We all are familiar with ragging- a kind of physical,mental and/or sexual torture being experienced by new comers to colleges across India. I am not sure whether this activity is enacted and performed in other parts of the world. Wikepedia says that ragging is popular mainly in India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan- all South Asian countries. I do not think that this heinous act is present in America or in the Western developed countries. If at all someone dares to do anything like that, he will be brought to book by the Justice system. This is not to say that the Indian Judicial system is lenient to ragging. If convicted, the person can get jail terms and also disenrollment from the university. Why is ragging so prevalent in our campuses? What is the urge behind initmidating and embarassing a fresher in the name of seniority? How can we uproot this menace once and for all. Let us take a look.
The fall of 1995. Even when I was scrambling to focus on my way ahead- I mean to study a professional course, people were asking me just one thing. How are you going to cope with ragging? Some would say- " You are lucky.. You are a day scholar.. If you are a hosteler , the first one year is goona be hell.. Or at least till the fresher's day".. "What the heck???? ", I thought. O.K , from that glorious day on Oct 4, 1995 someone else is going to decide my fate. How I should walk, how i should dress, how i should behave..Is this going to be a norm or an exception? I am not a tall guy.. I did not have the muscles.. I did not have a mustache to freighten those " thugs". But ,definitely, I had the attitude to deal with those guys. I never used to care two hoots about the so called " seniors". I can confess that I never lost a single paisa to them.. I can also claim that I stood against a just and right cause..
Just like any other campus, the world of CET is absolutely small. Even if you are the" king "in CET, nobody will know you once you reach Chavadimmukku. This is to emphasise the fact that the law of the land, the law of independent, democratic, soveriegn republic of India is the same in the capital of New Delhi as it is in the city of Trivandrum and also in the approximately three acre campus of CET. No exceptions...Absolutely no exceptions.!!! If you commit a crime, no matter what, the law will catch up with you. And yes ragging is a crime..a dangerous one at that.. The act of mentally and physically torturing a person for some insane pleasure- it may even involve lurid sexual acts..This has to be curbed at any cost.
How did ragging get so much prominence? How did it go beyond control? How can we quell this? I would like to diagnose these. Even in the 60s and 70s, ragging was active in campuses- albiet only in professional colleges. Getting admission into professional courses was the exception , not the norm in those days. So, the students who got admission were propelled into demi-god status. The parents ,of course , became the moms and dads of these demi-gods--I mean smaller gods. As a result of this, the professional college students in those days got the licence to do anything and everything.. Ragging, thus became part and parcel of the life of a fresher in college. Just imagine this- you study very hard, get good marks/ranks, go to college with high expectations and then you realize that a group of crooks are the ones who control your life..What a joke? I mean, why should I even have to meet that crook ( senior) and hear all his vocabulory? In simple language, this is nothing but a clear intrusion of one's fundemental right.
Some people say that if you don't have ragging, you cannot build friendship with seniors. Let me ask one thing.. " Will you be friends with a person whom you meet on the road, abuses you continously for hours, perhaps days and then that guy calls a meeting and declares that we will become friends". No, Never.. Then, how can you do the same with some 19, 20 year old " mavericks" who mess up with your life.. For me, even if I have lost a few " friends" because of that, I am happy..I have enough and more of friends to cater to..
Some might wonder that now he is out of college, he is saying all these things.. No.. I had always fought against this, right from the age of 18. I am proud to say that my group of friends including myself has not even verbally humiliated even a single soul.. We also went through the same age, the same kind of adrenalin, the same set of emotions but probably a different set of values. Maybe , I may not know a person since I would not have talked with him/her in the name of ragging.. But, atleast , if I meet a person from CET and shake hands , he will not have a grudge against me.
Strict punishments to be meted out to those who indulge in this third grade act. Actions ( including jail term and expulsion) should be taken against the guilty. Let there be no sympathy to these people..This is a shameless, embarassing act and the law should be equally ruthless.No one has the authority to morally or physically violate another human being. The victims should retaliate through legal means against these culprits. Last but not the least, it is good for all of us to know that.. " NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW OF THE LAND".
