Agricultural subsidies

Post 1:

I am confused at the farmers' protests. Though it has been in the news for quite a few months now, I decided to investigate the proposed "reforms".

1. The bill allows farmers to bypass "mundis" (intermediaries) and sell their crop to any buyer.

2. <<We will see these later >>

 

I see some benefits here. Mundis served as a "platform" and hence obviously ate into the supply chain profits. They were traders and hence have no interest in making the farmers rich (or even sustainable). They do not suggest crops to cultivate or educate farmers. Lack of options typically would mean mundis are price-setters (typically, MSP+something). The current plight of farmers is direct evidence of the above. 

 

If private companies enter the fray, they will be directly competing with mundis (and probably eliminate some of them, if they don't add value). Economically, this is a good outcome. Supply chain profit should increase as a result. The question is would farmers' profit? 

 

Now where can 1 go wrong? One concern is major private players (example, Reliance) can dictate terms to farmers, pushing prices down. But such a move would only backfire on the private companies. They need their "suppliers" to be sustainable. This is not the same as Walmart (or Amazon) eliminating retailers. In fact, there are cases around the world where a "manufacturer" partners with their supplier for long-term profits. It could mean each farmer may even produce what is at demand in the market.

It is funny that major private companies who cannot dictate terms to a few "mundis" would now suddenly be able to dictate terms to several farmers. With multiple options to farmers, divide and conquer strategy would simply not work. 

 

Obviously mundis and states (who lose taxes from mundi-transactions) are worried. If the latter's concerns and revenue compensation are addressed by the government, some of these dissent may subside.

 

If my benefits listed above are speculation, then so are some of the reasons for protests. Reforms are long due and let data reflect decisions and future direction. Perhaps, the government could have piloted such move in one state to convince others to join. 

 

I hope farmers are given proper direction and their fears are allayed with reason.

 

Post 2:

As the farm bill stir continues, I continued my research on this topic. What was intriguing is both parties cited developed countries and the models they had used. For example, one reason the unhealthy McD burger costs more than fresh vegetables and fruits needed per meal is because of agricultural subsidy in the US. Not exactly I would term a "success" of subsidy. What exactly is this "subsidy"? I wanted to look at different countries and how they do it. Perhaps, should have looked at a literature review. But wanted to do this from primary sources first.

For no particular reason I looked up Canada first. I really liked the AgriStability program here (https://www.agr.gc.ca/eng/agricultural-programs-and-services/agristability/?id=1291990433266)

It simply offers compensation if your current year's revenue fell short of your benchmark revenue (based on YOUR history) by more than 30%. I liked it for two reasons. Its simplicity and may avoid perverse incentives: It avoids adverse selection (it's not just bad farmers who will enroll and seek benefit in the program as the compensation is based on history). It may still cause some form of moral hazard (after enrolling in the program, if the farmer expects a revenue shortfall this year), the farmer may just stop working. Perhaps, the payment is proportional to avoid such incentives.

There are also other such programs offered by Canada. I neither found evidence for MSP or any restrictions on sale of products (Will have to check this further).

Would the AgriStability program work in India? Unfortunately, not currently. You need historical revenue figures for each year at the individual farmer level. Until we implement that, such customized schemes cannot be implemented.

My love and hate relationship with my Thatha

Narasimhan Srinivasachari April 16, 1930 - April 29, 2019

Thatha, my grandfather, brings me a medley of memories. When I became an adult I hated him for his treatment of my beloved paatti. I didn't quite like the fact that he ignored the need for educating my mother. I disliked his rude behavior. His addiction was not welcome at home. He can be a nuisance at times and his finicky nature will drive people nuts. For example, he will want a specific kind of food done in a specific way (perfect heat, perfect amount of oil, perfect time, etc.). But yet today, if I may, I am going to forgive him for all the bad memories he was part of. Who am I to forgive him anyways? At least I will try and forget them. Here was a person who was unique in his own way.

My earliest memory of him was when I had my summer holidays while I was in school. But he evidently had a bigger impact even before that. He was a retired police inspector. And in many of my childhood photos I will be posing a salute. Maybe just like my thatha I wanted to become a police too. (The only remnants of that ambition is my liking for cop-movies now :P)

Most of what I know of him was from what others used to say. He had an innocent but large-hearted personality. He once gave his neatly ironed police uniform to his friend and apparently his friend got promoted while he lost that opportunity. He was a corrupt-free and a honest policeman and even after retirement was always willing to help others. He was tall by my standards and his heavy build was easily scary. He was more fond of my brother (maybe because he was his first grandson) and I don't really remember much details personally during my early days.

I spent a year with him during my engineering days and I could watch this lion in his den. This is when I could actually see more of him. Here are some fond memories that will always bring a chuckle. When he wakes up, not just us, even the neighbors would know for sure. For he will brush, not just to remove whatever is on his teeth but also to try and purge out all the undigested items from the previous night's meal! He will then read the news dailies for probably hours (and sometimes I think even the ads). He was picky about things being clean around him. From his soap box to his floor to window grills to verandah, I have watched him pour buckets of water as if to pacify the floor for all the rubbing it receives from the thennanthodappam.

