knowledge has no horizons

What is democracy? I have the stupidity at times, but not often, to ask my friends and people whom I know by acquaintance the above-asked question, to which they simply at most times replied quoting Lincoln's famous assertion - of the people, for the people, by the people. But my mind questioned the answer as to whether "the people" referred to here really refers to the people who elected or "the elected's people". To put it another way, the sons and daughters (grandchildren also come into scene at times) of the "rulers", by rulers you may call whatever with the title you want to call "chief ministers, ministers, or others".

Though the topic that forms the bone of contention to this essay is applicable almost to the entire world politics, with some exceptions in certain countries, as far as I know, this essay specifically focuses on Indian Politics. Being a curse for the people of India right from the day Indians got independence from the "whites", the severity of it reaches its height in the recent decades. Governments, whether central or state and no matter what they are, are being "the properties" of particular families. Apart from what they ruled or rule the state(s), there are other families that seek and strive hard to see their sons and daughters or both as the supreme leaders of the state or central governments, and some among the families already managed to be up in the power ladder as state and central ministers, and some others are looking for opportune moments for adorning their kith and kin’s' heads with crowns. To corroborate these points, a number of examples and instances can be adduced both from the past and the present, and both at the central level and state level.

India has seen several politicians who wished to the well-wishers of their families themselves and want them to step into politics. During the independence, leaders of all parties, though their parties varied, fought against the "whites", forgetting their families, and with the hope that their posterity will breathe the freedom air. Nowadays, as earlier said, power is being the property of particular families.

Indians should be gratitude for Nehru for his part in the fight against the "whites". And, his daughter Indira Gandhi and his grandson, Rajiv Gandhi, have also sacrified their lives for the sake of the nation. Of course, no doubt about that. But the question is how long are we going to put their heirs on the forefront of India's supreme chair and why, telling "the tales of gratitude". Or is it just enough to be the grandson or granddaughter of Nehru or Indira Gandhi to decide the destiny of India. Past history of particular families is to be revised and the efficient one alone should adorn the "chair" of India.

In Tamilnadu, dynasty politics is worse that the worst when compared to other states of India. M. Karunanidhi, the present chief minister of Tamilnadu, always seems to set his mind to get his son, Stalin (not his sons, as one can only be the chief minister of a state) seated on the chair of chief minister, though the so-called welfare plans for the people come from his mouth every day. As Shelley calls poets "the unacknowledged legislators of the world, the sitting chief minister wants his eldest son M.K.Azhagiri to be the unackowledged legislator of the southern Tamilnadu. And, of course, the latter is so. It is a strange thing and it never happens in the history of Indian politics, as far as I know, a man who is not even a councilor of a ward controls the half of the state. But it happens in Tamilnadu and it is just because he is the son of the chief minister. His daughter, Kanimozhi was already granted to be the Member of Parliament and is expected to come in car with siren as the cabinet minister (though the parliamentary election is approaching soon). His grand daughter through M.K.Azhagiri was given the title of "Kavithayini" at Cuddalore party women function and it is assumed to be a signal of her entry into (heir) politics. It is the assumption of many that there is a rivalry for the party young men secretary between Durai Thayanidhi, the son of M.K.Azhagiri, and Udhayanidhi, the son of M.K.Stalin. No wonder, if a children association is formed under the head of Kanimozhi's son, Adhithya.

Thank god! The ex-chief minister of Tamilnadu, J. Jeyalalitha, is not getting married and does not have sons and/or daughters.

Next comes into scene is Ramadoss, who infamously calls himself the deciding factor of winning the elections in the northern parts of Tamilnadu. It is almost unknown to the people of Tamilnadu that while he was inaugurating an association called "Vanniyar Sangam", he famously said that no one from his family will enjoy the benefits of what he starts and if it happens, roared Ramadoss, "beat me in the streets with chapels and cut my hands before the public". But his son Anbumani Ramadoss is the present Cabinet minister for health in Indian government. People of Tamilnadu should think of how he acts against what he asserted!

