Today is the first day of India's Wildlife Week .(October1-7, 2013).
Let us reaffirm our commitment to preserve ecology , biodiversity , wildlife , forests and environment .
Monday, 30 September 2013
Monday, 16 September 2013
Ozone Layer Preservation Day
Today is 16th September,2013(Monday).It is International day for Preservation of Ozone Layer.Ozone layer depletion was observed since the 1970s in two ways:
1.A steady decline of about 4% per decade in the total volume of Ozone in Stratosphere.
2.A much larger spring time decrease in Ozone layer over Earth's Polar regions, especially the Antarctica.
The consequences of Ozone layer depletion are Skin cancer, Cataract , Lower immunity and damage to plants.Due to efforts of all the nations, there is some success in controlling the Ozone layer depletion .There is a clear evidence of decrease in the burden of Ozone depleting Substances(ODSs) and signs of Ozone recovery .But the long life of ODSs like CFC means that it may take another 75 years to go back to values like those of 1960s.In February 2013, Ozone hole over Antartica was the smallest in the past decade.So there are signs of hope.
The Montreal Protocol was adopted on September16,1987.At present , 197 countries are a party to Montreal Protocol.India became a party to the Montreal Protocol on 17th December,1992.Under the Protocol,production and use of 96 ODSs was controlled .India was using 9 out of these 96.On December 19,1994,the UN General Assembly proclaimed September16 to be the International day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.It was first celebrated on 16th September,1995.Today is 19th International Ozone Layer Preservation day.
The nine ODSs India was using in 1992 were:
1.CFC ChloroFlouroCarbon(3 types)
2.CTC carbon Tetra Chloride
3.HCFC hydroChloroFlouroCarbons
4.Methyl Chloroform
5.MethylBromide
6Halone(2 types)
The seven major industries in which these nine ODSs were being used were:
1.Refrigeration.
2.AC
3.Foam
4.Solvent sector
5.Aerosols
6.Metered Dose Inhalers(MDI)
7.Fire Extinguishers
India has successfully phased out the production and consumption of CFC,CTC,Halons on 1st January,2010, except in MDI.India has agreed to phase out HCFC by January1,2030.The same is the success story the world over.The success story of the Montreal Protocol gives us a hope that the nations of the world are capable of cooperation for the common good.It also shows that the governments , industry, civil society can work together for meeting other developmental and environmental challenges.
However we cannot rest contented.In India, we have replaced CFC by HFC.But HFC as well as HCFC are 10,000 times more potent than Carbon dioxide in causing Global warming .So we have preserved Ozone layer but caused Global warming .The Montreal protocol does not place any restriction on HFC.Also there is a huge cost of transition from HFC to Safer options ,which do not cause Global warming.The USA is trying to link Ozone preservation to Climate protection efforts.India has to take a view, as climate protection is covered under Kyoto Protocol.Next meeting of parties of the Montreal Protocol is due in November,2013 in Bangkok.We need to create public opinion to opt for policies that contribute to Ozone rich but less warm atmosphere.We have to keep our atmosphere healthy and pollution free ,in line with the theme"Healthy Atmosphere,the future we want"This is the message of International day for Preservation of Ozone Layer,2013.
I have been told that one out of every four citizens of Australia suffers from skin cancer because of Ozone hole in Antartica and Southern Hemisphere.If it is true,(I wish ,it were wrong) there is an urgency to fight Ozone depletion , especially in Southern Hemisphere.
1
1.A steady decline of about 4% per decade in the total volume of Ozone in Stratosphere.
2.A much larger spring time decrease in Ozone layer over Earth's Polar regions, especially the Antarctica.
The consequences of Ozone layer depletion are Skin cancer, Cataract , Lower immunity and damage to plants.Due to efforts of all the nations, there is some success in controlling the Ozone layer depletion .There is a clear evidence of decrease in the burden of Ozone depleting Substances(ODSs) and signs of Ozone recovery .But the long life of ODSs like CFC means that it may take another 75 years to go back to values like those of 1960s.In February 2013, Ozone hole over Antartica was the smallest in the past decade.So there are signs of hope.