He will take bath as if he had not done so for a month and this would happen every day. You could here the sound of a waterfall for a few hours. It only gets amplified if he has an oil bath. He will slather a litre of oil on his well-built "macho" body and for a few minutes he will pose as though he is practicing for Mr. India (just the attire part :P). Once he takes bath he will comb his hair, just a few strands of it, but still would take a few minutes before each of them obey his orders. (but credits to where it is due: he still had more hair when he was 70 than what I had when I was in my 20s!)

Somehow taking a bath was his appetizer. He will just get crazy hungry after he takes a bath (it does not matter whether it happens at 9 in the morning or 2 in the afternoon) and this lucky bloke had a wonderful wife who will have his meals ready, steaming hot and crazy delicious. I think he really loved three things - eat what his wife made and unda masala(junk food), have a "sound" sleep (for he would snore), and count his money every day!

He not only kept his things clean but also maintained a low "inventory". He hardly kept things that are not needed. As a professor in operations management I teach lean inventory. He was a living example. He always eliminated waste at its source, had a couple of dresses for himself, maintained and rotated well, and almost had no collectibles. 

He loved getting something for his grandchildren. Be it jewelry or junk food. And when I pay him a visit, I am guaranteed of some pocket money (even after I had started earning). Perhaps because, he was incapable of showing his love through other means. I don't remember him hugging me or giving me a kiss (barring one stray episode where I reminded him of his other son). To him the concept of love and affection were different, somewhat one-dimensional. Be it love for his wife, children, grandchildren, or others. It needs a person close to him (like his kin) to understand his love. He had no idea how to play with babies. He will make faces, mock them, irritate them, and that's his way of "playing". I will always remember he playing drums with his fingers on my head!

I know he had a few friends, some true and dear, but the number dwindled with age and I never paid interest in what they were chatting about. He had a keen interest in knowing about news, which would sometimes irk me (if the news time clashes with a live cricket match that I am watching). But other than for the news I have rarely seen him watch TV or movies. May be an odd serial when he got old.

This was a man who had (I think) a stress-free life for the most part. He had very little to worry about in life. He had some unique mannerisms and he will always remain in our memory through that. Every time one of us says something or does something just like him we all will immediately know who we are trying to mimic. Except for the last few days in his life, he had a wonderful time here. He was lucky to have a loving wife and a caring son later. I hardly cried today. He lived a full life and I am happy for him. Maybe he extended his stay a little longer than what was ideal. I hope Sriman Narayanan enjoys his company now.

Dashavathara of a PhD student

As a follower of PhD comics, I have always wondered at the different roles a PhD student takes.  So here is a funny take with the ten incarnations, among the many, of Vishnu.

Matsya - First they gave him the coursework. He completed them. Then the qualifier. He passed them. Then comes the literature review. He digested them. Then the idea and the dissertation. With each task (new environment) he grows (like the Matsya), and in the end ready to contribute something on his own with ideas borrowed from everywhere.

Kurma - The funding agencies have to be churned (the ocean), the professors become the "devas", the univ/admin becomes the asuras (necessary "evil" who want a share), science becomes the churning rod (Mt. Mandara) and the various tools and techniques becomes the rope (Adisesha). Then they look for a solid base. Enter the PhD student who bears the brunt of everything by offering himself as the base.

Varaha - Whether it's for the gaps in the literature review or for the life partner amidst the ruins, it's up to the PhD student to dig deep and bring out the one. And he has to be quick to display it. For someone else might take it (her) and he might have to do the digging all over again.
 
Nrisimha - He can neither say nobody else has done it (for they will say you forgot to quote "his" work which is also related) nor can he say others have done it (for there is no novelty). It should neither be easy (very limited scope) nor should it be too broad. It is neither a full time job (for he is at a university) nor is he a student (for he gets a stipend and he "works").

Vamana - All he asks for is three things: Funding, Fame (publications) and Free stuff. He then has it all covered ;)

Parashurama  - Oh, he can get angry. And when he does it is the generations of undergrads (over the time it takes to finish his PhD) that will inevitably suffer. Grading hundreds of papers that takes him into the wee hours, he slays each one of them. No mercy.

Rama - The favorite student, straight As. Life has been treating him well. And just as the fat offers (corporate) walk in, he rejects them and chooses to do a PhD (vanavasa). Of course, all is well that ends well (the coronation during the doctorate). He will also have his own PhDyayana (the journey of my PhD).

Balarama / Buddha - There is always a question "Do we belong here? Aren't we the odd man out among our friends and relatives?" (much like - what is Balarama or Buddha doing among Vishnu incarnations?)

Krishna - This is tricky. For he is almost never charming to the girls and quickly labeled "too nerdy". His one big discourse does happen during the defense in what can be a battlefield. Alas, Dharma wins.

Kalki / Unknown- For he will always have a hidden dimension/hobby that is rarely revealed. Others have to wait, for the time has not yet come.

P.S - Sorry to all the female PhD students, as I used the male gender through out. It is only to go with the "gender" of Vishnu.

Play it in your mind, I say

It can be simple. All you need to do is make your mind play it.

Call it positive thinking or magnetic waves or telepathy but I think our mind is more capable than what we think it is.

All of us dream, literally and figuratively. While Freud might be more qualified to explain our dreams, we cannot deny the simple fact that dreams are some kind of thought patterns. There are things we want to do and stuff we don't want to do, and they find their way into our thought process and then get played out in our dreams. Of course, most of which we just forget!

