Meeting Jane

It was like any other evening in the holy city of Varanasi. Apart from odd flashes of lightning in the sky, the city was functioning as usual. All the cogs in place. All the moving parts doing their bit to keep the city ticking. The paan wala was relentless in his quest to stuff paan down customers’ throats. I think he secretly takes great pride in making sure the road is as red stained as possible. The boatman was calling out for customers.Only in Varanasi can you start from 500 and bargain down to 50 for a half-hour boat ride. A group of children were busy playing a game of finding the coin. An elderly man, dressed in robes would throw a coin into the water and the children would dive in to seek it. This is the Ganga mind you. The holy river. I simply sat at the bank. Trying to take in as much as I could aee what made the city bustle with life every evening.

Dashashwamedh Ghat at Varanasi. June 2015

Soon the aarti was set to begin. I walked to the boats to watch the aarti from the water. The activities on the bank trickled to a halt and for fifteen minutes the focus of everyone in the vicinity turned to the Ganga aarti. I watched as thousands sought solace in the great fire that burnt on the banks. Tourists, people who had lost loved ones, locals, people who were part of the surroundings of Varanasi, as if embedded in them. Everyone watched without breaking a whisper. But as the aarti was about to enter its final stretch for its final blaze of glory, the gods above opened up. The drizzle quickly turned into a downpour as the city ran for cover. I stuffed my phone deep into my pocket and looked around for shelter when a woman appeared next to me in an umbrella. “Thank you” I said after a few minutes of awkward silence. “No problem” came the immediate reply. Today I remember it as the day I met Jane.

Why I would rather be robbed by taxes

Last month, the world was introduced to the Panama Papers. A leak of 11.5 million files from the database of the world’s fourth biggest offshore law firm, Mossack Fonseca. An anonymous John Doe leaked the records to a German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung, which shared them with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ). The ICIJ then shared the data by making a secret encrypted network with it’s international partners, including the Guardian and the BBC. It’s only Indian partner is The Indian Express.

All that the Panama Papers did was reveal a leak of data. It isn’t necessarily illegal to have offshore accounts. Using offshore accounts is entirely legal and there exist legitimate reasons for doing so. But it is also likely that while not all, but many of the offshore accounts found in the Panama Papers were set up with malicious interests – mainly to avoid taxes. Now, that is a crime. It seems the wealthy have gone through extraordinary measures to create a confusing web of shell entities to hide money, evade taxes or otherwise protect their wealth. I view it as nothing other than a crime.

Picture Courtesy: Süddeutsche Zeitung

In India, (and I imagine in most countries in the world) taxes pay for welfare, infrastructure support (roads, bridges), medicare, pension,  university funding, policing, superannuation, public education, student loans, disability support, residential aged care, and a host of other services. If an individual that earns 50 lakhs p/a is taxed, do you really believe you are lowering their quality of life? I don’t think so and with that money (in a government free of corruption) it would actually enhance the lives of many more people. Do you honestly believe a common man could afford medical expenses without government help? Private health insurance companies design loopholes to give out as little money as possible. In many cases, people are burdened with enormous medical expenses just to stay alive and public health plans are a lifeline to them. Isn’t it better to be robbed by the government and have the money re-purposed into health care and public education as opposed to lining an insurance company’s coffers?

People can stop paying taxes if they like, just don’t drive on the roads, don’t use government facilities, don’t call the police, don’t use government hospitals, don’t use public, higher and in some cases private education, don’t use public parks, don’t use public transport and so on.

The Panama Papers has exposed the lengths to which the wealthy are ready to go to protect their assets and the ways in which they go about it. Even though it only confirmed what the world already doubted, there are plenty of silver linings. A Special Investigation Team is looking into Indians linked in the Panama Papers. Preet Bharara, a feared US attorney has opened a criminal investigation against people linked in the Panama Papers in a Manhattan court, the rich are looking for new ways to stash their money, politicians worldwide are facing uncomfortable questions and are losing public support because of it. The Prime Minister of Iceland has stepped down after his name was linked in the papers.

A small dent in the big picture but a much welcomed one, nonetheless.

 

 

 

WATCH WHAT YOU CLICK

If you are reading this, then this post concerns you –  User of the Internet.

