Day 302-2011 : Gym Time!

The alarm on my mobile phone rings at 6.00 AM. I open my eyes immediately and manhandle my phone in my attempt to press a button...any button!  Usually it is the 'snooze' button which gets preference and the cycle repeats itself in another 5 minutes.  I have to be careful not to push it, as the lady of the house, is in deep slumber, along with the cubs, and the incessant ringing of the alarm bell might bring her to life!  If that happens, meri to khair nahi...

The idea of the entire exercise above is...well....exercise!  The goal is to be able to reach the gymnasium, which involves a torturous 300 metres walk, by 6.30 AM.  The first thought that comes to my head is, 'Is it Thursday today?', as the gym is closed every Thursday.  The next question that I ask myself is, 'Does any part of my body hurt?  Ankles, back, etc., etc.?'  If so, I surely do not want to aggravate any of it.  That done, I quietly try to find out, if by any chance, the boys are awake.  If so, I can engage them rather than go to the gym! Once I get through this elaborate validation exercise and find no excuse for not going to the gym, I pack my gym bag and walk those 300 metres to the gym.  Getting to the gym is definitely the most difficult part of my exercise regimen, each morning!

I am now a regular at the gym, the regularity gradually increasing over the last few years.  But this year, I have spent the most time in the gym compared to any of the previous ones.  It probably also has to do with the fact that the place is more than a gym, it is a club.  It houses a fully equipped gym, a swimming pool, a steam and a sauna room, a badminton court, a billiards table, a table-tennis table and other assorted board games, including carrom!  This is the Raheja Vihar Club House, where I spend an hour, 5 days a week.  The 6th day, Sunday, is an extended session of 2 hours.

Back to the morning routine.  It is quite interesting, the fact that, throughout my walk to the gym, my workout at the gym and the walk back, I almost always end up seeing the same faces!  On the roads, it is the female group who gossip more than they walk, the uncle group whose discussions range from national politics to....society politics, the young couples who seem to enjoy the company more than the walk, the serious runners preparing for the upcoming marathon with all kinds of jazzy gadgets strapped on, the teenager who seems to be barely awake (probably pushed out of the bed by his parents to go and get some exercise) and the pot-bellied uncle who is always on the mobile phone while he walks!  In the gym, again, the same faces each day.  The frustrated, but narcissistic actor who has a larger ego than his biceps, a middle aged uncle who watches the gym equipment more than using it, a young lady who does the most strenuous routines, the other lady who keeps looking if someone is looking at her, the badminton pro who plays with the men on the court everyday and beats them and a sincere Sardarji who has lost probably more than 10 kgs since I started seeing him in the gym.  It looks like we are all a slave to habits and routines.

My routine is a modest one, the aim being to burn 300 calories in 60 minutes.  The routine includes 18 minutes on the treadmill with the speed changing incrementally every 2.5 minutes, another 17 - 18 minutes on the elliptical / normal cycle with incremental levels of difficulty and 24-25 minutes of stretches and weights.  I tend to change the routine some days and replace the gym workout with 25 laps in the pool.  The result till date: About 4 kgs and one waist size lost in the last 3 months, not bad I would say. 

Problem is, my BMI says I am still 'slightly overweight' and all that has been lost can be back in no time if I lower my guard!  But, I am more than determined not to do so!

This is a battle of will....and it has to be won!

Take care.

Day 301-2011 : Life is like that...

It has been a while since I posted something on this blog.  A month and three days to be precise...

A lot has happened in these 33 days.  When I published my last post, I was looking forward to celebrating my 37th birthday, which was 5 days hence.  I had already decided that the happenings of the day would make a good copy for my next post.  However, life has this peculiar knack of deciding its own course and things do not necessarily pan out like one intends them to. 

