Auto Rickshaw : Clocking Out

I occasionally travel to Bangalore from Chennai. Usually, if I am the only one travelling, I will go looking for an auto. A yellow auto will stop, look at me and once I say station, he comes up with a flat rate of 250. I look at him aghast, he looks on at me with tired eyes and then the bargaining begins. By the end of it, I will be in the auto, and would have agreed to pay him 235 bucks. And yet he will drive as though he has lost the battle – all sulky face and making the wheel I sit on, go over a lot of bumps and potholes.

About two months ago, when I made the trip, however, I booked a taxi from TaxiForSure (For some reason I did not like the name Ola). The call itself was very courteous, but I was not convinced, as the Fast Track guy, who will also talk nicely, but turn around and charge 350 bucks for the same ride that I had to haggle with the auto driver for 235.

I got 2 sms messages – one about an hour before the booked time with the details of the driver and the car, and one after the ride has arrived. I get in and at the end of the ride, I looked at the bill and was dumbfounded!

156 only!!

The initial reaction was Woow and a solemn oath that I took, looking up at the starry sky, that I will swear by TaxiForSure from now on.

Naturally, when I made the trip again, I booked from the same company. This time, however, I engaged in a conversation with the driver. Murali, had switched to TaxiForSure only a month back from Fast Track call taxi. When I asked how the new place was treating him, he looked at me through the rear view mirror and said ‘Super Sir. You should see the office. Looks like an IT Company. We had training and there was free food during the training. It was very informative too. Learnt a lot of things I didn’t know before’. Then when I mentioned about my last trip’s 156 rupee bill, he said that for the same trip, the driver would have received the same amount plus an additional 30 bucks. I was puzzled and Murali was too.

How is TaxiForSure making money?

When you google the same, several theories came up. They can be summed up as follows:

·         Both Ola and TaxiForSure are stocked up on money from angel investors and venture capitalists that they can afford to bleed till they own a market share on both sides of the coin – taxis and drivers attached to them and the customer base.

·         They both make money from commissions they get from the owners of cars who have attached with their services for on-call taxi.

The list goes on. But I digress. The main question I had was ‘What Next?’

It has to be admitted that battle between Ola & TaxiForSure has triggered the much needed price war to take the call taxi market by storm.  But where will it go from here. Ola has already launched on call auto rickshaw and cabs serviced by women drivers. But it is worth pondering on the question as to whether this is the end of the auto rickshaw. The guiding question being why will I pay 230 bucks for an auto rick at the expense of my energy, when I can get a comfortable AC car costing me only 156 bucks for the same trip.

Of course, this is written in the context of cities like Chennai, wherein, the auto rickshaws never / don’t always use the meter. But even in cities like Bangalore where the meter is more frequently used, call taxis do pose a challenge to an auto driver’s daily revenue. Auto rickshaw and cars are for different consumer segments – auto being for the money minded or for short trips while cars are more for comfort seekers and longer and safer journeys. So an auto driver depends on more number of trips as compared to a cab driver. Add to this the summers getting hotter and taxi aggregators offering lesser fares for hiring cabs by the hour and the open windowed auto seems to be in for a tough ride. Rains play their role too in adding to their woes.

With Ola entering the on-call auto rickshaw, this may increase the auto’s appeal to a customer due to the clarity and transparency in pricing while reducing the cost of finding a commuter for the auto driver. But still the fact remains that the auto driver will have to depend on number of trips offered to earning a living, as compared to a call taxi driver. This can lead to more auto drivers becoming call taxi drivers and a lowering of demand for auto rickshaws. Also, to be factored in are the Volvo AC buses being rolled out for certain lines, at a slightly premium price, which also will eat away at the auto rickshaw demand.

Whether they will go extinct, No.

But Auto rickshaws may cease to play a role in the transportation, at least in the cities and metros, leading to taxis dominating the market, alongside public transportation. Auto could either go extinct or be innovative and offering ride sharing (like share auto in Chennai), but that too may be difficult to generate revenue. 

Or it can end up being a part of history, for example, by offering an immersive experience of what it would like to ride in an auto rickshaw for travelers from abroad. That way at least, the Auto Rickshaw can avoid riding alongside a Dodo and ending up at the dead end.

Exodus: Gods & Kings

When someone tells me the name ‘Ridley Scott’, two movies come to mind – ‘Gladiator’ & ‘Robin Hood’. Both of them I would see any time of day and any number of times. So, when I came to know that Ridley Scott directed movie, titled ‘Exodus: Gods & Kings’, was coming to theatres soon, I couldn’t contain my excitement. Naturally, I checked out the trailer and found it stunning, I was waiting to just book the ticket and hit the theatre.

So, I went to the evening show today, dragging along my brother, who was well, not feeling well, but came along after seeing the trailer.

Characters:

Actor: Christian Bale

Past Credentials: Phew! Quite a list! Batman series with Christopher Nolan, American Hustle, The Machinist and so on

Identification of character in this movie: The guy with the beard, holding a stick and whimsical schizophrenia

Actor: Joel Edgerton

Pas Credentials: Elder brother of Tom Hardy in the movie ‘Warrior’

Identification of character in this movie: The bald guy with a good build, with an aficionado for gold

Actor: Ben Kingsley

Past Credentials: Gandhi, Shutter Island

Identification of character in the movie: The guy with the beard

Actor: Aaron Paul

Past Credentials: The right hand of Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, in one of the most awesomest series ever… Breaking Bad

Identification of character in the movie: The guy with the beard

Actor: Sigourney Weaver

Past credentials: The doctor in the movie ‘Avatar’ who joins Eywa in the end

Identification of character in the movie: One of the ladies in the palace

Plot:

The bald guy with the gold aficionado and the guy with the stick are raised as brothers. The gold guy has lots of slaves and he finds out that the guy with the stick is also from that tribe. They both take time out, go their separate ways, marry and raise a kid.

After a decade, the guy with the stick starts his schizophrenia, sees a bald kid (who looks like he auditioned for the lead role in ‘The Last Airbender’), has some alone time and self therapy sessions. During the sessions, he finds out that the kid is God who wants to free all slaves.  

