Statistics: A Tricky Measure

“Statistics can prove anything, even the truth” - Noel Moynihan

Many people would agree with the statement, “Life would probably be less meaningful if we discount statistics from it”. Even if you were to disagree, I fervently believe that most professions of today wouldn’t even exist had we been less fascinated with statistics. And if you talk to anyone who has done research of some sort, they will confirm the importance of statistics.

So, why is statistics so important to us? Scholars believe that statistics plays a vital role in every field of human activity. Humans in general desire predictability, consistency, and assurance to make better decisions. Essentially statistics quantifies and represents these factors in a more visually comprehendible manner. In spite of this huge advantage that it offers, I’ve always felt that most outcomes based on statistics leave plenty of room for ambiguity. Consider the below scenario.

I recently read an article titled ‘disappointing facts in popular music’ in which the author had posted a fact that “Flo Rida’s (an American rapper & singer) song ‘Low’ sold same number of copies (8 million) as that of the Beatles’ (one of the greatest band of all time) song ‘Hey Jude’” . Now here’s some food for thought. People, who view this fact as a regrettable one, would claim that the quality of music has gone down since the 70’s. That could only be the possible explanation for Flo Rida’s song to match the success of the Beatles’ song. Those who like the rap music, prefer taking a tequila shot, and hit the dance floor, might actually feel that Flo Rida is equally good, if not better, than the Beatles and would cite the same statistics to validate their claim. Then there are those make analysis might include factors such as increase in population from the 70’s to now and the power of Internet to propagate popularity, and conclude other way. Probably, using the same statistics, we can argue from either side. A lot depends on which side are we standing.

For a long time I believed if there is someone who defied this ambiguity that statistics generates was the great cricketer Sir Don Bradman. Recently, a researcher published some facts, using the same available statistics, and concluded that Sir Don was second best batsman, not the best. That is when it became very clear to me that statistics operates more in tandem with ‘confirmation biases’ than logic. In such a case, relying blindly on statistics would seldom help us make effective decisions. The reason I call statistics as a tricky measure is because though there is this visible shortcoming, bright minds have always been able to use statistics effectively.

PS: This article has references to some subjects and people, and could be better understood through the below links:

The Beatles, Hey Jude, Flo Rida, Low, Don Bradman, Confirmation Bias

Impulsiveness

“If you are patient in one moment of anger, you will escape one hundred days of sorrow.”

- Chinese Proverb

My last few articles have definitely been different from the way I’ve written in the past. However I received a numerous feedbacks, most suggesting that I should write something which could be comprehended without much effort. Keeping in with the spirit of my old style, here is the story, which I’m rewriting.

Most of us would know who Angulimala was. If not, don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you to shoot yourself. Over the course of this story you shall certainly find out who he was. The word ‘Angulimala’ in Sanskrit means ‘Garland of Fingers’. This was the title given to a boy whose earlier name was ‘Ahimsaka’. He was a very good student and it was this popularity, which got him the envy of his peers. They started spreading the rumors of him having an affair with his teacher’s wife. The teacher initially ignored all that was being said but later succumbed to these rumors. Instead of clarifying it with Ahimsaka he decided to punish him in an indirect way. He assigned him a task of, killing a thousand people and make a garland out of their index fingers. Trusting the teacher’s words blindly, Ahimsaka went to woods in search of people whom he could kill. He soon became a monster and whose only aim was to kill people. This was reported to the king who ordered the killing of this freak, who was now known as Angulimala. By now, Angulimala had become unstoppable and none of the soldiers sent by the king succeeded in nabbing him. So, the king persuaded his mother to visit him and advise him. Many were sure that he would not even spare his mother as he was just one short of the magical number of thousand index fingers. Buddha who often wondered in the same jungle realized that if he didn’t intervene now, he would witness a son killing his own mother. He appeared before Angulimala who was joyous of finding his 1000th prey. Buddha patiently said to him, “I shall allow you to kill me, but before that, you should fulfill my wish” In the eagerness of achieving his target, he agreed. Buddha gave him a task of bringing him an attractive leaf from the woods. This was no big deal. He was back in a flash with a leaf that he had plucked from a nearby tree. Buddha smiled and said, “Now, I would like you to attach this leaf back to the same branch”. Angulimala was confused and asked Buddha, “How is that possible?” The Buddha replied, “When you cannot attach a simple leaf back to its original position, do you think you will ever be able to give back 999 lives and their index fingers" Buddha’s profoundly wise deed reformed Angulimala, who later followed Buddha and became a Buddhist monk, preaching ahimsa. Yes, there are many things that we cannot undo in this life, yet anyone can reform.

