This Tiger Roars Only to Scare

Just a short note to say that it is baffling that the death of a leader should bring the commercial capital of one of the world's fastest growing economies to a standstill. Isn't it a bit of an anomaly that a man who was considered a man of the masses should halt the livelihood and throw into chaos the every day lives of millions of people.

Also when you read of his life the phrase that is being used most often is "the most influential man in Maharashtra politics" No one is really singing paeans to the good works that he did or how he brought about social change and upliftment.

In life and in death the tiger of Maharashtra remains a political leader of the masses. He will be remembered for his power to rally the masses but not necessarily for his ability to put that power to good use.

Knowledge is key to Healthy Nation

I am not a doctor and I am certainly not qualified to know what are all the technical issues with our healthcare system, but every so often I see the effect of medical ignorance at the most basic level.

 I am a firm believer that as a privileged woman - one who has access to clean water, sufficient nutrition, ample social support and great medical facilities- it is my duty to help as many women as I can live a life that is at least marginally better than what they would otherwise live. So if any of my domestic workers come to me with a health related issue, I try my best to not just solve the problem but also encourage them to understand the need for taking care of themselves in general. But with each incidence I realize that the healthcare system in our country is insufficient not only because of the lack of facilities, but because an ignorant population puts an undue burden on it.

Take the case of my grandmother-in-laws night nurse. She is not even thirty, had a baby when she was nineteen and now works for almost fifteen hours of the day. She looks like she is at least 5-7 years older than what she really is and has knees and elbows that sound like ageing doors. To top it all her menstrual cycle has been malfunctioning for almost five years now but the advice she has got from family is that since it runs in the family she is better off just letting it be! And I can bet my right arm that she is not alone. Without hesitation I can say that about 90% of the women in this country have absolutely no understanding of how their reproductive system works and the whole process of the "cycle" is shrouded in so many myths that any related ailment goes untreated in the name of fate. As a result most women go for treatment only when there is an emergency. What could have perhaps been corrected with a small pill is left untreated till it will require a full blown surgery and hospitalization.Therefore I feel when it comes to healthcare the problem is wider than a medical problem. My grouse here is with the social and the education system. If the girls in our country are imparted some basic knowledge as teenagers about the subject and society stopped treating the whole issue as taboo, most problems would get treated at inception and thereby save so many lives and put less strain on an already burdened system. Women like my domestic worker do not know about ovaries, hormones or what menopause means. So they are unable to understand what is going on with them. And the problem is not limited to women specific health issues. what's more this is the case with other critical medical issues such as child nutrition, need for hygiene or how alcohol and tobacco effect the human biology. If only we gave as much importance to teaching our children about their bodies as we give to making them cram the periodic table!

Prevention is better than cure and knowledge is essential for prevention. Therefore as a nation we must strive to teach our children and our adults the basics of health and wellness so that many ailments can be prevented and we are able to make optimal use of our over burdened health care system.

Great Expectations

They looked so happy together. Like only a father and son can, and I stopped to watch them. I had been standing there for a couple of minutes when it struck me that I had never seen this dad  downstairs in the play area before. The boy is well known to me but I had seen the dad only occasionally that too when he came to say bye at school car pool time. He certainly looked like a good dad- all cheerful and attentive. So did the fact that he hardly came downstairs to play with his son make him a lesser dad in anyway? My instinctive answer was "no!". But then another question flashed instantly- so why did I feel disappointed when my  husband hardly came down to join my son and me at play time? What dawned on me at that time was that very often what we are so willing to understand in others' behaviour we are very unwilling to overlook in those who are closest to us. We hold them to different standards. Isn't that a little unfair?

All in all what a little rumination on this incident taught me was that while it is not wrong to want something from those you love, be willing to cut them some slack. Sometimes it will help if you look at those closest to you with the eyes of a stranger. You might be surprised at how you feel towards the things they do. Don't burden them everyday with the weight of  the things you want from them because great expectations make for greater disappointments.

It can Only be Called "Google Car"

We took a drive around Columbus Indiana today. Nothing extraordinary about that you would say. But what if I told you that we did this sitting right here on our beds in an apartment in a suburb of Mumbai? And when I say drive I mean we saw what the driver was seeing real-time, including the rain drops on the wind screen, the signals changing at the traffic stops and the people wheeling their trolleys in the parking lot of the Walmart. And whats more we did it using the most basic of internet and data connections and an I-Pad here in India and an I-Phone 5 in Indiana.

