It is the beginning of the end of what started on March 20, 2003. If one goes by duration alone, the Iraq War is well comparable to Second World War (WW II). But the similarity perhaps ends there itself. For, the two contesting sides here were hugely unequal. It was more of an occupation of Iraq by multinational forces, chiefly the American and the British. Besides, Germany and Japan were nations strong enough to rebuild themselves from scratch. A shattered and divided Iraq can hardly be seen possessing the same capabilities.
The occupation of Iraq has been controversial right from the beginning. George W Bush attacked Iraq on the pretext that it possessed weapons of mass destruction. But the inspections made by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) later revealed that this was a hoax call made by the Americans. Bush later changed tack and accused the then Iraqi president Saddam Hussein of harbouring and supporting Al-Qaeda terrorists. But this charge too was based more on apprehension than on any solid evidence.
Several analysts felt that the US had uppermost on its mind Iraq’s massive oil reserves, estimated to be the third largest in the world. The issue has been contentious ever since the oil industry was nationalized in Iraq in 1972. But the US really got angry when Saddam switched the oil sales from dollar to euro in 2000. However, the US was discreet enough to avoid any such allegations or even connotations. It is said that even the change of the name of the operation was a sort of hand-washing. Operation Iraqi Liberation had OIL as its acronym, and was therefore renamed Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Perhaps the only ground on which the US invasion could be sympathized with, though not necessarily justified, was the outrageous abuses perpetrated by the dictator Saddam. During his rule of more than two decades he had killed and tortured thousands of Iraqi citizens. He had gassed and killed thousands of Kurds in the mid-eighties. He had brutally repressed Shia and Kurdish uprisings following the 1991 Gulf war. Besides, a campaign of repressing and displacing the Marsh Arabs had been going on for 15 years in Southern Iraq.
One wonders if the US has achieved its purpose of liberating or freeing Iraq. It seems to be more out of political and economic compulsion that the US has signed the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA). US ambassador Ryan Crocker and Iraqi foreign minister Hoshyar Zebari have agreed that the US combat forces will withdraw from “Iraqi cities, villages and localities” no later than June 30, 2009. Further, the American forces will withdraw from all Iraqi territory by the end of 2011.
What has prompted this withdrawal? The war was leading nowhere and has discredited the Bush regime to a large extent. Things are getting out of control in Afghanistan and deserve much more attention. Besides, Barack Obama has never been a votary of this war and in any case would have ended it, or at least begun its end, once he came to power.
Economically, the war is proving to be a millstone around the American neck. The US has spent nearly one trillion dollars on this war. At a time when stimulus and bailout packages are the need of the hour, even the largest economy can hardly afford spending a billion dollars a day merely trying to improve the lot of a country thousands of miles away geographically and still farther culturally.
So the US is ready to move out. Nearly six years of occupation has led to hardly any positives except for removing tyrant Saddam from the scene. In Saddam, however, Iraq has also lost its most potent unifying force. What the Americans are leaving is a weakened federation of 18 provinces, elections for 14 of which are scheduled to be held on Jan 31. Iraq is a house divided. The Sunni minority does not see eye to eye with the 60-odd per cent Shia majority. Moqtada Sadr sings his own tune through his Mahdi Army.
Ethnically, the Kurds still remain a disgruntled lot. The future of the Kirkuk province remains precarious. The daily newspaper of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) has accused the Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki of creating Isnad or “Support Councils”, which are tribally-based private militias. They are supposed to be a personal instrument of his power engaged in curbing the Kurds. Asked the newspaper, “Who can tell the difference between Saddam’s al-Quds army and Nouri al-Maliki’s Support Councils?”
There seems to be no proper consensus on a law for oil, the crucial commodity on which Iraq has traditionally relied for 95 per cent of its exports. Moreover, a collapse in global oil prices will only deter the country further from leveraging on this mineral.
Lack of friendly neighbours does not help Iraq’s case either. Iran, which may be a nuclear power by 2012, should be in favour of a weak federal Iraq under Shiite leadership. Syria on the other hand favours a unitary state. So should Turkey, so that Kurdistan does not rear its head.
Nearly six years into the war, Iraq seems to be groping in the dark. Lakhs of its citizens have been killed and nearly 5 million, or 16 per cent of its population, displaced. The Americans, who promised to hold the torch, are gradually dimming it.
Thursday, 18 December 2008
Thursday, 11 December 2008
26/11
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle January 2009)
Dear reader,
Wish you a happy New Year! But even as we wish you happiness, it is difficult to forget the sad past we have witnessed in recent times. First, it was the global financial meltdown symbolised by the collapse of Lehman brothers. But I don’t consider that to be too big a crisis. As long as one is alive and in good health, one can strive to overcome poverty.
What I am concerned much deeper about is the second and far graver crisis. 26/11. When terrorism brought us to our knees. It seemed to be the culmination of the bomb blasts carried out across the country so frequently that one forgets the statistical trivia — how many cities, how many blasts, how many lives lost?
It is truly alarming when the number of lives lost becomes for us a part of the statistical trivia. And it leads me to two conclusions — we are either a callous society or an effete one. Callousness is on the rise with our material pursuits often overriding emotional and spiritual ones. But it has not gone to the extent that our quest for a northward GDP and per capita income has detached us from our near and dear ones. We still love them and care for them. Moreover, even a callous, purely money-minded person would love oneself at least. Terrorism threatens even this love.
Which means we are an effete society deservingly represented by an effete government. We are fond of celebrating secularism but unwilling to labour for its maintenance. We are good at gathering intelligence but poor at disseminating it and poorer at acting on it promptly. We have lost the power of non-violence and we are yet to acquire the power of the strong arm.
This is a wake-up call for us. We have to fight the enemy whether it is within the country or without. And we must be prepared for all kinds of warfare — military, psychological, economic or educational. A bunch of misguided people should not be allowed to hold the world to ransom.
Whichever path we choose, act we must. Heed to the alarm. Don’t press the snooze off and sleep until another attack wakes us up.
Dear reader,
Wish you a happy New Year! But even as we wish you happiness, it is difficult to forget the sad past we have witnessed in recent times. First, it was the global financial meltdown symbolised by the collapse of Lehman brothers. But I don’t consider that to be too big a crisis. As long as one is alive and in good health, one can strive to overcome poverty.
What I am concerned much deeper about is the second and far graver crisis. 26/11. When terrorism brought us to our knees. It seemed to be the culmination of the bomb blasts carried out across the country so frequently that one forgets the statistical trivia — how many cities, how many blasts, how many lives lost?
It is truly alarming when the number of lives lost becomes for us a part of the statistical trivia. And it leads me to two conclusions — we are either a callous society or an effete one. Callousness is on the rise with our material pursuits often overriding emotional and spiritual ones. But it has not gone to the extent that our quest for a northward GDP and per capita income has detached us from our near and dear ones. We still love them and care for them. Moreover, even a callous, purely money-minded person would love oneself at least. Terrorism threatens even this love.
Which means we are an effete society deservingly represented by an effete government. We are fond of celebrating secularism but unwilling to labour for its maintenance. We are good at gathering intelligence but poor at disseminating it and poorer at acting on it promptly. We have lost the power of non-violence and we are yet to acquire the power of the strong arm.
This is a wake-up call for us. We have to fight the enemy whether it is within the country or without. And we must be prepared for all kinds of warfare — military, psychological, economic or educational. A bunch of misguided people should not be allowed to hold the world to ransom.
Whichever path we choose, act we must. Heed to the alarm. Don’t press the snooze off and sleep until another attack wakes us up.
Predicting Stock Market
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle December 2008)
We are in an age when every Tom, Dick and Harry talks about the stock market and the Sensex. “How much is the Sensex at?” has become a question as ubiquitous as “What’s the score?” asked when India plays cricket. There are opinions and even convictions on how the share market will perform in the days to come.
But the men who really matter don’t seen to have a clue. Our economist-Prime Minister confesses he does not understand how the share markets behave. Our finance minister too takes recourse in highlighting the fact as to how strong India is on its economic fundamentals. The ship of the Indian economy is more or less on an even keel. It may at worst lurch but it won’t sink.
Who then knows about the stock market? It is a question perhaps as difficult to answer as the one about God’s existence. In the Indian tradition sages say that those who tell about God don’t really know about Him; those who know don’t tell. The share market knowledge too has parallels to the Divine conundrum.
Predicting the Sensex is much like astrological predictions. Charlatans abound in this realm. As one prediction after another is shattered when confronted with reality, people have started losing faith in the stock market pundits. Some say astronomy is a science; astrology is not.
Similarly, studying the economy is a science. Predicting it is not. Predicting the stock market is especially not.
In such a scenario it is very difficult to say who will salvage the world from the economic crisis. It is also difficult to say who will spark hope at the end of the tunnel seeing which the stock markets may surge. Whether it is Republican McCain or Democrat Obama, both will find the going equally tough.
It appears only time will heal a sick global economy. Depression is a virus that goes away if the economy takes care of its health. But the virus doesn’t get out in a day.
We are in an age when every Tom, Dick and Harry talks about the stock market and the Sensex. “How much is the Sensex at?” has become a question as ubiquitous as “What’s the score?” asked when India plays cricket. There are opinions and even convictions on how the share market will perform in the days to come.
But the men who really matter don’t seen to have a clue. Our economist-Prime Minister confesses he does not understand how the share markets behave. Our finance minister too takes recourse in highlighting the fact as to how strong India is on its economic fundamentals. The ship of the Indian economy is more or less on an even keel. It may at worst lurch but it won’t sink.
Who then knows about the stock market? It is a question perhaps as difficult to answer as the one about God’s existence. In the Indian tradition sages say that those who tell about God don’t really know about Him; those who know don’t tell. The share market knowledge too has parallels to the Divine conundrum.
Predicting the Sensex is much like astrological predictions. Charlatans abound in this realm. As one prediction after another is shattered when confronted with reality, people have started losing faith in the stock market pundits. Some say astronomy is a science; astrology is not.
Similarly, studying the economy is a science. Predicting it is not. Predicting the stock market is especially not.
In such a scenario it is very difficult to say who will salvage the world from the economic crisis. It is also difficult to say who will spark hope at the end of the tunnel seeing which the stock markets may surge. Whether it is Republican McCain or Democrat Obama, both will find the going equally tough.
It appears only time will heal a sick global economy. Depression is a virus that goes away if the economy takes care of its health. But the virus doesn’t get out in a day.
Sub-Prime Crisis
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle November 2008)
The sub-prime crisis in the US – a crisis created by risky debts turning bad – had already started making its presence felt in India from January. Markets went down as foreign institutional investors (FIIs) pulled out money from the capital market. But there was some light at the end of the tunnel. Today, with the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the ensuing financial turmoil across the world, the world seems to be groping in the dark.
How did all this happen? It is a clear case of greed overpowering discreetness among the financial engineers. Since banks in the US were flush with liquidity, they looked for avenues where the surplus could be employed. Real estate was a booming sector. So banks started offering loans to anyone and everyone without being too concerned about their credentials – a category that came to be known as “sub-prime borrowers”. Since the loans were considered riskier, a higher rate of interest was charged.
The story of greed might not have been so tragic if things had stopped ihere. In their pursuit of making more money, the mortgages of land and house were packaged as portfolios and sold further. Even the role of credit agencies like Moody’s and Standard & Poor is suspect in that they rated the derivatives thus obtained as not too risky. The game went further. There were Credit Default Swaps which hedged the risks of some but multiplied those of others.
Thus there was a chain of investment built on the same underlying assets, viz real estate. But excess of anything is bad. The real estate sector busted. And the sub-prime borrowers, in keeping with the rationale of their nomenclature, began to default on their loans. And the ball of financial performance was set rolling downward, much like the stone in the Sisyphean myth, but with far more negative consequences.
When the Titanics of the financial world start sinking, it is but natural that the mood across the world is sombre. Some believe that this is the worst phase for the world economy since the Great Depression of 1929.
Should we therefore mourn? Remember it is the darkest before dawn. The financial world will show resilience though it may take about a year for broad daylight to come back.
The sub-prime crisis in the US – a crisis created by risky debts turning bad – had already started making its presence felt in India from January. Markets went down as foreign institutional investors (FIIs) pulled out money from the capital market. But there was some light at the end of the tunnel. Today, with the collapse of Lehman Brothers and the ensuing financial turmoil across the world, the world seems to be groping in the dark.
How did all this happen? It is a clear case of greed overpowering discreetness among the financial engineers. Since banks in the US were flush with liquidity, they looked for avenues where the surplus could be employed. Real estate was a booming sector. So banks started offering loans to anyone and everyone without being too concerned about their credentials – a category that came to be known as “sub-prime borrowers”. Since the loans were considered riskier, a higher rate of interest was charged.
The story of greed might not have been so tragic if things had stopped ihere. In their pursuit of making more money, the mortgages of land and house were packaged as portfolios and sold further. Even the role of credit agencies like Moody’s and Standard & Poor is suspect in that they rated the derivatives thus obtained as not too risky. The game went further. There were Credit Default Swaps which hedged the risks of some but multiplied those of others.
Thus there was a chain of investment built on the same underlying assets, viz real estate. But excess of anything is bad. The real estate sector busted. And the sub-prime borrowers, in keeping with the rationale of their nomenclature, began to default on their loans. And the ball of financial performance was set rolling downward, much like the stone in the Sisyphean myth, but with far more negative consequences.
When the Titanics of the financial world start sinking, it is but natural that the mood across the world is sombre. Some believe that this is the worst phase for the world economy since the Great Depression of 1929.
Should we therefore mourn? Remember it is the darkest before dawn. The financial world will show resilience though it may take about a year for broad daylight to come back.
Sorrow of Bihar
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle October 2008)
In our childhood the textbooks taught us that the river Kosi was the “sorrow of Bihar”. Our textbooks have a bad reputation for being outdated or irrelevant. It was somewhat in this light that we took the epithet given to Kosi. It was only as much real for us as Hwang-Ho being the “sorrow of China.”
But this August millions of people in north-eastern Bihar witnessed a doomsday scenario first hand. We were jolted out of our stupor and made to realise how near-extinct facts given in our textbooks can come alive anytime. The Kosi flood, approriately declared a “national calamity”, is probably the worst recorded in the history of modern India.
The media, though somewhat late, acquainted the nation with the veritable seas formed on land. Supaul, Madhepura, Araria and Purnia have become household names. We were shown how destruction is only a matter of days in vast swathes of land. We saw how technology is still in its infancy when it comes to tackling the might of nature. We witnessed how the goons and the greedy valued money over lives. There was also the tragi-comic element of politicians scoring brownie points in this hour of peril.
The water may have started receding and the land even dried by the time you read this. But the months to come will be a challenge for the Nitish Kumar government, whose good deeds have been literally washed away by the floods. Providing refuge to the deprived millions is not an easy job. Controlling epidemics that may break out in the aftermath of the flood will not be easy either.
That is for the short term. In the long term, there are several pressing questions on which all of us must ponder. One, is the course changed by the river going to remain so in the years or decades to come? Two, do we have embankments enough to check the rivers from becoming a curse? Three, is it enough to build embankments without caring for maintenance? Four, do we need to control rivers or manage them? And finally, if a disaster occurs, shouldn’t we have an agile response system in place?
In our childhood the textbooks taught us that the river Kosi was the “sorrow of Bihar”. Our textbooks have a bad reputation for being outdated or irrelevant. It was somewhat in this light that we took the epithet given to Kosi. It was only as much real for us as Hwang-Ho being the “sorrow of China.”
But this August millions of people in north-eastern Bihar witnessed a doomsday scenario first hand. We were jolted out of our stupor and made to realise how near-extinct facts given in our textbooks can come alive anytime. The Kosi flood, approriately declared a “national calamity”, is probably the worst recorded in the history of modern India.
The media, though somewhat late, acquainted the nation with the veritable seas formed on land. Supaul, Madhepura, Araria and Purnia have become household names. We were shown how destruction is only a matter of days in vast swathes of land. We saw how technology is still in its infancy when it comes to tackling the might of nature. We witnessed how the goons and the greedy valued money over lives. There was also the tragi-comic element of politicians scoring brownie points in this hour of peril.
The water may have started receding and the land even dried by the time you read this. But the months to come will be a challenge for the Nitish Kumar government, whose good deeds have been literally washed away by the floods. Providing refuge to the deprived millions is not an easy job. Controlling epidemics that may break out in the aftermath of the flood will not be easy either.
That is for the short term. In the long term, there are several pressing questions on which all of us must ponder. One, is the course changed by the river going to remain so in the years or decades to come? Two, do we have embankments enough to check the rivers from becoming a curse? Three, is it enough to build embankments without caring for maintenance? Four, do we need to control rivers or manage them? And finally, if a disaster occurs, shouldn’t we have an agile response system in place?
Seeking Attention
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle September 2008)
Why does one write or publish a magazine? It may be plainly for making money. Or it may be prompted by the urge to express oneself. Or it may have an altruistic motive behind it. Whichever may be the motive behind writing, there is one thing in common. One writes in order to seek attention for otherwise none of the motives mentioned above can be achieved.
Seeking attention has been a natural phenomenon down the ages. Even birds and beasts do it. The dog begins to wag his tail to draw the attention of his master. The peacock flares his iridescent blue-green feathery tail to create an impression on the female of his species.
The humankind has its own ways of seeking attention. Wearing jewellery has been an age-old practice, especially on auspicious occasions when large crowds gather. These days people flaunt mobiles, watches and cars, depending on what they can afford.
Apart from material possessions, speeches and actions are also used to seek attention. Politicians like Amar Singh and the Thakres are masters of the art of making provocative statements. As a group of parties, the Left is adept at seeking attention. Though it seldom has more than one trump card, it knows when to play it. It is little bothered even if it holds the country to ransom.
People know how to perfect the art of seeking attention, which is much like wearing a miniskirt. What it reveals is attractive but what is conceals is vital. And it is in striking this balance that the charm lies, the art flourishes.
