Boyleing Point

The year 2008 will go into history books for many reasons. Chandrayan, India’s first unmanned mission to the moon, was a great success. It serves as a prominent indication to all eager watchers of Indian evolution from a sober nation to a potential super power. Then there was this disastrous 9/11 attacks in Mumbai. The guilty might ultimately be punished though, but the damage and the wounds will leave their unpleasant scar on the face of India. The list then includes a surprise entry in one of the biggest success of all times in world cinema; SlumDog Millionaire.

More than the plot of the movie, SDM will be remembered by Indians for the fame and money it brought into Indian cinema. The world showed its deepest appreciation by awarding the movie with almost all the big awards to have known existing till date. The story (adaptation of a novel by an Indian author); the direction; the music; background score, and the editing. At the first instinct, one might feel on top of the Himalayas, wanting to raise his chest high in pride for what has happened with SDM. But once you have watched the movie and come to terms with what is depicted throughout, you might want to rethink. The world, probably for the first time, saw an unseen, untold, and a cleverly hidden side of a billion lives and their struggle through never ending poverty and their directionless destiny in the hands of a highly rigid & a completely useless bureaucratic system.

It took a foreigner (call it a coincident… it was a gora again for the second time!!!) to come to India, make a movie about Indians and tell Indians that “… you have not moved an inch since we left…”. And boy! Did he manage to do it with mighty grace and meticulous dexterity or what? However, in reality, Dany did neither tell any thing new nor exaggerate the facts. But one thing he did and did so well is to tell the story as is. Unlike the conventional Indian cinema which has always maintained a mile distance between facts and the fairy tales, he did not try to portray the protagonist as a super hero rising out of a hopeless slum like a phoenix out of ashes. Luckily for him, the world embraced it because it was new for them. Unfortunately it did not work in India because we did not find it any different from the normal.

Post SDM, the world will look at India (and Indians), for sure, with extreme perspectives. One who had an impression of “Shining India” will have his heart broke and mind unsettled picturing slum life of India. On the other extreme, people who were scared of a potential Indian domination over the rest of the world will take the liberty to forgive themselves for living in a self-created illusion. In any case it will only hurt Indian world imagery. Not for a no reason did the wise one said that “it is better to be silent and allow people to assume that you are a fool than to speak and confirm it”

So where does it leave us? Actually no where! And where do we go from here? Again no where because, we don’t know where we are! We are trapped in a lost world of an endless struggle for social, creative, and political freedom and well directed practice. So much so that I sometimes check for an outlet at the back of my neck, just to make sure that I am not living in a Matrix controlled world. Things are getting hazier with passing days, months, and years. I don’t have a solution for this but I do have a choice that I can definitely make. I can either choose to live and die with whatever I have on my plate or choose to live a life the way I want to live. Just like I do, you too have a choice. But what you want to do with your life is a choice I leave it to you. Jai Ho!

Indresh M S, http://lockedhorns.blogspot.com/

D(a)emo(n)cracy

“When a woman can walk without being afraid at midnight, India will be free then” - Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi.

Date: 24.01.2009 - Enter Sri Rama Sena, after nearly 70 years of Gandhiji’s statement.
So, who are these people anyway? Where do they hail from? And what is their agenda? Believe me, I had to google a lot, refer to every available dictionary, ask the most knowledgeable people around. Finally, not able to find an apt answer, I had to settle down to a definition (of a synonym) which came almost closer to what I was looking for;

Sri Drama Sena (noun, adj): A group of jobless creatures (in the literal sense) resembling man who are, usually, the most frustrated living beings ever to have taken birth on Earth. They only grow old and never ever grow up as the later is only optional for them, which they rarely or never choose. Human beings, especially woman, don’t give a damn to them because, obviously, they don’t deserve. They usually channelize their negative emotions through mindless physical violence as they are deprived of thinking capabilities, either by birth or by choice.

