The "trained" bully market

In the year 1997, MP Bhoj (Open) University organised a 28-day workshop at Bhopal. The workshop was on #Wavelets. People from the #Engineering backgrounds as well as the #basic #sciences attended the workshop.

Amongst the resource persons of the workshop was Prof. U. B. Desai, who was then the faculty member of the Department of Electrical Engineering at IIT Bombay. #IITB

Prof. U. B. Desai and his team of M. Tech. students told us about the #Linux distribution named #Slackware. The team had installed the OS on a hard disk, and brought the hard disk along.

Incidentally, the OS #failed to boot on the #computer system at Bhopal. The entire team got together and I saw them recompiling the Kernel, and configuring it as per the hardware present there. Even the mouse, which was a PS/2 type mouse, and not the serial port one, as available earlier, needed to be configured.

What does this essentially imply? The #Operating #System #operatingsystem is strongly dependent on the #hardware on which it is installed. Today's operating systems, which often come pre-installed (OEM), are configured for the hardware. If you buy the operating system from the market, the kernel detects the hardware from a known list inside a data file located in the installation media. If not found, usually the media asks for #drivers.

So what happens on older hardware? Why do giant OS vendors or equipment manufacturers stop their support for a particular OS?

There is only a specific set of hardware that especially the close source ones support, or maybe choose to support. So when computers with old hardware traditionally become outdated or obsolete, their support is withdrawn by their vendors. Newer operating systems keep on supporting #obsolescent hardware upto a limited amount of time.

Incidentally, it appears that there is a #fashion and #trend amongst the fresh generation of "trained" professionals to advise upgrading the RAM or upgrading to a new OS on the pretext of security, but it only results in a lower performance of the machine. The processor, the number of cores, the number of threads and the material of the motherboard all collaboratively contribute to the performance of a computer.

The so-called "trained" professional bully market is on the rise to stamp its ignorant face on the newer students, and they must be beware of it. 

Musings on the Communist Manifesto - I

(invited article for Mulyayan)

Introduction 

In the year 1848, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels came up with a pamphlet, which they named “The Communist Manifesto”. The document bases its arguments on the then existing inter-class struggle, between the two classes, namely the Bourgeoisie and the Proletariat. It is important to evaluate the relevance of this document in the 21st century with reference to the definition, struggle and the plan of action mentioned in this document, in the Indian context.

In the course of this discussion, I will refer to the softcopy of “The Communist Manifesto”, that I downloaded from Project Gutenberg, Sparknotes – where a commentary on the Communist Manifesto is hosted [1], and the general knowhow about the cultural tapestry of India, and economy.

In this article, I do a comparative analysis of Indian culture and habits vis-a-vis “The Communist Manifesto” (TCM) and then attempt to conclude on the fitness of “communism” in the Indian context. Therefore, the following section introduces the basic definitions, required for this discussion.

Definitions 

If one were to refer to Merriam-Webster, communism is defined as a form of governance, where the government owns the things that are used to make and ship products. Wikipedia says that the upper middle class (haute bourgeois), the medium middle class (moyenne bourgeois) and the lower middle class (petit bourgeois), all come together to construct the Bourgeoisie. Furthermore, the Oxford concise dictionary defines the proletariat to be the set of working class people. Also, it is commonly agreed that there is a continuous, back-and-forth migration between the petit bourgeois and the proletariat. According to the TCM, the bourgeoisie is the owner of the instruments of production.

In India, it is commonly seen that there are three main classes, with their own sets of social moralities – (1) the upper class, (2) the middle class and (3) the lower class. As per the communist definition, perhaps, the middle class is divided into HIG, MIG and LIG (Higher, middle and lower income groups).

Contrary to the communist  “agenda”, the struggle perceived by the communists is against the big guns like Adani’s and Ambani’s, inspite of the amount of employment generated by them for Indians.

The geographical and temporal context

TCM begins with the following words “A spectre is haunting Europe -- the spectre of Communism. All the Powers of old Europe have entered into a holy alliance to exorcise this spectre: Pope and Czar, Metternich and Guizot, French Radicals and German police-spies.” Therefore, it is very clear that TCM talks about a political strategy in a very Europoean context of the 19th century.

The proposed political angles 

To understand the political angle of TCM, it is necessary to read the following paragraphs:

“… that the first step in the revolution by the working class, is to raise the proletariat to the position of ruling as to win the battle of democracy.
The proletariat will use its political supremacy to wrest, by degrees, all capital from the bourgeoisie, to centralise all instruments of production in the hands of the State, i.e., of the proletariat organised as the ruling class; and to increase the total of productive forces as rapidly as possible.”

Thus, winning the battle of democracy as a first step implies that there must be a set of people who would be willing to run for the elections against the existing government. In the current scenario, it is well known that running for the elections costs a lot of money, and therefore for the labour class to gather that amount of money might be a utopia. So there must be an assumption in the TCM, that there would be patrons amongst the bourgeoisie to facilitate this.

Therefore, let us assume for sometime, that the fund is raised for the electoral expenses, and that the election is won by a majority – by the proletariat. As a consequence of the win, TCM proposes the following steps for improvisation of a system:

1. Abolition of property in land and application of all rents of land to public purposes.
2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax.
3. Abolition of all right of inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the property of all emigrants and rebels.
5. Centralisation of credit in the hands of the State, by means of a national bank with State capital and an exclusive monopoly.
6. Centralisation of the means of communication and transport in the hands of the State.
7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan.
8. Equal liability of all to labour. Establishment of industrial armies, especially for agriculture.
9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equable distribution of the population over the country.
10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production, &c., &c.

Analysis of the points of action

Let us now analyse these points of action in the Indian context.
1. Abolition of all property in land and the application of all rents of land to public purposes: 
This means that the land is not the property of an individual or a ground of individuals. The land is the property of the Government. People living on a piece of land will pay revenue to the Government. Since land is government property, in a communist regime, the government will have the power to snatch the land, when and where necessary. The payment of any compensation will not be therefore necessary. In the current scenario, where many cities are being developed as SMART cities, land acquisition is being carried out. It is being observed that there are multiple lawsuits / cases pending in the courts, regarding “proper” compensation for the acquisition.

2. A heavy progressive or graduated income tax:
I assume that progressive or graduated income tax means that professions at various levels exist. In that context, a “graduated” income tax is comprehensible. However, it is not clear why the income tax has to be labelled “heavy”. While there was a seemingly democratic will to run for elections, is it the intent of the communist to punish the ex-ruling class?

Let us for the sake of an example, consider the case of a Goldsmith. While selling jewellery he cheats the customer regarding the number of carats. How would that be recorded?

Since India is traditionally known to be an agricultural country, the farmer is exempt from paying the income tax, as provided by the Income Tax Act, 2013. In a communist regime, will the farmer be required pay a tax?

3. Abolition of the right to inheritance: 
The rights of inheritance in India are defined by the Hindu Succession Act, 1956, the Indian Succession Act, 1925 and the Quran, where successions is religiously discussed. I am not aware of the succession rules of other religions of India. Attempting to abolish or change these “religion-based” rights of inheritances would open up pandora’s boxes and speeches on uniform civil codes and personal laws.

It is also not clear in the context of TCM, that if the father has worked hard to earn his living and gather some property, who shouldn’t the wife, son or daughter be eligible to inherit the fruits of the hard work?

4. Confiscation of property of emigrants and rebels: 
While the word emigrant is clear, the communist manifesto does not define the word rebel, since one of the words preluding the points of action is democracy. So I go to the Merriam-Webster’s dictionary and find the meaning for the word rebel. And it says - “a person who opposes or fights against a government”  This implies, that there is no scope for a personal opinion in a communist government.

5. Centralisation of credit in the hands of the state, by means of a national bank with state capital and exclusive monopoly:
In India there are nationalized banks, wherein RBI is the ombudsman. To some extent, these banks help in storing the money of the people. Since a communist regime talks about exclusive monopoly, it means that there is no space in the market for any other government or privatized bank. Given this scenario, and the techniques of modern computer warfare, (assuming that the bank would rely on computerized accounts, pass books and cheques), it would be perfectly possible for any outside agency or conspirator, to loot the tax-payer’s money from the bank’s coffers.

