Scorecard of Success

While reading something random some days back, I came across a mention of an economist who had propounded one of the most relevant concepts in sociology and economics.

This man’s name is Thorsten Veblen, trained at Yale, he wrote a book in the year 1899 in which he described three concepts which, I believe, have gripped our lives from all ends very tightly. Not only these concepts guide our actions they also shape the way we think, believe and even dream!!

The first one refers to the phenomenon where a social class of a person is defined by the kind of consumption that a person indulges into. The more the extravagance associated with the purchases, the higher the social class. He called it Conspicuous consumption. Remember that friend of yours who always flaunted the “Most expensive Mobile, bag, house, car etc.??

This concept was innocuous and healthy until it gave way to another dangerous phenomenon that Thorsten observed. It was “Pecuniary Emulation” it referred to people going beyond their means in order to emulate the consumption and consumer behaviour (You better get the difference between the two!!) of those who are considered to be belonging to the higher class in the society. After all who does not want to be talk of the town???

It is astonishing how brutally these concepts have eroded much of our sense of proportion and aesthetics. We now keep a constant scorecard of our success with material benchmark, which in Thorsten’s words is called, “Invidious comparison.”

It has been just a little over 100 years that these concepts have been identified and examined, yet they seem to be getting stronger and stronger in their application and grip over our minds.

Isn’t it???

PS: For better understanding of what I am saying, sell off the dictionary and buy yourself a nice mirror!!! It will work better.

Change cheated on us again......

An honest announcement of a friend of mine on a public forum regarding his disappointment in the New Year forced me to think a bit about change today.

Despite all hue and cry around it, the world had not changed the way it had promised. The euphoria created made us believe for a second that New Year will be significantly different from the one that is just going to end. In New Year, people will be kinder to each other. (As if Santa were to shower some sense and sensitivity in their minds!!) There will be some sanity in our celebrations and the considerations paid to the concern of overall well being will increase, at least marginally. So on and so forth we contemplate so many other changes that we need to implement for a better world.

The grand new day arrives, on which all these and many other hopes are pinned and what happens?

All this fall flat as a castle of cards. To sheer shock, we observe people acting even more brutally, with renewed force. Our celebrations almost anesthetize us from most of the realities. Engrossed in our life we tend to make our senses numb so that we don’t have to bother our minds with problems that others face. Corruption still flourishes. Thousands spend nights shivering while we cuddle in our warm quilts without even giving a single thought to their apathy, let alone doing anything to solve it. Foeticides continue, public money misappropriated, strikes for reservations go on…. Apart from these public pains, some private pains also keep aching millions around us.

But who cares? We are too busy to halt, think, act and make a difference to anyone else. Ask yourself, when did you last wipe of a tear from an eye??? I asked this to myself and struggled to find an answer.

It is very easy and tempting to consider the misfortunes of others as a result of their own bad deeds or mistakes or downfall. It is equally difficult to empathise and act towards making the world a little better place for others also, irrespective of the magnitude of that improvement. Somehow we have developed a habit of adopting easy routes. (Some CALL IT OPTIMIZATION!!)

Many may rub this comment off as a vent of frustration, anger or jealousy also. And accuse me of playing a spoilsport. But as they say, problems do not go away if you turn your eyes away from them.

One thing that commands some celebrations is that still we have many people who feel the disappointments for absence of some changes. So long as there is a desire for change, determination to work for it can be attained and acted upon. I firmly believe that all these (Choose your adjective: Positive/negative) forces, will confluence and lead to some of the changes we so badly need to execute.

Act while there are still some days in calendar none knows which one will be the last…. .

Grit for the Game and our team.......

During my time in Delhi I got a chance to play cricket once in a while. Cricket here was no less excruciating and exciting than what it was when I used to play it for my state side. Some of the players of my team were really good. We may not have been the best technique wise or talent wise, yet we shared one most important thing with all the greats, that was the grit for the game.

At first look our side looks an almost replica of Indian cricket team. We have all the ingredients it takes to make an exciting squad, a bullish Bengali, classy Hyderabadi, passionate Punjabi, belligerent boys from Bihar, Raipur and many other places. Not to forget a cool headed and sharp captain who led us to be a champion side last year, when we were thought of as an underdog.

