The JNU Row: Freedom vs Responsibility

Imagine a young girl, who had just finished her Bachelors' from one of South India's premier Catholic, all-women's college run by nuns, entering the heart of the highly political, liberal campus South of India's capital, Jawaharlal Nehru University.

That girl was me. I was one of the chosen few who passed a rigorous all-India entrance exam followed by an interview, to get into this, one-of-a-kind central university. Why, a chosen few? Well, in a populous country like India, the fact that in the early 90s, we were 16 students in our graduating class from our Center in the School of Languages, goes to show just how exclusive the honor is.

What the nuns had taught me were the values of patience and politeness, of being graceful and yet powerful by being an instrument of social change, doing social service- not social work, but service and not letting your left hand know what your right hand did. There is a huge difference between those two words.

JNU was an entirely different world. The rules were about flouting any kind of possible "threat" of system or authority. You did not call your professors Sir or Madam, you called them by name. You would not "ask" for permission to use the restroom or enter a class "late". You came to class if you chose to do so, because you chose to have a lively debate with your professor or classmates. If society frowned upon women smoking, women would blow smoke in your face.

If the "oppressive" government of those times (we were moving towards liberalization then) and one of the outcomes of that policy was raising the monthly bus pass for using DTC (Delhi Transport Corporation) for an entire month from Rs. 11 to about 14 or something (don't remember the actual numbers now), the campus would erupt in slogan shouting and buses getting stoned. I was a day-scholar, ie lived at home, outside campus, and took 615 towards Poorvanchal every day and I thought this was an issue that impacted me more than those living on campus as I had to take the bus. Coming from Chennai, where I had paid a lot more for the monthly student bus pass on PTC, that was around Rs. 18 (plus had to pay extra for a coupon book that let me travel on other routes), I found DTC to be already highly subsidized. That Rs. 11.50 monthly pass let me board any route under the jurisdiction of DTC. I had no qualms of paying more as my fee for an entire semester was next to nothing. Paying for a service to transport myself to and fro from home, I understood the ramifications of what that small hike did to the overall deficit budget of the beleaguered transport corporation.

The cloistered hostelites of JNU thought otherwise. Their rhetoric was that the government was swindling the public and had no right to even suggest a hike in bus pass rates.

Faced with this situation, the 615 drivers would drop us passengers off at Vasanth Vihar or Munirka itself and refuse to enter campus as it would involve getting stoned and windows getting smashed. That meant an extra 30 minute walk into campus as "Freedom of Speech" demanded that we support the cause of keeping the bus fares low, to facilitate low-cost transport for the "poor" student. It was another matter that those very "poor" students had the money to pay for their cigarettes and limitless cups of cheap tea.

I was "protected" by my "Freedom of Speech" too- I could give my counter argument as to why I was okay with the rate hike, but my voice was drowned out by the louder protests against the hike. My only "minor win" was when I supported our canteenwala who wanted to hike the rate of a cup of tea from 25 paisa to 35 that soon went up to 40 paisa a cup as the cost of LPG kept going up (remember the Iraq war- Desert Storm?) and that poor fellow could barely keep up with the "subsidy". The price of sugar was also going up. It was easy to just climb onto the top of a table and call for attention through the cigarette haze and tell the "chaiwala's" perspective as to why he needed to charge more for his cup of tea. Those days, we had small china cups and no plastic ones. That involved paying one guy to wash the cups too. Labor never is cheap, even when exploited.

The nuns taught me to look at the "downtrodden" in society and see how I could be of some service to them. Small was beautiful to them- one "soul' at a time. JNU taught me how to look at the "collective" and design policy that impacted the "big picture". The argument against the bus hike was not really about Rs.2, rather, it was about demanding more accountability from the government towards the crores already being spent ineffectively and inefficiently. However, the manner in which the protests were done, where the "poor" bus driver with recklessly thrown stones at his person and his vehicle, were argued away as "collateral damage".

What I learned during those years of my life was that Freedom is absolutely essential in a democracy. However, that very freedom needs to be tempered with responsibility. I remembered the story that my 10th grade Civics teacher had shared with us when she introduced the Fundamental Rights in our constitution along with the Duties of an Indian citizen: She told us the story of Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan who was a teacher par excellence, who would say that the freedom of an individual would end where the freedom of another began. He illustrated that by saying that he had the freedom to walk on the street swinging his cane, but he also had the responsibility to ensure that he never hurt anyone with his swinging cane.

The current situation at JNU clearly shows enjoyment of freedom with absolutely no responsibility. What the students, the media and all the academics who are writing blogs and articles are forgetting is that the very basis of Freedom needs to have the temperance of social responsibility. Just because you take an "anti-government" stance does not mean that you take an "anti-national" stand. Nor does it behoove anyone to denigrate other people's personal beliefs or their religious symbols/ gods. In the current context, there was absolutely no cause for even starting a "debate" on Afsal Guru. It was clearly a politically motivated drama with absolutely no basis for a "need" to support any wrongdoing in a "democracy". No one in media or the opposition is asking the basic question why Afsal Guru is even an issue today when he was hanged years back and by an entirely different government that had followed the steps of due process.