There are several human emotions that this story portrays: jealousy, suspicion, and impulsiveness. The teacher’s impulsive reaction to rumors resulted in Ahimsaka becoming Angulimala. For Angulimala, it was initially the blind faith in his teacher and then the madness of achieving a number goal which almost got him killed. It required the great Buddha and his infinite wisdom to reform someone who had lost track. Today, if we chose to react in an impulsive way, even Buddha might not help us, not because he doesn’t exist but because he would be tired of reiterating his long taught lesson. It would make sense for us to learn from someone else’s mistake and avoid being impulsive. Being impulsive would assure us nothing but a life full of repentances.

Tapped in the Patterns

"It's no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society" - Jiddu Krishnamurti

How often are we influenced by the societal patterns in our day to day life? If you ask me, I would say most people are working hard to fit into it. Having observed this, I got a little curious to know the reason behind it? While on my pursuit of being inquisitive on this subject matter, I assumed to most part that following a set pattern must have some benefits, otherwise, why would an overwhelming majority of people adopt this line of practice.

With very little study I realized that there was absolutely no benefit in what seemed like a popular practice. The main reason why most choose to follow patterns is because they seem to find a sense of security in doing so. The point is, people value ‘doing a thing’ more than comprehending ‘why it is being done’?

Right from a young age, a person tends to compare himself / herself with someone and concludes on being better or worse at something. Imagine a situation where in there was no comparison made, what would happen? Probably people wouldn’t know who is better or who is not. If people fail to judge every other person, in essence there would be no harm done. However it’s the attribute of the weak to energize themselves through someone else’s weakness. The main problem is that most people have preferred to remain lazy and not question whether the actions they are supposed to take, is logical or not.

There are two main obstacles in the path of evolving from this idea of following patterns. The first one: lack of desire to understand the real purpose behind actions that we take. It's basically a lot of hard work. Ironically, it often takes a calamity to live in present and look for the reason. If things go exactly as prescribed, no one would question existing phenomena. Only when it doesn't work, people seem to look beyond it. The second one: the fear that is induced in our minds and constantly we are made to believe that these are the boundaries we must live within. The idea of fear is often introduced either to control others emotionally or financially. What I have realized of late is, if there is something that doesn't make sense or is too hard to comprehend, either it is a trap with a motivation of to control us or it financially benefits the creator.

At times it seems much easier to get intelligent (read as egoistic) people to change their line of thinking compared to the ignorant. Just by asking a question, "Why should you live by others guidelines?” may do the trick. Otherwise it is almost impossible to overcome these shackles which have been interwoven in several ways over several ages.

India: Land of ‘Old Immigrants’

Last week, India celebrated Diwali, the festivals of lights. And the modern Indians flooded the social networking sites with posts related to the same festival. It’s a good way to make people across the world familiar with our festivals. This prompted an American friend to inquire about the significance of this festival. Hardest are the questions whose answers are sort of obvious. After a long pause, I explained to him that there are various beliefs behind celebrating this festival, depending on what part of the country one comes from. I knew the various beliefs simply because the state I grew up has different reason behind celebrating Diwali compared to the state I currently reside in. Probably the state where my ancestors came from has its own explanation as well. That’s when he asked me this question, to find an answer for it; I had to do a small research. The question was, “Most of you have the same religious background, similar culture yet varying definition of the same festival. Why?”

Had I known the right phrase to “google” I would have been able to answer this question quickly. So I started looking up for reasons why each part of our country has this subtle difference in culture. I was astonished by some of the findings. The best explanation I found was from an article by Justice Markandey Katju. Justice Katju is a person who immensely inspires me through his blunt talks and logical views. In fact his style often reminds me of my own father’s style.

A lot of us are familiar with the fact that the USA is called the land of immigrants with more than 60% of its population being descendents of Europeans immigrants. However this immigration was about 500 to 600 years back, which is fairly recent, compared to the immigration to India from north-west and to some extent from north-east, which began about 10,000 years ago. So this gives rise to the question, who are the true Indians? Many would be tempted to jump to the conclusion that it would be Dravidians. It would surprise many if I wrote that even Dravidians immigrated to the present day India from north-west part. The evidence of this is very interesting. Even today, there are more than two million speakers of a language called Brahui, in regions of Afghanistan. What makes it further interesting is that Brahui is a Dravidian language, which has a high degree of similarity with Tamil. Immigration from south to north-west seems counter-intuitive as north-west fits nowhere near south, in terms of human habitability index. Justice Katju further concludes that the true Indians in that case would be about 5% of today’s population, making India a country with 95% ‘old immigrants’.

This leaves little room to be surprised about the fact that even our religious scriptures have multiple versions. Take for example, the Ramayana, which has so many versions and no single of which could be claimed as the authentic version. Each is as authentic as the other is. I suppose this would be the only logical explanation behind such a diversified culture that we have in India today, in spite of similar religious beliefs. Probably, all immigrants adopted a common platform, with their own interpretation and spirit depending on the geography, which makes our country as multifaceted as it is today.

