My Mother and Her Gift of My Life

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

We are all born to a woman; the only one our mom. Without her we will never exist.  All of us living forms come alive because of our mother.  There is no question of the love, care, pain, suffering and every human emotion she shares with her off spring are emotions that are of such profound importance to life, and have been since the formation of human life.

The women in our life; mother, sister, wife, daughter, cousins, aunts, friends, grand mothers and teachers, nurses and doctors, and neighbors and colleagues and all of them surrounding us and making our life what it is are all women.  For men to believe anything else is plain wrong.

I saw the documentary “India’s Daughter” the BBC documentary on Nirbhaya’s case, and interviewing the rapist and the lawyers who are representing them.  These idiots all of them; the rapists and the lawyers.  Some of them are speaking English and educated but the idiots speak of women as foreign objects using words such as diamond and flowers are references to the women in our life.  The documentary is amateurish in asking idiotic questions to the rapist and the lawyers who represent the idiots, and airing their opinions on women of India.

The law is very clear in all democracies.  All population have a right to freedom of way of life, expression, movement and choosing what to do and how to do things – all within the rights to choice.  These idiots all of them who were given a choice to speak talk as if it is a crime to go out in the evening and be out in the open with opposite sex.  These SOB’s have come from a mother and have some form of female involvement with their life; with a wife, daughter, sister, friend or any other women in their life.  For sure if any one of them were subjected to the treatment met out to Nirbhaya they would not be speaking in such unflattering terms about women.

What is sad is that the airing of such idiotic opinions of individuals who are either simply ignorant of the time and place we are in.  Even in the dark ages males did not voice their opinions of their women in the terms described by these idiots in this documentary.  The courts should fast track these idiots and implement the law of the land on these rapists.  The law enforcement should strip these idiot lawyers of their licenses simply based on the opinion they have on women, and let them fend for themselves on the streets and not in the court room representing rapists and having opinions that are worse than the rapists.

The government is reacting and many people are reacting to the documentary, rather they should react to the comments made in the documentary.  There is shame in the way these idiots show the disregard they have for women.  There is shame in the way they express utter disregard for women.  There is shame in the way they show no remorse to the crime committed and there is shame in the way they justify their actions against women.  They should be prosecuted and punished not only for the acts they committed but for their open disgust for life.  Let the Indian system act and show the courage to take them to task and punish them under the law of the land, and then make the legal process and punishment public to make it an example for any other idiot who represent the same attitude towards women.

The politicians and law makers are wasting so much energy in rejecting the BBC documentary, rather than introspecting in the Indian society and taking the steps to eliminate the prejudice against women.  The legal system should quickly implement the law of the land to make rape extinct.  The public systems and publications, broadcast and other outlets should make people realize that society will prosper with responsibility and respect for all, and freedom of movement, expression, work and life.  My mother did not give me life to abuse her, rather she showed unconditional love and care for me to do the same with her, and every other woman.  My life as with every other man’s life is a gift from a mother, and its simple we treat her with love, respect and care.  She is really superior to us, not inferior or an object of despicable behavior.

Charity

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

In nation where people are constantly looking for SOPs and have their hands out for government programs, it is difficult to find individuals who will offer a helping hand.  It is true that India has plenty of great examples of men and women who have extended their life time to charity and wellbeing of the others, but as our population continues explode and our needs continue to multiply the demand for resources both natural and manmade are so great, it is impossible to extend a helping hand to everyone.  Politicians promise the moon every election year and every word they utter prior to getting elected will be that they will provide everything to everybody at no cost.  We, the people know that it is impossible to expect the government to do what they say, and we also know it is impossible to be able to afford the election promises.  Yet, we will continue to hear the expansive promises and we vote with continued vigor every election cycle, and then we do the same again and again.  The only difference is that none of the claims made by the politicians become a reality.

We love to hear forward looking and thoughtfulness in projecting a better society for our children and better days ahead for the nation.  While we listen to the rhetoric on the loud speakers and on radio and television we are intent in our belief that the government is going to look out for us; common man.

We love our country and we love our flag and we love our national anthem.  We don’t need to go to school to understand the meaning of national pride, we are born with the national pride.  We are a country of great belief in almighty, and we have millions of names and many religions that we practice, all side by side of each other, and we really believe that good Karma is only a door away.

In built in our systems is charity.  Giving is a part of Indian.  Every occasion be it a birthday, wedding, a visit to a friend or a family member, friend, strangers, places of worship, birth and death and everything in between, we Indians like to give at least a little bit to the occasion.  It is not charity, rather contributing to the cause we are participating in.  When natural disasters or man-made catastrophes happen we extend a helping hand, and try to do our best with what we can.  It is built into our system to share, give and feel the humanity of life around us.  We are born to be a part of the society weather or not we know it and appreciate it.

Some of us have a bit more than the others, and certainly our contributions typically scale to the wealth factor, and sometimes the circumstances where we participate in giving.  Poor or rich, when you ask an Indian for help, they typically react the same.

The latest government’s emphasis on cleaning up Ganga, and other rivers is a great initiative to subscribe to every Indian.  Ganga is our mother, and has been as long as Hindustan existed.  It support about a third of all our population and is sacred for 100% of people of India.  Even if we give a tiny amount of money towards its cleanup then we would have made an extraordinary contribution to saving our most treasured resource.  Helping to clean up the river (in fact all our rivers need to cleaned up) and maintaining the sanctity of the great river will simply enhance the nation’s greatness further.  As Ganga has supported the country since its inception, and still continues to take care of Indians, despite the constant abuse, it is a simple matter of survival to be kept clean for both the mother and its children.

Supporting the Ganga clean-up is not really charity, rather it is our responsibility.  There is no charity that is greater than taking care of your mother, it is in fact not charity but personal responsibility.  Modi or Tata or us common folks; for all of us it’s the same, and it’s a part of our life to help take care of the Ganga.  If anyone of use feel that we are being charitable by helping with the cleanup of the Ganga and continuing to keep it clean for generations or centuries to come, then so be it, as the context is to protect our most valuable resource, and the terminology in helping can be anything we choose to call it.

