COFFEE, GOD DEATH OR SHE

COFFEE, GOD,DEATH OR SHE

‘You don’t know me but I know you’. That was how Mary John introduced herself to me when she first spoke to me on the phone seven years ago. She wanted to seek my advice on a very personal matter and as a counselor I was only happy to assist her. We met a few days later and went on to cement a strong friendship. However as our friendship grew so did our differences especially on the topic of religion. I thought she was a Christian fanatic who had scant understanding and no respect for other faiths especially Hinduism. We engaged in many theological debates often ending in heated exchanges. Two months ago she attended an “Isha Yoga ‘ program much to my surprise. Post that course she seemed to have developed a better appreciation of Hinduism and even told me that she found Hinduism a ‘ liberating’ religion. She implored me not to settle down in the US—where I am now based. I assured her that I had every intention of returning to the India that I loved. ‘I want you just a local phone call away’ she told me endearingly.

But then something shocking happened.

I received an email from her email account which stated as follows

‘Ravi this is Jimmy , Mary’s brother. I am sorry to inform you that your friend and my sister Mary died in a road accident on 15^th February. It is a miracle that I could send this email to you. I knew that she was in regular email touch with you. I knew her email ID but I had no information of her password . I opened her email account, looked at the photo of a smiling Mary John and asked her—I know that your soul will not rest in peace until your friend Ravi knows that you have left him for ever. Please tell me what your password is.’ Jimmy the brother told me on the phone later that only a miracle could explain how some voice from nowhere told him what the password was and presto he could open the email account.’

That’s how I came to know the sad news.

I write this piece not just to tell you of the gruesome accident in which a BEST bus in Mumbai destroyed my dear friend at the young age of 28 ,but to tell readers about something very significant.

When I now look back on the many theological debates I had with her I now realize that it was just futile and a tragic waste of time. When inevitable death may be just a few minutes away why do we waste our precious time on debates that—as history has consistently shown –have no final answers? Why do we even kill each other in the name of God whom we have never seen and much less understood? Religion is about faith , beliefs and emotions not about FACTS as in the case of science.

Over the last 25 years I have kept track of research reports on the advisability of drinking coffee . At the end of this exercise I am still not clear whether when I imbibe my daily ‘cuppa’ I am inviting problems or not ! Research is still inconclusive. If we are not clear about such a simple thing as a coffee seed how can we be sure about God? After all a coffee seed can be tested millions of times by millions of scientists in thousands of laboratories .Yet we are no closer to the truth about the seed. How can we then be sure we KNOW GOD?

I have been a student, author ,researcher and trainer in THINKING SKILLS AND CREATIVITY for many years now. I have a hypothesis—man is essentially irrational. We seemed to be wired to think and behave irrationally. More about this in a later blog . But for now..

‘My dearest Mary. I am terribly sorry I wasted time—we lost irretrievable time –in desultory useless theological debates on topics in which there are no CORRECT answers. I wish we had met more often and enjoyed our companionship ,enjoyed every moment that life offered us.’

TRULY IT HAS BEEN SAID THAT THE PRESENT MOMENT IS A GIFT TO US TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF .

I came across an advertisement about a course on ‘HOW TO PLAN FOR RETIREMENT’. I later ascertained that many hundreds of people attended this seminar , no doubt benefiting the trainer financially. I wondered on this irony—you know the date of your retirement the very day you take up your first job. You probably have over thirty years to plan for the retirement day. But do we prepare as seriously for something that can happen the next moment….death? I could not help laughing at the irony in this. We know all this you will say .But this realization does not seem to influence our behavior. Hence my theory that we are essentially irrational.

Can someone perform a miracle and get me in touch with Mary so that I could repent for my wasting her brief earthly time on desultory futile debates?

K.R.RAVI

USA

WHY DO WE ALWAYS BLAME POLITICIANS?

WHY DO WE BLAME THE POLITICIANS?

I have yet to participate in a conversation with middle class Indians when the discussion does not return to the so called ills of India. Not really a bad thing since it shows that this class is concerned about the various problems that the country faces. What gets my goat is that the many ills of the country are almost unfailingly placed at the doors of politicians. ‘It is all politics ‘ is how the conversation ends. Be it the foul weather, the poor performance of the Indian cricket team or the extent of corruption or the riots – ‘it is all the handiwork of politicians’.

But I have a question.

Is it possible for a politician to stir up trouble on a consistent basis unless a substantial mass of people—a critical mass- agrees with him? Can Raj Thakeray stir up anti- north Indian sentiments in Mumbai unless he is convinced that he is only verbalizing the unsaid sentiments of a critical mass of people? Can a Naraendra Modi

work in isolation and lead a carnage unless he is convinced that he in fact is crystallizing the opinions and feelings of his people or sufficient mass of his people?

The other distressing aspect of any general discussion is the resort to casual generalizations not based on a deeper research into the events.

Thus in the context of the current tensions in Mumbai many people including the media persons told us that it is the lumpen elements—the unwashed millions-- who form the backbone of support for Raj.

I decided to seek more information. Sure enough the Society for Study of Developing Societies came up with a report that is likely to shake us out of our simplistic assumptions. Contrary to popular assumptions it is the upwardly mobile educated Marathi middle class that supports and agrees with Raj Thakeray. It is possible that this class may not form the storm troopers that respond to Raj’s call to riotous action since this class does not like to dirty its hands .But this class is in sympathy with Raj and this ought to be cause for great concern.