The Montreal Protocol was adopted on September16,1987.At present , 197 countries are a party to Montreal Protocol.India became a party to the Montreal Protocol on 17th December,1992.Under the Protocol,production and use of 96 ODSs was controlled .India was using 9 out of these 96.On December 19,1994,the UN General Assembly proclaimed September16 to be the International day for the Preservation of the Ozone Layer.It was first celebrated on 16th September,1995.Today is 19th International Ozone Layer Preservation day.
The nine ODSs India was using in 1992 were:
1.CFC ChloroFlouroCarbon(3 types)
2.CTC carbon Tetra Chloride
3.HCFC hydroChloroFlouroCarbons
4.Methyl Chloroform
5.MethylBromide
6Halone(2 types)
The seven major industries in which these nine ODSs were being used were:
1.Refrigeration.
2.AC
3.Foam
4.Solvent sector
5.Aerosols
6.Metered Dose Inhalers(MDI)
7.Fire Extinguishers
India has successfully phased out the production and consumption of CFC,CTC,Halons on 1st January,2010, except in MDI.India has agreed to phase out HCFC by January1,2030.The same is the success story the world over.The success story of the Montreal Protocol gives us a hope that the nations of the world are capable of cooperation for the common good.It also shows that the governments , industry, civil society can work together for meeting other developmental and environmental challenges.
However we cannot rest contented.In India, we have replaced CFC by HFC.But HFC as well as HCFC are 10,000 times more potent than Carbon dioxide in causing Global warming .So we have preserved Ozone layer but caused Global warming .The Montreal protocol does not place any restriction on HFC.Also there is a huge cost of transition from HFC to Safer options ,which do not cause Global warming.The USA is trying to link Ozone preservation to Climate protection efforts.India has to take a view, as climate protection is covered under Kyoto Protocol.Next meeting of parties of the Montreal Protocol is due in November,2013 in Bangkok.We need to create public opinion to opt for policies that contribute to Ozone rich but less warm atmosphere.We have to keep our atmosphere healthy and pollution free ,in line with the theme"Healthy Atmosphere,the future we want"This is the message of International day for Preservation of Ozone Layer,2013.
I have been told that one out of every four citizens of Australia suffers from skin cancer because of Ozone hole in Antartica and Southern Hemisphere.If it is true,(I wish ,it were wrong) there is an urgency to fight Ozone depletion , especially in Southern Hemisphere.
1
Saturday, 7 September 2013
What needs to be done for our environment?
This evening(September 7,2013;Saturday),I had the opportunity to attend an international event on environment organized by the City Montessori School.It was attended by 65 teams of students from Nigeria,Sri Lanka,Bangla Desh , Nepal as also from various states of India.It was a delightful, meaningful and well-organized event.I have witnessed very few events of this kind , where the message was driven home to everyone present, without any doubt.I was asked to say a "few words".What follows is a summary of what I spoke there.
Chief Seattle said:"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors.we borrow it from our children."Chief Seattle was the person after whom city of Seattle is founded.Seattle , the city of Microsoft,Amazon.com,Boeing and Star Bucks , is clean and green , as i found in my visit to this city in May this year.What Chief Seattle meant was that we must have an attitude that this Earth is to be preserved and made cleaner and greener for the posterity.
Environment has to be conserved by the government as well as by the citizens.Neither the government alone , nor the citizenry alone can do it .It has to be a combined effort.
At government level , it is muti-departmental,multi-disciplinary area.As many as fourteen departments are involved as follows:
1.Environment.
2.Forests.
3.Transport.
4.Housing/town and country planning.
5.Urban development/Urban local bodies.
6.Power.
7.Non-conventional energy.
8.Industry.
9.Agriculture.
10.Panchayati Raj/Rural local bodies.
11.Health/family welfare.
12.Medical education.
13.Education.
14.Public Works,Roads, and Buildings.
