Why India's fortunes will not change even with a new Government

When the American government envisaged a fully developed economy and a society with equal rights for all, the forefathers of the nation introduced measures that laid foundation for a long term success. To begin with, America introduced patent laws where intellectual property was preserved by the authorities and subsequently rewarded. If your patent was approved and the government foresaw potential, you would receive grants to pursue the idea and convert it into a business. You could even sell your patent to already established businesses in return for large sums. The whole process encouraged entrepreneurship, invention and a deep trust in the system.  Mind you, this process started over 200 years ago and I don’t need to go into how many successful businesses have come out of the US since then. Both socially and economically, all of these successful ventures have been the architects of the American development story.  Another important measure that America introduced was expansion of the Banking industry. More local banks meant lower interest rates which helped people start small businesses and also purchase their own homes and lands. Again, this whole process encouraged entrepreneurship and trust in the system which are key to the development of any society. Equal efforts were made to invest in research programs where government offered grants to promote knowledge rather profits. 

Now India is at the cusp of another general election and many feel this is a watershed moment in the Indian political system. A new government would solve all the ills afflicting the society and finally bring much needed economic growth and prosperity. The talk may have shifted to developmental from communal politics; the vision of every party remains archaic. Citing the US model of development, no one in Indian politics realizes or talks about how important entrepreneurship, banking and education are to a long lasting robust economy. Grant of patents to Indians to foreigners is roughly at the ratio of 1:9 and as a result, ratio of Indian patents to foreign patent is also roughly 1:9. India may have expanded the banking sector in the recent past but personal loans still come at over 13% interest rates. In an already developing society, how do you expect the people to pay back the loan with such high interest? Government’s investment in education is extremely low and private companies face a huge red tape to enter. Most of the institutions are opening up for the sole purpose of profits without motivating individuals to invent or create a knowledge base for the society. 

     

Now is there a party that wishes to address such fundamental flaws in a system? A long ruling Congress party is presently the butt of all jokes and will most likely be dethroned by another equally incompetent party, The BJP. The party led by a very astute marketer and a narcissist, Narendra Modi, is currently all hype and no substance. Mr. Modi spends 90% of his time ridiculing congress and perhaps only 10% on his vision. I can’t even count five policy measures he has mentioned in his speeches (many factually wrong) that would turn India’s fortunes. His vision is simply the Gujarat model, a state which doesn’t always rank in top 3 of India’s most developmental indices. Gujarat currently ranks at #9 for GDP per capita income and I need not say more about its development compared to other states. Moreover, one is yet to see the trend where Gujaratis have stopped migrating to foreign countries or on the flip side where Gujaratis are flocking back to Gujarat anticipating greener pastures. Mr. Modi has talked about skilled based economy thereby promoting education that equips you with employable skills. A very good approach to solve the current unemployment problem but it will only be a band-aid solution that will fizzle out in the future when other countries, through research and innovation, advance with superior ideas and technology. You will continue to chase your tails.

The same BJP party came to power in 1998 and lost in 2004 despite showing good growth in the economy. One may ask why? The answer lies in its jobless growth and a growth that marginalized the poor and left them behind. I often wonder how Indians living in the west equate road infrastructure and tall buildings to real development. When you don’t have a toilet to defecate every morning, what good does a nice 4 lanes highway do for you? I am afraid same will happen again if a right wing party is voted to power which on the outside is pro investment but has no vision for the relegated sections of the society. I am the first one to admit that the strong economic development through privatization and foreign investment are paramount to eventually supporting the poor but if that’s the ONLY agenda, the development will come at the cost of abandoning few generations and those people don’t deserve that. After all, lifting millions out of poverty takes many years of concerted effort but if the society is not independent from the foreign investment, it will continue to play the catch up game. India currently needs a balanced approach of being a good destination for investment and creating healthy communities right at the bottom. It needs communities where people have nutritious diets (not just basic), proper schooling with training in computers, clean sanitation systems and playgrounds for kids. Without all these facilities, millions will never develop the brains and confidence to become future leaders and successful entrepreneurs. That’s a huge burden on any society.     

Stop trying to prove Sachin is not the Greatest

Ever since Sachin Tendulkar made the announcement of retiring from international cricket, umpteenth eulogies, tributes, career analyses and articles have been written by various individuals - some good and others snide. I want to tackle all his critics through this article. The fact that people can’t stop writing about Sachin proves he has been a significant player in the history of cricket. The question “is he the greatest batsman ever” has been doing the rounds for many years and various qualified and non-qualified individuals have been presenting their theories to literally prove nothing. He is a great among other greats but he is the most special of that lot.