Two Poems

Sonnet 57: By William Shakespeare

Being your slave, what should I do but tend
Upon the hours and times of your desire?
I have no precious time at all to spend,
Nor services to do, till you require.
Nor dare I chide the world-without-end hour,
Whilst I, my sovereign, watch the clock for you,
Nor think the bitterness of absence sour
When you have bid your servant once adieu.
So true a fool is love that in your will,
Though you do anything, he thinks no ill.

Invictus: By William Ernest Henley

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeoning of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,

How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

These two poems, written in two different contexts, by two different poets and in two different connotations, exhibit two different situations in life...

1) The mind of a heartbroken lover feels time trapped in the past. Even his best efforts may not do him/her enough good to overcome this condition.

2) A man on whom all have given up hope, due to harsh circumstances can fight back without letting his situations affect him and conquer the times.

Perhaps when we find that the sources of our hardships lie in someone else, it is hard to overcome it. If the source is within you, it’s lot easier to exhibit your strengths.

Guilty: Unless proven Innocent

“An intellect is someone whose mind watches itself“- Albert Camus

Recently the Planning Commission, a key decision making entity of Govt. of India, came up with some interesting numbers to define poverty. An income of Rs 32 or below per day and Rs 26 or below per day, respectively in urban and rural India could place an individual in the below poverty cap. Those of us have lived in India for long enough realized how little those numbers are to lead a life and came down all guns blazing on the Govt. Fair enough, if the Govt. commits a mistake, the society is not going to be a lame observer, was the clear message sent across. Of course this post is neither to bash the Govt. nor to support it. What I intend to convey here is, unless we have a fair understanding of the matter it makes all the sense to refrain from passing judgments.

Let us try to understand some facts, which I bet more than 90% of those passionate Govt. bashers don’t seem to consider. They say, statistics can be used to prove almost anything. Yes, it’s a very tricky discipline. Firstly, what does Rs 32 per day as per capita translate into? An average Indian family size is supposed to be made up of five people. In case of the lesser educated class, the average size seems to be slightly higher. Let us say six members per family. So for such a family to be placed in the below poverty category would be a case of their income below (32x6x30) = Rs 5760 per month. Ah, this doesn’t sound too bad, right?

Going further it’s important to understand, who fall into the below poverty category? These are the people most likely belonging to the unskilled labor, who earn their living working in the unorganized sector, say your domestic help. If the Govt. were to take the voice of the middle class, which is the most active on social media, seriously and overhaul their calculation as this: Monthly income below Rs 9000 would be categorized as below poverty line, which means the per capita cap now would be Rs 50 per day. Would the middle class be happy about it? The answer is simply NO. Why? The Govt. has limited resources and cannot lay itself open to extra expenses. The possible way would be to introduce a minimum wage act, like in the developed countries, and make sure the unorganized sector gets paid more from their employers. This means your domestic help would have legal rights for much higher salary than what he/she is making today. This would only affect the pockets of the middle class and I can safely say that if the middle class gets know this solution, they would be the first to support the Govt., in a desperate attempt to fight the current inflation.

Only if the middle class was less hypocritical, we wouldn’t have had a situation of being judged guilty unless proven innocent. What the semiliterate population needs to understand is that the media’s job is to supply raw data and expect the society to process it in such a way that there arises an ambiguity. That’s the beauty of journalism, creating sensation out of simple facts, which could just go unnoticed. The bottom line is, if you aren’t interested in making that extra effort of processing information, stop being judgmental. This holds good in any walk of life.

Chronicles of Living Alone

It is far better to be alone, than to be in bad company.

~ George Washington

It’s a popular belief that living alone is a miserable thing in life. Well, my experience so far has revealed something different. Though my experience was the basis of this post, I didn’t write this article keeping in mind any specific individual. This article defies the rhetoric ‘The Miseries of Living Alone’.

Most of us are raised with the idea that humans are social animals and it is almost impossible for an individual to live alone. And if we grow up surrounded by people and seldom undertake travel, such an idea only gets further rigid.

In my experience, living alone gives an individual the highest degree of liberty. You get all the freedom to make a suitable decision. I see that as a chance to enhance your individuality, in this world full of copycats. It’s not that such decisions never go wrong, but if they do, you have no choice but to take the entire blame on yourself and look for a fix yourself. Believe me, the ability of take the blame serves as the first step in the journey of self improvisation. Then again, those who fear failure and shy away from responsibility, and those seeking comforts in other’s shelter may not agree upon this.

