Alchemy of things unassailable

29-05-20

In these troubled times, the constant refrain is that things are collapsing. This week’s blog essentially tries to cut this bunkum.

Contrary to the generally held assertion that the world will go down, my belief is that it will improve exponentially from here on. In the past, I was always on the skeptic side, and the result was a series of sub-optimal outcome for best-in-class efforts. How I made this change is an altogether different story, the characters and events in it are fresh. Hence, I refrain from sharing these details.

My reason for optimism is mainly linked to the alchemy of things unassailable that modern society has become. We discuss a few of them here.

1.    Collaborative medical system

Though exploitive at times, the modern medical system has few parallels in human history. Its ability to perform at all times has been witnessed in the past and is being exhibited even now. We can concentrate on the outlier cases to vitiate the line, but largely the system is working.

Multi pronged enablement of the international system under UNO and university system since world war II has proven its benefits by keeping the world safe. One may notice a flurry of announcements about the collaboration between Indian Mfrs, UK, US and Chinese universities and MNC companies. All this happens or let’s say is easily done because of enabling layer seeded and then grown by the system globally over a period of time.

As the virus makes spreads its destructive power, the medical system is admirably starting to research, try and then build counters to it. All of this sooner or later will stop the virus and bring back things to normal

2.    Networks

The merging of organic and technology networks (a whole world to write about) has created an additional point of reference for Governments, citizens, corporates, media and academics to use & drive consensus on. Yes, it gets manipulated, but they do provide the base case efficiently. Over the next few years, these networks will take a more important role in our decision making.

These network help drive decision making for better outcomes and also help deliver succor where required. Our Addhaar enabled payment system is an excellent example of combining social & tech platform.

Modern networks are helping Governments, especially to reach out to deprived classes and supporting them as required. We may differ on if the quantum of help given is good enough, but I am sure will agree that networks are doing this efficiently.

3.    World financial system

Holding on admirably, the financial system has provided the prescription required (appropriate for Geo they are written in) for the societies, Central banks have collaborated beyond their jurisdictions to keep the money moving across the global supply chains. The result is that no systematic disturbance has erupted and markets are working normally all across.

Again, one may not agree with the prescription but cannot deny that action has been taken, and more will be done if required.

More of such modern wonders underpin the success till now and will continue to underwire more of it in future. So be happy and get on with your work.

This does not mean giving up on personal responsibilities attached to living in modern society. They are the essential building blocks of the more complicated stuff.

A small mention here personal alchemy of things unassailable is a fascinating topic, this also rhymes with my belief in Aghora. More of it sometime in future.

Thanks for your patience. 

Can we fight reality?

22-05-20

I remember a TIME magazine cover in 1989 wherein INS Vikrant is looming large with print proclaiming India’s arrival as a military power. Well, here we are 30 years later still having same TIME magazine (It more defunct then anything else anyone knows) proclaiming problems in India. Well, they are American and will do what they have to do, what’s wrong with us? Thirty years and we are still fixated on being a world power and letting external validation take over our narration.

In these 30 odd years, India has become a sort of amalgamation of human endeavour that we should take have taken pride in but would not. Let me list out what they are according to me

1. In the entire human history has it ever happened that 1.3 billion folks live in a democracy (Yes, an imperfect one)? OK has even half of this number lived in any sort of democracy?

2. Indian have excelled in things related to individualized mass orientation (confusing I know). For example, Indian written code powers most of the world’s banks, telecom and other important industries. Indian textiles and apparel cloth a large part of humanity and thus provide the colour & dignity in the daily lives of the people across the globe. Remember Most of the software code will never retire and will keep working to further the society/enterprise where they were put to use. So, Indians have achieved immortality even in the physical world.

3. India, unlike other great civilizations in Asia, is cognizant of its historical failures and has set out to solve them using its institutions & constitution. Maybe Article 15 is a movie for folks who woke up recently, for most of us, it is engraved in our constitution as something we the people felt should be central to our endeavour.

We can go on adding our achievements and at the same time also list our failures, what I am unable to reconcile is how distorting this and aligning to distortion will help? I have tried debating this with people and found the answers like 1) compete with China 2) Be strong as world respect strength 3) Without being a superpower, we will become slaves to others. None of these sounds coherent to me, yes, they do have marginal merit which may be dealt with as minority opinion and given due respect before moving on; how come this has become central to our imagination and thus distort reality.

