The Indian Electorate - An Aam Aadmi's view

The first elections in free India happened in 1951-52. The Indian National Congress won a landslide victory, winning in 365 of the 489 constituencies. We came a long way since then. Elections in India were sometimes dramatic too. NTR, a famous actor, swept the elections in AP in the early 80s within an year of launching his party. Chiranjeevi, the megastar of AP film industry, has lost badly after launching his party. Narendra Modi swept the 2014 elections with a campaign similar to the US Presidential election campaigns. (PS: Many of the examples in this post may be from AP, but relevant to the Indian scenario)

The electorate changed too; along with them changed their expectations from a government or a political party. We have come a long way from the times when roti, kapda and makan were the major things promised in a manifesto. In this blogpost, I write about how the expections of an aam aadmi have changed from a government. These are purely my thoughts or sometimes even perceptions.

1. Employment / Growth: I feel this is the biggest change, positively, in the electorate. The need for employment and the activities driving employment is a necessity across the country. Thanks to the media, people now understand basic macro economic terms like GDP, inflation, deficit, growth etc. Their relevance has increased even more after 2008-09 recession and the long period of heavy inflation. So when Rahulk Gandhi promised empowerment, it raised more question marks.

2. Infrastructure: We need infrastructure. Be it cities/towns, railways, roads, electricity, irrigation etc. The urge to live in a developed India has been strenthened even more by our movies which time and again are filmed in foreign locations. Narendra Modi's smart cities, bullet trains hit the bulls eye among the electorate.

3. Results / Numbers: We need results. We are now indifferent to the 5 year plans, Vision 2020s, 1 years agendas etc. We need results, and quickly. This could be anything from launching a satellite, building a dam, nuclear power plant, new trains.. anything. We need something to see.

4. Freebies, not mandatory: The recent victory of Narendra Modi shows that we can win in India without offering free roti, kapda aur makaan. This has been the strategy for many political parties in countless elections. However, people now want avenues to earn their meal. I cannot completely rule out this strategy, however it has changed substantially in many of the states. 

5. Finally, a government which can speak: The previous government(s) have left many unanswered questions raised by the people and media. It is true that Manmohan Singh did only 3 press conferences in his entire term of the UPA 2 government. We need a more vocal prime minister, who can talk to us, address our issues, answer our questions. We need a government which does not hide behind the pillars of the parliament.

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In the eye of the storm

Oct 12, 2013: Very severe cyclonic storm, Phailin, hit the coast of Southern Orissa. It was one of the worst natural disasters in the history of India, with the storm making a landfall with wind speeds of more than 220KMph. Phailin at its peak on Oct 12th, was around half the size of India. The last time any storm of this magnitude hit India was in 1999, when a storm hit the coast of Orissa with speeds of more than 240KMph. The nightmare was back to the people of Orissa and neighboring states.

Oct 10, 2013: It was three weeks since I moved to Bhubaneswar. I moved into an apartment, and was happily buying household stuff. I heard vague warnings about the approaching storm, but could not interpret the seriousness of them. The next day, 11th Oct, I started my day as usual with the Bhubaneswar urban market visit. The day was unusually windy, and the conditions were overcast. I saw huge crowds in front of grocery stores and super markets. It was around 12PM when one of my teammates explained me about the impending storm and its magnitude. The scary part of his explanation was the chance of no water and power for days after the storm.

I did not have many options then. The buses and trains were running four times their capacity. Airports shut down and flights cancelled. My car still was not delivered by the movers. So that’s it, I have to brace myself for the storm. I rushed to the nearest big bazaar, where I for the first time saw the panic. People were picking up any food they could get hold of. Essentials like rice, dal were almost over. There was no stock of Maggi, bread, water. Candles were the products in most demand, and were not available anywhere, be it super markets or grocery stores. Luckily, I could get hold of a few at one small pan shop, at a price of Rs50 per stick. I picked up bread, jam, butter, maggi and lots of juices and reached home.

7AM, Oct 12 2013: The sound from the wind was becoming unbearable. The landfall is still 12 hours away. The electricity was down since 11PM the day before. Two mobiles and two laptops are almost fully charged; uncertain about the electricity, I have to save battery in my mobiles. All I did for the next ten hours was just lying on the bed and gazing up at the ceiling, with an occasional troll in the hall. My brother was giving me constant news update through SMS. With the storm very close to the land, the wind speeds have touched 150KMph and have enough force to drag us off from our feet. The light is fading fast and the worst is yet to come.