One should remember, however, that most of these means of seeking attention are short-lived. They are fleeting like fashion. To embrace them is to revel in the five minutes of fame that an appearance on TV brings.
The time-tested way of seeking attention is through merit. It may take time to come in the limelight through this route but it endures. Think of any successful person worth his name and you will get the proof.
Why does one write or publish a magazine? It may be plainly for making money. Or it may be prompted by the urge to express oneself. Or it may have an altruistic motive behind it. Whichever may be the motive behind writing, there is one thing in common. One writes in order to seek attention for otherwise none of the motives mentioned above can be achieved.
Seeking attention has been a natural phenomenon down the ages. Even birds and beasts do it. The dog begins to wag his tail to draw the attention of his master. The peacock flares his iridescent blue-green feathery tail to create an impression on the female of his species.
The humankind has its own ways of seeking attention. Wearing jewellery has been an age-old practice, especially on auspicious occasions when large crowds gather. These days people flaunt mobiles, watches and cars, depending on what they can afford.
Apart from material possessions, speeches and actions are also used to seek attention. Politicians like Amar Singh and the Thakres are masters of the art of making provocative statements. As a group of parties, the Left is adept at seeking attention. Though it seldom has more than one trump card, it knows when to play it. It is little bothered even if it holds the country to ransom.
People know how to perfect the art of seeking attention, which is much like wearing a miniskirt. What it reveals is attractive but what is conceals is vital. And it is in striking this balance that the charm lies, the art flourishes.
One should remember, however, that most of these means of seeking attention are short-lived. They are fleeting like fashion. To embrace them is to revel in the five minutes of fame that an appearance on TV brings.
The time-tested way of seeking attention is through merit. It may take time to come in the limelight through this route but it endures. Think of any successful person worth his name and you will get the proof.
Motive behind Beijing Olympics
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle August 2008)
Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, from Aug 8 to 24. In preparation for this for the past few years all roads have led to Beijing. China has incurred massive expenditure to showcase the events that have an Athenian pedigree. Its demand for steel revitalized a dying sector and may have helped LN Mittal soar among the richest.
Is this a waste of wealth or an investment? According to S&P Ratings Services, “Despite being the costliest games ever, Beijing Olympics won’t be a financial millstone.” The Games will only leave the Chinese capital with a developed infrastructure. Look at the major expansion in the subway system of Beijing, for example. Currently, there are four lines and 64 stations. As a preparation for the Olympics, an additional seven lines and more than 80 new stations are being constructed, including a direct link to Beijing Capital International Airport.
The Olympics are expected to give a boost to the economy in various ways. They are expected to add two million jobs. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of China is likely to go up by 0.3 per cent merely on account of the Olympics. If the homework for the Games has resulted in an uplift of China’s infrastructure, the actual hosting of the events will be a shot in the arm for its tourism sector.
All that sounds good. But are the economic benefits commensurate with the expenditure incurred? Probably not. The real motive of the investment seems to be above mere number-crunching. It’s RECOGNITION. It’s a common experience that in the first phase countries, like people, strive to be wealthy. In the second the focus shifts on being recognized.
This quest for recognition has been accepted by Chinese authorities. It was made clear by the vice-premier Li Lanqing in 2001: “The winning of the 2008 Olympic bid is an example of the international recognition of China’s social stability, economic progress and the healthy life of the Chinese people.”
Recognition is a must for a country with a dismal human rights record like China. Will the Beijing Olympics achieve this purpose? At least the torch relay does not seem to suggest so.
Beijing will host the 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, from Aug 8 to 24. In preparation for this for the past few years all roads have led to Beijing. China has incurred massive expenditure to showcase the events that have an Athenian pedigree. Its demand for steel revitalized a dying sector and may have helped LN Mittal soar among the richest.
Is this a waste of wealth or an investment? According to S&P Ratings Services, “Despite being the costliest games ever, Beijing Olympics won’t be a financial millstone.” The Games will only leave the Chinese capital with a developed infrastructure. Look at the major expansion in the subway system of Beijing, for example. Currently, there are four lines and 64 stations. As a preparation for the Olympics, an additional seven lines and more than 80 new stations are being constructed, including a direct link to Beijing Capital International Airport.
The Olympics are expected to give a boost to the economy in various ways. They are expected to add two million jobs. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of China is likely to go up by 0.3 per cent merely on account of the Olympics. If the homework for the Games has resulted in an uplift of China’s infrastructure, the actual hosting of the events will be a shot in the arm for its tourism sector.
All that sounds good. But are the economic benefits commensurate with the expenditure incurred? Probably not. The real motive of the investment seems to be above mere number-crunching. It’s RECOGNITION. It’s a common experience that in the first phase countries, like people, strive to be wealthy. In the second the focus shifts on being recognized.
This quest for recognition has been accepted by Chinese authorities. It was made clear by the vice-premier Li Lanqing in 2001: “The winning of the 2008 Olympic bid is an example of the international recognition of China’s social stability, economic progress and the healthy life of the Chinese people.”
Recognition is a must for a country with a dismal human rights record like China. Will the Beijing Olympics achieve this purpose? At least the torch relay does not seem to suggest so.
Crisis of Global Leadership
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle July 2008)
We are standing at a crossroads in history. The world after a long time seems to be facing the crisis of leadership. The British Empire is long dead and even forgotten by the new generation. The USSR has disintegrated and Russia has been reduced to an ordinary citizen of the world. The Asian century may have started but China and India have miles to go. The EU is but a conglomeration of countries.
That leaves the reins of the world in the hands of the sole superpower, the US. It has a significant population both in quality and in number. It is the largest economy of the world. Post-World War II, its military might has been universally accepted. Culturally, we talk of the McDonaldisation of the world.
So where is the problem? The problem is that it is not necessary that a good player be a good captain too. Indian cricket has time and again experimented with Sachin Tendulkar as captain and failed. The US’ case is worse than Tendulkar’s as haughtiness rules over humility. So one may have sympathy with Tendulkar the captain but the US as a leader invites the wrath of several countries.
The US has the bad habit of preaching democracy to the world and that too its own version. Besides, while there may be perfect democracy within the country, at the world level its Big Brother attitude defeats its purpose of disseminating the democratic gospel. The US must learn how to share democracy with the world.
The leader of a democratic world has to see that partnerships between countries should be based on equality, mutual respect and understanding. The US has to refrain from irresponsible statements like ‘The Indians and the Chinese eat more’ even if they be true. But that is too much to expect from leaders like George Bush.
Perhaps the new (wo)man in White House will understand things better. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have none but the US to lead us at the present juncture. If it does not realise its responsibility, mankind will be the ultimate sufferer.
We are standing at a crossroads in history. The world after a long time seems to be facing the crisis of leadership. The British Empire is long dead and even forgotten by the new generation. The USSR has disintegrated and Russia has been reduced to an ordinary citizen of the world. The Asian century may have started but China and India have miles to go. The EU is but a conglomeration of countries.
That leaves the reins of the world in the hands of the sole superpower, the US. It has a significant population both in quality and in number. It is the largest economy of the world. Post-World War II, its military might has been universally accepted. Culturally, we talk of the McDonaldisation of the world.
So where is the problem? The problem is that it is not necessary that a good player be a good captain too. Indian cricket has time and again experimented with Sachin Tendulkar as captain and failed. The US’ case is worse than Tendulkar’s as haughtiness rules over humility. So one may have sympathy with Tendulkar the captain but the US as a leader invites the wrath of several countries.
The US has the bad habit of preaching democracy to the world and that too its own version. Besides, while there may be perfect democracy within the country, at the world level its Big Brother attitude defeats its purpose of disseminating the democratic gospel. The US must learn how to share democracy with the world.
The leader of a democratic world has to see that partnerships between countries should be based on equality, mutual respect and understanding. The US has to refrain from irresponsible statements like ‘The Indians and the Chinese eat more’ even if they be true. But that is too much to expect from leaders like George Bush.
Perhaps the new (wo)man in White House will understand things better. Fortunately or unfortunately, we have none but the US to lead us at the present juncture. If it does not realise its responsibility, mankind will be the ultimate sufferer.
7 Principles of Small Innovations
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle June 2008)
I came across a news report recently. Bhaskaran, a furniture shop supervisor in Vadakkancherry near Thrissur, has designed a brake for elephants. It prevents the jumbos from wreaking havoc, a common phenomenon when these otherwise gentle creatures go berserk. Bhaskaran was prompted to invent this device by the cases of elephant violence witnessed during the temple festival season in summer.
Reading about this small innovation set me googling. And I came across small business expert Darrell Zahorsky’s 7 Principles of Small Innovations. I have borrowed them to apply the same to the students.
1. Free time: Everyone wishes to have more than 24 hours in a day. This certainly is one wish that can never be fulfilled unless the scale of time is re-invented. What then is the way out? Go for short-cuts and quicker methods. A speedy journey makes the distance shorter and frees time for you.
2. Collect ideas: The world is ruled by ideas. So do not shy away from collecting them irrespective of what source they come from. If you are armed with ideas, you can face the world much better.
3. Look outside: It is necessary to be an extrovert. Success, except perhaps in the spiritual sense, can be had only in a world of competition. And this world exists outside.
4. Be customer-centric: Again, success consists in providing satisfaction to your customer. So when you look out, identify who your customers are and what they need. Mould yourself accordingly.
5. Use all types of innovation: Don’t think of waiting for the best innovation. It will never come. Use whatever innovation you have made or come across. More often than not, the innovation is likely to click.
6. Ask the right questions: A focus, however, needs to be retained on your field of concern. It is relevance and accuracy that distinguishes the winner from the also-ran.
7. Make a daily habit: Making innovations should become a part of your life wherever possible. Remember everyone saw the apple fall but it was Newton who discovered in it a grand phenomenon.
I came across a news report recently. Bhaskaran, a furniture shop supervisor in Vadakkancherry near Thrissur, has designed a brake for elephants. It prevents the jumbos from wreaking havoc, a common phenomenon when these otherwise gentle creatures go berserk. Bhaskaran was prompted to invent this device by the cases of elephant violence witnessed during the temple festival season in summer.
Reading about this small innovation set me googling. And I came across small business expert Darrell Zahorsky’s 7 Principles of Small Innovations. I have borrowed them to apply the same to the students.
1. Free time: Everyone wishes to have more than 24 hours in a day. This certainly is one wish that can never be fulfilled unless the scale of time is re-invented. What then is the way out? Go for short-cuts and quicker methods. A speedy journey makes the distance shorter and frees time for you.
2. Collect ideas: The world is ruled by ideas. So do not shy away from collecting them irrespective of what source they come from. If you are armed with ideas, you can face the world much better.
3. Look outside: It is necessary to be an extrovert. Success, except perhaps in the spiritual sense, can be had only in a world of competition. And this world exists outside.
4. Be customer-centric: Again, success consists in providing satisfaction to your customer. So when you look out, identify who your customers are and what they need. Mould yourself accordingly.
5. Use all types of innovation: Don’t think of waiting for the best innovation. It will never come. Use whatever innovation you have made or come across. More often than not, the innovation is likely to click.
6. Ask the right questions: A focus, however, needs to be retained on your field of concern. It is relevance and accuracy that distinguishes the winner from the also-ran.
7. Make a daily habit: Making innovations should become a part of your life wherever possible. Remember everyone saw the apple fall but it was Newton who discovered in it a grand phenomenon.
Bring Back the Music
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle May 2008)
“If you sang in tune with me, I would deem life to be a success.” This is a wish partners have expected of each other in every age. But the present age has turned this wish into a lament. Differences of opinion have always existed. In the past, however, compromises were seen as a way of life. Today, a compromise is construed to be admitting defeat.
Earlier, victory and triumph were associated only with the ruling class. The masses had an inveterate belief in destiny. They were magnanimous in defeat because they never aspired to victory. The democratization of society, however, changed things. Even aspirations became democratized.
When everyone decides to be a maharajah there is bound to be a chaos. The harmony of an orchestra is lost. The notes are jarring and one feels as if one were imprisoned in the Tower of Babel. Everyone tries to fish in the troubled waters. They lure you every now and then on your mobile. And then you blame those unsolicited calls and SMSes as uncouth interrupters.
The music has certainly been lost somewhere. We live in an age when we are afraid even to eat and drink freely. It first started with water. When the firangis came to India they carried bottles of mineral water. Today Bisleri has become an everyday word with a large number of us. The buck doesn’t stop there. When you go to parties you have to be cautious of certain food. Even in five-star hotels. And then those “clean” precautions. No sugar. No fat. The list goes on and on.
When things come to such a pass, it’s time we introspected. It’s time we realized that the wages of sin are visiting mankind. Not in the form of death. But in the form of a dead life.
The doctors of this disease prescribe a medicine called “sustainable development”. But taking this medicine exacts an exorbitant price: giving up our aspirations. Are we ready to pay that price? Pay we must if we have to bring back the music lost from our lives.
“If you sang in tune with me, I would deem life to be a success.” This is a wish partners have expected of each other in every age. But the present age has turned this wish into a lament. Differences of opinion have always existed. In the past, however, compromises were seen as a way of life. Today, a compromise is construed to be admitting defeat.
Earlier, victory and triumph were associated only with the ruling class. The masses had an inveterate belief in destiny. They were magnanimous in defeat because they never aspired to victory. The democratization of society, however, changed things. Even aspirations became democratized.
When everyone decides to be a maharajah there is bound to be a chaos. The harmony of an orchestra is lost. The notes are jarring and one feels as if one were imprisoned in the Tower of Babel. Everyone tries to fish in the troubled waters. They lure you every now and then on your mobile. And then you blame those unsolicited calls and SMSes as uncouth interrupters.
The music has certainly been lost somewhere. We live in an age when we are afraid even to eat and drink freely. It first started with water. When the firangis came to India they carried bottles of mineral water. Today Bisleri has become an everyday word with a large number of us. The buck doesn’t stop there. When you go to parties you have to be cautious of certain food. Even in five-star hotels. And then those “clean” precautions. No sugar. No fat. The list goes on and on.
When things come to such a pass, it’s time we introspected. It’s time we realized that the wages of sin are visiting mankind. Not in the form of death. But in the form of a dead life.
The doctors of this disease prescribe a medicine called “sustainable development”. But taking this medicine exacts an exorbitant price: giving up our aspirations. Are we ready to pay that price? Pay we must if we have to bring back the music lost from our lives.
Investor Needs to Mature
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle April 2008)
We are going gaga over our GDP growth. At a commendable rate of 8-9 per cent we are next only to China. We are supposed to be the leaders of the Asian century. The growth story on the whole seems impressive. Those who are bullish on India are even tempted to see the country as an equal partner of the US and the EU.
But let us not jump to hasty conclusions. Many a batsman has disappeared into thin air even after scoring a century on his debut. Reason: their technique or temperament was riddled with holes. Indian economy too is riddled with holes of disparity. The Great Indian Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. The proportion of earners is far from adequate. According to a survey conducted by insurance company Max New York Life and New Delhi-based research body National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), 68 per cent families still depend on single member’s earnings.
Moreover, we must not forget: it is difficult to earn, more difficult to save, most difficult to invest. The good news is that Indians have an inherent trait of saving. Despite the recent boom in consumerism, about 81 per cent of Indian households save. In the times of recession it is something the Americans might envy. But the bad news is that our people don’t know how to invest. Investment has traditionally been the prerogative only of the Marwaris and the Gujaratis. Sadly enough, things haven’t changed much even today.
We tend to either play too safe or throw caution to the wind. On the one hand, more than one-third of the people simply keep their surplus income at home — in cash. Half of the people park their surplus in commercial banks. On the other hand, when the stock markets were peaking, there was a blind rush for shares best symbolised by the huge oversubscription to the Reliance IPO.
The investor here needs to mature. They need to tread the middle path. Says Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia: “People don’t plan rationally for risks. There is a need for contractual, long-term saving.”
Once this maturity comes in, not only will our growth go into double digits but also it will be a more rounded one. We will not only grow but also develop.
We are going gaga over our GDP growth. At a commendable rate of 8-9 per cent we are next only to China. We are supposed to be the leaders of the Asian century. The growth story on the whole seems impressive. Those who are bullish on India are even tempted to see the country as an equal partner of the US and the EU.
But let us not jump to hasty conclusions. Many a batsman has disappeared into thin air even after scoring a century on his debut. Reason: their technique or temperament was riddled with holes. Indian economy too is riddled with holes of disparity. The Great Indian Wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few. The proportion of earners is far from adequate. According to a survey conducted by insurance company Max New York Life and New Delhi-based research body National Council for Applied Economic Research (NCAER), 68 per cent families still depend on single member’s earnings.
Moreover, we must not forget: it is difficult to earn, more difficult to save, most difficult to invest. The good news is that Indians have an inherent trait of saving. Despite the recent boom in consumerism, about 81 per cent of Indian households save. In the times of recession it is something the Americans might envy. But the bad news is that our people don’t know how to invest. Investment has traditionally been the prerogative only of the Marwaris and the Gujaratis. Sadly enough, things haven’t changed much even today.
We tend to either play too safe or throw caution to the wind. On the one hand, more than one-third of the people simply keep their surplus income at home — in cash. Half of the people park their surplus in commercial banks. On the other hand, when the stock markets were peaking, there was a blind rush for shares best symbolised by the huge oversubscription to the Reliance IPO.
The investor here needs to mature. They need to tread the middle path. Says Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia: “People don’t plan rationally for risks. There is a need for contractual, long-term saving.”
Once this maturity comes in, not only will our growth go into double digits but also it will be a more rounded one. We will not only grow but also develop.
Terror Strike in Maldives
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle March 2008)
We are moving increasingly towards a globalised world. Technology has made everything in the world much more easily accessible. But in a globalised world that promises equal access to things, some ideas and cultures are more equal than others.