Facebook is trying to ruin your favorite past-time – browsing online

But there IS something you can do about it.

WHAT IS HAPPENING?

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) last week brought out a second consultation paper on Net Neutrality, eight months after the first one.

Facebook soon created a campaign to save Free Basics – their pet project that aims to provide Facebook to people for free and has already taken form in countries around the world.

THE HOW?

The way the campaign works is simple and in a twisted way, ingenious. You might have received a notification lately about Free Basics. It looks something like this.

“To the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India, I support digital equality for India. Free Basics provides free access to essential internet services like communication, education, healthcare, employment, farming and more. It helps those who can’t afford to pay for data, or who need a little help getting started online. And it’s open to all people, developers and mobile operators. With one billion Indian people not yet connected, shutting down Free Basics would hurt our country’s most vulnerable people. I support Free Basics – and digital equality for India. Thank you.”

The email goes to TRAI.

But here’s what they are not telling you. Facebook IS NOT promoting Net Neutrality. On the contrary, it is opposing it. Those who sign up for Free Basics, will get free access to Facebook and few other select services that tie up with Facebook, thereby creating an online walled garden. A world within the online world, with Facebook at the center of it.

It is exploiting the poor to become a customer in the guise of some higher charitable purpose by claiming that it is going to connect people who don’t have access to Internet.

By agreeing with Facebook, not only are you saying yes to an inequal internet but you also ensure that your friends get a notification saying you have supported “Digital Equality”, hence causing a ripple effect online.

 

India has 125 million Facebook users, second only to the United States but only 15% of Indians have access to internet. This could explain why Facebook is intent on implementing Free Basics – to reach the other 85% Photo Courtesy: Manas Mishra

Facebook also added:-

“A small vocal group of critics are lobbying to have Free Basics banned on the basis of Net Neutrality”

The small group of critics include several organisations like Times of India, NDTV, Newshunt and Flipkart that quit Facebook’s Internet.Org (the previous avatar of Free Basics) soon after Mark Zuckerberg wrote  an Op-Ed explaining how it would work.

The small group includes Tim Berners Lee – the creator of the World Wide Web, who says we should “Just say No” to initiatives like this.

The small group is also 1.1 million strong in India. That is the number of replies received by TRAI supporting Net Neutrality when they released their first consultation paper back in April.

The first paper was so complicated that AIB made a video explaining it (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfY1NKrzqi0).

Atleast this second paper is much shorter than the first one and seems to be written in simple and readable language. You can read the new Consultation Paper here – http://www.trai.gov.in/Content/ConDis/20761_0.aspx

It ends with four questions, with one of them being

Q. Are there alternative methods/technologies/business models, other than differentiated tariff plans, available to achieve the objective of providing free internet access to the consumers?

Yes. There is. Mozilla’s Grameen Phone programme that offers 20 MB of free data to anyone who buys a low-cost device. It does not violate net neutrality because it offers Internet access for free and not just Facebook and their best buds.

WHY YOU SHOULD BE BOTHERED

Because nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity and if you read my blog all the way till here, then you clearly spend a lot of your time on the internet. For the sake of everything you do on the internet, spend a minute of your time online to try and preserve it.

This is the email id – advisorfea1@trai.gov.in

Send an email to TRAI stating you are in favor of Net Neutrality before December 30.

Thank You. Fellow Internet User

 

Paranoia

I was travelling overnight by bus from Banaras to Hazaribagh in Jharkand. Everything about the bus was shady. I had gotten a last-minute ticket from an equally shady looking man at the bus depot. The man had explained that there is no government buses to Jharkand and a private bus was my only option.

The bus arrived at 8 pm, a full two hours late. As soon as I stepped into the bus however, my paranoia kicked in. I felt like I was travelling with the cast of Gangs of Wasseypur. Everyone in the bus looked like they would draw a knife at any moment. And Gangs of Wasseypur was shot somewhere nearby in Jharkand, the thought of which kicked my paranoia into overdrive. Also, the bus was PACKED. There were people everywhere. On the steps, in the aisle, around the gearbox. I produced a piece of paper which passed for a ticket, which meant that I was guaranteed a seat. I slipped into my seat next to a large man. I didn’t dare open my phone and kept my bag close to me as the bus started moving. I was sleepy but I thought if I slept I would be robbed or worse stabbed by someone so I tried my best to stay awake. It wasn’t all that hard. There is something about fearing for your life that automatically keeps you awake however sleepy you are. I think it’s adrenaline although I was never good at Biology so I’m not sure.