In other situations of crisis perhaps we have not done sufficient research or the results of studies have not been disseminated enough.

I had occasion to talk to a senior official of the Government and asked him why his political masters do not come up with more sensible policies. His answer made me sit up. He said that whenever a ‘ good policy’ is announced or even considered , it is middle class people who pull strings and puts pressure on the Minister to make ‘ exceptions’ to the policy.

I myself recall how it was the well heeled people of Mumbai’s Peddar road[including the venerable Lata Mangeshkar] who put pressure on the state government to stall the flyover project on the road when the rest of the city was convinced of its necessity.

The middle class as well as the wealthy are open to reforms in every sector except the sector in which it has financial interests. Thus the media and its editors write tomes on the need for Foreign Direct Investment in every sector EXCEPT THE MEDIA SECTOR!

A proposal to tax IIT students[their education is substantially subsidized by the way] who migrate to other countries after graduation is in the air for many years now The main opposition to this comes from the middle class for whom an IIT education is a stepping stone to the US. Pressure on the minister has been strenuous enough to stall this proposal for many years now.

Of course after migrating to the U.S these boys and girls and their parents will talk of ‘Its all politics’.

K.R.RAVI

USA

ARE INDIANS PATRIOTIC?

ARE INDIANS PATRIOTIC?

I had just settled down on my seat in the domestic flight from an airport in California to Washington D.C.--a 5 hour coast to coast flight-- when the pilot announced on the P.A. system

’Welcome to this Southwest Airline flight to Washington D.C. We will be flying across this wonderful country of ours. My colleagues will give you world class service for which my airline is reputed. Please sit back and have a great flight’.

The pride in his country was striking and sincere.

I joined the entire community of passengers in spontaneously applauding this grand sentiment.

For the rest of my wonderful journey and ever since then I have been asking myself this question—Are Indians like me patriotic? Is patriotism merely a question of announcing that I am proud to be an Indian? Is waving the national flag on ceremonial occasions a true index of patriotism? Does an average Indian have reason to be patriotic? Does he need a reason?

If you think that this is an isolated American instance of display of patriotism I may add that one sees such obvious pride at every turn in the US, in body language if not in words,

In the context of the current unrest in Mumbai there is now serious discussion in India on the subject of nationalism and parochialism. Speakers and writers have been exhorting us to be ‘ patriotic’ and rise above narrow considerations.

I believe these sentiments, noble though they are, mean little to the common man.

I feel that people cannot be ‘ convinced’ to be patriotic, One cannot ‘ argue’ a man into becoming a patriot. For every great aspect of our country one can cite more than one depressing reality.That according to me leaves us with one option.

I believe that the average American is patriotic not because of his country’s history of which the US has precious little. It is also not because of its great technological achievements of which there are any number. What endears the country to the common man is chiefly the fact that EVERYONE IS GUARANTEED THE BASICS OF LIFE. NOBODY NEED STARVE . NOBODY NEED LIVE IN AN INHUMAN UNCIVILISED MANNER.

It is here that India fails.

There are of course other aspects of American life that make it a great country—its commitment to freedoms of every sort, its openness, its ability to inspire to respect the law, its ability to motivate everyone to work together for the common good, its encouragement of merit ,innovation and enterprise , its spirit of equality and so on.

But these would have had little meaning for a starving person .This is where India fails. When we reach that level people will automatically be proud to be Indians without any exhortations from any quarter. It is only when a person has a stake in the country that patriotism develops.

K.R.RAVI

USA

don't honour baba amte with bharat ratna

DON’T GIVE BABA AMTE THE BHARAT RATNA

Cho Ramaswamy said it all about the Bharat Ratna. It is just not an honor to receive India’s highest civilian award at the hands of less than honorable ‘ leaders’.

I remember reading Bhagwan Rajneesh writing that he was once asked to furnish a ‘ character certificate’ from his teacher in connection with a job. The irreverent Rajneesh ,then just graduating from college, replied that since his teacher was bereft of character he Rajneesh did not consider it fit to obtain a ‘ character’ certificate from him!

Baba Amte who passed away last evening was one of those people who worked ceaselessly, far away from the limelight. Baba created a haven for leprous people in Chandrapur district in Maharashtra . Our society with its mixture of ignorance ,superstition and callousness has placed such unfortunate people at its physical and mental fringe .Baba was barely talked about by a media obsessed with city based social workers preferably with foreign connections or with the ability to invite media persons to high tea and more at 5 star hotels.

The Dalai Lama had recommended Baba Amte to the Nobel committee more than once but that institution has its own criteria especially when it comes to the Peace Prize.

Despite his debilitation illnesses—he had been suffering for many years from a spinal disease-- Baba Amte never wavered in his determination to work for those truly at the periphery of our national consciousness.

He can do without the Bharat Ratna. It is our country’s destiny to be blessed with many such people who are working totally oblivious to their lack of recognition. Rather like the Upanishads whose authors never cared to reveal their names.

Such desire for anonymity born out of genuine humility of the sort that Baba Amte personifies appears naïve in a society that craves for recognition .

K.R.RAVI

USA

WHY DO EDUCATED PEOPLE BECOME TERRORISTS?

WHY DO EDUCATED PEOPLE BECOME TERRORISTS?

One less noticed aspect of the current turmoil in Mumbai is that is not just the so called ‘lumpen’ elements that are exhibiting parochial attitudes.

