Borrow from the Mahatma

We will be celebrating the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi this year. Gandhi’s contribution to the nation is certainly worth a grand commemoration and the Government of India is keen to do it as our grateful nation prepares for the event. In a few days from now, we will observe his martyrdom as he was assassinated on January 30, 1948. But even 70 years after his death, Gandhi lives on. The relevance of his ideas in today’s world is widely discussed and debated. And the very fact that his ideas still get people to think and argue makes him rather extraordinary. This, perhaps, was the reason as to why a person like Einstein had said that generations to come might find it hard to believe that someone like Gandhi walked on this earth in flesh and blood. But Gandhi had his share of critics, too. And they were just as vociferous as his admirers. Gandhi was a man of conviction and would not budge an inch from the values he upheld. The approaching anniversary of his death will be an appropriate occasion to recapitulate what all he stood for and truly understand what made him the Mahatma. This is all the more important for the young nation where an overwhelmingly large section of the population is hooked to the social media and considers the internet to be the most authentic source of knowledge. They must know about Gandhi and try to understand the values and principles that were dear to his heart. We must remember that Gandhi’s greatest strength was complete congruence in what he practised and what he preached. In an era in which commerce rules and ideology is a vanishing commodity, Gandhi’s qualities are like a whiff of fresh air. It is important to realise the importance of his ideas. First and foremost is his complete understanding of the dichotomy between right and wrong. He always maintained that ends did not justify the means. Rather, means and ends were a continuum. For him, change had to begin from the self. His philosophy was simple and got one to understand the importance of truth and non-violence. In fact, he was a true advocate of the golden lesson on education given in the Sikshavalli of Taittiriya Upanishad that is Satyam Vada, Dharmam Chara. In other words, adhere to the truth and follow the path of righteousness. Today, we find our world in turmoil driven by violence. Gandhi’s solution was simple — tread the path of non-violence. His politics was politics based on ethics and he had classified the seven deadly sins as wealth without work, pleasure without conscience, knowledge without character, commerce without morality, science without humanity, religion without sacrifice and politics without principles. As we look around today, we find these deadly sins abound. Is it not evident that the problems of the present times have compounded because of these sins? From corporate trusteeship, to sustainability principles, to frugal economics, Gandhi’s ideals could really help one in present times where we find management theorists, environmentalists, and economists struggling alike to come to grips with the challenges that the modern times are throwing at the individuals. He had said that whenever you are in doubt, recall the face of the poorest and the weakest man and ask yourself if your step will be of any use to him. This will lead to real Swaraj. In Gandhi’s wisdom lies the answer to the woes of the present times.

The 2019 wish list

Usually these wish lists are prepared around the turn of the year. But the last year being a rather tumultuous one from many angles, it took around two weeks to conceive what to seek for in the present year. However, given the confusion that prevailed, this was inevitable. Moreover, the significance of 2019 is going to be of some magnitude. Most importantly, it is going to be the election year. And not just any election year, because elections have now become a regular feature of our democracy. Even the previous years, too, were election years, which always seemed to be like the proverbial straws in the wind. However, this year will witness a crucial election that may have a long-term impact on the country. We may come to that a little later. The wish list first. Let us wish there will be more of truth and less of half truths in the present year; the motivated social media campaigns that were packaged and sold, rather effectively. Those lies, damn lies, and statistics. The most unfortunate part was that the number of buyers rose. Hopefully, we pray for reason to prevail over unreason, peace and amity over strife and intolerance, and most importantly politics of growth over gimmicks. But will we get it? It all depends. Are the people still willing to live in fantasies weaved over falsehoods or will they exercise their logical brain? Let us hope that rationality will be the guiding force this year rather than frenzied rabble rousing ruling the roost. Strongly entrenched into the 21st century and wishing India as a global superpower in years to come, we have to realise that wishes are horses. In fact, you need to plan and organise, direct and control your resources, while thinking of a future goal. The roadmaps must be backed by strong will and scientific approach. As it is said, “Concepts without precepts are empty, precepts without concepts are blind.” It is not merely a philosophical proposition. It is a solid assertion based on sound reasoning. We need to think how we can take India where we want. From economics to education, from technology to agriculture, from polity to society, there is an urgent need to address issues that are being swept under the carpet. It’s a competitive world, a challenging world, a no-free-lunches world. Everything has to be earned, and earned by the slog rather than the song. We need entrepreneurs and enterprise, not cheerleaders and fence-sitters. There is still a long way to go. In words of Frost, it is miles to go. And we must go together. Against the odds, against the restraining forces that are of our own making, against the threatening cabal of our hostile neighbours. How are we going to cope with all these? And are we going all right? To put the record straight — we are not. So it is all about how we go this year that will decide the future course. It is against this backdrop that the 2019 Elections have that special significance. It will be the trendsetter. The all-important question will be what to do. I am reminded of an old school time lesson that my English teacher gave us as we were preparing to appear for the Senior Cambridge exams: “Think before you ink.” There cannot be a better proposition for the electorate. They must think what the right choice is.

A timely warning

Movies are usually not taken seriously no matter how significant and timely a theme they choose to address. And the reason is not far to seek. Movies are considered to be a means of mass entertainment, the sole purpose being to earn money through storytelling, no matter how sincere the filmmaker is about the message that is intended to be conveyed. Rajinikanth’s Robot 2.O is also of the same genre as far as moviegoers are concerned. But the fact is that it makes a lot of sense for human life given the theme the film wishes to talk about. However, it would be at best discussed as either one of the costliest among the non-English films by production cost or the box office collections that it makes. But as we approach this new year and embrace fresh perspectives, the film seems to drive a very pertinent and timely point home. Though not an avid movie watcher, I got the opportunity to see the film, courtesy the owner of the cinema hall exhibiting the movie. Despite my reluctance, he insisted that I  watch it. I acceded out of courtesy rather than desire and expected to watch a typical masala movie with lots of action and drama. But, it turned out to be a rather sensible and serious movie with lot of substance and style. The message that the film tries to convey is that because of the rate at which smartphones are penetrating India, disaster is not very far. The film tries to convey this message and in a very powerful way through an ornithologist and activist played effectively by Akshay Kumar. The timely warning is that because of the greed of the mobile service providers to get more and more customers, regulations and caution are often thrown to wind and that that could very well result in the undoing of humanity. The issue is raised very scientifically by stating that the increasing numbers of mobile towers and the resultant rise in the concentration of radiation is a cause of the fast depletion of several bird species. The assertion is irrefutable for anyone who has been observing the vanishing of some of the common household birds like sparrows which are hardly visible these days. Moreover, the disappearance of birds also has cyclical repercussions that are capable of bringing misery. These birds do a very crucial scavenging job by eating the insects that harm plants and crops, leading to more and more use of chemicals that eventually harm human beings. The counter view that is being shown is also very effectively presented as to how human intelligence is not ready to accept the possibility of this threat due to its own indulgence. In light of the statistics that are available, the warning is perfectly timed. With half-a-billion internet users, 100 million internet consumers and over 300 million video-on-phone watchers, Indians will likely be the largest mobile consumers in the world as the perks that come with cheap smartphones are quite alluring. That mobile is becoming an addiction across age and gender needs no validation. We are abusing rather than using mobile phones. The answer the film suggests may be extreme as doing away with mobile phones is not possible, but there is need to create awareness that life is possible without mobile phones. The rate at which we are accelerating mobile use, the day is not far when there will be no life.