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Sarvesh Mehrotra in this classic writes how greed is the new God. Read on

I was reading an article today about how technology is the new religion. It explored how people gather at Apple conferences with a sense of anticipation and euphoria at a new product launch, and how a shared world of technology that was common between everyone created a sort of tribe that celebrated the “god” and worshipped together. I believe that is because in today’s world, two fundamental beliefs form the basis of our world-view and lifestyle: first is that there is no continuity to our existence beyond birth and death.  We are born, we die, and that’s it. The second one, which actually in some ways follows from the first, is that only what is experienced through the senses is important and real. Everything else is either overrated, or unimportant, or at least dispensable.

These two fundamental beliefs give rise to the next set of beliefs, some of which are: a human being starts his/her life as a blank slate, and must achieve or become something to make their life a success; a successful life is one in which there are signs of material prosperity and a relatively large ability to possess material things; the aim of life is to make it successful in this manner; problems in life must be resolved through application of the mind; any course of action of decision taken in life can be evaluated through its impact on one’s ability to possess material things; every right/good thing, person, or decision can, must, and should be measured in material terms; failure is a decrease in the ability to possess material things; all available time must be utilized; and so on.

This structure of beliefs then gives rise to a value system, in which we categorize things, situations, decisions, and people as right/wrong, good/bad, etc. which then becomes the basis of our decision-making in everyday life. Examples of thoughts that form this value system are: the creation and consumption of material things is a great way to fill the time available in life; increase in the ability to acquire material things is good and decrease is bad, unless it can later help take a decision that leads to an increase; the best way to solve problems in life is to use the mind’s logical and analytical abilities; anything not perceived by the senses is most likely a hoax or hallucination and therefore not to be trusted; success is good and failure is bad; time spent not working to increase one’s ability to acquire material things is time wasted; and so on.

Living in a world where the belief and value system described above is commonly shared, it is natural that things become our saviours from the uncertainties of life, and anyone who creates great things becomes a hero or god, which is where Apple and Steve Jobs (and a host of others) currently are in popular mindset. And while it is true that things have resolved problems humans have faced for survival on the physical plane, I believe we’ve taken the fascination with things too far at this point because anything that’s not a thing isn’t important anymore. In today’s world for an artist to matter, their art must sell; for a sportsperson to matter, they must win; for a worker to matter, they must bring the greatest profits to their employer; for a parent to matter, they must leave the greatest inheritance for their child; for a partner to matter, they must bring the ability to earn money to the relationship; for a forest to matter, it must be attractive to tourists; for a tree to matter, it must provide wood or fruit or leaves or pulp or sap which can be sold; for an animal to matter, it must be eatable, or have the ability to be a pet, or an attraction in a circus, zoo, or a wildlife sanctuary; for the rain to matter, it must increase the yield  of our farms; for the air to matter, it must provide ventilation in our homes and offices and electricity in our windmills; and for the planet to matter, it must fulfil the unending and ever-increasing greed of its human inhabitants.

Because greed is so common today and percolates and suffuses the entire mental, emotional, and social experience of human existence, it has become indistinguishable from human life. In today’s world, to be human is to be greedy. To be a good human is to be greedy with a little bit of conscience. In today’s philosophy, greed is good and is our saviour. Greed is the definition of modern and the new model of idealness.

However, the negative impact of greed is all around us. Increase in crime, breakdown of relationships, pollution of the planet, ecological disasters like floods and famines, increase in stress and obesity-linked health problems, and poverty are all related to the increase in greed. Ralph Waldo Emerson had once said “Things are in the saddle, and riding mankind”. His prediction has direly come true and is evident in front of us. The solution to the world’s problems lie not in complex technological solutions, but a simple change of human emotional orientation – away from greed and towards compassion as the model of life.

Related articles

• Anti-greed campaign (leytesamardaily.net)
• Enough For Need, Not Greed (talhabinhisaam.wordpress.com)
• Greed Is the Biggest Threat to Our Civilization (viewdtruth.wordpress.com)
• Greed, love and happiness: An unbreakable nexus (foolspeaks.wordpress.com)

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Malathy Madathilezham tries to decipher the real definition and the measures of poverty and more importantly tries finding ways to get rid of the malaise. 

Poverty is a much-debated topic. We all have at some or the other point discussed on some issue related to poverty. The ‘poverty line’ is a recurrent topic that comes into picture during these discussions. How do we define and measure this complex’’ phenomenon? More importantly how do we get ‘rid’ of it?? These discussions are never ending and inconclusive, there is no right answer.

During the major part of my life I had not been exposed to the abject levels of poverty that exist in India (and many other parts of the world!) What I knew was from what I read and heard or what was shown in the media. Even more appalling was my inadequate knowledge on caste (Yes, there WAS discrimination! That’s what I knew and actually thought it was not relevant in these ‘modern ’times!) It is safe to say thus that most of my arguments related to poverty were quite superficial and mostly hearsay!

What has changed now? In short, I can say a better (a long way to go still!) understanding of the theoretical aspects of poverty, some experience from interacting, living with the poor and a stronger conviction that the solution is not simple and neither is it going to be easy to work out.

There are success stories. Those glorified poster picks from various organisation on how so and so person has overcome poverty due to such and such project and his/her own will. Thank god for the fact that there atleast these success stories to take inspiration from! But we also have to look at the kind of society that we are living in. The levels of disparity that exists and that are overlooked by us daily.

Yesterday evening, I saw a group of 5 children, 3 girls and 2 boys sitting outside the apartment that I have taken for rent. They were basically searching for dry wood, plastics and other materials in the dump. They seemed to be from a nomadic tribe. Unfortunately I could not understand their language. But here they were, all children of school going age right in front of the house of a principal, scavenging!! How do we ensure that these children and many more like them have a better future ahead and not just in terms of an education?

We need to work on identifying the reasons why generations after generations, families continue to live in extreme poverty, with little or no improvement in the quality of life. This is in spite of the various agencies which include the government having different kinds of schemes, projects and programmes aimed solely at poverty alleviation/eradication/elimination! There is also a need to introspect about so many kinds of inequality and inequity that we have accepted as part of life and may be even consider it right!

It is still a wonder for me that just by the virtue of my birth in a particular kind of family I have a set of options and choices about the kind of life I can aspire for. Yes if I am one of the few persevering and determined kind of people that exist in this world, I can may be, reach the uppermost echelons of success. But largely our choices and options are governed by where we are born, who are our parents, our caste (a sad reality for many even today!) etc. It is important to realise that most people in our country do not even have any options to make a choice! They lead the same kind of lives that their parents, their grandparents lead… TV, mobile, bike and a formal education hasn’t done much to change their lives in a profound manner!

So what makes this happen? Does the society perpetuate one or the other kind of inequity and inequality?  Is it the poverty that leads to inequity and inequality or vice versa? What can an individual do to bring about change at one or the other level without being cynical about everything? These are some questions I am pondering on….