For those who are not aware of what happened in Mumbai here is a brief report.

The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena[MNS] is a political outfit floated by Raj Thakeray, nephew of the redoubtable Shri Bal Thakarey of the feared Shiv Sena. Recently Raj made a statement asking north Indians including Amitabh Bachchan to leave Mumbai since they were more loyal to their original home states like UP and Bihar—than to Maharashtra.

Predictably this led to violence with the entire north showing their consternation at this parochial sentiment. Amar Singh and some other politicians took up the gauntlet and issued statements condemning Raj . The streets of Mumbai witnessed violence by MNS activists against taxi drivers and other simple workers who are usually migrants from North India. Raj asked why nobody blamed the PM for being ‘ communal’ for asking the French President to direct his officials to permit Sikhs in France to wear turbans in schools—a practice disallowed in France.Raj also asked why nobody called Karunanidhi ‘communal’ for coming to the aid of Tamil migrants to Malaysia who have had serious issues with the local authorities. The debate continues.

The lesser known aspect that I referred to is this—Raj’s party is partly backed by many educated middle class people –architects, doctors, MBA’s etc. It is this that I wish to dwell on.

A study by Oxford University tells us that it is educated people—aeronautical engineers, doctors, etc who are joining Al Queda and other jehadi outfits.

Psychologists, sociologists and other experts will have to tell us why such educated middle class people are impressed by a violent ideology . Why do MBA’s . architects and doctors in Maharashtra exhibit such narrow tendencies when the poor people at Dharavi[Asia’s largest slum in Mumbai] are able to live in harmony irrespective of their communal ,religious or regional backgrounds.

Some experts suggested that when such educated people are unemployed or see their kin and friends unemployed or otherwise see suffering among their people they seek answers to such troubling questions.

An educated Muslim in say Bangalore is very affected by the way US forces are killing fellow Muslims in Afghanistan, Iraq and in all likelihood Iran in the near future .This Muslim is convinced that his people are under threat at the hands of the’ evil west’ that is out to destroy his religion. When there are no convincing answers to this man’s doubts he falls prey to those who provide simplistic answers. Enter the mullah. Enter friends who are as troubled as he is. He exchanges notes . Soon a bond, a brotherhood emerges which believes that violence is the only answer to the crisis their people are facing.

Look at the doctors MBA’s and other professionals who support the MNS. They are no different from the Bangalore engineer . This MBA sees that in Mumbai which is the capital city of his state of Maharashtra, migrants from other states seem to flourish even as his fellow Marathi people are unemployed. Answers to such troubling questions are either not forthcoming or are not acceptable. Some of these questions which trouble Sena activists are--Why are my people not doing well? Why is the ‘ madrassi’ getting desk jobs? Why are taxi drivers mostly UP ‘ bhaiayas’ though this does not call for any great skills? Why are construction laborers from the south? Why are nurses almost always from Kerala? Why is the Mumbai stock market dominated by Gujeratis? Why do these migrants never learn to speak Marathi language?

To some people there could be a few answers but these are not acceptable to those affected and cause more anxiety, It is in these moments of anxiety of an existentialist nature that people seek and get simplistic answers.

It is human to seek answers to troubling questions When the issue is complex people repose faith on someone whose values are similar to theirs. Thus when the Indo- US Nuclear deal was being debated in India it was obvious that this was a complex issue that involved several dimensions—nuclear energy, plutonium, thorium, pollution, danger from irradiation, sovereignty, ideology, domestic and foreign policy . terrorism, Islamic vote bank etc .In the face of such complexity many people did what can only be expected. They left it to others whose values were similar to theirs to do the thinking. Most members of Parliament could only identify an atom bomb of the sort in use at Divali time or to celebrate an election victory .Thus they had little option but to leave it to someone else to tell them how to decide on this complex issue.

Thus a troubled Muslim may be influenced by his friends or by a mullah, the troubled Maharashtrian by the Sena leader, some of us by our ‘Guruji’, a devout by his Holy Book and so on. Reason is of little help since we are very emotional at such times.

It has been said that man is a rational animal but I am not quite convinced. We are every bit emotional --the way we were at the dawn of civilization. Hence we need to address the hearts and not just minds of people if we are to avert violence on any issue.

Reason , science and technology alone are not enough to address the many critical issues facing us.

K.R.RAVI

USA

GREAT INDIAN ART OF KISSING

KISSING IN INDIA

I teach Public speaking occasionally. I am often asked for some tips to be a good speaker by those who wish to learn this craft but are unwilling to pay for it—a common trait . I give them a few tips but none I believe is as juicy as this tip—KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID or even more juicily KISS. This can be and is applied to many walks of life.

Having taught the world the virtues of simplicity we have now modernized its usage and in the process taken this concept to heights that our ancient Rishis and Munis never ever envisaged.

Here is how we now practice this ancient adage.

Ø Do you disapprove of one single sentence in a two thousand page book? Don’t bother to refute it with a public statement or by a counter article or book backed by credible research. Just do something SIMPLE—call for a ban on the book, burn copies of the book in the most crowded square in town , call for a bandh, disrupt traffic ,disallow the movement of even ambulances carrying the critically ill, burn the library where the author did his research , never mind the priceless manuscripts stored there.

