Book Review: "Jaya" by Devdutt Pattanaik

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Book Review : “Jaya” by Devdutt Pattanaik
Jaya – An illustrated Retelling of the Mahabharata
By Devdutt Pattanaik
Publisher : Penguin Books
Pp: 345
Available on Flipkart and several other websites and bookstores

About the Epic

Being an Indian, it is rather likely that one has read the tales of the classic epic, Mahabharata. Or at least have watched the dramatized version of it in the TV Serial produced and directed by Ravi Chopra. The epic tale brings to our minds the war that was fought between cousins, about how all fortunes and even a wife was lost in a game of gambling and about the advice given by Lord Krishna to Arjuna before the war began, which is perhaps the ultimate truth of our lives, the much-reverred Bhagawad Gita. But how many of us do remember all the various tales, each of which has a symbolic significance to our lives even today? So it was an opportunity that presented itself to refresh my memory of giving the grand epic another reading from a proven story teller, Devdutt Pattanaik, who has amazed us time and again through his regular articles and columns ,that relate modern corporate life to ancient tales from mythology by drawing parallels in modern corporate life and inherent human nature, which remains same through time.

About the book on the author’s website

My book review


The author, Devdutt Pattanaik, also an illustrator, mythologist and a speaker, has named the epic what it was originally called – “Jaya” or Victory. But which victory is being referred to in the title here, one may wonder? Maybe the victory in the war between the Pandavas and Kauravas. Or maybe it is the victory of good over evil? Or maybe it is the victory of self over worldly human desires? The author has structured the book into 108 chapters in 18 “books” each being a tale that begins with the ancestors and takes us through the family history that sets the stage for the family aspirations that are built up leading to the epic war. One is taken back in time to the days on the planet – of instant justice, by way of hurling curses and granting boons; of the early attempts of kings to discover the virtues needed to be a good king, although history did present a King like Lord Rama, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu. The ancient times had different value systems that suited the life of humans who were proving to be superior to other animals living in the jungles, by establishing rules of early civilization – vastly different from those of our times. Times were also when there was no written texts, so stories were told by reciting verses from generation to generation and the purpose of the stories were to learn from the mistakes and successes of those who had been through life on earth. But human nature being what it is, the teachings of the tales have always been relegated to trivia and the mistakes committed by the earlier generations are repeated to “rediscover” the meaning and truths in life. One may conclude that the saga continues to date…

The book is a treat for those who would want to read the epic again with a fresh perspective. The author has provided several snippets at the end of each tale – of what the tale signifies, what values it teaches us, of what other versions in various parts of the world believe differently from the version presented – all of which prove to be very informative and interesting, unlike any other re-telling of the epic I have come across. The book is replete with apt illustrations , also by the author, Devdutt Pattanaik, who


The author has thoughtfully dedicated the book to all the scholars, authors, archivists, playwrights, film-makers and storytellers, both ancient and modern, who have worked to keep the grand ancient epic alive through their songs, dances, stories, plays, novels, performances, films and teleserials for over 3000 years.

I do not intend to cover the story of epic proportions in this review post, but would like to wish to cite here what the back cover of the book tells us about the Mahabharata.

“The Mahabharata is an ancient Hindu epic where:
A son renounces sex so that his old father can remarry
A daughter is a prize in an archery contest
A teacher demands half a kingdom as his tuition fee
A student is turned away because of his caste
A mother asks her sons to share a wife
A father curses his son-in-law to be old and impotent
A husband lets another man make his wife pregnant
A wife blindfolds herself to share her husband’s blindness
A forest is destroyed for a new city
A family is divided over inheritance
A king gambles away his kingdom
A queen is forced to serve as a maid
A man is stripped of his manhood for a year
A woman is publicly disrobed
A war is fought where all rules are broken
A shift in sexuality secures victory
The vanquished go to paradise
The victors lose their children
The earth is bathed in blood
God is cursed
Until wisdom prevails”

The book deserves to be read for the author’s power to tell a tale in a strong narrative style with the honest intention to retain the original message, as also attempting to provide the reader with the relevance of the actions and incidents as they were viewed in a society of different value systems in accordance with the times. If you wish to refresh yourselves with the tales of this wonderful epic or for some reason haven’t read the Mahabharata, do read this book by Devdutt Pattanaik!

