Formidable Incompetency

                                                                  

 Knowingly or unknowingly I was dragged into the business of construction in recent times certainly not on  a  commercial purpose, but building my  own flat. How come any one can get involved in building his or her own flat?  It is  supposed to be undertaken by a builder while one  submits  one  self  paying all his or her  savings and  also inevitably  indulge  in huge debts, and  yet remain a nagger  for not getting the best of  one's  money. Either you compromise in terms of location,  lay out, or amenities provided. As my  builder  is relatively small and very enthusiastic about satisfying the customers, he  has  allowed me to coordinate with  masons, plumbers,electricians last but not least false ceiling wallah from U.P.to get the best of services offered. 

I had hundred thousand problems in visualizing how bath rooms look, my bed rooms shape, my kitchen accommodates , standing in middle of logged water midst of  half built walls with  blue tarpaulins wrapped all around the place.  While walls looked leaning, rooms looked darker, whole area designated  as  my future dwelling,  looked no more than a narrow patch..Wondering  how my dining table sofas and cots would fit into this small place, persistently I kept on  visiting the place  As the walls grew higher and higher the place looked bigger and bigger. The tarpaulins blown overnight  with the gale made my rooms brighter.Some how either  by  skiing or  crawling,  I could enter my den regularly with  enthusiasm   to supervise the  work done by men.  Many times though I  tried to prove smarter eventually  meekly agreed  for what they decided because I had no idea of the kind of work, where it begins and where it ends. I admire people who can really generate ideas despite surrounding ambiguity.

 Few ideas  I gave ultimately turned out to be silly suggestions . Few supposedly good suggestions were not carried out properly because they were either misunderstood or forgotten . The forgotten ones noticed on the other day  were  impossible to execute due  cost factor or  the work is at finishing stage.  Small small things where I felt  there is  scope to improve  have gone unattended to  and eventually I had to compromise because rectification might result in wall  breaking.

Then came my ceiling wallah from UP. I did not understand in the first place why ceiling needs to be covered.However as  builder wanted to do it I thought I should allow him to do it.  Electrician comes and drew some  wires from no where and wanted to know how many lights I needed. I was blank as I have no idea  what kind of lighting suits the design. The design catalog was not of much use because my room was  not as big as the room  shown in the catalog and  also since some ill conceived beams have to be  masked the resultant room  would look  odd  in shape. Hence the designs  inspired by the  book  greatly vary  from what they turn out to be. When I inquired  my UP wallah in  my television Hindi how the disaster could be avoided he  says "Jo Aap Kahe". "Jo maine kaha"  was executed differently by the  evening. Either my Hindi was bad or he was dumb. I banged my head to the wall to generate correction  ideas without having to change the supporting frames.

Again electrician showed  up with his usual query  as to  how many lights he should hang  on my head. It was as if  it never occurred to him that I need a fan in  my drawing room. When I  convinced him that I am a human who needs luxury of  air and ventilation  if not always but some times he to  agreed grace me with  one.  He requested  me to tell  him before hand all my electrical requirements in bed rooms  so that he can pull some more wires from some other planet above the concealed roof.

Suddenly some other problem crops in,  as the ceiling is going to be  closed wooden frames are required to be fitted  on the lofts for making  wad robes in future. Call the carpenter. He does not know up to what height he is required  to  make wooden  frames.Call the ceiling wallah again.  Ask him how low he low he wants to lower the roof. Delightfully he told me that he might need one or one and half foot. The varying half foot is left to my wild imagination. Yes done despite.  Next day on inspection  most  frames  looked  crooked  and bent. Wooden   frames gave away as the plywood brought was of inferior quality." I have to change this carpenter" I screamed and  galloped to find a new man.The first one asks for compensation as he worked 'hard'  to make those crooked   frames.  Gleefully I could find a new carpenter for double the money. Till new frames were made ceiling workers drink tea, smoke and play cards.

