First 24 Hours

The cabs are standing in a line, the usual honks are missing, people seem to be calm and there’s a nice little nip in the air. This is a very refreshing scene at the IGI airport Delhi at around 11pm a few days ago. I’m in Delhi on a short visit from Boston and I’m pleasantly surprised.

The next morning I wake up early (badly jet-lagged!) and step into a nearby park for a walk. It’s a misty morning but coming from Boston I can’t complain about the weather in Delhi at this time of the year.  The birds are chirping, I can see the crimson red color in the sky; the sun is about to rise. Ignore the haze and the pollution around; this is as good as it gets in Delhi. A number of people are already in the park going about their chores. Some are just strolling around probably half awake, some are jogging around and others are doing the famous Baba Ram Dev laughter exercise.

I overhear a conversation regarding IT folks. Two senior citizens discussing about inflation and the contribution of IT folks towards increase in inflation. One comment that attracted my attention is the discussion regarding salary of engineers in IT sector. One of them was saying that IT engineers are getting salary in lacs per month – I kept reassuring myself that despite a lackluster Indian economy over the past few years “all is well”.

During the course of the day I interact with a few shopkeepers, cab driver, my colleagues and friends & family. I cannot help miss the buzz around the elections as most conversations do directly or indirectly veer towards the current political scenario in India and more specifically towards Delhi. Here are a few things that strike me during my political conversations:

AAP

A new political formation carved out from Anna’s “India against corruption” (IAC) is riding on the public outrage against corruption, inflation and anti-incumbency. While most people seem to be impressed with the AAP showing one striking comment that I heard was that “Jo Anna ka na ho saka voh kisi aur ka kya hoga”. Certainly a section of the people seem to realize that AAP is using IAC movement as a ladder for political gains. Time will tell the truth but I wish AAP comes to power soon so that we could see them perform in governance.

BJP

Looks like this is the party with the momentum. The NaMo wave is slowly building up. The assembly election results are a big positive. Their posture of not grabbing power in Delhi is also a good strategy – I don’t know if this is an AAP effect or not but this is a welcome change perhaps not seen before. In a typical scenario like this we are used to seeing MPs/MLAs hounded into undisclosed locations for fear of horse trading. The big question still remains how will BJP manage to get the right numbers in April/May? I believe the key is the Hindi heartland of UP & Bihar and creating allies in Southern states.

Congress

The Grand Old Party is in dire straits and it really needs to re-imagine itself. This is easier said than done with only 4 months remaining for elections. The human nature is such that anything that congress does now shall be viewed with cynicism. Even if they name someone outside of Gandhi family for prime ministerial candidate that shall be viewed as another proxy PM. So how can Congress re-imagine and re-invent themselves? Perhaps, this might be a time to unveil Priyanka Gandhi.

As my day comes to an end I stop by a famous Kebab joint. Ah, the delicious kebabs of Delhi on a winter evening – a perfect end to my first day in the city. As I reflect on the day I wonder we talk about first impressions, first day in a school/college etc. What about first 24 hours in a city? What does that tell you? From my above experience a lot.  

For a change Cricket and Bollywood was on a back burner, politics took centre stage. Certainly there’s a craving for better leadership, effective governance and honest politics. The crux of the perceptible change in Delhi (that can be extrapolated to India) is that honesty is back in vogue!

My first 24 hours tell me that we’re headed for a new unimagined India where you & I will make a difference!

Tendulkar – Nation’s Pride!

As the news of Sachin Tendulkar’s imminent retirement started pouring in there was this strange feeling of “I know it was coming but I still want to see you play..”.  One of my childhood sporting idol was Sunil Gavaskar so naturally I grew up on a staple diet of classic batsmanship. When Sachin came on the horizon it was very clear that this kid had lot of talent. I was not sure if he would really make it big. Indeed, he really did make it big! Not only is he one of the all time cricket greats but also the best in the contemporary era of cricket.