Ø Want to select the President of India or any high political official? Don’t bother to engage the candidates in meaningful debate. Avoid the interminable process adopted by the Americans in choosing their Presidents—caucuses, primaries, TV discussions, public grilling of candidates on serious issues. All this is too complicated. Be SIMPLE. Just ask the top party leader or leader of the coalition what he or she desires and his or her choice becomes the nation’s choice. Ask the resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan which method she approves.

Ø Unable to find a desk job? Don’t bother to ask yourself such existential questions like-- What are my educational attainments ,what skills can I offer. Take the SIMPLE route. Just bash up people from other states who are toiling hard to make ends meet. Do you doubt my advice? Ask the Shiv Sena that has mastered this art.

Ø When life presents its inevitable problems just don’t bother to introspect.Keep it SIMPLE. Just blame it on bad luck or God’s will or even better, tell everyone that the one who succeeded used ‘ influence’ or benefited from his caste or community allegiance. Thereafter rush to some favored temple and ask God for favors. When you finally get whatever you desired tell others that it was your ‘ brilliance’ that got you the prize.

Ø When you meet someone, immediately proceed to evaluate him since you find it impossible to avoid being judgmental. Evaluating someone calls for watching him over a period of time without being subjective.. It also calls for accepting that different people have perceptions and values different from yours.. But all this is too complicated .Just make it SIMPLE. Tactfully find out which community he ‘ belongs’ to. Thereafter the matter is simple. If he is a north Indian and you are from the south you can confidently say that your friend is uncouth. undisciplined and culturally challenged. On the other hand if you are from the North and he is from the south you can safely say that he is a ‘ madrassi’ who is conservative, poorly dressed, unsophisticated, cannot speak English the ‘ right’ way, is obsessed with Rajnikant who for the life of you is terribly dark complexioned. So how can he an actor?

I can go on and on. But I believe in another PROVERB familiar to top public speakers other than politicians..

KEEP IT SHORT STUPID [OR KISS]

K.R.RAVI

USA

GREAT INDIAN ART OF KISSING

KISSING IN INDIA

I teach Public speaking occasionally. I am often asked for some tips to be a good speaker by those who wish to learn this craft but are unwilling to pay for it—a common trait . I give them a few tips but none I believe is as juicy as this tip—KEEP IT SIMPLE STUPID or even more juicily KISS. This can be and is applied to many walks of life.

Having taught the world the virtues of simplicity we have now modernized its usage and in the process taken this concept to heights that our ancient Rishis and Munis never ever envisaged.

Here is how we now practice this ancient adage.

Ø Do you disapprove of one single sentence in a two thousand page book? Don’t bother to refute it with a public statement or by a counter article or book backed by credible research. Just do something SIMPLE—call for a ban on the book, burn copies of the book in the most crowded square in town , call for a bandh, disrupt traffic ,disallow the movement of even ambulances carrying the critically ill, burn the library where the author did his research , never mind the priceless manuscripts stored there.

Ø Want to select the President of India or any high political official? Don’t bother to engage the candidates in meaningful debate. Avoid the interminable process adopted by the Americans in choosing their Presidents—caucuses, primaries, TV discussions, public grilling of candidates on serious issues. All this is too complicated. Be SIMPLE. Just ask the top party leader or leader of the coalition what he or she desires and his or her choice becomes the nation’s choice. Ask the resident of Rashtrapati Bhavan which method she approves.

Ø Unable to find a desk job? Don’t bother to ask yourself such existential questions like-- What are my educational attainments ,what skills can I offer. Take the SIMPLE route. Just bash up people from other states who are toiling hard to make ends meet. Do you doubt my advice? Ask the Shiv Sena that has mastered this art.

Ø When life presents its inevitable problems just don’t bother to introspect.Keep it SIMPLE. Just blame it on bad luck or God’s will or even better, tell everyone that the one who succeeded used ‘ influence’ or benefited from his caste or community allegiance. Thereafter rush to some favored temple and ask God for favors. When you finally get whatever you desired tell others that it was your ‘ brilliance’ that got you the prize.

Ø When you meet someone, immediately proceed to evaluate him since you find it impossible to avoid being judgmental. Evaluating someone calls for watching him over a period of time without being subjective.. It also calls for accepting that different people have perceptions and values different from yours.. But all this is too complicated .Just make it SIMPLE. Tactfully find out which community he ‘ belongs’ to. Thereafter the matter is simple. If he is a north Indian and you are from the south you can confidently say that your friend is uncouth. undisciplined and culturally challenged. On the other hand if you are from the North and he is from the south you can safely say that he is a ‘ madrassi’ who is conservative, poorly dressed, unsophisticated, cannot speak English the ‘ right’ way, is obsessed with Rajnikant who for the life of you is terribly dark complexioned. So how can he an actor?

I can go on and on. But I believe in another PROVERB familiar to top public speakers other than politicians..

KEEP IT SHORT STUPID [OR KISS]

K.R.RAVI

USA

INDIA--THE CANNOT DO SPIRIT

INDIA—THE CAN’T DO SPIRIT

Ø Sania Mirza can’t play in India since her dress offends Muslim sensibilities.

Ø M.F.Hussain can’t live in India since his paintings offend Hindu sensibilities.

Ø Amitabh Bachchan can’t work in Mumbai and open a school in UP since this offends Marathi sensibilities.

Ø A Tamilian can’t celebrate Tamil New year day as is traditionally done in April since this offends DMK sensibilities.

Ø Oxford, Cambridge, Harvard , Stanford universities can’t open campuses in India since this offends our socialist sensibilities.