 I was asked to select the tiles for the bath rooms."Any color would do" I was so much exhausted. " No.. No Madam. Early in the morning it is  better to be in white bath room. It gives you peace... " "I do not know exactly where I'll be.  It all depends on occupancy. However give me that purple one on the bottom which is easy to maintain" "Madam if you select purple tiles  you won't get purple commode " "OK then give me white commode as a contrast.  I'll brush twice a day" I do not know since when we wanted our bathrooms look like bedrooms. Ever since the troubles for a house wife have  been doubled with constant maintenance worry.  Where from we got these construction ideas ? Some times dining tables are situated just next to the toilets due to the place constraint.  I am  not quite sure  whether I can find my way in  my other bathroom when the power fails,  since I have chosen another dark shade for my second bath room with fond hope of easy maintenance.

I was asked to choose vitrified tiles which are sure ways to skid for aged. All the shades are extremely gorgeous but what worries me most is number of times  I have to wipe the floors to make them glitter all the time. One cat paw or dog paw (like games village ) or human foot print can spoil the entire  show. OK Add one more woe to the list. Either pay more to the servant to clean twice or do it your self.  I am sure I have to break my head to ensure that  the worker  lays all the tiles  with proper technique instead of using his intuitive power to measure the ground  level.. The improperly laid tiles look messier than any flooring available on date.

Then comes plumber. Wash basin comes only in the inconvenient corner since water flow there is  good. The geyser doesn't come on the wall  you wanted  because  the pipe line was not laid  there. All was explained to them  before. The problem is,  the  person who understood my concern,  does not turn up and  another plumber was  employed  to finish the job. I was aghast learning that the work done by the previous fellow was found to be  amateurish and faulty. To my disbelief  he looked and talked better. What is the way of finding  his credentials?

Second carpenter promises to get me the plywood of the highest quality on earth which will cost me double the money. Agreed. But do you get the best? God knows.  He promised " Green ply" or "Arrow" But next day "Priyanka"  appears." Both are water proof. They bear the same  No. blah..blah.."  he assured. How  the  hell on earth  I know the number of "Arrow" to compare ? .   Why getting  the work is such an ordeal here? I found an answer. It dawned upon me that I need to learn bit of plumbing, carpentry, flooring work, ceiling work, electrical work and  masonry to ensure that I get best of every body.  

Now I understand what Kalmadi and Co. have faced in games village.We severely fall short of skilled workers. Majority colleges teach maths, science, commerce,   economics or political science to churn out huge number of graduates .Very few institutions exist to teach vocational courses at affordable cost. Even if they exist the infrastructure is pathetic.  Every Indian need not  become an engineer or doctor to make his living. There are thousands who want to pursue what their fathers or fore fathers pursued as an occupation. By training them country will get ample of skilled  work force. It can reduce the burden of creating en number of desk jobs for several thousands who are graduating every year. The majority of  work force in our civil society are unskilled and they profoundly depend on their  intuitive power to execute the work given, which is unscientific and risky in some cases.  All the 75 thousand crores spent for the games and money flowing  like water on correction work should be an eye opener for the country which boasts false  raising status in the world. They cannot build world class  infrastructure with illiterate,  unskilled work force. 

Who carried the marble  stones to build Taj Mahal?  Do you know any body's name?

54 laborers died  building  our stadia. Some body died unsung to make somebody win their medals. What a cruel reality !! 

Unhealthy Games

However I restrain  my self from writing about the Common Wealth Games,  the filth shrouded  around the same compelled me to write few lines.  I was happy to look at the photo  gallery of the stadia completed few days ago.  Kudos ! Our people are competent to "somehow" finish the work at the 11th hour despite  bad planning and disorganization. The only doubt which lurks our mind is how long these hurry bury built  multimillion projects last?Are they not meant to be used by future generations?

 In the sports village out of numerous  residential towers supposed to  host athletes during the games  only 35 to 40 are  completed and out of those completed few,  the felicities appear to be horrific in nature.Unlocked toilets are defecated by workers and water supply seem to be scanty. The rest of the towers might  take months to be completed,  while  Games are going to begin in first week of October. The foot bridge which connects parking lot to the spectators collapsed just few days before the games. The respective investigative report will be given after 15 days i.e exactly the day games commence. Mean while no body knows whether the said bridge will be resurrected or not.