The guy with the stick goes to the gold guy, warns him that God wants him to free all slaves and the request is refused. Then, all crappy things happen to the gold guy and he lets slaves go. Then, suddenly, at the mere insistence of the director, turns around, gathers troops and goes after them all for a battle.

After the chase, a standoff, happens between the gold guy and the guy with the stick face each other. In the end, patience notwithstanding, the water, in the form of waves, shuts them all up. The movie ends with showing that they both are alive and well and preparing themselves for a sequel.

Rating:

1/5

The rating one is only for the visuals and graphics, else there would have been no rating.

Parting Words:

If you have already seen this movie, I have been there and I am ashamed of myself too. If you have not yet seen this movie, go anywhere else.

Escape

I lay on the floor
My breathing was heavy and body aching
All the bruises lay open
Blood oozing out for the whole world to see

I noticed the slightly open refrigerator door
And inched towards the cold air
To numb my body from pain
With whatever I can, however long I can

Tears were rolling down
But no one was there to see
I could hear his footsteps pacing impatiently in the next room
And my heart trembled with fear

My fists were clenched with anger
To protect the last inch of my space
That very last inch, that was mine and mine alone

Rules of the society were falling away
My relationship with him now a distant memory

And then he came in
Bursting through the door
He had something heavy in his hand
That I could not see through my teary eyes

And then it hit me hard
The searing pain began all over again
I begged for him to let me go
But none of my words fell on his ears

Through the torrential waves of pain
I felt around the floor next to me
And finally found something

With all the strength left in me
I hit him hard with everything I had
And I stood standing...

He let out a scream and went down
He moaned in pain and then went quiet

A shriek broke the deafening silence
Turned around and saw my neighbour
Staring through the window, horrified

I didnt care
I went back to sitting on the floor
Next to the refrigerator
Trying to numb down the pain

After what felt like ages
I heard the screeching sirens
At last, someone had heard my cries of help
I stood up with what I had left
And went outside the door

There were so many cops outside
Standing safely behind their flashing cars
Their guns all aimed at me

I didnt understand and my brain went numb
I am the victim, I cried
But alas, they were not ready to listen

I turned around and ran
And they came after me
Laws of this earth were closing in on me
For I had done nothing wrong

My legs were failing me
And my body was giving way
I saw the open ocean below
The moon was shining brightly over the waters

I ran toward the rails and I jumped over
Crying all the way into her arms
For some solace at last
And everything went dark

Interstellar

Space, Time, Worm Holes, Black Holes, Singularity are all extraordinary concepts and the widest food for an imagination. Combine that with one of the master storytellers of our time and the boundaries of imagination are stretched.

First, the negatives.

The movie Interstellar is almost 3 hours. It is quite lengthy considering Nolan brothers’ reputation to keep screenplay tight and keeping audience continually engaged.

One must not go in with any expectations whatsoever. Especially, Nolan diehard fans. Interstellar cannot be compared with other movies of his like Dark Knight or Inception. Interstellar is a movie of a completely different dimension. And those who have seen this movie, you will agree. J

Few dialogues, mostly while Mathew McConaughey was still on Earth, sounded more like bumper stickers. Not of the usual Nolan quality.

And lastly, few characters were not allowed to essay much scope in this movie, especially, a versatile actor like Casey Affleck.

Now, for the positives.

Plot: The story revolves around a final space mission attempt to find habitable worlds for the future of human kind. Now, although this plot can be attempted by any director and any actor. This could be a Singham 3 script for Bollywood and for Kollywood, Vijaykanth would be the ideal candidate.

But, this is Christopher Nolan.  Naturally, it would be a whole different breed.

The movie is visually superb, just incredible. Top of the mind, would be the visualization of black hole and showcasing time as the further dimension was a superb treat. The second world that they visited was also superb. Although, similarities could be drawn between this and the stunning visuals of Alaska shown in the movie Insomnia. The robot TARS is also definitely worth mentioning.

All the characters in the movie have acted incredibly. And just when I searching for Nolan’s usual stamp of grey, Matt Damon and his role in the second world that the crew visits provided just that. It was really nice to see Matt Damon don a darker role than his usual characters in other movies of his.

And the last but not the least, the concept in itself is definitely worth pondering upon. Gravity cutting across space and time. What would a black hole look like? What would be like to go through it? Powerful stuff indeed.

Summing it up, if you are a dreamer, a thinker and a wanderer, Interstellar is definitely worth it!

Copenhagen Consensus Centre

Just now listened to a Freakonomics podcast titled ‘Fixing the World – Bang for the Buck’. In it, Bjorn Lomborg, a member of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre, when asked what the Centre actually does, started with the following example,

If, $1000 is the cost for curing malaria in one patient, and $10000 is the cost for curing AIDS in one patient, then it can be translated that for the cost of curing AIDS in one patient, 10 cases of malaria can be cured.

He further explained that what the Centre works towards is for cost estimation and doing a cost benefit analysis for any program or initiative. This is done by commissioning top economists and field experts to do studies based on facts and figures and estimating the probable benefits and assigning a figure for the same.

While doing the Cost Benefit Analysis, at the rudimentary level, is assigning a real world value to a vision or a dream. It is definitely worth being part of a discussion than doing a discussion without it. As the speaker illustrated with an example, imagine sitting in a restaurant with all the items listed but with no prices against them. Now, the activity that the Centre does is like assigning a price for each item. Though you may end up ordering the champagne, you will at least understand the balance you may have at the end of the champagne for ordering dessert.

The Millennium Development Goals is an initiative by the UN to list down action items for a 15 year period and then tracking progress. Countries around the world use this as a fulcrum to design their long term initiatives and take them forward. The last set of goals was designed for the period 2000-2015 and they included Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger, reducing child mortality, Improving maternal health and 5 others. With 2015 around the corner, it will be interesting to see the next set of goals for the year 2030. Definitely, sustainability, renewable energy, reducing carbon footprint, climate change will be among the contending topics. 

It will be even more interesting if the aforementioned Copenhagen Consensus Centre is part of this discussion to gravitate the achievability of probable topics that are currently being discussed for finalizing Action 2030.