In the last one month, so many things have happened.  The economic crisis in Europe has only worsened while Sarkozy now has a daughter from Bruni. Sonia Gandhi is back in the thick of politics after her surgery, probably accelerated even more by the dismal performance of her party in the recent by-elections.  The silken voice of Jagjit Singh has been silenced by fate, sparking a brisk sale of his albums across music stores in the country.  The designing genius of Steve Jobs is no more, just a few days before I am about to own an Apple product for the first time in my life.  The eccentricity of Gaddafi's character has been lost to the global policing of the Americans.  Mumbai Indians have won the Champions League, without anyone from Mumbai actually playing in the eleven, India have paid back England in the ODI series in India and the festive spirit has set in and is in full flow since Navratri and Dussera, followed up by Diwali a couple of days ago.  Also in the meantime, I have subjected myself to the Annual Health Check, prompting me to be at the gym more often and a cricket team has been formed with work colleagues.  I have also been able to visit a couple of friends' places, fulfilling longstanding promises, have picked up a book to read after a break of a couple of months, finished reading it within a week and bought a few more.  But perhaps the most profound happening in these last few days has been my visit to a crematorium for the first time in my life! 

dance

as though no one is watching you,

love

as though you have never been hurt before,

sing

as though no one can hear you,

live

as though heaven is on earth.

- souza 

It is not that I haven't had the time to file a post since the last one; I have just not been able to write.  Call it a 'writer's block' or something else, I just haven't been able to write, in spite of some of the regular readers of this blog prodding me for the next post.  Someone mentioned that it is probably due to a philosophical concept called Smashana Vairagya, which, when it hits you, reveals the impermanence and insignificance of life very clearly!  Probably.  I did realise that day, on the eve of my own birthday, when the body was being cremated, that there will not be another opportunity to say goodbye.  Strangely, it took some time for that feeling to sink in.  I have been told that one gets over the feeling once he gets out of the crematorium and gets going with the duties of this material life.  I however think that, maybe it might be useful to carry little bit of that realisation to our day-to-day lives.  Nothing is permanent in its physical form and nothing is too significant ultimately. 

We might then probably take life a little less seriously.  We might then live life to its fullest!

Take care.

Day 268-2011 : Life In The 'Fast' Lane

I have been feeling exactly like that for the last few weeks.  Hours turning into days, days into weeks and weeks into months in a jiffy!

Nevertheless, the one thing that I have noticed in these busy times, is that the phenomenon of 'fasting' is suddenly catching on.  All credit to Anna Hazare.  The latest on the bandwagon was 'Aapno Na-Mo'.  And then it was a case of 'counter-fast', when Shankarsinh Vaghela also started his fast at the Gandhi Ashram in Ahmedabad at the same time.

First up, the Na-Mo fast.  It was very interestingly called The Sadbhavana Mission.  Sadbhavana means, prayer for togetherness.  Togetherness and Narendra Modi?  It just does not sound right.  The man who is accused of telling the police forces to let the Hindus vent their anger and not interfere during the Godhra riots is now talking about togetherness.  Quite farcical.  It was also a 5-star fast!  No...no...I am saying that the rules of the fast allowed 5-Stars to be consumed (similar to a Perk advertisement).  However, the fast was a unique one, conducted in the fully air-conditioned Gujarat University Convention Hall.  Throughout the day, dignitaries from the BJP and other specially 'invited' prayer groups of all religions came to the stage to shake hands with the CM.  The entire bureaucracy from the capital, Gandhinagar, had stationed themselves at the hall as well.  Hence, practically, no work happened during the 3 days in the government corridors of Gandhinagar.  It was also very widely reported in the media that chants of 'Allah-O-Akbar' rented the air at the venue.  Now, were they really 'rented'?

The CM was photographed in various head gears offered by the visitors throughout the three days.  But, the bluff was called when an Imam offered Na-Mo a skullcap, which Modi politely declined to wear.  Boom!  So much for 'Sadbhavana'!  This looked to me as more of a positioning exercise before the next Assembly elections in Gujarat and the next General Elections in the country.  Clearly, the ambitious man that he is, Na-Mo has his eyes set on the national political canvass.

The competing 'counter-fast' did not even get a mention in many sections of the media.  I guess, it is very difficult to be a congressman in Gujarat these days.  So, I shall also limit my references to it on this post.

Talking of fasts, my mother was with us for the last week.  She fasts three times a week!  I have been asking her quit, as by now, I argue, all her wishes might have been fulfilled.  However, she continues to observe the weekly fasts quite fastidiously!  Let me not talk about my various experiments with fasting in the last couple of years.  The latest one is to fast for a day of the week, consuming only water and nothing else.  I am told it has a very good detoxifying effect.  The only thing that I notice it giving me is a severe headache!

