The unconscious ambiguity that defines our lives...

Alrite, this little idea, originally introduced to me by my brother, found its second life when I chanced on the following lines in a wonderful book, courtesy Ajit:

"No mathematician has ever seen an integer! When we read "1994", we read a word whose letters are called numerals."

Pause, think, and move ahead.

I shall mostly agree with you if you say that visualizing numbers doesn't really make too much sense in the first place. But even then, one can't help but feel a LITTLE duped, when learning that, that which had defined the basis of one's mathematical prowess, was little more than a derivative from language.
(A debate on whether mathematics is the father of language and all other sciences, or vice versa, is BEYOND the scope of this particular post!)

It would be instructive to consider another example. This time more easy relate-able.
You see a red rose. It is your brain that tells you that the shades of the delectable little creation in front of your eyes, are closest in its RGB mix, to that of Red.
But what is red in the first place?

Is it not the colour that your mom/dad/teacher/anywho called out, when pointing to apples, Manchester United memorabilia, and yes, roses, when you were 3.1 years old, and innocent to such boundaries of chrominance?
So, what is red to him/her?

Instead of embarking on that infinite loop, I'll take an unconditional jump, to:
What you perceive to be red, is ONLY what YOU perceive to be red. As of today, (to the best of my limited knowledge), there is NO way for you to confirm, that "your red" is the same as "your neighbour's red". That is, it is possible that you might be calling Team India's jersey "Blue", in spite of it seeming to be what your neighbour would call "Red".

Next, I shall proceed, as is rather straightforward, to generalizingly extrapolate to cover the remainder of the senses.
Partially ignoring the subjectivities of aesthetics:
1. it is possible that the audio filters present in my ears end up transforming what might be Yanni to you, into your Metallica, for me. And given my programming since my most impressionable childhood, I have grown to appreciate "that Yanni", as you appreciate "your Yanni".
2. it is possible, that I actually feel "your cold", when touched by a "your hot" pan, but I call it "F#$@ that was HOT!", given my programming since my impressionable childhood.
3. I needn't go on now. You can very well see how sight, sound and touch can be extended to smell and taste.

Enough for now!
Without further ado, I shall leave you and your self, to talk it over on whatever it is that you're thinking right now.

Cheers duniya!

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

Before hyperlinking to the depths of philosophic intrigue, here is what compelled me to write on this...:
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Snopes is a handy reference in today's indiscriminate forwarding day and age. So while we all know that we won't quite find the love of our lives if we send the link to this blog post:
-> to 20+ people, then within 24 hours
-> to 10+ people, then within 24 days
-> to 5+ people, then within 24 weeks
-> to 5- people, then within 24 months
-> to nobody, then never ever ever, and cursed to an existence of eternal remorse, sorrow and loneliness,

It does tickle the curiosity bone/vein/thingus when one reads about perpetual motion machines, exploding cola cocktails et al.

SO, its generally nice to have "Urban Legends Reference Pages" handy, to kill free (and otherwise as well!) time, and verify on the latest scoop delivered unsolicited to your inbox.

Now, without caring to verify the veracity of the contents of the following link, I shall take the liberty to write on anyway.
http://xkcd.com/250/
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So, Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Who shall guard the guards?

It is a question with an infinite appetite for recursion (this is for the uninitiated amongst us).
This fundamental query has formed the basis of umpteen plots of creative human expression (CHE, is my shorthand for all forms of art, human endeavour, et al. So it includes movies, music, theatre, management, programming, literature, poetry, et al et al et AL).

Practical examples of this insanely incorrigible phenomenon exist, in abundance.

1. The first 44 years of our independence. In economic (and perhaps others as well) terms, it certainly was a silent massacre. With the state hell bent on "taking care of the people", through its 'socialist' measures, industry controls, nationalizations left right and centre, business xenophobia et al, it didn't take too long for the machinery to grow bigger than the product.
The years of smug administrative complacency fed the monstrous sloth that is defined by its layers of red tape.
And as all other monsters, this too needs its feed. And thus came the notoriously generic and vague, "corruption". License Raj, Inspector Raj, and other such gifts from our predecessors meant that every level of control could be leveraged for optimal monetization of the people's hopes and aspirations.
The state defined what was good for "special" industries, thus curtailing the potential of the companies that stood any chance of competing at the global level (curiously barring Reliance one might say, but the struggles there too were no less Herculean).
The limitations led to under-utilization of infrastructure, capacity and talent. Indeed, the mama-papa government felt it best to guide each step of its beloved children, right from infancy to impending death.