Critics play an important role in anyone’s progress but I am appalled at envious individuals who constantly try to run him down. I am not surprised when many of his detractors, especially non-Indians, are now trying hard on blogs and forums to put his contribution down to mere good numbers only. I sense jealousy and nothing else. I’d say if your country ever had a Sachin, you would also celebrate him like all of us do. It is always fashionable to support an under-dog but since Sachin has shattered all records and belongs to the most powerful cricket nation on earth, critics find ways to undervalue his contribution to the team. I have read many such comments that raise ludicrous doubts about this greatness. I am setting the record straight here -  

·         Of his generation, Kallis (55.44) and Sangakkara (56.98) average better so how is he the greatest?

o   If averages were the only criteria, Graeme Pollock would be second only to Bradman and no one else would come close to their greatness (Note: Pollock only played 23 test matches with average of 60.97). Kallis and Sangakkara are 36 and 83 test matches short of completing 200 test matches respectively so let them first finish with Sachin’s career average of 53.78 after 200 test matches before even putting them in the same bracket. There was a time in Sachin’s career when his average was over 57 but sustaining an average of 50+ in such a long career is a hallmark of a truly exceptional player.

·         Lara was a destroyer and could dominate attacks but Sachin wasn’t as dominant?

o   Lara was one hell of a player but his strike rate of 79.51 in ODIs, where strike rate matters the most, is lower than Sachin’s strike rate of 86.23. Add Sachin’s 49 centuries and 18,426 runs to that strike rate to know why he was ahead of everyone. Strike rates of other great players of his generation are: Kallis 72.97, Dravid 71.24, Ponting 80.39 and Sangakkara 76.89. None of these players come close to the total runs Sachin has amassed.

·         Sachin mostly played on batting friendly pitches in India.

o   Sachin has scored more runs outside of India 8,705 compared to 7,216 at home i.e. 54% of his runs came abroad. Compare that to others and their runs scored abroad stands at Kallis and Lara 47%, Ponting 43% and Sangakkara 41%.

o   If Indian pitches are so called Dream Batting strips then how come, apart from Kallis (58 avg), rest have performed miserably in India - Ponting averages 26.48, Lara 33.00 and Sangakkara 36.50

o   Since Australia was the most dominant team of 90s and early 2000, let’s see how Sachin measures up against them compared to others – Test averages in Australia - Sachin 53.20, Kallis 48.23, Lara 41.97, Dravid 41.64 and Sangakkara 60.33 (Note: Only 5 matches played).

·         A new impact player theory suggests Rahul Dravid saved India more matches than Sachin.

o   By no means Dravid was any less of a player than other great players of his era but Dravid couldn’t dominate like Sachin in any format. Players like Dravid, Kallis and Sangakkara have rarely dictated the games and mostly played with the flow of the game whereas Tendulkar (and Lara) could easily dictate terms and change the course of any game on their own. Great men are always assessed by their ability to single handedly win tough situations and only Tendulkar (and Lara) could easily do that. Dravid, Kallis, Sangakkara and Ponting have been great servants of their nations and played a huge part in victories of their teams but no one had the ability to positively impact the spectators’ interest and team morale the way Sachin (and Lara) did.

·         Lara was greatest since he played in a team that was quite poor overall.

o   If you go by that analogy, you are simply suggesting runs scored by Kallis and Ponting have been useless since both of them played in very strong teams. Sachin played around extremely poor bowlers and batsmen throughout 90s and always stood out as the lone warrior. In fact, most of the other Indian great batters like Dravid, Ganguly and Laxman only flourished post 2000 when the Indian side was much stronger. Watch Sachin’s famous desert storm Sharjah inning (with Laxman) to know how superior Sachin was to the rest. Laxman struggled to score runs when Sachin was spanking all other bowlers all around the park. Sachin taught other Indians to score freely at will.

·         If you give someone so many opportunities, anyone can play 200 test matches and score that many runs.

o   Many other Indian greats were dropped from the team due to poor fitness and loss of form. But how did Sachin survive? The answer is simple - By performing and staying fit! Not just test matches but ODIs too. You may argue he wasn’t scoring consistently in the last two years but tell you what, Sachin must have done something right in all these years to convince the captain, selectors and management to stay in the team. He earned the respect like no other. Longevity of Sachin’s career is not just a gift from Indian selectors but his hard work and dedication. In the world where everything is driven by money, do you really think he would have survived if he wasn’t scoring? Sachin’s monetary brand value was hardly affected in those couple of years.  