Some time back, when someone had done a controversial documentary on Prophet Mohammad and put it up on youtube, I thought that was wrong. American media was debating the value of "freedom of speech" (it is our favorite past time here) and thought it was fine to have it up. But the government was clear in its position on the said freedom and convinced youtube to take down the video. It was taking Freedom of Speech to a level where you denigrate a faith's core beliefs and that is not acceptable. It goes back to Dr. Radhakrishnan's definition of freedom. Same argument against the denigration of Durga. Same against the support of a hanged terrorist. Same argument against the support of Azad Kashmir- Article 370, for even a rudimentary student of History was a temporary provision that is long overdue it's removal from the constitution.

So, readers, critical thinking is something we all need to do, more so in a democracy than anywhere else. And just because some groups make a lot of "noise", it doesn't mean that they are right. Any freedom we enjoy has to be balanced with responsibility. Anyone who argues to the contrary is being fascist in nature and has no room for a fair debate in democracy.

I am reminded of Pathanjali's first verse in the yoga sutra: Athah yogaanushasanam"- the "self-discipline" of Yoga. Democracy works when the "self discipline" is imposed by ourselves, not because someone is shouting a slogan for a "perceived right" or a "perceived wrong". That self-discipline comes with greater understanding of the bus driver's point of view before stoning his vehicle. Until then, it is a true case empty vessels making much noise.

2016- restarting my writing

This will be a series of posts on one topic- Love. It expresses as gratitude for all the beautiful beings who have contributed to my becoming aware of my own spiritual self while being integrated with each others' souls- intrinsically connected.

My sister recently posted on facebook, an adorable picture of my eldest sitting in his toy car and smiling at the power he wielded at the wheel. Millions of such snapshopts are enshrined in my heart as the cells in my body are born, grown and destroyed, while transferring these "memories" in a silent but unbroken sequence.

Will these memories become jumbled and incoherent in the future? I do not know. But for now, they are crystal and shimmering. I remember the moment that photo was taken. The presence of my sister in the room in her yellow dress. The pale peach carpet on the rented floor. The green and yellow plastic car, a gift from Vinay Kumar uncle for Krishnan's 1st birthday.

That glowing child in that shiny car blessed us by making us parents. He was a big baby, heavy but easy to handle as we weren't worried about crushing him or dislocating a bone. He made my parents, grandparents; my sister, an aunt (she would debate that saying -little mom :)!); my brother, an uncle; my sister-in-law, a proud aunt (she was waiting to pass on her daughter's crib and clothes and toys for the wee one she was awaiting for 8 years- from the birth of her child, hoping that her brother would get married and have a child soon!).

Today, when I see him come home from university, a young man sure about what he wants to do, with shadows of that smile shining forth once in a while, brightening his world and ours when it breaks past his studious gravity, I know this precious being came into our lives to make even a dreary winter day, a warm, beautiful day of love.

The PM's Experiment on Teacher's Day

There was a huge furore in the Indian media with regards to Mr. Modi's speech telecasted live to millions of school children across the nation- was there choice in viewing or not viewing it? Why the afternoon time? Why not during school hours? (Had he done it during school hours, the critics would have raised yet another brouhaha over "Modi over Math"!)

Then came the actual speech/ interaction- a Q & A unseen before on Indian Television. Then the debates started- how well did it go down with the kids, the parents and the teachers?

In all the various aspects that were shared and dissected, nobody commented on a very telling point during the Prime Minister's response to a question as to why he was doing this- He said that it was to do a beta test to check if elearning could be done in a mass scale across the nation.

As an educator, I found the interaction to be extremely interesting. As a scientist, I found this huge exercise to be a big experiment set up in real time to see just how India can leverage the power of the digital age to bring students and teachers to interact across distances against a horde of infrastructure issues such as lack of electricity, appropriate equipment etc.

In a country that has an alarming number of children to be educated and a diminishing number of good teachers, access to digital technology is the most sensible way of solving the problem of scale. In that front, the Prime Minister's "speech" on Teacher's Day shall certainly serve as a "foundation Stone" laid down in the right direction.

Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan would be pleased to see that students actually got to know the reason behind celebrating Teacher's Day on his birthday. I still remember the story my Civics teacher shared with us when teaching us about civic freedom and responsibillty. She told us about how Dr. Radhakrishnan explained to his students the fundamental connection between freedom and responsibility with the following illustration: A man has the freedom to swing his cane and walk down a street, but his freedom stops where the next person's freedom on the street is affected. His responsibility kicks in when he ensures that his swinging of the cane does not harm or damage anyone or property on the street.

I have shared this story in my turn with some of my students in some classes, when the demands for freedom outweighed those of responsibility! Mr. modi has taken a step towards his freedom of speech while keeping in mind his responsibility towards the nation. What more can we ask for on this special day dedicated to the teachers of India?

Espanol: an experience

So, what was I doing aside from being a little more active on Facebook grace a Sr. Modi? I was "teaching" or should I say "learning" Espanol- Spanish (in English)!

