Mahadevan's Monologues

MARRIAGE BETWEEN COUSINS

2011-03-19T22:32:00.003+05:30

The Brahmin community in Kerala ( other than Namboodiris) and all castes in Tamil Nadu have the practice of marrying within the family. Marriage among second and third cousins is quite normal. In fact the boys in Tamil Nadu have the first right of refusal( right to marry the murai ponnu) before the girl is sought to be married outside the cousins circle. A few view this practice as unscientific and trace the ailments suffered by the offspring to the close relationship between the parents before marriage. At the same time the community is vehement that first cousins both on the paternal side(father’s brothers) and maternal side (mother’s sisters) do not intermarry and the prohibition on “Sagothra’, marriage stems from this practice atleast as far as the paternal side goes. In a number of cases girls marry their maternal uncles though boys marrying their paternal aunts is not permitted. If one tries to look for logical support for the practice, one would find that medical science too frowns upon inbreeding. At the same time, as in those days, the source of income was common and wealth was held in the name of family, in order to preserve the family wealth and income, marriage within the family was encouraged at the permitted level. Another reason could be, as the families were living under the same roof, intermingling of boys and girls of marriageable age was quite normal, and such intermingling facilitated marriages between cousins. Unlike boys’ Convents, such intermingling provided a healthy sexual outlook. In astrology too, there is no prohibition on marriage between cousins. One cannot visualize any other reason for such close within the family marriages.

It is in this context, the research done by Professor Kari Stefanson of CODE Genetics , Iceland , that throws fresh light. According to this study, marriage between first and second cousins had more children than distantly related couples with good chances of getting more grandchildren. Thus, mating with cousins has reproductive advantages. As a large family was always encouraged and those with more children having been considered blessed, no wonder, marriage within the family circle was widely practiced, if one accepts Stefanson study findings. As a corollary, should we not discourage marriage within the family atleast on the demographic ground, when our objective is to have lesser number of children ?

Readers more familiar with the subject, perhaps would enlighten us further..

V.Mahadevan

COMPETENCE AND COMMITMENT

2011-03-18T22:08:00.001+05:30

In his excellent small Book ‘One Minute Manager’, author Kenneth Blanchard says that every one of us is endowed with competence of varying degrees to perform a task and also commitment of divergent intensity to complete an assignment.

Thus, those with less competence and more commitment, often slog without much success. Many workaholics belong to this category. They are hard working but not efficient or effective. There are others, who are quite competent, but are not committed enough to the cause. A good number of trade union leaders in enterprises come under this category. They are extremely capable, but their commitments lie elsewhere.

Those with very low degree of commitment and competence cannot be entrusted with any responsibility. They need constant monitoring, guidance and course correction. They retard an organisation’s progress.

Individuals with high degree of commitment and competence can be delegated any task. We have two classic examples in our epics. Hanuman was highly competent to surmount any difficulties and navigate his way and his commitment to Sriram was total and unshakable. Therefore a major responsibility was delegated to him and he completed the project with great acumen. Bhishma Pitamaha was a totally accomplished man. Archery, bravery, political strategy or sheer knowledge, everywhere he outshone others. Bhishma had sacrificed his personal glory and pleasures for the interest of Hastinapura. To him the only mission in life was to serve the interest of Hastinapura’s Rulers. He abdicated his thrown to serve his Cause, an example which centuries later, King Edward VIII followed in England . No wonder, Bhishma was made the supreme commander of Hastinapura’s ruling forces in the Kurukshetra War.

Those with very high degree of commitment, often have a narrower view and are oblivious to their surroundings, save their one cause, object or mission. In his eagerness and commitment to protect the interest of Hastinapura’s rulers, Bhishma didn’t realize that he was not on the side of the Champion of Dharma. Whoever fought Hastinapura had to be repulsed back, seemed to be his war strategy. As the Commander of an army, he cannot allow his enemy to escape. And, as he had taken a vow never to attack a woman, he didn’t attack Sikhandi, Sikhandi being a woman in his previous birth. Thus, at times, his commitments circumscribed his performance. Interestingly, apart from his physical prowess, courage and blemish less dedication to Sri Ram, we haven’t heard much about Hanuman’s dexterity in other areas. Those who instead of trying to understand the Vedas, their metaphysics and Philosophy and devote their days nights in merely repeating their stanzas, Sankara calls as ‘Vedabhyasa Jatas’ - meaning fools who merely repeat the Vedas. One needs to have a wider vision and not mere focusing on a spot.

If commitment has to enhance competence, commitment should play the role of an enabling force and not a retarding one. Krishna too had commitments but his commitments were made subservient to his competence. Arjuna’s commitment to a wrong sense of reverence, compelled to him to lay down his arms. Unlike Bhishma’s commitments, Krishna ’s commitments didn’t distract him. Mahatma Gandhi’s commitment to peace and non-violence did not stand in the way of his fighting the British.

Our commitments should be such that they do not make our competence meaningless. Commitment to a wrong cause can make our competence destructive. We have been reading daily about able men, being led astray because of their commitment to wrong causes.

And finally, let us enhance our competence in our chosen field and make our commitments to add value to our competence. An Abdul Kalam, a Dr.Narayana Murthy and a Mahendra Singh Dhoni exemplify this.

V.Mahadevan

LIVING IN RELATINSHIPS

2008-12-23T23:09:00.004+05:30

The Maharashtra Cabinet has decided to introduce a Bill shortly, in the State Legislature, seeking to legalise ‘living in arrangement’ between a man and a woman. Union Minister Renuka Choudhary wants not only legal sanction, but also moral support from the society for such living in arrangement. Let us now examine the legal, moral and sociological implications of the proposed measure by the Government.

When all over the world, economies have crumbled, India and a few others have escaped with minor bruises. Dr.Manmohan Singh attributes the International economic failures to lose regulatory controls. In India, we have one of the finest regulators, the Reserve Bank of India and this Regulatory body’s extra zealous efforts certainly helped us in maintaining a semblance of discipline. Thus, regulatory mechanism plays a vital role, when diverse operations take place. Marriage is a social regulatory institution evolved as human civilization advanced. Lord Sriram was singled out for praise for remaining monogamous. Today millions of us are monogamous and yet we are not praised. Why? In Sriram’s time, monogamy, that too among the Royals, was not a virtue. And yet, Sri Ram chose to remain faithful to his wife and is admired for that. When we have come out of that state and the vast majority remains within the wedlock, respecting the Institution of Marriage, should we move out of this stage of civilization? Hinduism and Roman Catholic Church considers marriage as a sacrament. When we realize that Regulatory mechanism, certainly help us, should we opt out of it? ‘Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread’.

Excepting Special Marriages Act, Marriages under which is optional, we do not have common Marriage laws, governing different communities of their marriages, divorce and inheritance. If Marriage laws are different, will the proposed laws for Living in arrangement’ apply mutatis mutandis to different communities? We have been hearing constantly about the attrition in software and BPO industries. ‘Living in arrangement often would lead to attrition in man-woman relationship and if attrition as such is obnoxious, how can we encourage attrition in man-woman relationship? Today children outside wedlock, generally carry a stigma, in all communities (celebrities excluded). Will the legitimization of their parents’ relationship erase the stigma? Perhaps Mrs. Renuka Choudhary had this in mind when she asked for moral support to ‘living in ‘arrangement.

Living in arrangement, by definition is not likely to last for long period and therefore how do we work upon laws of inheritance? How do we nurture children, when there is constant reshuffling in parental relationship? Relationship within the Institution of Marriage is the rule and relationship outside marriage is an exception. Should we seek to make the exception as the rule?

And finally let us be governed by the oft repeated common sense axiom – when in doubt, don’t.

THE LADY AND THE FLOWER GIRL

2008-10-14T16:52:00.002+05:30

In his well known Play ‘Pygmalion’ (Source of the Movie ‘My Fair Lady’ ), George Bernard Shaw says that ‘the difference between a Lady and a flower girl lies not in what they are, but how they are treated’. What a great observation!

A poor flower girl did not have proper English diction and cultural finesse. A Professor, determined to transform her, gave her all the treatments normally meted out to a well groomed lady and this poor timid girl, became indistinguishable from a maiden from May Fair. Many culturally advanced families adopt children from orphanages and transform these children into examples of excellence in etiquette. It is how they were treated, that made the difference.

We have this evil tendency of looking down upon some and treating them contemptuously while venerating others. Karna, because of his alleged low class (caste!) birth, was not treated humanely. Duryodhana gave him a ‘local habitation and a name’ and what a difference it made! He proved himself to be the most dreaded warrior and for sheer prowess, was spoken of in the same breathe as Arjuna and Parasuram. The treatment meted to him made the difference. When we treat somebody contemptuously, we lower his/her self esteem which in turn would extinguish their potential abilities. Some teachers, snub a few students who, as a result, never blossom. Those who are encouraged at home and in the school turn out to be bright students.

The Monarchs in the earlier periods, when they conquer a territory, would take a way the women to their harems, reduce the men to be mere slaves and such vanquished kingdoms never produced geniuses. A bruised ego cannot innovate and improve upon.

Reaching out to people, extending a supporting arm, providing a healing touch or even a mere reassuring look can do wonders. Daughters in law in the earlier generations were not very assertive. They always used to look for moral support from some members of the family, besides their husband. This support, they greatly used to cherish. Even those fiercely ragging boys and girls, seek to justify their actions saying that they merely try to remove inhibitions and build up a feeling of camaraderie.

Today we use phrases like ‘level playing ground’ which essentially means to give identical good treatment to all. The conditions of the then social outcaste in our society, reflects very poorly on our cultural traditions. They therefore flock where their feelings are assuaged. That is why great social reformers always tried to provide equal treatments to all. Baba Amte dedicated his life to the well being of lepers, the most condemned group in the society.

In large organizations, well established trade unions, gradually nourish the newly joined employees and they remain fiercely loyal to such Unions. Here again the treatment given to the employees, won their hearts.

The Vedanta Philosophy and Indian sages say that every one is potentially Divine. The whole purpose of life is to fully realize this Divine nature. We do not look down upon anybody as Sinner. When we look upon every one as potentially Divine, how do we condemn people as unworthy? Let us condemn the acts and not the persons. Let us also praise the individuals and not merely their fine gestures. This attitude can certainly transform Flower Girls into accomplished Ladies.
And finally as John Dryden put it, ‘let us raise Mortals to the Skies and not pull Angels down’.

DISTANCE ENCHANTS

2008-09-10T17:39:00.002+05:30

Recently the victorious 1983 World Cup Indian Cricket Team, went to Lords and relived those pleasant moments after the victory. Very often University Alumni proudly recall the happier days they spent together in the Campus and hostels. In fact, in IITs, every year one batch celebrates its Silver Jubilee. To every guest we proudly show the marriage album or run the DVD to look back at the ceremonies. We always find a thrill in reliving our glorious moments of the past.

Dhyanchand dribbling the Hockey stick, Prithipal Singh converting the penalty corners in his own characteristic way, A Chuni Goswamy scoring a goal in sheer speed, a Kapil Dev turning out a tantalizing out swinger from an immaculate side on action, kissing the edge of the bat and landing safely in the slip’s hand - would we not proudly recall every pleasant moments of the past?

Thousands of Tamilians would ooze out saliva when they recall the softest Idlies of Ambi’s Café, be it at Chennai’s Broadway or Trichi’s Theppakulam. How many of us, in our thirties, forties, fifities and sixties go into raptures, if a mention is made about our barefoot days in the streets of Malabar or Travancore! The thrill they provide us today is perhaps much more than the ones we actually experienced when the past were present then. The ecstasy increases in proportion to the distance traveled in time.

The raptures do not confine to the Time past alone. Time future also promises pleasant moments. No wonder Robert Browning, considered to be most optimistic of all English Poets, asked

“Grow old along with me,
The Best is yet to be”.

If we believe the ‘best is yet to be’, would the thought of death torment us? We should always have something to look for, that alone keeps us alive. One shudder to imagine a situation, where one does not have anything to look for. Looking for something always make Life meaningful. Those who do not have things to look for, lose charm in life and start developing suicidal tendencies. Dramatists and story writers captivate us, by keeping us in anticipation for the denouement. The few days prior to the Marriage day in the Family are the most thrilling days. We anticipate our friends and relatives from distant places to arrive, and spend happier hours together. When the ceremony is over, to escape the tedium, we go back to memory and try to relive the past.

It is not only distance in time, that provide us the delirium, it is also distance in space, (both Physical and mental) that exhilarate us. Referring to Jawaharlal Nehru, my English Professor Mr.Banerji used to say, ‘he is like a Star that twinkles from afar. We are lesser mortals. Let us admire him from the distance’. Being lesser mortals, would we not admire a Sachin Tendulkar, a Vishwanathan Anand or a Lata Mangeshkar our contemporary heroes/heroines, from a distance?

Distance enchants. But the thrill is diminished by proximity. Those in love, may view this as blasphemy.

SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT ON RESERVATION - CONCLUDING PART III

2008-06-27T13:36:00.003+05:30

Justice Dalvir Bhandari delivered a separate but concurring Judgement, in a Bench of five Judges.

Hon.Justice Bhandari said that Constitutional Amendment No.93, empowering the Government to provide reservation of seats in Government aided educational institutions, would be ultra vires and invalid if the creamy layer is not excluded. Why creamy layer should be excluded? Justice Dalvir Bhandari quotes Justice Sawant in the earlier larger Bench that pronounced a Judgment on Job Reservation for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes.

“Society does not remain static. Industrialization, urbanization, the advance on political, social and economic fronts, the social movements of last several decades, the spread of education and the advantages of special provisions including reservations secured so far, have all undoubtedly seen atleast some individuals and families in the backward classes, however small in number, gaining sufficient means to develop their capacities to compete with others in every field. Legally they are not entitled any longer to be called as part of the backward classes whatever their original birthmark.

The non-exclusion of creamy layer or the inclusion of forward castes in the lists of backward classes will therefore be totally illegal. Such illegality offending the Constitution of India cannot be allowed to be perpetuated even by Constitutional Amendment.” What an emphatic assertion!

Justice Bhandari also ordered the Government to exclude the children of the former and present Members of the Parliament and Members of the Legislative Assemblies and the Office Memorandum of Government of India be amended accordingly. . However, creamy layer exclusion cannot be extended to Scheduled Class and Scheduled Tribes, as the whole discussions even during the earlier larger Bench judgments were confined to Socially and Educationally Backward Classes only.

Imposing Reservations on unaided Educational Institutions violates the Basic Structure of the Constitution by stripping the citizens of their fundamental right under Article 19(1) (g) to carry on an occupation, according to Justice Bhandari. However, other Judges did not pronounce any Order on this, though they concurred with the observation, because none of the unaided educational institutions have challenged the constitutional amendment. About Minority Institutions, “we will take a step in the wrong direction if Minority Institutions (even those that are aided) are subjected to reservation”, Justice Bhandari added.

Justice Bhandari also observed that ‘once a candidate graduates from a university, the said candidate is educationally forward and is ineligible for special benefits under Article (15) (5) of the Constitution for post graduate and any further studies thereafter’.

“It is reasonable to balance reservation with other societal interests. To maintain standards of excellence, cut off marks for OBCs should be set not more than 10 marks out of 100 below that of the general category”, Justice Bhandari added.

To sum up, in the case, Nagaraj and others Vs. Union of India, Supreme Court has beautifully summarized the context in which Reservation can be considered which Justice Dalvir Bhandari, quoted in his observation:

“We reiterate that the cutting limit of 50%, the concept of Creamy Layer and the compelling reasons namely backwardness, inadequacy of representation and overall administrative efficiency are all Constitutional requirements without which the structure of equality of opportunity in Article 16 of the Constitution would collapse”. What a fine exposition of judicial pronouncement!

So far I have briefly narrated the pronouncements of the Five Judges Bench. I now give below my own observations:

1) Three out of five Judges have opined that University Graduates should be treated as not educationally backward and therefore at the Post Graduation level, there is no need for reservation. Taking a cue from this, some have approached the Supreme Court again, pleading for the exclusion of Reservation for Post Graduate Courses (IIMs for example) and till the Court pronounces an Order on the Plea, one should not venture an opinion.

2) Again, three out of five Judges have opined that even for those eligible for Reservations,
there has to be a cut off mark, though lower than the cut off marks
for the General Candidates. There is no unanimity on the exact cut off mark concession.

3) The Highest Court of the Land in two different Benches – one a Larger Bench of
Nine Judges and the other a Five Judges Bench, has unanimously concluded that
Caste would be the starting point and that Creamy layers are to be excluded. Government has the Authority to define Creamy layer and such Governmental
definitions are subject to Judicial Scrutiny. In other words, lacuna in the Governmental Orders can be challenged in the Courts of Law.

4) Creamy layer class and Socially and Educationally Backward class are
mutually exclusive. One therefore expects, atleast the Left Political Parties, that swear by Class, to take up a principled stand on the subject. CPM has taken up
a stand( though they would not stick to it on electoral considerations) and other left parties do not have a studied position, till now.

5) As I had mentioned in my earlier article “Potential and Promise”, still all those who compete are not equals. In the 2008 IIT JEE examinations, more than 1400 successful candidates had undergone one/two years of full time study at Bansal Classes, Kota. A vast majority did not have and cannot afford this facility. What more, the educational institutions through which they pass out, do not have the requisite standard. Till all over India, identical educational standard is made available, candidates from backward institutions, but with high potential, need to be identified and protected. As the IPL has brought out potential Cricket Players to the forefront, there has to be a similar system, that would bring out the candidates with high potential. I am sure, some of the rural and backward schools have many brilliant students who need to be brought to the forefront.

