Monday, October 24, 2011

FW: Why India Works

The Title Must be - WHY INDIA ROCKS, but posting it in its Originality
- Hide quoted text -

I trust you have the objectivity to realise that when things 'really' work, there is seldom if ever, any government hand.

The article which came out many years ago was a bit spoilt in this instance by the THOUGHT at the end. Pure BS, specially the first sentence. 
Unfortunately, whilst most think such sentiments profound, in actuality they have refrained from thinking in their lives.



WHY INDIA WORKS - written by internationally acclaimed film director Shekhar Kapoor.

A small fading sign saying 
“Cellphoon reapars” barely visible through the street vendors crowding the Juhu Market in Mumbai.
 
On my way to buy a new Blackberry, my innate sense of adventure made me stop my car and investigate.  A shop not more than 6 feet by 6 feet.  Grimy and un-cleaned.
“Can you fix a Blackberry?”
Of course, show me.
“How old are you?”
Sixteen”.  Bullshit.  He was no more than 10.
Not handing my precious Blackberry to a 10 year old in unwashed and torn T shirt and pajamas!
At least if I buy a new one, they would extract the data for me.  Something I have been meaning to do for a year now.
What’s wrong with it?”
“Well, the roller track ball does not respond.  It’s kind of stuck and I cannot operate it”
He grabs it from my hand and looks at it
“You should wash your hands.  Many customers have same problem.  Roller ball gets greasy and dirty, then no working”.
Look who was telling me to wash my hands.  He probably has not bathed for 10 days, I leaned out to snatch my useless Blackberry back…
“You come back in one hour and I fix it”.
I am not leaving all my precious data in this unwashed kid’s hands for an hour.  No way.
“Who will fix it?”
“Big brother”.
“How big is ‘big brother?’?”
“Big …. Umm  ...thirty”.
Then suddenly big brother walks in.  30???  He is no more than 19.
“What problem?”
He says grabbing the phone from my greasy hand into his greasier hand.  Obviously not trained in etiquette by an up market retail store manager.
“Normal Blackberry problem.  I replace with original part now.  You must wash your hand before you use this”.
What is this about me washing my hands suddenly?
19 year old big brother rummages through a dubious drawer full of junk and fishes out a spare roller ball packed in cheap cellophane wrapper. Original part?  I doubt it.  But by now I am in the lap of the real India and there is no escape as he fishes out a couple of screwdrivers and sets about opening my Blackberry.
“How long will this take?”
”Six minutes”.
This I have to see.  After spending the whole morning trying to find a Blackberry service center and getting vague answers about sending the phone in for an assessment that might take a week,  I settle down next to his grubby cramped work space.  At least I am going to be able to watch all my stored data vanish into virtual space.  People crowd around to see what’s happening.  I am not breathing easy anyway.  I tell myself this is an adventure and literally have to stop myself grabbing my precious Blackberry back and making a quick escape.  
But in exactly six minutes this kid handed my Blackberry back.  He had changed the part and cleaned and serviced the whole phone.  Taken it apart, and put it together.  
As I turned the phone on there was a horrific 2 minutes where the phone would not come on.  I looked at him with such hostility that he stepped back.
“You have more than thousand phone numbers?”
“Yes”.
“Backed up?”
“No”
“Must back up. I do it for you.  Never open phone before backing up”.
“You tell me that now?”
But then the phone came on and my data was still there.  Everyone watching laughed and clapped. This was becoming a show.  A six minute show.  I asked him how much.
“500 rupees”.
He ventured uncertainly.  People around watched in glee expecting a negotiation.
That’s $10 dollars as against the Rs 30,000 ($600) I was about to spend on a new Blackberry or a couple of weeks without my phone.  I looked suitably shocked at his ‘high price’ but calmly paid him. Much to the disappointment of the expectant crowd
“Do you have an i-Phone?  Even the new ‘4D one”?
“No, why”?
“I break the code for you and load any ‘app’ or film (movies) you want.  I give you 10 film on your memory stick on this one, and change every week for small fee”.
I went home having discovered the true entrepreneurship that lies at what we call the ‘bottom of the pyramid’.  Some may call it piracy, which of course it is, but what can you say about two uneducated and untrained brothers aged 10 and 19 that set up a ‘hole in the wall’ shop and can fix any technology that the greatest technologists in the world can throw at them.  I smiled at the future of our country. If only we could learn to harness this potential.
“Please wash your hands before use” were his last words to me.  Now I am feeling seriously unclean. 

THOUGHT ;
God works in mysterious ways to feed the illiterate,  in the streets of India .  Imagine, what if these poor kids had some education....I feel nothing but great 
admiration for these kids !!!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Destiny - A Fight or A Game

It is pretty interesting to note that there are different perceptions and concepts for the way people think or perceive about their destiny.  There are few Brave hearts who claim to be fighting with the destiny and shaping their future, then there are a few who are God Fearing and take Destiny as part of the Script written by God or the Supreme Power and then there are mixed breeds,

However, when it comes to me, I though am a God fearing person, I still see a scope of my own methodical Acting in the Play written by God and the role assigned to me. Yeah, it does seem to be interesting, and it certainly is.  People often find my outlook to destiny as well as outlook to the way I look as Destiny as a Crazy outlook.  For me they might be crazy for that they don't know what they are looking at and what they are loosing.

I strongly and firmly believe that God might have written the Script and my role in the script, but that does not restrict me from improvising on the way I have to play my part as envisaged by God.  Nor the God is stopping me from doing that.  Yeah, Yeah I hear that scream coming from the back of the crowd that I am still acting as per the script of the God, but that scream itself is helping me know that I am standing taller than the rest of the actors on the stage during my part play.  You noticing me from the crowd of actors itself is the mark of respect for my existence and my methodical acting in God's Play.

I would say come on, stand in front of the God and tell him that you don't like the way your part is written by him. Stand tall and tell him that you want to run your life the way you want.  Tell yourself and tell the world that your future will be shaped as per your deeds today and as per your thought process today.  You going to defy God's script and make him write a better role for your part.  You gonna decide what happens next in your part of the story, rather than anyone else trying to overshadow your character.

I am not sure why should you be afraid of something and why should you be afraid of someone. No one in this world is more powerful than your mind and your soul.  You should not be intimidate by either someone or by the destiny.  You should not try and fight with your destiny, rather than play the game where you mould the destiny as per your wishes.

To close I would just say - कर तू अपनी करनी को इतना बुलंद ऐ बंदे, कि खुदा तुझसे पूछे - ऐ बंदे तेरी राजा क्या है?