Common Man

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

All men are common men.  Using common man as a reference is an acronym used by politicians, while pointing to people that they are common.  We are all common; men and women by birth, and will remain so throughout our life.  Some of us will go on to do some extra ordinary things with our life and some of us might end up doing some uncommonly stupid things in our life.  By and large the general population is simply that; common.  We humans have set habits with life, work, family and our general disposition.

Politicians will classify us as different people to suit their purpose, and most times what they are actually pitching to a particular group of people.  We, the people are quite gullible by listening to the rhetoric and the promises made by people who aspire to be our leaders, or continue to be our leaders. Us, the common folks have to vote to elect the folks who remind us and will keep reminding us that we are common men.  This will never change as the politicians will always try to project themselves as one of us; common men.

We common folks are all alike.  We all want to live someone else’s life and live someone else’s dreams.  We all hope and aspire for something better, simply meaning that we want things that we already don’t have. It’s in our nature aspire and work towards something else; typically looking at the world to aspire for more wealth, comfort and also at times peace of mind.  The world also has many societies which are looking for peace, some wanting food, some wanting water, some cold and some hot, the list of wanting something is endless.

The recent election in New Delhi, and the election of Arvind Kejriwal as the CM of Delhi for the second time under two years is a great example of common man’s belief in the democratic system, and also their belief in the ability of an individual to listen and work on their demands. Kejriwal is an educated and experienced bureaucrat, with an agenda that started with Anna Hazare’s anti-corruption movement, and for whatever reasons Kejriwal ended up as a politician.  He is new to politics and his party is new to the electorate.  Kejriwal doesn’t have the background and or baggage of a typical politician and his style of functioning is uncomplicated.  He still has no pretenses of a politician.  His party is named AAM ADMI PARTY meaning “COMMON MAN’S PARTY”.  Getting elected twice in New Delhi, and the second time with almost a clean sweep of all the other parties including the hugely popular BJP under Narendra Modi, is a testament to the power of common man.  This electoral win by Kejriwal lead AAP defied political logic, but also clearly endorsed the democratic belie in common man giving a second chance to a new politician, and his agenda.

The beauty of democracy is that anyone can contest and win, but how many of the politicians that are elected really deliver to their electoral speeches? In case of Kejriwal people have given him a very quick second chance, also with such super majority so that his party will have no excuses for non-performance.  The demographics of the Delhi voting population may be a small portion of the Indian population, but the ability of the electorate to choose and decide on leadership is a virtue; within itself is a reflection of the mindset of the common man.  It always wants to explore more, and do more and achieve more.  Democracies and common mam foster the ability to think and choose.

Voter Independence

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

India since its independence from the UK in 1947, has always been a young nation.  The population well over a billion, the nation continues to be a very young nation.  Today much of its population is the young voter base, and much of it is the internet and telecom generation.  Indians by and large have adopted quite well to telecommunications; mobile, television and internet is a common practice with Indian life today.  All but in less than a generation, but the country is well connected, and well organized with its connectivity.

The country also continues to be urbanized and youngsters going to school and getting educated, and also becoming mobile; not just with devices but also with employment and seeking opportunities. Education, jobs, work, opportunities, communications are reasons that drive the mobility of the population, and India has been quick to embrace the mobility aspect of life.  Indians also enjoy the multilingual life that most populations don’t experience.  Even with minimal education or no education, most Indians are exposed to multiple languages and learn quickly to communicate in more than just their mother tongue.

There is a lot of chatter in the political circles and the media about dynastic politics in India.  Granted that the country is young in years of independence but quite old with its history and culture.  Dynasties ruled the greater India for centuries and the culture and history of the land is as old as the human kind.  People ruling the vast land is not something we see as something strange, we are as people used to having a king or a queen; better yet emperor.  Our history is tied to the rulers of the land and when dynasties ruled, it is implied that father, son and so on will continue to rule their kingdom until such time the dynasty ceases to exist.  So dynastic rule is something the greater India is used to.

The term referring to dynastic politics after 1947 is probably relegated to one single family in India; referencing to the first prime minister of India; Jawaharlal Nehru.  He was a long standing leader in freedom struggle prior to 1947, and was the chosen one to lead India post 1947 freedom from the British.  He was the leader of the country until his death.  There was a gap from the Nehru family as Lal Bahadur Shastri http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lal_Bahadur_Shastri was anointed the prime minister after the death of Pandit Nehru, and only after his death Mrs. Indira Gandhi (daughter of Pandit Nehru) became the prime minister. So, certainly there was a break in handing the leadership to Mrs. Gandhi.  She had to wait until after Mr. Shastri’s demise before taking over as the leader of the nation. Since Mrs. Gandhi we have had successive governments and multiple prime ministers of India, including Rajiv Gandhi son of Mrs. Gandhi, where Rajiv Gandhi came into power after the assassination of Mrs. Gandhi while she was still in office.  But the country has voted others to lead the nation, outside of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.  We now have Mr. Modi, who doesn’t belong to any dynasty and comes from a really humble home.  So, simply clubbing the nation’s leadership as dynastic politics is not completely true.  There is quite a bit of family worship with the Nehru-Gandhi family, but there are several instances the public simply voted to what they feel is the right thing for the country rather than voting for a dynasty.

The country itself keeps it self politically active and also picks the leaders that represent a hope for tomorrow.  India no longer is a docile nation.  The young are well connected and well aware of the needs of their own families and their nation, and very capable of making their choices without looking at the dynasties of yester year.  They are well informed and well connected and also well aware of their nations ever increasing demands.  They will continue to make choices based on what they see best fit, rather than vote based on legacy.

Comfort Zone

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

The life in the Unites States is quite simple.  You can find work doing just about any odd job and keep paying for what you need and you continue to work and live and work and live, and keep at it until you know what.  Families, children, friends and relatives and lots of travel and everything many times over, and throw in a few trips to India, that’s all you have; Comfort zone.  Life can be very simple if you keep it that way.

Many years go by, and you simply work, go home, work and go home, and once in a while travel around a bit, take a few pictures and make a few more friends, update Facebook or some kind of social platform, and get back to work again.  There is no stopping this.  You got to pay bills. You got to work.