If true social justice is to be done, all promising students from backward schools and colleges are to be brought to limelight and enabled to brush shoulders with the bright and well bred ones.

SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT ON RESERVATION - PART II

2008-06-05T12:42:00.002+05:30

In Part I, I presented the summary of the judgment of Hon. chief justice .Balakrishnan. In this part II, I give gist of the judgment pronounced by Hon. Justice Dr.Paschayat, who delivered the judgment on his behalf and also on behalf of another member of the Bench – Hon. Justice Thakkar.

Hon. Justice Dr.Paschayat agreed with the Chief Justice that as held by the larger Bench in the Indira Sahney case, Constitutional Amendment No.93, inserting sub-clause 5 to Article 15, was not in violation of the Fundamental Rights portions of the Constitution. He also drew support from the earlier larger Bench of the Court in the Indira Sahney case that to begin with, Caste could be the basis. This is because, though poverty was the prime cause for Social and Educational backwardness, caste factor further aggravates the backwardness. Secondly the special treatment relates to a class and not to individuals. Therefore, in his opinion, other Backward Castes, as determined by the Commission for the purpose, set up by the Government, in conformity with the recommendations of Supreme Court in the earlier Indira Sahney case, would constitute the socially and educationally backward classes, after the Other Backward castes are ridden of ‘creamy layer’. Including the Creamy layer of the other Backward Castes and the forward castes in the reservation eligibility category would violate Article 15 and 16 of the Constitution as un-equals would be treated as equals. Other backward Castes, cleansed of Creamy layer, alone would become Socially and Educationally backward classes eligible to be treated differently for the purpose of public employment and higher education. However, the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes list, as prepared by the Government, is subject to judicial scrutiny. Wrongful inclusions and exclusions can be challenged by writs.

Justice Paschayat points out that the backward classes need justice, the general classes demand equity and the interest of the State mandates excellence in education and services. Therefore to properly identify the classes that need support, Justice Paschayat suggests that the list of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes is to be reviewed every five years ( Chief Justice Balakrishnan suggested every ten years). To weed out the educationally advanced, Justice Paschayat recommends a cut off minimum educational qualification- University graduation. Chief Justice Balakrishnan did not recommend any cut off qualifications. In the opinion of Justice Dr.Paschayat, the University Graduates are educationally advanced and therefore there need be no reservation at the Post Graduation level.

As a compromise between reservation for socially and educationally backward classes and the need for excellence in Society, a minimum cut off marks - five percent less than the cut off marks for General Candidates should be the minimum requirement for Reserved category Students, Justice Paschayat feels.

Justice Paschayat also said that though running a Private unaided educational institution is a profession and hence is protected by the fundamental rights provisions of the constitution, in as much as no Private Institution has challenged the Constitutional Amendment 93, he is not pronouncing any Order on it.

Thus, while agreeing with the Chief Justice that Constitutional Amendment 93 was legal and that providing reservation of seats for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes after the creamy layer are taken out of the eligibility list, he also suggested a reduced review period of five years, a cut off qualification and a cut off mark of 5 marks lesser than the cut off mark of the general candidates. For the selection of candidates for post graduate courses, no reservation need be done, Hon. Justice Paschayat reiterated.

SUPRME COURT JUDGEMENTS ON RESERVATION - PART I

2008-05-01T10:57:00.006+05:30

The Recent Supreme Court Judgment, upholding the Constitutional validity of making special provisions for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of Citizens in Educational Institutions, has evoked divergent responses. While those who wanted Caste alone should be the criterion in deciding backwardness, find the ‘creamy layer’ concept, irksome and unacceptable, those who are opposed to reservations ‘per se’ feel let down because the Highest Court has accepted the concept of caste based reservations. Neither group have understood some of the implications and salient features of the Judgment and hence I thought I should objectively but briefly explain the judgment in lay terms, though I do not claim any special knowledge. There are in all three judgments delivered separately and therefore I shall deal with them in three Parts. I start with the judgment pronounced by Honorable Chief Justice Shri Balakrishnan, in the first part.

The 93rd Constitutional Amendment Act added a new sub-section (5) to Article 15 of the Constitution. This new sub-section empowers the Central Government to frame Rules, providing for special treatment of Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of Citizens in regard to admission in Central Government established or aided educational institutions and also in private institutions with or without Government aid, except Minority Institutions. A group of Petitioners challenged the 93rd Amendment and the subsection (5) of Article 15 that enabled Central Government to frame such Special rules. This challenge was based on the ground that the Constitution Amendment sought to take away the fundamental rights of Citizens, that Caste not to be identified with Class and that those who reached certain levels of education be excluded from the ‘Socially and Educationally Backward Class’ etc. The Petitioners also contended that “Socially and Educationally Back Class of Citizens were not properly identified and that the whole purpose of extending such a benefit had political overtones without any actual sympathy for the socially and educationally backward class of people. It was also contended that running Private Unaided Institutions was a profession as held in the T.M.A. Pai case and that such a profession should not be interfered with by the Government.

Honorable Chief Justice Balakrishnan relied on the earlier Keshavananda Bharati Case, where a larger Bench pronounced that Fundamental rights could be abridged and amended but not abrogated altogether. The Chief Justice added that such amendments and abridgements could be done in pursuing the provisions of Preamble of the Constitution and its Directive Principles, without tinkering with the Basic Structure of the Constitution, As amending or abridging Fundamental Rights was not frowned upon by the Constitution so long as it was not abrogated, the Honorable Chief Justice Balakrishnan brushed aside this objection of the Petitioners.

Coming down to Caste based reservations, Chief Justice Balakrishnan referred to the Indra Sawhney case which followed the Mandal Commission recommendations, where the Court accepted the concept of caste as a beginning point and a determining factor in identifying the Socially and Educationally Backward Classes of Citizens for reservations to employment in governmental institutions, after eliminating the creamy layer. Caste is a homogenous group. It is an association of families which practice the custom of endogamy. In a Caste group, status, occupation and culture have become hereditary. Class is a homogenous unit from the point of view of status and mutual recognition. Backward Caste Commissioners both at the state and central level have avowed that every representation for inclusion in the Socially and Educationally Backward Class has been examined and that a number of castes have been included and also a number of castes have not been accepted. Therefore, the first identifiable group to constitute the eligible class is "Caste".

Honorable Chief Justice explained why Creamy layer should be excluded. Constitution makes special provision for Socially and Educationally Backward Classes and if the Creamy Layers are not excluded from the Other Backward Caste ( OBC), they would continue to be Other Backward Caste only and would not become Socially and Educationally Backward Class. Thus, the injection of the concept of “Exclusion of Creamy Layer’ alone makes the OBC Socially and Educationally backward Class and this concept is an inseparable part of Socially and Educationally Backward Class. While clamouring for deletion of ‘Creamy layer’ concept, the Champions of Reservation have not understood and appreciated this important observation made by the Chief Justice. As one goes up to become a member of the ‘Creamy layer’, one ceases to be a member of the Socially and Educationally backward Class and thus renders himself ineligible for differential treatment. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes are defined separately and they do not form part of Socially and Educationally Backward Class. Therefore, the Creamy Layer concept is not applicable to them. The Creamy Layer also distinguishes the SC and ST from the Socially and Educationally Backward Class. If the Creamy Layer concept is taken away, the Socially and Educationally Backward Class becomes at par with the SC and ST which was not contemplated by the Constitution. Thus, creamy layer is the main instrument in identifying ‘Socially and Educationally Backward Class’. To be included in the Socially and Educationally Backward Class, the eligible Castes need to rid themselves of the Creamy Layer among them. The Chief Justice was emphatic that the inclusion of Creamy Layer would keep the rest in perpetual backwardness.

Central Government’s definition of Creamy Layer, published in 1993, would be the basis for determining Socially and Educationally Backward Classes now. While Constitutional Amendment cannot be challenged except on the ground that the basic structure of the Constitution is altered or that the procedures as laid down in Article No.368 has not been followed; Government’s Notification can be subject to Judicial Review, if any caste is unjustifiably included or excluded. This is because the power to amend the Constitution is a Constitutional Power whereas the Power to make other laws is the Legislative Power. The latter is subject to judicial review whereas the former has to be tested in the Constitution itself.

Honorable Chief Justice Balakrishnan has not pronounced any Judgment on whether Reservation Provision could be extended to Private Unaided Institutions as so far no Educational Institutions have challenged the Provision. In the light of the Chief Justice’s observations and also earlier TMA Pai case, if any Private Educational Institution challenges the provisions of the added sub-section (5), in all probability, the objection would be sustained. In that case, like Minority Institutions, these Private Institutions would also be exempted from the Reservation Provisions. Private unaided Educational Institutions may note this.

Minority Institutions are exempted from the provisions as they are governed by different Regulations.

As Creamy layer status renders a Caste group, ineligible to be member of the Socially and Educationally Backward Class, it is necessary to have periodical review of the status of the Caste group. Honorable Chief Justice suggests a 10 years Review. Thus, after every ten years, a Review would be undertaken to ascertain whether a particular Caste group has reached the creamy layer status and needs to be deleted from the Socially and Educationally backward Group. Similarly, new inclusions in the Socially and Educationally Backward Class also needs scrutiny, may be a judicial scrutiny, before such inclusion. The Chief Justice has categorically pointed out that ’It is the constitutional duty of the Parliament to review such affirmative actions as and when the social conditions require’.

Honorable Chief Justice rejected the submission that 12th standard pass be accepted as the cut off stage for ceasing to be “Educationally Backward” though he has not spelt out as to what should be the cut off stage.

Thus, Social Justice Protagonists should feel happy that Caste has been taken as the basis at the entry point and ‘Merit' per se people should find satisfaction in creamy layer concept and the 10 year review and also derive satisfaction from the fact that the arrangements are not perennial.

I have merely explained in brief, in lay language, the Judgment delivered by the Honorable Chief Justice, wihout allowing the judgement to be coloured by my opinion. I have tried my utmost to use lay language, though at places am compelled to retain the judicial phrases, in order not to loose the essence of the expression.

REVALATIONS ( Nothing new)

2008-04-28T14:33:00.004+05:30

USHA tagged me and here are my revalations:

Last Movie You Saw In A Theater:

It is ages since I saw a movie in Theatre.

What Books are you reading now ?

It is exactly not a Book. I have been reading Supreme Judgments on Reservation. I have finished Chief Justice’s Judgment and am now reading the Judgment of Justice Dr.Paschayat. Justice Dalvir Bhandri’s judgment still remains. Many of the comments in the Newspapers
are made without reading the full judgment and understanding their implications.
Favorite Board Game:
No board games. During earlier years, it was Carom Board.

Favourite Magazine:
No specific favorites. It used to be ‘India Today’ and ‘Business India’.

Favorite Smells:
First rain on hot earth, Jasmine, Musk Perfume.

Favorite Sound:
Emanates from Harmonium

Worst Feeling In The World:
The feeling of guilt - of unintentionally doing a wrong or failure to do the right thing in time, or embarrassing a friend/family member.
What Is The First Thing You Think Of When You Wake?
To mentally list out the pleasant and unpleasant tasks for the day
Favorite Fast Food Place:
Pizza – anywhere.
Future Child's Name:
Too old to have a child now
Finish This Statement. "If I Had A Lot Of Money I'd...
Periodically go for a short trip within India to rejuvenate myself, buy books of choice and CDs of instrumental music.
Do You Drive Fast?
No. I am a defensive driver.
Do You Sleep With A Stuffed Animal?
No.
Storms-Cool Or Scary?
Scary anywhere
What Was Your First Car?
Premier Padmini 1986 model
Favourite drink:
Milk Shake at Badshah’s near Crawford Market, Mumbai
Finish This Statement, "If I Had The Time I Would .....
spend hours in RBI and Supreme Court Websites. Read through the old postings of ‘Ageless Bonding’, again. Refresh my readings of Addison and Steele, Macaulay and A.G.Gardiner.
What Would Be Your Choice of Hair Dye?
Dark black .
Name All The Different Cities/Towns You Have Lived In.
Mumbai, Thiruvananthapuram, Pune, Thane ( Adjoining Mumbai)
Favourite Sport you watch on TV
Cricket
One Nice Thing About The Person who Sent This To You
She is very warm, affectionate; has a flair for writing good literary piece.
What is under your Bed
Innocence.
Would You Like To Be Born As Yourself Again?
Yes.
Morning Person Or Night Owl?
Night Owl. Normally I go to bed at 1 a.m.
Easy Or Sunny Side up
Neither
Favorite Place To Relax:
Gossiping sessions with friends either at home or their places. Reading Magazines or books at Home. Watching selected programmes in TV.
Favorite Pie:
None
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor:
Rasberry.
Of All The People You Tagged This To, Who's Most Likely To Respond first?
I don’t initiate tag. I only respond to tagging.

SAMBU, THE SAGACIOUS

2008-01-31T17:19:00.000+05:30

Curly hair, extremely fair, smiling face, a paunch the weight of which would often slow down his walking pace, small kumkum mark on the forehead proclaiming his religious proclivities, Kumbakonam accent pervading every tip of his tongue, Sambasivam or Sambu as he is affectionately called, has a fine sense of humour and would stand singled out in any group or gathering.

One cannot write about Sambu without recalling numerous anecdotes centering around him. While introducing his friend Vishu, a devote Dinathanthi reader, Sambu would say “Visu was my elder brother’s class mate five years earlier and now my class mate”, without batting an eye lid. If Sambu was asked by his Geography teacher (who always tormented him with questions to test his knowledge), to name nine wild animals in India, he would say ‘seven tigers and two lions’ without even a semblance of smile on his face. Krishnan was a mild young man in the group who often looked upto Sambu for appreciation, though was often brushed aside with brusque remarks. If Krishnan tried to blow of his masculine bravdo, Sambo would cut him to size, stamping him as effeminate in his efforts, whatever that meant.

Sambu had his early education at Native High School in Kumbakonam. The legendary Right Honourable Sreenivasa Shastry was a former student of this School and Sambu had all the pretensions of being a progeny of this wizard of English Words. If Sreenivasa Shastri was the Silver Tongue Orator of India, Solaiappan Street Sambasivan is no less significant. The native wit of Kumbakhonam nurtured continuously by him, reverberated, whenever he spoke.

If any body put on airs and asserted his authority in front of timid employees, Sambu, would tear asunder his mask, strip him to his bones, reduce his size and talk to him on equal terms, puncturing his ego and push him perilously close to his doomsday.

Sambu had an animadversion towards studies and therefore he kept a safe distance from professional examinations and intellectual attainments. Yet, his native wit was sufficient enough to carry him to places and lend him respectability. An hour with Sambu would be an energizing exercise. Youngsters in love and the elderly with enough leisure looked upon him for inspiration. Like Dr.Johnson in the Coffee Club, an army of admirers always awaited him and noted down his words of wisdom.

Sambu’s brother occupied an enviable position in a leading Organisation, but Sambu, circumscribed by his limitations, found solace in satiety. When lost his ‘Single” status, Sambu opted for a transfer to Chennai and to his great dismay realized that there were several his look-alikes. His wild imaginations and spontaneous wit that made up for deficiency in scholarship and his ability to endear himself to onlookers, enabled him to become a professional artist particularly in giving religious discourses.

Sambu continues to stay at Chennai, regaling his friends and followers with his discourses spiced with native wits and half-hearted attempts to convert them to spirituality.

Bulging belly and a slightly bended head, Sambu would always stare at me from the distant Chennai.

LOOKING BACK WITH AMUSEMENT

2008-01-10T16:55:00.000+05:30

The initial spark for writing this small autobiographical piece was provided by Usha Vaidyanathan in one of her Blog post. Having recorded this much earlier, I decided to go on air ( should I use the phrase?) now.

The earliest memory of my life was when I was a little over three years. Elders in the family used to say that children in our neighborhood were inconsolably afraid of me and would keep themselves away from me, should they sighted me, as I had the ill reputation of biting unprovoked, every child I encountered, though there were no warning signs on my back, unlike David Copperfield, alerting the children around me to be beware of my bite. I was also considered to be extremely active and would not hesitate walking for long distances when escorted by elders. The urge to walk long distances remains with me even today. Many of my letters and writings were drafted mentally, during my long, lonely walks.

As our Building was in the neighbourhood of our School, I was admitted to first standard in this neighbourhood school. In those days, there were no kinder garten schools and boys and girls were admitted to first standard on attaining six years. Many younger children, who had nuisance value at home, were also admitted in the school, on exaggerated age. My first teacher was Rao Sir – an old man who would come in dothi draped in the traditional way, cotton coat and a maroon Gandhi cap. I vividly remember how he demonstrated, with the help of a foot- rule, the way Rama broke the bow to win over Seetha. The Head master of the School stayed in our building and this helped me to tell, school-boyish lies to my classmates that the headmaster was my uncle. Ramanathan, a tiny timid boy, was mortally afraid of me because of this myth. Ironically, today it is my basic philosophy that nobody should be afraid of me.

