Musings- The arithmetic sorry-calculation...err philosophy of life…umm know what? Forget it!

    It was a phase  where I spent the best weekends of my life! I was tempted to say the ‘best phase of my life’ generically, but for my better half! After all, it takes a lot of courage to proclaim ‘better times’ in life to which your spouse is not party to! They say discretion is better part of valour. So I will rather stick to ' the best weekends of my life'!

   It was my first trip abroad to Japan and I was obviously in seventh heaven. After all, an onsite opportunity in those days was a big thing - rather a matter of effort and fortune with right combination. I had all the reasons to be happy since in my case it was the latter that played all the part! I was on this short term assignment to a project in Tokyo and was ‘accommodated’ in a business hotel in one of the Tokyo suburbs.  It (now as I understand) was something similar to a budget version of ‘Extended Stay’. Each room had a kitchen (and by that I mean the stove –ability to cook) and some very basic things to enable the occupant to stay for weeks. Though my company would often accommodate people for months! For somebody like me, whose exposure to a hotel stay could easily be measured with the tip of fingers, it was certainly a heavenly abode!

    Not to mention almost all my colleagues staying in the hotel were bachelors, at various stages of their ‘bachelorhood’. Right from somebody like me, who had just begun the ‘journey’ to others who were about to cross the bridge. Every now and then we would have people leaving the place once the project or assignment was over and new ones coming in. But the set of people in any ‘phase’ was the group. And I happened to be part of such a phase. So we had about six of us staying in the hotel for the few months I was there. Every day we would start early so that we managed to get to the office before our clients arrived (well I almost always never achieved that!).  If you are in the habit of waiting for your customers to leave, before departing office- you need to take a break. Especially if you are in Japan. We- the poor souls were oriented that way and almost always ended up getting back late in the night. On few of the lucky days, getting back involved cooking for the ‘group’ since everybody took turns. So I had to choose between the devil and the deep blue see, for most of the week days!

    But it were really the week-ends that everybody eagerly awaited. It was an unwritten norm to party on Friday nights. ‘Party’ involved booze (for the most),dinner –cooked by one of the enthusiastic members, an occasional movie and the most important ingredient –lots and lots of chatter. It was certainly a way for most of us to unwind from the hectic office schedules and in a larger frame – to unwind from our worries, anxieties of life. So we would have ‘episodes’ from the biography of each one of us every Friday. It was fun, learning and certainly the best way to spend a Friday night in the given situation.

    While I could gather (and extrapolate) the lives of most of my colleagues based on the revelations made on Friday night, the one person that often eluded me was Dipam.  Dipam Bora was in his late 20s.He was the ‘elder brother’ in the group and generally helpful.  Mild mannered, he would speak sparingly for most of the days in the week- rather always, except those Friday nights! Couple of drinks down, Dipam would start interacting freely. Knowing him, we –the chelas (protégé) would often keenly listen to his talk which was full of experiences from his life, some anecdotes and some practical tips for the given situation. For each of our ‘biography episodes’, Dipam had a constant comment. ‘Gosavi!- Jindagi ka hisab kitab utna asaan nahi jitna tum sochte ho !’. The only variable in this was ‘Gosavi’! We would appreciate and clap for Dipam in the ‘sprint’ of the night and Friday nights would pass – well mostly without an argument. Next day, everybody would be busy with their weekend cores. Dipam would become his reclusive self. He could neither remember nor acknowledge to anything that happened the previous night. You would hardly hear any of the philosophy on other days except for his punch line “ Jindagi ka hisab kitab’, which he would invoke occasionally .

    My stay at the hotel ended in a few months and I lost touch with Dipam and the rest (well email was not an easy option in those days and often a ‘paid’ service!). As I said, I spent some of my best weekends with this group. I didn’t contact Dipam or the rest because in my memory, I wanted all of them to be just the way I left them! Subsequently, my memories were superimposed with lots of other stuff in life- better and bitter. But that one thing which continued to stay with me was Dipam’s tag line – Gosavi, Jindagi ka hisab kitab itna asaan nahi jitna tum sochte ho!  I have had fair bit of my experiments with ‘self’ and philosophy in the years before and after. .Learnt from a lot of ‘Babas’ and Swamis and all the readable English (or Marathi) material that I could comprehend. Also, I often like to read the back of auto rickshaws and trucks for my routine philosophical doses.  But the one thing that has helped me tide over in my life is Dipam’s tag line!  Rather it would inadvertently be the first thing that I would remember in any situation good or bad!

