Suresh’s Random Ramblog

George has written an article, English — a prescription for global reach, which was published in The Hindu.

It’s a well thought out piece on the role of English in India with a lot of points that I agree with. It’s time we stopped thinking of English as a “Foreign” Language. English has been spoken in India for the last 250 years - I think it’s time we accepted the fact it’s as Indian as Tamil or Hindi. If you consider that 5% of the Indian population speaks English, that’s approximately the population of the United Kingdom. The Booker prize has been won several times but Indian English Writings. Like Cricket, English is no longer the sole property of it’s birthplace.

Politicians like to boast of our might as a IT superpower, forgetting that it’s our English knowledge that’s given us an advantage over China and Russia - a short lived advantage, considering that both countries are emphasising on English studies. Chinese schools & universities hire British and American teachers for English - It’s quite common to walk down the streets of Shanghai and hear Chinese speak with American accents despite never having left the country.

It’s time we put behind out linguistic bigotry behind us and concentrate our energies on more productive things. If English is going to give us and advantage in the 21st century then that’s what should be thought to the future generations.

By now everyone must have heard of the July 11th bomb blasts on the train network in Bombay (Mumbai). Quite often we read about terrible events in the news but if there is no direct impact on us it just fades away from memory. To me the news was brought home when I got news that my friend’s cousin had died in the blasts. Although I didn’t know him personally there was only one degree of separation. I know his cousin and have met his brother in the past.

Chaos Theory describes the behavior of certain nonlinear dynamical systems that under certain conditions exhibit a phenomenon known as chaos. In other words, everything you do (or don’t do for that matter) affects the your future and of those around you and vice versa, i.e. what others do affects your future too. Looking back, here is an individual who usually works late and catches a later train but was coming home early to surprise his daughter who used to call him in the office and ask him when was he going to come home and play with him. He never travels by First Class bun on that fateful day chose that because the other compartments were crowded. The kicker? His wife and kids who live in Iran weren’t even supposed to be in Bombay till 14th! However his wife, who works there, managed to get a few extra days off and decided to come home early. My thoughts are with his wife and kids, especially his wife who must be blaming herself for coming home early.

It’s at times like this that there seems to be no meaning to life & the Universe. Are ours lives guided by entirely random events? Quite often we lament about missed opportunities and chances, or when something bad happens we think, “If only I hadn’t done . . . , this wouldn’t have happened.” Well I think it’s time we take a moment to ponder of the choices not made by us in the past, which could have had disastrous consequences. Maybe everything does happen for a reason.

For years my friends have considered me a certified geek. I love Science Fiction, dream about computers, am single, etc. However there was always something missing life before I could be considered a card carrying geek. Last week discovered what it was: Living in my mom’s basement! Yes, I’ve shifted to the basement with a TV and a computer (make that computers - in plural)! Of course it was because my room was being altered so I had no other place to go to but does that really matter?

This post is brought to you from my mom’s basement

I haven’t been writing for a long time with a reason. I’ve been travelling a lot in the last month: Salem - Bangalore - Bombay - Nasik - Bombay - Bangalore - Salem - Coimbatore - Bangalore -Salem! I’m off the Madras tomorrow. However something came up that had me fired up.

Happy Winterval!

Are you confused? Well! That is the new secular way to greet people at Christmas time- at least if you were in Birmingham (Winter+ Festival). The ‘Christian’ west now thinks it is more politically right to call the Christmas Holidays as Winter Holidays and the Christmas tree as a ‘Community tree’.

I’ve actually been pissed off with the whole political correctness & pseudo-secular movement which seems to have reached the heights of absurdity this year. I’m not particularly religious. However growing up as a Hindu in England we always celebrated Christmas with our friends and at the hospital where my dad was working. My rights and sensitivities as a ‘minority’ was never affected.

Growing up later in Brunei (an Islamic country) we always had a Christmas tree (abet a plastic one) lit up at home during Christmas. It was just the spirit of the season. Most of the day would be spent with friends of ours (who were Christians). we were part of the family, helping out, receiving visitors and even attending Midnight Mass. Conversely they would spend Deepavali with us in a similar fashion. We also celebrated Id Mubarak (Bakrid) and the Chinese New Year. Such exposure has made me strongly secular with the belief that religion is a personal issue as long as it does not inconvenience the public. If someone wants to celebrate a religious festival, it’s their right. It’s also your right as an individual to participate or ignore it.

I fear this neo-liberalism run amok. It will just end up with a backlash serving no one’s interests, let alone the so called minority sensitivities, and give liberalism a bad name. I consider myself a liberal, but I reserve the right to smack my kid! (i.e. when I have one)

You have a choice. Either enjoy the spirit of the season or just ignore it. There is nothing wrong with Non-Christians having a Christmas tree during Christmas, Non-Hindus bursting crackers during Deepavali or Non-Muslims enjoying a good Biriyani during Bakrid.

Merry Christmas what ever your faith.

BTW, the family tradition of having a lit Christmas tree during Christmas survived with us in Salem till recently. We had a real Christmas tree growing in front of our house. Lighting it was just part of the festive season. Unfortunately last year, it had grown too big and as part of a new landscaping effort the tree was cut down.