In the building, Rajaram, the second son of Ramudu mama (a classmate of my father) was as close to me as Ramudu mama himself was to my father. Rajaram’s pyjamas would barely extend below his knees. His elder brother was years older to us and we would look at him with awe. His height, muscles and ready wit beckoned us to him. Even today, we cherish his way of looking at things and describing them. Ramu, another vagabond boy in the building was our hero. We would look at him with great enthusiasm as he would narrate the stories of movies he had seen (or pretended to have seen), featuring Chrlie Chaplin, Gope and Yakub, the leading comedians of the day. Ramu would say quite often that he was very good in wrestling and in the same breadth would add that my elder brother was equally good in boxing though I could hardly distinguish between the two modes of fight. Ravi, the only son of a Reserve Bank Officer, was a fine young boy, who later on went to IIT in its early batches. He is some-where at Chennai now. We had one or two other mischievous boys, whose prattles are proverbial in the neighbourhood.

In those days, for 5th standard to 8th standard, one had to go to a school a little away, as the main building of the school, could not accommodate all the students . The other school building was a long shed, consisting of a number of class rooms. If 5th and 6th standard were in one wing, 7th and 8th standard were in the other wing. I used to go to school along with Rajaram, who was two years senior to me. Joseph and Bhaskaran were the two leading sports boys of the school and both of them commanded fierce loyalty among students, as the East Bengal and Mohan Bagan foot ball teams do today. Bhaskaran being the social underdog, many of us extended our arms to Bhaskaran. Polly Umrigar, Hazare and Amarnath provided us inspiration.

When I was in my 5th standard, one day in the afternoon, my aunt’s son Padmanabhan ( we have too many Padmanabhans in our family) came to my class, spoke something to my class teacher and was immediately asked to go home along with me. On reaching home, my, aunt, who was crying, told me amidst her cry that my father had died ( ‘Onga appa chetthupoyachuda’) in Tamil. I was asked to take bath immediately, and I did not know what to do. As I was hardly 10 years old, and having been away from my parents for over six months, the impact of the news was not severe enough to shock me. Two days later, we four – myself, elder brother Padmanabhan, cousin Padmanabhan and my aunt proceeded to Trivandrum. I did’nt realize at that time that I would return back only seven and a half years later, after completing my school. I descended down at Dadar again, barefooted, with a folded dothi and half sleeved shirt seven and a half years later, to pick up the thread, I left behind.

I certainly 'look back with' amusement and not 'Anger'.

POTENTIAL AND PERFORMANCE

2008-01-03T16:13:00.000+05:30

In one of my earlier blogs on ‘Reservation’, I had mentioned that equals were not competing in the various entrance examinations, and that weightage had to be given for potentially meritorious students from not so well reputed colleges and schools.

It is now exhilarating to learn that ‘Oxford University is redefining its admissions policy in an attempt to seek out more academically bright students from poor performing schools and less affluent backgrounds. For the first time, Professors will have detailed information that allows them to compare quality of schools before candidates are offered seats. This is to help them differentiate between students who achieved top grades at strong state schools and those who reached the same level with no such advantage.’ The emphasis is more on ‘educational context rather than on the personal one’ Oxford University is ‘keen not to just look at students’ existing performance, but how they could do over three years’. It also feels that ‘a student who is in an environment with a lot of support will be well prepared’. Where a student has less support, the University wanted to factor that in.

I would place a boy or girl from a rural and less sophisticated institution who scored a high fifty in a competitive examination, above the one from acclaimed institutions like St. Stephens or Loyola, who merely scored sixty, because the former has potential and the latter a mere ‘thus far, no further', syndrome.

In an atmosphere surcharged with clamour for ‘reservation’ and ‘merit seats’, a request for factoring in ‘potential’ may sound to be a voice in the wilderness.

WOMEN DIRECTORS

2007-10-23T16:04:00.001+05:30

A Recent report reveals that among the Fortune 500 Companies, those in which women are generously represented at the Board level have performed well ahead of others and that these Companies have given better returns to the Investors.

And yet, in India, women are not adequately present at the Board level in both Government and Private Companies. In family owned Companies, generally women are relegated to the background. The Ambani women, except the present patriarch, are unknown to the Business world, though one can notice their glamorous presence in some of the social gatherings. Excepting a few, none of the Birla women sit in the Board room of their family run Companies. That Diva of Page 3 tribe, Parmeshwar Godrej, keeps aloof from the family business, though independently she is an Interior Decorator. Anuradha Mahindra may edit a glossy Society magazine but would not be allowed to participate in Mahindra Group Companies’ Board Meetings. A few women, like Indira Nooyi or Naina Lal Kidwai who have reached the pinnacle of glory in the business world, are in Multi National Companies and not in desi ones. A Sulaja Firodia Motwani, an Anu Agha or a Mallika Sreenivasan may be an exception. Similarly a professionally managed Bank like ICICI Bank may have one or two women at the Board level or an Infosys an independent Director Rama Bijapurkar, who is a leading Market Researcher. Perhaps, the Regulator RBI can boast of two women Dy.Governors. During the last 50 years LIC never had a woman as the CEO or Managing director. Except Indian Bank, none of the nationalised Banks could find enough merit in a woman to lead them. In the Insurance Sector, ICICI Prudential alone could find a woman to head them.

Why do we find women at the Board Meetings, an anathema? Should we not explode the various myths about the ability of women that shroud the corporate world? Indian Bank was resurrected from the ruins by its only woman Chairperson Ranjana Kumar and today Indian Bank is among the performing Banks with an enviable NPA. Mallika Sreenivasan, Chanda Kochar and Anu Agha are stalwarts in their own fields. K.K.Birla’s Hindustan Times, which was catering only to the reading needs of Delhi Citizens, today poses challenge to Times of India, in Mumbai itself thanks to the efforts of Mr.Birla’s daughter Shobhana Barthia. Kiran Majumdar has taken Biocon to very great heights. Simeone Tata, Ratan Tata’s step mother, was totally identified with ‘Lakme’. Another myth was that women could be easily browbeaten by militant Trade Unions. Mallika Sreenivasan and Ranjana Kumar thrived where militant trade unions had always their sway. With liberalized set up and decent wage level, any competent woman can effectively handle the situation and grow well. Family run organizations have illogical preference for sons, though very often struggle among siblings has lead to disintegration. The Sheths, Bajajs and Ambanis bear testimony to this, though the Ambanis, after the separation, have grown in strength.

Another myth is that at the Board level, one needs vision and not mere skills or dexterity and that women lack vision. What a travesty of Truth! Given an opportunity, women at the helm of affairs can do wonders. Ever since she took charge, Indira Nooyi has been constantly innovating in Pepsi, changing business models or product modules and with commendable success. Women have motherly instinct to coddle and yet can be tough if the situation warrants tough handling.

And finally, they say, Mrs. Indira Gandhi was the only man in the Cabinet. Perhaps, many of the potential women directors would demonstrate that they alone matter and that they would not be dwarfed by the tasks ahead. Nurturing a baby or an Organisation, is second nature to them. One wishes, a few years hence, if we get a woman Finance Minister, corporate world would also be dominated by women Directors to the consternation of the present day Corporate Czars.

BOMBAY BANGALOORED

2007-09-10T23:18:00.000+05:30

According to a report in Times of India, the migration of South Indians to Mumbai City, during the past one decade, has come down. This report also attributes the dwindling migration level to the availability of Software and BPO jobs in the entire south and also the automobile hub in Chennai.

A close observation of life around South Indian populated areas like Matunga, bears testimony to the Times of India analysis. A few decades back, young men ( not much of women) fresh from Universities, armed with degrees in Economics or Commerce, and familiarity with typewriting and shorthand would descend in Mumbai for jobs. Pharmaceuticals like Glaxo, Sandoz and Pfizer, engineering giants L & T, Siemens and ABB, MNC Banks Grindlays and Chartered Bank, SBI and RBI in the government Banking sector proved haven for the immigrants. As a large number of them would land without their family, ‘bachelor accommodation’ in one room apartments, was the boon and buildings like Shantinath Bhavan, Mohan Niwas and Paanch buildings at Matunga had always been wearing a ‘come hither’ inviting look for the youngsters. Three or four would share a room and toilet. Sleeping on the floor was certainly not a taboo.

Between 8 to 9.30 a.m. one could see an army of youngsters in their twenties and early thirties, wearing Tinopal starched white pants and shirts, with shining black shoes and matching black belts ( brown was looked down upon as oddity) and Brassoed buckles, in platform no.4 of Matunga Station, anxiously looking for the trains and the girls in their mind. At 6 p.m., descending from the train at Matunga, scores would cross the road to have hot filter coffee with a small bite at Sharada Bhavan, opposite Matunga Station.

Two meals per day were available at Concerns and Society with concessions. If the Tamil Nadu boys were Concerns loyalists, Palakkadians would not stir out of society. Lesser mortals would drift to the nearby Trichur Mess or Rao Mess. Trichur Mess could also command the loyalty of young Keralites, who were yet to dream about their days in the Gulf.

If a bow before Bhajan Samaj or an eye shut in front of Asthik Samaj, proclaimed the prospects of a prophet, attendance in monthly musical concert at Shanmukhananda or the annual drama series of an R.S.Manoharor and Cho would under-line their fetish for fine art. Tamil movies in Aurora and Rivoli Theatres relieved them of their tedium during week ends.

Dabbling in politics was certainly not discouraged. M.Madhavan, who ascended the hierarchy and became Mumbai’s mayor, when asked about his political leanings, would say without batting an eye-lid that he was neither a leftist, nor a rightist, but a typist. A Kamala Raman could become a Congress MLA and a Dr.Subramanyam graduated from being a bureaucrat to a Minister in the state cabinet.

Today, even in the dense Matunga, platform No.4 looks deserted. No fast trains would stop as white pants and white shirts with black shoes would not be visible at the station. Mamas and mamis, who would lend their tiny rooms even for truant boys, have disappeared in the distant suburbs, surrendering their Matunga mansions to monied marwaris. Blooming BPOs back at home, in distant south, regional aspirations energized by political clamour, liberalization and the linked VRS schemes with resultant reduction in public and private sector jobs have dissuaded the potential migrants. Udipi restaurants have usurped the place and Concerns and Society, struggle to survive. Sharada Bhavan is an apology for the older version. Though Aurora recently boasted of screening ''Shivaji", even the remnants of Rivoli do not remain now. In politics, dynasties have started asserting themselves and plebeians have no place. Pharmaceuticals have yielded place to Malls, Multiplexes and multi-storied residences. Only the highly skillful can find entrty in L & T, and a mere graduate has to contend himself with a call centre or a BPO. A few middled aged lakhs have lost their jobs and also in their place few thousands younger generation found fresh employment.

Perhaps, old timers may lament ‘ Bombay has been Bangaloored now’.

LIFE IN LOCALS

2007-07-13T15:32:00.000+05:30

If controlling breath is ‘Pranayama’, any Mumbai man practices it daily, as very often suffocation slows down his breath. If twisting the limbs, towards unintended direction is Yoga, every Mumbaikar is a Yogi incarnate. If being insensitive to or inability to respond to the onslaught of sensuous objects (having been rendered immune due to constant exposures), is following the teachings of Gita, every Mumbaikar is a Geeta follower and is governed by its tenets. It is the daily travel in the local trains, the lifeline of Mumbai, as the oft repeated trite goes, which makes an average man a Yogi, a true follower of Gita and a Pranayama practitioner.

It is said that an average Mumbay man, if he is not found in his home or his workplace, can be effortlessly traced in the local train, between Churchgate and Virar or Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and Karjat, solving the crossword puzzle or Sudoku in Midday or Mumbai Mirror or intently reading the bold lettered Hanuman Chalisa or animatedly discussing with an unknown neighbour in the fourth seat, asto why Sachin had slowed down after his tennis elbow or Ganguli pretended to have one.

The suburban trains never sleep, save, two hours a day. In the early morning trains, one could see, yawning vegetable vendors struggling to sit, as they are not yet out of sleep, or the somnambulists changing seats or those with hangovers, snoring triumphantly or at times inching up from their outstretched postures, oblivious of the surroundings or the devote ones, with besmeared foreheads, bending through or repeating Vishnu Sahasharanama as a morning ritual or for salvation or simply meditating away from this mundane world.

The first shift battalions, from Dombivli or Borivli, would glance through their half-opened eyes, the day’s news from Times of India or Maharashtra Times with an expressionless face. An hour passes and one could hear a Sankara Narayana Iyer or a Shrikant Sawant, singing Saibaba Bhajans in ‘full throated ease’, to the accompaniment of rhythmic beating of the benches or window-panes. A group of Palghat Iyers would be playing 56 even while talking about Bhagwat Sevai at Brindavan Society on Saturday night. Yuppies of ICICI Bank or Merryl Lynch, with folded ties in their pockets, immersed in economic times, or ‘Who Moved My Cheese’ for a change, would occasionally respond to their distant cousins, on cell phones, pulled out of their shirt pockets. College students, with bent backs, loaded bags and rolled back Jeans, would talk about John Abraham’s jaunts, Dhoni’s drives, how difficult ‘Mechanics’ is or why Leena was on leave the day before. .

At 10.30 the Masjid/Marine Lines market groups would enter with a boisterous noise, recalling their tete-a-tete with Harshad Mehta or Ketan Parikh years ago. These market- driven forces would talk only about Market and its health. Whether Satyam has slowed down or Infosys still reigns supreme and HDFC’s plans alone would be the focussed topic. These Gujubhais are constantly haunted by other two great bhais – one built the Reliance empire from the scratch and whom they adore as their role model and the other deprive the monied ones of their sleep through constant threats.

While the trains, bulging and almost breaking at the seam, are on the move, enthusiastic young boys, inspired by girls in the trains on the next track, would summon all their adventurous spirits, stretch their legs precariously, holding on to the handle of the doors or run on the roof top, risking their limbs, lives and the girls in their mind. If these juvenile jaunts take one’s breathe away, through mere stench and the threats of staining the shirts by oozing out liquids, the fish vendors, carrying their Sassoon Docks catch, would manoeuvre their way and mock at the swarming multitudes.

8.33 and 5.37 are significant numbers for an average office goer. These are train timings for the onward and return journeys. If one misses the train, it would be considered a cardinal sin and the Heavens would certainly fall and the evil effect no amount of confessions can mitigate. The afternoon trains are less privileged ones, carrying only housewives visiting their dear ones or on a shopping spree for the ‘seconds’, college girls returning home from classes, or men in their early seventies, visiting the city for pension related matters, or a look in the library for a book and also for a little nap, denied at home or just to exchange pleasantries with colleagues of yesteryears.

In the evening, the tired looking groups would recall their day’s adventure and eagerly look forward for the TV serials or tournaments and plan for the morrow. Topic of the day like Mike Tyson’s mighty fall or Ronaldinho’s mightier goal would be analysed threadbare till they reach their destination. If it is tiffin boxes and ‘Times” in the morning, now it would be a bag full of brinjals bought at Bora Bazar Street at bargain prices. Ladies from SBI and RBI, with cello tapes and Cello Pens, selected on the way, for their sixth standard sons, would share their experience in the Six O clock Ladies’ Special. After seven, the Kutchies of Ghatkopar and Mulund, Malad and Kandivli would try to corner the group seats, by returning back from Masjid or Marine Lines to play a game of cards or just to gossip away their time punctuated with savoring hot Samosas. After ten, it is the time of the tipsy, who would carass each other with cared for affection or would offer advices in high- pitched tones, unasked for, like a preacher on the pulpit, on the evils of drinking.

The man who jumps into the train first, before it commences its journey, is the ‘Monarch of all he surveys’ and would strive to stumble upon the window seat, and should he succeed, would feel elated as if he has won Wimbledon. Even though the travellers vie with one another for a vantage seat, the travel itself has uncodified regulations. If the capacity is three passengers per unit, atleast in the second class the fourth one would be accommodated, irrespective of size, age and look – a gesture too generous for the stiff upper lip first class category that are constantly conscious of the fact that they pay four times more.

Even while they profusely sweat, with all means of fresh air entering the compartment blocked by the swarming crowd, yet the ‘milk of human kindness’ flows freely during the journey. Watering down the hiccups, fanning the fatigues, providing room for the sick to stretch, caring for the aged, being chivalrous to the ladies, offering lollipops, if not singing lullaby, to the infants, one can find aplenty. Travel in the Mumbai local trains signify that life moves on.

MATUNGA - THE MALGUDI IN MUMBAI

2007-06-21T14:36:00.000+05:30

Matunga, like Malgudi, has an ethnic charm. A sanctified citadel of the Tamils, it has the blemish-less blending of the cultures of Palakkad, Thanjavur and Tirunelveli at their brilliant best.

The SIES High School, like Albert Mission High School in Malgudi, is an essential part of life at Matunga. Traditional turban, immaculately white tucked up dothi draped with a knee long cotton coat demanding reverence, a stern look penetrating through the button-holes of half pant clad boys who stride the steps to their class room in silence, a mere appearance that instilled discipline even among the delinquent, Muthuswsamy Iyer, the trade mark teacher of the school, who later became headmaster, dominated the scene. If SIES could produce a Kasturi Rangan who launched Satellites for India, the foundation could be traced to Muthuswamy Iyer’s magic in mathematics. Muthuswamy Iyer firmly believed, like the Rugby School teachers in England, that flogging was the only facilitator of studies and that a cane tucked under the armpit alone could tame tall boys in their teens that teased timid ones. ‘Swamis’, who stepped out of SIES are now scattered everywhere- providing software solutions at Silicon Valley to back office support in BPOs of Bangalore, Gurgaon and elsewhere.

