UNBOWED, UNBENT, UNBROKEN

I started watching football when I was about 10. It was never a conscious choice. The only time I was allowed to watch TV was in the evenings, after I was done with my homework. By that time, my father would be home. That meant watching sports. Cricket, or on weekends, the live telecast of the English Premier League.

There was this one team, Arsenal. They were the most dominant team in the division. They played a stylish brand of football, almost flawless at times. The first time I started actually sitting through matches, and watching the entire season with some comprehension of what was going on, and I saw a team infallible. They simply did not lose. Tough situations came by, but somehow, they found a way. And then, at times, they simply ripped their opponents apart. Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Robert Pires, Patrick Viera, Sol Campbell, Jens Lehmann and others. The Invincibles. The first team since Preston North End, over 120 years ago, to end the season unbeaten. P 38, W 26, L 0.

And then there was this old man on the sidelines. He was over 50, clearly. He didn’t look much like a sportsman. In fact, he looked more like a primary school teacher.  He would constantly be on the touchline, the edge of the playing area, shouting instructions. Sometimes, he would replace certain players on the field with others. The best manager in the league, though maybe Sir Alex Ferguson would have something to say about that. But on the 15th of May, 2004, as his team were crowned champions, and took their place in footballing history as one of the best to ever play the game, he was the champion. The best of them all. The King.

Along came the pretender. The very next season. Jose Mourinho. With an owner ready to spray the cash, he began assembling a team to challenge the master himself. Brash, arrogant, ruthless. Both the team and the new young manager. He even managed to get an Arsenal player to defect to his cause. Ashley Cole. Promises of riches and then, even more riches proved more potent than any claim on loyalty.

And Wenger had to change stadia. From the hallowed grounds of Highbury, the club had to move to a new, bigger ground. The Emirates, built at a cost of what would be nearly $750 million today. While it was a great prospect, one that would surely secure the future of the club for decades, the high cost meant two things- the club could not afford to buy the best players any longer, and they could not afford to keep their best players any longer. Barcelona, Juventus, and later on Manchester City and Manchester United, all poached the best away from the club. Wenger could do nothing but watch.

What followed next was obvious- a trophy drought. What was not obvious to the fans was the duration that this barren period would extend for. From 2005 to 2014, over 10 years of winning absolutely nothing. No trophies. The best players leaving the club for pastures anew. Every time a Gael Clichy, or an Emmanuel Adebayor hoisted a trophy, the heart of every Arsenal fan broke a little.

Wenger tried to stem the rot. Home grown players were asked to play. Players were brought in for virtually nothing, changed and developed into the best player on the planet. But it was all laid to waste. They would still leave the club. Samir Nasri, Alex Song et al. And obviously, there would be the two defections that cut every Arsenal fan to the core. Cesc Fabregas. The player who had, since he was 16, been pinned as the team’s great hope, the one truly world class player who still remained, would leave for his homeland. Barcelona DNA and all that.

And obviously, Robin Van Persie.  A precocious talent Wenger had spotted as a youth and supported through attitude problems, injuries, and tantrums, Van Persie was a player who owed most to Arsenal. Any other club would have sold a player with the issues that Van Persie had had for nearly 4 years, since he moved to Arsenal. But not Wenger. He trusted him, played him, and developed him into quite simply, the best striker on the planet. But when Manchester United came calling, the “little boy” inside him made him force his way out of the club. One good season effectively ended any sense of loyalty to the place, to the man who had made him what he was. One good season, and he was too big for the club.

Wenger soldiered on, the best he could. He kept Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League, that Holy Grail that guaranteed a huge revenue stream and kept the team among the elite. But for a fan base which was used to being supporters of the best, which had seen the team win the title at a canter, would not be appeased by this. They simply could not reconcile themselves to the fact through uncontrollable circumstances, the team was no longer capable of challenging for titles. That finishing fourth in the league and maintaining a UEFA Champions League place was realistically, the highest the team could aim for. And not for one, two seasons. 11 years of no prizes. Of seeing teams with more money prance their way to the title. And could you blame them?  Wenger had set the bar too high. He had created those expectations himself. Now, he found that he did not have the resources to fulfill them any longer. Dissatisfaction simmered and boiled over. Wenger was no longer the messiah. He was a liability. An old school professor, trying to use his old tricks in a new pond, in front of bigger fish. A stubborn idiot. Every fan thought he could do better than him. His policy of developing youth was ridiculed. Every move scrutinized, every word criticized.

