Contradictions and wages

Sri Sathya Sai Hospital, Whitefield, Bangalore

A friend, an ex-colleague of mine had called me up to meet together for a lunch. We had agreed to meet at InOrbit mall in Whitefield. From my office, it is a walking distance of 10 minutes. As I like to walk, I did not let go of this opportunity. I had to pass by Sathya Sai Hospital, a well-known super specialty hospital to reach the mall. There I noticed a bizarre thing. On the footpath, attached to compound wall of this hospital, there was a make-shift, cloth wrapped, temporary shop of medicine seller, selling medicines made out of various spices with a banner claiming to cure all kinds of ailments. There was a loud speaker too to attract the attention. Well, if the patient is cured with the treatment inside the hospital, will he come out and try these medicines or will this be the first stop for him? I did not know how it worked but for a moment I thought India is incredibly contradictory as we have ancient medicines and the state of the art health services made available in one place.

Inorbit Mall, Whitefield, Bangalore

I went on to meet my friend and proceeded for lunch. There, for two person’s meals, we paid a price with which a small family would buy grocery to last for a month. After the lunch, a walk inside the mall gave me a feel that this is a better facility than many of the malls I had visited in US, Europe or Singapore. I again felt contradiction as we hit the street outside we are very much in India with all of its hallmarks. This mall had all international brand stores. Among them there was an arts and crafts shop too. The shop-keeper there was sitting with his legs stretched out on two chairs as if he is not expecting any curious customer to come-in, forget the business. I was thinking how they survive, while my friend was gossiping about office politics.

When I was walking back to my office, again in front of Sathya Sai Hospital, few village men asked me how to reach ‘Kailasa Palya’. I was puzzled for a moment as I had not heard of that place. Seeing my confusion one of them uttered another word – ‘Victoria Hospital’.  Suddenly I was smiling and I corrected them. They needed to go ‘Kalasipalya’ and helped them to board the bus. I could make out that these villagers had brought a patient along with them, they had come to get him treated at this Satya Sai Hospital which is a free service hospital built by Sai Baba. But the rush and waiting periods are so long, many have to return without success of getting admitted here so they were leaving to Victoria hospital which is run by the Govt.

Traffic congestion in Bangalore

When commuting in Bangalore is an adventure for a healthy person, how the deceased would suffer in the crowded public transport system? I really felt bad for the patient. I know more than half population of this world is poor, struggle to make their ends meet. Many are happy to have single meal a day. And when they suffer from ailments, they have to travel miles to the likes of expensive city of Bangalore to get back to their health.

When will this change and when will they do better? Not when some rich donate money, though it helps to some extent. A good society should not depend on few people’s philanthropy. And no use blaming Govt. as they represent the broader society that is us again. Another thing to note is, facilities develop when the affordability in the society goes up. Did you know that Whitefield was a sleeping village fifteen years ago? I had to travel more than 5 km to find a Tea shop on the day I got my offer letter from a company in this area in 2001. Now it is transformed into a modern suburb. Most of the people working in this locality earn well, so you find everything under the Sun here. That is because the spending power of people living here went up and the facilities followed them.

Wages are increasing in rural India too, but they are unevenly spread. When they, from laborer in the fields to construction workers get better wages, life style improves in the villages too. Those villages may not become another Whitefield but become better places than they were before. That would put a halt to those suffering from ill health to arrive in Bangalore, suffer in traffic and experience hell.

If things are going to be expensive as wages are to go up at the bottom of economic pyramid, we should know that it is not entirely unwelcome. History has taught us that prosperity islands will fall out when there is social unrest. It is better to spread the prosperity. Not by donations but through wages as the benefits would reach far and wide. That is what happened in many developed countries so their incomes are at multiples of ours. As India’s economy expands, we will also see wages here going up all over the places. And that will get millions out of poverty, reducing the gap in access to basic facilities. I am hopeful of seeing it in my lifetime.

Being a politician is a hard job

I recently met a budding politician. That meeting had around 20 members, conducted in a prviate house. They were all members of an association of a newly formed layout on the outskirts of Bangalore. This politician was elected to be a Gram Panchayat member in the recent elections. Meeting had two things on the agenda. One is, congratulating him on winning the election and the other, getting few petty things done from him for the layout.

This politician, probably in his 40’s, had a great physique. He looked like a granite rock rawly cut. Huge and strong skull, curly hair, bulky eyes, broad shoulders, solid arms gave him a scary look. But his talk was soft. Surprisingly for a politician, he knew his limits. He was able to explain how the Govt. and Panchayat work in simpler words. He talked to the point, quickly understood what was expected out of him in that meeting. He ordered his men to build a dump yard for collecting waste, promised to build flag hosting pole at his own expense, called up the responsible to repair the street lights and explained how a mud road fix does not help anyone and why it is better to demand for a tar road and who would help as it was beyond his limits. He distributed sweets along with his visiting card. He asked everyone to approach him for whatever things he is responsible for and he would also let the meeting attendees know if he needs any support. Favor reciprocation is an old formula in politics and the underworld. He did all of this in a matter of 20-30 minutes and then drove off in his Toyota Innova, probably to he next meeting.