After a while,  the large man sitting next to me tugged my shirt and pointed at my feet. My water bottle had fallen down from my bag. For a while, I hesitated to pick it up thinking that someone would stab me as soon as I bend down. But the large man kept pointing at the bottle so I quickly bent down and picked it up. No stabbing.

I began to question my paranoia. Maybe we have got it wrong – the media has got it wrong. Maybe the world isn’t a bad place after all. All the bad stories you read about in the news or hear on TV, maybe they are not so common and the media looks for such stories – stories of crime and hatred – because it is more interesting. If you take a newspaper at random, it’s a safe guess to say there will be more negative stories than positive ones. And this is affecting our thinking, making us fearful that around every bend there’s danger waiting. Around every bend, there are a million possibilities waiting – danger is just one of them.

While there are gruesome stories where people are raped, murdered and cast away but I think there is more good in this world than bad. The positive stories just don’t interest us. Most of our lives is filled with regular things like this routine bus journey I was in. Anything can happen at any time but almost always, the most predictable things happen.

So here I was, at the heart of Jharkand. Fully convinced an hour earlier that I was not going to make it out of the bus with all my possessions. But in the hour I spent in the bus, I saw nothing to confirm my suspicions. It seemed like I was traveling with peaceful people – everyone with their own struggles trying to fit into the world.

I looked around the bus again and couldn’t help but think about the people around me. There was a woman supporting four children at the back trying her best to silence them while her husband carried two more kids. I imagined they were migrant labourers in search of jobs because it seemed like they had packed all their possessions with them. Beyond them, there was a group of young boys. They were talking about applying for a job in the police force. I observed the large man next to me. He held the newspaper in one hand – Dainik Jagran – and clasped the seat with the other hand. He was trying his best to sleep but without much success.

Gradually I relaxed. I took out my phone and started listening to music. In a few minutes, I was asleep. When I opened my eyes again, the sun had risen. I was near Hazaribagh. I checked my bag and wallet. Everything was where it should have been. When the bus reached Hazaribagh, I struggled to get out of my seat without disturbing the large man next to me. But other than that the journey was as smooth as you can imagine.

What went wrong?

She was the first thing I noticed when I entered the museum. The girl behind the counter. She was deeply engrossed in a book. I squinted hard to make out the name of the book hoping it was familiar to me but in my excitement of finding out the name of the book, I had caught her attention.

She smiled at me as soon as she caught me staring. Slowly, she got up from her chair and came up to me. My heart did not skip a beat and as far as I could see there was nobody playing the violin in the background but I felt uneasy where I was standing. She was still smiling the same smile that lit up her face when she first saw me and I forced myself to smile back so that I didn’t come off rude. I mumbled something about wanting to know more about the Tibetan freedom struggle. For a brief second, I was not sure if she bought my lie but then she nodded with the same constant smile and spoke, “This museum is dedicated to that. Let me show you around”.

She guided me around the museum, explaining the different atrocities committed by the Chinese with the Tibetan people. I made a conscious effort to understand what she was saying.  It is hard to focus on many things at once as I was also subtly trying to delay the guided tour as much as possible. But very soon, we were back at the entrance and I had to reluctantly take my leave.

Before I left, I asked her where I can get more information about the Tibetan independence movement. At this point, unexpectedly, her smile vanished. Had I said something wrong?

Good things come to those who wait

I had to travel two hours across Bangalore to meet my sister for the first time in a while and naturally I was impatient while I tried to get one of the dull BMTC buses to stop for me. “There’s no stop here” came the cry from every bus conductor, “Go that way”.

I finally stopped and looked at the direction the conductor was pointing. In the distance I could see a bus stand  but it was far from where I was standing. Maybe 700 metres if I had to take a guess. I saw no other option and broke into a jog in that direction. On the way, a hand unexpectely held out and stopped me in my tracks.

