Why People and How People

The boy asked his grandfather, "Why most people are poor and we are rich?"

The grandfather, who built a chain of hardware stores and was affluent, smiled to grandson and said, "Son, don't ask why. Ask how. Mostly people who ask why are writers and scientists. Most of them don't really achieve anything. Some do but most not."

"Learn to ask how and not why. The people who ask how solve problems and create things. Successful businessmen are people who ask how. They find ways to solve problems. That is the way to proposer. Solving problems for which people are ready to pay for. That is why we are rich and most people are poor. Poor people ask why. They ask that to the God and to the politicians. Both of them are well known for not answering. On the other side I have always asked how. Look where I am today."

The boy was intelligent. He asked, "But politicians are people who always ask why and they never seem to have any solutions. Yet they are few of the most powerful people. How so?"

The grandfather smiled, pleased by the cleverness of the question asked by his grandson. This boy had the right attitude to make an empire out of his business. Something sadly his poet son didn't have. He said, "Yes politicians are indeed powerful. That is one shortcoming of democracy. Most of the time people who don't have any solutions govern the society. Thankfully most of the politicians have one common shortcoming, greed. Almost all of them can be bought and manipulated. That is one important lesson every successful businessman must learn, how to manipulate politicians."

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The portion above is based upon what I call Why People and How People Theory. It forms the basis of a novel I am "planning" (always planning, never writing) to write which deals with the clashes in Why people and How People. Basically it is a story of the 3 protagonists from three continents. However this is just planning and I don't really know when I will write it. So this will be filed under many "to write" stories.

Anyways what do you think about this theory of "Why People and How People"?

New Year Ramblings

Today feels like those days when you want to write something and most importantly have some time to write to. (My work schedules are like those of the lawyers in the John Grisham novels; the only difference is that I am a programmer. Yes that is how I always see myself: a programmer, not a businessman, though I have cofounded a company). And yes most importantly I don’t get paid $300 per hour.)

A new year has started. 2011. The year is new; the resolution is the same old one: lose weight. As far as the weight is concerned, in the past glorious year I have managed to reach a new handsome record: 94 Kgs! However the most unsettling thing is not the weight itself. The thing that troubles me the most is I have stopped caring about the weight. I seem to have resigned to the fact that I am supposed to be fat. That is the intelligent design as conceived by the universe. So the challenge is even greater now. I first need to get out of this ‘intelligent design’ mental block and do something about the weight. (The first thing I could do is stop writing this and go on a walk. Of course I am not going to do that! Anyways I will end up eating something if I go out on a walk.)

Ok enough about weight! I don’t care about it, right?

Another biggest disappointment was the failure of Tees Maar Khan at the box office! (Sheela is totally awesome but that’s beside the point.) I was mainly disappointed for Farah Khan. For the first time she had made a movie without Shahrukh Khan and it didn’t work. I have always liked her kind of unpretentious cinema. I really think Tees Maar Khan would have worked at box office only if critics were a bit more generous with the ratings. Anyways I have quite a few other problems than worrying about box office performance of some movie. So I should get back to work.

Oh yes, sorry about this meaningless post, it was new years and I had to write something that’s all!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

‘Bakwas end!’ was my first reaction just after the last scene of the movie and I hadn’t even gotten out of the chair. I saw it today at a local film festival and I admit I wouldn’t have seen it completely had I been watching it on DVD. But since I was seating in National Films Archive of India (Pune) I watched it through. And the movie got better after first 45 minutes or so. Brilliant performances by all crew members! But I didn’t like the end. Yes it is one of those movies (like Forrest Gump) which grows to a new height with every minute you spend thinking about it.

The more I thought about it, the more I appreciated it, but still I don’t like the sad end. I just don’t understand why the writer had to end the story about a high spirited man who despite of having all the ‘human flaws’ rebelled against an institution for the sake of the patients had to end this way, when the writer was the God of the story. Despite of having his chance to run away, he chooses to stay to support his friends, to help them with the issues which primarily have arisen because of lack of self confidence and emotional turmoil rather than mental illness and What does he get in return, death!

