United we stand

There's an Airtel advert airing currently on television. This ad shows the significant contributions made by Indians to various fields - it shows Aryabhatta, Sushrut, J.C. Bose, and many others who left behind an indelible mark in their respective domains. The ad concludes with the tagline, "Just image what a billion people can do together...". Well, the possibilities are boundless. But then the question arises, will the billion odd people of India rise as one? Will they keep aside petty differences of language, of dressing, of the cuisines? Will they consider another Indian as an Indian first - and as a Sindhi, a Marwari, a Bihari, a Gujrati, or a Madrasi later? Can an Indian in Tamil Nadu empathize with another in Kashmir, and vice versa? Yesterday, when news of the terror attacks broke, colleagues and friends came over to ask if everyone in the family was fine. They did that as courtesy, as well-wishers. But not everyone had the same experience. As I was talking to one of my friends, she said that not even a single person asked her if her family was fine. So much so that her colleagues who sit right across her, were too busy in their own activities to ask her. How can they be so distant, she asked. How can they be so casual about the whole incident, was her refrain. Well, that has been the trouble with us Indians through out history. That we couldn't stand as one, especially when it mattered the most. That we couldn't empathize with our countrymen in other parts of the country. These views may seem cynical. I'm not saying that there is no goodness left in our people, that the milk of human kindness has dried up. No. That is not the point. The point is that we've become way too selfish to think about anyone else. About our neighbor. About the guy who sits across our desk. About the colleague who is going through some family crisis. And these people, these are white-collared, educated people. So it makes me wonder. Does education really teach us to care for each other? Does it teach us empathy? Do it teach us unity? Well, I doubt if it does. It just gives us with an opportunity to feed ourselves and our family.
I'm not saying, not even implying, that education is useless. That it does not make a good individual. It does help in creating awareness, in spreading the knowledge and ideas to all. It does help in creating equal opporutnities. It does provide even the person in the lowest strata of society the chance to excel. But is that itself enough? Is it the solution to the narrow-minded and selfish attitudes that have taken us over today? Does education have the solution to the divided state that the nation finds itself in. A friend of mine works for the non-profit organization Akanksha. This is a non-profit organization working for under-privileged children. But it does not just focus on educating them, in the sense of formal education. Inculcating values and a sense of belief, in themselves, in their brothers and sisters is a big part of the kids' 'education' in Akanksha. When we were in school, we had a half-hour activity called value-education. This was intended at inculcating good values in us kids. But is it possible to inculcate values by having a class of value education in the curriculum? If it were so, then would we find ourselves at this juncture today? How can we forge the social fabric that binds us? How can we rise as one? We can, if we put aside selfishness. If we think about our neighbor, as much as we think about our own family. If we show a little empathy. But how do we do this? Well, there are no easy answers...

We, The People...