6. Centralization in terms of communication and means of transport: 
As on date, India is experiencing the democracy of the media and the communication channels. There are multiple news channels, and each with a different flavour. There are different communication networks in terms of mobile, postal, etc. People can chose which channel or media to use for updates, news, or entertainment. Given a communist regime, this variety will no more be available. This has a big loophole. A single, government controlled communication channel is susceptible to large scale snooping.  Therefore, if there were a pretty casual telephone conversation amongst two friends criticising the government, under point number 3, the assets of the two interlocutors may be confiscated by the government.

7. Extension of factories and instruments of production owned by the State; the bringing into cultivation of waste-lands, and the improvement of the soil generally in accordance with a common plan: 
This point talks about the instruments of production owned by the state and therefore one may wonder, if there were a possibility of private ownerships, under this point of action. Since the proletariat aims to “wrest” all instruments of production, this is not a possibility. Therefore, I see a society where everybody is wearing the same kind of shirt, the same brand of shoes, the same pair of glasses, and if there were a factory producing hair dyes, it might be mandatory to wear the same dye for everyone, ignoring the fact whether one requires it or not. The cultivation of waste lands and improvement of soil quality are issues that need to be supported in an Indian context.

8. Equal liability of all to labour; creation of industrial armies; especially for agriculture: 
The merit of this point is the emphasis on agriculture. In the light of the food security act, passed by the Government of India, focusing on agriculture would be a huge boon for the people. If we juxtapose this point with point number 1, it would imply that the farmer will not possess the land, but would be working for the state. Most of what would be produced by the farmer would be taken away by a communist government and would be put in grain silos. This may open an opportunity for people in power to steal from the silo.

In India, one can choose to become an industrialist, a scientist, a manager, a white collar job office guy or a blue collar job labour person. The Indian constitution does not impose any restriction on the choice of profession. The choices are usually governed by the intellect and bent-of-mind of an individual. On the contrary, this point apparently implies that everybody could be “forced” to do a certain kind of work whether he likes it or not. Moreover, this opens a window for the existence of an authoritarian overseer for the errands to be run by people in the communist regime. In summary it can be said that this point ignores the fact that everyone cannot do everything.

9. Combination of agriculture with manufacturing industries; gradual abolition of the distinction between town and country, by a more equable distribution of the population over the country
This point implies that agriculture should be treated equally as any other production industry. The equable distribution of population over the country, in the current scenario, would mean that all parts of the country should have equal opportunities for employment. If we juxtapose this with point number 8, it is an addendum to ensure that everyone has equal liability of all to labour. However, this point ignores the fact that a uniform spatial distribution of all industries, may not be a feasible idea in a country like India. Also, as on date, agriculture and agricultural produce are likely to suffer from pollutants and therefore, if done in an unplanned fashion, the distinction between town and country can become a nightmare.

10. Free education for all children in public schools. Abolition of children's factory labour in its present form. Combination of education with industrial production. 
This point mentions “public” or government schools which would provide education. But does this mean that there is an opportunity for private education? Does this open a hidden window for elitist education?

Child labour is already a crime, and has been handled by the Child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 [4]. However, I am personally aware of issues where children are working, and when concerned voices were raised, the parents of the children responded with two options – “Either our child works and brings in money, or he steals from people”. TCM does not provide and answer to this scenario. This might sound like a stupid justification for child labour, but this will continue to be a “worthy” argument, until the people of India make concerted efforts to facilitate the fundamental right to education, as provided in the Constitution of India.

It is also not clear, what TCM means by combining education with industrial production. With whatever experience I have, it might mean any of the following: (a) Educated students be presented as marketable products (this might have a hint of slavery), (b) students be provided vocational or industry oriented education; or (c) people learn while working in the industry. It is not clear from the manifesto about the fate of scientists, doctors, teachers, engineers, literary people etc., but if we juxtapose this with point number 2, it might be an indirect implication for their existence in a communist regime.

Relevance of communism in India

The last few lines of TCM, read as follows:
“The Communists turn their attention chiefly to Germany, because that country is on the eve of a bourgeois revolution that is bound to be carried out under more advanced conditions of European civilisation, and with a much more developed proletariat, than that of England was in the seventeenth, and of France in the eighteenth century, and because the bourgeois revolution in Germany will be but the prelude to an immediately following proletarian revolution.”

It is mentioned earlier that TCM was written in the context of Europe, and therefore these few lines reaffirm my interpretation of the same. However, the following lines make us to raise our eyebrows:

“In short, the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things.”

In my interpretation of this sentence, this is what an academician would call “hand-waving”. It is a casually made loose comment for the rest of the non-European nations. Marx was probably focusing on America, but I think he forgot his geography in that while.

India is a nation with a 5000+ years cultural history and existence. Although attacked by vandals, many a times, unlike other countries, India has been able to retain its cultural and social fabric. It has been able to preserve its scriptures and moral values (to some extent). Therefore, a communist government turning the whole social and political order of things seems more than unlikely. Further, TCM is also not clear what would happen in situation of conflict. For example, Marx’s version of communism has talked about rebels (see earlier section) and methods of handling them. The manifesto does not make any provision for a coup attempt on the government. In fact, making a provision for the handling of “rebels” is similar to making provisions for apostacy in a certain religion.

Labour conditions in India 

India, has a share of its own class struggles: the educated vs otherwise, the “cultured” vs the otherwise, the “elite” vs the otherwise, the “north Indians” vs the “south Indians”, “brahmins vs non-brahmins”, “the higher castes vs the lower castes”, etc etc. Amongst these, the labour conditions, and its corresponding class struggles are the most startling. As mentioned earlier, there is an issue of social morality dividing the classes. When there is an interaction amongst members of various classes, people in the “socially” higher class tend to bully the people from the “lower class”. Bullying in the Indian society starts from taunts about cleanliness and education, but making sure that both aren’t available for the “lower classes”. Inspite of a very well-written constitution with provision of fundamental rights, there are only a countable few who would desire to have these right facilitated. Since this Oppresor vs Oppressed system is highly prevalent in India, even amongst the self proclaimed “holy” communists, (Yes, they do the same things in their personal lives), it cannot be said that the TCM has proposed a very ideal lifestyle.

Conclusion

In this article, we discussed some aspects of “The Communist Manifesto (TCM)” and the relevance of these aspects in the current Indian context. It is seen that TCM, contains a lot of words favouring the labour of a country. However, given the political angle of TCM, it is highly likely that a communist government can become totalitarian, a thief and also a hoarder. Thus, in my humble opinion supporting a set of communists in India will be equivalent to bearing a totalitarian government.

[1] http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61
[2] http://www.sparknotes.com/philosophy/communist/section1.rhtml
[3] http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communism
[4] http://www.childlineindia.org.in/child-labour-prohibition-and-regulation-act-1986.htm

Uncomfortably Numb: 2014 & 2015

In 2015, and the last year 2014, I haven't written a lot. You may find a brief analysis of the reasons in this blog. One can agree that life gives us lemons, but one has to find the opportunity to make a lemonade out of it. However, opportunities presented themselves from time to time, and I hope I made the best of it. 

Before I get into the nitty gritties of the description of the events, I would like to personally thank Anand Hingway, Dr. Bharat Lohani and Pragya Kirti to sort of push me to write again. 

2014 began with a bang. Two of my papers, found acceptance in the international community. The joy of finding the name of the college in the area of Geoinformatics, and that too in an international arena was immense. Almost at the same time, Dr. Chinmaya Das, a colleague from IIT Kanpur, joined the MGM Campus. While we were discussing on the various aspects of collaboration, I found interest in the colourful 3-dimensional visualizations through a software called PyMol. While at school, I had found Biology to be a repulsive subject mainly owing to the gory dissections and the videos of surgeries that I saw, but this was another facet of Biology before me, after the Landscape Characterization Project, where I had worked with Dr. P. S. Roy (Oct 2000 - Jan 2003). 

On a very positive side, one of the best points of 2014, was Dr. Bharat Lohani visiting our college and giving presentations to the college audience. I watched with curiousity how people were overwhelmed with the pure simplicity with which an IIT Kanpur professor conducted himself and delivered his lectures. 

