To write or not to write
Its a pleasant day here in Laramie, sunny, quite (meaning no wind above 10mph). A perfect day for outdoors. Yet, I am sitting here on my chair looking out of my room in our "garden level" apartment starring at my car radiator grills, wondering "how did the coolant level go low, there must be a leak somewhere". (FYI: cooling and lubrication systems are closed loop systems, so should the level ever go low; one can reliably infer on a leak)
And then, I am looking at a bunch of news website, Facebook, twitter feeds and Google+ (I need few more social networking and micro-blogging websites). As much the news articles and blogs, I find it fun to read the comments below them. Much has been said, is being said and being discussed about Mumbai, the serial blast, the 26/11 event in retrospect and the so termed "spirit of Mumbai". It is interesting to know the different opinions people have on the various issues. Of course, everyone is entitled to an opinion.
Read:
Interesting blog by friend http://goo.gl/qfkJ6
Ajay Devagan "The enemy is with is us" http://goo.gl/cTZGs
I wonder what happens in the Home Ministry's meeting room!! I am sure there are hundreds of opinions floating around; different people with diverse background and expertise trying to make a decision, one that has strategic depth and high impact. As much as I want to blame these people for inaction, I want to wear their shoes. I am sure there are a few capable, result-driven people in our political and executive machinery; but they are not able to show results.
And I am confounded whether to write on this subject or not. I do have an opinion, I know I have the right to my opinion. But the reality is that, I am not able to do anything with it. I remember a joke by Kannada comedy writer Pranesh. In one of his, "stand up comedy" talks, he discusses a conversation between two farmers in a remote village, by the edge of a dry well. Their conversation starts like this "if he asks me, I will tell him (Prime Minister Vajapayee) that he needs to put kids in school, and give the guys a job and get a bus service to our village). The way I have put it may be "not so funny". The point is, however, that every common man has an opinion on how our country has to be run, yet, he is not so hesitant to sell his votes for a pack of toddy and 50 Rupees.
I did write about 26/11. I had strong opinions about it. I did engage in what at the time seemed to be a constructive, planned and futuristic approach by qualified people. I still do agree with this approach. But with a thousand goals and a student salary, at the end of the day, I would need to get back to linear prediction and Matlab. What a pity!
read: http://goo.gl/IsDVw
Now, when I read this blog myself, I am wondering what good came out of it? And then, I recall my friend KC talking about how young our country is and why it would take a couple of more generations for us to mature, to sort it out, to come up with best practices and better laws. And I agree with her. It is not gonna come through NDTV news room discussion or Jan Lok Pal Bill. One may want to argue that these are stepping stones of such a mature thinking or one may also argue that media must not have or pass opinions (that's another opinion!!).
Yet, the dilemma continues; "the trishanku sthithi". I am not able to decide if I too should say what I want to say! India is not able to decide where its focus should be; where it's resources and assets need be! If it needs a multi-billion dollar MMRCA or a 100% electrification project or a 100% literacy project. India is not able to decide if it's enemies are inside its borders, outside; if it needs to call in army or only logistic air support for naxalites; if Kashmir has to have a special Constitution with a Armed Forces Special Provisions Act over-ruling the Constitution or a state run locally like other states! Hell, it is not able to decide how many states there need to be and how many political parties!
It seems like we are trapped in a big web of issues, I just hope that we are going down the decreasing radius path on this spiral going towards a happy convergence in a reachable finite time and NOT "attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis!"
see: http://goo.gl/viiU5
Now, when I read this blog myself, I am wondering what good came out of it? And then, I recall my friend KC talking about how young our country is and why it would take a couple of more generations for us to mature, to sort it out, to come up with best practices and better laws. And I agree with her. It is not gonna come through NDTV news room discussion or Jan Lok Pal Bill. One may want to argue that these are stepping stones of such a mature thinking or one may also argue that media must not have or pass opinions (that's another opinion!!).
Yet, the dilemma continues; "the trishanku sthithi". I am not able to decide if I too should say what I want to say! India is not able to decide where its focus should be; where it's resources and assets need be! If it needs a multi-billion dollar MMRCA or a 100% electrification project or a 100% literacy project. India is not able to decide if it's enemies are inside its borders, outside; if it needs to call in army or only logistic air support for naxalites; if Kashmir has to have a special Constitution with a Armed Forces Special Provisions Act over-ruling the Constitution or a state run locally like other states! Hell, it is not able to decide how many states there need to be and how many political parties!
It seems like we are trapped in a big web of issues, I just hope that we are going down the decreasing radius path on this spiral going towards a happy convergence in a reachable finite time and NOT "attached to another object by an inclined plane, wrapped helically around an axis!"
see: http://goo.gl/viiU5
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