Quoting from an excerpt from an article in the Tribune on August 8th, 2014, by Dr. Pervez Tahir,
"The selection of goals and targets for 2030 needs to be more focused than they were for 2015, with prioritisation of key areas of weaknesses. An example of this has been provided by the Copenhagen Consensus Centre by prioritising the possible goals on the basis of cost-benefit analysis. It recommends only five goals - nutritional supplements, expanded immunisation, anti-malaria programmes, control of intestinal worms and the prevention of tuberculosis."
Let's wait and see the Millennium Development Goals 2030.

Purattasi Sanikazhamai

Waking up at 4 am, we were dressed and out of the door by 4.45. The roads were totally empty, except for the usual one or two vehicles plying at this hour, and the crescent shaped moon that was shining in the black sky. We entered T.Nagar in a quarter of an hour, and as we entered the Venkatnarayana Road, the whole scene was different than the one we started from and the ones we travelled through. The Venkatachalapathy Temple was beautifully lit with the words “Om Namo Narayana” visible from either of the street end. And so begins the first Saturday.

For those who do not know what the title means, Purattasi is an important Tamil month usually from mid-September to mid-October, the prime deity being Lord Venkatachalapathy (Yes, the Dude in Tirupathi). Temple going on Saturdays (Sanikizhamai) is auspicious during the four weeks in this period. And if, the temple is stamped by TTD (Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam), then it takes the endorsement to a whole new level. But, these Saturdays, are a gold mine for the silent observers, as a whole plethora of characters and idiosyncrasies are always in store.

Anyways, so we reach the temple, and its bustling with activity. Police personnel are everywhere, police cars are parked on either side of the road, with those red and blue lights blinking non-stop to turn a passerby blind. Barricades are lined up, and the people on the side of the barricade, stretched the queue away from the main road, into Ramanujam Street adjoining the Oxford School. My parents hopped off, I parked the car at a point further away and walked back to join them in the queue.

Many types of people can be found here – ardent believers, disheveled souls, charioteers and the crowd in the queue was a healthy mix of them all. Husbands who parked their bikes away were trying to find their wives in the queue with newly bought flowers in plastic bags for offering to the Lord and the wives, adorned with sarees, with washed hair neatly tied up and jasmine flowers pinned, were shouting out to their husbands to make recognition more easily possible. The queue started moving only after a good 15 minutes.

As we reached the main Road, and inched our way ahead, more sights awaited us. People were standing in the middle of the median, putting the elevated platform to good use by getting a darshan of the Lord. This middle standing crowd mostly involved the active morning walkers, who probably were not in a mood for an early morning bath and will probably visit the temple later in the day. And then the bus no. 13 from Triplicane made its way slowly through the Road, promptly stopping in front of the temple for a few good seconds, as the morning travelers peeped through the window for a glimpse and murmur of prayers. And then there were the flower sellers, the slipper safekeepers, and then the guy who sold coffee from his parked bicycle.

As we made our way inside the temple, ‘volunteers’ neatly dressed in pattu veshti and pattu sattai were guiding the crowd towards the exit, who were more interested in getting more of the Darshan, rather than walking towards the Exit.

After the darshan, as we made our way out, the overpowering smell beckoned. The laddus from Tirupati had arrived and were being distributed. Promptly, we bought our packets and moved out. As we were walking towards the car, my mom nodded satisfactorily and said “Very good and satisfying darshan” and my dad, the dutiful husband agreed. The words cheered the charioteer. We got to the car and drove away from the building up traffic and the never ending queue and the Temple.

One Saturday down, Three more to go… Happy Weekend Folks ! 

A Sad Parody

Anish joined a company last year and was assigned to a project which had high visibility. He was part of a very small team and he worked very hard in implementing the project and making the project live. He was thenceforth actively involved in the implementation of new requirements and other modules.

Last month, he was reviewed by his Head as to what his rating should be, on a scale of 5. He said that he expected nothing less than 4. Clearly surprised, the Head asked him why he should get a 4. To which Anish replied that he was there since the beginning of the project, right after the requirement finalisation stage. He went on to explain the role he played in the implementation of the project. The Head nodded his head in defeat and said “I Accept. You have done a lot. I will give you a 4. But lot more has to be done and I am expecting you to do a lot more.”

Elated how the discussion went, Anish went home to his parents and shared the good news and told them that with a minimum of 1,00,000 coming his way, he will be able to contribute significantly to this month’s house expenses.

Time passed, and finally the day of salary credit arrived. After seconds ticked by like hours, Anish finally received an sms that salary has been credited. He opened it and was stunned to find only 40,000 was credited.

Confused as to what could have happened, only one conclusion he drew – that HR had made an error while calculating his incentive. But when he showed his salary slip to his friend & colleague, his friend quickly suggested that Anish’s rating was 3. A one-to-one mail from the Head to Anish stating that his final moderated rating was 3, only confirmed Anish’s worst fears.

Rife with anger and betrayal of how his Head could backstab him like that, he reached office the next day. His immediate supervisor, Sandeep, who had returned after an official trip, received Anish’s grief in full.

Once listening to Anish’s account fully, Sandeep asked if he had paid attention to the word “moderated” in his Head’s email. Looking at the quizzical look on Anish’s face, Sandeep explained that after discussing the ratings with the employees, the final collection of all the ratings is put before the board. And then they decide, depending on the funds available, what the rating of each employee should be. And one of the parts of the “moderation” is where the tenure in the company comes into play.

If it has been less than 6 months since an employee joined, then the maximum rating he/she will get is 2. If its more than 6 months and less than a year then the maximum rating he/she will get is 3.

i.e. what is being implied is even if a guy/lady works their butt off and are eligible for 5 rating (implying Outstanding performance), if he/she has joined just 5 months back, then he will get a rating 2 (implying below Average performance).

Companies & Corporations need to be aware of the message that they are sending out, for their each and every action has dozens of implied interpretations. While I give it that a company has to budget the money it hands out for performance bonuses, it should not be at the cost of lowering performance ratings. Say, for example, a company is a bit tight on financial front; it doesn’t mean that the highest rating that can be awarded can be lowered to 2 instead of 5. This will prove disastrous, as the company is clearly sending out a message that no matter how hard the employees work, they will be rated either average / below average.

