online thoughts - response to Rajdeep's Blog!

http://ibnlive.in.com/blogs/rajdeepsardesai/1/61805/english-speaking-educated-politicians-a-soft-target.html

Rajdeep - Its an excellent Article and I must congratulate you for the same. While I was reading the article, Nandan did ring in my mind and when you mentioned him in yoru ps, it was my minds reflection. I would say that there is a difference between Nandan and Tharoor/Ramesh, the latter are supposedly real politicians who got elected through main door or back door. They are accountable to public as they have been directly or indirectly elected by them. Where as, Nandan has been nominated for the post and he is a cabinet mister rank but not a minister himself. This makes him aloof from criticism, that does not mean he does not write or did not venture into public foray, remember the mail that probably circulated to every person in India about his first day in office and other things?

The only issue is, he has been extremely careful in venting out his views and he is a "shy" person. Everyone knows that Nandan was equally responsible for Infosys as was Murthy, but just the way Nandan conducts himself is different than other holding "big" positions and public offices. Either way, I think our politicians should be bold enough to say something and face it, rather than just shrug off responsibility. We also have to have politicians who are powerful and can become powerful through their caliber.

That said, they should also perform and do justice to the ministry they are heading. I see some glimmer of hoem from the first time contenders/ MPs who are silent but are doign some meaningful work, how they do not get institutionalized into the "raj" and continue putting their trial balloons in the public arena and see the response. As Priyanka Chopra argued in her article today " stop thinking and dreaming... step out and fight to make it a reality... You will never regret it!" Have fun and be responsible (and no, it is not a paradox)!!!
Avadhani!

Who is Shashi Tharoor

This is a very good article by Shiraz Gidwani on Shashi Tharoor....
Read and Enjoy
-Avadhani

If I defend him, it will appear partial and if I cringe at the horrendous allegations against him, it will be alleged that my judgement is clouded. Therefore, allow me to take you on a short journey as we delve into the life of Shashi Tharoor. It will allow you to decide who he really is.

