A humble request

Humble request to everyone:

Let us all be responsible citizens and not indulge in rumour-mongering!! It can cause a lot of harm - intentional and non-intentional.

A century of Perpetual Transition

I have audio version of JK Rowling's Harvard commencement address saved on my desktop. Checkout the youtube video here. Every time I listen to the speech, tears literally well up in my eyes.

Amongst many things that I relate to in that speech - there is one sentence that has been hovering in my thoughts for a while now. It reads '..... that is your privilege and burden'.

As an individual, I get a sense of joy and fulfilment if I am able to help others. And by my own admission and of people around me, my desire to help others (sometimes help is such a condescending word), lets say my desire of be of benefit to others is higher than that of the average Joe ( not the plumber ;)) . So, I don't know why the above line makes me think so much.

May be my issue with the above line is - Why is being making world a better place 'for others' a duty or a responsibility or a privilege or a burden? As it is we work hard to make our own lives better now ‘others’ are also included?

Over a time I have come to believe that one cannot be significantly more happy or prosperous than the average lot around. If a chasm persists for a period of time, it would lead to social unrest, in the end benefitting no one. I do not know if this belief is right or wrong, but basis this belief and the fact that I derive a small measure of joy by being of benefit to others, I find it easy to get involved in altruistic activities.

How much ever I would like everybody to think this way, it isn't so. Almost 70-80% of the people in this country are fighting to survive. So, who works to make their 'world a better place'? I guess that is why we all elect government and pay our taxes. But clearly that is not enough. So the civil society steps in through non profits, for profits, NGOs and so on.

I digress. I think my discomfort from the above line comes from the question that under what authority do we charge people to consider being altruistic as a privilege or burden or duty or responsibility begging to be discharged. If it is 'moral' then from where does anyone derive the moral authority? Political - not really. Political can be dangerous too. Religious – No thanks! If it is humanitarian - hmm.. I don't know.

A philosophical dilemma. My way of thinking about this is - the feel-good factor. Get involved. Create the transformation. See the results. You will feel good. That is for sure. This need not become your career or your life but can become a facet of your character. And that itself is a good place to be in.

ps:This is my 100th post. Yipee! It will be 3 years in December since this blog came into existence. Writing does not come naturally to me. So each post takes a lot of effort. It takes a lot out of me. Its been a lot of fun nonetheless.

I have had interesting conversations about this blog from people who know me personally too. Many have said that my blog personality is different, a few say that it is the same. But one thing almost all agree on. The title- In perpetual transition is apt. :) Would love to hear your comments (even those who have been lurking)

Travel and Learning - 4

So I am back with my traveling pictures. This time also it was on work. We went to this place called Galibore fishing and nature camp, around 2 hours from Bangalore on the banks of Cauvery.

The good thing about this place is that there is no cell phone network. Which automatically means that you are forced to interact with people around you and cannot get up and walk away for that long phone call. You are both physically and mentally present.

This was work cum pleasure trip. We enjoyed coracle rides, hikes and campfires. When we did work, it was fun - on the banks of Cauvery, sun shimmering through the camouflage and a cool breeze with just enough chillness factor to keep us huddled.

Early morning. A little late for me as I wanted to catch day break. Was thinking of a dip when I was told that the river is 70 -90 feet deep with strong under currents and stronger crocodiles.

The hike to the top of the misty mountains. I was secretly praying that I would find myself in the middle of clouds. The clouds had sadly melted away, but they left their mark - dew drops . Btw the I reached the summit first :)

That is me. Just check out the lazy sweeping bend of the river behind. And just count the number of shades of green in this picture.

Me and my colleague - I am not quite able to pinpoint why this is my favourite snap. May be because the grass gives the snap a gladiator-movie-scene like feel. May be it is just the fact the we were just so happy in the environs and that shows. Or may be this picture is somewhere quite close to who we are.

This is where we stayed. Simple, luxurious and elegant. The fun part was when we had to have bath in cold water :)

We were on a work trip remember? So I continued doing what I do best at work ;) . But I tell you the cool wind, sound of gentle flowing water, birds chirping and pleasant sunshine through tall sheltering trees can really be soporific.

Hope - the quintessential human delusion

Its called the Obamania - Mad rush to find an 'Obama' everywhere. I read some recent reports that Lewis Hamilton was being hailed as the Obama of F1 racing. Daniel Craig has pitched in with his two cents of having the next James Bond to be an African American. India has also had its share by almost declaring Mayawati to be the Obama of India.

While Obama is part African American by descent, but he did not win the election because he was an African American. America did not vote for him because he was a black man. America voted for him because they felt that he was the right man.