It is this paradox that has made the world such an unsafe place to live in.
As Western culture liberally enters the minds of the youth, there is a backlash from the fundamentalists. The latter fear that their culture may get swamped by the appeal of the dazzling divas of Beverly Hills. The reactionary approach taken to avert extinction is often thoughtless. And it results in what the educated see as primitivism.
Until recently, Maldives was a paragon of liberal values. But the September 29 Sultan Park bombing in the capital Male is an evidence of the fact that things are no more the same. The first-ever Islamist terror strike in the Maldives is a reflection of the increasing cultural influence of the Islamists in what used to be an almost ostentatiously westernised society. There are more women wearing headscarves than short skirts or jeans now. Growing number of men can be seen sporting full-length beards.
If it can happen in the Maldivian paradise, it can happen anywhere else. The aspirations of social groups or communities that Sir VS Naipaul pointed to in India: A Million Mutinies Now become more pronounced when they see a threat to their existence. Whenever intruders from an alien culture have tried to make inroads, the natives have resisted. Today the resistance is not easy to defeat. Any such conflict gets humungous publicity, thanks to an overwhelming presence of the media.
If the world leaders desire peace, they will have to think beyond sustainable development. This requires an accommodation of culture. It is said that respect should be commanded, not demanded. So should be the case with cultural superiority. The West needs to learn how to play the benevolent Big Brother.
We are moving increasingly towards a globalised world. Technology has made everything in the world much more easily accessible. But in a globalised world that promises equal access to things, some ideas and cultures are more equal than others.
It is this paradox that has made the world such an unsafe place to live in.
As Western culture liberally enters the minds of the youth, there is a backlash from the fundamentalists. The latter fear that their culture may get swamped by the appeal of the dazzling divas of Beverly Hills. The reactionary approach taken to avert extinction is often thoughtless. And it results in what the educated see as primitivism.
Until recently, Maldives was a paragon of liberal values. But the September 29 Sultan Park bombing in the capital Male is an evidence of the fact that things are no more the same. The first-ever Islamist terror strike in the Maldives is a reflection of the increasing cultural influence of the Islamists in what used to be an almost ostentatiously westernised society. There are more women wearing headscarves than short skirts or jeans now. Growing number of men can be seen sporting full-length beards.
If it can happen in the Maldivian paradise, it can happen anywhere else. The aspirations of social groups or communities that Sir VS Naipaul pointed to in India: A Million Mutinies Now become more pronounced when they see a threat to their existence. Whenever intruders from an alien culture have tried to make inroads, the natives have resisted. Today the resistance is not easy to defeat. Any such conflict gets humungous publicity, thanks to an overwhelming presence of the media.
If the world leaders desire peace, they will have to think beyond sustainable development. This requires an accommodation of culture. It is said that respect should be commanded, not demanded. So should be the case with cultural superiority. The West needs to learn how to play the benevolent Big Brother.
Treat Past as an Asset
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle February 2008)
Can we do away with our past? Possibly not. Nor is there any need to do so. On the contrary, it is an asset that can work wonders for us if only we knew how to use it.
I have often seen two diametrically opposite responses to the past. The first is to gloat over one’s past. Till recently India didn’t tire of referring to herself as the “golden bird”. The aristocracy and the upper castes assert their superiority with the help of pages from history. This is a response coming typically from a previous champion who is now unable to get through even in the initial rounds.
The other response is to completely ignore the past. To believe that history is the refuge of the weak. Augustine Birrell refers to it as “that great dust-heap called ‘history’.” The downtrodden either believe history to be doctored or consider it to be irrelevant since their description in it is not of any significance.
Unfortunately, both the above responses lead us to various biases. While the former may breed complacency, the latter is likely to lead to a life divorced from culture. It is therefore prudent to follow what Aristotle described as the “golden mean.” Don’t gloat over your past; but don’t forget it either; rather restore it and build upon it.
A society that has understood this secret stands to prosper. Free from all complexes, it navigates across the waters of time and gathers the best of treasures from various shores both close and distant. It is no exaggeration to say that the developed world today is largely a result of the efforts made by the Renaissance men. Leonardo da Vinci and his brethren visited the shores of ancient Greece and Rome and restored light to a Europe that was groping in the Dark Ages.
What needs to be remembered, however, is that the past is only to be borrowed from, not to be copied. Ultimately, it is originality that triumphs. It is the new flower that blooms. But the new flower can’t even dream of an existence if it did not get nutrients from the soil.
Can we do away with our past? Possibly not. Nor is there any need to do so. On the contrary, it is an asset that can work wonders for us if only we knew how to use it.
I have often seen two diametrically opposite responses to the past. The first is to gloat over one’s past. Till recently India didn’t tire of referring to herself as the “golden bird”. The aristocracy and the upper castes assert their superiority with the help of pages from history. This is a response coming typically from a previous champion who is now unable to get through even in the initial rounds.
The other response is to completely ignore the past. To believe that history is the refuge of the weak. Augustine Birrell refers to it as “that great dust-heap called ‘history’.” The downtrodden either believe history to be doctored or consider it to be irrelevant since their description in it is not of any significance.
Unfortunately, both the above responses lead us to various biases. While the former may breed complacency, the latter is likely to lead to a life divorced from culture. It is therefore prudent to follow what Aristotle described as the “golden mean.” Don’t gloat over your past; but don’t forget it either; rather restore it and build upon it.
A society that has understood this secret stands to prosper. Free from all complexes, it navigates across the waters of time and gathers the best of treasures from various shores both close and distant. It is no exaggeration to say that the developed world today is largely a result of the efforts made by the Renaissance men. Leonardo da Vinci and his brethren visited the shores of ancient Greece and Rome and restored light to a Europe that was groping in the Dark Ages.
What needs to be remembered, however, is that the past is only to be borrowed from, not to be copied. Ultimately, it is originality that triumphs. It is the new flower that blooms. But the new flower can’t even dream of an existence if it did not get nutrients from the soil.
Commemorating Sir Don
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle January 2008)
Happy New Year! Welcome to the year 2008. The new year will witness the Olympics in Beijing. The mega symbol of the ancient West travels to modern Orient, which is in the race to become “faster, higher, stronger”.
While the world of sports gets ready to celebrate the biggest event on earth, cricket-lovers have their own little festival this year. Sir Donald George Bradman, arguably the greatest cricketing legend, would have been a ripe hundred years old on 27 Aug, 2008. The master of tons—29 in 52 Tests—fell eight short of a ton in life when he passed away on 25 Feb, 2001.
Sir Don’s statistical performance is perhaps the greatest in any sport. With a Test batting average of 99.94, he towers over all the other great batsmen—Len Hutton, the three Ws, Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar, to name a few. Sunny Gavaskar, who broke Sir Don’s record of centuries, appeared to labour for that in comparison to the Don’s elegance.
Arch-rivals England were stunned by the way Don Bradman played. It was not for nothing that cricket writer RC Robertson-Glasgow wrote about the English reaction the following words when Bradman retired: “... a miracle has been removed from among us. So must ancient Italy have felt when she heard of the death of Hannibal.” His comparison to the Carthaginian military commander—one of the finest in history—speaks volumes.
What were the trademarks of this legend? Fast footwork, calm confidence and rapid scoring. Now, these are in general the mantras of success that anybody may apply in one’s life. Most of us are too lethargic to make room for the ball. We want to have the ball come on to our bat. But success comes to those who make the ball come on to their bats.
At the same time we don’t have to be hasty. This is where calm confidence comes into play. And in today’s Internet age rapid scoring has become all the more important. So let the scoreboard tick and be in full control.
If Sir Don had perfected this art, so can you.
Happy New Year! Welcome to the year 2008. The new year will witness the Olympics in Beijing. The mega symbol of the ancient West travels to modern Orient, which is in the race to become “faster, higher, stronger”.
While the world of sports gets ready to celebrate the biggest event on earth, cricket-lovers have their own little festival this year. Sir Donald George Bradman, arguably the greatest cricketing legend, would have been a ripe hundred years old on 27 Aug, 2008. The master of tons—29 in 52 Tests—fell eight short of a ton in life when he passed away on 25 Feb, 2001.
Sir Don’s statistical performance is perhaps the greatest in any sport. With a Test batting average of 99.94, he towers over all the other great batsmen—Len Hutton, the three Ws, Sunil Gavaskar, Viv Richards, Brian Lara, Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar, to name a few. Sunny Gavaskar, who broke Sir Don’s record of centuries, appeared to labour for that in comparison to the Don’s elegance.
Arch-rivals England were stunned by the way Don Bradman played. It was not for nothing that cricket writer RC Robertson-Glasgow wrote about the English reaction the following words when Bradman retired: “... a miracle has been removed from among us. So must ancient Italy have felt when she heard of the death of Hannibal.” His comparison to the Carthaginian military commander—one of the finest in history—speaks volumes.
What were the trademarks of this legend? Fast footwork, calm confidence and rapid scoring. Now, these are in general the mantras of success that anybody may apply in one’s life. Most of us are too lethargic to make room for the ball. We want to have the ball come on to our bat. But success comes to those who make the ball come on to their bats.
At the same time we don’t have to be hasty. This is where calm confidence comes into play. And in today’s Internet age rapid scoring has become all the more important. So let the scoreboard tick and be in full control.
If Sir Don had perfected this art, so can you.
Leadership Should Inspire Confidence
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle December 2007)
The Hindustan Times recently hosted a Leadership Summit. Articles were published in the run-up to the event and there were lectures at the Summit. When the ideas of leadership was so much in the air, I tried to figure out its most important attribute. I found out that, essentially, leadership should inspire confidence.
Says Dr Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC): “I have noticed a welcome change in the last two decades. Call it the result of economic reforms or a new awakening, these last few years have given Indians the confidence to believe in themselves.”
Inspiring confidence is what the Renaissance men and the usherers of the Industrial Revolution did to the British. What followed as a result constitutes the largest chapter of modern history. The confident Europeans made the world their oyster and ruled virtually the entire planet for about two centuries. Closer home, it is this confidence that Gandhi inspired among the Indians, leading ultimately to the overthrow of the British Empire.
If India could do it then, we can also do it now. Change in circumstances can be tackled with the indomitability of the spirit. In fact, this is all the more likely today when India races on youth power. Says PRS Oberoi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, East India Hotels Ltd: “What gives me hope is that a majority of India’s current population is under 25 years of age. The energy and ambition of the young could be the drive to propel us in the right direction.”
India’s recent triumph in Twenty20, the latest version of cricket, is a case in point. MS Dhoni — Microsoft’s latest program in leadership? — inspired his boys to play confidently. And they managed to scale the peak and emerged as heroes (who cares if some experts think Twenty20 is anything but cricket?).
However, confidence should not be naively interpreted as brashness or blind hitting. It needs to be tempered with caution.
The Hindustan Times recently hosted a Leadership Summit. Articles were published in the run-up to the event and there were lectures at the Summit. When the ideas of leadership was so much in the air, I tried to figure out its most important attribute. I found out that, essentially, leadership should inspire confidence.
Says Dr Elattuvalapil Sreedharan, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Railway Corporation (DMRC): “I have noticed a welcome change in the last two decades. Call it the result of economic reforms or a new awakening, these last few years have given Indians the confidence to believe in themselves.”
Inspiring confidence is what the Renaissance men and the usherers of the Industrial Revolution did to the British. What followed as a result constitutes the largest chapter of modern history. The confident Europeans made the world their oyster and ruled virtually the entire planet for about two centuries. Closer home, it is this confidence that Gandhi inspired among the Indians, leading ultimately to the overthrow of the British Empire.
If India could do it then, we can also do it now. Change in circumstances can be tackled with the indomitability of the spirit. In fact, this is all the more likely today when India races on youth power. Says PRS Oberoi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, East India Hotels Ltd: “What gives me hope is that a majority of India’s current population is under 25 years of age. The energy and ambition of the young could be the drive to propel us in the right direction.”
India’s recent triumph in Twenty20, the latest version of cricket, is a case in point. MS Dhoni — Microsoft’s latest program in leadership? — inspired his boys to play confidently. And they managed to scale the peak and emerged as heroes (who cares if some experts think Twenty20 is anything but cricket?).
However, confidence should not be naively interpreted as brashness or blind hitting. It needs to be tempered with caution.
Corruption Everywhere
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle November 2007)
When a nation completes 60 years, its pillars are expected to be reinforced in strength. But when corruption becomes part of the business, you can’t expect the same. We are used to the caving in of roads and collapsing of bridges because of corruption involved in the contract. Somewhat similar is the case of the four pillars on which our nation rests, viz the legislative, the executive, the judiciary and the media.
The legislative consists of the politicians. Their lack of integrity is an open secret. The high pedestal that Gandhi and Nehru occupied seems to have disappeared in the sky for the politicians of today. They see elections as a business where money is invested in order to reap a bumper harvest when they come into power.
The executive too has lost the prestige it once had. Bureaucracy has become a much-abused word. There are few Indian films where the police are not portrayed as being greedy for money. The sleaze in bureauracy has alienated many a bright person from the corridors of power.
And now it’s the turn of the judiciary to be exposed. Whether the allegations levelled against former chief justice Sabharwal turn out to be true or not, it is clear that there is rot in the system. Things had ceased to be fair right from the days judges began to be handpicked. But now their avarice seems to have stooped to new lows.
Nor is the media, the watchdog of democracy, above suspicion. Cases like the one of Uma Khurana project the journalists in a poor light. The debate on the abuse of sting operation has once again been brought to the fore.
In short, it is a gloomy scenario. One that takes us on the verge of despair. But that would be a losing proposition. Instead, let us remember that a disaster in the World Cup may be followed by sheer brilliance in Twenty20. The recipe is: Promise that you will not be corrupt. That would leave us enough to hope.
When a nation completes 60 years, its pillars are expected to be reinforced in strength. But when corruption becomes part of the business, you can’t expect the same. We are used to the caving in of roads and collapsing of bridges because of corruption involved in the contract. Somewhat similar is the case of the four pillars on which our nation rests, viz the legislative, the executive, the judiciary and the media.
The legislative consists of the politicians. Their lack of integrity is an open secret. The high pedestal that Gandhi and Nehru occupied seems to have disappeared in the sky for the politicians of today. They see elections as a business where money is invested in order to reap a bumper harvest when they come into power.
The executive too has lost the prestige it once had. Bureaucracy has become a much-abused word. There are few Indian films where the police are not portrayed as being greedy for money. The sleaze in bureauracy has alienated many a bright person from the corridors of power.
And now it’s the turn of the judiciary to be exposed. Whether the allegations levelled against former chief justice Sabharwal turn out to be true or not, it is clear that there is rot in the system. Things had ceased to be fair right from the days judges began to be handpicked. But now their avarice seems to have stooped to new lows.
Nor is the media, the watchdog of democracy, above suspicion. Cases like the one of Uma Khurana project the journalists in a poor light. The debate on the abuse of sting operation has once again been brought to the fore.
In short, it is a gloomy scenario. One that takes us on the verge of despair. But that would be a losing proposition. Instead, let us remember that a disaster in the World Cup may be followed by sheer brilliance in Twenty20. The recipe is: Promise that you will not be corrupt. That would leave us enough to hope.
Satisfying What Others Need
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle October 2007)
Thank you, dear Reader! We have entered into the 15th year of publication. Had it not been for your support we could not have crossed this milestone. The success of any publication is a two–way process. As is evident between you and us. We try to provide you what you demand. And your purchase of the product encourages us to meet your demand further. This cycle continues.
What holds good for our success is also true of success in general. The world holds you in high esteem only when you come true to its expectations. It has framed certain rules of the game and you have to abide by them. Off–side goals are only a nuisance.
This wisdom can be found in JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Its protagonist Holden Caulfield is about to be packed off from his fourth school. What is it that has made him earn this unenviable distinction? The answer lies in what his friend Stradlater says to him: “No wonder you’re flunking the hell out of here. You don’t do one damn thing the way you’re supposed to. I mean it. Not one damn thing.
Holden also realises this later on though the realisation doesn’t make him any the happier. He says: “I’m always saying ‘Glad to’ve met you’ to somebody I’m not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.”
The secret of success then is to smile. You have to smile because the world loves a smiling face. And when you know that smile you must, why not do it whole-heartedly instead of wearing an artificial version? Try to put your heart into it and you’ll soon find a welcome change in your life.
Give to the world what it needs and success will be yours. And do so with a cheerful disposition.
Thank you, dear Reader! We have entered into the 15th year of publication. Had it not been for your support we could not have crossed this milestone. The success of any publication is a two–way process. As is evident between you and us. We try to provide you what you demand. And your purchase of the product encourages us to meet your demand further. This cycle continues.
What holds good for our success is also true of success in general. The world holds you in high esteem only when you come true to its expectations. It has framed certain rules of the game and you have to abide by them. Off–side goals are only a nuisance.
This wisdom can be found in JD Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. Its protagonist Holden Caulfield is about to be packed off from his fourth school. What is it that has made him earn this unenviable distinction? The answer lies in what his friend Stradlater says to him: “No wonder you’re flunking the hell out of here. You don’t do one damn thing the way you’re supposed to. I mean it. Not one damn thing.
Holden also realises this later on though the realisation doesn’t make him any the happier. He says: “I’m always saying ‘Glad to’ve met you’ to somebody I’m not at all glad I met. If you want to stay alive, you have to say that stuff, though.”
The secret of success then is to smile. You have to smile because the world loves a smiling face. And when you know that smile you must, why not do it whole-heartedly instead of wearing an artificial version? Try to put your heart into it and you’ll soon find a welcome change in your life.
Give to the world what it needs and success will be yours. And do so with a cheerful disposition.
Flush with Money and Leisure
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle September 2007)
We are happy that Taj Mahal has finally been formally acknowledged among the new seven wonders of the world. It little matters whether UNESCO accepts it or not. I am also proud to be a citizen of the country where this beautiful monument is located.
