In your Head

There is always a dichotomy between what you think in your head and what you finally say. You are so eloquent as Shakespeare penning his plays while giving a thought life but when it's time to give birth to it, it comes out still born. This is more so in the case of introvets. Obviosuly its psychological. But is there a cure? Or are we (specially me) destined to suffered in silent misery due to this dichotomy and find people expressing ideas that could have been rightfully ours if expressed first/clearly?.

One meets many people during their brief stay on earth. And we usually have the habit of being fiersome critics on whatever its is possible holding an opinion on. So we judge a lot of people on what we think are their failed attempts at articulation, social behaviour and whatnot. Maybe it's this habit of ours in its corollary that is the cause of this dichotomy. I know its easy to come up with hypotheses. So here's my reasoning.

We spend a lot of time trying to formulate our thoughts that we forget to express it. And when we finally do, we are wary of the same crime we had committed on others, that of being fiersome critics. We do not want to make a failed attempt and be judged, that we seldom make attempts. When we finally do we are so self conscious that we stumble. This is where we fall into the cyclic trap of being conscious. Once we stumble, we become further conscious which leads to further stumbling. So jack goes tumbling down the hill pushing the  Humpty Dumpty of our ego down the wall.

Now that we have identified the problem, the first step in any solution, let's consider the possible solutions.

"Practice makes a person perfect."

What would we do without these age old sayings eh? Well, we should start by expressing. Expressing a lot. Let fear of being judged and failure not stop the flow of our expressions. If we go by the above saying, I'm sure we are bound to become better. Not everyone is a born orator. Most of them who have succeeded have done so with effort (Winston Churchill was one). By the sheer volume of what we say, we ought to get better over time in expressing ourselves (provided we have learnt).

But what about those who might criticise and judge us? Well I know its easier said than done, but you've to .ignore them. You're in for the long haul remember. So keep going at it and improving. The critics themselves might not have many original ideas apart from being a self proclaimed crusader. And in order to not be a hypocrite, you should also take the the argument to its logical conclusion "Don't judge". Accept people for who they are. We are the product of our environment and our experiences. Don't hold that against anyone.

Live long and prosper.

BOWL OF MILK or CURD or BOTH

Have you ever wondered where life was taking you and whether the things you have done or are doing are the right ones. Matter of fact, all these discussions are in your head and it is like having a conversation with yourself. But it would have more in common with surfing the internet than having a normal conversation. You start with a thread of thought and you go on to another from there and so on. In the end you end up on a topic which is no where near the one you started from. But nonetheless it either puts things in perspective or make it more muddled. It never is boring/useless because if it had been you would have moved on to the next link in the chain. So here I was taking my morning run and onto cruise control (as you invariably get into if you run the same trail often) leaving my mind wander into the topic of its choice.

It usually starts with planning the day ahead and the things I should be doing or get done. But then as a true disciple of Socrates, I started asking the cardinal questions. Starting with the immediate day i was planning , i move on to the prospective and retrospective ones. All the while asking Why? How? When? and so forth.

Eventually I end up with a catch-22 like question which actually could help in deciding my future course of actions. The question which I posed myself is would I like to have knowledge/career or be happy. Of course, It could be a slam dunk for most of you (But there are different variations of it in which by adding in your priorities to it you could be stumped for an answer).

These musing of mine reminded me a Folk Legend in which Goddess Kali posed a similar question to Vikata Kavi Tenali Raman (who was the Court Poet/Jester during the reign of  Krishnadevaraya of the Vijayanagara Empire in the 16th century). Legend says that Kali appeared in front of Ramakrishna with a bowl of Milk and a bowl of Curd. She told him to pick any one. The milk would give him all the knowledge in the world and the curd would give him all the wealth he needed. Ramakrishna said that both look tasty but he has to taste each before choosing, so Kali gave him both the bowls. Ramakrishna gorged both the curd and the milk. Kali was furious. However, Ramakrishna explained to Kali that what is one without the other. Kali was impressed by his wit and said that he will become a Vikatakavi, meaning a jesting poet. (Text Source: Wikipedia - beats typing the whole thing again).