He kicked off a few thoughts inside me and I am putting down few things I could notice from him. To be a politician, one should not be too sensitive. Everyone does not respond to the politician in the same manner or tone. Irrespective of that he has to treat all of them fairly in public. Else his image is at stake. He should have the knack to take the meetings under his control, to keep it short and fruitful. He should know the truth that society cares only those who win elections and those who lost are good as dogs. It can be a thankless job even for the purest soul. He should strive to promote himself for taking the credit for his good deeds. Else the opposition does it shamelessly. If you don’t eat Tiger does not mean Tiger will not eat you. A politician should know how to defend himself and his family from those who want to put an end to his career or life. If violence scares you, you are out in no time. A politician should know how to manipulate the human behavior. He should shout at some to get things done and be pleasing to few to keep things going. One weapon does not work for all. A politician dons hats of many roles, all at the same time. That of an actor moderating his stance throughout the day, as a psychologist in gauging the people and situation, as a marketer in shaping his image in the people’s eye, as a punter in protecting his interests and so on.

This also makes it clear why many good people do not get into politics, even when tried, they cannot go further. Many good people are sensitive. They cannot stand too much praise or insult. They promote themselves hardly. Even if some are able to overcome this behavior, they might not be in a situation to protect themselves and confront the violence. They are scared off by stronger forces at play. When these are not a problem for few, playing too many roles as a politician throughout the day can be really tiring. A slipped tongue in public or a small fight with the media can damage the image severely and quickly. Factors like this filter out the mass and leave little who are really cut out for politics.

Being a politician is really a hard job. Hope you would agree with me. As politicians would not read blogs, you won’t be one of them I guess.

How Desktop Computers disappeared from our desks?

Let me begin with the accessories. There used to be Floppy Disks (1.44 MB!) which gave way to CD’s which would hold the entire movie or hundreds of songs and other media. Now CD’s are dying a slow death with the rise of Flash Memory sticks which are more reliable and fit in pockets too.

Similarly, the Desktop computers which occupied a large portion on our desks slowly gave way to laptops. When the smartphones began to make any dumb person holding it appear smart, Laptops were needed only for work, to spend the long hour. Otherwise any other quick thing, you would do it on your phone. When this is the trend who would refresh their desktops? Be it corporate or Individual consumer, they did not see a good reason to replace their desktop or upgrade them with higher RAM or things like that as they did a decade ago.

It was Steve Jobs who had said consumer does not know what he wants so market research was of no value for him. He made billions for his company with the roll out of iPhones and iPads. While Apple was grabbing the market share and building a cash pile, the whole supply-chain of Personal Computer (PC) makers from HP to Intel suffered. Swing in the gadget adoption which delighted the consumers changed the fortunes for many in the industry. Winners in the smartphone supply chain like Applie, Qualcom, ARM, TSMC and Foxconn triumphed and those who missed the bus had to cut their staff as their profits halved and their stock prices decimated. HP had to lay-off more than 50,000 people. AMD, a micro-processor maker (competitor to Intel) was another victim as PC sales contracted along with their market share. Now their stock trades below $2, a 75% drop form its price during 2010.

Mobility wave lifted few companies and dumped many. It moved many of the functions done on a bulky computer to a hand held phone. Our desks got cleared but people are glued to their smartphones. Window to the world does not stay on your desk now but in your hands.

Similar changes are happening in the software space too. Many desktop software found replacement in Enterprise-wide applications which are moving to cloud now on per per use model. Automation has taken prominence. Some of the widely used apps like those provided by Google cost nothing for the end users as they found different ways to make money other than directly charging the end user. New technologies and apps have made the life easier for many. Now a housewife orders vegetables online. And you don’t miss any of the gossips with WhatsApp.

All this change happened in the recent past, fairly quickly. For the newer generation, a desktop computer does not appeal any more, it has to rest in peace.

Seven Social Sins as per MK Gandhi

Short Story: Few mysteries are not to be solved

Kunigal, a place in South Karnataka is bigger than a village but not a buzzing town. Due to it is location on the highway connecting Bangalore to Mangalore, it has traffic on that road all the time. But the town goes to sleep quite early. It has a large and beautiful lake on the outskirts and a walk there in the early morning or evening can refresh anyone’s mood and uplift the spirits. A plain patch of land outside the town was the farm for Tipu Sultan’s horses. That stud farm is now owned by a big businessman who owes more money to banks than his worth. Is it the curse of stud farm to bring an end to glory of their owners? But the royal attachments were limited to that farm and most of the town residents earned their living by working in their fields.