Even more heinous model of performance rating is that of a bell curve, where it states that for every employee getting a 5, there has to be an employee getting a 1 rating to balance and form a beautiful bell curve. The messages that are clearly sent out are as follows:

• ·         All employees cannot perform above average, by rule
• ·         Even if all employees do perform above average, the company will lower your rating and declare your performance as below average or unworthy of accomplishment

The above mentioned problems arise from the urge to use a single index/scale to evaluate performance and also to hand out bonuses.

Rather, the two can be separated, and brought together through quantified rules. Say, for example, an employee can be awarded 5 for outstanding performance, but since his vertical is yet to make revenue for the company, bonus rating can be given as 2. Those companies obsessed with time spent with the company can also include the same as a factor to calculate bonus awarded to an employee. Then a combination of the above mentioned factors can be used to calculate bonus. (Example: (5/5 – performance rating)*(2/5 – bonus rating)*(11/12 – time associated with company)*(variable pay allocated in the CTC)

Lot of thought is required while drafting a company’s policies, for every policy clearly stands for a message a company believes in.

Sadly, the companies like the one Anish works for, will beat their chest about the transparency in their company while clearly ignoring the messages that are being sent out for the world to see.

As the year end came near, a questionnaire was sent out by the company to all its employees, along with a mail from CEO. Anish opens the email only to find that it’s a “Great Places to Work” survey with the CEO’s message opening with a one-liner “Let us make our company proud.”

I wonder what the results of the survey will turn out to be.

Auto Finance vs. Banks

Today I read an article mentioning that the banks are going to “approach the Competition Commission of India citing alleged unfair trade practices by car makers” Now, a backdrop of who they want to fight against, is necessary.

The auto makers operating in India like BMW, Audi, Toyota etc. have begun something called “Non Banking Finance Companies (NBFC’s)” to provide customized finance to their customers. Looking at the concept as a whole, it makes sense right? It wouldn’t have taken the automakers long time to figure out their customer’s ire about the banking loan procedures and flexibility, which in turn play a hand in shrinking the auto market, while people may postpone their decision to purchase cars as a luxury symbol they cannot yet afford. The companies extending to help their customers by offering flexible repayment options and minimum hassle free paperwork through NBFCs (set up through their own corporate affiliate companies) just extends the bond between a company and its end consumer.

The article mentions that the Indian car loan market is valued at Rs. 40,000 crore! And instead of banks rolling up their sleeves and getting competitive to fight for their share in the market, it is indeed shocking to read that the banks are approaching a regulatory authority to “regulate” the competition. Why cite “unfair practices”? If the banks wanted to fight for a share in this market, then they should have done so by playing the game.

A sad picture painted by the banks in India, portraying a child running to his Daddy to win a game of pure ability! Will the Daddy play a patron of free market or a bully, is yet to be seen.

Note: The article referred to here is from the Economic Times (25^th Oct 2012 issue), titled “Auto Finance: Banks to Approach CCI)

Tweeting a contradiction

The leading article in today’s Economic Times starts like this “India seeks to arm itself with the power to block Twitter and other social networking sites and regions, but it may find it difficult to do so as telecom companies and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) say this is technologically unfeasible and exorbitantly expensive”

It is clear that the Indian Government and politicians are beautifully orchestrating a contradiction, by using the recent communal tensions in Assam. To use the foul language of non-producers and looters, their speeches will undoubtedly go like this “In these difficult times, the Indian Government has made the difficult decision to block social media in all the important states, for matters of internal security and running a democratic nation.” The underscored meaning of that line will be that the Government knows its power and seeks to expand and use the same.

It is the thought of blocking media that’s absolutely baffling. How can the top Government officials utter such a contradiction without batting an eyelid? No clue indeed!

What the Government should rather do is to get off their bums and actually make an effort to learn and use social media effectively, rather than blocking and condemning a form of expression that they cannot understand.

But the article goes on to say that internet providers and the telecom operators have said they only have the capability to block websites and social networking sites on a national basis. Well, that’s a relief. Because if the Indian Government still goes on to say that they would block, at least they would have expressed outright their intentions to join its Chinese counterpart with open arms. 

Namma Ooru Autokaaran (Chennai’s Own Autowallahs)

Today there was an interesting article in the Times of India front page pointing out just how long auto rickshaws have been running without meter – since 1998! And how a 6km ride in a Chennai auto lightens your pocket by Rs. 100 whereas the same trip will cost around 56 in Bangalore, 72 in Mumbai and 46 in Delhi. All the stats there are point to the grave nature of this situation especially as the article rightly points out that with “the gaps in public transport increasing, the auto rickshaws do ensure the last mile connectivity to offices, homes, schools and colleges.”  The article also mentions the argument of the other stakeholder – the autowallahs’ argument, which mainly centers on the absence of a sound tariff structure and provisions for the transport authority to regularly revise according to the change in the prices of fuel.

I have been to Bangalore many times, and I love the auto rickshaw rides there. So borrowing the basic concept from there, the meters in the Chennai autos should mainly display the distance of commute. A price chart can be issued by the transport authority. A slot in the back of the auto driver’s seat can display the chart along with the driver’s identity, license and vehicle registration details. Any sane person will agree that it is easier to change the charts every year rather than calibrating the meters themselves. But keeping in mind the possibility of the customized charts popping up with way higher prices than the actual, the Transport Authority can issue these price charts with a hologram which will make it a tad difficult to replicate.

The reader will now be wondering why in spite of the tone of this article, I have chosen a title that is the opposite. All said and done, the Chennai city’s description is incomplete without the bright yellow auto rickshaws. I wanted to highlight the steps that can be taken to make Chennaites’ proud of their autowallahs as part and parcel of Chennai.