Can we make this sub-conscious thought process, conscious? Can we do what Dr. Kalam suggested? And transform our thoughts to action, to reality? We have all heard of this - an action plan. A well thought out sequence of things that we will do/follow to accomplish a particular task. We may play it in our mind to see how the sequence of events will pan out. But is it possible to stretch this and extrapolate?

Here is a personal example. The first year in  my PhD life was easily the most difficult period in my academic life. Courses and topics were bouncing off the top of my head. I questioned myself my choice of doing a PhD. Wondered if I had it in me. What was I doing there? While later on I realized that such thoughts were only too common among PhD students, it was quite a lonely feeling then.

I only took comfort in one thought, in fact an entire scene. I imagined what I would do after I hear about the qualification result. There was a volleyball field just outside my home. I saw myself rushing to the field and leaping in joy, uncontrolled. I could feel my bare feet touching the grass. I could see that my jumps were awkward like that of an out of sync ballet. Each limb moving to its own frequency. There were no eyes watching me do this absurd act, at least not any that I noticed.

It turned out that I ended up doing nothing like that, not even close. I did pass my qualifier. And thankfully for the community residents, my emotions were well in check. :P Tasks look daunting until we finish them. Once achieved, we know they are doable and move on, I think. Of course, the imaginary "ballet" dance was not the reason I passed the qualifier. But it reinforced the thought that I would pass the qualifier. And that could have subtly helped.

My second example was of course my PhD. While my PhD was taking so long and there were thoughts about whether I should quit in between, I again dreamt. Played it out in my mind. This time it was about my graduation day. How would it be posing with my parents, family and friends, wearing the prestigious gown, and so on. Looking back, I am convinced that this process helped me sustain. Of course, graduating is not the reason one does a PhD. But it was necessary, to achieve what I wanted to.

I believe each of us is unique. What that translates to is that, the only person capable of completely understanding us is ourselves. While our friends and well-wishers, can give us words of wisdom, often it is just up to us to deal with the situation. It may not be possible for an external person to (thoroughly) empathize with our situation and here is where our minds can play a crucial role.

Of course, I don't take any credits for this idea. I dare not. I am sure there are many who do this, consciously or unconsciously, creative visualization or day dreaming, wishful thinking or otherwise. This in fact finds a mention even in our age old scripts (Hanuman's words to Sita in Sunder Khand, Akrura's thoughts during his yatra to bring Krishna and Balarama to Kamsa and so on).

P.S - Scary, but can we make bad things happen as well? A good enough incentive to think positively?

Game theory for the last over

This post was motivated of course by the last over of the World Cup (2015) semi-final.

When Elliott was batting, Steyn had several options and he is well capable of bowling everything. Yet he chose to bowl a length ball, almost a sin during the slog overs. So, why did Steyn choose to bowl length? Pressure? I don't think so. Here is a game theory explanation. For simplicity, let us discuss just two options for Steyn. Yorker vs Length. Similarly, Elliott also had a few options. For simplicity I am going to consider two: Stay put and Play across.

Now, here are the pay-offs.
1. If Steyn bowls a yorker and Elliott decides to Stay put, it's at best a single for Elliott (So, advantage SA)
2. If Steyn bowls a yorker and Elliott decides to move across and flick, because of the short boundaries, the ball might just go for a boundary. (So, advantage NZ)
3. If Steyn bowls length and Elliott decides to Stay put and slog, it's a boundary. (So, advantage NZ)
4. If Steyn bowls length and Elliott decides to move across and flick, because of Steyn's pace, Elliott is likely to miss the flick (It's not easy to time a flick against Steyn's length ball vs a yorker). So, advantage SA.

So, here is the pay-off matrix. (SA, NZ)

	Stay put	Play across
Yorker	(1,-1)	(-1,1)
Length	(-1,1)	(1,-1)

People who understand game theory will immediately realize that there is no pure strategy Nash Equilibrium in this case. That is, there is no one "best" path of action for both players. So, each player has to mix up their strategies a little. In fact, 50% for each action. But if Elliott decides to play across and Steyn know this, then Steyn's best action is to bowl length.

What actually happened? Elliott moved across before the ball was bowled. Steyn tried to outsmart him and bowled length (instead of the yorker). Elliott slogged onside instead of flicking. Game Set and Match!

Acknowledging the Culture Gap

Criminals, politicians, administrators, cops and now KJ Yesudas. It's very easy for us to say "I'm right and you're wrong". But it takes considerably more effort in understanding why we appear as wrong to others. Here is one attempt.

India has progressed at a breathtakingly fast pace since the last decade or so. But as always with such pace, the development has affected only pockets of the society. The result is that we have two vastly different sections of the society each one looking at the other with blatant contempt. Again, note that the contempt is mutual and it is a dangerous harbinger.

One section is forward looking, western, modern, savoring the freedom and liberty that exists in the world and marching ahead at a scorching pace. The other section is caught in its traditional web, unable to release itself from biases and locked and adamant to be in a status quo. The former wants India to be like the western world. Is frustrated at its slow adoption. The latter frustrated with the way the former is behaving. 

India has always found peace in tolerance. Be it the British or the Mughals or even before, tolerance has always been our virtue. It could be debated whether it was the best strategy but when we refused to tolerate it had usually resulted in chaos. While there is evidence that chaos has yielded something good, it's always tricky to predict the result.

I hope the section of the society which has the capability to tolerate finds a middle path and takes the other half along with it. In my opinion, any measure that we take ignoring the other half and considering only one half, however right it may be, is guaranteed to be a failure and cause chaos. And we just cannot afford that.

