Mumbai: “Yes, We Can”

Posted: December 1, 2008 in india, mumbai blasts Nov 2008
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If there was any time when this phrase made famous by Obama, could also be used in context of Mumbai, then its NOW!

Can we come out of the mess that we find ourselves in?

Can we ensure that sanity is maintained and knee jerk outbursts do not put us into more chaos?

Can we show good-for-nothing politicians the door? Get them out??

Can we come up with worthwhile alternatives?

Can we get the city back in order?

Many more questions…. of this kind. Challenging us for what we are. Challenging our being, challenging our capabilities.

And the answer can only be one, “YES, WE CAN”.

For mere words to convert to action, and that also not action that is “high in the air” and which “someone else needs to do” (read politicians, policemen, security agencies, industrialists – in short, everyone other than oneself), a thought that I shared with few others on an email (most people were from online businesses) is reproduced below:

———

It will only be repetitive to state that its been the most painful
experience of life, even at a distance. That something of this kind
could happen to our city is shocking. But as I said, that would be
repeating things.

Here is a specific thought though:
1. Till date, we have been stuck with these as***les of politicians,
simply because it was not possible for a good alternative candidate to
make any kind of decent penetration. To go from door to door, muster up
support, generate a following.. it all seemed impossible to do. When up
against old time penetrations of the party, and the ways and means that
they have followed to generate their so-called support bases.

2.But its a different world today. An online, connected world. One where
you do not need to go from door to door to get your point across. One
where a message can have a viral movement and a following can be built.

3. We might have just hit the tipping point on the online viral push of
messages - Facebook, Twitter, blog postings, emails of this kind are
evidence of that fact - with this incident.

4. On this mail list, we have people who have managed to get their
brands and businesses inside large number of homes in the country. They
know how it's done. Till date, this knowledge has been used to pursue a
commercial motive related to their business.

So here's the opportunity then! Can some of these leaders of the online
world, get together, along with other management experts, technocrats
and the like. And plan out a strategy, perhaps even a clear alternative
(if not for all the constituencies of the country, begin with a few; a
start has to be made somewhere, and any small penetration will put the
current lot of politicians on high alert), and then generate a clear
online campaign (with some offline support) and convert all these well
sounding words into action??

To borrow a phrase that became very popular recently, "Yes, We Can!".
----------------

YES, WE CAN!!




		

			
				
				



	
It’s all about Good vs Evil

	
		Posted: December 1, 2008 in Good vs Evil, india, mumbai blasts Nov 2008		

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India, the world’s second largest country with a population of about 1.1 billion, has just 126 police officers per 100,000 citizens. The United Nations’ recommended standard is 222.


Well, be it 126 or 222, why is it sufficient to have just that small 3 digit number of police officers taking care of 100,000 citizens.


This ratio comes out of a simple logic.


That fundamentally most people are “good” and there is only so much “evil” in society. The ratio being the way it is, a handful of police personnel are sufficient to quell those challenges, and the large proportion of the good people in society take care of themselves.


But the danger that the world faces today, I believe, is in the increasing percentages of the ‘evil’ component of society. Due to various factors – the politics of the US, the breaking down of the communist world, the rich nations getting richer and the poor getting poorer, and on top of that, this global economic crisis, and perhaps many other factors – the world is not getting any safer. Simply because the evil section of society is getting larger.


The same happens when there are large scale epidemics. The medical practitioners to citizens ratio is also equally tightly balanced most times. Any unusually large demand of that expertise is just not available on call. For the ratios to change, takes years. There is no quick alternative.


The ratio of good vs evil in society, and based on which the ratio of police vs citizens is based, is equally tightly balanced. If the UN guidelines and India’s numbers are anything to go by, we are in worse shape there. In this scenario, if the balance tilts any further, it can lead us to chaos of the kind that we cannot imagine.


It clearly shows that besides policing and security efforts, there is a need to cleanse society. To convert the evil back to good. Its not an answer enough, just to combat evil. If simultaneous efforts to cleanse the evil are not done, we will always be just so-close to disaster!



