The Silence of the Lambs!

Yesterday I again watched the Oscar winning movie "The Silence of the Lambs", starring Sir Anthony Hopkins and Jodie Foster in the lead roles. The spine chilling movie was as always, a treat to watch. Ironically, yesterday was also a day when the much maligned Prime Minister of India, Mr Manmohan Singh, popular in the social media as MMS, spoke strongly in the parliament on the depressing economic scenario in the country as well as launched a scathing attack on the opposition, which for long has been baying for his blood.

Sir Anthony Hopkins

Now how is my watching a movie and the prime minister's speech, ironic?? It is because of the fact that our prime minister is famous (or should I say notorious) for his silence. He has become a butt of jokes because of his silence on all major issues facing the country, be it scams of gigantic proportions, lethargic foreign policies or economic doldrums. His silence was as silent as the silence of the lambs and that he decided to break prolonged silence on the day I watched "Silence of the Lambs", was the irony.

MMS with his impeccable credentials as a top notch economist and a person with the highest integrity has probably led a government that has been embroiled in scams and controversies of scales, which have been unprecedented in the Indian political history. Again an irony, as MMS himself has never been even suggestively targeted as being dishonest by anybody.

But as a leader of his pack, he has the moral responsibility for the doings and undoings of his team. He should have led by his own example and should have set examples of those who were corrupt. But alas, he has failed by not acting boldly and affirmatively. In the words of Abraham Lincoln, "To sin by silence when they should protest (and act) makes cowards of men", and it is again an irony that history might evaluate MMS on the basis of these very lines, inspite of the many qualities that he has, that makes him very different from the majority of the greedy and corrupt politicians that are eating into the resources of the country like termites.

Janmashtami Special- Shri Krishna and his continued relevance and popularity!

Lord Krishna, one of the most loved Hindu deities, is said to be the 8th incarnation of Lord Vishnu, the preserver of the world as per Hindu beliefs. Shri Krishna was born on Janmashtami (28th of August this year) which is celebrated with religious fervor by Hindus all over the world.

It is said that Lord Vishnu comes to the mortal world in the form of incarnations when Mother Earth is ravaged by evil. In case of Shri Krishna as well, the reason was the same. During his life time, Lord Krishna delivered the world from many evil men like Kamsa, the King of Mathura, and was instrumental as the chief strategist for the Pandayas winning the battle of Kurukshetra of the Mahabharata fame.

Over centuries, times have changed but the relevance and importance of Shri Krishna in the Indian society has not diminished, in fact his charismatic influence has actually increased over time. So, what might be the reasons for this, I wondered, and in search for an answer, I had a very interesting chat with my father and the following points cropped up during our discussions.

Glimpses of the life and times of Shri Krishna

1) Shri Krishna was a "Doer"- Shri Krishna throughout his life has been depicted as somebody who is a doer, a man of action. In his childhood he was known as a "butter thief" as he used to steal home made butter and eat it. In his adolescence, he was notorious for his lover boy image and the fact that he used to tease girls in his village. In his youth he became famous for standing up to what he felt was right and was revered for it. India today has a very young population and the youth can easily identify with the different stages of Lord Krishna which embodies naughtiness of childhood and adolescence and level headed maturity and determination of youth.

2) Shri Krishna was "Practical"- Though he always followed the righteous path, Lord Krishna was also very practical in nature. In my opinion, he felt that the End always justifies the means.
A little deception in life is not wrong, especially if the deception could lead to more welfare for the general masses at large.As the chief adviser to the Pandavas, Sri Krishna was instrumental in advising the use of deceit during the course of the battle of Kurukshetra which resulted in the annihilation of many of the stronger Kaurava generals like Dronacharya and also Karna.

3) Shri Krishna was a "Motivator", par excellence- In today's fast paced materialistic life, when constant pressures both professional as well as personal take a heavy toll on individuals, the teachings of Lord Krishna, especially the discourse that he gave to the Pandava prince Arjuna prior to the start of the battle of Kurukshetra, all documented in the sacred book of the Hindus, the "Bhagwat Gita", are a great motivator and stress buster and enhance the popularity of Krishna amongst the youth.  

4) Shri Krishna was "Unorthodox"- The life of Shri Krishna is full of paradoxes. On one hand he used to tease the womenfolk of his village in his adolescence and on the other he was the person who saved the honor of Draupadi, the wife of the Pandavas from the Kauravas. He is believed to have wedded 16000 women in his life time but is the same person who is known for his devoted love towards "Radha", his consort. He was righteous but at the same time not averse to occasional aberrations for the general good. All in all, he was not what one would call "perfect" and this very reason makes him endearing in the eyes and hearts of the Hindus.