Rating: 5/5 [It couldn’t have been better]

"Boss" is THE 4-letter word

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Book Review of “THE BOSS IS NOT YOUR FRIEND” by VIJAY NAIR

About Blogadda

Before I get on with the review of the book, let me briefly mention about Blogadda - the cyber adda where all bloggers discuss all kinds of issues, bring to the notice of the blogging community some excellent blogpost with a view to sharing good content, interviews with several achievers in the field of writing and blogging - and many such exciting stuff for us all! So when Blogadda announced that it planned to give away books with a view to get a review of the same in return, I was quick to sign in for this program! Thanks, Blogadda, for starting this program – and also for choosing me to review this book!

The Review:

“THE BOSS IS NOT YOUR FRIEND” by VIJAY NAIR
Publisher: Hachette India
Pp: 210
Cover Price Rs.295
Genre: Business/Humour


Available at: Booksorbit




My first thoughts: The front cover design is attractive and then I quickly flipped it to see the back cover to see the Genre – is it ‘Fiction’ or ‘Non-Fiction’? – oh it could even be ‘Self-help”? – but I found it was mentioned as “Business/Humour” – aha - just what I would want to read and review!

The book is a treatise on this creature of business enterprise that walks the corporate world and responds to the four-letter word “Boss” with much aplomb. The author surprises the readers by declaring the findings of his subject research at the very outset – that all bosses and corporations are necessarily ……EVIL! (another 4-letter word). This conclusion saves us readers the task of inventing the sorting hat or the measuring yardstick to find the elusive species, which could be called a “good Boss”. An oxymoron? Instead, the author introduces us to a structured methodology to find out what kind of evil boss could he/she be? The Boss is not referred to as “he’ or “she” in this book, but I wont tell you what the boss is referred to as, because [SPOILER ALERT], IT could be a big spoiler for prospective readers of this book!

The author then delves into how a boss can, not just be human, but superhuman – almost God-like in shaping your career in the industry and how you must completely depend on him to help you in your organisational successes! Ok, he doesn’t!...Just didn’t want to give away the treat and treatise on a platter, sorry! Talking of spoilers, I was just thinking anything I reveal to you readers about this book here could be a SPOILER!

I like books which coin new words! So when I found a new word introduced at the very beginning, I knew I would love this book! I won’t reveal this either – but just suffice it to tell you that it rhymes with Six Sigma! The figure six has great importance in this novel – there are six types of bosses, six strategies to bang each of these types, six types of peers and so on and so forth! Sixes rain here like the DLF IPL matches – in every chapter! There are interesting quizzes to discover which boss type your boss fits into – all very humorously revealed to the victims of corporate world who enter it with dreams of making it big with the assumption that your boss would be instrumental in helping you climb the corporate ladder – all the way!

The author helps you recognise the beast within and tells you how you’re not in the workplace, but at war in the battle-field! Just like Krishna, who explains Arjuna, the brave warrier in Mahabharata - brave until, of course, the war starts - about how he is not fighting his cousins, but fighting adharma on earth, Vijay Nair here blows the conch to declare the war one must fight so that the good (read: self) wins over evil (read: boss)! Naturally one will need the astras, strategies, knowledge about the adversary’s weaknesses and it’s Achilles heels, where the blow is to be struck. Hey did I give away too much, after making all this fuss about spoilers?

The author describes several episodes to distinguish boss-types and the kinds of evil acts that such types are capable of unleashing on unsuspecting entrants in a distinctly simple narrative, without much use of corporate jargon or repeated use of the f-word, as is common these days, which I liked very much. The author talks about peers, outsiders (read: consultants, coaches etc), CEOs, HR professionals, systems and processes besides bosses to complete the canvas of the landscape in which bosses lurk in search of their next prey.