		
	

		

			
				
				



	
Terror? Is it inevitable and are we helpless?

	
		Posted: December 1, 2008 in mumbai blasts Nov 2008		

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While we have all been angry and upset, and have poured out our anger against the politicians and the powerful, we have also been hearing from various experts, the challenges of combatting terrorism.


The long coastline, the large number of porous boundaries that the city has, the big gap between the arms that our police carry and those which the terrorists have access to, the fact that sympathisers for some terrorists’ causes exist within our own country, that we have vote bank politics and due to which reason we have allowed safe passage to people coming in from Bangladesh and elsewhere, etc are pointers to reasons why the challenge of terrorism is a very tough one to face.


Do we conclude that its not possible to quell it? That come what may, we may remain vulnerable to a terrorist attack? A return to the “good old days” might as well be accepted to be as much of a possibility, as it is to have paradise on earth now!


So how do we cope with this reality of life?


Well, we have to start counting the number of sudden-death situations in life, and add terrorist attack to that list.


So we now have cancer, heart attack, stroke, road accident,.. and “Terrorist deaths”. One could be hale and hearty and yet be vulnerable to any of these.


Yes, it’s sad to come to such a conclusion. But really, do YOU feel safe? Do you feel that you cannot be a victim of terrorism? It’s clear now that terrorism can hit anywhere and at any time.


It will require a new world order to emerge to put this threat away, and I do not see that as being realistic. So until then, we have no choice but to accept this reality – cancer, heart attack, stroke, road accident, air accident….. , terror strikes!!



		

			
				
				



	
Mumbai Blasts: Some Unanswered Questions

	
		Posted: November 30, 2008 in india, mumbai blasts Nov 2008		

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As the drama has unfolded in front of millions glued to their TV sets, like a terrible reality show, the media houses have covered all conceivable aspect of the story. From live relay of the actual encounters, to human interest aspect, to the Pakistan angle, the politics of it, the loss of lives of security forces and especially some of the well known officers, etc. etc.


In spite of this extensive coverage and probing, I think some matters have escaped attention, or at least adequate attention, as I have not seen these discussed at length, on the channels that I have been following:


1. One of the fishermen folks, rather a 15 year old boy from amongst the fishermen there, has pointed out on camera that he saw 10 persons with big bags, get down from the boat, and split into 3 groups, that went to different directions. And then someone tool that small boat away.


So did someone go after this boat? What happened to it? I am not referring to the MV Alfa which was tracked and followed. I am referring to the smaller rubber boat or a trawler perhaps, that transported these ten terrorists into the city.


2. Along with the terror that happened in South Mumbai, there were also blasts reported in Vile Parle, near Santacruz and at the Marriot in Juhu.


Is anyone tracking those at all? Or compared to these bigger events in South Mumbai, those were smaller and trivial and are ignored for now?? Hey, besides everything else, we must remember that the terrorists who caused those blasts in the northern parts of the city, would be some other chaps. And they are moving about freely somewhere in the city. And if they have half the amount of ammo that those guys at the Taj or the Oberoi or at Nariman Bhavan had, then we continue to be at very high risk or some other large event now! Why does nobody track this story now?


3. It is clear that the operation was well planned and executed. That the terrorists knew exactly where they wanted to go, and what they wanted to do. Be it the Taj, Oberoi or the Nariman Bhavan. They did not reach these places accidentally.


So the question then is, where was the Skoda headed out to? Those two guys had been to VT, had done some indiscriminate firing on the streets, and then reached outside the Oberoi. Instead of walking in, like the other terrorists did, they exchanged the vehicle and decided to drive somewhere else. So was there another destination that they had planned to reach? Which one was it? Would those other terrorists (or Vile Parle, etc.) who are still roaming the streets in Mumbai, reach to that fourth planned destination now? Whenever they see an opportunity?! Again, this factor has not been brought up by any channel, at least when I have been seeing these.


Questions that remain unanswered… !



		

			
				
				



	
Five year term is just TOO long! The Recall Option!

