Ten Currently In Production Vehicles that I would Love to own

In no specific order.

1. The 2010 MV Agusta (If it's motorcycles, it has to be Agusta) Brutale 990R

2. The Vespa LX 150

3. The Gulfstream G250

4. The Sunseeker Manhattan 52

5. The Inimitable Bajaj RE 4S

6. The 2011 Tesla Roadster (She doesn't have a 3litre Engine. Not even close. She has batteries)

7. The 2010 Mini Cooper CONVERTIBLE

8. The Seabreacher J - The Dolphin Inspired Submarine -THAT JUMPS.

9. The TREK Cruiser - Retro Inspired Class

10. The Segway X2 Adventure

Public Policy? Really?

This blog-post is a result of a conversation I had at some point in the recent past with Piglet. It's a thought that has spent years germinating in my head, and being refined by all the online-Greenpeace-activism, the VNS Eco-club, the Teach For India CA-ship, and all that other cool stuff, that momentarily made me feel good about myself.

That's the problem with social work. Working at the grass-roots is a commendable task that takes balls and grit - something I'd never imagine having, but that's hardly the point here. The fact is, that grass-roots work doesn't go too far. That one family that you work with might benefit, and in your own little World, it gives you a level of satisfaction, for having helped them. You're elated, because you helped further the cause of human rights, or environmentalism, or educational equality. Or at least, that's what you feel.

Let's admit that a lot of this Social work is happening. Each claiming to be more productive at the "grass-roots". What they fail to understand, is that, well, for a change to be meaningful, and more importantly, sustainable, you NEED a critical mass - the kind that these one-off acts of random kindness can't provide.

Add to this the general attitude of The Community's Little Helpers, and we're asking for a disaster. What attitude? Even if we ignore their holier-than-thou persona, the fact remains, that they fool themselves into believing that they are making a LARGE positive change. They thrive on that high of that one smile.

Yes, that's what I'm saying. "Grass-roots" work, is no more than symptomatic - at best.

If you want that critical mass for sustenance, the issue HAS TO BE tackled at the Policy level. By Government. Now it's easy to argue that these NGOs step in because the Government doesn't do it's job efficiently and all of that. But you can't replace the Government. And forgive me for sounding like I live in a Utopian bubble, but you can't deny that the solution is to better the Government - not try and replace it.

I'll end with a simple example. For two decades at least now, the in-the-know's have been ranting about rain-water-harvesting, about needing to refuel the water table, and about, in general, how construction of infrastructure, as a process, needs to turn green. And may be a few hundred people listened - and these folks screamed with joy, saying, that these few hundred are "a significant start", or "making a statement". The NGOs get lost there. They make it their job to create that scene. Not solve the problem.

When the Government stepped in (on the goading of some Organizations that UNDERSTOOD, that work needs to be at the policy level, not the grass-roots), and made it compulsory to implement rain-water-harvesting, and used recycled steel, people started doing it. EVERYONE did it. It made an impact to the environment. Problem mitigated.

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not saying that we should do away with these Social Work Organizations altogether. God knows the State needs a watchdog - but NOT a replacement. All I'm saying, is that they need to change their focus. Public awareness, and "grass-roots" aside, they need to wake up to the fact that a Top-Down approach is what will work in India. Awarenes and activism amongst the policy makers. Not traffic-blocking rallies down MG Road.

:)

Another Blogthings Quiz. Just.

You Are Merlot

Smooth, confident, and popular - you're the type most likely to order wine for the whole group. You seem to breeze through life on your intuition and wit. And no one seems to mind! You're comfortable in any social situation you find yourself in, and you never feel outclassed. And while you live a charmed life, you never let it go to your head. You are truly down to earth and a great friend. Deep down you are: Balanced and mature Your partying style: Surprisingly wild... when you let loose, you really let loose Your company is enjoyed best with: Some greasy pizza

What Kind of Wine Are You?