Education
When Shashi Tharoor graduated with the Robert B. Stewart prize for best student from the Fletcher chool of Law and Diplomacy (a joint campus between the prestigious Harvard and Tufts Universities) , he walked out with PhD laurels resting on his 22 year old shoulders. To have earned a bachelors degree from St. Stephens College, Delhi (where he was also President of the College Union), two masters degrees and a PhD by the tender age of 22, were the stepping stones in the making of a man who would go on to be the best-selling prize-winning author of 10 fiction and non-fiction books.
Transition
Imagine this: you work in one place for 30 years of your life. That was your first place of work and has remained your only identity for the entirety of your adult life. Suddenly, you transition into new surroundings, encounter new colleagues (some with contrasting approaches and opinions) and a distinctly different working culture. It would take a few months to adjust to the new environment, a short while to get your bearings, right? Shashi Tharoor worked for the United Nations for 29 years. It was his first place of work and until now, his only. Shouldn¹t we have afforded him some time to settle into the system and understand the environment he now finds himself in? His relationship with the media has been contrary to what I expected. At the United Nations, I recall with fondness how the press and media adored him. He was elevated to the second-highest rank in the UN system by Kofi Annan because of his mastery of the external communications of the organisation. Contrast that to the present day where you know a new month has started because Shashi Tharoor is in the news.
The Person
Jacob Joseph forfeited a lucrative career in the United Arab Emirates and stepped in to be a driving force as we geared up the 2009 campaign to Parliament. When Shashi Tharoor became an MP and the MP became a Minister, he understandably offered Jacob the position of Officer on Special Duty (OSD) in New Delhi. That Jacob accepted the offer, relocated his family and home and rolled up his sleeves to face the Indian bureaucratic system speaks volumes about the belief and faith those around him have in Shashi Tharoor. But for arguments sake, lets be disparaging here. Jacob is from the Minister¹s home state of Kerala, so he could be excused for looking up to his MP and now Minister of State for External Affairs. The same though cannot be said for Sandeep Chakravorty. Sandeep a career officer requested a special transfer to be able to work with the dynamic and charismatic Shashi Tharoor as his Private Secretary. Sandeep certainly isn¹t from Kerala. I have spent quality time with both of them and am privileged to call them both friends. But outside of our friendship, I have seen the passion and drive that they have for what they do and the man they work with, a warmth and affection I have seen equally reciprocated by the Minister himself. Shouldn¹t this be the winning solution we celebrate as ideal and try to replicate across
the Ministries of the Government of India? As for the Minister himself, Shashi Tharoor doesn¹t just wear the Indian flag pinned to his heart on hisbandhgala. He is a true and proud Indian who sacrificed a sizeable salary and all the luxuries in the world to make a difference to India. The same man who never accepted British citizenship, despite the fact that he was born there.
What does Shashi Tharoor mean to India?
For starters, he has spent 29 years building relationships with foreign leaders. These leaders are now instantly nearer and dearer friends of India. Not only does he share personal friendships with them, he converses with them in diction and an oratory prowess far superior to any Indian politician I have encountered in my short life. And if you thought his English parlance is refined, the man speaks impeccable French (I am apparently fluent and cannot keep up with him). So his conversations with francophone leaders are of a more warm and personal nature.
India has spent years courting a relationship with the United States, but Shashi Tharoor and his counterpart Hilary Clinton go back to the days of her husband¹s presidency when she was First Lady and he was Under-Secretary- General of the United Nations. If nothing else, we finally have a Minister we can be proud to present to the world. A man of great sophistication, elegance & poise and yet enough embedded in his Great Indian Mind¹ to converse intellectually for hours on any topic whatsoever. I remember the first time I was to travel with him, we met for a briefing in his New York office at United Nations Headquarters. Alan Jarus, his then Personal Assistant made it clear to me that, ³this is a man who believes in packing 80 seconds into every minute². So many years later, whether it was hustling around his South Block office, frantically catching up on mail, messages and tweets from the car or hurriedly packing at home for an official travel engagement, I saw the same Shashi Tharoor packing 80 seconds into every minute. I think you would be hard pressed to find a Minister quite like that in India today. Shashi Tharoor¹s return to India after a distinguished and celebrated career which culminated at the helm of the United Nations should have served as a motivator for Indians around the world to repatriate their dexterity to build an India for the future. Instead, the message we continue to send out is that India remains a club with great exclusivity and closed doors.
Who is Shashi Tharoor?
To me; friend, mentor and one of the greatest leaders and thinkers India has ever produced. A man we should encourage, support and send out to the world to represent us. For a man who believes that ³India has always mattered², to him and who would now, ³like to matter to India², his passion, devotion and commitment should be made the example, not the exception.
The author is Chief Executive of Iktara World and Executive Chairman of the Young Leaders Organisation. Shiraz Gidwani is a citizen of India residing in Dubai. He is also the author of Apna Indian Awakening¹, and frequent op-eds and columns.

Media Mafia...BREAKING NEWS...Kiran is blogging about Media

I've been wanting to write on this issue for like ages, but lethargy. Now, I think it is the most important issue to blog about and yet so little people take notice of.

In this era of 24X7 Indian life - electronic media or the Idiot box, as it is commonly known, is presents us with a plethora of options, be it entertainment, life style, religion, business, sports, news or what not. The print media is slowly getting "out of fashion". If you are not on social sites like Facebook, Twitter or orkut (to name a few), you are looked as a pre-historic animal. The celebrities are one by one joining the world of electronic communication of thoughts - be it Amitabh Bachchan, Aamir Khan, SRK or politicians like Shashi Taroor, amar Sigh, or news "editors" such as Barkha or Raj Deep Sardesai, the list is end less and they are all the "net savvy" people, whom we need to follow.

Just a look at the Indian TV Market (covering all the categories)- there are over 45 English TV channels, 90+ Hindi Channels and over 45 Telugu (my native language) channels alone. If you take the other regional languages the list seems to be endless. There are innumerable programs in these ranging from reality shows, to "mega" serials, to infotainment, tele marketing and what not, some of them are "aboriginal" and some are out and out copy of western concepts, some dubbed from one language to another and so on.