	
		Posted: November 30, 2008 in india, mumbai blasts Nov 2008, politics		

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Why do these politicians not worry about the people, after they get elected? Why do they think about their constituents only during election times? And in between, they behave irresponsibly, and do what they jolly well please.


The reason for this is that once elected, these MPs or MLAs are quite untouchable. They could commit crimes, they could be insensitive to public needs, they could be fraudsters. They still retain their seats. And while they may be called in old British style terms, as public “servants”, they are anything but that!! In fact, they make all service providers dance to their tunes, be it the airlines, the police, the bureaucracy.. everyone.


So what is the potential method to make them more responsible? If any?


Yeah, sure, there is the threat to re-election, if they are seen to be grossly messed up. But most times, things are not that clear. Also its a five year term, and by the time the elections come, some of their misdemeanours might have been forgotten by the people too.


The only weapon that the people could potentially have, in such cases, is the right to “recall” an elected representative. To let it be known, that the constituency as a whole has lost total confidence in the concerned MP / MLA, and would like him / her to be recalled.


This article has some background on the subject. It clearly shows that its not easy or perhaps not possible at all, in India. But as a germ of an idea, and even if there is a slim chance of it being implementable, its something that is worth considering. Especially at such difficult times… !


Even if there is ONE case of recall in India, that may be a strong message to all other elected reps, like no other message could ever give, I suspect!



		

			
				
				



	
Political accountability? Everyone goes scotfree!

	
		Posted: November 30, 2008 in india, mumbai blasts Nov 2008, politics		

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This time around, the anger is huge. All and sundry have expressed their frustrations against the politicians.


Politicians who have sat on the need for a federal agency against terror, politicians who took their own bloody time to act even as the dastardly act was happening at multiple locations in Mumbai, politicians who repeat the same stupid words after each event (“we are investigating”, “we condemn”, “we will get those responsible”, etc. etc.), politicians who use up high profile security for their own selves leaving the citizens unprotected… the list is endless.


Citizens have made comments on live television saying that let the politicians not come here, as they will be killed by the peple here!!


This angry voice has finally reached the powers to be, and we can now expect actions to be taken. While many may call these actions as too little and too late, the way I see these are, being better late than never!


The first head to roll has been that of Shivraj Patil, the Union Home Minister.


Great! Finally! Phew! He has been one of the most impotent and uninspiring Home Ministers that India has had the misfortune to have. So I am glad that he is gone.


I also hope that other heads roll – soon. Prime candidates being Vilasrao Deshmukh and R. R. Patil, the CM and Dy CM of Maharashtra. Besides their inaction and inability to protect the state and the city, their totally insensitive attitudes convey how completely disconnected they are from the citizens and their feelings. The CM took his film star son and his director friend, Ram Gopal Verma, on a terror tour through the Taj. R. R. Patil put his foot in his mouth when he conveyed on camera that such “small incidents” happen in big cities like Mumbai. BOTH HAVE TO GO. Sooner rather than later.


In fact, there is no real ability factor that could justify a Shivraj Patil as Home Minister or a Vilasrao Deshmukh as the CM. Its clear that they had their positions due to reasons other than capability. Vilasrao is supposed to be one of the biggest “fund raisers” for the High Command, and even Shivraj Patil holds some similar aces in his hand, with respect to his relevance in the Congress. These are the only reasons why these people get to their chairs and hold them for long too.


There will be few other bureaucrats who will also have to go. One of the prime candidates for such a removal is the National Security Advisor, who has been exposed as being a total misfit, time and again.


But the other point is that in spite of such resignations, do these politicians really suffer at all? If past is anything to go by, maligned ministers lie low for a while, and since public memory is short, they make a quiet comeback after a while. Or in some cases, they are given a plush Governor’s position (if one is lucky, they could even aspire to be President), and can enjoy the good life!


Why so? If Shivraj Patil has resigned for being responsible for his inability to prevent such terror happening on Indian soil, its clearly a performance issue. Why should he be rehabilitated? If a CMO of a company has been proven to be not performing well, would you still make him a Branch Manager, or would you just give him the walking orders?? In fact, in other cases, politicians have been accused of being corrupt or being linked to violence, or of embezzlements, and they have STILL been rehabilitated!! Why do politicians never have such problems? Because of their “fund raising” ability?? When will THIS change in our country??



