Generalists

Young Leonardo lamented, "Generalists like me who see the big picture are called either evangelists or rank amateurs."

Sanity

The female chimp Lulu recently broke up with her boyfriend of three months, Karlu. So she shared her pain with her best friend Milu, the lime green macaw. She said, "It is really unfortunate what all life can teach you...and this is one of my 'unfortunate' lessons - either you can emotionally hurt other chimps once or hurt yourself again and again. There is no ready substitution for self esteem. We chimps are really imperfect, but we must try and remain as sane as possible. That is more important than being rich or successful."

India - the melting pot of cultures and languages

India was never as fragmented along cultural lines as she is today. Ironically, most Indians take the multicultural nature of India for granted. They do not think twice about India sustaining a federation of culturally distinct states, which would be, in other countries, extremely difficult. Perhaps no other country on the globe is as culturally diverse as India. Yet, compared to 50 years ago, the various cultural entities of India feel even more separated from each other. The reason for this is the lack of a single unifying, overriding ideology/identity/vision. We do have a feeling of nation-statehood. But we do not have an equally strong feeling of fellow-citizenship. At the macro level, nationality is a strong uniter. But at the micro level, cultural differences are strong dividers-which gives rise to a lot of bad blood and debilitating conflicts.

Paradoxically, foreign imperialism was the original catalyst for Indian unification. The British commercial motives had the favourable side-effect of centralised administration of the entire sub-continent, which actually bound whole of India in a unifying system. It would be very difficult to predict what would have happened to India if the British had not come. Would have India become the federal nation state that she is today? Or would have she become a conglomeration of nations like the European Union? There were other unifiers before the British-the Mauryas, the Slaves, the Mughals. Would have the Mughals moved towards social and scientific reforms like the Europeans? Would have India invented democracy before the west? All this is difficult to answer. But we can start from the fact that most Indian rulers were lulled into complacency by their own prosperity and the sense of security afforded by the sea and mountain bound subcontinent.

Today it is a brand new world and India's cycle of civilisation, that started with the Indus Valley Civilisation, has come a full circle. We are the first and the best, thanks to serendipity and some visionary leadership, in a growing global trend - multiculturalism - and that is the way the world's going. Multiculturalism has its hiccups but we are far ahead of others in deriving a working system of society that resolves the differences and the clash of cultures. If political prudence prevails, then politicians of the day will see the merit is promoting the feeling of cultural fraternity even at the micro level. And it should work because no one likes to fight, quarrel or kill. Everyone wants to get on with his life with peace, freedom and security.

Group Dynamics

Group dynamics have many manifestations. Groups could be small teams, large armies or simply rampaging mobs. There is something in a group that amplifies everything about an individual-good as well as bad characteristics. Groups can reduce inhibitions, whet intra-group rivalry and increase insecurity.

Mobs are equally capable of both ethnic cleansing and regime-changing revolutions. A mob is an extreme form of a group that allows free expression to hitherto suppressed instincts of cruelty and courage, hostility and camaraderie. Similarly, joining a theatre group reduces your stage fright by several basis points.

An organisation is another form of a group. Most work related organisations act differently from your average group. They amplify opposite feelings in individuals in different settings. People join companies for security in their personal lives. But at the cost of insecurity in their professional lives. A genuinely decent person in personal life can behave in an utmost despicable manner in an office surrounding. It is not uncommon for his colleagues to be pleasantly surprised when meeting him in a more informal setting. Most employees are insecure, unless they have a genetic propensity for security. In fact, most secure employees are those who are in denial. Employees live a schizophrenic life- a different man at home and in office. The aim of good organisations should be to resolve this split personality, or at least, to reduce it to a level which nurtures good workplace behaviour. How can we do this?

We can do this be periodically exposing employee groups to informal interaction settings-like picnic, outing, recreation, group-work unrelated to work, games etc. Another good method would be to make communication, policy making and reward system more transparent. People should be made to feel less threatened of each other. As far as possible, the personal growth of an employee should not depend on the quirks and fancies of another individual.

-- first written on 9 September 2004.

The 'Act' of Life

Everyday of my life is like an unfolding story. A TV series. Episode after episode. Some amazingly exciting. Some woefully tiring. And I am the lead actor, I am the director, the writer, the greatest fan and the worst critic.

Sometimes I just want to switch off the TV and sometimes I want to change the channel to something more exciting or something more hopeful. But alas, the producer of the series, a.k.a. God, has not given me that much liberty. I can't even quit the role I've been given until he says so. I'm like a puppet whose strings are in his hands. Is more directorial freedom possible? Can I script my own role more freely without the constant interference of the producer?

On other times I feel, as the lead actor, I throw too many tantrums. I think many a times I have refused script opportunities, roles and dialogues given by the producer simply because I was not in the mood. Is it possible that because I am not taking control of the role, the producer has to step in so often?

-- first written on 11 February 2004.

Surreal Day

My day is
surreaL, sloW
fluctuatinG betwEEn
reaListic dReams and
dReamY reaLitY
waitiNg fOr
tHe harD knoCk of
hUnger and nEEd
to wAke me uP fRom
mY Self Indulgence and
EGOTISM...

-- the day of 6 October 2003.

Full Moon Night

Meander out
on your lovely little feet.
Feel the affectionate breeze
caress your beautiful face.
Let your kind gaze
fall upon the grateful sky.
Behold!
Your reflection!

--first written on 9 December 2003.

A vision of the Sun

Sometimes its
raining, dark, chilly and gloomy.
But you feel
it couldn't have been any more beautiful.
You sense
happiness and warmth inside...
You have just seen
the Sun of your life.

-- First written on 27 December 2003.

Sudan

The shot rang out
like...
It didnt ring
anymore.
When you cohabit
with bullets,
you seldom hear
their shreiks.
Only the fortunate,
they rest
in peace within.
Splattered blood
only cooled my face
coz it had chilled the day
the child was born
to
the bloodlands of Sudan.

-- First written sometime in September 2004.

Rebel

Karna, the outcaste, says, "I'm a rebel for the sake of being a rebel. This world needs rebels as much as it needs rules, rulers and status quo. Nothing stagnates a civilisation like the convenient security of status quo. And it is the rebels who bring forth regeneration. Thus, mankind survives."