So high level of skills of co-ordination are required to get results out of these fourteen departments.
in addition , there are a large number of laws and rules relating to pollution control and environment protection .One has to really struggle hard to keep oneself updated on these legal provisions.Some of the important Acts and Rules are as below:
Chief Seattle said:"We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors.we borrow it from our children."Chief Seattle was the person after whom city of Seattle is founded.Seattle , the city of Microsoft,Amazon.com,Boeing and Star Bucks , is clean and green , as i found in my visit to this city in May this year.What Chief Seattle meant was that we must have an attitude that this Earth is to be preserved and made cleaner and greener for the posterity.
Environment has to be conserved by the government as well as by the citizens.Neither the government alone , nor the citizenry alone can do it .It has to be a combined effort.
At government level , it is muti-departmental,multi-disciplinary area.As many as fourteen departments are involved as follows:
1.Environment.
2.Forests.
3.Transport.
4.Housing/town and country planning.
5.Urban development/Urban local bodies.
6.Power.
7.Non-conventional energy.
8.Industry.
9.Agriculture.
10.Panchayati Raj/Rural local bodies.
11.Health/family welfare.
12.Medical education.
13.Education.
14.Public Works,Roads, and Buildings.
So high level of skills of co-ordination are required to get results out of these fourteen departments.
in addition , there are a large number of laws and rules relating to pollution control and environment protection .One has to really struggle hard to keep oneself updated on these legal provisions.Some of the important Acts and Rules are as below:
1.The water(The Prevention and Control of Pollution)Act,1974.
2.The Air(Prevention and Control of pollution)Act,1981.
3.The Environment (Protection)Act , 1986.
4.The hazardous Wastes(management , handling and transboundary movement)rules,2008.
5.The Bio-Medical Waste(Management and handling)Rules,1998.
6.The Plastics Manufacture , Sale and Usage Rules,1999.
7.The Municipal Solid wastes(Management and Handling) Rules,2000.
8.The Noise Pollution(Regulation and control)Rules,2000.
9.The Batteries(management and handling)Rules,2001.
10.Energy Conservation act ,2001.
A third aspect of environment is to work out a comprehensive environmental pollution index.Central Pollution Control Board with IIT , New Delhi worked out a Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index(CEPI) based on air , water and land pollution .According to this
A third aspect of environment is to work out a comprehensive environmental pollution index.Central Pollution Control Board with IIT , New Delhi worked out a Comprehensive Environmental Pollution Index(CEPI) based on air , water and land pollution .According to this
study,eleven most polluted cities/industrial clusters/areas in UP:
Critically Polluted(CEPI is 70 or above) .
1. Ghaziabad . 87.37.
2.Singrauli .81.73.
3.Noida . 78.90
4.Kanpur . .78.09
5.Agra . 76.48.
6.Varanasi-Mirzapur . 73.79
These six areas are critically polluted.
Severely polluted areas;
7Moradabad ..64.71
8.Aligarh . .63.83.
9.Firozabad . .60.51.
Polluted;
10.Mathura . 59.98
11.Meerrut . 59.38
The state government has got 52.5 million trees planted in the last 3 months and has developed 60 green lungs in 58 districts , with areas ranging from 50 acres in many districts to 1000 acres in Etawah. It has decided to go ahead for declaring Pilibhit Forests as Tiger reserve.
Here is my list for what a common citizen can and should do to preserve and improve environment .
1.Enhance the green cover.
2.Learn and implement three R's of environment:recycle,Reuse,Reduce.
3.Adopt an eco-friendly way of living and dying.Make green buildings, do rainwater harvesting, consume less water, conserve energy and practice ecological intelligence.
4.Say "Yes" to gender equality in all walks of life from education to providing washrooms .This will reduce population explosion.
5.Education has no meaning without learning to conserve environment.education and environment should be taught together.
6.Maintain highest standards of cleanliness and non-pollution.
7Respect diversity and bio-diversity.
8.Use eco-friendly transport,public transport and pooled transport.
What is needed is a belief system and an attitude about environment in every person on the above lines.
