Manmohan Singh... Genius or Otherwise?

The public image of the honorable Dr. Manmohan Singh (hereafter referred to as MMS) has taken a lot of beating in the past year. It particularly reminds me of a  beautiful book by Ayn Rand, "We the Living". I use the term beautiful in the literal sense here. You have to read it to appreciate it. (Spoiler Alert)To sum the book without disclosing much of the plot, The person who seems to be the Hero at the start, becomes the Villain in the end and the person who seems to be the Villain at the start, becomes the Hero in the end. This transition is so subtle and brilliant in the book that you wouldn't see the carpet being pulled under your legs. Seriously, if you love a good read, you gotta read "We the Living".

Now coming back to MMS, If you take the case of his public image, you too would draw a parallel with "We the Living". Once hailed as the Prodigal Son, he is now called the lame duck Prime Minister.
 Click here to read the entry in Wikipedia about how the public's perception has varied from UPA1 (First Term) and UPA2 (Second Term).  Ofcourse, Wikipedia should never be cited as an authoritative source, but being the lazy person i am, i think Wikipedia would do just fine for our purpose. :)

However, you also got to appreciate MMS's intellect. He has held various posts in his time as a bureaucrat and also as a politician. That definitely speaks volumes of his intellect and integrity. Mind you, it is no easy task to hold these various positions and that too not having a surname that opens door (read nepotism). Considering the outcomes of various policies of the government, it would be apparent to even a laymen to ask MMS the following questions.

1. How would a politician appoint a CAG who rocks their own boat?
2. Why wasn't the first Anna Hazare episode handled like how Indra Gandhi would have done in her times? or at least like it was handled the past month? Instead, why was Anna treated like a VIP and all his whims entertained ?
3. How would a politician bring about the RTI Act without knowing about its implications?

and there are many more questions. But to answer these questions i am going to take some poetic license.

Gandhi For All Ages....

There have been  many a recent headline around the world with regard to the communal tensions/violence (especially in India, China, Srilanka, USA, UK, Africa and the list goes on). It would be easy to point fingers at a section of the society and criticize the government for the failings.

But i choose not do those today. 

This cycle of hatred has been going on for too long. Far too long. The directors/location/cast might have changed from the Crusades, but the script remains the same till today.

 --> Intolerance.

It is the same from east to west and north to south. It has nothing to do with the level of the development of the country. As long as humans are involved, the ends have been the same, though the means might have been different.

In this atmosphere, I find it imperative to revisit some of Gandhi's teachings/ideals to bring back some perspective. (though what he said was from a different era and in a different context, it still holds true.)

The below excerpts from the some of his teachings will appeal to any sane and reasonable mind.

"The golden way is to be friends with the world and to regard the whole human family like members of one family. He who distinguishes between one's family and another's mis-educates the members of his own and opens the way for discord and irreligion.
-----

It is easy enough to dig out a few criminals from their hiding places and hand them over 
to the police, but it does not protect society against the repetition of them. It is necessary 
to remove the causes by undertaking a thorough process to reform. There must arise in 
Islam as well as in Hinduism men who being comparatively pure in character, would work 
among such men.

We would not then try to shift blame for ugly happenings on the hooligan elements. We 
could convert and control the hooligan elements too.
There is not a man, however cruel and hard-hearted, but would give his admiration to a 
brave man. A goonda is not the vile man he is imagined to be. He is not without his noble 
traits.

(‘A goonda does not understand reason.) But he understands bravery. If he finds that you 
are braver than he, he will respect you.
-----

Mutual toleration is a necessity for all time and for all races. 

Honest public opinion should make it impossible for grieved parties to take the law into their own hands and every case [of dispute] must be referred to private arbitration or to law courts.… "

source: http://www.mkgandhi.org

The only way to remove the tree of discord is to strike at its roots. Otherwise, it will only keep cropping up back. And the best place to start is with some self-introspection.

I would love to elaborate and explain on what he meant, but it is best if one discovers the truth for oneself. 

Hope you see the light...
Hope you reflect on them...
More earnestly, Hope you illuminate your world with it...

Independence Day - Me, John Doe and The Ghost...

The sun rises to another beautiful day on this glorious nation that is India. And somewhere along this bountiful country which is the epitome of DIVERSITY, I rise in my corner of my house to a highly anticipated day in the Indian Calender. THE INDEPENDENCE DAY (August 15, 1947)

We all know the story of how India attained independence from the the various well documented history books. Whether the History books do justice to everyone who contributed to the struggle for independence or whether its just a narrative of the winning side (read the Indian National Congress) is a discussion for another day. Before we further deviate from the topic, let me ask you this " What does the independence mean to you?". Though i cannot speak for my generation of Indians, i can fairly say with authority that it has always meant to be day where OPTIMISM is at its best.

Initially, I was tempted to write an opinionated piece on what the Independence day means to a lot of my generation (middle/upper middle/rich/filthy rich and internet savvy). Then i realised that it would not be fair to you since there are always a lot of opinionated pieces out there.

So let me take you through the Independence Day through the eyes of

1. An Average Indian's Independence day Celebrations -- Mine
2. Ghosts of Independence days past. (1947 - 2011) -- In the form of Mamta didi.
3. A Third party observer -  A non-Indian (Control/Placebo to check what a reasonable man would think under the facts presented). Let us call him John Doe for familiarities sake.

So here it goes. Cock-a-doodle-do and cue...

Who am I ?

I had a hard time choosing the topic to start my blog with. My choices ranged from the international menagerie of American politics, the Syrian conflict to the domestic issues plaguing our nation. In the end i have come a full circle in choosing to talk about my kind.  "The Unemployed Indian".


The Unemployed Indian is a complex product of the Indian Education system and the Indian society. The education system is skewed in favour of higher education whereas failing to focus on the foundation i.e, the primary education. Without a strong primary education the students lose the fundamental joy of learning and their creativity/individual thinking. This education is more "adult-aspiration focused" , and I use the term the "adult-aspiration focused " in a liberal sense to highlight how adults thrust the children with what they want, than with what the children need.

How do you expect a student who is weak in the basics to confront the challenges of the higher education?