These are just a few reasons I could fathom out, which in my opinion are the reasons for the continued relevance and popularity of Shri Krishna, even today among Hindus not only in India but the world over.

Wishing all a very Happy Janmashtami! Jai Shree Krishna!!!

Apple and Newton's Theory!

It is famously asserted that when the great English Physicist and Mathematician, Sir Isaac Newton was once sitting under an apple tree, an apple fell on him. Falling of apples is not an uncommon thing and many people might have encountered this "accident" over centuries. But this particular incident spurred Sir Isaac into action and he discovered the forces of Gravity.

He quoted : "Anything that goes up, must come down"and this quotation of his has become a Universal Truth, quite literarily. In all the spheres of life, be it Social, Technological, Economic or Political, this quotation is correct to the "T".

1) Social- Social upheavals have been a common phenomenon from time immemorial. The Incas, the Mayans and the other American Indian tribes, the undisputed overlords of the Americas, are now limited to certain reservations and pockets in their own homeland. Closer home, the once unconceivable obsolescence of the caste system is in progress. In many Indian states, the supposedly upper castes are now being governed and lead by leaders from the lower castes. In the mad melee for job reservations and quotas, the upper castes have also upped the ante demanding reservations for their own.

2) Technological- Kodak was once the undisputed "king" of the photography landscape. It was synonymous with a camera. Come 2013, it has been a year since it filed for bankruptcy. In the age of digital cameras, the photo pioneer got spectacularly left behind.

3) Economic- Economies have risen and fallen like pins in a bowling alley throughout history. First the greatest economies in the world like India and China crumbled under the onslaught of the colonial powers and the British empire emerged as the beacon of economic light for the entire world. Then the British empire gave way to the Superpowers like USA and USSR and now the world is again looking towards India and China, a perfect complete circle this.. 

4) Political- Corrupt regimes have been overthrown in places like Tunisia, Libya and Egypt. The autocrats who ruled these countries with an iron fist, saw their autocracies come crashing down like a pack of cards in the wake of massive public outcry and mass movements.

All fellow members of Blue Caramel should bear a fact in mind that "There is nothing stronger than Time" and if you go up in life the only things that can keep you up there from the various spheres of life are Tolerance for others (Social), Innovativeness (Technology), Managerial skills (Economic) and Honesty and truthfulness in dealings (Political). 

A poem on Indian Independence Day!

With the 67th Indian Independence Day in just about a week's time, my wife who is a teacher was frantically searching for a poem which she would make her students recite on 15th of August. She searched the net but could not come across any which would be ideal for her students who are in kindergarten. As a last resort she asked her father-in-law, if he knew of any poems that were ideal for the students. And lo, in less than 10 minutes she had a poem that was to her liking. From where did father get the poem, he made his own creation. A tribute to the genius that my father Udayan Mitter is, presenting the poem (though it is in Hindi).

आज़ादी  के  इस  पावन  दिन  पर, शीश  सभी  झुकाए  | 
On this auspicious day of independence, lets all bow our heads.

वीरों  के  बलिदान  को  आज , याद  करें  और  गुण  गाएँ   ||      
Lets recall the supreme sacrifices made by the freedom fighters and sing praises in their honor.

लहराते' इस  झंडे  को', सब  करें  सम्मान  |||                
The tri-colored flag that is fluttering let us all always honor it.

आओ  मिल  कर  गाएँ  , जन  गन  मन  का  गान  ||||             
 Lets all together sing, the Indian National anthem.

Salute!!!

Little things in life!

The month of July had an enjoyable end. My wife's cousins and my brother-in-law had come and we decided to be with nature most of the time during their stay in Udaipur. One of the trips we took was to the magnificent Jain temples of Ranakpur about 80 kms from Udaipur.

Road to Ranakpur

The kings of the road

The clouds descending on the valley

Company en route

The magnificent Jain Temples of Ranakpur

During the trip we realized that simple things in life actually give us all the greatest happiness.

Being with family, spending quality time with them, away from the tentacles of technology (read connectivity, the internet and its services WTF -Wattsapp, Twitter and Facebook) and work, in the lap of Mother Nature, admiring architectural prowess of an era gone by tempered with a religious flavor made this trip memorable and surreal. 

With the batteries all recharged, its time now to welcome August with full vigor. 

Things to learn from a child!

My son is five years today. In these five years, time has really flown by and we as parents and my parents as grandparents have really enjoyed this journey, a journey of new findings and discoveries. The idiom that Child is the father of man, seems bang on as a child has so many things to re-teach us, the adults, who in the process of daily mundane activities and quest for more and more materialistic pleasures in life, seem to either forget or ignore.