The state government has got 52.5 million trees planted in the last 3 months and has developed 60 green lungs in 58 districts , with areas ranging from 50 acres in many districts to 1000 acres in Etawah. It has decided to go ahead for declaring Pilibhit Forests as Tiger reserve.
Here is my list for what a common citizen can and should do to preserve and improve environment .
1.Enhance the green cover.
2.Learn and implement three R's of environment:recycle,Reuse,Reduce.
3.Adopt an eco-friendly way of living and dying.Make green buildings, do rainwater harvesting, consume less water, conserve energy and practice ecological intelligence.
4.Say "Yes" to gender equality in all walks of life from education to providing washrooms .This will reduce population explosion.
5.Education has no meaning without learning to conserve environment.education and environment should be taught together.
6.Maintain highest standards of cleanliness and non-pollution.
7Respect diversity and bio-diversity.
8.Use eco-friendly transport,public transport and pooled transport.
What is needed is a belief system and an attitude about environment in every person on the above lines.
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Why I read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand periodically?
Why is it that we want to read some books again and again?More specifically , why I feel drawn to read The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand again , and yet again?Ayn Rand wrote this masterpiece in 1943 , and it still has the power to hold me in 2013, 70 years after ,since she wrote it.It has the same freshness, vigour and capacity to uplift ,as it had when I read it for the first time in 1980.The only difference in the last 30 years is that I appreciate it more clearly and admire it more.Where does its captivating power lie ?It has had and will continue to have that staying power which only the classics have.
Ayn Rand wrote this work in 1943 when she was 38 years .She wrote Introduction to the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition in 1968 when she was 63 years .In this , she asks:"Are there any substantial changes I would want to make in The Fountainhead?".And answers:"No-and therefore I have left its text unchanged."In the same introduction she says that one of the cardinal reasons of The Fountainhead's lasting appeal is that it is a confirmation of the spirit of youth, proclaiming man's glory, showing how much is possible.
The Fountainhead has successfully created an ideal man in Howard Roark.He has a code of ethics and a reverence for himself and his values.He does not give up before the usual process of corruption, the way most people get corrupted in this world.He retains his values, his mind , his self-esteem, and does not abandon his values despite great hardships.He does not lose his fire.He holds on and moves on , knowing that the fire is not to be betrayed, learning to give it purpose , shape and reality He does not know what and where his future is,he marches on to realize man's glory and life's potential.He truly demonstrates the power of a man.This sounds egoistic but that is precisely the crux:The theme of The Fountainhead is that man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress.
I especially like the last para of the Introduction:"It does not matter that only a few in each generation will grasp and achieve the full reality of man's proper stature-and that the rest will betray it.It is those few that move the world and give life its meaning-and it is those few that I have always sought to address.The rest are no concern of mine :it is not me or The Fountainhead that they will betray :it is their own souls."
This power to inspire, motivate and ignite for having and following complete loyalty to a code of ethics and having an unflinching faith in the power of an individual, described in an interesting , romantic backdrop , makes us read The Fountainhead , again and again .
Ayn Rand wrote this work in 1943 when she was 38 years .She wrote Introduction to the Twenty-fifth Anniversary Edition in 1968 when she was 63 years .In this , she asks:"Are there any substantial changes I would want to make in The Fountainhead?".And answers:"No-and therefore I have left its text unchanged."In the same introduction she says that one of the cardinal reasons of The Fountainhead's lasting appeal is that it is a confirmation of the spirit of youth, proclaiming man's glory, showing how much is possible.
The Fountainhead has successfully created an ideal man in Howard Roark.He has a code of ethics and a reverence for himself and his values.He does not give up before the usual process of corruption, the way most people get corrupted in this world.He retains his values, his mind , his self-esteem, and does not abandon his values despite great hardships.He does not lose his fire.He holds on and moves on , knowing that the fire is not to be betrayed, learning to give it purpose , shape and reality He does not know what and where his future is,he marches on to realize man's glory and life's potential.He truly demonstrates the power of a man.This sounds egoistic but that is precisely the crux:The theme of The Fountainhead is that man's ego is the fountainhead of human progress.