Related articles

• The United States of… Class War, Inequality, and Poverty (commondreams.org)
• Four out of five Americans are living on the economic edge as inequality rises (dailykos.com)
• A Thoughtful Perspective on Ending Poverty (voicespeaks.wordpress.com)
• What Causes Poverty? (dylanrainwalker.wordpress.com)

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By Joybrato Dutta

Q – What happens when a girl breaks a guy’s heart?

 Ans. – Two guys become the best of friends.

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Clik here to view.Pic – Firangi and I flagging out our favourite T-shirts. Below you’ll notice a black thing. It’s CMKT’s trunk. 

It was a winter evening of 2003. Firangi and I were sitting in our balcony, speaking about topics which didn’t make sense (about love).  Amidst that mist we chanced upon a guy carrying a crate full of beer.

Cut to across the road. We were staring at a board which read ‘ADITYA WINE AND BEER SHOP’.

We had never tried alcohol nor were we too friendly with louts who were fond of it. Hum to apne Maa-baap ke ache bache the. As a result we weren’t really too sure of the brand and the kind. So considering the budget and the TV ads we decided to get a ‘Haywards 5000’.

As we were about to enter the shop, my girlfriend called. She sorted out our differences.

Now, wait a minute, I was about to get drunk because that’s what grown ups with broken hearts do. Now that the damage was re-paired (pun intended), I had no reason to drink. But I couldn’t leave a man behind. So I stormed into the shop and ordered for two Haywards 5000.

Initially my request was turned down, because we were under-age (we forgot about that). But then I told him that I was from Bihar and my friend was from U.P. That worked. We got the bottles to our apartment.

There was one more problem. My room-mate CMKT was the Nerdiest (MS Word says that’s not a real word) creature on the planet. He wouldn’t allow us to turn our educational abode into a bar. So, we decided to savour it before he returns. No sooner did this idea dawn upon us than the door-bell rang. CMKT was back. Panic struck. Somehow we managed to hide the bottles in a trunk. In CMKT’s trunk.

He came in and looked at our faces. We were trying to hide the expression of hiding the bottles. As usual he wanted to study, so he walked into his room and opened his trunk to take out his books.

Have you even been unfortunate enough to watch the entire episode of any Ekta Kapoor soap? You’ll surely see a scene where a particular reaction is replayed thrice, just to reiterate the significance of that particular emotion. That’s exactly what his reaction was. He lectured us in a dad-like way. Like prodigal sons Firangi and I took the bottles and walked into the other bedroom.

Beer tasted like shit the first time. But we were so used to taking shit from our fate that we continued consuming it. Finally we finished our beer. We weren’t drunk but we wanted to be drunk, so we got drunk.

Piece of gyaan – Alcohol makes you brave.

Firangi and I stormed into CMKT’s room and abused him in a way he couldn’t imagine. We scared the shit out of that poor thing. We abused him using words like Loser, Virgin, and a few harsh ones. He was devastated. Before his sars could start bleeding, his eyes started peeing. He left the room in tears.

Such was the experience; we decided to face it more times.

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And that was the beginning of the two greatest alcoholics our friends will ever know.

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• Uncalled for (missionsharingknowledge.wordpress.com)

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By Ankit Chandra

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Well that’s because I don’t like the Blackberry phone. The blog could end right here, but then if I don’t explain it better, you would keep me in the same category as Infosians, who I dislike anyway…

So what’s the big deal? It happened like this… We are a bunch of Indian students here at an American university, which is kinda considered one of the best in the world, and we feel quite proud belonging to this place.

Even more so when the job fairs happen. There are companies abound that come here looking for great talent and increase their organization’s productivity. All the stalls are brightly lit and the recruiters stand outside their stalls to ‘reach’ out to the students, so that they could talk to them and see if they are a good fit. Even if they are not, they are more than willing to listen to you and explore whatever opportunities there could be for you. Even if it turns out that there aren’t any opportunities available, you would walk away thinking that you had the best conversation you wanted to have, and too bad there weren’t opportunities, but you would want to try again…

The stalls are a story in them all together. draped in their company colors, the stalls are all lit up shining bright. These people go an extra mile to get their stalls looking great for people to get attracted like a moth to fire.

So I was having a good time in the job fair, talking to different recruiters, and having a quality time there… And then I walk into this next row of stalls… this row was kinda different. It had mostly hardware and earth moving equipment companies. As I walk down through the aisle, there came this corner… the stall was blue, and it seemed that either the lighting was not done, or some of the bulbs had prolly blown away. The caption there said, ‘The world is flattening.. are you ready?’ hmm… when i looked around there was just one person in that stall, and just above his wavy hair, I read the name, Infosys…

The recruiter here was kinda weird. He was sitting behind the table stall and was totally screwed on to his Blackberry Phone! a few people passed in front of him, and he didn’t seem to notice. I thought it might be his boss on the phone, and I would come later…

So I took a round of the hall and then went back to the stall. This time the recruiter was talking to someone. So as was the case with other stalls, I stood in line waiting. Generally, recruiters tried to give equal time to all people waiting in the line, and made sure that the line didn’t feel ignored. But the guy here at Infosys, looks at me, and says ‘I am talking to this person, and will take time. You can go and have a round of the hall, and come back after 5 mins.’ Well, umm taken aback by that, I smiled and said, OK…

So I took a round and went back to the stall.. The chat was still going on, and now the recruiter was actually sitting on the side of his table and it seemed that it was more of a gossip mode than recruiting. And he was still playing with the Blackberry in his hands while gossiping with that kid…

‘aah nevermind’ I thought, and moved on to Yahoo.. By the way, I went for the final rounds of interviews with Yahoo at SF, and they have a rocking atmosphere and campus. And of course, you are treated very well there…

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By Rahul Krishna

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Related articles

• What To Wear In a Job Interview: How to Dress for Success! (leadershiplessonsblogdotcom.wordpress.com)
• Preparing for an Internship Interview (business2community.com)

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By Tahira

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What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you think of garlic? A strong pungent smell? Or an ingredient rather a condiment that enhances the taste of cooked food?

Well, whatever it may be, but this small pod has several health benefits. A member of the onion family, garlic has a 7000 years of use in human history that originated in Central Asia. Garlic has several health benefits. Read on to know more.

Antiviral and Antibacterial Benefits

Antiviral and antibacterial aspects are the most important benefits of garlic. Consumption of garlic help in reducing bacterial and fungal infections. Fresh garlic helps preventing food poisoning as well.

Fighting Certain Skin Infections

Though not much prevalent, but certain chemicals found in garlic such as ajoene are known to fight skin infections like athlete’s foot and ringworm.

Help Reduce Blood Pressure

Storehouse of powerful chemicals and proteins, garlic helps in reducing blood pressure. Protein named Angiotensin II, contracts blood vessels, thereby increasing blood pressure. Alicin, a chemical present in garlic, blocks the harmful activities of angiogenesis and helps in reducing blood pressure.

Fight Cardiovascular Diseases

Garlic is known to fight cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks as well. Garlic is an enemy of cholesterol and it thus help in reducing the aortic plaque deposits that gather around the veins of the body. Studies have found that garlic can actually work wonders for battling heart diseases.

Source of Vitamin B6

A strong source of Vitamin B6, garlic helps in boosting immunity system of our bodies with the growth of new cells. It also wards off cold and cough.