January 2014 also saw the entry of a certain negative character, let us name him Gurughantal, along with his life partner in our campus. For the lack of complete documentation* with me, I cannot reveal the name of this person, but in the next six months or so, this person along with his wife, destroyed the beautiful and congenial environment that was at the campus. Their behaviour included placing false allegations on people, especially misusing the provisions of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. They were the alumni of a very reputed institute of India, and did everything to put their alma mater to shame. This included blackmailing students who were not in their good books, harassing female staff members who would not comply with their misgivings by sending emails to them at the oddest of hours, forging laboratory records, pushing the supporting staff to destroy the laboratory glassware and taking credits for what other people had done and contributed. Fortunately, following parallel investigations from their previous workplaces, and pattern observations on social network feeds, enough data was found to eject / terminate Gurughantal's services from the campus. Even while Gurughantal left the campus, his wife vitiated the atmosphere with wrong pieces of information amongst the students, while playing a victim's card and resigning herself. On later conversations with the students, it was revealed that the recruitment of Gurughantal and his wife had miserably backfired, for no academic commitments had been fulfilled / completed. Students reported massive shortcomings in the practicals conducted and faculties found several shortcomings in the newly "prescribed" syllabuses. 

2014 ended on a rather gloomy note. While Gurughantal was dismissed from the campus, Dr. Chinmaya Das was to take his position. In the early evening of December 31, Dr. Das was attacked by some drunk robbers. He was hit on the head by a bottle. The local administration downplayed the incident by calling it an isolated incident of petty robbery, but I have reasons to believe that Gurughantal and his evil allies were behind the matter. 

2014 also told me in as many clear words that status quo shall remain. Paulo Coelho's Alchemist mentions that if a particular incident happens twice, it would happen for the third time as well. It did! Evidences and parallel events communicated that too. It became clear how matters like the length of socks, half pants and aloo parathas with lightweight butter were matters of World Tragedy, and the status quo wasn't. It also became clear how eating Aloo Parathas would get me killed, but drinking unfiltered water won't (sarcasm). Willingness, expression, reason and rationality all became mutually independent vectors in 2014, as far as I was concerned (Immanuel Kant was already confusing enough). 

2015 welcomed me with a visit to IIT Kanpur, and the first thing I did on reaching the campus was to visit the guy selling peanuts in the campus. On several past occassions, he had many stories to tell, and I was eager to listen to him again. I was amused, being currently placed in Maharashtra, as how he called the simple BHEL as BHELPURI, and how he excused himself by saying that the PURI often turned soggy in the winters. The two mornings I witnessed there, were full of joyful jumping on the streets. I comprehended why the Alumni used to be so excited when they visited the campus. 

In April 2015, I was on the field, on a survey project for the student, when suddenly my brother called me up and said that mother might have to go for a major operation. Understandably stressed and worried, I had to leave the campus for Chennai, completing the syllabus in a hurry. Dr. V. S. Pradhan and Dr. S. B. Shinde were kind enough to let me off, during this period, while they took some burden off my shoulders during this time. 

Mother was taken in for surgery at the Apollo Speciality Hospital, and with the good wishes pouring in from all sides, she came out hale and hearty from the operation theater. Rakesh was at my brother's side as earlier (in 2008). At the same time, there were a lot of good wishes pouring into my "wall" of the social network. Many messages that said "Tell me if you need any help" were specially heart warming and consoling. Dr. S. D. Deshmukh, thank you for remembering me in these hours. 

I would specially like to mention the names of Dr. Dattatray Regulwar and Dr. Sanjay Jamkar who readily visited my college on a single request and presented their work in a workshop meant for people interested in the domain of patenting. Both the professors handle so much of work, that I guess, I have to observe them for a month to learn time management skills. 

I was invited by the Government College of Engineering Jalgaon for conducting a five day workshop in LaTeX. This was one of the things which I didn't do earlier, and this told me that I can sustain six hours of lab sessions at a stretch, for five continuous days. The reactions were generally positive, and I got some more feedback on how to do it better the next time. Dr. Mohan Nerkar who appeared to me as a big foodie, make special attempts to give me the taste of Jalgaon food. In this connection, Shri Dnyanesh Gaikwad tolerated my evil and not so evil jokes till late night while dropping me back at the Guest House after dinner! 

My maternal grandfather Shri Sameer Basu, whom I fondly called "Dadu", passed away quietly one one morning, after several months of being unwell. It wasn't clear how he suddenly developed a lung infection and then left this world. Very strangely I couldn't be there physically, while the last rites were being performed. As one of my cousin brothers put it, it was the end of an "era". 

2015 ended with cups of tea, pretty charming smiles and a gloomy, lonely evening. It was as Baudelaire said "Le ciel est triste et beau comme un grand reposoir; Le soleil s'est noyé dans son sang qui se fige".

 Few days later Dr. Bharat Lohani reminded me start writing again. I'd told you sir, "I always need someone to give me a kick to start up". You did it again, positively. I wish that, for all the readers of my blog, this year be full of productive work and positiveness. I wish that, you get the discretion to identify the Gurughantals and immediately lock them in their places where they should belong. I wish that you be welcomed with smiles and warmth to wherever you go. I wish you a Happy New Year.

==================================
*It is brought to notice that all documentation regarding the bad activities of Gurughantal are available with the campus administration. Requests for making them available online, have been received as well. 

Thus breaks my silence ...

Over the past year and a half, I have been maintaining an eerie silence, in terms of not expressing. The last 18 months were spent contemplating about people, observing them, interacting with them, noting their good points and of course learning from the bad ones. 

One can always talk a lot about how to be good, maybe one or two would quote from some religious literature, borrow from the ancient scriptures or refer me to some exposition on positive thinking. 

But alas! The Rhesus factor component in my blood is missing, and thus time and again, I have been forced to note those points, which I, as a person, would not like to have. 

People, in general, have this wonderful capability of fitting to a mould and likening other people to a certain stereotype. For example, some of the great stereotypes I have been hearing all my life are: Punjabis don't care for their women, they only know about money, bengalis are bloody cowards, Andhrites are the direct descendants from the monkeys mentioned in the Ramayana, Biharis have nothing better to do rather than sit and shit on the sides of their roads, and so on. I am, purposefully, not referring to any of the religions, because it might bring in a debate which of course is not relevant to this article. 

People, also in general, have this wonderful capability of "judgement". One can "judge" another one, without even meeting. One can "judge", whether someone is a criminal, just by listening to certain undocumented whispers, and one can judge by listening on the phone, that whether the interlocutor is drunk to the fill. The opposition to such judgements have no existence. A mere refusal to accept a judgement would be equivalent to the commitment of a blasphemy in pure semetic terms. "Thou shalt be whipped", they would exclaim, and would attempt in every way to make one's life miserable. 

In the book, "Don't be such a scientist", references were made to "gut feelings" and certain sexual inferences were drawn. It is a question I have often contemplated about. Do people judge other people by estimating how many wives one has? Do people base their opinions on other people by designing utopian fantasies and then believing in them? A gut feeling based opinion, in my experience, is rarely substantial. One would need an ample amount of experience in holding an "opinion" based on gut feelings. It would not be inappropriate to infer, based on the book by Randy Olson, that those reliably trusting gut feelings have nothing better to do than fondling their own selves between their legs. 

In the absence of pleasure from fondling, the next orgasmic activity that people rely on is make people's lives miserable. Such people love to "force" their decisions and beliefs on others. They wish to control who enters your house, what clothes you wear, what socks or underwear you like, what food you eat, with whom you interact, with whom you talk and so on. Perhaps on a later stage, they would also like to choose who you mate with (although the arranged marriages aren't any different). A mere refusal to comply with the ridiculousness is met with humongous attempts to victimise you in one way or the other, which might include (but not limited to), sending emails to female employees at 2:30 AM in the morning. It might include (but not limited to), writing about how unprofessional certain people are, even with their most constipated bowels, which makes them stay awake at 03:00 AM in the morning, farting away in bliss. Such people often believe that they have gone "mainstream", whereas all they have done is bullshit themselves. 

