Saturday, July 18, 2015

Is India ready to get Modi-fied?

First posted on 29Apr2014

The world is watching as the largest democracy is voting to constitute its 16th Lok Sabha. The election taking place in nine phases (7 April to 12 May 2014), is the longest in India’s history and possibly the most exciting.
For one, 150 million[1] of the young digital generation, are going to vote for the first time. Their expectations from the government are very different from the voter the political parties have catered to all these years. They are informed, opinionated and vocal about their choices.
Secondly, the impact of this new electorate has been seen in the election campaigning. Social media has for the first time been used to such an extent in Indian elections. The secret ballot is not so secret any more with people freely expressing their intentions to vote for one party or the other. Humor, something sorely missing in Indian politics, has also entered the equation with jokes on candidates doing rounds on Facebook, Twitter and Whatsapp.     
And lastly, this election has become more about individuals than the parties they represent. And even in that contest, that between Narendra Modi (BJP) and Rahul Gandhi (Congress), we have seen the unexpected entry of Arvind Kejriwal (AAP). There are of course smaller parties doing their own bit, but they will ultimately end up in some alliance or the other and that’s where their relevance lies.
As the elections proceed, let’s take a look at how these brand ambassadors of their respective parties have performed. And what could be the expected results.
Mr. Kejriwal, in a spectacular rise in his political career, started the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in late 2012 and appealed to the common man. He soon threw out the incumbent state government and became Delhi’s youngest Chief Minister[2] in an election that came as a shock to everyone. But this stint was short lived mostly because his inexperienced governance failed to meet people’s expectations. The anarchy route that he took, a show of bravado in my view, only contributed to his failing credibility. He finally resigned as Delhi’s CM and is now contesting LS polls from Varanasi. But because of the theatrics, the threat that he could have posed to established parties is much diminished.
Mr. Gandhi on the other hand, though not officially nominated as the PM candidate by congress, is actively campaigning across the country. But to anyone following these campaigns, it’s clear that he is just not cut out for the job. While the Congress may have looked to him as their brand ambassador to a young, shining India, he has failed miserably to get people’s attention. So much to that mom Sonia, and sister Priyanka have been pulled in at the last minute to pick up the pieces. Rahul has been criticized for his faux pas[3], his lack of awareness on issues, his disconnect with the rest of the party and with the pulse of the nation. Add to that the accusation of scams that congress is dealing with and the picture is not rosy. So much so that the congress stronghold that was Amethi is now an uncertain territory[4]. Of course his oratory skills leave much to be desired especially in front of Narendra Modi.
Mr. Modi unlike his opponents steadily rose to power in BJP ranks and finally pushed aside the veteran Advani to claim the PM position for himself. As opposed to the struggles faced by AAP and Congress, Narendra Modi (popularly called NaMo) has led a spectacular campaign. And I say it from a politically unbiased viewpoint. He has dazzled, wooed, and roped in the young India that wants growth, prosperity, and empowerment. He has projected an aggressive, no-nonsense image in contrast to the anarchy favored by Mr. Kejriwal and utter helplessness that congress seems to be communicating. He has picked up a development agenda instead of a ‘subsidy’ route and touted the Gujarat model everywhere expounding his ‘executive’ abilities. There have been controversies – about his wife, about the Godhara riots, about refusing to wear a skull cap, about Hindutva – and no one is yet sure what will be India’s fate if NaMo comes to power[5]. In fact Indian origin academics in the UK have openly said that the idea of having Narendra Modi in power fills them with dread[6]. Yet, it cannot be overlooked that this ‘chaiwala’ from Gujarat has taken the nation’s fancy.
While the campaigns and debates rage on, opinion polls certainly seem to be favoring BJP[7]. But we can only wait and watch till the final results to find out if India is ready to be ‘Modi-fied’.

Human Evolution - the next stage?