There could not have been a worse start to the day. The only thing that I can say about is that it was a lot better than what some others would have had to endure. Like the people trapped in the Taj. Or the families of the police officers who would come home draped in the Tricolor. I called up my fiancee at around 7 AM and she asked me to switch on the television. And what I saw just numbed my senses. No, that is no overstatement. The impunity with which the terrorists stuck is mind-numbing. It was almost like they were mocking the entire security and intelligence set-up of the country. The latest terror attack dwarfed all the previous ones, and revived the memories of all the past ones - Mumbai train bombings, the blasts in Jaipur, the bombings in Bangalore, in Ahmedabad. How many more such bombings do we have to endure, I thought? All the people I know were safe, but yet the heart felt heavy. It felt as if those who died were in some way connected. That I knew them in some way. Do we have to wait, before, God Forbid, someone we 'know' is taken away from us? The heart just felt helpless, and yet there was a seething anger within. The anger was as much as the bastards who did not even spare a hospital as much as at the politicians and the government who just chooses to wait and watch. Watch as countless innocents die. Watch as the terrorists continue to mock them. Watch as the terrorists mock us collectively, as a nation. The US was subject to one of the worst terror bombings. But how many such incidents have occured since 9/11? Here, in India, on the other hand, wave after wave of terror attacks is launched, and the government does nothing. Well, perhaps I'm losing rationality and reason as a result of what just happened. It is easy to blame everything on the government. But it does seem like it is falling short on prevention. The intelligence agencies are utilized more for political espionage rather than actual intelligence gathering. Top postings are awarded on political clout rather than merit and suitability for the post. In this environment, how will the fight against terror be effective?
I cannot put my finger on it, but the latest terror attacks have something that have me shaken. Many of my friends I spoke to echoed this opinion. There is no guarantee that a person who steps out of his home will come back, they said. Well, that pretty much sums up the sentiment. But besides the anger and the resentment at the perpetrators of such heinous acts and the government, was helplessness at our own situation. All we can do is discuss about these incidents when they happen, and blow hot and cold about the terrorists, the government and just about anyone. But can we do anything concrete about it? Will we? Do we have the courage to rise from our stupor - yes, it is a stupor when such incidents barely make a mark on us if we do not lose a loved one? What can we do? And it was this feeling that made me, us, feel helpless. That there is little that we can do to thwart the terrorists in their goal. But if we think again, is there truly nothing that can be done? Well, how about creating awareness? About the politicians and the dirty games that they are playing. About the cancer that they are breeding through out the country? It is said that we get the leaders that we deserve. After all, the leaders are elected by the electorate. And so, the least that we can do is to generate awareness and create public opinion. Not against or for a particular community, but against those who exploit the weak amongst these communities for their selfish gains. Against those whose sole purpose is destruction - of life and property.
If we do not do something about this now, it may be too late. I'm reminded of something that was said in reference to the Holocaust in Nazi Germany. That all it takes for evil to spread is for the Good to stand there and do nothing. It is time for us to take a stand, not just stand there and do nothing. In whatever way we can - big or small. There are not any easy answers, but then for a problem like this, do we expect there will be?! Not many people read this blog, but for all that do, and for all who will read this post, please spare a moment to think about the situation before us today. The terrorists are reaching out and striking at will. The objective is clear - to strike fear in our hearts and create doubts and divisions in our mind. If we do not foil them now, it may be too late...

Update: After I wrote this post, I talked to some of my friends, and I thought about writing about some of what they had to say. One said that what will this (blogging) do, there are countless such blogs written about this, people rave and rant about it. Does it change anything? Another lunch table topic that revolved around this was about the blame game that plays itself out after every such incident. Blame is put not only on the government, the police, the intelligence agencies, but also on certain communities. This brings to light yet another observation - that even so-called cultured, rational, reasonable people with a broad-minded view have today become polarized. More than a few friends I talked with were of the view that these guys should just be eliminated. Blow up these guys they said. Well, is that going to be the solution? Really, that is besides the point. The point is, that whatever is happening - and the government's 'response'  - has unnerved people enough to think this way! And these are all people who are educated, some of the brightest minds, some of the people who've had exposure to multi-cultural societies. My fiancee had a totally different view. Why don't these guys (the terrorists) realize that they are ultimately spoiling their own community? She said that these guys took to arms because they were a deprived lot, because they were brainwashed, because they were exploited. But they do not seem to realize that their actions are in fact going to make it even more difficult for others of their ilk. It is they who would have to bear the brunt of the backlash - and there's no denying that there will be one. And so, she said, these people will stop these activities when they realize the consequences of what they are doing. "You are so naive, my dear", was my reaction to that. Yes, she is right about the cause. But I honestly do not believe that the terrorists would ever see that they are ultimately making it difficult for themselves. They are way too indoctrinated to see that.  

After a tough day at work...