OK one can argue that the escape of the chief and its celebration by other patients can be looked upon as the victory of what McMurphy stood up for. But then the Hero (yes the H is capital, the Hero within us is as important as the God, isn’t it?) died. Doesn’t this subconsciously kill the Hero within us? The story brings us face to face with the reality that if you try be a rebel who dares to go beyond the confines of the ‘civilization’, death or defeat might be one of the (most likely) ends. Yes those after you might enjoy the fruits but you might not be there to enjoy that. Look at that silly McMurphy, he didn’t think before acting, just went with his natural instinct to support the underdog and look what happened to him, he died! Are you willing to go against the ‘society’ now? Are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice?

Well most of us know this already, consciously or subconsciously, which is why we just try to exist within the society despite of the million flaws in the system. We also know that if we try to fight the system, there are very high chances of failure. And this strengthens the problem of lack of self confidence and unwillingness to change the things around us. Wouldn’t it be nice to know that not all revolutions fail! Some succeed and at the end of the war there are chances that you will be there to enjoy the fruits of the change and even if the chances are little, they are worth trying for!

Abhi Ho Sakata Hai – It can happen right now!

Abhi Ho Sakata Hai – It can happen right now!
-Osho Rajinish

Ok this post was meant to be totally something else, but it is going to be something totally different. It was going to be about the lines, ‘Abhi Ho Sakata Hai’. I read these lines in Osho’s discourse on Ashtavakra Gita. No I haven’t read the whole discourse. It’s comprises some 7-8 volumes (I am not sure, this was some 5-6 years ago.) I was trying to read the third (again, I think) volume. I abandoned the book midway, partly because of my impenitence with teachings which claim to help you with your spiritual self but, more importantly, because I felt I already had gotten the message: Abhi Ho Sakata Hai – It can happen right now!

Thought the message is about attaining Superconsciousness, I have found the message to be very useful in the efforts of attaining my relatively materialistic goals. It is more about the power of believing in your ability and having the resolve: from now onwards the aim of my every activity will be to attain that goal.

(Though I didn’t complete Osho’s discourse on Ashtavakra Gita I did maange to read another of his discourse titled ‘From Sex to Superconsciousness’. See what a great title can achieve! But let me tell you, the message is not about Sex at all. It is about Superconsciousness. The way I interpreted it was like: OK so you cannot conquer your sexual urges, then don’t try to suppress them. That way the only thing you will be doing is thinking more and more about sex. If you want sex, do it and then concentrate fully on more important things in life.)

Though it is very easy to understand the message - It can happen right now! -, why I (and most of us) fail to realize our goals and ambitions? It is because though I have my goals at the same time I have desires which lead me to the path which is contradictory to the path I must take to achieve my goals. And every time the desires win I fail to attain one of my goals. I understand perfectly well why I fell, yet I don’t succeed. Because to succeed one must not only understand but also act according to the understanding. Manage that and yes, It can happen right now!

But you said, “Ok this post was meant to be totally something else, but it is going to be something tonally different.” As long as I can see, the post is about what its title suggests.

Yes till this point the post was about what it was supposed to be. From this point forward it is different. (See sometimes the conflict between aim and desire can produce something worthwhile. That’s why life is so interesting.)

Just before writing this article, I was reading a post on Ram Gopal Varma’s blog. In this entry RGV tells us about Satyendra, one of his friends in collage who was a genius in philosophy. But RGV describes their last encounter as,


Years later when I was shooting for a film in his town, I tried to trace him as I came to know he left his home a few years earlier. I found him in a windowless room filled with all kinds of books. His eyes were filled with boredom which made me realize that he got saturated with knowledge and intelligence, and as a result there was no more excitement in his life


And while researching for this post I found the wikipedia entry on Osho. Till date I have known Osho only through his discourses on various topics. The breadth of his knowledge is awe-inspiring. And his message is clear and to the point. But after reading about the controversial parts of his life, I was astounded by the things which (he purports) were done by his supporters without his knowledge but by using his wealth and power.

I read about two great men in short span of an hour. First Satyendra who despite of his intelligence and knowledge failed to put it to any practical use in life. I agree, may be I am being a bit too harsh on Satyendra in my judgement. Actually it is totally wrong when one person declares other person unsuccessful. But for practical purposes of life one must assess and one must judge. And for me, knowledge gained but not used is waste of time. (I agree that in larger philosophical sense the previous statement is shallow. But I observe that this particular attitude has helped to solve many practical problems.)