Of all these I care the least about any other category than "NEWS". I am a news buff and try to follow news on a minute to minute basis. I am nevertheless really disappointed at the way the news channels are "creating" news. I will to the extent of saying that they have become "Media Mafia" and are ruling the "Indian" democracy. With the dawn of so called freedom of speech (or to say lack of regulation) in the electronic media, every bit of news is sensationalized and is presented as "breaking news". There is really nothing "breaking" about it...I am sure that we are very close to times where we will see news such as "BREAKING NEWS: A Mosquito Just Bit the Prime Minister...PM is deliberating as to whether to snap it or not".

There are definitely certain instances where in news coverage is essential, I think Media is doing a great deal in brining people like Rathore to justice. At the same time, they do not have to cover Solar Eclipse "Live" as if it is THE one and onyl event...and no wonder we see headlines such as once in a life time opportunity, "spectacular solar spectacle" and allocate like 9 hours of coverage post facto and pre facto. "Experts" are flown in and interviewed for like hours, multiple cameras are placed around the globe to cover the event and its like the only thing that is worth watching.

One of the key ingredients of NEWS is supposedly "journalism". With too many channels and too many reporters very seldom do we see a well constructed argument or case for any event or "news". Every one is in the race to be the No. 1 news channel in India and I am surprised to find that there are as many as 5 - No. 1 news channels in India. Every one is trying for TRPs and no one is really interested in presenting news in the fashion that it needs to be presented. I at times see DD news and think it still has some of its core strength intact, but beyond that none of the channels live up to the mark.

A debate in many news channels is nothing but chaos and confusion. There is no logical beginning or end to any argument. The news anchors or facilitators themselves become part of the argument and start shouting at the top of their voices and I am sorry to say that every news channel is the same. I do not want to really delve into this matter as it would be taking me off track from the Mafia theme...

Very recently I witnessed a "news creation" that led to mass destruction of Reliance properties all over Andhra Pradesh. It was a discussion that was based on a "anonymous" web site called the "Exiled" supposedly a Russian electronic media. They came up with a conspiracy theory that the Late CM of AP, Dr. YSR was allengedly murdered by Reliance group/ Ambani Brothers) for having a say in KG gas basin prices. Couple of news channels make a hue and cry about it and brought in some politicians that made no sense in their arguments and that crated a furore in the supposedly loyalists of YSR who went on a rampage. This instance shows us as to how powerful the "Media" has become and is able to affect the mindsets of people. The same is the case with the coverage of recent agitations in OU or as a matter of fact any other place in the state, wherein the news channels have one or two video clippings of some kind of violence, polcie brutality or whatever adn they repeatedly show the same tiem and again and create a kind of fear in the viewers. I've recieved many calls from my friends in India and abroad inquiring about my "health" and "safety" in lieu of the recent "attacks" ... initially ,I was surprised but later on came to know that each and every of the 20 odd "news" channels in AP are creating a menace by their "news Coverage" and the hype they are generating. When, I living very next to the OU campus, like millions of others was untouched by any stray incident that MADE HEADLINES/ BREAKING NEWS. If I keep on citing this, the list of BREAKING NEWS will become endless, from the screening of Movie called Adhurs to YSR chopper missing. Talking of which I am reminded of the BREAKING NEWS of September 2, 2009 where in news channels were reporting that YSR safely landed and was "walking", I am perplexed as to how "rumors" are made a reality in NEWS channels.

Any way...I think I've vented a lot of ire in this section, I will SHUT UP here, else you might see a BREAKING NEWS and Twitter posts about my post and who knows, I might be attacked for the same.

All I want to say through this "blog media" is that let the Media not become a Mafia and report "responsibly" and try not to "create" news but "report" news as it happens. I would also like to urge the MEDIA/ NEWS REPORTERS to have a "human heart" while reporting instances where people are being killed/attacked brutally, and take active role in diffusing the situation rather than aggravating the same. If possible help the victims (like in the case of the recent Sub Inspector in TN) rather blaming the Ministers etc. or Prof Sabharwal or the millions of other instances where in people are taking law into their hands....PLEASE...PLEASE...ACT WITH CONSCIENCE!!!!

Til' the next post


Cya
Avadhani!!!

(as always, no edits..no revisions for this post too....)
Comments welcome....

it is "him"

Despite the tumultuous journey called life and the certainty in uncertainty, blogging keeps pulling me back to write and to keep writing as much as I can. I must apologize to my friend the dashboard to have ignored her (or him?) for long.