After a tough day at work, the evening yesterday could not have been more fun! The whole day was spent in some demos and meetings with the big bosses, and after a non-too-impressive showing, I was in just the mood to have a nice break and just forget everything. And just as I was wondering how to unwind, a friend calls to ask if I'm game for watching the movie 'Dostana'. Well, I jumped at the opportunity, and promptly said yes. I hadn't watched the promos of the movie and didn't know anything apart from the bits appearing in the media that told me that this laugh-riotwas somehow connected with homosexuality!

Well, so we started out to catch the 7 PM show at Fame Cinemas in Lido Mall. The opening sequence itself in which the two protagonists, Sam (aka Sameer) and Kunal come face to face leaves you in splits. They happen to run into each other a couple of times and as luck would have it, both Sam and Kunal are looking for a place to stay. The landlady of the apartment they find refuses to rent out the place to guys, saying it's open only for girls. So Sam comes up with an idea to make the landlady relent. But convincing Kunal is not going to be easy. Well, the idea is that they tell the landlady that they are a gay couple, and she needn't be worried about renting out the apartment to two guys. Just when they've convinced the landlady, the lady's gorgeous niece, Neha (Priyanka Chopra) makes an entrance. Kunal wants to back out of the plan seeing Neha, but Sam convinces him to play along. The rest of the film is about the hilarious consequences of the lie that Sam and Kunal have told.
The filmmaker succeeds in giving the audience a lot to watch about. That he does so without employing oft-repeated cliches, or over-the-top, raunchy humor, or double-entendre (which seems to be the standard fare dished out by Bollywood filmmakers of late) is definitely an accomplishment. But the entire movie rides on the shoulders of the two lead actors - Abhishek Bachhan and John Abraham. They are just superb in their roles. The subtle nuances like the body language, expressions and looks that convey so much more and are so important in a comedy (well, any genre, but making people laugh is serious business!) are captured by both Abhi and John perfectly. I have to admit that John's performance especially came as a pleasant surprise. I'd thus far equated leaden acting with John (barring the exception of Taxi No. 9211, I should say), thinking that his physique and his oomph quotient with the female audiences were the only reasons he merited a role. Well, after watching John as Kunal, I must say I've changed my opinion. Here his performance is superlative, the comic timing just right. Abhi impresses as well, and there are scenes which make you laugh just because of the way Abhi carries them off. The scene where he decides to 'think like a woman, but act like a man' tickles the funny bone quite a bit. Priyanka is the female lead, but all the other actors (including here) seem to be the supporting cast.
Well, the funny part aside, the movie captures the warm camaraderie between Sam, Kunal and Neha quite well. The three grow into very close friends, with Neha confiding everything to the duo and becoming slightly possessive about them. The trouble is, both start loving Nheah, and want to tell her the truth. How their attempts fall flat is the subject of further humour. Neha flips for her boss, Abhimanyu Singh (Bobby Deol_ and the duo tries every trick in the book to get her to ditch Abhimanyu. Do they succeed, and who of the three gets the lady? Well, I'm not playing spoilsport!
But all in all, the movie is definitely worth a watch once. I came out the theater refreshed and the tough day at work was a distant memory. Hope to see more such movies from Bollywood!

Obamania - Lessons for India?

And so Barack Obama has become the first African-American to be elected as President of the United States. The television channels are going ga-ga over this historic election, the internet is agog with activity (according to this post, CNN.com had 27 million unique visitors on their site and 276 million page views - these numbers are pretty staggering, one should admit) and Obamania will doubtless grip the print media and tomorrow's edition of every newspaper will have Obama plastered all over it. The Illinois senator, whom not many gave a chance to win the Democratic nomination an year ago, let alone the winning the Presidential race, is now laughing all the way to the White House. This campaign was one of the most widely covered - not only in the US but outside it as well - and also one of the most expensive. It often got acrimonious and even ugly, especially with John McCain's campaign not letting go any opportunity to smear their opponent. Anyways, countless reams have already been written about this, and this post is not my tuppence to what has already been written. I would rather like to collect some of my thoughts - some which flitted in and out of my mind over the course of the campaign (while reading about it on the Internet or the newspapers) and some of the more recent ones.
The first is a line McCain said in his concession speech.

