Once a person has read social theory in Grad School, a person simply cannot avoid analyzing a piece of art through a simplistic layman’s prism. His vision towards life is ‘informed’ of social facts and realities which the sociologically ill informed cannot see. As it is an Intellectual Burden, or so I was taught in School.  I do not agree with this elitist perspective (most sociologists are leftist thinkers, hence the paradox). But social theory does certainly present us a theoretical grounding to detect where the meta narrative’s wagon wheel is heading towards.

I am a huge fan of the Bond Franchise; as I have grown up with the Nuclear Terror of ‘Golden Eye’ , The Media shaping Global Politics in ‘Tomorrow Never Dies’ , a very Rupert Murdoch esque character, which meant that Bond had moved in to the post Cold War era. ‘The World is Not Enough’ and ‘Die Another Day’ had themes of Renewable Energy and Oil Pipeline Politics (The World is Not Enough), where Sophie Marceau killed it as the potential Oil Baroness (Stunning Diva too). Eclectic Themes, i must admit.

The Daniel Craig Films of ‘Casino Royale’ and ‘ The Quantum of Solace’ dealt with the themes of International Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing. Very contemporary in the post 9/11 regime, with terrorist incidents effecting capital markets, hostile takeovers and intertwining with terror from ‘Non State Actors’. Quite Relevant.

Skyfall is a Bond Film with a difference. Must lengthier, much slower in pace. Sam Mendes has made an effort to capture the finer elements of characters with dry British Humor and a dash of detail, usually absent in this particular genre of Cinema.  An intelligence sector based drama, taking the spy business’s home and re-evaluating the necessity of the craft in today’s networked world where, a single IT programmer can disrupt transportation networks as in the case of the London Tube. Or Rig an Election, terminate a target in hostile territory as Mr. Silver (Javier Bardem), as a rouge ex MI6 Agent attempts to do and succeeds to a large extent. The target here is not the British State, but his ex boss ‘M’ played with class by Dame Judi Dench. The film captures the vulnerability of our times, in overly connected world, we are robust yet incredibly fragile.

The film starts off in the Bazaars of Istanbul, quite a sight reaffirming after Ek Tha Tiger (a Bollywood Spy Thriller starring Salman Khan) that Turkey as a soft power is growing in currency. Well Erdogan with AKP is not doing badly with an extrovert Foreign Minister.  Istanbul is on my itenary to visit next certainly. The film gravitates from Turkey to London back to the East with breath taking views of the Shanghai skyline and Macau exotica.

The attention of the film is on Britishness and London. Its the best infomercial for the capital that i feel is better than the Olympic Games in my opinion. And Bond is the Best British Cultural Export since the Beatles. ‘M’ in the Parliamentary inquiry spoke about the relevance of ‘fighting the shadows’ in a extremely decentralized enemy. The ‘Q’ in Film quipped about doing more damage in pajamas over a cup of earl grey in the morning than what a field agent can do in a year. The Element of Scottish Independence is recognized in the film, with the Scottish Spirit alive in the film. A very British, but Glocal Film.

There are various intellectual strands woven together in a thrilling narrative in the film but the few lines of poetry that ‘M’ orated in the Parliamentary Inquiry encapsulates the essence of the film :

Though much is taken, much abides; and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
– Alfred, Lord Tennyson

When a society reaches a point in its trajectory in which it cannot trust any ideology or an institution to solve its ailments. There are usually two outcomes which are associated in this sort of dead end. Either Independent ‘Outlier’ emerges as a virus to disrupt the existing status quo. This outlier is very much, a product of the system who is a change agent turned revolutionary. Social Media with its transforrmational prowess to channelize passion and creativity, has been able to lead the surge in Independent digital activism. Wael Ghonem, a Google Executive turned activist catalyzed the Tahrir Square protests, which overturned the Mubarak Regime. We have our own Tahrir Square at Jantar Mantar, with Arvind Kejriwal turning into a whistle blower with an impact. Well how well he does at the ballot box is no consequence as long as the existing system is being shaken not stirred.

Julian Assange exemplifies the embodiment of an activist with seismic presence. One man can shake up the world of Global Intelligence like no other. Similar Modus Operandi of Kejriwal is yielding early fruits. Things can get toxic, but the impact matters. Every person who has a perspective, has a passion for change with a twitter account or a blog is an activist in his own right. Whether one has ten followers or a million, activism is a marathon and not a 100 m dash.

Independent Activists matter for one reason, they do not play by rules of the game and are not afraid of the power of special interest groups. Although there is power in numbers, often a single soul can rally a million towards cause de resistance to see an event happen that might trigger a chain reaction where other ‘free radicals’ might join the movement of reform whatever the agenda of the day is. Ideas have consequences, well independent activists are often citizens spreading the valid word.