When the world seems like collapsing and the is no hope ... there rises one person above the mundane people to protect everyone...Yes this is from Bhagvad Gita and No I am not writing about Obama. I feel like whenever the word "hope" is mentioned, it seems to have been patented by President Obama. Okay, let me come back to the person I am talking about. He is one of the best persons on earth. He touted to be great and a visionary by many people.

Wherever he has worked he was considered to be indispensable. wherever he was present he was the cynosure of the gathering. He never was shy of assuming responsibilities and he was never afraid of establishment, to say. he was one of the best friends I've ever known and he knows everything I know. HE is the one who has inspired me many times and says that he has been a mediocre performer.

HE is definintely one of the top notches of the educational society, but yet he never "ranked" among the tops. it is probably because he never cared about ranks! he knows his talent and he has confidence upon himself. I definitely know that he is a very sensitive person, but he is always a person that brings cheers to others, in what ever situation.

His sense of humor beats everyone and his sarcastic remarks definitely pinch some one. I know he was born with a purpose and he will definitely achieve what he wants to in life.

I also consider him to be both selfish and unselfish. he has gone beyond his means and helped others at his cost and he has been selfish enough to keep whatever he has got. I know he is a person with a great heart, nevertheless he is human enough to err and disappoint others.

If I keep writing about this person this entry would probably exceed its quota, and hence i will stop here.

I would never reveal the name of my friend but any one who knows me knows whom I am writing about. for the rest of the people it never matters...as Dr Suess always says...“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.”

til the next entry

happy blogging!
Avadhani

...of party loyalists and impotent politicians...

I have refrained myself from getting into the political debates and standpoints in the wake of political correctness, but today after the 60 hour ordeal in Mumbai, I have no regrets in penning down this blog.

I always had this impression that the current UPA government (funny name to the current government...which is a mockery of progressiveness) is one of the weakest form of government. I was initially surprised by India giving a mandate in favor of Sonia (is she a true Gandhi?) as the next prime minister of India. Although BJP lost the election the era of coalitions did not end with them. The split majority (or minority) given to the Congress and the huge task of managing coalition and relying on political blackmails has become a norm and not a very familiar situation for the Congress, which had unilateral control over India for over 4 of the 6 decades of Independence. In this context, party loyalty and sycophancy became the order of the day.

The minute Sonia "Madam ji" was made to decide the future of a resilient nation, she (tactically) decided not to be the Prime Minister but to be a King Maker and run the show by placing puppets in the key posts. Two key posts always haunted me: the Prime Minister and the Home Minister, both very powerful and both "conferred" upon to party (Congress) loyalists. I have greatest respect for our former finance minister and the current prime minister of India, Manmohan Singh, but I feel he is in no way competent to govern a country of our stature. I have no regrets in expressing my displeasure towards the home minister though, he has never proved to be pivotal in Indian politics and was never an able leader. Even when he was the speaker of the house, he did not have the clout to manage the proceedings of the house which consisted of 500 odd members, Now, how can he handle the second most powerful portfolio in the country?

There are a number of questions that keep bothering me: I have no idea as to why the congress politicians lay spineless and surrender to Madam ji? Don't they have an iota of shame? Don't they feel that they are being looked at as hermaphrodites? don't these politicians have ego. last of all? I have no clue. But what seems evident is that they do not have!

Now, there are politicians on one hand and the bureaucrats the other. Both are equally responsible. The bureaucrats are another set of sycophants who are only and only worried about their promotions and their positions. There are many bureaucrats who can be directly seen as "affiliates" of partisan politics. Some of these are "posted" at powerful positions and others deemed to "punishment" posts. Only to avoid the latter, these bureaucrats become the "yes minister!" typologies. To me these babu's are equally responsible for what ever is happening. Of course not all babu's come under this category, but many of these have never gone against the tide and really achieved anything significant. There might be a couple that have done that, but they had to regrettheir decisions (Kiran Bedi, Jay Prakash Narayan etc come to my mind as I scribble this). Thus many of the bureaucrats become mere spectators and really do not contribute their part in the decision making process. I have seen these people in close quarters and always felt that they had such enormous power, talent and are selected through a sophisticated methodology but have to heed to politicians who are probably not even 1st graders.

