The Undoing of Communism

The problem with communism is that it imposes standards on human beings that are not biologically backed up. For instance, equality, the basic foundation of communism, is actually just an outcome of human thought and conscience. Human beings are not biologically/naturally geared towards equality. Man's desire to excel above his peers betrays his need to be unequal. So, to achieve this inequality, you can either pull yourself up or push others down or do both simultaneously. It doesn't help that homogeneity is against nature's design.

As opposed to capitalism, which is purely an economic system, communism is an econo-political system. It propounds a way of society, while capitalism just expounds a system for circulating money and value. Capitalism has as its ally, democracy, which is actually the political system that lets capitalism proliferate in the most prudent fashion. Still, because of the overarching nature of communism, the communistic thought has been popular with thinkers and liberal intellectuals over the years.

If humanism is the doing of communism, then human nature has been the undoing of it. When a nation-state is established and governance begins, greed easily overshadows conscience, and misplaced concerns and myopic judgement supplant the basic ethos of communism.

Have you ever wondered how capitalistic consumerism appeals to most of the masses? People may complain about economic inequality, but will sooner indulge in conspicuous/inconspicuous consumerism when they lay their hands on money, than share it with their fellow citizens. "Have money, will shop!"

It all boils down to choice. The history of the evolution of the human species is one of overcoming limitations and inventing options; of struggling to find an alternative to what we've been handed down. It is a history of not being satisfied, itching for improvement, finding an easier, better way, working hard to become lazy and taking the long way to find a short cut. Human beings are naturally attuned to bettering their lot, of wanting to have an option, of wanting to express themselves creatively. This is where communism fails. It simply stifles people. The collective smothers the individual. And that just wont do in the long run.

Democracy, on the other hand, lets the collective and the individual coexist in a kind of an uneasy state of truce. It is aided by capitalism in this effort. While democracy maintains the collective decorum, capitalism lets the individual have choices, options and creative outlets. It is only when capitalism starts playing dirty that the truce falters. Therefore, sometimes democracy has to reprimand capitalism and restore the truce.

It is true that given all circumstances, capitalism can succeed only as long as it does not breach the limits of human sensibilities. Greed, among humans, will be tolerated only so much. People may eat meat, but they still love their pets and appreciate wildlife. Excess of anything is bad. But maintaining that state of equilibrium between greed and conscience is a very delicate affair and an extremely difficult one. As of now, democracy is our best bet. But what's next?

Office Worn

It is not surprising that you tend to remember people's clothes in
your office. Most people have a limited set. Some have a larger set.
Every one wears his clothes on a rotational basis. The idea is to
remove, as much as possible, the memory of that dress from heads of
your colleagues. People don't forget really, but at least they wont
remember it distinctly being worn sometime recently. Is it snobbish?
Pretentious? Persnickety? It is most certainly wide spread. What is
the optimum time before you can repeat a shirt or a saree or a top?
One week? Two weeks? Considering five working days, I would need 10
shirts to have a two-week rotation for each shirt.
Ummmm...ummmm...blah blah blah.

Anupam is...

I am a social Road Runner. I keep in touch with all my friends. I know what they're up to, how they're doing, what their kids and wives are doing and who is about to have an affair. I know their deepest emotions, greatest joys, biggest fears. I get blow-by-blow account of their mood shifts. I know where they are and what they're doing and what they're planning to do and perhaps will not do. I know what they're hinting at and when they're bluffing. I know when their Sensex is going up and when their fortunes are about to fall. They tell me everything, reveal all and are not shy to open up. Not just to me, but perhaps to the entire world. I aint no magician. It's not my touch. Just see their status on your favourite social networking site and you'll figure.