Human evolution did not stop with Homo sapiens. Much as we would like to think of ourselves as the pinnacle of Darwin’s theory, we are but a blip in time. It would be a big blow to some of our egos if I were to say that even a cockroach has been here longer than us. Of course, in our short time on this planet we have contributed to a lot – and not all good things. But I digress. The point is – evolution is happening. As a characteristic, it manifests itself after generations. Slowly, subtly, things are changing right under our noses, but we won’t be here to witness the change.
The basic concept of evolution is simple – a species adapts itself to changing circumstances. And circumstances are changing for Homo sapiens. It’s almost as if we are back on a tree again and we need to get down on the ground to start a new innings as Homo technicus.  Well, I’m too late to claim this name for the next level of human evolution – Galvin already claimed it in 2003.
But let’s go back to the changing circumstances. I would broadly bucket them in 3 categories:
  1. Resource constraints
  2. Cultural shifts
  3. Technological disruptions
I still remember an example from our biology class when we were learning about evolution. According to Darwin, the long neck in giraffes evolved because there was a shortage of food on the ground and giraffes had to extend their neck to eat leaves from the trees. We today, face a shortage of food and water. By 2020, we would require two Earths to support the resource requirements of our population. We have contributed to global warming and now environmental patterns are changing. How will we evolve to meet these challenges?  The first change, which is already evident, is the change in our food habits. With more people competing for the traditional sources of food, there have been pioneers looking for new options. Insects have already emerged as a new gastronomic discipline. It is also possible that we will eat lesser. The nutrition needs of our body met by compact supplements. It is possible that our digestive system will change and adapt to this new diet.
We are also evolving culturally. Today if asked “where are you from” most of us don’t have an answer.  We are global citizens, with floating roots, not tied to any stereotypes. The races that split apart from our common ancestor due to migration are coming together again. The world is a smaller place. Intermarriages between cultures and races are giving birth to new humanity as yet unclassified. As these boundaries blur, how relevant will be nation states and governments? And can there be boundaries in a digital world? These changes need us to have a new world view.
Of course, technology is at the core of this evolution and will shape Homo technicus. Ray Kurzweil predicts that by 2050, the intelligence of one machine will be greater than the combined intelligence of humanity. Already there are those opposed to artificial intelligence because they see it something that will render human beings irrelevant. Machines taking over the world has fueled the fantasy of many a sci-fi writer. For now, machines are taking over the routine tasks leaving us free to do the thinking. But that’s changing the way we work. Skills needed in this new economy are different. The next evolution is happening inside our head. As we learn differently, process large amounts of information, work with diverse teams and apply that knowledge, the way our brains work is changing. The way we use technology to aid our thinking is also making a difference. We know a lot of things, but we remember less. When I look at my smartphone, I can only think of Dumbledore’s pensive in the Harry Potter books. It’s become a place to store what cannot fit in to my head. As we continue to depend more on technology, we may be staring at Homo technicus right in the face. Any fans of Ironman here? Or Almost Human? Maybe in the years ahead we will see a world where technology and biology will co-exist. Already nanotechnology is enabling materials that can unobtrusively augment human senses.
I think we have become complacent in our new tree. Not all of us can see these changes. And if we do, we are doing our best to ignore them. But the world is changing and a new ground awaits us. It should be a question that fascinates us – what will be the next evolution of humanity?

Thursday, February 05, 2015

Life in a rainstorm


On a dim starless night, the first drops of rain
fell on a parched earth
The dust rose hot and misty, displaced 
by the raindrops

There was a heady scent
in the air, and I sat breathing it in
on a dim starless night

The rain became a torrent 
and little rivulets of water
made gullys in the sandy paths

There was a lesson there, 
on the dim starless night as the earth finished her toilette 
When life is dull and dusty 
wash it off and cast the dirt away

In rivulets of tears sometimes 
 lies the scent of a new start
and as I sat watching the rain in the dim starless night
'I' began afresh

