THE BANDWAGON EFFECT

“Many a small thing has been made large by the right kind of advertising.”-Mark Twain.

From Ramlila Maidan in the national capital to the suburban district of Pauri in Garhwal, the nation is encompassed by the blanket named Anna. Protest marches, hunger strikes, rallies, slogan campaigns, loudspeaker announcements, and the list of media goes on till eternity. Residents of Anna’s native village,  Ralegan Siddhi, decided not to take a bath one fine day because their local hero was denied adequate bathing water in Tihar Jail. The famous Dabbawallahs of Mumbai ended a 120-year old tradition and went on strike for a day to stand tall in Anna’s support. Such is the magnitude of Anna’s aura that even the steadfast government seems to be melting. But before we follow the legion of “visionaries”(euphemism for judgemental) and go on to call Mr. Hazare “Aaj ka Gandhi”, let us take a moment off and introspect the nature of the Anna phenomenon, or as it is being referred to by western media- “Annamenon”.

According to the Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index(CPI), India is the 91^st most corrupt country in the world, with Afghanistan leading the pack. However, the problem of corruption in India has murkier implications because there are very few countries in the world where corruption is as rampant and widespread as it is in India. From the traffic policeman at a red light, to the bureaucrat at the zenith of babudom, everyone seems to be corrupt. In consideration of these established notions , a strong mechanism needs to be devised to eradicate corruption from our country, something which the citizens of this country feel the Jan Lokpal Bill will be able to provide. So they skip college, take leave from office, or pull down their shutters  to peacefully protest at Ramlila Maidan.

So let us just for a minute assume the Jan Lokpal Bill is passed by the Parliament in its current form and a Lokpal is established which functions as an anti-corruption vigilance agency.Who can guarantee that it will deliver what it promises? Back in 2005,the RTI was believed to be the harbinger of a corruption-free India. Nothing much has changed since then, in fact a pessimistic view will say things have only worsened cause hidden wounds are now visible. Moreover, judging by the existing levels of corruption in our country, how can one expect the Lokpal to not turn into a corrupt body in itself? Yes, the draft provided by the civil society does provide remedies for all these issues but in essentiality, the Jan Lokpal also aims to tackle issues for which solutions already exist in the Constitution. The sole purpose is fast tracking arising out of centralisation of anti-corruption agencies. So in a way the Lokpal will tackle flaws in implementation rather than in formulation. However, providing it with police powers, bringing the judiciary and the PM under its purview and giving it other privileges  because the civil society wants it to have “teeth” will lead to centralisation of power and autonomy, something  strictly against the federal nature of our democracy. Is it in the spirit of democracy to vest such great power in the hands of 10 people constituting the Lokpal? What if such a body turns into a Communist politburo? The parliamentarian form of democracy ensures that every 5 years the popular party in the country forms the government. If the power to vote FOR a party is a great power our constitution has given us, then the power to vote AGAINST a party is an even greater power. If the people of this country come out in such great numbers on the polling day as they did the day Mr.Hazare went to jail, maybe we would have less people cribbing about the system.

Having said this, it is but a naïve thought to believe that Anna’s cause is right, methods may be controversial. His comparison with Gandhi is similar to a movie in post-production already being declared a blockbuster. The action of the ruling party to get him arrested was uncalled for, yet it seems to be a blessing in disguise for Team Anna, because now they have more people, a larger ground to protest and better amenities. Their determination also seems to have become stronger. However, the line of separation between “determined” and “obstinate” is only Angstrom thick, with Team Anna seeming to be on the wrong side of it. Achievement of a consensus with the government should be the mandate, rather than hapless protesting/fasting. Nothing great can come out of being anti-government (or anti-corruption as some call it), especially in a democracy. If free thinkers are expecting a Libya or an Egypt, they can put their thoughts to rest and enjoy Sunday matinees. Being a part of a revolution is always a good feeling, provided one knows what the revolution is for. If complete removal of corruption is the aim of this revolution, then it shall be grammatically incorrect  to call it a “revolution” till the time it achieves its aim. For the purpose of maintaining the sanctity of the Queen’s English, we should till then just call it a “revolt”.