I especially like the last para of the Introduction:"It does not matter that only a few in each generation will grasp and achieve the full reality of man's proper stature-and that the rest will betray it.It is those few that move the world and give life its meaning-and it is those few that I have always sought to address.The rest are no concern of mine :it is not me or The Fountainhead that they will betray :it is their own souls."
This power to inspire, motivate and ignite for having and following complete loyalty to a code of ethics and having an unflinching faith in the power of an individual, described in an interesting , romantic backdrop , makes us read The Fountainhead , again and again .
Sunday, 18 August 2013
Control in an age of empowerment by Robert Simons
This classic article was originally published in Harvard Business Review in 1995, but is relevant even today .While it is a fashion to talk about empowering the employees in an organization , the top management often chooses to exercise more and more control on the decision making .The two- control and empowerment- - are thus opposed to each other.In India,in public sector and government , there is a tendency towards ever increasing control, thereby resulting in less and less empowerment of the employees at different levels.This often suits the employees as well .In the era of hyperactive Auditors and Courts (through Public Interest Litigation),employees too,of late, prefer less and less powers of decision-making , so that the accountability for decisions and actions lies at the senior levels.This results in control-oriented ,dis-empowering system of management and governance .The ultimate sufferer is an ordinary member of public , who has to wait in-ordinately long, with little accessibility to actual decision makers.It certainly results in poor, corrupt and inefficient governance.
What is the solution?Does it mean that the employees are given more powers, with very little control at the top.Robert Simons answers this question very precisely and with great clarity.He takes a position that we need to harness every employee's creativity by empowering him or her .But it should be done carefully with four levers of control, given below.
1.Diagnostic control systems which define and monitor critical performance variables, with preset goals.
2.Clearly articulated belief and value systems.
3.Boundary systems defining code of conduct and minimum ethical standards.(The rules of the game)
4.Interactive control systems by organizational dialogue to encourage learning.
The balancing of empowerment and control is clearly the responsibility of the top management .In the government ,both at the centre and in the states , this responsibility lies with the senior civil servants and the ministers .How far they want to do it , and if they want to do it , how far they succeed in achieving this balance , defines , to some extent , the quality of governance .India, alas , is far away from the ideal level of balance.
What is the solution?Does it mean that the employees are given more powers, with very little control at the top.Robert Simons answers this question very precisely and with great clarity.He takes a position that we need to harness every employee's creativity by empowering him or her .But it should be done carefully with four levers of control, given below.
1.Diagnostic control systems which define and monitor critical performance variables, with preset goals.
2.Clearly articulated belief and value systems.
3.Boundary systems defining code of conduct and minimum ethical standards.(The rules of the game)
4.Interactive control systems by organizational dialogue to encourage learning.
The balancing of empowerment and control is clearly the responsibility of the top management .In the government ,both at the centre and in the states , this responsibility lies with the senior civil servants and the ministers .How far they want to do it , and if they want to do it , how far they succeed in achieving this balance , defines , to some extent , the quality of governance .India, alas , is far away from the ideal level of balance.
Friday, 2 August 2013
The Story of a Nobody by Anton Chekhov
This novel of 122 pages by Chekhov is very interesting and powerful.This Nobody, who is also the narrator of the story(Stepan) , belongs to a terrorist group and manages to get the job of a servant in the household of a government official's son(Orlov, also called Georgy Ivanych) , with a view to spy on the father.But the experience of staying in that house changes the mission of this young Nobody .Suddenly , he realizes the purposelessness of life and becomes disillusioned with his mission .He gives up his mission.
Orlov is fond of reading new books.He falls in love with a married woman , Zinaida Fyodorovna.She leaves her husband and moves into the house of Orlov.It is then that Orlov begins to avoid her , and goes on for long periods to stay with one of his male friends , just to escape her.Finally , Zinaida discovers the truth , and Stepan helps her to escape from St. Petersberg to Venice.