The first step is to acknowledge their hatred towards our way of life and understand where it comes from. In my opinion, only then a solution will emerge. We all enjoy and want freedom and with that comes a responsibility as well. The responsibility towards the society. It is easy to say that we are not to blamed if they are "behind". Can we ignore those that we think are too behind and do what we think is right? Can we look down upon those who think that we are "modern"? Debatable. I think we cannot if we want to live together.

Note: I'm not trying to say we have to adjust and live according to the other half.

Road trip from Dallas (Texas) to California

First things first. Make sure you check your car with a good mechanic – brakes, tires, bearings etc. Get some good wipers installed and don’t forget to fill the wiper fluid. You should at least able to check the engine oil level.

The major stops I took were at Santa Fe (NewMexico), Colorado Springs and Salt Lake (Utah).

Dallas (Texas) to Santa Fe (NM) – I took Route 287 and then I 40. The scenery is mostly dry and empty with what looked like old and abandoned oil pumps and some huge farms thrown in between. It also takes you through some small towns. So watch your speed! I took a detour to Lake Arrowhead state park where I was surprised to see hundreds of prairie dogs. The lake was however quite dry when I went (late August). The Caprock canyon state park also does not seem like a big detour, though I did not take it. You will have plenty of opportunities to go via the historic route 66 when you reach closer to New Mexico. Not to forget the so called “ghost towns”. The experience will be surreal J There are of course plenty of things to see in Santa Fe. I visited the Cathedral Basilica in downtown but the Loreto Chappel was a waste of my time  (the original hanging stairs has been modified quite a bit and they just looked like a winding fleet of stairs to me). Be aware of the toll ways at Dallas. They had a weird automatic system and there was no way to pay cash! 

Santa Fe(NM) to Colorado – I 25 in Colorado is itself spectacular with views of the front range of the Rocky mountains. If you are short of time, take the scenic high roads to Taos. The high road goes through the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the Rocky range and the views are spectacular. You need to take Route 84 and follow signs for scenic byway to Taos and then eventually join I 25 to Colorado. You might also stop at the historic Santuario de Chimayó if time permits. I was fortunate to meet the 95 year old priest when I visited the church! The Rio Grande monument is another detour if you are interested. The town Taos itself is a popular destination. The Taos pueblo is a reservation and consists of a private, secretive and conservative population of native Americans. Though I could not enter the pueblo (it became too late) you may try your luck if interested. If you are spending a night at Santa Fe, you may also start the next day by visiting the Bandelier National monument and then to High Roads. Note that the Bandelier involves a foot trail of about 3 miles round trip and the place is accessible only by a public bus (private cars were not allowed). So do this only if you have enough time!  

Colorado springs to Salt Lake – Garden of the gods is a very short (less than 5 miles) scenic drive you just don’t want to miss while you are in Colorado Springs. Take a walk if you have more time. Pike’s peak is another consideration (they also have cog rails). If you continue on I25 (be careful regarding weather though), you will cross Palmer Divide for a spectacular view of the Rocky mountains. Then take I 70 near Denver (the junction is called “mousetrap”) instead of continuing north bound. Reach Salt Lake via Glenwood Springs and Rifle. The several tunnels and the winding route with steep grades along the way make it a very interesting drive. Enjoy the signs posted regarding the steep grades, warning signs for trucks and special runaway ramps for trucks! The route is rightly considered an engineering marvel! Rifle falls is a small detour (less than 20 miles) inside Rifle and you can get a real close view of the falls and is hardly a walk from the parking place. Hanging lake is another attraction near Glenwood springs that involves a not so easy hiking trail of about a mile one way. Arches National park is just 20 miles from I70 as you enter Utah. Ideally you need several hours to see everything in this park. But if you don’t have so much time you could just take the scenic drive through the park (about 20 miles) and come back to catch the highway. North of Salt Lake city is Timpanagos cave national monument on state route 92. To enter the cave there is a small hike (fully paved and hence easy except for the grade) of about 1.5 miles but offers some amazing views of stalactites, stalacmites and helictites (rock straws). 

Salt Lake to California – There are many places in Nevada where they still actively mine gold and some of these are actually open to the public for viewing. But they are open only on Thursdays and so might require some planning. I did not notice anything else interesting in Nevada along I 80. Lake Tahoe is a great place to cool off as you enter CA. Of course CA offers much more to see for a tourist!

My trip was mostly unplanned. All the above places I had discovered were by taking detours as I saw the brown boards (for national or state parks) or stopping by at the visitor center as I entered a new state or by asking my friends who lived in that area. So, perhaps you can find a better route and a better plan and if so I request you to leave a comment. Also, please do comment if you followed this route and if it was helpful! Thanks!

Age of Ravan(a)

This is purely an academic exercise based on some references of Ramayan(a) and other such literature and there is nothing religious about this article. So, whoever is reading this article, I kindly suggest to leave your sentiments and religious beliefs aside and view this piece as objectively as you can. Any comments mocking at the plausibility of the numbers below will be plainly ignored.

Ravan(a) is said to be the mighty king of Lanka and is portrayed as "evil" and one to be slayed in the epic Ramayan(a). But those who have read Ramayan(a) in some detail would also admire some of the traits of Ravan(a). To begin with, it is said that he had the blessings of "God" and was powerful and knowledgeable. He was not only a great king but was well versed in Vedas (the highest possible education at that time) and in music (apparently he was a great player of Veena). To call him a "demon", hence takes away all these good accomplishments from him. Perhaps, it is not without reason that they say 'character makes a man'.