In other fast lane happenings, the buzz is on for the first ever F1 race in India and I am slowly revving up my desire to be there.  Still have to figure out my schedule and whether it allows me the diversion during this festive season and the busy time of the year.  Watch this space for that.

Take care.

Day 253-2011 : Chennai Times

Last week I was in Chennai for a couple of days, which I guess, is no surprise to anybody who has been reading the copious amounts of status updates that I have been posting on FB, to mark the occasion!  I was there to attend the wedding of former colleague and friend (and fellow blogger!) Navin Kumar to Subhatra.  Having received the invite more than a month ago, I was determined to be there for the occasion, in spite of the two days in question being working days.  In fact, I was looking forward to be in Chennai after more than a year and was excited at the prospect of catching up with old colleagues and friends. 

I hopped on to the flight to Chennai last Thursday afternoon.  The differences between Chennai and Mumbai, especially the infrastructure, was very stark.  The taxi ride to Savera took just 25 minutes!  To cover the same distance in Mumbai would have taken more time.  The roads seemed to me like an ice-skating rink.  After driving on Mumbai roads this was pure pleasure.  There were fly-overs to be seen in places where there had been none a year ago!  New buildings have come up in record times.  The city of Mumbai, which is known for its 'pace of life', is being shamed by this southern metro city with its pace of infrastructure development and execution.

The wedding itself was very well-attended.  I attended both the ceremonies; the reception on the eve of the wedding as well as the wedding early next morning.  I was also honoured to meet Navin's parents, who I know were looking forward to this event since the last couple of years!

At Navin's reception

I met a lot of friends during both the occasions. It was also interesting to note how different some of them were looking, and how some of them had not changed a bit in the last one and a half years.  I was surprisingly at a loss of words when I met some of them. I made at least one mistake remembering a name...a slip of tongue, which probably was construed as me not remembering her name. So embarrassing!  And then, in the ensuing panic in my mind, I mixed her up with someone else.  Very very embarrassing.  Anyway, it was great to meet up with first and foremost, Navin and then all the others, namely, Vijay, Sukumar, Bonny, Dinesh, Karthik, Prem, Prabhu, Sathish, and Alagappan.  I met Jayanthi, Vandhana, Hari and Uma the next day morning.  It was also wonderful to catch up with Venkat (another fellow blogger!).  I was also a bit dissapointed at not being able to meet a couple of others like Chris, Raja and Murali.

In the more than adequate time that I had before my evening flight back, on Friday, I went hunting for Dumka Roat, a previously unknown commodity to me, but a delivcacy which is apparently in great demand amongst my colleagues in Mumbai!  I also picked up the mandatory Badusha for the better half.  I was trying to arrange a drop to the airport from the hotel (costing Rs.600!), when Sukumar suggested it was possible to go in the local trains as well.  So, I travelled for the first time in a Chennai local train from Mambalam to Tirusoolam for a princely sum of Rs.4!  Even the local train infrastructure reminded me of how woefully inadequate Mumbai's infrastructure is compared to Chennai.  The Tirusoolam station is actually connected physically to the Chennai airport through an underpass; Mumbai still does not have connectivity between its local train network and the airport! 

From the calm of Chennai (even the local train ride was very quiet) to the bustling 'visarjan atmosphere' of Mumbai, was quite a change.  Diversity, thy name is India!

Take care!

Day 240-2011 : A Pregnant Victory

It is the flavour of the season and hence has found a place on this blog too.

Anna Hazare and his India Against Corruption movement have just completed round 2 of their battle against the politicians, in and out of power.  Anna broke his 288-hours long fast earlier this morning on the back of the Indian parliament passing a resolution yesterday to agree 'in principle', to his 3 key demands on the content of the bill.  Thanks to Tata Sky, I haven't been able to track the various developments related to the movement for the last 2 days.  I have been depending on the more 'old school' method of consuming news in the last two days, the morning newspapers.

My sense of the the mood that prevails in the country, from what I read in the papers every morning, is one of jubilation.  The movement has been projected as the common man's fight against the powerful egalitarian class.  There seems to be a sense of achievement and empowerment in people at large, due to the developments of the last few days leading to the Anna breaking his fast this morning.  A great victory for democracy!

Or is it? 

