Having completely left the political scene after the 2004 elections, a scene that he had adorned for over half a century, he has almost been forgotten today, except for perhaps the election posters and banners of BJP where he invariably finds a place at the top left spot. And it is those very pictures of him which evoke those feelings of my high school days when he was leading the country. He was the first person to have successfully led coalition in this country, a coalition which was constituted by a gamut of parties, all of them not very similar in ideologies to his own BJP. The images of Kargil war, Pokhran nuclear tests and the Lahore bus trip (which although ended up being more of a television drama than anything of substantial result) invariably come with the mention of Vajpayee. But what was more remarkable was his oratory and energy.

I personally am not a big fan of BJP and its current crop of leaders. But looking at the “leaders” that we have ruling the country today, the nostalgia does force us to go back to the days of Atal ji’s brand of politics (which might not have been necessarily “clean” all the time), when each and every word of his commanded authority and expressed belief. He truly appeared to be the man who was in-charge of the nation.And while all the debates around the Lokpal Bill today, see what Vajpayee had to say about it in the parliament in the 90s.

I am still looking for the speech in United Nations General Assembly which he famously delivered in Hindi, as the foreign minister in 1978!

]]> http://www.sumitkumar.info/2012/02/07/the-real-leader/feed/ 0 http://www.sumitkumar.info/2012/01/03/what-is-to-come/ http://www.sumitkumar.info/2012/01/03/what-is-to-come/#comments Tue, 03 Jan 2012 18:23:22 +0000 Sumit Kumar http://www.sumitkumar.info/?p=1234 Looking at some of my friends – at the places they are, the jobs they are in, it is not hard to arrive at a rather judgemental conclusion. Your deeds do play a role in where you end up, but in several cases, some not so thought of or planned of decisions play a decisive role, something which in rather plain terms would be referred to just as “luck”. (This should not be taken as any sort of “sore loser” kind of a situation. I am happy with where I am and I have had my share of good and bad decisions playing their roles in that).

Just to take a small example from our IIT system of placements – after qualifying in the IIT-JEE, only the lower ranked ones opt for M.Sc courses – which M.Sc course they choose is more often than not just a random choice. Little is known to students entering at that stage what benefits one would have over the other in terms of acheiving a so called “successful career”. So, through the entire course of five years of study, until the placements begin, a student of chemistry/physics and that of geology do not consider themselves any different from each other – they know it was just a matter of random choice making that they opted for one course and not the other. That feeling however entirely goes off in a whiff when the Geology folks are offered jobs by Schlumberger (a “dream company” among the current crop of IITians) because of its nature of work, while the Chemistry or Physics folks are left looking for options, most often into positions completely unrelated to their field of study. From that point onwards, none of them think about their JEE ranks or courses of study and so on. It was just a matter of small random decision making at some point of time in the past!

Looking back at some of those stories now, with a far more mature mind, they definitely appear to make much more sense. The lion, eager to feast on an ass which it had hunted and asked the fox to look after, came back to find out that the brain of the ass (the tastiest part supposedly!) was missing. The  fox, which had silently gorged on the brain while the lion was away, was nonchalant in its “scientific explanation” that “an ass has no brains” and the mighty lion quite easily fell for it! We all had our splits of laughter when we read this Panchatantra story.

The situation is not much different when applied to several of the situations around us, essentially this is the way how everyone who makes a “not so legitimate” gain deals with other. Not everyone has the same level of knowledge or experience of all the different tricks of the trade and this is how one set of people keep getting convinced about the “missing brain” and the other set keep running away with the “brains”. Of course, the other set referred to herein gets to experience a “role-reversal” at a different corner of the street, at a point where not they but someone else is the master of the trade!

In general, the even years tend to be more eventful, with the leap years even more, because of certain quadrennial and biennial sports events, US elections etc. (with the exception of World Cup Cricket, which is held in the year before the leap year, and that is one of the reasons to keep 2011 in mind, with the memorable Indian trimuph!) So this leap year, one can look forward to the Olympics, Euro Cup Soccer, the US elections – nothing much from the Indian point of interest though.

