Just Thinking

I was thinking about Obama’s Nobel. Why? I agree he has talked a lot and brought in change and many a thing. But, it is all in words. He has done nothing till now. But I believe it’s the effect of changing times. Nobody believes in content and substance any more. It’s about how good a marketer you are. How you go ahead and talk.

Look at to-days world of socializing. All the social network sites. You are counted by how many followers you have. How many friend s you have in the list. There is nothing personal. Everything is open for all.

So as much you can brag or talk or update your status that’s what matters. I long for those days of conversation, excitement and personalization of Privacy, Names only you know. But its world sharing all. I would not say I did not try the Facebooks and Orkuts and all, but after initial excitement could see the shallowness of it. I am basically uncomfortable with it. Extremely.

But again this the way of world. If you talk and talk and talk and get connected, in this superficial world, even if you have not walked the talk… You can win a Nobel…

We live in shallow world and there does not exist any desire to actually build some depth today….Levi Strauss is dead and besides Chomsky and Derida I do not see any one with thought alive. In such scenario Obama with his words and no deeds Shines…

Attempt to analyse (Co Rub Off)

Socialism and Capitalism and welfare state, our existing economic systems. The alternatives finally of which we do not find any alternatives. Communism, what did it do. Foisted on us a totalitarian government where finally could not just live with it. Took away the basic requirement of a Human being; freedom. I am not even delving into the camps and the absolute power which corrupted them so absolutely. But Free Market, Capitalism and its different avatar has also not been panacea exactly. Few people are getting richer and I do not disagree that it has had far better effect than communism but it has failed. Look at millions of suffering, poor people.

Actually both have failed. It’s just that Capitalism is an alternative which serves the purpose of many and is kept alive. So what is the alternative? And like all the time I have a problem I find the answers in Gandhian ways. Gandhi was no economist but he had a vision of it. We had Nehru taking us to the Fabian Socialism way with Modern Temples of India, which actually are Monstrosities of India. But Gandhi said that before jumping into any Technology see what it would do for you. I am not against technology, but technology with a context is important, not without context. Do not just Rush in Technology. See what impact it would have on employment. Capitalism tries to maximize the efficiency of the production of goods, basic necessities or luxury goods. Socialism tried was to maximize the production of capital goods, such as heavy machinery (premise was, that future generations could enjoy a plenitude of consumer goods). Both capitalist and socialist economies were based on technology-intensive rather than labor-intensive production. Gandhi proposed labour Intensive production. The aim was to make sure that full employment in economy. So that all can provide for their own necessities by their own efforts. “With dignity, without any charity.”

Gandhiji was not at all opposed to technology. He wanted a proper mix of technology-intensive and labor-intensive production, depending on the stage of economy and situation of employment and poverty. The decision makers need to ensure this mix. Ensure and decide on the amount of available resources vis a vis with the population increase of employable workers. This should be the driving force for all the decision including external trade.

He said that we should always strive for income and wealth equalization by providing productive meaningful work for everyone, even if the full use of the latest technology is postponed. After all, what is the benefit of being on the cutting edge of technology if it increases human misery?

The echo of this where Gandhi Ji’s thoughts are articulated in economic terms is “Schumachers” seminal work “Small is Beautiful” Economics as if people mattered. I leave it at that.

PS: I am not much of an economist and have written many things which I may have understood and may have remained from articles which I may have read. Please do enlighten me.

Walks Revisited

Was wondering do walks rejuvenate.

From absolute morbidity and a chore it revitalizes and regains the purpose. It again has the spring, is ready to walk all the walks it had walked earlier and discover many more.

The Lovers walk with assurance of life-long togetherness. The tiff still making me sad but with the knowledge at home she is there waiting for me. The caring walk in the lawns with my Inamorata as she is all swollen with my love in the belly carrying the other life which would be a gift from her. That walk of extreme concern, slow now, fast then, shaking, praying, worried walk of mine as the my Life gifts me a new life. On a cry that uncontrolled running to see that tiny one and kiss the drained but ecstatic woman of mine. When that tiny little girl is in my arms and the girl who made it possible is strolling along with me. And then a day when I walk with tiny steps with a toddler with her fingers in my hand. Learn to take the steps of life again, relearn the beauty of life. The faltering steps of which I am the strength.

Then slowly the growing with content steps slow and assured. Filled with Love and imbued with life lived walk. Slowly it transforming into faltering walk of old age. More of slow steps walking to revisit the old places which we visited when young.

Then the final walk in the clouds with her forever together in Life walk of mine with her.

Yes you can reclaim your walk and Thank You Life for that...

Apostle's Panegeric

Only two Sporting events which I watched in the recent months were the two historic events- Fed winning the 15th Grand Slam and Barca winning all the three in one go. However the comparisons end there itself.

