By the people- of the people- against the people?????

Ever walk through a busy market in an upscale neighbourhood in Delhi- what do you see? there are several marketplaces today frequented by celebrities and commoners alike, notably eminent politicians and public figures. Some in particular have a host of Z-security guards (i believe that's the highest security cover available), surrounding them, protecting them in the event some common man should rub shoulders or try to talk to them.

ours is probably the largest, or one of the largest democracies in the world characterized by corruption, favoritism and self-promotion. It is emblemized in the fact that the sole aim of becoming a public servant is to NOT SERVE, but BE SERVED. Security covers such as those available to chief ministers, MLAs, MPs, etc. must be revoked. let them be treated like the common man. furthermore, protection granted to babus and other civil servants which are being grossly abused to avoid prosecution and more importantly, persecution, must also be revoked.

at the very least, it will compel these so called 'servants' to not act in a fashion that is likely to attract public censure. In the law of the jungle that seems to prevail in countries such as Pakistan, and discreetly in our nation as well, it is fair to just let the victims loose on the perpetrators- rather than try them to no avail.

Pinning the Blame

With the whole hullabaloo about Bhopal gas tragedy victims not receiving adequate compensation, the central government seems to have taken a stern step by setting aside a large fund for compensation and environmental impact.

who are we kidding? what happened to $400m+ compensation that was paid by Union Carbide? where was the GoM for the last 20 odd years? once again, the media have come to the rescue of the common man. who knows how long it will last, but one thing is for sure- the government doesn't give a damn. instead of taking responsibility- frankly, i don't trust them to pay the victims even this time around- they are trying to pin the blame on Dow Chemical? Dow had nothing to do with the tragedy- it didn't even own Union Carbide at the time.

Let's face it, once again, the victim is the common man but the criminal is not even Union Carbide. it is our own administration who has shafted victims time and time again and stolen public funds for personal gain. why weren't victims compensated 25 years ago? simply because nobody noticed. Union Carbide paid and got out- our civil servants sold us out yet again!

to ban or not to ban the Vuvuzela

Even if you're not a football fan, you'll likely have heard of the damned Vuvuzela, which has likely made more news that Japan beating Cameroon or Italy coming close to its WC finals opening match defeat. i've been watching football since 1992 and i believe this is the first world cup in which i can hear not the players, fans, referee or even the commentator- and i'm talking about TV.

Joseph Blatter, the FIFA prez says it's native to South Africa and will *not* be banned. to clarify, i'm not writing on whether i believe it should or should not be banned, but the underlying principle of the matter. The fans in favor of the Vuvuzela suggest that the world cup cannot be South African without the Vuvuzela. it's the taste of Africa so to speak. Me personally? I find it irritating and frankly, overdone. we can do much better without it. South Africa surely has a lot more to offer than a constant, high pitched, irritating buzz. Shakira's Waka Waka only comes a close second!

What is more important- fans, host preferences, majority mandate, players or the game of Football? I used to believe it's the last, but Football surely cannot do without fans and players, and surely their opinion counts. We have a situation where FIFA will not allow fans to wear jewellery (poor Ronaldo!) or any other signature 'marks', but seems to take no exception to something that is not only irritating, but is a serious health hazard. more importantly, what is the message they're sending out?

Next quarter, as India hosts the commonwealth games, we will find a complete ban on traffic movement, strict security which disallows banners, jewellery, plastic bottles and common sense. Plus there is likely to be yet another tax to fund non-attention to security measures. Is that going to be India's unique 'mark' on the CWG? or will it be large mounds of dust, poor infrastructure aka potholes on flyovers and spit stains on national monuments?

We will likely find the entire world coming together to criticize India on its poor preparation (c'mon, who're we kidding!) and poor spirit- yes i did say that. i don't think anybody is more excited than Ms. Sheila Dikshit. FIFA, take a step back and evaluate!

This must be the axe effect!

I believe every day, Unilever India is hitting a new low in its advertising. I had a great respect for Unilever's products until frankly, their advertising has taken a more 'mass appeal' (I believe that's what their ad agency will refer to it as). In particular, the Axe deodorant ads, which appear to intentionally and with poor subtelty suggest- 'this deodorant will make girls want to have sex with you', are in awful taste- some of the other lesser known brands seem to have similar ads- now whenever i see an ad with scantily clad women, my first impression is- here comes another deodorant!

I am not a professional marketer- which in fact is one of the reasons i'm probably not more succesful (yet anyway) as an entrepreneur. I believe marketing is the life blood of a corporation, but frankly, i find these advertising campaigns in horrible taste, suggestive of a degenerative corporate culture which believes in selling no matter what the costs. i am embarassed to watch such ads on tv with parents and child (ren) along, fearing i may actually have to explain the ad to a child someday.

i recently received a chain email from a friend about some very interesting advertising- single page and very hard hitting. innovative, concise and very witty. yet in excellent taste- proof that people are not out of ideas. what troubles me is that kind of advertising marketeres are coming up with.