My second point is, living alone teaches the value of both, people as well as things. If you ever set up a house, which has nothing but four walls and a ceiling, you will realize the importance of a couch, table, chairs and even a mattress per se. And even after putting such things in order, there isn’t any honeymoon period. The rule of thumb when you live alone is, “If you drop it, you pick it. If you want it, you make it happen” If you ever get a helping hand in this regard, be it from of your parents, siblings, friends or your spouse, you will realize how important they are in your life. You really learn to appreciate people, even for small acts, which otherwise go unnoticed.

Lastly if you are wondering, how can one, who has been in the ‘comfort zone’ throughout life, live through this transition? Well, for those I would like to paraphrase some lines I read a few days back. “The human mind is funny. At first it is scared of the change. Then it displays a clear resentment. With time it learns to adapt to these changes. Enough time passes and it starts getting so comfortable with these changes that living sans them may become harder”

Also, perception plays a big role here. The very same glass can be viewed as half-empty or half-full. With reference to this post, what some view as loneliness, I view it as solitude. The ‘me-only’ time is fast becoming a scarce resource.

And Then...

The story that I have posted in this article is NOT my own work. I read it somewhere and would have been happy to give all the credit to its original author, if only the story had not ended with this line, ‘Written by Anonymous, with a hope to benefit many’. I’m paraphrasing the same story.

A rich American businessman was alone on a vacation in one of those exotic coastal villages of Mexico. Like most of the American tourists in Mexico, he went to a fishing pier, privately owned by the beach resort where he lived. In his five days of stay, he observed an interesting trend. A Mexican fisherman would go fishing in his small boat and would come back with a basket full of fishes, in about two hours. Out of curiosity, he asked the fisherman, “If you spend a few more hours, you could have more baskets of fishes. Why do you get back so quickly?” The fisherman replied, “I’m a busy man. Moreover this much fish is enough for my family and remaining I sell in the local market, which helps me earn my livelihood” Taken by surprise of the fisherman’s naivety, he said, “I have an MBA from Harvard and own a finance company in New York. So, I can help you streamline your process and expand your business” The fisherman replied, “I would love to get inputs from such an intelligent man like you” Then he asked, “First tell me, what keeps you so busy that you don’t want to invest more time to boost your income” The fisherman replied, “Well, after fishing, I drop my kids to school. Then, I and my wife cook. After which, I bring my kids back from school and we all eat together. Getting together with some friends for sipping wine and barbeque occupies the rest of my time. Of course I play the guitar during these gatherings. And there goes my day which compels me to sleep early so that I should be up early the next day to go fishing”. With a sarcastic chuckle on his face, he told the fisherman, “Look, your process is not efficient. If you spend more time fishing, you can sell more and with that extra money, you can buy your own motor boat by this year end. This would allow you to gather more fish in less time and if you continue working hard, ignoring your daily chores, you can then, may be, move to Los Angeles and do direct business with us Americans” Eagerly the fisherman asked, “And then…” Realizing his interest he continued, “Then you may want to focus on your own packaging company. Once you start on your own, you surely may want to consider listing it in New York City and move there from LA”. Again asked the fisherman, “And then…” “Well, if things work out well for you, you will be able to retire in next 15 years.” “And then…” “After retirement you can move to some calm village, enjoy the bright sunshine, spend time with your kids, sip some wine and play guitar with your friends” After listening to the entire plan given by the Harvard educated businessman, the fisherman replied, “Your plan isn’t good. To do what I’m doing currently, you are suggesting a path that wastes 15 years of my life. Am I not doing currently, what you want me to do eventually” He had no answer for this question and he thought in his mind, “This fisherman is leading a life, right now, which I plan to have 15 years from now. And in those 15 years I will have to give up all the simple, but essential, pleasures of my life, which this guy isn’t. It’s about time for me to start rethinking on my life choices”

I’m not sure how many of us actually give up enjoying each day at present, in a hope that we would be able to enjoy more in future. Life’s pleasures don’t really work like an investment. If we give up having fun today, we simply lose it. Working insanely hard so that you will be able to lead a great life in future would be something like cooking nonstop for one week, in a hope that the cooked meal will last for next one month and we will have able to relax in the coming weeks. By doing so, we would only exhaust ourselves and see our main purpose rotting, right in front of us. Keeping in mind the concept of ‘expiry date’ could certainly help us make wiser choices in life.

Psychology & Sales

When we read about sales of large corporations, we are spellbound by the numbers. And sometimes in our mind comes the question, ‘how the hell do these companies manage to get such high volume sales?’ This question is valid though most people conclude that it’s just an outcome of huge money these corporations are able to pump in. Well, this is true, but not entirely true. Though I have no formal education in Psychology or Sales, I could make this claim, with some confidence. They say a University is a great place to exchange and learn new ideas. Absolutely! An informal discussion that I had with a psychology student made me aware of some simple principles of human psychology do help in boosting sales.

