My thoughts...: Transformation..... are you ready ?

My thoughts...: Transformation..... are you ready ?: “Transformation”..... a term that has become all encompassing, all pervasive, flavor of our times. Everything around us is changing.... ...

Transformation..... are you ready ?

“Transformation”..... a term that has become all encompassing, all pervasive, flavor of our times.

Everything around us is changing....

how we make a living, the way we have social interactions, the way our kids learn, the way we can take care of our healths, the way we buy and sell, the way we save our monies, the way we can move around, the way we have fun, the way we can analyze our own thoughts and needs, just the way we exist !

Hence making our places of work that are basically the pillars of this changing eco system, the hotbed of change ! We in the different industries we serve are not just at the receiving end of the change, but an active part and catalysts in our own way!

Times like these bring out the character and psyche of people.... Some get all excited for the adventure and some get extremely guarded, pensive and to an extent detractors. And I see this changing myriad around me day in and day out.

Let’s face it... even if we say ‘Change is the only constant’, ‘growth and comfort don’t co-exist’.... we as humans would love to curl up into known, cozy environs and not want to face the unknown, the big, the crazy. Most of us would be like..... can’t I just be?

Remember the comfort even as kids we got in reciting the same poem again and again? Predictability gives us a sense of safety, security. Or more so, it feels as it gets ingrained in us.

But, then, we should also remember the thrill the slightly adult endeavors like ‘Hide and Seek’ brought us too!

A human being has an immense potential to learn, adapt to change, grow and thrive. It is not just a matter of coincidence that we top the food chain. And add to that we being thinking beings! Potential Powerhouse !

So, we can all do it people..... let’s just remember the thrill of Hide and Seek, the abandon of Blindfold, the fun in making new friends, the joy in learning new things.....

It’s just that kid mode switch that needs to be flipped on again. That’s all....

Schadenfreude

“Schadenfreude” - From the day Alan Shore introduced me to this word a few months ago, I was fascinated by it, by the sheer way in which it describes one of our most base instincts of reveling in the others’ misfortune. I always felt strongly about such behavior, but did not know of an apt word for it.

I must admit that I had not heard this term before a certain day this January when Alan Shore from Boston Legal presented it with such élan!!

And wow… this word has been ringing in my head since then.

English language has borrowed this word from German and it literally means “Pleasure derived from the misfortune of others”.

Now for where this was used……the context was that of a woman accused of murdering her husband… she was one with a very colorful, dubious character; indulging in extra marital dalliances and standing to benefit immensely with the death of her old husband. And with a cool, unapologetic demeanor not helping her cause for a not-guilty plea one bit, her counselor Alan Shore was defending her case in front of the jury impressing upon them that there wasn’t enough evidence, it was all circumstantial and if at all she gets a guilty verdict, it would be based on ‘Schadenfreude’.

And the point came across…. so so clearly!! In fact we see Schadenfreude all around.

Especially, when we see important people fall!

I started writing this post in January and some of what I penned down may have a point of reference to that time….

E.g. If AAP gets into a messy situation, we find it interesting; if Hrithik and Susanne split, we find it juicy; if Rahul Gandhi errs, we love it;  if Tiger Woods is caught in controversy, it makes the headlines; .. and the list goes on and on.

There is an innate primitive instinct that makes the fall of important people interesting for the common man.

Little did I know that I would be seeing a lot of Schadenfreude at display very, very soon……

The annual Cricket festival or circus may I say that is loathed by my elite and thinking friends… the IPL. I have been an ardent supporter of Dhoni and by virtue of it CSK since the onset. I don’t understand whether it is cool to beat him down or just an in thing to be against the tide…. but, I have known of people who have been staunch Dhoni haters…. and again by virtue of which CSK haters. And as if the medicine was ordered by the patient, there was this fixing fiasco, lot of mud slinging, Meiyyappan found guilty and quite a bit of image tarnish for Captain Cool also. But, deter I did not.

Come IPL 2014…. And there I was, amongst all the cynicism, silently supporting my favorite team and wishing for their success….. They almost did it too. And then, they didn’t. The social media and the folks I move around with were abuzz with some kind of an innate joy at the ‘big’ team falling…..

One of those things I felt and move ahead…..

Cut to a few weeks earlier …. And we saw the mighty Congress… ruling party since a decade brought down to a paltry below 50 figure. I somehow always knew it was coming…… but, the way everyone around reacted… what I sensed again was less of an excitement for change, but, more of an urge to put down someone strong who fell.

Maybe I am biased…. Maybe I am not looking through the shortcomings that have brought about this fall, maybe I am too loyal to a fault to accept…. But, I cannot fathom the levels to which people stoop to put someone down when he has already had a fall.

I thought this was ending and then the FIFA 2014. This sport and this particular Championship can evoke the strongest emotions they say… and you cannot escape it’s pull, you must take one side and you will. Oh, how I waited since the last one 4 years back to see Messi do it, but, at last it was not to be. As if it was not sad enough… there you had all the hawks and eagles at it again.