There is yet another draw back in the bureaucratic system: Lack of specialization. The babu's are jack of all trades and master of none, this poses a great threat to the sustainability of the programs and even the design of the same. A fresh bureaucrat starts as a regional official, graduates to district deputy and collectors post, then moves haphazardly to departments without their "choice" to say. one day, they are municipal commissioners and secretary of animal husbandry the other and this cycle is never settling and so are the timings. the Police services are no different, although power varies with the compleity of the city and the closeness to the power center. The tenure of these people is completely dependent upon the whims and fancies of politicians and not the "merit" (or otherwise) of their decisions and actions. This leads to a major drawback in the way the "system" functions and the effectiveness. there is no one who is continuously following through a set of reforms and programs, this leads to the execution of the programs to be dealt according to the "person" incharge. Thus the lakc of institutionalization of changes and administration. This leads to a lot of confusion and chaos in the way systems work and hence ineffective governance system that is present in the country as of today.

In this mire of complex political and bureaucratic relations, the people of country suffer. At times the people benefit from government policies and at times despite them. The lack of accountability in the political process and the administration lead to an incoherent growth pattern and a lack of confidence in the future. One agency tries to pursuade othe other to take steps to ensure that there is no lack of coordination, but when the buck is passed they do not care if it reaches the destination. It is similar to the relay running races in which relay depends on continuous passing of baton to the next player. Since the race has accoutability (win/loss) everyone ensures that the baton is passed and in the right way, and in politics and the incoherent administrative setup, baton is lost, sometimes multiple times. The news these days is focusing on the multiple warnings and the ignoring of the same. This clearly illustrates my analogy.

In any case, I can keep on writing for ages on this topic, but sticking to the self imposed principles of time constrains I would like to stop here.

There is no right answer to whatever has happened. There is always a way to find a scape goat and move ahead. But what is really lacking is the resolve to come together and find a solution to the problem. Be it terrorist attacks or poverty alleviation. There is a a clear lacuna in the system and the system itself needs change. I do not have a solution for the same and neither can I see some one bringing the "change" ...but some one has to take the first step, towards it...and I am waiting for such a moment...As Gandhi used to say "be the change you want to see"...I want to become a change agent...I am probably waiting for something...I am unaware of what it is as of today.

PEACE...my deepest condolences to the families of the victims

Jai Hind!!!
Avadhani

to do or not...the n'BAM! Hypothesis

Technically this post is two days old...but since I was influenced by America's Chauvinism ...it took precedence to completing this entry...
----
People!

Life is funny at times...in fact many a times... there are many instances wherein people are challenged to take a split second decision or decisions that need deep thought process ... any decision taken has positive and/or negative implications...outweighing the benefits over the costs or even very art of balancing these...is the constant struggle of life...and probably every person in the world goes through...

This process becomes very complicated by the social structure and the values/morals that the person is inflicted upon. Inflicted..because it is not out of choice that a person is born and is brought up in a milieu under his/her control... as as economists say..endowments matter in every life...and where they go or otherwise depends on this endowments... of course there are people make it in spite of these endowments...but at the end of the day...if you look at the "balance sheet"... you can evaluate the cost of reaching a particular point.

Now this entry is particularly interesting to those who come from India and were born and bought up by parents whose decision made a significant role in the personal life...predominantly the parents with decent educational background and have taken every ounce of interest in the child's career...this is not to judge good or bad...but it is just a superficial analysis of the struggles that Indian youth and young adults face...

From the day of conception the parents make every decision for the children... which dress to wear, which food to eat, which toys he/she gets, what is best and otherwise...what school they will go and which specializations they will get into. Right from day one...till the children attain around 30 (hypothetically, since the decision making really never ends...) Now anything between these 3 decades are under unilateral control of the parents...the quantum education they get...and what quality of education to get...what kind of jobs...and of course the course of marriage..which changes the "grip" parents on children...many of the parents feel that their responsibility technically is fulfilled once the child is married and in a "good" family...from then onwards their supervision remains...although control diminishes.