Over the years having observed Sachin so closely there are certain virtues that I feel are an immense learning for me:

Maximizing Talent

When Sachin started playing there were few more upcoming cricketers with lots of talent like Vinod Kambli. For the initial few years it seemed like both are going to have identical career paths. However, after 24 years Sachin stands tall – God of cricket. During his initial years Sachin like most cricketers of his age would come in play his shots and score a quick fire 30 or a 40 and get out to a rash stroke. However, he quickly realized the need to put a price on his wicket. He really made the bowlers earn his wicket and what followed were long innings, centuries and match winning knocks. He quickly made it a habit to expect a century every time he walked out to bat. He has truly shown that talent alone can take you only so long; however, couple it with passion, focus and dedication and nothing is impossible to achieve.

Courage

Several examples can be illustrated to demonstrate Sachin’s courage  but there are two instances that I would like to highlight:

Sachin in his debut series against Pakistan in 1989/90 facing the likes of Imran, Wasim & Waqar. A throwback from the past…Sachin is batting against Waqar (bowling at around 150kmph) and while attempting a pull shot gets hit on his nose by a Waqar bouncer. He falls on the ground. There’s blood flowing from his nose and he needs immediate medical attention. Tendulkar is in a bad shape. He is advised to take some rest so that he can be properly attended. The Indian team was in a bad situation (38/4).  A few minutes and we see Tendulkar up again saying that he’s ready to play. The next ball from Waqar is a yorker (around 150kmph) and in a flash the ball hits the advertisement boards down the ground – Tendulkar announces what later became his famous signature shot – the straight drive!

The second instance, of course, is coming back to play the world cup match against Kenya after the death of his father and scoring a century.

Two instances showing two different flavors of courage!

Endurance

One wonders what is the story behind Tendulkar endurance? Twenty-four years of cricket all across the world. Carrying the expectations of a billion people and numerous injuries on different parts of the body. Despite facing so many travails Sachin continued his journey. Every time he stepped out he felt fresh and raring to go. His child like enthusiasm for the game made him forget all the pain. Sachin’s endurance stands out and cuts across many sports as it is hard to find someone prolong his career successfully for so long.

Spirit of Cricket

Perhaps, one of his greatest contributions to the game of cricket is upholding the “spirit of cricket”. In a fast eroding gentlemen’s game Sachin’s long career was free of any controversy. He was equally respected by his teammates, opponents, past cricketers and administrators. There were numerous scandals that affected cricket during his time like match fixing, ball tampering, excessive sledging and more. Sachin shone like a beacon of light amidst some of the darkest periods of cricket.

As all good things come to an end so does Tendulkar saga. We will miss you on the field but I’m sure your life’s second innings beckons..! I know there will be lot of speculation on "what next" for Sachin - i personally would like you to scout for some cricket talent in the hinterland of India, promote other sports in India and campaign for making sports truly a part of our culture.

Thank you for making us so proud and bringing so much joy to our lives.

Rude Awakening?

I’m waiting in line at a Starbucks outlet about 10 minutes from my home. It’s a typical cold morning on a winter day and I’m eagerly waiting for my turn. I approach towards the counter and order my favorite cup of “mocha”. As I provide my credit card for the payment the woman at the counter reads my name on the card and asks me a question – “Where are you from”? I said… “I live in Boston…but where are you originally from…”I said “Delhi”.

“O…the city which is in the news for the gruesome rape of a young woman”. For a moment I could not understand what this woman at Starbucks counter is talking about. As I gathered my thought I realized what she was referring to. I said “..it is unfortunate..” and didn’t really have too many words to say, perhaps, still a little surprised at the question. I grabbed my cup of coffee and drove towards work but this brief conversation was still haunting me at the back of my mind and I started thinking…why did she ask me these questions? Why was she equating Delhi with rape and how ashamed I was feeling about belonging to Delhi? Suddenly, the ostensible pride in belonging to the capital city of India seemed to be lost. There are random thoughts coming across as my drive continues…

I wonder much has been already said and written about this incident but how do we learn from this sacrifice and set a course for corrective actions. The politicians will frame new laws, talk tough for sometime but this will soon be another story forgotten soon in the wake of the new “breaking news”. However, I do believe that this is too serious a business to be left to politicians.