Someone just asked; why do you have to do this? Why not go do this in your country?  Aha.  I thought why not?  He did not have to ask me this question after all these years of American Dream.  I had thought of it myself several times, and in fact tried the American Indian dream a couple of times.  Did not succeed with the enterprise and work, and had to simply cut short the American Indian dream, and then restart the work, and work and work routine again.  It could have saved the American dream the first time by simply retiring young and just hanging around.  Did not learn once or twice, so had to start again and again on the American Indian dream again. Work and work and routine again.

A whole of changes to India and a whole lot of changes to America, but the dreams remain the same. New politics, new leaders, new industries, and just about everything new including people, but our dreams remain the same.  Our aspiration for a better life and comfort zone.  Life and people continue to aspire for better and better and just about all of us try very hard to find the comfort of what we need.

Thinking about the question of going back to India is always in the back of one’s mind. Everyone who relocates or migrates starts out with simple plans, find a better opportunity and make something out of it, and then get back home.  Me too.  Same old Plans.  Only human to think of home as where you come from, and always where your heart is.  Just about everyone tries to find ways to get back home, one way or the other.  Many of us try hard to find way to keep connecting with home and try hard to do something worthwhile to be a part of what is happening at home.

One thing that keeps happening is home really doesn’t remain what you left first.  It keeps changing with people, new people, things and stuff around your people and home and it constantly changes to become something that is not really what you left as home.  It has to change as it is constant and continuous. When you are gone for even a few month’s changes happen, and most times these changes don’t include the people who are not there.  Whosoever is there simply go on about their business of life, just as you do in where ever you are living. That’s what the comfort zone is, and you simply get used to where you are.  It becomes your home and that’s where you belong.

The Legacy of My Father

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@ail.com

My dad was a simple man with little education and the only son for my grandfather, along with his three younger sisters; my aunts.  He was quite simple and yet complex with his own way of life and idiosyncrasies but was kind and gentle.  My dad was well liked. My grandfather made sure that he allowed little room for anyone else to do much including his only son.  My grandfather was for his time a man who worked very hard and lived life fully.  The last I saw him was seeing me off in the old Bombay international airport when I first travelled to America to study.  A whole lot of my friends came to Madras along with my grandfather, but he wanted to come alone to Bombay to see me off.  I was expecting nothing less from him as he always took me to everywhere I went, and seeing me off to America should have been no different.  Seeing him at the Airport gate was my last live look at him, as he passed away a couple of years after my departure to America and I never had enough resources to make a trip back to see him one last time.  I still have the only picture of him framed, and look up to him and think of the time as a child at home.  Nothing will take away the life that was and who I am and where I came from, irrespective of what I am and where I am today.  I will always be his grandson.  My dad, my mom, my grandmother, my aunts and uncles, my cousins and all of my siblings are all unique in their own way and I still remember the wonderful memories of my formative years with each one of them, and also the connection between each of them and my self was always associated with my memory of my grandfather.  After many years of passing away and even losing my father, my grandmother, one of my uncles, and a young cousin and my younger brother who was my best friend, we are still referred to as his grandchildren.  It is no disrespect to my Father, but his father was a man who pulled us all together, his children, his grandchildren and everyone around him and make them feel connected.

To forget who I am and where I come from will be forgetting the legacy of my father and his father.  How could I?  And why should I?

The same applies to who we are.  I am an Indian.  Yes, I am an American now, but I am an Indian first.  For fact that over the 500 years of migration into the USA, it is all Americans who live here but they are all from somewhere else.  The real Indians who lived here before we call it the United Sates and whatever other boundaries that have been drawn, the current occupants of the Americas have been really a recent phenomenon.  The Americans were really Indians, and only after others started to migrate into this great land became American Indians or Red Indians.  It was their land that the rest of the Americans as we call ourselves, who have migrated and continue to migrate is what we call the place we live the United States.

So referring to us as something-American is simply a fact.  Indian Americans. Italian Americans, Irish Americans, Jewish Americans. Polish Americans, German Americans, Chinese Americans, Japanese Americans, and Latin Americans, further even identify by regional areas of the countries that we have immigrated from to the USA for a better living opportunity is simply identifying who we are.  It is the absolute truth to our being.

Feeling that our forebears have no contribution to our being is simply ignoring the legacy of our father’s and their father’s.  We are what we are because of them, and just by moving from one place to the other on the planet doesn’t diminish the value of our ancestors and their place on the planet.  The recent comments by a son of Indians is simply distancing one’s self from the legacy of our ancestors.  It is far from the truth, and is idiotic and stupid pandering to audiences who themselves find the comments appalling.  Just because one finds one’s self in a small seat of political power, doesn’t make the person any more important than the legacy of the land or its fathers.

We are certainly Americans as with may be 100% of others who live in this land, whose folks have come here for a better life.  We are identified as Americans as we belong to this land and work and live in this land, and are proud Americans.  We are also something – Americans except for a very few of the Native Americans.  We must remember that we are what we are because of our forefathers and the land we come from, and then we have become Americans.  While it is stupid to listen to someone wanting to disown one’s heritage, most of the Americans are certainly proud to be American and also something attached to their American tag.

Democracy and Riches

Vasu Reddy From Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

The disparity in income is nothing new to the civilizations.  From the beginning of time we have had the rich and poor, kings/queens and subjects, well to do and not so well to do, however we frame the societies, the differences in wealth factor has always been as old as the human beings themselves.  For many experiments such as Communism and Socialism and Marxism and many a political and dictatorial experiments have come to bearing on various parts of the world, and they keep fizzling fairly quickly as people constantly seek self-determination.

The most enduring aspect of human life is the will to choose and decide on what is best for oneself.  Irrespective of the time and place we all aspire to think for ourselves and decide for ourselves; what is best.

From the early days of kingdoms and emperors to the last century’s dictatorships, we all have seen the results of freedom of thinking; essentially freedom of speech and freedom of expression.  Just like the old times when people wanted to live, think and do what they wanted to, we also in today’s massive in population and very diverse in nature world still want to have the final say in what we do and how we think.  Many a dictatorships have come down crashing, and many a controlled economies and governments continue to open for free markets and open ideas.