Earlier last week I found myself debating the pros and cons of the 'Anna Methodology' with a few of my colleagues.  I found myself questioning the tactics adopted by the social activist and his team.  Mind you, I am all for the cause.  I strongly believe that corruption is like termites, eating into the foundations of our social systems and rendering them hollow.  And I fully support a movement aimed at making the laws in this country strong to rid us of the scourge of corruption.  However, to dictate terms to a democratic institution like the parliament for calling off the fast, to me, is equivalent to blackmail.  More importantly, it sets a dangerous precedent in a country like ours.  It can result in a free for all.  It concerns me.  And it should concern you.

There are voices within the core of Team Anna as well who feel the same way.  Justice Santosh Hegde has expressed similar views in public and not surprisingly he is no longer part of the core team.  I am sure, Justice Hegde, like me, sees an element of populism in the movement.  Anna and his team at times appear to be playing to the gallery, a rather large one too!  Anna's movement and fasts have been compared to the ones undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi.  I think there is a fundamental difference between the two.  Mahatma Gandhi never allowed a situation of 'me versus you' to develop when he agitated...the movement and the fasts focused on the causes. 

My argument with my colleagues was that in any negotiation it is not advisable to take an extreme stand as a starting point.  It gives very little room to manoeuvre to arrive at a 'win-win' solution.  Moreover, it results in a loss of face.  From my perspective, though the country at large might have forgotten it, Team Anna's main demand when he embarked on the fast was to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the parliament before August 30.  Anna has not been able to achieve that. 

What has been achieved is a 'pregnant victory' which promises more than it delivers.  For the sake of the strong democratic traditions of this country, I certainly hope that it finally does deliver.

Take care.

Day 233-2011 : Nature's Bounty

Last weekend I was in Nashik at my Chitappa's (uncle) place.  I spent some time getting acquainted to what my uncle has been working on for some years and now feel compelled to write a post about it.  Parvathy Nivas at Date Nagar, very close to the banks of the river Godavari, is a decent sized bungalow in a residential area.  However, it is a great example of how one individual can contribute to the green cause and make an impact.

It all started years ago when my uncle, Ramesh Iyer, bought the place and built a bungalow in a part of Nashik which was inhabited by few.  The house today, though surrounded by many rows of concrete now, has more greenery than one can imagine.  All a result of years of painstaking effort put in by one man and his family who are passionate about nature.

As soon as you step into the gate, there is a remarkable difference in temperature, even evident in a city which anyways has a very pleasant climate for most of the year.  If you are expecting to see a perfectly landscaped garden as is the case in most city households / complexes, you will be dissappointed.  Instead what catches your attention is the way in which the garden has been allowed to develop naturally.  In fact, my uncle says, this is not a garden, it is a jungle. 

And it surely has all the interesting elements of a jungle, especially the element of surprise.  The first interesting thing that strikes you is the use of waste material in the garden.  Coconut shells, broken pipes and plastic bottles have been used to create a vertical, hanging garden.  These specimens are found hanging all over in the garden, on the gates and even inside the house!  Space isn't a constraint here, however, such hanging gardens are I think, ideal for people who live in flats in cities and have very little space.

Ingenious use of waste materials as a hanging garden

You will be surprised to find a small pond inside the compound.  This small pond boasts of not only many types of fishes, but also frogs and turtles.  Lotus and lilies grow in pond.  The pond is at the base of an artificial waterfall made in the garden.  The thick vegetation in the garden is home to, believe it or not, more than 60 species of birds, not captive, but living out of their own will there.  There are a couple of bird feeders, which is filled with seeds at all points of time.  The house also has nesting boxes for birds!

A Bird Feeder

Nesting boxes for birds

One of the most interesting spectacles that I witnessed on this visit was the Tailor Bird's artistry.  The mother had clinically sewn up three leaves, by her beak, in a camouflaged corner of the garden to make a comfortable nest for laying her eggs.  The eggs had hatched when we were there and we could see the chicks ensconsed in the comfort of the cotton and cloth cushion made by the mother Tailor bird inside the nest.

The Tailor Bird's Nest

Next up was the kitchen garden, where many fruits and vegetables are grown.  Papayas, custard apples, blue berries, coconuts and lemons were all there.  All of it is for self consumption or giving away as gifts to guests and relatives.

However, the most interesting part of my uncle's work has been the creation of many terrariums.  Terrariums are enclosed ecosystems built on a smaller scale for raising plants, with controls for environmental conditions.  He is now an authority on terrariums and hosts and lectures school children on environmental trips regularly in his garden.