PS: The source of the stats and statistics used in the first paragraph is from the Times of India news article (4^th September 2012)

Domination – A Mirage

Everybody knows the classic Aesop fable of the tortoise and the hare, where in a race between the two, the proud hare loses to the slow and steady tortoise. With the advent of the internet and its global reach, it has sparked off creativity and imagination in each and every one of us. One of the email forwards I got was a story,a variation to this classic fable, which I absolutely loved.


A proud hare challenged a tortoise to a race. A fox decided the track and agreed to be the judge of the race. The whistle blew and the race began. The hare sprinted off quickly leaving the tortoise behind. A few minutes passed before the rabbit came to a stop at a river bank. The finish line was beyond the bank and the rabbit could not cross it. So, it waited by the river bank trying to figure out what to do.

As the rabbit sat there thinking, tortoise reached the river bank. The rabbit was ashamed to look at the tortoise and kept its head bowed down. The humble tortoise asked the rabbit to climb on its back. After a lot of hesitation and a lot of pursuing by the tortoise, the rabbit sat on the tortoise’s back. Together they crossed the river. Once they reached the other bank, the tortoise had resigned to the fact that the rabbit will sprint to the finish line right away. But it was taken aback when the hare asked the tortoise to climb on its back.

When they both together crossed the finish line, there was a thunderous applause from all the viewers in the jungle.

While you would have found the story to be too simple that it is childish or you would have guessed the ending from the first line of this story, the point that this story makes, is simply beautiful. This story is built on the concept of co-existence. Co-existence operates under the fundamental assumption that there will always be someone or something more powerful than you (Oh, and btw, I am not endorsing the existence of God or any such being through that line!). Imagine the entire world as a forest and only this hare and this tortoise exist on this earth. The hare and the tortoise will co-exist.

For those who find it hard to understand this term, I would like to rule out the following meanings my above statement could have implied.

• The hare needed the tortoise and depended on it for survival.

• The tortoise needed the hare and depended on it for survival.

• The tortoise and the hare should stay together at all times and fight off the unknown mysteries of this earth.

• Tortoise has to become the master of the seas and Rabbit has to become the ruler of the land.

No No No No. They co-exist. They realize that they exist in this world. Its as simple as that. Do not try to extrapolate this sentence beyond what it means.

The very fundamental concept of domination lies in a desperate attempt to control. The limited time that we have on this earth, domination stresses on finding control in this world, in this birth.

The only truth lies in the quote “Nothing is permanent except change”. Now, operating from this universal truth, the concept of control is flawed, because it operates under the fundamental aim to defeat change and time.

Now, I am not saying that working hard to earn your living or aiming to become like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs is wrong, just because we are going to die one day. How we live this short life is also equally important. But how you live that short life is where ethics and moralities have to be observed. If you ask why one should observe that, the answer is that ethics and morals are the by-products of our power of reasoning, the only thing that distinguishes humans from animals.

Let us consider the following situations:

• A lady harasses her daughter-in-law and her parents to pay more dowry and doesn’t get satisfied with what she gets.

• A husband beats his wife in the middle of a street in front of everyone.

• A wife beats the crap out of her husband to ensure he stays in line.

These scenarios may be very familiar to you or you would have at least read about them. We see many different types of domination – male domination, female domination etc. And every single one of those concepts is bull shit, because the fundamental concept of domination itself is flawed.

To a guy who thinks women are stupid and dumb, and that men are superior and women have no purpose but to serve men, I say “You are due at a psychiatrist asap. Women don’t need to serve under men. Just because they are different from men doesn’t mean they fall behind in your stupid race about superior species.”

To a woman who thinks men are nowhere near women’s intellect and abilities and men will always treat women like shit and so they have to prove them that they are superior, I say “Not all men are like that. And just because you hate being dominated, women dominating men is not the cure to abolishing the above mentioned guy’s mentality. It is very important for you to clarify what you are fighting against and how you go about doing the same.”

In short, the concept of domination is nothing but a mirage, a route to salvation that doesn’t exist. If there is anything that I would like to change in this world, it is that people understand this fact about domination and evolve.

Men and women are different and they have to co-exist. After all, we are all human beings.

Live and Let Live !

This article has been written for the "Time to Change" contest conducted by Indiblogger. Do check out the following link: www.facebook.com/sftimetochange 

English & Creativity

I created my first email ID in the year 2000 and it wasnt until a couple of years back that I entered the world of chatting. At first, it was brilliant but it wasnt long before I was hinted at the "chatting lingo".

I always thought I had a good command over English usage, but this chatting lingo took my inadequacy to a whole new level. I still remember the first time a friend pinged "lol" and I asked him what that meant. To which he irritatedly replied "Laugh Out Loud", as though I was expected to know that once I signed up for my email account. Neither of us laughed eventually. 

Days went by and thanks to google, I didnt have to ask such questions to my friends anymore. Some of the phrases I googled are ROFL, Ta, Ty, 5n..

I saw what was happening around me. And I tried to be on full guard by typing in the actual words. But the temptation of its ease of use, made me switch to using "u" instead of "you", "coz" instead of "because" etc. Just a bit relaxed. Only a bit !

But, really, it does turn on your creativity. When asking favours from my friends, I used to tell them "sorry for all the trouble", to which they would inevitably reply "No Problem" or "Anytime". Couple of months back, I said to my friend, for his help, "Sorry for being a PITA". It piqued his curiosity and he asked what it meant, to which I quietly replied "Pain In The Ass". We laughed and we ended up chatting for over an hour catching up on each others' lives. At least, something good came out of this open source dictionary.

This chatting lingo does have its drawbacks. In some situations, especially formal ones, it seeps through your normal writing skills as though you are switching over to a new personality. U kno wat I am talking about rite? gr8 ! And then I go about changing the language back to normal english. As the days wear on, this requirement for editing has become more frequent.

Its as though they both are in a wrestling match. English, on the right, like Batman, neatly dressed, stiff and strong. Chatting Lingo, seated on the left, like Joker, with a "cool" outfit, and with no sense of control. Both of them sitting across the table, with their arms locked and staring into each others' eyes.

And the Joker quietly says "This is what happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object... You truly are incorruptible, arent you? You wont kill me out of some misplaced sense of self-righteousness and I wont kill you because you are just too much fun. I think you and I are destined to do this forever."