While Telang Road with Bajan Samaj and Bhandarkar Road with Asthik Samaj constantly remind and raise mortals of Matunga to the skies by stressing the relevance of life hereafter, ‘Concerns’ and ‘The Society” opposite, with Trichur Mess and Rao Mess from the sidelines, by pampering to the palates of the ‘singles’, bring angels down. Thursdays would be eagerly looked for at ‘Concerns’ for ‘Onion Sambar’ and ‘Potato Kara kari’ though a few faithful would fast, dedicating the day to Bhagwan Saibaba. Palakkad boys would not budge an inch from “Sociey’, tantalizing ‘Concerns’ opposite, notwithstanding.

UDIPI Restaurants, which have taken over eateries everywhere today, had their humble origin at Matunga decades earlier. Four feet nothing, bald headed, clad in white cotton dothi- kurtha, with a black bag and brisk walk, Rama Nayak laid the foundation for the first Udipi Restaurant in Matunga. Mysore Cafes and Madras Cafes, weaned away customers from ‘Concerns’ and ‘Society”, leaving them to lick their wounds. While bucketful of Sambar have shrunken in size to palm like cups, plantain leaves have yielded place to plates, like white flannels to coloured corduroys.

A stroll along the Station Road towards Dadar amidst thick trees, sprawling ground full of budding cricketers holding bats and turning balls and the resplendent Ruia and Podar Colleges, perhaps would provide a parallel to Oxford with its tall trees, Colleges with green lawns and come hither looks and avenues for long walks. If Sunil Gavaskar learnt his tennis ball cricket in the by-lanes of Hindu Colony, Farookh Engineer and Ajit Wadekar perfected their games while playing for Podar and Ruia Colleges and enhanced their excellence.

The promenade from Post Office to Bhajan Samaj, is full of fragrance, of jasmine, rose, sandal and tulsi as a row of flower shops would decorate the scene. If the ‘adepts’ prepare a garland or a bouquet in minutes, even while gossiping, the young recruits from Tamil Nadu, not yet free from Dravidian Politics, nostalgically talk about their days in “Nanguneri”, recalling scenes from a MGR movie, even while sorting out flowers, size-wise.

In the evening, ‘Vadhyars’of Mumbai would unite at Matunga, exchanging notes on the programmes for the morrow- may be a Shraddha at Shraddanand Road, a Birthday at Brahmanwada, a marriage at Malad or Mulund or a funeral at Flank Road. Assignments would be allocated area wise, looking into age, levels of learning, degree of dependence and ability to command respect and demand ‘dakshinai’. Subalterns for the ceremonies and cooks on contract would be available for the asking. In the compound of ‘Concerns’, Tamil Nadu Politics, T.N.Seshan’s antics and T.N.Krishnan’s “Thani” in the musical concerts of yore would be discussed threadbare even while lamenting about the declining standards of “vettakuzambhu’ every where.

Earning young men, yet to be married, found their haven in shared single rooms at Mohan Niwas, Manu Mahal or Mahavir Building. A stint in one of those buildings would sensitize the ‘single’ to any surroundings in Mumbai. Once married, the ties with Matunga would be severed, save an occasional visit to the temples, marriage receptions or Vadhyar joints in a nostalgic jaunt.

If the religiously Inclined had literature aplenty at “Giri Trading”, betel leaves and scented tobacco would be provided by Nataraja Pillai, to the lots from Thanjavur and Kumbakonam, who throng the shop. Only at Matunga, one could see Bhaiyas’ selling vegetables, blurting out words in Tamil, while soliciting Mamis to look at their wares. “Nairs”, networking in “Naadan” bananas, would refuse to bargain, hurling abuses on mere onlookers who had no intention to buy, casting aside ‘customer is the King’ concept. Chips of every variety, Cheedai and Thattai would seduce us, sitting in a row in front of Venkateswara Stores. Mamas in ‘Mundus’ and Mamis in ‘Madisaars’(nine yards saree), would walk in their majestic way, making Matunga a Ranganathan Street look-alike.

If ‘Malgudi” had an ‘English Teacher”, the footpath opposite Kings circle Garden often boasts of collection of books, ranging from first edition of Indian Contract Act to Shoba De’s ‘Selective Memory’. Mamas of Matunga could be seen, bending their backs, trying to sort out ‘Bhendis’, breaking the edges, swallowing abuses in their stride at the vegetable Bazaar and trying to decipher the scribbled pencil comments on a Ben Jonson Classic, at the footpath bookstall.

Matunga is in metamorphosis now. ‘Marwaris’ with their millions, have taken over the tiny rooms of the tamilians, driving them away to Brindavan Society or the yonder Yogi Hills. The unmarried ones have lost their haven, looking out for H1 Visa or HDFC aided houses in the distant suburbs. Colleges and scattered books, SIES and Indian Gymkhana, remain, resurrecting themselves from the ruins, looking for ‘old familiar faces’.

GARRULOUS GANESHAN

2007-05-09T18:02:00.000+05:30

Short stature, square countenance, a large kumkum mark decorating his forehead, thick growth of white beard, holding onto the chin as the infant monkeys hold on to their mothers’ bellies, a stern looking face that conceals the subdued smile, sleeved shirt tucked inside the pant or the occasional imported jeans, Ganeshan at Pune would greet any new face with an offering of a chocolate.

Ganeshan is gifted with words, covering the entire gamut in the globe, at times with no grammar to govern them. What his thought processes lack, the supply of words, uninhibited by rules of grammar, would supplement them. Thus, he could talk about his Peth’s richness and internal audit’s limitations with equal ease. If he is on back slapping intimacy with the high priests of Satara’s Natraj temple, every Gounder in Coimbatore’s Avinashi Road would trace nostalgically Ganeshan’s days of gay abandon in their group. Every electric pole in his Peth can tell Ganeshan’s tales in greater detail than an inquisitive one would care to hear about. Even if one lives in a cloister for a few days at Pune, one cannot escape hearing about Ganeshan and his exploits. With his endearing qualities, Ganeshan constantly enlarges his circle of friends in Pune.

To renew one’s ration card or to rent a house, Ganeshan would lend his services smilingly. College admission to punishment remission, Ganeshan’s help would be sought after with confidence of success. Priests to perform Yagna to propitiate Gods and Almanac to identify the days for celebrating rituals, Ganeshan can arrange unasked for. Ganeshan’s diary abounds with data on cooks for preparing feasts and girls with ‘looks’ for marriages. Running errand and reforming errant boys are as natural as morning constitutional to him.
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When Ganeshan addresses an audience from the stage, like a vehicle bereft of brake, only an obstruction on the way alone can stop him. He refuses to accept the theory that ‘brevity is the soul of wit’. He honestly believes that wit can be at its best, if words in plenty are made available, even if they do not add value to the sense. After all one always identifies prosperity with plenty. A slightest pretext is sufficient enough to snatch the mike and start his monotones. He is equally at ease in his homilies, be it a farewell for a colleague or a funeral dirge of a neighbour.

Inhibition and self-consciousness, the bane of progress in any man, are alien to him. Ganeshan would engage himself in conversation with anybody, be he one who looks down upon him as a lowly creature needing to be crushed or look upon him with veneration and awe, wondering at his sagacity. Ganeshan’s charm helps the distant becoming familiar and the indifferent to enter the circle of intimacy.

Ganeshan, as the name suggests, inspires one to spiritual inclinations too. His morning hours are spent in performing Pujas or in immersing himself in identifying with the Immortal Soul. Yet, the meek in this mundane world are not cast aside and Ganeshan’s benign nature would beckon them for soothing words if not for serving their needs.

Often Ganeshan is generous to a fault. His large house provides asylum to many a new comer to Pune City, till they seek and secure shelters of their own. On the eve of his retirement, he arranged a get together when piles of steaming Idlies in large stainless steel boxes and Medhuvada in equally large containers with Sambar and chutney sufficient enough to drown them (elsewhere they are not even drenched) were served to the delight of his colleagues. Ganeshan’s home is like an ‘Aunty’s Inn’, where old timers of Pune frequent to exchange views over tantalizing tiffins and steaming cups of coffee, to improve upon the conditions of the Peth Residents. New comers seek and secure support for their sustenance and for furthering their prospects.

As all his children are abroad now, Ganeshan is under the grip of wanderlust and he travels to Dubai and Dulles as one travels between Pune and Mumbai -instant decision with no elaborate preparations and one fails to remember the frequencies.

Even after his retirement, Ganeshan’s altruistic mission continues. He constantly strives to bring cheers to the sagging morale of Pune’s pensioners by organizing meetings, ensuring that their dues are disbursed in time, calling on them frequently, consoling and comforting the aggrieved and sharing time with the relaxed ones.

Men like Ganeshan, like spices in food, provide fragrance and add to the taste when taken in moderation and their absence make one feel averse towards life. May his ilk continue to inspire us.

YEARNING AND EXPERIENCE

2007-04-27T16:31:00.000+05:30

Just two days back, Economic Times had an article on a recent Neurological Study made in US. According to the findings of this study, our craving or yearning for a pleasant experience emanates from one channel of the brain. This craving can be unlimited in its intensity. Actual experience emanates from another channel of the brain and unlike the craving the actual experience has limited capacity. That is the reason very often we find that there is a wide chasm between our desire to have and our ability to experience and this results in unfulfilled desires. Sigmund Freud and the School of Psycho-analysis trace almost all our psychological problems to unfulfilled and suppressed desires. A few thousands years back, Krishna attributed every ill in this world to desires and explained how unfulfilled desires lead to frustration, anger and lack of discrimination. If the ability to have a pleasant experience is limited, the only way to bring the yearnings and experience together is to make the desires or cravings come down to the level of ability to experience. Spiritual leaders of almost all the religions had talked about and continue to talk shunning desires - a strange link between Metaphysics and the Physical sciences.

If our desires and yearnings become less intense, do we cease to be creative? Will the world be deprived of visionaries? Would we become complacent and laid back attitude become our leitmotif? The answer is an emphatic no. If we are conscious of the fact that yearnings and experience belong to two different channels of the brain with different degrees of intensity, it would become easier to sublimate and not suppress our desires. Suppression, like the Recycle bin, store the desires in a remote corner of the memory with disastrous conseaquences. Sublimation finds expression elsewhere.

All of sudden, the crude Tamil proverb ‘Kazhuthai Kamam katthiye theerum’ ( the libido of the ass finds expression in its brailing ) seems to be meaningful indeed.

SCIENTISTS AND PHILOSOPHERS

2007-04-12T13:53:00.000+05:30

Will Durant, the celebrated Historian and Philosopher, once made a classic distinction between a Scientist and a Philosopher. “A Scientist”, says Will Durant, “is one who knows more and more about less and less things and a Philosopher, less and less about more and more things”. From the plethora of information that we gather, through the Internet, thanks to the powerful search engines, many of us need to be classified as Philosophers with a few exceptions, who would qualify to be scientists. A visit to some of the Blogs would bear me out.

Through out the whole of last century, with the possible exception of the last one or two decades, the Indian Administrative Service cadre officers, who all fall undoubtedly under the umbrella of Durant’s ‘Philosopher’, had been at the helm of affairs in Administration and with the placing of Public Sector at the ‘commanding height of economy’, they were also guiding the destiny of a large number of our corporations. Only a few great scientists like Homi Babha, Vikhram Sarabhai , Prof. M.G.K.Menon and M.S.Swaminathan were heading Institutions. In the Financial Sector, perhaps Dr.I.G.Patel and Dr.Manmohan Singh, highly trained economists of International repute, had headed Reserve Bank of India. Thus, with the exception of a few institutions, Defence Services and judiciary, almost everywhere, Philosophers were the guiding force. If we look at the genesis of these generalist officers, we would find that many of them had offered History or Literature as the optional paper in their IAS examinations. Only a few can boast that they opted for Mathematics. And yet, many of them being sharp and the quality of training imparted to them being of the highest quality,' whatever they touched, they adorned'. Like the 'Aasthana Vidvans of All India Radio', they were ideal for stop gap arrangement, till a truely professional one was located. At the same time, if a qualified Scientist or technocrat is given an opportunity in his/her area of specialization, to innovate and to improve upon, he/she certainly can also do wonders. E.Sridharan of Konkan Railway and Delhi Metro has displayed many engineering marvels. A travel through Konkan Railway would bear testimony to this – an example of a ‘Scientist’ scoring over a ‘Philosopher’. It would be of some relevance to mention that T.N.Seshan and E.Sridharan were college mates at the Intrmediate level, and whereas one became a successful technocrat, the other, an highly acclaimed government official.

Since the last two decades of 20th century, technocrats, particularly in the software sector, have been demonstrating what specialized skills can deliver. The top four Companies in the software sector, employ more people than the two financial sector giants - State Bank of India & LIC. They have conquered and assimilated alien culture, understood the intricacies of the economy at the international level and perfected the art of comprehending the commercial needs and delivering in time to customers around the Globe. Reliance ceased to be a mere textile manufacturer and is today one of the world leaders in Petroleum products and organic chemicals, and Mukesh Ambani being a Chemical Engineer from an institute of repute in Mumbai, has no less significant contribution in this.
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At the same time, we also see the emergence of Philosophers again in a different disguise. Like the top notch ICS/IAS Officers of yester years, MBAs today lead the corporate world. Many of the IIM alumni have an engineering degree from one of the IITs, or BITS Pilani/Regional engineering Colleges as their first degree and generally being outstanding students, switching over from designing a product to designing a delivery system comes to them naturally, with a wealth of case studies as their main support systems. They gain domain knowledge in their areas of operations and display excellence in realizing their objectives – Philosophers in scientific pursuits, perhaps. What more, apart from employing the MBAs, many corporate pursue retired Senior Public Sector and Government Officials to head their various units. This morning’s newspapers say that the present Finance Secretary, who would be retiring by the end of this month, has already been sounded by Hyundai Motors to enter its precinct as its President, immediately thereafter. The quest for the 'know it all' continues.

Plato in his Ideal Republic wanted Kings to be Philosophers or Philosophers to become Kings. Today we have Philosophers heading the corporate and some of our Ministers, if not Monarchs, are Philosophers in the sense Will Durant described them.

Though I belong to the breed of 'less and less about more and more things', I always feel that in this country, expertise in any field is less accepted than the generalised gloss over.

I AM TAGGED

2007-04-03T12:47:00.000+05:30

Hipgrandma has tagged me and here are my answers to the questions:

Three things I like to do

To read a collection of well written essays, even while munching crisp ribbon pakoda or omappodi, with soft instrumental music in the background.

To go for a long walk, with a well chosen friend in a pleasant climate.

To visit old friends or elderly relatives and renew/ensure continuity of contacts.

Three things I hate to do

To stand in a long queue for paperwork.

To participate in rituals in a huge crowd and be conspicuous.

To flatter the undeserving or punish the innocent.

Three people whom I would like to meet

Swami Vivekananda

Thiruvalluvar

George Bernard Shaw

Three things I long to have

Ability to recall and forget any event.

Clean environment

The writing style of an A.G.Gardiner or a Lytton Strachy and the subtle humour of R.K. Narayan.

Tthings that make me glad

Honest and pleasant people at the helm of affairs everywhere

Friendly relations with our neighbours ( applies to families and the country as a whole).

To read R.K.Lakshman’s fresh cartoon in the morning

Three things that make me sad:

To see an old man or woman, living alone, not being supported by family.

When a well intentioned act is misunderstood by the beneficiaries..

When a good and well to do family, is reduced to poverty because of circumstances.

Three things I like to dream about

The triumph of Truth everywhere ( Satyameva Jayathe coming to Reality).

Scientists finding cure to every dreadful disease

Best citizen in every locality representing us in our legislatures and Parliament

Three things that need to be stopped

Corporal punishment in schools ( still widely prevalent in many schools).

Exploitation of women in the flesh trade, mainly by other women

Criminals, religious extremists, pseudo secularists and castists entering politics

Three people I like to tag

I find it rather embarrassing to tag fellow bloggers, though I am willing to submit myself whenever I am tagged.

SANKARA IYER - THE ESOTERIC SWEET MAKER

2007-03-26T17:07:00.000+05:30

Jhangiri (its crudest form is Jalabi in the north) is the King of sweets in South. Though Halwa poses a tough challenge, as it has different varieties and tolerant limits, Jhangiri reigns supreme. Daughters-in-law, young mothers and even mothers –in-law in the making look at it with awe. Only well matured mothers-in-law and well experienced cooks alone have the temerity to go a little beyond tasting it. Its preparation needs a reading of Tom Peters treatise on Excellence. In their attempts to prepare Jhangiri, lesser mortals were often left to lament.

Jhangiri enjoys a social status in the south. For the man who is adept at preparing Jhangiri, Mysore Pak or Laddu is too primitive, like a club player to a World Cup wonder. As Jhangiri is generally served on arrival of the bridegroom’s party at the marriage hall on the eve of the marriage in Tamilian marriages, its quality can make or mar a marriage. What more, mere absence of Jhangiri in a marriage, mellows down the merriment. If the Jhangiri is a little pliable, the groom’s granny in her nineties would start grumbling. If it is too crisp, his young aunt would resort to her taunts. If it is too sweet, the diabetic brigade ( I am an humble soldier in this brigade) would start its diatribe and if the level of sugar is low, it would be relegated to the last serve – to the servants, the uninitiated, the uninvited and those who have lost the power of the palate.

