Teleconferencing

At my work place (and probably yours too) we are constantly encouraged to conduct meetings using teleconferencing. It took a while for my clients (all Government officials) to get used to this, but after a while they realized the merits of it and now ask proactively if it is indeed necessary to be physically present whenever I schedule meetings with them. There are pros and cons to both the approaches - meeting in person and meeting via phone. However, given the current economic environment, teleconferencing in most cases makes a lot of sense. So today, when the G20 summit begins in London, where world leaders from all the major countries converge to discuss the global economy and other issues, "A" posed a question : "Why can't they conduct this summit via teleconferencing?" Very valid question!! While, I cannot imagine Presidents & Prime-Ministers speaking into star shaped phones with each other given the differences in languages, accents etc.; the idea cannot be completely ruled out. Afterall, even at offices around the world we have a diverse workforce communicating virtually via different media. A sampling from a team that I work with: Americans (white and black), Indians (Southerners and Northerners), Chinese, East Europeans, British, Iranian, Pakistani, Koreans, Jamaicans, Mexicans, Brazilians, French etc.

I agree that all of us who are part of these meetings are in most cases in the same time zones and have a similar work background. The point is, with some thought and planning and a whole lot of technology, it is doable. In the current format all the leaders fly to one city and meet for a couple of days. Tremendous amount of resources expended in making this happen: flights, security, food, lodging, conferencing facilities, the arrangements for the entourage of each world leader (sometimes in the hundreds) and other things which you and me cannot fathom. This leaves a huge carbon footprint and is an economic burden (especially now).

Now imagine this: A world class virtual conferencing setup, with the latest in virtual conferencing (remember Bill Gates being beamed at an IT summit in Malaysia), streaming video which is closed captioned in local languages and the best in IT security enveloping all of this. This need not be a a temporary setup, but a permanent one. To start with it could be in some strategic locations around the world. E.g. Washington DC (for North America), London (for Western Europe), New Delhi (for South East Asia), Moscow (for Eastern Europe), Seoul (for the Orient), Canberra (for Asia-Pacific), Brasilia (for South America), Nairobi (for Northern Africa), Dubai (for the Middle East) and Pretoria (for Southern Africa). Slowly, and steadily, most world capitals will have this set up so that the leaders need not travel across oceans to "discuss" global issues. I know, it sounds too idealistic and too futuristic and the issue of time zones is still there, but the idea of the world being connected by some cables under the sea and some inanimate objects wandering in space sounded equally "futuristic" at some point in time. It is a concept and idea and the technical and geographic issues can be addressed if the creative brains around the world put their minds to work. If the world is flattening for the common man, why should these "uncommon" men be left behind? There is one group who might not be too thrilled about this: The protestors who stand outside the locations of these summits. But then that's what facebook is for, innit?

Friedman on Mumbai and Pakistan

I have already confessed my love for Friedman's op-ed in NY Times. His recent article on the Mumbai attacks "Calling all Pakistanis" is one of the very few logical viewpoints about the India-Pakistan situation, from the Western media. (For most part, the Western media has very little clue about the Geopolitics of that part of the world and tries to treat it as if it's curable using Advils and Tylenols. Exhibit A: Wolf "the" Blitzer).
Quoting Friedman:
"When Pakistanis and other Muslims are willing to take to the streets, even suffer death, to protest an insulting cartoon published in Denmark, is it fair to ask: Who in the Muslim world, who in Pakistan, is ready to take to the streets to protest the mass murders of real people, not cartoon characters, right next door in Mumbai?"

Let’s Start Over

Caution: Long and extremely opinionated post.
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I am an optimist and have always been one and not just because I have lived in the USA for most the past decad (I have noticed that most of the imports from the third world nations to the USA are infected by hopeless optimism after spending a couple of years in this land of the “Free”). Even in situations as grim and hopeless as they can get, a tiny flickering flame of hope kept burning and pulled me out of most situations. OK, before you start thinking that I have had a horrible life full of miserable situations (the kinds you see the protagonist of the 80’s alternate wave of Indian cinema), let me tell it straight – I have had quite an uneventful life: my parents have raised me with care and have provided me well, have a loving and beautiful spouse, I did fairly well in my studies and secured better and better jobs at regular intervals, I own two properties on this planet, blessed with good health and enough wealth to live a comfortable life and have plenty of good friends strewn across the globe. So what then you say this post is all about? What is it that I want all of us to “start over”?