The poorest of poor nations where people are deprived of basic amenities and education, and sanitation and food, there are still the very rich who have a life style that is very different with every available luxury in the world to meet their needs.  Be it a democracy nor a communist society the difference in standard of living is highly subjective to the individuals.

Religion, fundamentalism, communism, fascism and whatever other regional or demographic representation that countries adopt to outside of democracies, they all have the same reason to adapt to determination of governance of its people; social equality.  But even in democracies that are as diverse as India and the USA, income and social inequalities are rampant.  There is no question of determining the social stature of individual in a democratic society, as the individuals make the efforts and what follows is the wealth that comes with a successful career or business, and in some cases family money.  There is no question of begrudging the wealthy as they work hard for it, and most times they are doing the right things at the right time to create fortunes.  As the last 50 years clearly shows that with each industry, the creation of new wealth is in parallel, and those individuals who lead the industry as pioneers will end up being the biggest benefactors of the wealth creation on that segment.

The world continues to struggle with the societies with wide income and social disparities, some simply will try to accept the work and wealth factors, and some try to change the politics so that the very rich might be forced to pay more, or might even relocate. Some will try to simply change the structure of the nation to forcefully takeover the enterprises.  There are constantly changing socioeconomic factors that drive the politics of nations, the very wealthy also try to manage their riches and enterprises to protect their interests.

Religion also plays a part in how people behave and respond to their socioeconomic issues.  The very poor either will cling on to the god factor to seek continued intervention by the almighty to help them get through another day, and some will find religion as a factor that drives their attitude towards how they approach life in general.

The history of the world always shows that democracies allow for choices, and somehow or someway find a way of self-correction to leadership and inequalities.  The wealth creation is also a factor of allowing choices for individuals to make their own determination of what they want to do with their efforts, and also get rewarded for their efforts.

While we keep trying various models of governing the people, we always invariable end up with the choice of majority of the people.  Also, the very rich are there because they find a way to work on things that most people need, and cater to them.

Je Suis Charlie

Vasu Reddy From Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

I have thoroughly enjoyed cartoons and caricatures since my childhood.  The beauty of these creations for as long as drawings have been around, represent a simple and often meaningful depiction of current events and sometimes satire on something or the other that comes to the mind of the cartoonist at a particular moment.  I still like Peanuts and Charlie Brown, and a slew of single frame cartoons in the Sunday newspapers and often wonder how the imagination of the artist continues to be so comical and inspiring despite the ages and ages of creating the same characters and situational cartoons in a single frame.  Often they remind one of some time on their own life where they might have faced similar situation (dilemma) and often they bring a smile on the face of the reader.  Most times looking at these cartoons is fleeting and often catches a moment of personal retrospection.

For many generations, individual characters have continued to explore the daily life and/or human behavior, most times in comical and situational context.  They are intended to be just that, situational comedies and nothing more.  Millions of people, sometimes billions look at these comic strips as a weekly (some times daily) dose of humor to help get through the trivia of routine and often difficult life.  These pieces of someone’s imagination is clearly aimed to bring a smile to just about everyone who gives a quick glance to them.  Nothing more or nothing less.

The writers and cartoonists have to pick some real or imagined situation or instance to come up with their daily dose of humor.  Having been of the faith of millions of gods and goddesses, I am not a stranger to someone within my own faith or outside of my faith, constantly using the religious symbols to poke at or use them for marketing or advertising.  With so many billions of us around the world and each one of us with our own unique and personal issues to tackle and deal with every day, it is always great to look at something and smile at.  There is so much misery and distrust among the people and various religions and races, there is no further need for any more animosity.

I also come from a small place where (I hope we still do) people of all religions live together and live together well and with respect to all.  Many names such as Hussain Reddy, John Mohan Reddy, Dastagiri Reddy and so on and on are names with a combination of multiple religious beliefs, and that too in a small community I come from.  Each person, each festival, each function, each event, and each activity of a small village never seem to have issues with what religion you belong to, rather they all represent the village, and they all are OK with who they are and they all live together and live well together.

In the evolution of humans and then the evolution of religions and further evolution of religious sub sects, caste, creed and whatever which we have embraced over centuries of life on earth, we still are Humans, and we made the religion as a part of our life well after beginning the human life.

Charlie – Good Bye and god speed.  While we can’t bring you back to life, here is a NAMASTE my friend and may you and all your associates have a great place with the man upstairs and may you be the team of cartoonists for the safe place above us.

Starting Early

Vasu Reddy From Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

Everyone must have some sort of a resolution for the New Year.  The typical practice is to procrastinate until the last day of the year and the make a resolution at the end of the old year to do something which is quite simple day to day routine, and then right after the new day (of the new year) forget about it.  I am going to lose weight. I am going to work harder, I am going to make more money. I am going to finish the project I started, I am going to finish school, I am going to get a better job, I am going to call my family and friends, and so on and on are many of the normal New Year resolutions that we make, and hardly follow through on them.

We are optimistic in nature as human beings and hopeful of something better every day in life, and constantly want to do better, bigger and greater and whatever if the next best thing in life, and new year is the time to keep reminding one’s self that the next 365 days will hold a better something for self and everyone around.  It is certainly a great way to at least resolve one’s self that something that is as simple as weight loss is something we must resolve ourselves to make an effort to remember and make an attempt to follow through.

Politicians must have a great time during New Year in making resolutions.  Almost certain that they can’t keep them, but still balancing the budget, reducing the employment, fighting crime, and on and on, along with keeping their job for one more term are great resolutions. Although practically impossible the resolutions or pronouncements are good to hear and make great sound bites, but simply fall through the cracks by the end of the first quarter of the year.  As most things that gets side tracked or ignored, political promises are as good as resolutions and seldom get any mention after they are made.  To have the resolve to keep up to the resolutions is no longer a political strategy, rather simply making the pronouncements to the audience is the name of the political game.

Personal resolutions are not as simple to keep as the practice to do something requires regular attention, and just by making a resolution on the 31^st of December will not make it any easier or more difficult to all of a sudden start a new routine.  We perhaps think of the long holidays between before Christmas and after the New Year and start to believe that we can establish a new behavior pattern, and it rather becomes a more difficult new practice as we become lethargic due to the long holiday. Adults and kids get used to doing nothing during the long break and will seldom want to get back to normal routine, leaving along a brand new routine, which will be more demanding than the regular routine.