An old man with a walking stick was staring back at me. Before I could look away from him and continue on my pursuit of a bus, he had held my hand and was motioning for me to help him cross a puddle of water. Reluctantly I helped him slowly across the puddle of water and into the road. He said, “Thank you son” but I was in no mood to listen to him. I was already walking away from him when the familiar wrinkled hand held out and stopped me again. He asked me if I was looking to board a bus. I said,”Yes and the bus stop is over there (pointing)”. Once again, I tried to separate myself and sprint to the bus stop but the old man held me tighter.

Then, he raised his walking stick and a bus stopped right in front of us. I hurried inside and looked back at the old man. He was staring back at me with an all-knowing smile.

An accident waiting to happen

I am against all forms of religion but I do believe in God. Now more than ever. There is something about a life-threatening incident that makes you believe in a higher power. On December 30, 5:45 pm Indian Standard Time, I met with an accident and as far as accidents go, it was pretty bad. I was traveling in the back of a jeep when the driver lost control and crashed. By that, I mean the jeep flipped over a full 180 degrees and all five of us in the vehicle were thrown around like rag dolls.

Now I don’t remember much of the immediate aftermath of the crash. I black out a good few minutes before waking up fallen on the side of the road looking up at the sky. I’m bleeding a little but I can’t find the wound even after I grope every inch of the body that I can reach. I immediately start shouting “Hospital” or at least I think I am but the word coming out of my mouth does not sound like “Hospital”. In fact, it doesn’t sound anything remotely like it. At this point, I’m thinking that I’ve lost the ability to speak. I imagine I’d have to live my life like Tushar Kapoor from Golmaal. But thankfully, in my third attempt, I blurt out “Hospital” and it actually sounds about right. Next, I decide to test my memory. I think real hard about my first English teacher. I recall it soon enough – Mrs. Shyamala Das – and heave a mental sigh of relief. If I remember my first grade English teacher, then my memory is definitely fine.

What remains of the jeep

I stand up and survey the situation. We are in the middle of nowhere but somehow a lot of people have gathered around the overturned vehicle. I remember getting infuriated by a few who were standing around doing nothing or even worse – clicking pictures. I ignore them because there’s no time to waste here. I scan the crowd for my friends and spot one of them. He seems fine apart from a small cut on his forehead. He’s a tough looking fellow, so I’m not surprised. He gestures to me that he’s leaving to get help. I nod in acknowledgment and turn to see the other two.

A lifetime of watching detective TV shows did not prepare me for the sight of my two friends laid out in a bloody mess on the road. Reality just hits you sometimes. It doesn’t censor the gore parts – like TV does. It doesn’t soften the blow for you. It just hits you. I remind myself I can’t change what has already happened, so I rush to the friends covered in blood. I try my best to avoid eye-contact with them while I helped them up. One of them is unwilling to get up and I lash out at him for being silly. It’s probably a good thing he doesn’t remember any of it.

Help arrives soon enough in the form of an auto and I manage to squeeze into it with my two friends. As soon as I do that, the auto zooms away. The driver, who I later found out to be Sameer, was a life-saver. He drove the two-stroke auto rickshaw like a Ferrari. I think even Michael Schumacher would have been proud of the way he took us across Manipal to KMC Hospital.

Here at the hospital, time slowed to a crawl. Hours went by as the doctors tried different tests. X- rays, CT scans and whatever else they do to ensure a patient’s safety and conveniently bill them for it. At this point, none of the possessions we care so much about, mattered. None of the non-materialistic things we care so much about, none of it mattered. I would trade all of it in a heartbeat to ensure my friends were unhurt. I think everyone who thinks they’re about to die, suddenly appreciates life that much more. You start thinking about all the things you didn’t do because you always thought you had a lot of time. That place you never visited or that girl you never asked out. Of all the human emotions, regret is probably the worst one, especially when you can’t do anything to change it.

Thankfully there are no regrets here. The doctor came in a few hours later with the good news – We’re all going to be fine in a few days. No major injuries. Of the five of us, one walked away with barely a scratch. I still don’t know how. One is recovering from a fracture, two others look like the Joker from Batman, complete with scars and make up, while I sustained bruises.

