The man who stirred the hornet’s nest is one of our own. Barely a month ago, he was one of the stalwarts who had earned a place with the stars among the stellar entrepreneurs who transformed the IT industry.
Byyraju Ramalinga Raju now is associated with ‘Bhayyam’ (the vernacular word for fear in the Telugu language). The gults (as Telugu people were referred to at our famous alma mater) are an extremely proud lot. Now that pride is dented by the hammered force of the greed of the son of the soil.
Well, he is on the boil now… with the world calling him the greatest ever fraudster from India. We are all wondering about the sheer callousness and irresponsibility with which he staked the lives and careers of people who were sworn in to be his loyal comrades at Satyam. He is probably being called ‘Deyyam’ (meaning ghost in Telugu) whom everyone wants exorcised.
Maybe this was the reason why there are two ‘y’s in his name. He became the satan that he didn’t intend to become. On the contrary, having names that means God in some way, couldn’t dissuade the Raju brothers from being erroneously human.
But hey, let’s not get myopic with the ‘blame it on, Andhra’ rhetoric. There are overtly greedy, charlatans of goodwill and trust in every corner of the world. The latest (as and when it happens) is always the biggest and the most disturbing. And this day’s latest is the Satyam fiasco. I can’t say there won’t be another new swindler on the podium tomorrow but I definitely can hope that there won’t be.
As the elder Raju admitted, they probably thought that the tiger they were riding on was worth the risk as long as the juggernaut continued. Unfortunately for them, they didn’t realize that greed ends at infinity. And the tiger lost steam along the way.
[In his most innocuous way, Aravind Adiga might be sniggering at Raju for his reference to the Tiger. And I am not even hinting that Adiga might have got himself a few more readers for his book thanks to this ongoing saga.] (Bad joke, I know. I am yet to get over the White Tiger. Read my other recent post)
‘Plain Woeful Crooks’ should be what PwC should rechristen itself as. They still seem to be hanging on to the ‘disclaimer’ note claiming they didn’t do anything. But the whip is about to slam into them any one of these days (or so we think)!
Raju, in all his goodness, attempted to hoodwink the world by stating that he was the sole master chef that cooked the books with no fringe players to support him. A scam of this magnitude definitely needed a lot more c(r)ooks to stir the stew.
From ‘Brothers in Arms’ to ‘Brothers in Alms’. My heart bleeds as an Indian and as a gult. Let the truth prevail.
Sad-yam. Very Sad-yam. :(
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
A Roar or a Whimper?
Ah… the White Tiger!
Well, the book promised a lot more from the outset – the Booker win, the unassuming South Indian who stirred the literary world with the roar of the Tiger, the media buzz around it, etc – than what it finally delivered. It was a good read and I am not complaining. The story is a mug shot from life around us. It could have been a short story within my own ‘Survival Ecosystems’ piece on this blog. It is subtly comical at certain places. It is satirical in most. It was irreverent, amoral, self-deprecating, repulsive, stirring and quite obviously boring as well.
Maybe Aravind could have held on to the drama/ suspense till the end even though I did not expect a very shifty plot. The enigma of unraveling to myself what maketh a Booker winner pretty much goaded me to finish the book even though I lost interest midway through it. I had my wife asking me if the story was so riveting that I refused to let go of the book even when my glass needed a refill. I replied, “I just want to finish it.” I finished it over two 4 hour sittings which were continually disrupted by the din of the television (that my wife was watching), our kid’s nursery rhyme rehearsals (playschool hangover at home) which had me participate and the attention that my mobile phone demanded when it buzzed. Not that I am slow reader. I just wanted to read each and every word of the novel unlike the more accomplished speed readers who do a 400 page novel in 2 hours. And I didn’t want to do the ‘do’!
I wanted to get under the skin of the protagonist of the plot. I wanted to be ‘a diggah’ (a digger, not Adiga)! A diggah of the subterfuge that Adiga pulled off so well. I kind of liked the imaginary conversation with the Chinese Premier but it was a real drag after a while. The Chinese connect is difficult to justify despite certain references to the nation.
