Gratitude

(Dedicated to my mentors Mrs. Suneeta Singh and Mr. Sudhir Joshi)

In times of darkness you’ve been the light,

In tough situations you showed what is right.

There is so much to us,

that you have taught,

Be it about vision or applied thought,

or discipline and patience,

or keenness and persistence.

or something as simple as showing faith,

and not giving up even in the worst state.

We are grateful to you for so many things,

But most of all we thank you,

for being the wind beneath our wings.

- by Charag Krishnan

The 1 Big Idea that will Define India in the 21st Century

The 21^st century is set to witness India as a superpower. Experts all over the world have their eyes trained on us. Every aspect of India, its policies, industries and industrialists, military strength, average I.Q., democracy, culture, faiths, cinema, literature, markets and even our education systems, is being scrutinized, lauded and often adopted. At the TED conference in Mysore in 2009, a notable ex-minister of state spoke about ‘soft’ power being India’s advantage while an expert in mythology attributed Indian business proficiency growth to a tentative, dynamic mindset that results from our belief in a cyclical life. A Swedish expert went to the extent of predicting that Indian dominance shall surface as early as the middle of the 21^st century.

On the other hand, the voices of approximately 60 crore Indians are lost in chants of our progress and imminent supremacy. We continue to face a plethora of issues ranging from infrastructure shortcomings, poverty, illiteracy, population, corruption and communal disturbance. Most, if not all, of these issues are rooted in the low literacy rates. However, there is one important component that even literate Indians need to introspect – MORALITY and PATRIOTISM.

Morality and Patriotism do not imply songs teeming with fervor and sermons on philosophy and idealism. The essence of any development is deep rooted longing for growth, not only for oneself but also for everything around us. This has essentially been the case with any nation that dominated at any point in time in history. Such desire stems from ownership of all that belongs to the nation.

Public property, for example, is considered a part of our heirloom. Seldom do we concern ourselves with their up keeping or cleanliness but do not fall short of cursing others for heartlessness when we are in need of it and find it in a disorderly state. We are in a position today to build and avail the best in most fields and tremendous efforts to initiate a spectrum of growth in education, healthcare, employment, sanitation and per capita income are evident. However, each one of us, whether at the top or the bottom of the financial pyramid, does more than a handful to ruin these efforts and nullify their success. We do so unknowingly at times, but the harm is done nevertheless.

Everything that we have at our disposal is, undoubtedly, for our use and we must make the most of it for our personal growth. This is important for the eventual growth of the nation. But often do we forget that once we have used it, it may still be of use someone else somewhere and might aid his growth too. This applies to everything from civic amenities, public places, government systems, infrastructure and even people.

Just by moving beyond ourselves and think of what good can result from maintaining whatever we depend on, for our fellow countrymen, we can ensure faster progress. All it needs is some conscious efforts, driven from moral values and deep-rooted national spirit. Sincere stress on the most neglected subject in schools in our country – Moral Science, may actually be the BIG idea to define India’s future.

                                                                             - Charag Krishnan, Pune, 8th Dec 2009

Abstract madness!

I lie on my bed gazing at the roof, partially illuminated by the parking lot lights, wondering what I should do to while away my time until I fall asleep. Reading seems like a tedious option as the sound would disturb the others, sleeping like logs, given the late hour of the night. Getting up, walking to the shelf, searching for the book and then coming back is in itself a process that could render me tired enough to fall asleep. But I am just too plain lazy to take all that pain. So I decide to bend over and pull out the laptop from under the bed, where it normally seeks shelter at night, and think of writing something. I couldn't care less for the topic of my composition, since the sole motive is to fall asleep. The otherwise peaceful night, is punctuated all of a sudden, by whining sounds of new born pups that are shivering in the eccentric chill of the Pune weather. I shove my laptop back into its abode and heave my torso forward lazily. I peep out of the window adjoining my bed, merely out of sympathy for the cute little animals. The mother of the litter, hovers above the shivering pups and looks around for an answer to their squeals. She does as much as, to find a cardboard piece, tattered remains of a box, seemingly that of a food processor; the type that even the rag pickers would leave behind. The bitch places the protection on top of her wailing pups in a manner so sensitive that it contradicts the very term by which we humans refer to her. I doubt her effort will have an effect on the pups. I expect more trouble and whining. As I yawn, deep down inside me I want this antic to go on for a while, just long enough for me to feel sleepy enough. Astonishingly, they stop whining instantly. I wait for a few minutes in my awkward posture, still lunging towards the window, for the pups to prove me right. They are small. But they are as mean as any young one of mankind. Mean, because they just will not pretend or lie about anything even if just for my sake. In their world right is right and wrong is wrong. That is their take on the matter and they care two hoots for your opinion on it. Their honestly means that I am not proven right. I get back into my blanket and curse the bitch and her pups for making me come out of my cozy shelter. But I also sense my anger in these curses: anger at the pups for their insolence in proving me wrong and also at the bitch for doing the right thing and not letting the pups shiver to death. I pause mid way through the thought. I question who was mean. The puppies in their acceptance or me in hoping for more whining and pain driven by my selfishness to bide time. I think aloud, ' Humans or dogs, mothers always know the best for their child.'

I pull the sheet over my head to shield my ears from the shrieking silence of the puppies in the ruthless cold beyond the confines of my room. A quick apology is uttered to the omnipresent lord for the abuses directed at the pups and their guardian. I think of the incident, minus the emotional deluge towards the end, as something worth sharing with kids in class tomorrow. I think of Mom and fall asleep . . . with a rather senile smile on my face.
-- scribbled on a sleepless night - Dec 17, 2009