Popular folklore says that Steve Jobs of Apple stayed at Kaichi Dham in Uttarakhand for some time. Maybe he learnt and practice reality distortion at this place. Maybe I should insist that he did learn it here, as this makes my enquiry simple. The world’s best distorter also learnt it in India. But before we celebrate this, we need to understand the distortion as practised by Steve Jobs ( as a side joke I have met tons of Indian tech Czars who believe they are better than Steve and only fate has taken away the credit from them, well let’s say they are also players in it and leave it) was born out of inside out vision for his company and its product. Compared to this, our mass practised distortion is induced from outside in, anyone can write a good/bad word about us or maybe not even write at all, but we start owning or creating it. Let’s examine the recent media reports about Japanese Government allocating USD 2 Billion for their corporates wanting to move out of China, next thing we see is Indian commenters picking it up and repeat ad nauseum with one addition that this money will help factories to move to India. How and when is not usually answered in our debates, so I am waiting to corner one of these fellows in post lockdown (YES folks Mumbai continues in it). Thus, the chattering classes of India reading between the lines, have deduced that Japanese have allocated 2 billion for relocating Japanese factories to India. Get it? My humble request to all concerned is to inform the Japanese about their money being allocated for India.

So how do we end up doing it? Delusion de grandeur? Or something more?

Maybe answer lies in the way our political discourse (sorry propaganda) has moved on from the 1970s, unable to meet the aspirations of people the politicians have fed a deadly concoction of half-truths and myth about our nonexistent qualities (we are pacifist, we are assimilators of world, Russia & now the US are our friends, and Pakistan is a mistake to be corrected, China sees us as competition and lots more)

Another thing is that Escapism has been the fare of our lives, using a rich imagination (most of it inherited) we have perfected what we want to see and feel as compared to what exists and needs attention. One could live his entire life in a cocoon of his/her creation and be happy. Here it is important to emphasize that “No one killed Jessica and No one drove the car on the pavement in Bandra”.

Another possible reason is the corporatization of media and the advent of TV news. These entities to recoup the money invested, have shown shiny stories and let go of unattractive parts where the nuance and result require a longer viewing time, more in-depth analysis & coverage. So, we have attractive breaking stories (I believe India has a world record in terms of using the words breaking news on an annual basis). These media outlets are now getting discredited and being replaced (hopefully by better version) by smaller media outfits on the Internet.

Reality is stark and visible for us; we have done a few good things but manage to bungle lots by not paying any attention to it. For starters, our health care system is in shambles, and so is our schooling & college system. Eight crore (80 million) migratory workers are a reality, requiring quick solutions now. We need to pay attention to these instead of dreaming of fighting wars and winning them. 

Am I the only one, no the establishment also realizes the direction we have taken and cost that has been borne by us as a consequence? Recently the Chief of defense staff of India General Bipin Rawat read out the reality in an interview. Addressing the threat perception and preparations done till now he said that we need a change in our perception and align to reality. And we need to align what we need to fight with. This is a welcome change, and my fervent wish would be to see the General succeed. All we have achieved by distortion is to become 2nd largest arms importer in the world. While we may differ with details of our PM’s vision about being Atamnirbhar but the primary tenant is again to align to reality (Yes currently propaganda is doing complete injustice to the thought) and execute what we need instead of what we are made to believe.

We need to execute to our reality and not basis what Our supposed friends (selling Arms, goods and services) expect us to do.

Some interesting links for the blog topic today

https://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/3aktkh/tiny_spoiler_loved_the_little_nod_to_steve_in/ https://indianpunchline.com/now-general-bipin-rawat-speaks-up/

https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/forces-must-shun-imports-go-for-make-in-india-says-gen-bipin-rawat/articleshow/75652962.cms

https://hbr.org/amp/2012/04/the-real-leadership-lessons-of-steve-jobs

https://m.businesstoday.in/story/the-indian-temple-steve-jobs-advised-mark-zuckerberg-to-visit/1/224351.html

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neem_Karoli_Baba

Digital cruelty, meekness and callous behavior

For the week 09-05 to 15-05

By the time you read (or say forced to read) this post, the lock down cycle would have irrevocably broken & society would be raring to go somewhere (more on this in future). Hopefully the norms for safety will be observed not only on paper, but also in spirit. Globally Chinese have done a good job till now of re-opening and keeping the citizenry awake to the problems. Folks who live and write from Beijing, seem to appreciate the way Chinese have come back after the lock down. Wishing we would also do the same, we have capability but my doubts as usual are on our execution. Time will tell as we say.