Ø Forward caste meritorious students can’t get admission to higher educational institutions in the country—and hence leave for pastures abroad—since this offends SC/ST sensibilities.

Ø Tasnima Nasreen and Salman Rushdie can’t enjoy freedom of creative expression since this offends Islamic sensibilities.

Ø Saurabh Ganguly can’t be dropped from the ODI team since this offends Kolkatta sensibilities.

Ø Narayanamoorthy can’t be honored with a Bharat Ratna since that offends patriotic sensibilities with the great man having preferred to have a musical rather than a vocal rendering of the national anthem.

Ø Khushboo and other actresses in Tamilnadu can’t freely express their views on sexuality since that offends some people’s sensibilities.

Ø Sex education classes can’t be held in many parts of India-- even though there is ample evidence of promiscuity among youngsters-- since this offends parental sensibilities.

I can go on and on but you get the message.

The irony is that even as we so ‘sensitive’ to these issues we are totally indifferent to the suffering of the street kid down the road who has not had a meal for days while our kids can refuse to eat the food which mother has cooked. We then order a pizza and throw the surplus food into the garbage can.

On the one hand we are a nation blessed with a young population with a ‘CAN DO’ attitude but on the other hand there is a generation or two of oldies who are obsessed with a ‘CAN’T DO’ mindset.

How do you ,for example, expect leaders of the antiquity of Arjun Singh, Karunanidhi, Vajpayee . Jyoti Basu and Advani to be in sync with the attitudes, aspirations and world view of a resurgent young India with guys a quarter their age? How can you reasonably expect men like Karat, Yechuri and Bardhan for example to understand modernity when they are wedded to a Neanderthal[Old Stone age] ideology?

One is told that the old order fades away leaving the stage for the new. But like many other things our country is an exception even to this adage. Our nonagenarian politicians seem to be blessed with near immortality. Maybe power is a great tonic or is power the proverbial ‘ amrit’ that confers immortality?

As I had mentioned in another blog I propose to institute two awards .

One will be given to the ‘ leader’ who has totally outlived his utility to the country—this award will be called THE GOODBYE AWARD. Mr Karunanidhi will be honored with this prize this year. Since he can neither sit, stand or walk he will be given this prize through courier and his aide will be authorized to sign the receipt since the ‘ leader’ cannot hold his hands steady enough to sign his name.

The other prize will be called the DR. NO award and will be given to the ‘ leader’ who is seen as most resistant to reforms. Mr. Prakash Karat wins the second award hands down this year. He will be authorized to receive the award with his preferred hand—his left hand! Our compliment will however not be left handed.

When I showed the draft of this blog to my American friends they were flummoxed. How does India survive let alone prosper with these kind of people at the helm they asked.

I could only tell them this. God is an Indian or more correctly God is an NRI. The Almighty can’t reside in India since that hurts the sensibilities of secularists and communists. Even the religious Indian will not let God reside in India since there will be a riot to determine which religion God belongs to.

K.R.RAVI

USA

SUPERSTITION IN GOD'S OWN COUNTRY

SUPERSTITION in GOD’S OWN COUNTRY

The English language TV media as well as television analysts have been accusing the Hindi news channels of converting non-issues into big news, of drumming up trivial issues and of pandering to the superstitious elements of society. By chance I switched on a Hindi TV channel and the very first item had me laughing out loud. The newsreader was speaking in a rapid fire manner about how in a town in Kerala it was literally raining blood ! The town was experiencing an alien attack was what the reader suggested. Thick red blood like substance was falling in a heavy shower over the town. A scientist from Cochin was interviewed . He ‘confirmed’ that it was a set of aliens that was venting its spleen over the town. Another religious looking person said that it was the wrath of God that was pouring over the people for their sinful acts !The channel confirmed that a laboratory had ‘analyzed’ the stuff and said that nothing like that substance was ever available on earth and hence it had reached the ‘inescapable ‘ conclusion that something from outer space had invaded our earth though it was not explained why this non-descript town was chosen for the invasion. Why not a town with a tell tale name in Nashik district called SINNAR? To add some ‘scientific’ credibility this report said that the human DNA was not seen in the ‘ rain’ drops thereby suggesting that aliens were truly upon us.

I can imagine people in many parts of Kerala , not subscribing to the leftist ideology, huddled around endless cups of tea or country liquor looking somber awaiting judgement day and repenting their sins. Tears streaming down their eyes and cheeks they might rush to places of worship begging pardon for their many acts of omission and commission. A wag suggests that the Almighty may not pardon them for electing a Godless communist Government !There seems to be a big constituency of people who are ready to believe in a supernatural explanation for anything that they are not able to explain with their simple approaches. The TV channel might have noticed that none of the other channels had even telecast this event let alone asked scientists for an explanation. No doubt this Hindi TV channel will not tell you that something as mundane as acid rain could explain the phenomenon. But then that would not ‘ break’ news.

A political analyst writes that small states like Kerala with their small literate and stagnant population have a marginal say in legislation in Parliament while large states like UP with their uncontrolled illiterate population have a decisive say. This argument appealed to me till I saw how two states-Kerala and West Bengal—by electing communists have been able to paralyze the reforms process with the inordinate clout that leftists have with the coalition at the center.