Late Shri V.K.Krishna Menon once said that ‘a genius is one who simplifies complex issues and a mediocre man complicates simple ones.’ If preparing a high quality Jhangiri is a complex process, Sankara Iyer was certainly a genius, in that he excelled in simplifying the preparation of Jhangiri, without compromising on quality. ‘An acceptable Jhangiri should not be too crispy like Chakkili nor too pliable like Halwa; neither too reddish nor too yellowish; should have been well soaked in frying media, and yet should not ooze with them; must have absorbed enough jeera mix; sweet enough to be classified as such with a shelf life of about a week to ten days’- these are Sankara Iyer’s prescriptions for perfection in the preparation of Jhangiri.

Sankara Iyer’s wife would constantly grind soaked ulud dal in the traditional stone grinder and ensure uninterrupted supply of the dough when Sankara Iyer would concentrate on the other processes. In Sankara Iyer’s opinion, a good quality oil/vanaspati alone provides the platform for frying Jhangiri as ghee would add rubberish elasticity and reduce shelf life. A very onerous task is soaking in the Jeerah mix; in fact this would decide as to whether the label Jhangiri is rightly fitting or not. Many an experienced hands cannot cross this hurdle and go beyond. A failed Jhangiri has no salvage value nor can it serve as a raw material for another sweet and hence one has to be extra careful in preparing Jhangiri.

The secret of Sankara Iyer’s success was that he was obsessed with quality whether for home consumption or otherwise. His mixing the ingredients was immaculate. He was perfect, like a Tendulkar stroke ( of yester years) in timing. You allow it to fry a little longer, Jhangiri can jeopardise your career in cooking. If Jeerah mix is juxtaposed, a jail term would be a milder punishment. If the grinding of ulud dal is not constant, one can forget Jhangiri in the same instant.

To have prepared Jhangiri for Diwali is certainly a milestone for any married woman. But it needs rigors of training and artistic skill to come out successful. Sankara Iyer spent years of training in hotels of every description and interacted with experts of every degree and experimented with combinations of every kind. But even Sankara Iyer’s children could become only the connoisseurs of culinary art and impassioned critics. They failed to become a creative artist like their genius father.

One may sound a little chaunistic, if one calls the Jalebi of the north, as the poor country cousin of the Jhangiri. Jalebi is gaudi in colour, garish in appearance and in comparison to Jhangiri, unrefined in taste. It is too crispy and cannot even play second fiddle to Jhangiri. Whereas pride of place is given to Jhangiri in the south, Jhalebi is a commoner, as one can smell Jalebi, when being fried in street corners and everybody has access to it even when being dressed up. Jhangiri, like a traditional housewife, retains her grace, never crosses the threshold and street corner is certainly a taboo.

If the maker of an excellent Jhangiri is a creative genius, an impassioned critic is no less artistic. It requires almost all the artistic skills of a Sankara Iyer to rate the quality of a Jhangiri and rank it appropriately, or relegate it to the piles of glorified Jalebis.

And finally, Jhangiri is majestic, and enjoys a pride of place and social grace. Men like Sankara Iyer has taken it to dizzy heights – an esoteric sweet maker indeed.

PUNE PANORAMA

2007-03-21T13:25:00.000+05:30

Having spent four years at Pune between 1997 to 2001, I try to relive those memorable years and recollect what I saw around me.

Sunil Gavaskar once said that he always preferred to be a vice -captain rather than the captain. Vice captain can share almost all the glories minus the responsibilities of the captain. Pune City is like a vice -captain. It basks in the glory, yet, is bereft of responsibilities of the capital. It is almost touching the distant suburbs of Mumbai and enjoys its modern facilities and yet is far away from its high speed and almost indifferent, if not irreverent attitude towards life. Pune is not swarmed with the busy bees of Mantralaya nor does it cater to the whims of the Netas, save the local ones. Quintessential pursuit of excellence and not court intrigues permeates its atmosphere.

Pune has a panoramic appeal. Once a city of cycles, now its roads are full of automated two wheelers, leaving no room for pedestrians to move about. In Chennai, if one tries to cross the road, in a little reverie, not looking at the speeding vehicles, auto rickshaw drivers will hurl choicest epithets in a strange language ( though they claim it to be Tamil) forcing one to put down his head in penitence, as if he/she has been sent to gallows for a grave offence. Not in Pune. One could cross wherever and whenever one chooses to; speeding drivers would slow down and manoeuvre their way, may be with a little smile, admiring the offender’s alacrity and audacity. Puneites have regulated aspirations. From bicycle to Bajaj Kawasaki or Kinetic Honda, and then to the local Telco made Indica with a Maruti for a change and the descendants of Peshwas’s life ambitions are fulfilled.

One starts the day with a brisk morning walk in the University campus for an hour, amidst thick trees, listening to the enthralling music of chirping birds, meeting Army colonels, in their shorts and canes, Professors mentally preparing the day’s lectures, Narlikars in the making recollecting the attributes of the nocturnal Nakshatras and the Pole Star in the North, software techies dreaming to become Dr. Narayana Murthy, who chased his sweet heart in the by lanes of Jungli Maharaj Road, before making it big at Bangalore and obese ladies oozing out sweat, on the way. Even in the hottest summer, the Sun would not go above 20 degrees in the morning, though it would be an oppressive 40 plus in the midday.

Shivajinagar is the citadel of upper class Maharashtrian culture. Bhaves and Barves would brush shoulders with Phadkes and Aptes. Equally at ease in Sanskrit and Mathematics, there is no wonder every street corner boasts of producing a Bhandarkar, Tilak or Wrangler Paranjpe. A leisurely walk in the evening at Fergusson College Road among Book stalls, British Council, Udipi Restaurants and the Majestic Fergusson College itself would inject fresh spirit to any sagging morale and one would start counting his Blessings. In contrast, the narrow Peths in the old city with dilapidated houses, congested streets, cacophonous sounds and disorderly scenes, though robe Pune with rich history they rob it off its spaciousness and freshness. Yet, Pune without its Peths, is like Mumbai without its chawls – the soul that provide them sustenance and significance.

East Street in Pune has an instant appeal to any visitor and the locals. Kayani Restaurant with its freshly baked cakes and Shrewsbury Biscuits would tantalise us and one could see, at times, a serpentine queue to pick and carry home a pack from Kayanis and spread the message in gossip sessions. Unlike Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken, who woo their customers before winning over them, Kayanis draw the crowd into their den. If Punaikars perform Satyanarayan Puja in every street corner for spiritual solace, it is Lakshminarayan chivda for munching in ‘spirited parties’. When Mumbaikars are mesmerized by Mama Kane, the progenies of Peshwas in Pune are swirled and swayed by Chitale Bandhu, who bond them with their Bakarwadis.

Being the head quarters of the armed forces, Pune is littered with Cantonments – at Dehu Road, Kirkee and in the eastern parts of the city. The orderliness of the Cantonments fails to appeal to one, brought up in civilian chaos. Pune can boast of more number of retired ‘Services” Officers than any other city. After all the Mavlas had all the military might. If NDA provides promising Services Officers, the AFMC has supplies aplenty of Medical Corps.

The number of educational institutions and the University itself make Pune the Oxford of the East. One could bump into Mashalkars in the making in the vicinity of National Chemical Laboratories, or a Narlikar type Astro Physicist at the gates of Chandrasekhar Auditorium in the University campus or a potential Mahamahobadhyaya poring over ancient and almost brittle texts in the Bhandarkar Institute. Aspiring artists, with Amitabh Bacchan as their role model, do penance and find solace in the Film Institute, failing which, do research in the Film Archives, opposite. If Pune is prima donna in quality education, it does not lag behind in selling seats for cents. If in July-August it is monsoon in Mumbai, it rains currency notes for college seats in Pune Streets.

Hinjewadi is gradually becoming the Silicon Valley of Deccan. Soon a Bill Gate would emerge from ‘Swargate’. When others add to their calories by eating ‘gharam pakoras, ’ Pune ennobles and embellishes itself with "Param”. A long walk in the camp area amidst shopping arcades, while reminding one of Champ De Elyssy, would also make Brigade Road of Bangalore blush and pink with envy.

If Puneites pride themselves on the Pune-Mumbai regular Deccan Queen, Mumbai in turn flaunts Indrani and Intercity Express. The regular travellers spend a major part of their life outside business in these trains and hence the travel tells stories of passengers. Over cups of tea, strangers would exchange notes on topics from the efficacy of yogic exercises to the size of the spoon for turmeric powder. If the young ones would exchange glances, parents would try to match the horoscopes and grandmas would trace the maiden names of their third cousins.

If Mumbaikars are lavish in their life style, thrift is the treading path for Puneites. Though one occasionally encounters vulgar display of wealth, Puneites are puritanical in their approach. Yet, during Ganesh Puja festival, groups vie with one another to display their resources. Though some of the Peshwas led a prodigal life, their descendants, well matured, lead a refined life following Wordsworth’s ‘Simple living and High Thinking’.

As in Mumbai one gets only a glimpse of the coastal Konkan life, for an encompassing view of Maharashtra, Pune alone provides the platform. Barring Vidarbha, which is in yonder horizon, any corner of Maharashtra is drivable distance from Pune.

Pleasant climate, pleasanter people with prospects of high quality life, Panoramic Pune would always beckon one to be beside her for a soothing carass and stress free life.

APPUSWAMY AND ATM MACHINE

2007-03-13T12:41:00.000+05:30

Bhagyam Ramaswamy is a Tamil writer, who writes regularly in Kumudam. Appuswamy and Seetha Patti were the centre characters, and incidents involving Appuswamy's "Asattuthanams" provided the main theme for the stories. Here is one imagined by me, with Appuswamy as usual, playing a significant role. This piece was written about 5 years back.

"Appuswamy had always been harboring a small, unambitious desire – to operate an ATM machine using his wife Seetha’s card and count the crisp currency notes. Seetha knew it for certain that Appuswamy, in his early seventies, was unfit even to gently tap an electric switch and drive away the darkness and an ATM machine for him would be as unintelligible as Aero Dynamics. To keep Appuswamy’s attempts at bay, Seetha always carried a small pouch and the ATM card inside it and like Mary’s lamb, it remained inseparable from her.

Appuswamy sent signals to Seetha, seeking the ATM card, deputed emissaries, recalled how even Rasagundu, his friend in distress and delight, claimed that he could rally his fingers to touch the buttons and enjoy the thrill. Appuswamy’s appeals were turned down with indignation and indifference. Reference to Rasagundu failed to be a remedy. ‘I shall end Seetha’s surreptitious affairs with ATM and Pentium’, Appuswamy avowed. ‘Trained terrorists should torpedo the machine’ he planned. ‘I shall empty her bank account through ATM, Appuswamy thought to himself, as he lacked the courage to communicate.

Summons to Rasagundu were sent and secret parleys held. ‘First you need the plastic ATM Card and four digit Code’, Rasagundu reported, what he had experienced. Appuswamy knew only ration card and ATM card was anathema to him. The only Code he knew was postal code having been asked to run errand for Seetha for post office priorities. When Seetha was not around, Appuswamy summoned courage and ransacked her hand bag and looked for the plastic card, but could lay his hand only on a post card, preserved by her for participating in an impromptu competition. Appuswamy started loosing heart as Seetha proved to be smart. Old wretch! She is sixty seven and thinks that she is Sheetal Malhar, he started hurling abuses. Rasagundu’s fingers, which carassed the ATM buttons, looked like relics.

Appuswamy suddenly remembered the small pouch in Seetha’s hands. To snatch it away by force, meant, summarily being sent out seeking alms in street corner. Flattery would be of no use, on this female, he realised. P.C.Sircar type magic would work perhaps, he considered his options. He waited for her patiently, plotting a plan, which his limited intelligence permitted, in a Sircar canvas. Seetha returned home hours later, after attending the women’s council meeting. Appuswamy’s eyes were riveted only on her hand and was waiting for her to relax her attention a little. The destined moment came and instantly the Plastic Card was in Appuswamy’s pocket and an old business card of his friend Bangaru, found solace in the pouch. As his trips outside were restricted as a cost control measure, Appuswamy had to devise an ingenious means to sneak out and seek shelter in the ATM Machine. He offered to bring vegetables, unsolicited, in the company of Rasagundu and did’nt wait for her response.

Appuswamy was eagerly looking at the ATM machine, as two others were standing at the queue ahead of him. Appuswamy looked intently at their movements, summoning all his intelligence and waited for his turn. His earlier experience was only dropping an one rupee coin in the telephone booth and railway weighing machine and when his turn came at the ATM Machine, he dropped his card at the slot, recalling his experience. As the screen remained blank and he did not get his card back, he almost breathed his last, tormented by images of Seetha’s fierce looking eyes. Appuswamy started saying his Prayers. Bewildered, he looked for a rescue measure. “Ask and it shall be given”, Appuswamy repeated the Biblical words. When he looked around, he saw an old familiar face. Appuswamy scratched his head and realised that Rasagundu’s distant uncle was readying himself to help him. Feeling relieved, Appuswamy narrated his tale of woe and the Divine Messenger being an official of the Bank, soon Seetha’s card was restored. And Appuswamy was in the eighth Heaven. He promised the Lord that he would break hundred and eight coconuts, in front of the street corner temple, to be bought from the ATM money, should he succeed.

Appuswamy attempted again. This time he was asked by the machine to give his Code number and he realised his folly. The mere thought of approaching Seetha for the four digit code drove him to despair. ‘Seventy years and yet no turn around in a tight situation’, Appuswamy cursed himself. “When sorrow comes, it comes not in single spies, but in battalions’, he remembered Seetha quoting Shakespeare. Helpless, he allowed his imagination to run riot. He suddenly recalled Seetha asking his birth date a fortnight back. Elementary school arithematics now came to his rescue. To Seetha’s birth date he added his own and arrived at the four digit code. Staking his chance, he soft-touched the buttons with the four -digit code. Appuswamy was thrilled when the Machine asked him, Cash or envelop payment? Appuswamy started soaring high, like Shelley's Skylark, ‘singing as he soared’. “Cash”, he enthusiastically pressed the button and was asked the amount, a question which Seetha never asked him in fifty years. This time, his arithematic failed him. Whether a thousand has four zeros or five zeros, he asked himself. ‘Rasagundu would be of no avail, in such situations, given his limitations’, he mumbled, resigning to his fate. Appuswamy started scratching his head with the edge of the ATM Card, when an apparition snatched away the softening instrument. Appuswamy rubbed his eyes and looked nonplussed as his Sahadharmini Seetha was around, with a menacing Mahishasura Mardhini look and it almost froze him to death. A timely, mobile call from Madhar Sangam ( women’s club) reminded Seetha about her appointment with the minister for demanding ATM facilities for all pensioners and a training camp for teaching them and in her hurry to aid the pensioners, the one at hand, Appuswamy, was brushed aside to give way, leaving him to nurse his injuries and ignominy and feel remorse for his impudence. Appuswamy started cursing his mate and fate, and looking at the sky for his next rendezvous. In the distant dingy and dilapidated hotel, the cinema song blared – “Chinna Chinna Asai (Chotisi Asa).

( With an apology to Bhagyam Ramaswamy, the original creator of the characters
Appuswamy, Seetha and Rasagundu ).

RAMAKRISHNA ( RAO)

2007-03-07T18:16:00.000+05:30

Ramakrishna was Rao to everybody. Short, stocky, paunchy, extremely fair, curly hair and a smiling face, slightly bowed legs, yet a majestic gait, handsome in every respect, Rao was certainly the Prince Charming of the Circle.

Though Varsity education was way ahead of him, undoubtedly Rao was versatility writ at large. With the help of a spanner and player, he could stop leaking pipes of their tears by replacing the washer or the pipe itself if the thread had given way. Creaking chairs observed sedative silence by his mere touch and shaking stools would stand straight if he brings them under his firm grip. If somebody wanted a cosmetic stand on the wall, Rao would be ready with a hammer and screws to support the glass plate. Fans, which refused to move, would rotate at such high speed as if the wings were chased by wild dogs, when Rao look at them with an intend to regulate.

If repairing and remedying the recalcitrant regaled him, Rao was equally at ease in running errand. He would go even in the midday in May to the Sindhi Colony for Masala Papad and roast them at home. Tiles for the toilets and floors and tamarind to store would be ready for the asking. The triumvirates – Ply, Sun mica and Fevicol for furniture or even charcoal for fuel would be arranged, relieving you of tedium and tension. Mundane affairs in Municipality or cash credit in cooperative banks he would take care of with equal enthusiasm and would pursue them till one is satisfied with the results. Pant pieces and shirt pieces he could arrange with payment facilities. Those who did not care about Brand, he would arrange to stitch in his own hand machine in time, saving nine. For marriages, he was equally adept in selecting Vadhyars and vegetables.

Rao had an uncontrollable weakness – high quality food in unrestricted quantity. He would swallow scores of softest idlies soaked in bucketful of Sambar and chutney and like Oliver Twist, would ‘ask for more’, unabashedly. He propagated the value addition of pickles on our dinner tables, by elevating them from the mediocre role of aiding from the sides to the status of a course leader, like Sambar and Rasam. Pickles alone could be mingled with rice in any plate and tasted, instead of playing second fiddle to Dahi bath, he demonstrated. Varieties of tiffins in various combinations were his vaulting ambition.