And then there is Osho, who despite of being a sea of knowledge, had let such sorry things to come to pass. But I shall refrain from passing any judgment on Osho. I need to know a lot more about him before doing that. And I think I shall be reading a lot more about Osho. Another conflicting desire which may stop or at least hinder my attempts to reach my goals in life. But hey life is not a race to be won, or goal to be attained, it is about finding what life is. Right?

In Pursuit of Happiness: What I want from Life

Image Credit: Zen
What is art? Well art is many things to many people. That’s the essence of a piece of art. Art is open to interpretation of the person experiencing the art. What a person will experience from a piece of art will depend upon that particular person, his unique personality, the experiences he has had before in his life.

Ho ho, now isn’t that vague and uncertain. I being a programmer don’t really deal well with uncertainties. What I have to do is to find a common most occurring situation and then create a solution for that particular situation and then handle the exceptional occurrences to complete the solution. So for my little purpose of living this life I have accepted the following definition of art,

“Art is something which at the basic level satisfies physical and emotional senses but which also stimulates the intellectual thought.”

Ok if you are scratching your head about why I am propounding on the definition art in a post titled, ‘In Pursuit of Happiness: What I want from Life’ then your doubts aren’t entirely misplaced. And if your mental state is like- "bhais ki aakh" saala kuch bhi likhta – I won’t really blame you. [And no this post isn’t a retort at the people who miserably failed to understand my work of art. ;-) ]

The reason is because I have just read “The Hungry Tide” (Good Book, a review post is in the making. For me a real work of art.) by Amitav Ghosh. In the novel Amitav Ghosh has showed a lot of different characters who have different expectations, hopes and ambitions in life.

There is Piya who is a scientist. She is ready to devote prime 10-15 years of her life to do research on some rare species of dolphins found in the rivers of Sunderbans, even when she doesn’t know what will be the ultimate practical benefit of this research. She is ready to live the harsh solitary life in the jungles of Sundarban where there is good chance that she may become food of some tiger or crocodile.

There is Kanai a successful businessman in the translation services. He knows six languages. His ambition is more success, more luxury and more women.

There is Nirmal and Nilima. The idealist couple trying to help the poor people of Sundarbans. They among other things also run a trust hospital for the people if Sunderbans.

There is Moyna, Fokir’s (described below) wife, who despite of being a fisherman’s wife and her rural background is determined to get more education and become a nurse. She wants a better life for her family.

There is Kusum, Fokir’s mother. She has endured unthinkable grief and hardships, yet she is zestful and determined to live a full life.

And then there is Fokir. What Fokir wants? You don’t know. What he does? He is a fisherman by tread, who spends a lot of time on river in the vicinity of nature singing songs. Why he sacrifices his life for Piya? You don’t know. Is he in love with Piya. You don’t know for sure but it seems so.

Of all the above characters, Fokir puzzles me the most. There is a big unanswered WHY about him. In a novel (and in real life too) you can understand people by their ambition. Understand a person’s ambition and you will have him figured out. You can guess in advance how he will behave in a certain situation if you understand his ambition and his moral framework (though quite a few times the moral framework is conditioned by the ambition).

Fokir is a kind of person who knows how just to be. There is no why about his existence, there is just being and being content about it. The kind of man the traditional Hindu religion instructs us to be. The concept of ‘nirvana’. End of want, the complete bliss, the eternal happiness.

You: Ae, bakwas band kar, direct bol tera point kya hai?

The point is: the WHY of Pritam? If you know me for more than 2 days, you will understand that I am all about ambition. In many ways I am a lot like Kanai. (Except for more women part. Though it may be the natural man situation, I understand the meaning and importance of THE woman and I am searching for her.)

So if I am about ambition, what is the ambition? Happiness for me and my people. Ambitions means want and want negates the possibility of nirvana, the eternal happiness. So what’s the problem? Why am I running behind some ambition when there is eternal happiness to be obtained? Well, it’s not the want or ambition which brings the grief. It’s the failure to achieve the ambition. But you fail only when you give up hope and stop running. If there is hope, the failure is only momentarily; you can always get up and start running.

