Mediocre Perspectives

The Cuban missile crisis is probably the most important moment in World History in the 20 th century. In the aftermath of World War II, the world was divided between two large contours of capitalism lead by the United States and communism lead by the erstwhile Soviet Union. Tensions between them termed ‘Cold War’ lead to proxy wars and conflicts in many third world countries. If the Korean War of the 1950s was a crucial episode, the Cuban missile crisis in 1962 was its zenith. The USA through reconnaissance aircraft found that Soviets ships were ferrying ‘offensive’ missiles to Cuba, an ally of USSR which was off the coast of USA. Faced with a complex decision of blockading Cuba and preventing the takeover of West Berlin, which was Soviet’s plan if the USA launched an offensive on Cuba, JFK resorted to a combination of a diplomatic blockade and a stern warning to the USSR. As the Soviet’s plan was exposed its leader Khrushchev agreed to have a summit meeting in the month of November...

When I was in ninth standard there was a usual discussion in class regarding what you want to become. Back then unrestricted by expectations of society we told our teacher what we really wanted to be. In my ninth standard, I was pretty sure that I will take up genetics. Back then I did not know that the society considers it a foolish aspiration unfit for earning 20000 rupees a month. If I told you that I live in the state of Tamil Nadu your assumption that I took up engineering is dead right. After all, that is what you are supposed to do. There was this one friend who wanted to be in the NBA. When my teacher asked him, “Do you think it is possible?” he silently nodded his head. He was an extraordinary player on the court. I have seen him win important matches for our school in the zonal. He even represented the State once I guess. I am in touch with only a handful of friends after school and I met him only once after that. A few months ago, when I was surfing through Facebook I ...

It feels so real. You could hear your heartbeat ringing in your ears and feel the sweat dripping from your chin. India needs four runs to win off the last ball and you are to face the final ball. The next second you are in a success meet of your recent blockbuster movie. You enjoy the spotlight and giving a rousing speech. Suddenly, you are waltzing with your spouse in a college get together party. That was such a moment to savor. Only then you realize that you are sitting in your room and staring at the wall. You were interrupted by a Brownian moving ant on your arm. You brush it aside with a heavy sigh. It has been less than two minutes that you got distracted. You were working on something else. Photo Courtesy: Jeslyn The above-mentioned daydream pattern is not alien to us. The dreams and patterns might have changed but the phenomenon has remained from childhood. Daydreams are part of our lives. From the point of view of an economist, it is one of the factors which ‘ha...

When I was in school, I used to read the newspaper every day. Though I did not understand most of the issues I made sure that I at least skimmed through the headlines. The only exception to this was the ‘sports’ page which always had a special reservation. Though I lost the habit during college and lived the – I don’t care about the world – typical of college my aspirations brought me to the newspaper and has been reading them quite studiously for the last two years. But I have to admit investigating the newspaper beyond a point clearly reveals that the world is definitely not a nice place to ‘live’. Newspapers have such a strong affinity for negativity that reports and analysis mostly portray or relay news which are unhappy happenings. At one point one can’t stop thinking that the whole world is ‘moronic’. Photo Courtesy: Jon S Corruption cases which drag on for years, an ill-equipped law and administrative system, killings in the name of honour, recommendations from ...

It is not often that two blockbuster superhero movies release in a span of two months. DC and Marvel fan fights on social media sites are not uncommon. Both host a range of super humans in different universes. But the beauty of DC’s Dawn of Justice and Marvel’s Civil war lies in the fact that they dealt with the same concept – The tyranny of unaccountable power. Compared to the previous movies in the DC series the Dawn of Justice had many pitfalls. Though a positive revenue generator it was not good enough to enthuse the fan base for the upcoming series on the Justice League . Nevertheless, it opened up a philosophical dimension on the concept of ‘Super’ man. To quote Batman from the movie, “He has the power to wipe out the entire human race. Even if there is a one percent chance that he is not on our side we must take it as an absolute certainty”. The movie dealt with a reasonable question: Shouldn’t such a powerful man be accountable to law? The movie had its moments, es...