Rivals didn’t miss a chance too. From calling him a “voyeur”, an “idiot”, a “has-been”, to a “specialist in failure”, mudslinging was the name of the game. The king was down, you need to kick him just then. Keep him down.

But you know what, things change. With time, everything comes a full circle. There is always a place for real values, for deep roots. And yes, bad times do end. Case in point, September 1st, 2013. After years of austerity, of frugality, Wenger had finally signed a real superstar. Mesut Ozil. The best playmaker in the world. Add his roster of the talent he had painstakingly nurtured, a squad with Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Theo Walcott and others, a result of his beliefs, his faith and his hard work, and you get an end to the trophy drought. And end to the ridiculous accusations of not wanting the team to win. An end to the humiliation and the disgrace. The FA Cup, 2014, on the 17th of May, 2014. A year later, a successful defense of the same title.

Another EPL title, to add to his previous three, still eludes Arsene. There are still concerns about if the team is ready for the title. The man is still regarded as stubborn to a fault. But one thing is clear. Wenger finally has all the jigsaw pieces in his hand again. And yes, it may take another season, but the king will gain his dominion back. The title will be his again. The man still has it to be the best of them all. The King will have his crown back.

“All that is gold does not glitter,

Not all those who wander are lost;

The old that is strong does not wither,

Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,

A light from the shadows shall spring;

Renewed shall be blade that was broken,

The crownless again shall be king.”

~ J.R.R. Tolkien

Two months at Dataweave

Okay. Maybe not like a wrecking ball. At least, I hope not. But still, I like to think I made an impact.

Lets rewind a little, to the 2nd of January, 2014. I arrived at this pretty little office at Jayanagara, bang at 10 in the morning. First lesson learnt- this is the real world, not your college. Nobody comes in at that hour. Soon, I was introduced to everyone at the place, my project was explained to me, and a journey began- a new lifestyle, a new routine, with new responsibilities.

At first, I was stumped. Then it got better. I like to think the worst part of those first few days was getting introduced to new people. Everyone looks at you- "Who are you?"

"I am the new intern."

(Pause)
"Oh!"

And then the work. For someone actually negotiating with real-world work for the first time, it can be rather overwhelming. At college, what they don't teach you is that book definitions cannot be implemented perfectly in the real world. You have to find workarounds, short-cuts and whatnot. Its not just something you can look at once and write in a notebook. This stuff needs to work. For real. Thats where Google comes in. I never really knew how to google. None of us do. But when you need to learn something absolutely new from scratch, it becomes real important.

But once these teething troubles were over, I really settled in. I don't know why. Maybe the work culture of the place suited me really well. Or some other reason. But I felt right at home at the place. I liked the work, the fact that the guys with and under whom I worked trusted me enough to let me work without micro-managing everything. While there is always pressure, you cope better if you're relaxed. In fact, once its over, you kind of miss the pressure(not really).

And of course, I must thank Sayan da. Someone crashing at your place, especially at a place like Bangalore, is not the best of experiences. But to his credit, he only threatened to kick me out of his place twice in two months.

I also must thank the guys at Dataweave for this awesome experience. You guys are amazing, and I look forward to another opportunity to work with you.

I'll graduate after just over a year from now. Then, I too join the rat race. But if maybe you can get some good people to work with, you can be the happier rat.

And finally a word to all my readers who are still at college. Before you graduate, try an intern at a real place. The experience is invaluable. Otherwise, you're just another student who is applying for a job. An internship acclimatizes you to all this. Plus, you learn loads. Not abstract life-lessons. I leave them for when I'm seventy and am living alone with seven cats. No, you learn a lot academically. Unfortunately, our education system barely teaches us the basics of what we need to know. A little knowledge from before you enter a highly competitive is necessary.





P.S.: I forgot to mention this. Please take lots of pictures of your days as an intern. I don't mean for memories. Those pictures that you can look at years later and laugh. Once again, I leave that for when I'm seventy and am living alone with seven cats. No. I mean the shameless 'selfies.'

Thats the stuff. Okay, maybe one that doesn't make you look stoned. Or well, like him. But still. Apparently, it doesn't count until you have pictures of your 'trip' you can upload on Facebook. So take a few good images. Maybe change your profile pic. For guys, try the ones with spectacles. Girls dig the geeky looks. Or at least, their dads do. So even if you don't learn anything, you might just get a wife out of it. Its worth a try.

Grown up? Really?

A few months ago, an old acquaintance of mine interned at the CRY foundation. For those who don't know about it, CRY stands for Child Rights and You. Now while that person is not a very close friend of mine nowadays, I know her to be an extremely sincere and passionate person in her work, and everyone notices if your Facebook wall is full of posts about working among the poor children of Kolkata.