Now...there is nothing wrong in doing so...it has been a tradition that has existed for generations and has worked till date...and probably will work in future...but seldom do parents realize the cost of this decision making on their children...they always think that whatever they decide is in the best interest of the child. Yes, it is true, but what about the aspirations of the children? do they have any aspirations? or are their aspirations take a back seat to that of the parents? do the children have exposure to what the real world consists of? what kind of educational, skill sets and other opportunities are available? or the children simply follow orders as in the defense field?

It is very often observed that the parents always want to see their children in their own profession....this is predominant in the fields of medicine, bureaucracy, business, army/defense fields. In other professions it varies...but the bottom line remains the same...if the child in the profession they are aware of or the majority of the people are...they might find support groups and or can be comfortable in advising. Once the parent my class mate remarked that the son of engineer should become an engineer and the son of a clerk should also become an engineer...(don't know what will happen to the profession of clerks...not that it is degrading or otherwise) But each an every profession has its own charm...certain professions can be well paying and certain not...certain can have challenges on a daily basis...and certain be as monotonous as they can get...this does not degrade any profession from other...and low paying does not mean it is not worthy...it is just a different profession that does not pay as much as others...in this aspect...the Americans are matured and understand that there are these different fields they they can fit into.

The problem in India is that there is over supply of people in various professions and hence leading to the demand-supply imbalance resulting in lower wages in certain fields. There is also the problem of every one attaining higher education/or degrees that are beyond the college degree. Perhaps this is not needed but this has led lead to over supply of highly educated personnel in fields that does not require that level of competency. But, given a choice or an evaluation criterion, person with higher education always takes precedence. This has led to a situation wherein people holding Masters degree in Arts are settling for clerical jobs although the job requirements is a high school degree with some skills like basic computer/type writing/ short hand etc.

This situation is not created by a single person or generation, competition has made it impossible for people with mediocre education and skill sets to attain a decent wage. In this era of competition, most of the parents saw technical education as an opportunity for better life and hence engineering became one of the predominant field in the southern part of India. North India is trying to grappling with this but is still into fields such as art, business, political sciences and economics. This is leading to a polarization of skill sets and so the job opportunities.

In this chaos, the child, whose main objective is to face the world is really not prepared to do s0. The child is never given an option to explore the opportunities on his/her own. This is leading to a filtering process, which I would like to term as Next Best Alternative Mismatch Hypothesis (n'BAM!!! as pronounced in Bam! as if hit by something!), wherein the child tries for the best...in the direction the parents decide...if he/she is successful, nothing like it, else he/she has to settle for the second best and again if he/she fails there he/she looks at the next best...and this vicious cycle assumes a temporary halt not until he/she is accepted in an institution and he/she takes up the profession suitable to that. the halt is temporary because the n"BAM again starts at this alternative. The mismatch always occurs because the goal and the end result are different.

If a person at say mid 30's is asked to confess about whether he/she wanted to be in the profession, they would say probably no! (some may say yes, these are the blessed people... no pun intended). This series of errors or lost opportunities is creating a society that probably is not really happy. I do not want to state that everyone is unhappy, but there are many people who are not happy with the opportunity at hand. They are at a stage in which they can not undo what was done long back and are unable to get out of the vicious cycle. Many compromise and live relatively happily ...but deep down they have a sense of regret that they could not achieve that set goal at one point or other. Of course not every one achieves the set goals and ambitions they start with...but there are many that make the cut.

This concept of "interest" decided by parents is causing more harm to the child than really helping him/her. There is a need to reverse this cycle...it does not mean parents leave all decisions to the children (in which case the child might stray away) but to let the children make an informed decision. This informed decision making is one of the most important foundations for self confidence in the child's or the young persons life. The child should be made aware of the likely consequences of choosing a particular direction in life...what are the pros and cons involved and then let the child make his/her own decision. This does not guarantee that the child will succeed in everything he/she takes up. But at least, the child has consciously taken that decision and he/she has to face the externalities associated with the same. He/she is not in a position to blame the parents or circumstances leading to where he stands later in his/her life.