Zinaida becomes a cynic and tells Stepan that there is no difference between Stepan and Orlov.Both had deceived her and abandoned her in their own ways.Stepan does bring her to Paris but she sees no future for her.Stepan first thinks that it is due to her cynicism and despair , but later realizes that what she says has truth in it.
Zinaida gives birth to a baby of Orlov(Sonya) , and dies during child birth (perhaps by consuming poison.).Stepan returns with Sonya to St. Petersberg. Stepan realizes that he is not well , is old and is nearing his death .He goes to Orlov to discuss the future of Sonya.Orlov tells him to send Sonya to a boarding house , and also tells him to discuss things with the ex-husband of Zinaida.
Stepan realizes observes and experiences deceit, hypocrisy , illness and old age , and it changes his faith and his convictions in his mission .He realizes that very learned persons like Orlov could be mistaken in their beliefs, apparently honest persons like himself could actually be cheating others , resulting in his cynicism and purposelessness .There is only a sudden flash about one possible purpose of life: selfless love for another.
Monday, 22 July 2013
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
Successful Managers versus Effective Managers
I recently read the 1988 book called "Real Managers" by Fred Luthans , Richard M. Hodgetts and Stuart A. Rosenkrantz.It was based on empirical data from an extensive four year study on real managers.
For me , it was a paradigm shifting book.I thought , I must share its central idea with a wider audience through social media .I am sure , if you are a real manager , it will change the way you work .
The book has nine chapters but the real findings are given and analysed in chapters four and nine.Briefly ,it says that the effective managers have the distribution of their activities/time and resources as below:
1.Routine communication :45%
2.Networking:12%
3.Human resource Management:27%
4.Traditional Management functions:15%
Comparative figures for successful managers are;
1. . 28%
2 . . .48%
3. . . .11%
4. . . .13%
The real difference is in the time and resources spent on networking .Successful managers spend nearly half their time and resources on networking while effective managers spend barely 12% of time and resources on networking .
The" Effective AND successful "spend time almost on the same pattern as that of Effective managers .
( Successful managers are those who rise to the top in the shortest time .Effective managers are those who really bring about the changes they want in the organizations.)
Do we want to be successful ?or do we want to be Effective and successful?Depending on your answer, decide to spend time and resources on networking .
Sunday, 16 June 2013
How to get filthy rich in rising Asia by Mohsin Hamid
It was just a coincidence that I saw the movie The Great Gatsby when I was in Seattle recently and read Mohsin Hamid's "How to get filthy rich in rising Asia when I returned to Lucknow in India.I had read Fitzgerald's novel The Great Gatsby about a few years earlier, and finished it with some sad sense of ending .The novel , the movie both are great .Mohsin Hamid 's book did remind me of Gatsby, and at many levels , it evoked similar feelings in .The book is about the rise and fall of the protagonist("You") in an Asian city..He succeeds in bringing about the flavour of a typically Asian city and people through his work.
Self-help books are very popular among poor but ambitious boys and girls in Asia. Mohsin has shaped his novel around this frame , and has created a riveting story of a poor ,boy based in a rural area of rising Asia .He traces his journey of becoming filthy rich as a corporate tycoon, controlling a huge , sprawling business of supplying bottled drinking water .His quest for wealth and love go together.The Pretty girl , on whom our nameless hero has consistently set eyes till the very end , also learns how girls become rich and famous in rising Asia .Their paths cross several times , each pursuing individual ambition to be rich , still loving each other , till in their twilight , they live together , till they reach their end , one after another .There are only three persons to attend the funeral of the Pretty girl , and later , about the same number for our hero.
The book has 228 pages and 12 chapters.Each chapter is based on a lesson in self-help;Move to the city;Get an education;Don't fall in love;Avoid idealists ;Learn from a master;Work for yourself;Be prepared to use violence;Befriend a bureaucrat;Patronize the artists of war;Dance with debt;Focus on the fundamentals;Have an exit strategy.The hero is "You". No character is named .The characters are addressed like pretty girl , politician , bureaucrat implying that there could be one or more such persons you may come across in daily life in rising Asia.But let us be clear :by no stretch of imagination , it is a self-help book .It is only that the protagonist is a struggling ,ambitious youth in rising Asia .The book is a first rate literary novel , based on this format of 12 self-help rules .The result is a book which is a thousand times more powerful than any self-help book could ever be.(In all honesty , I am not against reading self-help books .I am not one of those who make fun of those who read self-help books .But literary books are obviously a class apart , and no self-help book can ever come near any of these .