6PM, Oct 12 2013: The bedroom I was in has a window which opens to the East. Scared that the window panes might give away, I decided to move into the Kitchen. I spread a bed sheet on the floor, and with a candle on, I was sitting all alone, in the eye of the storm. With my brothers updates continuing to flow in, I was counting minutes and seconds. The deep urge to pass out by having alcohol on one side and the necessity to stay alert on the other. I had my wallet and my mobile on me, just in case.. The wind speeds worsened and 9PM to 12PM was the scariest, when according to the newspapers, wind speeds touched 180KMph in Bhubaneswar. The storm passed via Bhubaneswar district to go North West. I slept off around 2 AM on the kitchen floor.

6AM: Oct 13, 2013: The storm passed. There still was some wind. Electricity is still down. News reports show that Phailin was moving towards Jharkhand, leaving a trail of destruction. After another full day, the power was up on the midnight of 13th, after a full 48 hours. I realized the magnitude of destruction only when I stepped out of my flat, for the first time after almost 3 days, around afternoon on 14th. Though there was not much loss to human life around 6 million people had to be moved to safe places. Around 26 lakh trees were uprooted, 12 lakh hectares of crop was damaged and immense loss to property in Orissa and North AP.

I came across this beautiful quote, which clearly explains what I have gone through. "And once the storm is over, you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about”, by Haruki Murakami. My only advice is, please don’t stay in the way of the storm. Do not under estimate the fury of nature.


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Oh Calcutta - Part 2!

“The day I came to Calcutta, I never thought I’d leave the place so nostalgic. After 15 months, the 15 months which probably may go down as one of my best stints, Calcutta, here I bid adieu!”, this was my FB status on 29th Sept 2013. As they say all good things come to an end, this was the day my life moved on from Kolkata to Bhubaneswar. Odisha will be my seventh state in India that I will live in. Anybody out there looking for someone with experience in various geographies, here I am. After a year since the time I posted Oh Calcutta part 1, this blog post is on those experiences, which made an entry into my ‘memories for life’ book.

After my training stint, which included a free stay at the company guest house, I moved into a flat with Ashish, who would probably be my last and best flat mate. The flat located in one of the busiest areas In Kolkata, Kasba, came with its free entertainment system. The crowd, the early morning market noise, and the regular political campaigns became familiar. Within a few weeks after our busy lives started, our group of three musketeers was complete with the addition of Snehal. Park Street, a place so far away just a few weeks back, became our frequent hangout. I really started to believe that having a hangout place as in Friends or HIMYM is possible, after being to Bistro or Trincas. Our after dinner hangouts at the PrincepGhat was my personal favorite.

My ‘Commando training’, as my manager put it, started to get more and more demanding. I was selling airtel 4G internet, India’s fastest wireless internet service. Though it was expected to sell like hot cakes, I understood what it takes to sell, during this stint. I cannot forget the feeling when the sale for the day was in binary digits or the orgasm when we closed a bulk deal. Getting up at 4.30 AM to do newspaper inserts or the weekend demand generation activities started to become thrilling. I was lucky to have a channel partner who would allow me to do anything which struck me, and a team which adored me.

Then came April, when Ashish got busy in his wedding preparations. I gladly accompanied him for his many sherwani trials and other shopping; and mostly they all ended at a beer joint. The travel for his wedding in Siliguri was my second longest bus journey, 16 hours. Sourabh, as expected with his tendency to become impatient, demanded Ashish to buy us a full body massage after the bachelors that night, though it din't happen. After Dwai and Kapil joined us, we had a short and delightful trip to Darjeeling. As any hill station, people there were happy and content in their own world; a pleasant sight for anyone coming from Kolkata. The Sangeet and the wedding was the most filmy wedding I ve been to. Ashish and Anshu looked lovely together, and thus Anshu joined our little group.

Life was in the fast lane with work and fun taking their share of time. The fachchas joined, and yes it’s the same in corporate as in college. Thanks to Suvro, we had an amazing children’s home visit. For me, this was after several years that I visited a children’s home; and it was as refreshing as always. This was also where I met Nishita, my partner in crime for the 4G week. I induced my passion for 4G into her, in just a couple of days of market visits. The 4G week: Sept4th to 11th, 2013; a week aimed at making the employees brand ambassadors for 4G. A fitting end to my exciting stay in Kolkata, the week was full of gyan, masti and more. It was a college fest, one more time. Debate, design, run, organize, plan, execute, and celebrate… there was everything.

