Divinity

Today is the eve before arrival of Ganesha. This blog completes now 6 years of its existence in terms of Indian calendar. Lord of wisdom is about to visit us today as we bring idols home. Next 10 days will be filled with fun and celebration. Everything around you seems auspicious.  Festive air is all around and we hope to celebrate this festival correctly, peacefully and without any obstacles.

That makes me wonder sometimes at the transformation i have seen in myself from being atheist to agnostic and now a conformist. When you are young, you have some false sense of romanticism, incorrect sense of know it all arrogance, some immature ideas and false self belief. Nothing teaches you like life. Life has been a roller coaster ride and I assume it’s the same for all only gradients and routes vary. Having seen highs and lows, one gets a very serene outlook to take it all phlegmatically.

Nowadays there is an unnecessary controversy over divinity of Shri Saibaba.
Reading the news around this issue and the advent of Ganeshostav, have led me to pen few thoughts about my own journey towards piety. I was never a religious kind. In fact in my house we had overdose of god, rituals, and traditions with only my father being sort of neutral to all. He used to debate the norms but also was not anti. My young blood drew me to be a believer in self than destiny or God. I was further enamored by objectivism by Ayn Rand. Stay in the hostel at Kharagpur also added to the bravado.

Then I began my journey to express myself as an entrepreneur. Journey was interesting and I enjoyed every moment of it be it in India or abroad. It was Nov 2004. I was going through lowest patch of self belief, doubt, betrayal, and setback all combining to an extent of taking toll on health. As a part of business contract initiated, stalled and stuck up in all kinds of controversy, I was called to Shirdi by the managing committee to review the project that was stuck up. As I went there i realized that the entire board was bent upon scrapping the project which we had done half way and with money stuck. The committee conveyed the same and asked me to collect the letter to that effect in the evening alongwith an undertaking to return the advance money received. It was a calamity. I was thinking on legal road ahead knowing that i had very little chance to fight the huge public trust. I was totally shattered. I had no appetite to eat snacks offered in the waiting room of the board meeting. Before that i had visited Shirdi but never had chance of Darshan due to time limit or maybe once we got entry into small vip section which i am not recollecting even today. I went out for small walk in temple premise. I was feeling like zombie. I sat on a public bench. As i sat for few minutes, i was tapped on shoulder by a very old man asking for directions. I had to no answer to help him with that. I said i was new to the premises.  He asked if it was the first time i am coming here. I had no mood to continue conversation so just wanted to politely avoid him. But the guy sat near me and offered me his food. I declined. He ased why I was so disturbed. He then said one sentence which still reverberates around:

‘Whatever your problems, go and speak to the one whoever is at the heart of my problem. God will bless you.’

I walked away. But that made me think anew line of strategy. I realized that it was the CEO who was the most proactive about scrapping the project. I decided to speak to him. I went to his office. I waited for few more people to complete their work. He asked me why i was there as my letter was not ready and asked me to wait for an hour. I asked him as decided that why was he scrapping the project. Instead of that we can change all the credits mentioning his (CEO) name everywhere in the project which will remain as permanent almanac in trust history. Somehow i don’t know what inspired this argument which was like by the CEO and then he reversed the process, re-initiated work, increased scope and all was well within next 4 months with final completion in March. Immediately after the completion, got a good success over a life turning deal which materialized in next 6 months.

Maybe that old man said something abstract but I was in no mood to meet CEO but for his advice. Who was he? Was it a divine intervention or random event of things? Events like these makes one agnostic. But the after effects in my case turned me into conformist. So weak is the human mind. Or is it strong? We as human beings are very helpless in most of the matters which really matter. But then what about rationalism? Is god a superstition or its faith tonic which keeps body going? These issues have been attempted by all religions, rationalists, meta-physicist, philosophers, scientists, all and sundry. I have no new dimension to add except maybe that the concept of god and divinity is very personal one. No one has any right to criticize others neither disrespect others. My experience is all i wanted to share. In public life no religion should deny existence of other faiths and plurality. But the public nature of religion is cause of conflict since centuries. That’s what i like about my religion. And about the rituals, personally these days i feel sense of enjoyment in those but then its again my personal view and so long as one does everything with right spirit without bothering others i am ok with them.