Maybe it is not so difficult to write a book after all. It just requires some serious intent and a story (any story). The catch is probably about what the reader would take away from the effort. And this book kind of confused me a bit on that front. Maybe the reader is not looking for anything. Works of fiction are not read to take home a message that one would seriously consider working on. They provide the non-rush hour rush. The White Tiger hardly roared along its journey. Even at the end, I felt the protagonist’s personification was quite misplaced. But hey, the jury lapped it up as they probably heard a roar while I heard a whimper. The world is creaming over it. And some more people are probably even more motivated to write.
The book is worth a ‘A Dig, eh’, for sure!
Well, the book promised a lot more from the outset – the Booker win, the unassuming South Indian who stirred the literary world with the roar of the Tiger, the media buzz around it, etc – than what it finally delivered. It was a good read and I am not complaining. The story is a mug shot from life around us. It could have been a short story within my own ‘Survival Ecosystems’ piece on this blog. It is subtly comical at certain places. It is satirical in most. It was irreverent, amoral, self-deprecating, repulsive, stirring and quite obviously boring as well.
Maybe Aravind could have held on to the drama/ suspense till the end even though I did not expect a very shifty plot. The enigma of unraveling to myself what maketh a Booker winner pretty much goaded me to finish the book even though I lost interest midway through it. I had my wife asking me if the story was so riveting that I refused to let go of the book even when my glass needed a refill. I replied, “I just want to finish it.” I finished it over two 4 hour sittings which were continually disrupted by the din of the television (that my wife was watching), our kid’s nursery rhyme rehearsals (playschool hangover at home) which had me participate and the attention that my mobile phone demanded when it buzzed. Not that I am slow reader. I just wanted to read each and every word of the novel unlike the more accomplished speed readers who do a 400 page novel in 2 hours. And I didn’t want to do the ‘do’!
I wanted to get under the skin of the protagonist of the plot. I wanted to be ‘a diggah’ (a digger, not Adiga)! A diggah of the subterfuge that Adiga pulled off so well. I kind of liked the imaginary conversation with the Chinese Premier but it was a real drag after a while. The Chinese connect is difficult to justify despite certain references to the nation.
Maybe it is not so difficult to write a book after all. It just requires some serious intent and a story (any story). The catch is probably about what the reader would take away from the effort. And this book kind of confused me a bit on that front. Maybe the reader is not looking for anything. Works of fiction are not read to take home a message that one would seriously consider working on. They provide the non-rush hour rush. The White Tiger hardly roared along its journey. Even at the end, I felt the protagonist’s personification was quite misplaced. But hey, the jury lapped it up as they probably heard a roar while I heard a whimper. The world is creaming over it. And some more people are probably even more motivated to write.
The book is worth a ‘A Dig, eh’, for sure!
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
India Irked! [Part III]
Citizen Cognizance
In today’s troubled times, the air is rife with mixed emotions of fear, hope, anger, frustration, helplessness, loss of faith and skepticism. As the noted industrialist, Srichand Hinduja pointed out recently; maybe it all happened for the larger good of world society. Indians were not the only ones killed in the attacks. Some visitors from the rest of the world also lost their lives and some more were very grievously injured. All those who survived and went through the trauma in the line of fire will carry the nightmarish experience all their lives.
The corrupt politicians always will continue to harbor their vested interests, the media will tend to be crass, the blame games will continue but at the top of it all, the emergence of a world code to snuff out terrorism is vital. To my mind, this emerges from the average person on the street.
As Citizens of India and the world at large, we need to be Cognizant.
The global society indeed did wake up for the first time to the carnage at Mumbai albeit it was ravaged with mindless acts in the past. This time around the difference was that the enemy was there to see as the acts of terror were unleashed on innocence.
India was plundered and pillaged many times so in a way, the rape of our nation has been a continual occurrence. But in a more stoic sense, we hid the scars and moved on without a whimper. But not anymore!
Every Indian should take it upon themselves to watch their back. The average person on the street should be more aware of their responsibilities towards the larger interests of society. We should stop disrespecting ourselves by making sure we adhere to the rules of the land. So hopefully, we will witness a lot less lawlessness on the streets. Fewer traffic lights being jumped, lesser road rage, better civic sensibilities, etc. A lot of self tuning will need to be done by each of us. Indians are proud people but somehow, the pride gets buried in diversity.