But here I am more interested in the phenomenon than in the monument. Why suddenly this need to select the new seven wonders? And what about the mode chosen—cast your vote on the Internet or through SMS—for compiling the illustrious who’s who of monuments?
Both the questions are pointers to the fact that people have enough leisure and money. And they are constantly looking for avenues where they can spend both. You may argue that people of yesteryears had more time than we of the 24×7 work culture have. That’s true. But note that I don’t use the word time but leisure. Earlier there was time but social interactions and family responsibilities had a big claim on it. The loners of today, on the other hand, may have less of time spared from office. But they certainly have much more leisure.
Money is another big factor. The people of today, especially youngsters, may have money on their minds. But that is big money, not money to make both ends meet. They are not compelled to become an engineer at the earliest so that the bread and butter of the family would be assured. They are free to choose unconventional career tracks and explore them. And most of them soon begin to earn more than enough and splurge money without a thought.
In such a scenario where you have leisure and money both and you do not have too much of society, you begin to look for entertainment. And this entertainment has both outdoor and indoor dimensions. The former is manifested in the globe-trotter who will physically visit these new wonders. While the latter is manifested in those who surf the Internet on the computer or touch the mobile screen to wallow in this wonderful world.
Welcome to the world of tourism and entertainment!
We are happy that Taj Mahal has finally been formally acknowledged among the new seven wonders of the world. It little matters whether UNESCO accepts it or not. I am also proud to be a citizen of the country where this beautiful monument is located.
But here I am more interested in the phenomenon than in the monument. Why suddenly this need to select the new seven wonders? And what about the mode chosen—cast your vote on the Internet or through SMS—for compiling the illustrious who’s who of monuments?
Both the questions are pointers to the fact that people have enough leisure and money. And they are constantly looking for avenues where they can spend both. You may argue that people of yesteryears had more time than we of the 24×7 work culture have. That’s true. But note that I don’t use the word time but leisure. Earlier there was time but social interactions and family responsibilities had a big claim on it. The loners of today, on the other hand, may have less of time spared from office. But they certainly have much more leisure.
Money is another big factor. The people of today, especially youngsters, may have money on their minds. But that is big money, not money to make both ends meet. They are not compelled to become an engineer at the earliest so that the bread and butter of the family would be assured. They are free to choose unconventional career tracks and explore them. And most of them soon begin to earn more than enough and splurge money without a thought.
In such a scenario where you have leisure and money both and you do not have too much of society, you begin to look for entertainment. And this entertainment has both outdoor and indoor dimensions. The former is manifested in the globe-trotter who will physically visit these new wonders. While the latter is manifested in those who surf the Internet on the computer or touch the mobile screen to wallow in this wonderful world.
Welcome to the world of tourism and entertainment!
Money Is a Bad Master
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle August 2007)
“There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else there’s MasterCard.” This credit card ad has a great philosophy hidden in it if you can think of putting emphasis on some in the first sentence. True, it is difficult to put that emphasis in a world of hefty pay-packets. But don’t forget success has always embraced those who have dared to venture into the arena of the difficult.
Most of us think money can buy us power. But the truth is that it may be a necessary condition but not a sufficient one. Can the Ambanis command the influence that Sonia Gandhi does? Forget political power, even the other power—electricity, that is—is not available simply by spending money. Money can help you establish a power plant but there are environmental costs involved.
Similarly, free market, which believes in money being the chief regulator, has its own limits. When it comes to oil prices, they have to be administered through a mechanism. We just can’t afford to raise petrol and diesel prices every time crude oil prices go up at the international level. Otherwise inflationary pressures might bring the economy to a virtual standstill.
I have been an advocate of capitalism for long. I believe that incentives are necessary for every human being to motivate them to produce. And yet I also believe that money is not the be-all and end-all of life. And I write all this because I have seen many who do not realise this even till the end of their lives.
Wisdom by its very nature can’t come early in life as its needs experience. But it shouldn’t come too late either because a good life is one that has been lived wisely. There are people who run after money so much that they can’t find time for their children. Can parental affection ever be compensated with money?
What is the wisdom about money then? I’m afraid it’s nothing new I’m going to reveal. It’s the age-old truth. “Money is a good servant but a bad master.” Earn as much as you can but don’t ever forget the motive for which you are earning.
“There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else there’s MasterCard.” This credit card ad has a great philosophy hidden in it if you can think of putting emphasis on some in the first sentence. True, it is difficult to put that emphasis in a world of hefty pay-packets. But don’t forget success has always embraced those who have dared to venture into the arena of the difficult.
Most of us think money can buy us power. But the truth is that it may be a necessary condition but not a sufficient one. Can the Ambanis command the influence that Sonia Gandhi does? Forget political power, even the other power—electricity, that is—is not available simply by spending money. Money can help you establish a power plant but there are environmental costs involved.
Similarly, free market, which believes in money being the chief regulator, has its own limits. When it comes to oil prices, they have to be administered through a mechanism. We just can’t afford to raise petrol and diesel prices every time crude oil prices go up at the international level. Otherwise inflationary pressures might bring the economy to a virtual standstill.
I have been an advocate of capitalism for long. I believe that incentives are necessary for every human being to motivate them to produce. And yet I also believe that money is not the be-all and end-all of life. And I write all this because I have seen many who do not realise this even till the end of their lives.
Wisdom by its very nature can’t come early in life as its needs experience. But it shouldn’t come too late either because a good life is one that has been lived wisely. There are people who run after money so much that they can’t find time for their children. Can parental affection ever be compensated with money?
What is the wisdom about money then? I’m afraid it’s nothing new I’m going to reveal. It’s the age-old truth. “Money is a good servant but a bad master.” Earn as much as you can but don’t ever forget the motive for which you are earning.
Mayawati in Pink
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle July 2007)
Mayawati is in the pink of health. As pink as a rose in full bloom. The smile on her face betrays the confidence of a conqueror. And why not? Her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has scored a double century to see her safely in the saddle. This is for the first time in 16 years in the history of Uttar Pradesh that any single party has obtained a clear majority in the Assembly.
The conquest started right from the day when Mayawati showed that she had the will to win. She was undeterred even if the poll pundits shied away from giving her a clear majority. By now she has the maturity to have her way irrespective of what the critics say.
In fact, the iron lady is known for her focussed and fearless approach. Just look at the way she announced all 403 candidates in one go while her opponents declared the names of the candidates piecemeal. Since she had well begun like that, it was already half done.
However, confidence alone does not spell success. In a multipolar contest like the one in Uttar Pradesh, electoral combinations can and do make a huge difference. The shrewd calculator in Mayawati realised this and she made tactful political moves. She understood that Dalits alone could not raise her to power. So she made the so-called “BDM experiment” — taking the support of Brahmins, Dalits and Muslims. The strategy that had paid off so well for the Congress of the yore did the trick for Mayawati too.
Now that Mayawati has passed the entrance test with excellent results, the challenge lies in what she can do for her state that is mired in backwardness. She has often proved that she can be a tough taskmaster. Combining this quality with the clear mandate she has in her fourth term as chief minister, she can do wonders if she has a vision for the largest state of the country. But for this she will have to steer clear of any political vendetta.
Hope Maya ki maya works and paints Uttar Pradesh in the colour of her choice — pink.
Mayawati is in the pink of health. As pink as a rose in full bloom. The smile on her face betrays the confidence of a conqueror. And why not? Her Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) has scored a double century to see her safely in the saddle. This is for the first time in 16 years in the history of Uttar Pradesh that any single party has obtained a clear majority in the Assembly.
The conquest started right from the day when Mayawati showed that she had the will to win. She was undeterred even if the poll pundits shied away from giving her a clear majority. By now she has the maturity to have her way irrespective of what the critics say.
In fact, the iron lady is known for her focussed and fearless approach. Just look at the way she announced all 403 candidates in one go while her opponents declared the names of the candidates piecemeal. Since she had well begun like that, it was already half done.
However, confidence alone does not spell success. In a multipolar contest like the one in Uttar Pradesh, electoral combinations can and do make a huge difference. The shrewd calculator in Mayawati realised this and she made tactful political moves. She understood that Dalits alone could not raise her to power. So she made the so-called “BDM experiment” — taking the support of Brahmins, Dalits and Muslims. The strategy that had paid off so well for the Congress of the yore did the trick for Mayawati too.
Now that Mayawati has passed the entrance test with excellent results, the challenge lies in what she can do for her state that is mired in backwardness. She has often proved that she can be a tough taskmaster. Combining this quality with the clear mandate she has in her fourth term as chief minister, she can do wonders if she has a vision for the largest state of the country. But for this she will have to steer clear of any political vendetta.
Hope Maya ki maya works and paints Uttar Pradesh in the colour of her choice — pink.
Ghodi, Sherwani and Band Party
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle June 2007)
Marriages are made in heaven. But they are celebrated as weddings on earth. And there too Indian weddings overshadow those in other parts of the globe. If the meticulous carrying out of rituals makes an Indian wedding an elaborate affair, the pomp and show attached to it goes on to make it a glorious occasion. Every Indian becomes the lead actor in at least one film and that is their wedding. Literally so, given the craze for video recording.
No wonder then that when it comes to the wedding of the most eligible bachelor and the most beautiful woman the media goes simply crazy. It hardly matters that the channels and their cameras have been kept away from the glorious occasion by design. The media knows how to wait and entertain its viewers from the sidelines while doing so.
The publicity given to the tying of knot between Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai was an astonishing one. Critics accuse the media of dwelling too much on trivia. They say Ekta Kapur has contributed to the degeneration of content through her saas-bahu serials. And the news channels think editing is only about scene-sequencing. Caring about the quality of content is simply absent from their agenda.
The defence of the content-providers — both in the case of fact and fiction — is that they sell what the people are willing to buy. And the proof of the pudding lies in its taste — TRP ratings, to be more forthright. Their job is not to create taste but to satisfy it.
Call it channel-viewer nexus, if you will. But this nexus is certain to continue over the next few years. In fact, there is no reason to believe why it won’t. Improving your standard of living is much easier than raising your level of thinking. Getting a cable or DTH connection needs little effort as compared to upping your intellectual antenna.
So get ready to dance to the tunes of “Krazy kiya re” and Sha-ka-la-ka Boom Boom. Both on and off the screen. In the world of ghodi, sherwani and band party.
Marriages are made in heaven. But they are celebrated as weddings on earth. And there too Indian weddings overshadow those in other parts of the globe. If the meticulous carrying out of rituals makes an Indian wedding an elaborate affair, the pomp and show attached to it goes on to make it a glorious occasion. Every Indian becomes the lead actor in at least one film and that is their wedding. Literally so, given the craze for video recording.
No wonder then that when it comes to the wedding of the most eligible bachelor and the most beautiful woman the media goes simply crazy. It hardly matters that the channels and their cameras have been kept away from the glorious occasion by design. The media knows how to wait and entertain its viewers from the sidelines while doing so.
The publicity given to the tying of knot between Abhishek Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai was an astonishing one. Critics accuse the media of dwelling too much on trivia. They say Ekta Kapur has contributed to the degeneration of content through her saas-bahu serials. And the news channels think editing is only about scene-sequencing. Caring about the quality of content is simply absent from their agenda.
The defence of the content-providers — both in the case of fact and fiction — is that they sell what the people are willing to buy. And the proof of the pudding lies in its taste — TRP ratings, to be more forthright. Their job is not to create taste but to satisfy it.
Call it channel-viewer nexus, if you will. But this nexus is certain to continue over the next few years. In fact, there is no reason to believe why it won’t. Improving your standard of living is much easier than raising your level of thinking. Getting a cable or DTH connection needs little effort as compared to upping your intellectual antenna.
So get ready to dance to the tunes of “Krazy kiya re” and Sha-ka-la-ka Boom Boom. Both on and off the screen. In the world of ghodi, sherwani and band party.
Cricket Power, Go Get It
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle May 2007)
The war in Windies has started. (For Team India, though, it has even ended.) More than rum, reggae and Rastafarianism, it is cricket that is now the flavour of the Caribbean islands. And we Indians are, or at least consider ourselves to be, the connoisseurs of this flavour. The cricket sensex may be at an ebb after India’s humiliation, but it will recover sooner than later.
In India if you don’t follow the game, chances are you are not getting a proper education. Initially it was the gentleman’s game and restricted to the few who had English education. But now education has spread to the masses. And so has the game of cricket. So much so that literacy can be measured in terms of one’s interest in cricket, it appears. Besides, in the upper echelons we have scholars like Ramchandra Guha who stand testimony to how cricket and academics can converge.
On a close scrutiny, cricket is full of seeds of education — mathematics, statistics and opinions. When a cricket match was on, ‘what’s the score’ became as common a question as ‘what’s the time’. And if both these questions are now being heard less, it is not because of any waning of interest. It is because the mobile phone readily answers both.
Juggling with the maths and stats of cricket is a delightful exercise. When Mahinder Singh Dhoni is chasing a target, he is not alone in negotiating the asking rate. Millions of Indians are doing so in their minds. And mind you there are no calculators. Now you know why our IITians have become a brand the world over. Besides, the stats make you “inquizitive” too as you try to remember the centuries of Tendulkar and the ducks of Agarkar.
Opinions on the game give you a platform for debate. Speculations are aplenty and may come in handy when you venture into the stock market. Disappointments are galore and teach you how to cope with life.
The conclusion: cricket power, go get it. Only stop short of becoming an addict.
The war in Windies has started. (For Team India, though, it has even ended.) More than rum, reggae and Rastafarianism, it is cricket that is now the flavour of the Caribbean islands. And we Indians are, or at least consider ourselves to be, the connoisseurs of this flavour. The cricket sensex may be at an ebb after India’s humiliation, but it will recover sooner than later.
In India if you don’t follow the game, chances are you are not getting a proper education. Initially it was the gentleman’s game and restricted to the few who had English education. But now education has spread to the masses. And so has the game of cricket. So much so that literacy can be measured in terms of one’s interest in cricket, it appears. Besides, in the upper echelons we have scholars like Ramchandra Guha who stand testimony to how cricket and academics can converge.
On a close scrutiny, cricket is full of seeds of education — mathematics, statistics and opinions. When a cricket match was on, ‘what’s the score’ became as common a question as ‘what’s the time’. And if both these questions are now being heard less, it is not because of any waning of interest. It is because the mobile phone readily answers both.
Juggling with the maths and stats of cricket is a delightful exercise. When Mahinder Singh Dhoni is chasing a target, he is not alone in negotiating the asking rate. Millions of Indians are doing so in their minds. And mind you there are no calculators. Now you know why our IITians have become a brand the world over. Besides, the stats make you “inquizitive” too as you try to remember the centuries of Tendulkar and the ducks of Agarkar.
Opinions on the game give you a platform for debate. Speculations are aplenty and may come in handy when you venture into the stock market. Disappointments are galore and teach you how to cope with life.
The conclusion: cricket power, go get it. Only stop short of becoming an addict.
Leaders need not be Born
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle April 2007)
We often hear “Leaders are born, not made.” To me this seems much like giving legitimacy to the caste system. Similar to saying “you can be a Brahmin only if your are born as one.” Much like accepting that only a scion from the Gandhi-Nehru family is fit to lead the country. If democratic rights are being asserted everywhere, why should leadership be left out of its purview?
Leadership can be inculcated because it is based on certain traits which can be developed through education. In order to become a leader, you first need to develop understanding. It is important to widen one’s horizons and have an exposure to myriad things. Tunnel vision is generally not appropriate for leaders. It is exposure that leads to out-of-the-box thinking—something that a machine can’t do.
When you have developed an understanding, as is done at good management schools, you are left with two choices. You can become an excellent manager and win accolades for that. Or you can develop a vision, which if implemented would leave your footprints on the sands of time. The latter need not be done in a haste. A visionary idea may click in just a couple of minutes. Or it may take a few years to develop during which one may have to depend on his employers for bread and butter and some future security.
Once you have developed a vision—an idea that is likely to work wonders in the future—you must have the courage to implement it. It is likely that your idea gets simply rejected at best and pooh-poohed at worst. But you must have the courage to stick to it.
Every vision needs to be implemented for it to bear fruits. And here decisiveness has a big role to play. Since the ‘what’ has already been decided, the focus should now be on ‘how’. Several visions die a premature death if their propounders shy away from having clarity about how to go about them.
And finally, determination is a must. You must have the ability to brave all odds and persist in the pursuing of your vision.
Proving yourself to be a leader is a climb to the summit. Anybody can do it provided they do not slip at any of the points I have talked about.
We often hear “Leaders are born, not made.” To me this seems much like giving legitimacy to the caste system. Similar to saying “you can be a Brahmin only if your are born as one.” Much like accepting that only a scion from the Gandhi-Nehru family is fit to lead the country. If democratic rights are being asserted everywhere, why should leadership be left out of its purview?
Leadership can be inculcated because it is based on certain traits which can be developed through education. In order to become a leader, you first need to develop understanding. It is important to widen one’s horizons and have an exposure to myriad things. Tunnel vision is generally not appropriate for leaders. It is exposure that leads to out-of-the-box thinking—something that a machine can’t do.
When you have developed an understanding, as is done at good management schools, you are left with two choices. You can become an excellent manager and win accolades for that. Or you can develop a vision, which if implemented would leave your footprints on the sands of time. The latter need not be done in a haste. A visionary idea may click in just a couple of minutes. Or it may take a few years to develop during which one may have to depend on his employers for bread and butter and some future security.
Once you have developed a vision—an idea that is likely to work wonders in the future—you must have the courage to implement it. It is likely that your idea gets simply rejected at best and pooh-poohed at worst. But you must have the courage to stick to it.
Every vision needs to be implemented for it to bear fruits. And here decisiveness has a big role to play. Since the ‘what’ has already been decided, the focus should now be on ‘how’. Several visions die a premature death if their propounders shy away from having clarity about how to go about them.