Fights Scurvy and Hyperthyroid Conditions

Presence of Vitamin C in garlic helps fighting scurvy and high levels of iodine is an effective killer of problems related to hyperthyroidism.

Prevention of Cancer

Regular intake of garlic is known to reduce risks of developing certain types of cancer. Chemicals like allyl sulphides found in garlic are known to reduce risk of cancer developments.

An Aphrodisiac

Enough of medicinal properties! Garlic also has the power to boost your pleasure principles and many cultures are known to treat impotency with the help of garlic. So think twice you before you visit your doctor the potential prescription of Viagra!

On a last note, always remember that anything in excess is not good. So do consume garlic for your well being after being fully aware of its benefits as well as disadvantages.

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Related articles

• Garlic Health Benefits (loseweightb215.wordpress.com)
• Study: Eating Raw Garlic May Reduce the Risk of Cancer (enumclaw.com)

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By Joybrato Dutta

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As kids we always faced that one question which was asked by relatives, neighbours, dad’s friends, mom’s friends, teachers, even fellow kids. “What do you want to become when you grow up”. None of my classmates said they wanted to become an engineer. Today 80% of my classmates are engineers.

So what went wrong? What changed?

Why did people stop believing in their dreams? As we grew up, why did we start compromising on everything we wanted as a child? Is that what people call maturity? How different is maturity from pretence?

Since childhood we have been trained to lie, to act pretentious. Virtues like etiquettes and formalities were forced on us which sealed our true feelings inside.

We have been trained to smile and say “I am fine” each time anyone asks “How are you”.

We have been trained to say “cheese” each time someone clicks us.

We have been trained to say “thank you” whenever someone gifts us something.

Today these things might look small because the blanket of etiquette is quite huge. But think carefully, wasn’t that the start of us accepting pretention. Didn’t we love being appreciated? Didn’t it increase our hunger to be loved even more?

Today I have decided to denounce pretention.

Today I have decided to figure out who I really am, and what I always wanted to become.

I know I love singing. But I love being appreciated for it.

I know I love dancing. But I love it even more when someone else praises me.

I know I love playing cricket. But I enjoy the importance I get after I hit a good knock.

So what is it that I really want to do? Something which will give me so much satisfaction that I won’t care what others think.

A psychiatrist friend offered her help. She said she can give me a tour of my own subconscious. “Our subconscious”, she said “is like a hard disk which stores some really important data. People, moments, stories that we don’t even remember exists”. I warmed up to the idea and gave in to hypnosis.

My journey to the depth of my own heart began.

Go deep she said

I saw myself dancing at a club with a beautiful lady in my arms. She was impressed. I could tell from her eyes. The way I moved her, manoeuvred her arms, guided her feet, she was in awe. Nothing boosts a man’s ego than a girl stupefied. That day I knew I wanted to dance all my life.

Go deep she said

I saw myself playing in the finals of the Inter College Tournament. It was the last over. I had to hit a boundary. The next ball I did. My college won the finals and I won every heart. I had never heard so many people chant my name. For a day I was a celebrity. I knew I wanted to play cricket all my life.

Go deep she said.

I saw myself winning the Annual Elocution Contest. I was in class six, and I had already defeated a few tenth standard students. My teachers were proud. My principal praised me in front of the entire school. I heard my dad scream and say “That’s my boy”. I had never seed my dad so happy. He was as happy as I was when I got my first GI Joe set. I wanted to keep him that happy all my life.

Go deep she said.

I saw my grandmother telling me a story. The way she narrated me the characters. The way she set apart the good guys from the bad, wow, I was amazed. How can these characters who I don’t even know, find such an important place in my heart? The protagonist who wasn’t even real, who never faced the hardships we mortals face, how can he solve every problem of mine? How does he know what I am thinking? They my granny said that it’s the power of a pen. An author’s weapon, his pride. A storyteller can pierce the hearts of his readers without even meeting them. A storyteller can ignite desires and tame passions. A storyteller can reveal your darkest secrets. A storyteller can create magic. A storyteller is what I wanted to become. At that moment I was sure I wanted to write stories all my life.

Go deep she said.

I opened my eyes. I couldn’t have delved further. I had hit my core. How could I have forgotten? Now I know why I still enjoy stories. Why each time when I write even a small story, it gives me the satisfaction no award can. Somewhere in this 28 year old that 5 year old kid still lives. And somehow time hadn’t changed what I really loved. I love stories. And I can write them for the rest of my life.

While I was walking home from my friend’s place I realised that the curse of shallowness can go really deep. However, if we choose to go deep, more things will surface.

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By Ankit Chandra

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This is my dedication to all those ppl who can never get to committing to sumone and then later crib about it Image may be NSFW.
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I think I have never done the romantic thing
A dozen roses and a diamond ring
many times I have been peeled and pricked
but I really couldn’t feel a thing…

So is that a hormonal imbalance or a psychological one?
that I just cannot settle with anyone?

from ‘Boys 2 Men’ to ‘Alanis Morisette’
Their lyrics never really conveyed any sense
Although there were those who ‘waited and waited’ for me to ask them out,
but got no returns for their perseverance..

heh.. so what on earth is wrong with me?
for she ain’t good enuf, whoever she be?
well on second thoughts that isn’t quite true.
coz I usually repent when the moment passes through

I guess I vindicate what my teacher once said,
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And this is what our fellow commitment shirkers added:

“There was once a time when it was commitment i was afraid of
But now it seems it was actually me the pretty ladies were scared of”

Related articles

• Why I Don’t Wanna Work for Infosys (missionsharingknowledge.wordpress.com)

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By Shivani Gupta

Saffron clad thousand of man just walking with bare feet under sky, balancing decorated Kavad (a wooden stick with pot at both ends) on their shoulders. Every second person feet were wrapped in bandage but head high and face delighted. It was breathtaking scenery because I was in Meerut.

Driving courageously (I am a female driver) my car without wearing glasses and in MEERUT. Meerut surpasses all good chefs in their art of indigenous (very desi) culinary but when comes road, it does not even trespasses the standard definition of Good Roads for Transportation (Heil Uttar Pradesh Govt.).

However, the blog is nowhere related to murky politicians and their mindless (mint more) businesses. It’s all about devotional and unique walkathon of Bholey Nath devotees. This walkathon is an auspicious rally organized every year (for technicalities please Google) but this year it was indeed a happening event for me. So I will go back from where I started ….

I was driving courageously my car without wearing glasses in crazy traffic of Meerut. Few meters away from the main four lane intersection of Mall road, I saw swarm of people walking and it was nowhere ending. I drove to the nearest point where mixture of pot bellied city police and lazy traffic police men were busy diverting the erratic traffic (which was surprisingly quite under control).

Pumping hormones of curiosity and watching energizing walk of young and old (but still young) people was enough to send impulse to my feet on brake pedal and I parked my car on the roadside.

I have read many a times that continuous chant of mantra has enormous power and yes, it was evident with the wave of energy carried by these saffron clad men and women. This divine energy has stimulated the stationary people standing on the roadside to chant with them (shows the fan following of Bholey Nath in Meerut).