Although there were some parts of the book which I found to be a bit dry (for my taste) and difficult to wade through, overall it proved to be a really nice and light read. The book concludes by guiding how to survive and prosper – and how to avoid becoming prey to the predator and instead be the predator itself and hunt down the hounds to survive the corporate world in all its splendour! Do read it – I am sure you will enjoy it as I did! But if you do apply the advice in real life, and if you happen to become the predator and not the prey, they’ll all be calling you “Boss”!

Rating 3.5/5

This review is a part of the Book Reviews Program at BlogAdda.com. Participate now to get free books!

Why one needs awareness of Law?

Guest Post by Dr. Vasundhara Patil, B.Sc.(hons) ,LL.M,CAIIB, Ph.D Law (gold medallist)

Since law is an important part amongst different aspects of society, common people need to know about the laws affecting the common citizens and not just lawyers.
Knowing about the law is important while dealing with people and bodies in different spheres of life.

Knowing about the law, could help you to be careful about not breaking it. It also means that you know which laws cause problems and whether they need to be changed. Law and legal activity is the foundation stone of all social change, this means that your contribution to your nation’s development can be made through a knowing Law. Law is intended for the common man to follow. Generally people accept the Law of the land and also follow the same.

When you fall sick, you don’t immediately rush to the doctor, you try home remedies. If you feel slight feverish, we buy anti-pyretic tablets of your choice. When you have sore throat, you even resort to natural remedies like drinking hot water or drink hot milk with turmeric powder. We don’t go doctor unless we feel that without his medicines, we will not get well.

Similarly we do not consult an advocate, to know if one wants to know how to obtain a driving license or how to transfer the ration card if one relocates. We need not rush to take admission in law college to study law. We ask our friends, relatives who guide us because they have obtained a driving license. This is called becoming aware of the law.

Our Indian Law is based on the maxim”Ignorance of law is no excuse”
It means if one has violated any provisions of law, he cannot take a plea that I am ignorant of the law hence I committed a mistake. I am sorry. He will have to obey the punishment or penalty prescribed under the said law.

That is why we try to become aware of simple provisions of law. We read articles on law, we read simple books, we search websites, and we ask our friends, co-workers, relatives and enhance our awareness of law.

Common Man is surrounded by law from life to death. With a child’s birth, one has to immediately register the event and obtain his birth certificate. Leaving school, obtain school leaving certificate, take up an employment, sign the employment contract, got married, get a marriage certificate. One may want to write a will and when one dies, it’s the responsibility of the legal heirs to obtain death certificate.

If the set procedures /rules are not followed right from the beginning Common Man starts facing difficulties. No birth certificate, no admission in school. If you stay in a rented house and have agreed to pay monthly rent. But after a few months you have some difficulty and you don’t pay rent, what will happen? Unless you are aware of the consequences that you are likely to face, you will be caught unawares.

Suppose you purchase a house property, but you don’t stay there, you don’t even visit the premises for a long time. Later you get to know that the notice for property tax was not paid within the stipulated time and hence along with the penalty, the dues have become very high. Now you will have to pay twice or thrice the amount due. Because you were not aware that once you purchase a house, you immediately become responsible for payment of property tax.

You are walking on the road, some one snatches your bag containing important document or may be your wallet. What are you supposed to do.? Do you have any rights? If you drive a vehicle, you don’t know what documents are required to show that you are the owner of the vehicle you are driving. You don’t have license. Or if you are over speeding, police is following you. What is going to happen to you if police catches you? Endless questions!!!

For all our questions we try to take help of family members first. Then we check up with friends, or try to read some newspaper/magazine, book, or browse the internet for websites which could provide the answers to every why and how affecting our lives lie in different laws.

In case of serious problems, which require special knowledge of law we approach the lawyers. He is last source because we have to pay fees for his consultation. Awareness of law also gives one the benefits attached to the rules/law. Being aware one can avoid pitfalls but also take the benefits of following the laws.

Just as common man has to follow laws, there are some rights which he gets if others don’t follow law. Public servants are responsible for serving the citizens of the country. They are accountable to the common man. They should discharge their duties fearlessly and without bias.