The book contains many instances of sacrifice of morality when a poor , rural youth is determined to be rich fast enough in rising Asia .These are dark sides of system, which need the attention of all of us , young and old , men and women alike.We need to provide in rising Asia clean opportunities , incentives and systems for our youth to rise, earn and achieve.
It is an extremely well written book of fiction which stays with us long after we have read it. .I strongly recommend you to read it .
Self-help books are very popular among poor but ambitious boys and girls in Asia. Mohsin has shaped his novel around this frame , and has created a riveting story of a poor ,boy based in a rural area of rising Asia .He traces his journey of becoming filthy rich as a corporate tycoon, controlling a huge , sprawling business of supplying bottled drinking water .His quest for wealth and love go together.The Pretty girl , on whom our nameless hero has consistently set eyes till the very end , also learns how girls become rich and famous in rising Asia .Their paths cross several times , each pursuing individual ambition to be rich , still loving each other , till in their twilight , they live together , till they reach their end , one after another .There are only three persons to attend the funeral of the Pretty girl , and later , about the same number for our hero.
The book has 228 pages and 12 chapters.Each chapter is based on a lesson in self-help;Move to the city;Get an education;Don't fall in love;Avoid idealists ;Learn from a master;Work for yourself;Be prepared to use violence;Befriend a bureaucrat;Patronize the artists of war;Dance with debt;Focus on the fundamentals;Have an exit strategy.The hero is "You". No character is named .The characters are addressed like pretty girl , politician , bureaucrat implying that there could be one or more such persons you may come across in daily life in rising Asia.But let us be clear :by no stretch of imagination , it is a self-help book .It is only that the protagonist is a struggling ,ambitious youth in rising Asia .The book is a first rate literary novel , based on this format of 12 self-help rules .The result is a book which is a thousand times more powerful than any self-help book could ever be.(In all honesty , I am not against reading self-help books .I am not one of those who make fun of those who read self-help books .But literary books are obviously a class apart , and no self-help book can ever come near any of these .
The book contains many instances of sacrifice of morality when a poor , rural youth is determined to be rich fast enough in rising Asia .These are dark sides of system, which need the attention of all of us , young and old , men and women alike.We need to provide in rising Asia clean opportunities , incentives and systems for our youth to rise, earn and achieve.
It is an extremely well written book of fiction which stays with us long after we have read it. .I strongly recommend you to read it .
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
In Good Faith . .A journey in search of an unknown India
This book describes a journey across India by the author in search of her own identity and the identity of India she can identify with .During this journey , she frequently comes across people whose behaviour and practices challenge the commonly held notions of what it means to be a Hindu or a Muslim in India.As a result , she discovers an India in far away , little places where followers of the two religions find a common God, a building which is both a temple and a dargah. She discovers little islands where diverse, multiple religions coexist ,providing the evidence of unity and a strong counter to fundamentalism .She discovers dialogues and voices which indicate that India has a tradition of unity and religious tolerance which goes back to many centuries.
The book "In Good Faith . . A journey in search of an unknown India" by Saba Naqvi , published in 2012 by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd , has191 pages , and is a racy read .It is essentially a book about an honest , unbiased and long search for identity .Having worked in Uttar Pradesh as an IAS officer for 32 years and in Moradabad as District Magistrate from 1991 to 1994, I found the author struggling to search for answers to similar questions which often have occupied my mind too.That is why , I find these accounts of journeys by the author very authentic.In a state which is often plagued by the virus of religion and caste, this book comes like a fresh breeze.Such books inspire confidence between the two communities and must be read by all the administrative and police officers who have a major role in the governance as also the people interested in understanding the traditions of inter-faith harmony and peace .