The Lonely Shadow

I stood by in the darkness
Shying away from the Light
Scared to go out in the open
Alone by myself...

A beautiful girl came along
Retreating to the dark corner
In search of solitude
Away from all mockery
And invisible hands of society

We gave each other company
My voice gave her solace
And she quietly dispelled
The darkness all around

With every passing day
The world grew more beautiful
In the new found joy
We felt with each other

And then one day it happened
What they call a miracle
She held me tight
And said that I am hers
And hers alone forever

From the foundation of hope
Rose fast and high
A beautiful dream castle
Soaring through the skies

It was not long
Before the ill fated night
When the thunderbolt struck
When she said that I am not hers
And that I was just her shadow
Only to stand by her side forever

The castle came rattling down
Crashing through its foundation
The deafening sound echoed
Through the silent walls
And muted the silent scream
Of my broken concious self

I let go of her hand
And she kept walking
Into the light of freedom
In search of her love
While I retreated into the darkness
Where I now belong

The robes of black
Clothed me in full
And welcomed me back
Into its wide open arms

I blended with ease
Into the pitch dark night
For I am nothing
But just a lonely shadow.

The Double Edged Sword

A close friend of mine is getting engaged and then getting married in a couple of months. I am so happy for him that his life is going to the next stage and into a new dimension of responsibility and love. But at the same time, there was a slight pinch. That I am still single. Long ago, I had given up my hopes and handed over the reigns to my parents – “find me a girl and I will love the crap out of her”.

Its not jealousy. Its just a sudden reminder that your close friend got what you want, a bit sooner than you did. It made me wonder or rather ponder on a particular train of thought.

Why does everything have to have a pro and a con? I know its to maintain balance in Nature, to maintain the equilibrium. I also know the theory about the necessity of paradoxes to enjoy life. But every once in a while, in situations like this, it makes you ponder why does it have to be so! Even though you know the answer to your question. It just feels better to put the question out and what better place to put it than in this infinitely ever expanding cyberspace.

I guess I have to focus on the answer. That I have to sit through it and accept both the sides of the coin. All I can do now is focus more on the positive energies from this event that my close friend is moving on, rather than me moping around in the dark with a ridiculous question. However, on the bright side, fate will turn in my favour. Its just a matter of time ...

Planet Earth

The Greenwich Meridian line passes through the place called Greenwich in London, and an observatory has been built around it. This observatory is located atop a small hill in the Greenwich Park. From the top of the hill, the view of the London skyline is just incredible. I suddenly felt as though l heard voices from all over the world.

Religion: God will protect you

Atheists: You have to protect yourself

Professor: Education is the noblest of pursuits

Student: I must find my real passion

Astronomers: The answer lies beyond

A yogi: The answer lies within

Engineer: Everything has a principle

Altruists: There are no principles other than love

A father to his new born baby: I will always be by your side

A son to his dying father: I will not let you go

A new born baby: These giants are staring at me

A dying man: You go live your lives

With a new born baby, a light is born in this earth and it glows till death. Whatever the colour of the light, they all glow through day and night sending out a signal that they are living on this great planet. As holes in the floor of heaven, stars are so beautiful. These lights from Earth are way brighter and way more beautiful that shies those stars away.

Live and Let Live !

Face to Face

The floor suddenly felt too cold on my skin. There was an eerie silence surrounding me. Not able to bear the weirdness any longer, I finally opened my eyes. It was pitch dark all around and the walls bare. That was strange. I got up quick and looked all around me. The floors and the walls were plain.

There was a mirror on the wall directly across to where I was standing. I moved closer so that I can see clearly. There was a faded tube light on top of the mirror. My eyes then moved to the mirror and I was staring at myself. I checked the edges to see if there was a door but suddenly noticed that my mirror image hadn’t moved. I slightly moved away but the image didn’t budge.

I stood staring at myself trying to figure out different theories to explain what was happening. An idea at last ! I pinched myself hard and it pained pretty badly.

“I hope that it wakes you up now at least”

It was the mirror image talking. I moved away and tried to find a way of escape.

“You are stuck with me. You can take my word for it.”

“That will not stop me from trying”

“True. That is your choice. But it is my obligation to give you a heads up.”

After a while of futile search, my gaze came back to myself.

“What shall we call each other. We both cannot be Sam.”

“We both are. But you are right.”

After a bit of thinking, it said “I shall be Adaptive. You be Ruler.”

“I don’t dominate. Ruler doesn’t fit me.”

“What I was suggesting was that you are principled.”

“Whats wrong with following principles.”

“Nothing. Nothing at all. Which is why I gave you that name.”

“Hmm...”

“So what have you decided about HP?”

I was taken aback by surprise.

“How do you know?”

“I am you. Remember. So I will know what you know. My way of thinking will be different from yours. Thats all.”

“Oh. Interesting.”

“So? What decision?”

“Oh. HP? Its not my decision. It is just a guided path to destination.”

“Thats good. It will be a great start for your career.”

“Yeah. But at what cost?”

“Cost?”

“Yeah. At the cost of my morals, my principles and my values.”

“Huh ? What are you talking about?”

“My uncle, a vice president at HP, is pushing my application through. So basically, I am not winning my way through to the job. I am going into a field which has already been cleared for me. No battle, no competition, job being offered on a plate. Not based on my ability, but based on my influence. In short, this job is being given to my uncle and not to me. Not to mention about those many able people, more deserving than me who I would have kicked out just because of my fucking recommendation.”

“But you already tried for jobs on your own. For about 6-7 months right? What happened? Everywhere you went, they thrashed your application because you did not have work experience. Those idiots don’t understand a simple concept that if everyone asks for previous work experience as a prerequisite, where will you get that in the first place? Its not you, you know. Its the world that didn’t want to give you a job based on your ability and skills. This is how the world works today. The faster you accept that, the better it will be for you.”

“Just because the world works that way, that doesn’t mean that it is right, right? If I also behave like an animal what is the point in being labelled the more rational creature?”