I understand one congratulating victors and celebrating success….. but, what is that intrinsic urge to put down someone who is already down.

And this just has put me in a spin. 2 things are really clear…..

a) it’s me !!! I seem to be the jinx!! And b) weren’t we all as kids taught not to make fun of someone who, say, takes a fall, or has some weakness. And if by any chance we win, we dare not blow our trumpets, and worse still make the loser feel bad.

Are those virtues forgotten? Are we bringing our vices hidden behind facades of humility and etiquette out into the open?

Or is this me a loser feeling bad and venting out my angst!!

My thoughts...: 'Likes' to '+1s'

My thoughts...: 'Likes' to '+1s': "Very soon, we may be saying 'Dear... I +1 you', and I bet no one will be surprised or even raise an eye brow as it will be so much common pl..."

'Likes' to '+1s'

Very soon, we may be saying "Dear... I +1 you", and I bet no one will be surprised or even raise an eye brow as it will be so much common place.
To think of it, happenings in the media have always had their effects on our lingo, our psyche, our thought process, our dress sense, our day to day dealings.
If you take the movies - Swirl of hair on yesteryear's leading lady Sadhana, Guru shirts donned by Dev Anand, almost everything done by the Big B, histrionics of Shah Rukh, Size 0 of Kareena.. If we go across the hemisphere, we have the style of Sean Connery, Gregory Peck; the grace of Audrey Hepburn, the style of divas like Julia Roberts, Angelina.... the list is endless. All these have had it's effects on what we wear, how we look.... may not be in direct obvious sense, but the effects are there by and large.
If you take literature - whether it's the golden classics era (all languages... native and foreign), the more recent pulp fiction, the more intellectual literature.... all have had their effects on the way we think.
Off-late, or maybe for quite a bit of time now, it's technology that is shaping the way we think, the way we speak, the way we relate, the way we communicate..... almost everything!
The difference is this is a framework put in by humans, fed into systems which run on 0s and 1s to present a platform to us... and we being the advanced race that we are, use our intellect to use it in a multitude of ways.... so extensively that these forms of technology are almost becoming all consuming and all pervasive.
We almost live, breathe through social networking. It's all over and all around us. For people still keeping away from this, it's probably not that much of an impact. But, for the rest like us, we are there right on the grid..... we have a co-ordinate and can be reached and are a part of the design.
And then, we as people, the way we think, the way we emote, the way we want to exhibit.... all seems driven by this phenomena.
Social Networking sites touch that inner cord most of us have, to relate, to brag, to boast, to moan, to crib... This is not new..... the feeling was always there.. did'nt we get on chai sessions, lady's group sessions, guys time outs, family get-togethers, college hang outs....? Now, we have a technology provided platform to do it!
It's addictive... and seriously needs an effort to switch off. It's required at times...
For now, I am tiding through a new medium and getting myself to "+1" it !!

They will tell us to build a temple!!

Sep 30th, 2010, 2 PM : "They will tell us to build a temple!" said my six year old son !!!....Here goes the entire conversation..."I want to watch Cartoonnetwork", says my son. "No, son, I want to watch the news. It's important". "Why? What's going to come?", asks my son wondering what could be more important than his toon brigade. I tell him there's a fight about Ayodhya. He asks what's Ayodhya.... I tell him that's where Lord Ram was born.... so the fight is for building a temple. Then, he relates as he knows Lord Ram is God and temples are good things, and goes, "They will tell us to build a temple".... it was so simple for him! But, why did he say that? Because I conveniently chose to ignore telling him the complete story.... Did I do that on purpose? Did I want to hear what he said? Did I find the issue to complex to explain ? Did I not want to get into a discomfort zone? Or did I just feel ashamed to tell him what's been going on?I don't have the answers.... and maybe not enough courage to find out.

But, one thing is for sure. Aren't we all like six year olds with the media, the culture keepers, the scions of our religions, the brainwashing historians ..... we many a time don't know the complete picture, or worse still, don't want to know..... and draw our conclusions and form our opinions ......A must-introspect aspect......And now, as my son grundgingly settles for his iPod as a substitute, let me switch on the TV.....