I would definitely not want such people in my life, and I aspire to meet better ones and learn from them.  

The Karma Confusion

(for "mature" and broad minded audience only)


It is said in the scriptures that the decision whether our souls would be saved or not, would be based on our actions. In the Hindu perspective, the philosophy which I adhere to, it would mean that the decision would govern whether my soul would be exposed to the procedure of rebirth, in some life form. In the Christian philosophy, the decision would govern whether my soul would see heaven or hell. (I am specifically not pointing to other philosophies because I do not know much about them. I save myself from the habit of commenting on things which I do not really know about!).

Now, if there is any God (I am not still sure, if there is any), in His (I am also not sure if God has a gender) perspective all souls should be equal, independent of the life form (the physical form of the body). It is in this perspective of equality, that I have a question.

Consider a sequence of incidents and a list of life forms; a human, a cat, a donkey and a cow. The human is a hardworking washerman earning an honest living by washing clothes. The cow has recently given birth to a calf. The donkey and the cat are pets to the washerman, the donkey usually carrying the washed clothes back from the washing place, and the cat saving the household by eating away the rats. One fine morning, the washerman has a fight with his wife, he goes to the river with the soiled clothes, washes them and puts the clothes on the donkey's back and shouts on the donkey. The donkey was feeding on the grass by the side of the river, gets annoyed with the washerman and gives him a kick on his groin. The washerman writhes with pain, but returns home with the clothes. He goes to milk the cow, with the recently born calf tied at another corner, and the cow kicks the washerman again. Somehow, the washerman manages to milk the cow. After half an hour, the washerman keeps the boiled milk at the corner of his house and goes outside to nurse his injuries. In the meanwhile, the cat feeds itself on the milk kept for the children and the wife. The Washerman returns home, sees the empty container of milk, gets angry and beats the cat badly.

At this point there is a huge earthquake, and the world is destroyed. Now it is decision time:

1. The washerman complains that he has been honest throughout his life, but he has had to bear sadness and pain due to the cow, the donkey and the cat.
2. The cat says it has been faithful to the washerman and feeding itself was the only way to keep itself alive. The washerman beating the cat was not justified.
3. The cow says that her milk is first for the calf and then for anybody else and therefore the washerman is not justified about complaining.
4. The donkey says that it was feeding on the grass peacefully and the Washerman's anger was not justified.

It can be seen that it is the same incident, the same story, the same set of life forms, but Karma changes perspectives according to the character and dharma of the person. Therefore, in our perceptions of the Karma (that is the life forms on earth), a decision on who would go to heaven or hell is not possible.

Now, can we conclude that thieves, backstabbers, nymphomaniacs, kleptomaniacs, pedophiles, sadists, psycopaths cannot expect to be judged on the same platform as normal people? Would the normal people agree to be judged on the same platform?

 This is my Karma confusion!

Directives for men: The Sexual Harrassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013

At the outset, I would like to thank the women who agreed to deliberate with me on the various issues (in person and over the phone), with respect to the professional and social interactions between two different genders are concerned. I would also like to thank, Ms Archana Gondhalekar, whose speeches I listened to, two times.

I would like to clarify here that the word gender used in this article are limited to "Male" and "Female" only, although the terminology, as on date, has been extended to include LGBT also. It is also worth mentioning here that this article has been written with Indian people in mind, therefore the international audience might find some terms incomprehensible.

This article deliberates on the various implications of the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, and the corresponding rules, for men. Why was this act needed? In the society, mostly the rules are drawn out for people who do not "fit" to an acceptable social norm.

The history of this act, goes back to the days when an Angan Vadi worker, Smt. Bhawari Devi dared to protest against child marriage. Child marriage, at that point of time had been declared illegal, and therefore Bhanwari Devi had done nothing wrong. Some of the villagers aged from 20 to 70, perhaps with a feeling of malice, or with a motive to "set her right", gangraped her. As expected this lead to litigations, formations of sexual harassment guidelines and lately the creation of a parliamentary act in 2013.

Directives for men on the various aspects of sexual harassment in the purview of the act 

Unwelcome advances and physical contact 

One of the many points mentioned in this act is about "Unwelcome advances". Men might wonder on this point. How does an individual decide, what is welcome and what is unwelcome? Consider this example. You are enjoying a warm cosy evening with your family, while there is a knock on the door. The "guest" is someone whom you do not like. Even if your background or previous generation has taught you, "Atithi Devo Bhavah" (The guest is divine), you might have to politely ask the person to leave your house. Arguing similarly therefore, the woman (your colleague) would tell you what she "likes" and what she doesn't.

The dress and the seduction 

When it comes to sex, sexuality, and expression of sexuality, men happen to think in binary. If I were to quote many feminists, I would write "Men live with their brains between their legs". When it comes to women, their expressions are two fold. First comes attraction, and then comes seduction. Therefore, if a woman is wearing an amply revealing dress, it does not imply "Come and have sex with me!". Instead, it means "Look at me! I am beautiful!". Stop misinterpreting the dress as a gateway for sex or sexual advances.

She hugs other boys, so she should not mind if I hug her! 

No! At the workplace, hugging is completely inadvisable! In my opinion, hugging is an act of intimacy, whether it be a "feeling" of father-daughter, or "boyfriend-girlfriend" or "brother-sister" or "teacher-student". Keep all your hugs, caresses, touches at home, while you leave for the office.

Also, "she hugs other boys, so she should mind if I hug her" sounds illogical and similar to "She has sex with her boyfriend, she should also have sex with me!". A woman has the right to chose, who she loves, who she marries and with whom she has intimate relations and moments with. In no way, can a man dictate that.

Can I touch her hand? 

It is worth mentioning here that women rely on their sixth instinct to distinguish between touches. Therefore, you can touch her hand only if you seek her permission first. If she refuses, stay away. In the best case, avoid any thought of touching the hand, or any other part of the body. In my opinion, in the light of this act, it is advisable that women be greeted either with a courteous bow, or with a polite Namaste. All that nonsense about "professional behaviour requires shaking hands" can go for a toss.

Verbal conducts of sexual nature 

The act mentions "Sexually coloured remarks" which might confuse men too! Many men are habitual of vomiting adult jokes at the slightest provocation. Many also use double meaning. Men, therefore are confused when women make sexually coloured remarks either on themselves or about some other people in the public. In such cases, it is advisable to stay away from controversy.

No double meanings which might lead to misinterpretation or malicious use of "setting you right". Whatever, the case may be, however hard a woman might try to get some double meaning out of you directly or indirectly, keep your tongue in control.

Non-verbal conduct of sexual nature 

Staring at women 

Men are confused about the staring clause popularly used by women, owing to the following different reasons:

1. It is natural for a man to look at a woman irrespective of his marital status. So, how can one avoid looking? 
2. Men have the habit of staring into empty space with a thoughtless mind. They might keep on staring into the empty space for hours together (this video from the Canadian comedian Russell Peters tells us a lot). Can this be misconstrued? 

In my opinion, the act relies on the sixth instinct of women. As per the women I have conversed with, a woman would know, if a man is looking at her in the "wrong way". However, men are advised that the "sixth instinct" or the "gut feeling" may misfire in some cases. However, women are also usually watchful about the event occurring repeatedly over time. Therefore, do not keep looking at a woman for more than 5 seconds, when you are not talking to her.

Showing pornography or asking for sexual favours 

Seriously? Are you a nymphomaniac / pervert? It is a serious NO! However, "close" you might feel, the woman is to you, in no way should such acts be committed!

Is this act necessary? 

Yes! It has been observed that women have been subject to continuous harassment in the society. With time, these events are on the rise. It is therefore fair enough, that women are given a platform, a strong one at that, to voice their views and raise objections, against certain age old practices.

Is this act biased towards women? 

 No! The preamble of the Honorable Indian constitution and the Honorable Indian constitution itself, rule out any gender bias amongst the citizens of the country. Therefore, in this country, no law can be founded that is biased. In the context of this article, refer to clause number 10, in the rules document, where it says that complaints with proven malicious intent shall be dealt with the same severity as those mentioned in clause number 09.

How do I certify my integrity? 