The countless dinners, parties, outings, drives, the church and many more… and it’s not just them but the people in them, which made life so wonderful. I left Kolkata with a heavy heart, but satisfied and content that I learned so much, enjoyed even more and made so many friends for life. Kolkata will always have a special place in my heart.

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The little Master

Sept 21st, 2013: Alone in my hotel room in Bhubaneswar, I suddenly realize not only that Champions league T20 is going on but also Sachin Tendulkar is in the playing 11 of the Mumbai Indians team. What a bliss. The loneliness feeling which I was feeling since a while ago, is gone. A cricket match in which Sachin is playing, is always a big yes, and I think it’s the case with almost of all of the Indian cricket fans.

I still remember the day Sachin when Sachin announced his retirement from ODI’s. It was on Christmas day 2012, and I was in the church when I got a buzz from someone that Sachin announced his retirement. “I am lucky to have lived in the era when Sachin Tendulkar played one day cricket. Will always remember his 137, 143 against Ausies in Sharjah, his 98 against Pak in 2003 world cup, his 200 against SA and many more. Will always miss the countless moments of joy he gave to the cricket fans. Sachin, take a bow master! Respect!” I posted this on FB immediately, amidst disbelief that Sachin will not be seen in the blue jersey anymore.

I am born in a country where cricket is a religion. Though there was not much cricket running through my family, my bro and I were ardent cricket fans since childhood. And it was not just watching, cricket was everywhere from play station to video games to computer games to all kinds of outdoor cricket. There were days when I was in school, when we played a tournament for weeks together and recorded all the statistics. I was always a Sachin fan, I don’t remember supporting any other player ever. I also got the support of my bro for Sachin, though few of my cousins were not only supporters of Dada and the Wall but also haters of SachinJ.

Sachin Tendulkar’s one of the first best innings I remember was in Sharjah 1998, when he single handedly scored 143 and 137* to win the series against Australia. I watched NDTV news (Star news then), so many times just to watch Sachin’s sixes broadcasted again and again, with the sng “Mere mehboob mere sanam..” in the back ground. From then there were so many innings which I remember. His 98 against Pak during 2003 world cup, one of his best phases in 2005-06, his 175 and 200 in 2009 and 2010 and may more. Be it IPL or a test match, the feeling of waiting for Sachin to bat cannot be replaced by anyone else.

None have been hero-worshipped and admired as Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. He is more worshipped than some of the Hindu Gods. A priest at an ODI once brandished a banner saying, “Sorry God, but I love Sachin more than you.” With his unassailable statistics and virtual deification, Sachin has earned the right to believe and act like he is special. But he does not. His life free from any controversies, professional or personal, is a remarkable achievement. According to Paddy Upton “When someone with an extraordinary God-given talent adds to it an incredibly professional, detailed and tirelessly high work ethic, brilliance arises. The world has known just one Einstein, Mozart, van Gogh, Michael Jackson and Tendulkar. When someone with brilliance adds strength of character, humility, respectfulness to being an all-round good person, then the world is blessed with not just sporting greatness, but true greatness.”

I read somewhere that India comes to a stop when Sachin Tendulkar is batting. I remember so many days where the entire nation came to a standstill due to a cricket match; India vs Austraila in Sharjah 1998, India vs Pakistan in the 2003 world cup, many times during the 2011 world cup and so many other instances. Cricket is one such occasions where many communities, nations cheer the game together. As the coke ad said “Khlete raho.. Khush raho”!

Take a bow master!

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Why MBA - A Question to Remember!

June 21 2010. My first official class at IIM Lucknow, induction to the post graduate program in Management. We sat there waiting for the session to begin, unaware that the best two years of my life is all set to begin. Mr. Vinit Chauhan, Global Business Manager - JP Morgan Chase and President - Alumni Asso IIM Lucknow, flew down all the way from London to deliver his welcome address. All through his speech he shared the stories of several alumni in the business world - CEOs of companies, partners of firms and so on. Fat paychecks, fancy cars, glamorous lifestyles - students in the room got what they want from an IIM. The undertone for his speech was to get equipped and take on the business world.

