Kashmir 2047

4 years from now, it will be a 150 years since Gandhi was born.  Our democracy, our  greatest

homage and the grandest tribute to that mighty man will be a 100 years old 31 years from now.

These are mere specks in the grand canvas of our ancient civilization, but they mark significant

milestones in our journey and evolution to a modern nation state that has chosen to perfect its

union in a secular, pluralist and  democratic framework, enabled  by our ethos and challenged

by our past. If we are to remain true to both our pluralistic values that rests on our ethereal

cultural past, our collective  mastery in assimilation, acquired by  generations - practicing that

art over the centuries, at times necessitated by  the vicissitudes visited up on us  by history, at

times by the appearance of advent figures in our cultural canvas, and to our modern

democratic project which demands rigorous,  continuous, inconvenient  yet necessary  

introspection  under the klieglights of the new information age, we must, as a nation decide

what to do about Kashmir. Before we set out to do that it is time for unalloyed assessments of

facts and history.

1. The modern state of Jammu and Kashmir was not historically a single political entity. Its

existence is owed to the  Napoleonic Sikh and Dogra generals of Maharaja Ranjit Singh's Court

. Even before 1947 there  existed a  world of difference  between the  plains of  Jammu and the

hills of Jammu, not to speak between the rarefied  heights of Ladakh and the valleys of Gilgit.

2. As the British conquest of annexing territories to bring them under direct political rule froze

after 1857, Jammu and Kashmir  remained as one of the big 5 princely State whose rulers were

awarded a 21 gun salute by the crown. It lagged behind the  British administered provinces in

its development of political consciousness and participation  in the nation building  projects

[plural by emphasis].

3. In 1947 the broad canvas of Indian political leadership accepted Partition and the "logic"

behind it. That  decision and by  implication  the acceptance of that logic behind it, is an

unholy sacrament bound  to generations of Indians. We  cannot  forsake it and revel  in  

revanchist expeditions without strategic implications and moral consequences.  K

Subrahmanyam  continued to insist  that  1971  should be called the 'Bangladesh  Liberation  

War' not without  reason, the main  implication being it was not an  attempt to revisit 1947,

but a  commensurate reaction  to a new  situation.  In 1971,  Indira Gandhi gave solemn and  

private promises to both USA and USSR  that India  did  not  have any  designs on West

Pakistan including PoK and honored those promises through Shimla  Accords and  beyond.

4. The instrument of accession that we [rightly] cling on for legality was signed under

conditions of extreme emergency , prior to which there were two parties that claimed the

territories rightfully. One party, Pakistan  aggressed and India the other party partly repulsed

the aggressor and solidified the possession of the remaining territory.   The Maharaja was

under an impossible situation of doing  justice to the various communities and the

territories of the state. Those difficulties still obtain if we consider the entire J&K as one

political unit even today  for the sake of argument.   Even in 'cohesive' political units as 'tightly' 

knit as Punjab and Bengal, Indian leadership accepted the principle of partition and boundary

commissions which worked on the  primary axis of Muslim Vs  Non-Muslim. Even in the

inanely obvious  case of Junagadh, Patel did not rest with annexation by force but

legalized it with  plebiscite.

5. In contrast to what happened to significant Hindu and Sikh populations inside of what 

became Pakistan,  Kashmir  Valley continues to remain a Muslim Majority  area under the

Indian Union,  a telling difference and a marked tribute to our democracy. Though India 

should be proud that it continues to remain overwhelmingly Muslim , it  cannot justifiably 

claim that it is comfortable in the Union. By the same token the Muslims of Kashmir should be

eternally shameful that even a minuscule minority of Hindu Pandits could not live peacefully

among them and evacuated the valley.

Though the physical trauma of partition has been well documented , it has remained mainly to

be a tale of refugees , rightly so, 1 million killed and 20 million displaced, more so than many

major wars in the history of mankind.  However not much of the psychological trauma it

caused to Gandhi and Nehru is explained or understood.  That continuous and

contemporaneous self-chronicler Gandhi,  in every chance he got to speak and

write, expressed how physically painful it was to see his dreams of Hindu-Muslim unity shatter

to pieces in the melee of Partition. It invalidated his  whole lifetime of work, he continued to

lament.  The pragmatists near him Patel, Rajaji, Prasad, admirers around him JP and Lohia  

and Ambedkar the one away from him all admitted partition and by implication its logic.

They looked at Partition as a settlement, painful as it was, which enabled two independent

dominions to charter their course without  interference and blockade by the other from within.  

Nehru, the man of the future and the architect of modern India, could not wait to get to work in

putting his plans to work in his dominion,  seemed to be placed in the pragmatists camp. But

he could not have escaped the inner turmoil as Gandhi could not, in which he ultimately

perished in its ineluctable tragic consequence. The much acclaimed 'sensitive Nehru soul' must

have been seared. He desperately wanted to be  proved right and Jinnah wrong. He felt that we

succumbed to a political blackmail and not to a rational political argument.  Seared as his soul

was , his mind was determined to use all the powers to make India formally secular

in its laws, polity and society.  In this project to refute the Two Nation Theory he found a

convenient ally Sheikh Abdullah , a vast arena to experiment- the State of Jammu and

Kashmir and a people sufficient number of whom seemed ambivalent to the Pakistan project.

While he was being indecisive about Kashmir, Pakistan forced his hands by aggressing and

occupying the state with military troops and tribal irregulars.  India's prestige demanded an

answer and it had to be given in the form it was given. Some may even argue it fell way short of

its measure.  If we look at the LoC of 1948, the troops were asked to stay  behind the line that

Nehru considered hopeful of  keeping in India through a plebiscite, the major

part being the Kashmir Valley in which his political ally Sheikh Abdullah had substantial clout

and in which Pakistan was deeply unpopular due to the tribal exploits of loot, plunder and

rape of Oct 47.  But Sheikh Abdullah had expectations of his own - a price tag or an excuse -

depending on your view point to "deliver" the Valley to the Union.  That is how we ended up

with Article 370.

Even as late as Sep 1950 after all the UN Resolutions and the endless walla-walla in UN, India

was amenable to a  partition of the state in which the current LoC becomes the International

border with minor adjustments and there would be a plebiscite in the valley through which it

could be awarded to Pakistan or India. This is the position to which we have to return.  India

could rightly claim and conceivably hold the Valley in the Union till eternity. We

could wait for Pakistan to  crumble and disappear.  No amount of treasure or blood is too

much for the survival of a nation. However to prove to "ourselves" of our secular nature, we

don't need this costly experiment. Not when  the subjects of the experiment are restless people.  

Our pluralist nature is self-evident and shall remain  strong even with or without territories

consisting of hostile populations tethered to the Union with special articles. To Nehru's ghost,

(if that 'scientific' man had one) I would answer, what better tribute to your belief than a united

secular, democratic India there is and what a fitting rebuttal to Jinnah's belief

than Bangladesh.

Here is a suggested plan of action. We promise that a free, fair plebiscite with international

observers will be held in August 15 2047 only in the Valley of Kashmir and the parts north of  

which would be required to adjoin it with in the event it decides to join Pakistan. There will be

only 2 choices on the ballot - India or Pakistan.  We will not be willing parties to self-

balkanization. This promise will be contingent upon no terrorists being trained,

infiltrated, supported by Pakistan. If the Valley wants to be independent from India let it join

Pakistan and then demand independence from Pakistan. We will use the next 31 years to build

sufficient road networks to  support all the other frontier areas that will remain in India.  If the

security situation inside the Valley returns to normalcy  law and order is restored, Army will  

move out of the valley and shall continue to guard the LoC against incursions. We repeal

Article 370 and restrict it to the Valley (or the plebiscite areas) alone. Next 30

years will be used to demographically alter the state so the future security of the non-plebiscite

areas shall be ensured.

If this plan works, we get 30 years of relative peace, time and energy to focus on our other

serious challenges like Chinese expansionism, build our alliances, grow our economy,  create a

more perfect Union. By 2047 our economy will be the 3rd largest in the world behind China

and the United States. The Valley of Kashmir can think about this question in peace for 30

years to decide whether they want to remain  in it or join a pauperized, failing Dar-ul-Islam. 

Case against Modi

The internet ether is saturated with hope and euphoria of Modi fans, amongst whom I could legitimately count myself courtesy of my old set of “poorna ganavesh” lying around somewhere at my parents place in a loft.  But these are not the times for reaction as inert automatons to group stimuli, not the times for wide eyed optimism, but clear eyed thinking.

Before we proceed to case, let us take a look at the state of affairs. The present government has destroyed the brand of a national party and shredded all of its legitimacy. While only its fierce partisans can argue it functions honestly, nobody can argue that it functions effectively. A vast paralysis envelops the government of this nation - this young nation of 1.2 billion people – which can ill afford to waste a minute of governance, a rupee of resource or a sliver of opportunity.  The dealers and brokers who have invented and propped up this new financial product of low risk and high return are taking their final profits out, while the conscientious dhoti clad Moily and Anthony silently preside over. The dalal town that our national capital has become is in desperate need for more party jaunts and Rs.1Crore cars. Our ever so friendly neighborhood is being extra friendly in coming in uninvited and taking over our unmanaged estates.  Upon this scene is where Modi is awaited, the knight in shining armor, man of our times to rescue this nation and set it on the right path and lead it to victory.