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Films , drinking and the influence
( In this article, I am not claiming that those who drink are bad nor that teetotalers are gods. I know once's character and personality has nothing to do with his habit).
Yes- habit!! This is nothing but a dangerous habit. According to the latest statistics, Kerala tops in the net alchohol consumption levels in India. To put it bluntly, our State has the largest number of drunkards. I have personally felt that this is true. During my student days in America, I have stayed and interacted with lots of Northies. I have also studied undergrad in CET. So, I know what these stats mean. Only a very small fraction of Northies are addicted to alchohol. In CET, the scenario was totally different. At the tender age of 21, close to 75% of my batchmates were prone to drinking.People say that drinking is not as dangerous as smoking. The fact is that both are equally bad ...
Many a times I have wondered why Keralaites are more prone to drinking. Well, there are many reasons for that.. One is the unique demography that we have without a solid Hindu influence.( This is not to say that Hindus do not drink). But the biggest factor, according to me, is the influence of the media- the electronic and visual media. There are many films that openly depict heroes as outright drunkards. A typical plot of a Mallu" hit" Mohanlal movie is like this.. This guy is the best in everything..in studies, in sports, in singing, in dancing, in running after girls and last but not the least drinking..Added to that he has a battalion of friends who play stooge to him. What an impossible, unrealisticplot is this? Have you ever seen such a personality in real life? O.K agreed this is reel life.. We can give the benefit of the doubt to Mohanlal and people like Renjith who craft these movies.. The fact is that young people try to take this close to the heart and start imitating these characters. They believe that if you are a man you should drink, you should womanise or whatever..
We should understand that during the 1950s and 1960s , the heroes were potrayaed as good people. Most of the movies had some solid theme to take home.. Not a cliche plot like rivalry between two ancestral properties ( of course based in ottapalam) and how the hero crushes all the villains. Why have our movies stooped to such low levels of entertainment? The film makers should realize that they are setting a really bad precedent for the future generations. The electronic media is adding fuel to the fire..
When you are in college, there will be lot of people around you who seem like " friends". They instigate you to do lot of things including drinking.. If you don't drink, you are classified as an outcast..less of a man..After some years, maybe 5, these so called " friends" diminish by half.. At the end of 10 years, you will still have only 4 to 5 friends- which are you real true friends.. The rest are just a crowd.. This is the case with 99.99% of the people. One thing is certain.. No true friendship can be built over a whiskey bottle. True friendship is something more than that..It may not be visible, but yes, that will remain ..
In any place, there are heroes.. When you enter college, the heroes are the ones who take a bike to college in the very first semester, who is adept at both drinking and smoking and one who can command a good female fan following.. This guy is the eternal maverick., who never sits in class yet passes all exams., who has some level of political influence, who acts like the rough and tough guy. From my personal experience, I have seen that these " heroes" become big zeroes after college.. Then, all these friends and fan circles diasppear and he is left to fight his real battle alone..
I am not a big fan of Hollywood movies.. I am a Malayalee wherever I go. But our film makers should take a cue from some English movies like say," Remember the Titans". This is a truly inspirational movie. These are the kind of movies that our youngsters should watch and try to emulate.. I tell you.. drinking is a easy habit to take up.. anyone can do that.. some filmstars do that on screen..But let that be just on screen. As youngsters, pls try to avoid that dirty , dirty habit.
Yes- habit!! This is nothing but a dangerous habit. According to the latest statistics, Kerala tops in the net alchohol consumption levels in India. To put it bluntly, our State has the largest number of drunkards. I have personally felt that this is true. During my student days in America, I have stayed and interacted with lots of Northies. I have also studied undergrad in CET. So, I know what these stats mean. Only a very small fraction of Northies are addicted to alchohol. In CET, the scenario was totally different. At the tender age of 21, close to 75% of my batchmates were prone to drinking.People say that drinking is not as dangerous as smoking. The fact is that both are equally bad ...