Sachin has lasted long enough and scored enough runs to prove he was a gifted player but to go around comparing him to other players from current and previous generations to assess his greatness is pointless. I personally don’t believe in stats as much as the impact a player has on the team and game in general which is why Sachin stands head and shoulder above the rest. The primary role of any sport is to entertain people and if there ever was a man who always held the spectators by their pulse, it was Sachin Tendulkar only. He remained in the consciousness of every Indian which is not an easy task considering India’s diversity and huge population. Not since Mahatama Gandhi, has there ever been any other Indian than Sachin to have received so much adulation and respect by the billion plus people of India.

On a personal note I want to say – “Sachin, you have given me happy memories that will remain with me forever. You were one of the primary reasons I remained joyful throughout my growing up years. Thank You and I salute your dedication towards the game of Cricket”.

Freedom of Axpression

As the outrage over a new movie on Prophet Muhammad grows in the Islamic world, I wonder how someone has the courage to create content that is so imbecile and thoughtless. Why is someone playing with the emotions and sensibilities of the millions around the world? Why don’t some of these creative artists ever consider the social ramifications of their content before publishing them? Why is everything that provokes a large section of the society simply a matter of “Freedom of Expression”? I call it the Freedom of Axpression because once it is out; it works like an Ax that first cuts human sentiments into pieces and then becomes an actual tool for retaliation.

    

Not so long ago, the celebrated author Salman Rushdie was stopped from joining Jaipur’s literary festival as certain sections of India’s Islamic society were against his inclusion. By making a mockery of Islamic faith through a small passage in his book, The Satanic Verses, he had caused deep anguish to millions of followers of Islam worldwide. After his ouster from the festival, he had accused the Indian government of bowing down to the fundamentalists and not protecting the rights and sanctity of a writer. Mr. Rushdie, if India’s problems were ever comprehensible to you, you’d have never made that statement because India has been a victim of communal violence for decades and to stop that at any cost doesn’t just make sense, it is the absolute necessity. To revere a writer’s view in lieu of respecting the faith of million others is simply foolish especially if it comes at the expense of vandalism and violence in the society. There have been many other instances where artists (painters, writers, cartoonists, filmmakers etc.) have instigated disharmony through their art and it’s always branded as a way to express their creativity and freedom of expression. So when a painter draws nude paintings of Hindu Gods or a cartoonist draws caricatures of Prophet Muhammad, you know you are inviting trouble. You don’t need a Phd to learn that.

I believe in freedom of expression because it’s essential for addressing key issues and concerns plaguing our society. I also believe freedom of expression should never be censored but time has come for individuals to take moral responsibility for the content they produce and subsequently publish for the general public. Asking YouTube, Twitter or book publishing houses to review all the material before distributing would not be ideal because they should never have the authority to suppress our views. It’s an individual’s ethical obligation to avoid creating content that propagates resentment and anger among people. If a certain belief system doesn’t work for you, stop trying to ridicule it and rather focus on the one you strongly believe in. It would create a better argument for the subject matter and encourage a healthy and peaceful debate between different sections of the society. 

Where did humans come from?

On a Friday afternoon, as I was having lunch with a work colleague, a casual chat about culture turned into an extremely stimulating discussion on religion and origin of humans. My colleague, who has been a non-practicing Muslim for many years, articulated his human behavior analogy in such a philosophical manner that I was convinced humans are a dangerous group of species and our creator didn’t care for us anymore. His theory was neither influenced by any spiritual teachings nor any religious text. He was simply narrating his beliefs that came from his subconscious mind which had been searching for answers on our existence.

According to him, we were perhaps designed by unknown Martians or simply extraterrestrial creatures. If you believe in the concept of Adam and Eve, you are a direct result of a mistake/sin committed by Adam and Eve by eating the forbidden fruit. Had they not done that, we wouldn’t be here which means we are basically here by mistake. According to Science, we are descendants of apes which probably makes the most sense but did you ever think we could have been designed by scientifically advanced people from the outer space as a test which went wrong? This is because, as humans, we have no physical variations as opposed to 84 million other species that come in all forms of shapes, figures and sizes. Even dinosaurs who dominated earth for many years had variations – 3 legged, 4 legged, some had ability to fly and so much more. Same family birds, reptiles and mammals have so much variation in their appearance but humans have had the same structure ever since it all started. Those Martians perhaps came to experiment with a new breed, they created us and they realized they made a mistake because humans became dangerous the way they thought and acted. They left us and now from time to time they try to make contact without much success. As humans uncover the mysteries of this universe through advanced technologies, they are constantly getting closer to our creator. After all, people in olden times thought lightening in sky was a result of GOD’s anger but now we know it’s nothing but an electricity discharge.