We need to be…
~ Cognizant of our Responsibilities towards our Society (and not just for ourselves),
~ Cognizant of the Reality of the Threat(s),
~ Cognizant of the Gravity of the Resolve we make as People of India,
~ Cognizant of the fact that Nothing is to be Ever Forgotten,
~ Cognizant of having the Grit to Give it Back,
~ Cognizant of Safeguarding ourselves,
~ Cognizant of Civil Citizenship.
The mayhem that unfolded across 10 odd locations in Mumbai and on India that fateful Wednesday night will remain etched in the minds of all of us.
Let’s remain Cognizant!
Jai Hind!
In today’s troubled times, the air is rife with mixed emotions of fear, hope, anger, frustration, helplessness, loss of faith and skepticism. As the noted industrialist, Srichand Hinduja pointed out recently; maybe it all happened for the larger good of world society. Indians were not the only ones killed in the attacks. Some visitors from the rest of the world also lost their lives and some more were very grievously injured. All those who survived and went through the trauma in the line of fire will carry the nightmarish experience all their lives.
The corrupt politicians always will continue to harbor their vested interests, the media will tend to be crass, the blame games will continue but at the top of it all, the emergence of a world code to snuff out terrorism is vital. To my mind, this emerges from the average person on the street.
As Citizens of India and the world at large, we need to be Cognizant.
The global society indeed did wake up for the first time to the carnage at Mumbai albeit it was ravaged with mindless acts in the past. This time around the difference was that the enemy was there to see as the acts of terror were unleashed on innocence.
India was plundered and pillaged many times so in a way, the rape of our nation has been a continual occurrence. But in a more stoic sense, we hid the scars and moved on without a whimper. But not anymore!
Every Indian should take it upon themselves to watch their back. The average person on the street should be more aware of their responsibilities towards the larger interests of society. We should stop disrespecting ourselves by making sure we adhere to the rules of the land. So hopefully, we will witness a lot less lawlessness on the streets. Fewer traffic lights being jumped, lesser road rage, better civic sensibilities, etc. A lot of self tuning will need to be done by each of us. Indians are proud people but somehow, the pride gets buried in diversity.
We need to be…
~ Cognizant of our Responsibilities towards our Society (and not just for ourselves),
~ Cognizant of the Reality of the Threat(s),
~ Cognizant of the Gravity of the Resolve we make as People of India,
~ Cognizant of the fact that Nothing is to be Ever Forgotten,
~ Cognizant of having the Grit to Give it Back,
~ Cognizant of Safeguarding ourselves,
~ Cognizant of Civil Citizenship.
The mayhem that unfolded across 10 odd locations in Mumbai and on India that fateful Wednesday night will remain etched in the minds of all of us.
Let’s remain Cognizant!
Jai Hind!
Friday, December 5, 2008
India Irked! [Part II]
India Irked!
Political Pandemonium
In parallel to the Media irrationality, the Politicians of the world’s largest democracy proved yet again that there can be no ilk like theirs anywhere else in the universe, leave alone the planet.
Their time-tested modus operandi invariably adds to the confusion at Ground Zero and they just don’t realize what they are up to. They paraded themselves only to be chided and hated for their insensitivity to reality, for their audacity to disrupt the proceeds (as the already spent security force is stretched thanks to them in the hour of crises) and for their incompetence to work together to prevent the continual violation of India in recent months.
We were born in a free society and we always took our freedom and peace for granted. And so should it be! But with each passing month with incidents related to terror and with each passing day with incidents relating to lawlessness and crime, no longer am I inclined to believe that our children will grow up in a safe society unless something drastically effective in set in place. Our internal law and order situation is a squalid reality while the external perpetrators continue to sharpen their knives and point their guns at us compounding the security situation. Who is responsible for the gradual erosion of the organized society? The Political Establishment which through the years ensured that India will remain divided on the issues of caste, sect, religion, etc without any remorse at all. Instead, we much rather have the Political Establishment work towards making India a nation that the world will want to live in. On one hand, we send an unmanned mission to the Moon and on the other hand, we can’t even protect the borders of one of India’s largest cities. What a shame!