    I have not ventured to translate the tag line here because I believe my literary knowledge is insufficient in this case. Hope the learned (and Hindi speaking) would understand it. For others, I would refer you to Vedas, Upanishads, Gita or any other granth and /or philosophy of your liking for a more insightful revelation.  Chances are –some of us, including me may encounter Dipam sometime, somewhere and hear the golden scripts from him! After all-
“Jindagi ka hisab kitab itna asaan nahi hota jitna tum sochte ho”!.


Dedicated to my long lost friend –Dipam Bora. Dipam, wherever you are, May the force be with you!

Hidden Wealth

    I happened to read a story during my school days. Don’t remember which grade it was, and doesn’t matter anyways! In short, the story was about an Indonesian man and his lazy son-in-law.
The story ran thus-

    A wise old Indonesian man had a lazy son-in-law. The son-in-law wanted quick money and was too lazy to cultivate a piece of land, he owned. Once the father in law told him that an Astrologer has predicted that the land his son-in-law possessed, had hidden gold underneath it. Excited about the idea of getting rich, the son-in-law and his wife dug out the land and found nothing. Since the land was already dug, the father-in-law advised them to plant bananas so that at least their effort doesn’t go in vain. They agreed and by end of the year made some money by selling bananas. Not to be content, the son-in-law decided to dig out the land thoroughly the next year, again with the same result. This year they got a better yield and more money. The third year, again with advice from the father in law, the couple bought nearby land and tried to find the ‘gold’. Years passed by and the couple never really found the gold. But meanwhile, their plantation had prospered and they were able to earn enough money and respect.

    Ignoring the factuality of the story, it does convey a message. For us,  kids then, the message was about the importance of hard work and how not to run after quick wealth and all. At least that’s how I answered in the ‘Reference to context’ section!  However, I now realize, it does convey an important subtle message. In fact that’s the reason I remembered this story after all these years.

    People like sensation! Be it national news or daily gossip in offices or social circles. I was tempted to use ‘We Indians’ instead of ‘People’. But then realized that it is a global phenomenon. Besides I want to desist from the tendency of ‘special treatment’ for Indians –good or bad, when we see those traits amongst many other people. Coming back to sensationalism, the higher the ‘object’ in social/economic ladder, the more sensation the related news creates. In fact a good amount of media Industry survives on this very ‘basic instinct’ of people. Besides, we often have a ‘socialist’ trait buried within us. So, if the object happens to be a businessman, politician or any celebrity, the feelings are extreme, often more on the negative side. The ‘Black Money’ thriller has all the ingredients of a blockbuster! Rich businessmen, corrupt politicians stashing their ‘ill gotten’ wealth in ‘foreign’ banks and depriving the country of the economic prosperity and power that it demands! Add to that the statistics of ‘lakhs’ that poor people would get if the money is brought back! What better can it get! No wonder, the movie is running successfully across the country, from parliament to courts to 24X7 channels and coffee hubs.

     Overlooking the facts and the complications, the ‘story’ is portrayed in a very simple manner, which derides truth.  Even by the PM’s own admission, nobody knows the exact amount of money. Not all the money in foreign banks will be ‘black’ (earned by unlawful means). It would at best be a case of tax evasion. So a certain percentage of the same belongs to the state. Also, the ‘accused’ are not stupid enough to keep the money stashed when there’s so much happening! Honestly, I believe this is a story of ‘Emperor’s new clothes’! The emperor here being the people!

    Anyways, this piece is not to judge the euphoria and the potential benefits of the black money, if and ever it is brought back .Let the court issue strictures, government make attempts, people (depending on which side you are!) criticize the inaction or justify the action. Also, opposition parties have every right to take government to task in a political way. After all, aren’t they supposed to do it? The BJP would have done the same if they were in opposition. In fact black money was an important poll agenda and hence the opposition has every right to question the government.

    As they say, Life is what happens when you are busy making plans! In this euphoria for getting back the black money, we should not lose sight of those subtle changes taking place around us, which I believe would have more direct and tangible benefits.  There are a lot of initiatives that the government has taken and quite a few that it has carried from the previous regime , which I believe would yield more substantial benefits than the extreme figures ‘speculated’ for the black money. 