Incidents like this take away your notions of being a safe driver. If you think you’re a safe driver who’ll never get into an accident, then it’s better you rethink that. Even Schumacher, a 7 time World Champion in Formula One, is currently in a coma after a crash. Admittedly, it did not happen on the road, but it goes to prove the point – Accidents can strike anywhere, the only thing you are in control of is the speed at which you go. You have no control over the drunken truck driver or the late-to-work car driver ramming into you. Going slower only helps reduce the risk involved in an accident.

After this minor speed bump, I’ll get back to posting as usual because I doubt I’ll risk my life any time soon. To everyone reading this, stay safe, have a happy 2015 and keep reading.

Divided by faith

Few days ago, I watched PK and it got me thinking about the religions of the world and how it has affected our life more than it should.

But before I begin, I have to include a disclaimer – There will be things here that some may find shocking and offensive. If you are religious, this post isn’t one for you, unless you are open to seriously criticising your religious beliefs and attacking everything you hold dear. All of the views expressed here attack doctrine, purely. I have nothing against Christian, Jewish, Hindu or Muslim people. I have everything against the Bible, the Torah, the Gita and the Quran. I have everything against priests and popes, rabbis, swamis and imams. But absolutely nothing against the believers. Stupidity and gullibility are not crimes, they are things all of us have been guilty of in our short lives. While it is no crime to be fooled, it is a major crime to fool somebody, and therefore, I am critical of the leadership and the agendas of the religions of the world.

However, I bear no prejudice against religious purists. They are often exceptional human beings, filled with love and care for their fellow humans. There is nothing inherently wrong with devout Christians, Jews, Hindus or Muslims – at the end of the day, they are simply honest, God-fearing people who are completely devoted to what they believe is the truth. There is something wrong, however, about their religions. Firstly, the Bible says whoever doesn’t believe in Christ has no God

“Whosoever … abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.” — 2 John 9

and it even advises against being friends with non-believers.

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” -2 Corinthians 6:14

If religion teaches you to embrace humanity (as we have been taught over the years), why is the Bible openly condemning non-believers? Aren’t they humans too? Islam has a similarly close-minded outlook. The Quran says that all non-Muslims are Qafir (disbeliever). No matter how virtuous and great they are. If they aren’t Muslims, all their virtues are futile. So basically, a fierce Taliban fighter is better than a Yoga teacher according to the Quran.

Followers worship a dog in Dharamsala, Himachal Pradesh.  Photo Courtesy – Soham Kundu

My personal religious beliefs have changed over the years. I let go of Hinduism because I did not agree with it. As you may remember, I come from a family of traditionalists, so it was kind of hard to have any sort of radical thinking growing up because deep rooted in Hindu families is this assumption that religion is truth. Religious superstitions cannot be questioned even if they usually have gaping logic holes. I remember asking often why I can’t cut my nails in the evening or why I cannot venture out during a solar eclipse. The answer to everything was similar. We are Hindus and our religion tells us so. Inevitably, I concluded that religion does not apply logic. It is blind faith. Now, I wonder how is it that a majority of the world population has been brainwashed by blind faith?

Let us go back to the roots. The story of the start of this brain-washing. Imagine all the ‘prophets’ that have appeared to humanity – Moses, Jesus, Mohammad, and more (such as oracles, augurs, shamans, and so on) – Imagine they suffered from schizophrenia. Not convinced? Our understanding of the illness today is that those who suffer from it hear voices, and see hallucinations. Things that nobody else but themselves can see and hear. We didn’t know anything about schizophrenia as a species until fairly recently. Certainly not in the pre-modern world.

Consider the origins of modern Islam. On the night of revelation, the Prophet Mohammad was in a state of shock and confusion (and this is actually documented in the Quran – in Surah 46:9). He had a visitation with something, but whatever it was, was so horrible that he was not sure whether it was the voice of God or the voice of the Devil that spoke to him. And he remained unsure of that throughout his life. It was only through the urgings of others – others who were not visited and had no clue what was going on in Mohammad’s head – such as his wife and the Bishop of Mecca, that he decided it was God speaking to him. That strips the credibility of his visions actually being the voice of God, because he had to be convinced by third parties, people who had no idea what actually happened. People with agendas of their own. Maybe all Mohammad’s wife wanted was a more prominent position in the city of Mecca, and if you’re married to a prophet, you’ll get that in spades.