It starts with you, me and us. The genesis is set at the very beginning of a parent child relationship; it is about the upbringing we provide to children, the human values we imbibe from our parents, teachers and the society in general. If you go back about 20-30 years ago probably you would recall how the baby boy was fed well by the mother at the expense of the girl sibling. This small incident of inequality would trigger a false sense of superiority in the male child and a sense of grave insecurity in the female child. I’m sure scientists would have done deeper study to understand the psychological and sociological factors responsible for such incidents. Despite such studies being available, many laws to deal with the offenders this menace continues to haunt us. I can’t even imagine the rape statistics in our country. The big question looms:

Why the hell aren’t we able to reform our society?

I’m at the parking now. I have been driving for about 30 minutes but I felt like I was driving in isolation. I don’t know how I got here but I’m quickly making a resolve to myself  - next time someone knows that I’m from Delhi he or she should be talking about something admirable that this city has done. The instantaneous protests and long hours in support of the victim are a good start but we need to eradicate this evil from our society. This is not easy and it is a complex topic in a predominantly patriarchal society. However, we do need to attack this evil by taking both short term measures and also thinking about long term social reforms.

Let us make our city and country proud!

Spring Blossoms

It was around 6am in the morning. I was feeling the warmth of a few sun rays touching my face. I opened my eyes and looked at the crimson red sun emerging from the horizon. I could hear the birds chirping out melodious notes. I came out to my patio and felt little cold - a kind of cold that you would soak in and enjoy. I looked at a few trees and observed that the buds have started opening up – I took a deep breath and said to myself – Ah! spring is finally here!

Look around you and see the palpable signs of life blossoming again after the winter season. Sometimes thinking about this possibility of life springing back is very exciting and powerful – more than seeing the flowers actually in full bloom. Just imagine the abundant energy within the tree buds which are soon going to blossom into leaves/flowers.

Mother Nature bestows so much meaning to Spring. In many countries and religions it marks the beginning of the New Year. For certain creatures it means coming out of a long hibernation in search of food & water. For many of us it is the preparation for summer season. However, you need not wait for the destination (Summer) to arrive as you can enjoy the journey (Spring).

Around two weeks ago I was in NYC and had a chance to spend some time in Battery Park along river Hudson. Here are a few pics:

I know we all are very excited towards the impending summer – there are lot of activities to do, vacations, sporting actions and much more. But, the time to enjoy is now! The freshness in the air, the cool morning wind is simply breath taking. This is the time to enjoy long walk with your significant other, time to do some biking, take your kids out in the open and do some kite flying, observe Mother Nature a little more carefully and take a look at how Spring is blossoming!

Let the freshness in our surroundings cleanse us and usher in new thoughts for a better tomorrow!

Conversation with Australian PM

It was a pleasant surprise to watch a very interesting and enjoyable conversation – a conversation between Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former India cricketer turned TV commentator Ravi Shastri.
And what a place to have this talk- in the commentary box at Sydney cricket Ground (SCG) on the occasion of 100th test match at SCG and also a pink day. This is the day when everyone at SCG wears pink to pledge their support toward the McGrath foundation for breast cancer.

The conversation lasted about 10 minutes but the impact was big. First Ravi talked about the current state of the match and Julia mentioned that she is still learning about the game. It was interesting to know that Australian government is spending $186 million (Australian dollars I guess!) on the redevelopment of SCG in preparation for the 2015 cricket world cup in Australia. An immediate question posed by Ravi was when the ground will be completed to which Julia responded we will not let the grass grow; it will be done before the world cup deadline – a typical Aussie style punching response.