Another man from the southern part of Tamilnadu, who claimed the fame of being the best finance minister in Asia once, is Chidambaram, the current finance minister of India, already brought his son Karthi Chidambaram into political scene.

G.K. Vasan and E.V.K.S. Elangovan, who are also central ministers in Indian government, are also enjoying the power of their fathers that they had in their parties. (Of the two, G.K. Vasan might be excused as he entered into politics after the demise of his father, G.K. Moopanar). The tow previous state leaders of Tamilnadu congress, late-Vallappadi Ramamoorthy and Krishnasamy did not forget their sons – Rama Suganthan and Vishnu Prasad – to make them walk on their foot prints.

Writing of the dynasty politics both on and under the district level will force me to write this essay into a book, and because of this I don't intend to write further about Tamilnadu politics, just for the sake of your time, readers!

The neighbouring union territory, Puducherry, has also witnessed "heir" chief ministers and ministers – the present chief minister V.Vaithiyalingam is the son of ex-chief minister Vankada subba Reddy and the present minister for education, Shajahan, the son of ex-central minister F.M.Faruk Maraikkayar.

Now, let us see in a nutshell about the impact of "dynasty politics" in other parts of India. The three neighbouring states of Tamilnadu - Kerala, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh - also suffer the fate of dynasty politics. The senior congressman in Kerala, K. Karunakaran, had the courage to start a political party under his leadership just for the sake of his son, Muraleedharan. In Karnataka, the former "farmer" prime minister of India, Deva Gowda, found (and tried to find) ecstasy in seeing his son, H.D. Kumaraswamy as the chief minister of the state, and now, his daughter-in-law Anita Kumarasamy is an MLA representing Madhugiri constituency. N.T. Rama Rao of Andhra Pradesh managed to become the chief minister of the state just within nine months after starting a political party for himself and gave to his wife, Parvathi, both the party and his position in government when he kicked the bucket. Now that his nephew Chandrababu Naidu is the leader of the party is another story altogether. The late chief minister Rajasekara Reddy's son Jaganmohan Reddy is a sitting MP for Kadapa Lok Saba constituency.

Northern states are also not exception for dynasty politics. In Maharashtra, we have Paul Thackeray and his son Uttav Thackeray. The supremeo of the Nationalist Congress Party Sharad Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule are the central minister in the present UPA coalition government. His nephew Ajit Pawar is already "ornamenting" as a minister in the Ashok Chavan-led Congress-NCP coalition government. The present Chief Minister of Maharashtra is also a product of the son-rise syndrome. He is the son of former chief minister S.B.Chavan. The 2009 Maharashtra assembly election is to come providing yet another good and strong base for dynasty politics. Vilasrao Deshmukh, who was the chief minister of Maharastra and the current Minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in the present congress government managed to get a seat for his son Amit to contest from Latur city constituency and another ex-chief minister of Maharastra Shinde, for his part, got a seat for his daughter Praniti for Solapur city central. Rajendra Shekhawat, son of President Pratibha Patil, has already been nominated from Amravati constituency. It is also expected that the Maharashtra's deputy CM Chhagan Bhujbal is of mind to see his son Pangaj Bhujbal as an MLA representing NCP. On the part of BJP, it is the turn for the late Pramod Mahajan's daughter, Poonam Mahajan-Rao to get the seat and contest the election. BJP general secretary Gopinath Munde raised many eyebrows getting three seats for his daughter, son-in-law and niece. He seemed to have forgotten the fact that the state has 288 seats in total.

In Bihar, We have Lalu Prasad Yadav and his wife Rabri Devi. Rajasthan witnessed her first woman chief minister, Vasundhara Raje, whose no-more mother Vijayaraje Scindia served the both houses of the Parliament as MP and his late brother as MP and minister in the congress-ruled government. In Jammu and Kashmir, We have the former Chief Minister Faruk Abdullah and his son Umar Abdullah, the present chief minister, and the former Chief Minister Mufti Mohammad Sayeed and his daughter Mehbooba Mufti Sayeed, who is the opposition party leader in the present assembly.