“Why do you see as if you are letting go of your principles. Its just this one aspect. You can also see it this way that your uncle is trying to create a chance for an able and talented individual like yourself.”

“Even if I join HP, and my career goes on taking me to different places and different companies. Then one day when I look back on my career, I will find that the foundation stone was laid in a manner not so dignifiable and this will render my entire career worthless.”

“See. He just gives you a start. What you make of that chance is your own ability and your own skill. You are still building your career. You will always be the captain of your ship. Your uncle just provided you with your first boat.”

“HP is a great company and I would love to work for such an incredible company. I just don’t like the way I am entering the company. I will just be preaching about the principles by which one should live his life, but would have failed myself to live by what I say.”

“See, you cannot assign guilt to yourself for something that is beyond your control. That is just unnecessary baggage.”

Then Adaptive took out a coin from his pocket and said

“The way I figure things, we both can argue all we want, but we won’t go anywhere as we both are right. The only morality in this world is chance. Heads you win, tails I win. And then you should come to terms with which ever decision comes about. What say?”

After some thinking and checking whether it was a proper coin, I agreed. He tossed the coin. As the coin flipped above our heads, I did not know what I wanted it to show. The coin thudded to the floor and hid the heads away from our sights.

A loud sound broke through the sound barriers, and the room dissolved. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling. Looking all around, I found that I was back in my room. At that moment, drenched in sweat, the only thought that was running through my head was “Phew! I am back to reality.”

Ever Changing Menu

“Computer is an intelligent machine”. I smile at these words remembering when I first heard them in a computer class about a decade and a half ago. The smile was because I used such a mobile intelligent machine to write this article you are reading right now.

While the technology revolution is brilliant by itself, growing with such a revolution takes the experience to a whole new level. For example, I created my first email id in the year 2000 and I still remember the day when we first bought our own personal computer, back when I was in 9^th standard. Amidst strict rules of timings on when to use the computer, my brother and I still had a great time playing Dave and my parents through solitaire. Oh, and I almost forgot, there were floppy disks back then (those tiny black square things).

Then came the CD’s and when all the production houses were busy trying to reach homes through movies in 2 and 3 CD packs. I still remember that Hum Aapke Hain Kaun and Jo Jeetha Wohi Sikandhar were among the first movie CDs we bought. Then the inside of the discs turned blue with the DVDs and a DVD seemed to capture one whole movie, which seemed incredible at that time.

In my opinion, the period in college plays the transformational role in a student’s life in increasing awareness about the latest technology trends. Like, I came to know about social networking only when I joined my Engineering College. Gmail and Orkut became part of my everyday checklist, much to my parents’ dismay. But, luckily for them, I was slow to catch on to technology. I didn’t even know what a blog was till about 3 years ago. I was hesitant to open a facebook account till a year ago, and now I have about 400 friends on facebook.

I find this evolution very fascinating. Every time I log onto the internet, since my first time, I feel like I am sitting in a digitally encoded restaurant, like in the movie Matrix, and servers offering me menu cards to choose my meal from. But I am more of a standard menu fellow and take fewer chances with new items on the menu. Ever since gaining access to this wonderful world, my favourites have always been Gmail, Orkut and Facebook, although it has been a while since I tasted Orkut.

Now, being a recent graduate, on a job hunt, I find myself at the crossroads once again. As my friends have become focussed on building their jobs and careers, the number of facebook updates has fallen dramatically and my tongue now finds this meal boring. The obvious question is what I shall do next in this vast paradise called the internet, for I have to do something to keep myself active in this invisible hemisphere. I have no idea, what my new favourite is going to be, but one thing is certain, it certainly isn’t going to be my favourite forever.

Beauty

"The Gods envy us. They envy us because we are mortal, because any moment might be our last. Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed." - From the movie Troy.

What is beauty? Sometimes, the simplest and the most commonly used words become hardest to define. Let’s say, beauty is something mesmerizing that will make your mind go blank, at least for a moment. In that case, the definition of beauty depends on the individual defining it.

What does beauty mean to me? I associate beauty with femininity. After women, innocence and nature take the second and the third spot respectively, in my ranking of beauty.

Life is a journey of transformation from innocence to wisdom. In its essence, innocence evokes simplicity. Innocence, in any form always brings a smile to my face, no matter what mood I am in. I would like to share with you one of my poems I had written a long time ago, one which you can relate to, with respect to our current topic.

Smile of Innocence

Went to office for the day
Was another gruelling day
Boss's pressure and inter-colleague harmony
Blame shifting and ego bias all day

At last, the clock struck seven
Picked up my bag and dashed outside
For a cup of refreshing hot tea
I stopped at the corner store

A cute little baby was crying
Mother was trying to calm him down
I stood in front of him 
and did some funny faces

The baby started smiling again
Oh God ! You made my day !
You showed me that 
Innocence still exists !

Another favourite of mine is Nature. Phew, there are no words to explain her beauty. Nature just makes you kneel before her in awe. The ability to withstand and bear such diversity makes you wonder about the extent of her resilience. In fact, I took up photography as a hobby because of her. I wanted to defeat time and retain images of her beauty forever.

In short, Beauty makes me stop counting the number of moments I survived and makes me count the moments I live.

This post has been written for the Yahoo Dove Real Beauty Contest on Indiblogger. It is a salute to the triumphant spirit of the Indian woman by Dove. To know more about Real Beauty you can visit the wonderful page hosted by Yahoo http://realbeauty.yahoo.com/ . If you like this article, do click on the following link and vote for me http://www.indiblogger.in/indivine_subcat.php?id=72&sort=latest .

What's after cricket ?

It’s the game invented by the British, but which ended up unifying India. There is really nothing to say other than the obvious phrases “Its just an amazing game” and “Cricket is a religion”. This game created legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Don Bradman and Vivian Richards. Indian team first lifted the world cup in 1983, a time when the nation saw the whole match through the All India Radio. With media and technology having leaped so far ahead, India once again won the cricket world cup in 2011 to delight its fans, who in turn took to the streets in celebration.