Next Julia acknowledged the contribution of the huge Indian diaspora in Australia (this must have felt good to the Indian community particularly in these days when hate crime is seeing a rise again). When Ravi talked about the great rivalry between India and Australia on the cricket field Julia quickly veered the conversation towards how much India & Australia have in common – democracy, language and past history. Julia then mentioned about her focus on the co-operation related to education between the two countries which can strengthen the people to people contact. Quite fittingly, the conversation ended around the great Indian curry. And no surprises that the Australian PM loves Indian food!

What came out from this conversation was the charming personality of the Australian PM. She seemed to be very open, friendly and interested in strengthening the co-operation between the two countries which augurs well for both nations. A lot of credit goes to Ravi Shastri for managing this conversation so well.

On a day when the Indian bowling was mauled at the SCG this was the only bright spot of the day!

About Julia Gillard
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Gillard

About Ravi Shastri
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Shastri

America's own "Arab Spring"

As the "Occupy Wall Street" protest enters into 28th day the whole world watches with unabated breath the consequences of this protest. What started out as a small protest in New York City has grown on to the other cities of US. More interestingly, this protest is slowly taking the shape of a global movement having spread across to various cities of Europe, Japan, Australia & New Zealand. Comparisons are already being made to what we have seen this year in the Arab world, Egypt and Anna's anti-corruption movement in India. This makes me wonder whether the ongoing protests will turn out be America's own "Arab spring"?

Occupy Wall Street

Essentially, i see this movement as a common man's expression against corporate greed, economic inequalities, corporate influence on political representatives. In simple terms, the man on the street is crying out loud and clear - Give me my life back! However, the group calls themselves "99 percenters" implying that they belong to the 99% of the people who are suffering from economic inequalities, leaving aside the 1% super rich millionaires. What is unique about this movement is that it is still leaderless, the specific objectives are quite hazy yet it is spreading like wildfire. This is contrast with what we saw recently in India where Anna Hazare led a strong anti corruption movement with a clear objective of parliament ushering in a Lok Pal bill.

In US the dominant feeling is of being let down by the current Obama administration. In Obama, they believed to have a leader who offered great hope & change, one who could restore America's privileged position of pride and prosperity. However, three years down the line with approx 10% unemployment rate and a looming double dip recession Obama's popularity remains low.


What Next?

As the globalisation of this movement is on the anvil it is very interesting to see what shape this movement will eventually take. So far the movement has been largely peaceful barring some clashes reported in Rome. In countries like Greece, Portugal etc., which are literally on the verge of a collapse unless saved by the more stronger EU nations like Germany & France the timing of this movement is significant. Will this lead to a subtle change from capitalist to more socialist policies?

In an expression of solidarity with these protests emanating from US some of the world leaders have already started pointing fingers at US. History is replete with facts that whenever such populist movements have occurred in the other parts of world the US has supported such movements and encouraged regime change. It is almost with blatant glee that some of these nations like China, Venezuela are waiting for the mighty US to taste it's own medicine. It will be very interesting to see the US reaction to this movement- both the people & the government. Will the American's unite for a cause or will the country of "I", "Me", "Myself" give it a cold shoulder? The common man would like to see what steps have been taken to prevent another financial crisis. What judicial amendments can be done to book the guilty? Will the tax payer's money be used to dole out failing banks and other businesses? Will Obama see this as an adversity or opportunity? Can he use this movement to push his agenda on the passage of "Jobs bill" in Congress or will the Republicans use this to corner Obama further? As we are close to entering the election year in US this movement, if sustained, is surely going to influence the outcome.

There's an underlying feeling that this movement should help bring the change which people expected to see with the elevation of Obama to the top post. The role of media is going to be critical. So far the US media has largely shown lot of restraint in the coverage of this event but it will be difficult to keep this event low profile for long. I would not be surprised if this news occupies the headlines for a long time now. Surely, this movement resonates with the common man and has the potential to stir the passions of millions of people. Only time will tell whether "Occupy Wall street" is going to turn out to be America's own "Arab spring"

KBC4- A true Aha experience!