These past 6 weeks saw me as a substitute in a Spanish class and it was incredible to see my brain adapting itself to a new set of sounds (not all that new as I do live in California!) and coming out of it, making complete sentences with the verb conjugated the right way- yoohoo! So far, it had been using the infinitive for like saying yo hablar transmuting to yo hablo!

The thrill of speaking a new language is something to be experienced. I have lived in California for almost two decades to have been exposed to the odd Spanish word here and there and everywhere. But, I could never grasp the structure of the sentence. My sister, who has a Masters in that language had given up on my pretensions of knowing the language.

Now, I feel empowered to actually speak in sentences with her and all the other 36 plus% of my ciuadad that speaks this as their primary language.

Go, get empowered. Learn a new language. It is said that the brain "grows" when it learns a new language. My next language on my list is Mandarin. Xia Xia. Gracias.

From Global to Local Elections: California General Elections 2014 June 3rd

Just got my mail in ballot for the upcoming June 3rd elections, here, in California. Starting from Governor, many public posts are up for elections and I hope Californians take some time to research and cast a strong vote. After seeing the incredible voting percents from India, I want to see a vibrant voter turn out here too!

Two of my friends are also standing for public office- to represent our District in San Jose. Both are good people (read uncorrupt). When both of them reached out to me in early November to support them, it was a very difficult choice to make. But after I sat down with my "grid of parameters" I ended up choosing one over the other. Susan, here is my vote for you. (I must confess that I have a strong propensity to support women in public posts, provided they have a solid track record or I know them personally enough to have seen their capability.) Women tend to problem-solve in very different ways from men. All the more if she happens to be a mother!

That said, I am concerned about the state of my city- roads that haven't seen fresh layer of tarmac laid over and potholes smoothed over in several sections of town; improved police coverage for a city that officially crossed the million mark last month (as we do not count un/official "immigrants"); bringing the budget to a surplus condition; improved land use and attracting more businesses to the city.

The state has finally learned to balance the books thanks to Mr. Brown's effort and just for that, he is getting my vote. Any person who deals with a whining opposition and balances the books will get my vote. Yes, sometimes when the going gets tough, the tough get going and all this political pandering that allows budgets to get off kilter do not sit well with me. I don't know why public office immediately reverses all common sense. We teach our kids and we learn to live within our budgets (ok, I am not the "average" American household with a truckload of debt- I was brought up in a middle class Indian milieu where being in debt was considered a "sin" and so I was cautioned all along to live within my means). So, why can't cities and states and countries?

That said, Mr. Ro Khanna, an American of Indian descent is challenging long-reigning Mike Honda for the Congress seat in District 17. Personally, I like Mr. Honda, he has been a true friend to the diverse population of the Bay Area and has served us well. Of course, I cannot vote for him as my rep will be Anna Eshoo, an incumbent thanks to that rezoning of constituencies a few years ago that made my borough (or rather precinct as we call it here in the US) part of the "richer, Palo Alto, Los Gatos zone", getting cut out of the middle class San Jose neighborhood zone which will be voting for District 17. Ms. Eshoo's office took care of us at our last year's DC trip.

My appeal to all my fellow Californians, please do not give up your right to vote by staying home- the date is June 3rd and as it is we have only 69.51% of eligible voters registered- that is almost the percent of eligible voters in India who voted last month! Whatever your personal choice of candidates, please read up on them and their background and cast your vote.

The Lotus Blooms in Bharat

The wait is over. India chose to say "Namo NaMo". Now, what does this massive mandate mean to the BJP, Mr. Modi and every Indian who has voted for Modi? Here are some of my pet issues that I hope Mr. Modi with his government will address and make India take pride of place amongst the League of Nations as an economic power to be reckoned with.

1. Agriculture: An organic revolution unseen in the world before. If any country can do it, it is India with its historically agrarian tradition.
       a. The artisan "know how" is only one generation away from non chemical farming. This knowledge can easily be transfered and improved with modern research inputs.
       b. The Indian cow, a part of the organic cycle of the farm, can easily be made part of this movement- the cow dung and urine have proven to be very effective for manure as well as pesticide use. The milk will also provided much needed protein for the children in the rural as well as urban areas.
       c. The biodiversity of the nation needs to be maintained by ensuring the shift away from water guzzling monocrop models to drought resistant millets and other varieties of heirlooms that will ensure food security in the most remote areas of the country.

Role of the government: Improved infrastructure and an "agri" market to ensure the best prices for the farmer and access to farm products in the cities. State funded research in agriculture and public seeds to ensure viability of the smallest farmer. Cutting out the international price fixing for food by 6 international food companies. From what Mr. Modi has indicated in his interviews, he certainly is all for reaching agricultural produce to its markets asap.

2. Energy: Self sufficiency in the increasing appetite for power for a rapidly growing population. Mr. Modi has shown great interest in this area- be it solar or nuclear (his interest with the Japanese shows an inclination in that direction). Hopefully, his government works on this quickly and brings about an energy surplus in a nation that has historically dealt with power cuts.