Remember Mandela, Gandhi and to a lesser extent Arafat. Change is here, if we can see it happen.

I am very saddened by the passing away recently of the greatest contemporary Bollywood film-maker of our time, Mr. Yash Chopra. He was the king of Bollywood as we know, and i have grown up watching his genre of cinema; DDLJ, Dil Toh Pagal Hai, Darr, Veer Zaara… all of them are very close to my heart as they were milestones in a way. Growing up overseas, his genre of fare appealed to the post liberalization expat kid, who wanted Indian emotions but served up in glossy up market gourmet restaurant format.

His cinema connected us with our romantic inner self  Kabhie Kabhie and Trishul along with Deewar are film of which the folk lore of the Bollywood mythology are made of. The romance which i have missed in my life.  I identified with the obsession of Darr as well as the romanticism of Dil Toh Pagal Hai when SRK comments ‘ Mujhko Meri Maya Nahin Mili Hain’, struck a chord with me. And the iconic line of  Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayemge which Yash Saheb produced ‘ Baadi Baadi Desho Main Choti Choti Baatein Hotein Rahetein Hain’ is something is etched in the memory of cine goers.

The charm of escapist cinema is that it transports us in to a plane of consciousness which takes us away from the dreaded daily lives of drudgery.  The protege of the same Yash Chopra school of Cinema is Karan Johar whose film Student of The Year is almost a tribute to his work accidentally as the film release a few days prior to his demise.

It is ofcourse not a art form taken easily by the critics, nor is it World Cinema. But, what is it is Uniquely Indian, in character, in ethos.  Very Bollywood, the Bollywood that i worship.

Yash Saheb. RIP.

Dear Ms. Perfect

I am pretty normal guy, from a middle class family who has worked hard to make it here, well not exactly have made it from scratch to call ‘myself’ a self-made man, which makes a huge difference to your psyche that ‘he does not consider his fathers money’ to be his. I am not a ‘Mahatma in that context, my parents have worked hard to give me a good education and i have done decently myself academically to land myself a good job to live a decent existence in a megapolis. Yes, i live in my parents apartment, but does that hurt my self esteem, the answer is a big no as this is the place where i grew up.

I am not shy from taking risks, as i understand that i person who does not take his chances in life, fails at that very moment. One does not have to be all sorted all the time.’ Getting my priorities right’ has never been my forte, but i do well in whatever i do as i am versatile enough. Life is a story written in present tense and not the past. Things dont have to be in picture perfect mode, life is messy and sometimes things do get edgy but i aint apologetic about it. 

The society and the media socially constructs a picture of a ‘man’ which is splendid challenging to achieve. When you see Siddharth Malhotra from Student of the Year flaunting his six pack abs, you drool and hence this particular physical aspect becomes a part of your dreamy ‘check-list’. One has to be dressed like a Calvin Klein Supermodel all the time, speak like Amitabh and be smart as a University Physics Professor, and ofcourse be rich as an Investment Banker to pay for your shopping expeditions. Which Utopia are you living on?

And oops i forgot, one has to have a sense of humor and wit and smell Hugo Boss all the time. Just Brilliant.

Well, I don’t know how to drive a car or a bike, hence i cannot take you on your long rides where the wind can be felt through your locks. I am sorry, but driving through Indian roads is not a great proposition to me atleast.

Well, what one is a person who cares more than oneself, is supportive may be mundane but genuine in this actions.

With Love and Prayers

Normal Guy

There has been three major trends in the popular mass media: FDI, a challenge to pluto-democracy by civic society activist turned politician- Arvind Kejriwal and the Sanitation hooplah over Jairam Ramesh’s comments saying that India had more temples than toilets. The Hindu Right was affronted by such a sacrilegious statement, saying that the Congress is concerned with hurting the sentiments of the majority community. For anyone who has watched the years most understated bollywood film: OMG on the commercialization of organized religions, would see where the debate is heading. Jairam Ramesh is a skilled , wily technocrat who used a simple literary device of a comparative to shock and awe to force through effective change communication. Shame can indeed be a powerful, transformative emotion to drive change. Our religious places are spic and span but our streets and squatter settlements are not, is cleanliness not next to Godliness as the primary school moral science sentiment goes. Well, we are a nation which keeps over houses clean, but dump garbage and pee openly on the streets as we dont have enough public toilets and open defecation is still morally within the spectrum of acceptance. Normally i would have to enter a shopping mall or a restaurant to visit the loo, which is a significant detour if someone has a tight schedule. No wonder, we are a nation of urinary tract problems, and as we have a diabetics epidemic where would we visit the washrooms. 