 As my colleague and I discussed religion, which supposedly has all the answers, we concluded that it was an institute which was a band-aid solution. If a child suffers from a little burn on the hand, parents would simply tell them I told you not to do it but never give proper explanation. They wouldn’t tell the child that if your skin comes in contact with fire, it will destroy some cells which in return will cause pain. Religion acts in a similar way. Religion is a great source of spirituality and we must respect that. These mammoth and extravagant places of worship that generate millions in donations have been in existence for hundreds of years and they only reflect human idiocy. It’s a form or bribery which is not going to please our creator. Experiencing the energy that surrounds us is the way to move forward which is what our great messengers did. Science is helping us achieve a lot of things and we must carry on.

UPANISHADS – “Energy can neither be created, nor be destroyed”

NRI Patriotism

India celebrates her 64th year of Independence from British Raj today. In this day and age of social media, you see umpteenth videos being posted about glorious India and receive wishes for “Happy Independence Day” (or “Mera Bharat Mahaan) but as an Indian, living abroad, I am uncertain on how to react to these messages. I, for one, will soon lose my Indian citizenship in exchange for a more advantageous Canadian citizenship and secondly, I feel Patriotism has no value in this globalized world anymore.

Every year, millions of Indians living abroad, most of whom have already given up their Indian citizenship; celebrate August 15th by marching on the busy streets to mark yet another year of Indian independence. That celebration reflects the passion and sentiments NRIs carry for India but at the same time we don’t contribute in India’s growth (at least not the majority), we conveniently ridicule every scam in India, we mock India’s Legislative and Judicial system, we have no faith in India’s civil society functioning and most importantly, we propose solutions on improving the system but never take part in it. How do we then go out and audaciously swing the Indian flags on foreign streets to glorify the independence which, if at all did anything, perhaps provided us the opportunity to cross-over and look for a better lifestyle? If I can’t stay in that society and bring about a change, I have no right to comment on its shortcomings or feel part of its progress.

In a vast country like India where providing parity in any field is a challenge, you will find almost every other citizen wanting to leave its shores for better prospects elsewhere. With majority of the population categorized as backward classes, no one has any sense of belonging there. Rich send their kids to expensive universities abroad so they can live and settle down there and others are just looking at any other possible way to intersect to other side. Despite the tremendous economic growth in the country, if given the opportunity to settle down abroad, majority of the Indians would take that in a heartbeat. It’s not the problem of the people who wish to seek more comfortable life even if it means moving away from homeland. A secure and comfortable life is our right. Personally, I am first loyal to my loved ones and then to any other union, society or government. I definitely conform to certain laws manufactured by a society but I will never put a country over my family.

Culturally, we remain rooted to our background and family values but there’s no need to mix that with Patriotism, Nationalism or Jingoism. All these sentiments have no value if you are feeding off each other in this free market. My identity will always remain Indian despite living anywhere but it only means that I must take pride in the cultural values inculcated in me. I must resent and shun any discrimination against people of the Indian community but I shall also not get carried away by any patriotic emotion as it will only create division among people. I have utmost respect for all Indian freedom fighters because imperialism is a curse and they did exactly what was right for India. I just refuse to be a part of Indian movements mirroring nationalism on foreign lands where those acts have little or no significance to locals and majority of Indians.

Cricket – My Passion and Love... before I met my wife

The first cricket match I ever watched was between India and West Indies in 1991 that took place in Perth, Australia. I had just come back home with a friend after playing marbles (or maybe hide & seek) and my friend requested me to put cricket to check on scores. Prior to that moment; I had no interest in the game as I was just a 9 year old who preferred all the gully sports – lukka chhupi, marbles, cycling and just running around with friends for no reason. The match was delicately poised with WI needing 1 run to win with 1 wicket remaining. The next ball from Manoj Prabhakar got the edge of the bat and Azhar took this impossible catch to tie the match. That was my first ever exposure to a cricket match and how could I not become fan of this greatest sport ever. That moment changed my life forever.