Was there any way, for the state to have been watched over, by a mysteriously noble, far-sighted, honest and downright pure eye?

I shall not comment on how much has changed post-1991, but one can optimistically say that things finally ARE on the move. RTI, (though often stalled) reforms, increased public activism are some of the factors that instill a faint sense of hope within.

2. Communism in Russia. Enough said.

3. The UN. With the UN fast becoming a mouthpiece for the US, a teeth-less implementor of floating rules and regulations, who shall watch over the proper and effective functionings of the watcher over of world affairs?

And the list can really go on...

Upon some thought and random browsing, Free Markets ({Capitalism ahoy!} {Profit (really) is NOT a dirty word!}) emerge as a possible solution to the problem. Trusting the Invisible Hand seems to be the only alternative. However, leaving the public at the hands of a COMPLETELY free market might lead to dangers of cartels and other such.
This leads us to the somewhat paradoxical option, of a "regulated free market", as is the case in general these days. A free market situation, with the bare minimum levels of answerability to an independent body, to prevent blatant public exploitation.

However, I see I have digressed from the original question to one example that lives the conundrum.

As of now, I have no answers to THE question. Shall update, upon future epiphanies and interactions.

Till then, all aboard the HMS Regulated Capitalism!

PS: In case you're asking yourself if this post was finally economic or philosophic in nature, I'd ask you the difference between the two.
The underlying unity of all CHEs... Sigh, thats enough for another post, another day, another lifetime! :)

PPS: Quick add-in!
Josef Ackermann (chief executive of Deutsche Bank): “I no longer believe in the market’s self-healing power”.
Hmmm... Interesting.
(Link via)

Apropos "The Sun in the Moon"

As the title suggests, this is with reference to this post.

That one ends with a little poem I'd written.
However the following is the 1st one that was churned out after the experience, sitting in the metro, onward to CP...:

The Power & Glory

As I marvel at you,
Your immovable majesty;
Your rare display of presence and might.
O Great Moon of this late night,
The clouds are alit all around you
Basking in the fire you proudly portray.

You, in contrast to your composed self,
Remind me of the Sun that fuels you.
As my eyes close in a sense of awe,
You know I see Him in your Sun,
And in all that fuels all,
Today and everyday.

Inspired I am at this moment,
To think of what one can do with the One.
Indeed, it is now all too clear,
His loving face shining through,
Everything that creates joy,
And everything He has blessed us with.

To think of you as another one of us,
Empowered today by His grace,
You have made a million nights tonight.
O Great One above,
Never let me out of the light,
With you I am all,
Without you
----

Just felt it was unfair to leave this one out of the living daylights of the blogosphere!

Cheeerio!

On sex, the Kerala phenomenon, and related derivatives

Consciously aware of the relatively risque nature that this post has the potential to have, I shall take the first step by diplomatically confirming that, "nothing can be confirmed at the moment".
It is up to you now, to further investigate, and read on.

Bollywood, or the 'Indian Film Industry', as some within it prefer to refer to it as, for some reason has, in recent times, become the bastion of present and potential sex symbols.
It is openly admitted in the deeply rhetorical speeches conched out come every awards night. It is there in the fact that while some male stars branded 'evergreen' and 'timeless' have the right to come up on stage and make the token announcements, but in their accompaniment can only be females fresh off enhottening plants. It is there in every single music video.
My class VII teacher had referred to our society as blatantly racist, what with the mad race in fairness creams et al. Today I can see our film industry as a living and thriving example of a similar, if not same, sentiment.

My fundamental question is, why do our male leads HAVE to be hand chiseled Greek Gods, and females testosterone inducing ostentatious level "pieces of meat".
Before I return to this problem, lets look at an alternate dimension, existing a few thousand miles down south.

We arrive at God's own country.
More specifically to its film industry.
This, along with the industries of the other 3, is scoffed at often, by the "Neo-Nazi-Aryanist" that lies latent within many uptowners. The degrees of such intolerance of course vary, and so too does the persistence subsequent to enlightening experiences.