The list extends and will extend. But, as a citizen of India, it is our duty to vote them in every election. Long live DEMOCRACY! (Last updated 25/09/09)

Economy of any country is determined by its workforce and natural resources it has, and India is not an exception for this. India having a history of cultural richness is now taking decisive steps to set its foot on the so-called developed world, and is already taking the lead in the developing countries along with the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries. But the question that is almost unassailable is whether India will survive its economy without its highly educated workforce.

India has a rich-in-knowledge workforce, and it is obvious from the fact that the countries like the USA, the UK and some others have outsourced jobs to and off shored their branches in India. It is always winning the race of getting outsourcing from foreign countries among other Asian giants like China, Philippines and Thailand and the fact that should not be forgotten is that it is because it has highly educated workforce. To keep this stand firm, India has to have the workforce in its hand.

It is no exaggeration to say that India has now shifted its attention from its natural resources to knowledge resources for its economy, and as is expected resulted in the positive. Institutions like IITs, IIMs and Universities all over India keep on contributing in creating educated minds. It is estimated in a survey that around 5,000 PhDs pass out every year and about 300,000 engineering students graduate annually in India. Yet the thing that is threatening India is the acute shortage of talents in the fields of science, engineering and technology India is to face in the future, or to put in simple term, India is going to suffer the brain drain in the very future.

What is brain drain? Brain drain, also called human capital flight, is defined as the migration of educated workforce to a foreign country, almost with the intention settling there permanently. A 1969 UNESCO report describes brain drain as an abnormal form of scientific exchange between countries, characterized by a one-way flow in the favour of the most highly developed countries. Brain drain can occur either when individuals who study abroad and complete their education do not return to their home country, or when individuals educated in the home country emigrate for higher wages or better opportunities (thanks Wikipedia). Of the two kinds of brain drain, the erstwhile is less severe when compared to the second as the second exploits the intellect gained from the home country to earn for foreign countries.

India had once the history of having excess of workforce and produced in more abundance economists, statisticians, etc. that it could provide with jobs. According to a report, there were around 75,000 unemployed engineers in India in 1965. Let the past live in the past. L.M. Naik of L & T was told to have reported in 2005 that his company requires 2,000 fresh engineers every year to keep up with the pace. It is the case of a single company, but India has big companies like this in thousands, both local and foreign. Suffered from brain overflow in the past, what is frightening India at present is brain drain. What caused this?

Occidental countries are always interested in utilizing the Indian intellect to make themselves richer than ever, and considering this godsend opportunity, the young educated Indian minds are yearning to earn their money in dollars. They are not, of course, seeking after impossibilities as they have acquired what foreign companies require, and get succeeded to secure for themselves jobs in foreign countries, forgetting their home land.

What are the measures to be taken to prevent this? What will be India’s future if this continues? Whether any law is to be implemented to prevent people going for work in foreign countries? All these questions become unnecessary if the every educated mind in India starts thinking of their own country and its development.

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Dhanush, with his Yaradi Nee Mohini, set his foot in three subsequent hits. Although it is not an unusual story ever told in Tamil cinema, it is a deliberate attempt to delineate it in a different manner, with all things that satisfy the audience appetite.

Vasu (Dhanush), the only son of the teacher (Raguvaran), is on the job hunt, but of no avail. His inability to secure a job for himself in any organization earned him a bad name both at his home and outside. Frustrated with this, he comes into conflict with his father over trivial things. Life turned all of a sudden when he got selected in a company, where Geerthi (Nayanthara) was his trainer. His interview with Geerthi, who is the interviewer, fulfills its intention of making the audience laugh, along with such scenes as when Ganesh (Karnaas) is forced talk over phone to Geerthi telling her that Vasu is mad in love with her. Her rejection of love for Vasu saying that she already got engaged and is not in a position to even think of love results in great disappointment in Vasu and the incidents coming after in the demise of his father.

