Petrol is a fast receding commodity. The staggering demand for petrol keeps rising every day. Progress is a given and so is the development of ways of a quicker consumption of this scarce commodity. Cometh a day when there is no petrol on the face of the earth, how shall we manage? Manage to run the multitude of resource hungry applications, designed to give us comfort, comfort maybe beyond human needs. Needs is a queer trait that humans display, for it changes. Not person to person, but it changes within the same person. Funny, as we are then chasing chimera. For needs can never be met, is obvious. Or can they be? And at what cost?
Human needs and desires are let best with thinkers, philosophers and Management Gurus, to mull; the question for the lesser doyens of the intelligentsia is "What may this alternative be?" All that we innocuous mortals seek is a way to prolong our comfort, well yes man made comfort. Mankind has toiled for centuries to usurp nature and its manifestations, to bring in a state of play where comfort and desires are by now engrained in civil society. That certainly is a benefit that the human race reaps, thanks to the inventions and advancements in technology. Is it not apt to assume that for sure there will be some tech druid in his monastery praying to his God – his tools and chemicals, seeking an answer to “What may this alternative be?”
Can lateral thinking hold the answer?
Here is an imaginary or a not so imaginary solution. Can we not look at something that is guaranteed to last as long as man lives, something that is part of every human. If we step back a stride and review the requirement to specify the deliverable expected of this alternative, we realise that it needs to act as a fuel. An added advantage can be if this fuel comes with endless supply. Think hard, rake your brain, is there something that the child in you starts pointing at, something that you as a mature loathe to even consider as an option? Of course there is, it is the human urine. It comes with a guarantee of surplus production for as long as we discover a better option. I do not know if we actually need to work on a better option, if urine can play the placebo for the fuel hungry metal glen we live in.
Urine is rich in nitrogen, proteins, metabolites and contains an assortment of organic and inorganic salts. Isn’t there a way to use and synthesize these chemicals into yielding something more relevant, something more meaningful? A breakthrough……anyone……please???? Why do I feel that someone somewhere is pursuing this trail, and making headway by the hour! Is that mere phantasm, or the optimist in me kicking out, yearning to be heard, by the universe? After all, we have at some point in time in our lives believed. A common solution to an extremely sophisticated seems unbecoming, but hey isn’t that what we should learn from children. Well call it conjecture if you shall, but give the child in you a chance.
I do not wish to purport that we use urine in its raw form, as that comes with its share of possible epidemics. After all we are contemplating an element that human bodies discard, after efficient use. I wish to further my theory with a structure here. Urine should be the raw material that is accorded the requisite treatment for disinfection rendering it worthy of further processing. What we get as end result may be the answer to our quest for the alternative. Imagine if this theory comes true. Look at the possibilities it brings to the fore. For a moment if we ignore the vices that will wrap themselves around it, once it works, as greed is the bane of human-kind. Aren’t we our strongest enemies? I say this for I fail to conjure an explanation to the irrational amassing of wealth that the “haves” have perpetrated, at the cost of entire nations. If all this development has failed to instil humanity in men, nothing ever will. So we must know, there shall be evil, to deal with, always.
Close your eyes for a moment think of all the poverty in the world, and human forms that wish they were never born. Assume that the maniacs wielding power have a change of heart and lo – these lesser beings are fed, cared for. Even if out of greed, greed for securing more raw materials, they look after this ill fated lot, and mankind gets a second chance. Suddenly the tides would turn in favour of the third world, in a comparative sense though. They’d be in a better position than they are in today after all.
Oh for the love of comfort, give mankind a second chance.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Of Cricket and Superstitions
Being Indian qualifies me as one who has a point of view on Cricket, and why not. In the wake of the World cup victory after all these years, Cricket in India is agog. Mine is not to opine on which player is how good with his skill. I have an observation to share, on Cricketers. No I don’t intend to edify them or guide them to overcome vulnerable facets of their game, I leave that brackish drill to the overpaid coaches.
From my earliest memories of watching Cricket I was fascinated by Cricketers. Their persona, their lucid graceful movements the sheer glory associated with just about everything they did on field. They are such super athletes, especially with the kind of following Cricket enjoys in India. Important Cricket matches effect a total moratorium in India, audience fixed to their seats, watching hoping praying. Every supporter in his own way attempts to create the magical celestial alignment to help his team over the victory line. Not that our players do not reciprocate, they do and they do so in good measure. It is not just the fans watching on television, or in the stadium, but also the players, those exaltations of Indian aspiration in unison attempt to push the universe and its magical forces towards a favourable result.