There is always a scope for self-doubt when we see instances of religious intolerance .I quote:"The truth was that , somewhere along the way , I had also begun to doubt the work itself.That's why it took me so long to give it a serious shape.Having collected the material over several years , I became a non-believer. . . . But somewhere down the line , I knew I had to keep some idealism alive.Over the years , i would periodically return to this project that , in some sense, represented an India I would like to believe in, a culture I wanted to survive.I struggled with my own scepticism about it being categorised as romantic mush to deem that it was worth my while and indeed, a valuable contribution to put down all the material I had collected and knock it into some sort of a sensible shape."I find this self -doubt very real and natural .In fact , this self-doubt gives this book a touch of authenticity .A parallel self-doubt comes when as a civil servant I struggle with my scepticism and retain my faith that honest governance is still possible , when I see in some civil servants glimpses of honest courage and willingness to pay the price for the cause of truth.The book by Saba Naqvi gives hope and faith on several planes.
The author says that each chapter has the attention span of a journalist sniffing out a story and not the rigour of an academic .To my mind , this is one major strength of the book .Had it been written by an academic , it would have lost some of its readability and impact .The book covers the journeys to places in 12 states of West Bengal ,, Maharashtra,,Andhra Pradesh,Orissa,Tamil Nadu,,Kerala,,Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh,Assam,Karnataka,Manipur,Kashmir and Bollywood. The book has rightly highlighted the positive impact of Sufi movement and Bhakti movement on both Hinduism and Islam .
Despite all instances strifes and communal disharmony in India , the stories described in the book give "glimmer of hope".I recommend you to read this book to understand the religious and cultural diversity and unity of India.
The book "In Good Faith . . A journey in search of an unknown India" by Saba Naqvi , published in 2012 by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd , has191 pages , and is a racy read .It is essentially a book about an honest , unbiased and long search for identity .Having worked in Uttar Pradesh as an IAS officer for 32 years and in Moradabad as District Magistrate from 1991 to 1994, I found the author struggling to search for answers to similar questions which often have occupied my mind too.That is why , I find these accounts of journeys by the author very authentic.In a state which is often plagued by the virus of religion and caste, this book comes like a fresh breeze.Such books inspire confidence between the two communities and must be read by all the administrative and police officers who have a major role in the governance as also the people interested in understanding the traditions of inter-faith harmony and peace .
There is always a scope for self-doubt when we see instances of religious intolerance .I quote:"The truth was that , somewhere along the way , I had also begun to doubt the work itself.That's why it took me so long to give it a serious shape.Having collected the material over several years , I became a non-believer. . . . But somewhere down the line , I knew I had to keep some idealism alive.Over the years , i would periodically return to this project that , in some sense, represented an India I would like to believe in, a culture I wanted to survive.I struggled with my own scepticism about it being categorised as romantic mush to deem that it was worth my while and indeed, a valuable contribution to put down all the material I had collected and knock it into some sort of a sensible shape."I find this self -doubt very real and natural .In fact , this self-doubt gives this book a touch of authenticity .A parallel self-doubt comes when as a civil servant I struggle with my scepticism and retain my faith that honest governance is still possible , when I see in some civil servants glimpses of honest courage and willingness to pay the price for the cause of truth.The book by Saba Naqvi gives hope and faith on several planes.
The author says that each chapter has the attention span of a journalist sniffing out a story and not the rigour of an academic .To my mind , this is one major strength of the book .Had it been written by an academic , it would have lost some of its readability and impact .The book covers the journeys to places in 12 states of West Bengal ,, Maharashtra,,Andhra Pradesh,Orissa,Tamil Nadu,,Kerala,,Rajasthan,Uttar Pradesh,Assam,Karnataka,Manipur,Kashmir and Bollywood. The book has rightly highlighted the positive impact of Sufi movement and Bhakti movement on both Hinduism and Islam .
Despite all instances strifes and communal disharmony in India , the stories described in the book give "glimmer of hope".I recommend you to read this book to understand the religious and cultural diversity and unity of India.
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