Now right now in India, it is the political season in full swing. With Vidhan Sabha elections in four states coming soon, and the Lok Sabha elections within a year, the political iron is hot, and every party wants to strike it right now.

Curing the Incurable

This and many such cartoons are seen daily in the press. Of course,huge debates are on- who amongst these is the most sincere candidate? Who can run this country best? Or, my personal favourite, which of them has the interests of the people in mind, more than his own pocket?

And the politicians are not far behind, from ensuring minorities will "be protected", to (re)constructing old temples, or shouting from rooftops about "progress", the Indian politician is an expert in the art of make-believe, and even the most unbiased and eclectic among us fall for their promises. They're just that good.

However, seeing those pictures of my acquaintance sparked a thought, and I realized something- never, even once, does a politician mention anything about children and child rights. I first thought it was a coincidence. But I researched it, and this seems a norm. Check out any YouTube video of a speech by an Indian politician, given anywhere except orphanages, or on Children's  Day, and you will agree. How did it come about that 446.96 million people, 37.83% of the total population, escape the notice of a politician looking to consolidate every vote he can. This is a veritable winning "vote-bank", a number so huge that if tapped into properly, it can almost single-handedly ensure a candidate's victory.

But then I realized something else. This is not a set overlooked by chance. No, This is done by choice. For all the ad campaigns on TV highlighting education and charity, nobody who actually makes policies and drafts India's future gives a damn about these children. And why? Simple enough- they're not old enough to vote.

The ground realities of child rights and welfare in India are startling. As per a 2011 UNICEF report, 1.83 million Indian children die before their fifth birthday annually. Anemia and other such weakness has a 71.5% occurrence in rural and 63% in urban areas, as per a 2012 Government of India report. This is just the beginning. For more details, you can view both these reports at 2012 Government of India report and 2011 UNICEF report.

• CIF in 2006 estimated 40% of Children are marginalized due to poverty, labour, abuse, disability, malnutrition, conflicts, disasters , displacement, illiteracy, abandoned, etc. That means 178.784 million children.
• The Indian embassy estimated 314,700 street children in cities like Bombay, Calcutta, Madras, Kanpur, Bangalore and Hyderabad and around 100,000 street children in Delhi.
• According to the 2001 census there are 1.5 million girls, in India, under the age of 15 already married. Of these, 20% or approximately 300,000 are mothers to at least one child.
•  In 2008, CHILDLINE India Foundation published a study on Mentally Challenged Children in Sholapur District, Maharashtra. The study looks at information at all three levels: village, taluka and district. Key findings of the study were that in 24% of the mentally challenged children, one of the parents were mentally retarded. 11% of mothers of mentally challenged children were below eighteen years. 36% of mothers reported complications during pregnancy while 41.2% reported stress. Only 8% of mentally challenged children attended school past II grade pr up to VII grade in normal schools. 33% of parent didn't allow their children to interact with other children due to fear of them being teased, accidents, aggressive behaviour, etc.
• In 2000 the ILO estimated 5.5 million children had been forced in labour in Asia, while the Bonded Labour Liberation Front placed 10 million bonded children in India alone.
• In 2007, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) released a study report on child abuse. The report discusses incidence of child abuse nationwide. It is estimated that 150 million girls and 73 million boys under 18 have been subjected to forced sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual violence.
• UNICEF estimates that there are 25 million orphaned children in India in 2007. Another study estimates there are about 44 million destitute children and over 12 million orphan and abandoned children in India, yet there are only 5000 (0.04%) adoptions every year. The institutions for children in conflict with the law host about 40,000 children.

(Above data is taken from Childline India, an NGO supported by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) under the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS))

This is not the state of a country looking to develop. Not the data for a country aiming to be a future superpower. Hell, this data is shameful even for a Zimbabwe or Kenya. Most of all, is this really the state of a country that cares after its young ones. The one's that ostensibly are its future?

NO!

And here we are, building nuclear missiles, and launching satellites, while our young ones are dying daily in our backyard for want of food and water.

I do not expect anything from this post. I know, many people will shoot me down. "There are many more pressing issues", they'll say. "Why don't you do something about it?", they'll ask. I can only reply, "I don't know." When the numbers are this bad, everyone needs to take a long hard look. We need to realize that a new nuclear power plant is less important than the lives of so many innocents being destroyed. And I don't even know where to start. If you do, tell me. I'll do my best. And I really hope even one reader actually thinks about this the next time he decides whom to vote for. 