It is great to benchmark what to do (what new to do) for the next 365 days, but why wait until the first day of the New Year, and why not just get started the day when you thought of the new task or renewing an old task?

It is for all practical purposes a day to think of the New Year in the calendar and also a typical time for celebration for all people.  We just think of the beginning of a calendar year as a time to just hang out and also start to think of one more year to live and look forward to, and the New Year resolutions are a simple way to rethink what was done in the past year and also what was left undone.

Happy New Year Everyone, wishing everyone a great 2015. 

ET to PK

Vasu Reddy From Chicago
vasureddy@aol.com

ET – The Extra Terrestrial movie came out in 1982 and now we have our own PK which came out in 2014.  Similar movies with extraterrestrial beings put on earth and can’t get back to their carrier ships because of simple reasons, and are stuck in humanity for a period of time, and how they cope with the earthly circumstances and how we the humans define their emotional and psychological nature in general and how they will survive a hostile and unfriendly nature of people on earth, barring a few good ones.

It was fascinating to watch ET at the time, and even today to see how fragile ET is and still how it is depicted as smart, intelligent and caring towards the little boy and ET depicts the goodness of humans as we can define it.  We really don’t know what is good and bad except as we have developed on our own since our existence, and using the same terminology for extraterrestrials is purely symptomatic of our tendency to think of good and bad in terms of where we are and what we do, but not a relative description of what the ET might want to do.  The most wonderful thing that is depicted in both the movies is the ET’s ability to learn quickly and look at finding a reasonable solution to human problems.  They simply learn quickly and understand our emotions quickly, so they will be behaving in tandem with us earthlings.

Hindu mythology is full of references to such characters and actions, and even has depiction of the most intricate and intelligent actions of these characters to meet the situational demands; both good and bad.  Once again our mythology simply defines our terms of good and bad, and how our mind and heart feels is translated into the actions of good and bad.  In many cases our mythology also defines a good and bad person based on how they look and how they act, and those stereotypes continue to define our behavior equations to date.  WE have essentially molded our life and the way we live and behave based on the depiction of good and bad, what to do verses what not to do, and we continue to use these depictions as yard sticks for the way of our life.  It is not just Hindu mythology, but every religion that exists typically depicts the good and bad, and whosoever follows the religion deciphers the scriptures to their liking and life style.

The examples of PK and ET are excellent derivations of what we want to be and see in humans, that extraterrestrials are projected as beings that are capable of a very nature that embodies the best in humans, while being very smart and intelligent, and also survive the earthly conditions that we have difficulties living with.   While cinema is a medium for us to see and relax (mostly) is not a reflection of our day to day life.  Cinema simply projects what we aspire to be and what we would like to do, but is on celluloid.  Depicting the extraterrestrial beings through our imagination and giving them a earthly nature and allowing them to be a part of our life even for a brief period, always makes it a heart touching experience, especially on the big screen.

With such wonderful experience of seeing someone alien be thrown into the chaos of human life, and somehow learn our ways and become a part of the life of a human, and also engage themselves in a heart touching and wonderful way to help and embrace the human issues, and do it so selflessly and after all is done, just leave the planet back to wherever they come from, is pure fantasy.  For as long as we have lived humans fantasize and dream and visualize the extremeness of the universe and what could be out there, and the depiction of extraterrestrial beings is nothing short of the human imagination at its best to at least for a short time think of the greatest virtues of us; people on this planet.

 

Not just these two movies made in entirely different context and age and markets, there are many such examples of wonderfully entertaining movies, books and other media that capture our imagination on the wonderful tales of beings from far away who come and try to blend themselves into the realities of earth, and somehow they find a way to quickly adopt and experience the life on earth to the fullest, and at the end they provide the greatest joy to the earthlings by simply helping with the simplest of things that of importance to those they get in contact, and then they go back to wherever they come from.  Doing this while they endear themselves to us.  Enjoy the movies for a couple of hours and just imagine whatever that comes out on screen is simply what would like to be, and should try to be.

Marketing the Nation

Vasu Reddy from Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

The fundamentals of success of an enterprise will be largely based on great marketing of its products and services. Having developed great products and fantastic services, doesn't give an automatic recognition and acceptance in the markets without targeted marketing. Just about every product; big or small invest a great deal of resources for bringing the product to market and also keeping the product alive in the minds of the buyers will constant bombarding of advertising. With media, TV and Radio blasting stuff 24/7/365, there is plenty of air space and ears that needs to be filled with promotions and advertising, and there is no lack of audience for just about every programming.

Great products and great services definitely need marketing and promotions; even apple and Mercedes need to be constantly pushed to the market (as well as many other great products and services) to keep people constantly aware of the latest and greatest in their product space. The media never stops pushing even cola which just about everyone in the world has a favorite one. The art of constantly reminding people of a product is taken to greater lengths each year with more and more focused and polished advertising and marketing. The overall success of the product or service is directly proportional to how successful the marketing campaign is to reach out to the target audience.

As with products and services, nations also market themselves as great places to invest and promote their countries as places which are a must for tourists. Nations use their bast face to promote their countries and try and target the global audience for attracting more and more visitors each year. Even the USA, UK and other major economies constantly promote each of their nations to the global audience as places to visit, and in many cases the states with in each of the nations keep publicizing their locations to attract visitors and also investments. Road shows and promotions are also common while pushing stuff into the market. Today we see movies being promoted with so much expense and hype, the marketing budgets sometimes equal the cost of production. Everyone, every media and every company and every nation is constantly trying to woo more and more public to embrace their product or service.

Even president Obama is not too shy in promoting the USA and its tourism and enterprise. There is no markets or there is no people on earth who will not be targeted even by the greatest companies or national leaders. Typically displaying the competence and the infrastructure for the businesses and the beauty, culture and historical significance along with weather and activities for tourism are hyped with absolutely stunning locals, pictures and people. It works and there by constantly marketing stuff pays dividends.