‘Small’ Meerut city became all more prominent in my life (not buttering my mother – in – law) after got a chance (by chance) to watch this energetic and divine walkathon of Bum Bum Bholey devotees which usually get lost in charming ‘Big’ city Delhi.

Enjoy Kavad Yatri

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By Chandan Das

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Ae Zindagi ye kaisa hain tera khel , Kaisi hain teri maaya

Kisi ko di apni barqat ki dhoop , to kisi ko soonepan ki chhaya !

Koi saasein le raha hain maut aane ke baad bhi, to koi hain zinda laash,

Ae Zindagi mujhe teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash !!

Ae Zindagi ye kaisa hain tera khel ,Kaisi hain teri maaya

Jaise ki CIRCUS ka JOKER, apne aansu dabaakar duniya ke liye muskaraaya !

Wo dekho singhasan par RAJA baitha hain udaas, udhar Rank bola “hota main RAJA kaash”

Ae Zindagi mujhe teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash !!

Ae Zindagi ye kaisa hain tera khel , Kaisi hain teri maaya

Kisi ko bakshi jannat tune, to kisi pe apna sitam yu tune dhaaya !

Bekasoor ko mili bewajah wo sazaa, aur Gunehgaar ka na hua Pardafaash,

Ae Zindagi mujhe teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash !!

Ae Zindagi ye kaisa hain tera khel , Kaisi hain teri maaya

Kuchh na le paya yaha se wo , kyuki bhoola ki khaali haath hi tha wo yaha aaya !

SITA ka haran kiya jis ghamand se, usi ghamand ne kiya RAAVAN ka sarvanaash,

Ae Zindagi mujhe teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash !!

Ae Zindagi ye kaisa hain tera khel , Kaisi hain teri maaya

Udhar husn hain jiska khubsurat , utna hi daravana uska saaya !

Pulkit hain yaha koi sab kuchh khokar bhi , to koi sab kuchh paakar bhi hain hataash,

Ae Zindagi mujhe teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash, teri hi hain Talaash !!

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One of the oldest forms of livestock, pigs have been domesticated since 5000 BC. The culinary name of the meat obtained from domesticated pig is termed as pork. Pork is one of the most commonly consumed meat worldwide.

I love pork. It is one of the red meats that I can savour with taste buds. Though I started consuming pork at a much later age, but I simply fell in love with it. The appreciation for pork reach its height when my one-time boyfriend (who hailed for the north-east) took me to some exotic food joints in Delhi to have pork delicacies.

But, this recipe is inspired by one of my friends Nilakshi, who also hails from Guwahati (Assam), now residing in Singapore. Her recent status claimed that she has finally mastered Fried Pork. So, a gourmet like me could not possibly have been left far behind to concoct up the dish. I must say it turned out to be yummy. Since Nilakshi was the inspiration, I dedicate this post to her.

PS: N, I have added two seasonal vegetables to the dish. Hope you don’t mind!

Ingredients

1. Pork Belly Pieces with Fat
2. Finely chopped garlic (about 10 cloves)
3. 50 grams ginger finely chopped
4. 1 large onion coarsely chopped
5. 1 tablespoon vinegar
6. 1 tablespoon soya sauce
7. Half a teaspoon turmeric
8. Fresh black pepper ground
9. Half a teaspoon brown sugar (white sugar will also do)
10. Red Chilli Powder (according to taste)
11. Chopped Green Chillies ( depends how hot you want it to be)
12. 1 large capsicum, diced (optional)
13. 1 broccoli cut into pieces (optional)
14. Salt to taste
15. Cooking Oil

Method

Pressure cook the pork pieces with a pinch of salt and keep aside. Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan and sauté the capsicum and broccoli for 5 minutes and keep aside. Now in the same oil,  sauté garlic and onions. In a separate pan, mix all the remaining ingredients together with the pre-cooked pork and stir into the pan containing the sautéed vegetable and garlic and onion. Put on high flame and cook for around 7 minutes and keep stirring. Bring down to simmer. Keep tossing and turning the mixture until the pork turns tender. The pork will start releasing its fat and in the process get cooked in it and it will release a nice aroma! Cover lid and keep for a minute. Remove from gas a serve on a bed of lettuce (optional).

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By Ankit Chandra

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Remember that movie starring Raj Kapoor, ‘Jis desh mein ganga behti hai’ ? Raj kapoor played the role of a guy from I think Banaras, and goes on to use his sanskar and values to transform a group of dacoits. I think the assumption in the movie was that Raju had complete faith in the values of the mother land.

Cut to Champaign in US. I have met a lot of NRIs here. Some have no traces of India in them, some still have a very thick Indian accent, some dress in ways you wouldn’t imagine on Indians, and then on the other hand you would have people dressed in Salwar kameez, but as soon as they open their mouth, you get amazed at the American accent that hits your ears.

It is interesting to interact with these people, as they aren’t Indians anymore, but thats what they identified as, or they identify themselves as (when they have nothing Indian in them). So in a restaurant, you would hear an Indian American talking to her American friends talking about Aishwarya Rai and saying that Indian people have beautiful names, and that Aishwarya Rai has a portugese ancestory, as Indians don’t have the genes for such beautiful green eyes… Or I heard another NRI in a party saying that Indian people gang up against NRIs coz they are rich and if your car hits a person in India, they would get after you, coz you are a rich NRI and thus you should be punished for that.

I wondered, what was the reason for these people to leave India and come to US… Was it the land of opportunities, or was it something else? I was going for an interview to a Multinational company in a city in US, and my cab driver was an Indian. he said to me : ‘Hope that you are interviewed by a white guy. if you get an Indian, he might ask you for money to let you in…’. Oh my God! I thought. I knew thats so not true, but that exposed me to another perception of India, that I have mostly been unaware of. That of a very common man, who still undergoes a very torturous life of subsistence living, where bribery is still the order of the day, and you have to fight for basic amenities. Indians here are either the most prosperous immigrants who live in Silicon valley or they are these poor Indians who couldn’t find a place for themselves in India. Probably most of you who would read this blog from India , would invariably have come from backgrounds where we have either shut out the ugly side of India, or have created a comfort zone around it.

So why do people leave their own home country to come to such a culturally diverse land where you are mostly cut off from the main stream? I could come up with a few reasons, but this is NOT an exhaustive list by any means….

Lost faith:

One of the people I know here lost his home to a tenant, went to the courts, got nothing done for years, and then had to accept an out of court settlement, finally paid money to the tenant to vacate his house. In his words, there is no ‘enforcement agency in India’. Every time I talk to him about India, I can see his hurt face. The face of a man who expected his environment to provide him with a decent living standard. Most of his words seethe with a latent anger towards the system. He got a chance to get rid of it, and he did. He lives a modest and comfortable life here.

Never had faith:

Some people here came coz they always believed that India wasn’t a place for them. They prolly pick up the foreign accent most easily, curse India in everything they see, and eventually become the worst ambassadors for us. I have met these people in parties here, who would narrate their stories in India, when surprisingly all things that happen to them are bad things, and seemingly they find nothing bad in their current country of residence. (I can point out a few right here).