I remember my childhood and teenage years as a period of carefree fun and frolic. My parents were never worried if I didn’t return home after play till the late hours of the evening. And those were the times when we had only Doordarshan for entertainment, landlines were not part of most middle class homes and mobile phones were unthinkable. Yet the friendliness and warmth of the society in those years (‘70s & ‘80s) makes us wonder if we would have been better off at status quo than not having taken off post liberalization. As a parent today, I know life can never be that way ever!
The son of the CEO of a multinational company gets abducted in broad daylight, a media professional gets shot on her way back from home, tourists are molested on the pristine beaches of Goa, a retired army general gets car jacked on his way back from a party… the list is endless.
In these times of global terror, we are increasingly being perceived as a soft target for our over-resilient, overtly tolerant approach to dealing with the forces of disruption. We need better rules, we need more order than chaos and more stringent laws that are enforced without exception. We really don’t care how it is done as long as it is done. We do not want to be the prey on another occasion to mindless savages who believe in salvation through barbaric inhuman acts.
Any self-respecting individual owns up to his/ her mistake when pointed out. But these leaders of society are so immune to the expectations of the citizens of India that they keep proving it to us time and again they simple don’t get it! Every politician should be made accountable for the charter they are responsible for. Ideally there should be a review mechanism (just like the corporate world works on numbers), so that they can be made more accountable for the initiatives that they lead.
What we witnessed in Bombay was the unsolicited carnage of innocent lives and the complete annihilation of our faith in our National Leadership. The Media is still having a field day tossing up the Politicians in a slug fest on issues relating to National Security and the ‘Whodunnit’ factor. They continue to mock themselves and the politicians with needless verbal aggression and reckless finger pointing.
India needs to shake itself off these elements that are pulling it down. India needs to develop a code of conduct to enable us to function cohesively as a progressive nation. We should set aside our differences and should work to reawaken our collective will to fight back. We are down but are not out and we will never be so.
Political Pandemonium
In parallel to the Media irrationality, the Politicians of the world’s largest democracy proved yet again that there can be no ilk like theirs anywhere else in the universe, leave alone the planet.
Their time-tested modus operandi invariably adds to the confusion at Ground Zero and they just don’t realize what they are up to. They paraded themselves only to be chided and hated for their insensitivity to reality, for their audacity to disrupt the proceeds (as the already spent security force is stretched thanks to them in the hour of crises) and for their incompetence to work together to prevent the continual violation of India in recent months.
We were born in a free society and we always took our freedom and peace for granted. And so should it be! But with each passing month with incidents related to terror and with each passing day with incidents relating to lawlessness and crime, no longer am I inclined to believe that our children will grow up in a safe society unless something drastically effective in set in place. Our internal law and order situation is a squalid reality while the external perpetrators continue to sharpen their knives and point their guns at us compounding the security situation. Who is responsible for the gradual erosion of the organized society? The Political Establishment which through the years ensured that India will remain divided on the issues of caste, sect, religion, etc without any remorse at all. Instead, we much rather have the Political Establishment work towards making India a nation that the world will want to live in. On one hand, we send an unmanned mission to the Moon and on the other hand, we can’t even protect the borders of one of India’s largest cities. What a shame!
I remember my childhood and teenage years as a period of carefree fun and frolic. My parents were never worried if I didn’t return home after play till the late hours of the evening. And those were the times when we had only Doordarshan for entertainment, landlines were not part of most middle class homes and mobile phones were unthinkable. Yet the friendliness and warmth of the society in those years (‘70s & ‘80s) makes us wonder if we would have been better off at status quo than not having taken off post liberalization. As a parent today, I know life can never be that way ever!
The son of the CEO of a multinational company gets abducted in broad daylight, a media professional gets shot on her way back from home, tourists are molested on the pristine beaches of Goa, a retired army general gets car jacked on his way back from a party… the list is endless.
In these times of global terror, we are increasingly being perceived as a soft target for our over-resilient, overtly tolerant approach to dealing with the forces of disruption. We need better rules, we need more order than chaos and more stringent laws that are enforced without exception. We really don’t care how it is done as long as it is done. We do not want to be the prey on another occasion to mindless savages who believe in salvation through barbaric inhuman acts.
