Sujavna 1:37

Giri at 1100 hrs on 30^th October

First of all thanks for those who pointed out the typos in my special Diwali post. Apologies for not taking care to check.

So how was the week that went by, and what exciting things are you looking forward to in the week ahead? Of course if you are someone who accepts the theories that Stephen Hawking (based on the works of many other quantum physicists such as Richard Feynman) proposes in the Grand Design, then there are many probable histories and futures for this Universe(each of which depends on the current process of observations), then my question is irrelevant!

As for me, I am looking forward to reading (and viewing on TV) media reports that will be talking of how F1 motor-racing event made a spectacular debut on the 31^st , in a country (which is my own dear India), which after 64 years of becoming a free country, is still groaning in terms of its abysmal infrastructure for healthcare, primary education, clean water and air, good quality road and rail infrastructure and reliable energy supplies. I look forward to becoming a proud Indian, puffing my chest and adding a swagger to my strides, after being told that the F1 event near Delhi, saw some great European drivers and their Middle Eastern bosses win the races in front of glitzy yuppie Indians; Indians who will still think hundred times before allowing their offsprings to choose a professional sports career over family business or a call-centre job!

And as I expect to raise my glasses in toast for the success story of the week, may I suggest that for every rupee that yuppie Indians spend on future F1 events, they may wish to consider spending 10 paise on any local initiatives in their neighbourhoods, that aim to reduce noise levels or fuel consumption.

Sujavna - Special Diwali 2011 Post

Giri at 1200 noon on Diwali day

As we celebrate the festival of lights, let's apuse for a moment and realize that we need to be both smart and wise if we want to be creative and innovative in our lives. To this end. I have created the following imaginary situation and I hope that you enjoy reading the same. As always happy to read your views and reactions.

A wise Indian and a smart Indian met at a street corner in an Indian city, and were debating. The conversation between the two was overheard by a street-smart urchin (who incidentally never had the time to think about either other Indians, let alone India, the nation). The two debaters turn to the urchin to settle their dispute. Reproduced below is the conversation between the two and how the urchin finally arbitrated.

Greetings to you O smart one.....Wishing you peace and plenty!

Hellos to you O wise one........Plenty of what? I already have a lot.

Hey would you two move away, this is the Urchin’s corner.....

And if I greet you both, would you pay me and leave even sooner?

Tell me O smart one....Do you know the answers to the 5Ws

Why? When? Where? What? Who?

Why

growth and development are difficult...and poverty so easy...to sustain?

hygiene is such an alien concept.... and rudeness is so common?

religion and caste continue to matter in a constitutionally secular country?

When

do human rights overshadow national security...or vice-versa?

do we become an innovative economy?

do we start preserving and showcasing our cultural heritage?

Where

can you spot ethical talent in public and private service?

does one find one find good quality infrastructure...say roads, energy, healthcare, transport?

do senior citizens find the dignity of participating...and children the carefree atmosphere to

play and learn?

What

delivery goals are needed for public-private partnerships?

governance issues should businesses urgently resolve?

educational reforms can ensure merit gets recognition?

Who

                    will take responsibility? the leaders...or those led? the governed...or the government?

                    can deliver better? Private sector?...or public sector?...or PPP?

                    should be trusted? The Fourth Estate and Wikileaks?..or independent judicial commissions?

Spare me the trouble O wise one....

Such dim-witted Ws you place in your questionnaire

Only wise old fools as you, can conjure!

Smart as I am, I can quickly retort

The answer to your 5Ws are hidden in

Statistics&Lies, Electoral Politics, Consumerism&Branding , Not Me Syndrome and

Who Blinks First.

O smart one, yours is a pure gobbledegook, the wise one rebuked.

And O wise one, so was yours, but let’s see what this urchin has to say.

(So saying he threw a few coins at the urchin, who having collected them concluded:)

In the many battles

between Smartness and Wisdom

Was the war ever won, and by whom?

‘Tis a question

Man will always carry to his tomb.

For where was the war, in the first place?

Only myopia placed them in a coveted race

 And, I am sure

As civilisations survived...or even died

Wisdom and smartness in equal measure

Evolved and Expanded ....side by side.

Sujava 1:35

Giri at 1630 hrs on 23^rd October

As the Indian festival of lights (Diwali) approaches, bringing with it the excitement and smiles on millions of human beings spread across the world, millions more continue to stare into a bleak and grim future brought about (in many parts of the world) by a continuation of deprivation of human rights and gross absence of governance and (in many other parts of the world) by the vortex of global recessionary trends.