The other major flaw with the parents is their sheep mentality. If the parent's colleague's child is in a certain profession and the child is doing great, they get influenced by them and envisage a career for their own children in that particular profession. Whether the child has the required skill sets for the same? or he/she has the capability to achieve it? whether the child is interested in that profession and or does he/she even have a say?...is of no concern to the parent. The parents decide that "this" would one day make their son/daughter happy...

I also suppose that they try to find opportunities that themselves lost in their childhood in their next generation. I am not a psychologist, but think that it is in every parents mind, that their children should achieve somethings they could not achieve. Undoubtedly the parents always wish their children are better than them at any given point of life.

This kind of parental control on the lives of their children leads to a constant struggle in their children. They are always divided as to which way to go.... which profession to take up: the ones they feel that they are interested in or as decided by the parents? the kind of spouse they envisage as best or their parents preference? the kind of job they are really interested in or the jobs in which their parents think that the child will be comfortable in? (they feel that a particular direction is good for their children since it worked for others)

This constant struggle takes a toll on the child. He/she feels that he has done something wrong or disrespectful to his elders if he follows his heart/conscience and rejects his/her parents direction. If he/she follows his/her parents advice, then he/she is unaswerable to his consciousness. Torn in this constant struggle...he/she becomes a part of what I've termed as the n'BAM! hypothesis. He/she is always trying to cope with his/her decision(s) and the decision(s) made by others for him/her. The children are neither winners nor losers...they are always stuck in between. They can not claim that their achievements are their own, nor can they claim that their failures are a result of their parents. This remains a great mystery in an average educated Indian's life ...the solution for the same is not readily available...but then every one avoids this very point and goes in the mode of denial. Yes, if you don't see it, it doesn't exist and everyone chooses not to see it and leads (or pretends to lead) a happy and contended life forever.

Okay, it is far beyond the time...but I presume I finished what I started to accomplish in this post

To the Parents!!!!

Avadhani

american chauvinism

Hey,

I have always wanted to write about this topic...but was always worried about the political correctness of the same and "bitching" about the country I am currently living...but..then I gave away these apprehensions to the right to express myself....in a free and a fair world.

The hegemony of America over the world need not be reemphasized...it has always portrayed itself as a messiah of world and a self proclaimed world leader. I have no clue how can a country do so? the people think that they are the greatest living creatures in this world....and that every other human being is inferior to them...be it economic, strategic or as a matter of fact being humans themselves. They have this conception that they are the "best" and there is nothing that can stop them...agreed that they are better in certain aspects of life...for instance their economy is far better than many other economies in the world, their military has the most advanced technologies (and probably the biggest) and they have good scientific research (let me not get to the fact that at least a fourth of the top contributors might not be US citizens at all)...these matters apart...what makes the country think that it is the best...of course...there can be patriots who really feel great about their country...there is no harm in it...and in fact..that is very important...to stand for their country...there are many people in the world who do not and or are not really proud of their nation and keep on complaining about their nation...in private and public...

Patriotism is important...but there is an invisible line between patriotism and chauvinism...real patriots proclaim that their country is the best...but do
acknowledge that other countries are equally good in their own respect...but when people cross over to chauvinism the recognition of other nation's greatness/strengths fails and this leads to conflicts...be it direct or indirect...

Every nation has its history and certain countries might be less or more sovereign than others...I emphasize sovereignty because it is entirely different from the term independence. Any nation, be it independent or otherwise...has a sovereign interest...a supreme national interest of development and welfare of people...that it defines by itself or is shaped by some "leaders/rulers" of the nation...at any given point...they do not surrender their right to govern to foreign nationals...no matter what the situation be. If it is independent...it is decided by their own nationals and if not...other nation's people decide...and hence the difference in the concept of national interest...

There are several aspects in which USA has gone beyond patriotism to chauvinism ...and it is reflected the way it has been conducting itself for the last century...it was not until the World Wars that America knew its power in the world...it was really contended by the way it was conducting its business within and with other nations. It was emerging as a sincere power in the world and investing in its nation and people...The world wars gave it the first opportunity to think big...and as a nation of greatest weapons manufacturer it traded weapons to both sides of the party (or at least part of both) and this was the best time for the US in terms of economy...they amassed huge reserves of currency and grew leaps and bounds. Bot their pride was first hit when Japan attacked Pearl harbor...and it retaliated by annihilating Hiroshima and Nagasaki. I might not be wrong in saying that the US is the only nation in the world that has used a nuclear weapon on other nation. I do not recall any other nation(s) in the world that have the nuclear capability doing so.

