Phir Mile Sur Mera Tumhara

This  26th  Jan ,  India  has  completed  60  years  of  being  republic .  Great moment  for  all  of  us  .  And  for  this  one  some  people  decide  to  remix … oops!!!  recreate  Mile  Sur  Mera  Tumhara  ,  the  song  of  nation  .   Zoom  has done  to  this  beautiful  song  , what  RGV  has   done  to original  Sholay .

A  song   for  national  integration  ,  but  nation  nowhere  to  be  seen .  With SRK   doing  his  signature  spread  the  arm  gimmicks  (  would  have  been surprised  if  he  had  not  done  that )  followed  by  Karan Johar ,  Deepika Padukone  seemed  as  if   she  is  doing  some  soap  Ad  ,   Shahid  still  in Chance  pe   Dance   hangover  ,  Priyanka   chopra   and  Ranbir  Kapoor  …. god  knows  what  they  were   doing  .  And  not  to  forget  ,   Aishwarya  Rai wearing  intricate  makeup  with  Abhishek  Bachhan  who   came  in  package  deal  ,  I  guess .   Shyamak  Davar seemed  completely   outlandish  . If   these  are  the   national  icons   we  look  up  to ,  we   are  off   for  worst  .   The  only thing  I  liked  was  Salman  Khan  bit  where he used    sign  language  with  kids  who can’t   speak  or  hear .

The   original  version  with  beautiful  melody  in  6  minute  clean , completely  enthralling  experience ,    depicted  every  region  and  culture  of  India    and   had  people   from  all  fields  including  common  people  as well  .  But  here  it  seemed  more  like  a  trailer  for  a  big  budget  movie  with  Jumbo  caste  .  For  people  who  have  grown  up  watching Doordarshan  ,  it  was  more  of  a  joke  in  the  name  of  national  integration .  Where  were  all  intellectuals  ,  poets  ,  writes  ,  singers   and  for  a  cricket   loving  nation  ,  no  cricketers  .  Would  have  much  glad  if  they  had included  people  like  Lata  Mangeshkar  ,  APJ Abdul Kalam  and  Sachin Tendulkar  .  Well one   good  thing  happened  we  got  to  know  the  value  of original  .  And  for  Zoom  people   ………  please  “  Isko Dekho “  .

Google quits China

Google , the world’s search engine giant has threatened to pull out its operations from China on account of  Censorship issues and Hacking of Gmail accounts of many chinese human rights activists who wanted to shine the China alleged abuses. Given the might of the two giants , the threat involves large social and economical ramifications.

Current Scenario -

1. In mid December Google reported highly sophisticated and targeted cyber attacks on its corporate infrastructure originating from China that resulted in theft of intellectual property in China. It’s not just Google , But at least 20 other companies from different sectors namely finance , internet and chemical have reported such attacks .

2.The gmail accounts of  many American based and U.S based Human Rights Activists have been routinely accessed  by third parties which  is gross violation of internet privacy and cyber security .

3. Though China being the most populated country in the world having more than 350 million internet users is not smooth ride for global brands because of communist red tapism. Internet companies specifically have to adhere to censorship policies dictated by Beijing . Anyone disobeying such rules which prohibit sites providing information on sensitive issues like Tibetan independence movement   get his sites blocked .Goocle.cn for instance blocked search results for Tiananmen Square massacre of 1989 as well as results based on corruption investigation into a company once headed by Chinese premiere Hu Jintao .  The chinese government is one of the most efficient ones in censoring web . The blocking technology has proved to be so effective that it is called The Great Firewall of China .

When a Global Company enters into local market of a country , it has to accord itself with its public policies , culture, traditions  of that country . Now When google entered China in 2006  it had to acquiesce to the strict censorship rules of China to tap rapidly growing market . But in 4 years it could capture 30% of chinese search engine market . Majority 70%  market is still controlled by  local search engines like Baido .  China forms just 1.4% of the total revenue of Google . So quitting China won’t effect it commercially . But further cooperation with China and submission to their unreasonable rules might harm Google’s  ” Don’t be Evil “  motto . It is not just about the security breaches and human rights implications  , but it forms the greater part of debate for freedom of speech .

Global brand do have social ramifications . We cannot segregate the economic, political and commercial aspects here when The brand holds  a strong connection with its user and their culture .

Outliers

I was really impressed by the The Tiping Point by Malcolm Gladwell  . It was purely based on social epidemics . Now this book Outliers by him is simply awesome . One thing i really like about him is his abilty to draw unfathomable  connection between things which turns out to be perfectly logical and present it in powerful narrative . Must say ,  great storyteller of non fiction literature .

Now , it is pretty much ingrained in our culture the myth of self made man . That a person in order to succeed needs nothing but hardwork and talent and his innate cpacity and vision . Having heard numerous rags to riches stories we believe that a  man can reach anywhere by sheer hardwork . This book  deftly debunks this myth  .  Success according to Gladwell is result of cumulative advantage .    Though hardwork is crucial factor , but things like timing  , circumstances ,  genetic factor and sheer coincidence has  as well contributed to success saga of great persoalities .

