#84: people power

The French TGV can chase records for the fastest train. We Indians will chart our own opposite course – literally moving iron-chariots with "people power". Not surprising though, it follows Ricardian trade theory – each country specialising and milking their comparative advantage, and using the relatively abundant resource to do so. And the notion of abundance takes a whole new perspective when describing India's teeming billions!

#63: christmas and the saints

It's Christmas Day and I am so surprised to come across this op-ed piece in the NY Times. It's on Saint Francis Xavier of Assisi, the Christian saint my high school was named after. What a coincidence. Just last night I was narrating how for 16 years I've been a grateful beneficiary of Christian missionaries spreading truly secular education in India.

#57: "isn't it ironic?"

Recently, in a town close to Delhi, job applicants went on a rampage when the written recruitment exam turned out to be more difficult than anticipated. The examinees looted shops, damaged property, and attacked people in the ensuing riots. But what's truly remarkable is that this exam was for recruiting policemen, and the rioters were prospective cops!

I think these bullies have proven their qualification; they should be made law enforcers. That's how teachers in our high-school appointed "class monitors" and "prefects". It worked then!

The actual news item is at this link.

#44: third world rising

The recent issue of The Economist reflects on the growth of the developing countries – it's implications for these countries, for the developed countries, and the world economic order that is being challenged everyday. See the linked article titled "The New Titans".

This report coincides with the World Bank-IMF Annual Meetings in Singapore. It is a timely reminder that all is not hunky-dory in the scheme of international trade, commerce, and economics. The institutions and norms are anachronistic; they reflect the world of 1940s in 2006. These systems have served us well for most of the last 60 years. But their relevance now is being hampered by their own structure.

In case you wonder "why should we care", it's because the globalised economy is growing faster – at rates unprecedented, outstripping even the industrial revolution, and affecting more people than ever before. Plus most of it is happening beyond the borders of the traditional power-houses. If these inequities and imbalances are not addressed now through a gradual adjustment process, the pains of unexpected upheavals and breakdowns in future may be catastrophic. We've all heard the word "contagion".
It is tough to make changes. The ones with power will resist any erosion. And those seeking greater prominence will always seek more. In the words of Bill Clinton, "It's a tough sell" on either side. But turning a blind eye and pushing it under the rug is not really an option. The article gives a fair evaluation of what's at stake.

#17: a tragic paradox

If aliens were observing humans, what would they find? A dominant specie that conquers almost all on the planet and a little beyond; a specie that is innovative, is capable of love, affection, benevolence, and great intellectual feats. But also a specie with an irrational streak – of not hesitating to destroy their achievements and reputations – whether to score a point or just because they can. And they frequently succumb to this impulse. The strong sense of self-preservation could just as well tempt them to destroy what they seek to protect. What a paradox!

To think of it, how incredibly overwhelming must our hate-machines be. Infants are born with almost divine innocence. But somewhere our society, upbringing, and circumstances fail them. A culture of violence, hatred, and mistrust surrounds them instead. How tragic that sermons preaching tolerance and love have to compete with video-games and lyrics fuelling anger, hate, and destruction. Is there no other avenue to vent human angst? Is there no alternative outlet for desperation and dissatisfaction? What worries me is that I am a part of the very society and system I criticise, just as it is a part of me.

I think of innocent citizens caught in crossfires – from Mumbai to Madrid, from Jaffna to Jakarta, from Gaza to Haifa. All they seek is to get on with their lives – in relative peace, stability, and some self-respect. And millennia of human civilisations later, we are still in an elusive quest for this utopia.

#15: why, and what for

Mumbai was rocked – by bombs on suburban trains that mindlessly killed a few hundred innocent people just going about their daily lives. As if living was not hard enough already ....

It brings back horrific memories. I grew up in Delhi where, at the height of Punjab insurgency, public buses were the soft targets. Then came Mumbai in March, 1993. One late afternoon, 13 bomb blasts ripped across India's financial capital. The targets were the stock exchange, the main rail station, the passport office, the airport, busy market-places, hotels. It prematurely ended the lives of locals, tourists, and of kids just walking back after school. All blown to pieces for nothing they did or did not do. Our office was just a few blocks away from two of the sites.

Even months later the city was still in a stupor – unable to fathom, or explain the why, and what for. So many years have passed since then. But methods or mindsets of such killers haven't changed. Do they ever see themselves in the mirror? Do they ever look back and try to make sense of it? Do they ever ask what have they achieved from those deaths? Is the truth too uncomfortable to bear? Or am I expecting a rational behaviour which is a misplaced assumption to begin with?

The next day: It's the perfect civic response .... not with guns or a witch-hunt, but with defiance. The authorities cleared up the wreckage overnight despite pouring monsoon rains, the commuters flocked back to the same network in the morning, and the stock-market climbed higher!! All of it without much fanfare - as if tubthumping .... "I get knocked down, but I get up again; You're never going to keep me down". Mumbai – I am so proud of you.

#10: saadhu-samba

Finally some football news from India!! It's not really the headline that threatens the established football super-powers. But who knows what divine intervention can do.

If you can get the movie The Cup, watch it. You'll love it .... I guarantee it. It's a tale set in a Buddhist monastery in the remote hills of Sikkim, India. Among the monks are some eager 12-16 year-old disciples who are football-crazy. The light-hearted story traces the extreme lengths and extraordinary risks some of them take to fulfil their appetite for watching World Cup action. The movie was shot on site and without professional performers. The effect and emotions captured could not have been any simpler – yet so sincere, transparent, and touching.

I have lost interest in this year's World Cup. I have switched to making "philosophical" reflections on the sport in general. I can't wait for the Premiership season to begin. Maybe I'll get some "closure" then.