Freedom - a fundamental part of human DNA

"Freedom is never dear at any price - it is the breath of life. What would a man not pay for living" - M K Gandhi

The ending of Qaddafi's regime is another reminder to all - that no matter where, authoritarian rule can never survive forever. Oppressed people will always rise up and protest against the oppressors. It's always a matter of time before a despotic ruler or government is brought down by the people - sometimes it takes a little longer than other times - but it's bound to happen. Modern history is replete with these stories - Poland, Russia, all of the former Soviet bloc countries, Egypt, Indonesia, Philippines are only a few examples of countries where despotic rulers were overthrown by the masses.

Why is this inevitable? Because I believe that all human beings fundametally seek freedom and dignity in their lives above everything else. Freedom to live a life of their choice and to lead it with dignity. Take it away from them and somewhere you have sowed the seeds of resentment and revolt. Most people dont mind rules - but they do mind being exploited, trampled and being beaten up.

In today's world with advanced means of communication and access to information, people's notions of what they will put up with has evolved as have notions of what's right and wrong. They are less willing to put with being exploited. Or have their right taken away. We saw this in Egypt - and we see that strong authoritarian governments put heavy restrictions onthe use of the internet and social media. But these governments don't realize that surpressionj of freedom wont last forever. This is how civilizations evolve.

let me end with a quote by John Adams - from a letter to James Lloyd, on October 1, 1822
"Individual liberty is individual power, and as the power of a community is a mass compounded of individual powers, the nation which enjoys the most freedom must necessarily be in proportion to its numbers the most powerful nation."

Indian or American or Indian American or neither?

I recently returned from a personal trip to India. It was combination of attending a wedding, having our two and a half year old son go through a hindu rite of passage (his motai in tamil - or mundan in hindi) and helping my parents move from a house into an apartment (or a flat we called it when in Chennai). As always, such trips are memorable for many reasons, the food, the sickness, the hot weather, the chance to catch up with relatives and friends, the minor (and some major) obstacles you overcome to get from say Ashok Nagar to Thiruvanmiyur or get a new telephone line or get Kinley to deliver drinking water. Invariably I always end up having interesting conversations with people when I am there.

One such conversation was with my parents about the identity of kids born to Indians settled in America. Now Indians from India have in the past used pejorative terms such as ABCDs (American Born Confused Desis) for them. Not that Indians in India dont have names - another term for Indians in India who aspire to come to America - NRA or Non Resident Americans. Now let me say at the outset that second generation kids born to Indian parents are great achievers and have done the community proud.

The gist of the discussion was this. Both my parents believe that it was important for Indians in America and even second generation ones to maintain their identity as Indians and their Indian traditions. I argued that it was okay to do so only to the extent where they didnt feel confused as to their identity. I strongly believe that Indians in American should first be Americans and then Indians - their identity should be through their "American-ness" first - and not through their Indianness.

Spend a few days in Silicon valley - or in the melting pot of New Jersey - You can find dozens of carnatic music schools, Bharatanatyam schools, Indian prayer and religious organizations and the like. I know parents in these areas take pride in sending their kids to dance schools or music schools or to chant slokas. And it is wonderful to see the homegrown talent that exists here. Parents also take pride in leading a supplanted Indian lifestyle here.

I cant help wondering but can these kids who grow up in a distinctly Indian environment at home ever feel at home in the US and be able to contribute to American society in a meaningful and substantive way? Can they ever become part of the American society like immigrants from say Eastern Europe or Italy or other countries? As it is Indians stand out due to their brown skin. Doesnt maintaining an ethnocentric lifestyle or upbringing only strengthen the issues associated with race?

There is one part of the Indian upbringing that I think parents should maintain - the focus on achievement and on academic accomplishment. But that is not enough. They need to get involved in giving back to American society, in becoming part of mainstream America. Many Indian Americans have already done that -but I get the feeling not enough.

