Random thought - Putting on god's shoes

Ever since I put up at new house in Bangalore, living alone, I have been itching to do a few things. Well that is the whole point of living alone, doing whatever you want your way, according to your mood...without anyone’s interruptions...without being under any obligation of politeness. It could simply be just immersing under your thoughts as long as you want without getting disturbed. Of many other things, I always wanted to read and write a bit more than I actually do. I did start reading but was yet to begin to write anything. I was not able to find anything motivating enough until this moment.

It was actually an ant on my jam’s bottle in the kitchen that plonked a thought in my head. While giving my final salutes to lord Ganesha’s idol (which I don’t very often do) before passing by for bed, I saw this ant hovering over my jam’s bottle. Instinctively I just threw the ant away from it. Now this happens sometimes especially when you are at some sacred place or near god’s area that your inner moral character wakes up (even if you are kind of feeling sleepy). The ant was just doing his job but I simply threw it away because I didn’t feel that was right, mind you, against his will.

Well here is the thought - how many times have we wished the god to get something which could, in most probabilities, be going against someone else’s will? It could be a thing as noble as getting an admit into some finest gradate college or a great 7 figure salary or wishing for a girl you want. Your wish may well conflict with someone else’s interest. In effect you might very well be asking god to choose you for that college against 10,000 other candidates who are equally worthy and praying with same intensity. You might actually be praying for a job which is needed more by someone else at least at that time....or you may be praying against that girl’s wish or may be against her parent’s (or may be dozens of other boys). It is a complex world and to grant your wish, may simply not be fair to someone else.

You cannot be the only worthy one wishing for something and praying for it to the god. How would god really decide if he has to do it in a fair way? Probably, Charles Darwin suggested the most obvious and simplest theories of all time – Survival of the fittest – easily the fairest way of achieving something. I am not saying god is sitting ideal, leaving us on our own and let us decide who the best is. Is it not possible that god boils down to some x number of worthy candidates for something and then leaves it to them...‘may the best man win...I will take care that this is done evenly and fairly’.

Hence sometimes when the god turns down your wish it is very well possible that you were not the worthy candidate this time, possibly someone deserved it more.

Cheaper Products for better Economy??

“A promise is a promise.”
Apart from Mr. Tata, there is one more person who loves this line. It is none other than ‘Yours Truly’. After using this line in many application essays last year here I am again, using it to start another piece of write up (Thanks to Nano and Mr. Tata for thatJ).

The 1-lakh-Car project started some 4-5 years back and Mr. Tata indeed kept his promise, but he would never have thought that his timing would be so perfect. No doubt, the credit bubble has affected Indian economy. Markets have been sent down crashing to half the value what they were a year and half back. Mourning market sentiments have only led to diminished demands (thank god we didn’t have to face to deflation yet). True, FIIs have been running away as if they have seen a deadly demon at Dalal Street, but in the process of keeping his promise Mr. Tata has shown a way that might actually bring back our economy on track.

With more than 1 Billion people and strong numbers in middle class and lower middle class, India need not concern about external factors and exports. Our domestic consumption, if stimulated properly, can produce enough demands to offset the downturn in economy.

In order to roll out 1L cars, Tatas would have to double their manufacturing capacity. The huge response to Nano would mean more demand in cars (auto sector), which in turn means more consumption of steel (large/small-scale industries) and small spare parts (small-scale industries). It would also mean increased demand for loans from banks, insurance (financial sector) (which could have some positive effects on our IT sector), infrastructure such as roads, parking slots (especially in rural areas) there by stimulating demands in worst hit cements sectors. In short, it will fuel important parts of Manufacturing and Service sectors (two most important contributors in our GDP).

Another, very recent, superb innovative idea by Tatas is the ‘Shub Grah’ project, cheaper homes at Rs. 4 L. To tell in brief about the response, the project was entitled to build 1000 homes in a sub-urban area 100 km from Mumbai. Already, 3500 bookings have been made (3.5 times the allotted requirement). The ‘Shub Grah’ site has already witnessed 15L hits (6.7 hits from US and 3.3 L from India, rest I don’t know and don’t care). From January to March 2009, DLF could only sell 600 apartments in Rs. 30-40L range. Now such kind of projects will surely give much needed oxygen to the ailing Realty Sector. It would again increase demand in Banking and Insurance sector. It would require more construction work.

These huge requirements would also improve the employment situation in many sectors. All sectors are interdependent on each other. The thing common in both the examples is that both the commodities are available very cheaply when compared to existing commodities in the market. One has to be innovative to become cheaper and it is always tough to be innovative.

There have been instances such as Hyundai, Toyota, which have single handedly, changed whole nation into a developed nation. It is true that India is not as small as S.Korea and Japan to be single handedly turned around only by Tatas, but there are many behemoths like Tata in India. Well I am not saying these things could turn our nations to a developed one, but yes they could certainly pull our economy. This is time for better and cheap products and it would be a win-win situation for both consumers and suppliers if they could take a leaf from Tatas.

Why Slumdog won Oscars!!

P.S. : Wrote this on 13-Apr-2009, but some how couldn't post it.