The next session on that day was by Prof. Ashwani Kumar, the chairman of the post graduate program. He had quite a charismatic aura and caught the attention of a 400 strong batch in the first few minutes of his speech. His conveyed that the campus is a temple of knowledge, and the main job of the students there is to learn, as much as they can. I still remember his words, that campus recruitment gives students their first job, but the learning there stays through out their lives. We all somehow liked his speech, and were impressed by the commitment of the faculty toward the students.

The next session for the day was by Prof R K Srivastava. He is famous as Rocky across the student fraternity and is often called the best professor on campus. The theme for his speech was responsibility, ethical life. He took several examples of alumni involved in social causes. He narrated the life story of Manunath Shanmugam, an alumni of 2003 batch of IIM Lucknow, who was killed in 2005 after his attempt to take on the oil infiltration mafia in UP. He did his best to convey his topic, especially after the two earlier talks with different points of view. The sincerity in his speech and in the thought he conveyed was  astounding.

Jan 22, 2011. Mr. H K Dua, Member of parliament and one of the senior most journalists of India, was addressing a host of VIPs, faculty and students at IIM Lucknow's annual business conclave, Manfest. I still remember the first line of his speech which goes something like "I am glad to come from a place of cynicism (which he meant was Delhi) to a place where people are talking about hope (The theme of the summit being Renaissance)". In the course of his thought provoking speech, he mentioned about the vision that our erstwhile leaders had about India and the current path which India is on. He raised a few questions like when we have started projects like Space research, nuclear plants, IT revolution in 1970s and 80s, against all odds, there have not been any futuristic projects in the current times. Through out his speech, he expressed his belief that the younger generation (us) should lead India forward. He mentioned that people of the country are looking at the elite institutions in the country for leaders.

I had the idea to write his post immediately after Mr Dua's talk in Jan 2011. Moved by Mr Dua's speech, I wanted to write this in a sarcastic undertone towards the happenings at B Schools. Now when I look back at the two years at Lucknow, I understand that the curriculum and the faculty have done their best job to educate students on all fronts. Though CG and CV were the two most heard words, thoughts like above expose the students to realities, which in some cases may influence a few students to make right choices in life.


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Oh Calcutta!

June 15^th: I landed in Calcutta. Thanks to Airtel for sending me to the east, the only part of India I did not live. Four out of the ten guys with whom I arrived in Calcutta are localities; who helped me with some statutory warnings. The luggage at the airport took longer than usual to arrive, that was when I heard the phrase “Its Calcutta man!”, for the first time. Calcutta is one of the most humid places in India; and seeing that I was sweating profusely, one of my local friends advised me to carry more than one hand kerchiefs at all times. The weather here is almost the same throughout the year, except when it rains, and you would need an AC except in December and January.

When you Google Calcutta, there many images showing crowded streets, dense places etc. It is true, Calcutta is very crowded, as the case with many cities in India. Calcutta is world’s second most dense city, after Mumbai, with almost 24000 people per sq. KM. Calcutta includes the main Calcutta, Howrah and some parts of the surrounding district 24 Paraganas. With the influx of traffic from all sides of the city, I feel that the job of the traffic police is the toughest in Kolkata. Also, the yellow cab of Kolkata is still the most seen vehicle on the roads. 

Calcutta is green. I feel it’s the greenest among all major cities of India. Calcutta is very rich in terms of water. There are many lakes in Calcutta, and the water stays throughout the year. Unlike Mumbai or Delhi, which have erased hundreds of lakes from their maps, and have become true concrete jungles, few areas of Calcutta offer a pleasant sight with its lakes and greenery. On a lighter note, the demand for fish here could also be one of the reasons for people here to take good care of the lakes. 

People here are very relaxed. The first thing we noticed in the area we were put was that all the shops open after 9AM and then are again closed by 1PM for lunch; which are again opened after 4PM and are closed by 8PM. People are laid back and relaxed, and going the extra mile for business is still unknown in Calcutta. This is heavily reflected in the state of roads, traffic etc.; but as every other city you need to bear with it. And again, "its Calcutta man!".

People here enjoy food. "Mishiti khaben? (Want to have a sweet?)”, the most heard sentence after a meal or in snacks time. People love sweets, as much as fish. There are more road side sweet counters than chat counters in Hyderabad; and they are all good. I heard someone saying that the street food of Calcutta is very hygienic compared to other cities. Phuchka (called pani puri or gol gappa) is the most taken street food item, and it indeed is different and very tasty. Chat and dosa counters are also a common sight.