And finally, determination is a must. You must have the ability to brave all odds and persist in the pursuing of your vision.
Proving yourself to be a leader is a climb to the summit. Anybody can do it provided they do not slip at any of the points I have talked about.
Action and Meditation
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle March 2007)
Have you ever thought why we sleep? Some do so because they have nothing better to do. An inactive life induces sleep, at times followed by nap extensions. Such people do not enjoy sleep, however. Thankfully, these people are in a minority. Majority of the people sleep because they have the urge to do so and love the cosy comfort of their beds. But the few successful people sleep in order to refresh themselves for a day full of action.
If you wish to join the select club of the successful, you must know the supremacy of action. As Thomas Gaines said: “Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier.” The hero of a play or a movie is generally the one who believes in action. It is for this reason that when, in the Mahabharata, Arjuna sinks into despondency at the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the Lord Krishna goads him into action. And to this day we remember Arjuna as the prototype of a Karmayogi.
Having said that, let me make it clear that it does not mean we don’t have to think. In fact, thought and action are complementary to each other. Jawaharlal Nehru said: “Thought without action is abortion/Action without thought is folly.” The role of thought is like that of the choice exercised in electing your representatives. However, once the voter has elected a candidate, it is necessary that both the representatives as well as the voters plunge into action.
Our politicians have great role models before them even in the present. President APJ Abdul Kalam is a karmayogi in the true sense of the word. He dons whatever role is demanded of him. The apostle of peace did not hesitate in becoming Major General Prithviraj — his codename at Pokhran II — when India decided to go nuclear.
Let me also point out that if action is important, even more so is devotion to it. And true devotion to action comes when you are detached from the rest of the world. This may happen in two ways. One, if you are really in love with your work. Which is the hallmark of a genius. And in which case you don’t need to read this piece. Two, if you practise meditation — this is what most of us ordinary people need.
Take time out for meditation. The world will soon be a better place.
Have you ever thought why we sleep? Some do so because they have nothing better to do. An inactive life induces sleep, at times followed by nap extensions. Such people do not enjoy sleep, however. Thankfully, these people are in a minority. Majority of the people sleep because they have the urge to do so and love the cosy comfort of their beds. But the few successful people sleep in order to refresh themselves for a day full of action.
If you wish to join the select club of the successful, you must know the supremacy of action. As Thomas Gaines said: “Faith is mighty, but action with faith is mightier.” The hero of a play or a movie is generally the one who believes in action. It is for this reason that when, in the Mahabharata, Arjuna sinks into despondency at the battlefield of Kurukshetra, the Lord Krishna goads him into action. And to this day we remember Arjuna as the prototype of a Karmayogi.
Having said that, let me make it clear that it does not mean we don’t have to think. In fact, thought and action are complementary to each other. Jawaharlal Nehru said: “Thought without action is abortion/Action without thought is folly.” The role of thought is like that of the choice exercised in electing your representatives. However, once the voter has elected a candidate, it is necessary that both the representatives as well as the voters plunge into action.
Our politicians have great role models before them even in the present. President APJ Abdul Kalam is a karmayogi in the true sense of the word. He dons whatever role is demanded of him. The apostle of peace did not hesitate in becoming Major General Prithviraj — his codename at Pokhran II — when India decided to go nuclear.
Let me also point out that if action is important, even more so is devotion to it. And true devotion to action comes when you are detached from the rest of the world. This may happen in two ways. One, if you are really in love with your work. Which is the hallmark of a genius. And in which case you don’t need to read this piece. Two, if you practise meditation — this is what most of us ordinary people need.
Take time out for meditation. The world will soon be a better place.
Make the World Your Oyster
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle February 2007)
We have often heard of complaints being made regarding how public money is abused when dignitaries travel. Stories abound about how our ministers and bureaucrats love to take refreshing breaks from the scorching summer of India and journey to cooler climes abroad. But remember behind every abuse is a well-intentioned use. The principle behind travel is a discreet one: exposure opens your eyes and prompts you to wiser actions.
In fact, mobility is to a large extent necessary for success. The grand success of the United States of America stands testimony to this. Closer home, Bihar is a poor state but Biharis excel in whatever they do when they venture out. Traditionally, the Sindhis and the Marwaris owe their business acumen largely to their mobility.
Technocrats and professionals of the modern era understand this phenomenon. They keep on moving from one company to another from time to time. This serves as a means of education not only for the immigrant individual but also for the business house that takes them in. As children, most of us have undergone this educative experience when some uncle of ours would come for a while from a faraway place and share with us what he had explored.
Being confined to our holes deprives us of the light outside. We tend to be complacent. If we reign in hell, we begin to glorify it. “The angels in hell are laden with comforts and lead a monotonous life. We deserve the real applause for we have to struggle to contend with odds stacked against us.” This kind of thinking can be termed at worst as fuzzy logic and at best as rationalisation.
If ever you begin to think in these terms, it’s high time you bade goodbye to your present surrounding. And in case that is not feasible, take time out to make a brief tour. Or, at least, be e-mobile. The Internet is a good way to be in touch with the world.
Make the world your oyster. Or else the oyster will be your world.
We have often heard of complaints being made regarding how public money is abused when dignitaries travel. Stories abound about how our ministers and bureaucrats love to take refreshing breaks from the scorching summer of India and journey to cooler climes abroad. But remember behind every abuse is a well-intentioned use. The principle behind travel is a discreet one: exposure opens your eyes and prompts you to wiser actions.
In fact, mobility is to a large extent necessary for success. The grand success of the United States of America stands testimony to this. Closer home, Bihar is a poor state but Biharis excel in whatever they do when they venture out. Traditionally, the Sindhis and the Marwaris owe their business acumen largely to their mobility.
Technocrats and professionals of the modern era understand this phenomenon. They keep on moving from one company to another from time to time. This serves as a means of education not only for the immigrant individual but also for the business house that takes them in. As children, most of us have undergone this educative experience when some uncle of ours would come for a while from a faraway place and share with us what he had explored.
Being confined to our holes deprives us of the light outside. We tend to be complacent. If we reign in hell, we begin to glorify it. “The angels in hell are laden with comforts and lead a monotonous life. We deserve the real applause for we have to struggle to contend with odds stacked against us.” This kind of thinking can be termed at worst as fuzzy logic and at best as rationalisation.
If ever you begin to think in these terms, it’s high time you bade goodbye to your present surrounding. And in case that is not feasible, take time out to make a brief tour. Or, at least, be e-mobile. The Internet is a good way to be in touch with the world.
Make the world your oyster. Or else the oyster will be your world.
Riyaaz Is Key to Success
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle December 2006)
The secret of success lies in singleness of purpose. Most of the geniuses are so obsessed with their goals that they have to face embarrassing moments if they step into some other field. But such trivia hardly matter when you are pursuing the love of your life. If you are a Sachin Tendulkar, you virtually breathe cricket. Says he: “I am programmed only to think cricket. Right up till the very last time I walk out on the pitch, my focus will only be cricket.”
If the focus is clear and you have applied yourself to achieving it, the game of success is quite simple. Interestingly, for most of the people simple is boring. The result: success continues to elude them. Yes, it is true that a feat of miracles can bring you fifteen minutes of fame — Shabaash India type, if you ever heard of that show. But the long-term game is about sticking to simplicity with a cool head. Says ace pacer Glenn McGrath: “Bowling at the death is about keeping it simple, building pressure and staying calm.”
Look at the freedom struggle and you will understand that concept better. Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad provided important breakthroughs. But the man of the match undoubtedly was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. A concept now made famous by Munna bhai, “Gandhigiri” is all about confronting a problem with patience and persistence. The mantra is a part of the title of the movie itself: Lage raho (“persist”).
A weekly magazine recently highlighted the crisis Indian classical music is facing. What will happen to it once the Ravi Shankar-Bhimsen Joshi generation departs from the scene? An analysis revealed that if the youngsters are not up to mark, a major reason lies in the lack of patience. Says Buddhadeb Dasgupta: “There’s lack of patience in the young, who want to hit the stage just after 2-3 years of learning.”
Be it politics, cricket or music, the goals of life are attained through patience and persistence. Only riyaaz (preparation) can help you perfect the art.
The secret of success lies in singleness of purpose. Most of the geniuses are so obsessed with their goals that they have to face embarrassing moments if they step into some other field. But such trivia hardly matter when you are pursuing the love of your life. If you are a Sachin Tendulkar, you virtually breathe cricket. Says he: “I am programmed only to think cricket. Right up till the very last time I walk out on the pitch, my focus will only be cricket.”
If the focus is clear and you have applied yourself to achieving it, the game of success is quite simple. Interestingly, for most of the people simple is boring. The result: success continues to elude them. Yes, it is true that a feat of miracles can bring you fifteen minutes of fame — Shabaash India type, if you ever heard of that show. But the long-term game is about sticking to simplicity with a cool head. Says ace pacer Glenn McGrath: “Bowling at the death is about keeping it simple, building pressure and staying calm.”
Look at the freedom struggle and you will understand that concept better. Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekhar Azad provided important breakthroughs. But the man of the match undoubtedly was Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. A concept now made famous by Munna bhai, “Gandhigiri” is all about confronting a problem with patience and persistence. The mantra is a part of the title of the movie itself: Lage raho (“persist”).
A weekly magazine recently highlighted the crisis Indian classical music is facing. What will happen to it once the Ravi Shankar-Bhimsen Joshi generation departs from the scene? An analysis revealed that if the youngsters are not up to mark, a major reason lies in the lack of patience. Says Buddhadeb Dasgupta: “There’s lack of patience in the young, who want to hit the stage just after 2-3 years of learning.”
Be it politics, cricket or music, the goals of life are attained through patience and persistence. Only riyaaz (preparation) can help you perfect the art.
Not Happy with "Paternal Acres"
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle July 2006)
Alexander Pope wrote: “Happy the man whose wish and care a few paternal acres bound.” Take the adivasis for example. They are a happy lot—working in the daytime at a leisurely pace and making merry in the evening, drowning all their worries, if any, in country-made liquor. They remain untouched by development and happy.
Somewhat less happier but yet quite happy are the IT people. The programmers and the call centre workers toil in the office and make merry after work. However, their life differs from that of the adivasi. The time of work is not fixed but depends on the shift allotted. The pace of work is quite hectic. And they make merry in discos and dance-bars.
The problem with both these kinds starts when they meet development. For the adivasis it is often a chance encounter. While for the IT workers it happens the day they are ready to look beyond the present. In both the cases life after this day becomes one of discomfort. Much like it happened for Adam and Eve when they tasted the forbidden fruit.
Being uncomfortable leads to its own perils. Most of us lose our equilibrium and the rest of our life often becomes a wild goose chase. Like a mirage, life becomes a source of recurring discomfort. And most of us fall victim to a life of chaos.
But there are a few among us who have mastered the art of moving beyond complacency. And they are the ones whom we call leaders. Says Renetta McCann, CEO of Starcom Mediavest: “Leaders are people who have grown comfortable with being uncomfortable.” They know that life stagnates in still waters. But they also know how life is topsy-turvy in a river that runs its course through rocky terrain. While the ordinary toiler perceives the course to be dangerous, the leaders take it as being adventurous.
And the discomfort is felt not only by ordinary people. Even the well-established meet a similar fate when they wish to tread a different path. Aamir Khan has faced the flak of many for voicing his opinion in the Narmada controversy. Some feel he should be more worried about his stature of acting than the height of the dam. Others think social issues should be best left to the government and the social workers.
Not that people are comfortable with the chalta hai approach. Any number of people will be willing to pounce at Delhi for the Delhiite’s callous approach. Visitors find it odd when a passenger in a bus is in trouble and the rest of the passengers sit as if in a meditative silence. But the same people want Aamir Khan to be a mute passenger in the bus. They would relish DJ’s “terrorism” in Rang De Basanti but not his real-life activism.
Some probably think this is an attempt to gain mileage by Aamir. But note that activism is different from tactics like not accepting an award. There one may agree with Peter Ustinov, British actor and writer: “To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal.” Here, however, not airing one’s views would be tantamount to closing one’s eyes.
It is interesting to note that Pope wrote the line mentioned at the beginning when he was only 12. In the eighteenth century, it was too tender an age to be aware of the vagaries of the world. When a man grows up, he ceases to be happy with his “paternal acres”. When an artiste grows up, he cannot confine himself only to the realm of art.
So get ready to shake off your complacency. And also get ready to brave the odds you will come across in this course. Remember it is this capacity that distinguishes the leader from those he leads.
Alexander Pope wrote: “Happy the man whose wish and care a few paternal acres bound.” Take the adivasis for example. They are a happy lot—working in the daytime at a leisurely pace and making merry in the evening, drowning all their worries, if any, in country-made liquor. They remain untouched by development and happy.
Somewhat less happier but yet quite happy are the IT people. The programmers and the call centre workers toil in the office and make merry after work. However, their life differs from that of the adivasi. The time of work is not fixed but depends on the shift allotted. The pace of work is quite hectic. And they make merry in discos and dance-bars.
The problem with both these kinds starts when they meet development. For the adivasis it is often a chance encounter. While for the IT workers it happens the day they are ready to look beyond the present. In both the cases life after this day becomes one of discomfort. Much like it happened for Adam and Eve when they tasted the forbidden fruit.
Being uncomfortable leads to its own perils. Most of us lose our equilibrium and the rest of our life often becomes a wild goose chase. Like a mirage, life becomes a source of recurring discomfort. And most of us fall victim to a life of chaos.
But there are a few among us who have mastered the art of moving beyond complacency. And they are the ones whom we call leaders. Says Renetta McCann, CEO of Starcom Mediavest: “Leaders are people who have grown comfortable with being uncomfortable.” They know that life stagnates in still waters. But they also know how life is topsy-turvy in a river that runs its course through rocky terrain. While the ordinary toiler perceives the course to be dangerous, the leaders take it as being adventurous.
And the discomfort is felt not only by ordinary people. Even the well-established meet a similar fate when they wish to tread a different path. Aamir Khan has faced the flak of many for voicing his opinion in the Narmada controversy. Some feel he should be more worried about his stature of acting than the height of the dam. Others think social issues should be best left to the government and the social workers.
Not that people are comfortable with the chalta hai approach. Any number of people will be willing to pounce at Delhi for the Delhiite’s callous approach. Visitors find it odd when a passenger in a bus is in trouble and the rest of the passengers sit as if in a meditative silence. But the same people want Aamir Khan to be a mute passenger in the bus. They would relish DJ’s “terrorism” in Rang De Basanti but not his real-life activism.
Some probably think this is an attempt to gain mileage by Aamir. But note that activism is different from tactics like not accepting an award. There one may agree with Peter Ustinov, British actor and writer: “To refuse awards is another way of accepting them with more noise than is normal.” Here, however, not airing one’s views would be tantamount to closing one’s eyes.
It is interesting to note that Pope wrote the line mentioned at the beginning when he was only 12. In the eighteenth century, it was too tender an age to be aware of the vagaries of the world. When a man grows up, he ceases to be happy with his “paternal acres”. When an artiste grows up, he cannot confine himself only to the realm of art.
So get ready to shake off your complacency. And also get ready to brave the odds you will come across in this course. Remember it is this capacity that distinguishes the leader from those he leads.
Nepal Makes More News than Bhutan
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle June 2006)
There are many persons who dislike newspapers. If they read one every morning, it is more out of an unconscious habit. And out of a desire that has more to do with what may be called keeping up with the Joneses. The reason for dislike is pretty obvious: most of the news reek of violence, death and destruction—tragedy in short.
Reports become all the more difficult to swallow when they reveal how religion has been degraded. Take the following news for instance: “A powerful bomb exploded at a park in Karachi, killing at least 45 people, during special prayers to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed.” Shocking indeed! Not only have people lost the fear of religion but they have also distorted religion to serve their own vested interests.
Evil has become a way of life. Short-sightedness has even led us to misinterpret religion for our own convenience. Take the case of divorce, for example. It is a common misconception that there is nothing wrong with talaq (divorce) as per Islam. It is true that Islam provides for divorce. But this needs to be read in conjunction with a hadith of the Prophet: “The most repugnant of things made lawful in the sight of God is divorce.” Which means though Islam provides for divorce as an option, it is only the last resort.
We live in a society that is centred on selfishness. Most of us crave for power though it has become fashionable to tout this craving only as a politician’s vice. Various nefarious means are employed to be saddled in the seat of power. Wads of notes may covertly change hands. Bullets may be pounded into the body of a contender or rival. The impassioned man riding on a wave of ambition can go to any extent of treachery and cruelty.
The softer versions of the evil man indulge in a different kind of malpractice. Theirs is an error of omission rather than one of commission. But the softness lies only in intent. Because as far as consequences are concerned, these may be much more brutal than those of an error of commission. While a murder can annihilate only a single person, a neglect can result in a mass tragedy. If a lack of safety measures leads to a devastating fire, the scene becomes one of a veritable inferno.
Another kind of evil is the one perpetrated in the name of social justice. Reservations have a benign purpose but they often end up only as instruments of strengthening the already strong. For all practical purposes, they are abused by the creamy layer of the community for which reservations are intended. As a result, the power equations don’t get balanced; they merely change.
We are thus surrounded by evil on all sides. We feel ourselves to be in a helpless situation. We wait and watch as if things would improve one fine day when good sense finally prevails on those evil-headed monsters. Or maybe, some of us even think, God will descend in an incarnation and rescue us from our free fall into the abyss of evil.
Well, God is willing and ready. But let us not forget God helps those who help themselves. Let us not forget we are all a party to the evils. They also sin who only stand and wait. So each of us, whether an active sinner or a passive sin-watcher, needs to brace himself up to bring about a change.
We need to emulate the monarch of Bhutan, who is taking initiative on his own to take the country on the road to democracy even though the Bhutanese people want him to continue. Contrast this situation to the one in Nepal, where the monarch is clinging to power even as people try to wrest it from him. How unfortunate that Nepal makes much more news than Bhutan!