Of course no one has control over the nature. The sports village it self is located in the swamps of Yamuna  which  incidentally  was in spate submerging the all the adjacent localities in recent times. Though the water level has receded now  the slushy  banks housed millions monster mosquitoes. No body can do any thing about rains too in context of  our existing infrastructure. The whole city of Delhi is dug for making it more beautiful for the games, we do not have exact figures of how many people fell into those grave yards during torrential rains. To what extant Delhi was made beautiful  only Delhites can tell us now.

Over and above all,  the entire saga of  games was filled  with scandals amounting to thousands of crores which we listen and read day in and day out and got immune. But we don't see any body being caught and punished so far and I guess all the scams will be hush hushed once  the games get over with stupendous success. "They have eaten all the money. So what? They have done the work",   that seems to be the atmosphere.

As if to add some flavour to the recipe, some assailants shot few rounds at the foreign visitors with an intention to discourage games tourism, to celebrate second  anniversary of   Batala House encounter. Why not ? Government it self is divided about shootings and victimizes the brave police officer heading the operation. Why should a terrorist be kind  to people?  (We had enough of these dirty  vote bank politics.Dying  People are just numbers in this game).

Let the money go down the drain or straight into the pockets whatever,  people are truly help less to stop this swindling .But what about the honour of this country.? Once again I try to remember 1983 Asiad which was conducted quite efficiently . It gave  confidence and pride to youngsters like us   that India is capable of conducting even Olympics in coming years. To day with sad note I have to make a remark that we are not even  competent to conduct common wealth games leave alone Olympics.  After 27 years of  more wealth and prosperity we miserably fail to conduct one event with  pride. We have scant regard for the honour and prestige of the country. We do not mind letting it down in front of international community. Literally we have sent our Mother India naked on the street where people all over the  world watch. 

This is a country ruled by crooks, managed by inept bureaucrats, unethical business houses, greedy realtors, powerless police,and liquor barons. The country is repeatedly cheated, abused, tormented and raped. Yet we cannot do any thing about it. This is the most desperate reality of living here.    

 

Once Again Rahman !

Has Rahman won another Oscar ? No. Then why again ,  Rahman ? For me it is just because he appeared on a music reality show which was recorded few weeks before it actually got aired. The music legend who appeared in  a formal suit  with ritualistic smile looked like an  uncomfortable school  boy attending  a formal gathering. The ovation and adulation he got from the crowed and fellow musicians was  very special. It was as though musicians them selves felt honored  sitting ext to him . Beyond doubt the  Oscars made him  bigger. It still remains a matter of doubt whether it  really changed his personality. Apparently not much. He looks the same socially awkward guy who feels embarrassed to face a crowd. Regardless of music scores for en-number of Hindi movies he finds it difficult to utter a Hindi syllable. Let alone  Hindi talk, he finds it difficult even  to utter a word. Karan Thapar who irritates and  elicits from every body under the sun confesses  that the  most disgusting  interview of his lifetime was with Mr. Rahman ! One movie flicker musician  too can render few comments on a singer. But we don't see him judging or misjudging anybody . Best mantra on avail. He just doesn't speak.

But does that really make him smaller ?  Big NO. His every  composition sounds  so unique and different. His  genius hits us at least once in the  midst of  whole lot of blaring synthesized acoustics with his bold  signature. Nothing  seem to really drive him  except his inner insatiable hunger and longing  for music. Scores of Bollywood movies, live shows can draw  him millions. Yet the Madras  Mozart is not just simply another  man who ignores his call. His lust,  passion, for sounds is better called devoutness than  compositions.

"He took six months to do this CWG  messy theme . I just need half an hour to do this !" "Five crores to do one song ? I would produce 50 songs with  this kind of  money"  blah.. blah.. blah.. We keep listening to all the stuff. If Rahman has spent six months to make a tune if he is not otherwise busy,  he would have poured his soul into that. It might click  or not. But it is by no means a small job. He is not just another hatch patchy musician who tracks his watch and weighs his valet. Rare artists are born once in a while to lit up the roads they walk. Nothing is paramount in their heart but the excellence in what they touch. Constant exploration, experimentation  and innovation  make them better and better. No wonder if he  bags his second Oscar even before some one  acknowledges his grandiose vision of music . It would be exaggerating to quote  Beethoven,  DaVinci,   Milton  in his context. But greats are not born every day. These gifted seek altogether different plane to express what is churning in their mind.  This musician, Rahman  never stops. Rags or riches should  not really  bother him. Next time do not get surprised if you find him running behind a Shepard  to catch his simple tune in Andes or Alps !!