Terrarium

Another terrarium - Bottled Beauty

Apart from the various requests from schools and colleges, Ramesh Iyer's work for nature has been recognised in the local circles and he is now invariably a part of any initiative on the environment in the city.  Due recognition for all the tireless efforts I would say. 

However, the journey has not always been easy. There have been irritants such as neighbours, who objected to the thick growth of vegetation inside the house, complaining about the possibility of insects troubling them!  Needless to say, all such complaints by people who have never ever planted a tree in their lives have been dealt with tact and strength of will over the years.

Kudos to this man and his impressive commitment to nature.  I hope many more will follow in his footsteps and join him in increasing the fast depleting green cover in our cities!

Take care.

Day 218-2011 : The English Nightmare

The Indian cricket team has had a pretty cool last year and a half.  They haven't lost a series, for the last 11 series, have sat on the top of the world Test rankings throughout the year and in April, won the World Cup as well.  Truly, a dream run!

They must be, however, beginning to realise that this dream was only a prelude to what they might call, in a couple of months' time, as the 'English Nightmare'. 

The India v/s England series was billed as top draw, a battle between, arguably, the world's two best cricket teams.  At stake is the top spot in the world Test rankings.  It has however, turned out to be a damp squib.  Two tests down, it has been a no contest between a tired, ill-prepared, injury ridden side and a well prepared and disciplned side.  The Indian side has been slow on the field and doesn't have a clue on how to handle swing and seam.  The only exception has been 'The Wall', excelling at the place where he made his debut about 15 years ago.

England now have an unbeatable 2-0 in the series.  So what are the reasons for this disgraceful slump? 

The symptoms:  No Virender Sehwag, the musical chairs between Yuvraj and Raina, Gambhir injured and to top all of that, the main strike bowler, Zaheer Khan out with a hamstring injury after bowling a few overs in the first test. 

For once, I would not blame the cricketers at all.  Clearly, we do not seem to be taking good care of our cricket team!  The BCCI has been greedy and these are all the symptoms of that.  The schedule of the Indian team is jam-packed; the idea being to milk it more!  The World Cup followed by the long and hectic IPL followed by the West Indian series and then the current England series.  Those who have been part of all of this, should be exhausted by now!  We run the risk of pushing some of our talented cricketers to the brink of burnouts.  Is BCCI killing the hen which lays the golden egg?

On the other hand, the English team look to be very well prepared.  It is probably the strongest ever English team that I have seen in the last few decades.  They seem to have sorted out their ego issues (especially prima donna KP!) and the captaincy capers.  Strauss has led well.  They have planned the downfall of each and every Indian batsmen meticulously.  Their batting line up is solid!  And most importantly they look hungry and want to be the best team in the world.

As I watched the two test matches on the telly, it was very evident that I have been watching the world's number one Test team.  But it certainly wasn't India.

Take care.

Day 205-2011 : Belly Churners!

100 crores!  That is the amount the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has earmarked for filling up potholes on Mumbai roads this year.  It is now that time of the year...monsoon, when the first few showers seem to be washing away the roads.  And Mumbai roads become...belly churners!

Belly churners because that is exactly the effect that these roads have on those who have the misfortune of driving through them.  Apart from causing your heart to skip a beat or two these roads can give your innards a good workout too!  The roads begin to resemble like the surface of the moon, with craters of various sizes and shapes all over the place.  One feels the brunt of it, especially if you drive a low slung vehicle like I do.  People tell me the trick is not to look out for the potholes but to lookout for any good patches of road still intact and get the car to hop, skip and jump around them!  In spite of following that advise, the chassis of my car has numerous intimate moments with the potholes these days.  Such encounters tend to not only impact the car, but also are a bit heavy on my heart, if you know what I mean.

So, why do we have these belly churners every monsoon.  100 crores sounds to be a big enough amount to me to ensure that there are no potholes.  I think the answer lies somewhere else.  Somebody in the system is not doing their job / well enough.  The news items on potholes on the recently inaugurated Lalbaug and Barfiwala (Andheri) flyovers have done little for the image of the city's infrastructure.  But I am sure Mumbaikars wouldn't have been surprised by these developments.  Someone is certainly not doing their job well.  I am told that every new road built by a civic road contractor has a guarantee period.  I would be very interested in knowing how many times has BMC invoked this guarantee clause against the contractors.