So what would be the answer to my question. Knowledge or Happiness, Career or Happiness. The way i see it, all of us want to be happy no matter what we do or our priorities are. The catch is will we be happy with it. Wouldn't we have to make compromises that we are not happy with? (like personal life vs professional life) In a perfect ideal world we would be able to straddle all our ambitions with ease. But in reality where there are multitudes of characters around you with their own personas and agendas, you eventually will have to compromise on something or the other. The least of your priorities gets knocked off. You have to take into account the needs and quirks of others around you (or you could totally not care about it. Your call)

So the secret is to order your priorities and not be a sore loser. Sometimes we might not be able to get all that we want or want to do. We got to learn to live with that and be happy with it. And most of the times we might be dealt a shitty card (either our own doing or that's just life). But see what we can learn from there. You are your best and worst critic. Make judicious use of it. Sometimes it is good to ask for help too (I personally take care of my own shit. But I am told it is wrong to put everything on oneself. There is a reason man is a social animal).

So is it possible to straddle both worlds you ask me? I would say yes (provided you do your homework on it). I want both the curd and the milk. I just have to work for it (or Goddess Kali appearing would also be cool).


 

Needs of Students vs Needs of Society

A few weeks back (or maybe a few months ago), I had watched a couple of Ted Talks on how Education kills creativity and that children should be taught the Socrates way (by teaching them to ask the right questions and finding answers). It highlighted how the present Education system(School/College) was introduced to be a factory for the production of human resource suiting the needs of Industrial Revolution and Colonialism Machinery. How we are being taught to take over the desk jobs in the big Corporate/Administrative Machinery. Each of us taught to be compliant and uniform in our skill sets, thereby easily fitting into the system and ergo easily replaceable. They are all compelling arguments and to a point true. So when we say that the education system is broke, we are wrong. It actually works perfectly fine. It's just not the system that we need now.

So what is the need of the hour? The policy makers would like to continue the present system. They need more fodder for the country's economic growth. Their main argument being how are we going to bypass the other countries in economic development if we do not have the sufficient human resources? But that would be a myopic view with stress on the present. Also it pits US against THEM.

They say science fiction is the precursor to technology. H.G Wells, Jules Verne, Issac Asimov, George Lucas and others have dreamt of the future. We have brought the technology they dreamt of to reality. But another staple in science fiction is being a World Citizen and a Planetary government instead of present plurality. We have been living in status-quo on that front from the second world war (joining hands for the formation of UN). At times we have even undermining the UN and been strengthening regionalism. Anyway, I guess it'll remain science fiction for a long time to come.

Coming back to the need of the hour, we need a system that helps us as individuals. Teaching us to be masters of our own fate instead of the dystopia they currently sell (school-college-work-spouse-kids-retirement). We do not go after what we want. We go after what we are taught to want.

So the need of the hour is a system which teaches children/students to think critically and creatively. If such a situation is achieved, they would stop being foot soldiers and lead the system (or at least their lives). It all sounds really good in paper. Even idealistic if one may call that so. But is that achievable? I agree that every kid is equal. Given the right opportunity, they can all excel. Before I go any further, I think we should understand the concept of excellence and intelligence. In the present day school system, the measure of intelligence and excellence is narrow. It is only the marketable qualities that are called intelligence. It is measured in terms of whether it would make a good career and get you money. How good are you in math, science..etc. Even in sports it is only the major popular games that matter and the less popular ones are relegated to the background.

So when we say that each kid excels, the catch is that they may not excel in the same thing. One kid could be a prodigy in Dancing and another a Polymath. So who gets to say that the Polymath is intelligent and the Dancer not so? So here comes the concept of "Theory of Multiple Intelligence".
So the education system should not be a mass brainwashing program or a day care that lets the parents go about their work. It should be a place of learning. A place to explore. A place that lays the foundation for the person you are going to become. The approach should be tailor made to needs of the students and no the needs of the society.

We must learn to cherish all abilities and stop making everything a race. Sometimes you can lose the battle but still win the war.