2009 Slumdog Millionaire Hoopla - Cut to 2010 CWG Filth!!??

Was’nt it just a year back, India revelled in it’s filth and poverty being made a spectacle on celluloid? – ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ – one of the largest grosser made by one belonging to our erstwhile colonial rulers. It filled coffers and brought in laurels for all involved. People marveled at the realistic cinema, the display of the underprivileged, rung in a wave of slum tourism!
Well, not taking away anything from the movie….I liked it too …as within all that, there was this intriguing story telling that kept us gripped. Made us relate to the people and their ethos.
Cut to 2010, CWG - is’nt it the same filth and dirt in the face of our so called international patrons? Are we not all feeling ashamed that our International guests are turning up their noses? Are we not feeling as if all is lost and we have taken a severe beating!!! We an IT savvy country, home to some of the richest men in the world, we who take pride in immersing our idols in rivers and seas, we who vehemently clean our houses and gardens and don’t think twice before littering public places, we the ultimate gurus of Yoga and spirituality having millions of people not having basic peace at home.. leave alone spiritual.
Yes, we have been betrayed by money eating politicians maybe… but, can we the people get away by pointing fingers?
We Indians are the first to voice an opinion – coffee table discussions, chai time chats, TV shows, office chatter, or people like me blogging like this!! That is a legacy we have inherited… nothing bad about it, but, that is all, we are just good at voicing opinions and discussing feverishly till we get our next topic and move on!
The chasm between our celebration of ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ and so-called bowing heads for the CWG fiasco goes on an shows our own hypocricy.
No way am I supporting what we have displayed to the International community; especially about something so basic as hygiene and cleanliness; but, then, am just questioning – is this something new?? We live with this day in and day out with our famous ‘chalta hai’ attitude. There is nothing new. Just that we are feeling bad because someone from outside came, saw and pointed fingers.
Why we – me myself, the other day, I was aboard a plane with a foreign national sitting next to me. I cannot explain how embarrassed I was as I was reading the newspaper which had glaring headlines about CWG being India’s shame! It was a plane and I had no way to escape. I just hoped and prayed that the gentleman does not strike up a conversation or borrow the newspaper from me!
I was relieved of the tension after the plane journey was over with no such occurances. We all will be relieved in a few days when after some patchwork things will go on, and all our guests will leave.
We will move on and continue to live in our so called ‘filthy’ conditions. There will be bigger and different issues for Venkiayah Naidu to shout about, there will be other issues for Sheila Dixit to defend, there will be other pastures for Kalmadi to explore as he would allegedly have filled coffers, there will be another realistic cinema made and we all will scramble to take credit as Indians, we will continue to have our strict and stringent poojas with rules and regulations that will maybe put off a simple religious person into aethism, we will continue to drive our cooks and maids to perfection conveniently ignoring if they themselves have enough water & basic resources at their homes, we will continue to teach our children about how to save the environment and ourselves litter the streets……
We are very good at quick fixing things!!!
I remember we had the CWG Youth Games in Pune, and the stretch with stench and garbage near Spicer College which we, the people of the city were subjected to daily; were quickly concealed for the foreign folks coming in! How silly, our administrators don’t seem to know that the very Spicer College houses so many foreign students who have also been seeing this filth daily for years now J Aah.. one technical point though…. Maybe it’s because these people are supposedly from countries a notch lesser than ours or so called Third World countries.. so it’s ok!
Our own homes…. How many time have we dumped things in haste here and there when we know that some guests are to pop in!
So, it’s there…. And maybe not only within us, outsiders too. All want to put a pretty front in front of outsiders. But, the sad part now is we have failed to do that even! And had exposed our ugly selves – all bare.
I am a patriot, I cannot stand anyone speaking ill of my country, my heart cries at what has just happened with the CWG mess…. But, then, my only point is… it is only now, it got catapulted as a point of talk between all. This has always been there and unfortunately maybe here to stay…..

We as a people are bunch of contradictions! We want something, strive for something, have something, and end up doing something else!
We the country with a Hotel Taj Palace that speaks eons about grandeur and hospitality, also have the Dharavi.
We the country owning Jaguar also make the Nano.
When we are in places like Singapore – the spick and span cleanliness is amazing… but, maybe after while gets onto our nerves because we so miss our street vendors, hawkers, maybe an occasional litter on the street. Yes, we miss it. We may not state it… but that’s the environment we have grown up in… Singapore like surroundings start looking sterile and clinical to us and not real and alive!
So, maybe we cannot build a Singapore… and realistically, let us not even attempt! But, let’s at least get back the India of the famous, old charm that we always heard of…. ‘Sone ki Chidiya’.
We have great potential…. But, when is it going to collectively shine?? Not by ignoring our own people and putting a show in front of outsiders. Our own people who don’t have toilets in their homes and have been used to other innovative means are not going to change overnight because some visitors are visiting…. All this hoopla doesn’t even matter to them! They don’t read the morning newspaper, they don’t have to deal with international co-workers, they don’t have to nor want to put up any front!
They are already having their hands full with dealing with upper echelons of society within their own nation! They are worried about where they get their daily wages from.
It’s we the pseudo, noveau rich, urbane population – who flinch at poverty, won't give a dime or damn for anything, think we have arrived at the international scene, shout from rooftops about our corrupt politicians and again get them to power or worse still don’t even vote… see it’s too beneath us to be associated with politics you see!!
We are the ever so resilient, ‘chalta hai’ folks who should be ashamed and this is well deserved shame… not because someone dirtied those places, not because someone ate the money and didn’t get the job done, not because it’s someone else’s fault. We should take collective responsibility and reflect upon ourselves, introspect, understand the real ‘we’, try and decode if we really want to change, if yes – what we as a people want to do about it!!!!