He says he will bring the experience of development, a national purpose and a sense of vision with his leadership. My pique is not that Modi is incapable of governing, his experience proves otherwise, or that he is dishonest, evidence to the contrary absent– but he is likely to exert his full energy in the direction of what he is planning to do.  My pleading is such exertion is likely to exacerbate the crisis we are going through, create new difficulties and complicate our national journey.

Let us take it one by one. What is the difference between Manmohanamics and Modinomics? To sum up, the difference is only a promise of efficiency and hope of impartial administration. What economic policy of Manmohan has he differed with? In building big dams? In creating vast industrial complexes causing millions to migrate out and many more millions to migrate in, to create concentration of power, resources and markets?  In hallowing out the interior peasantry of the country, devastate the agriculture and force millions into doubtful migratory employment in the new ambulatory industrial sites? Manmohan Singh and Modi are driven by the same thing - the spirit of Montek Singh Ahluwalia aka Washington Consensus.  Modi’s USP is his speed of execution.  World’s biggest petrochemical complex, and Westinghouse willing, the biggest nuclear power plant are to be found in Gujarat.

However India is at crossroads, where it has to seriously rethink the western industrial model of development characterized by accumulation of resources at a few centers in this continental sized country that will inescapably lead to centralization of money power with its attendant risk of wider exploitation of the masses and the lasting damage to democracy. Should we consider resisting this mad rush to become a China or a South Korea, Modi’s role models?  But we still have the wisdom of that man who asked the British to leave, not for the sake of going away because he is from a faraway island, but for the sake of stopping the destruction of our masses caused by the modern industrial accumulation of production and distribution financed by greed - greed that was foreign and domestic. There is no evidence that Modi has heard this argument or much less he concedes some validity to it.

With his singularly inept managerial skills Manmohan, having outsourced the political skills to the corrupt and irresponsible, has brought bad name to the Indian project of pursuing Western style capitalism in a democratic framework.  This should be a propitious occasion for a rethink on the whole project, at least in India. Sadly this opportunity for change is being utilized by a more forceful proponent of the same model who only promises more vigor and rectitude in its implementation.  The plain evidence of our overcrowded, over polluted unlivable cities fueled by expensive hydrocarbons procured from precarious sources and financed by debts stolen from future generations has not given Modi a pause. He convinced Tata to relocate the small car factory to his state. By successfully executing ‘the project’ Modi will bring the nation closer to the precipice faster. This is not to accuse him that he will dictatorially achieve this, the majority of ‘common opinion’ is with him and may continue to be with him, but those who are convinced of the failure of the model itself and not just Manmohan’s execution, cannot rejoice in his success as it will spell India’s doom.

The next case I make is the last few years of Manmohan’s rule have made it clear that India should seek and value transparency in the administration more than efficiency. Because if the administration is corrupt as Manmohan’s has been undoubtedly, the remedy lies in the people discovering it faster. If the administration is corrupt, efficient and not transparent, it can continue to be efficiently corrupt. The present prime minister’s final trump card was [is ?] his personal incorruptibility. We all know how that led us to 2G, Coalgate, Commonwealth games etc.  Modi enjoys the same reputation. He will however head a vast administrative bureaucracy over which he will have acute absolute control over a very small group and vast notional control over the rest. His personal incorruptibility is unlikely to be a greater factor as to exert its positive influence on the probity of whole of administration than a general culture of transparency which when adopted or forced by people, the latter more likely, is a surer guarantor of probity in a much more effective way. But the style of functioning on Modi is personality oriented, that is to say Modi-oriented.  There is no team nor do we hear Modi giving credit to anybody in his team. This cannot happen with the national power.  Such a concentration of power in one person’s hand for the whole of India happened only once in the last 100 years. The results were not pretty.  Lord Acton’s must have uttered his dictum in some auspicious time as it still holds valid.

The next case is the danger his sense of certitude and decisiveness brings to the situation. These are likely to be valuable assets at a time of national rejuvenation and reconstruction. India will be well served by those qualities in a leader. However we live among two nuclear neighbors.  China, our bigger neighbor with 4 times the size of our economy and militarily the much stronger of us has designs on our border areas. We don’t know if those designs are the symptom of what it considers our inevitable future rivalry or they are issues on their own.  China has built a vastly superior mechanized mobile force served well by extensive border networks of roads and railways in Tibet over the last 20 years. With this it has eliminated the ‘so-called theatre’ superiority our forces enjoyed in the Himalayan theater post 67. With the building of more airfields it will also dent the superiority of our air force in the near future. After that with the initiative of surprise in hand, it will wage an organized effort under the nuclear threshold to get what it wants.  Our options will be sorely limited as we have not prepared ourselves.

As we struggle to symmetrically respond and counter Chinese moves there is every danger of this escalating into a wider conflict. In that scenario, psychologically the stronger of us, China may double dare us. Modi, who believes in his determination might lead the nation to a wider war, when we are not prepared. This again is a conjecture, but it is likely, that to preserve the “honor” and “dignity” and his image he might lead [drag] the nation to a state to which it can be transported psychologically but not logistically. Mikail Ilarianovich Kutuzov is unlikely to be Modi’s hero, who with the aim of preserving his army, retreated rather than offering battle, so Napoleon could occupy Moscow. The whole of Russia condemned Kutuzov. Still some do. But Borodino vindicated him where the army he thus saved defeated Napoleon. In the event China does not want a total war over our territories but indulges merely in land grabbing ruffianism, with the current international condition it makes eminent sense to keep negotiating by offering minor compromises in the border while we buy time, grow our economy and build up our defenses.  Modi’s psyche is unlikely to lend easily to this this effeminate but practical solution.

Next we come to our much friendly neighbor Pakistan. In the next 10 years Pakistan is likely to face a severe military onslaught by Taliban without from the west and within in NWFP and Punjab. The aim of the Taliban led forces will be the capture of power in Rawalpindi GHQ–Islamabad being a figurehead. In this long drawn out war, GHQ – Political establishment is likely try the 4 Kautilyan stratagems, the first of which is already in progress and unlikely to yield any result. The second strategy of ‘gifts’ might either involve killing innocent Indian lives in spectacular terrorist acts inside India a la Mumbai 2008 to humor them or some quixotic collaborative conquista in Kashmir a la Kargil 1999 with the Pakistan army. Any student of Punjabi history will know that West Punjab has seldom moved to the 3^rd step of “Differentiate” and never to the 4^th step of wielding the stick against its west. It will stick to its creed of “let us leave the ruling and fighting to others and let us focus on living”.

We are in for the revisiting mid 1700s in Pakistani Punjab and Kashmir. A hothead in the Delhi Sultanate will help in Abdali takeover.  Let us elaborate how this will play out. A minor skirmish might start a conflagration. Most likely this will result in India successfully punishing Pakistan, the more charitable eventuality. This will put enormous pressure on the GHQ to retaliate or risk losing power to the Talibs. They might try and God willing fail again. Then the Taliban will take over. Once the Talibs take over the nuclear weapons all bets are off. There will be a traffic jam of NATO, Israel and Chinese expeditions.  I am less inclined to say any of this will be Modi’s fault, but the very presence in the top leadership with Modi’s psyche will cause certain imponderable situations to which he might or might not prove equal. This is not a risk to be taken lightly.

This brings us to the final case – Hindu Muslim Relations in India. If there was any doubt the recent Muzzafarnagar riots prove that the smoldering cauldron of communal distrust and hatred continues to smolder. It is readily available for any malpractioner, internal or external to make use of and light up a few mischievous fire crackers. The only remedy, the long term task of building everlasting bonds and trust between the two communities is paramount for a successful India. People who advise us that this task is dispensable and we can “manage” with a restive and uneasy Muslim community among us are not India’s friends. It is not for political leaders and parties alone, it is the task of every community and individual. This task involves weaning away the young and impressionable Muslim youth away from the Pan-Islamic Wahabbist project  and root them firmly in centuries old local Islamic traditions of Hazrat Nizamuddin and Chishdi of Hindustan. Pakistan has to rediscover its Baba Farid, Waris Shah and Lal Shabhaz as well. Subcontinental Muslims have to learn to bear witness to Islam’s tenets amongst numerous Hindus.  This cannot be a charge against him, but with the preponderant predisposition of Muslim opinion against him, formed rightly or wrongly, Modi is singularly unequipped to head this task politically.  

In conclusion, I believe that while Modi has some excellent qualities and considering the current dispensation offers a shiny and contrasting alternative, however he comes with a baggage of risks and drawbacks , some he can change and some he is not in control of. Euphoric hordes shall ponder . Forewarned is forearmed.

When does 3.3 equal 4?