TV channels might do well to highlight how a state like Kerala as well as West Bengal are holding back reforms that could propel the country forward. The communists with their core constituency restricted to these states are holding the country’s reform agenda to ransom with their veto over every reform proposal of the UPA government. Mr. Karat the CPM leader has said ‘NO’ to every reform proposal. In fact in the heat of the ‘Bharat Ratna’ controversy I had suggested in the media that Mr. Karat be conferred the ‘DR. NO’ award for being a ‘no-sayer’ to reforms .

Meanwhile a satirist from Kerala says that his state is so devoted to the leftist cause that even rain has turned red.

K.R.RAVI

USA

A HINDU A MUSLIM AND A CHRISTIAN

A HINDU , A MUSLIM AND A CHRISTIAN

I was sitting in the Coffee shop at a Borders book store in downtown Washington DC when a middle aged man came up to me , asked my permission to sit at my table and introduced himself as a Pakistani, doing research at Georgetown university. Even as we exchanged pleasantries an elderly American joined us proclaiming himself to be an India lover. Soon we were talking like long lost friends when the conversation took a serious turn. The Pakistani said that he envied India’s progress and attributed his country’s lack of development to an absence of democracy.

The American interjected by saying that ‘ ‘jihad’ was what was holding Pakistan back. ‘ How can God ever command anyone to kill in His name? God is Love’ he said.

The Pakistani , at first rattled, gathered strength and admonished ‘ ‘jihadis’ for misusing religion and cleared the air by informing that less than 1 % of Muslims anywhere believe in such an ideology.

‘Hindu fundamentalism’ the American added was India’s bane though he was gracious enough to clarify that very few Hindus believed in such an ideology.

When I asked him what else he knew about Hinduism he quoted Pandit Nehru as having in turn quoted Gandhiji as saying “A man may not believe in God and can still call himself a Hindu. Hinduism is a relentless pursuit of truth.... Denial of God we have known, denial of truth we have not known’

I was impressed and asked him for more. He said that among the major religions Hinduism alone had no single holy book. no ‘church’ no one best way to salvation, no standard rituals and no one way of approaching the truth. Hence, he added, any Hindu can envision God in his own unique way. He got up and as a farewell he said something remarkable ‘ Ravi you are blessed to be born a Hindu’.

As for Christianity he felt that it was the ‘ cocksureness’ of the faith that the path to salvation has been found that he did not find appealing. Christ’s message of love and compassion was what he personally subscribed to.

I did not ask him what faith he subscribed to. That sounded too trivial a question.

As he gathered his bags and put on his overcoat he gave me his visiting card that gave his calling.

He was a pastor in a local church!

K.R.RAVI

USA

BACKWARD GLANCE

BACKWARD GLANCE

For a nation that has immense problems at hand we are particularly adept at looking backwards and being fixated at the past. It is as if we are looking at the rear view mirror and driving on a highway to nowhere. Just when cool logic is called for , we think with our political eyes on the next election where as always caste will triumph all other considerations.

I was scanning the papers over the last few weeks and found the following issues agitating our leadership

-Whether Mahatma Gandhi said ’Hey Ram’ or ‘Ram Ram’ in his last moments

-whether Netaji Bose is alive or not

--whether the Ram Sethu is man made or not

--whether Aishwayra Rai is in the family way or not

--whether Shah Rukh Khan should be shown smoking on screen or not

The fact is that there are critical issues before the nation .We owe it to our people to lift them out of poverty and cannot afford to waste our time on these relatively trivial issues. The CM of Tamilnadu for example has made Brahmin baiting a life long passion even though the people in his own state cry for amelioration beyond free TV sets and dhotis . But that is not the way he sees things -he has announced that the Tamil new year will not be in April—as it has been for thousands of years –but on a date decided by his government! The obvious purpose is to embarrass Brahmins .Scarcely will he acknowledge that the Indian systems of fixing the new year are based on astronomical considerations and have nothing to do with caste or religion.An insider tells me that the Sethu project is not coming through since the Navy and Cast guard have raised serious objections on grounds of security. This has angered the TN C M who sees in this move another Brahmin /north-Indian plot against ‘ Tamil pride’ Hence the ‘ New year’ proposal which is another ‘ assault’ on this so called nexus. But the shrewd politician that he is he will further consolidate his vote bank on the plank of ‘ wounded pride’ of his core constituency.

He will not talk of the recent PRATHAM report that talks of the decline of education in his state that was once the best In the country. He will of course try to win the next elections with maybe free undergarments for voters!

As for his friend Ambumani Ramdass this Union Health Minister prefers to rebuke Shah Rukh Khan for on- screen smoking even as more and more organ donation rackets surface including one in his home state Tamil Nadu and kids die ot lack of elementary drugs.

Now comes the report that several young NRI Indians in the US are among 40 brightest minds selected for the prestigious INTEL scholarships. These bright kids have no place in India since we have made merit an unparliamentary word .

I have announced a contest on the internet and will reward the best answer to the question—what would have been Mahatma Gandhi’s last words if he had been assassinated today?

K.R.RAVI

USA

HONOURING EXCELLENCE

HONOURING EXCELLENCE

The new year is a good time to look back and consciously identify those who through their qualities of head and heart made a difference to the country. Hence a slew of awards that are announced in almost every field of work. The recently announced CNN-IBN awards were one such award which struck me as noteworthy since these awards went beyond the headlines to seek out those whom the public may not know about and may not be ‘ popular’ in the sense in which a film star or cricketer or business magnate may be.

