Culture to tradition – the evolution path

Without understanding the traditions and believing in them, you are a mere follower of the traditions. That doesn’t mean it is bad. What it means is that such people have tremendous faith but without the urge for the knowledge.

Others will trust the traditions only if it is relevant in today's context.

The rational mind however, may want to prod further. They know that traditions have evolved through cultures. To trust the traditions, they assess the evolution path of cultures that has created, matured and sustained the traditions. Only then they judge their relevance and decide on whether to trust them or not.

Noise pollution – multiple layers, different avatars

We have so much noise around us – blowing of horns, playing loud music etc. Have you ever wondered about the noises that we create that has nothing to do with the decibel level? These noises can be due to bad habits, the way we think, the way we walk and so on.

Noise due to bad habits – spitting, blowing nose in public, giggling …

Noise when we think – humming, tapping (e.g. desk), cracking fingers …

Noise when we walk – noisy shoes …

What about the noise that we create when we talk?

(1) We give unsolicited advice – that is noise.

(2) We interrupt others – that is noise.

(3) We talk without listening completely to what the other person is saying – that is noise.

(4) We pretend to know everything or at least something and try to boast of in front of a gathering – that is noise.

(5) We give descriptive account of events when we have been asked for a brief narration – that is noise.

(6) We bitch about others in their absence – that is noise.

In short, anything we talk about other than what we are asked for, what we know, what we should say contributes to noise.

West Bengal communist party machinery

We Indians are used to most ordinary services from all (including govt dept. such as health). In case of most Indians, our thoughts are ordinary (movies, movie stars, cricket stars, gods), our intentions are ordinary (make more money, bribe if required), our life self-centred. We expect others to rise above us and do wonders and in the process elect most ordinary people to represent us. Naturally, dreams are shattered in no time and we live rest of the life as pessimists and de-motivating others (especially the youths).

In West Bengal, we have gone one step further (down). We had once elected a certain group of people (Communist Party), with very high hopes. Today this group do not depend on us to elect them. They have build a long-lasting symbiotic relation with people who at the beginning, leave out hope, did not have proper food, shelter, health, insurance, job, job security, self-belief. The group (the party) has provided them all these in a most interesting way - food through land liberization, shelter through force ownership, renting and subsequently owning properties, health/insurance by being in the rank and files of the party, job (as hawkers) by illegally encroaching pavements, job by including their 'own' people in temporary jobs in an organization and subsequently forcing the organization to induct them as permanent employees, 'job' as auto-rickshaw and cycle-rickshaw drivers by giving driving permits generously, job security by being part of the employee union and at the cost of the organization's profitability, self-belief by making parting omnipotent - at locality, at your workplace.

The people they represent have got used to foster wrong intentions knowing fully well that if not all, some of these intentions will become a reality. The party is thus able to run a strong parallel administration - a few people trying to revolt will always find it hard to face many more people who think otherwise, and will always support the party (and that includes election). While rest of the country went from bad to worse, we have gone from bad to worst.

Well just like all good things come to end, fortunately all bad things ultimately give way to good. And the magic wand is the much cliche word - globalization. The party which ones found that to run the machinery smoothly they need to oppose globalization because that will create disparity. They were in a Catch 22 situation then (which I will explain letter), but whether they realized it long ago or until recently is a matter of debate. The growing economy of India has improved the life of people at the lower rung of economy much much less than people at the middle to higher rung - a disparity the party feared but for completely different reason altogether.

Since the party does not rule the whole of India and in spite of opposing globalization vehemently, Central government and many of the progressive states embraced it it with open hands. While Bengal thought that it had insulated herself from disparity within, it was exposed to disparity across. At all levels there was disparity across people living in Bengal and people living in some of states with growing economy. This was specially noticeable at middle-class level and above. New generations chose to move out - there was growing discontent among the middle class youths, aspiring for blue-collared and white-collared jobs. The party had to step in to take positive actions - introducing english at a lower level in school, encourage IT sector, BPOs and other industries to come in. The wheels have started moving in the opposite direction.

Some reader might state that the party initially did not factor in disparity across and they realized only recently that if they do not embrace globalization disparity across will only grow further and risk the machinery immediately - so the positive actions are corrective in nature. Others might argue, that it is too naive to think that the masterminds failed to grasp the situation. They would say that the party had realized earlier that they were in a Catch 22 situation - opposing globalization would ultimately create disparity across (and eventually risk the machinery), embracing it would create disparity within and risk the machinery immediately. So they took the former path, and the positive actions that they now are taking are actually intentionally delayed.

Many people had lost hope with globalization - earlier thanks mostly due to the propaganda from party machinery and now due to the growing disparity between different rungs. However, globalization by its very nature cascades the benefits from the top rung to the bottom rung. This takes time, and a lot of patience is required. Globalization opens up newer oppurtunities, especially for young generation and brings threats to older generation not keen to adapt themselves. Movements between different rungs is much more possible today than it was in the yesteryears. Disparity will always be there, and so would the chances of excelling and moving up the ladder. One just needs the right mixture of innovation, determination and hard work.