I recently relocated to Bangalore from San Francisco. I had to work from home, which requires inter alia a steady internet connection with decent bandwidth. I was advised by my friends that BSNL is the best bet, if I can manage to get it. Airtel was the next best option which is easier to get but wouldn't have the bandwidth I am looking for. I called from the US to a local BSNL office. A kind lady that picked up the phone - kind because the act of picking up the phone by anybody in a BSNL office, when you call them is an extreme act of kindness which the BSNL employees are unfortunately , though willing are not able to perform at all times - informed me that it will take 1 week to get the connection. I wasn't entirely thrilled as it takes only a phone call and 4 hour wait window the following day to get a new connection in California.
I landed in Bangalore on a Monday evening. Tuesday was taken up in jet lag, getting a cell phone and figuring out how to get drinking water and enrolling in the complex coupon system for home delivered milk. On Wednesday morning I applied for the broadband connection to Airtel on the internet using my data card. I got a bland “We will get back to you shortly” response. Unsure about its efficacy, I also called by phone. After applying over the phone I went to the bank. On the way to the bank I was called by Airtel that somebody would be over to my home to get my application in person. I asked him to wait as I was held up in the bank. He agreed. I got home. As soon as I got in, the door bell rang. An Airtel person came in. Sticklers for grammar : The use of indefinite article 'an' is deliberate here, the reason will become apparent shortly. He took all the documents for the application and my signature and said I will get the connection by Friday. After he left I got a call from Airtel again to check if I was home and could I receive the person waiting for me. I was bewildered. I told them that I just gave the documents to the Airtel person. Apparently my use of the definite article here was immediately corrected by the other end with the explanation that my application has been chased around by multiple channels and the fastest guy got me first.
Impressed by the speed I proceeded to apply for BSNL as well to see who can beat the other to the finish line here. I went to the Customer Care Center in Indira Nagar with a friend who had an acquaintance working there. By the time we got there he had already retired, so we were just sauntering in the lobby. We met 2 gentlemen there. Don't hold your breadth, no real names will be forthcoming. Let us just call them Frank and Eddie. Frank seemed to be a higher official based on the safari suit he was wearing. Eddie seemed to be a go between. When we were probing them how fast can we get a new connection, we were told it cannot be less than 3 days. Eddie asked all the right questions and provided his mob. Another revelation : For everything there is a Mob in India. Milk,Water,Learning English, you name it. You just call the "concerned" mob.
I was satisfied and I came back on Monday to submit my application. I took a bus to the HAL bus stop and an auto from there to the 80 feet Road office in Indira Nagar. The application was to be accompanied by one address proof and one identity proof. I had my passport copy with me for the identity and the rental lease agreement for address proof. The lady who was gracious to take my application told me that she needs to see the original of the passport if she has to take the passport copy as ID proof. The passport was not with me , but with my shipping agency to handle the customs at Chennai/ I had my original PAN Card but no copy of the PAN Card. So she told me that she needs to see the original of the document that I intend to submit as ID proof. Impressed by this irrefutable logic, I stepped out to take a photo copy of my PAN Card. I came back. The lady was gone. I mean gone as in vanished. Nobody knew where she was and when she will be back. After few attempts it was revealed that she was in some kind of training and will be back only after a few hours.
Disheartened I thought of Eddie. I asked where does Eddie sit to couple of other employees. They told me that there is no one called Eddie in the whole building. I called Eddie‘s mob. Eddie materialized in minutes and told me these folks didn't know anybody or anything. That should have raised an alarm in me. It didn't. I was taken in by Eddie's magical appearance at the hour of my need. Eddie took me to Frank. Frank was all smiles. Eddie got all the documents, corrected a few things, completed some other details. Taught me how to write a check among other things. Then he took the lease agreement copy, went somewhere and came back down in the mouth. He spread his lower lip and said, this will not do. I asked him what will not do. He said the lease agreement notarized by a California notary public won't do. It needed to be in Karnataka stamp paper. I said I didn’t have it and it cannot be had because the owner lives in US. I explained the role of a notary public and the validity of the lease. He then said, he will see what could be done. I volunteered to remunerate for his offer of help, which he politely declined and said he will accept once the help is rendered. This was Monday.
Meanwhile the 3 day deadline for Airtel had passed. I called Airtel. Somebody always picks up the phone in Airtel. My call was dutifully answered, my mobile number obtained, my problem listened to, a 10 digit case number provided with the reply that the "concerned" department will get in touch with me. It took me a few attempts to figure out that there is an ongoing turf war between multiple departments in Airtel over who should have the high honor of concerning themselves with my application and there were no winners. I found the brochure which "the" Airtel person gave and on it was stamped in blue ink a Mob number. So I called this mob. After few tries he passed on his supervisor's mob. I had to call the Supervisor's mob a few times and then his supervisor's mob, rehashing each time the previous mob's take on the matter. Finally on the following Friday afternoon, two gentlemen came. They were brisk like bees. Within minutes I had both my phone and internet working with the promised 2MBPS. I was elated. Now if only the BSNL also came through, I thought.
That weekend I went to my hometown. While I was there, the owner's mom who lives in Bangalore called me up. I explained to her the problem of this BSNL, Lease, Karnataka Stamp Paper thing and if she could...Before I could complete, she asked me what for do I need that. She said she knew the Divisional Engineer personally and she can take me to him and it will be a matter of minutes. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My whole attitude to Eddie changed. Once I was back in town I called up and gave an ultimatum that if things don't move within 5'0 clock that evening, I will be taking the help of the Divisional Engineer. Those who know the organizational structure of BSNL will wince at the use of the definite article, but more on this later. Believe it or not Eddie called up before 5PM and said my order is done. He gave me a work order number and a phone number which was to be mine. Should be a matter of days I was told.
Then a few days later after having no BSNL connection, I called Eddie again. Eddie asked me to come over with the remuneration for having worked so hard to get my California lease accepted by the authorities. I went to the Indira Nagar office, the route which was getting familiar to me. A Bus from Thubarahalli gets you to Old Airport Road for Rs.11. An auto will get you to Indira Nagar for 50. This time I went far to Murugeshapalaya and took the auto to the BSNL office. Having known at this time which floor Eddie met me last time, I went there directly. There was no Eddie. Frank met with his wide smiles. I told him that Eddie asked me to come. He said but Eddie was called up for work [which apparently wasn't at Frank's]. So Frank got his mob, pulled up 2 phone numbers literally out of his posterior and told me that those are my probable numbers. They were different from what Eddie told me. Taken in by his speed, I walked out a happy puppy. A happy goat I should have been.
I got home. Two days passed. Almost a week passed. No call from Eddie. No sign of BSNL. It was time for desperate measures - like taking the help of a 85 year old lady to get your internet connection. I called my home owner's mom. I submitted humbly that I need her to take me to the BSNL office to meet "the" Divisional Engineer. We fixed a time, I got a cab, went there well before time. I thought why not pay a visit to Eddie and Frank. I walked across the corridor, which I had done many times. But this time my eyes studied the nameplates on each cubicle. Every one of them was "a" divisional engineer. My sense of certainty shattered. I ran into Eddie. Eddie had the face of a ghost when he saw me. His lips went dry. I expressed my displeasure and indirectly broke any sort of implicit quid pro quo. No quid, No quo, cabbish?
Frank was as usual all smiles. Then they told me the truth. Somebody had botched up my application and assigned the wrong phone number to my work order. While they were figuring out whom to call to rectify this mistake, I went to see the old lady. The old lady dropped a bomb on me as soon as I entered. The guy she knew was on long leave and she just had a bunch of phone numbers that won't be of any help , but still she could come. What for I thought? I politely made small talk, had tea, looked admiringly at the family photos and took leave. I went back to Frank who was still figuring out the wrong phone number mishap. Then I asked the local exchange's number. He gave the number and added as a matter of fact with a smile 'but they won't pick up'.
Now I had a number to call and my work order number. I called and called until some one picked up. I became friends with the only 2 people that took that phone. There was a guy and a lady. The guy finally said, your botched number is not rectified and it can be done only in Indira nagar by an officer and saints alive, he was sympathetic to me and gave her mob. I called at 10:30 AM, allowing for all considerations. She didn't pick up. I call the guy again. Guy told she might be driving to the office and asked me to try again. Finally I get hold of her, she got my mobile number, my work order number. Told me that she would get back. I didn’t know this was SOP. I learned this when I called the top man in that building. And his number 2. And number 2.2. The only difference is they all have secretaries who can speak with neutralized accents.
Finally my last trip to Indira nagar, I found the perfect balance to get as far as to the Domlur flyover by bus and taking an auto thus minimizing my travel expense. I asked around and I got to the lady who was supposed to fix this. She was busy talking to another person who was busy like a bee. Then the truth hit me on the head. The people that can fix things in India are just too busy, because they have too many things to fix and there are only too few of them. Precisely because all the things to fix falls on their head. It is hard to reach them but once you reach them, your work will be done. Her face was provincial , may be Hubli, may be Arsikere. She had so many files on her desk. Little bits of papers on which were scribbled 8 digit numbers. I looked more. They were numbers on the walls next to her chair scribbled with pencil. I patiently explained to her the problem. She instantly recognized. She proceeded to fix the issue on the CRM system BSNL right before my eyes. Guess what? Some schmuck had made the phone number field read only !!! She was disappointed and said she will fix it later. She took my mob and then gave me her number and asked me to call her the next day to verify it. I asked her name, she pointed to the phone next to her and told me only she will pick that up. I wrote her number on my BSNL File and against it "the person to fix". The next day morning my mobile rang, and it was the fixing lady delivering a curt message, "your number is changed".
I was relieved. Now I called the "guy" in the local exchange and made sure the number indeed was fixed. I asked him when the connection will be installed. He said that will take 2 or 3 days. 4 days passed. No BSNL. Called again. This time I got the phone number of the lineman who is supposed to install the connection. Not his land line, saints alive, his mob! So I called his mob, the line man said he couldn't come that day and the next day he was on vacation. Sometime the following week he turned up one evening. Installed the phone line and told me that internet was not his business. It will have to be done in the exchange. Good Lordy! Next day I took the modem to the local exchange, the guy who was supposed to configure the modem was gone for lunch and wasn’t going to be back in 2 hours. I went back home and came back. I was invited into the sanctum sanctorum. There was a huge server rack about 12 feet tall with million telephone wires running all round with switches, small wires, big wires, small wires clumped into big wires. The lady and the "guy" were sitting around it. There was another guy in a movable ladder walking around the rack, pulling wires and putting them back.
I gave my modem. The guy asked the wire guy to give him "yyyyxxxx". In 5 seconds the guy on the movable ladder gave him the wire he was asked. I was amazed. If I was asked for my pen I would have taken longer. Now I had not owned the modem before and I didn’t know the admin password. After a few tries and a few more tries to reset, my connection was set up and humming at 1.7 MBPS. I asked why I was not getting the 4MBPS that I paid for. I was told I will get it after the weekend. May be the remaining bits are taking a weekend off? I came home. Monday came and Tuesday came. On Wednesday I lost patience and called the "guy". This time the lady picked up and I asked her about this 4MBPS speed. She said she has to call Indira Nagar and tell them to open up my connection for higher bandwidth. I thought oh no not again, but she somehow managed to do it herself, because when I checked later that evening I was getting 3.3MBPS which is just about what you can expect on a 4MBPS line.