A special third category:

Is of the people who were born here, but were forced to remain Indian at home, and then left out in the open foreign air to convert into what we call ABCDs. These are a very special variety. Some of them would wear salwars and shirts which were in fashion maybe 20 years back, and when you see them, you would think they have just come in from a remote small town in India. But as they open their mouths, they spew out American english, with ‘Oh my GAAWDs’, ‘This is soo kewwool’ etc etc.

To a person I met recently, I had to say that India she knows and India that I come from are two entirely different countries! These people evaluate their India trip from the American perspective. So Mumbai trains are ‘Sow ppphackked’. And that you have to get into a local train while it is running! (Can’t you wait till it stops or till you get accustomed to it??). They are scared of lizards, and almost all lizards fall on them when they are in India (maybe coz they are NRIs and lizards want to punish the rich NRIs), and so on…

Some of the things that happened to them are real, and maybe, as Indians, we are just used to them. I was just reading the article in the Economist : “What’s holding India Back”, and the reasons mentioned there were pretty much on the above lines. I agree there still are differences in the standard of living here for an common man vs his counterpart in India. Maybe studying these NRIs gives us another perspective of what we need to change in our system to restore the faith Raju had in Ganga…

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It’s been a month since 23 children died in the Bihar mid-day meal tragedy. However, the village has not been able to get over the trauma. The Bihar Government has promised a compensation of Rs. two lakh per child. Were those children worth just a couple of lakhs for their parents? The only way such fatalities can be averted in the future is by keeping corruption out of the system. Akshaya Patra Foundation gives us a good insight into the same. Here is Akshaya Patra, probably world’s most successful mid-day meal scheme running organization, telling us how they manage such grand scales daily, how is supply chain taken care of and most importantly how they keep corruption out of bay. An exclusive must read. 

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Mission Sharing Knowledge (MSK): Feeding 1.3 million mouths every day surely must be a challenging task. How and where are tonnes of vegetable and rice cooked? How do you ensure hygiene levels?

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Clik here to view.Akshaya Patra Foundation (APF): It is an incredibly challenging task because quality levels need to be maintained from preparation till the delivery of meals to the children. Each Akshaya Patra centralized kitchen has the capacity to cook between 50,000 to 150,000 meals every day, without compromising on hygiene.

Our industrial-sized kitchens are equipped with custom-built machines to suit our need for quality and quantity. Chopping machines can cut 40 kg of vegetables in 60 seconds. Our roti-making machine churns out 60,000 rotis per hour. The food is cooked in mechanized, steam-heated cauldrons that reduce preparation time.

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Clik here to view.A mechanized process minimizes human handling of food, ensuring high levels of sanitation. All kitchen workers wear uniforms, gloves, caps and face masks. To protect it from microbes, the food is prepared at a temperature of 93°C and kept heated in insulated trucks till its delivery to schools.

MSK: What motivated you to start a programme such as midday meal for children?

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Clik here to view.APF: When His Divine Grace A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada saw a group of children fighting with street dogs over scraps of food, he came to a determination that:  No one within a ten mile radius of our center should go hungry. It was this compassion that birthed Akshaya Patra.

Trustees T.V. Mohandas Pai and Abhay Jain along with Madhu Pandit Dasa, chairman of Akshaya Patra sowed the seeds of thought of starting a kitchen at ISKCON, Bangalore where meals would be cooked for underprivileged children in government schools.

The promise of meals in schools would ensure that children will seek and continue an education, instead of turning to labor.

In June, 2000 our midday meal scheme was launched in Bangalore, feeding 1,500 children in five schools. An overwhelming response from schools encouraged us to reach out to many more government schools in other states. Today we feed over 1.3 million school children across India.

MSK: People must be a very important component of the entire process. Who are the people Akshaya Patra credits it to?

APF: We are thankful to the central and state governments from whom we get around 65 per cent of our funds. The generosity of our donors is crucial for carrying out daily activities for providing midday meals to schoolchildren. We value the constant support of our volunteers, teachers and parents of the children.

An initiative of this magnitude and extent cannot be undertaken and managed without the involvement of many, and so Akshaya Patra is a team that comprises not only its employees, but also its supporters.

MSK: Is there a larger goal you are trying to achieve by feeding children and motivating them to study?

APF: According to World Bank and UNICEF statistics, over 8 million underprivileged children in India are out of school and have to resort to child labor to earn enough for a single meal in a day.

A midday meal is more than just an incentive for children to attain an education. It is a promise of progress, one that has the potential to rid India of malnourishment, illiteracy and poverty. India’s children are the future and education will empower them to be self-sufficient, successful and contribute to society.

By feeding our future we ensure a brighter tomorrow not just for them, but also for the country at large.

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MSK: What is the core feature of your mid-day meal programme?

APF: A combination of quality and adaptability to manage constantly growing needs is the core feature of our programme.

Our large-scale operations that owe its success to constant technological innovation, allow us to function efficiently as the world’s largest school-lunch programme.

Kitchen processes begin at about 2 a.m. and continue throughout the night till the food is ready to be dispatched in custom-made delivery vans at 8 a.m. Meals are promptly delivered to each school by lunchtime. It takes a whole lot of determination and dedication to carry out this glitch-free process every day.

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MSK: How easy or difficult is it for you to raise money such a grand endeavor?

APF: We rely on the support of not only the government, but also our donors. We use the resources available to us in the most efficient ways possible, yet an ambitious mission to feed five million children by 2020 will always require more assistance.

Effective results and absolute transparency of the Foundation makes donors feels secure about their contribution and encourages more support. We hope that our work will always be appreciated and we can continue raising funds to help more children.

MSK: How do you manage such a huge scale supply chain and also keep corruption out of the entire system?

APF: Technology is our greatest resource. Without our state of the art kitchen facilities, efficient management of our extensive operations is impossible. Customization and innovation continuously improves our process to cater to the growing need of nourishment.

Akshaya Patra’s 4000 employees have chosen a way of life to provide care for underprivileged children. The Foundation holds absolute transparency as one of its most important principles, complying with the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and the Indian Accounting Standards issued by the Institute of Chartered accountants of India.

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MSK: How do you think the recent Bihar mishap came to happen? And what can be done to avoid such disasters in the future? If you can share a few tips.

APF: To run a successful midday meal programme it is vital to realize the complexity of it. It is different from cooking meals for a family; it’s not a job for a single individual. The workforce employed to prepare meals must be competent and trained to maintain sanitation. Teachers have to attend to their pupils and manage their academic duties; they must not be overburdened with the task of cooking meals as well. The funds allocated to the midday meal programme need to be used judiciously for employment of suitable workers, training, infrastructure and so on.

Preparing food for so many children requires attention and precaution. Hygienic conditions for storage and preparation, sanitary area for operation, monitoring and quality checks are mandatory factors that guarantee an effective programme. Food safety trainers, auditors and supervisors need to play an active role in the process.

Food safety cannot be taken lightly, especially when meals are prepared for children.

MSK: What kind of an impact do you think your meal programme has on the society at large?