It's funny how you know more about your friends' moods, activities and plans through Orkut or Facebook, rather than a chat or meet or even email. There is something utterly functional about this, yet something extremely cold and emotionless. I don't know...maybe its just me. I orkut. I facebook (check out the verbification of those). But I guess somewhere along the way, I couldn't shake off my old-fashioned 'deviations'. There is something really really weird...almost promiscuous about broadcasting your deepest emotions on a social networking site. It's like telling the world, "'Come! Therapy me!" I tread that path cautiously. People may call me a wimp or a recluse...or even a traitor to the medium. I've tried to follow suit. I've tried to put myself 'out there'. But I could never get myself to completely expose. I would sooner go 'commando' to play Rugby.

You, human being, are unfortunate to have been caught in the Big Bang. The universe is nothing but constantly expanding. Take it as the first truth and first act. Now think about your life on this planet. It's evolving. It's changing. The species is changing and so are social dynamics. Oft repeated, an infinite loop and forever relevant, is the adage 'Change is the only constant'. If you don't surf the wave, you'll get dunked. I know, it's terrible to be on your feet constantly. But tough luck, that's how it is here. Adapt or perish (rather, get murdered). I can imagine what people felt like when Graham Bell rang in telephony. I'm sure romantics might have found the concept of purely vocal communication, without the aid of the visual, extremely pathetic, even lamentable and cruel. Some said it's a passing fad (it's as if they could see into the future!). I dread the day when I'm flooded with phone calls from friends and relatives (and sundry associates whom I owe money) asking me about my health, well being and peripherals. Why? Because my status message on some faceless book just said...

Anupam is...

A Person in Love

A person in love
...can never be an atheist.
...can never be too sure.
...can never be out of hope.
...can never be God.

A person in love
...will be a little scared.
...will be a little spiritual.
...will be a little selfish.
...will be a little unsure.

A person in love
...has to keep trying.
...has to keep caring.
...has to keep giving with both hands.
...has to keep belonging heart and soul.

A person in love
...may one day cross seven seas.
...may one day soar in the skies.
...may one day bring back the moon.
...may one day become ONE.

Murders on Camera

The nausea is palpable. It has always been - whenever I read about the barbarity of Gujarat riots - of ripped foetuses and ravished little girls. I cant take it anymore. I cant rationalise my/our existence along with what we do anymore. I dont think the human race deserves to survive after the evil we do and have done. What game is this? If this is how we are supposed to be, then let me not have the ability to feel the pain, to remorse, to shed tears on the mutilated genitals of an innocent man. Thinkers, citizens, sages and worldly-wise politicians - all suggest not to be sad because there is enough goodness still remaining in this world to justify our continuance as a race and to salvage us out of our misery. But tell that to the man whose children were chased around before being hacked, piece by piece, in front of his eyes. Aren't we somehow a part of that brutal melodrama? Aren't we related to those children in that faraway part of this country? Aren't we responsible somehow? I can see the salvaging goodness in me, my friends, my family and several general people all around me. But somehow, all that goodness does not aggregate in a way to compensate for all the evil in us and for all the vile, ugly things we have done. It's just not fair! And I can't take it any more. I wish an asteroid would hit us and wipe out the human race. I wish an earthquake would flatten us all. I wish a black plague would make us extinct. We all deserve to die. Either that, or just me.

She

She is still a wisp of imaginary mist floating somewhere in eternity.
She's like a wide open door, beyond which there are wide-open skies.
She is not a person, she is a feeling.
Something that everybody wants to feel in himself.
She's the alter ego I always wanted.

Deprivation

Only few things in this world make it worth living - beauty of nature, music, and the love of your child. And the irony is that we're stuck within walls, inside cubicles without being able to enjoy any of the three - nature, music or your child's company - trying to eke out a living that does not leave life worth living. We're living in just thoughts of these beautiful things: company of child in the evening, smell of a flower someday and FM radio in the car. We try to snatch 'quality time' from our 'scheduled automaton' of a life. We feel guilty both ways - at home and in the office, and along the way too. We look forward to the next weekend from this weekend. The weekend seems to be the sanctuary where all our troubles and all our fears will be resolved. The weekend is the place where we will be reunited with our loves and loved ones. But weekend is the only time when you get to pay your bills, fix your car, do your accounts, fix the broken stuff around the home. And then there's just enough time left for you to catch up on some sleep to compensate for the entire week's deprivation.

