CHINA: EASY TO CARP ABOUT, TOUGH TO COUNTER

The Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang's visit to India has become a pivotal point of discussion these days where much of the focus, debate, ire and exasperation revolves around China’s recent incursion into the Depsang Valley of Ladakh. While much of the diplomatic efforts will be to resolve the pending issues, the actual efforts should be made on making Indian economics stand at par with the Chinese on the international dais. It is de facto the economic dynamics that will mold the future of Sino-Indian relations. 

India is already losing the trade balance with China due to a considerable increase in Chinese exports to India than its imports. Effectively, China sells to India almost four times of what it buys from India.

If China is impertinent and audacious towards India (or to any other country), it is due to perceived economic strength. If India engages China, it is only because of the lucrative market the former offers for the Chinese goods and materials. 

China reveres nothing but economic strength. China fears nothing but economic strength. The border incursion is just an example of its tyranny and economic predominance. 

India needs to pull its socks up at least to uphold the trade balance and not worsen it further, if not better. It must improve its competitiveness in international market to gain leverage over China. It needs to exploit the weakness of Chinese products of being substandard in quality. Of course, it is a distant dream to achieve but India needs to put consistent efforts before China completely dominates the Asian market, if not the world.

At the end of the day, we can carp about China as much as we can. But we find it difficult when it comes to taking steps to counter it. Border insurgence and security issues might be secondary concerns for India right now. The economic fortification must be on top of India's to-do list if it wants to assert itself in diplomacy and security issues with China. 

LEADERS HAVE NO TITLES

Recently I had a chance to go through a book authored by Robin Sharma titled "The Leader who Had No Title". 

There lies no doubt in Robin Sharma's dexterity which clearly reflects from his writings. In this book, he evidently insists on the fact that leadership is all about understanding the fundamentals and not allowing the ego of one's title take over one's intellect; ignoring the opinion of the subordinates. It is an idea which defies the adage that you need to hold a title to drive a change. Every single person in a business gets an opportunity to not just work but also show leadership quality within his work. In many ways, the whole idea behind Leading without a Title is the democratization of leadership. 

He doesn't shy away from vindicating that designations are important too for smooth operation of a business. The new model of leadership actually talks about creation of a culture where one feels motivated enough to lead from the front instead of sitting back and being a passive onlooker. If one can't lead oneself, how can he/she lead others? A true leader is someone who can instigate such a thought among his team members. The best leaders are more interested in growing more leaders instead of caressing their title. The moment you think you are the master, you lose the mastery.

CRICKET GETS CRIPPLED

The tumult of the fixing scandal involving the IPL players just got bigger. The latest revelations of the spot fixing not only confined to this year's IPL and infecting the previous seasons too have infuriated all the cricket fans around India. It is also surmised that many players from other franchises are too involved in the business. It's just that spot fixing came in limelight; isn't it possible that entire matches might have been fixed?

Being a cricket fan, I can apprehend how each one of us will have qualms watching a cricket match from now on. Are we watching a legitimate match or just a parody? It must be acknowledged by the higher authorities that it is a good time to purge the dirt from the only secular religion of the country once and for all and reinstate the belief of its followers. The unfortunate truth is curbing the fixing trade completely is a tough row to hoe for the police. How can it be proved that a bad over from a bowler or a bad form a batsman is genuine or staged until you have evidences like phone records?

I read somewhere that an alternate way to better the situation is to legalize betting. Banning it forces it to be illegal, making it lucrative for the criminal nexuses. This further provides incentives to more illegal businesses like drugs, smuggling and even terrorism. Legalizing betting will not only generate additional tax revenues ('sin tax' as in case of cigarettes and liquors to make it more expensive for those who want to bet) for the government, it would abate criminal involvement. Moreover, it would also allow it to be properly governed.

Indian cricket is at its low. Will this opportunity be grabbed to cleanse the corruption in cricket or will it be just another page added in the books - only time will tell.

SOCIAL VIRTUE

Just knowing what to say, 

and when to speak, 

and when to remain silent 

is one of the greatest social virtues.

DENOUNCE DOMESTIC ABUSE

Last night, I came across a video shared by many of my friends on Facebook which depicts the uncivil and discourteous behavior by the Indian patriarchs towards the female demographics. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hsRo_XBbaI)

I must admit that the video may not be the best videos I have seen till date but the message and solutions it tried to convey simply touched my heart, especially the description under the video which says, 

"When things don't seem right.

When its pain moves your heart.

What do you do despite the odds?

Take the plunge or retreat?"

I regard it to be the most poignant forms of betrayal. The abode, which should be a haven for a girl, turns into a sore noose, a place of anguish and terror for her. And the man who should act as a protector turns into a predator. They perpetrate horrendous acts of violence, be it physical, mental or sexual, against them. Prior to watching this video, I had this notion that domestic violence is circumscribed among the rural and illiterate masses. But to my utter dismay, it's spread across the length and breadth of the country.