		

			
				
				



	
The character of the men of Taj

	
		Posted: November 30, 2008 in mumbai blasts Nov 2008, Taj Mahal Hotel		

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I have always wondered about what it takes to be a soldier. To go to war to protect your country knowing very clearly that you could die. I am sure it takes a certain character to be that way. Ultimately I accepted for myself that a certain small percentage of citizens who opt to be in the armed forces, have that special character.


On the other hand, I certainly would not associate that character with the men and women that serve us when we go to stay or dine at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Yes, we associate great service, or perhaps outstanding service since its the Taj. We would associate excellent cooking by the chefs, helpful stewards, great housekeeping staff, smiling reception teams, polite bellhops.. but that’s about it!


Who would have expected that same staff to have phenomenol presence of mind in the midst of terror, to have the spirit of the soldier on the battleground where they put the safety of their guests ahead of their own, and performed heroic acts?? It would have seemed perfectly human if the staff had escaped out, saving their lives first. They are not soldiers and their duty ended when the meal ended at the dinner table. After that, they were like the many others trapped inside – hostages fearful of their lives, hostages having loved ones worrying for them at home!


But as numerous survivors from the Taj have recounted, the staff at the Taj showed incredible and exemplary character, as they put their own lives to risk and tried to save those of the guests. They showed the ways out through the service entries, they calmed the nerves, they guided the guests to keep lights out, they told the guests to stay huddled down, they created the makeshift washrooms for men and women, they had the presence of mind to grab water bottles and food to the extent that they could, before escorting the guests to relatively safer areas in the hotel.


How did they do this? Where did they get this strength? It was no reality show or a banquet room event where they had received their scripts. It was spontaneous, it was impulsive, it was something that apparently came natural to them.


I am totally amazed. To me, its a fanstastic character of the organization that the Taj has built. It must be a rigorous message that is imbibed into the staff through training, through rub-off from others, through various means, that “the customer always comes first”. Ordinarily, it only extends to the point of delivering great service at the hotel. But when this rarest of rare events happens, that same attitude is exemplified in the manner that it just did.


So does it extend across the Tata group? Much as I would like to believe so, I know that it doesn’t. In fact, in recent times, there have been examples of quite pathetic service attitudes at some Tata brands like Croma, Tata Sky and Tata Indicom. So no, the example of the Taj is certainly not visible across the entire group.


Does the attitude extend to all Taj properties? Again, I have my doubts. While all Taj hotels are excellent hotels, the Taj Mahal at Mumbai occupies a very special place in history. There is enormous pride associated with the Taj Mahal, Mumbai. A pride that patrons feel (and many have expressed it in the last 4 days), a pride that all stakeholders feel. It is that pride in the entity that gives everyone associated with it, a certain sense of commitment. To push the envelope in terms of excellence. And in this case, being a service industry, that excellence is in terms of fantastic customer service.


Even as young men and women join at the Taj in Mumbai, and who may not be aware of the tradition of the Taj, they have the benefit of the elders who are around, to give them that sense of history and organisational pride, and which rubs off, on the new entrants to the team too.


I remember when I used to be a vendor to the Taj, for some equipments, and I had to interact with their Engineering department, along with the many young Engineers who used to work there, there was this 75+ years old Parsi gentleman. Who must have been with the Taj for more than 50 years. A man full of energy, humor but utmost commitment. A man that youngsters would sometime laugh about, but nobody would disrespect. Now working with an icon of that type, the young engineers were bound to feel affected, and the Taj culture would get to them as well.


Again working for a five star property like the Taj, which hosts numerous critical events, and where demanding global celebrities stay and who expect nothing but the best, the staff is, I am aware, used to work under stressful conditions. On the outside, it all appears to move like clockwork, be it at banquet events, or in terms of satisfying the whims and fancies of the celebrity guests. But to make that outside clockwork to happen, there are tons of last minute quick corrections that they need to keep doing at the back end. And which must certainly be generating a certain innovation and an ability to think on the feet, amongst the staff.