There are many persons who dislike newspapers. If they read one every morning, it is more out of an unconscious habit. And out of a desire that has more to do with what may be called keeping up with the Joneses. The reason for dislike is pretty obvious: most of the news reek of violence, death and destruction—tragedy in short.
Reports become all the more difficult to swallow when they reveal how religion has been degraded. Take the following news for instance: “A powerful bomb exploded at a park in Karachi, killing at least 45 people, during special prayers to celebrate the birthday of Prophet Mohammed.” Shocking indeed! Not only have people lost the fear of religion but they have also distorted religion to serve their own vested interests.
Evil has become a way of life. Short-sightedness has even led us to misinterpret religion for our own convenience. Take the case of divorce, for example. It is a common misconception that there is nothing wrong with talaq (divorce) as per Islam. It is true that Islam provides for divorce. But this needs to be read in conjunction with a hadith of the Prophet: “The most repugnant of things made lawful in the sight of God is divorce.” Which means though Islam provides for divorce as an option, it is only the last resort.
We live in a society that is centred on selfishness. Most of us crave for power though it has become fashionable to tout this craving only as a politician’s vice. Various nefarious means are employed to be saddled in the seat of power. Wads of notes may covertly change hands. Bullets may be pounded into the body of a contender or rival. The impassioned man riding on a wave of ambition can go to any extent of treachery and cruelty.
The softer versions of the evil man indulge in a different kind of malpractice. Theirs is an error of omission rather than one of commission. But the softness lies only in intent. Because as far as consequences are concerned, these may be much more brutal than those of an error of commission. While a murder can annihilate only a single person, a neglect can result in a mass tragedy. If a lack of safety measures leads to a devastating fire, the scene becomes one of a veritable inferno.
Another kind of evil is the one perpetrated in the name of social justice. Reservations have a benign purpose but they often end up only as instruments of strengthening the already strong. For all practical purposes, they are abused by the creamy layer of the community for which reservations are intended. As a result, the power equations don’t get balanced; they merely change.
We are thus surrounded by evil on all sides. We feel ourselves to be in a helpless situation. We wait and watch as if things would improve one fine day when good sense finally prevails on those evil-headed monsters. Or maybe, some of us even think, God will descend in an incarnation and rescue us from our free fall into the abyss of evil.
Well, God is willing and ready. But let us not forget God helps those who help themselves. Let us not forget we are all a party to the evils. They also sin who only stand and wait. So each of us, whether an active sinner or a passive sin-watcher, needs to brace himself up to bring about a change.
We need to emulate the monarch of Bhutan, who is taking initiative on his own to take the country on the road to democracy even though the Bhutanese people want him to continue. Contrast this situation to the one in Nepal, where the monarch is clinging to power even as people try to wrest it from him. How unfortunate that Nepal makes much more news than Bhutan!
Down the Ages
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle May 2006)
In the beginning was the Age of Brahmins. Civilisations stand testimony to the fact that philosophy was highly valued. We bowed down before philosophers, whether it was Socrates and Plato in the west or the galaxy of seers who composed the Vedas in the east. Knowledge and its repositories were respected, or rather revered. The holy books and the keepers of faith reigned supreme.
Then came the Age of Kshatriyas. It saw the ascendancy of power. The king or queen sat on a high pedestal and the countries bowed solemnly while the remaining subjects prostrated themselves out of sheer awe. Greatness across the world became associated directly with power and remained so for a long time—Ashoka the Great, Alexander the Great, Akbar the Great, and so on. And of course, Great Britain. It is worth noting that though the Englishmen began their rule through trading, they reached the peak only under Queen Victoria and her successor monarchs.
The Industrial Revolution was meanwhile making its impact felt slowly but steadily. The concept of imperialism was challenged. And this led to the World Wars and then the advent of the Age of Vaishyas. From now on it was money gaining supremacy. This was best epitomised by the US becoming the centre of the world and Britain having to be content with Greenwich-like tokens.
Japan was now known less by Hirohito and more by its economic prowess, which at one time became an impending threat even to Uncle Sam. Bill Gates became a role model for the world. And even socialist India decided to jump the economic bandwagon, though late in the day. The reader of The Economic Times won more respect than that of The Times of India. Foreign institutional investors and mutual funds began to call the shots.
And now comes the Age of Shudras. Before I proceed, let me clarify I am talking of varnas, which should not be confused with jati or caste system. Varna should be construed as a division of labour rather than as a hierarchical structure. By the Age of Shudras, I mean an era when human resources have become supreme. Says Vasanthi Srinivasan, assistant professor, organisational behaviour and human resource management, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore: “Capital and other physical resources are easily available; the greatest challenge is with human resources.”
So says Stephen R Covey, motivational speaker and author of the bestseller Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as well. He thinks a sure way for corporates to stay ahead of competition is to treat employees as assets. “In the industrial age, employees were considered an expense; now they are an asset. Study any business that is way ahead of its competitors and you will find they are using a knowledge worker approach.”
It is this consideration for human resource that is fetching managers fabulous salaries. The managers have learnt the art of motivating the employees and getting the best out of them. As economic disparity ceases to be a major force—at least in the corporate world—the creation of wealth becomes directly proportional to the motivation level of the employees.
Some may argue: if the employees progress, how is the company going to benefit? Rather, if you help them prosper, they are more likely to jump towards a greener pasture. Because prospering employees will be in a better bargaining capacity.
But such arguers need to take note of the following points. One, not everyone likes switching jobs. Especially when the differential wages are not much as a proportion of what you get. Two, even if such employees leave jobs, they have contributed much to the company by the time they leave. Proving oneself to be worth one’s salt is an innate desire. And three, they will have made the company so prestigious that it will be able to attract bright newcomers.
In the beginning was the Age of Brahmins. Civilisations stand testimony to the fact that philosophy was highly valued. We bowed down before philosophers, whether it was Socrates and Plato in the west or the galaxy of seers who composed the Vedas in the east. Knowledge and its repositories were respected, or rather revered. The holy books and the keepers of faith reigned supreme.
Then came the Age of Kshatriyas. It saw the ascendancy of power. The king or queen sat on a high pedestal and the countries bowed solemnly while the remaining subjects prostrated themselves out of sheer awe. Greatness across the world became associated directly with power and remained so for a long time—Ashoka the Great, Alexander the Great, Akbar the Great, and so on. And of course, Great Britain. It is worth noting that though the Englishmen began their rule through trading, they reached the peak only under Queen Victoria and her successor monarchs.
The Industrial Revolution was meanwhile making its impact felt slowly but steadily. The concept of imperialism was challenged. And this led to the World Wars and then the advent of the Age of Vaishyas. From now on it was money gaining supremacy. This was best epitomised by the US becoming the centre of the world and Britain having to be content with Greenwich-like tokens.
Japan was now known less by Hirohito and more by its economic prowess, which at one time became an impending threat even to Uncle Sam. Bill Gates became a role model for the world. And even socialist India decided to jump the economic bandwagon, though late in the day. The reader of The Economic Times won more respect than that of The Times of India. Foreign institutional investors and mutual funds began to call the shots.
And now comes the Age of Shudras. Before I proceed, let me clarify I am talking of varnas, which should not be confused with jati or caste system. Varna should be construed as a division of labour rather than as a hierarchical structure. By the Age of Shudras, I mean an era when human resources have become supreme. Says Vasanthi Srinivasan, assistant professor, organisational behaviour and human resource management, Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore: “Capital and other physical resources are easily available; the greatest challenge is with human resources.”
So says Stephen R Covey, motivational speaker and author of the bestseller Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, as well. He thinks a sure way for corporates to stay ahead of competition is to treat employees as assets. “In the industrial age, employees were considered an expense; now they are an asset. Study any business that is way ahead of its competitors and you will find they are using a knowledge worker approach.”
It is this consideration for human resource that is fetching managers fabulous salaries. The managers have learnt the art of motivating the employees and getting the best out of them. As economic disparity ceases to be a major force—at least in the corporate world—the creation of wealth becomes directly proportional to the motivation level of the employees.
Some may argue: if the employees progress, how is the company going to benefit? Rather, if you help them prosper, they are more likely to jump towards a greener pasture. Because prospering employees will be in a better bargaining capacity.
But such arguers need to take note of the following points. One, not everyone likes switching jobs. Especially when the differential wages are not much as a proportion of what you get. Two, even if such employees leave jobs, they have contributed much to the company by the time they leave. Proving oneself to be worth one’s salt is an innate desire. And three, they will have made the company so prestigious that it will be able to attract bright newcomers.
The Art of Timing
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle April 2006)
When you go to a doctor, he diagnoses your illness and administers medicines. The medicines work and the illness disappears. You are a happy man again. O that life were so simple, logical, mathematical! Unfortunately, it is not always so.
What happens is something like this. You have been prescribed a four-day course but nothing happens for two days. Or, worse still, the illness subsides one day but resurges on the next. At the end of two days you are faced with a dilemma: should I wait for the next two days or should I see another doctor?
I don’t think I am in a position to answer that question because there are several factors that need to be taken into account. But what interests me in this problem is the timing — when to wait and when to see another doctor. For, the art of success lies largely in the art of timing.
Take the case of Laxmi Niwas Mittal, the richest Indian and the third richest in the world. He does not have a great lineage like the Tatas. He does not enjoy state patronage like the SAIL. And yet in a span of a couple of decades he has emerged as a steel tycoon. In fact, LNM is the largest steel group across the globe — a position that will only strengthen if it succeeds in its bid for Arcelor, the second largest. Mittal stands where he is because he timed it right. Whether it was in Mexico or in Kazakhstan, he bought weak steel companies and laughed his way to the bank when the boom was back.
It is his sweet timing that made Saurav Ganguly such a great batsman. The Prince of Kolkata could never match the footwork of Sachin Tendulkar. Nor was he ever as impregnable as Rahul “The Wall” Dravid. And yet he timed his shots so well that he was adored the world over as part of the Indian triumvirate of batsmen.
One wonders, however, why the Bengal Tiger does not show the same sense of timing in quitting active cricket. You respect him for his never-say-die spirit. He is ready to struggle for his place in the Indian side like any other ordinary cricketer. But you also feel sad for him — a sadness that swings from sympathy to anger — when he is humiliated time and again. Ganguly’s predicament is comparable to the patient who is ready to wait for a couple of days more before he sees another doctor.
In general, princes are not much known for their sense of timing. When the princely states merged into the Union of India, only a few of them had the wisdom to jump into the arena of democratic politics. Others preferred to languish in the powerless comfort of the riches they had amassed. The few who showed a sense of timing continue to be rulers.
India has also erred in this sense of timing. We formulated the New Economic Policy in 1991 but by then the China bus had moved miles ahead. As a result, we accelerate but yet remain unable to catch it. One can understand that Nehru modelled the country on Soviet lines because the USSR was the rage of the times. But one fails to understand why Mrs Indira Gandhi embraced statism till as late as the Eighties when even the red China had begun to look marketwards.
Timing should not, however, be confused with opportunism, which connotes a negative sense. What HD Kumaraswamy did in Karnataka cannot be admired as a masterly act of timing. It needs to be condemned as crass opportunism. The timing that wins long-lasting admiration is predicated on the piety of intent.
And coming back to cricketing analogy, one must know as much to time one’s innings as one’s shots. There is an appropriate moment for everything in life. The successful person is one who has learnt to recognise these moments.
When you go to a doctor, he diagnoses your illness and administers medicines. The medicines work and the illness disappears. You are a happy man again. O that life were so simple, logical, mathematical! Unfortunately, it is not always so.
What happens is something like this. You have been prescribed a four-day course but nothing happens for two days. Or, worse still, the illness subsides one day but resurges on the next. At the end of two days you are faced with a dilemma: should I wait for the next two days or should I see another doctor?
I don’t think I am in a position to answer that question because there are several factors that need to be taken into account. But what interests me in this problem is the timing — when to wait and when to see another doctor. For, the art of success lies largely in the art of timing.
Take the case of Laxmi Niwas Mittal, the richest Indian and the third richest in the world. He does not have a great lineage like the Tatas. He does not enjoy state patronage like the SAIL. And yet in a span of a couple of decades he has emerged as a steel tycoon. In fact, LNM is the largest steel group across the globe — a position that will only strengthen if it succeeds in its bid for Arcelor, the second largest. Mittal stands where he is because he timed it right. Whether it was in Mexico or in Kazakhstan, he bought weak steel companies and laughed his way to the bank when the boom was back.
It is his sweet timing that made Saurav Ganguly such a great batsman. The Prince of Kolkata could never match the footwork of Sachin Tendulkar. Nor was he ever as impregnable as Rahul “The Wall” Dravid. And yet he timed his shots so well that he was adored the world over as part of the Indian triumvirate of batsmen.
One wonders, however, why the Bengal Tiger does not show the same sense of timing in quitting active cricket. You respect him for his never-say-die spirit. He is ready to struggle for his place in the Indian side like any other ordinary cricketer. But you also feel sad for him — a sadness that swings from sympathy to anger — when he is humiliated time and again. Ganguly’s predicament is comparable to the patient who is ready to wait for a couple of days more before he sees another doctor.
In general, princes are not much known for their sense of timing. When the princely states merged into the Union of India, only a few of them had the wisdom to jump into the arena of democratic politics. Others preferred to languish in the powerless comfort of the riches they had amassed. The few who showed a sense of timing continue to be rulers.
India has also erred in this sense of timing. We formulated the New Economic Policy in 1991 but by then the China bus had moved miles ahead. As a result, we accelerate but yet remain unable to catch it. One can understand that Nehru modelled the country on Soviet lines because the USSR was the rage of the times. But one fails to understand why Mrs Indira Gandhi embraced statism till as late as the Eighties when even the red China had begun to look marketwards.
Timing should not, however, be confused with opportunism, which connotes a negative sense. What HD Kumaraswamy did in Karnataka cannot be admired as a masterly act of timing. It needs to be condemned as crass opportunism. The timing that wins long-lasting admiration is predicated on the piety of intent.
And coming back to cricketing analogy, one must know as much to time one’s innings as one’s shots. There is an appropriate moment for everything in life. The successful person is one who has learnt to recognise these moments.
Chronicling Small Efforts
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle March 2006)
Many of us often think of doing something for the society. And we think it should be something big. But big things demand big money, comprehensive infrastructure, ample time and valiant efforts. All of these are things which we talk more in terms of constraints than of availability. Then we start with long-term plans which are often cut short because of our inability to sustain our endeavour. The result: we end up doing virtually nothing.
If we can’t do something big, it is better to do small things than doing nothing. Small efforts often go a big way. Take one step at a time. Who knows that one step for man may prove to be a gigantic leap for mankind. The ancient man did not have success books but was the master of this art of success. The invention of fire and wheel still stand testimony to that.
Even today there are examples galore of small endeavours going a big way. 70-year-old Anna Saheb Udgave from Karnataka developed the Chandraprabhu Rain Gun, a low-cost irrigation system, to wage a battle against drought in his village. Today his invention, a mega sprinkler that eliminates water wastage, helps farmers in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka get a higher yield. What started as a small thing in Sadalga village in Belgaum district is now benefiting farmers on a mass scale. The Rain Gun helps save not only 40-50 per cent water but also irrigation time, power consumption and labour.
Or take the case of JS Milker, a simple vacuum-driven device which can be used to milch cows effortlessly. Joy John of Pothanicad, Kerala has invented this portable machine and he still markets it himself. It has now become popular in South India and the dairy belt of Gujarat. Such devices can go a long way in cutting costs and contributing to rural income.
Venus Stove Burner, developed by V Thiagarajan, is another useful device. In an era when petroleum products pose a challenge to the poor—on account of both rise in their prices and removal of subsidy—it is a wonderful invention that reduces kerosene usage by a startling 37 per cent. The burner, invented by the highly experienced engineer from Chennai, has been tested and appreciated by the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation and Anna University. It also offers additional benefits of durability, safety, less noise and easy maintenance.
Another such invention goes to the credit of Sri Manoharan of Battalagundu, Tamil Nadu. Encountering regular failure of banana crops in his locality, he developed the Banana Stem Injector. It is like a syringe through which one can directly inject pesticides into diseased banana stems. This innovation led to 20 per cent cost savings in farming operations because it does away with indiscriminate pesticide application in bananas. It is safe for health as well.
If we go back in time, I can think of at least two major endeavours that once began small-scale but are today worth studying in management programmes. First is the Dabbawallah service in Mumbai. It started in 1890 in the small city of Bombay. Workers who had migrated to the city wanted homemade food at their workplaces. Today, the service delivers about two lakh lunch boxes every day. Using colours and code markings, it has taken the art of delivery to perfection. Forbes magazine has given it its highest quality rating of Six Sigma.
And next the household name that is Lijjat Papad. Do you know how its producers Shri Mahila Griha Udyog started? It dates back 40 years when Jayawantiben Popat and six of her friends in Mumbai invested Rs 80 to start a business of making papad. Today it has become a symbol of women’s economic enfranchisement in India. It validates the Gandhian principles of self-help and trusteeship.
So what are you waiting for? Just do it.
Many of us often think of doing something for the society. And we think it should be something big. But big things demand big money, comprehensive infrastructure, ample time and valiant efforts. All of these are things which we talk more in terms of constraints than of availability. Then we start with long-term plans which are often cut short because of our inability to sustain our endeavour. The result: we end up doing virtually nothing.
If we can’t do something big, it is better to do small things than doing nothing. Small efforts often go a big way. Take one step at a time. Who knows that one step for man may prove to be a gigantic leap for mankind. The ancient man did not have success books but was the master of this art of success. The invention of fire and wheel still stand testimony to that.