The former Director of IIT Kanpur, Prof. S. G. Dhande, had repeatedly said during many orientation programmes for the new students that "You should have your certificate of integrity in your pocket". It is a shame that honorable men, or men with their integrities in place would have to resort electronic devices to certify their integrity in the light of this act (malicious intents cannot be ruled out).

1. In this context, make sure that your workstation / workplace has a camera / CCTV mounted, and that the video feeds have sufficient backup. Also make sure that you have enough space to move away if any unwelcome advance is made upon you. 
2. Always prefer a working place, where there is a fellow worker or workers watching you (for most of the time), inspite of your innate quest for privacy even at the workplace. 

Your relations with colleagues (male or female) 

Workers who work day in and day out for generating good academic records, peer-reviewed publications, patents and have their names mentioned in the annual reports of the organisation they are working for, need to take special care. The risk of jealous colleagues thinking of "setting them right" is high.

Further, as far as my conversions with overtly performing colleagues go, people in India, inspite of the Honorable Indian constitution in their hand, have not learned to respect others' rights to their own opinions. It is quite possible that jealous colleagues (male or female) might feel that the best way to stop you from performing (to set you right) is to allege sexual harassment against you.

On the positive side, protection exists in the form of rule 10, although, on the flip side, it would be best to avoid crossing swords with anybody.

How to begin a conversation with a female colleague?

Frame the question well in your mind. If unsure, write it down on a piece of paper. Make sure that there is no double meaning, vulgarity, white or dark sarcasm in the question. Do not sneak up to the woman from her behind (in case she is sitting with her back towards you). Call her politely and ask if she has time for a question. If she says yes, proceed with the question. If she replies in the negative, just walk back to your seat and do not insist. If she is interested, in what you were saying, she would ask you later. If she does not, you should get the hint. 

What to do if I find a female colleague staring at me? 

Just as males find it sensually pleasing to stare at women, women too, once in a while, like to feast their eyes. However, this is NOT at all an invitation for physical proximity or activity. She might be a spy for someone, and might be keeping an eye on you, as well.

In summary

The infamous Canadian actress Sunny Leone sums it up well in this video, where she complains about a co-contestant wrongly "touching her". To paraphrase the conversation, "When a woman says NO, it means NO. It does not mean YES, and it doesn't mean MAYBE!"

References: 

1. The Sexual Harassment of Women (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013; Last accessed April 10, 2014. http://wcd.nic.in/wcdact/womenactsex.pdf 
2. The Sexual Harassment of Women (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act - Rules, 2013, Last accessed April 10, 2014. http://www.lawyerscollective.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/Sexual-Harassment-at-Workplace-Rules.pdf 
3. Constitution of India (2008), Last accessed April 10, 2014. http://lawmin.nic.in/coi/coiason29july08.pdf 
4. Russel Peters: Women are thinkers, Last accessed April 10, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoHxb4zMa1Q 
5.  Sunny Leone complains against Amar Upadhyay, Last accessed April 10, 2014. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPVRXJoD1Ac

An open letter to Lord Voldemort

Dear Lord Voldemort,

You may fail to recall this incident, but I do not. In fact, I cherish it with a sprinkle of pepper and salt everyday. Your lame attempts to teach arithmetic to your kid, and his replying that 1 and 1 make 11 still brings a lot of amusement to my peers and colleagues.

You may wonder why I chose to call you Voldemort. Don't! Because, believe it or not, your demeanour and spirit lie akin to the Dark Lord in J. K. Rowling's creation of the Harry Potter series of books. You consider disagreement as a personal threat, and your habit of throwing the weight where it isn't even necessary is a sharp indicator in that direction. Pardon me, if I call you a Bolshevik as well.

I do not know why, but it seems to me that you breathe and live under the belief that the world needs a messiah or a saviour, all the time. Did you misinterpret the following message from the Bhagavad Geeta? Did you see yourself as a mighty saviour yielding the Sudarshan Chakra?

यदा यदा हि धर्मस्य ग्लानिर्भवति भारत ।
अभ्युत्थानमधर्मस्य तदात्मानं सृजाम्यहम् ||
परित्राणाय साधूनां विनाशाय च दुष्कृताम् ।
धर्मसंस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे||

"Mujhe change chaahiye!" is and has been your motto! Yes, change is good, if for the better. But, still better is improvement! Improvement comes from knowing a system, by understanding what might have gone through the minds of the people while they framed the "holy constitution", rather than sheer, abrupt and unprepared change. What was riding on your mind? Satan? Couldn't you understand, that changing a "system" or an ecology might alleviate the problems, but would bring in a new set of issues that you might be hitherto unaware of? If you know what the problems were, couldn't you lead the people to trust the system and improvise it? But no, your evil ego overcame the sheer common sense that one might expect from a person of your stature.

It is amazing that you trusted a set of people who first preached on your behalf that you were a messiah, a leader of fresh change. The same set of people used your name, and threatened various units in the campus. The same set of people were found abusing you and kicking walls and windows in the campus. I named them the "Smart Munnas", but if I were to use a Harry Potter simile, they were the "death eaters", with no life / opinion of their own, but feeding on the ideas and happinesses of other people.

There were also a small set of people who wanted the people to benefit. Call them the Mensheviks if you will, but they were ready to cooperate for the sake of the system, with YOU. But you saw them as a threat.

You lay your belief on them, who would merely seem to ejaculate on your "holy" command. You never stayed inside the endroit and you think you knew all the people? You didn't. But instead you wanted to threaten all the people who wanted to help and improvise.

People asked mysterious questions during the various gatherings, didn't they? You think, we didn't understand? You were wrong! You lay your belief on those, who favoured you at one time, but forged signatures to vote against you. You think, we didn't know? You were wrong! Each and every time, the advice from a small group of us was to avoid clashing against the big rock. But, they didn't understand. Did you, consider our position?

You threw away the most hardworking guy away from the endroit, the one who used to work 12 hours a day, without seeking any extra remuneration? Our only understanding was that you were overcome by your Satanic ego, to prove that you were the boss and trying to "save" the endroit. The hardworking guy, went away and so did the practices of systematic working. Total disarray was visible.

You never, reconsidered your decision did you? Perhaps, you would, when you grow old and feeble, Voldie.

Our only hope was that you left your ego, and saw reason.

Sincerely and yours truly.

चुप्पी

आज खुश तो बहुत होगे तुम ! लो चुप्पी ठान ली मैंने ! तुम्हारे रोज रोज के ताने, तुम्हारे रोज रोज के शक़।  तुम्हारे हर बात में यह ठहराना कि मैं हर मायने में गौण हूँ। त्रस्त हूँ पर फिर भी चुप हूँ। ह्रदय पे बोझ है तो क्या हुआ? चेहरे पे झुर्रियाँ बढ़ रही है तो क्या हुआ ? दिन-ब-दिन सिर के बाल सफ़ेद हो रहें हैं तो क्या हुआ? तुम्हारी ख़ुशी तो जरूरी है ना?

तुम्हारी बात को ठुकराई तो तुम बात करना बंद कर दोगे, खाना नहीं खाओगे, ताने मारोगे! जानते हो, तुमसे बात करने से पहले चिंता होती है कि आज कौन कौन सी गालियाँ सुनने को मिलेंगी? तुमसे बात करने से पहले अपने ह्रदय को पुख्ता कर लेना होता है कि कहीं तुम्हारी चुभने वाली बातें मेरे कोमल मन को चोटित न कर दे। तुम्हे मुझे चोटित कर कौन सी ख़ुशी मिलती है?

