End of an Age

The 21st of December 2012 did not mean a literal end but an ancient civilisation's cosmic calender completed an age. It's symbolic value is important in times of rapid changes in the world - political, economic, social and scientific. Human mind is subject to rapid bombardment of information from increasingly electronic means leading to instantaneous responses, not all of which prove to be correct. With this as the backdrop, we must make a conscious effort to take some time off to reflect on the very purpose of our existence and how best we can be a useful and integrated part of our society. Where possible, choose simplicity over complexity. Shun cynicism and embrace honesty. It should make life manageable and happier.

At the dawn of New Year 2013, I wish you and your loved ones, happiness and contentment in the times ahead. May you best all challenges and help others in need. May you give more even as you recieve.

Happy New Year 2013 - no conditions attached!

ONE INCIDENT -MANY VIEWS

I don't know how many individual Olympic medals has India won, but I suspect that there are many individuals alive who alone exceed that number each by a comfortable margin. I also don't know how much money has been spent on the Olympic quest since Freedom, but I suspect that it is more than the current annual budget of some small medal winning nations.

If the ratio of Olympic medals won to the money spent in India is considered, I am sure it would be the most expensive piece of metal by weight ever.

In this backdrop we hear our top medal winner threatening to leave his employer, the Indian Army, if he is not promoted to a Commissioned Officer. Army officers, serving and retired, lost no time in pulling up our hapless protagonist for his insubordinate behaviour and pontificate that ranks have to be earned and rewards are to be given and not asked for. Most people found this expression quite perplexing, patronizing and maybe even distasteful. And they are saying so freely in national media. Welcome to the age of instant judgement.

For an organisation which prides itself for it's man-management expertise, this incident is a reminder that all is not well with it's human resource policies. However what is more confounding is the near total absence of  planning to deal with such situations and total lack of credible and decisive response when the reports started filtering in. The authorities did NOT have a plan of action in place. They still have not given any credible information or reaction to the people through the media. One wonders who is in charge?

Our protagonist asked for something do-able and probably promised by someone at some level - the President's Commission. It may not amount to a lot financially compared to offers from the private sector, but in terms of honour it is unparalleled. Rubbing shoulders with fellow competitors, it would be very satisfying to be aware that one has been rewarded by the nation with something which cannot be compared with monetary rewards - the nation acknowledged that he carried the honour of his people with great sense of responsibility and did them proud.

Our 26 year old protagonist is not trained in politically correct public speaking and so his simple rustic utterances have been interpreted in every possible manner with some even suggesting his dismissal (as if all these people were flawless Gods in their military careers). The older generation cannot be faulted as the social and value systems of the armed forces were different in their unit service days. The present aspirational generation of soldiers is the product of present value system and information society. They don't accept things at face value and won't follow blindly. This has to be accepted and factored in man management techniques. Outrage is merely a sign of 'Generation Gap'.

Since the achievement of the young marksman is singularly exceptional, it does cross my mind that we could possibly acknowledge his contribution better by nominating him to the Rajya Sabha. That may not happen immediately , but when the time does eventually come, would the Indian society support his nomination as it supports his demand for the President's Commission? In terms of achievement alone, this boy from a village in Himachal deserves to be a visible symbol of aspirational India even though he would not have the exposure or audacity to even think about it in his present position. This should legitimately be given impetus by our political leadership. They would get to prove that it is not only the elite and rich sportspersons who get nominated to the parliament, but an ordinary Indian who did something extraordinary for his nation could also hope to be honoured in the inclusive spirit of our great Constitution.

I hope this message of mine is heard STRENGTH FIVE by our decision takers.

Jai Hind.

How do you see it?

EMPOWERING OURSELVES

         When I see the angst in people across continents due to their elected governments failing to match their expectations, I ask myself how much governance do we really need? If the current running establishment of the governments were halved, would one feel any impact other than huge cost savings? This probably depends on which parts gets shed. For a population which aspires to get a secure Government job, this thought  would sound discomforting. But the fact remains that the sooner and as many functions we can shift from the Government to the society and free enterprise, the faster we will grow economically due to the time dividend and flexibility in operation. While job assurance would not exist, opportunities would multiply promoting efficiency and enterprise in society. Lazy worker would then be an oxymoron rather than the reality. 

            Having said that, how could we possibly achieve this? A possible beginning could be creation of self supporting democratic institutions embedded in the society – not the kind of parasitic bodies on Government dole adapted to reward loyalists with jobs which entail no contribution to the nation. Industrial houses have long had working models for social outreach activities. Remodelling our PSUs as enterprises with minority Government holding could provide it with the missing competitive spark and decision ability. Removing caste based reservations in higher learning institutes is another positive action that could be taken. Trimming down the public dealing mechanism assisted by enhancing IT presence in repetitive tasks and introducing mandatory cooling down period after a public(money) interaction appointment of two years appear to be implementable ideas. 

            The private mega- enterprises with organizations resembling the government in size and bungling have already read the writing on the wall and adopted an outsourcing model. Their cost savings are quantifiable and the pitfalls are also recorded. If the political leadership wills it, it can be adopted in government reasonably fast. Finally, it is not too many measures which make a huge difference to the society. It is those few measures which affect every man directly every day, that reduce the stresses on the society and make daily life a happier experience than what it is currently.

That is the way to hear the signal of progress 'strength five'.

Applied Randomness

Who is the best? There can be no absolute answer to this question. The answer is relative to the frame of reference selected for measurement at that moment. So the comparison between Gavaskar and Tendulkar will be fallacious since they don’t have any common comparable experience.

Who are the elite? The elite are certainly not the best as the best is yet to come – a fact true in any age. The elite are a bunch of people, not necessarily talented, who by circumstance are in proximity to and in association with power of any kind. The elite traditionally think themselves to be God’s gift to the minions and promote the destiny of people who confirm their greatness, apart from their own kith and kin.

The fact is that many people with equal or more potential do not meet the opportunity which can catapult them to the hallowed strata and even displace incumbents. But some people do and they are celebrated as success stories to emulate. However, emulating the enabling opportunity is not in one’s hands.

The education system attempts to impart us with disciplined thinking while the moral teachings attempt to impress that there is a straightforward relationship between cause and effect. However, even a cursory look at nature reveals that the universe, including human life, is ultimately ruled by randomness. Hence the challenge lies in understanding randomness and using it for our benefit. By internalizing the lessons learnt from randomness one can successfully scale even the divide between proletariat and elite.

With this perspective, I would like to draw your attention to the currently occuring events, globally and locally, and look forward to sharing your analysis of any specific event which you have noticed with great interest.