The weekend after the fun filled and eventful Alibaug trip seemed too long and boring. To lessen some of that I searched my dusty pile of books to find any old novel that I had only thought of reading. Luckily, I found ‘Memoires Of a Geisha’, by Arthur Golden. The book catches attention right from the beginning and doesn’t lets you leave itself easily. The author’s description of characters, feelings, and other events in the novel matches the perfection of J.K. Rowling’s in Harry Potter’s series (I haven’t read any other of her novels).

While reading the book I found interesting similarities between the book and ‘our own’ Slumdog Milionaire (yes, Danny Boyle’s movie).

No doubt the movie was a brilliant work by a bunch of very talented artists and technicians. It was an entertainer. But was it brilliant enough to justify the award of best film at Oscars, beating the likes of ‘The Dark Knight’ (which I personally felt was a better movie compared to Slumdog.. in many respects) and Brad Pitt’s ‘Curious case of Benjamin Button’. Even the nomination in the Oscars was surprising (of course pleasantly), leave alone its winning the award.

As with the novel, the movie for the most part focuses on a lot of pain, poverty, hate, misfortune and other negativities, which particularly annoyed us Indians. But to tell the truth, the movie wouldn’t have been a blockbuster had it shown all the good in the world (rather Mumbai ;)). The fact is, negative feelings have more power to catch one’s attention compared to positive feelings. The hate speeches of Varun Gandhi and Raj Thackray, that fetched them so much media attention that the two became the topics of national talks, are enough to justify the point. Perhaps such negatives had greater effect on US audiences who are not at all used to the things shown in the movie.

Other thing, similar to the novel, that I believe had compounding effect on the US audience was the fact that movie was based on different culture and people. When the movie (or for that matter a novel) is based on different culture and people, it increases the curiosity level and makes most of the things largely unpredictable (unless it is another Bollywood film copied from a Hollywood filmJ). In this way it catches more attention and also makes the viewer (or reader) accept what is being presented easily and with lesser skepticism. I found many parts of the movie ‘filmy’ because probably I could relate more to the movie as compared to a viewer on the part of the world.

Furthermore, I found the movie similar to any other Bollywood film (except that it was in English). We have had many films on Mumbai Underworld and bhais, but this was new thing for the western audience. The concept was also a hit in Bollywood when it was newly introduced in the form of Satya and Company (although even these films couldn’t get the Filmfare for best films, very much India’s Oscars). Also, I found it just another love story (as it is the favorite topic of Bollywood and I think it has exhausted almost all combinations of a love story by now). In short I found nothing new in the film, which might not be case with those audiences who must have found the concept refreshingly different.

Last but not the least, the fact that the film involved most of the artists and technicians who are one of the finest in Bollywood and are enough to convert ordinary into extraordinary, only helped realize Mr. Boyle his first ever Academy Award. Jai Ho.

Break the Door!

Final over remaining, 9 runs required and 1 wicket left. Klusner thrashed first two balls of the Fleming’s over to boundary needing only 1 run from 4 deliveries to reach the finals. It wouldn’t require an expert to know what I am talking about. Yes, 1999 cricket world cup semi-finals. But, alas South Africa lost the match, even though the match was tied (due to stupid Super-6 system, where Australia defeated SA).

How they must have felt. Well, I can certainly tell. They must have felt like…. Aaaaaarrrggghh, wanting to shout as loud as one can!!!.... breaking the wall with one punch (now I understood why hero in a movie always does that)!!!…. run madly, as fast as one can, with a bull’s rage (even red flag is not required)!!!…. like what is my fault?? Why me always!!!

Despite a good interview (at the great SP Jain Mumbai) I was thrown out in the first round. When we came out of the interview hall (results were not out yet) two girls (Preeti and Anju) who were interviewed with me said, you were good…you will get through (Preeti was simply awesome…I would have loved to be with her in SP Jain :-( ) and I was like a modest guy.. “everyone was good..it looks difficult to eliminate any one of us..i don’t know how will panelists decide” (I think the interview panelists overheard me saying this ;-) ).

Shocked after the results for some half an hour, I called up home to convey the news. Chunnu (my younger sister) picked up the phone. After conveying the news she says “You were destined to wait for one year…what can be done, don’t worry” (hmmmm the girl has grown up…even she is consoling…that was a good way, felt a little relived). Told about this to other important friends and they were like “You are destined to go abroad”….. “Chill…all these things keep happening…we shouldn’t get tensed”.

Well, I boarded the cab and while coming back to pune millions of thoughts ran in my mind. This isn’t any new thing for me by the way, Mumbai to Pune expressway has witnessed many such melodramatically poignant feelings till now (barring just one incident when I got 710 in GMAT).

The poor “destiny” is the only culprit in 99% of the failures in 99% of people’s life. If the fault is not mine then who is responsible for the failure. Is it destiny?

If Mr. Edison had thought so every time then he would not have waited to make 10,000 mistakes before inventing the bulb.Another great Mr. Sunil Gavsaker in an interview once said to inspire the first class cricketers, who despite their good performances were not able to make into playing 11 for India…“If you knock on the doors of selectors and they don’t listen to you then don’t knock the door break the door (with your performances, of course :-) ) ”.

Probably only 1% of the people feel it is not destiny’s fault. That is why only 1% of people don’t just knock on the door, they break the door and get their name written in the list of greats.

Well Mr. Gavasker I just hope I will break the door before breaking Mr. Edison’s record.