In line with above, i will narrate an old incidence which i experienced in past in my next post.

Meanwhile as I say that divinity and god is a personal idea. Let’s celebrate the deity all together. Welcome Bappa

Mind over Matter

Out of all people in the world, it had to be Robin Williams a comedian. Lot has been already written about depression being the silent killer. Lot of analysis has also been made as to how comedians are most susceptible to depression.  Correctly appearances can be deceptive. People have one face for the physical world; one for virtual and third is the real one.  Nowadays its very important to have balance of mind to deal the situations in life. Modern life with its complicated ways is at its best to as questions each and every minute. So just as we spend time to maintain body, its very imperative to keep mind trained to adapt to various situations of life. Its easy said than done.

Without sounding sermonizing or without a need to repeat clichés, i have a concrete plan. Let me know if it helps

1.       Define your horizon: List down top 10 ten things you want in next 12 months. You will find that the list will have at least 4-5 things which you may like to edit and delete. Assess the list in at least 3 different times and mood. Say when you are partying hard, when something happens which you don’t like and most importantly say  between 4  to 6 am in  the morning fresh after decent rest at some scenic location. The common points in the list will be final. Now don’t worry about moving targets. That’s very important. Else there won’t be contentment. Eg last week I was at Panchgani, at a friend’s house. There i had a temptation to add an item of owning similar place.  So let this list be tight no additions or deletions once you lock it.

2.       Go after it persistently: Now that you have found your list of happiness, you need to act with steady devotion. Maybe on first day there will be disaster, but don’t give up. Be bull headed about action. Work on plan A, B and C to achieve that. Don’t let anyone else’s comments or suggestions affect your decision making though you would like to listen to all. Be aware of all things. Get on top of your schedule.  There will be one day when you will reach that horizon. And you will be very happy

3.       Don’t compare yourself with others: As Ravindranath Thakur said, ‘ekla chalo re’. Your life path has to be walked alone. Your story is unique. Be proud of it. Don’t sympathize with yourself accusing destiny or others for what you feel has gone wrong. Own up the mistake and correct it.  Be in control. Let not vices control you. Easier said than done but keep short targets.  Avoid evils of social media. Don’t get jealous of some ones vacation at exotic places. If you want that let it be in your list first. Don’t allow anyone’s new car or house  to move your target. Be responsible and honest with your own targets.  Only when an item is achieved add another item to replace. Here i won’t say be saint and its but natural for normal people to have endless list. My main point is to prioritize to avoid stress.

4.       Enjoy life’s small things which make you happy be it watching cricket match, reading book, watching movie, listening to music, trekking, playing with kids, whatever. These are constant source of happiness. Have a hobby which will bring down your stress. Dont feel guilty of spending time on these while going after your wish list.

5.       Be fit. ( this is very difficult for me to advise anyone)

6.       Be considerate of others. Sometime you get angry with people around you in family or office. You feel someone is conspiring. Some one is not treating you fairly. Someone ditches you. Some one insults you. Take a deep breath. Try to reason out why that person has done that thing or said something which you did not like. Other people are not inherently evil or stupid. They will have their reason. If in first case you can put your reasoning above them then try to converse with them politely trying to reason them out. Sometimes it may not change situation so be it. In second case if you feel it’s you who need to act in order to improve situation so act.  Point is to put you in others shoes.

7.       You are not god. There are many things you cannot control. Know this inevitable truth.

On this note have a great independence day.  Most of the 67 years have been wasted barring post liberalization boom. Story has to be rebuilt.

On that note how can i complete narrative without politics and sports?