I took a detour from norm in my last week’s blog and connected with my past and people who have had a deep imprint on my thinking. For that community, I will continue to write a monthly blog in Hindi and cover the history of the city where I grew up with specific reference to the company where my father worked. The weekly blog on current, contextual and confluence oriented will continue on the other side.

So here we go on digital cruelty, imagine you step out of your home a Monday morning and a perfectly normal uncle/aunty were to give you tight slap. But obvious you would be shaken down to your core and question the sanity of the person. Well you would say it never happens and I am imagining things. And yes, you are right in normal world where we use to live nothing like this happened, but in virtual world this is becoming a norm.

Internet, postmodern computing, social media coupled with a lack of comprehensive identity management online has resulted in a massive upsurge in the abuse and cruelty all around (left, right and center all are in it). One can pick up anyone and abuse any one with no thought to what other person goes through.  As author Anne Rice of USA, said in her petition on change .org asking amazon.com to stop anonymous reviews “Whether you’re a celebrity author or a mom with a décor blog, you’re fair game. Anyone with a Twitter account and a mean streak can try to parachute into your psyche.” Nearer home females have had to face worse where threats for rape, dismembering and more such stuff come to fore. Journalist Shekhar Gupta (founder of the print and Ex editor of Indian Express)  gets a daily dosefor every post he makes (he has a good article on how he deals with it https://www.shekhargupta.in/2016/09/for-whom-the-bell-trolls/) a tweet he does or appears on a TV show.

SO, what causes a perfectly civilized person (ok a normal with some bias person) to become a epitome of cruelty online. I believe some of it is frustration with himself, his/her surroundings or near blind belief in his/her views and yes, a sense of triumph over more detailed or established dogma/views. Once a person gets this opium, virtual world stokes it with likes, emojis and comfort, with assurance of minimal effort and maximum damage. The blinker come on fast with a sense of no harm to oneself, the knives come out and lash out words profane, imbecile and provoking,

The sense of belonging in such situations helps getting the binary mode activated (remember you are with us or against us). Imagined or real victory over a view point, event, leader boils the cauldron of dopamine to find the long-lost sense of achievement. It gives a release and also gives a sense of bonding over some one’s misery or discomfort. Yes, bonding over positives is also possible but here the values shared have to be strong otherwise a weaker bonding. One may want to refer to research on the same on  https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2006-06341-001

In pre Covid world, drifting across the many packages and assurance from Govts the just barely employed or minimal occupied folks took up the corners of virtual world as per their likings and past associations. The drifters, achievers of sorts, lonely bonded and in some cases I am told monetary inducement also was/is provided to spew the hate, bigotry and resultant cruelty. Once the cycle starts the controllers (I assume for every one’s sake these folks are in some one’s control) have to just type 26 words or post a real innocuous idea with multiple dimensions to get the cauldron going. End of it we have nothing but lots of harsh word and another dialogue down the drain.

For whose benefit is this happening, my tech brethren hide behind free speech but know very well that this anonymized version keeps their pockets full. The cultish leaders who are in power more on the sway then with substance of any deeper sort or the corporates (I acknowledge that I am part of this group) for whom sharp messaging equals more sales and consequently profits or is it the activist who have become mainstream since Clinton and then Obama got elected in US? I think all of them are linked (US Dollar) in quite incestuous ways in plain eyes which people are not seeing.  All of them manipulate and collaborate very smartly to keep the pot warm and spew it as required with great precision and decimate the other side.

Another reason I believe is folks’ ability to see themselves as fighter for truth, but when did the truth require crutches of any activism to stand.  Truth will prevail in any case, most of us always know the truth and acknowledge it in our ways. Oh yes it will take time to shine, as it should. After all Nirvana cannot be easy for anyone. So please dig deep and come out with nuances instead of click bait to kill or harm people virtually.