Farewell, America

I lived in Marin County, California. Until six months ago, I was oblivious to this serious oddity - living in a county among so many cyclists and my own nonchalance to bicycling. But I was prodded in the right direction by multitude of small steps, each, in and of itself were disconnected, but together led me one evening to try out a CAAD 8 that was on sale with a price just enough to tickle.

This is how it started. I had decided to move back to my home country India to be closer to my parents. I wished to check all those boxes before I leave Marin: things I wish I had done, things I had done, but would have to liked to have done more. Fortunately due to same strange circumstances I was forced to take paid time off - time that I hadn’t taken off in years - to stave off a lethal HR policy that would gobble those hours. Having nothing else to do, I did long hikes every few days on the Marin Coast. Starting from the headlands, catching up again at the Palomarin trail head, of course taking the diversion to see the next-to-Niagara size Alamere Falls, all the way to Wildcat Beach, up the Inverness Ski Trail, Mt.Vision and beyond. I would typically start late in the morning, with a water bottle, a cold turkey sandwich, a fruit. I would drive to the chosen trail head of the day, hike for 8-10 miles, return to the parking lot and drive back home.

My final hike before my vacation ended was picking up the coastal trail from the middle of West Ridgecrest Blvd up on Mt.Tam. The Seven Sisters were draped in a beige carpet of dry grass enveloped by thick white fog from the west covering the redwood trees. To my amazement I found a bunch of dare-devils riding on those steep hills! It didn’t occur to me that I would ever attempt that myself. Even if it had occurred it would have seemed ridiculous to think that I would make it alive on the other end.

But the experience from the long hikes was encouraging for me to pick up some activity that would move my limbs enough to raise my heart rate above 120. So I walked into our LBS^* and explained to Bruce the salesman, what I was looking for , of which I had no idea except that I didn’t have a fat budget to go splurge on something that I hadn’t even been fond of doing. But he guided me deftly to a CAAD 8 on sale. Inside the store between the racks of new bikes there was a path to “test” drive. He explained all the features in detail, including the mechanism of shifting and braking. Everything he said went over my head except the braking part. I hopped on with great difficulty as the height of the seat post was intimidating. I started pushing the pedals. Within a few strokes I felt the magic. Myriad thoughts came to me as I was riding the 40 yard loop inside the store. Why is this thing so light? Is that why it flies? Or Is it because I am so good at this?

After a week long tussle between rational decision making and the power of first intuition, I went back to order my frame size. I had to wait another week to get it in the store. After making daily phone calls at all hours and learning the first name of all the employees in the store, I finally got it. After picking up the paraphernalia^* that a cyclist needs, such as a biking shorts, a helmet, a bottle cage and a water bottle. Kelly at the store taught me how to operate the quick release levers and helped me load the bike onto my car. As she waved bye, she had a look of concern and incredulity as to how I was going to put the front wheel back. It was a miracle I was able to do that when I got back home

The first week I started riding a grand total of 3 miles every morning , returning winded and sweaty. That weekend I charted my way to work. Half way to my work the “hills” that I didn’t even register living in this county for 10 years began to announce their presence in a hurtful way. I turned back home. The thought that if I commute to work, I wouldn’t even make it to work was depressing and forbidding. I pushed more that week end. I asked a friend, an experienced cyclist to join me on a ride. He asked me to plot a ride route to Marin Headlands. Little did I know that with my fitness it was near delusional to think I would reach the top. But we rode on, stopping on a few occasions, grabbing a bite or gulping a few sips. Once we reached all the way up, I thought may be this isn’t so bad, pushing 4 miles an hour up the hill. It takes twice the time if you walk.

All this time, I hadn’t even got the chain on to the big ring on the front. Every time I tried it wouldn’t. get on. Suspecting something wrong with the bike, I took it the LBS. I learned that I had to get my cadence high enough to make the up shift. There I saw a flier for a Sunday no drop group ride. I returned back the next Sunday on time. I was greeted warmly by Wayne, our group leader along with a few other riders. Wayne took instant stock of me, saw the way I was sitting on the saddle and must have thought ’dog on a fence’. As we began the ride, he taught me how to sit, where to keep my hands and how to pedal. As we were coming up against a roller, he advised me which gear I should be on (granny gear of course). We rolled on to Lucas Valley road up the big rock. The group that came with us were way ahead. As the grade got steeper I was panting and my lungs were discombobulated. Wayne was persistent and he told me to keep pedaling. He coaxed, encouraged, threatened, cajoled, insulted and humored me up the hill. He said,’ We are going to break you down and make you a strong rider’. If I had been able to speak my mind, that is to say if I had been able to speak at all, I would have said, I was sure about the first part but not about the second part. He was wise enough to send me home after we climbed the big rock.

He was shocked to see me return the next week for the ride. He announced gladly that ‘we haven’t killed you after all’. So the self-inflicted misery began again. This time I had our ride director Scott with me who seemed to be more sympathetic to my plight. But even he got perplexed as I slowed down to a snail’s pace. He said, ‘Please yell if you were going to stay behind’. Yell? If only my lungs were able to even whisper I thought.. But I reached the top my legs got cramped from all the inefficient pushing and I couldn’t get out of my clip less pedals. The thought that I would have to ride on was equally horrifying to me as well as the group. But I was able to clip out after 100 yards of trying and turn my way back home. Apart from effortless clipping out I wondered what it would take to ride with the group all the way.

Then we started to do the “short rides” around the Tiburon peninsula as winter progressed . It is a pretty sight when our paceline rolls along the bay on Seminary drive. You might wonder how would I know if I was in the paceline myself? Trust me, I could see it from far behind, so I know. Slowly I was improving and Wayne was very pleased to see me ride with the group some of the time. The long coffee breaks followed by heated discussion they had on whether to revise the group’s no drop policy helped me to eventually catch up with the group.

Emboldened by this huge success, I decided to ride the whole 50 miles next week. I was going fine on the first 15 miles. We had a pit stop and followed by announcements on who wants to be on the group turning back. I was getting some water because I had consumed 2 full bottles for the first 15 miles and nobody in the group thought I would be continuing on for the long course. I wouldn’t blame them, so they took off. I rode for the next 15 miles alone through the rolling hills of West Marin smelling horse manure around the picturesque Nicasio . Luckily the group was still around at Point Reyes Station, enjoying a post-meal chit chat. Lesson learned: better to stay dehydrated or to hold your bladder than to leave the group.

No cycling experience is complete without a crash (or two^*). Mine was due. It was great weather, everybody was in the zone, I was right behind my ride leader Brian on the Paradise drive, I was scrubbed for speed at a few sharp left turns. Trying to be aggressive on the next turn, I lost control of my bike, tipped over the handlebar, landed on a soft muddy spot 1 feet away from a boulder. Next thing I know Dave was leaning over my face, asking me what was the day of the week. Luckily I was able to ride on after a sort break. But Brian wouldn’t trust me, so he came right with me to my door step and dropped me off. Boy, these guys really mean it when they say “no drop” I thought.