It’s not really the happiness but the pursuit of happiness that keeps me running. It’s the pursuit of happiness that keeps me alive.

The One about Feeling Small, Insignificant and....

Well almost a month has passed since I have written the last post on this blog and yes it’s just the usual reason: too much work. (Read: Procrastination) But it’s not really true. Twice during last month I found myself having the time and subject matter to write about but I didn’t. Why? Because the inspiration behind both the posts was negative emotions. Anger, angst and rage. One was related to corruption and other about BJP playing ‘Ram Mandir Issue’ as its trump card for the next general elections. Why I avoided writing those posts is because criticism solves little. Most of the time thoughts generated from negative emotions aren’t practical solutions to the real problems.

Why today’s post? Well in a way this one also stems from another negative emotion. It is about feeling small. It is about feeling insignificant. It is about feeling helpless. But nevertheless I am going to write this one.

When we think of the universe and ourselves, we can’t help but think that we are insignificant. Think of it, how many things can go wrong and in a short time the world as we of it will cease to exist. Science Fictions writers make there living out of such stuff.

When we think about the problems that human beings from all around the planet are facing, what we find? Terrorism, religious divide, war, poverty, hunger, … the list is almost endless. And what I can do about it? Nothing. The problems seem so enormous that whatever solution I can think of falls short of the reality. If you take a look at the history, it is filled with policy decision of Governments gone wrong. Many of them taken in good faith, but gone wrong during the implementation.

There is a theory: In large scheme of things whatever you do doesn’t matter in the long run.

Consider the example of medical health care. Sure we have found out cures to many diseases which have resulted in longer longevity. But at the same time we have found out more efficient ways to kill thousands of people in matter of seconds.

We have achieved faster transport but the no. of accidents is ever increasing.

There is no less grief (physical & emotional) in the world than that was a 100 years ago or probably a 1000 years ago.

Doesn’t one feel almost helpless? Sometimes I think this inability to find solutions to problems beyond our control gives birth to philosophy like, ‘Tum kya karate ho? Jo karata hai wo Who karavata hai?’ – ‘What do you do? Whatever happens is because of the Gods will.’

You are a droplet in the sea. All you can do is to move with the weave.

Trying to bring the change is futile. Stop worrying (caring?). Instead enjoy your life to the fullest! The world can take care of itself.

Really convincing, isn’t it? Why because it makes evading the responsibility so much easier.

What can I do? I am just an insignificant speck of dirt in the tornado.

Image Credit : Saiuri

And…

Did you read the title of the post? It ends with and ‘and…’ So here is the ‘and…’ part,

And… Kaala Bandar!!!

What? From where did the ‘Kaala Bandar’ come from? Well it comes just like that, whenever the plot needs it.

Well if you don’t know Blogger has this nice feature, using which you can save your half-finished post as draft and then finish it later on. So yesterday night when I felt very tired after writing about that 'feeling insignificant bit of piece of shit', I did just that. I hit the ‘Save Now’ button and turned off the lights.

And today I found out that I could take out 3-4 hours to go to E-Square and watch ‘Delhi 6’. (Oh! Don’t ever believe that ‘I found out that I could take out…’ crap, in truth it was like my hands were shaking, I felt seriously ill and inadequate, I couldn’t concentrate and I had to go and watch a movie in a cinema theater. Yes I accept I am addicted!)

And boy! What a movie it is! Awesome, wonderful, terrific, great…. I am out of superlatives! Great cinematography, awesome music score and simply great direction. One rarely gets to see such a perfect use of symbolization in a Bollywood (or Hollywood for that matter) movie. At one side we have Lord Hanuman and at the other we have Kaala Bandar. Both represent two essential natures of the human beings and it's up to us what we choose to become. And the writer and director - Prasoon Joshi and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra were spot on when they choose Delhi-6 to represent the India. With little bit of difference we have met/seen all these characters in our life.

Well I could go on and on about the movie the point is, the protagonist chooses to make a difference and yes he get horribly beaten up and gets shot for making the right choice. And I guess this fear of getting beaten up is what stops us from making the decisions which can alleviate (if not solve altogether) the problems we are facing today. But we never make those decisions. I know I haven’t taken any of those decisions! Being an insignificant speck is what we choose! One of the countless insignificant specks driven by the powerful wind of hatred forming the tornado which threatens to finish the ‘civilization’.