There is also talk of a powerful cartel of civic road contractors, lobbying to keep the situation as it is, so that they can exploit it for their vested interests.  Potholes then become pots of gold for these people.  For example the carboncor technology is proven to be a long-lasting solution for Mumbai roads.  However this cartel has lobbied and ensured that the use of this technology remains optional for road contractors who take up the job of filling these potholes.  Most of them use bitumen which gets washed away with the first spell of rains, thus giving the opportunity to these contractors for repeatedly fill these potholes and keep submitting fat bills for doing so.  This, in spite of a Bombay High Court order and a recommendation by a Statutory Technical Advisory Committee to use the carboncor technology.

The suffering for the common man only increases.  Mumbai traffic, rains and the resultant potholes can (and does, on a daily basis) cause mayhem on the roads.  A colleague of mine had to drive for 3 hours to get to work from Andheri (W) to Andheri (E)!  I hope someone sane in the civic administration does something about this.  The best solution is to privatise and make service providers directly accountable for the quality of the roads.  But that is a long way away.....till then I guess I will just have to bear with running into one pothole to the other, every time I drive.

The other 'belly churner' was the movie that I watched this week, Delhi Belly.  In more ways than one.  But a more detailed review of that in the next post maybe.

Till then...take care!

Day 198-2011 : Bomb Blasts! Hmmm...OK.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

It was around 7.15 in the evening.  I was at work, in the closing stages of a hour long conference call.  I receive a  message on my Office Communicator from a colleague, which says..'3 bomb blasts in Mumbai'.  I respond, 'OK'.  

The conference call gets over.  My immediate response is to try and 'google' what is happening out there.  However, I am in a series of back-to-back meetings with my staff and people overseas for the next one hour and hence cannot find out more.  In the next 30 minutes, while I am in the midst of a staff meeting, I receive 4-5 text messages (not phone calls...!) on my phone enquiring if I was safe.  I also see a missed call from Mom.  During the next conference call with people overseas, my multi-tasking self  casually 'googles' the web for news on the blast. 3 bomb blasts in Dadar, Opera House and Zaveri Bazaar; 17 injured, I read.  I think, 'Looks like a small blast'.  I also try to watch the reactions of my colleagues from glass wall of my cabin.  There seems to be flutter on the floor and people look a bit nervous.  A couple of them are worried about their near and dear ones, as they were supposed to be in the vicinity of the areas where the bomb blasts have occurred.  After a few minutes, everyone looks normal and is back to work.

The series of meetings and conference calls finally gets over.  I answer a few curious questions about the blasts from my overseas colleagues and assure them that all is well.  News travels fast these days.  I simply refresh the the 'Google Search Results' page.  It now tells me: '....8 dead, 70 injured.'  I call Priya and find out that she knows nothing about what is happening in the outside world, being with the kids at home.  I ask her to switch on the news channels and keep me informed of all that she gets to know.  I call back my Mom and assure her of my safety.  I am still not done for the day, so I continue working for sometime in the office, which includes impromptu discussions with my team and some of my peers about the blasts.  It has in the meantime also been determined that all staff in my team are safe.  Those who were supposed to be travelling to work are already in the office premises, those who had left for their homes a few hours ago, had safely reached their homes.  I try to tell one of my peers that we should be worrying about staffing for the next day.  My apprehensions are brushed off, 'Kuch nahi hoga...jo hona tha aaj ho gaya.  Kal sab normal hoga!'  I hear that the office transport has started plying the buses and the cars again after temporarily stopping it for an hour or so, 'as there were no more news of any more blasts in the city.'  I pack up for the day and walk down to the parking lot.  On my way, I call a couple of relatives in Mumbai to find out if they are safe.  They are.  One of my cousins reports hearing the sound of the Dadar blast, while on her way to the temple.  

I reach home to find Priya watching her favorite soap.  She informs me that she switched to the soap only a few moments back as she was getting bored of the same news and video clips being broadcast by the news channels repeatedly, in loop.  I switch on the news channels while having food.  '15 killed; 102 injured', the newsflash announces.  The news reporters are shown urging eye witnesses to narrate what happened, some have even recorded videos of gruesome scenes just moments after the blasts.  The scavenging reporters take great delight in being able to show these 'exclusive' clips.  I get fed up, get a sick feeling, put off the television and go to bed. 