Many a times I have wondered why Keralaites are more prone to drinking. Well, there are many reasons for that.. One is the unique demography that we have without a solid Hindu influence.( This is not to say that Hindus do not drink). But the biggest factor, according to me, is the influence of the media- the electronic and visual media. There are many films that openly depict heroes as outright drunkards. A typical plot of a Mallu" hit" Mohanlal movie is like this.. This guy is the best in everything..in studies, in sports, in singing, in dancing, in running after girls and last but not the least drinking..Added to that he has a battalion of friends who play stooge to him. What an impossible, unrealisticplot is this? Have you ever seen such a personality in real life? O.K agreed this is reel life.. We can give the benefit of the doubt to Mohanlal and people like Renjith who craft these movies.. The fact is that young people try to take this close to the heart and start imitating these characters. They believe that if you are a man you should drink, you should womanise or whatever..
We should understand that during the 1950s and 1960s , the heroes were potrayaed as good people. Most of the movies had some solid theme to take home.. Not a cliche plot like rivalry between two ancestral properties ( of course based in ottapalam) and how the hero crushes all the villains. Why have our movies stooped to such low levels of entertainment? The film makers should realize that they are setting a really bad precedent for the future generations. The electronic media is adding fuel to the fire..
When you are in college, there will be lot of people around you who seem like " friends". They instigate you to do lot of things including drinking.. If you don't drink, you are classified as an outcast..less of a man..After some years, maybe 5, these so called " friends" diminish by half.. At the end of 10 years, you will still have only 4 to 5 friends- which are you real true friends.. The rest are just a crowd.. This is the case with 99.99% of the people. One thing is certain.. No true friendship can be built over a whiskey bottle. True friendship is something more than that..It may not be visible, but yes, that will remain ..
In any place, there are heroes.. When you enter college, the heroes are the ones who take a bike to college in the very first semester, who is adept at both drinking and smoking and one who can command a good female fan following.. This guy is the eternal maverick., who never sits in class yet passes all exams., who has some level of political influence, who acts like the rough and tough guy. From my personal experience, I have seen that these " heroes" become big zeroes after college.. Then, all these friends and fan circles diasppear and he is left to fight his real battle alone..
I am not a big fan of Hollywood movies.. I am a Malayalee wherever I go. But our film makers should take a cue from some English movies like say," Remember the Titans". This is a truly inspirational movie. These are the kind of movies that our youngsters should watch and try to emulate.. I tell you.. drinking is a easy habit to take up.. anyone can do that.. some filmstars do that on screen..But let that be just on screen. As youngsters, pls try to avoid that dirty , dirty habit.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Searching for greener pastures....
Wow USA.... The name itself is synonymous with hip-hop, raggae and excitement. The easiest name to get a recognition in the society( I mean our Indian society) is by living in the USA. Each year the number of foreign students coming to the U.S have increased by leaps and bounds and as of 2007, Indians make up the largest percentage of the student population with the Chinese coming a close second. Infact, the Chinese had the No.1 rank as recently as last year. It is not surprising that even with globalaization and a strong Indian economy and job prospects, a large percentage of Indians are still making a beeline to the States. Many of my younger brothers are waiting to walk this trail and many of my elders are living the so called U.S ' dream". I would like to analyze from the view point of an ordinary Malayali youth many of the bare facts.
First of all this is a splendid country with immense resources and opportunities. The civic sense is simply outstanding. One doesn't have the luxury to spit or urinate in public places. The laws are strict but no one dares to tamper with your freedom. You are sure to get a seat in a bus or a train . No one requests you to share anything be it a pen, pencil, bat or ball. Some of the Indian youth may have some misleading information about the country from Hollywood flicks..But be rest assured, the U.S is totally different from the India that you have seen. Americans are generally brought up with good manners. They try their best to promise only if they are able to deliver. I am emphasising this point a lot because Indians generally have a habit of giving great hopes and quite often reneging on that. Yes, we love short cuts. Maybe, that is why we give empty promises just to bail out of a siituation.