Does no one care about their Civil Liberties? Today’s Hindu has an article that reflects what I’ve been thinking for a while. In the last few years, there has been an increase in the level of intolerance among the public, or rather, there has been an apparent increase. Why apparent? To me it seems like it like it’s been orchestrated by politicians and others with a vested interest.

Remember the news articles in which Chennai Police decided to become the moral police and started targeting couples whose only crime was trying to spend time together. Never mind there was no legal basis for their action.

A university’s primary function is to strive for excellence in education - both in themselves and their students. Anna University has enforced a ‘Dress Code’ on their students and on students of affiliated collages. There is a reason why the education in most institutions India is still in the dark ages. I can on and on this point alone, but It deserves a post of it’s own. Recently a few college boys were called up by the morality police for wearing dark shirts and were asked to confess to their ‘crime’! I wish I was in such a college. I would have broken the rules on purpose.

Talking to youngsters, especially girls, about AIDS, drinking, drugs, Sex education, rape, child molestation or contraception is against our culture. Notice how all most issues have a greater impact on women. In the 80’s, when AIDS was an issue in the West, our all-knowing Health Minister, refused to discuss the potential impact the disease would have in India. Their reasoning? AIDS was a Western disease caused buy their decadent lifestyle. In India, ‘our culture’ would prevent such a disease from spreading. India now has one of the highest AIDS populations in the world

Now what is culture? It’s not something static but a living, changing concept. The past influences the present and the present influences the future. We, that means you, I and everyone else alive and kicking, are responsible for defining what culture is. Culture can not and should not be held hostage to the narrow vested interests of a few.

Is it time for a civil disobedience movement? A second Quit India movement but aimed at those in power? It does not have to be an organised mass movement. Each and everyone us can make a difference in their own way. Like my law professor used to quote often, “It’s a slippery slope.” If we don’t act now, it may be too late.

Back in college, the gents hostel gate never used to be closed. One day the authorities inform the student’s council that they were going to lock the shutter. When we objected they told us it was for the safety of us and our belongings. Although the shutter would be closed at 10 p.m. We could come and go as we pleased at any time with no restrictions. We knew that this was always going to be an issue. That night when the hostel security was about to close the shutter a bunch of us stood outside the gate. What follows are the events as I remember:

Security Officer (SO): “I’m going to close the shutter, would you like to come in?”
Us: “No, we want to stay outside”
SO pulls down the shutter. Next moment. . .
Us: “Please open the gate. We want to come in”
SO opens the shutter, we come in and he closes the shutter again.
Us: “We want to go out”

. . . We repeat the cycle a couple of times. After the 4th or 5th time you can imagine him getsting irritated and loses his temper. This is what we’ve been waiting for. We calmly inform him that we are allowed to come ad go as we please, the closing of the shutter is just a formality and he is free to complain to his higher up if he has a problem. Naturally he calls in and shortly the authorities are called and we force the issue. The shutter remains open and we’ve won a small victory. All it takes is standing up for your rights.

Whay are our rights? In the same Hindu article, Nirupama Subramanian puts it across beautifully:

As long as a person is an adult, and does not kill, maim, molest, rape, abuse, or spit on anyone, how he or she chooses to lead his or her life should be their business alone, strictly off-limits to anyone else. That includes the clothes they wear, the books they read, the music they listen to, the films they watch. It includes life choices such as finding a career, making friends, marrying, staying single, getting a divorce, having children or not.

What we really need in India is something similar to the American Civil Liberties Union (Read the Wikipedia ACLU article too) . If there is one organisation that has fought for civil liberties in the US consistently it’s the ACLU.

If you think it’s not going to affect you, I sign off with a chilling poem written about the Nazis.

First they came…

First they came for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up,
because I wasn’t a Jew.

Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up,
because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left
to speak up for me.

Martin Niemöller (1892 - 1984)

Today I heard some depressing news. The Golden Swan is closing. This goes back to my life in the US. The Golden Swan was a Chinese restaurant with a difference. Unlike most American Chinese restaurants serving Americanised versions of Chinese food, where most of the dishes are indistinguishable because they all contain MSG and taste sweet, they actually served Chinese food that tasted like Indian Chinese. I realise, American version or Indian version, they both aren’t authentic Chinese but so what? Taste is a personal preference.

So why am I so devasted espically since I no longer live in the US? Well, the Golden Swan was my regular dinner haunt. It was more than just another restaurant for me. Spencer and his family who ran the restaurant took personal care of all their customers, always with a smile. That personal touch is missing in most chain stores in the US.

For me it was my second home. I’ve spent countless evening there with a book in hand eating my regular (i.e. “Spencer, I leave my dinner choice to you. It’s up to you!) I’d finish my dinner and just stay on reading the book. Rita, Spencer’s wife would come up and tell me there was no hurry for me to leave and to take my time. They always made me feel as if I was family.

Spencer would come through in emergencies too. School would be get over at 8.50 pm. I’d call Spencer and ask him to have a take away ready for me.

Did I mention the food always tasted great there? Spencer’s cooking was simply superb.

I gave them a call today. The economy hasn’t been doing too well in Cleveland and it has adversely affected them. They’ve ended up loosing money in the buisness and have to sell their house. They seem to be philosophical about it. It’s sad to hear that another small buisness close down. Although I’d like to blame big buisness, the chains and franchisees for it, I don’t think I’d be justified. I now have one less place to visit when I’m in Cleveland.