3. Education, employment: A competent work force for a very young country is a must. If a "chaiwala" (tea seller) can become India's PM, the youth should be excited about engaging in all kinds of profession and do justice to their work by being exceptionally great at it. While literacy rates are certainly moving up, state-of-the-art educational institutions to serve the growing masses appear to be few and far between. However, the "education" sector of "apprenticeship" and artisanship should make a come back with an interest in providing quality products for the local and global markets.

4. Environment: Protection of land, water and air. Stringent measures taken against pollutors. Solid waste management through a decentralized model that makes use of trash in ingenious ways to generate money as well as employ millions in safer conditions with honor of work. Mr. Modi's promise of a "clean Ganga" should become a reality.

4. Finance: Eliminating coffer-draining social schemes and investing on self-reliance/ self-empowerment amongst the unemployed or unemployable- this would certainly demand a close watch of how funds are spent through social upliftment programs. Strong banks with governmental oversight need to help rebuild languishing areas of the economy. A more decentralized approach to business growth will bring more players across the nation into a vibrant democracy. At the same time, established big biz can provide services and support to the small guys to help move the country forward together. Restructuring tax laws and making them pro business has certainly shown their effect on Dalal Street already as Mr. Modi stands for a market economy.

5. Defense and Foreign Policy: These two areas have a lot of overlap. While a part of defense needs to ensure domestic safety, after seeing the work done by Mr. Modi to eradicate riots from Gujarat, hopefully, that model should rout out politically motivated riots and get rabble rousers employed more prudently in the building of the nation, establishing a calmer, harmonious scene internally.

Coming to foreign policy and India's relationship with Pakistan and China, it is imperative that border incursions are dealt with firmly and the message be heard strong and clearly that India will not negotiate an inch of its land when threatened with violence. Our common cultural histories with both these countries should help build a 21st century model towards better cooperation and improved trade. A strong India and improved relationship with our neighbors would mean a stable region that would rival Europe.

6. Tourism: From what Mr. Modi has showcased in Gujarat by putting it on the tourism map after Rajasthan, if that can be replicated across India with improved transportation facilities and infrastructure like hotels etc., India is certainly awaiting to be rediscovered. Indian food, clothes and a wealth of handmade goods that are unique to every region make for a tourism mecca that has not been tapped yet. Mr. Modi, please create a "Mango tourism" segment where people can come to India and taste a variety of mangoes in season- when foreign tourists rarely dare the Indian summer. I am sure the stronger tourist with a "head" for the sun, would love to explore the "king of all fruits" in its indigenous setting! (Ok that last bit was my own yearning for the fruit in season!)

Now the Wait Begins

The long drawn Indian General Elections for the 16th Lok Sabha finally drew to a close today. The nail biting wait for the final results starts today to end on Friday. In the meantime, every news channel in India is happily belting out their combinations of numbers and guessing out loud which set of parties will win. Strangely, many western media including the CNN and the BBC insist that these numbers are extremely arbitrary and rarely accurate.

So, I did some background reading on exit polls and when people did get it closely accurate enough. Several poll pundits did a decent job of sampling the polls during the 90s and then a strange phenomenon happened. These fairly accurate polls started to become very strangely off kilter and the blame was laid at the door of lack of better sampling populations. Actually, with increased prevalence of cell phones, I would think that (intuitively of course) it should be the other way- there needs to be greater accuracy in predicting results as more data samples can be collected effortlessly.

Then I looked at what other parameters changed from the 90s to the 2000s when every poll indicated a BJP led victory only to be smashed by a "surprising" Congress led victory- and the margins of error were considerable but not so considerable to be questioned of fraud. This is an interesting website that has some clear data on the past 4 major survey conducted. Read the paragraph right after the 2009 polls that states how the Congress knew they would win.

So what changed? Electronic voting machines were introduced in India for the 2004 elections. Suddenly, the polls did not reflect the survey numbers but more widespread sampling occurred with widespread cell phone and computer use. This brings us to the question of what other parameters effect poll results. This is an interesting wiki with lots of info on EVMs in India and their vulnerability towards fraud. Dr. Subramaniam Swamy went to court to demand greater transparency, getting the courts to recommend the VVPAT system ie the Voter Verification Paper Audit Trail. In this election, only 8 of the 543 constituencies will have it in place. I wonder why sensitive constituencies like the Amethi seat contested by Rahul Gandhi and Varanasi contested by Modi and Kejriwal did not get this VVPAT system put in place to ensure fair polling.

Another interesting factor is the polling percentage: Here is the Election Commission of India's figures, charts for the same. 2009 saw less than 60% cast their votes. The elections of the first decade of the 21st century saw lower voter turn out than this year's elections. From my rudimentary understanding of the EVMs, fraud is reduced when more number of people show up and actually cast their ballot. In several urban areas, including my own brother and his wife, they, who live in a proper house, paying property taxes and their electricity and water bills for over a decade, still do not have their votes as their address does not "exist" on the electoral lists!