Most people visit a grocery shop for the following products (esp. true in the US), Milk, Bread, Vegetables, Meat, Ready-to-Eat products. In the current times when the markets are driven by the focus on customer's convenience, it would be intuitive to club all the above mentioned products together. However, if you observe carefully you will realize that milk and milk products are placed farthest from the vegetables and fruits. The aisle for meat products is never adjacent to the aisle containing bread or ready-to-eat products. Now is this arrangement a counter-intuitive set up or a deliberate move? Of course it is a deliberate move. By placing the ‘frequently-bought’ products in a scattered manner, the store gets an opportunity to display more and more products that one might buy. Trust me, these are the products which are never on your shopping list yet you end up buying them, and spend a comparable proportion of your budget.

Another interesting point that came in my discussion was, how an arrangement of few seemingly unrelated products, boosted the sales. It’s true, generally milk, beer and diapers are placed in a close proximity in most grocery stores. Why? Simple, people with kids are most likely to buy milk as well as diapers. Couples find it hard to handle young kids, which makes, going to bars, difficult. So, such people are likely to pick up some beer as well. A display of big collection of beers would definitely make them more vulnerable to buy it.

Now recollect your actions carefully, keeping the above points in mind. You too possibly have fallen for such a set up, involuntarily. There could be several such trivial points that may be put in practice that help boost the sales. The trick is in knowing your customer’s psychology. If you can generalize a few points based on the culture, climate and perhaps financial status, you could work wonders.

Random Acts of Kindness

“Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.”

- Scott Adams

If two words that come to my mind, used more often with negative connotation than positive, are ‘imitation’ and ‘stereotype’. So on what instance could you possibly use imitation or stereotype, to create a positive impact? I gave it a long thought and then I started to connect the dots. Random acts of kindness may leave a long lasting impression and such deeds inspire people to imitate and spread a positive stereotype.

Though most humans claim to be non-judgmental, seldom are they what they claim. It’s human nature to judge, and judge in a way that he/she experiences at the first go. Hence an adage such as “first impression is the last impression” has ever lasted. Now the question that arises is what these random acts of kindness are and how they generate a positive stereotype? And how would these acts generate imitation?

I generally keep my own experience as a last option, to post here, but I didn’t find anything more compelling than it to make my point. This incident dates back to last summer when I and a friend were on a vacation, in a different state. Being new to the town and having no knowledge about the transport system, we decided to ask a couple about how to get to a particular location. They not only gave us clear directions but also offered us a ride to that place and a drop back to our hotel, if wished to. Though I and my friend declined their offer, their kind gesture certainly made us happy. One of the conclusions we drew was, people from this state are so kind. (The climate & culture varies sharply in the US, from state to state). This act had left a deep impression on my mind and I wanted to emulate it with someone. Life gave me an opportunity nearly 9 months later, to fulfill my desire. While I was riding back home, a couple, which was new to Bangalore asked me for directions to a particular location, at a traffic light. Though I gave them the directions, I could read the confusion on their faces. So, I asked them to follow me, and ensured they reached their destination. When they realized I rode in a totally opposite direction, just to make it easy for them, they were deeply impressed with my gesture. They asked me for my details and days later added me on a social networking site. I also got a thank you note from them. It feels equally good to be a beneficiary as well as a benefactor involving random acts of kindness.

Though you could be strangers, yet people may view you as an ambassador of your country, state, city, family, culture, values per se. If everyone viewed such instances in life as a good opportunity to spread a positive feeling, the world would be a better place to live in. They say, people helping people, is what life all about, isn't it?

Monty Hall Problem: Explained

The “Monty Hall Problem” is one of the classic mathematical problems which has entertained many and puzzled equivalent number of people. You will agree with me if you are already familiar with it and in case if you are hearing the term ‘Monty Hall Problem’, for the first time, I wouldn’t ask you to shoot yourself. The whole purpose of writing this post is to make more people familiar with this problem. It goes like this…

Imagine you are a participant in a game show. The game is about selecting from three closed doors, behind one is a posh car and behind the other two are goats. Obviously, as a participant, your aim is not to carry home a goat, but the posh car. Upon making your choice, the host, who has prior information about the position of the car, shows you a door, which you haven’t selected and has a goat. Now, he again offers you to make a choice, from the remaining two doors, behind one is a goat and behind other is a car. So, your chances of winning the car shoot up to 50%. As easy as it sounds, right? Now, here kicks in the math which makes this seemingly simple problem complex, easy if you are among those math geeks. Initially, your probability of winning the car was 1/3. That means your probability of losing was 2/3. The moment one of the door behind which there is a goat, is opened, you can increase your chances of winning the car to 2/3, simply by switching your earlier choice. This switch accounts to the variable change, which is like choosing two out of the three doors, initially. Of course a lot of people don’t realize this trick, and fail to take advantage of the second opportunity.