किसी को एक्सपीरियंस या तजुर्बा होने पर वो सही नहीं हो जाता।  तजुर्बा उन लोगों या समाजों तक सीमित होतीं हैं जिनसे तुमने चर्चा या विचारों का आदान प्रदान किया हो।  किसी बंद कमरे में बैठकर लोगों के सम्बन्ध में अंधी राय बना लेना और उसी राय पर विश्वास करने लगना मात्र बेवकूफी कि निशानी है।  तुम बार बार कहते हो न "मुझे थर्टी इयर्स का एक्सपीरियंस है"! यह मात्र एक छलावा है जिसमें तुमने अपने आप को फंसा लिया है।  ऐसी बातें सिर्फ हास्यात्मक कार्यक्रमों तक ही सीमित होती हैं।

कभी पतंग को उड़ाया है तुमने? जब कोई पतंग उड़ती है तो उसकी डोर को पहले खींचते हैं, फिर ढील देते हैं। ऐसा करते करते पतंग उड़ने लगता है।  लेकिन इंसान पतंग नहीं होते।  ऐसा करने से इंसान उड़ता नहीं, कन्फ्यूज़ ज्यादा हो जाता है।

चिड़िया उड़ का खेल

याद है बचपन में वो खेल हुआ करता था - चिड़िया उड़? किस तरह किसी खिलाडी के द्वारा गलती करने पर उसे मार पड़ती थी? उस मार से तो चलो आदमी बच के निकल भी जाए, तुम्हारी चुभने वाली बातों के मार से कौन बचेगा या बचाएगा। कुछ कहने लगेंगे तो फिर वही खाना बंद, बातें बंद| लो अब अमूल मक्खन कि मालिश करो चार दिन तक! झूठी माफ़ी भी मांगो, चाहे गलती की हो या नहीं!

इसीलिए अब मैंने चुप्पी साध ली। खुश रहो तुम! काश कि तुम ऐसे ही खुशियां मनाते रहो, मुझे दुःख पहुंचाते रहो, और मेरे मुँह से आह तक न निकले! एक जीवित लाश में परिवर्तित कर दिया है तुमने! मुबारक हो! एक नयी कठपुतली मुबारक हो!

-- निशा 

Goodbyes and Hellos - 2013

My year began with a goodbye to my Hall of Residence Four at IIT Kanpur. I had stayed there for eight long years and more. I definitely had my share of learnings, in  terms of building a progressive society, motivating people and more. I made good friends too, from the very famous Tony Jacob to the very humble Vivek Mehta. It has been a privilege knowing them. I might have left the Hall, but its memories remain etched in my mind. 

My supervisor Dr. Bharat Lohani insisted that I take the opportunity to deliver an invited lecture at Dr. Babasaheb Marathwada University Aurangabad. The visit to Aurangabad was a lesson in how humble beginnings might lead to great achievements. Dr. Suresh Mehrotra's amazingly inspirational way of motivating people left me astounded. At the same time, meeting Dr. Pravin Yannawar, Dr. Ramesh Manza and Dr. Bharti Gawali Rokade were indicators that I should put in more efforts in my research work and publications. 

MGM's Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College, Aurangabad

My visit to Aurangabad and a probing question by Dr. Suresh Mehrotra - "If all good people went to `good' places, who will come to the place which are not `good'?" motivated me to start a conversation with a college of Aurangabad. I came for a visit to Jawaharlal Nehru Engineering College and was floored by the welcoming nature of the Principal Dr. Sudhir Deshmukh, his motivated talks and willingness to develop the college further into an institute of national repute. My meetings with Dr. Sanjay Harke, Dr. Ravindra Deshmukh and Dr. Abhay Kulkarni were enlightening. I was especially impressed by the infrastructure developed by MGM - IBT, where Dr. Sanjay Harke is the Director.

With Shitla Tripathi ji

With Ram Kewal Maurya ji

I finally had a chance to take a degree at the convocation, the previous one's being either mailed to my place of residence, or being brought in by a third person. Instead of partying around, I chose to spend time with Shitla Prasad Tripathi ji and Ram Kewal Maurya ji. If I have gained a lot from my fellow research workers, I have also learnt a lot from Tripathi ji and Maurya ji. For each and every technical problem of mine. They were a great help.


Remember Narayan dada, the one about whom I talked about in my blog last year? I saw him frail and shaking. When I saw him, he got down from the cycle, and told me that he was diagnosed with a cancerous growth in his throat. It was surprising that all through his trauma, he had been looking for me for support, and people had been telling him that I had left the campus. I talked about his condition to the residents of Hall Four and most of them went to see him. Some even called him from outside the campus.

A scene at the CC Canteen @ IITK

The month of August began with a goodbye, with me bidding adieu to the city I spent nine precious years in, Kanpur. There were small meetings with Prof. Onkar Dikshit, the person who supported me a lot, morally and financially, and my thesis supervisor Dr. Bharat Lohani. Dr. Nandini Nilakantan also invited me for a luncheon at the Campus Restaurant. 

Arun Nishad, your help for packing up my things was one of the greatest helps that I would remember. On the day of bidding goodbye to the campus, it was raining, and I, perhaps inspired by the clouds, shed a tear or two, in the moments of loneliness that I found on the railway platform. I was en route to Chennai then, and met a lady Tarzan during the journey! 

The next few days went away like a breeze, and I entered Aurangabad. A small and dusty city yet to learn the values of maintenance and cleanliness, but yet consisted of people with big hearts. Sachin Deshmukh helped me to find a place of stay, and Prahlad Pawar ji was kind enough to rent me the place. 

I taught two courses this year. Teaching mathematics to the students with no mathematical background was one of the challenges that I took. The results would say if I was successful, which are yet to come as I write this document. 

The end of year enlightened me with an emergent thought. The expression of "Independence" is expected to arrive with a feeling of an exclamation mark, but instead in many of us, it exists with a question mark in terms of daily life - common feelings like hunger, love, sadness, sleep, thought are well affected by this question mark.

With a desire that you are able to convert this question mark into an exclamation in the coming days, I wish you a very happy new year.

हिंदी रूपांतर 

भारतीय प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान के चतुर्थ छात्रावास को अलविदा कहने से मेरा यह वर्ष शुरू हुआ।  अनेकों झगड़े, रात भर का जागना और दोस्ती इन्ही सब की यादें समेटकर मैंने हॉल ४ को अलविदा कहा। हॉल ४ में रहने के दौरान अनेकों से मेरा परिचय हुआ जैसे विख्यात टोनी जेकब और विनयशील विवेक मेहता।  हॉल ४ से मैंने कई चीज़ें सीखीं और आशा है कि इन सीखों को मैं अपने जीवन में उतार पाऊंगा।

मेरे पी एच डी के मार्गदर्शक डॉ भारत लोहनी ने मुझे डॉ बाबासाहेब आंबेडकर विद्यापीठ में जाकर व्याख्यान देने के लिए प्रेरित किया। यहाँ मैं प्रो सुरेश मेहरोत्रा से मिला। डॉ प्रवीण यन्नावर, डॉ रमेश मंझा और डॉ भारती रोकड़े से मिलकर ऐसा लगा कि मुझे अपने शोध कार्य में और अधिक मेहनत करनी चाहिए।

इस व्याख्यान के वजह से मेरी बातचीत औरंगाबाद के एक महाविद्यालय से होने लगी। डॉ सुरेश मेहरोत्रा ने पूछा कि " यदि हर अच्छा व्यक्ति "अच्छी" जगह पर जाए, तो हमारे यहाँ कौन आएगा?" अतः मैं पुनः औरंगाबाद आया। यहाँ, जवाहरलाल नेहरू इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज के प्रधानाचार्य डॉ सुधीर देशमुख से मिलकर बहुत अच्छा लगा।  वे इस महाविद्यालय को राष्ट्रीय स्तर के प्रसिद्ध शिक्षण संस्थानों कि गिनती में लाना चाहते थे।  इसके अतिरिक्त मैंने डॉ संजय हर्के, डॉ रविन्द्र देशमुख एवं डॉ अभय कुलकर्णी से भी मुलाकात कि।  जैवविज्ञानं और प्रौद्योगिकी संस्थान के आधुनिक प्रयोगशालाएं और कम्प्यूटेशनल शक्ति देखकर मैं दंग रह गया।  अतः मैंने जवाहरलाल नेहरू इंजीनियरिंग कॉलेज कि ठानी।

आखिर वो वेला आ ही गयी जब मैंने किसी दीक्षांत समारोह में भाग लिया।  इससे पूर्व मेरे समस्त उपाधियों को में व्ययक्तिक तौर पर ले नहीं पाया था।  समारोह के उपरांत जहां लोग होटलों में जाकर खाना खाने कि योजना बना रहे थे, में शीतला प्रसाद त्रिपाठी जी और राम केवल मौर्या जी के साथ फ़ोटो खिचवा रहा था।

