Some news items are simply not titillating enough like the page 3 thrash that the Times of India and other psuedo tabloids serve us each day, in the 24×7 media beast which is fed by all sorts of manufactured content. Now a days legislative agenda is dictated by media news rooms, and indirectly by the corporate sector who hire pr firms and lobbyists like Nira Radia to expedite ‘matters’.  The News of the World fracas, that brought down The powerful Murdoch’s from the heights of their power exposed the dirty under belly of the politico-media nexus. The consumer feeds on racy stories and sensational content rather than reflective Op-Ed columns, that really matter. The basic Roti, Kapda, Makan or the basic livelihood issues are simply not sexy, to sell. Let’s acknowledge that Kat sells and not Kanoon (Legislative concerns).

The ability to keep focus and to deliver bread and butter issues a midst the media hype, differentiates a quality leadership than from an one that concentrates on electoral cycles. The Media making and breaking a regime is good at times as a movement sometimes needs media backing to transmit its core message  across for change as Barack Obama in 2008 and Mamata Didi’s historic win in May.  The concept of paid stories, dilutes the credibility of the messenger.  The Government’s agenda seems to be shaped according to the media spin doctors and the so called pundits who dictate the public discourse. During the boom times in the early 2000’s, when the business media were worshiping the  beauty of free market fundamentalism when the American consumers were fooled in to buying into and feeding the sub prime bubble.

The rhetoric of the 2003 Iraq War and the Af-Pak war theater was over bearing by the media to create a lock in when there were no WMD’s in Iraq. Well, he was a dictator like many around, so does that give us the license to kill?

The take away from the story is that we should all be aware of the black swan event in our blind spot. It can ruin us. Leaders need to be cognizant of the uncool and have the preparedness for the unknown. Its an age of vulnerability that we live in and the Norway tragedy illustrates the importance of not losing sight on the so called unglamorous fringe issues.

There are some observations and insights about the reality of political thinking and the accompanied governance discourse; their strengths, weaknesses and gaps in perception and terra firma which impacts us in our day to day existence, that i would like to share. It is observed that right wing administrations are good for business and hence create jobs. They insist on limited government and lower taxes aka The Tea Party and in general the GOP in the United States. Sarkozy with his UMP regime, insists on labor reforms and the role of the private sector. In India, the Bharatiya Janata Party is the populist  mainstream face of the right wing fringe  which brought about the most fundamental economic reforms such as disinvestment of public sector enterprises during its tenure from 1998 to 2004.  Italian Administration lead by Sire Silvio, is a fine example of right wing economics at its best of the worst.

Right wing administrations generate jobs, build temporary prosperity as economic cycles of recession and boom times are organic in nature.  But there is a rider associated with right wing politics. Nationalism and bigotry also rears its ugly head during right wing regimes. Republican administrations have manufactured un-real wars to feed its oil industry interests (Bush 41st and 43rd in particular) which has costed a trillion over the past decade, bringing the United States to almost a debt default. Nationalism is often associated with religion with a political tinge. Social Conservative agenda helped re-elect Bush 43rd to his second term in office. Religious conservatism with economic freedom, is the USP on which the right wing brand sells. The BJP government in Gujarat implicitly supported a genocide in 2002 of Muslims, yet has the best growth driven government in India. Narendra Modi, is the toast of Indian Industry, with many projecting him as a potential Prime Ministerial candidate in 2014.

It is almost certain that minority persecution will occur once a right wing oriented administration takes office. Sarkozy banned the Hijab and the Turban in state funded schools. The right wing in the United States and Europe breeds on the substrate of Islamophobia.  In fact, when the economy is not doing well, engineering a riot or a perceived ‘terror threat’ can boost its electoral chances at the ballot box.  The Left is equally responsible for parochial politicking, with creating fiscally  irresponsible  social security nets and the communalization of vote banks. The belief in big government and protracted bureaucratic mechanisms can ward off investors and the lack of respect for religious values does not help either.

I have always wondered why cannot we have  more right wing secular parties like Christian Democrats of Germany or the Lib Dems in the UK. They would make democracies get a tremendous buy-in from the electorate. The BJP would make a for indeed a ‘party with a difference’ and not a party with differences, when it gives up its right wing minority bashing. Politics needs to be about consensus and growth and positive upmanship and not about roits and economic rampages.

Any bright ideas folks?