As for me, I only have one conclusion. Everyone has issues and concerns. Now, this is mine. Till a candidate actually convinces me he'll work for this, I am only going to press the "No Candidate" button on the EVM. Till then, I'll try. To teach even kid to read. To give, even one single child, a good meal a week. Wish me luck, all of you!

Just a little love

The relevance debates- relevant or irrelevant?

Not so happy now, are we?

Now, today morning, I was chatting with an old friend on Facebook. Mid-chat, she tells me, "I don't like Gandhi, and don't believe in his teachings."

Some years ago, when I was in school, this was an evergreen topic in debate competitions. Back then, I never really thought about it- just gave a piece from a magazine and stuff I found on the net. But today, this statement set me thinking. After all, when you're at home for the vacations, with nothing to do all day long, you'll do just about anything to keep you from getting bored. So yeah, I just gave it some thought.

And then, I realized two things. First, its become rather "cool", to say you dislike Gandhi, and make fun of him. I don't say everyone who disagrees with him has this same reason, like this friend of mine who actually set me considering this, who I know doesn't give a damn about being "cool", and is rather passionate about her ideas and opinions. but the majority of young India's opinion of Gandhi can be seen in this meme I found on the net.

Seriously, the "Father of the Nation" title notwithstanding, those white politician caps you see Anna Hazare or the guys from the Aam Aadmi Party notwithstanding, those pictures on the currency notes notwithstanding, and the National Holiday on the 2nd of October notwithstanding, how many times in our life do we even spare a thought for what the man really wanted. Frankly speaking, that man's legacy is unbreakable and unforgettable. Love him or hate him, the man's personal history is too much to ignore for any historian. But does that mean what he said is still relevant today?

And it was then that i realized something else- Gandhi never said anything new or unique. And he never claimed to do so. He just gave us a simple formula- told us what he thought was right. And it was just simply what our Moral Science teachers taught us at school- don't fight, don't practice violence. Live and let live. Be truthful, be honest. And these are things that never go out of fashion. They never become irrelevant. They never become stale. There may seem a time when they seem pointless, but we all know, in the end, it is these little things which allow us a peaceful night's sleep.

So lets stop these silly debates. We cannot, ever, gauge Gandhi's work or his persona in our times, and criticize him on today's scales. But what he spoke of, what he taught us, is what everyone from Jesus Christ to Mandela to every self-styled guru has told us. Let us follow these things, and time alone will tell if he still remains relevant, or even these debates become irrelevant.

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

Capital Punishment- a not so capital idea?

In the past few weeks, India has seen two high-profile executions taking place. Those of 26-11 convict Kasab and the mastermind of the attack on the Parliament- Afzal Guru. Also, with the increasing cases of rape in the nation, particularly in its northern parts, we've had an outcry demanding death sentence for those convicted in such cases. It seems as if modern India's motto is, "don't kill the crime, kill the criminals."

And yes, I understand. I understand how it feels to have a group of self-righteous idiots try to take your decisions. When they try to kill you, or those near you, for the sake of remote concepts that don't really matter to you. When you have to take time of your daily bread-and-butter because your daughter and sister don't feel safe walking on the road alone. It rankles, the injustice of it all. The fact that you are denied security at your very own home. You want to kill those responsible for it.



But is this right?

Is it the only way out?

Is it a solution?

The answer is a resounding "NO."

Now, it may seem like I am being the Devil's advocate by saying this, but I firmly believe that killing someone is not a solution for a crime, and even more importantly, not the State's domain of jurisdiction.

What is a country? What is it that exactly constitutes a nation? Whatever it is, nothing justifies the State 

depriving a man of life. Simply put, that which cannot give life cannot withdraw it. Whatever the counter-argument, whatever the objection, however extreme the provocation may be, you simply cannot deprive a man of his life. And as for the fact that it acts as a deterrent for crime, I still see crimes happening, in-spite of the death penalty. And our moral system must be extremely shallow if the death penalty is the only thing stopping everyone from becoming rapists, murderers and terrorists.

Let me post a question here. Does the correct way to honor the memory of those killed by someone involve more killing? That seems rather paradoxical to me. The death penalty is just making killers of us all. And whatever my faults, I do not wish to be known as a killer.

I understand that any nation wishes to portray a strong impression by giving strong punishments to wrongdoers. But it must do that within its limits. The death penalty is irreversible, and as we all know, miscarriages of justice are unfortunately too common in our country.