It can be gleaned from Ramayan(a) that Ram(a) was in his 30s (about 38 to be precise) when he took on Ravan(a) in battle. But I have always wondered how old must Ravan(a) have been at the time of battle. Just curious. To my knowledge there is no direct or indirect reference to his age in Valmiki Ramayana (and there are several versions of Ramayan(a)). So, I will try and put together some information from other references in Tarantino style ;).

1. When sage Vishwamitra seeks the help of Ram(a) and Lakshman(a), Dasarath(a) is clearly scared at the mention of Ravan(a). This implies that either Ravan(a) was a contemporary of Dasarath(a) or possibly even before. A note here that Dasaratha himself says he has lived for "thousands of years".
2. Ravan(a) had battled with King Karthavirya Arjun(a) and lost the battle. Karthavirya, obviously at some point later, was in turn killed in a battle with Parasuram(a). This implies that Ravan(a) was around even a generation before Parasuram(a)!
3. Various references vaguely mention that Ravan(a) had performed tapas for thousands of years!


My opinion
It is easy to set aside these references as fantasies. I somehow feel it is a lazy way to discard things. Maybe there are other explanations?

1. What if the references were of multiple persons? Most of the names are derived from Sanskrit and hence have a meaning behind it. For instance "Vishnu" just means "the all pervading one" (So, why can't Shiva or any other "God" be a "Vishnu"?) and Ram(a:) means "one who is pleasing (to others)". And the name in focus, Ravan(a), means "crying" or "one who makes others cry". So, could it be that there were (and are) several Ravan(a)s?
2. Was it just a figure of speech at many of these references? My mother often used to say "I have told you this a thousand times.. " I respond to her saying "No, this is the third time actually" :P
3. The earliest definition of year (defined as the time it takes for earth to go around its orbit) is around 7th and 8th century BC. Could it be that the word "year" meant some other time scale in these older references? People from Krita yuga (a phase in Earth) supposedly lived for 1000s of years. What definition of "year" are they using?

Perhaps not without reason they say "ageless" epics :)

Can "we" come out of opinion based politics?

(Written mostly from an Indian perspective)

Region based politics (such as the left front in the NE and Kerala), caste based politics (too many examples to list), language based politics (such as the ones in TN), religion based politics (Hindutva and non-hindutva. Parties who call themselves secular just seem to be non-hindutva in my opinion. If you encourage a reservation system based on religion then you cease to be secular, right?. Reservation was provided in the constitution for demographic groups that were structurally oppressed and it was not based on religion. Anyway reservation system is a different argument altogether) and now we have been bitten by opinion based politics. 

Politics is a very difficult area. And on top of that it is murky. I have always believed that politicians are some of the smartest people on earth. Once they get a powerful position their objective is to maximize their wealth before the next election. Most of them succeed in accomplishing this simple objective. Of course, stuff happens in between. People criticize. People blame, threaten, protest and a majority remain quiet. They are all immaterial. A politician gets the job done. Personal job I mean.

To win an election is no easy task in the first place. Having contested an election at an extremely small scale at IIT, I have a vague idea of what it takes. You can come up with an extremely attractive, practical and useful manifesto. You can spend hours convincing the voters that you will get things done. Those just don't matter. Ultimately many voters don't care who you are. Some have their own agenda. Some have already made their decision, choices that are mostly personal. Some are just not going to turn up for voting anyways. At whatever scale the elections happen more or less the above trend is true.

Why are these choices personal and pre-determined? In other words, why are most votes mostly based on our opinions and not facts or extensive analysis? Why are we so impressionable? For instance, most of you who are reading this blog will fall into one of the following categories:

A. Believe in AAP and want it to succeed
B. Used to believe AAP but have now given up on AAP
C. Think that AAP is just like another political party and has a few tricks up its sleeve
D. AAP - kya AAP.. humko aap vap nahin malum saab

Some of us do wait and watch and our patience is running out with every new article. But most of us just follow what the herd says and blindly believe what the news reports say. "Oh yes, AAP is useless" or "Oh yes, AAP is fantastic". We just don't put thoughts to the reports and on top of that do not accept that we are so impressionable. A simple proof is the fact that both AAP supporters and haters (or non-believers) exist among the literate. Surely, one of them is being misled? I'm scared at this. If educated people cannot (or do not have the time to) fully analyze and come to a decision based on facts, it puts a huge pressure on a genuine political party (if any exists) to change people's opinions. I don't see any difference between us and a guy who has been voting for ADMK (a party started by a movie star in Tamil Nadu) for time immemorial just because he was a huge fan of the cine star who started the party (and who is no more). At least the latter's mind does not waver much.

Jai Hind!