One of the unforgettable experience was riding the Seven Sisters. It was Tuesday the Dec 27^th. It was unseasonably warm that day. I got fully hydrated and ate a bowl of oatmeal and a banana 2 hours before the ride. I pushed on to Fairfax to the Bolinas-FairFax Road. Soon the climb got serious. The only way I knew to climb the hill was on granny gear, seated. This time I tried to do something different. I stood up on the saddle for 30 seconds for every minute of seated pushing. Finally I reached the Alpine Dam. Decision time : To go back to Fairfax or dare to climb the Seven Sisters and descend to Mill valley? To me both were equally horrifying. So I decided to climb the Seven Sisters. Once I reached the top of every hill, I rolled down as fast as I could to get enough momentum for the next roller. After seeing off the last sister I started the unrelenting descent down to Mill Valley. It was the hardest part of that ride. I never knew descending could be this scary and would require so many prayers. I was looking forward to the next climb on the route .

My last ride before I left Marin was to Point Reyes Station. As it was my farewell ride, I was eagerly looking forward to it and enjoyed every minute of it. Well almost, if you don’t count the minutes up on Whites hill. We had a pretty uneventful ride all the way home until we reached Fairfax. I skidded on a water puddle and sacrificed an inch of skin to the pavement God. It was my tribute to Marin for providing me an unforgettable riding experience the past 6 months. Once I reached our LBS I saw an older couple fixing their bikes at the service station. The lady looked at me and said , “I wish I had your legs“. I thought, to myself “Excuse me? Have you seen these legs in action on Whites hill?” But I smugly accepted the compliment. So here is the takeaway: if you live near Marin or any other place with roads safe for cycling and wish to be complimented on your legs by ladies 30 years older than you, do yourself a favor. Grab a bike and start riding!

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^* Six months ago I would have certainly thought that LBS means pounds, but would have wondered why it has to be capitalized

^* I learned later that when it comes to bicycling the word paraphernalia is woefully inadequate.. It requires something even more grandiose

^* Clipless pedal accidents don’t count

ஜெயமோகனுடன் ஒரு நாள் - பகுதி II



இது தான் சாக்கு என்று தஸ்தயேவ்ஸ்கி 'The Brothers Karamazov'ல் Zosimaவை அறிமுகப்படுத்தும் வகையில் பிரம்ம பிரயத்தனம் செய்வதையும் இதை ஒரு இந்திய மனது ‘குரு’ என்ற ஒரு வார்த்தையில் புரிந்து கொண்டிருக்கும் என்றேன். மெலிதாக சிரித்தார். ரஷ்ய புராதன கிறித்துவம் கீழை நாட்டு தரிசனங்களுக்கு மிக அருகாமையிலானது. அதன் வளர்ச்சி பெளத்த சமண தத்துவங்களால் பாதிப்பு அடைந்தது என்றார். யூத மரபியல், கிரேக்க-ரோமானிய மரபியல் இவற்றுக்கு முற்றிலும் வேறான  ஒரு இருப்பை அது கொண்டிருப்பது தல்ஸ்தோய்- தஸ்தயேவ்ஸ்கி வரையில் தொடர்கிறது என்றார்.

தஸ்தயேவ்ஸ்கியின் 'The Brothers Karamazov'ல் சில விமர்சகர்கள் ‘Elder Zosima' பற்றிய பகுதிகள் தேவை இல்லாமல் நீட்டி முழக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன் என்று கூறுவதை வருத்தத்துடன் முறையிட்டேன். இதையே நான் நாவலின் முக்கியமான பகுதியாக கருதுகிறேன் என்றேன். Zosima இளவயதில் இறந்த தனது மூத்த சகோதரனின் ஈடேற்றத்தை அல்யோஷாவிடம் காண்கிறார். அவர் அல்யோஷாவுக்கு போதித்த அடிப்படை அறத்தை வலியுறுத்தும் விதமாக 'Ilyushka'வின் இறுதி சடங்கில் நாவல் முழுமை பெறுகிறது. மேலும் 'Crime and Punishment' நாவலில் ரஸ்கல்நிகொவ் இறுதி மன மாற்றம் அடைவது நம்ப முடியாத அளவுக்கு 'அவசரமாக' சித்தரிக்கபட்டிருப்பதாக வைக்கப்படும் விமர்சனத்துக்கு இவரின் எதிர்வினை என்ன என்று கேட்டேன்.

அவர் மனித ஆழ்மனம் அளவிட முடியாத ஆழமும் ஊகிக்க முடியாத திருப்பங்களுக்கும் தயாராக இருப்பது என்றார்.  ஒரு தருணத்தின் மாற்றம் ஒரு சிறு விதை போல் ஆழ்மனதில் பதிந்து கிடப்பது என்றும் அது அடையும் மாற்றத்தை இயந்திரத்தனமாக 'process'  ஆக சித்தரிப்பது சாத்தியமன்று என்றார். உதாரணமாக விவேகானந்தர் ராமகிருஷ்ணரை சந்தித்ததை விளக்கினார். முதல் முறை பார்த்த உடனேயே 'உனக்காக எவ்வளவு நாள் காத்திருந்தேன்' என அரற்றிய ராமகிருஷ்ணரை கண்டு கொஞ்சம் விலகி சென்ற நரேந்திரனின் கணுக்காலை பற்றிய மாத்திரத்தில் விவேகானந்தர் அடைந்த மாற்றத்தின் தருணம் , Oxford - Sorbonne பல்கலைகழகங்களில் படித்த நடராஜ குரு கிராமத்து பூசாரி கணக்காக இருந்த ஸ்ரீ நாராயண குரு 'நடராஜ், இவிடே இருக்கட்டே'  என்று  ஒற்றை வரியில்  மாற்றிய தருணம்,  பின்னர் குரு பூர்ணிமா அன்று ஒரு காவி துண்டு கொடுத்து (அது என்ன நாள் என்று அறிந்திராத ) அவரை சன்யாசி ஆக்கிய தருணம் இவை எல்லாம் தருணம் என்ற மிக சிறிய கால அளவில் ஆழ்மனம் வெகு காலமாக சமைத்து கொண்டு இருக்கும் ஆக்கங்கள் வெளிப்படும் முறை என்றார்.

தல்ஸ்தோய் இதை சித்தரிப்பதில் மிகக் கை தேர்ந்தவர் என்றார். பிரபஞ்ச அளவில் ஒப்பிடும் பொது மனித வாழ்க்கையின் அளவு மிகக் குறைந்தது, அர்த்தமற்றது என உணரும் பொழுது விளையும் இயற்கையான எதிர்வினையான 'existentialism'த்திற்கு முரணாக தல்ஸ்தோய் அறத்தை முன் வைக்கிறார். வாழ்க்கை கடல் அலையின் மேல் கணத்தில் தோன்றி மறையும் நீர்க்குமிழியாக இருப்பதினாலேயே அறம் மானிட வாழ்வின் இன்றியமையாத தேவை என்றார்.

இவர்களுக்கும் பின் இருந்த ஒரு நூற்றாண்டு காலத்தில் Freud உலகை படுத்திய பாடு பற்றி முறையிட்டேன். பிராய்டின் பலவகைக் கட்டுமானங்கள் 'evo devo  theory' மற்றும் 'neuron' இயக்க தியரிகளாலும் முறியடிக்கப்பட்டு வருவதை பற்றிக் கேட்டேன். இவ்விஷயத்தில் VS ராமசந்திரன் சில கண்டுபிடிப்புகளை நிகழ்த்தி வருவதை பற்றி கேட்டேன்.  என்றாலும் சமீபகாலமாக எல்லா விஷயத்திற்கும் 'neuron' களை சரணாகதி அடைவதை 'Neuro Reductionism' என்ற கருதுகோள் முலம் விமர்சிக்கப்படுகிறது என்றார். Freud க்கு மாற்றாக அவர் வாழ்ந்த காலத்திலேயே CG Jung தனது மாற்று கருத்துக்களை வடிவமைத்ததை பற்றி கூறினார். Freud நடத்திய 'experimental data' விலேயே பிழைகள் இருந்ததை பற்றி கூறினார். Freud அடைந்த பிரபலத்திற்கு காரணம் அவரின் எழுத்துக்களே என்றும், சான்றாக  அவருக்கு ஒரு காலத்தில் நோபெல் பரிசு 'இலக்கியத்துக்கு' பரிந்துரைக்கப்பட்டது என்றும் கூறினார்.