Having said all these, let me mention one thing about myself. I really hate to lie. I am not claiming that I have never said a lie..mostly all of mine were white lies. So let us face the reality. The cultural difference one has to face when somebody starts living here is stark. When you have a certain notion of city and when you may not see that here, that is the time when you really wonder- " Is this the right place for you"? I believe in change and to a certain extent broadminded. But, change, to me is a characterestic that has to be developed within you. There are so many Indians who come here, try to dress up as Americans, try hard to speak with a Americo-Indian accent and say that they are broadminded. That is outright absurdity. The funny thing is that Americans never expect us to dress nor speak like them. It is when we put on these odd appeareances do we make a mockery of ourselves. There are other things, I mean good characterestics, that you can learn from them- like punctuality, keeping promises and cleanliness. I feel these are the things that we should adapt and say that " I have changed". Most of us are trying to implement some superfical make overs and saying that " I am broad minded".
The higher education system is quite good over here. In India apart from the IITs, IIMs and some NITs the higher education still does not meet international standards. In the job scenario, merely working in the U.S does not mean that you are having a great job. Just compare this.. If somebody has a job in Microsoft or Qualcomm , Bangalore and someone else has a job in some unheard of company ABC in USA. Which do you think is a better option. There are still fools out there who believe that the latter is a better option. But people with common sense will tell you that the company and the work profile is more important that the place. Also, regarding the salary, if somebody gets a salary of $ 80,000 per annum-we tend to say that WOW he has a salary of 42 lakhs per annum or roughly 3.5 lakhs per month. This is totally misleading. One should consider the living expense here and also the purchasing power of the dollar vs the Rupee. It is generally assumed that the amount of dollars you earn is approximately equivalent to the amount in Rupees over a factor of 2.5. Which means that a salary of $ 80,000 which counted in Rupee terms is roughly equal to $ 32,000. Consider the other trade offs- One has to live half a world away from their families for years together,Almost non existent social interaction..( except for some weekend " visits" from some made up friends).
I read in an article recently that the percentage of IITians coming to the U.S has dropped sharply from about 70% to about 16%. Most of them opine that India is the country to be in with the kind of developments going on. Most of the IITians are opting to top rung management courses or IIScs for their higher education and are staking their careers in India. Even the vast majority of IIM graduates prefer to stay in India than go abroad. Their thought process is quite simple. India is proving to be the hot bed of technogical growth and development in this century. Why sacrifice so much and live an aloof life for just a few more dollars( I will discuss the cultural aspects of bringing up your off springs here in a future article). This is a golden opportunity to work in the best of technologies and earn a decent living within the comforts of your motherland. Why squander that?
I know that my thoughts will change the attitude of a few. But my humble request is that the work profile of a person should be respected- Not the country of work nor the dollars in hand. And as you all know, the IITians and IIM grads are an intelligent lot. They rarely bet against high odds. The reverse brain drain will be the norm, not the exception.
First of all this is a splendid country with immense resources and opportunities. The civic sense is simply outstanding. One doesn't have the luxury to spit or urinate in public places. The laws are strict but no one dares to tamper with your freedom. You are sure to get a seat in a bus or a train . No one requests you to share anything be it a pen, pencil, bat or ball. Some of the Indian youth may have some misleading information about the country from Hollywood flicks..But be rest assured, the U.S is totally different from the India that you have seen. Americans are generally brought up with good manners. They try their best to promise only if they are able to deliver. I am emphasising this point a lot because Indians generally have a habit of giving great hopes and quite often reneging on that. Yes, we love short cuts. Maybe, that is why we give empty promises just to bail out of a siituation.