There has been a huge iota of buzz concerning the ‘greening’ of the corporate sector over the last couple of years. Sustainability Reporting has been made mandatory in a lot of countries including India. Its the era of the comprehensive Triple Bottom Line Reporting, which includes healthcare and human rights indicators, and parameters for reporting vary from industry segment to industry segment.  A massive degree of public consciousness has risen over Environmental matters since there is a critical mass forming in all tiers of society that environmental commons are linked to social equity with the Greenpeace’s of the world making a difference. Media plays an enormous part in bringing Environment to the first page.  Now a days each corporate has a Corporate Social Responsibility division which looks after the Sustainability affairs, which is eventually linked to Corporate Communications. Climate Change of course is a master variable of a game changer. Every single facet on this planet will be impacted; food, water and energy, influence massive human migration and civil conflict. These are essentially State topics and the headache of sovereign nations.   Its  a Global enterprise; Kyoto, Copenhagen, Cancun and the theater of environmental politicking in its full glory.

As Carbon Dioxide and other Greenhouse Gases are stock pollutants with CO2 having a half life of a hundred years, all the accumulation of these stock pollutants since the 1750’s (industrial revolution) were the sins of the industrialized world which countries like Maldives, Tuvalu and Bangladesh are suffering the retributions of it. But we have one planet to live in, and Climate Change is happening under our feet even if we do not notice it. Large Multinational Conglomerates pay lip service to Climate Change issues by employing consultants to measure enterprise wide CO2 releases and neutralize it by buying carbon credits and making it seem on paper that they are carbon neutral. It is buying atonement for sins committed. The truth is that very few corporate executives take the environment seriously.

The Electricity which power corporations comes through the water-electricity nexus, and water cycles are impacted by climate change. Weather patterns change, cause more vector borne diseases and thus makes for more employees to take sick leave, this makes for loss of productivity. Entire communities are lost in flash flooding and typoons. Industries lose capital assets in a flood or a hurricane.  Insurance companies now offer financial instruments vis-a-vis climate change insurance to companies. Globally distributed supply chains get impacted by climatic variations, food supply chains are the most drastically hit.

It is time that Climate Change is taken slightly more seriously in the boardroom

Norway is one best countries of the globe to live; a textbook example for the Nordic Welfare State. The Utoya Youth Camp massacre and the PM Office attack at Olso was Norway’s 9/11 moment. A nation which support’s International Development Activities with one percent of its Budget, pulls a punch above its feather weight category of the 47th largest economy in the world. The seat of the Nobel Peace Prize, the world was grieved and shocked to hear that a 32 year old  right wing sympathizer with a twitter account had killed 91 souls; out of a sick outrage against ‘Cultural Marxists’ as stated in his parochially poisoned 1500 page manifesto fueled by his hatred for liberalism and Muslim immigrants. According to a hard hitting article by Praveen Swami in the ‘Hindu’ newspaper, there are many parallels between Hindu Extremism and Far Right groups in Europe(The link is here-http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article2293829.ece?homepage=true#.Ti5DOK5RP2U.facebook).

Both are tied by their sickening animosity towards Muslims, who make up 1.5 billion people of 7 billion souls on the planet. The Far Right is expanding electorally through out Europe, it has made significant gains in Sweden, Denmark, Holland and even the UK. The blue collar white middle class who live in subsided in town hall housing facilities are feeling threatened by the asian/african immigrants who take away their core jobs and livelihoods.  This sentiment is echoed throughout a section of the white population that non white immigrants are responsible for the filth in their society. Most, importantly, the ‘White’ way of life is being robbed away from them as ethnic and religious ghettos breed, from outer Marseilles in Southern France where Algerian origin French citizens live to the back alleys of Oslo filled with Pakistani migrants.

Marie Le Pen of the far right national front is a leading contender for the  french presidency next year. The British National Party wins council seats every time local elections are held. Geert Wilders supports the Dutch Government in a coalition. Finland has a far right party in parliament with 19% of the vote. This phenomenon is not a one off stunt any more.

This was a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. This is a well known fact that the post colonial migrants such as the Turkish or north african migrants in France have not integrated and have not become European enough, according to Angela Merkel, Nicholas Sarkozy and David Cameron. Areas in the UK and France look more like Lahore and Algiers than London and Bordeaux.  Multiculturalism has failed and globalization has been stopped in its tracks. Right Wing extremism in India caused terrorist attacks such as the Samjhauta train bombings, Malegoan and Hyderabad Attacks, contested trains of thought have taken resort to arms. This is explosive, pragmatism leading to reconciliation is the best way out, of course its easier said than done. Tariq Ramadan, the European Muslim Scholar’s book on the rise of the uniqueness of the European Muslim is a good start.