An entry to a Hindu temple for the 'first' time

It is astonishing how we take many things for granted. We somehow assume that they will be available for us for ever, just like they are available right now. We don't realize that even if we have money, we might still get into a situation where the things we want, though material, may not be there for us. And then there are small yet beautiful things around us, which we fail to appreciate, and worse still ignore! That lack of appreciation continues in many other aspects including a visit to the temple. Most of us go to a temple because we have a need or we seek a solution for a problem, that is presumably beyond our capacity. Our mind is clouded with thoughts and insecurity. So, every time we step in to a temple, we fail to notice the beautiful, exquisite aspects. The carvings, the sculptures, the aroma, the stillness in the air, flowers (natural and otherwise) looking more beautiful amidst their relatives, the steady flame of a lamp devoid of its occasional flicker, a devotee lost in thoughts, the vibrations and the reverberations in the air from a powerful prayer, a child trying to imitate its parents, an infant curious about where it is and so on. It is not about being artistic but the eye "sees" only what the mind intends to.

A temple is where a 'God' is or where the presence of 'Divine' can be felt. And so, here I imagine myself visiting a 'Hindu' temple for the 'first' time trying to flush out all my prior notions of a temple.

As soon as you arrive at the temple, more than a welcome sign, the first sign to greet you will be "no shoes beyond this point" or something similar. Most temples are pretty strict about this. So, before you see all the nice things inside a temple you will be forced to see shoes at different life stages*. Once you enter the temple, the first thing that catches one's attention will be the numerous statues, some sitting, some standing and some even reclining. But at least all of them will be complete from head to toe and mostly no busts. Some are carved from stone (be it marble or granite), some modeled (from clay) and some even casted (from copper or bronze). And on a fleeting inquiry all will happen to be 'Gods', not just different forms but also different names with different stories. In most cases, the sculptures are such that an attempted "high five" moment is frozen mid way. The idols are not giving the devotees any "high-five". It's understood as an act of "blessing".

A closer look at these sculptures will also reveal that the sculptures are portrayed with as many super human features as the number of human aspects they show. Some will have two hands, some four and some even 16! You may also see some super human yogic poses which are almost impossible to mimic and some poses beyond imagination. Such as, a woman sitting on a lotus flower with a musical instrument. Either the lotus must be quite monstrous or the woman must be ultra-light! Or maybe, it is the power of levitation. Each sculpture is decorated in a unique way, some with jewels, some with flowers and in short, the sculptures are dressed up and look like adorable barbie dolls. Still, a typical devotee will come in front of the statue and close one's eyes! I mean why? If the sole purpose of coming in front of the idol is closing one's eyes, can't it be done without coming near the statue and sitting in a corner at the temple? ;) The animated looks of the idols is actually a stark contrast to the idols (if they exist at all) in many other religions. The smiling face (an ardent devotee will call it grace) does lift your spirits. 

Then there are various animals and birds and reptiles, not real ones but replicas of course, that one can see, almost like pets in front of each idol. From lion, tiger, snake, bull, peacock, parrot, bald eagle and even a rat! You might almost think that you are in some sort of a zoo/museum. Call it harmony with the nature or something more. Historically, people have tried to worship on account of two reasons - Love and Fear. Was it the fear of these animals (lion, snake, bull) or love (peacock, parrot) will be an interesting analysis.

Some idols are also too complex to understand. Neither animal nor human. There is this elephant headed human (Ganesha), lion headed human (Narasimha) and someone who looks like the holder of a Mr. Universe title. Six pack and all! Face of a monkey, body of a human with a tail and a mace to add (Hanuman). It is actually interesting to see how Hanuman has been portrayed physically stronger and stronger especially as one moves from the South of India to the North.

If you stay long enough or look closely enough, you should also be able to spot the curator for this "museum" (aka priest). He not only takes care of the sculptures, but mostly also the man behind the decorations. He also appears to "talk" to these sculptures from time to time in a language that even a typical devotee cannot understand. Maybe that is why, this language is called God's language (De(i)va basha)! Typically, the healthier and happier the curator looks the wealthier and majestic the temple is.

So, the next time you go to a "temple", spend a few minutes appreciating the nuances. The experience, I promise, only gets richer :)

Much of the temple context can be understood through this quote from Bhagwat Gita:
yo yo yāṃ yāṃ tanuṃ bhaktaḥ śraddhayārcitum icchati
tasya tasyācalāṃ śraddhāṃ tām eva vidadhāmy aham 7.21
In whichever shape a devotee with faith wishes to worship,
To such a one I give his steadfast faith

*People's strategy seems to be simple: The shoes and sandals cannot be flaunted and have to be left behind anyway. So, the higher the life stage, lower are the chances that somebody can become jealous of your pair and exchange it for theirs. The (sometimes intentional) swapping of foot companions is so common that many temples have a "shoe room" similar to the cloak room concept. The shoe rooms may actually make some business as well. Not that people are too fond of their foot companions. But I think it is going to be rather awkward to be without them after the visit, even if only for a few minutes.

Why Sachin does (not) deserve the Bharat Ratna

Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian award conferred by India. It literally means "jewel of India". So, one who is conferred this award must be someone who India must be proud of. Has Sachin made India proud?

Legend: F - For and A - Against

F: Obviously! Cricket is a game popularized by the English and as of now no English player has scored more than 10 thousand runs. Sachin has almost twice the number of runs the highest English player has scored!

A: That only says how frequently the game is played. So, how many countries play cricket?

F: It is quite popular in about 10-15 countries.

A: Out of about 200 odd countries right?

F: Well, if you are hinting at cricket not being global, how global is Carnatic music and Indian music? MS Subbulakshmi and Lata Mangeshkar have also been conferred this award.

A: And this game cricket, seems like it's full of controversies these days? Fixing, ball tampering, doctored pitches and other forms of corruption?