Take for instance – Bill Gates .    In 1968, when Bill Gates was 13 years old, his school, Lakeside Academy in Seattle, Washington, acquired a computer, a terminal on which Gates could program non-stop for the next few years, a once in a lifetime opportunity to practice something that would have unforseen value. At the age of 16, Gates learned that a mainframe computer was available for free in the middle of the night at the nearby University of Washington. Unbeknown to his parents, the young Gates snuck out each night to write code between 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. Good fortune played an critical role in Bill Gates’ success by allowing him significant programming practice time that very few others his age had during a critical juncture in computer history.

I think somewhere there were the series of coincidences , circumstances and  oppurtunities  which lead those great people  to greatness . Difficult to digest , bot its true .  Ofcourse their own conviction and hardwork were important too .

The Tipping Point

Ever thought that why few brands do much better than other ones ?

Why  some movies do well while others don’t ?

And why a serial like Balika Vadhu became instant while other just fizzle out soon ?

NO , its not just just about the quality , content or the substance as we had always thought . It is about change in perception we always had and triggering an epidemic by changing small details . It is Tipping point , when a simple tinkering with the social pattern , trends and behaviour can bring in dramatic results . Yes this is it .

Tipping point is not just a book but a phenomenon . It tells you how small thing can really make a big difference . We are always biased with are inherent predispositions . But the world around us as much as we want it to does not accord with are intuition . Such eccentricities are as much inconceivable as it is to reach the sun by folding a piece of paper  50 times .

Malcolm Gladwell has supported his rules with well established case studies and researches . In his Law of Fews , he says that in order to trigger an epidemic  only few people are required – Connector ( people who know almost everyone ,  have big social circle and have their influence on lives of their friends ) , maven  ( few know- it- all  guys  , everybody seem to take their advice ) and not to forget salesmen  . By reaching these special people we can  change the course of social epidemic .

Stickiness Factor -  Its all about the way we present our message  and its persistence . By merely manipulating the size of the group we can improve the receptivity to new ideas  .

This book is not just for business leader or marketing guys  , but for every person who wants to change the things the way they are  , who want to make it big in this world .

And I thought …..

Sometimes it so happens that our beliefs and convictions  which were pretty much ingrained in our mindsets are refuted  and our beloved  ideals are beaten to dust . Lot has been happening around . Racially motivated attacks on our countrymen  ,  looming terror attacks  ,  war upsurge in neighbourhood .  Somewhere out there we humans are responsible for this state of affairs. Do we have taste for catastrophe ? May be .

Somewhere it is darkness of our own mind which is unleashed every  now and then . Why don’t we rise up above the narrow considerations of caste , creed , race and religion . We are infuriated when  Indians are assaulted in other parts of the world . But where does that unity goes when a young man seeking livelihood in some other state  is lynched by the mob .  We take pride in saying that India is one of those few countries in the world who never attacked any other country but has been attacked many times by foreigners  . But this is because we never got free from our own discord . And look we turned the largest democracy into the most hopeless and suffocating democracy . Its time to introspect and get our way through our internal strength , compassion , truth and justice .

I recently finished Mein Kampf  by Adolf  Hitler .  Autobiographies are the most invigorating and inspiring form of literature . Though book seems outdated to many but it espouses the elements of era when it was written , particularly French Revolution .  It is difficult to believe that just 70 years  ago ,  some of the most seemingly intelligent  , artistic and thoughtful people in the world handed over their country and  themselves to Adolf Hitler . He could have been a great leader but for his  ultranatianalistism  , anti parliamentarian policies  and  unjustified hatered for jews which resulted in the most inhuman slaughter and the greatest genocide in entire human history . Even if you have contempt or hatred for a race ,  you don’t wipe out that race for that .

The post seems pretty desultory to me . But i think i can take liberty this time   because this how my mind works . Can’t help it . And by the way  … The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is good .

Disgrace

Disgrace is a novel written by South African writer J M Coetzee . The author was winner of noble prize in literature in 2003 and book itself won booker prize in 1999 . The plot is set up in post apartheid South Africa where shift of power has its repercussions on socio economic life of people  .  It depicts the catharsis of people who have been oppressed from centuries . This is the story of rage , retribution ,race, rape and relationships .

The protagonist, David lurie is professor of romantic poetry . He falls for one his students and establishes physical intimacy with her and has no qualms for it . Later the same student slaps the charges of sexual harassment against him . David accepts the charges but does not repents for it because  that was what he desired . He gave no nonsense answers in proceedings and is forced to leave university in ignominy . He decides to live with his daughter Lucy who is lives in countryside and does farming over there . There she is raped and robbed  by three black men . David feels guilty for being helpless in these circumstances  . David repents for his sins by working in a place where he is supposed to take care of sick dogs and dispose them when they are dead  . His life is reduced to that of an animal .