Didn’t I tell you the problem seems easy, but isn’t quite as easy as it seems to be. To make things clear, I created an illustrative picture of the same. So, here let us say, you selected D3. So, the initial probability of winning is 1/3. Once the host shows the goat behind D1, and if you switch to D2 from D1, the combined probability of D1 & D2 still remains 2/3. Finally this switch in choice is what gets you that posh car, behind D2.

Finally, don’t curse me for posting a problem and a solution, none of which I have created. I never claimed that, did I? The only aim to write this article is make more people aware of this classic mathematical problem. Another subtle message which this problem teaches us is, life seldom shows you a small example of the wrong choice that you made. And when it does, switch your choices. It may increase your winning possibility!

PS: If you interested to know more about this problem, please check out the Wikipedia page: Monty Hall Problem

Benefits of Tagging

The worst thing that can happen to someone in love is being more than friend but less than a lover.

~ Alvin Kwardi

These advancing times have made me realize a new trend. The trend of, showing a total resentment towards recognizing a relation as it actually is. The term ‘friend’ has become so generic that when someone introduces you as a friend; it’s not as easy to interpret, as it used to be earlier. Those who feel tags and labels are best suited for products at a super market and should be kept out of relationships, are missing a point. I too do not advocate the practice of putting a tag or label on relationships as we are humans and not products sold at a super market. Having said that I find it a little hypocritical when people fail to call a spade, a spade.

In such a case, what is the possible point am I trying to make? From the past couple of months, I have had enough time to have discussions on various topics with people, I think, whose frequency matches to that of mine. One such discussion made it easy for me to make my point. The second most essential factor after trust, in a strong relation is clear communication. By keeping off from being clear, we would only give a chance for assumptions and doubts to crop up. Make no mistake; the person on the other side can never understand what is going on in your mind on all instances. This is the thumb rule for every relation, and this covers your blood relations too. The point is, don’t put a tag for other’s sake, do it for your own benefit. Recognizing things the way they are is better than subtle hints, which never work, especially in the matters of heart, at least in reality.

Take this for example. If a guy and a girl were, let us say, more than friends and these are the possibilities. 1) The guy is serious and the girl isn’t 2) The girl is serious and the guy isn’t 3) Both the guy and girl are serious 4) Both the guy and the girl are casual about it

In each of these four cases, imagine the down side, if silence did the talking. In the first and the second case, the guy and girl will end up with a broken heart respectively. In the third case, things may work out after a delay. Imagine how much fun the two would have to miss in the fourth case, if you know what I mean. Do you see an upside, without recognizing the relations, the way they are?

Merit, Popularity and Wages

If you read these three words, merit, popularity and wages together, you probably will connect them with this logic; High merit will get you high popularity and thereby get you high wages. Agreed, that’s mostly how it works in the times we live in. But life has more unpredictable circumstances which makes smarter choices, a rarity.

An online dictionary defines merit as a) a superior quality or worth b) a quality deserving praise. Going by that definition a lot of names pop up in my mind which don’t fit that bill, yet are widely popular. So, would it be okay to conclude that popularity has got little to do with merit? Probably yes. Let’s try it out. Among these names which ones you recollect without much effort and which ones you are hearing for the first time. Limba Ram, Murli Karthik, S Ramesh Babu. Though Limba Ram is far more meritorious an archer (he represented India in three Olympics) compared to Murli Karthik as a cricketer, I know whom you recognized. I bet you haven’t even heard of Dr S Ramesh Babu from Bangalore. He is credited to some world records and his name features in the Guinness Book of World Record.

Then, let’s try to find the connection between merit and wages. One of the best example I can cite, which certainly will not make me popular amongst some of my friends, is the earnings of a typical techie and a typical journo. At different points in my life, I have had the chance of working for technology companies as well as a freelance writer. I made far less money as a freelance writer. Having seen both the sides, I can safely conclude that the job of a journo/writer is far more intellectually challenging than that of an average techie. Also, I have the privilege of having friends from both fractions. Trust me; the journos seem more knowledgeable and wiser as well. Leaving aside a few exceptions, a journo, though more deserving, earns much lesser than a techie.

Why do you think such irrationality exists? Maybe the phrase, “being in the right place, at the right time”, gives a better explanation to this counter-intuitive nature of the relation between merit, popularity and wages. To me, the true measure of merit will always remain in one’s ability to inspire. If you do agree with me on this, the next time it would be inevitable for you to throw that sarcastic smile at those who attribute high wages only to high merit.