Now i'm sure i'll find atleast one or two advertising execs claiming- oh you're not the target market so you won't get it. sure i get it. perhaps it will now be also 'acceptable' to sell drugs to children, gambling to the poor and corruption to the masses- all because we're not the target market right? you can sell anything with scantily clad women it seems- except credibility.

During college days, i recall reading in the "problem of the indian economy" textbook, why India's progress has been slow thus far. One of the reasons cited was our family setting- we are dwellers, who continue to live in the same house all our lives, 'lounging' around, particularly in joint families, on the community wealth (in this specific case, family wealth). this was suggested to have a 'free rider' effect, with unproductive units of society been propagated to generations and forth.


I was dumbfounded and enamored, totally in support of the view. Today, I believe my utter faith in the concept may have been somewhat exaggerated. With experience of having lived in both the US and India, i feel there are some noteworthy:

1. The US housing burder may be temporarily 'eased' off if a number of individuals move in with their families.

2. Family budgets may stand to benefit by virtue of 'large scale', with a number of basic expenses such as food, telephone, electricity, rent, etc. being spread over a larger base and thus reducing the per-head burden.

3. in-house chores and service costs of basic jobs such as gardening, plumbing and other handywork may be reduced by transferring loads to unemployed members- thereby increasing their productivity and reducing outward cash flow for the family as a whole.

4. older members of the family may be able to reduce their healthcare expenditures by having a family member take care of them. as a corollary, their health may actually improve in a more vibrant household, psychologically speaking (considering several millions of americans are in depression).

the free rider effect i mentioned earlier may well turn out to be a boon in this case. However, everything in life is a double-edged sword. For instance, the increase in homicidal tendencies may actually increase the litigation expenses in some families (kidding!). We as Indians have historically failed to protect what is our own- yoga, ayurveda, learning from the Vedas and so on. Will we hold on to our good values letting go of the bad?

gender, age and other biases

As an old friend once pointed out rather poignantly, religion is nothing but a set of rules installed at a time of need. Society as an organic entity may well find religious 'notions' antiquated by virtue of need, wants and other aspects of contemporary life.
My wife is a stay at home mom (for the time being anyway). My mom was too. My father works and so do I. We have domestic help but certain duties are assigned to each individual- for instance, in my family, women take care of household responsibilities while men ensure that the external environment, money, etc. is taken care of. this of course, is a more broad-based division.

We study in management, that where more than one boss is present, chaos is likely to ensue. We as managers, executives, etc. find it extremely objectionable. Imagine two heads of household- both with 'shared' or 'overlapping' responsibilities in this context! In a family, there are unlikely to be very well defined boundaries of conduct and authority so if anybody says here it's possible, let them prove it rather than say it.

assigning duties is sometimes perceived gender, race or otherwise biased. We, in the Indian society consider the 'baniya' clan to be the traditional 'businessman' or 'trader'. I know several muslim craftsman who are simply fantastic at what they do! i'm sure there are others but i can't recall off hand.

Within the household itself, grandmothers tend to be the spiritual centers of the family. Grandfathers tend to act as monetary guides, delegating executive activities to sons, whose children bear the burden of 'training' for the next generation. THis mimics in my humble opinion, the structure of modern corporations starting with directors, executive boards and at some level, the interns and trainees.

is it so bad? I recall telling a fellow african (originally) roommate that BET is an example of what he termed later as 'reverse racism'. why do we feel so bad about calling a spade a spade. perhaps we're looking at the negative side of things rather than the upside. remember- calling someone tall can be both a compliment and the opposite....

A need for community

I've always been a rebel at heart. i must admit that i've sometimes taken so much pleasure in 'rebelling', that i've actually counter-argued against a stand that i agreed with. however, sinful pleasures aside, I must sadly mention that i attended a close relative's funeral today. it's a sad affair really, a lot of relatives were present and while the deceased was aged and his death probably a release to himself, one must recognize an individual's presence, particularly when he's left us.

I write this blog today solemn-ed somewhat. Being a rebel, i came to know how important community really is, especially in today's day and age, when people are increasingly 'individualistic', rather than 'community' oriented. I for one, have no idea how to even conduct myself in a temple, much less have any knowledge of any hindu 'processes' if you will. My guess is that i'm not alone, and in such a time, it is community that comes to the rescue- one offers knowledge of this, another that and so we create a 'pot' of information (often unfortunately, opinion). however, nothing in life is one-sided. with good comes bad, and vice versa.

At the end of the day, i realized something sad, that family, especially extended ones, seem to come together only at major occassions- weddings, parties, anniversaries, etc. however, it seems only in death are we truly coming together, sharing in each other's sorrows, which is truly more difficult than sharing joy. furthermore, we seem to forget animosities, grudges and so forth, only at this sad 'occassion', recognizing there is a bigger issue at hand.

Till death we stay apart, in Death we unite....