All of that came to the fore during the last 4 days.


My admiration for the Taj goes up several notches. I also salute the Taj stalwarts, from JRD to Ratan Tata, and Krishna Kumar, to have built this fantastic organization. From a pure management perspective, there is so much to learn here!


I know that the Taj will be up and running before long. In all its majestic stature too. I will be one of the earliest visitors once that happens, as a mark of my respect, my solidarity with the organization, and of course, to enjoy a great Taj experience as always!!



		

			
				
				



	
An explosion of self expression!

	
		Posted: November 30, 2008 in india, mumbai blasts Nov 2008		

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Yes, we live in a Web 2.0 world. A world where you blog, where you put your Facebook updates, where you let the world at large know what you feel. But till date, we had only trivial things to share.


The Mumbai terrorism attacks have generated so much anger amongst Mumbaikars, amongst Indians all over the country, and amongst Indians in any part of the world (not to speak of non-Indians, who have equally been staggered by this new form of terrorism), that its been a barrage of outbursts.


Everybody wants to do something. Or wants someone to do something. Everyone has an opinion to offer.


Blogs, Youtube videos, SMSes, MMSes, are coming out a plenty.


Those who never updated status on Facebook have started doing so, giving their piece of mind. Those who were updating are firing updates by the hour. Mumbai was trending on Twitter and has continued to do so. At a time, 8-10 tweets a second were happening, on #mumbai.


I also make a few points of my own at this time. Following this are a few posts related to these times of terror.



		

			
				
				



	
Adieu, Dada..

	
		Posted: November 10, 2008 in Saurav Ganguly		

			



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What an emotional rollercoaster for Saurav Ganguly.
Coming out to bat for the very last time for India, with the whole ground giving a standing ovation, the Australian team giving him an ovation, his head struggling to remove the gravity of the occasion out and focus on the game, and the next ball…
Luckily for him, a spinner is bowling. An Australian debutant spinner, someone Dada could normally be ready to face, if he was woken up from deep slumber and asked to go and play…
Could not get easier than that, really. Or so you would think.
Because the innocuous turn of the wrist on that first ball, was a shade too early, resulting in a leading edge of the bat, and that debutant bowler lunged ahead, to pick up a return catch.
First ball dismissal. A golden duck, to end an illustrious career.
The long walk back to the pavilion, accompanied first by stunned silence as the fans grasped what had just happened in front of their eyes, and then a thundering last applause for their favourite Dada, who had entertained them so well, over the years.
Suddenly it was all over.
It seems that Saurav went into the pavilion and did not remove his pads for at least 20 more minutes. The intense cricketer that he is, one can just imagine what could be going on in his mind. Is this it? Is it finallly, finally over? Did it just happen…? Oh my God.. !


Yes, an emotional rollercoaster…


A century in his first innings, and a duck in his last innings. Can only happen to as mercurial a person as Saurav Ganguly. It kind of exemplifies the ups and downs that Saurav has had in his career, the highs and lows that he has provided to his fans over the years.


When he has been on song, he has been the most entertaining batsman on the field, bar none. His two steps down the pitch and the beautiful swing to send the ball into the stands at long on, or his picture perfect square drives that leave the fielders stunned as the ball crashes into the boundaries, are shots that we will not mind seeing again and again on video replays.


And yet the time when he struggled so badly against the rising delivery going across his body, that he was a sucker for even a medium fast bowler, was so painful for fans to see (yours truly, included). You would have wanted him to retire than go through such humiliation from average bowlers.


But those were the kind of highs and lows that Saurav-da gave his fans.


The fact that he dug himself out, after that struggle against the rising delivery, after being unceremoniously dropped out of the team, was mind blowing. At that stage of his career, many other players would have opted to just let things go by, retire, enjoy family life, become a commentator or whatever…


But Saurav showed his grit and determination, something that was seen so often in his intensive play on the ground against tough opponents like Australia and England. Saurav worked at the nets, played club cricket, played the Ranji Trophy, went to English county cricket.. did everything that he could, to a) get back to form, and b) ensure that selectors could not ignore his performance anymore. He came back to the team, not on the strength of friendly selectors, but on the strength of his performance.