Over so many years, the number of cricket matches has increased substantially. This is of course a delight to the millions of viewers who follow these matches with great loyalty. Now, with the introduction of new format called the T20 (the game lasts only 20 overs as compared to the traditional formats of 50 over one dayers and test matches) and each match lasting only 4 hours, more number of matches could be arranged. This only delighted the viewers even more.

The hard truth is that it is so easy to sit and watch a match on the TV and incredibly difficult to play and perform on the field. With the number of matches going up by leaps and bounds and the introduction of new tournaments like the IPL and the Champions League, cricket players, especially the Indian cricket players are facing tight and busy schedules.

While the saying “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy” is true, “All play and no work will tire Jack out” is also true. Cricket players are humans and mortals get tired. Realizing that they are not able to play full year round, priorities have shifted and now the players are more focussed on earning money for their work than representing their team and nation. And they cannot be blamed at all. If anyone has to be blamed, it is the cricket fan. These cricket fans who love sweets do not realise that they will hate sweets if they eat them every day. And the evidence for this is the falling brand value of IPL.

The realization that cricket is losing its sheen raises a vast array of questions. For one, what is the next sport that will hold the Indian nation after cricket. Another question is whether the people of India will finally start focussing on issues that actually matter, like the progress in the investigation of the 2G scam.

Extreme opinions like “the death of cricket is around the corner” are not only absurd but also impossible. Cricket is an established sport and a religion to some. The point in question is the game’s effectiveness in commanding viewership around the world, competing with football and F1 racing. Nonetheless, the current Indian generation will definitely hold Sachin Tendulkar and MS Dhoni as one of their role models. How the next generation of Indians perceive successors of such legends remains to be seen. 

The Glass Room

Samuel had been bed ridden for the past month. His family was standing around him, struggling to smile with hopelessness in their eyes. Eyelids were pulling shut and Samuel drifted away from consciousness. It was suddenly peaceful, like flowing with a river current. Distant pulses were felt and Samuel heard shouts asking him to wake up. But he liked the river more and kept drifting away. Eventually he hit the shore and found himself in a dark place. It was pitch dark and he could not see anything.

Samuel moved ahead until he hit the wall. Passing his hand over, he found it was like glass. He followed the wall in one direction and kept going on. After a while, feeling dizzy, he sat down on the floor. Removing his shoes and placing them against the wall, he slowly went around the walls once more. Minutes passed before his legs hit the shoes. Now, Samuel was sure he was in a square shaped room with glass walls. He then went on to search the floor and found that it was made of glass too. After hours of futile searching and eventually giving up on means of escape, Samuel sat down and leaned against the wall.

He started recollecting his life on earth. The last year was the most painful. After being diagnosed with liver cancer, the chemotherapy sessions seemed endless and he hated treating hospitals as his home. The last year was very frustrating for two reasons – one being the disease itself and the other being the repercussions of diagnosis. As a positive person, weeks after diagnosis, he figured that he could live longer if he forgot he had a problem in the first place. But his wife, kids and parents went on consoling him with a look of pitiful mercy. As the news spread, more relatives and infinite consoling stretched time by so much that he wanted to die right then.

He liked it in here, this room, dark and silent, felt nice after so many moments of torture. He recalled other such moments, like the numerous fights with his wife when he couldn’t attend his own son’s graduation and his late hours at work. Suddenly he heard a sound and a clank of metal. The silence made the sound echo for a long time. Finally locating the source of sound, he found a plate of fruits. Moving aside the plate, he checked the floor for any trap doors. Finding none, he went on to enjoy his meal. He kept the clean plate near him lest the plate should disappear, he could escape too.

He picked up his thoughts from where he left off and drooled on his misfortunes. After his third meal, with three plates by his side, he remembered the first time he met Elle. He knew that she would be his wife once he laid his eyes on her that very first time. He recalled their wedding in California and their honeymoon in Austria. Then Stefan came along and Samuel still remembered those tiny fingers brushing against his rough palm. Every day that Stefan grew, Samuel grew with him. When Mathew was born five years later, the house was perfect and seemed too good a dream to live in.

Feeling the room less darker, Samuel woke up with a surprise. He told himself that this could be because his eyes have become adjusted to total darkness and then went back to his musings. As years rolled on, he remembered the day when Stefan came home with his job offer and how they all celebrated that night. Few years later, Mathew was awarded a scholarship to pursue his degree at Carnegie Melon University. The house had felt strange without all the noises. Samuel and Elle grew accustomed to the lonely house as time wore on. Then came Stefan’s wedding followed by Mathew’s six years later. A month before he was diagnosed with cancer, he had become a Granddad.

Scanning the room, Samuel was now pretty sure that the room was dimly lit. The glass panes on the floor, walls and the ceiling were radiating light. Now he could see a door in the opposite corner of the room from where he was standing. The door had no knob and the door frame was very thin, which made it impossible for him to detect the door during his initial scanning. Samuel pushed the door and a bright light hit on his face. Hearing a voice nearby, he could make out a figure standing next to him a few feet away. The figure introduced itself as Bob and handed Samuel a cooling glass.

“It will help you adjust to the bright sorroundings.”

“Where am I? And what was that room?”

“You are now in heaven. That room is called the Glass Room. It was installed a few years ago.”

“What for?”

“Mankind has advanced by leaps and bounds through the last century. While technology and everything else made life easier for man, it also reduced the effort required to earn an identity. The availability of ample free time led to increased dissatisfaction and frustration which in turn led people to focus more on their losses and their misfortunes than their gains and on their fortunes.

That room is made of special glass which echoes a soul’s feelings about his experience on earth. Once the soul starts recognising his past fortunes and starts appreciating the fact that he had lived on earth, the room will grow brighter and will reveal the door.”

“I was of the opinion that one’s actions are enough for getting an entrance pass to heaven.”

“They are very important. But tell me how will the heaven be if its full of disgruntled and dissatisfied people who are good at heart. The fuel source for the lights in heaven is the degree of contentment of the residing souls.”

“Interesting”

“Anyways, welcome to heaven and I will now give you a quick tour. After that I will take you to your friends and family.”

Looking all around like a kid in a candy store, Samuel silently followed Bob into the invisible palaces in the clouds.