आपको नारायण दादा के बारे में याद है? उनके बारे में पिछले वर्ष मैंने लिखा था।  उनको मैंने बहुत कमज़ोर और शिथिल रूप में देखा। पूछने पर पता चला कि उन्हें वैद्य ने बताया है कि उन्हें कर्क रोग है।  उनका एक बार शल्य चिकित्सा हो चुका था।  उन्होंने बताया कि वे मेरे बारे में पूछते रहे और लोग उनको बताते रहे कि मैं आई आई टी परिसर छोड़कर चला गया हूँ।  मेरे पूर्व छात्रावास के लोगो को बताने पर कई उनसे परिसर के हेल्थ सेंटर में मिलने गए और उन्हें ढांढस बधाई।

अगस्त का महीना मेरे लिए कठिन रहा। जिस परिसर में मैंने ९ वर्ष बिताये उसे विदा कहने का समय आ गया था।  विदा लेने से पूर्व, प्रोफेसर ओंकार दीक्षित, जिन्होंने मुझे कई बार धैर्य बंधाई और आर्थिक सहायता भी दी, के आशीष वचन प्राप्त करने आवश्यक थे।  इसी के साथ मेरे पी एच डी के मार्गदर्शक डॉ भारत लोहनी से भी मार्गदर्शन प्राप्त किये।  डॉ नन्दिनी नीलकंठन ने भी मुझे मध्यान्ह भोज के लिए आमंत्रित किया।

श्री अरुण निषाद ने मेरे सामान को समेटने में जितनी मदद की उसकी प्रशंशा करने के लिए मेरे पास शब्द कम हैं।  आई आई टी परिसर को विदा कहने के दिन वर्षा हो रही थी, और सम्भवतः बादलों से प्रेरित होकर, रेलवे प्लेटफार्म के अकेलेपन में, मेरे चक्षुओं से दो आंसू छलक पड़े। मैं चेन्नई की ओर अग्रसर था और रास्ते में एक लेडी टार्ज़न से मुलाकात भी हुई!

अगले कुछ दिन बड़ी तेज़ी से बीत गए और में औरंगाबाद में कदम रखा। यह एक धूल भरा शहर है, परन्तु यहाँ के लोगों के ह्रदय विशाल हैं।  सचिन देखमुख ने मुझे एक रहने का स्थान ढूंढ़ने में मदद कि, और श्री प्रह्लाद पवार जी ने अपने घर को मुझे किराए पर दिया।

इस वर्ष मैंने दो कोर्स पढ़ाये। जैव विज्ञान के छात्रों को गणित पढ़ाना शायद कठिन था। मैंने अच्छा पढ़ाया या नहीं, यह तो परिणाम आने के पश्चात ही पता चलेगा!

वर्ष २०१३ के अंत में एक दुर्दान्त विचार मेरे मन में कौंधा।  यह कि हम कहते हैं कि हम स्वतंत्र है, पर अधिकतर भारतीयों के लिए स्वतंत्रता छद्मवेश में परतंत्रता का ही नाम है, चाहे वो सोच, विचार, निद्रा, क्षुधा, प्रेम, अनुराग कुछ भी हो। इसीलिए स्वतंत्रता एक विस्मयादिबोधक चिन्ह के साथ नहीं वरन एक प्रश्नवाचक चिन्ह के साथ हमारे मन में उत्पन्न होता है।

वेद कहते हैं "तमसो मां ज्योतिर्गमय" । इसी प्रेरणा के साथ कि आप इस छद्मवेशी परतंत्रता को वास्तविक स्वतंत्रता में रुपान्वित कर सकें और प्रश्नवाचक चिन्ह को विस्मयद्बोधक चिन्ह में बदल सकें, मैं आपको नव वर्ष कि शुभकामनायें देता हूँ।  

कैफियत

कभी दिल्ली के चौड़े रास्तों के बीच उगते पौधों को देखा है? गुज़रते वाहनों के धूल और धुएं से लथपथ, शिथिल, निर्जीव, काहिल और न जाने क्या क्या हो जातीं हैं। किसी उगते पौधे को स्वास्थ्य होने के लिए खुली हवा, प्यार, पर्याप्त मात्र में खाद आदि कि आवश्यकता होती है।  दिल्ली ही क्यों किसी भी शहर में रास्तों के दोनों तरफ या बीच में उगते हुए पौधों कि ऐसी ही दशा होती है।

ऐसा प्रतीत होता है कि मैं कोई ऐसा ही पौधा हूँ। धूल और धूएं से काहिल, शिथिल। धूल शायद तुम्हारे चिंतन कि, और धुँआ तुम्हारे मन के निष्क्रिय कारखाने की।  धुँआ शायद तुम्हारे किंकर्त्तव्यविमूढ़ता कि भी है।  चतुर्दिशाओं के बाजे गाजे और तुम्हारे मन के काल्पनिक धूम धडाके।  कभी किसी का बाजा बज उठता है और खुल जातीं हैं तुम्हारे  कल्पनाओं का विशाल भण्डार!  उन घटनाओं कि कल्पना करने लगते हो जो वास्तव में होते ही नहीं।  ऊपर से तुम उन काल्पनिक चरित्रों, पात्रों, और घटनाओं पर विश्वास करने लगते हो।

हर किसी के विश्वास, आशा उसके अपने होते हैं।  उन विश्वास और आशाओं में सबको लपेटा नहीं जा सकता।  जब कोई लिपटता नहीं तो उसे यह भी नहीं कहा जा सकता कि वो धोखेबाज़ है! धोखा तो तब होता, जब कभी कोई इस बात का वाद करता कि कुछ भी हो जाए, वो उसके वास्तव और तुम्हारे कृत्रिम जगत में कोई अंतर नहीं रखेगा।

वास्तव क्या है और कृत्रिम क्या है, इसके सम्बन्ध में बहुत अलग अलग राय पंडितों ने दी है। कभी यह नहीं कहा जा सकता है मेरा वास्तव सत्य है और तुम्हारा वास्तव कृत्रिम।  कभी यह नहीं कहा जा सकता कि तुम्हारा मानना सत्य है और मेरी सोच गलत। चिरकाल से सनातन धर्म के संस्कार खुली विचारधारा के हैं।  कभी नहीं कहते कि यह मना है, वो मना है।  हाँ! अनेक वस्तुओं, पदार्थों के गुणों कि चर्चा अवश्य पाये गए हैं। यह मना है, वो मना है ऐसा मात्र निम्न स्तरीय विचारधारा के समाजों का परिचायक है।  बंद घरों या कमरों में रहने से विचार कभी खुले नहीं हो सकते।

तुम बारम्बार कहते हो यह न करो, वो न करो। कभी कभी तो तेज़ सांसें चलने पर भी तुम्हारे सवाल खड़े हो जाते हैं।  हो सकता है मेरी सांसें तेज़ ही चलती हों! या फिर हो सकता है कि वर्जिश का कार्यक्रम चल रहा हो। कुछ भी हो, कैसा भी हो, कैफियत मांगने लगते हो! ऐसे कैफ़ियतों कि आशाओं से बारम्बार घायल क्यों करते हो? एक बार में ही बोल दो कि मर जाओ!  जान छूटे तुम्हारी! और मेरी भी!

--निशा

कांचा चीन्हा या कांच के सपने ?

तुम कहते हो मैं आज़ाद हूँ, एक पंछी कि तरह, पर जब भी उड़ने कि कोशिश की तुमने तो मेरे पर ही काट लिए! न! वह पर मेरे पीठ पर नहीं उगे थे।  वह तो मेरे ह्रदय में थे, अब सोचो काट दिए तो कितना दर्द हुआ होगा।  अरे, तुम बड़े होकर दिल से खेलते हो? मैं तो सोचता था कि यह सिर्फ कमीनों का काम है!