9 weeks, 36 episodes later KBC4 (for my non-Indian readers this is the 4th season of Indian version of "who wants to be a millionaire") has been a true revelation for me. I have followed all the past 3 seasons of this show but this season has been an absolutely fantastic experience. For me it's been an hour of relaxation after a long day, learning, recreation and perfect entertainment. In fact, I believe that this season the show transformed from a quiz show to an 'experience'.

For me there are some key takeaways from this show which captivated me:

Realizing you dreams

For last 10 years since the show started some millions of people (including myself) have been trying to get onto the 'hot seat' but very few have been lucky. But, people who managed to get in have persevered, getting through various stages and then finally using all their skills to get an opportunity on the 'hot seat'. Ah! the feeling there must be out of the world! However, what was enlightening and exciting was how people fared when the opportunity presented. Were they really prepared to seize the opportunity? Did the big moment get to them? Being face-to-face with a living legend like Big B can itself be nerve wracking, the array of emotions that the people went through, the decision making required (in terms of options & lifelines to choose, quit/not quit etc.)During the questions, handling the pressure situation was really a tough ask. However, people who prevailed like the person who was suffering from polio were really determined to succeed. The women who won 1 crore came from a very conservative & modest background with limited exposure to the outside world. However, she displayed amazing emotional quotient reminiscent of the kid in "Slumdog millionaire" using all her life experiences to prevail. Her performance would motivate millions of women in India to take a big step forward and do whatever it takes to realise their dreams. These are some of the awe inspiring success stories to take forward. Such people, not only, prepared well to get the opportunity but when the opportunity presented they knew how to seize it with both hands. Very few have the ability to deliver the knockout punch and how they did it on national television was a wonderful learning experience. Understanding this cycle of Preparation-->Opportunity-->Delivery is a key determinant of success.

Knowing real India

This time I believe there were more participants from tier 2/3/4 cities or villages. There were more women who reached the hot seat and the average age of participants would have been in thirties (my best guess). In general, the participants sounded very confident, some of them had big ambitions and were determined to show their capability to the world. We heard interesting anecdotes about how someone wants to create energy from husk, do deep research into fisheries to make life of fisherman better or improve the quality of education in remote corners of India. The demeanor of people was very positive. People were comfortable in front of Big B, often interrupting him to say what they wanted to say. Gone was the diffidence you could see a decade ago, no more did we see participants only from big cities. For a week or so we had few stars on the show and it started getting little boring. The personal stories of different participants were so compelling. Thankfully, better sense prevailed on the producers and they let the show run with common people.

What this season showcased was a truly confident and resurgent India. An India which is young, full of ideas, bright talented people buzzing with energy and ready to take on the world. Simply saying, we could see that India has arrived!

Big B

Yes, Big B is still a big takeaway for me from KBC4. I can write reams about one of my idols but what truly amazes me is he simply keeps getting better by the day. With every passing year my respect & love for him grows. His energy level, dedication, commitment and how he conducts himself is inspiring. The ability to make every participant comfortable and then strike a chord is exemplary. Some of his preludes and anecdotes from his experiences were some of the life lessons no book, training or management course would teach you. At 68, what more can you ask from him? His thoughts, actions, body language are in perfect sync. His performance was sublime. He took this show to a new pedestal. God bless him and let us hope & pray he continues to entertain us like this.

Taking a deeper look, every participant who has been on the show has come out a winner. Even the person who had opportunity to win 1 crore but lost is a winner. Contrary as it may sound but true it is!This show is about a life time experience, it is about experiencing the magical moments that you'll cherish forever.
From tomorrow i'm going to miss this amazing Aha experience; my hour of unwinding and bliss!