Addiction to gambling and alcoholism are the prevalent causes for disputes among the couples which further aggravates to domestic abuse. Ego clashes, dowry demands, intervention from a third person etc. are the other major factors that engender household violence. 

According to our law, domestic violence is a criminal and non-bailable offence but women, especially the housewives, hesitate to lodge a FIR, speculating its post-effects like divorce, trauma for the children, inability to lead life alone etc. They anticipate an end to their sufferings some day and a better tomorrow. But alas, the situation never improves nor it changes anything near to better. Even if someone files a complaint on her behalf as granted by the law, she, being afraid of maligning her family's repute, repudiates being subjected to any kind of  violence or torture.

So what is the solution? As depicted in the video, the local residents can take a stand against physical abuse through simple acts. What it tries to convey is that every step of intervention, even if it's small, will make a difference. Aptly said in the end, if you save one life, you save the world entire. 

CURSED WITH A CUSSED PAKISTAN

My soul laments and my heart is furious over the barbarous attack on Sarabjit Singh, leading to his death. It is fueled by the negligent stance exhibited by the Pakistani officials. Minutes after the Chief Minister of Punjab Province in Pakistan ordered judicial probe into the murder of Sarabjit Singh, an official in Islamabad preempted further actions by attributing the death to a brawl between the prisoner inmates. There is nothing new with this patent flip-flop attitude of Pakistan. Last year, in June, when Pakistani media reported Sarabjit being granted release by the President Asif Ali Zardari, they denied it few hours later accusing the media with wrong piece of information. Theorists claim that this was primarily because the president succumbed to the oppositon from ISI. 

Hence, one can clearly infer why in the successive years the pleas of Indian government to release him on humanitarian grounds were disregarded. Even the requests for increasing his security due to threats from fellow inmates after the hanging of Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab went into deaf ears. 

Considering the above facts, how can we even trust the Pakistani doctors that they would have looked for his proper care and medications? Why did they decline the plea of his family to move him to India, or any third country, with competent medical facilities?

I am now not able to buy the 'scuffle' theory propounded by the Pakistani bureaucrats. His murderers assaulted him with bricks, rods, knife-shaped spoons. Where the hell were the warders? Or, did they chose to turn a blind eye to the incident? I dread for the rest 235 Indian prisoners in Pakistan jails not to meet with Sarabjit's fate.

Sarabjit didn't die, it was a deliberately authorized murder.

RAAVAN-LEELA

(title courtesy - Nautanki Saala)

A pregnant woman once asked her daughter, “What do you wish for - a brother or sister?”. “A brother,” she replied. “Whom do you want him to resemble like?,” inquired her mother. “Like Raavan,” she quipped. “You mustn't speak like that,” she chided her daughter gently. Her daughter innocently, though firmly, asked, “Why not maa? He sacrificed everything- his state, his lineage, his kingdom, his life- just to avenge his sister’s indignity. Every sister today needs a brother like him maa. On the contrary, what will I do of a brother like Ram who abandoned his innocent and devoted pregnant wife, and asked her to undergo an Agnipariksha to prove her chastity”?

These lines have surely questioned my notion about Maryada Purushottama Ram. “Good triumphs over evil” and people proclaim Ram and Raavan to be the perfect epitomes for the respective denominations. I revere people’s sentiments but I beg to differ slightly here in my outlook, for I prefer to look a Rubik cube from every perspective.

No, I am not attempting to advocate Raavan and vilify Ram. (I am a minnow, so can’t even think like that!!)

I just want people to ponder over Raavan’s deeds with an outlook of a brother, who was incessantly instigated by her sister to claim vengeance for her ignominy on Ram and his brother. Any brother across the globe would have done the same for his sister. I guess this is what brothers promise to their sisters during rakshabandhan.

Raavan is considered to be an exemplary scholar and even Ram regarded him a Maha Brahmin.  If his brother Vibhishan had not joined Ram’s army, it would have been difficult for Ram to vanquish him. But as the adage goes, “No one can outrun their destiny”. If Raavan had a fatal flaw, it was undoubtedly his hubris. 

Very few people know that it was Raavan, who performed the rites of a purohit, when Ram constructed the Ram Sethu to lead his monkey brigade to attack Lanka. 

Why no one ever mention the fact that even after keeping Sita in his captivity for days and persuading her to marry him, he did not violate her? Devout followers have their own theories like it was a curse to Raavan, Sita’s purity made her infrangible etc. but he had the advantage of strength. Yet he curbed himself from even touching her and kept her in a comfortable, safe haven with enough maids around.

It’s the fault of the folk tales graduating centuries after centuries depriving people to think from all the perspectives, restricting their scope to empathize with the other party. Though Raavan’s character may seem like a sealed book, there are sufficient positive traits that even Raavan deserves some recuperation.