The propelling factor for the populace seems to be the untarnished image of Anna and his ideals of “simple living ,high thinking”. No doubt these are virtues tough to find. And no doubt these were virtues characteristic of people like Gandhi. However, in this India of the 11^th five year plan and economic liberalisation, it is ideal to be an idealist but it is un-real to be ideal. Anna might have all the right intentions but sadly intentions cannot be transferred via Bluetooth. Had he been campaigning for a social awakening like his idol Swami Vivekanand, maybe he would have benefitted the nation in a more fitting way. Dragging himself in the nitty gritty of the legislative process is brave on his part, but time will tell if it is wise.

Nandan Nilekani recently remarked that for the majority of Indians, corruption takes place at the interface between Government and common public. The complexities of the Government institutions lead to alternate paths being discovered by people, most of which are laden with corruption. In his UID scheme , his team plan to bring about a change in the way such things are tackled through the use of technology. If one has the option of doing a job without taking the corrupt route, there seems to be no reason why one will stick to corruption once such an institution comes into practise. What comes out of statements by Anna or Nilekani remains to be seen. As for the bunch of informed youth sitting out there, before you decide to pack your bag and join Anna at Ramlila Maidan, take a minute to contemplate the actual reason that is propelling you to go. Are you really going to make a difference or are you just jumping onto the bandwagon?

TERRA INCOGNITA

               It will not be a complete misnomer to believe that human beings are no different from Android applications,specifically programmed to intake a fixed set of inputs,process them and produce the desired output.However as times change so do demands. As demands change so do supplies.Hence we have the ever so affable Apple Inc. rolling out next generation IPads and IPhones every quarter in an effort to "reach out" to consumers.Without digressing further from the analogy which forms the contextual subject of this writing,human beings tend to stringently indulge in established notional tendencies of conventionalism simply because it provides them with an easy and (and as said by 45 year old Railways employee Mr. Sharma to his 17 year old wannabe rap-star son  Madhur,better known to his fraternity as Rapper Maddy) "secure" life. So as legend has it, to break free from the stereotype one needs to barter the ever so weighty and precious factor of security,not to mention a few other things that also have to be partaken with.

Many have seen visuals of the smiling nurse tenderly carry a newborn out of the maternity ward to the ever so expectant family members and boldly announce,"Mubarak Ho! Aapko ladka hua hai ". The rest is history. But let's take a moment off here and spare a thought for the non-voyeuristically nude package that has just been delivered to this big bad world. What does life have in store for him? Over the years he will develop, evolve, change, metamorphosise, and the list of adjectives goes on till eternity. However a significant adjective that conveniently dodges memory and sneaks into some Nazi safe house is Institutionalise. The institutions of society, family, education, money, religion and country shall slowly consume his existence. His birth ,too, is the end product of institutions of marriage and subsequent coital interactions,worst cases neglected.So in this age of fiction let's just for a moment visualise a world with no institutions.Yes I know that for a moment all that will come to mind is Adam and Eve in a garden with the Forbidden Apple lurking in the background.But a thoughtful session of hypothesising or day dreaming , as cynics call it, provides one with more than he/she will expect. It sort of gives one the power to become an architect and design this world in his own image,a la-Inception (the movie) maybe. And this is the very reason why Mr. Tolkien and Mrs. Rowling are the largest selling authors of our times. Delving into the transcendental requires more courage than imagination,cause everyone is a dreamer but not everyone is a dream-weaver. So what is the opportunity cost of such an indulgence ?Lack of security? Going by the fact that J.K. Rowling is amongst the Forbes Top 1000 richest people in the world, I sincerely hope not. So go out , trust your instincts and find your terra incognita.