Blogthings: If Quizzes Are Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Take Quizzes

Pieces for Peace? I don't know, really

The human race is becoming more and more intolerant. This, clubbed with the new feeling of empowerment and independence, is playing out in bemusing ways, on the Governance and International Relations scene. The DPRK now has the gall to stand up to the PRC; the small island states sprinkled across the four oceans that were traditionally US allies, are now opposing its climate change policy. The ugly face of this intolerance, though, is the effect it's having on the World Map. Any sign of civil conflict, and everyone's waiting to tear the country to bits. They want an Azad Kashmir. They got a Kosovo, and a Timor Leste. Darfur Now. What next?

My honest opinion, of the entire referendum concept, is that it breeds, and in a sense provides validation to this intolerance. The SPLA/M never saw eye-to-eye with the Sudanese Government, so they just split? Snowball that idea, and you'll soon have India divided into three new countries - the Red, the Orange, and the third part will simply be Palmed Off, because three parties had conflicting interests, and they tried to sort it out, but failed.

Speaking of conflict. That's the excuse they're using. I'm not denying that the human rights violations in Sudan are anywhere near acceptable, or that the quickest solution need be sought to end what is almost a deja vu of Nazi Germany.

But the question I'm asking here is, will the split, if it happens, really solve a problem?

Look at any population density map of Sudan. Apart from the evident density around that beautiful city that is Khartoum, practically ALL of Sudan's native population, now lives in Southern Sudan. So when the split happens, what we're looking at, is a rich, now smaller, less dense state, with an image of having done everything by the book, and a small, new, dense state, with a reputation to reckon with. Either that, or you have all of that AND a mass-migration (as happens with most of these questions of division) to boot.

Now apart from that, the war that ravaged the county is heavily dependent on labour from neighbouring Egypt, Algeria and the Middle East, for skilled and semi-skilled work. It is rather evident, that these workers will now move to the North, and the South will be left with trained warriors.

Many World leaders, and now myself, have questioned the validity of this move. South Sudan will turn into a hotbed for criminal activities. They wont' be well to do, most of them will have ruthlessly served in a rebel military, and as a state, they epitomize this intolerance that I speak about. Add to that, an object of intense envy, buttressing them up North. And you have a recipe for disaster.

The basic question I'm asking is simple:

Have they recovered sufficiently from the genocide, to be prepared for a plebiscite?

There's always going to be conflicting views on this conflict, and this here is mine. I'm no trained prescient, so Que Sera Sera.

Peace Out.

You Are a Cartographer

You have a wide range of knowledge and you're very detail oriented. You have a photographic memory, and you remember places very well. Like a middle ages cartographer, you're also very adventurous and curious about the world. In modern times, you would make a good non-fiction writer or scientist.

What's Your Medieval Profession?

The First Rule of Blogthings Is: You Don't Talk About Blogthings

You Are Serious

You are so wise it's intoxicating. People are blown away by the things you say. In life, you are happy to take the sweet with the sour. You wouldn't want to feel too much of one emotion. You are likely very literary and philosophical. You savor life, and you appreciate others who do as well. You are very cosmopolitan and urban. It drives you crazy when people have a limited or provincial perspective.

The Cocktail Test

Blogthings: Learn Something Surprising About Yourself

On Debating

The UADC was a total bummer. My adjudicator tests were wrongly entered into the tab, so the spreadsheet took it upon itself to ensure that it made a mess of me at the tournament. But that trip to Thailand wasn't all in vain. The picnic in Ayudhya, spending time with friends, gorging on Pizza, and not to mention being flummoxed by the absolute kisch that was The Egypt.

But that's not what this post is about. This post is about an altogether different perspective-shift that the UADC brought about. At some point between break-night and boarding the plane back, I experienced an almost-epiphany type conversion.

I told myself that I'd had enough of judging. That I now wanted to speak. Senior Year; nothing to lose or gain. Well I've spoken at one debate last year, and it was clear that I should stick to judging. My then team-mates still curse me for making their first ever debate as random as I did. Both of them have now gone on to become good debaters in their own right, and we now manage to look back at that tournament and laugh about it. About how I crashed onto the floor of the Physics Lab, or how Ashish wanted Ariel Sharon to admit to the mass-murder of Jews.

Either way, I was second on the speaker tab; from the bottom, of-course.