My passion for the sport knew no bounds. Just like many other Indian kids, I played cricket on every damn place – inside the house, rooftops, middle of the street, empty home plots, closed factories, unkempt grounds and in front of the mirror admiring my shots. Not only did I break window glasses and lamps of neighbours’ houses, I broke so many things in my own house that I can’t even remember. My mother cringed and pleaded but I was not the one to be stopped. Cricket had gripped me completely. I turned out to be a decent player playing regularly for different gully teams and winning them matches with my quick bowling. My batting was laughable, just a notch above Courtney Walsh and Ashish Nehra, but I improved later on. With tennis ball cricket, I was ruthless. I once hit a hundred in 24 balls! I went on to play district cricket and played against Yuvraj, who now plays for India. I nurtured so many dreams of playing for India that I couldn’t sleep in the night before a morning match, I bunked school to watch matches, I sneaked out of school during recess to catch some cricket (only I know how I got back inside the school again),I skipped meals when India lost... the list goes on. Alas, all hopes were dashed when you find out how tough things can be so you eventually end up taking the easier route – Study in Canada.

Now I only watch cricket because I can’t find those 7 hours, I mean really, those 7 beautiful hours that you require completing a match. I blame it on Canada... Even if I had the 7 hours, I am sure it would either snow or rain in between...How cruel...

World Cup 2011 is just around the corner and I just can’t wait for it to begin. To all those critics of the game, who think it’s too long and confusing, I have to ask you this – how many other sports have three different formats where each format requires you to play differently with same rules? Even though a 50-over match is long but 99% of the time you will get a result unlike world’s most popular sport Soccer. Compare a tied soccer match to a tied match in cricket – the pleasure in cricket is beyond comprehension. Don’t even compare Cricket with Baseball. Not only is baseball the worst game ever invented where you can swing all you want but your bat won’t touch the ball, the game has 9 innings and the scorecard in the end still reads 1-0. What the hell does that mean? And what on this earth are sports like Curling, Luge track racing, Lacrosse... And Golf??? It’s a sport? Why do you want to spend all your day trying to put a tiny ball in a hole 18 times...

Okay, enough said now... I love Tennis too :) love watching and playing it...

2011 Cricket World Cup begins on February 19. If India wins, I will celebrate like crazy but if Canada wins at least one game, I will celebrate even more.

Are we all corrupt

Corruption – one word that is synonymous with current affairs these days. You would identify with the term even more if you are from subcontinent. Every day a new scam unveils its ugly surface only to be nipped in the bud later on. Corruption is quite rampant in developing countries as it exists at grass root levels. In developed countries, or so called first world, it mostly exists at a higher level. Numerous Ponzi schemes, BP gas leak, Wikileaks, Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan prove it. Are we all part of this? No matter what we protest against, the powerful and mightier always wins. How does one put an end to it? The ugly truth is – no one in this world is clean. We are all corrupt. We all stop at MONEY. Here’s my take on corruption.

We become corrupt the moment we are born. If corruption means bribing someone to get work done, then every child is corrupt. Try stopping a toddler from crying without giving him something in return. If toys are not provided, a child is not happy. As we grow older and start going to school, we want what other kids have. Do we not hate our fathers for refusing to provide us with what we want? Haven’t we all been there? If you get what you want suddenly love for your parents increases by many folds. We want favours in return of a good behaviour.

As we grow older, we start going out with friends and have relationships. How much do we spend on our bfs/gfs so they are pleased? A LOT. What’s that? Bribe? In a way it is, otherwise why would you spend even a penny on a stranger? Of course there’s human bonding but buying expensive gifts to please someone is nothing but bribery. It’s the purest form of corruption. If we don’t get that kind of attention from our partners we don’t like the relationship. There are exceptions but most of us succumb to the material way of taking a relationship forward.

Corruption is human nature. It’s a part of our lives and we don’t seem to understand it. Yes, we all want money in order to fulfill our needs but it doesn’t stop there. Once we get money, we want more. Bigger house, bigger car, bigger everything... How does it come? Trust me; it’s always at the expense of someone else. People living in west enjoy many luxuries because poor kids are employed in other countries to build products they desire. They don’t need to bribe someone because somebody above them has already bribed many. Why is there a need to outsource? In the name of trade, we say it helps both the countries but why does a task become menial in your country at the first place? We never want to keep others at same level as us. We want to be above others. They say China’s labour is cheap and that’s why we outsource. Why is it cheap? Because you made it through your corrupt policies!

Corruption is within us. We will exercise it whenever it is required.

Let’s end this with a Buddhist Quote I read recently – “All wrong-doing arises because of mind. If mind is transformed can wrong-doing remain?”