Freud ன் உளப்பகுப்பு ஆய்வியலில் மனித மனத்தின் வளர்ச்சியையும் யூத மரபின் தொன்மையான உருவகத்திற்கும் (There was a Paradise, It was lost) உள்ள ஒற்றுமையை கடற்கரை மணலில் காலால் படம் வரைந்து விளக்கினார். மார்க்ஸ் நினைத்த ஆதி கம்யூனிசம் இந்த உருவகத்தில் இருந்து விளைந்ததே என்றார். இவ்வாறு பேசி கொண்டே Sir Francis Drake தரை தட்டிய Drakes Estuero வரை நடந்து திரும்பி இருந்தோம். ஒரு சில நிமிடங்களே மேகத்திரை விலகி சூரியன் தென்பட்டான். அப்போது கடலில் இருந்த சிற்றலைகளில் தெரிந்த நுரைப்பு கண்ணுக்கு பேருவகை தந்தது. பின் மீண்டும் பனி மூட்டம். நடை. பேச்சு. சில நேரம் நீரின் ஓட்டத்தால் எலும்பு போன்றே ஒரு குட்டித் திமிங்கலம் போன்று தோற்றம் அளித்த சில கோடுகள் அமைந்த  ஒரு பாறையை பார்வையிட்டார்.

இப்படியாக திரும்பி  கார் நிறுத்திய இடத்தை வந்து அடைந்தோம். மற்றும் வேறு ஒரு கார் மட்டுமே தென்பட்டது. அங்கு ஒரு cafe  இருந்தது. இந்த அத்துவான காட்டில் எவ்வாறு வியாபாரம் நடக்கும் என்று கவலைப்பட்டார். அன்று செவ்வாய்கிழமை என்றும் கோடை காலம் என்பதால் சனி ஞாயிறு 'சும்மா கூட்டம் அலை மோதும்' என்று அவரை ஆறுதல் படுத்தினேன். பின்பு வந்த வழியே திரும்பி Mendocino செல்லும் திட்டத்தில் பெருமளவுக்கு கடலை ஒட்டியே செல்லும் CA-1 ரோட்டில் பயணித்தோம்.

பனித்திரை அதற்குள் அவருக்கு சலிப்புடியது போலும். ஊட்டியில் தங்கும் போது மூன்று நாளைக்குப் பிறகு வெய்யில் அடித்தால் நன்றாக இருக்கும் என தோன்றும் என்று குறிப்பிட்டார். கொஞ்சம் நேரம் ஜேசுதாஸ் பட பாடல்கள் கேட்டார். பின்பு கொஞ்சம் கண்ணயர்ந்தார். Mendocino செல்ல இன்னும் 3:30 மணி நேரம் ஆகும். சுத்த மடையனாக இடை விடாது ஒட்டி தள்ளினேன். இடது புறம் பசிபிக் கடல் வருவதும் போவதுமாக இருந்தது. Tomales Bay என்ற காயல், வைக்கப்போர் நிறத்தில் மேய்ச்சல் வெளிகள், திடீரென்று பனித்திரை கூடிய மரங்கள், பெரும்பாலும் பைன் மரங்கள், பெரிதும் சிறிதுமான  பாலங்கள், பெரிய பாலங்களுக்கு அடியில் பெரும் நதிகள் (Russian River), சிறிய பாலங்களுக்கு அடியில் சிற்றோடைகள் என காட்சி மாற்றம் நிகழ்ந்து கொண்டு இருந்தது.

தொடரும்.....











 

Jaswant on Jinnah

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ஜெயமோகனுடன் ஒரு நாள் - பகுதி - 1

சில விளக்கங்கள் : இது தமிழில் எழுதும் என் முதல் முயற்சி. அடைமழை என பொழிந்த கோர்வையான, விரிவான ஜெயமோகனின் வரிகளில் 3 வாரங்களுக்குப்பின் நினைவில் தங்கியதை மீட்டு பின் சொல்லாக்குவதில் உள்ள என் சிக்கலுக்கு உங்கள் புரிதலை வேண்டுகிறேன்.

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ராஜன் இல்லத்தில் வெகுநேரம் பேசிகொண்டிருந்துவிட்டு புறப்பட்டோம். எனது IPhoneஐ –Vanல் உள்ள cassette player adapter உடன் கோர்த்து விட்டேன். இது எப்படி சாத்தியம் என்ற அவரது வினாவுக்கு தெளிவாக பதிலிறுக்க முடியாமல் பொத்தாம்பொதுவாக சமாளித்தேன். ‘விழியே கதை எழுது’ என்ற பாடலை கேட்டுக்கொண்டெ ஒரு மிகச்சிறிய அறிமுகத்தை முன்வைத்தேன். நான் அவரது நூல்களில் இது வரை படித்தவை பற்றிச் சொன்ன போது ‘நினைவின் நதியில்’ பற்றிய என் கருத்து என்ன என்று வினவினார். மிகச்சிறப்பாக உரையாடலின் மூலம் சு.ரா.வின் ஆளுமை கண்ணெதிரெ நிறுத்தப்பட்டுள்ளது என்று கூறினேன். உண்மையில் அது ‘நினைவின் நதி’ யன்று. சு.ரா.வின் மரணத்தில் விசை கொண்டு எழுந்த காட்டாற்று வெள்ளம். மிகச்சில நாட்களுக்குள் எழுதி முடிக்கப்பட்ட நூலெனினும் காலத்தின் அளவு நதி போன்ற போக்கில் எழுதபட்டுள்ளது. சு.ரா.வுடன் எழுத்தாளர் கொண்டிருந்த வேறுபாடுகள் கறாராகவும் கண்ணியமாகவும் முன்வைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளன. இதை எல்லாம் சொல்ல முடியவில்லை.


அமெரிக்க சிறுகதைகள், முக்கியமாக ‘New Yorker' வகையறா பற்றித் துழாவினேன். நான் வெகுகாலமாக படித்துவருவன என்றாலும் அவற்றுக்கான இலக்கணத்தை John Updike நிறுவியதை தெளிவாக விளக்கினார். புறவயமான கூறுதலை முன்னிறுத்துதல், செயல்பாடு, சம்பவம், நேரடி அனுபவம், மிதமான உணர்ச்சி, ஆகியவையே இவற்றின் விழுமியங்கள். O Henry பாணியிலான இறுதி முடிச்சு முத்தாய்ப்பாக. உலகின் எல்லா பகுதிகளில் இருந்து எழுதப்பட்டு மொழிபெயர்க்கப் பட்டாலும் இந்த இலக்கணத்தை அவர்கள் விடுவதில்லை என்றார். அதனால் ‘மிகச்சிறந்த சிறுகதை’ தொகுப்புகளில் 'New Yorker' வகையறா இடம் பெறுவது அரிதாக உள்ளது என்றார். இவற்றிடையே ஒரு தமிழ் சிறுகதை ஒன்றையும் (ஒரு நிலச்சுவான்தார் தன் ‘துணைவி’யார் வீட்டுக்கு செல்வதா வேண்டாமா என ஊஞ்சலில் ஆடிக்கொண்டே யோசித்து பின் போகாமலே முடிந்து விடும் கதை) மற்றும் திகில் உணர்ச்சி மேலுந்த எழுதப்பட்ட ஒரு கதையையும் (உயிருடன் தோலுரிக்கப்பட்ட ஒரு மான் இரு நண்பர்களை மீண்டு வந்து திகிலூட்டும் கதை) இவற்றின் வேறுபாடுகளை விவரித்தார்.இவ்வாறாக 'Richmond-San Rafael Bridge' வந்து சேர்ந்தது. தமிழ்க்கதைகள் மொழிபெயர்ப்பிற்கு பிறகு ஒரு பொதுத்தன்மையை அடையும் பொருட்டு தனது கலாசார களத்தை இழந்து விடுவன என்றும் குறிப்பாக அவரது ’மாடன் மோட்சம்’ ஒரு வாசகருக்கு புரிய வேண்டுமென்றால் 80 களில் குமரி மாவட்ட்த்தில் மண்டைக்காடு சம்பவங்களின் பின்னணியும் இந்தியா முழுவதும் உயர்மத தத்துவத்திற்கும், நாட்டார் மத நடைமுறைக்கும் தொடர்ந்து வரும் முரணியக்கம் ( மோதல் என்று கூறி பின் உடனே ஜகா வாங்கினேன்) இவை புரியாவிட்டால் கதை புரியாது என்று தயாரித்து வைத்த மேதாவித்தனத்தை களமிறக்கினேன். அமைதியாக ஆமோதிப்பது போல் இருந்தது. இதற்குள் வீடு வந்து சேர்ந்தது. அடுத்த நாள் அதிகாலை எழ வேண்டி இருந்ததால் மேற்கொண்டு கதைக்க வில்லை.