 

My Digital "Man Friday"

Robinson Crusoe had “Man Friday” to rely on in his island. But if he were to be stuck in our present day island of a world, he'd not find it much different from the one he was stuck in. Maybe there would be stark differences. But more so of the subtle similarities. Where he was stuck in a place devoid of other inhabitants and want of company, he'd find himself surrounded with human beings. But I think he'd find it much different from his Victorian time. In the present day, It would be easier to communicate in the virtual world (on Facebook and what not) than in person. Always surrounded but still alone (a slight modification of “water water everywhere” from the The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by S.T Coleridge ). And he still has his Man Friday. I'd say a more better Man Friday. Always there to support him and help him out. Eventually he would realise “Google” is a more cooler name than Man Friday.

Anyway, I do not know about Crusoe, but Google is my “Man Friday”. It performs a lot of roles in a person's lifetime. However heaping all the praise on Google alone would be injustice. Because if you see from a purely technical point of view, Google is like the store helper who helps you with locating the items you need in the supermarket. What it actually does is search the vast fathom that is the internet to find the thing you need.. But the beauty is the intuitiveness it displays in showing you the best fit to your requirements. I use the term “best fit to you requirements” to highlight the principle that “the search results are only as good as the search term used”. Searching effectively on google is an art. The use of the various logical operators (and, or , plus..etc) coupled with its inbuilt algorithm, Google performs miracles.

Moreover it is not totally free of partisan interests. It does make money out of website page ranking. But the system works (attributed to the efficiency of capitalism). The users get what they want, the sites get what they want and so does google. It's a cyclic relationship. The best company is preferred by the customer, the company earns a lot by being the market leader, the market leaders are able to pay premium to google for top page ranking and we get the market leader at the top of our search results. Win Win.

Now, you might ask “What is the down side?”. Nothing is perfect right. Well, we are building up a dependency for this thing which we take for granted. We are the cusp generation of the digital age. We still have and know of the old world of books/encyclopaedias/Grannies-who-know-better. But as we move through successive generations, the internet will become the sum total of our knowledge and by Google by default will be its gatekeeper. I had a friend who used to challenge himself to deprivation tests when he feels that he id becoming too dependant on a particular thing. He was able to live without that particular thing. But how would we fare without google. Maybe by a slim chance. But what of successive generations?

But the biggest threat is not dependency. It is reliability. For every statement you find you will find a million contradictory statement on the internet. Which is true/real and which is false/fake becomes a matter of perspective. (That is why I have refrained from mentioning Wikipedia. It is a wonderful project. I myself have donated to it. It would be my primary source. But not without me double checking the information elsewhere). I take the maxim “To err is human” seriously.

But with all said. Google is my “Man Friday”.

Good night and Good luck.

The Brigade....

I somehow can't fail to take notice of the fact that after each gruesome rape incident in the Capital of Shining India, i happen to publish my post. This is no co-incidence because after each such incident, emotions run high in the airwaves. And don't we know what happens when you let your emotions run high. Maybe Michelangelo let his passions go wild on the Sistine Chapel and made it epic. Alas, we are no Michelangelo and nor are we well informed. In this information age frenzy, when u want your voice heard above the clamour for blood, you try every avenue possible. I seem to express myself well when i write and voila

However, if you are depressed/angry after reading a lot on this and do not want to go on, do not worry. This post is actually about The Brigade and not the rape. Now this is no tactical formation of the armed forces that you need to worry about. It is more of an inside joke between my friend and myself on The Feminists - The Feminist Brigade (i know, not too creative enough right?). However, you do need to fear it. Mainly because, they seem to be experts on symbolism or psychology for that matter. How you ask? Well... Anything you say will be scrutinized and the symbolism behind it unearthed. If it seems to offend their sensibilities (mostly it will because you use the vocabulary you were taught in this patriarchal world), you will be crucified. Mostly with the title "MISOGYNIST".  I personally assure you that i am no misogynist and have nothing against Feminism. However I do actively condemn Misandry and Misogyny for that matter. Does my assurance hold currency, well you have to take my word for it. Sadly, almost all misandrists parade as Feminists.

A common mistake almost all idealists and  most activists make is that they are too close to it all and fail to see it objectively. They usually have the presumption that they are correct. But, can a person be correct and wrong at the same time? I know i said presumption is bad, but i am going to assume that you are a student of science and explain my point here.