I will leave you with a delightful tale for our times, this one is new and happened in Oct 2019. @roflgandhi a parody twitter account of mass following wrote a satirical tweet about an ancient Hanuman temple underneath few media offices in Noida in UP. Lo behold within 24 hours of the tweet had acquired a life of its own and people started believing that a temple does exist underneath these offices. Media picked it up and Times of India reached out to the person behind ROFL asking if the story had legs to run on Please do read and have a good laugh.. https://scroll.in/article/941057/what-if-theres-an-ancient-temple-under-your-office-twitter-parody-of-ayodhya-case-sparks-confusion. It also shows the depth that exist in our digital dialogues (or the lack of it).

Next week topic is undecided, but be assured will be contextual to our times and the year we are living in.

कुछ बाते पुरानी : कोटा व इंस्ट्रूमेंटेशन लिमिटेड की

08-05-20
ब्लॉग का यह अंक मेरी माताजी के लिए।
हिंदी मेरी मातृभाषा है पर अंग्रेजी व् गुजराती  बहुल कार्य प्रणाली में हिंदी बहुत दूर चली गयी। इन दिनों मैं प्रयास कर रहा हूँ की हिंदी के नजदीक जा सकुं। इस प्रयास में कुछ हिंदी पत्रिकाएं और ब्लॉग लेखकों का आभारी हूँ.   राजस्थान पत्रिका का भी साभार, इनके सभी प्रकाशन आसानी के साथ इलेक्ट्रॉनिक  फॉर्मेट में उपलब्ध  हैं। कुछ दिनों  पहले मेरे पत्रकार भाई से बात करने पर यह भी समझ में  आया की, अंग्रेजी कितनी भी कह लो या लिख लो हिंदी एवं  अन्य  सभी भारतीय भाषाओ के पाठक आपसे अनछुए ही रहेंगे।
अब हम मुद्दे पर आते है. लिखना तो डिजिटल  क्रुएलटी पर था, पर मेरा शोध अभी अधूरा है. अधकचरा  ब्लॉग लिखने में कुछ मजा नहीं हैं. कुछ लोगो से विचार विमर्श भी बाकी है. आप सभी से माफी चाहता हूँ , अगले सप्ताह तक इस पर विस्तार के साथ लिखूंगा।
इस अंक में  कुछ बाते पुरानी,  खासकर कोटा राजस्थान की । कोटा यांने की मेरे पिताजी की करम स्थली,  वे  १९६५  में  २५० किलीमीटर  पलायन  कर जयपुर से कोटा आ गए , यहाँ पर उनके  भविष्य  का  निर्माण हुआ भारत सरकार के एक उपक्रम में ।