For above stated reasons, it was overwhelming the positive response I got to the transition. Arawn agreed to help us train, and his girlfriend said she "wondered why I didn't speak earlier". Psychick said he thought I was decent, and is always willing to sit and deconstruct my speeches and offer constructive feedback.

But what was most bemusing, was how easy it was to find two people who were readily willing to team with me. After RIDL, I wouldn't have given a double-take even if Iyer wanted to disown me. But it's been more than a year, and I think the horrors of her past don't haunt her any more. Either way, I'm looking forward to teaming with the liliput. She's a joy to be around, and the last time I checked, she was clocking some killer scores at the UADC. Shreyas Pai is another unfortuante young man who doesn't know what he signed up for. He's bursting with energy, and for a freshman, with the kind of pedigree that LDSMSRIT offers, he's not bad at all. We gel really well, the three of us, but whether that'll translate to good team dynamic, only time will tell. Either way, if we need to be a respectable team, all of us: particularly myself, need practice. Copious amounts of it. And we hope to get it starting two weeks from now, at tippsy dippsy's Circuit Debate.

Oh, well. At the end of the day, it's debating. It's about learning and having fun. Besides, only time will tell if I can ever clock seven minutes of smooth-flowing speech. Haha.

On Fairness Cream

I found it bemusing that Bipasha Basu's then boyfriend did an advert for fairness-cream. I found it bemusing that international brands are taking so much interest in the Indian fairness-cream market. The size of the Rs. 1100 Crore complexion-conscious Indian market is worth a thought. For all the talk about India making its mark on the global platform and all that, there are still some things that just haven't changed.
For one, our need to ape the west is so strong, that I am writing this weblog entry in English. And fairness generates a *huge* premium in the marriage market.
For another, we still think it's alright to hold an individual responsible for their height, complexion, family and other complex nuances that was no fault of theirs whatsoever.

I don't per se have a problem with people using fairness cream. Well, may be I do. The thing is, if something, even purely cosmetic, makes you feel better about yourself intrinsically (a la MJ), then you should do it. But if you're making hazardous, temporary cosmetic changes because said changes will improve your standing or value, in the perspective of others (a la Rakhi Sawant), then I have a huge problem. You can't fully blame people for wanting that though.

The crux of the problem, is the societal pressure on women (and now increasingly on men) to be gora. I don't get why it's so important for someone to be fair to have value in the marriage-market. What is all that hype about appearence being only skin-deep, and love being about the inner-person? All nonsense. You know the most ironic thing, though? In the western world, where gorapan is the norm, Indian women are lusted after because they are dusky. It's just that the latin americans and the Hispanics are proud of their color. We, as a culture, are not. And much as a lot of us would like to believe that we're moving away from giving importance to fairness, the Rs. 1100,00,00,000 (yes, nine zeroes. I could buy about twenty A380s with that much) will lead one to believe otherwise.

The vox populi view on fairness products can be divided broadly into four categories.

1) It's a good thing: This group believes that everyone must be fair, and that fairness products remove the divide that is caused between dark and fair. Firangbhakts.

2) It's wrong: This group strongly advocates that skintone is a non-issue, and that it is racially abusing yourself to use these products.

3) Well, what can we say: My group. Strongly opposed to the need to be fair, but recognizing that until such time that society stops giving it so much importance, it may be important for someone's self confidence to use these products.

Groups 2) & 3) often see the other as an infinite negative spiral.

4) It's okay for women: This is the most detestable, yet most common group: Why men, they ask. Their sexist justification that fairness is more a virtue for women doesn't fly with me. I don't get how it's okay for women to want to be fair, but not for men. I think they read too much M&B, where all the hunks are tall, dark, handsome.

Okay, so my point is, that the fairness cream market isn't as large as it is because people want to be fair, as much as it is because people want other people to be fair. The problem is that complexional profiling is accepted in India. The problem is that nobody sees the problem. The general public is okay with the notion that fair is better than dark.

I'm not trying to be preachy here. I'm just saying we're a great country and we'd be greater still if we had some subtle paradigm shifts on this front.