Assuming we have heard about electrons (else, please ask Google). These sub-atomic particles revolve around the Atomic nucleus(protons+neutrons). Now, we have this subconscious habit of placing things in their place. A more overt genesis of this would be when we meet a new person. We either try to place him linguistically, regionally or religiously. This may be because it gives him an identity. (Sadly, we usually end up stereotyping him)

Well, the scientists were similarly trying to place the position of these electrons around the atomic nucleus. Is it revolving around it or does it have a fixed position? They concluded that it exists in both ways. Similarly, Light was concluded to exist in both wave form as well as photon (particles) form. I would be taking this too far if i gave u the example in Algebra about how X can have two values. So lets stop here. :D

 So to conclude, They can be wrong and correct at the same time. (If its good enough for Einstein, the same analogy is good enough for us at this point.) Feminists are correct according to their views and others are correct according to theirs. So how do you break this status quo?

Here comes the main problem. I agree that women have been treated badly for ages and still are. They are subjected to inhumane treatment in daily life. And what hurts more is that the aggressors do not realise that they are committing a crime. (Here i would like to point that in the case of children, both boys and girls are subjected to violence.)

All the above give them ample reason to mistrust the opposite sex and rightly so. However what they need to realise is that there are a few males who understand the issue and want to help. But if you find the symbolic meaning of each thing they say and make them go on the defensive and apologise, you are losing the war. To actually succeed in the venture, you need to understand what contributes to the male psyche. The person is not the enemy, the circumstance that brought about him are. Maybe if we changed the circumstances, we could get a different person.

There are always exceptions and no matter what you change, they would still turn the same. The long arm of the law is there to deal with these people. Small drops bring about an ocean. Yesterday's eve teaser is today's molester and tomorrow's Rapist.

There are other ways of putting views across without making it a single point agenda. Sadly, i feel that most Feminists spend/waste most of their time on these symbolic issues than work on the real one as stated above. They mistrust everything male and forget that human beings are social animals. We have to co-habit together.

I am not your enemy and do not make me one.

PS: If you noticed that i have used only HE instead of an HE/SHE in the illustrations, well they were deliberate. If you feel that i am a Misogynist.. Well.. Maybe or Maybe not... What are you going to do about it?

Amused, Troubled and Anguished by Turns...

It pains me to see someone's hard work being used as political mileage by fringe groups. It pains me even more to listen to the silence spawned by the absence of our support to his endeavour. This is not a new phenomenon in India. Rights are frequently violated and Fundamental Rights are the first and sure ones to be denigrated.

But how is this one man's slight so different from the others? Is it different because this one deals with the Freedom of Speech which we, the net savvy generation have been taking for granted? Or is it because it is about a Celebrity?

Going by the history of such protests in the Indian Film Industry, the outcome of these incidents depend mainly on the connections and concessions one has/does. The surest way of getting a positive outcome is for the filmmaker to go on his knees to the perpetrators and apologize for exercising of his rights. The drama of it all gives these fringe parties the power trip it was hoping for. 

In a similar episode, an actor's father had to rush to the negotiating table with these miscreants and agreed to make certain cuts in the movie. The poor guy even went to the extent of promising to have is actor-son play a Muslim in his next movie. To quote Justice K. J Shetty in the Landmark case of S. Rangarajan vs. P. Jagjivan Ram for the movie "Ore Oru Gramathile", the turn of events have by turns amused, troubled and anguished me.

The absurdity of it all, where a group of people could derail what our forefathers had fought for by threat of violence, AMUSES me. But, the reality of it happening before us and the heading being taken by our so called democracy TROUBLES me. Pranab da talked about re-aligning our Moral Compass. But isn't a compass needed, when one chooses to follow a particular direction for a reason. But where is the reason of all this? The absence of institutional support as well as individual support ANGUISHES me.

The support of the institution is essential as seen in "My Name is Khan" . But what would you do when the cosmos conspires. Do you buckle under pressure? Kamal Hassan is not new to controversy. He has been the target of those who wanted their 30 seconds of fame. Time and again he has stuck to his beliefs as much as possible. He has suffered a series a losses over the years and he still seems to continue pursuing his dreams.