The Silence of the Lambs

                                          

 Josh Billings once wisely said that, "Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute". Little did this man realise that this statement of his written in the prologue to a book would hold direct relevance and strike an instant chord with an average Indian citizen 126 years after his demise. For it is for all to see that today we face the wrath of the Prime Minister with the tethered tongue which ,therefore, leads to a silence that would make even the most steadfast Buddhist monk kowtow in adulation.

In the words of seasoned journalist Rajdeep Sardesai, media has the power to magnify sounds and images, but also to distort them. The camera is Shiva's third eye; it sees the negatives and the positives and does not blink. There is no contesting the fact that in this age of the Right to Information, media is the fourth pillar of democratic India after the judiciary, the legislature and the executive, and in a few cases even ahead of them. A diligent government will not only realise the power of the media but will regularly harness it to its advantage, something which the UPA 2 government is failing to do.24 hour media is a ruthless carnivore dependent on binge eating of stories to tell. If in such situations the govt. comes up short of providing them fodder, opportunists like Hazare will. The Jantar Mantar rally and the night long Ramdev debacle were events tailor made for tv, garnering audiences much in excess of Ballika Vadhu.

The word on the street says that silence is a manifestation of guilt. Actions do speak louder than words, but does that mean you stop speaking? Considering the case of the Congress "triumvirate", such words all but seem appropriate. Manmohan Singh, our honourable Prime Minister, has held just two live press conferences and no personal interviews in the two years of his UPA 2.He might feel slightly under-confident of his oratory skills but the door of print journalism is always open. It is definitely not a wise analysis to draw analogies between  mere impressive oratory and good governance ,but in times of distress plaguing the country, the common man needs reassurance much  before he needs a resolution. Lack of regular interaction with his people and unwillingness to do so has created a trust deficit for Mr. Singh which seems to be deep rooted. Strong words precede strict implementation. Conveniently overlooking these facts, Mr. Singh has simply confirmed the notion that he is in office, but not in power.

Sonia Gandhi, on the other hand, seems to have lost the acumen to handle the media to her advantage. Seen as a sagacious media pet in the run up to the elections, she seems to have lost her way once her party has gained power leaving the impression that she ,too, craves for power sans accountability.

Shifting the focal point to the epicentre of "youth" politics in India, Mr.Rahul Gandhi, the man branded by many as the future PM. With shibboleths like "most eligible bachelor" and "youth icon" already admonishing his curriculum vitae, his candidature seems overwhelmingly strong to get the job. However, in spite of brave efforts at grass root politics, what Rahul Baba has failed to do is connect with the youth, primarily due to his abstinence from the English media, the one that actually connects with the "youth" in question. Speeches in a bunchful of Delhi University auditoria behind closed doors is not enough to capture the eye of the millions constituting the youth.

History bears testimony to the fact that the most influential of world leaders have never been media shy. Be it the Margaret Thatchers, the Indira Gandhis, the Winston Churchills, or the Roosevelts.The greatest power of speech is vested in the hope it provides. The tale of King George VI depicted in the Oscar winning movie "The King's Speech" exemplifies this fact. One can even consider the case of Barack Obama whose victory in the Presidential election was largely attributed to his regular media interaction. In spite of him being subjected to regular criticism during his tenure, his synergy with the media never diminished and today he is valiantly contesting for a second term in office.

Just yesterday after the Mumbai attacks, Mr.Chidambaram in a statement to the media said that the terror attack in Mumbai happened after a period of 31 months. He further went on to say that the govt. has been effective in cracking down and thwarting all but one terrorist attacks in this period. He then enunciated a few stats and figures regarding the number of terrorists caught, the kind of explosive materials recovered, contrabands held etc. If such is the case, why is the govt. reluctant to speak to the media openly about its achievements? If all is well when it comes to tackling terrorism, is it not the moral responsibility of the govt. to tell its people through the media that the atrocities that have been lashed out on them will not take place again and they are taking affirmative action to ensure that? Or did they have an apprehension that it might become a case of letting the cat out of the bag too soon? Seems like they favoured the latter and their apprehension wasn't misplaced.