There are many instances in the tournament which rush to my mind when I sat to pen down but one is of particular interest to me, and to most of my teammates as well. That was a quarter final match of the tournament, we were in first year then and the opponent team were our seniors. Fortunately or unfortunately the college system demands us to be excessively respectful towards our seniors, sometimes without a due reason. J However, matches were played on field and not in college building. We were brash, audacious, courageous and brutal too. We wanted to enjoy the game in its bare and pure form, without slightest dilution. We saw no seniors-juniors while in game. It was just we and them.

That particular match started almost an hour late than decided time as the opponent team arrived late to the field. Before beginning we told that match be played on some other day as only one innings could be played that day in whatever time was left. On the condition of having second innings on some other day match began. They won the toss and chose to bat. In stipulated 8 overs, they scored some 60 odd runs. We indeed bowled well, throughout the tournament and in that match particular.

The opponents then turned their colour, and coaxed us to play the match there and then. We argued that it was bad light and we could not play. They being the seniors coaxed us to start the game at least, and demanded that we see one over. We went down to bat; I opened and took the strike!! After five balls, I started walking off declaring that it was absolutely unplayable by then. We came home thinking that match will restart from that point and we will chase down the total easily. However at midnight our captain gets a call asking him to play the entire match again. Firm as he was, he said that we should play as decided on the field. Arguments reached a level of altercation; we decided that if we are forced to play the match again we will quit the tournament. This stance worked well. The opponents were forced to play the game from that point only.

However by this time, the news of this altercation had reached almost everyone in campus. This match was now not only a match, it somewhere got linked to the pride now…. !!!

However, by the time we reached the ground to finish that game again, we were clear that we will take it just as another game. We started well, reached halfway but then I got out on a lousy stroke. I realized my mistake. New batsmen came in, it was getting darker and darker. Our hopes were getting dim. Opponents were bowling slowly in order to make it more difficult for batsmen as lights were fading in setting sun. In a fit our captain even rushed into the ground asking them to hurry up the proceedings.

I was thinking that we just needed one good over to turn the match, and indeed we got one. The most successful batsman of our side hit two three consecutive boundaries and we won the match.

More than the victory of that game, I celebrate the spirit and grit we all showed for the game at that time. That was one of the few moments of life when we were really carelessly courageous. I crave more such moments for all of us, not only on the field but also off the field, in all areas of life. I hope wherever we go, whatever we be, we will keep alive within us, this GRIT for the GAME.

Antigone

Antigone is a tragedy written by Greek playwright Sophocles. This play portrays many conflicts that humans go through in their lives. The backdrop of the story is set in the competing motives of a teenager girl Antigone and her Uncle, the king Creon. Antigone had two brothers who killed each other in a battle to the throne. Upon their death, Creon declared that, since Eteocles was the one who was fighting to save the state and Polynices was trying to evade it only the former should be rewarded with the rites of death. And the body of Plynices should be left to the dogs and birds without burying.

Antigone considers it her duty to provide proper burial to her brother Polynices also. She out rightly disobeys the decree made by Creon which instructs people not to touch or bury the body of Polynices. Creon’s position is that since Polynices was an enemy of the state, society, no personal relations or duties to him should be observed. On the other hand Antigone thinks that whatever may be the stand of the society, personal duties to her brother must be observed.

This point brings about the oft felt dilemma between the society and the individual. It paints a picture where what an individual considers to be correct and essential is at complete contrast with what society holds true. Antigone believes that the laws made by humans are inferior to the laws made by god and therefore she can disobey them. Creon strictly maintains that laws of the state should be above everything and no personal ties of relationship should prevent one from following them.

Creon sends Antigone to the prison, with an intention to kill her. However he later realizes that due to this act Gods are angry at the state. However by the time he knows this he is far too committed to the decision of killing Antigone and hence can’t reverse it. Creon’s son Haemon was in love with Antigone. He kills himself when he finds that his father killed his fiancé only in order to set an example, win a debate or prove a point that his opinion was correct.