Wednesday, September 03, 2014

Books that never left me

So I got challenged to list out 10 books that have made an impact on me for whatever reason. I think just listing the books wouldn’t have been enough. So instead of spamming the FB wall space I thought I’ll post a blog. Not giving a reason why they made an impact would be sacrilege!  There is no numbering, since it’s not an order of priority. So here goes:
  • Calvin and Hobbes, by Bill Watterson - Strictly speaking not a book. But I couldn’t miss this one. It has more life lessons that many other tomes and the characters are just adorable and infinitely relatable.
  • Mrityunjay, by Shivaji Sawant – It’s the story of the outcast. Perhaps the strongest character in the Mahabharat after Krishna. And it’s told beautifully. You feel like you are living in the life and times of ‘Karn’ and you feel the anguish in the pages. I have read it 11 times already and I think after this blog, I’ll start again.
  • Gone with the wind and Scarlett, by Margaret Mitchell & Alexandra Ripley – I am listing both here because they are sort of incomplete without each other. I don’t consider it a war novel or a romance one. It’s for me the story of a girl who was ahead of her times. I love her sheer bewilderment at not being able to fit in, her grit and determination, and ultimately her journey to find herself as a woman.
  • Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden – I don’t know why. But this is still the most thumbed book in my bookshelf.
  • Alice in wonderland, by Lewis Carroll – for the sheer madness of it. And the golden snippets scattered across the text. My favorites are where Alice finds out that if you don’t know where you are going it doesn’t matter which road you take and that sometimes to stay in the same place you have to run really fast.
  • Everything by P G Wodehouse – Exactly my kind of humor.
  • Love Story, by Erich Segal – this was the first book I read that made me cry
  • The Game of Thrones Series, by George R R Martin – It’s unexpected. People die like flies. There are dragons. Blood, gore, sex, politics, magic – what more can one want??
  • Steve Jobs, by Walter Isaacson – This was the first biography I ever read, and I couldn’t put it down
  • The kite runner, by Khaled Hosseini - I cried when Hassan recovers Amir’s kite.
  • Lord of the Rings, by JRR Tolkien – It does look like I love fantasy novels doesn’t it?? But well, this book created entire worlds and races. Have to love it.
  • The Fountainhead, by Ayan Rand – Probably because some people identified me with Dominique
  • Atlas Shrugged, by Ayan Rand – It was the first book I couldn’t finish. Still haven’t and will never.
  • The inheritance of loss, by Kiran Desai – Yuck! Hated the way it was written
  • Five point someone, by Chetan Bhagat – for the sheer stupidity of the narrative. Oh and also, the language was terrible!


Ok this is getting terribly long!!! I think I’ll stop now and tag other people. Ha!

Sunday, April 20, 2014

A day without the Internet

I got up unsuspecting on a hot Saturday morning in Bangalore. Blurry eyed I groped for my phone and checked my mail. Strange! No new emails in the night! Must be because of the long weekend, I thought naively. I opened Facebook while I was brushing my teeth and hells bells – no new notifications! I sat zonked for a minute till consciousness kicked in. And I checked the time of the last post visible on my facebook wall – 1:00am. There had been no update for the past 8 hours!!

In a moment of sheer brilliance, I checked the network and saw that I’m not connected to the wi-fi. And that’s when I realized that my connection isn’t working. Like a true techi, I fiddled around with the modem, no avail. Finally I gave the service provider a call – we all know THAT doesn’t work – only to find out that some line had been cut last night and they were trying to repair it. And here comes the beauty – the repairs will take 24 HOURS!

So began a day with no internet. To be honest, initially I was stumped. And the super slow 2G on my phone was no relief either. I lolled around on the sofa, flipping channels, but I am not much of a TV person and I soon got bored. And then here is what I ended up doing:
  1. Made breakfast and lunch. And managed to bake a cake. Of course with no internet I couldn’t google recipes, so I had to dig around in my old cookbooks to get to one
  2. Actually made butter at home from all the cream that had collected over months. I have a solid 200gms of homemade buttery deliciousness now
  3. In that process, figured out my new food processor that was waiting a demo. Use the guidebook instead and it worked.
  4. Wrote 800 words on a random topic
  5. Read 100 pages of ‘21st century skills’
  6. Went for a walk
  7. Arranged my wardrobe
  8. Did 2 loads of laundry
  9. Had friends over for some booze and chit chat, and
  10. Finally wrote this blog


Of course all this happened while checking my phone multiple times in the hope that the wi-fi is back. And with some chatting on whatsapp since that was the only thing working. But all in all, it was a very productive day. I would say all of you must try it once – the digital detox. You mull over it, the net is back, blog is posted and I gotta Facebook.

Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Family - stressing people out since the beginning of time

Don't get me wrong. I love my family and all the quirks they come with. But that doesn't stop me from pulling my hair out after spending 5 minutes with them!

Navigating a family gathering is a balancing act that no rope walker can match. Fine lines and eggshells are everywhere and there are some land mines. Some of us try to tip-toe around and wince when others stomp by. Everyone is always right but nothing is right; everyone has an opinion that doesn't match with anyone; and the combined knowledge in the room is more significant than Google. Caustic remarks, hidden barbs, and words of wisdom fly everywhere like arrows on a battlefield. I usually hide behind the shield of a book or the screen of my laptop.

Try and order food, no two people want to eat the same thing, yet people want to defer to others preference. If you order something in sheer frustration and because it's time for restaurants to close, you get criticized by everyone for your choice.

Want to watch TV? Really? You must've lost your mind. It's impossible to agree on one show everyone wants to watch - leaving aside the complaints of those who don't want to watch it at all as it comes in the way of their gossip.

Gossip - that's the only thing that goes well. Because then the combined critical power of the group is directed towards someone else not present. It also goes well in smaller groups that collect together to talk about the other groups - meaningful glances are an added bonus.

I could go on, but I have to leave the safe haven of my laptop and order food now :(... wish me luck!




Friday, November 29, 2013

The crafty me: Pen holder

This is really a longish exercise. Really to do on a dull weekend or if you really really want a handmade penholder. But a great activity to do with kids :)

You will need:
Newspaper - tear small strips around 4-6 inches long and 1 inch wide
Water
Glue
Plastic cup the size of the pen holder - this will be your mould
Vaseline
Acrylic paints
Brushes

How to:
Dip the newspaper strips in water and leave for a few hours.
Rub a little vaseline on the outside of the plastic cup. This avoids the paper sticking to the mold.
Cover the outside of the plastic cup with one layer of newspaper strips.
Spread a layer of glue on this layer and cover with another layer of strips.
Put the strips overlapping each other and in a criss cross manner for them to hold better.
Repeat this process 10-15 times and leave it to dry in shade for a 1-2 days.
When the paper is dry take out the plastic cup. The inside will still be a little wet. Cover any stray strips of paper with more glue.
Glue a cardboard round to the inside base of the holder to give it more stability and leave to dry for another day.
The top edge of the pen holder will be a little rough, cut it with scissors to even it out. The holder is now ready for you to paint in any color and pattern

Go Goa Gone... I wish I hadn't

I am always deluded in to thinking that I've seen the worst movie of my life, but someone proves me wrong again. And this time it was Go Goa Gone. I've never seen such utter load of s*** ever before. Or maybe I am just too old and this probably resonates with the 90's generation, hence the rave reviews.

The movie began well enough, and though the dialogues were an attempt at good humored banter, they just fell flat because the actors couldn't make it seem natural. Anyway, if the movie had continued in the same vein, there may have been some saving grace. But then the second half happened.

That was truly made of the zombies, by the zombies and for the zombies. Ketchup and flour covered people in various hippie garbs limping away with stiff limbs was just so not my idea of humor or horror. And I really don't know what to say about Saif who's a Delhi guy pretending to be a Russian don. And once we discover that he is well versed in Hindi and can do MC, BC with the best of them, one wonders why he still keeps on with the Russian accent in English? As for the heroine; she has only one agenda, to assert over and over again that she is a good girl.

The zombies never eat anyone completely and you wonder why considering they are so hungry. Also, though a drug has made them zombies, if they bite you, you become one too. How? the drug is flowing through their teeth? The writers definitely have their mythical creatures mixed up. And by the way, if you throw more drugs at them, they petrify!

No one knows why Saif is saving these 4 morons and not leaving them to die on the island. And if he saved these 4 then why not more.

Finally they escape from the island and the worst is yet to come (for the audience I mean). When they reach the main land they discover the zombies have already reached it. It's anyone's guess how, since there was no ferry, no boat, nothing. And they couldn't have swum over since they could barely limp. It just means there will be a sequel.