Even today there are examples galore of small endeavours going a big way. 70-year-old Anna Saheb Udgave from Karnataka developed the Chandraprabhu Rain Gun, a low-cost irrigation system, to wage a battle against drought in his village. Today his invention, a mega sprinkler that eliminates water wastage, helps farmers in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka get a higher yield. What started as a small thing in Sadalga village in Belgaum district is now benefiting farmers on a mass scale. The Rain Gun helps save not only 40-50 per cent water but also irrigation time, power consumption and labour.
Or take the case of JS Milker, a simple vacuum-driven device which can be used to milch cows effortlessly. Joy John of Pothanicad, Kerala has invented this portable machine and he still markets it himself. It has now become popular in South India and the dairy belt of Gujarat. Such devices can go a long way in cutting costs and contributing to rural income.
Venus Stove Burner, developed by V Thiagarajan, is another useful device. In an era when petroleum products pose a challenge to the poor—on account of both rise in their prices and removal of subsidy—it is a wonderful invention that reduces kerosene usage by a startling 37 per cent. The burner, invented by the highly experienced engineer from Chennai, has been tested and appreciated by the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation and Anna University. It also offers additional benefits of durability, safety, less noise and easy maintenance.
Another such invention goes to the credit of Sri Manoharan of Battalagundu, Tamil Nadu. Encountering regular failure of banana crops in his locality, he developed the Banana Stem Injector. It is like a syringe through which one can directly inject pesticides into diseased banana stems. This innovation led to 20 per cent cost savings in farming operations because it does away with indiscriminate pesticide application in bananas. It is safe for health as well.
If we go back in time, I can think of at least two major endeavours that once began small-scale but are today worth studying in management programmes. First is the Dabbawallah service in Mumbai. It started in 1890 in the small city of Bombay. Workers who had migrated to the city wanted homemade food at their workplaces. Today, the service delivers about two lakh lunch boxes every day. Using colours and code markings, it has taken the art of delivery to perfection. Forbes magazine has given it its highest quality rating of Six Sigma.
And next the household name that is Lijjat Papad. Do you know how its producers Shri Mahila Griha Udyog started? It dates back 40 years when Jayawantiben Popat and six of her friends in Mumbai invested Rs 80 to start a business of making papad. Today it has become a symbol of women’s economic enfranchisement in India. It validates the Gandhian principles of self-help and trusteeship.
So what are you waiting for? Just do it.
Direction Is Key to Success
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle January 2006)
Happy New Year 2006! Wish you a successful future. Because that is what is uppermost in your mind when you visit the pages of a magazine like this one. You think, “This year I’m going to prove to the world that I can conquer the Mount Everest. Metaphorically speaking, I’d be in the same league as Edmund Hillary or Tenzing Norgay.” May you be a confident climber!
Climbing the peaks is no easy business, however. Who can be in a better position to know this well-established fact than we Indians? We have been in the race to modernize ourselves for the last two decades. Yes, I think Rajiv Gandhi should be given the due credit for his fascination with computers and Sam Pitroda. It was his vision that set us later on the IT fast-track.
Even the textbook version gives 15 years of modernization – that is, if we consider Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh’s new economic policy as the watershed. The point since when liberalization, globalization and privatization became the buzzwords. Over the years we have been made to realize the tremendous potential of the Great Indian Middle Class.
And yet we are no match even for China, leave alone the US, if sheer magnitude of the economy is taken into account. But we can certainly console ourselves that when it comes to growth rate, our performance is not bad though still much less than our potential. We have been hovering in the 6-8 per cent range over the years. Which certainly can be pushed to 10.
The point I am trying to drive home is that you cannot reach the peak in a day. Whether you are a nation or an individual, you cannot do away with the gestation period. Rome was not built in a day. There has to be a sustained effort over a large period of time to bring a project to fruition. There has to be the urge to reach one’s goal come what may. Commitment is the name of the game.
What is important is that the direction should be positive. Because it is a simple graphic truth that an increase in magnitude will have only a worsening effect if the direction is negative. Success depends not so much on modulus, if I may borrow the mathematical term, as on sign scheme. Unfortunately, in today’s age magnitude has so overwhelmed us that direction seems to have lost its meaning. Bill Gates seems to be the most ideal person (I have deliberately flouted grammar and used the superlative because of the emphasis on quantity epitomized so brilliantly by the Yeh dil maange more campaign) simply because he is the richest.
Often, it is much later in life – and in many cases never – that people realize that their endeavour of accumulation cannot bring satisfaction because it was bereft of direction. An ideal navigator is always in control of his rudder. And this is possible only when he is guided by an unbiased compass. What really happens is that we stretch our necks out to take a look at others’ compasses. In the event we end up committing huge parallax errors.
Coming back to the analogy with our country, it is important that a 1991 happens in our lives. By which I imply that the realization should dawn upon us that there is something lacking within us. Or, like the people of Bihar, realize that it is necessary but not sufficient for the downtrodden to have a voice. In the absence of development, such a voice can only give you as much satisfaction as holding a majority stake in a company that goes in the red.
Once we have diagnosed our problem and consulted the right doctor, we should focus on following the medication prescribed. As long as we feel that the pain is alleviating, we should feel happy that the direction is positive. No wonder success is a journey!
Happy New Year 2006! Wish you a successful future. Because that is what is uppermost in your mind when you visit the pages of a magazine like this one. You think, “This year I’m going to prove to the world that I can conquer the Mount Everest. Metaphorically speaking, I’d be in the same league as Edmund Hillary or Tenzing Norgay.” May you be a confident climber!
Climbing the peaks is no easy business, however. Who can be in a better position to know this well-established fact than we Indians? We have been in the race to modernize ourselves for the last two decades. Yes, I think Rajiv Gandhi should be given the due credit for his fascination with computers and Sam Pitroda. It was his vision that set us later on the IT fast-track.
Even the textbook version gives 15 years of modernization – that is, if we consider Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh’s new economic policy as the watershed. The point since when liberalization, globalization and privatization became the buzzwords. Over the years we have been made to realize the tremendous potential of the Great Indian Middle Class.
And yet we are no match even for China, leave alone the US, if sheer magnitude of the economy is taken into account. But we can certainly console ourselves that when it comes to growth rate, our performance is not bad though still much less than our potential. We have been hovering in the 6-8 per cent range over the years. Which certainly can be pushed to 10.
The point I am trying to drive home is that you cannot reach the peak in a day. Whether you are a nation or an individual, you cannot do away with the gestation period. Rome was not built in a day. There has to be a sustained effort over a large period of time to bring a project to fruition. There has to be the urge to reach one’s goal come what may. Commitment is the name of the game.
What is important is that the direction should be positive. Because it is a simple graphic truth that an increase in magnitude will have only a worsening effect if the direction is negative. Success depends not so much on modulus, if I may borrow the mathematical term, as on sign scheme. Unfortunately, in today’s age magnitude has so overwhelmed us that direction seems to have lost its meaning. Bill Gates seems to be the most ideal person (I have deliberately flouted grammar and used the superlative because of the emphasis on quantity epitomized so brilliantly by the Yeh dil maange more campaign) simply because he is the richest.
Often, it is much later in life – and in many cases never – that people realize that their endeavour of accumulation cannot bring satisfaction because it was bereft of direction. An ideal navigator is always in control of his rudder. And this is possible only when he is guided by an unbiased compass. What really happens is that we stretch our necks out to take a look at others’ compasses. In the event we end up committing huge parallax errors.
Coming back to the analogy with our country, it is important that a 1991 happens in our lives. By which I imply that the realization should dawn upon us that there is something lacking within us. Or, like the people of Bihar, realize that it is necessary but not sufficient for the downtrodden to have a voice. In the absence of development, such a voice can only give you as much satisfaction as holding a majority stake in a company that goes in the red.
Once we have diagnosed our problem and consulted the right doctor, we should focus on following the medication prescribed. As long as we feel that the pain is alleviating, we should feel happy that the direction is positive. No wonder success is a journey!
No Power Is Perfect
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle December 2005)
The sun rises in the east. The darkness disappears. There is hope in the air often riding on a gentle breeze. Clouds, if any, lie in tatters. More stratus than cumulus or nimbus. Freshness on every face. In the slowly, sweetly spreading sunlight man readies to take on another challenge. Full of hope. Enthusiasm oozing out of every pore of his.
The rising sun starts working miracles upon mankind and celebrates its ascent in the sky. After all, it has enthused billions of persons and goaded them to realise their potential through work. Work is what brings us happiness and most of us are likely to accept that the sun has proved to be our source of happiness.
Noon. The sun is at its peak. Triumphant pride now seems to be turning into abominable arrogance. One can sense it to be filled with a feeling of its own indispensability. “I shine, therefore the world is.” It appears the desire to serve has now given way to the ambition to govern.
Alas! Noon is only a point of time. A point that is unflinching in adhering to the law of nature: what goes up must go down. And how surprising that this law works even when there is no gravity involved! The decline of the sun, as it appears to us, stands testimony to this. And finally the sun sets. Leaving us alone in the dark to ruminate on the last line from Billy Wilder’s classic film, Some Like It Hot: “Nobody is perfect.”
No civilisation is perfect. No power lasts for ever. The Roman Empire dazzled in its scorching brilliance so much so that it was said, “All roads lead to Rome.” And then in recent history, we are told, the sun never set on the British Empire. Post-World War II, however, the British Crown could only console itself with the glory of Commonwealth.
The latter part of the twentieth century belonged to two superpowers. The US championed the cause of capitalism while the USSR clung to communism. Until in 1989 the USSR collapsed and split into 15 smaller powers. Leaving the US as the sole superpower, the uncrowned king of the world.
But then, as mentioned earlier, no power is perfect. And so it is only a matter of years. The US, which laboured its way to supremacy for more than two centuries, has now begun to unleash its arrogance—be it in Afghanistan or Iraq. It has proved one dictator can be thwarted by another. It has proved that even mighty powers bow before a superpower and lack the courage to veto its decision.
The winds of change, however, are already being felt. This century, it is being said, will belong to the Orient. To China and India, to be precise. They can combine their enormous economic prowess with the requisite military strength to become eligible to be a superpower.
The superpowers—be it the sun or an earthly power—thus hold a lesson for us ordinary mortals. There is always room at the top. Just because someone is ensconced in the driver’s seat and doing a good job, we can’t conclude that there cannot be a better driver. For every India Today there can come an Outlook. Every Sunil Gavaskar can be bettered by a Sachin Tendulkar. Every Rajesh Khanna can be overshadowed by an Amitabh Bachchan.
The secret of success lies in dreaming big and making every effort to realise that big dream. Don’t be afraid because a star already exists. You can always be a superstar.
And what can the superstar do? Do what the movie Superstar, the Big B has done. The magic of Amitabh Bachchan lies in his ability to adapt to changing situations. Though noon can’t stay for ever, it certainly can be prolonged this way.
The sun rises in the east. The darkness disappears. There is hope in the air often riding on a gentle breeze. Clouds, if any, lie in tatters. More stratus than cumulus or nimbus. Freshness on every face. In the slowly, sweetly spreading sunlight man readies to take on another challenge. Full of hope. Enthusiasm oozing out of every pore of his.
The rising sun starts working miracles upon mankind and celebrates its ascent in the sky. After all, it has enthused billions of persons and goaded them to realise their potential through work. Work is what brings us happiness and most of us are likely to accept that the sun has proved to be our source of happiness.
Noon. The sun is at its peak. Triumphant pride now seems to be turning into abominable arrogance. One can sense it to be filled with a feeling of its own indispensability. “I shine, therefore the world is.” It appears the desire to serve has now given way to the ambition to govern.
Alas! Noon is only a point of time. A point that is unflinching in adhering to the law of nature: what goes up must go down. And how surprising that this law works even when there is no gravity involved! The decline of the sun, as it appears to us, stands testimony to this. And finally the sun sets. Leaving us alone in the dark to ruminate on the last line from Billy Wilder’s classic film, Some Like It Hot: “Nobody is perfect.”
No civilisation is perfect. No power lasts for ever. The Roman Empire dazzled in its scorching brilliance so much so that it was said, “All roads lead to Rome.” And then in recent history, we are told, the sun never set on the British Empire. Post-World War II, however, the British Crown could only console itself with the glory of Commonwealth.
The latter part of the twentieth century belonged to two superpowers. The US championed the cause of capitalism while the USSR clung to communism. Until in 1989 the USSR collapsed and split into 15 smaller powers. Leaving the US as the sole superpower, the uncrowned king of the world.
But then, as mentioned earlier, no power is perfect. And so it is only a matter of years. The US, which laboured its way to supremacy for more than two centuries, has now begun to unleash its arrogance—be it in Afghanistan or Iraq. It has proved one dictator can be thwarted by another. It has proved that even mighty powers bow before a superpower and lack the courage to veto its decision.
The winds of change, however, are already being felt. This century, it is being said, will belong to the Orient. To China and India, to be precise. They can combine their enormous economic prowess with the requisite military strength to become eligible to be a superpower.
The superpowers—be it the sun or an earthly power—thus hold a lesson for us ordinary mortals. There is always room at the top. Just because someone is ensconced in the driver’s seat and doing a good job, we can’t conclude that there cannot be a better driver. For every India Today there can come an Outlook. Every Sunil Gavaskar can be bettered by a Sachin Tendulkar. Every Rajesh Khanna can be overshadowed by an Amitabh Bachchan.
The secret of success lies in dreaming big and making every effort to realise that big dream. Don’t be afraid because a star already exists. You can always be a superstar.
And what can the superstar do? Do what the movie Superstar, the Big B has done. The magic of Amitabh Bachchan lies in his ability to adapt to changing situations. Though noon can’t stay for ever, it certainly can be prolonged this way.
How to Stop Worrying
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle November 2005)
We spend a lot of time worrying. The sources of worry range from lapses in the past to troubles of the present to—and this is most worrisome—uncertainties of the future. Most of us are unable to adopt a “Que sera sera” (whatever will be, will be) approach. And that is why we dread change and start worrying.
Worrying, however, is a colossal waste of time. If you worry for an hour, you have wasted a valuable hour which could have been devoted to a constructive purpose. But the story does not end there. During this one hour of worrying, you have viewed yourself negatively. And a negative perception of oneself is a potent ingredient in the recipe for disaster. Besides, you may have irritated those around you and earned their disrespect.
“I understand that, Sir! But how can I avoid worrying?” Well, if that is a sincere question, my best advice would be: read Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. As for now, let us try to understand why and how we worry. As mentioned earlier, the main cause of worry is an insecurity about the future. Every impending change is fraught with uncertain consequences.
The question is: who worries? He that feels insecure. And he feels insecure because he lacks confidence in himself. If I have a sufficient store of grains, I will not be much worried about a famine. Or, coming to a problem much more relevant in modern India, if my place is equipped with power back-up facility, I will not be much worried about the gruelling periods of power-cut.
So, therein lies the clue: “back-up facility”. That is what confidence is. It arms an individual with resistance and, if that fails, with resilience. Take the example of developing countries. Regimes in these countries are often worried about a Foreign Hand trying to destabilise them. The CIA and the KGB have rendered uneasy many a head that wears the crown. But we have never heard about the US getting jitters from India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW).
Or, take the case of the media in our country. The channels have a ‘tez’ (speed) complex which often leads them to betray their immaturity. Even the prime minister Manmohan Singh recently complained: “In the race for capturing markets, journalists have been encouraged to cut corners, to take chances, to hit and run.” It is the insecurity of survival that drives them to desperation. What they forget is that brand is not built in a day.
Terrorism, a global menace that has assumed threatening proportions, is a consequence of being worried about the success of one’s idea. Says Bipin Chandra, an eminent historian; “Gandhiji would not only oppose the use of terror to achieve any objective but would also say that terror is resorted to when one is not able to build a majority or a large-scale public opinion. That is why he criticised revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh.” So, ultimately it boils down to a crisis of faith in one’s own ideology.
Similarly, xenophobic tendencies are a consequence of being worried about the future in the absence of protectionism. Many in our country want to stop foreign investment and a liberalised trade regime for fear of being trampled by the gigantic multi-national companies (MNCs). Developed countries, on the other hand, are worried about job loss and vehemently oppose immigration and outsourcing.
In each of these cases, we find that the crisis of confidence leads us to react. And we orchestrate our efforts to arrest the agent of change itself. Which is quite stupid. In doing so, our attempts often prove abortive and set us on the path to worrying.
You cannot stop an idea whose time has come. But you can make provisions for its negative consequences. At least try for it. And enjoy peace of mind.
We spend a lot of time worrying. The sources of worry range from lapses in the past to troubles of the present to—and this is most worrisome—uncertainties of the future. Most of us are unable to adopt a “Que sera sera” (whatever will be, will be) approach. And that is why we dread change and start worrying.
Worrying, however, is a colossal waste of time. If you worry for an hour, you have wasted a valuable hour which could have been devoted to a constructive purpose. But the story does not end there. During this one hour of worrying, you have viewed yourself negatively. And a negative perception of oneself is a potent ingredient in the recipe for disaster. Besides, you may have irritated those around you and earned their disrespect.
“I understand that, Sir! But how can I avoid worrying?” Well, if that is a sincere question, my best advice would be: read Dale Carnegie’s How to Stop Worrying and Start Living. As for now, let us try to understand why and how we worry. As mentioned earlier, the main cause of worry is an insecurity about the future. Every impending change is fraught with uncertain consequences.
The question is: who worries? He that feels insecure. And he feels insecure because he lacks confidence in himself. If I have a sufficient store of grains, I will not be much worried about a famine. Or, coming to a problem much more relevant in modern India, if my place is equipped with power back-up facility, I will not be much worried about the gruelling periods of power-cut.
So, therein lies the clue: “back-up facility”. That is what confidence is. It arms an individual with resistance and, if that fails, with resilience. Take the example of developing countries. Regimes in these countries are often worried about a Foreign Hand trying to destabilise them. The CIA and the KGB have rendered uneasy many a head that wears the crown. But we have never heard about the US getting jitters from India’s Research & Analysis Wing (RAW).