Looking at India, which is a relatively young independence (1947 is young in the earth years) has quite a standoffish attitude in pushing products and services. Although the recent years have seen movie makers taking the lead on promotions, and also some of the major companies following suit with their global counterparts, the marketing of the nation has been a non-existing activity for the head of the state or higher level politicians. Come the new prime minister, Mr. Modi this has dramatically changed. Here is the head of the state who is constantly promoting the country and its needs, and he is not shy about asking other nations and industries and private investors to come and invest in India. As months go by in office, Modi is constantly on the horn touting his administration and his policies to bring more and more investments into India. For a politician he is very savvy with marketing and promoting his agenda. For the first time India does have a great resources in the PM himself as the best marketing lead. Modi often and constantly markets his agenda and also his country. For a stodgy political system in India, it is great to have a PM who is a great marketing lead. Not only his work ethic but also his personal pitch to the world is a welcome sight from old age politicians that have represented India prior to Modi.

All Modi now needs is the support of his countrymen in delivery of the great market he is pitching to the world. The people and their competence, the systems and their ease in building new business, the politicians and their age old issues of graft, the country and its attitude towards work and enterprise, delivery and dedication; there are so many more aspects to a successful nation. Modi promises all this and aggressively markets the nation, and with wonderful reception wherever he goes to. All we have to do now is to start to deliver to his promise. 

Winter is Here

Vasu Reddy From Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

This week we are bracing for another polar vortex. Its only the second week of November and a couple of weeks away from thanksgiving of 2014, but we already are bracing for really cold weather. Last year when the word polar vortex was popularized by the news channels (constantly), I had the impression that this polar vortex phenomenon was only once in a while happening, and did not expect it to be as soon as with in a year of the last polar vortex.

We had a relatively mild summer in Chicago this year after a regular winter last year. Actually the summer time seems to just come and go, as there was no let up of winter until late into the spring and the winter has already arrived by early November. After all these years of life in Chicago, the cold weather doesn't bother me, but it is interesting to see the winters come early and be severe for several months. This was the pattern we are used to here, but for a few years we had mild winters and the talk of global warming becoming very fashionable.

There is nothing to shy away from speaking of the abuse humans inflict on the environment, and how we trash everything around us. We simply love to generate garbage 24/7/365 and no stopping how much and how many different ways we have for creating trash. The biggest challenges for mankind will be trash management and as we have more and more of us every year, trash management will continue to be a great challenge for the human race. We have so far destroyed thousand of species, and we continue to destroy other animals, birds and living being, and also land, forests, trees and environment, and we have no shame in dumping on the fresh water and sea water. Our thirst for garbage creation and uninhibited dumping is unparalleled phenomenon, which is only second to human greed. The governments and environmentalists and scientists and everyone else continue to warn us of grave and destructive consequences of dumping, which never seem to help in containing our desire for creation of garbage. The man kind has insatiable appetite for junk creation and dumping and no amount of alarm raised has not hampered our aptitude for garbage creation.

The weather patterns had been unpredictable for a few years and the clod season becoming less severe, but the last year was as common a winter as it should be in Chicago, and this year seems to follow suit with the normal and harsh winters of the windy city and its surroundings. The link to dumping on earth and global warming, and the changes to the weather patterns, all are true, but the severe winters coming back with a bang are also true. It doesn't mean that global warming is not a destructive phenomenon. We simply might get harsher than normal winters, and polar vortex which was a rare occurrence becomes a normal weather pattern every winter.

Unabated dumping and destructive environmental practices will have an impact on generations to come, and whatever corrective practices we will instill with the global population, will have to be adopted by everyone. Allowing for exceptions and keeping economics in front of environment, will not help the world. Cleanup drive in every part of the world, and respect for the surroundings will only help foster the planet for millions of years to come.

The severe weather patterns and changes to the cyclical patterns of seasons will not be corrected overnight, because the damage has been caused over decades of human abuse and dumping in every place on earth; land, water, air and even space junk is dumped without abandon.

For some reason known to the man upstairs the earth seems to bear the brunt of the humans, and keeps rebuilding and surviving the onslaught of dumping. We continue to see the beauty of the nature and seasons, and the life across the planet. We also see the devastation that we cause each time there is a catastrophe, and also see the mother earth some how reinvent the

Winter is here, and early in 2014. This sinks well with the normal weather patterns for the Midwest, and two years in a row the weather cycles seem to be normal. If this continues for years to come, Chicago will remain the windy city and our weatherman will have no new issues except report normal weather patterns. Its great to see the normal weather for two years in a row in Chicago, and it will be great to see the weather normal for time to come.

Money Matters

Vasu Reddy From Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

India's obsession with money in Switzerland banks is as old as the country's 1947 independence from the British. It might be a story for the movie makers in India and or also to the Mission Impossible franchise. The fact of the matter is that everyone knows that people with big pockets and or political connections will try to stash their money in tax havens to avoid paying their fair share of their in-country taxes, and also people who take money in return for personal or professional help and don't report the commissions, or simply people who take money that doesn't belong to them; all and many more will try to find havens for their ill gotten money to avoid both paying taxes and also reporting the money sources.

Even legitimate business, who work globally will always find tax loopholes to work within the law, and try to reduce the tax burden on corporations; all legal but when exposed becomes a concern for the country and the politicians. The illegal hoarding of money is at best difficult to assess and calculate as it is simply too much money and resources that have been in hiding for so long, and so much more being added each year, it is a matter for some supreme power to unearth all this wealth and money and make it reported income. Achieving 100% account of all money hidden in the world, will only happen with an act of god.

India's current politicians continue to squabble about who is holding money where and how much, and they constantly challenging each other to show the proof. Everyone in India, even a child knows that there is unimaginable amount of money stashed somewhere in India and outside of India by the guys who have their hands out for money from everyone who needs work done. As people pay for work (favors) the guys with their hands out will easily collect their dues, and then start to think of how to protect the ill gotten wealth. The world is a massive place to hide money and wealth and also there are enough safe havens to start spreading the ill gotten wealth in many places to make believe that it is safe. We all know that some countries resist sharing the details, where are some simply work in secrecy and coded system so the tracking is difficult. It is not impossible to track anything in the world, but it is simply made difficult by the banks and financial institutions to go to the source of the accounts, and even more difficult to find the source of acquisition of the wealth. All said and done, with today's electronic infrastructure, it is simply following the course of origin and governments should be able to at least point to the sources of the accounts.