And that then, was the true test of his calibre. Could he deliver at the highest level, what he had done in first class cricket? You could see on his return, the quiet Saurav. One who did not seem to chat as much with his old friends, and old mates. One who was almost aloof. But one who truly wanted to show the world what he is capable of. Hard work, sheer hard work, huge determination, intense concentration written all over his face, ensured that he got runs. And got them big. And the world acknowledged again.


Where Sachin has been bestowed the honor of being the force of Indian cricket for last many years, I truly believe that the one person responsible for a genuine turnaround of Indian cricket, of instilling within the team and the fans that self-belief, of competing with the best in the world on equal terms (“if they can take off the shirt, we can not only take it off, but swing it madly in victory”, etc.), it was Saurav Ganguly.


And he has now played his last innings for India. Adieu, Saurav.. you have given us a lot of entertainment, and we will miss you.


—————


P.S. I do not say “stay back, Saurav, for some more..” because while all of the above is true, I also have the memory of a painful scene in his last test. When, as he jogged behind a ball going to the boundary, the Australian batsmen RAN four runs! And whereas, the young debutant batsman of India, Vijay, took two wickets – with his sharp fielding. Yes, unfortunately, today’s cricket demands faster legs, stronger arms, speed… its best that the likes of Saurav (and later VVS, Dravid and Sachin too) retire when they are doing.



		

			
				
				



	
Pressure to succeed or comfort zone? What does it take?

	
		Posted: September 28, 2007 in Uncategorized		

			



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In the last couple of days, I picked up a common thought across three completely unrelated media events.


Event 1:
In the first instance, I saw on TV, an interview with Anupam Kher. He was talking about his very first movie which was a big success, and where his work was appreciated, “Saaransh”. He was referring to the scene in the film where he goes to claim the ashes of his dead son, and breaks down in front of the officer. He says that the scene had multiple takes and each time, he managed to cry out very well, and with a lot of emotion. The scene was one of the key scenes of the movie. Anupam confessed on this interview that while doing this scene, he was not thinking much about the character, or the character’s son who had died, etc. Somehow he was thinking that if this film does not work, he would have to head back to Shimla, from Mumbai. And that thought was making him cry and in turn, bringing out the best in him!!


Event 2:
Then I read an interview of Indian captain M S Dhoni, where he was also describing his entry into the Indian team. He said that after an India A tour where he was a member, he started to get a feeling that he will at least get one chance to play for the India team. At least one chance! And he did get that one chance when he was selected for three matches. And somehow he did not click in any of them. He hoped against hope that he will get one more chance. And which he got in a while. Now he was clear that if he did not make it, he will be lost in the oblivion of Indian domestic cricket. This was it – his last chance to show that he is worthy of a place in the Indian team. Then, it was that thought of being written off, and the pressure that it caused, that made him work very hard in that outing, and he managed to hit a ton. Staring at the possibility of having to go back to his old life made him raise his level and fight it out, and succeed!


Event 3:
Today morning’s paper carried an interview of Ms. Indra Nooyi, the Pepsi CEO, and she said that she owed her success in great measure to the fact that she did not have a safety net. That should she fail, she’d have to take the next boat home, and that thought made her work harder and achieve the success that she ultimately did.


There is an interesting pattern across these three otherwise unrelated messages. That the fear of failure, and the relegation back to the not-very-desirable life made the persons work harder towards their goal.


Interestingly, I carried a different thought most of my life. Somehow on account of various factors, pretty much right through my education and my working life, I always had a perception of having a ‘safety net’. When friends were working hard during exams, for it was a make or break in terms of career prospects for many, mentally I used to feel that I always had the family business to go to, and I was less stressed. That I did not do too badly over time, made me feel that perhaps the lack of pressure was allowing me to deliver my best?


But now I think again. Could more stress have driven me to even greater levels?? Do I give my kids the feeling that they have a safety net, or do I tell them that they better make it, or else…?!



		

			
			
		


		

			

								
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