David and Goliath

I am back on the blog after almost a year, so obviously there is so much to share, but I will begin with the debate on the Anna Hazare's recent head on collision with the UPA government. As the days go by, the two are getting entangled in an dramatic battle, which may not find place in history books, but will remain in the minds of people for a long time.

Without any doubt, I can say that seasoned politicians and long standing Congress members unleashed ,together, the worst attack on the Indian democracy. They used political means to subdue a rather apolitical and desperate attempt of the people of this country to be heard and to protest against dilution of the Lokpal bill, which has been found wanting on several counts. The personal attack on Anna and team by leveling charges of corruption and questioning their sources of funds and the uses of it(a meagre two and half lakh rupees), was a typical political trap, which unfortunately Anna and team fell into.

Hon'ble ministers Mr. Sibal and Ms. Soni 's address to media showed signs of defeat and desperation, in addition to being so immature that they almost hurt public sentiment and added to the public sympathy that surrounds Anna Hazare's campaign. The UPA thinks that the act of fasting to demonstrate protest against something is undemocratic and unconstitutional. Well!, Mr. Sibal must remember that his party has lost its right to point fingers, the day Kalmadi was found guilty and A Raja was arrested.

The Congress Spokesman Manish Tiwari has yet again proved that he is an expert at shooting himself in the foot. Everytime he says something, Congress stock would dip by a few points, and this time his attack on Anna Hazare has only given a fillip to Anna's image. The Congress leaders, together, seemed like a bunch of desperate losers against a man, who stood for the people, to subdue his popularity and trying helplessly to prevent this movement from reaching the scale and seriousness that it deserves.

Team Anna, on the other hand is not adept at handling this political attack, and is unaware of the fact that the Congress has actually launched this offensive to deviate them and divert the attention of the people of this country. They quickly reacted and offered statements in defense, an act that weakens their spirit.

It's anybody's game now. Will it be Team Anna's tactics of Fast Unto Death or Congress' relentlessly making personal attacks, it is the people who have to decide. Right now, Anna seems like the David who's up against the Goliath. But People of India can turn the tables, if they join the movement, this David can become more gigantic and powerful. Whether that happens, only time will tell.

Enemies in the newsroom

Watching a news channel is very risky affair, you run the risk of believing something that may not be true at all. It is quite surprising that agencies of repute in the print media have allowed their news channels to distort and sensationalize every bit of information available in their hand. Small issues are blown out of proportion, unconnected people are interviewed, public views are being solicited without any reason, with footages repeating time and again, the same stories being told and retold several times and public figures are repeatedly misinterpreted to create news.

All of this is only until something else comes their way and the next sensation is created. I sometimes, wonder that all of what is shown, spoken about, exaggerated becomes so worthless, just because there is something else to talk about. I also keep thinking about some of those topics that were "breaking news" sometime ago, such as the Arushi murder case, Nithari killings, Swine Flu epidemic , IPL scams etc., which have already been archived by news channels.

Well, the media is not interested any more because, those issues may not evoke any interest in the viewers. But if someone choses to sensationalize a new finding in those old issues and there is a chance to enhance the TRP, why not? Suddenly, it starts making sense. Isn't all this indicating the fall of the responsible media and the rise of selfish, greedy, insensitive media with a goal of making money and nothing else?

I saw an advertisement in Times of India, " Arnab Goswami in conversation with Kalmadi on the truth of CWG ". Many may not find anything wrong in it , but to me, it symbolizes a sense of vicarious pleasure the media draws by putting public figures in front of the people, just to be mangled intellectually by misbehaving interviewers. And by advertising, we all are invited to witness an ugly display of the ill-gotten power of the media in the name of news.

The news personalities are the ones who create news. If a big name in the industry tells the story, it is bigger than truth. A recent movie " Rann" highlights the same issue in very minute details. I have validated some truths from the friends in the industry and found them to be true.

People of India are very unfortunate. In an era , where there is a hope to bring equality and promote responsibility amongst its people, media is acting irresponsibly. I wonder sometimes, whom do we really have in our newsrooms, friends or enemies?

Genius Gulzar

If there is a master of using ambiguity as a stylistic-aid and abstractism in mainstream poetry , he can be none other than “Gulzar”. A genius and a poet par excellence. Oftentimes, his poetry follows a style that incorporates the use of simple, real or imaginative events that you and I can relate to, for specific metaphoric representation.

There are many examples that prove that, especially “ Hazaar Rahen” from the Rajesh Khanna starrer “thodi si bewafai’ remains my favorite from Gulzar’s treasure

“जहाँ से तुम मोड़ मुड गए थे , वोह मोड़ अब भी वहीँ पड़े हैं ,
हम अपने पैरों में जाने कितने , भंवर लपेटे खड़े हुये हैं".

His poetry has given rise to a new style of rhyming in the contemporary stanza structure. Some of his poems also display a certain level of incoherency or arcane imagery. The song “Chappa Chappa Charkha Chale” from Maachis is one such masterpiece.

There are many others enchanting works of his which are unforgettable and enthralling. His style is unique and his language simple, yet the thought is deep. The metaphors transcend you into an imaginative world, yet keeping you close to real life.