Rao had many discoveries to his credit. Adai (a salted pancake made of cereals) and curd would get all your diseases cured, he would argue. Steam-boiled rice dressed up in ghee would have virtues galore, he vouchsafed everywhere. If Sambar or Rasam fall short of prescribed quality, papadams in plenty would be the palliative, he propagated. ‘Omappodi” (sev made out of Chana dal), in ‘Mixture’ would make or mar it, he maintained. ‘Never rate the quality of a Restaurant without relishing its sweet- a Rao mandate. Pot-full of Pal Payasam (a milk based keer), is the panacea for all palate related problems – a Rao rhapsody. A glassful of Rabadi would be as effective as playing Kabbadi and a mug of masala milk would be as mirthful as any good massage, Rao would pronounce, while relishing his mugful. His genial nature permitted him to be a welcome guest everywhere and hence he had easy access to any kitchen.

Though his versatility and willingness to help were a great boon to those around him, Rao himself had a miserable life. He married twice and both the wives died during their pregnancies, leaving him alone. Rao dedicated his life for the well being of his sisters and their children. His nieces and nephews are in good position now and they are greatly indebted to him. He was invaluable to his friends’ circle and he always reverberates in their memories. Rao had a premature death, when he was just 51, succumbing to cardiac arrest. .

Bowed legs and matching gait, permitting sweets of every description to be his bait, willingness to help with commensurate capacity, Ramkrishna Rao’s spirit lives with us, though his mundane body is no more.

THE BPO SUBCULTURE

2007-02-28T13:35:00.000+05:30

(With malice towards none)

TIME AND SPACE have been the area of speculation for Philosophers from days of yore.

From the time Corporate started looking for outsourcing many of their activities as a major cost cutting measure, BPOs started growing in geometrical proportions. As they crossed over geographical boundaries and time zones in their areas of operations, ‘Time and Space”, the Philosophers preoccupation, have almost become plaything for the BPOs.

As the locals apprehend that Indian BPOs would rob them of their jobs, the BPOs have started incurring the displeasure, if not wrath and fury, of the locals everywhere. To win over the loyalties of their customers in distant habitats who belong to different races, the BPO boys and girls, like Jeeves (the P.G.Wodehouse mascot) try to serve them, imbibing their culture, with great élan, without losing sight of the fact that thy do not belong to their customers in their class or race. Thus, an Yadugiri Rao would acquire Yorkshire accent and a Mangalore boy Mahesh would familiarize himself with Manchester Station train timings in the British Rail and a Radhika would explain the significance of riders to customers of Prudential Insurance.

Unlike the IIT, IIM products, that aspire for and occupy the high end of the Organizations they serve, the BPO boys and girls, being average academics, are vanguard of the lower ends. If in the campus selection, the IIT and IIM graduates walk over with a hundred thousand dollars of package from MNCs and over a million rupees from Indian Corporate, in the BPOS, a few thousand rupees are available for a grab, even for the graduates with grace mark. The graduation from a few hundred rupees of pocket money to a few thousand rupees of monthly salary, transform the BPOs boys and girls who now have money to spare, but struggle for minutes. The available time they spend in Café Coffee Days or in selecting CDs in Planet Ms, though they may be aspiring to spend an evening with a girl/boy of their choice, in a Star Hotel discotheque. Mobile Phone with a camera and FM radio facility, is the only luxury they boast of. As many of them work during the night time, and as they are being picked from their place of stay to their place of work in Tata Sumos and Tat Indicas, they do not meet people except their colleagues sitting in front of the PCs with earphones intact, and in the process a few also develop intimate friendship, leading to wedlock failing which waylaying and wounded heads. Career life among BPO boys and girls is short lived and they constantly look for pastures new. To have spent three years at one place for them is as tedious as living for a millennium. Their world shrinks to the size of their domain knowledge. As a BPO is an area of exuberance for youth, middle age is a misfit here.

If in the earlier decades, to serve coffee in a Café was a condescending reference, today, Call centres have taken the place. If you don’t do well in your studies, you would end up in a Call centre only, an anxious mother would warn her ward. In the marriage market, call centre boys’ and girls’ credentials are not cared for, as if they play for the B team. The IT and financial guys have a halo around them and they score over the rest. BPOs get only the left over. Many of the IT Companies have their own BPOs as appendages and their employees are looked upon as underprivileged ones. ‘Is your son only in the BPO of Infosys?’ proud mother of a Wipro Software engineer would ask, inquisitively, if not impetuously. Start your career in a BPO, but don't use it for settling down, a seventy plus would give sagely advice to his grand children.

Today BPOs have come to stay. They have transformed colleges into catchment areas for jobs. A few may find the BPOs as areas of darkness, and yet, the vast majority finds them as spots of illumination to bask, at times a little boisterously too, perhaps to the bewilderment of those around them. A country of a little over a billion, certainly looks upon BPOs as Saviour.

CANTEEN BOYS FROM CANARA ( With utmost respect to the specie)

2007-02-21T13:32:00.000+05:30

(The purpose of this post is just to amuse and entertain and not to hurt or evaluate).

If you scratch some of the Officers and employees or even executives of banks, in particular the Karnataka based ones, you will find innocent looking, half pant clad, ‘Back Street Boys’ from Ballard Estate.

These young boys from distant villages around Mangalore like Karkal or Mudbidri, hailing from economically under privileged families, descend in Mumbai even before their teens, seeking shelter and security in ’Shetty Canteens’ and ‘Sadanand Cafes’. Ill equipped in Hindi and English, with Tulu alone to turn them around, yet, inspired enough to survive and sustain themselves, these twice-born boys, begin their second life in Mumbai.

Condemned to slog from dawn to dusk, serving endless cups of tea with bread, butter and biscuits to supplement in Office canteens, ensuring that the employees do not snore away their hours in their seats, these young boys use night schools in their neighborhood as a platform to progress in education. On holidays, they spend their time in playing football with tennis balls in the by lanes of Ballard Estate, Bazaar gate and Bora Bazaar Street. One group, soon realising that SSC certificate would be proving elusive, change the channel to suit the situation by switching over from Sun mica tabled Shetty Canteens to Rexin and Foam Restaurants, serving Medu vada and Mysore Masala – certainly a graduation from Masala tea with measured sugar. The left over at the Shetty Canteen’s ambition would be to take over the joint or to start similar one, elsewhere and the supply chain from Mangalore would continue. The Mysore Masala lot’s mission in life would be to start a Sadanand Restaurant in any street corner, preferably a busy one and meander towards ‘Bar-attached’ facility and reach Nirvana thereafter.

The brighter ones, collect their SSC certificates from the night schools and continue studies in morning colleges. As their aspirations are limited, to cleanse themselves of office boy image and to become officers instead, they devote their leisure hours for studies. Thus, atta -grinding boys (no disrespect meant) would progress towards Adam Smith and Ricardo’s Rent Theory would reverberate in the minds of Rexin cleaning boys. It is this group that meets the needs of the Banks and the group looks after its less fortunate brethren in the dingy canteen rooms and nearby restaurants, with warmth and well wishes.

Till the introduction of Konkan Railway, Ballal Transport and Britto’s buses were inseparable from the lives of these Mangaloreans. One could see daily, hordes of them behind Rallis, at Fort and in front of Hanuman Café at Sion Circle. During his high days as a militant Trade Union leader, George Fernandez was their icon as he hailed from their neighborhood, was easily accessible and he championed their cause.

One certainly can trace striking similarities between these canteen boys and yester years’ Palghat boys, who raised ‘degree coffee’ to dizzying heights and stirred our souls through softest idlies in their Ambi’s Cafes, be they at Trichy’s Theppakulam or Chennai’s Broadway. They distanced themselves from the Uttaranchal boys, that man the Company guest houses in Mumbai and who specialize in pouring over Patiala Pegs, peanuts and pakoras.

To escape from penury at home, these canteen boys from Canara, showed an inspired willingness to work in any conditions and moved ahead, and distinguished themselves. One shudders to imagine a situation when the supply of Gattu look-alike would cease. Offices would starve of canteens, street corners would be severely short of restaurants, Banks would be bereft of Managers in the making and Mumbai, meal less in Midday and young minds everywhere, deprived of examples to emulate, leaving society to degenerate and decay.

Let the Canteen boys from Canara continue to deliver us.

RATIONAL BEHAVIOUR

2007-02-14T14:04:00.000+05:30

Very often when I am entrusted with a work by family members, friends or colleagues, in order not to rely on memory, which fails me frequently, I always look for the ‘rationale’ behind the work or action. As many of our actions are not driven by ‘reason’, but arbitrariness, mere dependence on “reason’ alone would not take us far, I learnt to my dismay.

Why we are not rational? When we act on emotions, reason disappears. Emotions are powerful feelings that overwhelm us and there is suspension of human intelligence of which ‘reason’ is a part. The Ratio Emotive Theory (RET) says that one should detach himself from his emotions and view it independenty. When likes and dislikes, drive us, they drive ‘reason’ too. Likes and dislikes come out of experience and often from inaccurate application of logic. From a mere two or three incidents, we tend to generalize and tab them. To borrow a term from logic, we make an inductive leap without establishing causal connection. When we are intoxicated with power, we fail to act rationally. We believe, power gives us the sanction to act in a manner we choose to, whether with ‘reason’ or not. Power induces fear in others and when they act under fear, they act disastrously. Confidence, when it borders on rashness, deviates from the path of reason. Misplaced confidence too is a sort of intoxication. When we act on pre-conceived notions or when we act with a mindset, we lose our power of reasoning.

In one of my blogs I wrote that 'allow your knowledge to be questioned, else it would degenerate into belief'. Reason can withstand questioning and can get strengthened in that process. Faith is an unquestioned belief and to make rational, it needs to be questioned. One certainly can find enormous reasoning power in Sankara's Philosophy. In Socrates's dialogues, constant questioning and answers lead to a finding.

At times, we act not under reason ( I would like to avoid the word ‘irrational’), knowingly, for a definite purpose. In one of her classic blog “Poochandi” USHA VAIDYANATHAN shows that how knowingly we conceived the idea of “Poochandi”, to instill fear in the minds of young children so that they would not do what we do not want them to do. Here the end prevailed over the means. I said I would like to avoid the word ‘irrational’ because, ‘irrational is logically not conceivable’ like a square circle. An ill clad man, with a fear inducing look and a potential for kidnapping children( the definition of a Poochandi) is conceivable and his existence, within the realm of possibility. Acting not under reason is different from acting irrationally.

Edward de Bono gives an example, where we are so obsessed with the means that we lose sight of the objective. A man wanted to drink wine from a bottle and was struggling with opening the lid. Bono says that the objective was to drink the wine and not to remove the lid and this could have been done by just putting a hole on the lid.

Bono gives another classic example where even a perfectly rational act, is difficult to decipher. A young man, works in the fifteenth floor of a building. He would go by lift upto the 10th floor and the remaining five floors he would climb through the stairs. He has no qualms in using the lift to come down to the basement. Different explanations were offered for his strange behaviour. One explanation was that he wanted to do his morning exercise through climbing the stairs and he did not have enough energy to climb all the fifteen floors. Another explanation was that he had a girl friend in a tenth floor office and he wanted to whisper sweet nothings into her ears before he went to his office and having done that, with rejuvenated energy he could climb five floors. Another man, contested this theory saying that he would have had energy before meeting his sweet heart and having met her, he would have had no motivation to walk through the floors. Bono finally comes out with a simple but perfectly rational explanation. The man is short and even in full stretch, his hand would reach only upto 10th floor button. This would be the position, in whichever floor he gets into the lift. After coming out of the lift at tenth floor, he is under compulsion to walk through the remaining stairs. While going down, he has no such compulsions and therefore he uses the lift.

And finally, the advantage of acting rationally is that one need not rely on ‘memory’ and also one need not put in efforts to be consistent. If one chooses to follow the deductive method of reasoning, one needs to have a strong premise and sound inference tehnique and in the inductive method, causally connected inductive leap. Reasoning is not an ornament to decorate an argument. It is the soul that sustains it.

APOLOGIA PRO VITA SUA

2007-02-02T17:38:00.001+05:30

The title of this little piece is borrowed from the autobiography of Cardinal Newman.

I often used to wonder, why do I write.

Somerset Maugham once said that when we grow old, what would oppress us most would be not failing health or decreasing mental faculties, but the weight of memories. As I grow old, I gradually realize the significance of what Somerset Maugham said. However, instead of allowing memories to weigh me down, I thought it a little prudent to record them. Perhaps, it also satisfies the irrepressible urge to express oneself. Initially when I chose to write, I shared them with a few friends and as the response was less unfavourable and as a public domain was available, I decided to post them on a blog.

Our memories often consist of impressions about our relations and interactions with people. Therefore I started with a portrait of some of my friends and colleagues both alive and dead. Instead of merely recording facts and events, I added a tinge of humour by exaggerating a little here or twisting an anecdote there and in the process have attempted to make them more readable.

I have always been fascinated by the personal essays of Addison and Steel, A.G.Gardiner and Robert Lynd and in recent times, that of R.K.Narayan and Shobha De. To quote R.K.Narayan, ‘In personal essays you could see some of the author himself from the theme. The personal essay was moré enjoyable because it had the writer’s likes and dislikes, his observations always with a specific flavour or humour, sympathy, aversion, style, charm and oddity’. In these writings, my oddities would be clearly visible, be they my style of writing, method of observation, manner of description, pattern of mistakes or short comings. I also believe that our writings should reflect our personality, adorable or abominable they may be.

A man at my age should have the privilege to pontificate ‘Polonius’ like and therefore you will find aphorisms scattered in my posts and comments. As mere portraits would be biographical sketches, I have also drawn upon what is happening around us and have also been inspired by a few blogs I read and continue to read.

And finally, I realize that in the world of the Immortals, I am a lesser mortal, ‘beating in the void’, my ‘wings in vain’.

VENKATRAMAN ( MAMA)

2007-01-24T15:18:00.000+05:30

Venkataraman was universally known and accepted as Mama. A crescent-shaped sandal mark on his forehead, a protruding chin with a three or four days old beard decorating it( I often used to wonder how could he have a three or four days old beard whenever one looked at him), a loose white trouser with a bush shirt on it, an handkerchief ever casually dropped on his shoulders, but would occasionally be shifted to his neck, betel leaves stained rows of teeth, a look, at once stern, occasionally friendly and often hostile, Mama presented me a strange sight when I met him for the first time.

Mama had great precocity in using the typewriter of yore. It was a sheer delight watching him typing letters. His head would shake both ways fiercely and his typing fingers would generate a rhythm that was extremely pleasing to hear and would leave the on lookers stunned. Perhaps, an Alla Rakha or a Shivamani alone could match Mama’s rhythm. Speed, accuracy and presentable appearance were Mama’s magic words.

Though Mama’s august presence, his uncertain temper and frequent outburst, made me uncomfortable and yet, at times, has been a source of inspiration. On friendlier occasions, being younger to him by several years, he would pat me on my back and take me to the nearby Anand Bhuvan for Idli and Coffee.

Ironically, Mama’s friendly moments were also the most hostile ones. He would show his familiarity and share his joy by a forceful slap and not mere friendly pat on the back. Often I had to endure excruciating pain after Mama's affectionate carass.

Hailing from a family which had more members to feed than wherewithal could permit, Mama had to struggle to make both ends meet. Initially he would try to encash his extra ordinary typing ability, However, it was not sufficient to meet his family needs. Once Mama had hired a small one -room tenement at Ulhasnagar ( a distant Mumbai suburb) and was staying there with his younger brother. Often Mama’s brother would reach home only after midnight, after doing several part time jobs on the way. Mama’s allotted duty was to provide hot chappatis to his brother on arrival. Once Mama failed in this assignment as he felt sleepy and when his brother returned home, he had nothing to eat. Historians have recorded the fact that the fourth Panipat War was fought between Mama and his brother in an one room tenement at Ulhasnagar and it did not end in any treaty. Sheer exhaustion alone found a truce.

Mama was not a great lover of cricket. Once, in a match watched by Mama, Bishan Singh Bedi took six wickets and was the tormentor in chief. It was enough provocation for Mama and an unknown Sardarji at Church gate was patted in Mama’s inimitable style, saying “Well done Bedi”, to his consternation. While I was greatly embarrassed, Mama started looking for his next victim. Till the train reached Dadar, at least six Bedis were patted, for their feat.

Physical ailments and vigilance cases - two tormentors around retirement time, any Government or Public Sector servant should be free from, made him an unhappy man at the time of retirement and Mama left the scene under unpleasant circumstances.

When one thinks of Mama what would strike one most is Mama’s total commitment to his family. The sheer size of his family which weighed him down, his extra ordinary typing abilities, his emotional outbursts, friendly pat, which would almost kill a person, the fourth Panipat War, which he lost like the Marathas and which also brought his empire to an end, and his patting every Sardarji for Bedi’s feat.

STYLE PROCLAIMETH THE MAN

2007-01-19T15:04:00.000+05:30

Passerby 55 has tagged me to write ten of my traits that would reveal my style.