Let me go back in time. Summer 1993, I am in my first year of engineering and my first year of living outside of the protective enclave of my parents’ house. It’s a time when I am quite nervous of being so far away from home, excited about the new found freedom and scared witless of the ongoing hazing (ragging). One such evening I was hanging out with SI and CK who lived in the hostel room right opposite that of mine. We got to talking about – what else - the most important topic a couple of 19 year olds talk about – the future of Our World. The discussion was where the world is heading in the next 20 years – destruction or peace. Even though I was slapped about a 30 times just an hour ago at a hazing session and my cheeks were burning as if I had live ambers placed in my mouth, I had not had a decent home-made meal in about 20 days, did not know if I am cut out for Engineering, had no idea where my life was heading - the eternal optimist in me did not hesitate or even blink once to say “Duh! PEACE, of course”. SI and CK smirked at me and said in unison - “Destruction, of course”. Well, how does one settle such a matter of supreme discord between friends? How else, but with a wager! We decided to meet after 20 years in the summer of 2013 to see who is more right. (Yeah! that’s how corny and silly youth is, but I yearn for that corniness, silliness and the arrogant ignorance of that age now - fodder for another post).

Here’s a glimpse of the state of the World in 1993:
- The first Gulf war had ended
- India and Pak were fighting in their own ways over Kashmir
- Bombay had witnessed serial bomb blasts in March 1993
- Israel and Palestine were as always were at loggerheads
- The Soviet Union had collapsed giving birth to many small nations
- The USA was bombing Eastern European nations (The Bosnian conflict)
- North Korea was, well – North Korea
- The Rwanda situation was brewing slowly
- Afghanistan was looking forward to elections in 1994
- Terrorism was not a global phenomenon
- Global warming was an elitist term and was sneered upon

The situation was overall grim. My take was, well it can only get better, right? WRONG. It’s the summer of 2008 and this is how the world looks today:
- The second Iraq war has claimed thousands of soldier’s and civilians and there is no end in sight
- Afghanistan is a nation that has been gangraped by the world and continues heading towards more despair (if that’s at all possible)
- India and Pak have fought one small war in Kargil over Kashmir and the issue is still simmering with both nations coming oh so close to a nuclear fallout
- Bombay witnessed three more serial bomb blasts, many other Indian cities were bombed (Delhi, Hyderabad, Jaipur)
- Israel and Palestine continue to fight and again no end in sight,
- Israel & Lebanon have exchanged some fireworks
- North Korea: status quo (they claim they will declare their nuclear capabilities)
- The world meekly watched one of the largest genocides since the Holocaust in Rwanda
- Terrorism is now a global phenomenon: USA, Bali, Spain, London – countries and places where terrorism was only a foreign phenomenon has experienced their share of terrorist activities. Newer avenues of bio-terrorism are being used and explored
- Global warming is NOW and HERE

These are only a few examples, I am not even getting into the counts of nuclear war-heads, the other atrocities and wars perpetrated (and continue to) by the ex-Soviet nations and China (do not mean to single only these two nations out, there are many more, these two are just convenient). There is no point mentioning the natural calamities (earthquakes, tsumanis, volcanoes, tornadoes, hurricanes) since they are not in our control to a large extent (I am not getting into the debate of if Global Warming is causing a marked increase in the number of floods, famines, food shortages, etc.)

Now, if this was your dear son’s or daughter’s report card, what is the inference you would derive? You would not be sleeping a sound sleep anytime soon, knowing what you know and where your son/daughter is heading to – Failure. The world as we know today, my dear friends is also heading towards that inevitable DISASTER and it is getting there with reckless speed. You see, there is a reason I have become a pessimist in this matter. I understand that I should be looking at the efforts that are being made towards peace and such, but honestly, just based on numbers and statistics - no emotions and no subjective analysis - what would any educated person conclude? The efforts towards healing this world of ours are not nearly even close to the colossal magnitude of destruction that’s happening every minute.