Throughout our life, we spend most of the time trying to predict what is in store for us tomorrow. We use every means possible to do that, sometimes very irrational methods as ‘Astrology’. But it is the desire of every living organism – to make life predictable – and we have to admit that compared to other species we have succeeded on many accounts due to our advancements in science and technology. Today, though a considerable section of humans doesn't have a roof to sleep, there is also a section of the population who can safely claim that they will wake up in the same place where they slept last night unharmed. But away from the basic necessities we have gone a step higher. With the increase in life expectancy, we have begun to plan for many things in life – our educational institution, marriage, insurance and even our tombs. It won’t be surprising if in the nearest future if we happen to design humans (forget medical ethics – they are dead). This has falsely made us st...

There is a good chance that this day could be celebrated as something important either globally or in some place on earth for honouring a person or a deed. We, humans, celebrate a lot of days, now and then. Irrespective of what we celebrate the objective has always been similar, “Remembrance”. Most decolonised nations celebrate their Independence days to recall the brave deeds of their freedom fighters to remind the new generation of citizens that the luxury which they enjoy was earned from blood and sweat. Diabetes and cancer days have become relevant lately owing to increased prevalence of non-communicable diseases due to changing lifestyle patterns. Days are celebrated to thank the earth, to talk much and act less on the environment and spare thought for ‘water’ one of the highly exploited resource on our planet. And ironically, the world celebrates the Valentine’s Day for remembrance of love. Most couples forget the meaning of ‘love’ few years into marriage and the Valent...

Realising existence is possibly the greatest revelation of human thinking. Well, I am not questioning the ability of other living organisms to understand their existence but the magnanimity of the human mind in enquiring its purpose before which all the other species fade into the shadows. The purpose of life is a big question mark which has enthralled not just philosophers, but every human who has ever lived. Each individual encounters, at least, one point in his lifetime where he a question mark hovers over his head tilling his mind for answers. But the purpose of this post is to deal with a different question – does ‘life’ make sense? – In this context, the word ‘sense’ means whether the life which we live has any ‘meaning’.  I am less than a speckle of dust on a wonderful green-blue planet. The earth is a dwarf when it stands before the sun. When we raise the ante and take it to the level of the universe the sun is lesser than the lesser speckle of dust. When I think ...

Basis for the system Sir Ken Robinson in one of his many TED talks points out two important facts about the education system. The system sprouted in response to serving the needs of the industrial revolution and no matter the method of teaching throughout the world science stands first and arts fall last in any institution. It is ironical that the system has not undergone many transformations though few centuries have passed since the steam engine became the order of the day. Thus, the system was designed for people who are to work in the industry and in a general population only a small percentage have that natural aptitude. Why it exists? The reason for the biased system’s existence in our society is its ‘convenience’. The system works well in creating a citizen who will accept life in its terms and doesn’t involve himself in questioning its relevance. A student undergoes 12 plus years of schooling. During his schooling, he is taught and questioned from only what is pri...

Come March every year, the society is obsessed with the most important exercise for millions of children in India - the Board Exams. It is often touted by many as the life changing moment for all those adolescents who take up this exercise. Six years ago, I was one in the herd goat-grunting for performing well in my board exams. Reality stands galaxies apart from what was said about board exams when I was in school. They were called as the golden key which would unlock all the fortunate doors of life. It took two years later for me to realize that it was the dumbest thing that I have ever believed. The reason lies in the Indian education system - possibly one of the worst in the world.( I say this with conviction because I am a victim) The system neither cares whether a student who scores well in Physics knows about its application in his daily chores, doesn't mind whether a Chemistry topper was ever conscious in his laboratory, nor does it care whether a Biology nerd knows to...

I don’t exactly remember why I stopped believing in the concept of god. But I do remember that it was after my tenth standard when I was 15 and half years old. I live in a religious family as most families in this world are irrespective of where you live. My mother reminds me that as a kid, I refused to eat even a mouthful until they were accompanied by fancied stories from the Hindu mythology. Until I became an atheist, I could vividly recall that I never went to school without a short prayer and the ‘tilak’ on my forehead. But in spite of all this, I came out of the concept and I certainly believe that it is one of the important decisions which changed my perception. Stepping out of the realm invoked reason and inculcated the spirit of questioning. Questioning unlocked many portals which remained invisible. Rationalism stems from many foundations but Atheism is the strongest of all. It is the root of all questions which demand ‘evidence’ and proof. The seed of reason which ...