Perfect! The act and the definition match to the T. That is what I was looking for. Because that’s what they are doing. Sometimes (or should I say most of the times) I wonder in which India are we living; A nation which boasts of one of the most ancient civilizations exhibiting the most uncivilized acts of mental immaturity. A nation which breathes on the shrilling sacrifices and valued principles of Gandhiji & Co behaving like a desperate parasite, mistaking fellow country men for delicious prey. A nation which uses democracy for selfish motives rather than practicing it for mutual benefit and positive growth. A nation which thinks in a billion different ways!

The obvious set of questions which I have for these people is “obviously not obvious” to them. If the question is about moral policing, why don’t you beat the politicians up who has made corruption immortal? The police in khota khaki? And ubiquitous hooligans floating around “shooting on the shoulders” of the amazingly loop-holed law? Could it be because they are one of them (them and they used interchangeably!)? Or brothers in arms, hate and blood?

I was completely taken aback when I heard a couple of my acquaintances supporting the extreme principles of social inequality between the two sexes. Worse, they are from my generation; A generation which occasionally gives hope of true India, killing it the next moment. I honestly feel that such people are fighting the wrong battle. And a dangerous one too. So, my next question, really, is to you. When will you speak up? Are you waiting for a miracle to happen? Or are you waiting for one of drama sena to similarly abuse your family members physically and mentally? As cliché as it might sound but “don’t wait to dig a well until your house is on fire”.

Let us do our bit to build a new India; grand India; brand India. Practice equality and freedom in what ever little sense we can. Let us not sensationalize such coward (dis)organizations. Instead ignore them. They are no Big Brother. Support people who speak for the right. We need the Munna Bhais, the DJs, and the Kabir Khans. We need CHANGE. Of course, this time, for real. Chak De India!

Cheers! Indresh
http://lockedhorns.blogspot.com

PS: If you believe in this write-up, please forward it to your friends and colleagues.

Marc My Words

“Hey Marc! How much more time do you require?”, I pinged him for the fourth time in last ten minutes. “Dude, you will have to wait for another 562.23 seconds more. But remember. Every time you interrupt me, the delay will only get longer”. He gave a smile before he turned back to continue with his work which his boss had assigned to him. His boss expected him to complete the job by end of business today. I had to talk to Marc today. We were publishing a special edition on New Year’s Eve and we wanted an interview with a very special guest. So, with no other alternative, I sat back looking at how Marc went about doing his work. I must admit that to say he is a perfectionist is an understatement.

I have known Marc for quite some years now. But only in that last 5-6 years that I have come to terms with what exactly he is. There were times when I was literally scared of him. He was my college-days nightmare. But gradually things have changed. And so is my opinion. He has this amazing capability and equally great potential which most of us only can dream about. Very obedient. Very simple. Yet Very classy. Very elegant. The only quality of his which goes against him is that he is only as good as his boss. If he is not in proper hands, he could create hell on Earth!

He came back after around 10 minutes. He didn’t look tired but visibly upset. “My boss always thinks that he has clearly told what he wants me to do. Unfortunately, he only thinks! But what he wants and what he says is, most of the times, completely different”. “I can understand Marc”, I said in a faint voice as he looked at me like a wild hammer fuming to break my head. Both of us knew that I myself have done this to many such Marcs!
“But anyways, good morning sir” he started with a bright smile.
“I have only 20 minutes or 3 answers before I continue with my job. Till then, I am all yours, sir”. I didn’t want to waste anymore time.

“How does it feel like to be Marc?” I opened my notepad and jumped to my first question.
“Well, to be honest… scary. Customers always expect me to deliver day in and day out. They are never happy with my work. The day they feel I can’t improve anymore, they plan to replace me! You never know when I will be thrown out of the system and a new Marc will take my place. So… yeah… it is a high risk to be me and an even higher risk to completely depend on me!”