Also protecting the account managers and account holders is not a global monitor as the local laws that govern the banking system of each country in the world. Most times the local laws are written to protect and defend the local citizens, and then aligned with the needs of the international community. India and its government just must accept the process of handling the banking laws and systems around the globe, and start to work with them.

While Modi is constantly assuring the Indians that he and his government will make all efforts to get the money back from abroad, and is trying to do their best in tracing and and tracking the illegal money, it is far from easy to prove the existence of black money/wealth and its origins. Their effort to identify and negotiate with local law enforcement on opening the information is commendable. What is for the government to do, and in its hands is to stop the process of hand stretching when working, meaning stop people from accepting and encouraging bribes. Modi himself is a great example of being above fray in money matters, as time and again his strength is that he will not involve in accepting money for favors. He simply should lean on his government to follow his principle, and it will stop the politicians from looting public wealth, and will also stop national wealth into tax havens.

This government and any government should identify and prosecute the money launderers and looters, while also looking forward to changing the system itself in promoting open and good governance that stops the looting. Modi for better than any other reason can be the leader in eliminating graft, and there by eliminating the issues with money laundering in governance, and further enhancing the use of public resources for public works.

While taking actions to track and prosecute the old felonies that involve decades of looting, it is of greater importance for this government to stop the cause of the money grabbing. On both fronts actions on working with international communities and banks, and also continuously monitoring the internal systems to promote clean and good governance, will help stem the age old problem of graft. Keeping the issue of good governance on the top of the agenda for the central, state and local governance will begin the process of stemming the graft that is so deeply rooted in the society. If this government continuously makes this a governance issue, India can slowly become a nation of laws that are followed by its politicians, bureaucrats and its citizens.

Cleanliness Anyone?

Vasu Reddy from Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

How we will manage to keep a billion plus folks in line with keeping a clean home and clean environment is a task for the heavens. The initiative of clean India which is being pushed hard by the prime minister is being well publicized in the Indian and also the international media. Starting with the PMO and with the PM himself taking lead and at the same time calling out to some of India's well liked celebrities of various fields, the PMO has been taking the publicity route to the masses for clean India campaign. From Gandhi to Modi, from before India's independence in 1947 to prime minister Modi in 2014, a lot of time has elapsed and a lot more Indians have been added to Indian population, lot of leaders, lot of changes to the living style and standards, and in general life it self keeps changing while Indians did not adopt to being clean, which could have enhanced the country's overall health and hygiene.

Driving the nation to adopt to a clean society is by no way a simple task for one leader. The entire nation is used to spitting and peeing and simply throwing stuff everywhere they live and use. Irrespective of where people live and go to and irrespective of their social stature, Indians love to pile up garbage and throw stuff around.

We are also a society that hoards every little thing that we get our hands on and also save every scrap. From paper, clothes, bags, shoes, utensils and any other household items we save and keep them under lock and key. Indians inherently have a wonderful culture of saving, and this transcends to saving trash.

For many generations we have continued to follow the same routine with hygiene and savings and we lead our children to follow the same way of life. So, even if our leaders ask us to keep things clean, specially our surroundings clean it will be a humongous task for us to follow as a complete society.

For our current PM who is from Gujarat, he must be used to his fellow state's men chewing tobacco and spitting everywhere. With our huge population and minimal sanitation facilities and in general our lack of respect for our own surroundings, along with everything else that the nation has to deal with is a huge task before the country become a clean and habitable India.

The initiatives being suggested in respect to sanitation in India is a major step in making the nature's call a private session, which is imperative to get the Indians first to do what is supposed to be done in private to be done in private and also stop messing up the country. While building toilets and restrooms is clearly a feasible enterprise, the nation and its leaders and planners should also how to dispose off the sewage. Indian doesn't have sewage collection, management and processing capabilities to deal with sewage and waste. Even the major cities have problem with collection and disposal of waste. India needs to get a system planned and implemented not just build sanitation facilities but also waste management. At this time for those who live in villages, smaller towns and municipalities, there is no such plan for waste management and there are no sewer or water pipelines that support a waste management and disposal system. Along with building toilets, the country also needs to work in tandem in massive restructuring of the infrastructure of cities, towns and villages, where by building the infrastructure to handle the waste, and manage the waste management to not further suffocate the population. Also, the so called smart cities that are being pushed by the current Pm, should be planned and developed in keeping in mind the waste and sewer management as a part of the overall planning of the new development.

The country has to get started somewhere and somehow to get India clean. There are no alternatives but to make India clean to keep the nation healthy. The clean India task is enormous considering where we are now. The country, its population and its leaders; all should start with a clean slate and start the process now for a sustainable environment and clean India.

From the initial looks of it, and the processes and promotions on Clean India, reception to the PM and the subsequent initiatives has been very positive. A number of well regarded celebrities taking to the streets with gloves and brooms to show support to the clean India program has been well received by the general public, who also wants to pitch in. Modi himself keeps his channels of communications open, and keeps the cleanliness drive as a top priority for him and his government. His direct communications constantly update on who is doing what on the cleanliness drive, and also he continues to encourage more and more participation.

As we look at the clean India drive with irony, it has been long overdue. The PM needs to be applauded for pushing the cleanliness drive as a personal and national political issue. Going back to Mahatma's India prior to 1947 and Modi lead India in 2014, it is of great importance for the nation to be clean and continue to remain conscious of the importance of cleanliness. Here a big tip of the hat to Modi, Indians and a happy and clean India. 

Measuring Success

Vasu Reddy

vasureddy@aol.com

For more than a billion plus people it is very difficult to measure the success or in fact failure of any program. There is so many of us with a multitude of different requirements, any plan that is put out to the public will have its fair share of yes and no from everyone. The politics of India are also similar to any other large democracy, where everyone in opposition will question the ruling party irrespective of its decisions, and the public will have the usual multitude of opinions on every issue. The reach of the government initiatives are typically enjoyed by a select group that is targeted by the benefits of the specific program, and the context of each such program can be decried by others who are not entitled to the benefits of the specific program, thereby allowing the critics to pound on the vote bank politics that are typically raised, and that typically ignore the importance of each government initiative to help the needy sections of the population.