Sulabh International has been doing extraordinary work over the decades to manufacture the culture of sanitation. If they can do it, our Government is following a good workable model. Sanitation is intertwined with other systemic variables like climate change as in it being associated with public health. 

Finally a politician has raised a developmental matter, can we not communalise a topic for a change?

One of the comments once mentioned by the Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has stuck on in my head that, more than fifty percent of leadership is communication. How important is that in the era of 24×7 media beast where every second is churning content which is predominantly worthless, and where every pause that one stops in a speech is psycho-analysed and criticized.  Leadership is about presentation now a days. Tough decision making is a part of the repertoire of leadership, but conveying that message is even more important.  Spin Doctors make or break ones leadership campaigns. Mamata Banerjee’s Poriborton wave to unseat the Left in Bengal was amplified by a supportive regional language and national media.

Let in bring in two contrasts: The Indian Prime Minister is a man of few words, and the other top leadership in India is pretty aloof as well choosing to interact only on selected platforms. In the midst of a crisis of confidence in the Nation, if the top leadership does not speak to the masses on a regular basis, it simply does not breathe confidence in their ability to lead. Communication is of the essence in a moment of crisis. Just think of the the young queen’s address during the Blitzkrieg in 1940, when her palace was bombed quipping that now she would be able to see Eastern parts of London better. Now how many Indian leaders can inspire that spirit in us today.

Barack Obama epitomizes the essence of effective Political Oratory. Bill Clinton is another charming communicator along with his ideological colleague Tony Blair who know ‘how to close the deal’.  Obama, a Nobel Peace Laureate infuses confidence  by communicating stuff  which matters to its stakeholder community.  His Berlin, Cairo and Jakarta addresses are stuff which dreams are made off.

Can India have a ‘Yes We Can’ moment?

Over the past few days, i have greatly resisted to write anything about the FDI issue which i have written about in the past. FDI in Retail according to many is not the most singular pressing reform issue facing the present administration in Delhi. I am supportive of FDI in Single Brand Retail, in Luxury and Consumer Products like an IKEA or an APPLE Store or even a Barnes & Nobles or a Borders for Book Store Retail. I would like major Coffee Chains like Starbucks and Seattle Coffee/ Second Cup to replace the miserable expresso which i drink from CCD vending machine in my office everyday.

FDI in Multi Brand Retail involves agri commodities; the power centre will move from the ‘Mandi’ to the Corporate Offices in Bentonville, Arkansas. The ordinary farmer who feels helpless and indebted to the loanshark and the dalal, can’t fight the local businessman, is now expected to expect rights and respect from Corporate MBA-wallah type folks, Naaah…. Media seems to be peddling a dangerous, illusion in the name of Agri based Food Chain FDI. And Food  Cold Storage Infrastructure  can be bulit by the Mahindra’s and Tata’S Too. I am not calling for protectionism, just pragmatism.

The concentration of the present regime seems to be on stuff which are totally diversionary from the actual matters of effective governance. They are seemingly more interested in Social Media Censorship, and getting cartoonists arrested than delivering reform where growth synergies will be discovered and so called ‘animal spirits’ unleashed to unshackle the economy out of its policy paralysis.

Can we now get real stuff done please, like Infrastructure and Rural Reform, otherwise the Crown Prince will have to remain one for a while.

Historians studying this decade in the future will have a lot of archival data to work on in re-creating historical narratives and elaborate mindscapes which past maestros of ‘past’ recreators have done over the eras. Social Media is ‘Human Sharing on Steroids’ as the Singaporean Media Commentator Cherian George quipped yesterday at a think tank forum (paraphrasing a tweet from the Asia Trends Monitor and SIIA twitter accounts). History as Voltaire famously said is the victors version of the Story. As my middle school history teacher in Oman said that History is ‘His’- Story or it is our story. With the quantum of information generated every single day, we are indeed dealing with information pollution as the human senses can only bear that much information. 

Social Media is catalyzing revolutions in the Middle East, with Wael Ghonem – the Google Executive in Egypt emerging as a hero for safegaurding the information superhighways for citizen activism. Governments all over the world are trying to curb content defamatory to their interests on social media. Trillions of terrabytes of written, audio and video content for scholars to pour over to analyze and re-frame the narrative, such as the Green Revolution in Iran in 2009 and the Arab Spring phenomenon, occurring in the social media age. Of course there are questions to how much more fair is the content created by the blogging or the tweeting community, as these are educated folks mostly college educated of a certain socioeconomic strata.

Literature in the fiction genre has been considered alternative narratives of events since long and now since people generated content is huge, a more rounded picture of the a phenomenon can be etched. Will look forward to a read regarding Social Media content related to the curation of historical narrative in the near future.