves malicious warmongers.

And to be fair, the USA is not the only government and military keeping secrets from its citizens. This is probably why few countries are offering Wikileaks tacit support in the terms of non-prosecution. Indeed, most governments are probably hoping that the US will deal with Wikileaks before it becomes their problem.

As ordinary citizens, we reserve the right to know. But do we really want to know? If we criticise and condemn, do we not have to make things right? That takes some hard work. First, accepting that a mistake has been made in our name, then that we are now responsible for correcting the situation – for holding accountable the people we have chosen to represent us.

As an Indian, I do realize how difficult this is to do. As comedian Vir Das put it, when we were struggling for freedom, we had politicians who went to jail but were not criminals and today we have politicians who are criminals but don’t go to jail.

The definitions of ‘freedom’ have always been flexible – it’s up to us to decide whether we feel safe with the limited freedom our governments want us to have or if we have the courage to fight & stand for unrestricted freedom, which involves having to deal with unpalatable truths. And please let’s not use patriotism or any other ‘ism’ as an excuse for our reluctance to face up to true criticism. True freedom, like everything else worth having, comes at a price.