On International side one can feel double standards especially here in India and most of the liberals in west. They are completely quiet about ISIS and other extremist holocausts. Where in self protection of Israel in Gaza has been pointed out repeatedly. World is extremely unsafe thanks to some extremist versions of truth. Same threat extends to India especially as festive seasons are round the corner. This is the time to be vigilant.

New govt has completed 3 months and has made right intentions clear though would have loved them to me more revolutionary in actions especially during budget. But intent is there and govt presence is felt which was missing. Too early to judge but efforts to protect Indians abroad in conflict zones, functioning of parliament, apparent control over prices,  focus on defence etc are notable credits. Monsoons thankfully are not that bad as predicted though some regions still have deficit. Hope for a good revival next month.

Maharashtra is gearing up for elections. Hope we see change there as well to oust the non performing and corrupt regime. LBT issue is unresolved. The opposition parties need to be careful in playing their cards. Pune saw metro announcement amidst politics. BRT, waste management, DP, BPD issues still have no solution. Roads are pathetic thanks to Monsoon. New MPS need to act now. Thankfully again dams are 90% full and water scare is postponed till 2015 without any permanent solution.

Germany won WC. I had predicted same. Most unusual was the 7-1 match. I had never seen such thing happening before that too in WC semis.  Team efforts are more important than Individual brilliance as proven. It was an end of a Spanish era. I felt player of tournament was Robben who was too electric. But as usual Dutch never crossed the line. Some day maybe...

Team England in soccer is what Team India is in cricket. Both teams full of overrated star players. But more than that issue is decline of test cricket in India which is alarming.  No batsmen had patience to build innings. Those who done better in first two tests lie Pujara, Vijay and Rahane , gave it away in next two test. Lords win was great but next two losses showed that Indian juniors are not ready for 4-5 test long series. Max is 3 tests. Board better realizes that. This is effect of IPL and T20. We still are team in transition since 2^nd April 2011. Generation shift and personnel replacement has not happened. Let’s hope last test they will find energy from somewhere to square it up. CWG game gave us smiles but competitive level was bit less. Maybe CWG have lots relevance.  Finally it was good to see some Kabbadi players getting limelight.

Monsoon magic has turned this part into heaven as had first opportunity to experience last week. Where are you heading this long weekend?

Summer of 14

Things got haywire this summer with usual summer trips, business, marriages and events. Sorry for the break.

At the start of summer, I had written in this blog that how important this summer is mainly due to the elections. We eagerly await monsoons here in this part of world. Schools are set to begin next week. Transition of seasons makes you feel nostalgic about something as transient as time spent. I just remember New Year ringing in and we are almost half way down the road. First World War started 100 years ago. 20^th century which shaped our generation is almost a forgotten just as the great wars, cold war, Berlin wall, opening of Indian economy and finally Y2k. Tinaeman square celebrates silver jubilee this summer. It was 1989 then. It was also 1989 when someone as unknown as Michael chang won French open and this year it’s known face of Nadal at Roland Garos. It was 1989 when i did my first Himalayan trek after 10^th exam. It was 1989 when India had the last non coalition government and it is 2014 when we have same again.

25 years is a long time. It is a quarter of the century. It is also a one third of human life on an average. We 89ers (as we call them at school to batch passed xth in 89) have spent that much time in our education, career, and family life for those many years. This summer we had opportunity to revisit that in form of a nostalgic trip. Our gen next has grown to their primary school. I still remember day in 1990 when karsevaks were shot at and we heard BBC radio reporting then due to DD blackout. Rajiv Gandhi govt was on verge of ouster and protagonist was the dangerous man called V P Singh. To admit even thought leaders had imagined him to be real Hero forget about teenagers like me. But he ended up leading nation to disaster followed by some worst governments leading to 91 crises. 91 saw another good PM in P V Narsimharao who was force behind liberalization executed by Manmonhan Singh. India changed after that irreversibly.  BJP grew in 96 after failed 13 day experiment and 13 months one in 98.  Meanwhile people like H D Devegouda and I K Gujaral won the roulette.  NDA govt in 99 became first non congress govt to complete full tenure and had some great push towards infrastructure and development under Vajpayee prior to stumbling on India shining disaster. Last 10 years have been shambolic with India story at its rock bottom. Corruption at high , populist subsidies, direction less non decisive government out of coalition games.  I remember day in 86 when we walked from school which was 7 kms away due to strike of transporters. That day as we passed by sarasbaug, we saw people distributing pamphlets of in Ayodhya movement. Latching to that movement, from strength of 2 in 1984 shok sabha till 288 on May 17^th in 2014 much water has flown under Ganges.