We in India would remember 2011 for India’s brilliant World Cup victory after 28 years, the incredible anti-graft movement lead by Anna Hazare which saw an unprecedented response from the public, and perhaps Mamata Banerjee who gave people the belief that in Bengal, there can be a government that is not of the Left – an entire generation hadn’t seen any other form of government in their whole lives! Well, most of the memorable events turn up rather unexpectedly – so let us see what 2012 has in store for us!

Wishing everyone a very Happy New Year! And no, I haven’t decided upon making any resolutions for myself!

Whatever the government’s intention would have been about the carrying the matter forward (the coming days would actually show that they were not as courteous enough to accept the Hazare and co’s version of the Jan Lokpal in verbatim), but the power that the “non-elected” Civil Society seemed to weld perhaps was enough to raise more than a few eyebrows. The politicians would have their obvious reasons of being scoffed at these developments. After all, they consider themselves and none else to be the guardians of the Constitution and the laws of the land, having earned that right by “getting elected” which no doubt involves a lot of hard work (of whatever nature that may be!). But what was appalling was to see other prominent intellectuals in TV studios getting critical of the so-called pressure tactics adopted by the civil society. They felt all this was setting up an unfavourable precedent for the great democracy that is India.

Isn’t democracy supposed to mean “power in the hands of the people” – the masses? And if this translates to power lying with a handful of people who do get elected once in five years, but then are largely aloof with the problems and issues facing the masses, I suppose the meaning of democracy needs a serious relook under the current circumstances. If those belonging to the political class believe that they hold the exclusive rights for formulating and protecting the laws, they first need to ensure that they are acceptable to the masses in terms of integrity. Winning an election once in five years (many of which by the way are achieved by some serious levels of misguidance spread on the basis of caste, religion, regional parochialism etc) can’t be a basis of depriving the public of their rights of “participating in the governance” of the land. Democracy cannot and should not be limited to getting to choose one amongst a list of candidates (who mostly are similar in their mannerisms and goals – being the modern age “political entrepreneurs”) once in five years.

So if the tactics adopted by Anna Hazare and his team does set up a “dangerous” precedent, it is all too well for the democracy and would further go on to strengthen it. This is a signal of the common man getting some real power in his hands and getting a say in what rightly is his due.

Was this the most incredible moment for Indian cricketing history? Absolutely, for us who were not born when the Kapil’s Devils did the last incredible thing in 1983, nothing can be bigger. Nothing can be bigger than a World Cup crown. The script was being written and read ever since the subcontinent was awarded the hosting rights for the 2011 World Cup and it was decided that final was going to be played at Mumbai. People talked of the dream setting of the great Sachin Tendulkar playing the great final and lifting the World Cup at his home ground. The dream beckoned even when the World Cup actually started, even when India floored the champions Australians in the quarter-finals and the arch-rivals Pakistan in the high voltage semifinal. It all appeared like a dream – until Dhoni hit that winning six. Sometimes, dreams do come true.

I can’t help but look back at the faint memories of the 1992 World Cup, where Indians had a rather unforgettable outing except for the victory against Pakistan. But I can proudly claim that after that, ever since the 1992 tour to South Africa, I have explicitly clear memories of the Indian cricket team playing any match, anywhere in the world.Between then and now, four World Cups had come and gone before this one – all of them ending in heartaches of different levels for an Indian fan, all of them having a different image which have stuck in the minds. 1996 was about that brilliant quarter-final win against Pakistan, immediately followed by the fire and bottle-throwing in the stands at the Eden Gardens in the semi-finals against Sri Lanka. 1999 can be remembered for Sachin coming back to join the team within two days of the demise of his father and hitting a brilliant hundred and then Ganguly hoisting Muralitharan, the ball falling into the river outside the ground. 2003 was the closest our generation got to witness the history but then would like to erase those memories of that final after a near-flawless campaign throughout the tournament. And lesser said the better about the 2007 World Cup – for us Indians (and Pakistanis) it’s almost as if that World Cup never happened.