What .. After Big Brother ?

 It is not about desi version of Big Brother where in scandalous  Rahul Mahajan with his  awful laughter earned  his second wife or Rakhi Sawant rose to fame  to do  big  business on screen at  a later date. It is Big brother of every body on earth, US.

Figures show that it is the end of era of supremacy of West over hitherto the  darkest, forlorn, destitute,over populated  and  underdeveloped parts of the globe. The underprivileged  have come of age and are set to  steal  the show.   Graying European nations grow  wary of things when  their lives turn dearer by Euro with  every passing day. The long enjoyed glory of US  seem to be jeopardized when  their citizens walked  straight into the cheap credit trap  Barely two decades after end of cold war the largest democracy after a  stint of unquestioned dominance over the global politics,  seem to be contracting .  Making head way into the possible double recession the country is  caught up with severe financial crisis. The giant whom every body feared hitherto  appears to be pulling it's tail between the hind legs and it's thunderous roar is increasingly waning away  into vast expanding hollows. The land of promises which hugged every body from every corner of the the world is closing  it's doors to the stranger slowly .. but silently. Optimists hope for it's rise like phoenix from ashes but it's  number Uno spot  is caught in doubt looking at the global trends.

The Europe is crashing  under the pressure of debt. While European nations making beeline for bail outs, the China  is racing fast to displace the glorious. With it's  economy beaming  with over eight hundred billion US treasury securities,  strong world trade and consistent growth rate it has  displaced  Japan from number two ranking. It dares US  with objections to it's naval exercises as show of mark of strength.  It dares India too with it's stapled visas and drawing new maps taking away  Kashmir from India. It rejects Indian General's visit. It secretly pacts with Pakistan  to build projects in occupied Kashmir and woos Nepalese Maoist regime.  It braves it's claim on Arunachal. It befriends Sri Lanka.  Certainly it has different game plan to  "downsize" it's possible contender neighbor India.

Strictly speaking US as a nation has never proved to be a  great friend of India.  Yet young  India received maximum aid from US aid programs  in dire times. US  love for Pakistan was the most irritating factor for India.It's love for America was similar to the troubled  emotional bonding felt by a neglected child.. India  loved America for it's fashion, style and freedom.  US  strategic interests  are very different from what India can put up with.  India works under pressure from different groups within,  which America cannot  come to terms with.  These two large democracies were engaged in consistent love and hate relationship  As a  silver lining of a cloud,   Indian NRIs gained a  lot from American society. American enterprise too reaped huge  profits  from Indian sweat. More than 60 % of our soft ware exports cater to US. Indian IT industry quivers when US stumbles. IT being the major booster for Indian economy in a way India's progress is indirectly linked to US's stability.  It is as though people of the two countries are closer while the governments are  apart. Many urbane  young  Indians  emulate Americanism. Like  for every body in the world , America is a giant performer on platform for an average Indian audience.

The world sans  American influence rather dominance .. how does it go down  to Indian psyche? For over half a century it never had a hero bigger than America despite USSR. It is painful for   Indians to be away from America for reasons what so ever. Kennedy was closer to it's heart. Johnson was tolerated. Nixon was hated  Ford, Carter were ignored. Reagan was glamorized. Senior Bush was feared. Clinton was romanticized. Jr.Bush was ridiculed.  On the whole America as a nation had a steadfast image in India  as friendly nation with unfriendly governments.