Similarly, the origin stories of other religions are open to scrutiny but let’s not get into that. Prophet Mohammad, and all the other prophets, shamans that have come into the world, their symptoms are consistent with schizophrenia. Before medicine understood mental illness, there was a flood of people who claimed to be God’s instruments around in the world. Why were there so many prophets around 2000 years ago but none today? Most probably because today’s ‘prophets’ are heavily sedated and kept in padded cells for their own safety.

Ultimately, to believe in religion is fine. Every one has the choice. If you find peace with religion then all the power to you. But to promote and parade it as the truth is wrong. To make people act according to it is wrong. I personally choose to be skeptic about religion. A lot of you reading this will disagree but I think, like everything else in today’s world, religion has turned into a marketplace, each religion with their own agendas to control the masses and the sooner we break free from this control, the world will be a better place.

 

Life on the other side

Recently, I had been to Calcutta (I grew up calling it Calcutta, so go with it). For all it’s artistic glory, Calcutta succumbs to a common yet grave problem plaguing the majority of the country – Poverty. More specifically, it was apparent in Kumartuli (North Calcutta), a twenty minute drive from the city.

Kumartuli is an entire colony of artisans, mainly potters making Durga Puja idols. Here, the gullies are extremely narrow and run for kilometres in every direction. There are very few vehicles and scarcely any electronic gadgets. No TV’s that I could see of. No mobiles, laptops and all the other tools that have become a way of life for the rich in the country. It offered a sense of calmness, a far cry from the hustle and bustle of city life. If you weren’t convinced about the scale of poverty in India, then just peek under the many punishing layers of an Indian city. The magnitude will shock you. For every rich kid out there, there are three poor ones living in deplorable conditions and without access to education. If you ask one of the kids living there, they’d probably say they’re attending a nearby government school but given how government schools are run with such staggering ineptitude across the country, I don’t have much hope for anyone passing out of one.

A lane in Kumartuli, North Calcutta Photo Courtesy – Rahul Menon K

Most people in India are hard-wired to ignore this. People look at slum areas and turn away. As if the poverty and economic class division is somehow an in-built default part of the country. It has slowly but surely seeped into everyone’s thinking, including mine. Beggars are treated with disdain and the kids on the streets looked down upon. For example, you’re at a restaurant and you see a child, unmistakably under age, working there. Would you do something about it or go on with your life as if nothing happened? 99% of us would do the latter.

But for those who took advantage of the capitalist system, the rich people, life is more than comfortable. In Karl Marx’s words, they are a bit like sorcerors who can’t control their superpowers. They have so much money that they don’t know what to do with it while there are over 350 million people in the country living in poverty. Note that 350 million is a conservative estimate because you cannot trust official figures in India. They are almost always plumped in order to make the government look good but anyway I digress because there is no feasible way to prove my suspicions.

Photo Courtesy – Indranil Sarkar

Unrestricted capitalism is like a freeway with no speed limits. People go at full throttle, they don’t care who they run over (usually the poor). But once you introduce limits and stop signs, it helps run the whole operation smoothly. It’s easier to go down a road when you know that everyone won’t be going 50 miles faster than you and that cars at intersections will stop and let you pass at green lights. In the same way, in a fair(er) world, it’s easier for the common man to take care of his basic economic security when there are less people like the Tatas and Ambanis in the world grabbing a lion’s share of the wealth.