Image Credit : demordian

Image Credit : demordian

Image Credit : Tinneketin

So I did IT…

OK this post has been due for like 5 days. Everyday I used to say like I will do it today. But work pressure is so much that it was really impossible. I am sleeping at 3-4 O’clock in the morning for last couple of days.

In that regard there is a news (Good or Bad I can’t really tell.) I have given 3 months notice to my current employer. So from May onwards I will be working only for my own firm. No more 2 jobs thing. I just can’t wait to see these three months finish.

And in all of the above, I forgot to tell you that this post is an update post to the New Year! New Resolution! Post. In that post I told you about this bet according to which I was required to loose 5 Kgs in one month. Well guys I am pleased to say that I have achieved that target. On the weighing day my weight was 78.81 which is 6.900 Kgs (That is almost 7Kgs!) less than the previous weight.

The original "contract" updated to show
new weight with signature and all.

New Slimmer (but not slim enough) Me.

As usual the credit of not so good photographs goes to...
Padmaja

[And OK the bold name right uder photograph seems to suggest the person in the photograph is Padmaja. But no she is not that ugly. She is a lot more.... What? I just left the statement incomplete. Fill in the blank. ]

And it was tough! The last 7 days were like hell. During these days I was obsessed over weight. Actually first 3 weeks went quite well and I had already managed to loose 4 kgs by 23rd Jan. But on 24th and 25th Jan I went to my home town Bhusawal and with all that “Maa ka pyaar and dular” I managed to put on something like a kilogram or so. And I was like... Oh no! I am going to loose this bet! But then I switched to strict liquid diet (and yes if you are wondering that involved quite a few trips to the loo.)

On 29th I was still 90 grams short of the target and I was majorly [Ya I know there is no such word as majorly. It’s just that Tushar keeps using the phrase – there was this cute chic in …. Majorly hot man! Majorly Hot!] pissed [No pun intended. And am I writing a bit too much in brackets? I love it, writing in brackets. In fact I think a cool name for this blog would be – Writing in the Brackets ;-) and yes if you have forgotten what the original sentence was: I was majorly pissed.] So in all my fury I cursed God [in whom I don’t believe] for being unfair to me and went on even harder diet and drank only a sip or two of water only when necessary [plus 1 or 2 glasses of buttermilk and 2-3 chai (with out sugar but with lots of Sugerfree – and that was a bracket within bracket – I am great)].

And then the weighing day came. 1 Feb 2009! I spent extra 10 minutes in the toilet to make sure I wasn't carrying any "dead weight". And I consumed only half a liter of water and 3 cups of tea in that day. I was feeling damn low on calories. I was getting irritated quite often. But it was a bet and I had to win. So I told myself to stay calm and not to do anything rash. I was waiting like mad for 6 O’clock in the evening. Then finally at 6 O’clock in the evening I called up Archana and told her that I was coming to pick her up. Poor girl was ill but I dragged her to Corn Club where I had weighed previously. And … You know the rest of the story….

New Year! New Resolution!

Hi everybody! And if I haven’t said this to you already,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So 2009 started and for the first time in my life, a year looks so promising at the beginning. Believe me usually I am the ‘New Year, So what?’ kind of a guy. But this time round I feel really exited. And part of it is because of my new year’s resolution.

Pritam’s Resolution for 2009:
To loose atleast 15 Kgs in 2009.

If you have known me from last 6-7 years then you probably know that there are FAT and Slim (OK not slim but definitely ‘not fat’) phases in my life. And for last 1 and half years I have been Fat. So I have decided enough is enough. The time has come for the Slim phase to set in.

On our regular walk from Charu’s (A restaurant where my colleagues and I eat our lunch) to our office, I told Archana about my resolution and said (all too prudly), “I am going to loose 5kgs in January”. Archana looked at me for one second and she started laughing and said not possible. So I challenged her that I will do that and she accepted a bet of Rs. 500. If I loose 5kgs by 1st Feb. 2009 I win the bet, other wise she wins. And I hear when Salil heard of this bet from Archana, he also agreed to a bet of Rs. 500. And when Tushar heard of this bet, Tushar being Tushar, placed a bet of … hold your breath… Rs. 5. So that’s Rs. 1005 to loose or win. Now that’s some motivation and I am not going to loose.