China  strategically  moves forward  to overtake traditional super powers.  Definitely the news  is  not very pleasing to Indian ear. It can see foray  of problems ahead in case China triumphs. It's internal security would cause a worry with  it's sizable Maoist presence and  couple of  Communist ruled states. Poor being  present in large numbers,   India suffers from   vulnerability. But is the world prepared for for China's leadership ? None can annul the  success achieved  in China's front. Unmistakably money speaks and sets the rules. Will the  South East Asian block be comfortable  with giant dragon  snuggling in their bedrolls ? Will there be another "Soviet Block" like conglomerations ? Had  Russia  turned it's face to Communism for ever? Is the cold war in store for the world ? Terrorism being the common enemy India imagines a greater support from US.Can it be same with China ?  How Islam coincides with China's dominance? However,  for India  US is a more lovable adversary any time than China trying to spread it's tentacles.
 

How We are Different ?

On few accounts I find India very different from rest of the world.

First but not the best are  it's films. Let "Benhur" "Avatar" or  "Inception" rock the world, Indian viewership base is not shaken even by one inch. Indian films have their own huge  audience base which only expands with every passing year. Filmy  idiosyncrasies, nuances, comedy, glamor, dance, and songs have no parallel in the hearts of it's crazy fans. High technology,  perfect taking, make believe action  has no great relevance in Indian context. The dreams sold by Indian movies are perfectly received by it's audience while they refuse to come down to earth.  Sharukh Khan can gather more masses around him than Stallone, Harrison Ford, or George Clooney while  they are on Indian soil.

Despite  music directors' naive bids to westernize their numbers in bits and pieces of borrowed  (plagiarized)  notes ,Indian music reigns high.Eventually it is indigenous music that catches the imagination of public .  Indians do regard their music as profound and unintelligible by an untrained vocalist. Regardless of it's popularity classical music is always placed in high pedestal.  Lady Gaga can rock the world but it is still Sunidhi Chowhan or Shreya Ghoshal  who can steal billion Indian  hearts.

F TV might have had big  viewership much before our starlets began shedding  their cloths, but our masses are not very exited about bony  models painted faces and feathery crowns with  walking on the ramps.  Miss Universe with her  headgear  too  needs a role in Bollywood to assume glamor. Karina Kapoor with her captivating smile is more identifiable than  Angelina Jolie.

Despite presence of  multinational apparel  brands in the market, Indian  ethnic wear paired  with tights or jeans hugely  attracts Indian girls. Despite the upmarket fashion trends  they have a distinct  fashion sense, often a cool  blend of ornamentation with colorful  outfit.

For the rest of the world yellow metal might have lost it' sheen but in  no way it is going to shun the Indian bazaar. The shops brim with  numbers despite it's obnoxious 20 k per 10 grams price tag. Not many young girls are ready to discard their neck pieces and ear drops just because their counter parts in west or some other part of the world  have not pierced their ear lobes. Many get enticed by the beauty and grandeur of gold  jewelery adorning their brides. Gold is part of Indian culture. It is not easy to take away Indian's  interest from gold.

Parent deserting still intrigues  Indian psyche, and not many youngsters hate their parents for not buying a soft toy or for not reading them a bed time story. Surprisingly many young men and women love their parents immensely despite their short comings.Many want to see them happy in their last days. 

Education is deeply regarded in Indian society and unlettered feel let down in their life. If education is  affordable  people from lower rung too like to send their children  to schools.For Indians roads to  success  are laid through books.

Spirituality  still reigns high in India. It is extremely difficult to dissociate an Indian from his God. Funds  flows like water  in the name of God. Charity as defined in scriptures carries more weight than  a distress call.  Recent changes in the mindset made  many youngsters more generous to  human suffering than their elders.

 Though Indians are known for their hard work in abroad, bad work culture prevails in Indian society. Salaries are generally considered  as entitlements rather than remunerations. An enthusiastic beginner will end up as frustrated soul in no time. Laxity, red tape,  irresponsibility,lack of commitment,  attitudes,  spoil the working environments of most Indian offices.

Indians are loud and messy and disorganized in groups and have no hint of inconvenience caused to others on account of their tawdry outward. They are hard learners to the manners imposed by outward cultures.

Indians in general are miserly and would like  to get most things without having to pay for it. Normally he will be reluctant to  loosen his purse strings, and even if he does,  he does it with a grumpy face !!.