And to quote the movie "what do we know and what have we learnt" - it's the most brainless movie ever made and never ever in any circumstance go for part 2!

Dan Brown and Dante

If not Dante's I've finally read Dan Brown's Inferno. Made quick work of it, 6 hours on a beautiful Sunday with endless supply of munchies and tea. Now I'm wondering if my Sunday could have been better spent? But that's the thing; once I start a book, it's tough for me to put it down, no matter what the content.

So Mr. Brown's formula wins again. Find some artists from the middle ages. Find some common things they worked on. Spot them in churches (this time a mosque too). Mix, match, run across countries and cities followed by gunmen who ultimately help you (you'd think Robert Langdon would have learnt that by now given that he solves puzzles so quick!). It's interesting how the characters always have time to explain the history and the story of the artists and mull over their various works... I mean hello, you have a world to save!

In any case, the story is entertaining and of course I like that unlike movies the destruction is not solely aimed at the US of A (honestly I was sick of THAT - I mean ETs always land in the US, 2012 happens there, Armageddon is tackled by them and god knows what not. Seriously, it's annoying... there is the rest of the world too people. And more populated than the US. Sheesh!). So anyway, we now have a new epicenter for fanatics, Italy. And lots of question on the ways of the church, which I being an atheist, am quite OK with.

With Inferno, Dan has made an attempt at education (telling us that the world is coming to an end - which again I agree with), criticized the world institutions - WHO, governments and the church (fine again) and given a cure to the world's ills - mass sterilization (:D super cool). All this while accompanied by a hot, young, super intelligent chick who as usual falls for Mr. Langdon's charms.

Getting a mixed review? Ok, to sum it up - the read is entertaining as always, but the story is nothing new. It's the same formula as his previous books. So if you are ok with that, and with his interpretation of Dante, by all means pick it up. I for one hope that he tries another formula now, this concoction is getting a little 'been there done that'

The crafty me: Bread Flowers

To while away time when I am bugged, I resort to some sort of art. This was my experience with bread flowers long ago when I was into decorating clay pots. So here is how you can make them.

You'll need
White bread - 2-3 slices
Fevicol or any white glue - approx 1 tsp glue per slice
Oil paint - a few drops of desired colors (red, green, yellow etc)
Thin sticks to use as stems - cover these sticks with green/brown paper or paint

How to:
Remove the brown crusts from all the bread slices. We will not be using the crust. Break the bread slices into small pieces. Mix the bread pieces and white glue together in a bowl to make a dough. If the dough it tight add very little water to make it pliant.

Divide the dough into parts and add a few drops of different color of oil paint to each part and knead. If you need a darker color, add more paint and knead again.

Make small balls of the dough and flatten to shape like petals. If you have cutters you can also roll out the dough and cut from petal stencils. Take a small dough ball as the flower center and attach the petals to it with dabs of glue. Attach the ready stems to the base of the flower center and leave to dry in shade for a day or two.

Once dry, dip in clear varnish to give a long life to your creation.

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Investment - where to put your money?

Me: I'm going to put half of my salary every month in a fixed deposit
People: good job
Me: I'm going to buy some gold with 3 month's salary
People: that's great!!
Me: I'm going to use a month's salary to buy a pair of shoes
People: (all googgly eyes and open mouths) what!!!!!! Are u craZy!!!!

And I get an instant psycho analysis:
- there must be some gap in my life I'm trying to fill
- I am buying happiness 
- I am a show off
- I am replacing people with things 
- blah blah blah etc etc.

WTH! Bugger it! I love shoes, bags, clothes and furniture. What's crazy about buying stuff I like NOW?

And yes, I am buying happiness. One beautiful pair of shoes can cure a terrible day instantly. I am buying confidence. Heck I have pretty feet, what's the harm in decking them up to be gorgeous. And all u short li'l men, it feels so good to stare u down from my towering 6 inch stilettos. Hah (evil laugh). 

So I'm gonna keep buying shoes (and other stuff). And one day they'll declare shoes as a priceless possessions and I shall be rich!