Madhushala

हरिवंशराय बच्चन के महाकाव्य "मधुशाला" की कुछ पंक्तियाँ प्रस्तुत हैं, जो मुझे बहुत पसंद हैं। राष्ट्र-कवी 'बच्चन', ने मधुशाला की समानता इस जगत के साथ, और मधु अथवा हाला की जीवन के सफलताओं अथवा मोक्ष के साथ कर, मनुष्य के जीवन से जुड़े सभी सन्दर्भों का दार्शनिक वर्णन किया है।

"लिखी भाग्य में जितनी बस उतनी ही पाएगा हाला,
लिखा भाग्य में जैसा बस वैसा ही पाएगा प्याला,
लाख पटक तू हाथ पाँव, पर इससे कब कुछ होने का,
लिखी भाग्य में जो तेरे बस वही मिलेगी मधुशाला"।

"अपने युग में सबको अनुपम ज्ञात हुई अपनी हाला,
अपने युग में सबको अदभुत ज्ञात हुआ अपना प्याला,
फिर भी वृद्धों से जब पूछा एक यही उत्तर पाया,
-अब न रहे वे पीनेवाले, अब न रही वह मधुशाला!"।

अमिताभ बच्चन के स्वर में 'मधुशाला' की कुछ पंक्तियाँ इस विशेष प्रस्तुति में:-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FO_2Ypeq6KM

Remembering Salil Chowdhury

Salil Da, as he is known, is a musical genius. Many of his compositions were a mystical blend of the Indian and Western classical music. He always said that his genre is one which will transcend borders and will be emphatic. He was an equally good poet and a story writer and also very good music arranger, a rare combination, which he confessed, confused him many a time.

Salil Da’s love for Western classical started when he was a young boy living in the tea gardens of Assam. The source being, a large number of records and gramophone of an Irish doctor. The song “ Mausam Beeta Jaye” from his maiden hindi film “Do Bigha Zameen” was based on the famous red army marching song. Another famous composition “Itna Na Mujhse Tu Pyaar Badha” from the film “Chhaya” was based on Mozart’s Symphony No. 40.

Salil Da’s mastery over the Indian classical & folk music was remarkable. Compositions for the 1958 Dilip Kumar starrer “ Madhumati” are easily the most breathtaking music ever created in the history of Indian cinema. The rare gems of his melodious creations in Maaya, Kabuliwala, Rajnigandha, Anand and Mausam are some of my favorites. One of them being a song from film Maya “Ja Re Udhja Re Panchhi” , which remains to be my all time favorite. None other than Lata Mangeshkar, could have done justice to that composition.

Salil Da’s Genre was unique and has left a lasting impression on the people of his generation and beyond.

Pragmatism or Values

In a recent employee engagement activity, a discussion on the topic “Pragmatism or Values”, ended in a debate on whether pragmatism, necessarily means compromise with your value system.

For many, pragmatism meant a deviation from the ethical practice to reach one’s goals. I argued that both the terms, ‘pragmatism & values’, have a deeper meaning to them and are related, but are not mutually exclusive. The presence of one doesn’t necessarily mean the absence of the other.

Collin's dictionary defines pragmatism as “the doctrine that, the content of a concept consists only in its practical applicability and that truth consists not in correspondence with the facts but in successful coherence with experience”. To simplify, it means a practical “fact of the matter” approach towards taking action that leads to known consequences or those experienced in the past.

The term 'Values', on the other hand, has been defined as “the generally accepted mode of conduct and the set of norms, goals, and beliefs binding any social group for determining what is desirable or undesirable , which serve as a frame of reference for the individual or the group in their pursuits”.

In essence, one can be pragmatic in one’s approach while being within the boundaries of one’s value system. I would lay special emphasis on the word ‘generally accepted’, which means such a belief or norm must comply with the social and legal system as well.

In our day-to-day lives, we make many such decisions based on our knowledge of the possible consequences without breaching the limits of the values that drive us.

IPL..vision for the future

A game of cricket might have been won, but the credibility of IPL and the people behind is lost. While the investigations and judgements will take their own course, it is time that we, as Indians, and for the love of cricket, demand a fair and transparent administration of this sport. I have a suggestion to end the current crisis and would like to share that with you.

As an immediate measure to put a method to this madness, each franchisee must be incorporated as a public limited company where 60% of the shares must be offered to the public via the IPO route and 40% can remain with Franchisee owners as promoters of the company. In such a case the future market cap or valuation will be decided by the stock market, which I am sure is quite sensitive to the industry fundamentals.

I can see two huge benefits. One, The administration of the IPL will be carried out under the well established regulatory and governance mechanism put in place by Govt bodies such as SEBI, ICAI, Dept of Company Affairs etc. And Second, it converges India's biggest passion (cricket) with its economic engine i.e the stock market and allows people to share wealth while they cheer for their favorite team. Additionally, the menace of illegal betting can be reduced as people will prefer to derive benefits via the stock market rather than the illegitimate means.

Just think, what is getting created here.....A situation which is referred by the economists as " Consumer surplus" where you enjoy your favorite sport and make money too.