APF: A satisfied appetite provides an ability to focus on academics and take a keen interest in learning. Our programme has increased school enrollment, especially female enrollment, and encourages children to continue their education. Combating illiteracy, poverty and child labor can be achieved with midday meals.

The success of the programme and other efforts like it will help reach out to those underprivileged children who continue to miss out on a healthy and happy childhood.

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Ankush Kumar brings back 66-years of the Hindi film industry since Independence

“Awara hoon, ya gardish mein hoon, aasman ka tara hoon”. This Raj Kapoor classic sums up the journey of Hindi cinema in the last 100 years. A name that is not just a poorer cousin of its western counterpart, but also is behind its regional competitor, ‘Bollywood’ has reached an age of celebrations. Bevinda Collaco, the veteran journalist and Amit Khanna, a film maker both have staked claim in coining the term, that now appears even in the Oxford English dictionary ‘BOLLYWOOD’.

Ever since India gained independence in 1947 Hindi cinema has taken baby steps forward and today in 2013 we are ready to cater to global audiences. In the last 66 years Hindi cinema has seen some great periods of entertainment and some really low phases when the audience were treated to utter nonsense and stupidity. Today lets look back at the industry of entertainment fondly known as ‘Bollywood’.

“Dekha ek khawb, toh yeh silsile hue”
This song defines the era of post independence Hindi cinema. The fifties and sixties was the golden period of Hindi movies. A few good men saw the dream of making quality cinema and entertaining the audiences at large. Guru Dutt, Satyajit Ray, Raj Kapoor redefined the perception of Hindi cinema and brought a cross cultural appeal to it. Hence the films of that era, even today are considered timeless gems. In a poll conducted by BBC Asia for the top hundred songs in Bollywood, a whopping 46 percent of its music came from this era. At the dusk of the sixties, and dawn of the seventies, Hindi cinema witnessed the birth of a legend, that too purely ‘Luck by Chance’.

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The angst a common man had in him, was beautifully portrayed by the then generation of film makers and Hindi cinema made way to classics like Sholay, Deewar, Trishul, Zanjeer. This was the same era when film makers like Hrishikesh Mukherjee showcased the struggles of an underdog in a light humorous way.

Bollywood smashed box office records in this era. Legends like Amitabh Bachchan were born, and the world had begun to take notice of cinema from the east. The era of the seventies can be best summed up by this awesome dialogue ‘Mogambo khush hua’!

Its quite an Irony when it comes to Bollywood in the eighties. Back then when India won the cricket world cup in 1983, or when Delhi hosted the Asian games in 1982, or for the matter of fact when our hockey team won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, our cinema saw a huge slump. The period between 1980 and 1988 is considered the darkest hour of Hindi cinema.

The old order was still adamant then, be it the actors or the directors or the musicians hence the end result of the movies were tacky and useless. Legendary directors like Manmohan Desai who had popularized Kumbh melas in the seventies did not find takers of his brand of cinema in the eighties. Legends like Amitabh Bachchan were the only who still managed return on investments; otherwise mostly films were a dull affair.

The advent of the nineties brought a sea change in Bollywood. The Chopras, Barjatyas and Johars dominated proceedings. Stars like Salman, Aamir and Shahrukh Khan were born. The new order of technicians and actors managed to erase the dark era of the eighties. Romance as a genre helped Bollywood make its mark in European and American markets. This was also the decade where Bollywood stars made rapid strides in the world of publicity and advertising.

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“Dekho 2000 zamana aa gaya” the dawn of the new millennium saw the birth of two sons of legendary actors, the Khans continued to dominate the decade. But some very inspiring comebacks made the difference. Bachchan Sr, Sanjay Dutt made a comeback of sorts, so did Sridevi and Madhuri Dixit. This was the era when new age cinema found their calling. Our movies went to prestigious fests and made a mark.

The copyright act meant plagiarism wasn’t a choice anymore and yet adaptations of western classics were made. Directors like ‘Vishal Bhardwaj’ captured literature from the world beautifully. Dark cinema was equally entertaining. But the decade of 2000 will be best remembered for ‘Lagaan’. A movie that made it to the academies final five. There is a section of society that thinks Oscars are equivalent to our Filmfare, but that has never been the case. They respect and celebrate cinema of the world, we have narrowed it down to just Hindi cinema.

Today as we enter sixty-six years of independence, Bollywood is ready to cut its hundredth cake, many milestones have been achieved, some have been missed, some legends have transcended into a better world, some are still wielding magic. One line that defines the spirit of Bollywood is “The show must go on”.

Disclaimer by the author: Editors have a way of thinking. He gave me just 600 words to cover 66 years of cinema. His expectations is for another day. Today I just want to say ‘there have been several names that do not make the write up, but their contribution to our cinema is equally important.

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As India takes one more step forward, let us take a look at 11 defining moments after its Independence.

From Dominion to Republic, 1950.

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The Dominion of India becomes the Republic of India on 26th January 1950 by adopting the newly drafted constitution. Today, we are the largest democracy in the world and the constitution is the largest one in the world and maintains its unique nature while adopting several portions from British, US & other constitutions of the world.

Biggest Gamble in History : First General Elections 1951-52

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It was like the biggest gamble in the history of India. Consider, first of all, the size of the electorate: 176 million Indian voters of whose more than 85% could not read or write. Each one had to be identified, named & registered. At stake were around 4500 seats – about 500 for Parliament and rest for Provincial assemblies. Again these figures are not enough, there were 224,000 polling booths, 2 million steel ballot boxes (made of 8200 tonnes of steel) and about 380,000 reams of paper were used. And with all this, India went to its first general elections.

Redrawing the Map : State Reorganization Act, 1956

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India is a land of many languages, each with its distinct script, grammar, vocabulary and literary traditions. And as we became independent, demand for states on linguistic and ethnic identities started growing. It was the 58 – day long fast of Potti Sriramulu that led to the creation of Andhra Pradesh and setting up the First State Reorganization Commission. Potti Sriramulu might be a forgotten man today but his fast and its aftermath sparked off a wholesale redrawing of the map of India on linguistic lines.

The Experience of Defeat ; Sino – Indian War, 1962

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As the Dalai Lama crossed into India in 1959 and China tightened its control over Tibet, the “Hindi-Chini Bhai Bhai’ slogans on the border were replaced by “Yeh Zameen Hamara Hai, Tum Wapas Jao”. Border & territorial claims of both the countries were starkly different and as China grew stronger under the Communist rule, it was determined to undo all the ground positions. As China attacked India in 1962, the war lead to a bitter defeat for ill-prepared India. The India-China conflict, then, was a clash of national myths, national egos, national insecurities and ultimately of the national armies.

Victory against Pakistan, 1965

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Pakistan’s ruler Ayub Khan and his company were encouraged by the debacle against China in 1962. But they forgot that it was in wet & slippery Himalayas, while war with Pakistan is on a terrain that Indians knew much better. The victory in the 1965 war came as a confidence booster to everybody, be it army, civilians or the Govt.

