Do Nothing to Serve Society!

Although the Wikileak’s acts of hacktivism and several journalistic exposes may not support their claim, politicians would like us to believe that they have entered the arena of politics in order to serve the public at large. Without so much as challenging their noble intentions, let us assume that their choice of vocation has been from the deep inherent urge to serve fellow humans on the planet. “What is your contribution to society?”, is the question that one would be confronted with, if you’ve declared your good intentions to the public at large. While a doctor can cite how lives of the critically ill have been saved or the pain and suffering of his patients relieved - and a teacher can boast of the phenomenal success of his or her brilliant students, who have made it big in life upon graduating out of school or college, what can a politician who has pledged to serve society boast of, except, of course, a quantum jump in their wealth and a corresponding depletion of the exchequer?

One wonders whether this question ever troubles anyone who has chosen to get into the field of politics. If coffee-table conversations with colleagues and rickshaw drivers are to be believed, there is no noble deed sought to be done, nor any service to be rendered in the subject profession, but only a host of privileges to be availed of, with good times and high life thrown in for good measure.
Ever since India has evolved as a leader in services rather than a manufacturing giant, the taxation of services has been the focus of the Finance Ministry.
Some years ago P. Chidambaram, the then Finance Minister had jocularly replied to a query about whether lawyers were subject to Service Tax, “I don’t think lawyers provide any service”, he had replied. However, with changing times and a ballooning fiscal deficit posing a threat to the financial health of the nation, the present Finance Minister had to hold the view that a lawyer indeed does “provide service” after all!

“Providing service” therefore differs from “serving people” and thus faces the inevitable threat of coming in the tax net. If politicians were to be seen as “providing service”, the entire amounts paid to the tribe including the amounts en-massed would be subject to tax, I guess. “Serving the nation”, is admittedly different, meant to be a noble act, although regretfully, it is now synonymous with lustful acts of self-aggrandizements by various means, which have been made known to us all by the media. The heap of scams that have descended upon us has created an industry by itself – committees, government agencies, legal experts to investigate them would work seamlessly for decades to come.

One wonders whether the uproar in Parliament over the demand for a Joint Parliamentary Committee to investigate the 2G scam, was a blessing in disguise in that no business done - hence no harm done to the depleting Exchequer? In that regard, one is reminded of Milton’s famous quote, “They also serve who only stand and wait”. Perhaps the best we can suggest to our politicians is to take note of these wise words, which, although not really understood all along, have lent some meaning to all those who sought it in these famous quote. After all, it has been our country, India, which has given the world the numeral “zero” and more recently, the concept of a “missed call” resulting in a zero bill – why not add “doing nothing to serve society” to this illustrious list of contributions to global progress? Let us hope to work on it right now, before the Exchequer comes close to being a big Zero and the number of zeros in the scam figures tends to infinity.

Now that’s one Ex the politicians love so much!

Our fervent plea to all Indian politicians:
Please do nothing - to serve us!

A new "senior-friendly" Magazine

There aren’t any old people in this world anymore! Just 'senior citizens' - the new euphemism that the non-so-young may find acceptable in today’s world, what with the aging seniors keeping young at heart with the help of technological developments and a caring society which is coming to terms with increased longevity and modern ways and means to live a healthy, socially-active life in their sunset years the 80’s and 90’s.

But not all seniors are tech-savvy, net-surfing, skype-connected, FB/Twitter fans – they would still want to read newspapers and magazines. But what can be done about a publishing industry, which is trying to save the world’s trees by printing in smaller fonts that could pose a serious challenge to the aging person? “A senior-friendly font with a large print would do just fine!”, says Kishore K. G. Warrier, Editor of the latest magazine, “The Golden Glow”, launched in February 2011.

The Golden Glow provides senior members of our society not just the friendly font, being easy on their eyes, but much more! It plans to feature articles that would address how to cope with aging, what the government and society has been doing or planning for their welfare, how to utilise their time by taking part in social activities or hobbies to keep them going in life. The first issue deals with subjects like an overview of the “Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act 2007”; How to cope with Alzheimers, Reverse Mortgage Loan features and the pros and cons of the facility in a fair amount of detail.