बात 1963  की है, भारत सरकार  पिछड़े प्रदेशो में उन्नत टेक्नोलॉजी के उपक्रम बनाना चाहा रही थी। उसी साल  में आगे बढ़ते हुए एक कंपनी का गठन किया गया और उसकी फैक्ट्री के लिए  के कोटा शहर को चुना गया। इस उपक्रम  का नामकरण इसके उत्पादों के पीछे इंस्ट्रूमेंटेशन लिमिटेड किया गया. भारत वर्ष में बन रहे तमाम बिजली घरो के लिए यहाँ पर कण्ट्रोल इंस्ट्रूमेंटेशन बनाये जाने लगे। रूस के तकनीकी सहयोग से बनी इस  फैक्ट्री को कुछ कोटा वासिओ ने रिक्शा फैक्ट्री का नाम भी दिया (रुस्सियन बोलने में मेहनत है)। ईर्ष्या में कुछ और नाम भी दिए गए, पर यह सभ्रांत लोगो का ब्लॉग है इसलिए हम चुप रहेंगे. मेरे पिताजी ने इस उपक्रम को एक ट्रेनी के तौर पर 1965 में ज्वाइन किया ।
भारत के कोने कोने से लोग आकर इस उपक्रम से जुड़ने लगे, फैक्ट्री के पास ही एक कॉलोनी का निर्माण  किया गया और तीव्र गति से विस्तार कार्यक्रम आगे बड़ गया. कारवां  बढ़ता गया और लोग जुड़ते गए,  सभी तरह के सहयोगी काम धंधे को भी गति मिली और जल्दी ही कोटा आगे बढ़ने  लगा. १९६१ में कोटा की जन स्नख्या ४,३५,५४३ जोकि १९७१ में बढ़कर ६,२१,295 तक पहुंच गयी. इसमें मेरे पिताजी और माताजी भी शामिल थे और मैं भी।
उपक्रम  की गाड़ी चल  निकली।  पर्याप्त आर्डर और मार्जिन की वजह से उपक्रम में काम करने वाले अधिकारी व कार्मिक संभ्रात जीवन बसर कर पा  थे। सोसिलिस्म का जमाना  था, इंदिरा  गाँधी तमाम चीजों में सरकारीकरण को बढ़ावा दे रही थी। बैंको का राष्ट्रीयकरण, प्रिवीपर्स की समाप्ति इसी दौर में हुई. हर  किस्म की कम्युनिटी ओनरशिप वाली  सुविधाएं बड़ाई जा रही थी और भारत जल्दी ही इंदिरा गाँधी को इलेक्शन भी जिताने वाला था । गूंगी गुड़िया को दुर्गा का रूप कहा जा रहा था, वर्तमान की तरह उस समय भी प्रतिष्ठित सरकार के खिलाफ कुछ बोलना देश द्रोह का लेबल दे सकता था।
IL ( इंस्ट्रूमेंटेशन लिमिटेड का शार्ट फॉर्म) भी कहा पीछे रहने वाला था, कर्मियों हर तरह की सुविधा उपलब्ध कराई  गयी। बहुत बड़ी और प्लांड टाउनशिप में  (बिलकुल आजकल की तरह की गेटएड  कम्युनिटीज की तरह), हर  तरह की सुविधाएं थी और और उससे बढ़ के  सभी तरह की सुरक्षा भी थी. आप  अपना पूरा जीवन टाउनशिप में निकल सकते थे , मंदिर . गुरुद्वारा , शॉपिंग सेण्टर, पिक्चर हॉल, क्लब, हॉस्पिटल, एक  बहुत बड़ा क्रिकेट ग्राउंड, बास्केट बॉल कोर्ट, टेनिस कोर्स, टेबल टेनिस, ब्रिज के लिए टेबल व् रूम. ध्यान रखा जाये पूरे कोटा शहर में तब इस तरह की सुविधाएं नहीं थी. एक अपवाद था तो  कोटा  का मिलट्री एरिया जहा सुविधाएं IL से बढ़ कर थी ।
जीवन की गाड़ी सरपट दौड़ने लगी कोटा में आगे बढ़ने की होंडा होड़ चालू हो आयी। सरकारी इन्सेन्टिव्स की खातिर प्राइवेट सेक्टर ने भी कोटा में पैर जमा लिए.  खाद, सीमेंट और सिंथेक्टिक यार्न के उद्योग समूह भी आ कर जम गए. पुराने और नए शहर के दरमियान उजाड़ जगह थी, जिससे ज्यादातर  लोग रात में पार  करना उचित नहीं समझते थे. कोटा की  जीवनदायनी चम्बल पर बांध बन गए थे, जिससे पानी  और बिजली दोनों की समस्या हद तक दूर की जा चुकी थी. भूगोल की किताबो में कोटा को अधोगिक नगरी का दर्जा भी मिल गया था. चंबल के तट पर विकास की लम्बी इन्निंग्स चालू हुई जो अभी तक रुकी नहीं है।