Having said all these, let me mention one thing about myself. I really hate to lie. I am not claiming that I have never said a lie..mostly all of mine were white lies. So let us face the reality. The cultural difference one has to face when somebody starts living here is stark. When you have a certain notion of city and when you may not see that here, that is the time when you really wonder- " Is this the right place for you"? I believe in change and to a certain extent broadminded. But, change, to me is a characterestic that has to be developed within you. There are so many Indians who come here, try to dress up as Americans, try hard to speak with a Americo-Indian accent and say that they are broadminded. That is outright absurdity. The funny thing is that Americans never expect us to dress nor speak like them. It is when we put on these odd appeareances do we make a mockery of ourselves. There are other things, I mean good characterestics, that you can learn from them- like punctuality, keeping promises and cleanliness. I feel these are the things that we should adapt and say that " I have changed". Most of us are trying to implement some superfical make overs and saying that " I am broad minded".
The higher education system is quite good over here. In India apart from the IITs, IIMs and some NITs the higher education still does not meet international standards. In the job scenario, merely working in the U.S does not mean that you are having a great job. Just compare this.. If somebody has a job in Microsoft or Qualcomm , Bangalore and someone else has a job in some unheard of company ABC in USA. Which do you think is a better option. There are still fools out there who believe that the latter is a better option. But people with common sense will tell you that the company and the work profile is more important that the place. Also, regarding the salary, if somebody gets a salary of $ 80,000 per annum-we tend to say that WOW he has a salary of 42 lakhs per annum or roughly 3.5 lakhs per month. This is totally misleading. One should consider the living expense here and also the purchasing power of the dollar vs the Rupee. It is generally assumed that the amount of dollars you earn is approximately equivalent to the amount in Rupees over a factor of 2.5. Which means that a salary of $ 80,000 which counted in Rupee terms is roughly equal to $ 32,000. Consider the other trade offs- One has to live half a world away from their families for years together,Almost non existent social interaction..( except for some weekend " visits" from some made up friends).
I read in an article recently that the percentage of IITians coming to the U.S has dropped sharply from about 70% to about 16%. Most of them opine that India is the country to be in with the kind of developments going on. Most of the IITians are opting to top rung management courses or IIScs for their higher education and are staking their careers in India. Even the vast majority of IIM graduates prefer to stay in India than go abroad. Their thought process is quite simple. India is proving to be the hot bed of technogical growth and development in this century. Why sacrifice so much and live an aloof life for just a few more dollars( I will discuss the cultural aspects of bringing up your off springs here in a future article). This is a golden opportunity to work in the best of technologies and earn a decent living within the comforts of your motherland. Why squander that?
I know that my thoughts will change the attitude of a few. But my humble request is that the work profile of a person should be respected- Not the country of work nor the dollars in hand. And as you all know, the IITians and IIM grads are an intelligent lot. They rarely bet against high odds. The reverse brain drain will be the norm, not the exception.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Some politics
My first interest has always been politics. I should admit that I am quite fascinated with the entrapments of power. But what has always mesmerized me is the dynamics of politics. There is a saying that " a week in politics is more than a life time". How true that is !!!! Imagine a party that was virtually gutted in the 2004 parliamentary elections is back in the reckoning. BJP ( Bharaitya Janata Party), which was once touted as the pro Hindu, pro Hindi party has taken the prized Southern state of Karnataka. B.S Yediyurappa created history by being the first Southern CM of the saffron party. L.K Advani has certainly set his eyes on the once elusive prime ministerial chair.
Here is a flashback. BJP had just 2 MPs in 1984. By 1989, the party had grown to 80+ seats. The Ayodhya wave catapulted the party to the centre stage of national politics by the 1990s. However, the party peaked during the late 1990s when A.B Vajpayee became the first BJP PM in 1998. Vajpayee was touted as the most acceptable " public face " of the party while Advani had to remain in his shadows. Barring some occasional hiccups ,it is to their credit that the PM and the Deputy PM ( Advani) had no major friction between them. I would say that this was the major factor that kept the party together during its rough times in 2004 and 2005. The duo remained the best of friends and Vajpayee passed over the baton to Advani without hesitation.
