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!"