After the resounding success of BJP under Modi on May 17^th, I have been closely observing media, thought leaders, politicians who had put Modi under continuous scrutiny and abuse for last 12 years. In fact I never believed US and European governments to be so fool hardy to be influenced by these thoughts. But then west govt always have played in hands of hidden expansive religious agenda. All these people now had started being what i term as ‘cautionist’. These are very clever people. In every article or chat they proclaim to have open mind about Modi’s actions (which have been great and need to be lauded upon) , but every praise comes with a foot note of caution. So they have a chance to retreat to their original positions in case something happens in future which they have been scaring people about. But if things go as per development vision of Modi and Modi fulfils promises he made, then they don’t have to lose face. Maybe now only old congress stable of Iyers, Digvijays are still following ostrich policy but all those doyens of media, intelligentsia, and activists have fallen in place. Though some cried accusing Indian voters to be fantasists, but no one was there to hear these voices. Even foreign media saw a change in stance. Mankind has always been pro winner. There is no one who supports losers. But life is a great leveller. Losers have turned into victors and vice versa. What matters from now on is performance, performance and performance as Viday Balan said in dirty picture in different context. And within a month Modi has proven that he can do it. Though this month had strange controversies like Smritu Iranis education, Gen Suhaag vs V K singh, UP rapes, Pune killing, Beas tragedy and riots over fb posts ( seems some sinister agenda here as we face assembly elections in Oct), tragic death of Gopinath Munde and add to that bleak monsoon predictions and delay in monsoon. This government has its hands full mainly due to inherited economy. Hope Acche din aayenge. Only time will tell.

Analyzing the elections, no one predicted such a margin of victory. I think people were really fed up with inflation, lack of opportunities, corruption, non decisions on key issues. And young voters really made an impact. They don’t have any baggage of obsolete idealisms. They care only about growth and opportunities. They care a damn about history. One may also accede that polarization worked especially in northern states of UP and Bihar but a stage was set for decisive government without political compulsions. Modi had caught that imagination as someone who can be trusted to deliver on promises after 12 years of Gujarat (some may call marketing of Gujarat). I was initially sympathetic to Arvind Kejriwal and AAP to provide some option but somehow these people don’t come out as someone with honest interest to change systems. Many foreign supporters and arm chair philosophers have fought with me on various forums on putting BJP and Congress in same boat vs AAP.  I am also scared by their funding patterns which can undermine national security. But the AAP made a self goal by running away from Delhi and some arbitrary decisions to fight from Varanasi. The organization was young and needed time. Anyways they can still play a role of effective opposition as compared to some regional satraps or a dead party. They need valid policies not driven by egos, direction and should have patience. Their supporters barring few have vanished from social media for now. But am sure they are licking their wounds to return on every negative point about new government.  So for new government the mantra is to perform or perish.

IPL happened this summer. Some credibility was won back thanks to some intervention by court and involvement of Gavaskar. Initially no one cared but as we saw some terrific cricket on field by Maxwell, Miller, that catch by Lynn, people started being interested. There was some good batting by Uthappa, Pandey, some scintillating chases scripted by Pathan and Mumbai Indians, some tight bowling esp by Narine, Bhajji, some great fielding. Many young Indian cricketers did well.  I feel this was best IPL in terms of cricket and felt honesty in efforts. But then cricket is on sidelines for a month thanks to carnival in Brazil and already after first 11 matches we have seen some great action. Big names have delivered. Absolutely a treat till july 14^th. Then we will change focus to an important series in England. Nadal created history and Wimbledon will be drowned amidst soccer action as it happens every 4 years. Shumacher is out of coma just to end on good news for sport lovers.