Now, these machines are "in storage" for 3 whole days. Wonder how many polls will be proved "wrong" yet again and a "surprising" win to an unexpected party be announced on Friday. Until yesterday, AAP was almost "written off"- many impromptu interviews with the common man on the streets in and around Varanasi showed a disdain towards Kejriwal as a person who abdicated his responsibilities in Delhi and came there to contest a seat. Then today, there is a "surge" in reports that AAP may actually win the seat in Varanasi- just media reports with no "common man" interviewed off the streets. It will be very interesting to not just see what the "pattern" of votes casted in Varanasi was, but also see "when" they were cast in each machine and if the number of votes tally with the number of people entering the booth to cast their votes. Of course if it was the case like this Simpson's video, we are doomed to more false predictions! Given the highly partisan attitude exhibited by the ECI during the past few weeks, they have certainly lost my vote of confidence.

Book review: The Power of Half (republished from desicritics)

An old book review from desicritics.org (original post date: Aug 5th 2010)

I got to finish reading The Power of Half in half time! The chronicles of a well-heeled, American family, living the American dream choosing to listen to their socially-conscious teen and volunteering to "half" their living space, makes for a "different" story. Did I like it, yeah, sort of. Because, when I was young, I had such ideals too that were slowly morphed into more pragmatic ways of giving back.

While it was heartening to see that social consciousness is alive even in the consumeristic, individualistic America where most of the teens do charity work for the grades, or media attention and a better chance at an ivy league application acceptance, it sort of makes you want to believe again that altruism is still alive and kicking.

The story ends with Hannah, the teen, highlighting the importance of documenting. Documenting for whom, for what? Excuse me, the bible says, "But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth" (Matthew6:3). This entire book goes against this very basis of charity and giving.

If however, it was to reveal to the world the personal details about one family's way of coming together through consensus building and teamwork, it was way too voyeuristic to my liking. But then, each one to their own. I suppose it would be an excellent piece on best management practices.

That said, should such stories not be told? Well, for the average teen, it is a good story to read. But will a teen pick up such a book and read? Doubtful. Most of the teens I know are more like Hannah's brother. They are immersed in their own world and when they do get an epiphany moment like Hannah did with the homeless person on the street, they respond to it in the moment. It is not planned. It is not discussed. It is not "journalled" about. It is just DONE.

And how they do it- they literally will give you their shirts off their backs, will share their most treasured possessions without a blink of an eye. They will do a "make over" if they felt that you could do with one. They "feel" deeply.

I once attended a very powerful and revealing talk by Alfie Kohn, one of our modern day gurus on parenting and kids. He speaks about how we have created a society where we want to catch our kids being "good" that results in rewards. This sort of Christian values of getting rewards as candy, admission to a college, or later heaven goes against the very grain of what Jesus preaches. Forgive them, my Lord, for they know not what they are doing!

I do not doubt Hannah's sincerity. The brouhaha around it that it finds value as a book is a bit much. Remember the 7 year old British kid who biked to help Haiti right after the earthquake? That is how spontaneous kids are. It is their very nature. Nothing to bruit about. Rather, it is for us adults to observe this ease of giving and learn from them, remember from them. Kids do not worry about their college admission money. They feel they need to give today, they just do.

It is obvious that Joan, the mother organizer in the book, has instilled this serious projection into the future. When the first payment to Hunger Project comes due and they still were not liquid enough to pay as their home hadn't sold, there is no question in the kids' minds: Take it out from the college funds, the unanimous decision from the kids. The parents balk at it.

I

 was disappointed in a strange way by the ending of the book. The aim of the book by the end appeared to be the sale of the house that had become a white elephant rather than the quest of giving it started out to be.

This is so typically American. It amazes me just how much we consume as a nation. We keep buying stuff that we never use. We have enough to supply 10 families with stuff. Thanks to freecycle (a neighborhood yahoogroup where you register for free and you can either ask for something you need or offer something you want to give away) we can be rid of much of the stuff in our homes, in the hope of not accumulating again. It amazes me how our garages overflow with items worth a few hundred dollars while our expensive cars bear the brunt of the weather on the driveways.

One other thing that grated on my spartan Indian soul was how often this family ate out while discussing world hunger. It left me a bit nauseous. The token 30 hour fast described in the end sort of sounds lame. It seemed like a slap-on addition, a last bit of edit in to make for a soppier story- maybe the editors themselves suggested it to make for a better end, just as the reporters made them retake shots until they got the words they wanted for their news story.

The book ever so lightly brushes past the ugly face of aid. Jeffery Sachs with his gargantuan plan and a mammoth budget coughed up by countries around the world has been proven to be wrong. But then, he gets paid to give wrong advice.

The new buzz word around the aid world is microcredit. Guess what, these chaps who are doing such "good" with this micro capital will be rolling in dough very soon. Mohammad Yunus has shown the world how the rural poor rarely ever default on a loan, however small, especially women. But did anyone bother to figure out the percentage interest these poor women pay? Take a guess. They could be anywhere between 30 to 70% APR, that is much more than most credit cards charge.