India's politics are not much different from other large democracies, and perhaps the few differences might be their leaning to a particular political party to get elected, and also their backgrounds. This space will never be enough for speaking of politicians backgrounds, and the writer doesn’t have the expertise to explore the politicians backgrounds.

The measure of success of the government to respond to the citizens needs and also respond to the unplanned and unexpected events that occur during the government's time in office; will clearly place each successive government in position to get reelected. The definitive style of leadership and the public review of one individual that leads the country is also a measure to get reelected. As long as the politicians continue to meet the public's demands and project themselves as working in public interest, they get back into the office. India doesn’t have term limits and we have politicians for life, and many of our prime ministers passed away in the office. Each of them leaving a legacy of work that gets debated constantly by the current crop of politicians and also the media. As each of them were bestowed the highest elected office of India, they are all leaders of exceptional abilities and intelligence. Just being the prime minister of India at any time and for any duration will require not just leadership, but also the ability to at least convince a majority of the country's elected politicians and electorate that the individual is in fact has the wherewithal to lead our diverse nation on one path.

Our new government is only into to its second quarter in power and the theories of their accomplishments are already being floated by the countrymen and also leaders of opposition. It is in fact very difficult to measure the accomplishments of a government in three or four months, rather the direction the in place government is taking that will need attention. For starters Modi himself continues to follow the same regime that he canvassed prior to getting elected, and continues to drive his team of ministers and staff to work longer and smarter. Always a good sign when the leader is working long and hard to demonstrate that he is serious about moving things along. His team of ministers seem to follow the same path as he is in pushing things along. When the ministers are pushing hard to move things along, it is going to be difficult for the bureaucrats to not follow. The top down flow of work habits will also be reflected across the government and for starters the country seem to appreciate the work habits of the leader and his push to have everyone follow him. The initiatives are way too many and way too diverse to measure in matter of months, but many of them seem popular and well received, and their success will only be measured in successive quarters to come. The countrymen embracing the suggested changes and programs will also help in moving the country forward. We have a leader who is hard working and hard charging and the results are expected to be positive.

Clean India?

Vasu Reddy From Chicago

vasureddy@aol.com

Mahatma Gandhi is often quoted as the person who practiced cleanliness along with his simple life style. Often our Indians and especially politicians use the word Gandhi and then associate cleanliness to his name and pitch it to point to us Indians on being clean. Modi and his initiatives on clean India are being well publicized and also being well orchestrated by the politicians and media alike to bring the being clean as an important and also a viable life alternative for Indians. It is one of the wonderful initiatives for the world, not just for India to be clean, and the constant coverage helps to bring the people to look at what they do and also think about being clean.

It is not just India but the whole world needs to appreciate the meaning of cleanliness, and attempt to do their best to keep themselves and their surroundings clean. Going back to India and Indians, the age old issues persists with our living standards, and it will take quite some effort to make India clean, but it is not impossible.

Modi must have a great deal of experience with his fellow men from his own state, where chewing tobacco and spitting is as common as drinking water. We have great examples of our fellow countrymen in the USA, and wherever they congregate or shop, the red spit is obvious. It is perhaps a wonderful initiative for Modi to ask his fellow men to start being kind to the surroundings, and stop spitting on the streets and walls, where the guys shop and spit.

There are huge life style changes that will be required of Indians to be respectful to the nature and their surroundings. It is not just sanitation, and trash and spitting, but also life style changes are required to self discipline in making themselves and their surroundings habitable and clean. Everywhere in India, bit cities or small towns, villages or any habitable space that is available becomes fair game for abuse. We should start by looking at these spaces with a clean eye, and making all public places free of trash and crap. All this is not impossible, but will require a conscious and continued effort on the part of all Indians to have self respect and also respect for their fellow citizens and their environment. If that is instilled into all people, then the clean India movement will start to become real.

Perhaps the most ambitious initiative of the government of making Ganga clean is not just an expensive mega billion effort, but making the 300 or 400 million people who live along the river, and along with a billion or so who think its holiness will lead them to heaven by immersing ashes in the holy river or various religious and cultural activities associated with the river, while other wash, clean and do whatever people do out in the open to the river. The river continues to survive the massive abuse by everyone any everything all along its journey and only god knows how much abuse by the humans if inflicted on the river, and the population keeps growing every year along with the abuse. It still survives and is still majestic. Now the initiatives to make Ganga clean, is not just throwing money into dredging the river or building parks and recreation facilities on the banks of the river, it is to respect the river and its serenity and beauty, along with the value of its cleanliness, as one would respect ones own mother. Modi and his team need to start instilling the value of the respect the river deserves, and not just throw money into it. It certainly needs a huge investment, but it also requires an investment in effort by everyone around the river to change their life style in respect of the river. If we do that and stop dumping everything into the river, and make the investment to clean it and beautify the Ganga, it will be glorious for ever.

The absolute cost of clean nation is really impossible to estimate. Building sanitation facilities might be simple, but what about the sewage pipes, water pipes, treatment and management facilities, collection of garbage and dump yards; all this and many more along with where to and how to build these facilities in mostly unplanned nation without much city planning? The challenges are enormous, but the nation is also enormous and one step at a time, and one initiative at a time can make it happen. If people start seeing that being clean is really more attractive, any amount of investment and any mount of effort will begin now, and will yield immediate results.

It is a great initiative and Modi is pushing it hard to get Indians to start practicing clean. It will only be possible if all of India's citizens are willing to be respectful to their nation, surroundings and to themselves. Here is wishing Clean India. Jai Hind.

Reference:

“Cleanliness is next to godliness” actually comes from the writings of Phineas ben Yair, a rabbi whose writings can be found in the Talmud written this way:

“The doctrines of religion are resolved into carefulness; carefulness into vigorousness; vigorousness into abstemiousness into cleanliness; cleanliness into godliness.” As you can see, in the quote, ‘cleanliness’ is literally next to ‘godliness.‘ Yes, as simple as that!