The Public service award to Shri Shreedharan for his contribution to the transport system is one such award. Some people make you proud to be an Indian and Shri Shreedhran is one such Indian. Against all predictions of doom, against the usual cry of environmentalists , and in the face of political indifference and bureaucratic impediments Mr. Shreedharan has inspired his team to give us the Konkan Railway and the New Delhi metro.

The Chairman of the State Bank of India Shri O.P. Bhatt deservedly got the award for excellence in Business, again a story of working against many debilitating factors endemic to the public sector-even as these awards are being announced his officers have gone on a strike to protest the merging of bank branches, a strategy that any outsider will consider necessary to make their operations viable.

What is important in these two awards is something that the public needs to know but the media may not highlight.

The financial press publishes every year a list of the 500 highest income earners in the country. For the last few years I have scanned this list and found something painful—NOT ONE EXECUTIVE FROM THE PUBLIC SECTOR FIGURES IN THE LIST OF 500 TOP EARNERS !

Readers may not know that the Chairman of the State Bank of India earns less than a management trainee in a small bank whose operations and capitalization may be lesser than that of ONE BRANCH OF STATE BANK OF INDIA!

It takes over three decades of tough assignments and risky work to reach the top position in State Bank, yet that person earns a measly amount which even a call centre employee may scoff at.

This applies also to Mr. Sreedharan.

The lesson—some people can work their heart out and deliver excellence despite being poorly paid.

I believe the time has come to bring public sector salaries in line with the private sector.

The warning signals are already evident—bright youngsters are not joining the public sector or the civil services.

K.R.RAVI

USA

S TAMILNADU BEING MARGINALISED?

IS TAMILNADU BEING MARGINALISED?

A few news items could be thought provoking to people of Tamilnadu .

--The Ramanujam Institute named after a Tamilian said to be one of India’s greatest mathematicians, trains youngsters to succeed in the CET—The entrance exams to the prestigious IIT’s. In each of the last three years all the students of this Institute got into the IIT . These students were from rural areas and their success in the highly competitive entrance tests has drawn national attention. Should we congratulate the Government of Tamilnadu for this brilliant scheme? Not at all since this Institute is in Bihar!

--the recent report on the status of school education in the country by Pratham the research organization tells us that Tamilnadu and Kerala have shown sharp deterioration in the quality of school education and are now heading to the bottom of the ladder.

-Every state clamors for an IIM but not Tamilnadu.

--Thousands of new entrepreneurs are emerging all over the country but few Tamil names are evident, For that matter one cannot think of even one company from the state that is avidly discussed in stock market , venture capital or private equity circles.

--Small towns in the rest of the country are now producing top class cricketers but hardly anyone from TN.

--few youngsters from the state fare well in competitive exams like for the I.A.S or IIT ‘s.

--New talent is emerging in movies and Bollywood is becoming more and more sophisticated in themes , techniques and production values but Tamil cinema is largely stuck in its old routines with a marked inability to transcend boundaries

-Even Tamil TV programmes exhibit poor production values, regressive themes presented shabbily, crude comedy and uninspiring characters. Loud acting, poor dress sense, hackneyed themes are the norm though the producers may justify all this as being relevant to the intended audience. Why not uplift the tastes of the audience with something aspirational ?

--Visiting Presidents and prime ministers make a detour from Delhi and visit Bangalore but never Tamilnadu.

-Not one minister from the state can make a smart impact on any foreign investor. Not one politician from TN is talked of as a potential national leader.

--development issues are rarely at the centre of discussion in the local press. People seem to be satisfied with arguing whether Lord Ram liked to imbibe drinks or not That is when they are not discussing Rajnikant .

--the rest of the country finds it easier to understand God than to decipher what makes Tamilians adore Rajnikant and Vijayakant.

--Several states are vying to get Formula One races to their locations but TN with a history of car racing and racing stars like Karthikeyan seems to blissfully unaware of the sport

The list is long but the essential theme is this—are the leaders and people of the state not in touch with modernity and are they content with low level thinking?

Have we carried our caste politics to a level where nothing else matters? Are the people content with handouts—free dhotis, TV sets etc? In this competitive handout giving political culture are we going to see free underwear for men in the next elections?

I believe the fundamental error –and this is sadly evident in various degrees in may states and at national levels—is in believing that development is a top down issue in which it is enough if the State gives handouts from time to time. This approach is not working and betrays a condescending attitude. Development can take of on its own momentum when it is initiated by an approach that involves empowering the common people to shape their own destinies and not just rely on reservations.. High quality education beginning from elementary school is the very first step. But then this kind of thinking is too much to expect from most of our leaders.

I know I am repeating this theme but I feel I am justified in doing this.

I have a hypothesis. If you dress smart and modern you are likely to think smart and modern.I refer to the concept of the necessary but not sufficient condition.

Can TN leaders smarten their attire? Just look at Maran the only TN politician to make a national impact[apart from the exception of Chidambaram] Maran was never seen in the shabby dhoti so loved by TN politicians. Maran was, in a national opinion poll rated the most effective union cabinet minister. It is not surprising that Maran is now in the shadows while a pre-modern guy is touted as the next CM.