Any self-respecting individual owns up to his/ her mistake when pointed out. But these leaders of society are so immune to the expectations of the citizens of India that they keep proving it to us time and again they simple don’t get it! Every politician should be made accountable for the charter they are responsible for. Ideally there should be a review mechanism (just like the corporate world works on numbers), so that they can be made more accountable for the initiatives that they lead.
What we witnessed in Bombay was the unsolicited carnage of innocent lives and the complete annihilation of our faith in our National Leadership. The Media is still having a field day tossing up the Politicians in a slug fest on issues relating to National Security and the ‘Whodunnit’ factor. They continue to mock themselves and the politicians with needless verbal aggression and reckless finger pointing.
India needs to shake itself off these elements that are pulling it down. India needs to develop a code of conduct to enable us to function cohesively as a progressive nation. We should set aside our differences and should work to reawaken our collective will to fight back. We are down but are not out and we will never be so.
India Irked! [Part I]
It has been nearly 10 days since the bedlam of terror hit our shores in a manner which stirred up a nation. We have been cowed down by a bunch of heartless individuals who in their insane judgment dreamed of disrupting the collective conscience of India. Yes, we are a scared society today and India is irked beyond measure.
Media Mayhem
While India bled in Bombay, the Media channels portrayed the 60-hour siege of Bombay as a real time movie which was broadcast into millions of homes across the world. And what a sham it was. While the heart bled and the eyes wept, the mind was raging with anger, disgust, dismay, disbelief, shock and hopelessness, all leading to a crescendo of emotional and apolitical outrage.
What started as ‘Breaking News’ ended up being a ‘Broken Affair’ with the very aspect of freedom that we were so proud of. The Free Press made a mockery of the very art of reporting. Top anchors with a pedigree of many awards inadvertently made us realize how crass insensitivities towards those affected, the lame verbiage that mocked at the anguish of the pain we were feeling as a nation, the inept attempts to rationalize, further deprecated the well intended reporting motives of the media.
It was an asinine race to be the ‘first to report’ and to have an ‘exclusive’. Frankly, I don’t think any Indian really cared about these trivialities. The media got their TRPs soaring but they ended up denigrating themselves and fell over each other to bring us the latest. Being professionals, didn’t they have the basic sense to refrain from beaming live pictures when the forces were fighting a faceless enemy within the corridors of the star hotels and people died earlier on the streets and railway platforms. What is ironic is that they actually reported that ‘they have been asked’ by the NSG to stop the live telecast as suddenly someone realized a ‘little too early’ that the media shouldn’t have been doing this in the very first place. Initial kudos turned into chaos. In the midst of all this relentless ‘me-first’ reporting, the media leapfrogged itself into ignominy.
The Media should be slammed for their insensitivity and over-sensationalism. They are for sure the masters of speculation and the stalwart anchors pitiably try hard to pin their guests down in a manner that is quite irascible. They are short on patience, don’t let people finish their points of view (I know they have to keep an eye on the clock) and are quite judgmental to the extent that they feel like the makers of ‘what is supposed to be done’.
Not once during the three days, did I see any of the leading channels talk about the fact that terror was unleashed on a nation and that India was under siege albeit at Bombay. The headlines screamed breaking news on ‘War on Mumbai’, ‘Mumbai Attacked’, ‘Maximum City under Siege’ etc. Should we be telling the custodians of free speech aka the Media that the nation comes first and everything else follows.
India was violated yet again. India was ripped apart once more. India was targeted. And the jealous neighbor is zealously involved!
Even after the perpetrators were snuffed out, the media went on about how Bombay has been crippled yet again and about how this city known for its ability to bounce back with to do so with elan. The thought of India was nowhere to be heard or seen while the anchors took turns lambasting everybody in their tired stupor to make an impression. And on whom?