In India sadly, voting still happens on casteist lines. While Obama is known to build bridges, our leaders (so called leaders) are playing the divisive card to their maximum potential. The person who can get maximum 'sops' for his caste/ community invariably wins the support and hence the election. While, some attempt was made by Mayawati to create the so called social engineering, it remains at best an electoral attempt.

If we are to look for an Obama in India, we need to look for the best man/woman for the job and not the lineage or social status. If we are to find an Obama in India, we need to recognize Obama went to the best of schools Harvard and Columbia included and in turn ensure that our future leaders get to attend the best of schools in our country too. And the first step is to create these world-class schools. If we are to elect an Obama, we need to create an atmosphere where entering politics or public life is considered a viable and even prefered career option for the brightest and best candidates. And if we are to see an Obama in our life time, then we need to ensure that our future leaders are those with whom the majority of this country can identify with - Less that 50 years age is a good start.

Somehow, I refuse to believe that 1 billion people cannot produce an Obama in every state. Or may be that is the question we need to ask ourselves. What is required to create Obama's everywhere. What needs to 'change'? or will 'hope' reman the quintessential human delusion.

Change: the quintessential human reality

Kumble retired. Anil Kumble started playing in 1990, when Tendulkar had played just 9 tests. Today 18 years later, his retirement signals end of an era. But this post isn't about cricket. Or at least not entirely.

I grew up watching this bunch of cricketers Tendulkar, Kumble, Dravid, Ganguly, Azhar, Jadeja, Srinath. Their victories were mine and their losses were personal - they hurt, almost physically. My memories of myself are incomplete without cricket and I can only say that I have been extremely fortunate to have witnessed some of these greats who enriched the game by just being who they are.

I was watching the match till tea on Sunday Nov 2^nd. The match was headed for a draw. I took a short nap for 1 hour and switched the TV back on. I noticed that Kumble was taking a victory lap. I was stunned. Had India won? Then it dawned upon me that he had retired. I was in a state of shock and disbelief. He had surprised the nation with the announcement, just like he always surprised the batsmen with his deliveries. He wouldn't have it any other way.

I felt empty within. Something had changed and changed forever. The old guard had changed. And the old guard was with whom I grew up. My grandparents when they talk about cricket, talk about Farookh Engineer and Nari Contractor. My parents, uncles and aunts discuss Gavaskar, Pataudi, Bedi and Amarnath. My cousins discuss Kapil, Srikanth, Shastri and the 83 world cup. And I am going to talk about Tendulkar, Kumble, Dravid, Ganguly, Azhar, Jadeja and Srinath.

But Nov 2^nd is symbolic in many other ways.

Post my graduation, I moved to Bombay in 2006. The city that never sleeps and yet it is the city of dreams. There was a big group which moved to Bombay from my campus which included around 6-7 of my close friends. And it is because of this group that I have had a great time over the past 2.5 years. Over the last year or so, these folks have slowly, one by one, moved on with their lives. Some have progressed to the next life stage and some have moved ahead in their respective careers. But the common story is that they have moved out of Bombay and are now spread across the world. Sunday November 2^nd, was the day when a few of us got together to give farewell dinner to my friend G who is moving out of the country. And with this, every person in the group but one, has moved out of Bombay. Suddenly it feels like you are all alone.

Just when you thought I was done.

My flatmate for 2.5 years S, is getting married this weekend in Madras. S is my colleague and we joined together in P&G. We've been flatmates since moving to Bombay. S has been an equal partner on some of our escapades. It is just not possible to not get influenced by him. His enthusiasm for cooking both mundane and gourmet dishes is unparalleled. While I have pained him by being too much of a stickler for neatness and he definitely has had his moments by being not too bothered about it; in the larger scheme of things, his genuine niceness and simple thoughts are qualities not easily found.

He chooses Nov 2^nd to shift out and move into a new house in the city. My house this week wears an empty look. The physical emptiness of the house actually accentuates this feeling of being alone.

So much change and all of a sudden. Sigh! However, change is, as we all know, the quintessential human reality.

So here is raising a toast to Kumble. 'Sir, you have proven that we don't need verbal duels and sledging and elbowing to prove our mettle. Cricket can still be a gentleman's game played with the aggression of the silent assassin. And as your greatest contemporary Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar quips - Champions turn stones into milestones. You have done just that.'

To my friends who have moved onto the next stages in life and career, ' Here is wishing you good luck and godspeed and google talk is always there. :)' And to my flatmate who begins a new phase in his life, here is wishing you truckloads of good fortune.

And of course to myself 'Accept the fact that you are old but stop behaving like a grandpa, sitting on easy chair reminiscing old times. Wake up, smell the coffee and hit the road'