The second half of the movie concentrates absolutely on comedy, while gradually moving the story along the main line. Geerthi’s sister’s love at first sight for Vasu and the subsequent events form the comedy track. Regretting sorry for her rejection of Vasu’s love for her, the fiancé and the going-to-be bride in the morning embraces Vasu in the presence of uncle-going-to-be husband, Cheenu (Karthik Kumar), though without her knowledge. It is an unwritten law in any movie in any language that hero should take the hands of the heroine at the end. So happens here.

Raguvaran and the one played the role of Nayanthara’s sister in this movie deserve mentioning in a separate paragraph. Whether it is talking to his son trying to console him when Dhanush told him that his love was rejected, or talking to Nayanthara asking her to accept his son’s love, or drinking with Dhanush and uttering dialogues subsequently in his own style, he proves to be an impeccable actor. (But, it is unfortunate that Indian cine industry lost such an excellent actor.) Nayanthara’s sister makes the audience raise their brows with her performance. Comedy comes without hurdles in her acting. Mind refuses to accept that it is her debut movie.

The movie is not without its shortcomings – for example, making unknown the company’s name in which Dhanush is working to his friend where his fiancé, Nayanthara, is the trainer – but are vanished with the screenplay that makes the movie go smoother till the end.

Yuvan Shankar Raja has done his job well as usual, both in the songs and in the background music. Udit Narayan’s lisping voice and Hariharan’s mesmerizing tone in songs “Engeyo” and “Venmegam”, respectively, bind the hearts of listeners. Camera captures scenes perspicuously even at a misty dawn. Dhanush can be given a pat on his back for shedding his hero image for the sake of character he is playing and for accepting words as “night beggar”, though for cinema. Already being a hit for actor Vengadesh in Telugu film Aadavari Matalaku Ardhalu Verule, the director A. Jawahar helps Dhanush have a hat-trick with this movie.

In short, the movie is worth the money spending for the ticket.

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We live in a world of scientific advancements and innovations. Of course, science has played a vital role in changing our lives. We are no longer in the stone age, and everything in the world is almost made to be controlled by codings and programs. But, before taking pride in what science has achieved so far, we have to ask ourselves and answer the question, Whether scientific advancements led, leads and will lead mankind to development or destruction? (I use the word "science" to mean "scientific advancements" in the paragraphs to come.)

The answer, in my standpoint, will not be affirmative, and I am certain to corroborate my points with a number of events evident from the past. Though I agree to the fact that I have already mentioned that science has played a paramount part in changing our lives of every sort, we can find that science takes us on the destructive path, if we look into the so-called "developments" a little bit deeper.

We cannot ignore the fact that the middle of the twentieth century has seen the two World Wars which resulted in the deaths of millions of people and in which science in the form of the atom, the worst enemy of all times until human kind survives on the earth, helped increase the death toll. Hiroshima and Nagasaki recorded themselves in the history as the first victims for atom bombs. Science strengthens the atom bombs in various and sundry forms now. But the world is still to see several wars!

An oft-quoted and almost all the times lauded notion about science that it has increased the longevity of people's lives through innovations in medicines. It should not be forgotten that the advancements in medicines cure us through decorated tablets and pills, but finally result in the so-called side effects. Science heals us to kill!

One of the most important things that troubles the mankind is man’s attempt to making the man himself through cloning. Imagine a man with a face similar to that of your own, sharing your same characteristics, walking around, speaking with you. Even thinking of such thing is disturbing the whole mankind. It is not such a thing that can just be tolerated as this is absolutely against Nature. What is more!

Machine replace men in every filed, and the impact of it is severe in agriculture, especially in countries like India, resulting in the unemployment of several in the villages. The “backbones” (coolies) are now broken with the advent of machines, ever making them remain the same with the innovations in the existing ones. Natural fertilizers are no longer in use, and those who use it, at least in some places, are seen just “illiterates”. We reap the benefit within months, eventually making us eat just junk(s).