    Just a case in point – As per government’s own records, the country spends (approx.) 8000 crores on affidavits annually. Not to mention the ‘fee’ that advocates demand and the stationary charges. So, if implemented (and it is not a big deal to implement as such), we are talking of at least around 15000 crores of direct savings! This is the money that common man is saving, unlike ‘waiting’ for something to come back! The Direct deposit scheme, the foundation of which was laid by ADHAAR (well that was Congress!) and boosted by the Jan Dhan Yojna, will save thousands of crores from being swindled by the middle men.   E-governance and transparent administration being key to prevent the ‘generation’ of black money. Defense deals is another area, the government seems to be focusing. Swachh Bharat Abhiyan will also have bearing on the cost factor, since it would be expected to bring down the per capita cost of health care. Compounded with eradication of corrupt medical practices and improving of infrastructure for health care, this should help creation of a ‘healthier nation’ in coming years and help utilize the demographic dividend that we are banking upon. Not to mention the positive investment environment that is being created, the cramp down on hoarders to contain price rise etc .

    The list can be endless, and this is not a BJP manifesto! . However, the message is clear. There is a lot happening around us that has the potential to change the destiny of the nation. It is for us to decide if we want to wait for the gold or plant our bananas!


Jai Hind! .
Irrelevant here, but in case you are wondering – Jai Maharashtra !

Three act play

So finally the Maharashtra government has managed to pass the ‘Trust vote’. It is ironical that this had to happen with the support of a party whom the electorate trusted the least. But it’s after all a number game isn’t it? Nevertheless, within the boundaries of our democratic setup, this still counts as a ‘trust vote’. I would not comment on the ‘manner’ in which the trust vote was passed in Vidhan Sabha.I have scant knowledge of the law. Would rather leave it to the constitutional experts to break their heads. But yes, it was certainly not undisputed!

    This finally puts an end ( well more of a punctuation than a full stop) to the first act of the play that begun in late September when both the alliances decided to part ways – coincidentally (?) on the same day.  I wouldn’t want to judge what happened as right or wrong. To each, his own. But this for sure will change the politics of Maharashtra forever. Not to mention that it would have a serious impact on the state administration.

    Here begins the second act!

    Let’s start with the BJP. It is but obvious that this tie up with NCP is a need based one. BJP would want to break away from the shackles as soon as possible. So we will see a lot of ‘action’ going around to lure the discontented and power hungry legislatures from other parties. Unfortunately they have to break en-block (well Phadnavis must be cursing the person who brought in and passed the anti-defection law!). So if at all they succeed, it would mean that at least one political entity in the state suffers an irrecoverable loss.  No points for guessing who the target might be! And all this would already be ‘tweaked’ as morally justifiable. For the BJP everything they do is ‘morally correct’ isn’t it? There would be lot of buzz in the social media on how- many opposition legislatures want to ‘contribute’ to the development of the state and want a steady government to facilitate development and strengthen the hands of the PM !. To ‘accommodate’ these well-wishers of the state, they will be given ministerial births and chairmanship of the millions of co-operative bodies in the state.  This all in the name of ‘development’ and ‘stability’.  But then BJP is right- A few more ministries for the Shiv Sena would have adversely affected development, whereas more than double that number given to opportunists will not. As I said, the BJP media managers would already have started campaigns to justify this and still proclaim how the party is ‘different’ and pro-development. The RSS will dissociate from the party while all this happens- with one of its mouthpieces criticizing the ‘deterioration of the political values’. Another one (or the same, after a few days) will justify the action in name of ‘Hindutva’ or ‘Development’.  All this, while there would be a sustained malicious campaign against Shiv Sena, highlighting all the ‘ills’ that the BJP realized after 25 years.

    For the Shiv Sena, well, they are the wounded tiger for sure! There would be ‘opposition’ everywhere. So you would see the battles being fought on streets as well as the Vidhan Sabha (well if the SS remains intact till then). Again all the ‘ills’ of BJP, realized after 25 years will be showcased.  Marathi people – Beware!. You would be in danger every day from now! Or so would you be asked to believe!. Mumbai, Vidharbha, Belgum will all be issues of prime interest from now on.  After all, who else is the protector of the Marathi manoos? . Of course, all this may die down if a ‘settlement’ is reached over continuation of power in the BMC. After all BMC is more important than ‘self-respect’ and Marathi interests, isn’t it ? .  The only question is – will they have 63 warriors to fight or less than 40!.