So, does this book bring out the farce that aid is? No. Because they are still very innocent and idealistic in their "giving". They describe a scene of being taken by a hunger project local lead to visit a local politico in Ghana. It was so typically Indian in its narrative from the 70s. These days, the Indian politico is not so crude. His crime is very organized. He will not stoop for some white Americans. Oh no. He will want a direct transfer of a small percent of funds that hunger project will get into his swiss bank account so that hunger project can continue to do its "good work" in his country and gull more people into giving.

Book Review: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

It was yet another day of substitute teaching work at one of our high schools when the secretary stopped me and told me that the author of this book was coming to school as part of the Silicon Valley Reads initiative. My interest was tweaked. A few years back, I had an opportunity to meet with another author (Willow Wilson, author of The Butterfly Mosque) at the same school. I finally ran to ground a teacher with a copy to spare and took it home.

That was my first "mis" take. By the time I got into my car, I had scanned the back cover and got an idea of what the book was about:

The Back cover read like this: The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything- instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store...

I was ready for a detective novel and given the recent propensity of my sons going gaga on Benedict Cumberbatch's version of Sherlock, I thought this book would be in line with A Curious Case of Coded Books or some such thing. I was right at one level. However, where my "mis" take on the book was in that it was much more than just a "Curious Case".

I found it to be intriguingly a chronicle of our times. When Dickens wrote his works, it resulted in social reforms in his times. When Bradbury wrote his Fahrenheit 451, it encapsulated the angst of the post WW2 West and felt doomsday at his doorstep. Sloan's oeuvre is definitive of the highly digital, technical age we inhabit and interact with, in novel social ways. There is this virtual party where Clay has an online date and he skypes in and gets introduced around via his live screen stream to all the others present in real time in another part of town. We, who have "walked" around with our laptops showing the latest remodeling in our homes to faraway family or sharing a birthday party or marriage via skype or vimeo can totally connect with this.

The book behooves us to ask ourselves if all the access to information that we now have can be tamed to find solutions to our lives. Google is a character in this book as much as Mr. Penumbra. The data mining that happens within split seconds of inputing a few chosen words in the rectangle on the google search page is a miracle of our times. It is so much easier to write a research paper today than ever before, not having to search through dusty libraries for an obsolete reference. Everything can be done sitting in front of your laptop or walking around with your smart phone. 

My second "mis" take was that I decided to start reading the book before I had made dinner. Hence hubby dear had to make dinner and cursed the book. I tried "hiding" the book in a dark corner and blast it, I discovered that the darn cover "glowed" in the dark revealing itself and my amateurish attempts at hiding it.

As I scanned through the pages, I had this eerie feeling that I had already read this book because in so many instances, it felt like conversations between me, my husband and our friends who work in the Silicon Valley, were recorded by Robin Sloan and transcribed on these pages. It is not uncommon for "geekspeek" in this highly technical region nor a highly intellectual debate on Organic farming or the future of the Arts in an increasingly integrated espace. The byline under the author's photo on the first page explains this: "...and now splits his time between San Francisco and the Internet".

As I remarked to the author, at one time in the book, where Clay is close to cracking the code, I was reminded of the katapayadi system in India where alphabets were given numerical value. The entire Melakarta system in carnatic music uses this as an effective mnemonic device to recall all 72 Melakarta names. I wondered if he knew about it before writing the book and he said he would certainly look into it for future use.

The final "mis" take was the author's meet. I thought we would discuss the book, the plot, but it was more about how the current situation in publishing has completely bouleversed the entire institution of big publishing. Today, anyone can write anything and get it published in book form. I have a friend who has written this book about Mothers and daughters and if not for this amazing ability offered by modern technology such narratives will never see the light of day. They will wither away in the dark corners of our brains, never shared or downloaded into the collective minds of our contemporaries.

An easy and quick read and certainly a 21st century upgrade on what book plots will involve and how they will evolve as we move deeper into that phase of human existence which is so intertwined with the digital world.

Media and Riots in India

In response to the article by Dhruv Goyal in the Harvard Political Review: Goyal's Article

Interesting article. Sadly, the venom of the Congress-paid English media has held sway for way too long and has distorted events that many do not know any more to separate the chaff from the grain and nor does anyone have the time to do so in our busy lives. The current revelations made by Madhu Kishwar who spent 6 months in Gujarat to investigate Modi and his claims, came back and wrote a book based on her observations- this lady is one who has left leanings and is an alum of my old school JNU, not easily swayed by the RSS vision of the world. She has clearly stated how Mr. Modi is truly a politician India should be feting, not framing. Her interviews are here:Madhu Kishwar's Modi interviews

Modi is a systems guy- he is excellent in process and team building. His initial work on the Bhuj earthquake (ref. SAARC report on Tsunami by Sri Lanka acknowledging the Gujarat disaster plan: p 23-24) before the Godhra horror establishes him very clearly on how he works and the speed he demands. Godhra was a horrific event in India's history but what many people don't realize is that the first attack on the train was on RSS supporters (Hindus), not muslims, and then there was an immediate backlash. How much of it was trouble fomented by anti Modi groups is up to debate as this entire sequence of horror unfolded within hours of him winning the elections and taking the oath of office. Because, if Modi wanted to look the other way, he would not have called the army within hours nor asked his neighboring states for immediate police support. Nor was it to his benefit to spoil a wonderful moment of triumph- after winning with a clear majority- with a decent size of Muslim votes. The entire decade of calling him names and blackening him in the media even after he was found not guilty by the courts (in a congress run government) speaks volumes.

