Inner Metamorphosis

This blog by my friend Balasanjeevi makes a hilarious read. As a fellow co-traveller, I largely agree with his observations and feel compelled to share my own, although I must admit that I cannot replicate his humorous effect. The current marriage market is a textbook case-study on how excessive domination could end up becoming hugely counterproductive and one begins to appreciate moderation as an essential even in domination. Traditional marriage market RK Narayan writes in an essay in " The Next Sunday " which although laced with humor makes grim observations about the then prevailing marriage markets. A father of a prospective bridegroom apparently declares that next to an investment in land whose values never comes below a point, having an unmarried son is the next best investment. Taking a cue from the discount/ combo offers during festive seasons, dowry demands were innovatively designed too – a car/bike/cycle (my son has to maintain his st...

Sometimes, I’m inclined to think that Social Media [Facebook prominently] – its peerless contribution to our lifestyle notwithstanding – isn’t making us more social. Instead I’ve observed a downward trend – of otherwise capable & happy people being consumed by jealousy & envy upon seeing their friends happier and more successful. A quick research confirmed my hunch that this phenomenon is more widespread than commonly believed. And no, this feeling isn’t limited to those apparently at the receiving end of luck. The feeling appears to be universal given that no matter where you stand, you always have some people ranking higher in the social & professional ladder. So apart from socializing us, Facebook is also burying deep into the recesses of mind and activating the most deadly sin – envy .  Why Facebook is different? In physical plane, we are either directly involved in an event or totally unaware of its occurrence except through stray mentions of...

In one of those lazy hostel nights in 2004, as my repeated attempts to sleep were futile, I finally gave up and looked for diversion. By sheer good luck, my roommate just procured a copy of Complete Collection of Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (written by Arthur Canon Doyle) which was lying on the table while he was away at a friend’s room. I started reading it at once and was so engrossed that I realized not when it had dawned.   The next day, I was back to reading it the moment I returned from college. Reading at furious pace, I completed it in 3 days. Never had a book influenced me more profoundly till I came across Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra in 2009. Sherlock Holmes is a precursor to Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot & our own desi Feluda created by none other than Satyajit Ray ( yes the popular filmmaker ). From then, many such characters have been created to satiate public thirst – but none comes remotely close to the eternal popularity of Sherlock Hol...

So Narendra Modi does it again – winning on development plank for the 3 rd consecutive time. There were apprehensions among certain sections that he may repeat a Chandrababu Naidu – who bit the dust despite huge media hype on the contrary. But it was Modi all the way (to Delhi?).   Of course, the usual suspects were interpreting this as depletion of his mass-appeal (one seat less than last elections).  Nonetheless a victory capturing 2/3 of the seats permits only one interpretation – the people of Gujarat have reposed their faith in Modi. Period! Narendra Modi in a curious fashion represents the antithesis of Nehru and Nehruvian-establishment nurtured leadership. Nehru’s Idea of India Given the carefully calibrated image of Jawaharlal Nehru, many Indians worship him as the paragon of democracy & liberty. Unfortunately, with media & academic centres infiltrated by Socialists/Communists, we are deprived of learning the alternative perspectives. ...

Public speaking is one of my interests and I like to observe and study the speakers’ style. Based on my experiences, I have noted some pertinent points that constitute a good performance. Clarity: Some feel that using corporate jargon creates a strong impression. But words like “innovation”, “transformation”, “management” etc have been done to death and no longer register an impact. Use of simple words helps people concentrate directly on your point instead of waving through the jargon to understand your point. Language is a tool to communicate your thoughts – it is not the end-product by itself. In writing, the reader can go through the content over and again till he gets the point. In speech you have no such luxury; you must reach your audience right in the first time. And if a listener fails to grasp you more than twice or thrice, you have positively lost his attention for the rest of speech. Brevity: Blame it on our s...

It’s high time we revisit the British rule of India and particularly question the assumption that Gandhiji led India to freedom. This is important as we seem to be deriving lessons based on the same. This in turn influences our historical understanding that serves as the basis for making future decisions. Indians believe that one fine day British were finally guilt-trapped by Gandhiji’s non-violent movement and set India free without a murmur to ease their conscience. This version appears to be the received wisdom now and may contain the certain footnotes of assumptions too like inherent British superiority in arms, Indian meekness, and centuries of Hindu-Muslim amity with the sole redeeming feature being the spiritual strength that remained intact. Why did India succumb to a much smaller British? Were Indians savages with no access to modern weaponry that hordes of Western powers could come and plunder at their will? For that we begin with what started it all - the pol...