I am presently on the verge of packing up on a short week long break in a globally dispersed family reunion in the City of Joy. I am back to the city of my ethnic origins after a gap of three years. The left has been replaced this may by a popular counter revolution led by Mamata Di.  A cult of the Messiah Mamata has risen, the hammer and sickle has been replaced with the three flowers of the trinamool and the hand of the congress. Politics and Culture is embedded in the DNA of the city. Over the past few days since i arrived, a build up of local rallies led up to the crescendo to the Martyr’s Day- a commemoration of the political victims of the opposition movement since 1993. On a rain soaked day, tens of thousands of people, were huddled up as cattle from the interiors of bengal to to the Brigade Parade ground where the who’s who of the current dispensation and the Kolkata entertainment industry turned up in a show of strength as in a victory day rally. It reminded me of the Left rally’s of the yesteryear’s. The Culture and the Ethos is still eerily the same  ; only the stripes have changed.

The city is abuzz with a sense of hope, a hope of change for the better. Infrastructure projects have turned parts of the city as construction sites, making traffic intolerable to bear. Urban Planning is a concept alien to the Public Works Department here, it seems. I will admit that roads have improved considerably in the southern part of the city, the northern parts still have the old world charm although seems that it has just risen from an artillery strike.  Kolkata (the traditional name) seems to be a city of rural and urban sections. South Kolkata and Salt Lake are very metro, can beat a Bandra anyday. Rajarhat and New Town are still very rural with a patchwork of concrete jungle. Roads still look more the Moon’s surface than a transport friendly surface.

Kolkata still has a soul; culturally rich. Food is certainly a USP. The best grub i have had in ages. The loud nature of the Calcuttan adds life on the street and the laid back nature adds to its charm, although very bugging at times. The organized chaos and the hustle & bustle  weave a tapestry of character of its dilapidated historic city.

I have definitely sensed a ignition towards growth towards the better; lets us see what shape does this energy take Kolkata towards.

The intelligentsia and the civil society actors have a handicap (I am a  policy activist in my small way). They are not fit for electoral politics due to a ‘few’ minor factors. These are-

1. No one in my family is in politics or the civil service, feudalism is very much present today

2. I am not a TV actor or a movie side kick leave alone a Bolly/Tolly wood star.

3. I am middle class. I just have enough money to survive leave alone spend millions to buy a electoral ticket.

4.  I am not an Industrialist like the Mallya’s and the Jindal’s. Business is the channel in to Rajya Sabha and Political Influence.

In short, I am the faceless common man whose ideas even if they are good, does not matter because most votes are bought and sold, the value of a vote of a doctor and a ‘vada pav wala’ is just the same. Who thinks about policies, lets watch Dhamaal 2 instead:(

Good people who can make a difference are disenfranchised, what is the gradient between a Sudan and India then. Democracy is a new game with the same old players.

My heart bled for me to see the serial terror strikes in Mumbai last evening on live streaming Indian TV channels online, unfolding in the commercial central of the maximum city like the diamond hub Zaveri Bazar and Lamington Road. Precious lives and livelihoods were taken away for a proxy war that Mumbai is not responsible for. Every time something happens to Mumbai like the train bombings or the Ghatkoper bus blasts, people proudly talk about the resilience of Mumbaikars to bounce back the next day, as if something has not occurred at all unfortunately. In a city that never sleeps, time is precious- no one has time even for family, leave alone bystanders. In a metropolitan hub that Mumbai, we provide (I am a Mumbaikar as well) the bulk of the central and state revenues which the other regions feed on and yet Mumbai does not get any thing; no superior healthcare, transportation or the basic security. The 26/11 attacks seem to have taught us nothing at all. The perpetrators of the attack dared the country once again. We still shamelessly talk about the Mumbai Spirit as like the ANZAC Spirit, getting molested and staying mum about it demonstrates our incompetence to protect our selves and not our Gandhian virtues.

Afzal Guru and Kasab are still enjoying the ‘Incredible India’ Atithi Devo Bhavah hospitality on taxpayer cash. The lack of strong political will and vote bank electoral politics gives us a soft image, that India cannot even persecute its traitors and terrorists.  Israel is condemned everytime, and for reasons well known; but it is a powerful tiny state who defeated many neighbors who were mightier than its size in 1967 and 1973. India is a sleeping elephant, which needs to given a jolt out of its slumber. China is encircling India with its string of pearls strategy and Pakistan is well known for its slow burn warfare tactics. Politicos now have an opportunity to turn away from the anti graft sentiment to national security rhetoric, ideal window to change public discourse very conveniently. Terrorism has destabilized the entire sub continent for a two decades and will continue to do so until, we do not take national security seriously. Over the long the term, our politics need to change and we have to elect people who can deliver in terms of ministerial leadership; strong leadership gives a strong message. Let us move beyond wishes and crocodile tears towards doing something concrete, albeit i have a strong gut feel that I will be repeating this same sentiment a few months from now.