Federer won the game at his worst. I mean, he was stretched and it was basically his luck and experience which carried him forward. Roddick impressed me more with the game. I am a great Fan of Fed and missed his impossible angles he used to create on the court. This final was complete let down and I could not help but compare it to the Sampras-Agassi Final. That is the best tennis I have watched. I have not seen such a sublime and beautiful game. The zone Sampras was in, made Agassi , who himself was no mean player , look like a novice. It was an amazing game of gods, a show of lethal power and strength each of them had. In that beauty and grace and complete control of the game Sampras was unparalleled. Look at the players he faced in his time. Agassi, Courier, Ivanasevic, Becker, Edberg.Do not know about Mcenroe and Bjorg rivalry and that era; but if Sampras was at his peak playing with Fedrer at his peak, Sampras would have beaten Federer hands down.

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Talking about beauty , I watched the most beautiful game of the planet, Soccer and watched the practitioners of that beauty Barcelona (Spain) taking on Man U in Champions League Final. Well Man U started with an attack and Ronaldo took even a shot at the goal,(Felt more of a Bravado) and then after 5 mins it was all the way Barca. The beauty and creativity of Iniesta, Xavi, Messi and Eto. The Sublime crosses, Curling Free Kicks and finishes plucked out from the realm of impossibilty. It was creativity of Iniesta and Xavi feeding Messi, Eto and Henry. It was visible triumph of beauty and creativity over the ugly defence and tactical game of other European clubs which thankfully Spain has not touched upon. If I watch Soccer, I watch it for Brazil, Argentina and Spain (which finally is coming on its own on world stage). Who could forget the 26 touch goal of Argentina in world cup when the opposition could not even touch the ball once. Ronaldinho’s free kick against England and then the countless matches which Argentina and Brazil making the game, so Sublime, bewitching and Mesmirising.

Thanks Sampras, Ronaldinho, Kaka, Messi, Riquelme, and Ronaldo (Brazil). You guys make the sports so beautiful. Giving us moments to cherish in this life.

Sorry Guys

I was cleaning up my Blog... Thinking, organising it with labels and I deleted a few of them...

I am sorry to all and I am extremely angry with myself...

Its not at all fine... and I would like to retrieve it for sure, as it was my own thought...


sorry to all.

Laughter by Neruda

Take bread away from me, if you wish,
take air away, but
do not take from me your laughter.

Do not take away the rose,
the lance flower that you pluck,
the water that suddenly
bursts forth in joy,
the sudden wave
of silver born in you.

My struggle is harsh and I come back
with eyes tired
at times from having seen
the unchanging earth,
but when your laughter enters
it rises to the sky seeking me
and it opens for me all
the doors of life.

My love, in the darkest
hour your laughter
opens, and if suddenly
you see my blood staining
the stones of the street,
laugh, because your laughter
will be for my hands
like a fresh sword.

Next to the sea in the autumn,
your laughter must raise
its foamy cascade,
and in the spring, love,
I want your laughter like
the flower I was waiting for,
the blue flower, the rose
of my echoing country.

Laugh at the night,
at the day, at the moon,
laugh at the twisted
streets of the island,
laugh at this clumsy
boy who loves you,
but when I open
my eyes and close them,
when my steps go,
when my steps return,
deny me bread, air,
light, spring,
but never your laughter
for I would die.

For My Timmy

...A Dog by Pablo Neruda

My dog has died.
I buried him in the garden
next to a rusted old machine.

Some day I'll join him right there,
but now he's gone with his shaggy coat,
his bad manners and his cold nose,
and I, the materialist, who never believed
in any promised heaven in the sky
for any human being,I believe in a heaven I'll never enter.
Yes, I believe in a heaven for all dogdom
where my dog waits for my arrival
waving his fan-like tail in friendship.

Ai, I'll not speak of sadness here on earth,
of having lost a companion
who was never servile.
His friendship for me, like that of a porcupine
withholding its authority,was the friendship of a star, aloof,
with no more intimacy than was called for,
with no exaggerations:
he never climbed all over my clothes
filling me full of his hair or his mange,
he never rubbed up against my knee
like other dogs obsessed with sex.

No, my dog used to gaze at me,
paying me the attention I need,
the attention requiredto make a vain person like me understand
that, being a dog, he was wasting time,
but, with those eyes so much purer than mine,
he'd keep on gazing at me
with a look that reserved for me alone
all his sweet and shaggy life,
always near me, never troubling me,
and asking nothing.

Ai, how many times have I envied his tail
as we walked together on the shores of the sea
in the lonely winter of Isla Negra
where the wintering birds filled the sky
and my hairy dog was jumping about
full of the voltage of the sea's movement:
my wandering dog, sniffing away
with his golden tail held high,
face to face with the ocean's spray.

Joyful, joyful, joyful,
as only dogs know how to be happy
with only the autonomy
of their shameless spirit.

There are no good-byes for my dog who has died,
and we don't now and never did lie to each other.

So now he's gone and I buried him,
and that's all there is to it.

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