The common name for these efforts is superstition. Superstition in the modern context is easily dismissed as an emotion attributed to lack of awareness to the conquests of Science and logic. Superstition many believe is an embedded part of the magnificent precinct of Indian society. There isn’t enough intellectual evidence qualifying this assumption as true or false at my disposal, hence I let that rest. Point that I would like to stress upon is that I have witnessed those larger than life Cricketers indulge in their superstitions on field, on camera, in matches. How amazing is that! Growing up with Cricket as an essential part of personality development, that bit sunk in involuntarily and demurely, in me.
Rake your minds to take cognizance of what you have seen. Mohinder Amarnath with his handkerchief; Ashok Malhotra with his trademark bat swirl before tapping into his stance; K Srikanth’s antics with his nose and moustache while batting; M.L. Jaisimha and Farukh Engineer’s scarves; Sachin Tendulkar’s striking white hat on his blue uniform in this world cup; MSD undoing and redoing his batting gloves prior to facing every delivery; MSD’s jerking of the neck to his right prior to every ball that spinners deliver; Srishanth’s fisting, praying, kissing the ball. To top it all, I used to take guard for the leg stick followed by guard for the middle stick. Before facing every delivery I’d draw a long line with my bat from the middle stump to the crease. Why do they do that? Why did I do that?
On the other side of the boundary line, the ubiquitous Indian fan. A frail frame painted in tricolour with Tendulkar anointed on his chest. I bob my head and recollect the image of the Pakistan fan. You would’ve seen him at Sharjah. He was an aging man with a wobbly gait, sporting a green cap. I can’t for the life of me remember an English Cricket fan or an Ozzi Cricket buff who stood out as much, match after match. I may well be mistaken here.
There exists an “unexplained” dimension for Superstition and super faith within us. Few brazenly identify with it and few do not. Those who can link up to it, see it as a source of secondary faith. It is a redundant pool you can draw from when it matters the most. It is our way of telling ourselves “God be with us” rather “May Luck favour us”. This belief, it manifests beyond cricket. I can easily look back and come up with instances when I laid claim to this secondary source of faith and drew shamelessly from it. Why not, I created it, for my personal use.
I remember using the same brand of pens for writing my exams. They brought me the unmentioned Good luck (Reynolds ball point). I also improvised my handwriting to incorporate the intentional italic bend, to bring me luck in evaluation. Well it worked. Always has. I am a qualified Engineer, however unworthy of the sacred Degree and I connect to this super faith thing.
Talking of logical souls connecting to the unexplained phenomena, Aamir Khan was spotted wearing the same T-shirt in India Pakistan Semi Finals and the India Sri Lanks Finals this 2011 ICC World Cup. For those who may not know Aamir Khan, he’s an Indian Actor reputed for his perfectionism and intellect. I did my bit to help team India win as well. I’ll come back to that.
While doing certain things brings luck, I propound that doing certain other things can ring in Bad luck as well. Over the last two decades of me watching Cricket I have observed, Sachin gets out if I watch him bat and India LOSES if I watch the entire match --- I’m referring to One day matches here.
I have been a true blue Indian Cricket fan and an avid Sachin-ist, and have done my bit to him pile up a heap of Centuries in both forms of the game. I have flirted with the idea of discarding my belief of not watching when Sachin was at the crease only to find him dismissed very early or in his mid 80s or early 90s without exception. Similar observations support my second theory too, so I don’t watch the full match. Our recent playoff with South Africa was a harsh reminder for me to stick to my beliefs. I did that with earnest and contributed to India’s ICC 2011 World cup victory.
ICC World cup 2011 Semi Final and Final matches: My TV was switched on for the entire duration of the match, with my family watching Channels that were NOT telecasting the match. I had issued firm instructions for all to abide, after all National pride was on line. I had discovered that I needed to place the TV remote at a particular angle on the right arm-rest of my single seat sofa, and I had to stand in the Kitchen. No I was not cooking, but straining my ears to capture noises from the neighbourhood. I had perfected the art of deciphering the sonorous cries of “Yeah” and “Come on” emanating from Indian households in my apartment building. On hearing one, I would run to the sofa, change to the Cricket channel, watch precisely another delivery and flip back to the inconsequential non-cricket channel. I assiduously kept to this routine, and Lo! India won the ICC 2011 Cricket World cup. I wore the same T-shirt for both the matches.
Now that India has won the World cup, Sachin’s long standing dream has been realised, I can deservedly go back to actively pursuing Cricket viewing. After all nothing betters watching a Cricket match with friends over chips and lager.