कोई कमीना कर्म से होता है, कोई सोच से।  पर मेरे पर काटने का जो कमीनापन तुमने किया वह लाजवाब है। पहले कहा "उड़! चिड़िया उड़!" फिर जब चिड़िया उडी तो कुशब्दों के वाण छोड़ दिए।  नन्ही चिड़िया अब क्या करे? वो कहते हैं न अंग्रेजी में "बैक टू स्क्वायर वन!", वही हाल किया।  अरे यही सब करना था तो पहले बता देते?

यह जो चिड़िया उड़ वाला खेल होता है न, बड़ा निराला है।  कोई गलती करता है तो मार खानी पड़ती है।  पर कुछ कलाकारी से उससे बच भी सकते हैं।  ह्रदय को थप्पड़ पड़ने पे बचने कि उम्मीदें कम रहती हैं।  पर यह तुम्हे कौन समझाए? तुम अपने अलावा किसी के सम्बंध में नहीं सोचते, यह तो मुझे अब जा के पता चला है!

भारत देश में अनेको कुसंस्कार म्लेच्छ जातियों द्वारा लाया गया है। वो तो सुधर गए हमें देखकर! पर हम ने उनकी देखा-देखी करनी शुरू कर दी। और तुमने तो पराकाष्ठा को पार कर दिया! सोच इधर कि, काम म्लेच्छों के! कहते हो मैं आज़ाद हूँ, पर हूँ नहीं।  कहते हो कि तुम्हे बहुत अनुभव है, पर बातें सुनकर ऐसा लगता नहीं!

म्लेच्छ जातियां कहती हैं कि आज़ादी मना है।  बस मना है! कोई अनसुनी करता है तो सूली पर चढ़ा देते हैँ।  तुम कहते हो कि मैं आज़ाद हूँ और फिर सूली पे चढ़ा देते हो! अरे इंसान कहाँ जाए? तेल लेने?

आजकल हर रोज यही खुद को आईने में देखकर सोच रहती है - "इतना करके क्या मिला? बाबाजी का ठुल्लु?" कह दो कि सपने मत देखो, सोचना बंद करो, किताबें मत पढ़ो, अरे और तो और नौकरी भी मत करो!  अरे कह दो कि ज़िंदा भी मत रहो। नहीं तो मेरे पास दो ही विकल्प हैं: या तो कांचा चीन्हा बनो, या फिर कांच के सपने लेकर बैठे रहो, निठल्ले!

--निशा

तुमने क्या समझा?

तुम्हे घर साफ़ करते देख काफी कष्ट होता था।  तुम हाँफते थे, पसीने से तरबतर होते थे।  इसलिए कोई दोस्त कभी  घर नहीं आया। मैंने दोस्त कम ही बनाये। शायद मैं आदि हूँ अकेलेपन का।  इसीलिए जब कहते हो यह तुम्हारे घर आएगा, वह तुम्हारे घर घुसेगा, तो समझ में आता है!  यह समझ में आता है कि उस बचपन का अकेलापन आज भी जारी है, उसी तरह।  शायद तुम चाहते हो कि मेरा ख्याल कोई न रखे, या कोई  मुझसे बात न करे, एक तुम्हारा ही हक़ ।  शायद तुम मुझे जीवन भर के लिए अकेला कर देना चाहते हो!

तुम ऐसा चाहते हो, क्योंकि मेरे जीवन साथी चुनने पर तुम्हे आपत्ति थी।  उफ़! कौन कौन सी बातें तुमने न कही। मैंने तो स्कूल में यही सीखा कि हम सबका खून लाल ही होता है, फिर यह फ़र्क़ कैसा।  यह जातपात कैसी? म्लेच्छ समाजों कि तरह क्यों सोचा तुमने? आज भी उन दिनों कि सोच से रोम रोम सिहर जाता है।

तुम न कहते हो कि मेरे दिमाग कि नसें ढीली हैं। या फिर मेरी खोपड़ी उलटी है।  ऐसा तुम कई सालों से कहते आये हो।  फिर बुरा क्यों लगता है जब कोई मुझे मंदबुद्धि कहता है ? शायद सभी को मुझे मंदबुद्धि कहने का अधिकार हो जाए इसीलिए तुम बार बार सबके सामने ऐसा कहते हो? या यह फिर यह कोई अभिनय है?

तुमने शायद समझा कि तुम्हारा ताना मैंने बूझा नहीं। उसी समय समझ में आ गया था। अंतरजाल पर जाने के लिए सरकारी सामान का प्रयोग करूं या गैर सरकारी, इससे तुम्हे तो कोई फ़र्क़ नहीं पड़ता।  पर फिर भी तुम बोले।  तुम्हे तो अंतरजाल पे जाना आता ही नहीं, फिर बोलने कि होड़ क्यों थी? क्यों यह ज़ाहिर करते हो बार बार कि मेरे पास एक साधारण गैर सरकारी महाविद्यालय कि नौकरी है और तुम्हारे पास कोई है जो सरकारी अफसर है।  उस अफसर को सलाम है।  उस अफसर ने मेहनत की है। सम्भवतः मैंने मेहनत नहीं की। परन्तु ये बार बार कहना?

अब तुम्हारे ताने तो मेरे खाने तक पहुँच गए। कितना कुछ जो पसंद था, छोड़ दिया मैंने। लो मैंने अब तो आलू के परांठे भी छोड़ दिए।  तुमने धीरे धीरे मेरे पसंद कि सारी चीज़ें ले ली। आज तुम मेरे साँसों तक पहुंचे हो, कल क्या मेरे गले तक पहुंचोगे?

मेरी तमन्ना है कि मैं तुमसे पहले जाऊँ।  समझो तो आखिर कि मेरे बिना दुनियाँ कैसी है? खूबसूरत ही होगी शायद !

--निशा

Milestones 2012

Last year, it was all about silence. This year, I would be talking about milestones. Milestones that have left indelible impressions on my mind.

This year, the months of June and December would be known as the milestone months for me. The fruit of eight years came out in the form of a 166 page document with a fair amount of pictures and YouTube videos. A presentation version of this document was screened in December thus receiving generally positive comments. This fruit took too long to ripen and yet, on the last day of this year, my mother called up and asked me if I was well. The contents of the conversation were sufficient to tell me that she was still proud of me. On the day of the presentation and after, I missed my father again and again, because he appears in my dreams every now and then, perhaps to wish me well and convey good luck for my studies and life in general. I would also take this opportunity to thank Professor Onkar Dikshit and Dr. Nandini Nilakantan who took most of my worries away by listening to me when I had to crib! Dr. Bharat Lohani, thank you for all you have done for me.

My friend Nilanjana had a baby boy this year. She named him “Rig” after the Rig Veda (oldest book on Hindu scriptures). Sarika, a common good friend, whom I met at Delhi (after 10 years) during a conference, perhaps appeared more excited about describing the baby than the mother herself.

Constructive criticism and politics for the welfare of the junta totally went missing from the Hall 4. The person, who had sacrificed 40 years of his family life for serving Hall 4 was shown the door. The demeanour meted out to him by the Chieftain of the ship was demeaning, hurtful and in bad taste. Shri S. N. Pradhan, lovingly known as Narayan dada, had to leave the Hall premises in “10 minutes” with tearful eyes. He was shifted by the administration to Hall 9. I am told that within a span of two months of his departure from Hall 4, the Dean of Students' Affairs of IIT Kanpur, met him personally and congratulated him for establishing a good accounting and recording system in Hall 9. This was also the first time when, an aspiring politician of Hall 4 remarked, “Sir, you are very idealistic. If you move away from your ideals, you could achieve a lot!” I thank the Almighty, if he exists, for giving me parents and teachers who taught me to stand my ground in the most adverse of circumstances.

The Bhagavad Gita inspires us to be bold and believe in actions without craving for the result to “benefit” the self. It is in the “Karma” we should believe in and there is where the excitement lies. I was never a great fan of new year resolutions. Sometimes we avoid things, thinking of the consequences. The teachings of the Bhagavad Gita have inspired me to change this characteristic. The Bhagavad Gita also teaches us about “skins” the soul wears from one life to another. One could easily extend this logic to memories from one phase to another. Memories should be let gone, for good, for shifting from one phase to another.

On that note, as I gear up for the life forward from this point, I wish you a Happy and Prosperous New Year.