Method in the madness:

I am disorganized in my functioning and my forgetfulness is proverbial. And yet, I have the knack of reducing chaos to order. I can collect pieces from various sources and cogently present them, sprinkling them with a bit of reasoning. Humorous situations enhance my comfort level.

There is a Divinity that shapes our end:

I am not very religious in the traditional sense, though I pray silently and enjoy the atmosphere in some of our temples. I am particularly fond of walking in the long corridors of a Madurai or Rameswaram temple, early in the morning. I believe, many of our rituals have only social significance and therefore I would not practice them, when I am alone. I certainly find solace in reading spiritual texts. I read five stanzas of Gita with meaning and a page or two from Dr.Radhakrishnan’s “Thirteen Principal Upanishads”, daily. I believe in putting efforts to the best of my ability, leaving the results to that force which shapes our end.

My inheritance:

Passion for reading I inherited from my father who also left for us a collection of few classics – Dickens, Oliver Goldsmith, Tagore, Stephen Leacock, Alexander Dumas etc. I am greatly indebted to him for this legacy. I have this habit of reading three or four books at a time. Some times I go to the last few pages first and read them. ”Good writings” is the name of a file I have opened in my computer. Marked lines from various books, magazines, newspapers and blogs find place here. My pastime is to visit this page as often as I can.

Punch lines:

I like Narayan’s simplicity and subtle humour as also the punch lines of Shobha De. Lytton Strachy’s Eminent Victorians, Macalay’s essay on William Pitt and the essays of Addison have great appeal to me. P.G.Wodehouse’s Jeeves is certainly inimitable. I try, often unsuccessfully, to imitate their style.

Pandering to the palate

Good food always appeal to me and I have this weakness for south based ones. That two Tamilian marvels – Vettakuzhambu and Vengaya Sambar always tempt me with their seductive charm and I succumb to them. Strangely, I enjoy my pieces of Pizza, though other fast food varieties, including Pav Bhaji whose aromatics assaults our nose often, are taboo with me.

Our sweetest songs are those that tell us of saddest thoughts:

I literally believe in this line of Shelley. I need a slow musical background to provide me sustenance when I read, particularly when I am alone, late in the night. I rate Airlines and Star Hotel lobbies, from the quality of piped music they provide. Classical, light filmy ( Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam) and pop music enthrall me. Two of my all time favourite instrumentals are “Wedding Bells” in Veena by Chitti Babu and the live concert given at Agra by Yanni, a few years back.

Of Human Bondage:

Though I was a little introvert earlier, as time advances, I observe that I have been longing to reach out to people, even to strangers. I enjoy train travel because it provides us an opportunity to mingle with people. Exclusiveness and tight upper lips in the aircrafts, oppress me. I am uncomfortable in the ambience of five star hotels. I am very keen in attending marriages and other ceremonies in friends circle, as I get opportunities to meet old friends and renew relationships.

Swiss Family Robinson:

I am essentially a family man. Recently I prepared our family chart (descending on the paternal side), tracing six generations, consisting of around 95 members. I strive to visit as many family members as I can, particularly those who are elder to me. Both in family and friends circle, I look for odd characters as they lend me an opportunity to draw a portrait of them.

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder:

Biologically I am myopic, but, artistically I am not. I enjoy looking at beautiful flowers, pictures, sculptures and workmanship in general, though I am not a perfectionist. Taj Mahal, beaches in Goa, Temples at Tamil Nadu and Brindavan Gardens fascinate me. My wife used to say that in the temples, I enjoy the sculptures and don't venerate the Deities.

Nosedive:

Of all my sense organs, the most powerful one is my nose. Jasmine flower, Agarbahatti, perfumes, pure ghee and Mysore Rasam when it boils, first rain drops on sand, all emanate a fragrance which send me into raptures.

Willow world:

And finally, I cannot imagine a world without cricket. I minutely follow the game and generally have the vital statistics on my fingertips. I believe (non-cricket enthusiasts please forgive me) bouncers are to be hooked and ducking under needs to be denounced. Hook shoots are aesthetically appealing and only the Amarnath brothers had the dare devilry to hook and though they often perished in the shots, I revere them.

Style, like apparel, often proclaimeth the man, for, style comes out of cultivation and choice. Didn't Rajiv Gandhi and Gulzar charm us with their immaculate whit kurt pyjama with narrow flares? We can dress them in Armani and Abu Jani designers only with disaster.

BLESSED ARE THE BACK BENCHERS

2007-01-14T20:07:00.000+05:30

“Swami and Friends” was the first fiction of R.K.Narayan I read. Being R.K.Narayan Centenary Year, I thought, perhaps a Narayan inspired piece would be more relevant.

Swami was essentially a back bencher. Being a little studious and not very tall and explicitly mischievous, I did not have the privilege of lording over the last bench. A little impetuous in raising hands to answer known questions, I didn’t know how to hide myself when I had no answer to a question or was unsure of my answers. Those were precisely the moments, when I used to count the Blessings of the back benchers.

Back benchers can enter and exit the class room at their will without being noticed by anybody. They would not be asked embarrassing questions and even when asked, can escape with irreverent answers. When escorted by the tall back benchers, nobody would dare tease us and the timid boys of the first bench would suddenly find a Halo around them. Generally good in sports, not necessarily in Cricket and football, but often in Kabadi, Kho kho and pole vault, the back benchers would constantly look for and win over admirable glances from the giggling girls. Endowed with ready wit as revealed in the numerous names with which they christen their class teachers, these boys are good at graffiti too and school walls would bear testimony to their skill. As they generally spend more than a year in some of the classes, the back benchers are in back slapping intimacy with their teachers and often they command as much respect as teachers and what more, are looked upon with awe. Like a kitten cherishing the desire to blossom into a panther, the front bench boys, though they abhor the antics of the back benchers, often have the lurking desire to have their macho looks and domineering traits. Back bench, certainly seems to be a prerogative of the boys and girls would readily concede this concession. Some of the world leaders like Winston Churchill, R.K.Narayan himself and Bill Gates would comfortably trace their genius to their back bench days.

If the back benchers in schools are the Monarchs of all they survey, the back benchers in our various legislatures suffer in comparison. Lacking in debating skill, asking searching questions and leadership qualities, the backbenchers in the legislatures would only lend their heads for counts. Unlike the back benchers in the classes, they cannot command and have their commands obeyed. Perhaps, a little initiation at the school back benches would provide potential leadership qualities to budding politicians. A Laloo Prasad and a Mulayam Singh certainly champion this cause.

And finally, back benchers of the world unite. You have nothing to lose and a world without front benches and teaching distractions to gain.

SUBBHA RAO

2007-01-04T18:29:00.000+05:30

Tall, extremely well built, a waist rendering belts of any size insufficient, square face, patches of gray hair on a bald head, half-sleeved bush shirt revealing trunk size arms, white cotton pants, indistinguishable from a pyjama in its flare, signaling his presence by his cacophonous voice, Subbha Rao could be seen and heard from any distance.

Shortcomings in academics if others could make up in plain common sense, Subbha Rao’s academic acrobatics were aggravated by inability to summon his Intelligence when sought after, or proved inadequate for the occasion. The greatness of Subbha Rao rested on his enormous abilities to carry on his day to day work with his limitations.

Having been endowed with an endearing quality, he could win over anybody with his harmless charm and disarm even his diehard critics. His double frame would always win empathy. Despite his age and because of his innocence, he could mingle freely even with youngsters half of his age permitting them to crack jokes and providing them material to laugh at. His burly body was often the butt end of wit. Fear to hurt any sensibility, always weighed in his mind.

‘Born with Silver spoon in mouth’, the adage goes. Subha Rao had an in built amplifier in his umblical cord, which added volumes to his decibel level. As the acoustic system had no volume control, one often would get his ear drums jarred if ventured to go near and provoke him to talk. Mellowness and mellifluous music were miles away from him and he would not even meander towards them.

As he had to buy clothes in metres multiples of ten, leftover cloths, if any, would be added to his waist and short sleeves, rendering his pants and shirts present a strange sight, deviating from the initial measures in inches and angles. The size of his foot wears being 14, even valuable shoes and sandals remained safe in temples and marriage halls, as no feet would be available to fit into them.

When retired, he became a member of the grandpa group, where they discussed about the abundance of Avakkai and Ashta Vinayak, Cardiology and Cosmology with equal ease and ignorance, as the intelligence level and available time permitted.

Subbha was greatly attached to his wife and used to constantly dote on her. When she was to be operated upon for a malignant growth on her neck, Subbha Rao was visibly shaken and she survived the operation for hardly two years. During her struggling last days, Subbha Rao was always attending to her, looking into her every need without exasperation and found solace in serving her. However, obesity and attendant ailments, failing instinct to survive following his wife’s death, lack of a well cultivated hobby with resultant boredom hastened his end, though he reached his early seventies.

Subha Rao’s imposing presence and intruding voice would often haunt me when I am in a reflective mood and like Wordsworth, I bear in my heart, the voice, that is ‘heard no more’.

MALIGNITY TOWARDS MARGAZHI

2006-12-27T15:15:00.000+05:30

I really wonder why we consider the month ‘Margazhi” (Dhanur in Malayalam and 15th December to 14th January according to English calendar) as inauspicious. Is it a case of motiveless malignity?

Chilly winds disheveling the hair with no oppressive heat even during midday, Sun shine providing the warmth and with varieties of vegetables – pinkish carrot to olive green peas and blood red tomato available aplenty for the asking, would we not refuse to change our state with Kings? Hot tomato soup with crisp bread toast pieces soaked inside and fried jeerah to provide flavour, what a great pleasure it is to sip the soup, eyeing the darkish brown gajar halva, even while watching the TV or sharing happier moments with the family! With pleasant climate around, this month is the ideal one for travel too.

If enthusiastic crowds do Christmas shopping and sing Christmas carols melodiously, freshly bathed “Ayyappas “ in dark dothies and besmeared forehead troop to temples even while soulful rendering of Ayyappa songs stir the spiritual urge in us.

A few years back, I happened to be in Chennai for a day during this period and what a great sight it was when ladies in their morning freshness, displayed their skill in drawing “Kolams” ( Rangoli) of different designs, shades and sizes. I had also read somewhere that the great ‘Papanasam Sivan’ used to sing songs composed by him, early in the morning, going around barefooted and bare-chested, in the Mada streets of Mylapore during the whole of Margazhi. While those with ear for classical Carnatic Music would travel miles to be in ‘Music Academy’ or in the multifarious ‘Sabhas’ and go into raptures over “Swaraprastharas” , the less endowed would look for freshly fried vegetable bondas in the adjoining canteens. .

With New Year around and new-year resolutions in the making, one longs for Magazhi as one yearns for his lost love. Even Krishna pours encomiums and considers Margazhi as the brightest jewel among the twelve months.

Why do we denounce Venus as ugly? Perhaps, more enlightened readers may offer some clarifications as to why Margazhi is singled out as taboo for marriages and celebrations.

JESSICA - JUSTICE WRIT AT LARGE

2006-12-20T14:31:00.000+05:30

The verdict in the Jessica Lal case, though in the expected lines, has brought to light certain shortcomings in the judicial system. It has almost passed strictures on the Trial Court – how the lower court made a hasty approach to secure a particular end – of securing acquittal and available evidences were not depended upon and that it relied on evidences whose credence can be questioned. It also underscores the need for protecting evidences and witnesses. The High Court verdict called Shyan Munshi a ‘liar’. Shyan Munshi had either been bought out or was threatened or that he lacked scruples. A man in public life like Shyan Munshi should do some introspection, when he is called a ‘liar’ by one of the higher judiciary. Judges would not use such harsh terms, unless warranted. Times of India in its editorial wrote that the press and the public conducted a parallel trial. When public sensibilities were outraged, laid down procedures and niceties would not be the governing force.

What is heartening is the fact that even the politically powerful and influential cannot stand judicial scrutiny when they err. Ram Jethmalani is not invincible and as I wrote earlier, holes in hundreds can be picked up on his arguments. I am glad that Truth has triumphed over sophistry and semantic jugglery. Even the tallest would be dwarfed, if he champions a cause which is not impeccable.

The punishment, read out this morning is Life imprisonment for Manu Sharma. As it was not a premeditated murder, death sentence would be disproportionate to the crime. At the same time, it was not merely spontaneous, the action certainly had the arrogance of power behind it and hence a harsher punishment like Life Term was necessary.

When the matter goes to the Supreme Court, as the convicted is sure to go on appeal, I am sure, like millions of others, that justice shall prevail over Power (Political and financial) and legal acumen of those who would argue out the case.

IRRESISTIBLE IRANI RESTAURANTS

2006-12-14T16:01:00.000+05:30

The Mumbai middle class, in their forties and fifties, which today look to the Mangalore originated Shettys for their midday meals and evening snacks, in the crowded cafes, perhaps would remember with a great deal of relish that a little over two decades earlier, it was the spacious Irani Restaurants, through their double entrance street corner joints that dominated the scene. Bun maska, garam chai and kari biscuits of the Iranis have gradually yielded place to Idli Sambar and Rava masala. The dull looking fair complexioned Iranis proved to be of no match to the enterprising Sadanand Shettys.

Unlike Udipi hotels, in Irani Restaurants we spend more time and less money. Any young boy with a pittance for pocket money would order a cup of tea, ask for a glass of water, signal the waiter to turn on the fan over his head and expect the evening “Free Press Bulletin” to be provided to him. He would then spend endless hours, dreaming about his dates, swooning over the passing ones or brooding over the married ones, with occasional glance through the papers or life-size mirrors, to smoothen the hairs. Irani Restaurants and the tea they served were inimitable and one would relish them endlessly and if one could order kari biscuits or Bun maska along with the tea, one would be transported to the realm of the Gods and to underscore the point every Irani Restaurant displayed the board ‘ Trust in God’.

Irani Restaurants had no uniformed waiters or bearers to carry out orders or present bills in plates or folders. Ill-clad youths would listen to and mentally note down orders and carry them out efficiently and after finishing when one would go towards the exit, which would be normally hours later, the bill amount would be shouted by the waiter standing away from the counter. The memory power of an Irani Restaurant waiter can be measured only in GBs and was perhaps a precursor to the prodigious Pentium chips.

As the Irani restaurants always occupied the corner portion in any building, it had two entrances and one never bumped into an incoming or outgoing customer, as it usually happens in Udipi hotels. In an hour in an Irani restaurant, one could see lawyers studying their brief to provide their customers relief, professors preparing their notes, perhaps as an antidote to troublesome texts, young lovers exchanging sweet nothings, old Parsis talking about Karanjia ( 'Blitz') and Karaka ('Current') and their journalistic jaunts, long-haired, hippie look alike intellectuals talking animatedly about Kafka and Camus, Satre and his Existentialism and the cricketing crowd, recalling with pride, Salim Durrani’s sixers and Gary Sobers’ Grandeur or the Brisbane tie of 1961. Many poets, painters, student leaders and journalists could trace their antecedents to the time they spent in Irani restaurants.

As in those days tape recorders were unheard of and turntable was only the technology known, Juke- boxes were the craze of the crowd. A Lata Mangeshkar – Mukesh duet set to tune by Shanker Jaikishan, O.P.Nayyar's rhythmic numbers in Asha's tone, ‘Soul Sacrifice’ and ‘Evil ways’ of a Carlos Santana or the ever green songs of Cliff Richards were always in demand. A song in a single ( 45 rpm record) for 25 paise was certainly worth. A sip of tea, a page from ‘Free Press Bulletin’, a song through Juke- box in an Irani Restaurant, the Restaurant is Paradise now’- one would, perhaps, be tempted to provide a parody on Khalil Gibran.

Though serving tea was the sine qua non of an Irani Restaurant, they also sold varieties of materials from Cakes to cosmetics and, yet, had specialised only in supplying bread, bun and biscuits. The transformation of a Light of Asia or a Sassanian Restaurant where one could gossip and guffaw for hours together, into Udipi Hotels where one has to endure the horror of the next customer menacingly looking at his plate and mentally emptying it in minutes, is yet to be adjusted to by old timers, who still yearn for days of yore.

Irani Restaurants may not exist today, but the gossip and guffaw of the gregarious groups over cups of tea and kari biscuits would continue to 'flash upon our inward eye' when we 'recline on our couch in a pensive mood'.

JUNIOR KG AND JEE

2006-12-04T14:04:00.000+05:30

Recently, Delhi High Court gave a directive that no more tests and interviews be conducted for Junior KG admissions. What a great relief to the tormented parents! I recollect what I wrote about Junior KG and JEE.

'Any parent in India, start spending sleepless nights when their child reaches three. This is the age when the child has to be sent to a Montessery or kindergarten school. Decades earlier, children had two major fears – inoculation against small pox and admission in elementary schools. The sight of Municipal employees with injection needles in their hands, would send shivers down the spines of the toddlers and they would run hither and thither like street dogs, when a dog van is sighted, or like hawkers, when they see a Khairnar on the prowl. Children considered to be naughty and with high degree of nuisance value at home were sent to schools even before the admission age and the children deprecated it for denying them freedom and considered schools as demons, determined to destroy games of all sorts.

Today, a child, before admission to the school, is expected to know what he has to learn only in the school. Both the children and parents are also to clear the tests before the children are admitted to the school. Many a times, parents find it difficult to clear the test, much less the children. The grueling interview for the three years old and its thirty plus parents, relegates IAS interview to the realm of the insignificant, in terms of extent, intensity and irrelevance.