If the public servants harass the common man then he has rights given to him under some law. Remember Shri Anna Hazare’s campaign for drafting of Anti corruption Bill? He went on fast till his demands were met .The common man came on streets to join his campaign because such bill if passed by parliament and is enacted into law will benefit the common man.

A common man is surrounded by Laws, Rules, Regulations, which are to be followed by him, some which are to be followed by others for him. Being aware of the laws makes the common man to avoid the consequences, for not following laws, and helps him to take benefits of his rights, which will make the journey of his life comfortable.

Bloggers’ Post-Script: With the above needs of the common man in mind, Dr. Vasundhara Patil, has been posting basic information about laws and regulations concerning common citizen on her website here.

Some interesting posts on her website:

How to write a will

Format for a General Power of Attorney

Dr. Vasundhara Patil, B.Sc.(hons) ,LL.M,CAIIB, Ph.D Law (gold medallist) is a qualified legal expert and also writes some short stories which have been featured on her website here evergreen.law4all.co.in , which also features some of her recipes. If you have any blogpost on the subject of law, Dr. Vasundhara Patil would love to put up your piece as a guest post on her website.

If you wish to be featured in The ArTicKles Blog, please send your guest-post to my email address g_mavinkurve@hotmail.com .

A flawed concept - MLMs

It has been over a decade now that what is known as MLMs – Multi level Marketing – appeared on the Indian shores. I had been invited through known circles to a presentation by a person who had migrated to the US and had reverse-migrated back to bring this innovative concept to us Indians who had not learnt how to dream! He began his presentation with how the new marketing method differs from the old traditional way of selling consumer products –"There will be no distributors, wholesalers and retailers – they add no value but only act as “middlemen” in the supply chain!”, he proclaimed. “The product will also not be advertised - advertising costs also constitute a large part of the price of the product in the market”, he continued. So one would now get products closer to its true cost price and not at ridiculously inflated prices – all due to the middlemen who were just lousy parasites in the conventional marketplaces. It sounded great – our prayers have been heard!

The presenter then went on to ask us what our dreams were. Would we not want to go on some Foreign trips? Live in palatial houses? Get rich? Retire early? Of course, we did – just tell us how! We could now to it, we learnt from the sorcerer of the marketplace – all we had to do was to enroll as a member and get more members to join in!

Wouldn’t we have to work for the money? Of course, initially we would have to get in as many friends and relative to get onto the bandwagon and then they will be the ones working for you! You enjoy the riches – play golf, go on the vacations you’ve been dreaming of, buy your luxury sedan and live the high life! Sounded just great! Here was I slogging 10-12 hours for a pittance – what a fool I had been, I told myself - when the world had moved on, learnt how to make money and enjoy the good life. I remembered how I had always wanted to be rich – nay “stinking rich” – but all that I had managed to become was “stinking” – the "rich" part was yet to come! So here it was, I told myself, brought to me by the good Samaritan marketing genius of the 21st Century. I must be lucky – really lucky to have been selected for this presentation!

To get such a great opportunity to make the high riches would be a huge investment, no? I had a nagging doubt if the presenter would then drop the bomb and tell us we need to shell out a fortune to be part of this elite money-making club. “Just about Rs. 5000 for the membership”, he said to my great relief – oh that’s ok, not much – I felt greatly relieved! So my future was made – all for a paltry sum, I was elated. Even if i were to lose it, it was not much, was it?!

“But what are you giving in exchange for the membership?” my wife, who had been quietly sitting alongside me, all this while, piped in. “You will get a product hamper – the entire range of our wonderful consumer products, which are not available anywhere – available exclusively for our members!”, the super-salesman – nay super marketing innovator replied.