The magazine has been brought out by the Editorial Board, which comprises of:
P K Ravindranath, Editorial Consultant, who is a renowned journalist for the last 5 decades, an author of numerous books on journalism and media and has held important positions like Press Advisor to chief Minister, Bureau Chief TOI, Director (Publications) Nehru Centre among others.

Kishor K. G. Warrier, Editor is a writer and a Management & Financial consultant and

VKS Menon, is the Asst. Editor.

The magazine has featured seniors, who are experts in their respective fields sharing with readers their wealth of knowledge and expertise. I am sure there would be a great deal of information sharing and learning opportunities for all of us, particularly the seniors.

In case you would wish to subscribe to the monthly magazine, or gift it to the seniors in your immediate family or relatives and friends, teachers or just about any well-wishers who may have contributed to your growth in life, you could do so by sending a cheque for Rs. 1120/- in favour of “The Golden Glow” to Mr. Kishore K G Warrier, D2-402, Lenyadri CHS, Plot 47/1, Sec 19-A, Nerul, Navi Mumbai 400076. Tel: 022-65724149 Email: thegoldenglow@yahoo.in.
The subscription is for a 3-year period. There are other payment options like direct transfers etc, the details of which can be obtained directly from the magazine editor at the above contact email.

I wish this magazine all the success it deserves and do hope that it grows into a national movement as it aspires to be!

Coming Soon - a Regulatory Regime for Bloggers

Caution: Long Post ahead! IMPORTANT for bloggers please!

Several netizens have taken to blogging in the past 7-10 years for varying purposes –some to share ideas/information with a close-knit friend circle, while others to voice their opinion about current events with the public at large. The internet web pages have offered a blank canvas to these scribes to record their concerns, rant about their government actions – or inactions, showcase their skills or even just to entertain everyone with their humorous banter. Never before the advent of the phenomenon of blogging, did these ordinary folks ever deal with the issues involved in hosting their own blog – a website created and managed all by themselves!

Although the facility may have been a boon to post your creations and creativity, it is now time to also deal with some irksome laws and government regulations that have been framed and are in various stages of implementation. This post is to apprise all bloggers with the facts as they stand today while also get into further discussions about some of the irritants that may have crept in while drafting the rule-books for the fast-growing world of bloggers.

Before one gets to the usual bureaucracy-bashing, let us all understand that the Government of India is usually fair enough and open to suggestions from its citizens at the time of framing laws and procedures in all fields. The GOI usually puts up the draft acts and rules for public opinion and feedback. The feedback is discussed with industry/trade/financial bodies representing the affected sector and tweaked to accommodate any real concern to the best of their ability. However, the GOI prefers to listen to the voices through a single representative voice of the sector rather than all of them – so that internal differences about the same can be sorted out by the individual stakeholders before they approach them with their suggestions.

The recent article published in the Times of India “Plan to muzzle bloggers sparks outcry” has evoked high amount of anguish amongst the blogging community. The immediate knee-jerk reaction is “The government curbing our freedom of speech!”

As per the TOI article, according to Pavan Duggal:
“This will curtail the freedom of expression of individual bloggers because as an intermediary they will become responsible for the readers' comments. It technically means that any comment or a reader-posted link on a blog which according to the government is threatening, abusive, objectionable, defamatory, vulgar, racial, among other omnibus categories, will now be considered as the legal responsibility of the blogger,"

Fellow blogger, IHM, shared this blogpost, which says that the current rules stipulate that:
You’re not allowed to “annoy” people
You can’t indulge in “blasphemy”
Your blog can’t “incovenience” people
You can’t “disparage” someone
Obviously the rules have been framed without much application of the mind and are vague and prone to mis-interpretations and likely to end in disputes, if implemented as such.

While, there is no doubt that the government intends to have some laws and rules in place to take action against websites and blogs that post information which could be of sensitive nature and be considered to be harming national interest, which may need to be blocked from public view, one is not apprehensive about how the rules will be formulated and implemented in actual practice.