Then, at the Taj minutes after the siege ended, there was more ineptness on display garbed in a cloak of impalpable disbelief. Barkha Dutt in her hoarse, anguished voice (which I am praying in retrospect that it was not put on), asks a fireman at the sea facing corner of the beleaguered Taj soon after the perpetrators were vanquished, “Please, please say something.” The fireman tries in vain to walk away while saying ‘No’ to her request. Ms Dutt has her way and points to the 1st floor and asks him about the fabric rope made out of bedsheets which is tied to the window – “Is this the way the trapped guests escaped?’ Obviously, the fireman nodded in agreement and then came the shocker of the century. Ms Dutt reported, “So this the way the fire department helped the guests get out of the Taj.” I am sure the fireman and his department folks would have cringed with utmost disrespect Ms Dutt for her intelligent inference.
For God’s sake, the very purpose of the Free Press is to give a voice to the common man, the average person of society and NOT put words in his mouth. They are meant to mediate and moderate, not to intervene and irritate. They are meant to make the unheard heard, the unseen seen, the unspoken spoken and not to desecrate the very spirit of the freedom of expression. They need to realize that they have a far greater responsibility than what they currently seem to fathom – towards the society, towards the nation and towards themselves as well.
As we bled, India invoked the resolve to fight back.
Media Mayhem
While India bled in Bombay, the Media channels portrayed the 60-hour siege of Bombay as a real time movie which was broadcast into millions of homes across the world. And what a sham it was. While the heart bled and the eyes wept, the mind was raging with anger, disgust, dismay, disbelief, shock and hopelessness, all leading to a crescendo of emotional and apolitical outrage.
What started as ‘Breaking News’ ended up being a ‘Broken Affair’ with the very aspect of freedom that we were so proud of. The Free Press made a mockery of the very art of reporting. Top anchors with a pedigree of many awards inadvertently made us realize how crass insensitivities towards those affected, the lame verbiage that mocked at the anguish of the pain we were feeling as a nation, the inept attempts to rationalize, further deprecated the well intended reporting motives of the media.
It was an asinine race to be the ‘first to report’ and to have an ‘exclusive’. Frankly, I don’t think any Indian really cared about these trivialities. The media got their TRPs soaring but they ended up denigrating themselves and fell over each other to bring us the latest. Being professionals, didn’t they have the basic sense to refrain from beaming live pictures when the forces were fighting a faceless enemy within the corridors of the star hotels and people died earlier on the streets and railway platforms. What is ironic is that they actually reported that ‘they have been asked’ by the NSG to stop the live telecast as suddenly someone realized a ‘little too early’ that the media shouldn’t have been doing this in the very first place. Initial kudos turned into chaos. In the midst of all this relentless ‘me-first’ reporting, the media leapfrogged itself into ignominy.
The Media should be slammed for their insensitivity and over-sensationalism. They are for sure the masters of speculation and the stalwart anchors pitiably try hard to pin their guests down in a manner that is quite irascible. They are short on patience, don’t let people finish their points of view (I know they have to keep an eye on the clock) and are quite judgmental to the extent that they feel like the makers of ‘what is supposed to be done’.
Not once during the three days, did I see any of the leading channels talk about the fact that terror was unleashed on a nation and that India was under siege albeit at Bombay. The headlines screamed breaking news on ‘War on Mumbai’, ‘Mumbai Attacked’, ‘Maximum City under Siege’ etc. Should we be telling the custodians of free speech aka the Media that the nation comes first and everything else follows.
India was violated yet again. India was ripped apart once more. India was targeted. And the jealous neighbor is zealously involved!
Even after the perpetrators were snuffed out, the media went on about how Bombay has been crippled yet again and about how this city known for its ability to bounce back with to do so with elan. The thought of India was nowhere to be heard or seen while the anchors took turns lambasting everybody in their tired stupor to make an impression. And on whom?
Then, at the Taj minutes after the siege ended, there was more ineptness on display garbed in a cloak of impalpable disbelief. Barkha Dutt in her hoarse, anguished voice (which I am praying in retrospect that it was not put on), asks a fireman at the sea facing corner of the beleaguered Taj soon after the perpetrators were vanquished, “Please, please say something.” The fireman tries in vain to walk away while saying ‘No’ to her request. Ms Dutt has her way and points to the 1st floor and asks him about the fabric rope made out of bedsheets which is tied to the window – “Is this the way the trapped guests escaped?’ Obviously, the fireman nodded in agreement and then came the shocker of the century. Ms Dutt reported, “So this the way the fire department helped the guests get out of the Taj.” I am sure the fireman and his department folks would have cringed with utmost disrespect Ms Dutt for her intelligent inference.
