One Line Wonders

 

There is a test going on in Indore between India and Australia. During the commentary, Matthew Hayden criticized the pitch conditions rather harshly, stating that “nowhere in the world” would a spinner come to bowl in the sixth over of a Test match on Day-1. Ravi Shastri, who was also on-air at the time, had a two-word reply to Hayden's criticism. “Home conditions”.  Shastri kind of silenced the Aussie but then he made some hidden points beyond Indore pitch which were conveyed despite the sad nature of the pitch which he acknowledged later. There are numerous incidences where Politicians have used one- liner to useful effect. In one such comment, Nelson Mandela said “Unlike some politicians, I can admit to a mistake”. For working professionals, the one-liner is the stuff of effective communicators and each of us can use them to our advantage. The “art of delivery” is not just for a skilled politician or a commentator, over time, by just about anyone. A good one-liner doesn’t click immediately but leaves its mark, silently accomplishing what the deliverer has in mind- results. 

Sometimes these results are nothing more than memory. A car dealer wants people to remember him and so his media team develops a tagline that accomplishes his aim. Sales professionals want to build a relationship with client and they use one-liners to get to know clients and follow up with them.  One-liner can be said over the phone, in print material, and in casual conversation. They are effective because they are used breathlessly. The key of course is to figure out which one-liner works best and when to use it. What follows are some excellent one-liners that, if delivered well, will make interactions memorable and help you get ahead.

“Ravi, Ravi Shastri”. The repetition of your first name twice is very effective. This subtle repetition of one key name (can be the last name) plants it firmly in the mind of the person you are shaking hands with or speaking to on the phone. 

“I’ve heard some great things about you”. We all like to be famous: even if the popularity is fleeting or within a small group of people. Letting someone know that they’re liked by others is an important way of getting them to like you.   

“I’m looking forward to that”. Following up on a conversation is very important and one of the easiest one-liners involves leading your audience towards a goal. If it’s a follow-up lunch a week later, I’m looking forward to that. This simple one-liner lets others know that you value relationships over routine acts. 

“Leave your name and phone, speaking slowly enough for me to write it down”.  Most people think they’re driving in a Formula One event when they leave a voice message so you need to slow them down.   

“I’m not sure about that but I think we can do this”. The ‘that-this’ dynamic is effective not only because it acknowledges the other’s perspective but it gives them something concrete and doable.  You cannot accept fully what others demand but you can offer them doable alternatives where you concede something while in return achieving your objectives.  

“I think we have something in common”. Nothing forms bonds better than something held in common: Food, geography, people, cars- whatever. Don’t go overboard but let the other person know that you have something in common and it’s ok to briefly touch on it. 

“Let’s strike while the iron is hot!” Rather than a lukewarm offer to get together “at some point”, strike while the iron is hot and put it on the calendar today.  . 

“Let me see if I understand where you’re coming from”. You may find yourself in the middle of a conversation, a debate, or even a fight- slow things down with this great one-liner. It works every time because it tells the other person that you care enough to report back what you’ve just heard. 

In Parenting, One-liners can help us remain calm and composed in stressful situations, as they provide a clear and consistent message to our children. Experts say: “One-liners can be used to replace certain negative or ineffective reactions in parenting, such as it can help parents avoid the temptation to lecture their children, which can lead to boredom, disengagement, and resistance”. Instead of saying “you’re so lazy,” say “let’s get started” to encourage action. A short reminder phrase like “let’s get started” can also replace nagging, which can lead to resentment and defiance.  Instead of arguing with your child, say “I love you too much to argue.” Instead of trying to talk your child out of a tantrum, encourage them to express themselves by saying, “Let me know when you are calm so we can talk.”  Instead of telling them what to do, ask “What choice do you want to make: A or B?” Instead of yelling “you need to listen to me!” say, “Let me know when you are ready to listen.” 

Here are some more one-liners that can buy you and your child some time to calm down: “Take a deep breath.” This will help you both regulate your emotions so communication is more effective “This is hard.” It validates their feelings and is a cue that you are listening and ready to support them. “We all make mistakes.” “All your feelings are OK.” “I’m feeling overwhelmed. I’m going to take a break for five minutes.” This lets children know you have emotions too, and you need to calm down the same way they do. “How can we solve this?” gets your child involved in the problem-solving process. 

George Bernard Shaw once said that “The problem with communication … is the illusion that it has been accomplished.” To be effective at home and at work, the use of a one-liner can get results, form deeper bonds, and enable you to communicate on a higher level. 

It is time for everyone to hone up skills to come up with maximum effect with minimum words.

