Whats wrong with Maharashtra?

This post comes more out of worry than anything else.

What is with Maharashtra? We are supposed to be one of the more forward states in the country, one of the more industrialized places, somewhere for the rest of India to look up to. Maharashtra has a very rich culture, the people a very strong sense of identity and are very tolerant traditionally.

My watchman left for Bihar frightened by the MNS voilence. Thats when I decided to write this post. He was a nice guy. What is he was from Bihar? What gives anyone the right to generalize rowdyness with Biharis? And so what if they are? Pushing them out of Maharashtra is no way to get back. Its more logical to try and make them more civilized. Improve implementation of law and order so that only the ones not follwing it are punished.

25,000 migrant workers leaving Pune isn't good for the economy. You simply can't let one person hold the state to ransom.

Think about Maharashtrians outside the state. What if Deve Gowda says something similar and pushes all the IT people out of Bangalore?

Its important for Maharashtrians to understand that the so called 'Bhaiyyas' who flock to Bombay, Pune, Nashik come here only because of the opportunities that exist here. They are mostly doing jobs which localities find to be too low-statured. Instead of killing them, its more important that the government makes it mandatory for their employers to better living conditions for them.

The youth of Maharashtra had such great expectations from Raj. Turns out that all politicians are as stupid as the other...

I still believe that the Marathis are a very tolerant breed of people, and the MNS behavior is nothing but a blip on the radar.

Baba Amte

Since decades, people have just been bent and exploited. We have been given hands to lift them up, not to strangle them.

These were the words of the noted social reformer Baba Amte, a man also known as the Messiah of the poor.

Born Murlidhar Devidas Amte, on December 24, 1914, Baba Amte, hailing from a family of Brahmin jagirdars defied rigid caste hierarchy and often shared meals with servants and played with children of lower castes.

A qualified lawyer, Amte's tryst with social activism began early in life. While a lucrative practice at Wardha was ready for him, his heart beat for the poor and the destitute.

His motto "Charity destroys, work builds" finally culminated in the building of Anandwan, a sprawling rehabilitation centre for leprosy patients in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.

Even in his last days, Baba's thoughts were thought-provoking and challenging.

"One 's hands should be used for help and for reforms. Not for killing others. This is the only message to the present generation," he said.

Although he won several awards - the Padma Shri in 1971, the Padma Vibhushan in 1986 and the Magsaysay Award in 1988 - he continued to rendered service diligently and selflessly.

It is no wonder that even the Prime Minister was touched by this immense loss.

"An era in India comes to an end. He was a great son of our country who devoted all his life to Gandhian values and the service of the poor and the down- trodden," PM Manmohan Singh said.

Baba was also a strong supporter of the Narmada Bachao andolan and fought relentlessly against displacement of the tribals. His constant refrain was that compassion has no party or ideology. His message of love for the poorest of the poor will be forever remembered and worthy to be emulated.

My tribute to the great man. May his tribe increase...

God...

Recently had some thoughts about God (again!), and now I am wondering whether I am an atheist or not… The thought of someone being up there, willing to take the burden of your shoulders, is so comforting. That the weight of the world isn’t on your shoulders. Maybe that someone is luck, chance, probability, but it is still there. And putting your trust in that leaves you free to work carefree. Isn’t that the most important thing?

It isn't a conventional god, its my own, for my happiness!

Book Review: Old Man and his God

Last week was just amazing. With coffee plantations, elephants, deer and what not. I had been to Coorg... Club Mahindra just rocks. Am even considering joining M&M for the free employee membership! Awesome food! Ate twice of what I usually do...

As I happened to have some spare time on my hands, I was wandering around in their library. Spotted 'Old Man and his God'. Read it based on the loads of 'must read' recos I have received for it. :D First ever book my Mrs. Infosys that I read. Hopefully, first of many.

The forst thing you notice is the simple English. Simple, almost to the point of irritation. And although its so simple, lucid, it still conveys all the emotion behind it so well! The book is a collection of small anecdotes from her life. Some of the stories are really touching. As usual, won't go into any details..

Thats for you to read up!

Snapshots from Hell

This is a book I have been wanting to read for ages. Ever since I heard that FPS is a lift off from this. Peter Robinson talks about life in his first year at Stanford Business School. Supposedly hell...

A lot many incidents in the book are something which I can relate too from my life as a BITSian. The mood-swings that affect the campus. It wears a sombre look all throughout the exams, apart from that it is so nice, vibrant and noisy.. During fests its full of freakish enthusiasm.. I remember last Oct, where it was hauntingly silent for 15 days.. The point is, the mood affects the whole campus, u cant stay aloof...

Then there are the changes that come in students with every passing semester. In the first, u are in awe of the institute, afraid of the exams, wanting to get good grades etc. etc... In the second you kind of fit into the scheme of things, figure out what you want out of engineering. Then come the CDCs in your third year, a lot of hard work and not enough rewards. And then finally at the end of it all are the placements. Phew.. Quite a journey.

I wouldnt miss BITS for anything. Its given me so much, it has made me who I am...

Anyway coming back to the book, its a must read for wannabe MBAs, and maybe for people who don't wanna be MBAs too!

Feminism and more

Yesterday had a long and fruitful discussion with one of my friends after ages. Life is so hectic that no one has the time to sit and think, discuss, fantasize and philosophize... Enjoyed it a lot. Here goes a part of what we discussed:

Traditionally women have always been 'suppressed', so to say. The poet Manu even goes as far to say that a woman is always a liability. She always has to be taken care of. First by her father, then by her husband and finally by her son. Question is, is that right? S says it is completely true in the context then. Then, there would be foreign invasions and enslavement, markets 'for' women were all part of it. Was it not right then that they were supposed to be taken care of? Obviously, yes.. You would argue it is even a duty to protect your own.

So what has changed today? Today we live in our cocoon, in a human made artificial world, where things are better for women than before. They have the freedom and the opportunity to do as they please, without fear of anything. They can even growl that they are equals- not a step behind men. Blah blah...

Maybe its not so equal in some parts of the world, but still, there is hope...

For me, the truth is, it is not about men and being equal. Its about them being different, and being able to cherish each others differences. And that's why I believe, feminism of the 'women-can-do-this-too' kind is passe. What is the point of bellowing yourself hoarse that you do something. The whole point of equality is lost when you keep declaring women can do this, women can do that. That itself shows inequality, doesn't it?

I feel now is the time for post-feminism, an era where women work hand-in-hand with men, without much ado about it and at the same time appreciating the differences between the not-so-fairer sex and themselves.

Of course, all this is applicable only to urban India, where a woman can atleast choose to live her life on her own, hopefully without pressure to 'find someone'. In rural, or even semi-urban areas, I guess feminist thoughts do have some kind of motivational role to play. But even then, just having a token women president, who doesn't have that kind of stature, isn't going to help things much. (Except maybe we can crow about it...)

The argument against this is that in a marriage, even now, its the woman who is supposed to sacrifice her will for her mate... I don't know how to counter that, nor do I know when that attitude will change, but it will.

Back to the future

The exams are finally done, definitely among my worse semesters. Anyway, whats done is done, and now I can get back to things I love the most. Plan to get on the next-sem project and gonna start with the micromouse now, designing the sensor circuit.

Active filters, here I come!