Now, going back to the core purpose of this post – to shed light on Kumartuli in North Calcutta. It is apparently India’s only Potter’s town. A colony of artisans where most residents make ends meet by doing hard labour. It is located on the banks of the Hooghly River and from what I deciphered, the residents produce Durga Puja idols and other small articles from scratch. I do not know the statistics or the number of idols they make every year but I’m willing to bet that they are remarkably high as they seem to be working all year long. Making these idols is also excruciating work. Bamboo and straw makes up the basic structure after which clay is applied and the idol is painted in colors. The fascinating aspect here is that the straw and bamboo is reused every year from earlier idols, salvaged from streets and rivers. I’m sure it’s a way to save money but the people here are environmentally conscious

Idol making in Kumartuli, North Calcutta Photo Courtesy Rahul Menon K

In retrospect, it was overwhelming to see how life goes on in this neighbourhood, to see the people here go about their morning routine. Virtually undisturbed by all the materialistic possessions we are surrounded by and have grown attached to. I yearn for a society where the common good actually exists and where the people from poor backgrounds get the necessary education to elevate themselves out of poverty. There is talent and potential in millions of Indians but only those with the basic economic security, those of us who don’t have to worry about earning our daily meal, can go about pursuing our interests. The rest have to devote almost all of their time towards survival (earning their daily meal) that they do not have the opportunity to pursue what they really want. I see an entire generation wasted, pumping gas, waiting tables, washing dishes – working as slaves to the white collars.

I think I’ve prophesised enough about my views on capitalism. This is the last post I’ll devote to it but think about it. The world maybe good to you but for those that aren’t quite lucky, for those on the other side, the world is nothing but wicked and oppressive.

Capital Fear of Exams

If you haven’t read the first post, please scroll down and do so. Because this is kind of like an extension of it. Remember I touched upon the evil in our society – Capitalism?  Not quite a week ago, I had another epiphany. This is my thinking, my philosophy. You may not understand it – many people I’ve talked to this about certainly don’t, but perhaps now you know my life story, you know how I think (sort of) and will understand what I mean.

It began when I was out in my backyard, I noticed a colony of ants. Then, like a bolt from the blue, the thought struck me – for all the ‘progress’ we claim to have made as a species, humanity is no more advanced than that lowly insect, the ant. You need to run with me on this one. The world of ants, like the world of bees, is one that is based on the worker-queen model. Millions of automatons working mindlessly to feed and protect the one queen who ruled the whole colony. Think now to the world of liberal democracy and capitalism. It, too, is based on the worker-queen model. We work to feed and further the interests of the ‘queens’ of our society – the huge dynasties that control the world today.

Now, ants and bees, I think, actually need this relationship for their prolonged survival as species – aren’t the queens the only females in the colonies or something like that? But why do we humans need the elite at the top of the hierarchy? Why do we even need a hierarchy even? Would it not be more efficient (not to mention fair), if, instead of the worker-queen model, all humans took on the characteristics of both worker and queen? That is, the capacity to feed ourselves, to take care of that minimum economic security; whilst simultaneously contributing to governance and progress as a society?

By this I mean a society where people are rich enough that they eat their daily bread but not beyond that.A society where there are less poor people and less rich people. A society where the division between the poor and the rich is bridged and a society where your talent and how far you are willing to work for it counts and NOT who your parents are or how rich they are. In a perfect world, the solution to this problem is meritocracy.

Meritocracy is an ideal system of governance where the best aspects of capitalism (the incentive to actually achieve) and communism (limits being placed on how far you can achieve, making sure nobody goes poor) are fused together. Meritocracy is a system in which those who truly deserve to be at the top rise to the top. Those that are most intelligent, most skilled, most brave, most innovative, most creative, whatever – will be those entrusted with governing for the good of humanity. They will be well rewarded for their talents, but not so well rewarded that their wealth is deemed offensive. Nobody will be allowed to be too poor, or too rich.

Man sleeping on the road in Thrissur, Kerala. Photo Courtesy – Rahul Menon K

In today’s world, this scenario does not happen. A man that works for 15 hours, if he doesn’t know the right people, have the right background etc..will only get 15 hours pay. This is your every day common man. But a man who works one hour, but happens to be a member of the elite, will get thousands of hours worth of pay for that little bit of work. And these elite people already have all the advantages. They go to the best schools and the best universities. They’re always close to the real center of power. They need never worry about their daily meals. In fact, with everything they’ve got going for them, if they achieved any less than what they do now, it would be a truly mind-boggling display of ineptitude. If you believe the current world we live in is a meritocracy, think again. Look at the list of the highest ranking officials worldwide. The CEOs, the Presidents, the movers and shakers, the power brokers. You’ll find many, many things in common. They’re all the same type of people, pretty much. Filthy rich, white, male, often Jewish (I’m no anti-Semite); went to a prestigious Ivy League university, awarded with a top job as soon as they graduated. Life is made for them. How about the 2004 US Presidential election? Republican candidate George Bush – born with a silver spoon in his mouth, alma mater: Yale University, member of Yale secret society Skull and Bones. Democratic candidate John Kerry – born with a silver spoon in his mouth, alma mater: Yale Universty, member of Yale secret society Skull and Bones. No matter who America voted for, the same person was going to take the Oval Office. To make it worse, the Bush family sat in the White House for 12 years and did absolutely nothing positive in that time.