It is a well known fact that media, especially English hardly determines the outcome of elections because the majority of the votebank does not even have the facility of television and/or satellite tv. But if the govt. is deliberately avoiding the media on this pretext, it is certainly underestimating the outreach of information in this age of the Iphone. There is a dire need for the extraction of more words from the men who matter simply because the public has had enough of Manish Tewaris and Abhishek Manusinghvis desperately trying to defend an ailing government. Lets just hope the Mumbai attacks act as a wake up call and break the silence of the lambs.

WESTOXIFICATION

DATE: 07/05/2011

TIME: 5:30 AM

Darwin was right. Evolution is inevitable. Maybe that is why I require a certain psychopathic hollow man lovingly referred to as America’s favourite serial killer and commonly known as Dexter Morgan to goad me to be up at this early hour. Gone are the days when the cockerel’s clarion call was the world’s alarm clock(with no snooze feature ofcourse). Yes I might be stating the obvious in a linguistically decorated way but the question nagging me  is this-How does one differentiate evolution from devolution?

 The quest to find the answer to this very question made me follow the routine procedure.

Google-->links--->sublinks--->sub-sublinks--->advertisements for ‘zwinky’ toolbars.Dead End.

I could see it coming yet I let myself follow the ‘procedure’.So if Google can’t give me the answer , who can? Rajnikant? Now he might know what is Victoria’s secret but this juxtapose may not be idiosyncratic enough for him.

Drawing a blank , I suddenly recall an article by senior parliamentarian and politburo member Sitaram Yechury in the Hindustan Times in which he had referred to this rather obscure phenomenon known as  ‘Westoxification’ (in English) . The origins of this phenomenon can be traced back to an Iranian scholar and writer by the name of Jalal Al-e Ahmad , who used the derogatory Persian word ‘Gharbzadegi’ to refer to it.

According to Jalal,the name Westoxification referred to the loss of cultural identity in Iran by the acceptance and mass acknowledgement of the ‘western way of life’. People aped Western fashion, taught  Western education, consumed Western goods and used Western machinery. He also said that overdependence on machinery deflated human value.

Mr.Jalal's ideas were well perceived by the intelligentsia.What followed was somehow predictable(though not delectable).Intellectual revolutions started in Iran as a new era of awakening beckoned.Sparks turned into conflagrations and the government was unsettled.In due course of time,the 'revolution'(euphemism for 'revolt') swept off like a sand dune.

However,like the relocation or drift one usually associates with a sand dune,this 'revolution' did  'drift' off to another land which was deperately seeking an identity.Seeking to rediscover itself after the Britishers had harassed it in every possible way.Seeking to rediscover itself within the ambit of the new found "government by the people",democracy.What followed was setup of a 'Western' educational system in the country,adherence to 'Western' style of dressing,usage of 'Western' machinery,homes infested with transistors--->televisions--->computers--->laptops--->mobile phones--->tablets(the list is chronological,of course,my apologies to Steve Jobs if i missed out on something),all innovations from the 'West'(Vinod Dham might disagree but Intel is a US based company).

Now the very reason I have repeatedly put words like 'West' and 'Western' in the limelight in the previous paragraph is not because I am the usual sycophantic Indian who feels the need to show allegiance to anything not-Indian,it is simply because I want to break a myth.What India has failed to understand in the 61 years of its sovereignty is that it is not "Westernised",its "Westoxified".