Or, take the case of the media in our country. The channels have a ‘tez’ (speed) complex which often leads them to betray their immaturity. Even the prime minister Manmohan Singh recently complained: “In the race for capturing markets, journalists have been encouraged to cut corners, to take chances, to hit and run.” It is the insecurity of survival that drives them to desperation. What they forget is that brand is not built in a day.
Terrorism, a global menace that has assumed threatening proportions, is a consequence of being worried about the success of one’s idea. Says Bipin Chandra, an eminent historian; “Gandhiji would not only oppose the use of terror to achieve any objective but would also say that terror is resorted to when one is not able to build a majority or a large-scale public opinion. That is why he criticised revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh.” So, ultimately it boils down to a crisis of faith in one’s own ideology.
Similarly, xenophobic tendencies are a consequence of being worried about the future in the absence of protectionism. Many in our country want to stop foreign investment and a liberalised trade regime for fear of being trampled by the gigantic multi-national companies (MNCs). Developed countries, on the other hand, are worried about job loss and vehemently oppose immigration and outsourcing.
In each of these cases, we find that the crisis of confidence leads us to react. And we orchestrate our efforts to arrest the agent of change itself. Which is quite stupid. In doing so, our attempts often prove abortive and set us on the path to worrying.
You cannot stop an idea whose time has come. But you can make provisions for its negative consequences. At least try for it. And enjoy peace of mind.
The Art of Wearing the Crown
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle October 2005)
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. And yet it is difficult for us not to covet the crown. In fact, if we don’t covet the crown, life would become rather meaningless. And this meaninglessness will again lead to unease.
So the situation boils down to something like this: Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Uneasy lies the head that cannot wear the crown. And, uneasy lies the head that will not wear the crown. In these scenarios, it’s certainly the first one that is preferable. Because, if unease has to come at any cost, why not enjoy the crown at least?
Besides, when we study the three scenarios, it is evident that unease is not a function of wearing the crown. It is rather an inherent state of mind. You might have seen a number of crown-crested persons beaming with smile. Even if the head lies uneasy, their face at least does not reflect this. This is so because they have mastered the art of wearing the crown.
It is important to choose a crown of your liking. It little matters how valuable the crown is because the value depends on the perception of others. What is important is that the crown be suited to your head. The customisation of crown is necessary if you want it to rest comfortably on your head.
In other words, don’t covet what others think is good for you. A parent, a “well-wisher” or a friend may determine what is best for you. Remember nothing is given as freely as advice. They are not to blame either because though some of them do so merely to show how much they know of the world, most of them have your well-being in mind. But we have to remember that what is good for Tendulkar may not be good for me.
So devote time to thinking what is good for you. Or, to thinking, if we continue the analogy, which crown suits you best. Do not decide merely on the basis of infatuation. Learn to distinguish between passion and infatuation. If it is the former, go for it. Because if you love something from the core of your heart, you are already halfway through in having achieved it.
Now, if the crown is of your own liking, the unease will certainly get minimised. But still don’t think that it will get eliminated altogether. For, life is a zero-sum game. You have to pay the price of everything that you get. The crown seldom comes without added responsibilities. Every promotion is an encroachment upon your leisure.
Here comes the role of what I earlier mentioned as mastering the art of wearing the crown. One, it is important to live in the here and now. While one must learn from the past and plan for the future, one should live in the present. That is, dedicate yourself completely to the task at hand. Immerse yourself into the person you are dealing with.
Two, it is important to be humble. If success goes to your head, it makes you blind to your flaws. And the person or organisation that stops rectifying their mistakes goes on the decline. One then tries to commit excesses to arrest the decline and give an upward push. But the excesses only contribute to further decline.
Three, it is important to see each day as a new day. Every sunrise comes with the possibility of enormous growth. And this is as true for Roger Federer as for ordinary mortals. Let the rays of sun become the rays of hope for that day’s prosperity. And learn from the sun how to labour all day, struggling against the clouds, before retiring to a calm night’s sleep.
Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. And yet it is difficult for us not to covet the crown. In fact, if we don’t covet the crown, life would become rather meaningless. And this meaninglessness will again lead to unease.
So the situation boils down to something like this: Uneasy lies the head that wears the crown. Uneasy lies the head that cannot wear the crown. And, uneasy lies the head that will not wear the crown. In these scenarios, it’s certainly the first one that is preferable. Because, if unease has to come at any cost, why not enjoy the crown at least?
Besides, when we study the three scenarios, it is evident that unease is not a function of wearing the crown. It is rather an inherent state of mind. You might have seen a number of crown-crested persons beaming with smile. Even if the head lies uneasy, their face at least does not reflect this. This is so because they have mastered the art of wearing the crown.
It is important to choose a crown of your liking. It little matters how valuable the crown is because the value depends on the perception of others. What is important is that the crown be suited to your head. The customisation of crown is necessary if you want it to rest comfortably on your head.
In other words, don’t covet what others think is good for you. A parent, a “well-wisher” or a friend may determine what is best for you. Remember nothing is given as freely as advice. They are not to blame either because though some of them do so merely to show how much they know of the world, most of them have your well-being in mind. But we have to remember that what is good for Tendulkar may not be good for me.
So devote time to thinking what is good for you. Or, to thinking, if we continue the analogy, which crown suits you best. Do not decide merely on the basis of infatuation. Learn to distinguish between passion and infatuation. If it is the former, go for it. Because if you love something from the core of your heart, you are already halfway through in having achieved it.
Now, if the crown is of your own liking, the unease will certainly get minimised. But still don’t think that it will get eliminated altogether. For, life is a zero-sum game. You have to pay the price of everything that you get. The crown seldom comes without added responsibilities. Every promotion is an encroachment upon your leisure.
Here comes the role of what I earlier mentioned as mastering the art of wearing the crown. One, it is important to live in the here and now. While one must learn from the past and plan for the future, one should live in the present. That is, dedicate yourself completely to the task at hand. Immerse yourself into the person you are dealing with.
Two, it is important to be humble. If success goes to your head, it makes you blind to your flaws. And the person or organisation that stops rectifying their mistakes goes on the decline. One then tries to commit excesses to arrest the decline and give an upward push. But the excesses only contribute to further decline.
Three, it is important to see each day as a new day. Every sunrise comes with the possibility of enormous growth. And this is as true for Roger Federer as for ordinary mortals. Let the rays of sun become the rays of hope for that day’s prosperity. And learn from the sun how to labour all day, struggling against the clouds, before retiring to a calm night’s sleep.
How to Respond to Terrorism
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle September 2005)
A certain M Kumar from New Delhi writes in a letter to the editor of The Week: “There is no justification for terrorism. And terrorists cannot be reformed. Therefore, all terrorists must be killed.” If there could have been so simplistic reasoning and solution, terrorism would never have become a problem. The truth is that, like most other problems in the world, it too cannot be viewed simplistically.
There is no denying the gravity of terrorism. It not only wipes away its immediate victims but also impacts the later generations. This would become clear from an ongoing research in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by Dr Akash Yousuf Khan. In a study of 70 children in Kashmir in the age group of 3-16 years who have witnessed a shocking incident directly, or have had it narrated to them, his observations are worrying. He has found that 64.28 per cent of the children suffered from somatic complications like loss of appetite, altered sleep patterns or headache. 21.42 per cent performed badly in school while 17.8 per cent lost interest in all activities. As many as 32.14 per cent showed an increased outburst of anger.
If the problem is so grave, it has to be dealt with seriously. But we have a tendency to show knee-jerk reaction. When there was an attack at Ayodhya recently, Hindutva organisations started fuming against it. The Opposition tried to cash in on the precarious situation. The blame game seemed to have started.
Such reactions only go on to serve the purpose of the terrorists. Because this is what they seek: to divide the nation, to fragment the world. So that they can fish in troubled waters. So that they may move forward towards the attainment of their notional goals. In other words, we get caught in the trap they set for us.
Most of the times we come up with retaliatory measures. When Osama’s men bombed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11, the US decided to teach Afghanistan a lesson. The US thought it had put out the fire by pouring water over it. But they forgot the smouldering embers which have the capacity to be re-ignited into the fire of terrorism.
In fact, the terrorists gain mileage from the retaliatory measures. They tell the followers that what they have witnesed is an unjust retribution for a just Cause. And so there is all the more reason to fight for the Cause or even die for it. The indoctrination that the Cause is greater than the individual leads to the emergence of suicide bombers.
In sharp contrast to the Indian and American responses discussed above stands the British response. Call it the response in the gentlemanly tradition or that of a nation of shopkeepers, the British response to 7/7 has certainly been a mature one. The UK has neither ignored the crisis nor blown it out of proportions.
While the police have been prompt to get hold of the culprits, life in London has soon returned back to normal. There is caution in the air but no panic. The politicians and the media have both exercised restraint.
Though one can’t predict the events, it is most likely that 7/7 would not spiral into further terrorist activities. Because the terrorists here have not been successful in their divisive endeavour. They have been met with a solid response from a nation solidly behind Mr Tony Blair in this hour of crisis.
Again, maturity also demands that the reason behind terrorism be identified and addressed. M Kumar is true in saying that “there is no justification for terrorism.” But reason is not the same as justification. And so you can’t run away from the reason and wish terrorism away.
Also, whether terrorists can be reformed may be a topic of debate. But killing the terrorists indiscriminately will only aggravate the situation.
A certain M Kumar from New Delhi writes in a letter to the editor of The Week: “There is no justification for terrorism. And terrorists cannot be reformed. Therefore, all terrorists must be killed.” If there could have been so simplistic reasoning and solution, terrorism would never have become a problem. The truth is that, like most other problems in the world, it too cannot be viewed simplistically.
There is no denying the gravity of terrorism. It not only wipes away its immediate victims but also impacts the later generations. This would become clear from an ongoing research in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by Dr Akash Yousuf Khan. In a study of 70 children in Kashmir in the age group of 3-16 years who have witnessed a shocking incident directly, or have had it narrated to them, his observations are worrying. He has found that 64.28 per cent of the children suffered from somatic complications like loss of appetite, altered sleep patterns or headache. 21.42 per cent performed badly in school while 17.8 per cent lost interest in all activities. As many as 32.14 per cent showed an increased outburst of anger.
If the problem is so grave, it has to be dealt with seriously. But we have a tendency to show knee-jerk reaction. When there was an attack at Ayodhya recently, Hindutva organisations started fuming against it. The Opposition tried to cash in on the precarious situation. The blame game seemed to have started.
Such reactions only go on to serve the purpose of the terrorists. Because this is what they seek: to divide the nation, to fragment the world. So that they can fish in troubled waters. So that they may move forward towards the attainment of their notional goals. In other words, we get caught in the trap they set for us.
Most of the times we come up with retaliatory measures. When Osama’s men bombed the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York on 9/11, the US decided to teach Afghanistan a lesson. The US thought it had put out the fire by pouring water over it. But they forgot the smouldering embers which have the capacity to be re-ignited into the fire of terrorism.
In fact, the terrorists gain mileage from the retaliatory measures. They tell the followers that what they have witnesed is an unjust retribution for a just Cause. And so there is all the more reason to fight for the Cause or even die for it. The indoctrination that the Cause is greater than the individual leads to the emergence of suicide bombers.
In sharp contrast to the Indian and American responses discussed above stands the British response. Call it the response in the gentlemanly tradition or that of a nation of shopkeepers, the British response to 7/7 has certainly been a mature one. The UK has neither ignored the crisis nor blown it out of proportions.
While the police have been prompt to get hold of the culprits, life in London has soon returned back to normal. There is caution in the air but no panic. The politicians and the media have both exercised restraint.
Though one can’t predict the events, it is most likely that 7/7 would not spiral into further terrorist activities. Because the terrorists here have not been successful in their divisive endeavour. They have been met with a solid response from a nation solidly behind Mr Tony Blair in this hour of crisis.
Again, maturity also demands that the reason behind terrorism be identified and addressed. M Kumar is true in saying that “there is no justification for terrorism.” But reason is not the same as justification. And so you can’t run away from the reason and wish terrorism away.
Also, whether terrorists can be reformed may be a topic of debate. But killing the terrorists indiscriminately will only aggravate the situation.
Holistic Treatment
(Published in Banking Services Chronicle August 2005)
India is a great country. We have had a culturally rich past. There was darkness in the medieval era. But let us not forget the Dark Age was a universal phenomenon. Only the Indian Renaissance came a bit later. So, if we pay attention—sufficient attention—even now, we can catch up with the developed countries in another half a century. Yes, we can catch up even with Uncle Sam.
The trouble is our late reawakening has filled us with an inferiority complex. We are still living in the “modern” world and hold the White Man in awe, except for a geographical shift in that the White Man now lives west of Atlantic. Post-modernism has failed to make us confident enough to borrow from the West without getting steeped into “West-ness”.
And this is not only India’s problem but that of developing countries in general. Says Yoga expert and author Bharat Thakur: “The bane of the developing countries is that they are not very confident about themselves, resulting in blind imitation of the West. We didn’t wake up to the beneficial properties of ayurveda or meditation till the West acknowledged it.”
We have to learn to discover our own greatness on our own. We have come a long way from the days of McCaulay and Kipling. Let us thank those English lords and gentlemen for having exposed us to the modern world. Let us also thank them for having brought us together as a nation. Just as we thank our school teachers for having cultivated us into enlightened adults.
But once we have grown up, we can’t be too dependent on our teachers. We have to learn to discriminate between what is good in them and what is bad in them. We should little hesitate in emulating the former and rejecting the latter. Besides, if we have certain inherent traits which we think to be valuable, let us not wait to demonstrate them until we seek approval from others.
A pragmatic individual takes the right things at the right time without bothering about where they come from. Says Dr Ashok Seth, chairman and chief cardiologist, Max Devki Devi Heart and Vascular Institute, New Delhi: “While an angioplasty or a surgery becomes necessary in acute cases, we recommend several preventive measures to nip the problem in the bud. Apart from medicines, changing lifestyles, practising yoga and meditation, and ways to avoid stress are very important in the therapy. But while all these are good at the preventive stage, there haven’t been good studies to show their efficacy in treating the disease.”
So that’s what we need to do. Borrow angioplasty and surgery from the West. But don’t use them blindly. Don’t forget we have had yoga and meditation in our country for centuries. Our ancients followed a lifestyle that the moderns would envy. So let us first try them, as Seth says, at the “preventive stage”. In case this fails to work, don’t shy away from using the Western modes of treatment either.
I’m sure a Westerner would listen in rapt attention to what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living says: “I would say wellness is beyond physical fitness. It is all about mental alertness and emotional stability—two core areas where everyone has to work. Today, the biggest problem with our youth is attention deficiency and retention problem. These can be addressed by pranayams and other exercises. Mental alertness and emotional stability give you the comfort level to accept and appreciate criticism. These all are part of wellness. Fitness is limited to the physical level but wellness extends to the mental and spiritual.”
Figuratively and literally both, let us be “fit” as the Westerners are but let us also, and perhaps more importantly, be “well” as the Indians were. Holistic treatment.
India is a great country. We have had a culturally rich past. There was darkness in the medieval era. But let us not forget the Dark Age was a universal phenomenon. Only the Indian Renaissance came a bit later. So, if we pay attention—sufficient attention—even now, we can catch up with the developed countries in another half a century. Yes, we can catch up even with Uncle Sam.
The trouble is our late reawakening has filled us with an inferiority complex. We are still living in the “modern” world and hold the White Man in awe, except for a geographical shift in that the White Man now lives west of Atlantic. Post-modernism has failed to make us confident enough to borrow from the West without getting steeped into “West-ness”.
And this is not only India’s problem but that of developing countries in general. Says Yoga expert and author Bharat Thakur: “The bane of the developing countries is that they are not very confident about themselves, resulting in blind imitation of the West. We didn’t wake up to the beneficial properties of ayurveda or meditation till the West acknowledged it.”
We have to learn to discover our own greatness on our own. We have come a long way from the days of McCaulay and Kipling. Let us thank those English lords and gentlemen for having exposed us to the modern world. Let us also thank them for having brought us together as a nation. Just as we thank our school teachers for having cultivated us into enlightened adults.
But once we have grown up, we can’t be too dependent on our teachers. We have to learn to discriminate between what is good in them and what is bad in them. We should little hesitate in emulating the former and rejecting the latter. Besides, if we have certain inherent traits which we think to be valuable, let us not wait to demonstrate them until we seek approval from others.
A pragmatic individual takes the right things at the right time without bothering about where they come from. Says Dr Ashok Seth, chairman and chief cardiologist, Max Devki Devi Heart and Vascular Institute, New Delhi: “While an angioplasty or a surgery becomes necessary in acute cases, we recommend several preventive measures to nip the problem in the bud. Apart from medicines, changing lifestyles, practising yoga and meditation, and ways to avoid stress are very important in the therapy. But while all these are good at the preventive stage, there haven’t been good studies to show their efficacy in treating the disease.”
So that’s what we need to do. Borrow angioplasty and surgery from the West. But don’t use them blindly. Don’t forget we have had yoga and meditation in our country for centuries. Our ancients followed a lifestyle that the moderns would envy. So let us first try them, as Seth says, at the “preventive stage”. In case this fails to work, don’t shy away from using the Western modes of treatment either.
I’m sure a Westerner would listen in rapt attention to what Sri Sri Ravi Shankar of the Art of Living says: “I would say wellness is beyond physical fitness. It is all about mental alertness and emotional stability—two core areas where everyone has to work. Today, the biggest problem with our youth is attention deficiency and retention problem. These can be addressed by pranayams and other exercises. Mental alertness and emotional stability give you the comfort level to accept and appreciate criticism. These all are part of wellness. Fitness is limited to the physical level but wellness extends to the mental and spiritual.”
Figuratively and literally both, let us be “fit” as the Westerners are but let us also, and perhaps more importantly, be “well” as the Indians were. Holistic treatment.
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