Coming back to Meritocracy. It will avoid the pitfalls of capitalism because in a meritocracy, everybody starts from zero. There are no inheritances, there are no Ivy League schools to attend, there is no nepotism, there is no corruption. The only thing that will get you anywhere is how talented you are and how prepared you are to work hard for it. Your success is the direct result of your merit. Of course, on practical implementation, some of the bad traits will eventually creep into the system, but wouldn’t a complete overhaul in the way the world functions improve today’s society? A new world order of sorts.

Now the big question is judging this merit. The judging process used around the world today is that of examinations – another inherent evil in today’s world. From the early years of your life, you are continuously in a vicious cycle of writing examinations. An examination is supposed to judge your smartness, creativity, skill and ability to think on the spot but the problem with the concept of examinations, at least in India, is how lazily they are implemented and how students train themselves to remember answers as opposed to actually learning something. Bookish knowledge has taken more importance than actual smartness. The concept of final exams, end sem exams whatever you want to call them, is flawed in more ways than I can imagine. You can do whatever the hell you want for an entire year but show up prepared for the final exam and get away with it.

Imagine Person X is neither smart nor innovative but has the ability to store a lot of information in his head (we have all come across this person in our lives). Now Person X has struck gold because that is ALL the world is looking for today. Your ability to remember a string of words and blurt it out in examinations. Is it truly testing one’s ability? The end result here is that the students who rise up through this system are eventually the leaders of tomorrow. They are the people trusted with governance and leadership in the future but the system in selecting these people is so screwed up and on so many levels that we are in the situation we are in today. Starting from kindergarten to the higher studies and everything in between – examinations are defeating their purpose.

Students busy writing in Birla school, Kolkata  
Photo Courtesy – Medha Jha

I have an elaborate solution in mind though. It will take atleast a generation, if not more, to implement, but with the smarter and enthusiastic entrepreneurial class emerging in India (the one that voted Modi in), I have hope. Anyway it goes as follows :-

1. Proactive judging i.e. teachers judge students regularly over the basis of a few months so that students are accountable for more than just the final examination. This way hardwork and punctuality is rewarded and one’s ability is not based on a single examination, eliminating luck and other factors that come with any one-off event.
2. Practical activities so that the student’s ability to apply the concepts they study in real life is tested. This gives a much fairer assessment of one’s ability and hence those who rise to the top in this system are naturally more practical and responsible in the way they go about their work. It also means less people like Person X in the world which is always good.
3. Along with the teachings of maths and science, inculcate the teachings of honesty, integrity and social responsibilities in the school syllabus. Science and Maths enhance knowledge. Not wisdom.

In China and the US, there exist toddler swimming programs i.e babies of 1-2 years old are left in the water. This is done so that the child is used to the water environment at an early age and eventually gets used to it. It’s human nature to adapt to the surroundings and this is also probably why these two countries produce World class swimmers.

Now, forget the aspect about swimming and implement the above example on a philosophical level. Childhood is a critical part of one’s life. It’s the time when the values and philosophies that eventually define you, are instilled in you.  So, if a child is taught values of moral ethics and responsibilities (like honesty integrity helpfulness civic sense) at this early stage, say 4 to 8 years old, he/she will find it inconceivable to go against those values later in life. I truly believe that it will make a big difference if, instead of sharpening our brain with mathematical mumbo jumbo and scientific gibberish, we enhance our mind with life values to live by.

What do you think? Sound off your comments. Any feedback is welcome. Oh and Bookmark this page for future reference