On our way back, we got talking – while I was gung-ho about the new concept, my wife had only doubts cropping up in her mind – “Why did they not show the products? Why did they not give a sample sachet? How do we know whether the products are good? How do we know if they are worth the money we pay for?” Although I don’t really like the skeptics who give us the peptics, these questions were indeed worth giving a thought! In fact, she had a point – and it set me thinking too: How was it that the products were not the subject of the presentation, when they should have been the main focus of the discussion? How would I convince my friends and relatives if the products itself are not worth the money? Will they really bless me for having shared with them an offer which benefitted them or not? Or will they curse me for selling products not worth the price they have paid for?

Soon enough, we learnt from a common friend that they had already become members of the MLM and had the hamper of products for their exclusive use. And hold your breath – they felt the products, although good, were not worth the money that was paid for it – in fact very expensive – if they had found the products on the shelf of a consumer store, they would never have bought them! So had they begun enrolling members as explained – how long would it be before they booked their first luxury sedan? “We are not going to do that – because we value our relationship with our friends and relatives” was the prompt reply!

So if we assume our friends and relative – all of about 50 members (hopefully), do join in, we would be collectively paying Rs. 2.5 Lakhs! And all these people would again bring more money to the scheme! Collectively, it is not a small amount of money really - if friends and relatives really mattered!

OK. More questions came to my mind:
“How did a concept that had done away with distributors, wholesalers, retailers, advertisements be costlier than similar products available in the market?”
“Have all the members of the MLM who have already joined them replaced these distributors and retailers and become the parasites and middlemen in the new and innovative marketing chain?”
“Isn’t the entire structure of the MLM more beneficial to the old members who had joined early and bears heavy on the later entrants?”
“What will happen when the chain stops growing like my friend who values relationships more than undue profits?”
More importantly: “Are we being lured into the scheme by the promise of an easy money without much hard work?” “Have we been sold a dream instead of a product?” and “If it is too good to be true, perhaps it is?!”

Needless to say, we decided to give the opportunity a miss!

Many people lost money to vanishing MLMs – many early entrants (read: promoters) made money and then vanished without a trace. The Ponzi schemes, which pay money based on the new money coming in and not from profits earned, lasts only until new folks bite the bait! And when they dry up, they leave a vast trail of people who have lost money rather than have gained from them. Today MLMs have found it difficult to enter the market as MLMs they masquerade as ‘genuine online surveys’, ‘content providers’ ‘work from home schemes’ etc. If they are genuine, why do they want enrollment fee for services to be provided by us? Why do they focus on expansion by bringing members, when the focus should be on how to provide the service for the customers who use the output?

More importantly:
How come MLMs which are basically Ponzi scheme are not illegal?
How come they are not heavily regulated by RBI or SEBI?
How come the promoters are never known to the public?
Could it be that these schemes have the blessing of politicians and perhaps we are opening another can of worms here for yet another scam of humongous proportions?
How come the RBI or SEBI has never come forward to explain this to the lay public inspite of several blogs, columns, issues raised in magazines and periodicals?
Many questions – few answers! It is wise to refrain from joining any scheme which is too good to be true - because that is what they are:

Too Good to be True!

Blogger's Post-script: "I always wanted to be stinking rich - 50% target achieved - i am already stinking - i have yet to become rich!"

What's your "Thinking Language"?

For more fun posts on a daily basis, do follow me on Twitter Twitter Id: @gopinathmm

We are encountered with the question “How many languages do you know?” in a form for employment, it is accompanied by a grid “Read – Write – Speak”. One is expected to tick-mark the grid to indicate one’s proficiency in the listed languages. However, there ought to be one more – “Think”. Just think about it! Which language do you think in? If you think in any one of those languages and speak in the other, chances are you’re producing some top-class humour for us to counter the burden of stress in our lives!

Most of the mistakes – allow me to call them mistakes for the moment – in language usage - because of thinking in one language and speaking in another! Although modern day language is tolerant in which the world brushes aside wrongful constructs in language with the broad stroke of the “trendy” wave sweeping our tongues! There is no such thing as “wrong English” today! Only the ‘new norm’ – an equivalent of the American “new normal” in financial economic trends! A euphemism to lowering standards, I suppose?!