For God’s sake, the very purpose of the Free Press is to give a voice to the common man, the average person of society and NOT put words in his mouth. They are meant to mediate and moderate, not to intervene and irritate. They are meant to make the unheard heard, the unseen seen, the unspoken spoken and not to desecrate the very spirit of the freedom of expression. They need to realize that they have a far greater responsibility than what they currently seem to fathom – towards the society, towards the nation and towards themselves as well.
As we bled, India invoked the resolve to fight back.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Those Little Feet...
The sound of the rain woke him up and his feet walked him out to embrace it. His skin glowed with the touch of every raindrop and the smell of the earth made him smile. He had to get out and drench himself silly in every watery descent of the clouds above. Nature was his first love and this was one of his ways to live.
His heart rejoiced at the sight of his daughter. Her laughter was his lullaby. Her presence was his prayer answered. Her dimples were his eye candies. Her hugs and kisses were his peace. He loved his coffee and enjoyed his untimely forty winks on the couch. Simple things made him happy. The child in him was always alive even in times of adversity and strife. He smiled his way into people's hearts and his eyes sought love, friendship and happiness in every aspect of his daily routine. The earth was his playground and he loved his world.
He was a genius with an unmatched memory, an avid reader who doubled up as his journalist/ novelist wife's best critic, a spiritual wanderer who knew where God resided, and a connoisseur of many fields - literature, sculpture, history, geography, mathematics, and astronomy, among others.
His little feet carried him through many a grueling grind, to the most magnificent of ancient architectural masterpieces, to the banks of almost every Indian river, to the depths of the thickest forests, to the homes of his countless friends and finally to the stairs of heaven.
He redefined simplicity. He was always there for anyone who needed him. He ensured he visited everyone he knew in every neighborhood that he passed through. He would do anything to make others happy. And along his adventurous and arduous journey, he unwittingly ensured that there could never be another of his kind. He gave me wings and the will to dream. He is always around and his little feet's number is the best track I'd ever hear.
Take care, Dad. May the Gods be kind on your soul.
His heart rejoiced at the sight of his daughter. Her laughter was his lullaby. Her presence was his prayer answered. Her dimples were his eye candies. Her hugs and kisses were his peace. He loved his coffee and enjoyed his untimely forty winks on the couch. Simple things made him happy. The child in him was always alive even in times of adversity and strife. He smiled his way into people's hearts and his eyes sought love, friendship and happiness in every aspect of his daily routine. The earth was his playground and he loved his world.
He was a genius with an unmatched memory, an avid reader who doubled up as his journalist/ novelist wife's best critic, a spiritual wanderer who knew where God resided, and a connoisseur of many fields - literature, sculpture, history, geography, mathematics, and astronomy, among others.
His little feet carried him through many a grueling grind, to the most magnificent of ancient architectural masterpieces, to the banks of almost every Indian river, to the depths of the thickest forests, to the homes of his countless friends and finally to the stairs of heaven.
He redefined simplicity. He was always there for anyone who needed him. He ensured he visited everyone he knew in every neighborhood that he passed through. He would do anything to make others happy. And along his adventurous and arduous journey, he unwittingly ensured that there could never be another of his kind. He gave me wings and the will to dream. He is always around and his little feet's number is the best track I'd ever hear.
Take care, Dad. May the Gods be kind on your soul.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Mettle Class!
Most of us have been seemingly stunned by the developments in the global markets. These are tiring and trying times for each of us. The meltdown has led to some drastic steps taken by a few individuals while many more are a worried lot. In India, the game has just begun.
The likes of me have never invested in the stock markets and that by no measure means that we are insulated from the spin-offs of this global chaos. News reports talk of a slowdown in almost every sector. B-schools are a worried lot with most companies likely to stay away from campuses. IT firms have suddenly clamped down on their indirect costs and are taking extreme measures for cost control. Consolidation of the workforce is another hot issue of discussion these days in the murmury corners of offices across the board.