I then discovered, upon some googling, that the Center for Internet and Society (CIS) has been studying the draft rules framed under the Information Technology Act as Amended by the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 and their comments have been submitted to the Government and also put up as early as in July 2009 here.

“Submitted by the Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore
Prepared by Ananth Padmanabhan, Advocate in the Madras High Court”

Bloggers are requested to read the recommendations given by CIS so that they appreciate that their concerns have been well addressed and some suggestions to protect the interest of the bloggers (referred to as ‘intermediaries’ Further after some more googling, I came across the link of Nikhil Pahwa’s blogpost, which talks about some blogs that have been blocked by Government.

Nikhil Pahwa is a Blogger/Journalist. Editor of Medianama.com and blogs at Media Junkie. Apparently, some bloggers had already tasted the displeasure of CERT-In, the monitoring agency of the Government – see the list of sites banned in India, way back in July 2006 even before this law came into force!

So what is the way ahead for bloggers? Firstly, bloggers should actively participate in discussions. Although with the efforts of Nikhil Pahwa (Twitter Id: @nixxin), the government is not taking such actions in recent times, it is quite possible that anyone of us, who have not really violated the rules in anyway may get blocked for no fault of his/her. We need to know how to go about it. My suggestion is that some of us bloggers should join and augment the efforts of Nikhil Pahwa. Already there is a Blogger’s Collective Group, would we need an association to be formed to represent Bloggers’ concerns and difficulties in the event of any such punitive action taken against bloggers or what role can a site like Blogadda play in this matter? We need to work out the modalities of how the movement can be taken forward with the help of our own Blogadda, who has already called for a discussion on its Facebook page agreed to participate in this movement.

Until then, please await announcements as we have some more information/action plans may merge from our discussions/ interaction in this regard. Readers may leave their comments / suggestions in the comment space of this blog.

The Immortals of Meluha - Book Review

[Image Source: Wikipedia]

The Immortals of Meluha by Amish Tripathi

Publisher: Westland
Cover Price Rs. 295
Pp: 445

Reviewed by Gopinath Mavinkurve
Twitter id: @gopinathmm

Although I had no particular liking for history, historical anecdotes and stories with a message have always attracted and influenced me in childhood. It was indeed accidental that my wish to meet the adorable columnist, Bachi Karkaria happened to draw me to TOI’s First Literature Festival at Mumbai. In the opening session, titled “Mythology Redux”, I heard Amish Tripathi, author of “The Immortals of Meluha” and Ashwin Sanghi, author of “The Rosabal Line” and “Chanakya’s Chant” share with the audience their writing experiences and views about the scope of books based on mythological figures and subjects, which has seen an exponential growth in recent times. I was also fortunate to have a quiet little chat with Amish after the session.

In my last post, I had reviewed the book “Chanakya’s Chant” by Ashwin Sanghi.

In this post, I present my views on

Amish Tripathi’s “The Immortals of Meluha”.

The book is a fictional account of the life of Lord Shiva, as we revere him today, on planet earth! As the author asks readers at the very outset, what if the belief that the Mahadev, the God of Gods had really been a living person on earth – flesh and blood, and had been risen to the well-deserved godlike being only by his karma in his lifetime? The story begins with this premise in 1900 BC at Mansarovar Lake at the foot of Mount Kailash. The story begins with Shiva taking up the responsibility of the safety and protection of the Gunas - the people to whom he belonged, who were threatened by the acts of terrorism by the Pakratis, who indulge in killing women and children instead of waging regular wars with Guna warriors. The Gunas are fortunate to have the Meluhans, an organised civil force as compared to the tribal traits of the Gunas, to help combat the evil forces of the Pakratis. So when an invitation from the Meluhans to their land comes their way, the Gunas find the offer too good to refuse, albeit that would mean giving up their own land and access to the rivers and lakes to the enemy.