I was a teen in 1984 when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Our school was out as it was the last day of the month, Oct 31st (teachers' work day- yeah, it was a Govt. aided school). We lived in a decent part of South Delhi close to Sujaan Singh Park where there was a small community of Sikhs and several of the stores in Khan Market were owned by Sikhs. There was a Gurudwara on Subramania Bharathi Marg. I still remember the unquenched riots during the first week of November, when so many of the Sikh shops were gutted, sikhs killed in a mad frenzy, Congress mobs taking to the streets and burning parked taxis (owned by Sikhs). We could see thick black smoke billowing from the shops from our windows. When we went back to school after curfew was lifted- on that first day, while walking to our school in Lodhi Estate, we saw amputated body parts lying on the road, not yet cleared by the NDMC near the Gurudwara. 

Which media made it a crusade for a decade and take Rajiv Gandhi to court for allowing Delhi to be taken over by mobs (I personally liked Rajiv Gandhi as he was naive- I still have an autographed photo of his as I sent him a letter of condolence for the loss of his mother in such a tragic way)? Congress leaders like Jagadish Tytler openly came out in anger and made some horrible comments against the Sikhs. And this very same party has the temerity to cast stones on a man who did everything he could do hours after being sworn in as Chief Minister and ensured the complete suppression of a crazy mob within 72 hours.

I don't know how many of the commentators on this thread have lived in India and seen how mobs can be incited. In some areas of Tamil Nadu where father was posted (he worked for the Indian Govt.), you can get a bunch of people together within 2 hours to incite trouble for just a bottle of booze (this was in the 80s), now they demand a lot more! i have personally met a few "goondas", when they don't play the role of a goon and it is all in a day's work, not because they are committed ideologically to one party or another. Sometimes the pay off is admission to college (politicians have power to decide who gets the "reserved" seats), sometimes it is medical care for a family member (again, the politico has clout in getting you into the local government hospital without you having to pay the doc- which is what it ought to be anyways!

In the entire time I lived in India, there were very rare instances of a "spontaneous" mob that demands "justice" by becoming rioters. Indians by nature prefer peace to conflict. Our history is rife with examples of how we took centuries before we overthrew colonial rule or allowed the Muslims to rule us for 800 years! Even now, for almost 2 decades, Indians have not given a single mandate to one political party, in spite of the Congress trying to buy its voters (check out wikileaks on payouts). 

Conflict is created by groups (primarily political) who want to make a statement by fomenting trouble. Political parties use "mobs" to create fear and/ or "blackmail" the people in power to get "their" way. We have a weird idea of a "secular" press that believes that being pro-Hindu or pro- majority means being anti- secular. So, even if the annual Muslim festivals like Muharram turned rowdy, it is acceptable and they will be given right of way to pass through temple streets and prevent Hindus from going to their temple on that day, but if the Hindus wanted to celebrate a festival on their temple street, then the government will bring out the rule book and explain how it will be considered a public nuisance and minorities may feel overwhelmed by such multitudes.

Researching all the riots that have broken out in India since Independence, and who had what agenda behind it, would make for a very illuminating thesis.

The Story of Two Narendras

On January 12th, 1863, Narendra Nath Dutta was born who later came to be known as Swami Vivekanand. He lived the life of a Bikshu (living on alms) and established the Ramakrishna Mutt. He travelled the length and breadth of India and later around the world to spread the ancient wisdom of India, Advaita. Anyone having any interest in Indian philosophy will come across his name and has an entire library full of works by him. He was the founder of Vedanta Societies in the West to further the unique message of a pluralistic yet universal experience of "God". He ensured that every Indian understood the core essence of Hinduism and adhere to its precepts and regain the pride of being Indian. This contributed at a subtle level to make British Rule distasteful to many Indians and the Freedom Struggle caught more momentum.

17th September, 1950, saw another Narendra to be born in Gujarat. He is better known as Modi, currently in the run for the prime ministership of India. He left his home to be a sanyasi, but his demand from his mother that he return made him live a quasi sanyasi life without officially taking on the monks' order.  He travelled across the country (mostly Northern India and the Himalayas) and learned to live the simple life of a bikshu (managing on alms). All his speeches and work in Gujarat as Chief Minister shows him to be a "systems" guy, working out systemic processes that ensure the smooth functioning of government based on the ancient precept of Raja dharma that all administration is for the well-being of all citizens. He is notorious in the media and gets written up or described as a Hitler in spite of all evidence that shows a strong support by people from all walks of life who see him to be a practical solution to India's current mess of graft and scams that have left one family's fortune burgeoning (with a few of their cronies' gaining monetarily too) leaving a large chunk of Indians in a position to collect "dole", in the name of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. He envisions an India that is strong and proud to take its place amongst the council of nations strengthened by her economic progress.