F: Maybe but you cannot blame Sachin for the game being corrupt.

A: The point is, it is a muddy sport and he was part of the era. Can you categorically say that he has not been involved in any scams?

F: Well, nothing has come out as of now. We all believe that he is an honest man. But the point is Sachin is a household name for a billion people!

A: India's population may be 1.2 billion. But the number of infants/children who I am sure don't know about cricket are around 150 million. And I'm sure there are quite a few woman who don't care about cricket. And even among cricket fans I hear that there are a few Sachin bashers. So a billion? Really?

F: Ok, that was an exaggeration. But he has the largest fan following in India..

A: Hang on, better than all the political leaders?

F: I meant in sports..

A: I see .. Is he the best indisputably?

F: May not the best in the world but definitely the best in India.

A: Better than Kapil Dev, Gavaskar and other legends?

F: Well, I meant batsmen. But let's not make comparisons. All these legends that you mention have utmost respect for him and consider him the best in business.

A: Gavaskar is not going to say "I'm better than Sachin". Anyway, so be it. Let Sachin be the best cricketer, not sportsman, India has produced. But you still have not answered the key question. Has he made India proud?

F: This an award given to personalities that India thinks are its jewels. If you look at the list of awardees most were freedom fighters and politicians.

A: I can understand freedom fighters. Politicians? So, it seems to have some political motivations too?

F: Well, maybe.. Rajiv Gandhi was the youngest to get this award before Sachin. Politicians have served the nation.

A: Served the nation. hmmm.. I see.. So, Sachin has served the nation? How exactly?

F: Well, they tweaked the definition. It used to be an award given for public service and achievements in arts and science. But now they extended it to include performance in any human endeavor.

A: Any human endeavor.. Interesting. So, a software professional, a laundry man and why even a janitor may also be eligible..

F: Err.. technically it looks like.. yes..

A: So, he did not serve the nation.. and only a majority think he was the best..

F: Well, it's not just about his talents. It was the feel good factor that he brought to his fans. It was the hope he gave. They were proud of his achievements. Beyond that it was his commitment, the way he conducted himself, his humility and..

A: Let me ask you this question. What do you think should be the motive in giving this highest civilian award?

F: I guess to motivate an ordinary civilian ..

A: Exactly! Millions of youngsters are already watching this sport and possibly wasting time. Thousands choose cricket as their vocation and lose their way. By giving this award to Sachin, is the nation helping itself? Let the cricketers and fanatic cricket fans celebrate Sachin. Sports in India is already in bad shape. We forgot hockey legends like Dhyan Chand. By stooping low to vox populi and celebrating Sachin with the highest civilian award, I think India has got its priorities wrong!

Following Sachinism and being a Sachinist

"Is he going to sub you, is he going to study for you?" yelled my mother. "What's so different? Does he play with his bum?" mocked my advisor. Insane, madness - people could say. They just cannot understand, I would say, and move on.

This article is not about Sachin. Not about numbers. Not about records. Many have written about him, his humility and about his numerous feats. I doubt if I can add even a word more. This is about myself, the Sachin side. So, ideally it should have been in my diary. But that is Sachinism you see. It will be in the open.

I don't remember watching any cricket till 1996. That still surprises me, given that my father follows cricket. The lack of a TV possibly explains part of it. It was around 96 World Cup that I started following cricket. And quite soon got addicted. First it was cricket and then it was Sachin. With Sachin, "addicted" is too weak an adjective.

I had no idea what swing was. What seam was. What a flipper was. I knew only pace and spin bowling and that 6 per over or a strike rate of 100 is a difficult task. I kept cricket simple. Sachin taught me it was not. If it was a simple game, why did he just stand out? Why can't others do the same thing he does? What makes it difficult for them? And slowly I learned about the game and the more I understood, the more I was awed by Sachin.

At home, Sachin always created scrambles in our hall. When Sachin was batting and something else was on TV (a serial, cartoon or a movie), I literally had to fight for my right and fight I did to catch a glimpse of him. The previous channel button in the remote was so helpful! Every time I pressed it, I will receive a stare from my mother or a scream from my sister as the case maybe.  Luckily there were enough seconds between balls, between overs and there was another batsman along with Sachin who also faced occasionally. You see, these were the times, I would let them watch their stuff.

Then there were calculations. 80 more runs required to win, 52 runs for Sachin's 100. Will curse the other batsmen if they score too quickly. Forget the win. Forget the caliber of the other batsmen. Only one thing seemed to matter when Sachin was batting. It is a phenomenon that is hard to explain. Cricket, they say, is a team game. Not when Sachin is batting, for me. I even pray for the opposition to post a decent score to give Sachin enough runs to score a 100. Rubbish - I know. I always try to catch a glimpse of even a solitary boundary he had hit in his innings in the highlights package. Nonsense - I know.

Waking up at 5 AM just to watch him bat in Australia, waking up at 2 AM watching him bat at New Zealand, staying up all night in Hawaii watching him bat in South Africa. Memories simply galore. The nights before many term exams were spent watching him bat. Even my academics took a balcony seat when it comes to Sachin performance. Well, highlights package existed. But it was just not the same.

I have been preparing for Sachin's retirement since 2005, I should say. Closely following Ponting and Kallis' records to see if they will surpass him. Can Sachin last longer than them or just enough to ensure he will be on top? Age calculations, average calculations, test match frequency, forecasts... How does it matter? Somehow they did. And survived he did! And how!