 

The Tale of Three Indian Teams

 

Team India has to play it very well from here on. There are three teams in action on the field and each team has a big asking rate. The opposition who is hell-bent to defeat team India is strong and Opposition’s main ally is the Internal Divide and weaknesses in the Indian team.   

The team India in charge of the executive pillar of the Indian Nation has to play it very well on the World stage.  The world is a place that historically needs to always have a cold war. In the Cold war, nations believe more in public posturing rather than real negotiations. Because public posturing is mostly what we’re seeing as the United States finds itself spiraling toward a new kind of cold war with both China and Russia. Russia has taken real belligerent action versus Ukraine challenging the US while China continues with its trade wars and spy balloons if they really matter. Senate majority leader Mr. Schumer called for stronger U.S.-India relations as a way of countering China's growing authoritarian presence in Asia and around the world. The US needs nations such as India, the world’s largest democracy, to work with the US to strengthen democracies in Asia and around the globe. Schumer also stressed that close ties between the two countries would be a crucial counterweight to out-competing China and responding to its authoritarianism. India is one of the leading powers of the world and a strong U.S.-India relationship is a must for democracy, technological advancement, and a strong world economy. Meanwhile, many western leaders made public statements congratulating and thanking India to help their economies after landmark plane orders by Air India. India’s vaccine diplomacy and Covid success story after initial setbacks have been exemplary. West is looking forward to India for the decisive role.  India has an opportunity to fill in this space of international influence. India’s economy has been remarkably resilient to the deteriorating external environment, and strong macroeconomic fundamentals have placed it in good stead compared to other emerging market economies as per World Bank. Policy reforms and prudent regulatory measures have also played a key role in developing resilience in the economy. Increased reliance on market borrowings has improved the transparency and credibility of fiscal policy and the government has diversified the investor base for government securities. The introduction of a formal inflation-targeting framework during the past decade was an important step in lending credibility to monetary policy decisions. The World Bank has revised its 2022-23 GDP forecast upward to 6.9 percent from 6.5 percent considering a strong outturn in India in the second quarter. But usual enemies will try to use every possible trick in the trade to discredit India, the Indian ruling dispensation, Indian institutions like Judiciary, Financial regulators, and possibly even EVMs. Some enemies are known, some hidden under the garb of philanthropy, some religious lobbies, some influences, opinion-makers, media, neighbors, and finally internal seditious lobbies. India has a role to play in Quad, Afghanistan, and Asean and had in the recent past been credited by the CIA chief to have the influence to avoid larger conflicts. With the elections in Indian closing in 2024, it's going to be a crucial year for Team India to continue the momentum on Human Development, Growth, Infrastructure, and International significance. There will be all-around attacks accusing India to lack a democratic quotient and a rise in fundamentalism.  But the strong emphasis on Indian values of live and let live has not been abandoned.  We need growth and development to reach the bottom strata of society for equitable all-around growth for each and every Individual of any caste, religion, or region.   

The team India which uses the human capital of India to have dominance in Information Technology has its own challenges.  As Infosys Founder Narayan Murthy says each downturn in the economy can be an opportunity for the Indian IT services Industry. Indian IT industry has delivered growth by offering value for money during the recessions. Indian IT industry has been lacking in original innovation and world-class products. India also is losing its cost advantage.  But Indian Industry needs to reconcile the eternal demand for services while providing value for money. Product license revenues are lesser than service revenues for that product. Thus innovation coupled with strong practices built on services is the way to go for team India. The Indian education system has to make graduates more employable. The gap between junior and senior-level salaries has to be rationalized. Startups should really be able to estimate the right market size and be sales focused rather than capitalization during the period when capital is hard to come by. Team India should target new markets, new technologies, and models during this downturn.  

Finally, the team India as we know popularly which takes up the cricket fields has their recent success stories like the other two team India stories mentioned above. Team India also has challenges. Team India has retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy and is almost certain to reach the WTC finals. From the stuttering decade of the 80s when a test win versus the top side was the rarest of the rare to the dominance we see now has been an intriguing journey for a cricket fan. Defeating South Africa in South Africa and England in England are the frontiers unconquered in the tests and of course, ICC silverware eludes for a decade.  But team India has played very good cricket recently to reach dominance. There are many contributors in this journey from the black decade of the 90s till today. But India also has immediate challenges: Inconsistent selection policies, overload due to league cricket, Injury management, rigid strategies, and meltdown during key moments. We are not clear on priorities as the test team needs to acclimatize in England before the WTC finals but all major players will be playing IPL then.  Women's team India has reached the semi-finals of the world cup. But the real challenge lies ahead.   