I guess it’s nature’s way of telling us that we have crossed the peak in it’s cycle of creation and nearing the bottom of the arc. We have lived here long enough, long enough to have devoured every single available resource, long enough to have loved and hated each other enough, long enough to have not learnt from history and the natural cycle of creation and destruction. Its time, we will have to start over.
What then, you ask is my solution? I have none. Before you rule me out as a non-believer, a cynic and an eternal pessimist, let me stop you right there. I am an optimist when it comes to human beings and humanity and individual achievements, I just don’t trust Governments anymore. These Governments in the name of protecting the interests of its people, empower themselves and create this pseudo atmosphere of a free world while keeping its peoples even more oppressed and under the control of it’s iron fist (a not so obvious version of Big Brother from 1984?). It does not matter who makes up these Governments – Right wing or Left, Republicans or Democrats, Congress or BJP, Labor or Conservatives or Communists – they are all the same. Most of these Governments do not even acknowledge that there is a problem in the way the world functions today. The Governments of the under-developed world do not know anything about governing and hence start pillaging it’s people, the Governments of the developing world want to maintain the “developing” tag to keep filling it’s coffers with more aid money and last but not the least – the Government’s of the developed world want to keep the rest of the world from joining them. Do I need to explain why?

SI & CK – you win and I loose. Hunh! To think about it, is anyone really winning here?

Pump More Oil Baby!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/opinion/22friedman.html?ex=1371787200&en=3c18c6b8b5bb4a3e&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

YES...YES....YES!!! I am surprised only this one journalist is talking so loudly about this. With great power comes great responsiblity - cheesy as it may sounds, it's time this country leads by example. Pumping more oil and off-shore drilling ain't the way to go. Why should I be surprised? - short-sightedness and instant gratification is what this Govt stands for anyway. Stimulus checks, phone taps, bomb far-off countries and now - pump more oil.
On his recent trip to Europe Mr Bush was not greeted with many protestors like in his past visits, the reason - he is so unpopular and boring, people don't even want to come out to protest anymore. Leave already.
(Disclaimer - I am not a supporter of the Reps or the Dems, I generally do not believe in Govts, Right or Left, Dems or Reps, BJPs or Congs - more on this on a post I have been working on for a while now)

Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon

The world is trying to help the devastated Irrawady delta as a result of the Cyclone Nargis. The military junta in Burma has been much criticized for its method of dealing with the tragedy. India shares a sizeable border with Burma and has had close ties with the country in the colonial days. There was a large Indian population in Burma in the early 20th century. Indians had businesses, jobs and owned a lot real estate in this city. Rangoon, in those days was a thriving centre of commerce and a beautiful city. It was also a vacation destination for the rich Indians from cities such as Calcutta and Bombay. One such mention of Burma and Rangoon in the Indian pop-culture of that era can be found in a song from a movie named Patanga made in 1949. The song was sung by Shamshad Begum (I do not know the male voice). The song is a playful melody and must have been a smash-hit in those days.



The military junta drove out most of the Indian population from Burma. Today, India is nothing but a silent observer to the tragedies that unfold in this once close neighbor of hers. Hopefully a hundred years from now, Burma will be a democracy and will re-establish its relations with India and the Indian people. Until then hoping for quick recovery for those affected by this tragedy. Click here if you would like to do your bit to help in this tragedy.

SORRY.

“SORRY” – There is so much power in these six letters when said with the utmost sincerity. It has the power to heal the wounds that are centuries old. The Australian prime minister, Kevin Rudd did as he had promised in his election campaign. He apologized to the thousands of Aborigines and the now called “the stolen generation” for the hundreds of years of sufferings inflicted by the Australian Government.
“For the indignity and degradation thus inflicted on a proud people and a proud culture, we say sorry”.
It takes a ton of courage to utter these words, especially if it’s on the behalf of other people. The response he got after he uttered that magic little word was overwhelming and shook the land down under.

Imagine, just imagine a day: we all apologize for the pain inflicted on each other: Individuals and Nations alike:
Imagine India and Pak apologize to each other and move towards bigger and better things, Imagine Israel and Palestine do the same, Imagine Shias and Sunnis saying “Sorry”, Imagine Hindus and Muslims saying “Sorry”, Imagine Muslims and Christians apologizing, Imagine the US apologizing to the Iraqis, Imagine me apologizing to the guy I showed the finger this morning for tail gating me and he doing the same, Imagine parents saying “Sorry” to their kids and the kids returning the favor. JUST IMAGINE!

Such magic this word has.

The complete speech can be seen here. Watch the response in the third video in the ninth minute.