The Uncertain years and the Bangladesh War, 1967-71

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Once the Congress was the national cohesive force, but by late 1960s, it was split into disputatious parts. Between Banking nationalization, slogans of “Garibi Hatao” and several other reforms by Mrs. Indira Gandhi, India was again facing trouble from its western neighbor, but this time on the eastern frontiers. The than East Pakistan was witnessing popular uprising for a separate nation and this lead to a war between India & Pakistan. Within 6 days, Indian army had marched till Dacca. It was hailed as the biggest victory ever in Indian history and it changed the map of the subcontinent.

The Emergency Years, 1975-77

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After Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was found guilty of electoral malpractice, she declared State of Emergency in June 1975. The emergency revived the debate as to whether India could, should, or ever would be reliably democratic. The emergency was lifted in 1977, and India saw its first non-Congress govt, though a short-lived one.

Operation Blue Star and Assassination of the Indira Gandhi, 1984

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As militancy and violence was on the peak in Punjab, the Indian Government decided to attack the Khalistan movement and “Operation Blue Star” was launched in July 1984. As a consequence, in October that year, Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards and this was followed by large-scale Anti-Sikh riots in Northern India. Rajiv Gandhi was sworn in as the Prime Minister.

Mandal, Kamandal & Economic Reforms : 1990-92

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In 1990, the controversy rose over PM V.P. Singh’s decision to implement 1980 recommendations of the Mandal commission for further job reservations to “other backward classes”. The same year Bharatiya Janata Party launched nationwide protests over Ayodhya issue. After the tenth General elections in 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by LTTE terrorists. The economy took a downturn, and gold reserves were pawned to stave off default on international debt. In 1992, Babri Masjid was demolished and riots broke out not only in India but in several other countries.

Peace & War, 1999

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As Prime Minister Vajpayee undertook a historic bus journey to Pakistan and signs a declaration of peace; within a few days, Pakistani soldiers crossed the LOC and infiltrated Indian Kashmir. India repulsed the attack and Pakistan lost the brief, but bloody, border conflict in the Himalayan district of Kargil.

Gandhi’s land in communal riots, 2002

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As several Kar Sevaks were burned to death in an attack on Sabarmati Express in Godhra town in 2002, large-scale Hindu-Muslim riots broke out in Gujarat leaving over a thousand dead.

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Kartik Kannan delves deep into Indian cricket since Independence and brings to you his opinion as to why he thinks not much has changed though we think otherwise. 

66 years post Independence in 2013, the Indian cricket fan must be elated looking at the way India have progressed from wanting to draw test matches, to wanting to compete, to wanting to regularly win. We’ve found our icons, we’ve made biopics on our heroes, we’ve become the central power in world cricket, and as audiences we’ve made cricket a central source of our happiness. We’ve won 2 cricket World cup’s, a T20 world cup, and mildly basked ourselves in the sunlight that Test cricket affords to the number one team. We have the crowning jewel in the IPL where the world comes to play cricket, where computer analysts and commentators dissect every 1/120th of an innings. Not a bad journey, for a side that was left to fend for itself in the post-colonial hangover of the British Raj, Isn’t it?

Not Quite! Indian cricket finds itself today, not too far from where it started, looking at patterns that and the big picture, despite the highs of Indian cricket, that are reminded to us in various re runs on the sports channels. Indian cricket has always resembled a Renault Duster, by the collective aura of its individuals, but when it comes to the seminal moment of the 4-wheel drive working in tandem with the steering wheel and the accelerator on a rough terrain, the experience that’s more often been given has been that of a cranky Maruti 800. We always have some part that doesn’t work, and the other sturdy parts take the pressure. The end result is that we have a Maruti 800, which goes by a few pleasant drives, but still is continually searching for its service station, despite having the highest number of service stations. The service stations’ are exactly BCCI’s coffers. No cricket board makes the kind of wealth like the BCCI make, but still the Indian cricket team is searching for the recipe that makes their concoction consistently tasty.

When I think of why we are the way we are, I see the following reasons

a)   No Domination DNA- Indian cricket is reflective of its education system, where the focus is on numbers and individual merit, with little focus on teamwork. India also historically has been a nation that’s played catch up to its rulers, and has never gone on war by itself to conquest territories. So the DNA to dominate or ward off attacks has not genetically been there. India has seen a Tendulkar, a Venkatraghavan, an Eknath Solkar, but not a team like Warwick Armstrong’s ‘Invincibles’

b)   Lack of Worth Ethic and Discipline- John Wright and Greg Chappell’s notes on Indian cricket did briefly touch upon the lack of work ethic and discipline in Indian cricket, which never quite allowed India to get out of the quagmire they find themselves stuck in. Speaking of lack of the need to charter a vision, India has never quite had a moment to themselves to feel the need to start a revolution to having a world-class team in all forms of cricket. Not having a clear memo to climb cricket’s Everest and staying there, and not finding the right men to climb regularly has been India’s undoing.

c)    No effect from Drubbings- When the West Indies they were bounced out in the 70’s and shamed with whitewashes from Australia, they decided to meet fire with fire, and scouted for fearless cricketers who’s primary responsibility was to instill the fear of life into the opposition. They never looked back until Steve Waugh shot the Caribbean bubble in Sabina Park, that had grown 15 years without a negative result across countries. That moment of shame never happened to India, despite two incidences of 0-4 drubbings in Australia in 4 tours across 2 decades. As a result the strong urge to build the world’s best team has not originated from the stare in the eye.

d)   Passing Shower, but not a consistent Monsoon- Whenever Indian Cricket faced an acid test, it found its way out of a hole (Like Eden Gardens 2001, Cricket World Cup 2011 being instances), but never quite allowed the positive energy to translate into a culture or a DNA forthe full value chain to absorb (Selectors/Domestic Players/Current Squad). We’ve allowed talent and grit in the shape of a passing shower to give us our cricketing monsoon, instead of having steady rainfall. We don’t need drought, we don’t need floods, we just need a consistent and threatening monsoon, but do we have the right rainmakers who promise the parched Indian fans of cricketing glory?

e)    Rainmakers- The Administrators- The final point is the need of having a great administrative unit, to run the show. While great administrators have come and gone by, Cricketing administration is a combination of respect for the audience, financial acumen and a vision to run the game with growth in mind. India’s done brilliantly on the financial acumen, while Australia and England have done well in the other departments. India with the financial backing it has, needs to put its eggs in the right basket and bet on a vision, rather than allowing random politicians stripping the game’s sanctity through their misdeeds.

India will still manage to produce a leader like MS Dhoni, a run machine like Virat, but it will struggle to produce their version of the ‘Invincible’, unless India pauses to think where they want to be. Like just another Indian cricket fan, despite the passing showers, I keep hoping that the “Fire in Babylon” moment in Indian cricket is not too far away, as I pass yet another Independence day, waiting for Indian cricket’s independence from its prejudices.

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Dear Mr. Deora,

Thanks for a great article in TOI of August 14, 2013. It was enlightening to hear the views of one of our elected representatives on a topic that’s close to the hearts of many a youngster in this country. However, some points you raised are worthy of a debate, the benefits of which you’ve extolled in your article, and hence a response was warranted. I will try to summarize your main points so as to keep the response closely tied to the article.