उस समय की IL की कुछ चीजों के मूल्य आज हॅसने योग्य है । टेनिस बॉल (१० रूपये ), सप्ताह में 1 पिक्चर (मुफ्त), स्कूल बस (१०-२० रूपये में) , कंपनी  स्कूल फीस, जी हां स्कूल भी था (याद नहीं शयद फ्री ही था), कर्मियों के लिए कैंटीन में भोजन (८० पैसे) , चाय स्नैक्स इत्यादि (१० पैसे)
IL ने सबको  एक मुस्तैद और मजबूत नीव दी जिस पर हम लोगो ने अपने भविष्य का निर्माण किया.  १९७० का दशक जब ख़तम हुआ, तब IL अपनी बुलंदी पर था. कुछ गलत हो ही नहीं सकता था और निश्चिंता से गाड़ी आगे बाद रही थी. बहुत सारे  प्राइवेट उधोग कर्मिओ  ने कम्पटीशन में आने की कोशिश करी पर असफल रहे. हनीवेल इनमे सबसे बड़ा नाम था, टाटा के साथ कलाब्रेशन में यह भी IL को न हिला सका. टाउनशिप के हर चौराहे पर हसीं सुनी जा सकती थी, संतोष और शांति से जीवन चल रहा था. हा है भाई कुछ उधम भी होता रहता था पर काफी मनोरजक हुआ करता था और ज्यादातर  थोड़े समय में खत्म हो जाता था.
बिना किसी लाग लपेट के IL  ने एक इकोसिस्टम को जन्म दिया जहा पर कोई भी अपनी मेहनत से आगे बढ़ सकता था. तमाम कोटा के स्कूलों में  अव्वल नंबर पर IL के बच्चे ही दिखते थे ( हा भाई हम जैसे न गुजरवार भी थे ).  एक्सीलेंस शब्द का सही इस्तिमाल इस सिस्टम  के लिए किया जा सकता है. कितने ही IIT ग्रेजुएट, पीएचडी, डॉक्टर , वकील, एंट्रेप्रेनुएर , कलाकार इस इकोसिस्टम से निकले.
हम सभी ने सहनशीलता , ईमानदारी और अपने से बड़ो का हमेश सामान करना IL में ही डेवेलप किया. सब लोग सबको  जानते थे इसलिए कुछ भी ऐसा करना जो आपत्ति जनक हो नामुमकिन था. एक मायने में आप यह भी कह सकते हैं  की IL वासी सिविलयन नहीं थे वे अपने आप को उसके ऊपर का ही मानते थे. इस का खामिजाना बाद में भुगता गया.
पर जैसा  होता है हर सृजन  के साथ उसके विनाश के बीज भी बो दिए जाते है. वक्त के साथ छीजत बड़ी और दम्भ ने भी जन्म लिया. इस के  साथ IL का विकास रुक गया और धीरे धीरे सब बदलने लगा. यह कहानी लम्बी और दुखद है, सभी कुछ बचाया जा सकता था और सभी कुछ सुधारा जा सकता था. पर यह न हो पाया. आगे के अक में इसपर विस्तार से लिखूंगा. आप  में से किसी का कुछ वर्तान्त या किस्सा  आप बताना  चाहे तो मुझे ईमेल करे.  कुछ इस तरह से आगे के क्रमांक लिखूंगा १ ) IL का भव्य  अनावरण  २)खुशियां सभी और ३) IL बुलंदी पर ४) धरताल दिखने लगा ५) काले दिन ६) समय के अवशेस ७) IL का भविष्य 