Skepticism Spares None

"Let every eye negotiate for itself
And trust no agent; for beauty is a witch
Against whose charms faith melteth in blood."
- William Shakespeare

I’m way too ordinary to critique William Shakespeare. As I have never been a student of literature, I have never had an opportunity to read some of his master pieces (which I regret quite often than not). The only work of Shakespeare which I fully appreciate (read as understood) is a poem called “A Lover’s Complaint” This is a short narrative poem which talks about a young woman at the riverside weeping, destroying the love tokens such as letters, rings etc. It wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to guess about her breakup. What astonishes readers is the last part. As she describes how she fell for his fake charm earlier, she also reveals that she would fall for him once again. Well, love can prompt you make counterintuitive choices.

Anyway, my point of focus is not the above poem. It’s about a few people challenging the authorship of this poem. The basis on which few felt that it wasn’t Shakespeare’s original work is the words that are used in the poem are not the ones found in Shakespearean. I was a little shattered to know an allegation made against one of the greatest playwright in English language. Call it ironical, the poem seen as contentious for its authorship, turns out to be my favorite one. This prompted me to look up for substance in this matter. As I spent long hours on the Internet, I came across a term, Oxfordian theory of Shakespeare authorship. This theory developed by scholars gives rise to belief that all the work which we attribute to Shakespeare was original work of Edward de Vere. However the coincidences that have been cited by these pundits cannot be used as core evidence. In such matters it’s a matter of belief. Yes, skepticism spares none, especially the greats.

Still a majority of scholars don’t pay much heed to the Oxfordian theory. In this case, I opine same as the scholars. Back in India, almost every year there is some sort of controversy picks up the heat on Gandhi’s life-style, ideas, sexuality, to name a few. Again there is a majority that rejects the controversy while the minority supports it. Probably, greater you are, the more you need to stand test of skepticism. What convinces me to reject the Oxfordian theory is the question, how the hell did Shakespeare manage to deceive so many people, across the globe. And, if plagiarism was the way, why haven’t other plagiarist gone on to become half as popular as the great William Shakespeare?

PS: If you liked this post, watch out for this forthcoming movie called Anonymous

Time to move on…

It’s amazing how simple events, if observed carefully, teach us so much in life. And this observation comes with experience and situations that you face. Especially when you are lonely, have excess time to kill, you pick up on observation.

I grew up with the belief that relationships are complicated. My observation revealed that people’s feelings get hurt more often than not. And by relationships, I don’t imply those romantic relations. Try it out yourself. Break your life in the intervals of 5 years, starting from 0 to 5, 5 to 10 and so on. Now count the people whom you have added to your life and those whom you have deleted from your life in these intervals. Seems like a lot of faces have changed… right? Only a handful of them may have remained constant. That being the case getting involved too seriously in any sort of relation may seem counter intuitive.

A week ago, my phone stopped working for some reason. I have had this phone for nearly 5 years now and as you can guess I had many names in my contact list. To be specific, 108 names, some with multiple phone numbers. Though I got it fixed I lost all the contacts it had. So, I started recollecting the phone numbers of those people who mattered to me. Yes, only 23 of them, I could. Does it mean the rest whom I knew in the past five years or so, no longer mattered to me? Probably yes. It didn’t hurt to be frank in this matter. What would hurt is letting someone go, whose phone number is still on the tip of my tongue yet situations were forcing me to keep off from that person. I reassessed this simple incident quite a few times. The only message which my mind echoed was, “Veej, life has changed and it’s the best time to move on…”

The Problems faced by my Generation

Before I write any further let me explain the term ‘my generation’. It would have been great to be born in the 70’s when the hippie movement was at its peak, music all over the world was at its best and a new wave of hope sweeping a newly formed nation. Alas that didn’t happen and I belong to that generation which lost its innocence around mid-to-late-90’s.Like every generation, my generation too can be identified with some of the peculiarities. Of course I do not wish to stereotype every individual with the ongoing trends.

Looking back I feel we got exposure a little later than what we should ideally have. Probably most people feel this way, looking back. I was hinting at cell phones and internet. Whether that’s good or bad is left to an individual to decide. The two main issues I would like to write on are seen in dime-a-dozen.

1) Failed Relationships

2) Excessive use of Social Networking sites

Failed relationships cannot be classified as a problem with my generation alone. This problem has existed perpetually and would continue to exist. The reason I opted to highlight this was because of the current age group of people in my generation. Hell, those heartbreaks, arguments, negotiations and compromises. Most of us are overboard with these bitter facts of life. Not too long ago, did we imagine undergoing such experiences. The current teenagers would probably be better off at facing such situations. They simply have more exposure at the right age and better understanding as well. Times and situations change so quickly in developing countries that a decade’s gap brings in the whole element of generation gap.