Working professionals in most industries are treading the line of caution and are literally playing it safe. This has augured well for some companies where the productivity levels have actually improved with people working harder to ensure they don't come under the scanner. Yes, there is a positive flipside to the chaos after all. If only the tenet of perseverance was an ever prevalent factor rather than the Excalibur of severance goading people to work harder.
Performance is something I have always retained at the top of the value chain. It is the ability to assess, analyze and adapt that works best for anyone who believes in the art of living. It is the inherent ability to introspect well enough to be able to tide over the rough waves of uncertainty. Asset balancing and spend management are a couple of terms that are high on one's evaluation list when it comes to tightening one's urge to splurge.
The middle class has paved way for the 'Mettle Class'. And we are the 'Mettle' Class. This creed of professionals has always been around in a state of dormancy. In fact, the middle class reeks of mettle. However, these times have evoked the latent caution triggers into motion. We are the ones who have worked hard to make the investment made in us (read 'education') make a difference to our lives and the society at large in some form. The average consumer spending in India shot through the roof over the past few years and the easy availability of credit only added to the surge. But the boom period also opened avenues of destruction in its own subtle way. Riding high on the mettle factor, almost everyone jumped on the 'acquire' bandwagon.
Acquire a house (why? Because you felt settled!), acquire the best gadgets (why? Because the guy next to you at work has it), acquire a swanky car (even if it meant that a smaller one would have still taken you through the next decade without offering a space crunch), acquire an accent (why? Because you wanted to be treated as the 'global' person)... The list is actually quite endless but I will draw a line here to get back to the mettle factor. There is nothing wrong with being in 'acquire' mode as long as it doesn't outrun your ability to keep pace with it.
The mettle factor is our trump card for sustenance, for survival and for glory. We need to nurture it to ensure that the future continues to be secure. Hail the Mettle Class!
The likes of me have never invested in the stock markets and that by no measure means that we are insulated from the spin-offs of this global chaos. News reports talk of a slowdown in almost every sector. B-schools are a worried lot with most companies likely to stay away from campuses. IT firms have suddenly clamped down on their indirect costs and are taking extreme measures for cost control. Consolidation of the workforce is another hot issue of discussion these days in the murmury corners of offices across the board.
Working professionals in most industries are treading the line of caution and are literally playing it safe. This has augured well for some companies where the productivity levels have actually improved with people working harder to ensure they don't come under the scanner. Yes, there is a positive flipside to the chaos after all. If only the tenet of perseverance was an ever prevalent factor rather than the Excalibur of severance goading people to work harder.
Performance is something I have always retained at the top of the value chain. It is the ability to assess, analyze and adapt that works best for anyone who believes in the art of living. It is the inherent ability to introspect well enough to be able to tide over the rough waves of uncertainty. Asset balancing and spend management are a couple of terms that are high on one's evaluation list when it comes to tightening one's urge to splurge.
The middle class has paved way for the 'Mettle Class'. And we are the 'Mettle' Class. This creed of professionals has always been around in a state of dormancy. In fact, the middle class reeks of mettle. However, these times have evoked the latent caution triggers into motion. We are the ones who have worked hard to make the investment made in us (read 'education') make a difference to our lives and the society at large in some form. The average consumer spending in India shot through the roof over the past few years and the easy availability of credit only added to the surge. But the boom period also opened avenues of destruction in its own subtle way. Riding high on the mettle factor, almost everyone jumped on the 'acquire' bandwagon.
Acquire a house (why? Because you felt settled!), acquire the best gadgets (why? Because the guy next to you at work has it), acquire a swanky car (even if it meant that a smaller one would have still taken you through the next decade without offering a space crunch), acquire an accent (why? Because you wanted to be treated as the 'global' person)... The list is actually quite endless but I will draw a line here to get back to the mettle factor. There is nothing wrong with being in 'acquire' mode as long as it doesn't outrun your ability to keep pace with it.
The mettle factor is our trump card for sustenance, for survival and for glory. We need to nurture it to ensure that the future continues to be secure. Hail the Mettle Class!
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