It was amazing. It truly felt like all of us were right there. My husband who is right now in Columbus showed us all around town- his hotel, the office building, the town hall, where he does his groceries. And when the phone was in the moving car, the feeling was like being in a 3-D movie with superb graphics.

To think of it, till less than fifty years ago speaking with someone in the US meant almost a years' wait and then too just a "hello hello" over a bad connection. And now at anytime all I have to do is gently touch that little "Facetime" button on my I-Pad and my son and I can connect with my husband and even check out what he has in his fridge! (that by the way is my son's favourite thing to do)

Hard to say what will become possible in the next fifty years. But for now I am just glad and thankful for all this technology that is keeping us so close and so connected. Thanks everyone at Apple and also my apologies. Because even though it was your devices that made this possible, I still can't think of a better name for this than "Google Car!".

The Long Wait Begins

Its dark outside and even the birds are not stirring yet, but thousands of women across the country are up preparing for a long day of fasting, longing and waiting. Its Karva Chauth. Its the day that married women of some Indian communities must abstain from food and water between sunrise and moon-rise. They must brave acidity, hunger pangs and I am sure some serious questioning internally as to the logic of this ritual, to show how much they love their husbands, and pray for their long life now and the opportunity to be married to them for at least the next seven lives.

Indian cinema and television has long cashed in this festival. spinning tales of romantic husbands secretly fasting with their wives or swinging the other way and portraying the dutiful wife ignored by the husband who couldn't care less whether she starved for him. And why not? The whole waiting for the moon and the ritual of the husband breaking your fast lends itself so well to our idea of cinema.

So ladies around the country and around the world, a Very Happy Karva Chauth. May the moon rise early tonight. And may, in true Bollywood fashion, your handsome beau feed you with his own hands to break your fast before your hunger breaks your resolve to love him despite everything.

The Conviction of Rajat Gupta

Rajat Gupta a former Director at Goldman Sachs and the former worldwide head of Mckinsey & Co. was convicted today for securities fraud and insider trading. The New York judge gave him two years in Federal prison and a $5 million fine. I say he got off easy. I don't know if the information he leaked directly affected the fortunes of many people, but I know that when someone of his stature violates a fiduciary duty they are guilty of a far worse crime than an ordinary citizen. After all he got the positions he did because he was considered better than others, more capable than others and finally more trustworthy than others.

I am not directly aware of the good that he has done in terms of philanthropic acts  or working with various foundations to raise funds and implement poverty alleviation schemes, but how can that qualify you to be let off the hook for a crime you have committed otherwise. This is not like the carbon credits that we may accumulate in the future and apply them against excess energy consumption and wastage elsewhere  It sounds a little exaggerated when the Bill Gates and the Kofi Annans of the world say that in him the world is going to lose one of the leading advocates for the poor. If indeed he is that powerful and influential then he needed to be even more vigilant of not abusing his position of power. And what is to say that if his violations of securities laws had gone unchecked he would not have misused his other positions in the future? Yes there is a need to give due recognition to the work he has done and maybe give him the opportunity to continue that in some form once he is out and even if possible while in Federal prison  but that can not be an excuse for breaking the law and getting away with it.

The deep financial crisis and disaster the world faced in 2008 was largely a result of the acts perpetrated by people just like him.  They used thier positions of power and decision making, and access to information to manipulate the system for their personal gain regardless of the impact it had on the larger population. Therefore it is very critical that such crimes should be treated seriously. So whether it is Joe Smith or Rajat Gupta, due punishment should be given for the crime the person committed.

Starbucks Comes to India

Yes there are the other international chains but for most people in urban India Starbucks is still the gold standard. News makers say that the ultimate test will lie in the taste. The best coffee will win. But who is really going to Starbucks to just have coffee? People will go there to be seen. Now all the rich kids from SOBO will know where to get there coffees for their ritzy car cup holders and the next time you walk into your office with a cup of coffee from CCD, people are going to wonder why you could not shell out that extra Rs.10 to get the good stuff.

So yes people will go there to drink coffee and there will be some who will prefer the coffee they get at some boutique cafe or even what they brew at home, but if Starbucks plays its cards right, it will play the game that is most successful in India..the game of brand. In my opinion they are very well placed to become the affordable luxury coffee brand. And if they can help all the social climbers inch their way up, then they will have carved up a niche.