Anyhow, a primary premise for all this ridicule is the lack of film star level shapeliness that we've grown so used to. People mock Mohanlal for being obese, and caricaturize him in comparison with the cream of our bolly "talent". They fling imaginary tomatoes at female leads whose only fault is not embarking on insane diets in order to stay impossibly defiant of the onset of time and family. They obviously chose not to consider some of the brilliance that these ACTORS, with their DIRECTORS et al churn out, for reasons that go beyond lingual barriers.
The people who form the primary market for these ACTORS though remain unruffled. In fact they've got the best of both worlds. Uptowners to ogle at, and locals to appreciate.
But why is it that they don't crave for the same level of "aesthetics" from their superstars. Why is it that they don't look for models in their cinema? Why is it that an Upen Patel is yet to successfully venture into the scene there?

There would be many reasons for the appreciation of real acting down there, as opposed to whatever it is that attracts balls uptown.
I, would like to draw an unlikely connection, with what is referred to as the "Kerala Phenomenon".

It is well known that Kerala has uncharacteristically (for a country in India's position) high levels of literacy, social equity (touch wood both of ya!) and political activism (and some part of you too!). In short, its Human Development Indices are high, and indicate a pretty picture of the level of life et al.
However what the HDIs unsuccessfully conceal is the rampant unemployment, underemployment and their other cronies that plague life at every level.]
Effectively, what Kerala had chosen for itself, was a path of human development BEFORE economic development. This then led to the brain drain to the beloved Gelff (for the seriously uninitiated, thats 'Gulf') and all the evils that come with an over qualified and under served work force.

Perhaps it is the HDIs that increase the "ability-to-appreciate-finer-things" quotient in peoples. Perhaps in the state that we were 60.5 years back, it wasn't possible to take both HDI and GDP forward together. Perhaps things would've been a bit different had we let go of the self inflicted poison injection that was Nehruvian -> Indira Socialism. Perhaps Kerala did the right thing by going against the world trend of going for economic development in a phase marked by widespread labour exploitation, and then hope for the HDI's to pick up with the fruits of labour. Perhaps when the uptowners raise their HDIs, they too shall be more perceptive. Perhaps not. All this is SO not for me to comment on. Though I would desperately hope so.

I do not know if any such "model" was ever endorsed as such, but logical concludable results and factors can be seen at the wiki Kerala model page.

Ok, so now you've learnt of my prejudices against the current state of the "Indian Film Industry" (read Bollywood) and you've seen what the Kerala Model was.

In case the links aren't becoming visible in front of your eyes, then I shall jump in.
SURELY, the fact that every "economically developed" dominion tends to be more "appreciative" of the flesh entering every aspect of their existence, cannot be mere coincidence. Take the uptowners (as they've been referred to till now).
Look around you for crying out loud!
The malls! An ad for socks, has a lady wearing them, and coincidentally nothing much else. A bill board for spectacle lenses has one wearing them in a way that a toddler wouldn't know if they were for the eyes or for the voluptuous bosoms underneath them.
Every second music album has pieces with added sound effects echoing expressions reminiscent of titles such as these. (For the record, this movie escapes my net of wrath, as it probably dealt with a theme genuinely related to said subject matter (albeit slightly eroticised, or maybe not.))

People, why the overt sexuality everywhere? Is this what economic development defines as being "modern"?

Kerala on the other hand, has somehow (for more good than bad, as of now at least), managed to educate the masses without losing touch with basic sensibilities of taste and culture. Yes, it DESPERATELY needs to develop economically, as the evils mentioned previously shall soon grow to usurp any good done till now.

Does modernity HAVE to come with a general increase in public appearances of that sentiment that sounds so like (ONLY in name rhyme-ness!) the great physician Charak of old times?
Do all subjects of the New World necessarily have to be subjected to this rigorous course in becoming bonafide "Hawas ke pujaari"? (i LOVE that phrase!)

With Kerala, I can only hope for my beloved to be able hold on to her essence as she prepares to walk into a new tomorrow.

I'll wait for a day, when our society can move (in its thought, its attitude, its essence) from


to


And one hell of a wait it'll be as well!
Sigh......

Socho duniya... Please.

PS: Bangalore and the likes have been kept out, owing to personal ignorance. Pointless stereotyping is below me.