From my earliest memories of watching Cricket I was fascinated by Cricketers. Their persona, their lucid graceful movements the sheer glory associated with just about everything they did on field. They are such super athletes, especially with the kind of following Cricket enjoys in India. Important Cricket matches effect a total moratorium in India, audience fixed to their seats, watching hoping praying. Every supporter in his own way attempts to create the magical celestial alignment to help his team over the victory line. Not that our players do not reciprocate, they do and they do so in good measure. It is not just the fans watching on television, or in the stadium, but also the players, those exaltations of Indian aspiration in unison attempt to push the universe and its magical forces towards a favourable result.
The common name for these efforts is superstition. Superstition in the modern context is easily dismissed as an emotion attributed to lack of awareness to the conquests of Science and logic. Superstition many believe is an embedded part of the magnificent precinct of Indian society. There isn’t enough intellectual evidence qualifying this assumption as true or false at my disposal, hence I let that rest. Point that I would like to stress upon is that I have witnessed those larger than life Cricketers indulge in their superstitions on field, on camera, in matches. How amazing is that! Growing up with Cricket as an essential part of personality development, that bit sunk in involuntarily and demurely, in me.
Rake your minds to take cognizance of what you have seen. Mohinder Amarnath with his handkerchief; Ashok Malhotra with his trademark bat swirl before tapping into his stance; K Srikanth’s antics with his nose and moustache while batting; M.L. Jaisimha and Farukh Engineer’s scarves; Sachin Tendulkar’s striking white hat on his blue uniform in this world cup; MSD undoing and redoing his batting gloves prior to facing every delivery; MSD’s jerking of the neck to his right prior to every ball that spinners deliver; Srishanth’s fisting, praying, kissing the ball. To top it all, I used to take guard for the leg stick followed by guard for the middle stick. Before facing every delivery I’d draw a long line with my bat from the middle stump to the crease. Why do they do that? Why did I do that?
On the other side of the boundary line, the ubiquitous Indian fan. A frail frame painted in tricolour with Tendulkar anointed on his chest. I bob my head and recollect the image of the Pakistan fan. You would’ve seen him at Sharjah. He was an aging man with a wobbly gait, sporting a green cap. I can’t for the life of me remember an English Cricket fan or an Ozzi Cricket buff who stood out as much, match after match. I may well be mistaken here.
There exists an “unexplained” dimension for Superstition and super faith within us. Few brazenly identify with it and few do not. Those who can link up to it, see it as a source of secondary faith. It is a redundant pool you can draw from when it matters the most. It is our way of telling ourselves “God be with us” rather “May Luck favour us”. This belief, it manifests beyond cricket. I can easily look back and come up with instances when I laid claim to this secondary source of faith and drew shamelessly from it. Why not, I created it, for my personal use.
I remember using the same brand of pens for writing my exams. They brought me the unmentioned Good luck (Reynolds ball point). I also improvised my handwriting to incorporate the intentional italic bend, to bring me luck in evaluation. Well it worked. Always has. I am a qualified Engineer, however unworthy of the sacred Degree and I connect to this super faith thing.
Talking of logical souls connecting to the unexplained phenomena, Aamir Khan was spotted wearing the same T-shirt in India Pakistan Semi Finals and the India Sri Lanks Finals this 2011 ICC World Cup. For those who may not know Aamir Khan, he’s an Indian Actor reputed for his perfectionism and intellect. I did my bit to help team India win as well. I’ll come back to that.
While doing certain things brings luck, I propound that doing certain other things can ring in Bad luck as well. Over the last two decades of me watching Cricket I have observed, Sachin gets out if I watch him bat and India LOSES if I watch the entire match --- I’m referring to One day matches here.
I have been a true blue Indian Cricket fan and an avid Sachin-ist, and have done my bit to him pile up a heap of Centuries in both forms of the game. I have flirted with the idea of discarding my belief of not watching when Sachin was at the crease only to find him dismissed very early or in his mid 80s or early 90s without exception. Similar observations support my second theory too, so I don’t watch the full match. Our recent playoff with South Africa was a harsh reminder for me to stick to my beliefs. I did that with earnest and contributed to India’s ICC 2011 World cup victory.
ICC World cup 2011 Semi Final and Final matches: My TV was switched on for the entire duration of the match, with my family watching Channels that were NOT telecasting the match. I had issued firm instructions for all to abide, after all National pride was on line. I had discovered that I needed to place the TV remote at a particular angle on the right arm-rest of my single seat sofa, and I had to stand in the Kitchen. No I was not cooking, but straining my ears to capture noises from the neighbourhood. I had perfected the art of deciphering the sonorous cries of “Yeah” and “Come on” emanating from Indian households in my apartment building. On hearing one, I would run to the sofa, change to the Cricket channel, watch precisely another delivery and flip back to the inconsequential non-cricket channel. I assiduously kept to this routine, and Lo! India won the ICC 2011 Cricket World cup. I wore the same T-shirt for both the matches.