K.R.RAVI

USA

INDIA AND PAKISTAN--SHARED PAST DIFFERENT FUTURE

INDIA AND PAKISTAN

There is this article by a Pakistani freelance writer that is circulating on the net which makes a comparison between India and Pakistan with startling information. Even though the write-up is long I cannot resist quoting it verbatim and have edited a small portion to save space

-Twenty-five thousand years ago, haplogroup R2 characterized by genetic marker M124 arose in southern Central Asia. Then began a major wave of human migration whereby members migrated southward to present-day India and Pakistan (Genographic Project by the National Geographic Society; http://www.nationalgeographiccom/ ). Indians and Pakistanis have the same ancestry and share the same DNA sequence.
Here's what is happening in India:

The two Ambani brothers can buy 100 percent of every company listed on the Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE) and would still be left with $30 billion to spare. The four richest Indians can buy up all goods and services produced over a year by 169 million Pakistanis and still be left with $60 billion to spare. The four richest Indians are now richer than the forty richest Chinese.

In November, Bombay Stock Exchange's benchmark Sensex flirted with 20,000 points. As a consequence, Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Industries became a $100 billion company (the entire KSE is capitalized at $65 billion). Mukesh owns 48 percent of Reliance.

In November, comes Neeta's birthday. Neeta turned forty-four three weeks ago. Look what she got from her husband as her birthday present: A sixty-million dollar jet with a custom fitted master bedroom, bathroom with mood lighting, a sky bar, entertainment cabins, satellite television, wireless communication and a separate cabin with game consoles. Neeta is Mukesh Ambani's wife, and Mukesh is not India's richest but the second richest.

Mukesh is now building his new home, Residence Antillia (after a mythical, phantom island somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean). At a cost of $1 billion this would be the most expensive home on the face of the planet. At 173 meters tall Mukesh's new family residence, for a family of six, will be the equivalent of a 60-storeyed building. The first six floors are reserved for parking. The seventh floor is for car servicing and maintenance. The eighth floor houses a mini-theatre. Then there's a health club, a gym and a swimming pool. Two floors are reserved for Ambani family's guests. Four floors above the guest floors are family floors all with a superb view of the Arabian Sea. On top of everything are three helipads. A staff of 600 is expected to care for the family and their family home.

In 2004, India became the 3rd most attractive foreign direct investment destination. Pakistan wasn't even in the top 25 countries. In 2004, the United Nations, the representative body of 192 sovereign member states, had requested the Election Commission of India to assist the UN in the holding elections in Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah and Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan. Why the Election Commission of India and not the Election Commission of Pakistan? After all, Islamabad is closer to Kabul than is Delhi.

Imagine, 12 percent of all American scientists are of Indian origin; 38 percent of doctors in America are Indian; 36 percent of NASA scientists are Indians; 34 percent of Microsoft employees are Indians; and 28 percent of IBM employees are Indians.

For the record: Sabeer Bhatia created and founded Hotmail. Sun Microsystems was founded by Vinod Khosla. The Intel Pentium processor, that runs 90 percent of all computers, was fathered by Vinod Dham. Rajiv Gupta co-invented Hewlett Packard's E-speak project. Four out of ten Silicon Valley start-ups are run by Indians. Bollywood produces 800 movies per year and six Indian ladies have won Miss Universe/Miss World titles over the past 10 years.

For the record: Azim Premji, the richest Muslim entrepreneur on the face of the planet, was born in Bombay and now lives in Bangalore.India now has more than three dozen billionaires; Pakistan has none (not a single dollar billionaire).

The other amazing aspect is the rapid pace at which India is creating wealth. In 2002, Dhirubhai Ambani, Mukesh and Anil Ambani's father, left his two sons a fortune worth $2.8 billion. In 2007, their combined wealth stood at $94 billion. On 29 October 2007, as a result of the stock market rally and the appreciation of the Indian rupee, Mukesh became the richest person in the world, with net worth climbing to US$63.2 billion (Bill Gates, the richest American, stands at around $56 billion).
Indians and Pakistanis have the same Y-chromosome haplogroup. We have the same genetic sequence and the same genetic marker (namely: M124). We have the same DNA molecule, the same DNA sequence. Our culture, our traditions and our cuisine are all the same. We watch the same movies and sing the same songs. What is it that Indians have and we don't?

Indians elect their leaders.

I circulated this article on the net and asked readers to tell me what THEY thought was the reason for the difference in the state of the two nations. I felt that India being a democracy-something the Pakistani writer referred to-- was but only one difference albeit crucial. I summarize the responses—

--The average Indian does not know and does not care who the Army Chief is unless he is preparing for the I.A.S exam or is a quiz freak. In contrast the average Pakistani does not know or care to know anyone other than the army chief.

--someone quoted author and columnist Friedman as saying that when he met young Indians the discussion was how and when can our state get an IIM or IIT. But when he met a young Pakistani the demand was for a new madrassa.

--when after a cricket match the Pakistani captain is asked for his opinion he starts his statement with a quote from the Koran but the Indian captain never brings God into the day’s play. One top Pakistani player converted to Islam to further his ambition to become Captain but in India two of the most admired captains have been Muslims- Nawab of Pataudi and Md. Azharuddin.

--There is too much religion in Pakistan but in India religion is usually kept out of public life except for some die hards.

-Pakistan is a theocracy while India is a secular nation whatever be its concomitant problems.

I invite readers to give me their views avoiding hate mail. I personally feel there is a parallel between Pakistan on one hand and UP ,Bihar on the other. India cannot prosper unless UP and Bihar also prosper. Similarly as a nation it is in our interest to have a prosperous and stable neighbor who ultimately is part of our family.

K.R.RAVI

USA