Entrance examination for kindergarten admission needs elaborate preparation. Answers to earlier years’ questions would be ascertained and detailed enquiries would be made with children of the earlier batches in the neighbourhood or even schools not so good, to ascertain the method of thinking of the school authorities and their mental equilibrium. To make the preparation more intense and meaningful, parents would go beyond text books, and spend hours in libraries, browsing through books on general knowledge, frequent and familiarise themselves with quiz masters of even quack variety and learn to distinguish between a Hippo and a Rhino. Children are put to classes where mock interviews are conducted so that they gain the confidence to face the onslaught in the interview hall. Even seminars are sponsored by social organisations to provide added information and answering techniques.

IITs’ JEE (Joint Entrance Examinations) are, perhaps based on the Junior KG tests –lessons not learnt earlier, complex concepts to be applied in complicated situations and unnerving size of applicants. Guides are available aplenty, but none of them take you nearer to the sought after selection. Every child and parent’s ambition is to get selected for Junior KG and and later at IIT JEE. If the ‘Target’ course of a Brilliant Tutorials starts at 9th standard for IIT JEE aspirants, for Junior KG admission, ‘Target’ like training would start after the first birth day itself. Before the entrance tests, Crash Courses in different topics would be covered. If it is Trigonometry for IIT, it is colour and size of the tamarind tree for the toddlers – equally exasperating. A selection at Junior KG is certainly to be celebrated, as one has reached celebrity status like an IIT Alumnus. As the quality of of entrance tests for IIT and Junior KG is well known, there is no stigma attached when there is a failure to get selected, and yet, parents would feel deprived off, missing an opportunity to talk about their children.

Whereas in IIT JEE, parents are spared of the ordeal, for the Junior KG tests, parents’ performance takes precedence over even the child’s readiness to learn. If in the IIT counseling, allotment of seats is based on the rank in the JEE and the choice of the students, for the Junior KG, it is the parents’ rank, their place in the social hierarchy and ability to contribute and enter into a deal, that enhances, if not ensures, the chance of selection.

Clearance of the entrance test certainly adds value to the IIT student, atleast in terms of marketability of his skills, in industries and abroad, and for the Junior KG students, admission in Jesuits managed schools that stand singled out for quality. And finally, when one sits for the IIT JEE and remembers his junior KG entrance tests, he would approvingly remember ‘ Wordsworth’s prophetic words that ‘Child is The Father of Man’.

PIZZA, PULAV AND PULIYODARAI

2006-11-29T15:37:00.000+05:30

If Historians of yore, have rated the leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy as one of the Seven Wonders of the World, Pizza, the Italian Queen of the culinary Kingdom, could be counted among the few that panders to the palate, in degrees unparalleled. Pizza has today crossed the frontiers and reigns every fast food joint, be it branded or otherwise. Youngsters in their teens and jeans, rave over it and even the middle aged have occasionally a mouthful and display a meaningful look.

Pizza always craves for a presentable look. Hence the Pizza bread is dressed up with lavish spreads of cheese, capsicum, onion, potato and green chutney and would look, as if clad in Saville Row Suit. A well made Pizza can easily wean one away from even Venky’s Chicken and would give hiccup to Hamburger. The society crowd swarms over it and yet, its forming an essential part in any auspicious occasions is unheard of. For formal dinners or marriage merry making, it is asked to stand at a distance, as the stiff upper lip variety would always look at it with askance. Like T.shirt on Saturdays, it has limited acceptability and admission, and an air of casualness around it.

Another serious shortcoming of Pizza is its inability to be a standard breakfast or an essential ingredient in formal lunches or dinners and yet has an outstanding record as a snack or side dish – almost like a Michael Bevon – a match winner, but in the limited variety, unacceptable to the classical one. It is too heavy to be a breakfast and too singular to be a lunch or dinner.

Pulav has an historical place in India and is accepted in the classical circle. You slightly modify Pulav and it becomes Briyani, which regaled the Royalties in the Mogul period and continues to reign. As it has well chosen ingredients like high quality Basmati Rice, green peas, beans, carrot etc. it is always in august company. No dinner or lunch is complete without Pulav being an essential part of it – like Tendulkar – it can be dropped only at the promoters’ peril. Equally well dressed like Pizza and elegant, Pulav can walk freely in any promenade, accepting acknowledgements in its stride. Kings and commoners both adore it and accept it as their own. Unlike Pizza, Pulav is native born and sons of the soil should certainly have right of place. A plateful of pulav, supported by spicy vegetables with salads and papad, one would ‘refuse to change his state with Kings’.

Unlike Pizza and Pulav, which have a universal appeal, Puliyodarai has a limited range and yet, is intense in its application. Made out of rice, tamarind, red chillies, chana and groundnut, Puliyodarai perpetuates one’s passion for it. Born with a boon not to perish under normal circumstances, puliyodarai proves an excellent accompaniment for travel. Puliyodarai, pampered with roasted papads and banana chips makes our journey memorable and meaningful and one longs for an extra length of the journey, lest the pleasure should come to an end soon. Puliyodarai is a puritan and hence roadside restaurants or even the Regal ones are not allowed to prepare it. Temples and residences and cooks in the marriage halls alone have the mandate to make it. Pulikacchal, which is a raw material for puliyodarai, appreciates in value, as the age advances, like vintage wine. An instant mixing of Pulikacchal with rice and roasted papad sends one into raptures. Puliyodarai plays a prominent role in any functions of an Iyengar family. Vaishnavaites’ shrines have perfected Puliyodarai to claim Brand Equity. Srirangam temple has a celebrity status, not only for the Deity, but also for the dexterity in the preparation of puliyodarai.

What is the common bond between the three born in different generations, locale and culture? All of them have enough merit to be a stand -alone serve and do not need side dishes to support them, though they are always seen in company. They either have an historical past or an instant appeal and fierce loyalty. Their preparation needs skill and competence of a very high degree, as they are complex in nature. Like the Pied Piper, they play tune and millions follow. They had humble origin, like some of the great Sages, and are today known for their sagas. They would continue to enslave us in the years to come.

FATALISM AND FREE WILL

2006-11-24T12:33:00.000+05:30

Many among us believe that ‘there is a Divinity that shapes our end.” This belief, or rather faith, gives us comfort when we face failures or suffer a misfortune. Poet Shelley calls this, ‘a clinging to something afar / from the sphere of our sorrow’. Remove this faith, and we are weighed down by miseries and a feeling of remorse. If belief in fatalism provides a soothing balm in times of suffering, it also robs us of our ability to innovate and to be creative. It reduces life to a routine. We become a pawn or plaything. Khalil Gibran says,

“It is all a checker board of nights and days
Which destiny men for pieces days,
Hither and thither moves, mates and slays
And one bye one comes back to the closet and lays”.

Astrologers predict the future, based on planetary movements. In their scheme of things, human beings have to surrender meekly to planets. And yet, they also suggest ‘pariharas’ or palliatives. The effects of evil design of a malevolent planet would diminish if we propitiate a God, astrologers would argue. Fatalism, with a difference, perhaps!

But there are others, who would not submit to planetary influences. ‘I am the master of my fate and I am the captain of my soul’ they seem to say. If they do not have their way, they would not blame the stars. Like Caezar, they would confess – ‘The fault lies not in our Stars, but in ourselves. We are under- links’. The champions of free- will honestly believe that they can shape their future and that they are not dependent on the forces above. Though the protagonists of free- will are innovators and creative, as they do not have a support to fall back upon, they crumble and at times are smashed to smithereens, if their efforts let them down and they meet failures. In times of distress one needs a shoulder to cry upon. The drowning man looks at least for a straw to hold.

Two young bright ones, worked dedicatedly to pass a competitive examination and when one cleared the examination with distinction, the other, met with an accident and had to drop out of the examination. Do we call it conspiracy of the cosmic forces or failure of efforts? Would reasoning or technicalities provide consolation during such moments?

If belief in fatalism deprives us of our drive to do and excel, dependence on efforts alone may not bear fruit always and we would not have the strength to withstand failures. How to reconcile the two and emerge out winners? Krishna shows the way. ‘Put in efforts, and yet have the equanimity to accept success and failures alike’ is the advice. It is not indifference to results, which is a negative quality, but its acceptance without demur. It gives us a chance to analyse our failure, should there be a failure and put up a much better effort next time. After all, failure is the greatest teacher. We continue to be creative and yet, failures do not make us crest- fallen. Abandoning and leaving it to fate, is certainly taboo. Put in efforts with a single minded devotion and accept the result is the message. It has no religious significance, but only a psychological undertone. It instils courage in us and fortify our fortitude to face the vicissitudes of fortune. It is not a dogma because it can stand the test of time.

SHINING SPOTS AND AREAS OF DARKNESS

2006-11-17T15:25:00.000+05:30

Steve Ballmer, the Microsoft Chief, during his recent visit to India, said that one third of the software engineers in the world would claim India as their home. In sheer rate of economic growth, India is one of the super powers today and by 2020, India is likely to brush shoulders with China, if not brush her aside. An Indian wins Booker Prize and another Indian, Jagdish Bhagwati, was short listed for Nobel Prize in Economics. If they wielded the Hockey stick with great wizardry a few decades earlier, today they are the acknowledged Kings of Steel ingots. We feel elated and announce it from the housetop that we have arrived.

Steve Ballmer also said that Indian supply of Technocrats and Scientists for Research and Development was too short of the need and demand. Chemistry Graduates and Civil and Aerospace engineers send their CVs to software Companies. If the Business Schools and software companies ensnare the bright, the lower end among the educated finds solace in BPOs and undergo cultural transformation. In the process, educational institutions do not get quality faculties and research institutions are deprived of dedicated men and women to do research. Research scientists are odd men out everywhere. Indian Manufacturers complain that they do not get quality engineers.

It is no doubt true that the four leading software companies alone employ more than two lakhs knowledge workers across the globe. But the vast army of the unemployed in the rural areas does not belong to this class. The intellectual calibre of the educated rural boys and girls is certainly not inferior. What they lack is self confidence and communication skill in English, two attributes needed for success in Software and BPOs. Chinese are aware of their limitations in English and therefore, they used their work force for building infra structure and manufacture. If India is the back office to the world, China provides the shop floor. Now they have turned towards software too. If 55% of our GDP is in the services sector which provides jobs to the educated, in China, manufacture occupies the major portion of their GDP and that takes care of their masses.

Prof. Indiresan, a former Director of Madras IIT, maintains that the millions of uneducated in India need to be provided jobs in the condition in which they are and there is no short term course to transform them. Emphasis on manufacture and infrastructure alone can provide millions of jobs. A Mittal buying the Arcelors may be headlines for the newspapers. But a Murugesan at Madurai continues to be unemployed. Only more deployment of Capital in India by our entrepreneurs and the foreign ones in manufacture and infrastructure would create jobs for our millions who are otherwise not employable. Thirty years of Communist rule made China a disciplined country. That discipline stands them in good stead today when they have switched over to an alternative and more rewarding economy. In India, we did not cultivate that discipline. We have arm chair critiques, pointing fingers at what they call bourgeoisie culture. We have too many proverbial frogs to drag us from moving ahead. And yet we too can do like China, even if it takes a little longer, by emulating them. Be conscious of your strength, and yet understand your weakness too.

When our builders build life style houses, let the government make them to build small functional and less expensive houses, for the poor too, as demonstrated by the 82 years young Jimmi Carter. The textile mills in Mumbai, which provided jobs to over one and a half lakhs of skilled and semi-skilled workers have now yielded place to marble floored palatial apartments, malls and multiplexes, depriving the mill workers of their wages and roofs. When we talk of higher disposable income of the employed class, should we not spare a thought for the incomeless unemployed?

Distracters thrive, when there is dissatisfaction around. Let us light the areas of darkness. ‘Diyas’ are meant for that.

LET US EMPOWER AND NOT EMACIATE WOMEN

2006-11-09T18:14:00.000+05:30

The recent Delhi High Court judgment, sentencing the rapist and murderer of Priyadarshini Mattoo, to death, gives the signal that even the mighty cannot escape the clutches of Law, In fact, a few months back, in one of my Blog comments I wrote that only women jurists should try rape cases. I am proved wrong. When I read some of the judgments and court proceedings, I certainly feel elated that we have one of the finest judiciary in the world. What I fail to comprehend is that in many cases, when a punishment is given for an offence committed outside, why there is remission in the punishment for good conduct inside the jail? Does the good conduct in the jail, bring down the seriousness of the offence or balm the hurt of the offended?

While participating in a debate on ‘Purdah”, Shabhana Azmi made a statement that there was no quarrel between different religions. ‘There is a quarrel between only the liberal and extremist elements in various religions’, she added. I think, Shabhana has a valid point. The extremists in all religions strive to stifle the voice of the saner elements. Reform can be brought about only by the liberals. When one observes the happenings around, perhaps one is tempted to think that the liberals are shrinking in size and the extremists, assume alarming proportions. Unless every religious group, produces reformers with the zeal of an Eashwar Chander Vidyasagar or a Raja Rammohan Roy, the extremist elements would tighten the noose around the necks of the faithful. After all, every religion, tries to improve the lot of Man and to make this world a better place to live. In the hands of extremists, religions become a tool, to serve their purpose. Religion is not the opium of the people, as Karl Marx said. It is the religious zealots, who reduce religion to the level of opium. .

The third one is the Imrana rape case. I am ill qualified to interpret a religious text, that too of a Faith, I do not belong to. And yet, my common sense tells me that rape is a criminal offence and hence has to be handled as such by the competent court of jurisprudence. We have a secular criminal law that governs us.

Finally, I am never tired of quoting Thomas Carlyle’s excellent lines:

“First make yourself an honest man and be sure that there is one rascal less in the
world.”

THE PENULTIMATE STATION

2006-10-30T17:11:00.000+05:30

Yesterday I met a 96 years old gentleman. His wife must be either in her late eighties or ninety. I always respect aged people. North of Deccan plateau elders are generally respected unlike the south, particularly Tamil Nadu, where choicest epithets are hurled at them. I have admiration for this gentleman because, he imparted me domain knowledge in a field, which was alien to me. He showed and explained to me the difference between a compressor and a turbine, rotor and a stator in Power Plants. Having retired from a fairly senior position at Andhra Pradesh Elecrtricity Board, he has been drawing his pension close to 50 years now. He is unable to travel to spend some time with his son at Honkong and therefore with his aged wife, he occupies a two bed room apartment in a building in a decent locality at Mumbai, having disposed off his house at Hyderabad. Fortunately his daughter also stays in another apartment in the same building.

I asked him if any of his former colleagues and friends visited him to spend some time, and the reply he gave me was the provocation for this post. He said that every one of his friend and colleague had gone. Though the voice didn’t betray any emotion, I could notice the feelings in his eyes and in the sigh he heaved. I shudder to imagine a situation where all of my friends have gone where I would be haunted by loneliness and memories. Somerset Maugham said correctly that when we grow old, we would be oppressed more by the weight of memories than physical affliction or failing mental faculties. What an irony it is that elders are driven to be lonely in a crowded place! Should we not make them feel that they are wanted and that they are not alone? Old age is like the fag end of a journey. You lose the charm of the journey and eagerly look for the destination. When the train passes through Arakonam towards Chennai or approaches Bangalore Cantonment Station, one may realize this.

Late Vijay Merchant used to say often that cricketers should retire when people ask “why” and not “why not”. If we leave when people ask why, we may not have mental agony, but those around us certainly will have. If we survive till people ask us “why not”, we would suffer from loneliness, a feeling of distance and being driven out. As they declare an innings in a Cricket Match, can one not declare his ‘innings’ in this world? Ageing process is a part of life. While undergoing this process, one encounters considerable changes, for ‘change’ is the only constant factor in life. For negotiating change, one must listen to what Dr.Samuel Johnson said:

“A man, as he advances in his life, will soon find himself left alone. A man, Sir, should keep his company in constant repair”.

"Vanaprastha", as conceived in Indian Philosophical Thought, is a sort of net practice for the game to follow. Those who skip the practice would lose in the field.

A fine blend of readiness to embrace change from the elder and eagerness to reach out from the younger ones, is the surest remedy for a semblance of peace in this world.

APHORISMS TO THE ASPIRANTS

2006-10-27T14:38:00.000+05:30

Inspite of my best efforts (within my limited technical skill), I could not retrieve my earlier blogs and am forced to open a new one. Here is my first post on the new Blog.

APHORISMS TO THE ASPIRANTS

Do not arrogate to yourself the power of position, for, we are mere surrogates.

Evaluation is always in relation to an ideal.

When you advocate a cause, you cannot adjudicate on it.

The most enabling force is to make somebody feel important.
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Communications downwards should have more of instructions and less of information. Communications upwards should only be of information.

Communication is like an electric circuit; looses the force if not complete. Needs to be insulated from shock and leakage.

An effective act, is tact.

Be dependable and not dependent.

Be consistent, but not complacent. Be insistent, but not impatient.

A Role Model is not a Polestar, luminating and yet standing aloof, afar. He/she is immediate and emulative.

Competence is Skill raised to a degree. Commitment is Will conforming to one’s own decree.

Strategy is adapting to a situation; to survive or to score over.

Don’t look for an extra ordinary man. He is not around. Extra ordinary performance from an ordinary man would save the day.

Merely looking at the road plan, you cannot avoid road blocks.