Gee, It's the Greeks

A crisis by any other name, would it sound the same?

For example, a Geek crisis could also include default on payments, because the geek was neck deep in his geeky activities. By the way, is a nerd a geek, or the other way round? Not quite sure.

But coming back to crises, they are more interesting when the Greeks are involved-geeky or not. In fact, most things get more interesting when there are Greeks or Romans (as Asterix would have said, these Romans are crazy) in them. Caesar's salad and Greek salad compete for the palate. You know what? The Greeks are supposed to have given us the Modern Democracy. So we have someone to blame. When we were happily lurching from one monarch to the other, where was the need to upset the apple-cart?

Anyway, what's done is done. We will now lurch from one party to another in a democratic whirlwind. And default (whose fault is it anyway?) on payments sometimes, to add zest to the proceedings- in between the elections, I mean.

New Bombay or Navi Mumbai

I am in Belapur, new Mumbai for a teaching assignment at the IIM Indore campus. I can feel the difference in lifestyle here compared with the metropolis, the old Mumbai. There is a lot more space per square person (or even a round one), for one. The local train stations have platforms on both sides of the train, so it is easier to get in and out of them. In the older town, you have to remember which side the platform will appear, and the crowds are heavy.

The suburbs around here (I haven't seen many) seem a lot better planned, with a lot of flyovers in the right places, shops and gardens etc. in better shape and organised, and public facilities in better shape. Less crowded means more pleasant, of course. It's a pleasure, so far. The airport being far off is an inconvenience, of course, but you can't have it all, can you?

On Politeness

Continuing my observations about the Japanese, they are polite to a fault. We can probably learn this quality from them, if not how to run bullet trains and other trains-on time.

Being on time is also a sign of politeness, in my view. It indicates to others you are meeting that you value their time, and therefore, them. Indians are on the contrary, known for an Indian Standard Time that varies from 30 minutes to an hour or more after the announced time. It penalises the people who actually show up on time, and causes all sorts of problems.

But back to general politeness. It costs nothing, like a smile, and generates returns that may be manifold. It reduces tension, promotes flow of good feeling, and am sure, has health benefits to the one who is being polite. I am exempting situations where you may have to shed it in extreme circumstances, for good reasons.

Try it, for a day or two. We can then add it to our Swachchata Abhiyan (Cleanliness Drive). As soon as we find a Hindi word for it, of course.

My Samurai Connection

I got a chance to visit a Samurai village called Kitsuki or "Little Kyoto"on a recent visit to Japan. There were students from the Asia Pacific University who came along as guides, and walked us through the preserved Samurai houses. I rented a kimono (yes, men wear these too), to get into the part, and enjoyed roaming the streets of Kitsuki. Some pics-the first has my swords :)

Cartoon- Greek Debt

This I think is a brilliant take on sovereign debt in the context of the Greek tragedy. Boston Herald is the paper which printed it, but was forwarded by a friend. Hats off to the cartoonist.

The Positives

In the make-believe world that Arnab Goswami and others create for us every day, it is easy to get fooled into thinking that there are only Scams like Lalitgate happening around us. Even if they are, there are quite a few good things being attempted by the government of the day. Let us give them credit where they deserve it.

Digital Locker is a great idea that might be useful for a citizen to store his educational or any other govrnmental records such as license, passport, home registration etc. digitally. It is linked or operated through an Aadhar number and a mobile or email number, so it may be secure.

Clean India or Swachch Bharat campaign. It is the first time in many years that someone has raised the issues of cleanliness, and sanitation, through the Vidya Balan campaign running on TV and radio. That is something we badly need to seep into our consciousness. If we can eliminate spitting in even fifty years, I am all for it.

Tragedy of Greek Proportions

Greece's crisis is of huge proportions, but it's not as if anything like it hasn't happened before. India in 1991, several South American countries such as Venezuela in the late 80s and nineties, and Russia in its post-liberalisation days, have all had such crises.

What is different here is that the government of the day is still playing a populist tune, with no ideas on how to get itself out of the economic crisis. It may be weaker on its own, and stronger with the Eurozone, if it allows a compromise solution to be worked out. It may help itself, and a few other countries in the process too.

Hope good sense prevails.