Apart from the assurances for all amenities for a peaceful existence, Meluha offers them an organised way of life in the form of a society which has evolved over hundreds of years and is enriched with the culture and science of - longevity! A secret nectar (hence the title - immortals), which is available for the longevity of worthy Meluhans to live a life beyond normal life-spans while retaining their youthful, productive contribution to the Suryavanshis of Meluha. But would all this progress happen without an enemy lurking across the border? Alas not! The Chandravanshis, people considered by Meluhans as being lazy, irresponsible, careless and without any respect for laws or rules in their lives, threaten their progress by attacking them – within their own land!

The blue-throated Shiva finds the Meluhans go gung-ho about his privileged possession – his blue throat, which the Meluhans believe that their saviour has arrived to save them from the evil acts of the Chandravanshis! The gunas, including Nandi, Shiva’s best friend, are treated royally ever since the fact comes to light.

The story has its fair share of love and romance, when Shiva meets his soulmate Sati, a dancer, who is cursed by fate to be a “vikarma” – anyone who has had misfortune in their lifetimes. The society may be evolved, but it has its own pitfalls – to look down upon such unfortunate people, who may have lost their spouses or children in an act of nature – to being of a cursed fate and deprive them of the many good things of life is further victimising a victim of fate! Shiva immediately vows to change all that and goes about it in his own dominant way. After all, he is the Neelkanth!

The book is a well-narrated tale of social norms, love, hate and struggle of people trying to make this world a better place. Enemies seem to be the bad guys on both sides. As you read this wonderful story, the reader finds that although there was no technology in those good old days, there were still wars, hateful neighbours, civil strife, economic lifestyle choices as we have today – suggesting perhaps thereby that the more things change, the more they remain the same! The book is the first part of a Shiva Trilogy, with 2 more books awaited to come out.

I would recommend readers to read this book for being a gripping tale and for its sheer simplicity, telling us about human behaviour and about the wars between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ and the passions, trials and tribulations of mortals to improve life on this planet!

Rating: 4/5

Chanakya's Chant - A book review

“ Chanakya’s Chant” by Ashwin Sanghi
Publisher: Westland
Price on Flipkart: Rs. 146

Reviewed by Gopinath Mavinkurve
Twitter Id: @gopinathmm

We often talk about how politics is a dirty game being the last resort of a scoundrel. It’s about the manipulative moves on life’s chessboard in order to get ahead in power struggles, which cannot be achieved without sacrificing your own pawns to strike the deadly blow at your opponent’s powerful pieces. The book presents two such plots – one a fictional account of the machinations of the scheming Chanakya about 2300 years ago and the other of a modern day politician, Gangasagar Mishra – both Kingmakers in their own right. While Chanakya has to deal with the monarchs in the Bharat of yore, such as Chandragupta Maurya, Paurus and the ambitious Alexander, who sought to rule the world by conquering the rulers of our lands, Gangasagar Mishra takes it upon himself to install a woman, Chandini Gupta as the Prime Minister of a democratically elected government. In the process, both the protagonists exploit the weaknesses of those in power to bring them down, while promoting their own protégées in their positions.


The book provides several crafty pre-planned moves to dislodge the opponents through wily means. “Politics is not just about pulling each other’s hair”, says another reviewer. I would like to add: It is about getting to the opponent’s testicles, as the book tells us. The book is overloaded with several wisecracks, many of which, one would get a feeling to have read somewhere! Although the author does credit the borrowed quotes from well-known figures of all times at the end of the book, in my humble opinion, there is an excessive adaptation of such smart-alec quips attributed to both the protagonists – at some junctures, without any relevant context - only diluting the original content, which is amply provided by the author in the fictional account of kingmakers’ extensive plotting, dealt with in great detail. This, however, is the only irksome aspect.

The book is a certain page-turner. The reader is held firmly in a vice-like grip by the author, as he swirls in the web of stories - unto the very end, where the link between the separate plots is revealed! All in all, a well-researched, well-narrated fast-paced thriller not to be missed! Do read it!