The new normal or norm is the ratification of what was considered wrong some years ago. Now, now – I say some years “ago” – when the world has gratefully accepted “some years back”! Back in my childhood days, “some years back” would have seen my back against a wall as punishment or maybe I would be lumped back home, I don’t know… but not so today! It is the new norm! But I digress – my post is not about correct or wrong language – but about the language in which we think!

Ok, so we have a language in which we think and chances are we choose only one amongst the languages that we speak, read and write – only one! I learnt about this when I was in school – my English teacher, Leela Rebello (nee Yellur) – we called her Yellur-miss, told us:
“If you want to improve your English – Think in English!”

Now that was something! Didn’t we all think in English, I wondered? We spoke our mother-tongue at home – Konkani for me – Gujarati, Marathi, Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and so on, for my classmates. We learnt English, Marathi, Hindi and French in school. So which language did we unconsciously choose to think in?

It invariably turned out to be the language we learnt in our early days – our mother tongue! So we had great fun in school where some one would exclaim: “See - the rain is falling!”, when all that was to be said was “Look, its raining!”. So the Marathi “Pavoos Padto” or closer to me, the Konkani “Paavsu Padtaa” became “Rain is falling” Our teacher was right! The language we spoke was just a translation of what we thought in our mother-tongue and dutifully translated in the language we were speaking in! And thereby produced some national humour for everyone to laugh at!

“Fun happened at her birthday party!”, “Problem became in class”, “They are removing photos of everyone for IDs” and many such gems were contributed to the national cause of reducing stress-related diseases in our country by these epic utterances! These are classic cases of thinking in our mother-tongue and speaking in English! Of course, we did not stop at this kind of mistakes and produced more gems – like some of my friends would advise the other “Don’t say ‘removing photos’ it’s wrong – say they are ‘photo-takeouting’, na baba!”

OK, so we were creative in our days back then, when it came to producing some hilarious (albeit, wrong) language. Back then a trend began where wrong usage like “Open the doors of the windows and let the atmosphere come in” kind of-coinage is so popular that it even today’s youngsters swear their professors said it! Like we did!

The Chinese today are grappling with the same problem as they embark on the task to conquer the English language for better global prospects – where the meaning of the message is altogether lost. Several posters are found where the reader is lost – “lost in translation” as they say. But we Indians lost nothing – only just found – “found in translation” – great gems of humour.

My friends on FB are quick to point out how news readers ask “What’s your sense on this?” when they actually mean “What is your opinion on this?” or “At this point in time” which used to be simply “now” in the good old days and many more such ‘trending’ habits that have influenced our language today. But then, one wonders if these are from some other Indian languages, I am not familiar with? If not, maybe it deserves another post – for there are many of this kind!

I hope by reading this post, you’d say, “Fun came, no”?! as in, Kyoon, Maja aaya na?

Blogger’s Post-Script: 1. If you know such classic cases of "Found-in-Translation", do post them in the comments column - lets have a compendium of these!
I will not remind you againg - or else you will say "You are behind me!" -eeks another!

2. I attribute the gems of advice given by my teachers, like Yellur-miss in school – St Lawrence High School, Santacruz (W) Mumbai - as those that made me what I am today. I just cannot thank them enough!

Edited to add: Ms. Jyoti Divgi has sent in these Puneri gems:
1. His cycle went to chori
2. Dont speak in front of my back!
Thanks, Jyoti - waiting for many more from all of you!

Book Review: "Childhood Daze!" by Savitri Babulkar

Book Review: “Childhood Daze!” by Savitri Babulkar
Reviewed by: Gopinath Mavinkurve
Follow me on Twitter: @gopinathmm

"Childhood Daze!” is a book that takes the reader back into the days spent in Manjeshwar, a coastal town in South Kanara, now a part of Kerala. A large joint family living in a sprawling house with an abundant courtyard in which one grew vegetables and fruits – and even herbs for household cures - for one’s own needs; where one could climb trees, play games like Lagori, Kutti Donne [viti-dandoo in Marathi], Gazgae- games played in those days of yore, that our present generation kids wouldn’t even know how to play! The book narrates several incidents that played out in those days when “Ammanoo” (as she was called, amongst other loving names) grew up in the 1940s. The stories have been narrated through the mind of 6-9 year old Ammanoo, who sets out to tell the readers of her experiences as-they-happen and things as she perceived them (then) or the anxieties, fears, aspirations and ideas – right or wrong – that influenced the young one.