  

Judging it

 

 

These days I am having few opportunities to serve as a Judge on various talent shows and Cultural competitions. As a Judge, I felt a distinct need to be consistent and the biggest challenge is to remove personal bias. The efforts by the young and old participants, as well as their strong intent to excel really entrust heavy responsibility to the Judges. And please note these are just cultural competitions in the NRI diaspora which is trying to remain its touch with its roots and where participation is more important than the results.  Imagine the responsibility the actual judiciary in India has. It has to work as a pillar of democracy to uphold the legislation done by democratically elected representatives. These days judiciary has said everything including the Executive which accordingly to me is bit overkill. Also, the latest conflict between leaders of legislating houses and the executive is a good outcome as country needs judicial reforms and each stakeholder including ‘we the people’ should have a say in that.  Commenting against a specific judgment or ruling can be tantamount to contempt but participating in the debate is definitely acceptable, as per democratic principles. Even talent judges on national television and local events try to overcome personal biases and be consistent but the judiciary despite having guidelines and protocols can be consistent and unbiased. Few factors like selection/election of judges, judicial Infrastructure, and age-old practices really are constraints. Do judges represent all the sections of society or as perceived historically since the British rule era has been a privileged class of milords?  

What are the Issues Plaguing the Indian Judiciary? Most important is the Huge Pendency of Cases. With around 4 crore cases pending, India has the largest backlog of cases in the world. According to experts, the Indian judiciary would take more than 300 years to clear this backlog. The existence of a huge number of vacancies across the Indian judicial system is one of the main causes behind the huge case pendency.  Also, lower courts often lack basic facilities for the litigants, staff, or judges. The issue was exacerbated during the pandemic when the physical hearing was restrained. The pandemic highlighted the failure of the Indian judicial system to realize the aim of e-courts. We are far behind the advanced nations in employing technologies, such as artificial intelligence and blockchain, in the justice system.  

Also, Slow Hearing of Cases is an issue. As per the report by the World Bank, the average time taken for the disposal of a case in India is 1450 days (around 4 years). The aphorism “justice delayed is justice denied” perfectly fits the Indian scenario. The huge pendency and “the culture of seeking adjournments” diminish people’s hope of getting justice from the system and thus breed discontentment.  The lack of a quick dispute resolution mechanism repels investment and thus impedes economic growth.  

The most important issue is the Lack of transparency in the appointment of judges  

The Collegium system is one of the most contentious issues between the judiciary and Parliament. In this system, the appointment or elevation of a Supreme Court Judge or the transfer of a High Court Judge is done by a forum consisting of the Chief Justice of India along with the four most senior judges of the Supreme Court. This system has evolved through various judgments of the Supreme Court, not by any act of Parliament. It is not mentioned in the Constitution either. The collegium system limits the role of the government in the appointment of judges. The government only approves the names suggested by the Collegium. Though it can raise objections, it is bound to accept the proposals if they are sent again by the collegium. Thus, the independence of the judiciary remains intact. However, the system lacks transparency. No major democracy in the world practices it. This opaqueness of the system is accused of breeding corruption and nepotism. That is why several sections demand the abolition of the Collegium system. An attempt to reform the system of appointment culminated in the passage of the 99^th Constitutional Amendment Act, in 2014.  The Act proposed the establishment of the National Judicial Appointment Committee (NJAC), composed of members from legislative, judicial, and civil society. However, the Supreme Court declared it null and void. As per the Supreme Court of India, the Act violated the independence of the judiciary. Thus, any step in this direction has to strike a balance between the independence of the judiciary and the transparency of the system. A solution to this burning issue can come only when the government and the courts cooperate with each other.  

Finally, as mentioned Judiciary is Out of Touch with the Common People. At present, the proceedings of the courts take place in two languages—Hindi and English. This is completely detached from the ground realities of India, where a large number of people cannot speak either of the languages.  A Parliament Standing Committee for the Ministry of Law and Justice suggested in its report that the composition of the higher judiciary should reflect socio-economic diversity and inclusiveness. For example, statistics show that women constitute nearly 48% of the population but account for a mere 3% of the highest courts of various states.  

 The Indian judicial system requires comprehensive reforms.  Reforms should be such that they improve the functioning of the courts without undermining their independence. Increasing the number of judges as well as the number of benches across the country will help reduce the number of pending cases and also expedite trials. Fast-track courts and e-courts should be established. Although the ideas of fast track and e-courts are not new, they have not been properly executed on the ground. We finally need an in-between solution to NJAC vs. Collegium debate.   

   

It’s now up to the Judiciary, Legislation, and Executive to work with Media, Civil Society, and Public participation through online/actual forums dedicated to the reforms, avoid delays in justice and make ‘ milords’ a real part of us.