    Sharad Pawar has once again shown why he is the master of the game! The first thing he would do is to secure the 41 legislatures he has. Shouldn’t be too difficult for him unless there is a compulsive grudge against him or his family members, besides the lure of power and money ( which most of the 41 have in plenty) !  For him the equation is simple, continue support to the BJP till they rake up the various scams (less likely) OR there is an alternate plan in place (which would depend on whether the SS is about to break!), whichever is earlier. So the ‘stability’ would last only till the government has dependency on the NCP! After that the BJP becomes ‘communal’ and the NCP will act in interests of the state and Marathi Manoos!.  Unless , of course , if the PM needs the services of an ‘able and experienced’ person like Sharad Pawar at the Centre AND the state government  suddenly realizes that it has to ‘focus’ on development and not politics of ‘vendetta’ !.

     One interesting factor to mention here is, while other  the parties will be vigilant to keep their ‘stock’ together, the tables can be turned! The BJP itself has 22-24 of MLAs who are technically outsiders (mostly ex-NCP). Plus , there are at least a dozen aspirants of the ‘CM position’ in this disciplined party.  I won’t be surprised if someone aspires to follow Sharad Pawar! (what he did in 1978). After all, there is little ‘flexibility’ these people get with Narendra and Devendra at the helm of affairs!. So there may be ‘ the one’ who wants to ‘rise’ against the purported  anti-Marathi (the 'i' can be replaced by 'a' depending on the politics of that day !)  policies of the BJP!

    The one party that remains unaffected (more by compulsion than choice) by all this is the Congress. With a minor risk of defection, there is not much it got to lose, or rather left to lose!  It also is technically speaking the only genuine opposition party in the state! The congress has an excellent opportunity to gain some ground and good will (yes! even after 15 years of mis-rule) in this scenario, but for the morons leading them at the Centre and state! Of course the congress would be ‘called in’ to service if there is an alternate formation taking place and would as usual offer ‘outside’ support for the ‘ benefit of the state’ and ‘to keep communal forces away’ !.

All in all, very ‘interesting’ times ahead!.And while this naked dance of politics is being played, people would still ask the question
“Kuhe nehun thevlay maaza Maharashtra “!

Lastly - The Third act? Well, that’s when the audience get to play and the actors watch!.  Its just a question of when this happens !.

Jai Hind and (so much I wish) Jai Maharashtra!.

P.S : The views expressed above are speculations of possible scenarios. Something I so much wish shouldn’t happen but fear, it may! I would personally want a stable government in Maharashtra irrespective of my political orientation.

Is it really that complicated?

    So –Me and my subordinate are working to win a project for months. After a lot of hard work, and inefficiency of existing team, we manage to win it. The management thinks that my subordinate has played a major share in the win and promote him to be my boss! Now, this new boss of mine is bent on diminishing my influence (understandably to establish his control over the smooth execution) and gives me a minor role in the scheme of things.  The terms are not agreeable to me. What options have I got?
    A.    I join the project team on the conditions laid down and work my way to execute it efficiently. Make a positive impression through hard work, exhibit my capabilities (which I claim to possess) in the project, and even otherwise and make a determined effort to get back the position and influence I deserve.

    B.    I quit the project team without bickering. That would be a setback for me since I have worked all these years and months to win over the project. But it would give me a chance to re-establish myself and prove that I can win and execute even without my would-be boss. Even a small win would help prove the management that I can be an useful entity!  Yes- This is the hard path. I may suffer on my pay checks, some of my loyal team members may break away from me. I may even risk going into oblivion. But isn’t life about easy choices versus the right ones?

    C.    I let my ego drive my decisions. I find it difficult to come in terms with reality and constantly bicker over every responsibility the new boss gives me. I make it difficult to form the team and hamper execution. In the process, I even lose support of those from the management who have faith in me and are waiting for an opportunity to give me the right role and responsibility.

    There are no right answers in life. Only the wrong ones! No points for guessing which one(s) would any right minded person choose.  Doesn’t the Shiv Sena get it? Either Uddhav Thackeray has gone crazy or is ill advised to the hilt!