When India booked their place into the finals against Sri Lanka after their win over Pakistan, one couldn’t help but conjure those images of a dejected Vinod Kambli weeping as he walked off the ground at the Eden Gardens that inauspicious night in the 1996 World Cup against the Lankans. Hopefully those images will now be wiped off by the ones of the players (who were in tears once again, of an entirely different kind though!) carrying Tendulkar and Gary Kirsten on their shoulders and wrapped in the tricolors, as they took a victory lap around the Wankhede Stadium. A long wait of 21 years, a glorious career, which almost resigned to its fate that it would end without a World Cup glory in spite of having achieved every conceivable record in the history of the game.

World Cup has always been special. We have had our moments elsewhere – winning tests in Australia, South Africa, England and West Indies. Winning the T20 World Cup, and winning the odd tournaments here and there. But the 50 over World Cup is different, it is special. Add to that Sachin Tendulkar’s much talked about “missing crowning glory” in the grand collection of jewels that he has amassed over the years. Already before him, some greats like Kumble, Srinath, Dravid and Ganguly had finished their careers without that big World Cup medal to their name.

As this World Cup approached, it in many ways was an indication of an era getting over. Ganguly, Srinath and Kumble have already hung their boots. Dravid and Laxman play only for the test matches and in all likelihood they would be calling it quits after the Australia tour at the end of this year, may be even earlier if things do not work out well with their bats in the England tour this summer. We had grown up watching and admiring this group of cricketers for years. No doubt the new young lot has been outstanding, but somehow the cricket romantic inside tends to get nostalgic and look back at all those years when the Indian team won many a battle all around, except for that ultimate prize – the World Cup. That the younger lot has done it makes it special in the way that it makes us hopeful that there may be many such glorious moments to come in the near future. That Sachin Tendulkar was a part of the team, and along with his not-so-surprising superb performance, made it all the more special.

These are the moments to savour. The importance of cricket in this country was on utter display in those moments of madness on the streets all across the country. Is there anything else which has ever raised the levels of national unity and patriotism like the Indian World Cup victory did? I just can’t think of any. What does the World Cup bring to a nation? What does it bring to me or an ordinary citizen? These are the questions that the bashers of the Indian cricket-craziness have been asking over the years. Well, just to put it in one word – it is the “happiness”. The feelings of ecstasy triumph over the numerous occasions of gloom or depression that we have to go through so often in our lives, which are within our beyond our control. These feelings no doubt fill us with a higher level of energy and enthusiasm which is reflected in many ways – from our work to our behaviours. This raises the productivity and above all the feeling of INDIANness – for which there are not many opportunities these days.

Having checked the train schedules the earlier night, we reached Sealdah Station just in time for the local train that goes to Port Canning, the last point in that line. The journey to Canning from Sealdah takes around an hour and half. Trains are pretty crowded, and although we did manage to get seats, some of us preferred standing near the door, enjoying the fresh air. The narrow road outside the Canning Station is full of small shops of tour operators, displaying large photos of Launches which are the popular means of transport to the Sundarbans. We talked to one such operator, who agreed to carry us around in his launch. It was around noon, and we were supposed to be on water until the next evening. Of course, they were ready to take us around for a longer duration, but given our time constraints, we had to stick to this plan.

The launch operators, for whom this is all but a routine stuff, led us from there onwards. They provided us with a cooking gas cylinder; the stove and the utensils are permanently there on the launch. The crew consisted of a driver (or a Captain more aptly!), and four others who were to support him. They also agreed to do the cooking for us as we couldn’t find a cook in Canning to come along with us. As we had to be on water for the next 2 days or so, we had to stuff ourselves with all the food items, to be consumed over the course of our water travel. However, we were told that the river was on a low tide, and as the water reduced further, it would be impossible to leave before the high tide came in late evening. So we put on hold buying our grocery items and hurried towards the launch, anchored on the river bank. The food items, we were told could be bought on a nearby place called Basanti, which was around two hours down the way from Canning. The walk to the river from the Canning station was mostly through narrow streets, filled with small shops and crammed houses.