How much ever Sachin accomplished, the requests never ended. Can he do well in the Finals after 98? Yes, he answered, in Australia. Can he do well in the 4th innings while chasing? There it was against England. Somehow every success of his was a check mark in MY list. It made me feel good. Even my grand mother was surprised. "Sachin Sachin Sachin, Do your work" she will affectionately chide.

Who after Sachin - is a question that I have been trying to answer. Sehwag? Ah! He is not even in the team now a days. Dhoni? Kohlis and Dhawans? Nay! They all seem to be performers whom I would at best watch in highlights. That's about it.

Sachin will always remain a phenomenon that I could never explain. With his retirement, a childhood in me has retired too.

P.S - Please keep away your comments on the timing of his retirement. I believe, it his personal decision that none of us have a say on. Whether he should have been dropped is a selection committee's decision. Discussions on both of these topics would simply not be encouraged. 

How much does crowd matter in sports?

Each of us have a preference to a particular sport. And each sport requires a specialized set of skills. But there seems to be one common link across many outdoor sports. The audience, the crowd. As the gladiator thumb rule says "You win the crowd, you win your freedom". Here are a few instances that I can remember when the crowd played a significant role in the game (in no particular order). The recent Wimbledon Final triggered me to wrap this post which I actually started a few months before! 

Tennis:
Fedex vs Djoko - 2012 Wimbledon Semi-Final
Not quite as epic as that  (2008) Wimbledon Final, which remains one of my favorites till today. But, this 2012 Semi-Final was also epic by a lot of criteria. Unfortunately, Djokovic was then too at the receiving end of the crowd. This was a match in which a fading Federer overcame a rising Djokovic. Almost unthinkable at the time of the match. Federer showed his class and the crowd chipped in as well. Each point won by Federer drew a bigger cheer and applause than that of Djoker's. Three out of four sets of pure genius. I think Federer just took a break during the second set :P.

Fedex vs Simon - 2013 French Open
Probably an insignificant match. But consider this - Simon is French and it was a 5 setter with Federer who was perhaps not at his best in 2013. In fact, he eventually lost in the Quarters to Tsonga. Did the crowd help him get to the Quarters at least? :) Simon was left ruing the fact that the crowd was so partisan. The homeboy tag was just on paper, the home crowd wanted their own favorite to win.

Martina Hingis vs Steffi Graf - 1999 French Open final
Monica Seles perhaps bore the most severe brunt from a fan, but there was another notable one. Though I never saw/followed this match live, the reports I read years later made me feel how much the crowd can get to you! This was a match that had Hingis' name written on it. But the crowd, partly instigated by Hingis' behavior on court, decided to re-write it. Hingis never again could manage to reach a French Open finals and ended up not being able to complete a career slam!

Cricket:
When it comes to cricket, wherever India goes, the crowd is mostly behind India and in huge numbers too. There are several instances I could give, so much so that the crowd is often called the 12th man for India! 2011 World cup that happened in the Indian subcontinent definitely warrants a mention. But here is the one that will remain in my memory for quite sometime!
Ind vs SA - 2nd Test at Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Eden Gardens is famous for the crowd's involvement (both good and bad) and it is the largest stadium in India and easily the largest in the world if you account for the extra seats on trees, roofs of nearby buildings and so on. The series had an interesting prelude. India was then ranked #1 and SA #2. India cleverly invited SA for a 2 test match series to strengthen its current position. But the plan backfired as it lost the first one by a big margin. So, the situation was like - If they fail to win the 2nd test match, the #1 tag will be gone. Just as it looked like the shutters were down on Day 1, the turn around began. The SA batsmen were facing two bowlers at the same time, the bowler and the crowd! Many batsmen walked in and were clueless like a deer in front of the headlights. It was a sensational come back in my opinion. India retained the #1 tag and Bhajji, egged by the crowd, performed too! 

Boxing: Ali vs Foreman - Rumble in the Jungle
If you haven't seen the documentary, I suggest you do! The match, well known for the tactics employed by Ali more than many other things, also gave us the famous quote "I will fly like a butterfly and sting like a bee". But a less popular quote was "Ali booma ye (Ali kill him)" by Ali's fans or rather people who Ali made his fans. Foreman was clueless as to why the crowd was so partisan. Around that time, it was physically impossible for someone to hold Foreman in a match, forget winning against him. Ali did it and did it with style but not without the egging and cries of the crowd. Simply phenomenal and a story that makes you think fairytales could have been true!

The role of crowd is probably limited in F1 (or most races), golf and some other sport, in particular, where technique and concentration is more important than power. So, crowd is of little help in these sports. But where it matters, I think it matters big! The extra adrenalin, the extra energy and the boost that the crowd is capable of infusing is just so invaluable! If you consider life as a sport, we do have a big audience. But, looks like a cheer will go a long way too unless of course we rely on 'technique' and 'concentration' :)

If you have enjoyed any such event that remains memorable, please do share it in the comments! Thanks!

Trivia: Turkish fans hold the Guinness record for the loudest cheer, unfortunately for what ended up as a losing cause.

P.S. Methodical research on a similar topic is of course available. The interested may refer to Thirer and Rampey, 1979; Courneya and Carron, 1992; Agnew & Carron, 1994; Nevill, Newell and Gale, 1996;  Morley and Thomas, 2005; Polman et al 2007.