Last statement definitely rang a bell in my head. I continued without showing it on my face though.
“Cool… so how much money do you make?”
“It depends on what I am working on. If the job is too simple yet highly useful, I get paid less. If the job is straight-forward but if I make it sound complex, I could generate millions. Strange isn’t it??”

“Any other message you wish to give out to millions out there?”, suppose to be my last question.
“O yes…! The biggest disaster of mankind is his innate ability to destroy nature. I guess the day he realizes his mistake everything around will be useless; you, me, this Earth… So I would say, wake up first! And start saving nature today so that we can live tomorrow… and day after. Simple things like using public transport and bi-cycles regularly will make a lot of difference…”
“Wait… do you really think buses and cycles will make such a big difference?”, I interrupted and waited for a second.
“Dude, are you still waiting for an answer…? I live on buses and cycles!!”
Bulb above my head suddenly glowed and I realized that it was a wrong question to ask.

My three question-quota was over. Marc made it evident when he stood up, shook hands with me and returned back to do his job. I headed back to the office press with an amazing interview and a happy feeling that my increment this month is guaranteed!

Indresh MS, in conversation with Marc [Man’s (Most) Recherché-ic Creation], a piece of software running on his PC.
http://lockedhorns.blogspot.com

Fantastic Five

Early 1980s is an era to be written, if not in gold, at least in black & white in Indian history. It was the time when B&W television sets made their way into Indian middle-class, in a big way. Thanks to my parents who too had managed to buy a brand new B&W television set. As a kid who used to watch TV at the neighbors till then, owning one was a matter of pride for me. Very thought of watching the famous “giant-robot” at my home on our own TV was exciting.

I don’t know why, how, & etc. One morning, I got up and, instead of my favorite TV soap, started watching a game between India and another country (England, I guess) with all the interest in the world. But all that I remember is that a short fellow, wearing his trade mark traditional hat, was busy running between the pieces of wood planted on either side of 20-odd yard hard soil strip, for most part of the time I watched during the game. It was only later, after many years, I realized that it was Sunny Gavaskar playing the game of Cricket. I somehow could not sync with the game. Subsequently, the interest faded.

It took another short fellow to re-ignite a cricketer and a new religion, in me and alike. This time the impact was mighty strong. He came; He played; He ruled. His affable batting, immaculate timing, his impeccable collection of shots and the very way in which he played the game had a lasting impression on millions. When we were down and out, he gave us hope; When we were sad, he gave us a reason to smile; When we were divided time and again (thanks to our politicians), he held us united; When we were lost in the intricacies of worldly image, he gave us an identity. Sachin successfully managed to build a new India; India which believed in one religion, in hard-work, in winning, in fellow countrymen. (Unfortunately, this India struggles to survive as soon as Sachin is off the field)

The saga, however, had just begun. What followed is probably the most glorious phase of Indian cricket. If text books could walk, run and play, Rahul would be first. He is, without any doubt, the most sophisticated batsman to have ever played cricket. Not surprisingly, in his simplicity lies his sophistication. True to one of his famous statements, “…When it comes to cover drive, first there is GOD and then there is Saurav…”. Saurav and Laxman are the gifted craftsmen with the bat who made batting look terribly easy with there silk-smooth drives and classy flicks. And between all these batting greats, one man held the Indian bowling guard for decades bagging hundreds of wickets in both forms of cricket.

I watch, follow, and play cricket not because it is cricket. But because Sachin plays it. Rahul plays it. Saurav, Laxman, and Anil play it. For me cricket will never be the same again. More so, when Sachin retires. The day after his retirement, India will wake up to a different game of cricket; totally new, strange, cryptic, and completely difficult to comprehend.

Agreed that no one is bigger than the game. But these guys have made the game bigger and better. Apart from being great ambassadors of cricket, they have been inspirational role models and, more importantly, wonderful human beings. They inspired me for the first half of my life. Now I wonder what will happen to my second innings.

Indresh M S