On hearing the news of Haemon’s death, Creon’s wife also commits suicide. Creon is the only character alive at the end of the play. The play leaves reader with several questions, who was more right between Creon and Antigone? Intuitively we may find Antigone to be right yet, Creon’s stand can also not be entirely wrong or rejected. Definition of what is just, is also something that becomes very crucial in the play.

But just as in the play, most of the times just can’t be defined, universally. And if it were left to the personal definitions, people will only use it to commit unjust acts all the time under the garb of personal definition of justice.

Tiya, A Parrot's journey home

This book is a wonderful account of experiences that one face during the course of life. Tiya, protagonist parrot listens to the voice of his invisible guide, Hans. Motivated by this he leaves the cosy comforts of his life at banyan and moves into the unexplored lands. Through his journey he encounters myriad types of people and creatures. Each encounter is a challenge of life, and it just keeps getting tougher as Tiya moves ahead in his journey.

Character of Tiya is an illustration of how an individual moves up from one stage to the other in life. Each stage is different and offers unique perspectives on the psyche and learning of an individual at that particular stage. This is described beautifully in an event where Tiya initially shows exuberance for being a teacher to all, soon discovers that it is impossible to teach anyone anything. In addition to this, one also sees that the progression from an insolent young parrot to a poised parrot was not an overnight transition; Tiya had undergone a lot in order to achieve that transition.

Another thing that the book very subtly describes was the importance of all the people that Tiya met in his journey for the attainment of his ultimate stage. This underscored the importance of all the experiences in one’s life.

Another thing which is worth thinking is perhaps, that there is no clear definition of what all we could achieve, what all we could be, the limit to the function of life is dependent totally on us. However one thing is sure, however and wherever you may take it, it will have to have some essentials like humility, simplicity and truthfulness in order for it to be called a true attainment.

This book will have to be re-read after some time to see which stage of journey am I now at?

I hope to return home soon, and successful.

Connection of Cricket, Honesty and Hardwork

Cricket is one of the most addictive things around. Only those who watch it know it. The excitement of each ball, each run, classic cover drives, unconventional cut over the keeper and all those things that happen in a day’s play are unparalleled and unmatched.

Besides this excitement of sports, cricket also represents the classic philosophical aspect of life. This is best reflected through the uncertainty and honesty of the game. In one of the recent test matches India won the game just by one wicket, Bangladesh defeated New Zealand very dominantly. In both these instances the hardwork met with honesty. When hours of perseverance, practice and patience meets with the random, uncertain and pure form of game, the resultant actions are such that leave all with their mouth wide open in awe and wonder.

Cricket is not great only because it provides lot of money and entertainment. What makes it great is that in that ground, most of the times, level playing field is ensured for all. On that ground, hard work meets with honesty and you see the results.

I wish everyone was a cricketer or a sportsman at least. But alas…….

LossoLogy…. Learning from losses……

The premise on which we live our life is fundamentally optimistic. We almost take it for granted that our life tomorrow will certainly be better than it is today. While this may be true for most of the economic and professional aspects but it is not entirely true for the many other personal aspects of life. Scary as it may sound, but at times life gives us jolts that break our entire intellectual, professional and ability related prowess and arrogance.

Fickle is the power that we draw from our advantageous background, schooling, upbringing and qualification when it comes to stand up to some of the unavoidable circumstances that life has to offer. Loss – of any type - is one such instance. Be is as basic as that of a child who just lost his ball, or of that mother who lost her newly born boy, loss always shakes us from within. It always leaves us brooding over questions starting from, why? How? What?

What comes to our rescue at this time is not the networking we did for climbing the career ladder, but the bonds we made through genuine care, love and kindness for others. Not the skills we developed like slaves but the strengths we developed as independent individuals. In no way the importance of skills and networking can be undermined, however we must remember the weapons in the real war called life are different. These things may be of little use when we confront life in its worst form.

Conscious effort to imbibe and inculcate, the ability to not only withstand the loss but also coming from it as a stronger individual, may help.

Once a senior mentor of mine had told me, “the strength emanates from moral values, knowing yourself, and sense of “NON Negotiable values in life.” This holds true in all times.