...But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.

As I was listening to this little bit, I couldn't help but ask myself, "Can we say the same thing about our politics?" Can we say that the hundreds of crores of ordinary Indians believe that they can make a difference through their vote. Well, apparently not, if we look at voter turnouts in all elections - from the elections to the City Corporations, to the State Assembly elections to, of course, the National elections. Do we have the leaders (or can we even think of a single leader) who can stir this feeling within us?
The second is about the issues being discussed. Well, having never lived in the US, I can only form my opinion on the basis of what I read on the internet and newspapers. But the Presidential debates, or even the appearances of the Presidential (and Veep) hopefuls on television are something to take notice of. They are about specific issues and the candidates are quizzed about specific solutions to the issues. Whether or not the candidates reply is political rhetoric is another question. But the elections are fought on issues - healthcare, economy, taxes, jobs. I do not recollect any election in India fought on specific issues. Parties do release a manifesto, but that is at the Party level. Individual candidates are never quizzed about their commitment to the manifesto, or about their particular solutions, their suggestions. Agreed that democracy in America is much more evolved than here in India. Agreed that the social dynamics are hugely different. But we never have a candidate who has specific visions on improving primary education, on affordable health-care, on the state of the roads (or the lack of them). All we have is jingoism and un-abashed display of political might and election speeches which hardly have any substance.
The third is the transparency with which funds used by the campaign are tracked. Well, I'll not be niave enough to say that all is fair in the US presidential elections and shady deals do not take place. But I was indeed amazed this morning to read an account of the break-up of the funds utilized by either campaign. Do we have the same accountability? Do we even come close? Do we have a impartial watch-dog that does the book-keeping? If we do, then I'm not aware of it. The Election Commission does look into all the issues. But why isn't the data made public, if it does collect all this data?! The taxpayer has a right to know where his money is going!
But perhaps the most important of all things is the fact that this is the first time an African-American has been elected to the highest office in the United States. And in this context some startling (or surprising, to say the least) facts came to light. Barack Obama is only the third African-American to be elected to the Senate. This is rather surprising for a country which prides itself for providing every person the opportunity to pursue his/her dream. I would think that India does pretty well in this aspect. No, I'm not going to be beating my chest like a nationalist about how well we've done! But I honestly feel that India does have a very commendable record. Of people from all walks of life, from religious and ethnic minorities being elected to high office, of being elected to Government bodies - and serving with distinction, one might add. Whether it is the Government, or Defence Services, or Corporate organizations, India has provided opportunity to people from diverse backgrounds. I would not like to trivialize the issue by looking at people's caste or religion. But here in India, in spite of many short-comings, we do have a multi-cultural representation in most walks of life. And that is where lies our strength. Not long before, an African-American (or a black, to use the politically incorrect words) would not be seen as having a chance to occupy the 'White' House (no pun intended). In India, we accept without raising an eyebrow a Muslim being the Commander-in-Chief of our Defence Forces. A Christian being the country Defence Minsiter does not raise hackles. Well, their religion is not important, but the point I want to make is that these events are considered routine in a Hindu-majority country. Today, Barack Obama has created history. But before this, how many Americans would have given a coloured person a chance at occupying the highest office? But what is sad - almost tragic - in India is that the political class is sowing the seeds of dissension by following a mindless policy of appeasement of the religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities. Instead of rallying and unifying the country, they are sowing the seeds of its demise...
And last, but not the least, how many politicians would graciously accept defeat and pledge support to the winner to strive so that we

... leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited
John McCain, in his concession speech

Can we hope to get politicians who will strive to make this a better place to live in? Who will put aside petty political differences and unite people instead of dividing them? Well, a people get the leaders they deserve...