If you have seen the movie ‘The Social Network’ you would realize the basis on which facebook was found. My generation loves to document every emotion in their life, every action they took and every wish they have, at that moment. This has only made it worse to build and sustain new relationships as people are realizing the six degrees of separation theory isn’t a fragment of imagination. In that case it wouldn’t take a rocket scientist to predict your nature, your past and your present just by spying on your social networking presence. To make situations less embarrassing, deleting a particular post, deleting a particular person from your list of friends, and other clean up measures, is what the pundits recommend. Is it all really worth or is avoiding social networking sites a silver bullet?

As they say, there exists a problem, only if there exists a solution. Though I’m not a master in this topic and can be counted among those struggling ones, I feel that being responsible would help us make things more resolved. If you already know that your deeds are going to be visible to the world, wouldn’t it make more sense to be cautious. Prevent and prepare would be a bigger guru-mantra than repent and repair.

Stereotypes: Causes & Effect

I’m back after a long break and guess my next article will be after a long break too. I have been working on few things and till they are done, I will be irregular here.

It’s been a while since I got back home and thought it would be good to post an article, based on some of my observations and experiences. Of course I don’t intend to advocate drinking bottled water, wear shades and a pollution mask to beat the Indian heat and polluted environment. I sense a fair amount of discomfort when hear stereotypes like these.

To begin with, a TV commercial, from country’s leading car maker, which goes by the base line, “Hindustani hai hum” (meaning “We are Indians”). There are three or four ads which go with this line, each of them portraying a less remarkable deed. If you do need to understand, what I’m talking about, check out the series of latest Maruti Suzuki ads on youtube. What are the effects of such ads? Firstly, semi-educated Indians, who leave India, befriend a couple of foreigners, proudly show them these ads and ensure our image is tarnished. Already the stereotype that exists is consolidated. I’ve lived almost all my life in India and have never asked to pack the leftover bits of food, from a restaurant. I bet you will find a whole lot of people like me. Is it an ‘unlike Indian’ practice that I’m following? Or aren’t there foreigners who asked to pack the leftover food at a restaurant? In such a case, why badmouth our culture and give a chance to build a stereotype.

I know Bangalore traffic sucks, sucks big time. I returned to the city after a while and was expecting the traffic to be lot worse than what it really is. I have been surprised more often than not by the congested traffic, which is better compared to many large cities around the world. The thing with us is that we channelize our energies to condemn our city, state, country, culture et al. Our media too seems to capitalize on this mindset.

I have set two rules for myself to overcome such situations. One, never focus only on negatives when there is fair amount of positives present around us. Two, unless in a position to suggest a solution and put it in practice, why bother commenting on the shortcomings.

Regarding stereotype, I too have my own. People are more or less the same, round the world, with more or less similar aspirations.

A Lesson from Our Scriptures

Just a few days ago, the Supreme Court of India termed Dronacharya’s act as shameful. Now this gave rise to many questions in my mind. I felt it was essential to answer these questions and here goes this article.

The times today we live in, it would be likely that a child would have mastered how to use facebook or twitter, but may still fail to recognize who Dronacharya was. For those, he was the guru of the Pandavas in Mahabharata. His acumen in archery was such that if he taught this art, his pupils were guaranteed to excel. So in today’s terms, if he was to be made of the Indian Archery team in Olympics, it would assure us a gold medal in all the relevant events.

Which act of his, did our SC condemn? If you have not read the Mahabharata, I strongly recommend you to read it. Of course if you have no time, I will cut the long story short for you. Dronacharya’s favorite pupil was Arjuna. His bias towards Arjuna was such that he could barely stand any archer better than him. In the backdrop of this, Ekalavya, who didn’t have the royal blood like Arjuna did, mastered this art. That being the reason, Dronacharya wouldn’t teach him. But for his reputation as a master, Ekalavya worshipped his statue and practiced rigorously to enhance his skills. And when Dronacharya came across such a self proclaimed student, who was from a lower caste, had never taken a lesson but was probably way better an archer then the great Arjuna was, he just couldn’t digest these facts. And when such a student offered him any gift of his choice, he demanded for his thumb, which would leave him with no further ability as an archer. But being a devoted student, Ekalavya did this with pleasure. This act which displayed egoistic nature of the guru, bigotry, and a weird degree of injustice is certainly condemnable.

Is it relevant in today’s context? Certainly, if you ask me. A teacher is one, who imparts his / her knowledge on us and guides us in the right direction. Regardless of times, it’s very essential for a teacher to set highest standards of ethics. We always look up to our teachers, be it whatever. If a student makes mistakes, that’s correctable. But if a teacher makes it, there is hardly any authority that could control the damage it does. Being a teacher is not just about how sharp you are in your area, but also important to play it fair and set a right example.

This was one of many such timeless lessons from the epic, I felt like sharing with my readers. So, I hope if you ever get an opportunity to be a teacher, please do your duties in all fairness. I dedicate this article to my parents and all those wonderful teachers I have had in life.