Throughout the ages the West has been known to be the torch-bearer for ideas like"existentialism",wherein an individual bears complete responsibility for his actions and their outcome.Women have always been given equivalent status in society.Work ethics have been unparalled.Also,it wont be surprising to see some top notch financial analyst sharing a Budweiser with a truck driver at a local pub.Yes,there might have been ugly phases of Anti-Semitism and Racism but no society is perfect.Not digressing from the point,I don't want to discuss the intricacies of the Western society.What I want to discuss is that how our country has conveniently eaten the cherry from the top of the cake,leaving behind the rest of it.Hardly did they know that the 'black forest pastry' of the West(metaphor for co-existence of blacks(chocolate chips) and whites(vanilla),takes a bow!) had much more to offer them.Something much more substantial than Jack Daniels(with all due respect),something much more lasting than an I-pod(apologies to Steve Jobs,again),and something much more captivating than pornography(well,Savita Bhabhi is still a rookie).That,Indians,is the concept of 'equality of opportunity'.

Optimists might want to detract attention from issues like this but the harsh reality stares in our face and gives us a cold look.Indians are chauvinists.The concept of ladies coach in metro all but underlines that.Not so long ago,women were beaten up by morally-charged men in a Bangalore club for "indecent exposure".One wonders where the concept of "indecent exposure" goes away when these same men marvel at 19th century avant-garde erotica by some fanatic auteur.We still need reservations to ensure "equality of opportunity" for certain societal sections.About an year ago,the worthy patron of the Maratha world,Mr.Raj Thackeray had strongly suggested Mr.Mukesh Ambani to reserve 80% jobs in his companies for Marathi people,seeking the reason that it is because of Mumbai and Maharashtra that he is amongst the top 10 richest people in the world.Such preposterous demands might have spelled doom for him.On the contrary he went on to decide the fate of the Congress party in the Maharashtra state assembly elections.

Also when was the last time you got along well with an autowallah.Haggling is a habit,and also an outlet.Believe it or not,we Indians love to come down heavliy on people who are seemingly powerless.We wait for the day when the concept of 'mainstream' diminishes.Everyone is equal.Metallica seems to have heralded this day in a hit song from their latest album.They call it "the day that never comes".I can go on endlessly about other examples of prejudices in our country.We are far away from equality and the first step towards reaching there is equality of opportunity.Opportunity to grow.Opportunity to exist peacefully.And most importantly,opportunity to become who you are.

To break things down,westoxification is as different from westernisation as evaporation is from boiling.

I might be a firm believer in this concept yet I've done nothing to deserve a Nobel Prize(except,of course,if this piece of writing gets me something).And as i see it,I might not be able to throughout my life.Simply because I am too fond of my Dell laptop,Nokia phone and Sennheiser headphones.I love my Budweiser with fried Kentucky chicken.I can walk 5 kilometres in sweltering heat for a Marlboro yet I can't see myself do anything to promote concepts of equality in our country.Call me selectively moral and I will accept it with gratitude.Yes,I am westoxified,not westernised.This acceptance has given me enough reasons to dwell in a cave of self loathing.The question is,are the reasons strong enough to keep me in there?Judging by the fact I am an Indian,I believe not.

FIASCO

0.09  seconds.4,150,000 results.That is what Google gave me when I tapped in the three magical words boggling the brain of almost every citizen of India at the moment-C,W,G.The top two results  obviously being of the official CWG website and Wikipedia,both strongly optimised for search engines.However,the  third,fourth and fifth result drew my attention much more.

The third is an article printed in the Times of India recently which says that Rs.30 lakh has been spent by the government of NCT of Delhi in educating police constables in basic English language  but to no avail.A survey conducted on 300 random constables shows that they cannot even construct a simple sentence in English and speak only in phrases which,too, are not indicative of what they actually want to convey.

The fourth is relating to the debacle over AR Rahman’s  games’ anthem.Apparently,Rahman in spite of repeated criticism has refused to redo the song citing busy schedule as a reason.

The fifth is about how the baton relay in Mumbai  turned into a complete flop show after distinguished ex-sportsmen like Dileep Vengsarkar,Ajit Wadekar and Dhanraj Pillay gave the event a miss and how Maharashtra CM Ashok Chavan occupied centre stage.