So do festivals and celebrations such as Diwali have any relevance in today’s world? I believe they do, but not unless we are willing to innovate and provide a new proposition for the core of the celebratory causes that made such festivals acceptable to societies in the first instance. So how about the following propositions?

(a)   New Year celebrations (01 January) will be celebrated by a release of an annual status report on the UN Millennium Development Goals performance in each member state and a UN-subsidy that encourages tourists to travel to a LDC state and bring some additional tourism revenues for the LDCs.

(b)   Festivals that celebrate equinoxes and solstices and festivals that celebrate the seasons (in India these could be the harvest festivals in Baisakhi, Pongal in Punjab, Tamilnadu, Holi...) will include musicals and theatre that reinforce the messages of climate change impacts through wise and optimal use of agricultural resources.

(c)    National days (Independence Day, Republic Day, Liberation Day....) could be celebrated as “free speech” and “free debate” days for youth to congregate in public open spaces (stadia...) and engage in well-moderated debates on what is good and bad in the way nations are governed and what changes youth want to see in the next decade and how they want this to be done. These debates could may be moderated by a retired judges and could also be broadcast for the rest of the world to understand and feedback on their reactions.

(d)   Religious festivals (such as Christmas, Diwali, Id...) could incorporate a concerted communication campaign (involving small pamphlets) that aims to explain the reasons for why the festival is being celebrated, how the festival promotes societal-harmony and why non-believers can also join in the celebrations, if they wish to - all these with some sort of vetting by religious leaders across the spectrum.

So what do you think? Do you have some more and even-better propositions? Wishing you all a great week ahead and Happy Diwali to those who will celebrate this festival of lights.

Sujavna 1:34

Giri at 1600 hours on 16^th October

How does one plan for a vacation that is not so much about travelling and staying in some new destination but is more about experiencing the atmosphere which the place, its inhabitants, their culture, the art-forms and the food styles can offer? This question is increasingly troubling me as I find that in India, there are many standard options for vacations, but very little that one can plan for on limited budgets, taking into account a reasonable factor of safety and comfort in travel and stay.

Travel portals and resorts offer very little in terms of information on options and alternatives to different classes of tourists. Customised tourism is a concept whose time is yet to come in India. Or has it? If so can I know a little more about how this is spreading its wings in India?

So as I continue to explore plans to spend my next vacation, I wish you all a great week ahead.

Sujavna 1:33

Giri at 1200 noon on 09 October

The week that went by witnessed the death of Steve Jobs. In his lifetime, I assume Steve must have been inspired by the philosophical maxim ....iThink therefore iAm. Perhaps he even wished iDecree my iPad launches iSmartHumankind. Steve, let me join millions in thanking you for inspiring many fellow-human beings and impacting countless lives.

A debate that continues to hog Indian media is the one on poverty definition. I am appalled that the finest economists and social-scientists seem to end up being caught in a quagmire of controversial definitions. Are we sure they have adequately used the Six Hats to resolve these differences? (Debono Techniques discussed in an earlier post- White Hat thinking focuses on data, facts, information known or needed; Black Hat thinking focuses on difficulties, potential problems and Why something may not work; Red Hat thinking focuses on feelings, hunches, gut instinct, and intuition; Green Hat thinking focuses on creativity: possibilities, alternatives, solutions, new ideas; Yellow Hat thinking focuses on values and benefits and Why something may work; Blue Hat thinking focuses on managing the thinking process, focus, next steps, action plans). I am not convinced that this has been done.

Wishing you a great and exciting week ahead.

Sujavna 1:32

Giri at 1615 hrs on 02 October

Hello. Hope you are all having a good weekend. I am enjoying mine – mixing the pleasures of completing a book that chronicles the mysteries that Satyajit Ray’s famous detective Feluda manages to solve and helping with my dear wife’s preparations for the festive season of Navratri.

And as I mix these pleasures, I am left with some wonderful ideas of how innovative and creatively brilliant the festivals of India can be made for children to enjoy; and wonder why very little efforts are made to create and market social networking games (online, MMOG) or mobile games that build on the concepts of perceptive observations and deductions around solving mysteries through exercises such as Rangolis, Garbas, Holi Pichkaris, and involving folk heros and heroines and contemporary aids. I am sure such games can be both educative and informative and can be a great bond between grandparents, parents and children. It can also be a lot more safer and environmentally leave even lesser carbon footprints.

Wishing you all a great week ahead - with lots of creative juices to advance your success in all that you endeavour to achieve.