Pune voters have uprooted cong and NCP and same trend continued in Maharashtra. 42 seats is not a joke. That shows anger of people. Hopefully we will see govt change in Mumbai as well. But state politics has a twist in tale after Munde tragedy. LBT issue also needs resolution. And four months is long time. Pune has a minister, but no one has any say on BDP, Metro, Old city development plan, PMPML revival. As we near monsoons, concretization of roads has taken pace. I am not sure who is driving this and for what reason?

This was again hot summer worldwide, with lot of violence in Nigeria, Sudan, Iraq, AfPak, Egypt, Syria, Vietnam, Thailand, and Ukraine. Even Brazil had demonstrations against world cup. US had many gun attacks. Of course summer has just set in the northern world.

On personal side, I had lot of action both on leisure and work side. But as always it’s your children who are the happiest people during summer. This year was not an exception. Eagerly awaiting Monsoon to turn this part of world into heaven......

Important Summer

It’s the holiday time again for kids here. Another academic year is done and dusted with and we are witnessing heat all around. Summer is scorching so are elections. IPL season 7 starts today amidst raging controversies and credibility deficit. A world cup was lost in final where an ex hero turned into a villain. A plane is missing without any clues. There is a crisis in Crimea.

But nothing takes away an iota of attention from LS elections. It’s now or never situation for those who mean for India. Yes I can hear many accusing me to be right fundamentalist etc but asking my erudite friends if we have any choice. UPA 3 will be disaster for country.  The self proclaimed purists and agents of change who lived by media have been put to death by media (though some life is being infused from foreign shores in terms of support and money).  They had chance to create case study in Delhi but again individual ego and ambitions prevailed. Third front is nonexistent. If one believes in the pulse and the opinion polls, we will have NDA govt. But then Indian voting system is strange. It has sprung surprised in past and one should not rule out incumbent’s hold over systems and below the table practises. They have ruled of 60 years so they can still spring some surprise. You never know in India. Last night before voting is crucial especially in slums and rural areas where booze flows along with cash and kind incentives for poor people.  So as they say in Marathi ‘raatra vairya chi ahe jaaga raha’ (Enemy is around so be vigilant). This is true especially last night before election. Tomorrow we vote here in Pune. May 16 is month away.  So the things will get interesting every day till then. Growth which includes all and focus on basis infrastructure are the only things which will take India ahead and not some subsidies, wasteful schemes. I can also hear slogans from newbie party supporters that both NDA and UPA are same and corrupt. But are these newbie parties ready to deliver in 14. Come on, common sense should prevail and not idealism or pessimism of NOTA.

On cricket side, i felt BCCI has an opportunity to cleanse the system but power as they say blinds. Induction of Sunil Gavaskar is right step. Let Kumble, Ganguly and Dravid also join in ensuring no conflict of interest.  This is the time for gentlemen with honour to show these power hungry incumbents how to run the show. IPL thus is slow starter for me. On world cup loss, its combination of wrong selection by India (right from the start of tournament when they crushed everyone till finals) and excellent performance from Srilanka on day mattered most. But solace is only fact that we reached finals. The recovery phase in 13 again lost momentum in NZ. Now again it is the time for selectors to hone right talent and for youngsters (apart from Virat Kohli) to stand up and be counted.  Still the team is in transition.

On international front Crimea issue, MH370, China-Japan, Afghan elections offer intrigue for observers. Economy in US has improved. Now we look forward to world cup soccer in Brazil to catch imagination amidst lot of controversies later in June.

Interesting summer ahead, and very important one....