Going beyond the mere description of the sprawling estates, where the joint family dwelt, she describes in great detail how each member of the family played a part in the household – and more importantly to fill the void left by the early demise of her mother at a tender age of one! It is also the period of her life when she grapples with the meaning of life - the social beliefs and how her grandmother (Avva/Amma to her) deals with them; the rules and why they existed; of schooling and the competition that prevailed; religious beliefs and how some ‘miracles’ impressed the young one early in life. And how can one miss out the ghosts? They tormented the little minds when they had to venture out in the dark making her chant to the gods for protection! There are some episodes brushing obliquely about the scourge of untouchability and other such superstitious beliefs as “the sins of crossing the seven seas”, as they manifested in society in those days – and how the forward thinking women helped root them out with their rational thinking and practical approach to life – without so much as a need to protest from the oppressed/affected persons.

There have been some outstanding character sketches drawn out so lucidly for the reader – who may not have met them – of each of the members of her large family and friends – that very few writers can portray so succinctly. But the characters of Avva or Amma (her grandmother) is par excellence – when she describes how a minimally educated woman of those times teaches the very same things that her convent teachers do in class - and displays such worldly wisdom that very few educated persons possess! How small little rules of the house mattered: the practice of eating together during dinner time, cleaning up before entering the house, keeping things in their place – all contributed to an orderly stress-free life!

The reader is treated to a liberal sprinkling of humour whenever the opportunity presents itself - and of course, word play! To quote Shri. Sadanand Bhatkal, the renowned publisher and editor, who has provided the ‘Foreword’ for the book, her work is “a lucid prose with a delightful ease of narration… brevity being the soul of good-story-telling” . Need I say more? Now, without giving away too much about the book in my enthusiasm, (and thereby spoiling the fun for prospective readers of this amazing book), let me assure you that you will enjoy the journey back into the past to the places in and around Manjeshwar and Mangalore of the 40 and relive those days while gathering some great insights into the charming life and some pearls of wisdom, en-route!

Although there are several Konkani words used in the process, care has been taken to provide the English equivalents. I am sure this book would prove to be a great read for all – whether one knows her or not, whether an amchi (Konkani) or not, even whether young or old! A book need not have to be a racy crime thriller set in modern urban environs, to be described as being “un-put-down-able” or “a page-turner” - this fascinating book, which gives the reader a peep along with the flavors and smells of the small-town life in the ‘40s - proves this, by being one! Do read the book – you’ll zip past the contents to the very end of it and enjoy it. Like I did!

The book is available at Sterling Book House (Call: 022-22676046 / 22659599); Computer Book Shop (Call 022-6631 7922/23/24); Bookzone (Call 022- 2205 4621/22) for copies of the book.
Publishers: Shroff Publishers & Distributors Pvt Ltd.
Call: 022-4158 4158 E-mail: spdorders@shroffpublishers.com for bulk orders or for details about availability in other cities.
Pp: 215 pages Cover Price: Rs 200/-

How many Annas do we need?

Caution: Long post ahead!

Many years ago, students would be asked “How many Annas to the Indian Rupee?” Not any more. Now the question could be more like “How many Annas to the Indian Revolution?”

Just when we Indians were feeling comfy with the fact that since there were no squares in India, the Jasmine revolution or any other of its kind – even a Lotus, for that matter - would not touch our shores, let alone sweep it - the unexpected happened. A perfect black swan event, could we call it? It was bound to happen and yet nobody expected it to happen!

We just wanted our cricket team to win the ODI Cricket World Cup 2011 - and the boys did it for us! The nation was on a high like never before! All the negativity that the Commonwealth Games or 2G scams had engulfed us had been quickly forgotten in the festivities that followed.