                 १)  IL का भव्य अनावरण और विकास

बहुत संभव है की किसी दूरंदेशी  ने अपने कार्य काल में इंस्ट्रूमेंटेशन को एक ज्वलंत जरुरत का दर्ज़ा दिया होगा. और यह भी  संभव  है की कोटा के ऊपर  सारे सितारे जगमगा  रहे होंगे, इसलिए इस फक्ट्री के लिए कोटा को चुना गया. यह भी हो सकता है की किसी अधिकारी ने रेलवे का मैप देखा होगा और सर्किल किया होगा की कितने  शहर   में दिल्ली से रात में बैठ कर सुबह पहुंच जा सकता है, जहा पर पानी  भी हो और बिजली भी हो. आप आज  भी देख लीजिये यह सब कोटा में ही मिलेगा (बिना किसी नाटक के). ये सब में इसलिए कह रहा हूँ क्योंकि मेरे पास इसका कोई ठोस कागजात या वर्तान्त नहीं है. खैर जब कोटा का नंबर लगना था तो लग गया.( अगर आपके पास कोई इनफार्मेशन हो तो जरूर बताईगा, यह हम सब की कहानी है)
१९६४ में फैक्ट्री का अनावरण हुआ जिस्सके लिए राजस्थान सरकार ने जमीन दी. भारत सरकार ने कुछ रिटायर्ड आर्मी अधिकारियो को प्रभंधन के लिए नियुक्त  किया. ( यह एक बहुत बड़ा कारण रहा IL के आगे बढ़ने में) . हर एक साल में अधिकारी और ट्रेनी वर्ग में लोगो को लिया गया . अच्छी ट्रेनिंग और माहौल में कंपनी ने सगज कदम आगे रखे. टाउनशिप के निर्माण से एक कल्चर का निर्माण शुरू हुआ जोकि मिलिटीअरी और सर्व धर्म सद्भावना का मिला जुला सार था. एक तरफ सविधान का आदर्शवाद था और दूसरी तरफ फ़ौज का  अनुशासन. मजिले बनती गयी , आर्डर मिलते गए और IL अपने क्षेत्र में शीघ्रः  ही मोनपोली बन गया. पॉवर सेक्टर में कुछ भी होना हो इंस्ट्रूमेंटेशन तो IL के होते थे.
IL  में खेल कूद को बढ़ावा  दिया और बहुत सारे खेलो के लिए टीम का गठन किया गया. आप  अगर कुछ खेल सकते थे तो आप  टीम में आ सकते थे. भारत सरकार के उपक्रमों में आपसी चैम्पियशिप में भी IL  ने नाम कमाया. कितने ही फोटोएं आपको फेसबुक पर मिलेंगी इन  क्षणो  को सजोये हुए.
पर गलतिया होने लगी थी, होती भी क्यों न , आखिर कुछ नया करने पर कुछ तो गलत हो सकता है.  इन गलतियों का असर कुछ १५-२० साल बाद देखने को मिला. क्या थी यह गलतियां और क्या यह सही में गलतियां ही थी या ये IL  समाज के सृजन में हुई त्रुटिया थी. बहुत कंटोरवोरसीएल भी हो सकता है इनका लिखना. काफी विस्तार में सोचना होगा और लोगो से विचार भी करना होगा.

क्रमश
अगले महीने इस का २ पार्ट खुशिया सभी और.
इसमें हम कोटा एवं IL की ग्रोथ के आकड़े और बहुत सारे प्रासंगिक बातो पर गौर करेंगे. इसमें शामिल होगी कोटा में उस ज़माने की बास्केट बॉल प्रतिस्पर्धाए
आपका
चेतन

Lock Down : Aghora, Portal to new world and loss in times of Covid

Week from 25-04 to 1-05

The response to the last post was overwhelming, the Narcissus in me is happy with the reading count on admin panel of the blog. I have a long way before I get over these small pleasures of life, hopefully they will not consume me. Gratitude to every one who made comments and reverted with observations privately.

2020 continues to take its toll on our finest and wisest people, I lost someone dear to cancer and before it ends, we have lost two excellent actors and human beings.

Irrfan rankles more for number of reasons one he was from my home town Jaipur and more so from the walled city where I also belong to. There is something about people from walled city that is missing in other part of metropolis (maybe earthiness) and it showed up in him every time he performed, second Irrfan success is a living proof that Indian films are not all about nonsensical muscles & skin show. His screen presence gave one confidence that one can be ordinary and still be a great actor. The characters he played have been played in past and will be done by others in future but he will stand out for his interpretation of these characters. My advice is to watch “Qarib Qarib Single” amongst his last movies, by the end of which one would like to hold the time and people dear to one close to oneself. If you want to really discover this giant, watch him in “The Warrior” and of course him as the modern Macbeth in Maqbool.

For Rishi Kapoor my favorite sequence is from the movie Coolie (amongst the most useless of AB’s movies) where during the song he Walks on stilts up to side of an elephant on which Amitabh Bachchan is riding with some aplomb. I always interpreted the scene as an ordinary person making the effort to rise to challenges life throws up and face them in best possible way. For some one who had every thing not required for a long run in Indian cinema (was bubbly, chocolaty, portly and not tall) his career went on till health stopped him from working a year back. The longevity in career allowed him to play a variety of roles from most hemmed, hammed to very polished and real ones.