Anna Hazare - why its important to pay attention - even if you dont agree

Anna Hazare's anti corruption movement is a wake-up call for all of us - even if we dont agree with his methods -and I have some sympathy here for those who think this way.

a) This is the first time anyone has taken such a strong stand and spoken out against corrupion and received such mass support
b) This is giving some hope to the aam admi that they can also take a stand against corruption
c) The anti corruption "movement" if you can call that is one more step towards creating a better civil society in India

Now I want to clarify - I am not saying that I agree with all the provisions of the Jan Lokpal bill proposed by Hazare, neither do i believe that there can be one body that should be even more powerful than the judiciary - But i do believe that it is time we stopped tolerating corruption in daily lives. It cannot be a "sab chalta hai approach" to life in India. NO - we need to stop it! SAY NO!

Chak De India in Calypso land – the day a Texan learned Cricket

I had one of the most memorable experiences of my life a few weeks ago. I was on an Oil and Gas platform, in the Atlantic Ocean, off the Coast of Trinidad, watching Dhoni lead India to a magnificent victory over the Sri Lankans. With me were a cheering and shall we say a really boisterous group of Trinidadians and a lone Texan who till that day had never really seen a game of cricket. This was internationalism, globalism.… all the isms that convey the oneness of human spirit at its best!

The day started at 5.00am – I was up early and walked down in my pajamas to the galley –or the cafeteria as we people who live onshore would call it- to see the match on a TV there. The picture was grainy – but good enough for us to follow. Zaheer was working his magic and Bhajji was keeping the Lankans wrapped around his finger. I ducked in and out as I attended meetings and grabbed breakfast. The Trinidadians were good sport – “You from India maan? Yeah Saachin – he great bat,” “Who you supportin?” We made small talk. I missed most of the Sri Lankan batting. I popped in at the 42^nd over – and the Lankans were still barely reaching 200. I walked out again thinking well maybe they will get 230-240. I had to go for a meeting which lasted a while.

Then, when I came back one of the Trinidadians asked me –“You think India gonna win?” “I said why yeah, how much did the Lankans score?” I was aghast when I heard 275. What?? Somebody must have been hammered badly! Later on I found out it was Zaheer. “Yeah, them Sri Lanka got plenty runs” piped a voice behind me. “ Gonna be tough for India” said another, adding “Malinga – watch out for ‘im”

10 mins later – I heard a loud voice on the public announcement system “Injia – nought for one, Injia, nought for one.” My mind was screaming – I ran out of the meeting room, in my heavy safety boots, to the galley. There Malinga was exulting after after trappin’ Sehwag in front of the wicket. “Well Sachin gonna make it; he in good form now” consoled a Trinidadian. About 20 of them sat there watching the game.

And as I watched it, I could see all the fun and joy of the Carribean islands in the small room 600 feet over the ocean floor. Not only did they really enjoy their cricket; they also enjoyed enjoying their cricket. Wagers flew fast around the room –after India was down three wickets, the odds went the Sri Lankan way. At over 40 the Indians were back in favour – no emotions attached to the money – just pure practicality and a genuine desire to watch good cricket and have some fun!

The other reason this day was so memorable – was because I managed to teach cricket to Dave from Texas. Now Dave had heard of a game called cricket – but beyond that he didn’t really know whether it was played on the ground or under water. But he stood there with me, my companion in one of the finest moments in an Indian’s life and watched the entire game with me! Having been exposed to baseball throughout his life, he could visualize a ball being hurled at a piece of wood held by a human being. But after that, the game was a mystery – who was a batter er.. a batsman and who was a runner? What does the runner do? Just run – oh they rotate the batting..okay – now what is a run? Well that’s easy .. but now four runs and a home run…no no six runs – wow a six runner!

By 3/4^th of the game, bug had bitten Dave. He stood there spellbound – watching this magical game being played in front of 50,000 screaming Indians and a bunch of boisterous Trinis. He watched Yuvraj and Gambhir dismantle the Lankan bowling and Dhoni send them south of the Indian Ocean! He was there screaming for India, giving me moral support and generally having a good time. At one point he shouted “That’s a six runner!” I had converted Dave to Cricket. At the end, he told me, “you taught a Texan cricket - you can teach anybody anything.” Now that’s a compliment.