In one of those farmer families of this town, Ravi was born. The Sun God is a symbol of positive energy and hope. That belief had made Ravi’s parents to choose this name for their son. They saw that their expectations were coming true as Ravi grew up. Poor background had made him only more determined and there were no clouds to mask his shine. Agriculture was his first interest. He got a degree and masters in an Agri University. The exposure he was getting and his drive to serve a bigger a purpose in life was attracting him to a top job in the Government, that of an IAS officer. His efforts saw that he reached his goal. Only a few hundread are chosen a year among lakhs of aspirants. Ravi had the merit and determination.

While going through the required training in the hill town of Mussorie, he developed strong relationship with his fellow batchmates. When the brightest minds of a nation come together, they come out good. They shape each other and the influence lasts even after they are out in their jobs of running the Govt. machinery. They have the necessary knowledge and ability to judge, some skills are imparted and the rest they learn on the job to keep the best interests of the society. They are trained to take care of the society. But these IAS officers too are human beings and need a shoulder to cry on when the work pressure or personal stress becomes unbearable. Ravi too found a friend in his batchmate. She was smart and ambitious. Did Ravi love her? Did she love him too? But both found their life partners in different persons.

Ravi got his posting as Assistant Commissioner in his home state of Karnataka. It was in a north Karnataka town but in a year he had to shoulder higher responsibility as District Commissioner of Kolar district. And a reformer in Ravi got into action. He got rid of encroachments of Govt. lands. The honesty in him could not tolerate the irregularities and the sand mafia. Quality in civil infrastructure could not be compromised to feed the corrupt elements. Public began to notice the changes and the driving force behind them. It took less than a year for Ravi to become a celebrity. It is not a common sight to find a person who has authority and position but yet simple and down to earth. People of Kolar thought they were lucky to have him but those troubled by his action did not want him to remain there for long. All civil servants know they need to pack their suitcase and move on when the call comes. Ravi was transferred to Bangalore. People of Kolar protested but Ravi had to move on to take charge as Additional Commissioner in Commercial Tax department.

You cannot train a dog not to be loyal. It is what they are made up of. Similarly few people like Ravi would not compromise their honesty even if they are asked to. Ravi in his new role found that there was lots of tax evasion happening to the tune of Rs.1,000 crores. Just two weeks of rides on such businesses brought Rs.138 crores of tax revenue to the Govt. Businessmen does not operate in a silo. They looked for ways to silence Ravi. Death threat calls did not seem to deter Ravi. But something terrible happened. Ravi was found dead.

The sudden death and the mysteries around it created a suspiscion that he could be murdered. Media too strongly supported the suspicion. Protests began. Opposition party blamed the ruling party. Support to Ravi’s family came from all corners of state. Ravi was on everyone’s FaceBook wall. Common men talked if this is going to be the fate of an Adminstrator in the highest authority, what of those without power. Protests became fierce. At the same time, there was news or rumour of Ravi having called his batchmate several times before the day of his death. A failed love story was framed around them. Also of Ravi’s intention to get into real estate business. Then, was it plain suicide? Why a person of Ravi’s caliber would commit suicide, so asked the public. The investigation was assigned to a central institute of some repute.

Everyone had their side of story. No one knew the complete truth. Is it possible for a human being to know another person completely? Victors get to write the history and victims are already dead, they do not stand a chance to tell their side of story. So any history we know of is always one sided story. In the fifteenth century, famous king of Vijayanagara kingdom, Sri Krishna Devaraya had untimely death, before he had turned forty. Was it suicide or murder? There are theories which support both the views. The brave king who did not lose a single war of many wars he fought, committed suicide saddened by his son’s death, so goes one argument. Those who poisoned king’s son also killed the king, says the opposite camp. But the truth was buried along with their death. Speculation never become the truth.

Limelight won’t stay on one individual for long. Though public were still outraged, there were other things happening. A cricket match, a local election, release of ‘Bahubali’ movie, there were so many things seeking public attention. In between all of that, investigation agency concluding that Ravi’s death was a suicide went almost unnoticed or public was not convinced but let go of it. A reformer is dead. God knows the reason. Public will ensure that the saying ‘Public memory is short’ does not turn untrue.

Even if they look back their memory lane, the puzzle of Ravi’s death would remain a mystery for the common person. Like ‘Chidambara Rahasya’ (Eternal secret), few mysteries are not to be solved. They are to be forgotten, comfortably by some, painfully by others.

[It is comfortable to call this a fictional story as what I wrote here is a perception too]