History will decide the fate of this second Narendra, but it cannot be denied that they have both certainly lived up to their names of being a "King amongst Men" Nar (man)- indra (King).

Baisakhi and Jaya

Today is Baisakhi, the New Year for the Punjabis- the start of their month of Baisakh (based on the star Vishakha on which this month's full moon will fall). It is also the New year for Assamese, Bengalis, Oriyas, Keralites and Tamils. All of us have our own names in our own languages to mark the New Year. For the Vedic calendar based on Kaliyug calculations, it is the start of the 5116th year of Kali and the year is called Jaya, one of the "demons" who guarded the entrance to Vaikuntha (the abode of Vishnu). His brother Vijaya was the year preceding this that ends today.

In Hindu calendar, the names of the years cycle around for every 60 years. The names are those of "demons", a poor translation for Asuras (those who were not Sura ie good). As a child I asked why they were named after Asuras. Pat came the answer- time goes by and gets destroyed, likewise, the attributes that these Asuras are defined with, if we have such attributes in us, we offer it as an "ahuthi"- offering into time to be removed from us.

May this year of Jaya which also means Victory, bring much needed victory to the people of India from a corrupt government towards a healthy rate of economic growth and better socioeconomic standards.

Delhi Elections 2013

It has been more than a month since the Delhi elections' surprising results and a new party coming in to form a nebulous government. While their commitment to clean governance is commendable, what worries me is if they will make the next parliament of 2014 a hung one too? Will they carve out their own set of MPs along with the Third front and the BJP?

It is evident that the skyrocketing inflation and the ridiculous "schemes" of social welfare floated by the Congress has not sat well with the electorate as the financing for these social schemes have come at the cost of high inflation as no productive work has generated the revenues required for the higher expenses.

Will democracy in India stand the test of time once more? Will the people in India defy all logic and poll gurus and decide their own mandate in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls?

Another New Year: Let Time Celebrate You

Time. In India, it is represented by a wheel that keeps turning and hence comes back to the same point ever few measures of "time" while in many other parts of the world, it is a linear proposition of adding 1 in an infinite number line of years rolling forward.

Sri Sri Ravi Shankar says, "Let Time celebrate you!" and I wondered how that would manifest in my life. What are some of the gifts that time brings my way as I move through it? How about "suspended" time when in meditation where all sense of space-time is dissolved? People, things, events, situations, thoughts, ideas come my way and some stay, some slip by while some vanish entirely.

It has become so much easier to just be in the present moment and let the moment offer itself up to me in its entirety and I just celebrate it! The fireworks can be heard through the window.

Happy New Year!

Book Review: A Thousand Splendid Suns

Many years ago, I got to read The Kite Runner and as much as I loved it, I hated it- the sheer pain of human suffering. The second book along the same theme, but with the primary protagonists being female tells a silent, muted story.

The title reflects the description of Kabul, the proud city that has stood witness to umpteen revolutions and takeovers for centuries. Woven onto its tapestry, is the story of a young "harami" girl Mariam from Herat that is located in the western side of Afghanistan. Her father marries her off to an abusive older man in Kabul that is a long journey to the East of the country.

At one level, the abuse suffered by Mariam is reflective of the abuse suffered by Kabul brought about by the various factions and groups who want total power over the land and will do anything to gain it. At another level, it is the enduring story of Woman. The mother of child. No matter the "abuse", she protects her young and is undaunted in the face of the worst possible desecration. And when the breaking point is reached, she fends for herself as the city does- she resurrects.

Laila, the other protagonist, carries Mariam's story forward as she is the next generation. Whatever the opinions on who ought to rule Kabul, the bottom line, war's casualty can never be measured. It is too painful to begin the count. Its impact scars the soul.

My interactions with Afghanistan, apart from the History textbooks were limited to the few Afghans and Pashtuns who came to Delhi in the 70s and 80s during their incessant revolutions. Some of them studied in the same schools and colleges as us and we got to be friends. I could see the pride mingled with grief in their eyes. Decades later, when I came to the United States, I understood what it meant to leave your country behind. In my case, it was not an issue of life and death, it was of free choice. In theirs, it was no choice- it was a matter of living, of enduring.

Khaled Hosseini scores once more. And I was happy to learn that he is from San Jose and went to a local school. Maybe his next story is more "pleasurable" and less painful- maybe it will deal with the rebuilding of a beautiful land called Afghanistan.

Shivrathri 2013

Fasting, going to a local temple, singing bhajans, chanting the panchakshari mantra, keeping an all night vigil, all these defined Shivratri for me for decades now.

Today, however, I just wanted to withdraw within me. Be in silence, in solitude. And something made me log into a new blogger account and start what I had stopped some years ago- blogging. Do I want to "share" anything in this electronic world? I don't know. Or am I just sharing it with myself wondering if other parts of "me" will "respond" in this universe? Does it matter. I suppose not. Yet, in this night filled with the Shiva principle of super consciousness, of expanded "self", sitting in solitude, it seemed fine to just type down some random thoughts as they crossed my field of thought.