And finally, it all winds down to one simple question-what is the difference? What is the difference between the culprits and us if we too resort to medieval methods for our "revenge", as it is? What is the difference between us and animals if both of us believe in the law of the jungle? None. And so let us show all those who think that just because they can kill, does not mean they should. As Gandhi has said, "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." It may sound cliche, but let us show them that we are better humans than them.

And in the process, give humanity a chance.

The slow paths...and the slow minds

So...

Eh???

Huh!!!

And???

These and many such similar words/expressions/nonsensical garbage will irritate you almost daily in your life. And the people who use them, even more. You see, today I am writing about the people, the airplane of whose minds takes more than one runway to take-off (and if you didn't still get what i am talking about, you are one of them).

You must have had similar experiences in your life. You told your friends about the funniest show you just saw on the telly...and it wasn't the groin kicking humor of The Three stooges or the useless and inane jokes on Friends. I am talking of a much subtler thing. All of you laugh. Topic finished.

And then, half an hour later, on the way back home, one of you totally succumbs to the charms of hysterical laughter...and they begin to laugh their and your pants off. What's so funny? Oh, they only now understood what you said at the time. Its cute for the first time, funny for the next, and boring...destructively boring further on.

Generally people never, due to respect for civility, human rights, legal reasons, animal rights, fear of Scientology or of the fictional "Big Brother", or of CIA agents nearby (or whatever nonsense you feel comes in this category), tell a person to their face how irritating their slowness can be. I mean, you just hatched your brilliant plan to surprise your mother at her birthday with all your family, and the slow cousin potters of to her and tells her about it.

"I didn't realise it was to be a secret from her that we've planned a surprise party for her."

Darn!!!!!

I once remember my brother telling me about his slow boss. "He can't generally understand a word of what I am saying. It can be so frustrating to know something bad will happen in advance, but the Boss just can't understand it, and thus, work suffers."

So just a piece of request to you..use the gray matter a little bit. It wont so to keep your brains well preserved for future scientists to study about its undeveloped potentials. And it will be a big relief to many people. Who knows,then I may even get the Nobel Peace Prize for writing this......

(I realise I have been rather mean in this post. So this is for all those stooge followers out there..don't kick me in the groin to extract your revenge..it will be damn painful. Also, I have the fullest respect for all human, animal rights activists, am a law abiding citizen. And i am a firm believer in the freedom and power of science fiction, just in case the scientologists decide to come after me), and am not involved with any military, paramilitary, militant or terrorist group throughout the world, and so have nothing against Orwell, 1942, Big Brother or the CIA, Interpol or any such organization. Forgive me)

Time for new reforms

20 years ago, on the 24th of July, then Finance Minister of India Dr. Manmohan Singh flagged off a scheme of reforms that were intended to revolutionize the Indian economy. By far, they were the most extensive reform schemes India had ever witnessed.

Among developing countries, India’s growth experience during the past five

decades has been unique. Unlike many of its East and Southeast Asian neighbors, India

did not grow at the “miracle” rates that exceeded 6 percent and reached as high as 10

percent. At the same time, unlike Africa and Latin America, it did not suffer periods of

prolonged stagnation or decline. For three of the five decades (1950-80), India steadily

grew at the so-called “Hindu” rate of three and a half percent. During the remaining two

decades, it grew at rates between 5 and 6 percent.

"Twenty years ago tonight, three top Indian officials burned the midnight oil tearing up old import controls and preparing a package of economic reforms that would slowly lead to the booming India that is widely admired today, with growth of 8-9%, 300-350m people enjoying the benefits of a consumer economy, a strong rupee, and businessmen operating internationally."

John Elliot

But today, India lies seriously in need of economic reforms. Corruption seems to be creeping into the much venerated pvt. sector of India, and it seems that while India could cope with the recent meltdown, it is struggling with its after-effects, which is surprising, seeing that man at the helm of affairs today is a noted economist.

India's burgeoning middle class seems to have dropped into a stupor, and this once driving force behind India's growth seems to be bereft of ideas. We are all dropping into a cycle, where every man has only the government to blame. It seems as if we have reached a state of perpetual disenchantment with the 'system', and, if truth be told, the political establishment does not have any new face or idea to inspire confidence in us. The Nehru-Gandhi family seems to eclipse even the Prime minister's stature in India.

It is an irony that, though the past 20 years began and now end with Manmohan Singh, he was neither in charge at the beginning, nor is he at the end. That is not a criticism, but in the early 1990s he could only do what he did courtesy of Narasimha Rao, and now he cannot do what he doesn’t do courtesy of Sonia Gandhi and the UPA’s coalition partners. Something surely needs to change.