Now an idealist(read Suresh Kalmadi) would conveniently like to ignore these events and move on saying that the Commonwealth Games in October would be a huge success.Undoubtedly,that is exactly what every Indian hopes for.However,my interest does not lie in the success or failure of the Games.It lies in what in what one can colloquially call as “The Indian Method” of dealing with situations.

The Indian Method is something all of us are acquainted with simply because we practice it,advocate it and henceforth, insinuate it in the system of the people not yet corrupted by this method.There are many aspects to this method,the above three examples demonstrating three of them.

1.The constable example brings to light the Indian tendency of leaving too much for the end in spite of being provided the adequate time to perform these duties.Hoping against hope is a human tendency.Yet if the people at the top undertake impertinent tasks and then HOPE to do well,then one can say with firm conviction that India is a Land of Opportunities,a land of opportunities,in this case, for signboard advertising “English Speaking Course in 2 months” centres.The visionary idea of the  Delhi Government to educate the plethora of constables in the city in a short span of one and a half years  clearly goes a long way in explaining the reason behind a dug up New Delhi and an overflowing Yamuna six days prior to the arrival of around 600 delegates from all Commonwealth countries.

2.The AR Rahman episode brings to light the sad face of the Indian multitude which apparently rejects his song on the basis that it does not compare with “Waka Waka”.Now lets truly acknowledge some facts.Firstly,Waka Waka is a good and popular song,highly conducive to the World Cup spirit.Secondly,Shakira is an excellent artist and good work is expected of her.Keeping in mind these facts we must also realise that no matter how talented Mr.Rahman is,he cannot a)Dance like Shakira b)Compose music similar to her's.Rahman has carved a niche for himself in world music  not by emulating a Colombian belly dancing and singing sensation.He has done so by doing what he is best at,giving an outlet to his creativity.So comparisons with Waka Waka are baseless and indicate how the Indian multitude starts giving God-like status to every artist once he attains fame and appreciation,thereby raising their own expectations to a level which is unimaginably high for anyone to aim for.

Moreover,a feeble games’ anthem definitely does not determine the success or failure of the games.For instance,the 2002 Fifa World Cup had its official song sung by world renowned pop artist Anastacia.The song called “Boom” failed to connect with the soccer fraternity yet the event was a huge success.South Korea,the host,went on to earn sizable revenue.

3.The Mumbai debacle brings to the fore a problem plaguing India with severe atrocity.The problem of the attention seeking,hungry for spotlight politician.Be it Vidya Stokes,ex CM of Himachal, becoming the new President of The Indian Hockey Association.Be it Sharad Pawar,now the ICC President.Or be it Mr.Suresh  Kalmadi himself.Sports seems to be the new avenue for these long lost politicians whose political affiliations allow them to intrude into a sphere whose preliminary knowledge is Greek to them.Mr.Pawar’s  wish to become the Prime Minister of India might not have come true(he probably rubbed the wrong lamp,pun intended) yet his political extravaganza to become the BCCI chief resulted in a powerless Indian cricket captain trying to pull the strings aimlessly.Compare that to the era of Jagmohan Dalmiya,when Ganguly was at his authoritative best,bringing to light talents like Sehwag,Harbhajan and Yuvraj.So the question which arises is that should politicians really be allowed to run sports bodies even if they lack basic knowledge about the game?Should an event as significant and humongous as the CWG be carried out under the supervision of an ex-minister of state for railways and the so-called “sports mafia” of India?

With the games commencing from 3^rd October,it is yet to be seen how they go down in history.Mike Fennell has stated that “Delhi will pull it off in its own special way”.Is this an analysed POV ?Or a typical westernised sycophantic statement?It remains to be seen.However,the havoc created by the Games reminds me of a certain quote by Shashi Tharoor which says that,"Amateurs discuss strategy,rank amateurs discuss tactics,professionals discuss logistics".Hopefully if  Mrs.Dikshit had followed Mr.Tharoor  as closely as I do,we would have been saved of this fiasco.