This never say die spirit and belief in oneself is worth emulating. Though it is a path of pain, the feeling that you do not owe allegiance to anyone for your success is a heady one. This time i dearly hope that he comes out of this mess shining as ever. If initial reports are to be believed, his latest movie is a sure blockbuster. The only thing it needs is our support and pledge. Patience is a virtue and hope we do not jump the guns with pirated versions.

The supreme court should take suo moto notice of the blatant violation of his rights. It would be even better if a case in tort is instituted by him for the loss and pain he has suffered. On my part, i promise to watch it in the big screen and hope others do so too. But when would such practices be stopped? When are we really going to be free?

If they ever get to see the state of affairs of our Nation at present Gandhi, Nehru and Netaji would turn over in their graves. They were lucky that British followed the Rule of Law...

To be or not to be...

We have come across many atrocities of the police in the newspapers. Sometimes it's the false cases foisted on unaware Muslims in terror plots and other times the sexual assault or to be more exact, pure torture on  people with alleged Maoist links. Let me be frank here.. I knew and understood that these practices were wrong. But somewhere in my subconscious, they did not register any perceptible impact. It could be because i couldn't put myself in the VICTIM'S (of the police atrocities) shoes. There's a shit load of difference between empathy and sympathy, and that matters.

It is then that i came across a recent mishap in my school-friends circle. A few of them had gone to a pub in a Indian Metro on New Year's Eve and had a blast. Somewhere in between, one of them had left. The rest did not miss him and later left for home. However, later in the night they got a call from police saying that the friend who left early had met with an accident. They rushed to the hospital and on arrival were arrested for murder. Apparently the friend had been found stabbed outside the hotel and succumbed to his injuries.

These guys were then subjected to THIRD DEGREE TORTURE and kept under illegal custody of the police for over a week. They were not produced before a magistrate nor were they released. They were frequently threatened that they had evidence of their involvement in the murder without any actual evidence to show. Lawyers were consulted and their intervention was of little help. Finally, it dawns on them that the police were expecting money under the table for this illegal arrest.

Of course the case would not stand to judicial scrutiny. But would a student, IT professional or any one who has something to lose accept to be charged for murder and subjected to the hassles of Indian Judiciary. In the end, a huge amount had to be settled for their release.

Sad is the state of Law and Order in this country. It made me fume with anger. This time i could identify myself with the VICTIMS. It could have happened to me. I wondered about the people who could not have paid the money. How their dreams would have been crushed by the greed of the policemen. The policemen did not understand that they were playing with fire. Cruelty to the innocent is like playing with fire. You have no control over the outcome. I tried putting a reasonable poor educated man in the situation. (since a reasonable man is the often used test in Courts of Law) An FIR would crush and spoil all his dreams for the future.

There are three possibles outcomes.

1. He would have resigned to his fate and tried to move on with his life after the incident.

2. He would have come out a stronger person and used all the proper modes of protest to bring about positive changes so that it does not happen to others.

3. He would become an extremist and his wrath more cruel than the cruelty subjected to him. So that Policemen of later generations fear and shit in their pants before they think of terrorizing an innocent.

--> It needs a person of extra ordinary optimistic outlook in life to not succumb to the atrocities and follow the Option 1. They are always a rare breed to find.

--> Knowing Indian Bureaucratic setup, the most plausible outcome would be a two step one. First Option 2 and the failure of which would lead him to Option 3.

We already know from various literature available on how extremists are product of our systems. I now truly understand their genesis. Would the various approaches by the government eradicate/convert them? Maybe yes. But would the genesis stop? I do not think so. The flaw is endemic to our System and only an overhaul of it would bring a stop to this genesis. Otherwise, whatever methods, whether violent or non-violent, used by the govt would be of little significance.

The system crushes so many dreams that the people manning the system should not forget that a man with nothing to lose is more dangerous than  any other adversary.

"To be or not to be" is an oft repeated literary term and this time it entirely lies in Government Machinery's hands.