Manmohan Singh did not do a bad job. Infact he was the most erudite PM to have been in the chair after Pandit Nehru. We should remember that Manmohan was the leader of a motley coalition with an invisible leftist authority. Given the circumstances,I doubt whether anyone else could have done a better job. Some say that he was a weak P.M. I doubt whether that statement is true. The definition of " weak" and " strong" is certainly relative. Dr. Singh was less of a talker and more of a doer. He may never had the charisma of a great leader like Rajiv , Indira Gandhi or A.B Vajpayee. Nevertheless, he was second to none in his commitment to the nation.
But what he lacks , the personal charisma and lack of connectivity to the masses, may well prove to spell doom to the Congress party in the coming general elections. During normal times none of these prime ministerial traits would have mattered. But these are torrid times- those of sky rocketing inflation and high unemployment. The Consumer Price Index is at an all time high and the gasoline prices have shot over the roof. The P.M himself has said that the latest hike has not covered the losses of the oil companies. That would mean that more increases are impending. The Aam aadmi is feeling the pinch and this will unleash a tsunami of anti incumbency.
This has already been felt in the six or so states that went to the polls in the last year. Congress could not even win a single one of them. It should be noted that none of these states were won by the BJP on Hindutva brand of politics. All of them were a clear case of anti incumbency.
Time is running out for the Congress government. Lal Krishna Advani is no longer the political pariah one dared not to touch. Instead, he is the next best bet for the BJP after Vajpayee and a seasoned statesman. The same allies that ditched the party last time around will be flocking to their fold this time around. Unless something dramatic happens, I predict that the 2009 General election finals belong to the BJP and the NDA. But again, I would like to repeat what I said earlier.." A WEEK IN POLITICS IS MORE THAN A LIFE TIME".
Here is a flashback. BJP had just 2 MPs in 1984. By 1989, the party had grown to 80+ seats. The Ayodhya wave catapulted the party to the centre stage of national politics by the 1990s. However, the party peaked during the late 1990s when A.B Vajpayee became the first BJP PM in 1998. Vajpayee was touted as the most acceptable " public face " of the party while Advani had to remain in his shadows. Barring some occasional hiccups ,it is to their credit that the PM and the Deputy PM ( Advani) had no major friction between them. I would say that this was the major factor that kept the party together during its rough times in 2004 and 2005. The duo remained the best of friends and Vajpayee passed over the baton to Advani without hesitation.
Manmohan Singh did not do a bad job. Infact he was the most erudite PM to have been in the chair after Pandit Nehru. We should remember that Manmohan was the leader of a motley coalition with an invisible leftist authority. Given the circumstances,I doubt whether anyone else could have done a better job. Some say that he was a weak P.M. I doubt whether that statement is true. The definition of " weak" and " strong" is certainly relative. Dr. Singh was less of a talker and more of a doer. He may never had the charisma of a great leader like Rajiv , Indira Gandhi or A.B Vajpayee. Nevertheless, he was second to none in his commitment to the nation.
But what he lacks , the personal charisma and lack of connectivity to the masses, may well prove to spell doom to the Congress party in the coming general elections. During normal times none of these prime ministerial traits would have mattered. But these are torrid times- those of sky rocketing inflation and high unemployment. The Consumer Price Index is at an all time high and the gasoline prices have shot over the roof. The P.M himself has said that the latest hike has not covered the losses of the oil companies. That would mean that more increases are impending. The Aam aadmi is feeling the pinch and this will unleash a tsunami of anti incumbency.
This has already been felt in the six or so states that went to the polls in the last year. Congress could not even win a single one of them. It should be noted that none of these states were won by the BJP on Hindutva brand of politics. All of them were a clear case of anti incumbency.
Time is running out for the Congress government. Lal Krishna Advani is no longer the political pariah one dared not to touch. Instead, he is the next best bet for the BJP after Vajpayee and a seasoned statesman. The same allies that ditched the party last time around will be flocking to their fold this time around. Unless something dramatic happens, I predict that the 2009 General election finals belong to the BJP and the NDA. But again, I would like to repeat what I said earlier.." A WEEK IN POLITICS IS MORE THAN A LIFE TIME".
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