The world witness every second an accident, a wreck or a crash, on the land, in the water or over the sky. Science has made not only the things cheaper, but also the human lives. Advancements in transportation decrease the distance to hell. Rapid growth in scientific advancements result the people to lose their lives rapidly. And it will be no exaggeration to say that journeys are undertaken now not with the feeling of enjoyment, but with the fear of saving lives. One cannot be sure to go back home!

I may sound in this essay as against the scientific advancements, which is not true. While agreeing with the fact that science enables our lives and works easier, we cannot just ignore the negatives, which I aimed writing in this essay. Though there is lot more to be discussed over this issue, I have confined myself within limits, trying in this essay to define some of the devastating effects of the so-called scientific advancements.

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Not all born on the Earth earn fame for his name, either in the political world or in the business world. Not all who earned fame in either of these be the source of inspiration for the younger generation. But the essay is about a man whose name hits Google in an unimaginable way 14,000 times, and for whom fame is not a sought-after, instead awards--whether it is India’s Padma Bhushan, or a honorary doctorate in business administration by the Ohio State University, or honorary doctorate in Technology by the Asian Institute of Technology, or honorary doctorate in Science by the University of Warwick--wait in queue and take pride when conferred on him. This is about the name that reigned ever with success the Indian entrepreneurial samraj and that owns the group of companies whose products and services, standing the test of time, serve as the synonym for quality. Yes, the name that requires not even a moment of conjecture and that casts a spell on the young minds is none other than Ratan Tata.

The 69-year-old young man entered the TATA Group in 1962 on returning from the USA. Having graduated in Architecture, he knows the art of building India and makes the Indians proud for being Indians. Though born with silver spoon in his mouth, he didn’t hesitate to work on the floors of Tata Steels along with ordinary workers. No one knew, including Ratan Tata himself at that time, that he is going to make it the fifth largest producer of steel in the world after buying Corus Steel for $12 billion, the largest Indian takeover of a foreign company. Of course, he had the grit to do that.

The sea of change is taking place across the group of companies right from the day he took the charge as the Group Chairman in 1991. Nothing comes for him by magic, nor does he attain the top of the power ladder just with jump. After years of hard work in Tata Steel, he was appointed the Chairman of Tata Industries in 1981 and Deputy Chairman of Tata Motors in 1988. Right from his accession to the Tata samraj, the samrat never sees any major setbacks in his attempts, whether it is the case of acquiring Corus Steel or buying the South Korean truck maker, Daewoo commercial vehicles. He transformed his groups’ national identity to transnational one. For him, ‘promise is a promise’ and this promise make millions of Indian dream of the new 1-lakh car, Nano.

No wonder, Ratan Tata tops the list of India Today’s “High & Mighty Power List” for the past three consecutive years (I am not sure whether he is ranked first before that, too). It took anyone by surprise that this group chairman of 98 operating companies with revenues over crores in lakhs once ‘washed planes at a flying club at Cornell to pay for his flying lessons’. I don’t find it exaggerated to say that this simplicity along with sagacity takes him to the top of entrepreneurship.

Culture is to a nation as heart is to a human being. Have you ever imagined any living creature without a backbone of its own? Certainly not! It would be apt to call culture the backbone of any nation. The word “culture” having its root from the Latin word “Cultura” means "to cultivate". It is the thing which cultivated the stone-age man and turned him to sophisticated man.

Culture is always defined as a set of general customs or belief of a particular group of people or any nation or a part of a nation. To put it in simple terms, it is “the way of life of an entire society”. It is almost always applied to the way people are to behave or to lead their life, to the manners, customs and beliefs, albeit applied to other forms such as art, literature, film, painting, sculpture and theater.