Point #1: Social media platforms do not allow for healthy debate, while our Parliament does.

This point of view is expected and unsurprising within the small minority amongst us who’re on the other side of the “Great Divide of Government of India”, but isn’t substantiated by facts. I call it the Divide because our governance system, from the Parliament at the top right down to the beat constable and peon in a sarkari office, is extremely hard to approach and get service from for a common citizen, which is the very reason for its existence. For the vast majority of the population of this country, it’s almost like a government for itself, by itself, and of itself.

Therefore, we do not hold the Parliament’s ability to hold healthy debates in any high esteem when we read reports that the number of hours that our Lok Sabha sits during its five-year term has been falling steadily, and reached the worst ever record in the 15^th Lok Sabha (http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2013-04-29/india/38902758_1_lok-sabha-budget-session-sittings). Not only that, this Lok Sabha is also on its way to achieving the dubious distinction of having passed the fewest bills in independent India’s history.

So where does the common citizen go to express their anguish about a non-functioning government? Social media. For the first time, there is a platform that allows every individual the opportunity to be heard by millions of other people, and we’re going out there in hordes to talk about the pain we all on this side of the Divide experience every single day. For the average person, Twitter and Facebook are less about popularity and approval ratings like you mentioned, and more about spreading the word about their experiences and finding common cause with others.

Point #2: Changes that result due to outbursts enabled by social media are not well thought-through

You reference the Arab Spring and Iranian Awakening and the Brazilian protest, but miss the protests on the streets of New Delhi during Anna Hazare’s campaign and after the 2012 brutal gangrape incident. But you make a valid point. Protests by people are usually looked upon as a threat by established governments, and the point being made is missed for the noise, and slowly the protest transforms into an us-vs-them battle. However, did our government react any differently during the protests staged in India? Did we ever get closer to getting a Lokpal bill enacted or a corruption-free government? Did we ever get closer to having the streets of this country safe for our sisters and daughters? Unfortunately no. And this lack of solution-building is not attributable to the use of social media, but to the absence of a sensitive, humble, and engaged leadership within our government.

Point #3: Social media encourages pretence, showmanship, and shallow posturing

Assume social media doesn’t exist in our country. Walk out on the streets like a common man and watch how politicians, top bureaucrats, and the rich and powerful of this country move. You will see beacons, blaring sirens, police and personal security pushing everyone else aside, or stopping them altogether. From the posh NDMC areas, try walking towards other parts of Delhi where the top government officials of our country do not live. You will notice that broad, tree-lined, spotlessly clean boulevards give way to congested, filthy, broken roads that have people, vehicles, animals all crammed into every inch of space possible. If this isn’t pretence, showmanship, and posturing, what is? It’s not about the tools we use, but who we are and how we think that creates the vices that you ascribe to social media.

You are a young and well-educated leader of this country, and we are looking to you to bring a change in our country. What we need is very simple – equal access to basic amenities like clean water, air, food, and adequate housing, and equal opportunity to fulfill one’s dreams, for every single citizen of this country. We hope you care enough for your country and its people to work towards this goal, and will not get lost in the distractions that power in our country carries with it in heavy doses.

Regards,

Sarvesh

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By Dipayan Datta

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Tucked in the farthest corner off the country, lies a region endowed with natural beauty and resources like no other part of the country. Still India’s North East is suffering from a paradox of sorts. Although rich in minerals such as oil, coal and uranium, the region has been plagued by chronic poverty and violence. All this has given a rise to a sense of alienation to the people of the region. Faced with constant neglect from Delhi, a lot of the youth were driven to arms. This resulted in a cycle of violence which the region is still struggling to cope with. Most of the youth born in my generation have lived under a cloud of violence, one that saw the rules of conflicts being blatantly violated by both sides. The region has borne witness to some of the longest and the bloodiest conflicts in post independent India. Instead of looking for ways to solve the problems plaguing the region, the central government resorted to violence to contain the insurgencies, slapping the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) on to most part of the region.

As India steps into its 67th year as a democratic secular republic, for most of us born and raised in NE, Independence Day has always been reminiscent with violence, curfew and an heighten sense of insecurity. Most of the insurgent outfits view Independence Day as a symbol of Delhi’s oppression of the region. I use the term Delhi and not India, because most of the problems plaguing the region is a result of constant apathy, neglect and short-sightedness of our policy makers in Delhi and not that of the idea of India. Successive governments’ have tried to combat violence with more violence and this has resulted into a zero sum game for the local populace. At the same time the local politicians and the public are not above blame. Local state governments in the NE figure among the most corrupt and inefficient in the country.

Although the region has witnessed a period of calm and peace during the latter part of the last decade, the peace is fragile at the most. Although states like Assam and Nagaland might never see a return to the violent days of the 80’s and 90’s, Manipur is still a hotbed of insurgency with nearly 80 militant and guerrilla outfits operating out of the state.

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Today as the entire SEA becomes a hub of international business and economic integration, NE is uniquely positioned to benefit from the opportunities arising out of the region. NE, given its proximity to SEA could act as a gate way to other developing countries in the region. The policy makers of today might understand that but they have to ensure that the policies enacted are properly implemented and that there is no dilution of focus. In today’s competitive environment, the government should look to better utilize and leverage the strategic advantages that this region has to offers. It will also give NE an opportunity to integrate into the financial mainstream of the nation.

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By Chandan Das

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The 68th Round Survey by the National Sample Survey Office ( NSSO), ministry of statistics and programme implementation says:

“In 2013, Unemployment rate in India has increased. It is 2% in rural areas and 3% in urban India.

The unemployment rate per 1,000 population is at 27, while it was 25 two years ago. As on January 1, 2010, the number of unemployed was 9.8 million. By January 1, 2012, it has increased to 10.8 million. In rural areas, the unemployment rate for both male and female is almost at the same level, 2%. But, in, urban areas, women are more unemployed than men. The rate is 5% for women and 2% for men.”

This man in the picture , who is currently jobless with a family to feed and other responsibilities on his shoulder is wondering on the eve of Independence Day “Have we really got the Freedom?”

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By Ankush Kumar

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One of the reasons why the sales of ‘Pass pass’ slumped at its launch was the movie Yaadein. Never in the history of entertainment a movie as lame as that was made, but the makers of painkillers had a smile everytime the movie was screened at any theatre in India. Once upon a time in Mumbai dobara is no different.

Premise: An extremely unique story of two friends falling for the same girl.

Plot: Well! They Lost it!

Acting: Over the top, caricaturish & Lousy.

Citizen Kane moment: A few scenes like Akshay Kumar’s bank sequence or the tayab Ali song and possibly the background music.

Kela moments: Sans the above three the entire movie.

Technical Aspect: As usual brilliant by bollywood standards, gaudy by our western counterparts.

Take home: Acting by Pitobash and Sonali Bendre.

Leave Behind: The dialogues, Rajat Arora tries too hard this time. The plot if there was any, acting a huge let down by the main cast and a disappointing result to a brilliant first part.

Rating: 1 out of 5.

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