    Ironically, they don’t realize that in this tussle, they are losing the very thing that they seem to be fighting about- Self-respect! This government is a BJP government, irrespective of the 4-5 ministries more or less you could have managed to get. That number is not going to change the public perception. Of course it may change the ‘financial’ angle possibly. The one thing you don’t talk about but everybody knows !. So if that is indeed the case, it is shameful because you would end up ‘selling’ your self-respect! Probably the worst form of ‘sell-out’.

    Shiv Sena and Uddhav Thackeray quote about Shivaji Maharaj every now and then. But they seem to forget the history. In the tah (treaty) with the Mughals, Shivaji had to give away a lot. In practical terms, it was a loss for him. But the visionary he was, he was not trying to preserve ‘self-respect’. He was trying to minimize losses of Swaraj through negotiations. Trying to buy time. He did invoke the ‘self-respect’ card. But that was only when things went worse, threatening his very survival and who knows, probably timing it so that he had enough time for his team to prepare a counter attack strategy. History proves that he did time it well!

    Negotiations do not help you win! The very fact that you are forced to get down to the negotiating table, proves that your adversary (or friend, whatever way you want to see it!), has the upper hand. Negotiations can be useful to contain losses and help you buy time. But they should be used just for that and not a condition for the agreement. Ego is the last thing you want to bring during negotiations.

    The Sena’s idol – Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj played it really well in his lifetime. Their ‘friend’ Sharad Pawar seems to be playing it well! Surprisingly their ‘enemy’ – Pakistan has played it well, time and again with India, the US and many more.  Unfortunately, the Sena seems to have lost the plot.

So a joke being circulated for few days seems to be turning into reality. Rather the ring master had his way !

" Delhi me Narendra, Mumbai me Devendra  aur baki saab Shardchandra !".

Jai Hind …and Yes – Jai Maharashtra!

A new Beginning ( ?)

         Congratulations to the new Chief Minister of Maharashtra!! And to the BJP. For first time in decades, we see a possibility of a new brand of governance in Maharashtra. Earlier, irrespective of who was in power and who the CM was, the power always remained with ‘one’ political entity. It always was a case of ‘Heads I win, Tails you lose’! .As per the faith reposed by the electorate, we expect this government to execute duties devoid of pride, prejudice, regionalism, factionalism and political compulsions. As the Prime Minister has often said, Maharashtra is the ‘Big Brother’. We expect the new government to conclusively establish and prove this fact and not succumb to the wishes of the ‘younger ones’! The battle is not an easy one. The power equation is skewed. Although BJP heads the state government, the local bodies in majority of the state are still controlled by other political players. The Co-operative societies are almost entirely in the hands of Congress and the NCP. To add to this, the culture of power brokers that has prevailed in the state has not let the ruling party unaffected as well. Lastly, the state government has to effectively deal with Center to facilitate uniform development in the state. With states competing for investments and industry, Maharashtra needs to once again establish its supremacy in this area. We are aggressively competing with Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and other states that offer tax sops and other benefits. The CM and the state government has to ensure that the interests of state are primal over all other aspects.
         The profile of Shri Devendra Phadavnis is certainly impressive! Although he is the fourth CM from Vidharbha, he is different in terms of his political and cultural lineage. Being a CM at this young age is certainly impressive, but he has to remember that, it doesn’t matter how you begin. What matters is where you end. After all, we did have a chief minister who was younger than him !. We are hopeful that the dynamic CM along with his small team, coupled with the support from Centre, will change the socio-economic landscape of the state. The populace has very high expectations from this government and thus entrusts additional responsibility on the government. While basking in the glory, the government (and the party) has to remember that the task ahead is not easy. Perhaps, it may take not five but ten years to fulfill the expectations of the people. In this journey, support from various other political forces and entities may be required. So the government has to take everyone together at the same time not compromising on its ‘core values’ and promises to the people. Easier said than done !.
         Lastly, it is interesting that a person who openly advocated a separate ‘Vidharbha’ should be elected the Chief Minister of Maharashtra! We believe that an aggressive chief minister from the region, with such an overwhelming mandate, coupled with support from Centre should most certainly be able to push Vidharbha on the path of development and alleviate the concerns of people in that region. Because if that doesn’t happen, the very demand for  a separate Vidharbha state is flawed, except for political reasons!

Jai Hind, Jai Maharashtra !