5:40 வாக்கில் அவரை எழுப்பினேன். தேநீர் போடட்டுமா என்ற கேள்விக்கு மிகவும் நீர்க்க இருக்க வேண்டும் என்று உத்தரவே போட்டார். சரிதான் என்று என்று தண்ணீரை கொதிக்க விட்டேன். அவரிடம் பலவகை தேநீர்ப்பை அடங்கிய குடுவையை நீட்டி தேர்ந்து எடுக்குமாறு கூறினேன். அவர் எடுத்த தேநீர்ப்பையை சுடுநீரில் முக்கியவுடன் பின்னாலேயே வந்து தூண்டில் மீனைத் தூக்குவது போல் தூக்கினார். தேநீர்ப்பை கலங்கி குடுவையின் அடி மறைக்கும் முன் எடுத்து விடுவதே நல்லது என்றார். பின் குளித்து முடித்து Bank Audit செய்யும் அதிகாரி போல சிற்றுண்டி உண்ணத்தயாரானார். இயற்கை உணவு பற்றி இராமகிருஷ்ணன் எழுதிய நூலை மொழிபெயர்த்த பேச்செடுத்தேன். மனித உடல் பிரமிக்கத்தக்க அளவு மிகக்குறைந்த அளவு உணவில் உயிர்வாழ படைக்கப்பட்டுள்ளது என்றார். ஒரு குரங்கை நாம் சாப்பிடும் அளவு சாப்பிட பழக்கினால் அது அஜீரணத்தால் இறந்துவிடும் என்றார். மேலும் சமைக்காத உணவு மனித உடலுக்கு மிகவும் உகந்தது என்றும் ஒரு இட்லி விள்ளலை வாயில் போட்டுக்கொண்டே ஒரு Post-Mortem பார்த்த அனுபவத்தில் மனித ஈரலின் உள்ள அசாதாரண ஜீரண சக்தி உள்ள அமிலங்களைப் பற்றி விவரித்தார்.

பின் Pt.Reyes- Mendocino செல்லும் திட்டத்தில் கிளம்பினோம். அவருக்கும் எனக்கும் உள்ள பொது நண்பர்களைப் பற்றி பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்தோம். யார்தான் அவர்கள் என்று மண்டை வெடிக்கட்டுமே என்ற அவாவில் மேற்கொண்டு இவ்விஷயம் ப்ரஸ்தாபிக்கப்பட போவதில்லை. ஈழத்தின் கடைசி நிகழ்வுகளை ஓட்டி ஆதீனகர்த்தர்களின் கூட்டத்தில் தருமபுர ஆதீனம் அவர்களின் மிகச்சிறந்த உரையை பாராட்டினார். சைவ மதத்தின் குருவாக மட்டும் அல்லாமல் சைவர்களை போருக்கு ஆசீர்வாதம் வழங்கி அனுப்பவதற்கு மாறாக எல்லா மதத்தினருக்கு இடையேயும் இணக்கத்திற்கும் அமைதிக்கும் மாறாத அறத்திற்கும் பாடுபடுவதே ஆதீனகர்த்தர்க்கு உரியது என்று தருமபுர ஆதீனம் பேசியதாக குறிப்பிட்டார்.

Pt.Reyes தீபகற்பமானது ஒரு வினோதமான நிலப்பரப்பு. கடும் கோடையில் நல்ல பனித்திரையுடன் காணப்படும். 50 அடி முன்னால் தெரியாது. கடலில் இருந்து 25 மைல் உள்ளே வருவதற்குள் 3 விதமான தாவரவியல் தன்மை உடையது. கடலை ஒட்டி வறண்ட மண், பின் தட்டையான தாவரங்கள் உள்ள சமவெளி, பின் அடர்ந்த நெடுமரங்கள் அடங்கிய Inverness மலையிடுக்கு. அன்று கடுமையான பனித்திரை. மாடுகள் படுத்து இருந்தாலும் கண்ணுக்கு எளிதில் புலப்படவில்லை. Sir Francis Drakeன் கப்பல் தரை தட்டிய கடற்கரை வந்து அடைந்தோம் வீராவேசமாக Jacket இல்லாமல் இறங்கி அவரைப்ப் போல் பின் Jacket அணிந்து கொண்டேன். அலைகள் சுத்தமாகவே இல்லை. Low Tide நேரம். சூரியன் பேருக்கு நிலா மாதிரி இருந்தது.

மெல்ல நடக்க ஆரம்பித்தோம். எங்கும் ஒரே பனித்திரை. சாம்பல் நிறத்தின் சாம்ராஜ்யம். எனக்குத் தெரிந்த ஒரு புகைப்படநிபுணர் Pt.Reyes பகுதியை வெகுவாக படம் எடுத்து வருபவர் ஒருவரை சந்தித்த அனுபவத்தைப் பற்றிக் கூறினேன். அவர் கருப்பு-வெள்ளைப் புகைப்படங்கள் மட்டுமே எடுப்பவர். அவரிடம் நான் கேட்டது இதுதான். ’So, you shoot only black and white?' அவரிடம் இருந்து ஒரு ஏவுகணை பதிலாக வந்தது. ‘and the milliion shades of gray'.
அதை இவரிடம் சிலாகித்தேன். சற்றே மலர்ந்து தனது குரு நித்ய சைதன்ய யதி கரிக்கட்டி ஓவியத்தில் தேர்ந்தவர் என்றார்.

குரு யாருக்குத் தேவை என்ற எனது பொத்தாம்பொதுவான கேள்விக்கு பதில்கூறத்தொடங்கினார். ‘தண்ணீரின் தேவை தாகமிருப்பவனுக்கு’ என்று கூறி நிறுத்தினார். சும்பத்தனமான கேள்விக்கு இது போதும் என்று நினைத்துவிட்டாரோ என விசனப்படும் முன்பேயே விரிவாக பதிலளிக்கத்தொடங்கினார். கல்வி என்பது சமைத்து முடித்த பண்டமான ‘சிந்தனை’யை ஜீரணம் செய்யும் முறையாக உள்ளது என்றார். சிந்திக்கும் முறை குருவை அருகில் இருந்து அவதானிப்பதால் சாத்தியமாகிறது என்றார். ’சித்தம்’ ஒரு நிலையான பொருளன்று. அதன் இயக்கம், வளர்ச்சியே (’சித்த வ்ருத்தி’) அதன் உள்ளார்ந்த இயல்பு. வளர்ச்சியும் இயக்கமும் உறைந்த முடிவிறுத்த விஷயங்களான ‘சிந்தனை’யை கற்றுத்தேர்வது மூலம் சாத்தியமன்று, மாறாக சித்தம் தனது விருத்தி மூலம் வந்தடைந்த விதம் மிக முக்கியம். இது ஒரு குருவின் அருகாமையில் இருந்து கற்றுக்கொள்வது. இவ்வகையில் தனது குரு நித்ய சைதன்ய யதி பல்வேறு தளங்களில் பரவலாக உள்ள சிந்தனைகளில் சஞ்சாரம் செய்து அவர் கூடவே வரும் சீடர்களுக்கு இம்முறையைக் கற்பித்ததை விளக்கினார்.

தொடரும்.....

Preparing to meet Jeyamohan
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The Art of Violently Forced Summer Reading, House Cleaning And Getting Organized

Jeyamohan is my favorite Tamil writer, whose blog I read regularly. A friend of mine introduced to his writings in the net magazine Thinnai, a long time ago. By reading his writings regularly, a mental closeness had formed over the years. I can cite multiple reasons: superb narrative and expository skills, masterful intellect, clarity of expression - but the skeptic observer in me, would say affinity in thought about socio-cultural-political issues. Over the years I could feel that I can converse with him mentally, and think of new questions to ask. But someone else would ask that same question, and he would answer it in his blog. Or othertimes I would have formed an opinion for my questions and find that he more or less holds the same view - supporting it with tons of facts from multiple sources, masterfully weaved in a seamless manner in one cogent argument. Reading it I would feel at once a rush of great vindication pursued closely by a sense of agonizing shame at my own lack of clarity.

Let us not digress into such boring stuff. How clever! Didnt I trick you into believing that what follows is not going to be boring? Jeyamohan was writing about his travels to Australia. I started to dream of his possible trip to US. Lo and Behold...Here is his post about his travel plans to US. And a whole month in the Bay Area! I immediately dashed off an email to Rajan, the trip organizer asking about public events. His response was immediate; I could come and meet him anytime. Oh oh! What a predicament! What the heck do I talk with him? My stock is very limited. I haven't read any of his fictional work yet.

The Lord indeed was merciful. JM gave a link where I could buy his collection of 10 books. Problem solved. Well, Almost. They were to be shipped from India. And, I had to read them. Meanwhile I prepared a reading list. Just to get me kickstarted I read a book that I knew I wouldn't give up. The Court of the Red Tsar by Simon Sebag Montefiore. About a 1000 pages. It gave me great confidence that I could read. A Book. In Full. Then its pre-quel 'Young Stalin', it is infact a sequel, but historically a pre-quel.

Atlast the books came. As usual I had them shipped to my office desk. I had to go for a haircut that evening straight from the office. Waiting for my turn at the barber shop, I read the first shortstory 'Nadi'. It was a jolt of powerful writing. My hairs stood on their end. Which helped the barber enormously. That same night I finished "Ninaivin Nadiyil", a great tribute to Sundara Ramaswamy by JM. I started reading the short stories. Some of them were violently twisting my idea of what the structure of a short story should be. But I yielded to his twisting like a kid yields to his favorite uncle.By the time I met him I had read half of his short stories collection.

Meanwhile I was curious about this fuss about Dosteyevsky. Checked out 'Brothers Karamazov'. Boy what a novel! I couldn't stop reading it. In the course of finishing this novel not a few relationships were ruptured, notable among them : wife, boss and daughter. Well, all the relationships. Then came the 'Crime and Punishment'. I started getting dreams of getting caught by Police and waking up all sweaty.