Just Those Three Words

The dreary hum of the daily drum.
Fingers whizzing but I keep mum.

A fleeting lark of a thought of you,
Streaks across my mind sky blue.

The stab of a pang in my heart does thrust.
I love you, must say, yes I must, I must!

Just those three words freeze this crazy whirl.
Just one you brings meaning to my crazy world.

Uncomplicated

Have you ever heard the wind blow through the leaves of a Peepal tree on a sunny spring afternoon? The patter-tapper of thousands of green hearts beating against each other? It sounds more like a buzz, a hum, a constant exhortation, a celebration of freedom; or maybe of love of the leaves with the wind. The afternoon sun, with its weak yellow, almost amber light, filtering through those leaves and playing with their shadows, making it look like a carnival is on in broad daylight. Go closer, push your face into the forest of innocent vibes that have no meaning and no purpose. Do you feel the peace, the calm, and yes, the joy? Don't you wish your life was as uncomplicated? Think about it, empty your mind. Yes, you ARE like that. You were born like that. Go back. Deep and far back. You will see the wind of sensations blow nonchalantly through the leaves of your mind. Oh yes, you are OK. Yeah, I'm OK. I'm good.

Kickback Grandé

When it comes to the sheer scale of corruption, we Indians are nothing short of nanobots. Western nations exist at the scale of Diplodocus Giganticus! Poor Rajiv Gandhi got bludgeoned for a measly 64 crores of Indian Rupees and the ghost of the Bofors Scandal has never left the tail of the Congress party. Fortunately for them, corruption in India has risen like the inflation and the Dearness Allowance paid to Central Government employees. 600 crores of Lalloo's is a benchmark now. But the UP bureaucrat who got caught recently is insisting on putting all politicians to shame. I kinda feel happy that Indians have so much loose cash to grease palms. On the other hand I feel sad that majority of Indians are getting cheated out of some quality public utility.

International defence procurements and kickback-grandé go hand in hand. Since childhood I've been shocked and very much amused at how governments pay off governments so that one government can order stuff from another government. Defence manufacturers world over, be it Bofors or BAE or Boeing, are privately held only for the name. They are government enterprises for all practical reasons. They get subsidies, research and technical support, and they even get commercial intelligence through commercial espionage by the country's spy agency. The embassies of their countries go whole-heartedly into promoting their cause. Their parliamentary representatives push their case whenever they visit the buying nation. Is this their weakness or their strength that they have to seek government support? And why this blatant acceptance of bribery in Defence deals the world over? Shouldn't business logic and economics triumph automatically?

Here is an article that puts several things into perspective. I really liked this insightful article into corruption in defence deals. It's a backgrounder on the ongoing Saudi-BAE corruption scandal. It's fun to see the Americans walking over red hot coals coz of this deal! ;)

ETHICS ARE DEAD. LONG LIVE BAE!
Larry Elliott, economics editor
Monday December 18, 2006
The Guardian

Imagine that you are the French trade minister, keen to derail the global trade talks for fear that they will result in a wholesale dismantling of the Common Agricultural Policy. It's been an uphill struggle but at last help is at hand.

The next time Tony Blair calls Jacques Chirac to insist that he must face down protests from angry French farmers and stand up for free trade, there is a perfect one-word response: BAE.

Imagine you are the leader of a small, poor, African country with a troubled past and a cavalier approach to pluralism and democracy. Indeed, the crackdown on dissidents has become so blatant in recent months that the Department for International Development will cut off British aid unless the standard of governance is improved. As Hilary Benn repeats his prime minister's mantra - help for Africa is a deal for a deal, aid in return for a crackdown on corruption - you whisper one word: BAE. Read more..

The Tatas are planning to get into the Military-Industrial Complex in a big way. With their strict adherence to ethics, will they be able to survive?