Politics and Governance needs a major rebooting of the software which runs our everyday lives (I talk about this aspect quite often as we live in less resilient world than the previous generation and good leadership is the need of the hour ). Corruption is a malignant cancer all through out the developing world, cripples development, drive people in to desperation and catalyzes civil strife. The problem is not with democracy, the problem is with the electorate. It is very simple; no pain, no gain. The middle class is perched in the bliss of everyday life enough to be distracted by the rot at the top of the pyramid. The poor are simply too helpless  to act, sadly. The middle class will only wake up politically when the bare essentials will be taken away from them and when they will not be able to send their children to school or bring dal and roti to the table.

The political elite are all a cartel, an attempt par excellence in self preservation. Food Insecurity, Terrorism, Job Creation and Climate Change are all mega trends that needs a new dynamic of governance; an engaged participatory networked meritocracy where popular buy-in is present. This point has been emphasized by the rising profile of ministerial portfolios in India such as Rural Development and Environment rather than the traditional power posts in Finance and Defense.

Lets start thinking about the change, today.

(This is an Idea Post)

We wake up everyday in the morning with hopes, apprehensions and a sense that life maintains itself through a pattern of days and the work associated with it. As an almost twenty five year old grad student, with a passion to make a tangible difference in the community and society I live in, albeit in a tiny portion, finding my footing is a challenging emotional and personal journey. Life is a good slave but a bad master. There is no default button on the dashboard of our lives. We are a product of serendipity, luck and efforts which we make everyday. Given that I have read three different academic domains at the tertiary level, because of the sheer fact that I have diverse interests and my parents wanted to have a humanities oriented engineer at home, who is rather comfortable in writing and doing research rather than doing engineering process design courses at the graduate level (I am a masters degree holder in engg, i do not know how but that’s the fate I have !)

Finding a niche is indeed a work in progress, as I believe that a person has to create himself an indispensable skill-set for the hire and fire job space, where life long employment is a struggle to manage. We are truly in a generation where an evolutionary social Darwinian transformation is occurring. Creating a stable niche in all the psychological chaos is indeed a crucible for innovation. We learn a lot more in the time during college through social learning mechanisms than through blackboard and the whiteboard/projected slides in the lecture theater. Student clubs, creating projects, internships, travelling and learning through social media channels are the stuff which molded me. Our peers teach us or break us. To paraphrase, Martin Luther King Junior; its always the small creative minority who are always making the change happen rather than warming the pews in the Cathedral of life, where we have to attend Church because it is a social obligation and not because prayer (analogous to opportunity) is the reason why they are around.

Life is too short to waste, every day is a blessing and obstacles are opportunities in disguise. A perspective shift is indeed a paradigm shift. Find a niche, enjoy the chaos and create value for the brother in need in your housing estate. Every day is new a semester in the institution called life.

Politics at the meta-physical level is a battle of ideas. One perspective to govern is weighed against another perspective. All the Ism’s; Capitalism, Socialism and its various derivatives, such as compassionate capitalism, democratic socialism are just different shades of the same color.At the end of the day, politics is still about movements and mass mobilization. Cadre based parties with ideological polarization still do better at the ballot box than the most well intention ed Civil Society type Non Profits. The Green Party movement internationally grew out of the local community movements into a powerful political force to reckon with. Greens are especially influential in Germany and other EU Nations. The ban on Nuclear Power in Germany by the year 2022, was triggered by a growing green vote in the nation.

The battle for ideas on the streets and subsequently on the ballot box is demonstrated in the political theater in Bangkok with the telegenic Ying Luck Shinawatra, riding on a sympathy wave voted in by rural peasants in Chang Mai and the adjoining areas on the popularity of elder brother Thaksin. It was clearly a battle of ideas at the forefront- An elite and military backed and pro monarchy democrats against a pro poor and populist with a rural mass base. The needs of a middle class against the wants of an agrarian poor. This battle is being illustrated worldwide from Caracas to Tehran. Ahemadinejad wins because the poor vote for him and Hugo Chavez wins too because of populistic measures like low fuel prices and free healthcare and education ala Cuba. Populism wins votes, lets admit it.  Good Economics does not make good politics always, sad but true.

Often, ideology is media powered, they are the flavor of the season like Neo-conservatism during the Bush 43rd presidency or the ‘change’ fever is the Obama flavor in the ice cream parlor of political discourse.  Ideology should be about the set of ideas which bring development, serve the have nots and be pragmatic about what works for the time frame and what is a relic. Ideology which translates into development with a popular buy-in sustains itself. Ideas that work count, communism is good for a politics class read….