As every year, two weeks after the new year when dad arrived home he brought us a couple of diaries. When my sister was deep in thought on choosing one my mother spoke “You don’t use them anyway. Why are you so engrossed in picking one?” I still remember the first diary which I ever used. It had a mahogany cover with the year 2005 imprinted in lemon. I hardly wrote it for a week and discontinued the writing practice. I don’t exactly recall the ink painted contents but I do know that I barely narrated chronologically the events of the day without any flavour.  After that, I used to get myself a diary every year but was never really committed to filling all those pages. Photo Courtesy: Magic Madzik Diaries are used by many people for many purposes. My mother uses it for writing down the family budget every night. My father retains one with semi-soiled papers which has all his important contacts and a new one to keep track of his official work. But I have always believed...

Five years ago when I appeared for an interview, the moment I took my seat in the four-legged vintage chair, the first question was shot, “So, you are Gowtham A R. What does A and R stand for?” It is well known that surnames represent the family from which we come from. Globally, surnames reflect the region from originating. Yamaguchi is a surname in which ‘yama’ stands for ‘mountain’ and ‘guchi’ for entrance. This signals to the enquirer that you live near the mountains and so he frames an opinion about your ancestry and social behaviour. In some cases, surnames might represent the occupation you are associated with, like ‘Tinker’. In a country like India, beyond these two reasons, the names are also used as an indirect reference to the caste you belong to. Beyond the issue of what a surname means, there were questions which disturbed my mind: How many civilizations take the name of a woman as their surname? Or all societies so embedded in patriarchy that we never gave w...

I got myself a smartphone only a few months ago. Though I found it difficult to cope up with an intelligent device, I got along with it as everybody does. The device has made it too easy for me access the internet. Before that, I needed to boot my grunting system every time even if I had to spend only a few minutes on cyberspace. This rocket access has made me cultivate a new habit – adding items to my ‘wish-list’. Being a voracious reader, I have always remained curious to read every book I come across. With my smartphone in my hand, I am able to add all the titles I come across to my wish-list which are mentioned as good reads. I have not read or purchased even a minuscule number of books on my wish-list and I know dead sure that either purchasing all or accessing all of them in a library is impossible, let alone reading them. But having the books or goods you want on your wish-list creates a unique kind of satisfaction similar to the one you get when you window-shop. It do...

It is been a very long time since I have watched live cricket. It is partly because I have cultivated aversion towards Television and mostly due to lack of opportunity. But I could not force myself to watch the game without the ‘mute’ button being active. I don’t remember the last time when the commentary was so annoying. One of the important rules for commentary in any sport is ‘not to insult the viewer by narrating what he can already see’. Book cover designer Chip Kidd in a TED talk spoke about one of the important lessons which he learnt as a beginner, “ Either quote the word ‘Apple’ on the cover or print a fleshy picture of the fruit, but don’t do both”. I watched it only for a few minutes. I do not who were voicing from the commentary box, but I certainly found it manufactured noise intended to disrupt me happily watching the game. They were more focused on coming up with more adjectives and innovative scenarios to describe what I was seeing. Let me throw an example. Jadeja...

Yesterday, when I opened my Facebook page, it showed me a photo on my timeline saying that it has been three years since that photo has been posted. It had a few likes and one comment. A thought struck me that I have never got any of my photographs printed in the last five years. Things were way different in my childhood. I believe we still have that old black camera in our house. I don’t remember the company but it is the old black camera which makes a ‘click’ noise when you press that bindi-shaped red button on top. Back then, clicking a photograph was an event in itself. I remember seeing my mother open a small white cylinder box in which lay a snake curled black film. She used to insert it inside the camera and say that it has only 31 clicks and hence should use it rarely. Photo Courtesy: Storebukkebruse The camera was used very sparingly. We used to take photographs on our birthdays in newly bought dresses, when relatives visited our homes and when we occasiona...

Today morning, I was greeted with a laudable decision by the honourable Madras High Court when I went through the newspaper. The High court has ‘stayed’ the order which imposed the dress code for those who entered temples. The dress code issue has been of debate recently when a single judge ordered temple visitors to stick to specific attire mentioned in his judgement. The honourable High Court stating that beauty and obscenity are in the eyes of the beholder and not in one's dressing has stayed this order. The issue has not been completely resolved as January 18 th has been scheduled for hearing appeals from those who support the dress code order. In the larger context, the relevance of dress code has been of debate in many circles of the society. The most prominent parallel to the recent issue was when dress code was imposed for college students. To evaluate the relevance of dress code, one need to understand the reason why people in different locations dress the way they ...