The story raises question whether a men should feel apologetic for sins which he does not consider sins at all . We might punish him although but cannot forcefully draw apology . The story poignantly describes the impact of changing power equations in Africa on day to day life of its citizens . This kind of social upheaval is observed in society whenever the centre of power is shifted .

The book is dark with gray shaded character and is not recommended for pleasure reading . The plot though sublime leaves you disturbed .

Who moved my cheese ..?

Who moved my cheese ? This is  probably what BJP and allies are feeling right at the moment .  Indian people voted decisively for Congress this time . In the current environment of uncertainity courtesy  global recession and security threats  ,  anti incubency factor was ruled out  and gave way to stability . Seeing the track record this time  Congress  government did’nt came near the kind of leadership displayed  by Narsimha govt during 1991 crisis . Mr Manmohan Singh has got tough challenges ahead . First to insulate India from affects of global economic slowdown  . And then to protect India form lurking terrorist threats  in future emanating from  neighbourhood . Well thats from great  Indian political circus .

Was going through the some write up and came across these lines by AJ Cronin :

” Life is no straight and every corner through which we travel is’nt free and unhampered  but is a maze of passages through which we must seek our way lost and confused now and again checked in a blind alley .

But always if we have faith , god will open the door for us , Not perhaps one that we ourselves would ever have thought of, but one that will ultimately prove good for us “

If the things have changed around us , it is of  no use  overanalyzing  things and burdening our mind with complex beliefs . Because if we don’t change , then we extinct .

Election 2009

Indian Premier League or rather Indian Pardesi league as described by some has started with all its glitz , but  more importantly at home Indian political league  has embarked on . The Grand Indian political circus  this time will be known  for hate speeches , communalisation and criminalisation of politics , and mundane manifestos with lots of empty rhetoric .  Its kind of strange that our political parties don’t see any serious issues and challenges faced by the country . We are facing what could possibly be called worst economic recession of all times . Unemployment is taking its toll  . Half of our population still lives below poverty line . Our kids are malnourished and are deprived of education . We had Kandhamal incident which is setback to our secular ethos . Just 5 months back our economic capital faced major terrorist attack . It was then our cities woke up from i am like shanghai dreams . But sadly our leaders have’nt .   But brushing these insignificant issue under the carpet our leaders are discussing more important weak leader-strong leader issues , making hate speeches now and then … … freedom of speech after all .

And then these parties  release so called manifestos too . Some political party talk of giving rice at Rs 2/kg  , some at Rs 3/kg , some talk of loan waivers , some  of loan exemption . I would just say  … Hey leaders  .. what do you think , are we Indian some freaking beggars or what . As far as government money is concerned it comes from what people pay as taxes  . So why don’t you let people decide .Why don’t you talk about empowerment of a common man .    Sorry to say , but in India we don’t have rulers , we have representative . So be like some and let people voice their opinion .

Economy

Sensex crossed the pchycologically important mark of 10,000 today . Experts have their opinion that market would undergo such turbulent corrections with elections round the corner and G-20 summit in the foreground . I just hope this time , more than prudery prevail upon people . Only sound policies and smart execution is the key which can  sail us through . Portfolios having reputation of  misgovernance and non governance can cause more than harm this time .

Globalisation for developing countries

Globalisation as we all know is the process of integrating the economy of a country with that of the world .In Indian context during the post independence era we followed Nehruvian economic policy which was somewhat insulated to the world , relied mainly on agriculture and had 3% rate of growth which most people call Hindu rate of growth . During eighties we opened doors of our economy to those of the world and opened the cocoon of protectionism .

It included following measures -

• removing constraints for MNCs to enter in India
• allowing FDIs to invest in India.
• massive import liberalisation steps , reducing import duties
• allow Indian enterprises to trade outside and have joint ventures with foreign companies
• exchange rate adjustments in the wake of which Rupee was devalued twice in 1991                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              ADVANTAGES
• Our foreign currency reserves have been rising ever since we switched to LPG
• Our country boast of one of the highest rates of growth in the world next only to China.
• Dismantling of barriers has resulted into new era of relationships between nation, people and economies .
• IT revolution is particularly the product of globalisation .There is no need to mention the significance of IT sector for Indian economy .                                                                                                                                                                                      DRAWBACK
• Globalisation in its present form is driven by Trans National Corporation(TNCs) .Globalisation has enormously increased financial prowess of these  mega corporations which in turn influence the policy making process in developing countries . This has resulted into a kind of subjugation of developing economies to monopolistic tendencies .
• It does not help in eradicating poverty in developing countries as it is limited to industrialised nations .
• Developing countries have not been able to take its benefits due to aggressive pursuit of regionalism and market access barriers .
• There is this rise of East India syndrome  as MNCs are at more advantageous position as compared to their Indian counterparts .
• In the globalised world impact slowdown in one part of the world can be felt in other parts of the world . This is what is happening now. The Great depression 2 in US has triggered the wave of recession in all over the world.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  The process therefore needs a serious and thorough review to rid it of racial and other discriminations against the developing countries .