Then came the call from Anna Hazare, the phenomenonal leader of the masses - to which the aam aadmi supported to the hilt. Enough is enough, he said – the endless list of scams and loot of public money has got to stop! We need a law and we shall fight for it, if we have to, was his call to the public. He even chose the manner in which people would go about it – peaceful protests and a fast-unto-death for the proposed Jan Lok Pal Bill. It was a great show of solidarity of the masses with their new-found leader – non-violent, steadfast in its objectives and a rare display of unity. People from all walks of life, cutting across party lines came together – just as they did when they supported the Indian cricket team a week ago!

None of the participants committed any acts of vandalism, as is often seen when political parties organise a street show. No shops shut down – no rickshaws, buses or trains were disrupted, as a “bandh call” usually does. This was no bandh! It was the opening of shut minds and lax bodies that were responding to the call of Annasaheb.

I read editorials about the Jan Lok Pal Bill in several leading and reputed publications. The enlightened and all-knowing journalists voiced their opinion about how the proposed Jan Lok Pal Bill would amount to subversion of democracy. How the Lok Pal would be a creation of an all-powerful body, not elected by the members of the public, who would yield judicial and executive powers of the state, which could be very easily mis-used. They told us that Annasaheb had the right intention and the gumption to take on the powers that be, but had been fighting for a law that was, unfortunately, not the solution – perhaps only another powerful monster to deal with in the future.

Some told us that effective as it was, the fast-unto-death was a threat in itself and the government was held to ransom in giving in to the demands – not a democratic means of getting across your point of view in a democratic set up. The mood of the public was too upbeat to stomach this criticism – Anna was a true hero and none would have anything said against him – at least when he was the only man standing for the common man on the street after being let down by all those who are expected to protect their interest – the elected members of Parliament. At least that was the mood.

All these days, I was reading editorials, opinion columns, blogpost and news-item on the subject. None of them answered the basic questions that I had in my mind as follows:-
1. Are we sure that we don’t have a law to punish the corrupt Rajas and Kalmadis or whoever they were that looted the government exchequer of Lakhs of Crores today?
2. Isn’t there a mechanism to get back the money that has been swindled today without the Jan Lok Pal bill in place? Surely it would not apply retrospectively!
3. Are we to believe that the country has been run for 60 years without a law to punish corrupt ministers or bureaucrats - at any level?
4. How is a new Bill, which is being drafted for the umpteen hundredth time for the last 4 decades help in these past cases?
5. How is it that - whenever we hear about gross violations of the law and misdeeds committed on a large scale or a widely spread phenomenon in our society – we always say that we need a law to deal with it? Don’t we have laws in place to deal with gross violations?
6. Are we fooling ourselves by saying we need laws, when what we should be asking is which is the law that has been violated and what is the punishment for it, what are the means to recover the loot under the present legal framework?
7. Aren’t we helping those who have committed serious frauds of humongous proportions on the entire nation to get away due to this “lack-of-a-law syndrome”, if I may call it so?
8. Although there is no denying the fact that laws need to be tweaked and better laws are needed to replace old laws, this is an ongoing activity and the law-breakers can be dealt with under current laws. Why this focus is being lost in the process for demanding new acts or bills?
9. How many Annas would our nation need to undertake a fast - if the Government only responds to Annas going on fasts?
10. How many Annas make an Indian revolution?

This is not to be construed to mean that we would not need legal reforms or new laws in place of the old creaky ones, we would need them for sure!

But the Jan Lok Pal Bill would need a wider debate and participation of several brilliant minds before it becomes a law - it would need a lot of time and lots and lots of effort and public debate - before it is enacted as a law. When it comes, I do hope it does become an effective tool which serves the nation in the days to come. Until then, it is difficult – nay Impossible for me to believe that there is no existing law to deal with the offenders of serious frauds.

I am sure there are enough laws – what is lacking is the political will and that sense of responsibility and answerability/accountability of the Government to the Indian citizen. The people of India, especially the tax-payers, would feel short-changed if they were told that NOTHING can be done to bring the scamsters to book and recover the moneys swindled from the Government exchequer.