Nadir of politics

I remember,  the first day of crop season were a important event in the villages. The fields after the ploughing were filled with the rain water and in the backdrop of beautiful songs, handful of ladies use to sow the rice plants in a very systematic manner. It use to be joyous occasion,playing with the mud and throwing the loose soil on each other. The loosening of soil , soaking of water is needed for the crop to take the root and mature during the next 90 days. Perhaps, symbolically the mud slinging by the political parties is also required to get the final crop. But unfortunately,it has not remain so joyful and has reached the nadir. Is politics so bad? is everything associated with politics is so stinking? I would have been the last person to believe this. But attempt to blacken even the cleanest of the breed in shuttle manner has made it look awfully and shamefully bad. The advent of television media has made the things from bad to worst. The fight for the TRPs makes every channel to move away from a constructive discussion to numerous replays of the obnoxious words which might have been deliberately coined in an election rally. The game is becoming dirtier and bitter. Politics is there ever since man started living on the earth, but it has become murkier. It was a game where, you tried to get the best of the people in your side, present brightest of your picture, convey your thinking about policy and plans. It wasn't a trait of bad mouthing and ill feeling to the extent that one start disliking a person at a personal level. From a policy baiter, it has become the race of tounge biting. Mahajanapadas of vaishali would not have imagined a democracy of this level. Are we really don't have issues to deliberate? what is your view on making a human living better? what is a better method? We can't do anything because there is no difference between our approaches. So, let's put all kind of trap and enforcing agencies, to get the a small issue. At least , this makes the political commentators to earn good amount for every sitting in the the studio. The public also has little option other than to consume irrational  arguments. The left has gone, the center has moved towards right when it comes about economic policy, Foreign policy is individual mantra, internal security is the concern of poor police constable who is truely apolitical. No matter, who is there, the game continues. The bankruptcy of policy and inability to create different and better plan has no other alternative but to speak with venom. This will create rift and polarize people but, will the last row gets his due? No!!! The meaning of politics has changed. It's a way of finding a scandal and playing tantrums with public. But do you realize , this will have a colossal damage to the nation. Let's stop it and discuss eradicating poverty, providing food, creating infrastructure and developing skill, rather than calling "Chor" and "khooni". The Ears are waiting to hear GDP numbers, unemployment index, fiscal deficit, inflation, agri growth, external aggression, taking governance to the last person...etc...would we!!!! Churning, should remove the loose soil and unearth the new soil for better tomorrow.

Rendezvous with Mars

In a country, where every parent wants to send his kid to Kota but hardly a few want to see them ending with Sriharikota, yesterday's afternoon was nothing sort of a miracle. It was another afternoon for me in the non productive corporate life but little different because of the extended holiday. However, it ended up eventually with a wonderful feeling for those scientist whose motivation is really a case study for many psychologists. They get paid minuscule, have to struggle with govt beauracracy for theirs day to day affairs and small budgets to carry on their research , have all the time alluring offers hanging up to take the mind away from the job and move offshore ; spending those countless hours in making the mission successfull is no less than a extraordinary event. I felt exceedingly proud while explaining this to my 11 year old daughter about the escape velocity, orbits , probes and life on Mars ; wondering if these are going to create some how, why factor in her mind. A scientist are born between the age of 10-15 but unfortunately the education system as well the social norms in India doesn't help to inculcate this among the kids.They get more enamoured by the geeks going to Silicon Valley and making good sum of money by writing computer codes or by those who take some common sense mangement degrees and become investment bankers. 

A welcome sign was that all political biggies were shouldering each other to congratulate the scientist. The reason for sanctioning 450 crore for this mission was difficult to digest, perhaps, some Vadra would be licking to find some more land availability for grabbing and making millions. A twist in turn was the post event discussion on why we spend this 12 Rs per Km for space exploration in the poverty ridden country. Unfortunate is that those people don't understand that we will continue to remain poor, if the science culture does not come back. Historically, our civilization was pioneer in scientific and mathematical discoveries but we lost in the midway around 12-13 th century, when we become too obsessed with non-scientific rituals and Gazni &Gauris of the outer world invaded us and started ruling both physically as well as in mind. The scientific and industrial mindset took a back seat and we were left far behind when Europian nations were going through Renaissance. The remains were collaterally and systematically damaged during the  British occupation and biggest impact was on the scientific developments. We are left much behind both in thinking as well as in ability. In the modern world, one doesnt need to have warriors of Alexandor to become world power. The scientific and economic revolution is only way to become superpower and alleviate the poverty. The one billion expenditure on space exploration in the trillion dollar economy is still too little vis a vis the national pride it brings and technological edge it provides in communication, mapping, weather observation or military capacity at home. These bring direct benefits to ordinary people. Take one recent example: a fierce cyclone that hit India’s east coast last month killed few, whereas a similar-strength one in the same spot, in 1999, killed over 10,000. One reason for the improvement was that Indian weather satellites helped to make possible far more accurate predictions of where and when the storm would hit. Otherwise, improved data on monsoon rains, or generally shifting weather patterns, can help even the poorest farmers have a better idea of when to plant crops.

When we don't mind spending 5000 crores in burning crackers on one night of Dewali, burning 10% of that on liquid propellant of rocket is simply nothing. Let's not connect it to poverty, hunger, rape, child labour and so and so forth and don't let the politicos to fight over naming it after Patel , Gandhi or Ambedkar. We are proud of our scientist and hope this will be a good step in reviving science and technology.