So as a proof of the bet Archana and I went to Corn Club where I weighed and here is the “Agreement” between Archana & I and besides it is a photograph of ME wearing the same cloths and shoes which I was wearing at the time I weighed.

 

(Photographer : Padmaja.)

If these pics don’t look that good, blame Padmaja. (See I spell it right now. I have spelled it all wrong in the Orkut testimonial that I wrote for her. Though it was a genuine mistake, I would like it if people believed that I did it on purpose ;-) so I wouldn’t look dumb and Padmaja will get super annoyed.)

So anyway, guys wish me luck. Soon you are going to see slim Pritam!

About Books and Acting Silly

Yesterday through innumerable twists and turns of fate, I found myself in front of Crossword in E-square with 45 minutes to kill. Actually I shouldn’t have been in E-square. With some very tight deadlines I should have been in my office working like a donkey. But no, I am at E-square waiting for the next show of ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’ to start. (More about that in the next post.)

Image Credit : LotusHead

The next mistake was to stand in front the books display of Crossword. Books have this magnetic pull on me that before I could stop myself, I was inside Crossword drooling at the stacks and stacks of books.

In the end I ended up spending Rs. 694 on three books. I know for some of you its not much, but for me its huge. As a rule I either borrow books from library or from friends. (And I always return them in good condition!) In extreme cases I purchase second hand books. But that’s it. No more expenses on books. I cannot afford it.

But yesterday I told myself, “Dude whom are you kidding? You can afford to buy original books. You earn at least that much.” So with all those financial apprehensions quelled, I started to look at the books with renewed vigor and lust. Finally I ended up buying:

1. Glimpses of World History by Jawaharlal Nehru
This one was suggested by Anand. He also wants to read it.

2. It Happened in India by Kishore Biyani with Dipayan Baishya.
All you shopping aficionados (Padmaja I also mean you) Kishore Biyani is the person responsible for the shopping mall revolution in India. Here is the list of stores run by Mr. Biyani’s Future Group: Pantaloons, Big Bazaar, Central, Food Bazaar, Home Town, eZone, Depot, Future Money and futurebazaar.com.

3. That Thing Called Love by Tuhin Sinha
I actually bought this one for Padmaja. She likes such silly (and Tushar suggests silly should be replaced with scandalous) books (Well I like them a bit too.)

So that was about a silly night and about squandering money on books. And It felt so good yesterday that I fear my trips to Crossword are bound to increase. God help my savings plan!

Gobar Gas Plants : Have you seen any?

I am a small town guy who is a son of a farmer. OK. My father is not a framer, he is a businessman, but we had our own farms so he liked the idea of playing a framer. (Anyway probably we lost more than we earned in our farming operations. Probably my dad wouldn’t agree but that’s the overall impression I have.)

No but this post is not about farming. This post is about gobar (cow/buffalo dung) gas. If you don’t know gobar gas is a term used for bio gas that is obtained from cow/buffalo dung. If you want to know more about it, read this wikipedia article.

I still remember the gobar gas plant we had in our front yard of the house we used to live in. This was in 80s. There was this huge tank (dug in ground having brick walls.) for the storage of the dung and water mixture which was put inside it by our saldar (A hired employee who looks after farming operations, something sort of a farm manager). And then there was a metal dome fixed as a kind of lid. In the center of this lid there was a pipe with valve from where we used to get gobar gas which was used for cooking.

During all my childhood this plant was an enigma and attraction. As long as I remember it was mostly defunct during my childhood. It just stood there as relic of a bygone era. Since there was danger of one of us kids falling into the tank, we were not allowed to play near it, but of course we did and there is a faint memory when I had almost fallen in the tank.

Later during renovation of the house my father removed the biogas plant and built a storage room above it. We sold that house around 2 years ago. Even though my entire childhood went in that house, I surprisingly remember little of it. Anyway I was never a person who gets attached with things. But somehow the memory of that gober gas plant remains.

In so many years after that I haven’t seen a single gobar gas plant. They almost seem to have become non-existent. Have you seen any?