Rating – 3.5 / 5

My recent reads and finds

If you haven’t been finding posts on my blog recently, blame it on the competition! My posts have been hijacked by newspapers, magazines, websites and other blogs! I begin to write a post for my blog – and then I wonder whether this could be good enough for the TOI humour column in their edit page? I send it across and wait for them to convey their verdict – accepted or regrets? So here it is for you - i dont post my best writeups on my blog! Ok, so you have it from the horse’s mouth – all my blog-posts were “Rejects”! Or worse - some are not even contenders. So take your chances and continue to read my 'ArTicKles', if you so wish!

You may have read the ones that got published, I suppose. But If you havent, do read them right here on my blog - All the links to my published articles appear in the side bar.

Writing is my first love these days. Reading is a close second. It used to be the other way around some years ago, until I took it upon myself to focus on writing. Writing anything – any nonsanz, that is. Whatnonsanz! I decided to revive my old hobby, which had been the victim of commercial pursuits of a corporate life in the maddening megacity of Mumbai. That was when even finding time to read a good book took quite an effort and the determination to find time for it. Reading opens up your mind. Provided, of course, you are reading the right kind of books or magazines.

Ever since I began blogging, I came across many interesting blogs, websites and periodicals and books! All of you friends do know my interests – so more suggestions come forth from you, who want to share the goodies with me. One such suggestion was from my good friend, Eknaath Nagarkar, who registered my subscription for the “Freedom First” magazine. I owe a huge thanks to him for this wonderful gesture! Although I had heard about this periodical, which was founded by the legendary Minoo Masani, I had somehow managed to miss out on reading any of its issues.

“Freedom First – The Liberal Magazine”, as it styles itself, proved to be a fresh breeze blown my way, by my good friend. It is just the fodder for thinking minds of the day. It provides in-depth, researched and well-presented write-ups on subjects of current national interests (Indian) by several authors of great repute and standing in their respective subject fields. The articles are covered in all respects – a 360 degree perspective, if I may say - of the issue at hand before coming to any conclusion. The magazine also presents detailed transcripts of Panel discussions, wherein eminent scholars debate an issue in all its multifarious aspects. It is almost as if, you had been present at such an august gathering! Freedom First is unique in its style and appeal!

Another magazine that we began to subscribe to, recently, is Moneylife Magazine. Moneylife is a Personal Investment and Finance magazine, with a great emphasis on investor education and investor protection. Unlike the usual finance magazines that only keep offering advice on where your money should be invested, this magazine offers great insights into how investors should avoid being duped into lucrative offers and teaches them to evaluate options before making a decision. Sucheta Dalal, the Managing Editor of the magazine, and Debashis Basu, the Editor, both exhibit substantial pluck to debunk price manipulations in equities and other dubious scheming plans, while advocating good governance practices for corporate and government bodies. Moneylife Magazine offers a fresh perspective to readers, who are used to the run-of-the-mill publications that only churn out multi-bagger tips. Moneylife Foundation also conducts seminars and panel discussions for investor educations which are publicised in their magazine. The magazine also undertakes equity analysis and has their own recommendations, which I haven’t tested and unable to comment about, although.

In my future posts, I would cover some other such good reads – books, magazines, blogs and websites – in short, recent finds worth sharing. If you have also found a good read recently, do post about it in the comments section giving your reasons for liking it or a link to your own blogpost about it!

Encouraging Readers and IWOTY article

A website called Reader's Quotient was launched on 26th January 2010. The team announced that it needed articles not already published to be contributed for the e-zine. I was requested for sending my article to the new e-zine. I was wondering what to contribute? My whatnonsanz masquerading as humour for the gullible readers of my blog is not suitable for any other website.

So i wrote a non-humour piece which appeared on its first anniversary, 26.01.2011 in Reader's Quotient, titled "Encouraging Readership"

Do read it! If you find any good book worth recommending to school children or those just beginning to read books, please post your suggestions in the comments here.

Some time ago, this blog had featured a post on the Word Of the Year 2010. I had also proposed that Indians ought to have their own Indian Word of the Year (IWOTY)

Most of the readers suggested words related to the root word 'Scam' and its variants.
I built upon the idea to try out the humour column of TOI, which worked!

Do read this article based on this post here