The world's so called super powers UK, formerly USSR, France, China and US were the only nations to possess nuclear war heads until around 1970s..when they came up with a brilliant "idea" of Non proliferation Treaty or NPT...to see that no other nation can develop similar nuclear capabilities...not that it was detrimental to the world as a whole...but to see that these nations enjoy their superiority over other nations... at least strategically...this is just one instance initiated by the US to retain world dominance...

There were several attempts headed by the US (or a chief party) wherein their superiority is protected intact...they created NATO, WTO (formerly GATT), the Bretton Woods Institutions, a number of Trade alliances that would benefit the US and many in which the treaties that are unequal and many others to name...including the one on climate change...the Kyoto pact...which...the US played a coyote role of leading every nation sign a pact on the emissions and it did not ratify its position and to date has not done so.

A critical analysis of every move that the US takes...is is the supreme self interest and it does not care the implications on other nations...an instance is the shipping out of manufacturing plants or BPOs to other nations...just to make pennies on the dollar...since the environmental regulations in the US become tougher and the companies could not comply with the same...they shipped their plants to nations which welcomed their decision at a cost to the environment and health of their own people...but for nations struggling to secure two square meals a day...any economic opportunity outweighs it negativity...The largest consumer of wood in the world...has its forests intact and imports lumber from the "third world" nations...the same is the case with oil and many other aspects including that of intellectual powers and competitive persons...some examples include the highly paid professors and researchers in the US who are not their nationals...but that have been given honorary citizenship to retain the intellectual superiority ...and the most funny of these are the athletes from various nations....to my surprise...many of the Olympic gold medalists (or Olympians) were not US nationalists by birth but were "absorbed" into the US once their talent was recognized...this is applicable to people of several facets of life...

Now this attitude has lead to a serious problem in their own nation...their over dependence on "other" people...and their success till date, has made them ignore their domestic problems ... which is growing by the day...I am not an expert to comment on this..but it is evident in the daily news coverage...or any good intellectual discussion...

As long as the nation thinks that it is great and that everything in the world can be "bought"...it is mistaken...and this itself will lead to the destruction of the perceived superiority in the world...

okay..today's time is up...

more later
Avadhani

politics..politics 2

Hmmm...

Two great days of the GOP convention and it is really making a dent...although the dems' might counter argue that there was no meat or there was too much red meat to chew...I thought that the 3rd day of convention really made a difference in the lackluster rep campaign ...all said and done...Sarah Palin did make a case for herself and McCain...and that is what exactly she was meant to do...

Coming down to issues...and the way political campaigns are run in the US...there is no comparison between India and the US...and Yes...the US counterpart is definitely far ahead...but here also everything is not about the real issues...but about who can speak better and convince the nation better...everything is at stake for the presidential nominees...and they have to perform or perish...

I somehow really feel as to how if this kind of moderated debates are held in India for elections? of course the best orators will win ..but it is not just about the oratory skills...but taking a stance on issues and sticking to it...coming up with a clear road map as to how and when they are going to deliver the goods...all we have are the assembly or parliamentary debates before major bills...and even before the bill is tabled the votes are worked out...

every politician in India seems to promise the "holy grail" every time to every one and the opposition offering the home delivery of the holy grail...and how they are going to do it...how are they really planning to fund the programs and where the money will come from...no one knows...yes there is the central government for the states and the BANKs for the central governments...but how much debt will the state...nation or as a matter of fact India has around 15% of its GDP in external Debt..which is a serious issue...not withstanding the domestic indebtedness of around 60% of GDP (do not quote me on the numbers..but these are the approximations of the current scenario, end of 2007 period)...what does this mean?..this means that the government is borrowing 75% of all its expenditures and then there is this deficit budget....which is contributing to this too

any way...I am neither an expert on these matters not have done enough research on the same...but the bottom line is there is a source and a sink....we don't know where both are...so we have to really make it a point to know that..i'll try to do some research on that in the next post(s)....

any way...time for today is up...

more later
Avadhani