Now that India has won the World cup, Sachin’s long standing dream has been realised, I can deservedly go back to actively pursuing Cricket viewing. After all nothing betters watching a Cricket match with friends over chips and lager.
Monday, February 14, 2011
The Subcontinent and the Middle East
"But dear the Middle east is not exactly the place to be"; an inane remark, I recollect, one of my schoolmates made when I shared my plans of Middle East. I conjured the image of a man seeking experiences and knowledge as Paulo Coelho says in the Alchemist "wise men travel the deserts in search of knowledge". My mind was made up. Given the savings and an International experience to boast of, I was toying with the idea of taking up a professional assignment in the Middle East.
Conventionally speaking the whole of North India, thinks DUBAI, whenever one says "Middle East" or "the Gulf". North India by and large has a very objective approach to life, where most of the quests that life throws up should lead to Financial gains. Not that you will not find people who think otherwise, but this is the ideology of the majority there. So the perceived affluence and "lifestyle" of Dubai and its permanence in media, as the dream destination are reasons to be blamed. I was thoroughly impressed with the city Doha, even in my first visit, secretly fondling the craving to spend some years of my Professional life in this city. Coming from highly competitive cities in India like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Indore and also having worked in he cities where life is a celebration like Chandigarh and Bhopal, I found in Doha a picture perfect combination of the urbane modernism with the lifestyle of a Chandigarh / Pune. Now this offer was hard to quell.
But this is not about my experiences in India, but about my innate desire to experiment and learn.
At the onset, I must accord a thoroughly deserved praise, to Doha.
The limited population in a "not that big a city" serves as bliss for authorities. The population mix is as diverse as it can get; with the subcontinent being the majority of the expats. The Qatari population is little short of 50% of the overall population, and it is an affluent community, with one of the highest GDPs in the world. Coming back to the expats, there is good representation of the east - China, Philipines, Indonesia, Malaysia; and the subcontinent - Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. However these two blocks of expat population is today a serious contributor to Qatar's economy. The first block forms the backbone of the Service sector i.e those operating the Malls and Mc Donalds and the second block, the backbone of Construction and Banking. Initially it was only limited to Construction workers and gardners but now the subcontinent provides Bank Managers and FI Managers in Qatar --- a changing scenario. But it is following the trend already established in U.A.E. (read Dubai).
Putting things in perspective, what I'm trying to establish here is that the opening line of this piece where we encounter the affliction "M.E. - not the right place to be." M.E. has been the next frontier, after U.S. and Canada.
The income levels; tastes; education and lifestyle of expats from the subcontinent is not easy to pen out in a parchment. It is varied and diverse in the real sense of the word. Being in the service sector I have witnessed the sea change in the outlook of Managers towards, how to service this overwhelming group of expats. Epically the subcontinent only offered blue collar construction workers with low income level; but the influx of Management personnel is changing that composition ever so rapidly, that behoves the attention of the people managing the service sector.
Looking at it from the other side, as the EXPAT from the subcontinent......life is certainly easier than the dogged drills of a Delhi or Mumbai. Time consumed in traffic and transition over here is way lower, thanks to the limited city limits. Within its small periphery, Doha offers you decent options for entertainment, gatherings and eating, food being such an important component in our lives today. I have never had the good fortune of watching an International Cricket match in a stadium, but who knows, maybe soon. We get to see the best in class football; tennis and squash, as these are the sports that the region avidly follows.
Daily life is predominantly strung around work and the weekends are all about shopping; meeting up with friends and catching up.
Shopping has been specifically a lovable experience for me. The romance of retail, always gets the better of my abstinence. I neither profess frugality nor prodigal spending. I'm the experimental being who thrives on varied experiences, quite a few of which germinate at the Retail outlets in those opulent malls here. You name it and they have it, from brands to necessities catering to typically regional tastes and preferences. The accumulation is very global, and for me the experience has been mesmerising. Coming from Delhi (India) and getting through the Billing counters in that kind of time, form a big part of my good shopping experience.
What we do see as an area of improvement is the "not the best" public transportation in Doha. I'm sure with the kind of plans being dished out for the coming Soccor World cup, that's in for a quick fix. As of now, your own vehicle is a must for survival.
It takes an expat 3 to 4 hours to reach Delhi, Lahore, Colombo on a straight flight and god knows how many other variations one can work out on hopping flights. The proximity to Dubai and Bahrain adds to the "to cover" list of travellers and professionals serving in Doha. Europe is half a dozen hours away and London will take you an hour or two more. If you fancy the Istanbul Macedonia corridor, through to Greece, Middle East is just the place to kick off your travel. For those from the subcontinent who find travelling and exploring interesting, these are exhilarating details.