 Both of them are an inspiration for all us ordinary folk, to overcome the limitations the societal norms impose on us and keep plodding to our objectives.

As committed, I start with introduction on Aghora and in turn its practitioners Aghoris. The popular conception of them being uncouth and Shamshan (cremation ground) dwellers, Yes, but this is right and wrong at same time. Reason why Aghori is associated with the cremation ground is quite deep “An Aghori has to see the absolute truth and is there a better one then death?”. At the end we all reach their, however fancy our titles & wealth may be, all it means is in the end is we go alone into the Astral world.

Aghora is the advanced discipline of tantra, it is a science of personality. While Ayurveda was developed for holistic ways to maintain the body, forms of Yoga were developed to optimize the spiritual nature, Tantra was developed as mental science, a meta phycology, a method of exploring the mind and developing the range of one’s perception. The belief in undiffertiated unity is the one absolute reality for Aghori’s.

It is said that the undifferentiated unity is the only absolute reality and cosmos only possess relative reality as it is not permanent and unchanging. The universe possesses all possible qualities & attributes and each being within the universe possesses limited number of these processes and attributes. The personality then is a combination of these processes & attributes which also provides the format or more common word Ego. All beings possess Ego and therefore all being have personalities. The cosmos herself possesses the ultimate personality, the supreme expression of the totality of manifested existence: The Adishakti, Or Adya.

 Obsession with longevity is also part of the overall frame work of Tantra, defining a body, the cells within it and how one can achieve longevity by going beyond the limited personality one possesses. To deal with this aspect would require a more detailed post (maybe in future). For any student of tantra this would be an important aspect to study and dwell into.

Tantric traditions in turn the Aghori’s have been viewed from jaundiced eyes of clinical West and monochromatic traditions in our country also. Remember all the movies where the practitioner of Tantra is considered to be working outside all societal norms and usually branded as evil. To understand it better the right-hand and left-hand explanation works best for our modern sensibilities trained brains.

The right-hand path involves the search for unlimited reality via the road of external imposition of purity. Some of the practices here are strange but get the path still gets wider acceptance as its emphasis on personal purity (quite familiar to west and westernized Indians as Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga and Raja yoga with observable discipline as central theme)

The left-hand path is controversial due to action of some of its practitioner who have sought quick and easy spiritual development without any preliminary effort to rise above the sensory gratification. This has damaged the reputation of path (hence the movies depicting the Tantric as evil men). The left-hand path relies in internal purity of the practitioner. The rituals and practices prescribed are quite complicated and let us say not easily understandable (underplaying here). As without internal purity prescribed for this path the disaster/ accidents are sure to happen. This is like walking on the swords edge most of the time.

I can go on and on about my experiences around the philosophy, in beginning without knowing anything about the philosophy and now knowing some basics about it. Maybe I will start writing a separate track on this in some time.

For now, my focus with Aghora can be encapsulated in the quote from Part I of Aghora

“Never be like a prostitute, going from guru to guru, deity to deity, never selecting one as a true lover. Be like the Cataka bird, that drinks water only when the Swati asterism is in the sky. Never be happy anywhere but where your beloved is, whatever you may choose to love. Then you can get Siddhi — not otherwise."

From here on where it goes is in hands unknown and all possibilities exist in future.

In the week we continued to muddle our way out of pandemic (still way out I hope for all of us), competing statistics and narration are screaming for attention. So Manthan continues for a decision post 3^rd May, the day we were promised, we would emerge out in new portal of post lock out world. Nothing like this is expected now, as majority is resigned to be locked up again for a fortnight and then another fortnight. Maybe more imagination and execution effort are required as compared to current direction and effort.

Also, in this week thunderous clapping and banging thalis have given way to serious political play all around, valid & imagined disagreements and failures are being aired with some seriousness all around and knives are out from all sides. It feels good to be back to normal at least in these things.

Net week we cover Digital cruelty, meekness and callous behavior. What a mess we are creating with a combination of all this online. Sample : We actually had people going ga ga over Irrfan’s death. How on earth can this even be possible in this society is something we all should contemplate. Tragedy is that these folks believe they are “ सच का सिपाही” (soldier of truth)  for our times. Does this remind you of something in history. Do look up.

Namaskar, wishing you a happy weekend