Thursday, July 14, 2011

I get the newspapers and am staring at a bold 'AGAIN' on the front page.  The next few pages are all describing the details of the blasts.  I do not have the patience nor the inclination to read the reams of pages describing the blasts from everyone's perspective; the Mumbai Commissioner of Police to the beggar on the street.  I call office to check if everyone's reported to work.  Everyone has.  I get ready for work and on my way, see that traffic was as normal as it is on other days.  I am told there would be extra vigilance and security measures on the roads and at my work premises.  I find no difference.  The security guard at the main gate, as  usual, checks for a bomb in my car's boot (as if that is the only place where one could hide it..!) and lets me go.  I reach my desk and see everything is business as usual.  

Do you feel angry and frustrated reading the sequence of events above?  As is evident from the narration above, most Mumbaikars don't.  Apart from the people who are directly impacted by the explosions, nobody else seems to be feeling the pain and no one seems to care.  Is there a sense of vulnerability in the people of the city due to the repeated strikes by terrorists over the last few years?  The answer is, no. It seems to me that fatalism has taken over.  

Is this the famous 'resilience' of the city at play?  The answer is again, no. This is   how 'numbed minds' react.  Numbed by the audacity of the extremists at being able to strike almost at will, in the choicest of places.  Numbed by the continuing inaction and a lack of will, from the polity leading to such strikes.  Numbed by the sheer helplessness and lack of preparation of a police force, paralyzed by corruption and procrastination.  Numbed by the senseless exploitation of such incidents by the media.

The hundreds of crores invested in intelligence and equipment is obviously of no use.  Perhaps, this is the most effective way to prevent these terrorists from doing mindless acts of terror like this.  The terrorist might just decide that there is no point orchestrating such acts, as the common man seems to be numbingly indifferent to it.  

Take care.

Day 191-2011 : Investors On Strike!?

This was how an extremely articulate business leader described the current state of global financial markets a couple of weeks ago.  The BSE Sensex has fallen to a little less than 18900 from the highs of around 21000 six months ago!  This downward trend is seen in other major markets in the world.  Gold prices have appreciated exponentially and crude is again closing in on the $100 mark.  Countries in Europe are struggling to stay afloat.  Greece almost defaulted.

So what is happening?  The answer is:  Exactly what was happening a year ago!  The PIIGS (the group of European countries namely Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece & Spain) were in trouble exactly a year ago, when they were about to run out of cash and the IMF and some of the other eurozone countries bailed them out.  These countries are again out on the streets with the begging bowl...at least Greece is, and I am assuming Portugal will soon follow.  The austerity measures and structural reforms agreed by these very countries have not worked and have in fact been huge flops.  Instead of uniting the entire country in these times of crisis, the austerity measures have been a subject for heated debate and, specifically in Greece, public unrest.  Pro-austerity pundits believe the policy makers have not gone far enough for them to work, and the other side of the argument is that the austerity measures have in fact worsened the sovereign credit crisis.

The future of Euro as a currency is in question again as it is very clear that the inability of these countries to control their currency is one of the reasons for the crisis.  The United Kingdom, though impacted by the latest crisis, must be standing in the sidelines with a smirk on its face.  The fact that it did not join the Euro, is seen as the prime reason that it is not in a bad shape compared to others like Ireland.

Interestingly, everyone fears that the response of the market participants to the latest crisis is going to be very similar to that of 2008.  Everyone tries to de-risk, hold tight and clams up, thus causing liquidity issues in the financial system.  Investors on strike!  The declining volume trends of trades executed in the exchange-traded as well as the OTC markets over the last few weeks are very good indicators of what is in store next.  Is it going to be 2008 revisited?  A couple of key indicators are definitely different this time compared to 2008.  Unemployment rates as well as the level of public debt of major world economies, are both higher this time, thus reducing the ability of the global economy to absorb systemic shocks like a sovereign debt default or a banking system collapse. 

Hence, my view is that the world at large cannot afford a policy mistake like the Lehman bankruptcy this time around.  Sovereign policy makers as well as key corporate functionaries in today's interconnected financial system, will need to respond in a co-ordinated manner, to understand and control this emerging challenge.  There is far too much at stake...as everyone knows. 

Take care!