For all who have a not so favourable opinion of the Middle East, I recommend a one time travel covering Dubai, Doha, Bahrain. Its a modern world out here in the desert and believe me, you will have a change of heart.
Conventionally speaking the whole of North India, thinks DUBAI, whenever one says "Middle East" or "the Gulf". North India by and large has a very objective approach to life, where most of the quests that life throws up should lead to Financial gains. Not that you will not find people who think otherwise, but this is the ideology of the majority there. So the perceived affluence and "lifestyle" of Dubai and its permanence in media, as the dream destination are reasons to be blamed. I was thoroughly impressed with the city Doha, even in my first visit, secretly fondling the craving to spend some years of my Professional life in this city. Coming from highly competitive cities in India like Delhi, Ahmedabad, Indore and also having worked in he cities where life is a celebration like Chandigarh and Bhopal, I found in Doha a picture perfect combination of the urbane modernism with the lifestyle of a Chandigarh / Pune. Now this offer was hard to quell.
But this is not about my experiences in India, but about my innate desire to experiment and learn.
At the onset, I must accord a thoroughly deserved praise, to Doha.
The limited population in a "not that big a city" serves as bliss for authorities. The population mix is as diverse as it can get; with the subcontinent being the majority of the expats. The Qatari population is little short of 50% of the overall population, and it is an affluent community, with one of the highest GDPs in the world. Coming back to the expats, there is good representation of the east - China, Philipines, Indonesia, Malaysia; and the subcontinent - Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan. However these two blocks of expat population is today a serious contributor to Qatar's economy. The first block forms the backbone of the Service sector i.e those operating the Malls and Mc Donalds and the second block, the backbone of Construction and Banking. Initially it was only limited to Construction workers and gardners but now the subcontinent provides Bank Managers and FI Managers in Qatar --- a changing scenario. But it is following the trend already established in U.A.E. (read Dubai).
Putting things in perspective, what I'm trying to establish here is that the opening line of this piece where we encounter the affliction "M.E. - not the right place to be." M.E. has been the next frontier, after U.S. and Canada.
The income levels; tastes; education and lifestyle of expats from the subcontinent is not easy to pen out in a parchment. It is varied and diverse in the real sense of the word. Being in the service sector I have witnessed the sea change in the outlook of Managers towards, how to service this overwhelming group of expats. Epically the subcontinent only offered blue collar construction workers with low income level; but the influx of Management personnel is changing that composition ever so rapidly, that behoves the attention of the people managing the service sector.
Looking at it from the other side, as the EXPAT from the subcontinent......life is certainly easier than the dogged drills of a Delhi or Mumbai. Time consumed in traffic and transition over here is way lower, thanks to the limited city limits. Within its small periphery, Doha offers you decent options for entertainment, gatherings and eating, food being such an important component in our lives today. I have never had the good fortune of watching an International Cricket match in a stadium, but who knows, maybe soon. We get to see the best in class football; tennis and squash, as these are the sports that the region avidly follows.
Daily life is predominantly strung around work and the weekends are all about shopping; meeting up with friends and catching up.
Shopping has been specifically a lovable experience for me. The romance of retail, always gets the better of my abstinence. I neither profess frugality nor prodigal spending. I'm the experimental being who thrives on varied experiences, quite a few of which germinate at the Retail outlets in those opulent malls here. You name it and they have it, from brands to necessities catering to typically regional tastes and preferences. The accumulation is very global, and for me the experience has been mesmerising. Coming from Delhi (India) and getting through the Billing counters in that kind of time, form a big part of my good shopping experience.
What we do see as an area of improvement is the "not the best" public transportation in Doha. I'm sure with the kind of plans being dished out for the coming Soccor World cup, that's in for a quick fix. As of now, your own vehicle is a must for survival.
It takes an expat 3 to 4 hours to reach Delhi, Lahore, Colombo on a straight flight and god knows how many other variations one can work out on hopping flights. The proximity to Dubai and Bahrain adds to the "to cover" list of travellers and professionals serving in Doha. Europe is half a dozen hours away and London will take you an hour or two more. If you fancy the Istanbul Macedonia corridor, through to Greece, Middle East is just the place to kick off your travel. For those from the subcontinent who find travelling and exploring interesting, these are exhilarating details.
For all who have a not so favourable opinion of the Middle East, I recommend a one time travel covering Dubai, Doha, Bahrain. Its a modern world out here in the desert and believe me, you will have a change of heart.
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