Some two or three launches were anchored at the river bank. We made our way to our launch, forming a single line, walking across a wobbly wooden bridge. The climb to the launch was on a similar shaky wooden plank placed slantily between the bridge and the edge of the launch. For hand-support to the climbers, a bamboo stick was held parallel to the wooden plank by two young crew members, with one of them standing at the bridge and the other at the launch. On the first occasion, we did waver a bit, little realizing that the same acrobatic like act was to be carried out every time we had to get out from or get back into the launch. On later instances, though we became quite inured to the act!

As soon as all of us were on the launch, one of the kids in the crew dived into the water and took out the iron anchor from the mud at the river bed. Within minutes, the launch was on sail. Initially we saw some small boats travelling alongside us, but as we went further into the river, we became largely unaccompanied. We kept travelling non-stop for the next two hours or so. The time was mostly spent by some playing cards on the deck, some listening to songs on their iPods, or just sleeping amidst the cool breeze blowing across the vessel, in quite a pleasant weather with the sun concealed in an overcast sky.

We stopped at Basanti, where we had to get the permit to enter the Sundarbans National Park. In addition, we also did our shopping for the food items at the local market on the river ghat. Must say, the group of shops formed quite an comprehensive collection and we found all the stuff, ranging from rice, flour, spices, oil, maggi, to eggs, fruits everything. When we came back to the boat, it was already dark. Being in the eastern region and in the month of December, the evening comes rather early in this part of the country. We travelled for another couple of hours and stopped at another place where we had to drop for anchor for the night. We did some further shopping at the place, and the boat was taken to the middle of the river where the crew members carried out their tedious exercise of anchoring the boat to the river bed.

Three of the crew members then set into the cooking mode. The cooking was mostly according to the Bengali cuisine. They prepared some really tasty chicken, aloo-gobhi, potato fry along with rice and daal. After having the dinner and having some fun-filled conversations and photography at the deck, we went to sleep in our nicely laid beds in the lower deck. It was quite a beautiful sight in the river, with several launches being anchored around us, with all them illuminated with colourful lights.

The morning started with another small shopping and tea at the river bank, followed by setting off to our first “sightseeing point” – the Sajnekhali National Park. We “had” to take a guide, who was to accompany us on rest of our visit to the other points. We were said that this was one way in which the government was ensuring some sort of an employment to the local youth. So however smart and experienced you are, you just cannot go ahead and visit these places without hiring a guide.

Nothing much was to see there, apart from a watchtower, erected for spotting the tigers. Tiger sightings are rare anyway, so much so that any sighting of a tiger is recorded on a board there. Going through the dates of sightings recorded on the board, I realised that on an average a tiger is sighted once every 15-20 days. After this we went to two other similar parks – Sudanyakhali and Dobanki forest reserves. Although there were no tigers to be spotted, we did see some deers and other animals at such spots and a couple of crocodiles on the banks of the river. At one point the guide showed us some foot marks from the river, going into the forest. The marks were of non other than the all powerful Royal Bengal Tiger. In fact, tracking the foot marks is an  effective way of keeping a record of tigers in the dense forest.

By noon we had visited all the spots and had gone quite deep into the river, and were almost in to the sea – the Bay of Bengal. Instead of the forests on the two sides that we had been accustomed to so far, it was only water and water all around. The wind was gaining speed and the launch was hobbling quite a bit. A number of fishermen boats of all sizes were to be seen here, busy with their job at the peak hour of the day.

The boat-dwellers of the tide country have a special allegiance to their boats. The boats for them are not just their source of livelihood, but in many ways, ALL that they have – their abode, their means for gathering food (fish mainly), and of course their only source of income – by carrying travellers and tourists around the waters of the numerous intertwined rivers of the tide country. So it is no surprise that their boats are also the Gods for them. Typically for any launch, the leading front pointing edge is marked as the “boat God” (I just made up that term; I don’t know what they formally call it). That portion is covered by a red cloth and in some cases, the word “Om” is written there, demonstrating the religious significance of the edge. If your feet accidentally touches that leading edge of the boat (as if happened with a couple of us on different occasions), there are bound to be multiple noises decrying you of your sacrilege.