The top five things to learn from a child from my own experiences are as follows:

1) Live today to the fullest- A child is oblivious to the fact that there is a tomorrow and hence tries to enjoy today to the fullest. It cherishes what it has in the present and tries to enjoy it. A paper aeroplane, on day will give him as much joy and happiness as toy one, on another.

2) Small things in life actually give happiness- Last week, my son was watching "The River Monsters" on Nat Geo and he called us to watch the same. His grandparents and myself came to watch the same but my wife who was watching her favorite soap, did not come at that time. We continued watching the "River Monsters" and wifey continued to watch her tele serial.and came a little later after her serial ended. As soon as she came, my son became excited and happy. The reason, he enjoyed the fact that all of us were watching the same programme on TV at the same time. A simple small thing that gave a lot of happiness.

3) Have empathy-  The son of our watchman got hurt while playing and was crying when we came back from an outing in which my son had a great time. The gas balloon in his hand, which he himself asked for, was a reminiscent of the joyful time we had. The decibel level of crying of the watchman's son on seeing the balloon rose as he too wanted to have the same. My son initially refused to part with his balloon but when he was told about the injury that the other baby had suffered and saw his wound, be did not blink an eyelid and gave the balloon to my watchman's injured son.     

4) Be imaginative- My son lets his imagination go wild and tries to find identifiable shapes and figure in virtually everything. His main interests seem to lie in nature's own lap. He gets great pleasure in observing passing clouds, gazing at the constellations at night and trying to follow the many birds that throng the trees. Sometimes, during the monsoons, in the rain droplets on the window pane he sees numbers, patterns that the droplets make while yielding to the gravitational forces and on other occasions he can trace the face of a bear in the sky. Imagination breeds creativity and creativity is fast becoming a scare resource in today's world of standardizations.  

5) Be inquisitive and never fear to question- My son asks a lot of questions. In his vocabulary Why and How, overpower most other words. He is learning the way of life through many innocuous questions and his buzzing mind acts as a sponge, eager to absorb things. He has an open mind and that again is a very scarce resource in the present time. He is never fearful of asking questions and solving doubts, a great thing to learn from children, as lingering doubts not only have an adverse effect on a person's confidence but also have an adverse effect on his overall productivity.

All members of Blue Caramel, whether in Udaipur, Jaipur, Jodhpur or Mumbai, lets all rewind and try to recollect the traits that all of us had when we were kids, these precious, innocent traits that overtime have got eroded due to our running the "Rat Race" for more materialistic pleasures at the cost of being a better human. 

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow!

The month of July has a range of emotions attached for me. Love, hate, happiness and sadness this month has been a witness to all. On one hand, the birthdays of some of the people I treasure most in life like my wife, son, uncle and cousin is in this month but on the other hand, this month also gave me the most unbearable pain and sense of loss, when I lost my grandfather six years ago.

Ashoke Chandra Mitter
 (My Grandpa's last photo)

My grandfather was a unique mix of serenity, aggression, religiousness, practicality, knowledge as well as stubbornness. He was fiercely proud of his roots and in spite of gaining name and fame in his chosen field, he never let it get into his head and always remained humble in life, contented but egged on by his values and principles, he had in life.

It is from him that I have been able to evolve certain ground rules for myself, taking into considerations things that happened yesterday and are happening today, so that I can have a tomorrow that has lesser number of regrets. His rules are :

1) Indulge in life but never overindulge- 
Grandfather was 87 years when he died but he still relished his malt as well as his food like he did in his younger days. He was fond of the good things in life and could never resist the chance to explore new eateries that came up in my hometown Udaipur or his own hometown of Kolkata, till the very end. But he never over indulge in anything, food, wine or for that matter in any aspect of life and that is a mantra to emulate.

2) Be disciplined and determined- 
Grandfather led a very disciplined but vivid lifestyle. A typical day of his retired life would start with morning walk and include a round of gardening (his passion), a heavy breakfast (he believed in the idea of having his breakfast like a king), getting to know about the current happenings through newspapers and news channels, 2 hours of prayers in isolation, playing with his grandchildren, socializing, consulting on issues of mining and geology, his areas of specialization and acting as the patron of community we lived in and last but not the least, religiously documenting whatever happened everyday in a diary that he kept for nearly decades of his life and he still had more energy at the end of the day, than most of us, the youngsters.

3) Today is better than two tomorrows- 
He hated procrastination. He always believed in getting things done instead of delaying them for the future. He tried to put forth the value of time to us and followed the idiom Time is Money.