Every nation has its own culture. Among the European nations, Greece traces the history of having a richness of culture right from the antiquities, and the Romans share the respect of the same with the Greeks. In Asia, countries like Egypt and China also had very good culture in ancient times. After all, the fact that should not be forgotten is that India boasts of its culture from the beginning of the world, and it is not hyperbolic to say that India pioneered the world about having a culture of its own.

The Tamils (an ethnic group that form the southern part of India) have a lot of things to admire about their culture, like one for each other in marital life. It is clear and evident from the Tamil epics like Manimekala that it is almost considered a sin for a girl or a woman to make a man have a feel of lust with her luscious eyes or by lascivious appearance. Even thinking of another man’s wife was a cruel and unpardonable thing in ancient times. Kambar, a great poet in Tamil literature, too, described in his Ramayana the character of Lakshmana as a worshipper of his brother Rama and his beloved wife and presented him as he used to talk to her by seeing the fingers in her feet.

Culture has changed a lot nowadays. There is no gender discrimination between people. The advent of science made its impact in the every sphere of people’s lives and also in their culture. Cinema has its devastating effect in making the culture go on the way of wrack and ruin. Cultural dress like sarees and dhotis are replaced by churidhars and pants. T-shirts and jeans become a common thing for both men and women. I am not here to say that such kind of changes should not be welcomed, but not affecting the roots of culture.

Of course, everything in this world is subject to change except the word “change” itself, and it is acceptable that it is ineluctable to have changes in the basics of culture because of the factors like “contact between societies” and “changes in the natural environment”, but not at the cost of culture itself. For, culture, according to a critic, is “the best that has been thought and said in the world”, and it is our duty and responsibility to save it from the so-called fashions of the modern era.

Beauteous to behold is the placid place,
And blessed with bliss is the bird and its race,
That rummages through the ramages of the trees,
To peck the fruits scrumptious in the gentle breeze.

The brook flowing beneath is glowing in gloaming,
Flinging pebbles small slowly on its moving;
And whisper with rustling all through its route,
In the air, the Cuckoo’s poised canorous note.

The well-spring of glee in my weird world,
Winding-down worries from my wearied mind and sad;
Wither you flit, blithe and blissful bird,
Wake I am the ecstatic songs thine to be heard.

No shifts for you to work, ye happy bird,
Nor to meet the evenings ever tired;
No dinner in hungry stomachs to gorge,
Nor have you the peccable minds to forge.

Wake we to work and work, and work till night,
With all our endless efforts and might,
And rest we in beds a little while to make
The tired minds and bodies afresh, Lo! again to wake.

Fly away and bring me into your blissful region,
From the land perilous with farragoes legion;
Or come out to make my dull soul be shone,
From your coppices dark and fully-grown.

Ye, enchorial to the ever ecstatic world,
Take me to live ever in thine joyous shade;
Cos, agonizing is the life here and there,
As the Ten Plagues occurring altogether.


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O, my beloved, be with me forever,
Let us prove to the world
The ecstasies infinite yet undiscovered.
Come my Love, I will get for you
The heavenly apples from the Hesperides.
Or gift you gathering the sands all
Stained with gold from the Pactolus filled.

O, the Helen of the heart of mine,
Let us bid Daedalus to fashion
The feathered-wings to be fixed,
And wander with clouds the world around,
And make those under the sun dumb-found.
Or grab with Athena's harness golden
The Pegasus from the Hippocrene and fly.

O, the walking perennial beauty enviable,
Let us order Apollo to speed up
His day chariot to driving it fast;
And get us hurt from the Cupid's bows
To feel the painful pleasures of nights.
And asking Aurora to be ever at rest
And find we in Love the finest and best.

Hark to me, my honied heart, to the words
Of the willing slave of your winking eyes;
'Come live with me and be my love'.
We shall dine upon the Idunn's apples ever
In the elation-filled Elysian fields,
To be ebullient with eternal youth, and find
The dimwitted Tithonus felt jealous-found.

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