Lunch and breakfast were cooked on the way and as before, it was a great feeling relishing the food on the deck. From the sea, back to Canning, it took us around five hours and we reached Canning at around 5 in the evening. We walked off to the railway station, just in time to catch the train to Sealdah. Once in Kolka
ta, we decided to round off the great weekend with dinner at a Park Street restaurant and spending a few hours, at Someplace Else, a popular pub at Park Street.

And one parameter is definitely missing here – something is of paramount significance when it comes to ranking cities by magazines or channels to calculate fancy parameters like “livability index”. This parameter relates to the opportunities available in the city for earning a living. However, for professionals like me, this doesn’t hold much significance because we do not go to a city searching for opportunities, but rather we go to the city where the opportunity we have already found, wants us to be.

Amongst other things Bangalore definitely comes across most prominently for its wonderful climate. The public transport is good with buses plying to almost all parts of the city. This is only to get better when the Metro is operational. Property and rental costs are on the rise, but all in all I would say, definitely less than Mumbai or Delhi. All kinds of foods are available, although for North Indians, it takes some time to adjust to stuff like curd rice and sambhar. The roads are good, albeit somewhat narrower in most of the interior areas. This probably presents the striking reality about Bangalore – the city was not planned to be what it has become today. While the corporates have come and set their big offices here, infrastructure has well developed in certain areas like the Outer Ring Road, Koramangala, Whitefield etc. This sudden development however has not gone down well with the planning of most of the interior but heavily populated areas. The roads in such areas are circuitous and not even broad enough to allow a two-way transport of cars. This often leads to some prolonged traffic jams, particularly during the morning office-going and evening home-returning hours, extending even to the main roads.

Take care of traffic chaos and you have almost everything you want in a modern city. Malls are there to cater to daily needs in every locality. One doesn’t have to go out too far searching extensively for a restaurant for any desired cuisine. And for the party lovers, there are plenty of pubs and discos too. For the cricket lovers (me being a self-confessed one), Chinnaswamy Stadium is a really good place to enjoy matches every once in a while. Apart from all this one also can retreat to a number of nice getaways around the city, most of which offer both natural beauty and soothing climate.

Amidst all this, something which is evidently missing is a feeling of culture or heritage. So far the identity of the city is mostly as the IT capital of the country. The city doesn’t have a iconic railway station building like Mumbai, Chennai or Kolkata. There are no special kababs, biryanis, or parathas that belong to Bangalore. There are no traditional dances or festivals which are a symbol of the city. And there are no old buildings or monuments which are the landmarks of a city (let’s exclude the majestic Vidhana Soudha which is as new as the independence of the nation). What we do have are the modern landmarks, like the airport, the tall hotel buildings, and the huge commercial and industrial areas, very often stylishly called as “tech parks”.

While the state of Karnataka does have traditions of its own, most of these are associated with the nearby city of Mysore, which was the centre of power and culture for long. It was only after independence that Bangalore became the capital city and even then it was well known as a “pensioners’ paradise” and it was no until late nineties when the generous grants of the state government coincided with the Indian IT revolution that gave its present shape to the city.

Obama comes to India with a lot of hopes for his own country, creating 50,000 jobs – that’s what he claims to have achieved with this visit. An Indo-US relationship now promises to be built upon foundations of economics and trade. And Pakistan’s name is not being taken in the same breath when US talks about its relationship with India. Some thoughts really heartening that India’s relationship is not like one with Pakistan, which is based just on strategic interests. Also interesting points raised on news channels that India doesn’t have to go out to the world with begging bowls when there are natural disasters in the country, something which Pakistan is forced to do, despite all its “strong” relationship with the US.

Talking of the new high-tech relationship, the highlight of the business deals between the two countries have been the two deals of GE worth $1.4 billion – for 100 jet engines for light combat aircrafts for the Indian Air Force and gas turbines for the natural gas power plants of Reliance. The country looks forward to a bright future in this new world order. And we at GE hope also look forward to it and hope to be a part of it in a big way. If $10 billion of deals are to create 50,000 jobs in the US, GE’s $1.4 billion should create a substantial number of jobs. And considering that 1 out of every 4 technologist of GE is in India, that does mean lots of jobs for India too!

View Larger Map