JM's introductory primer about Modern Tamil Literature was read. The tamil terms at the addendum were memorized. Multiple questions arose. 'Borivilli' is near Bombay, where is this 'nanavili'?, Heard of 'koodu vittu koodu payvathu', what is "oodu pavu"? Is that a Chennai slang for entering someone's house and beating him? Slowly I felt comfortable at the growing stock of materiel. I could say things like 'எழுத்தாளனின் ஆழ்மனம் வாசகனின் ஆழ்மனத்துடன் படிமங்களால் நடத்தும் அந்தரங்க உரையாடலின் செறிவும் ஆழமும் தான் இலக்கியத்தின் முக்கியமான அளவுகோல்." And receive my wife's and daughter's puzzled stare.

Rajan allotted me 2 full days to take JM around the North Bay area. My character can be captured in two words : laziness and ....well laziness alone will do. I am a minimalist when it comes to doing things. Most of the time I do nothing. But getting the home organized for JM's visit was like organzing Olympics. I read in one of his post that he likes to read in a reclining pose with a foot rest. Craigslist was scavenged. A nice recliner was bought. A tax attorney was selling his (recently dead) dad's recliner. Then the books that were in the storage room were hauled and arranged. All bought for $1 and $2 from San Francisco Public Library Sale in yester years. The bookshelf was my Darumi style retort, "I have read all these books. Did you think I bought them for $1 or $2 somewhere?"

Vacation was planned. Detailed negotiations on who picks up the kid on what day and when were conducted. A big debate ensued about buying another bed. Some background is necessary. We had moved from a 3 bed to a 2 bed recently. We had given away the extra bed. My Mother in law had recently stayed with us and slept on the floor mattress. You can imagine the outrage. Exemplary behavior on my part for weeks finally broke the stalemate.

From Bed to Bath and Beyond. Fresh bath towels and hand towels. A new toothbrush stand and a soap dispenser. A dish plate to keep paste, shaving cream, soap and shampoo. A bowl to keep pot pourri. All In blue color. None of it was pre-approved. Secrecy was paramount for success. Well, some times. My wife had thrown away the old pot pourri two days ago. Another run to the store for pot pourri.

The house was "Pollyanxha" cleaned. That is the name of the maid. Followed by "Srinivasan" cleaning. It was the week of miracles. Touchup paint was sought from the Apartment management to paint over my daughter's scribbles. The patio blinds started closing again. The water pressure in the bath was set right. My wife was positively pleased. Looking at me holding windex and towel, she said that she could see a faint spark of hope. Now I could relate to my dad's frenzy on the eve of my Engineer Athimber's yearly visit.

I read in one of his post about his liking for green tea. A kettle to boil, a kettle to pour. Two little cups. A packet of green tea. But what if he doesnt like that flavor? In my office kitchen, there exists atleast 20 varieties of tea. You cannot positively get anybody's wife to agree to buy 20 varieties of tea. I grabbed (stole) a few packets, stashed in a brown bag that carried my lunch. The planning would have pleased Raskolnikov.

6 (or so, who remembers all these things) months ago, a little stone fell on my windshield, driving thru a construction zone and cracked my windshield a teeny bit. The windshield was replaced. The van was bathed in soap and water! How my van squealed in delight when the washer's sponge brushed over her delicate body! 14000 miles and 10 months later engine oil was changed.

The D-Day atlast arrived. I saw JM was working on something in his laptop. I touched his feet and shook his hand. It was my tribute to have caused this revolutionary frenzy in me.

A way forward for BJP

As all losers are bound to, BJP is in for a major introspection of “what went wrong?” after Elections 2009. One hopes that the party will undertake this exercise like adults. The primary requirement of psychotherapy is total honesty with oneself. This did not happen in 2004. For fear of offending or insulting Vajpayee/Advani duo, the party glossed over its glaring failures – failure to expand its sphere of influence, disastrous loss of ground in UP, wrong choice of allies etc. The single digit difference between its tally and the Congress tally provided a false statistical comfort. It created an impression that Congress did not win the election but BJP lost it. However a political party is in the business of winning elections; not to be comforted on the rival’s near equal performance. Somehow this lesson was lost.

Here are some prescriptions: It must shed its “leader cult” which was once alien to it that it wears so naturally now. In that sense, the party must rediscover its collective yet corporal personality. It is one of the parties in India that can discard its ‘holy cows’ and start anew. It must use this chance to come out of the Vajpayee/Advani era. RSS must let this happen untrammeled by watchful ‘pracharaks’ guarding the ideological line from inside or running commentaries from the outside. A great remedy would be observing a TV News Channel Silence for the next 3 months. Upvaas cleanses the soul and focuses the mind. As it is none of the channels care 2 hoots about the BJP and the teen-ager competition in spurting out sound bites is not a conducive environment for any therapy.

While victory has many fathers, but it is also true that failure too is fobbed off to many fathers. Among the myriad causes thrown around a keen focus and political sense is required to discard false diagnoses; However there are two main strands of thought that prevail when it comes to the future- to return to a ideologically pure Hindutva mobilization or to become more moderate in outlook and policy prescriptions to capture the vast “center-right wing” political space. There might be intense pressure from RSS to not disown the Hindutva line, but it is unlikely that RSS would want the BJP to pursue it with renewed vigour. Though there may be few causes here and there near and dear to the Hindutva faithful, by and large, the national environment is palpably indifferent to those tunes. The sub-continental environment is supremely unsuitable to say the least.

Here is a hidden truth. Everybody knows BJP is a “hindu-friendly” party. Nobody doubts that. Those who think it is not sufficiently “hindu-friendly” are in the sub-numeral fringes. There is no need for the BJP to reactively grab every "hindutva" cause in its grasp to prove itself to its own ideological base.  However there is a large body of voters that think it is too “hindu-centric” for responsible governance. Those that advance the mobilization option should prove 2 things, that there exists a sufficient “Hindutva” space yet unclaimed and BJP’s efforts in the future can claim that successfully. It is a very hard case to make. That leaves the “center-right” option.

What does this “center-right” mean? Didn’t General Beck say that catch phrases are for those that can’t think for themselves? Unless BJP understands what that means it should not declare itself to be a “center-right” party. Here is what it generally means – an informed national security perspective, a vigorous pursuit of national interests above all considerations, greater reliance on muscular foreign policy, a hard-line internal security policy against separatists and naxals, liberal economic policies, a fundamental belief in private entrepreneurship driven growth, free trade and open markets. Though BJP can check the boxes on most of these, when it comes to economics, it cannot let the entire “non-right wing” space to Congress. There are genuine considerations that are prevalent in India which makes classical neo-liberal right-wing economics unsuitable in practice and hence unrewarding in political competition. A Modi here or a Naveen there can win elections statewide, but Congress will clean its clock every time in such a scenario. Most of the pundits that prescribe this space for the BJP are its known detractors.
 
Though in general there is some level of consensus on economic reforms the BJP would be better advised to concentrate its brand differentiation in the mechanics of its implementation. Here are huge opportunities vis-à-vis the Congress.The so-called “Youth Revolution 2009” is mostly a nepotistic extension. Sachin Pilot, Jitin Prasad, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Navin Jindal won’t have a chance to be where they are without their famous last names. BJP has not done well in doing its own bit of advancing Anurags, Raghavendras, Manavendras and Dhushyants. Here is where it can stand out as a truly democratic party that rewards competence and integrity.

Another is the scope for empowerment of the middle India. This India does not live in Bangalore, New Delhi or Mumbai. This is the India of Ratlams, Tonks, Jabalpurs, Mahbubnagars and Madurais, where the intense yearning for upward mobility stymied because of infrastructural bottlenecks- both hard and soft. This India lacks educational institutions, has uneven preparatory ground in terms of primary, secondary education and uneven employment opportunities, in short "poor connectivity". By the way this India turns up at the polling booths. What the Congress has offered is this oft repeated catch phrase called “NREGA”. BJP should expose the sham that it is - a sop thrown around so that the Muniyammas and Karuppais can get on a bus to a neighbouring town and lug soil on their head for minimum wage while the guilt-free Government comfortably pursues big-business friendly “reforms” in search of 9% growth. The fact that Muniyammas' and Karuppais' children are wasted in sub-standard schools (if they are not working alongside vide) and destined for NREGA II, III should be the concern of BJP.
 
Finally a word on leadership tussle: For all its so-called “parivar” values the naked ambition and horse race for even inconsequential posts like Leader of Opposition does raise a stink. It would be best advised to not talk about who is the next PM candidate any time soon. But to choose a party leader for the next 5 years would make some headway in providing a long term focus and direction to the party.

Ironies of 2009 : Tamil nationalist Vaiko defeated in Virudhunagar, TN which comprises Thirumangalam from where he made his “POTA” winning speech, in the midst of a grave Srilankan Tamil situation by a guy called Manick Tagore! An eight term, 81 year old Hindi Enthusiast BJP MP Dr. Laxmi Narayan Pandey defeated by a Tamil-origin Meenakshi Natarajan in Mandsaur, MP.