Amidst the chaos, there is lot of warmth among the people. Though the people here are loud, they are very friendly and helpful. Cost of living in Calcutta is lower than Bangalore or Hyderabad, and there is almost no language problem. Have a little patience, and Calcutta is a good city to live in.


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Dudes and Dudettes!

The recent Olympics ended with India winning 6 medals. There were some terrific performances by many players, who unfortunately did not make it to the podium. Then there was Karan Thapar who interviewed the sports minister on the Devils advocate. As always, Mr. Thapar had done it in his own way.. why this, why not that and so on. The poor minister did not have answers to most of the questions. for a question like why only six medals for a 1.2 billion population country, I think we all know the answer. There would be no medals with this sports infrastructure. When there are only 3 or 4 synthetic hockey fields in the entire country, how can the Indian hockey team perform on the International stage. So is it right to blame the minister, which had been done enough at all levels

I remember a speech by Shri H.K. Dua, a very respected journalist and Member of parliament, at Manfest (the Management festival of IIM L) in Jan 2011. The theme for that edition of Manfest was Vision 2030, hence there were some extravagant speeches on the vision for future. Shri H.K. Dua started his speech by this sentence which I still remember "I am happy to come from a place of cynicism to a place where there is hope". He was referring to Delhi as a place of cynicism, and that forum as a place of hope, as the discussions were on future. He raised some startling points like the lack of future strategy in the government. When Baba Atomic research was started by Rajiv Gandhi or when the space program was started by Dr. Satish Dhavan with such strong vision for the future, the current politicians are busy saving their governments and showing some numbers for the current year.

Today being the independence day and I being in Calcutta, IIM Calcutta seemed the best place to go for the flag hoisting. I was disappointed, to say the least, by the indifference shown by the batch. Before I say anything else, I would say that this is the case with any other institution and I do not have any personal grudge on IIM Calcutta or its members. Coming back to the flag hoisting, people saw us with their eyebrows raised when we told them that we came for flag hoisting. The cultural events post the flag hoisting did get the same treatment, Attending the flag hoisting has become so uncool that my friend preferred to act as if we have come for something else. Its not the dude thing.

The book "Imagining India" by Nandan Nilekani, though starts with a flowery picture of India, about how the world cannot afford to leave India behind. But towards the end, it also points out that we are running fast towards future, without a vision. This could be in infrastructure, education, healthcare etc. Mr Dua in his talk talked on the same point that we are looking forward to our generation. He was optimistic that institutions like the IIMs or the IITs would not fail the country. But by virtue of being in an institution in the same cadre, I sometimes feel that the students of these institutions are being molded in a way, which is no where near the expectations of people like Mr. Dua. I neither blame the faculty nor the academic curriculum of these institutions for the same.

I do not blame the politicians, who generally do some temporary things and try not to loose their vote bank. I do not blame them because, we are not so different. The indifference shown by the batch today morning, can be seen everywhere, in every campus. With "whats in it for me" being the trend, the indifference has reached the peak levels. Society, environment and country are not even on the radar. The days when greats like Rajiv Gandhi, bringing the IT into India against opposition, or the setting up of Bhaba atomic research institute, where a strong vision is required, are gone. People are stuck onto the current results or short term returns. This is the same at every level, starting from students to politicians.

After few weeks in the glamorous corporate world, I realized the above case is truly applicable here also. Numbers are the only quintessential indicator of any job. When the managers from the top are bugging the employees for numbers, we can't expect employees to draw strategies for the future. Students like us, who are already used to the MY thing get into the groove easily. And once in the corporate world, the peer pressure and also the task of impressing the bosses would add to the reasons to make the numbers of the current week/month/quarter attractive.

I do not understand how different is this indifference shown to being selfish. My life, my job, my parties.. The "whats in it for me?" has become the trend. I am not blaming the students and I can also say that I am in the same pool. I do not know if this kind of thinking is wrong but somehow it did not seem right to me. Keeping the big things aside, we loose the sensitivity to small joys of life like appreciating classical music or dance, arts, social service, joy of singing the national anthem at a flag hoisting, joy of talking to a teacher for a long time etc. We stop respecting and listening to people who have learned so much in their lives like the professors, politicians etc.

So dear dudes and dudettes, it is not un-cool to be sensitive to few things in life, which we long forgot.

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