The unfinished agenda

Reactions to the Pulwama event made me think that we seem to have lost the plot since 1987.

Allegations of widespread rigging in the elections in 1987, created massive disaffection in the Kashmiri populace against the Government.

This was exploited to the hilt by Pakistan, wherein the same Kashmiri people who supported India in 1947, 1965 and 1971, were brainwashed against India. 

This was a carefully played card wherein infiltration was not by armed men, but by soothsayers who infiltrated the mind. Money for this came from Pak and the seasonal infiltration by armed terrorists was a decoy to give cover to the real infiltration- the infiltration of the minds of the youth.

We could have played the same game by isolating such elements and counter infiltration of the mind, by creating a love for India.

The opening up of the road to PoK was one such move by the Vajpayee Govt.

I recall that during my tenure as Election Observer in Kashmir in 2008, all those who had visited PoK were massively disappointed and said “We are much better off in India. Life is hell in PoK”.

The hard line adopted by the Govt against disturbance was not accompanied by a soft parallel approach to win over the populace sitting on the fence.

The Army did conduct some great outreach programs. Some students were taken to visit other parts of India. But the vigour with which we rallied against attacks was missing.

The covert game played by Pak should have been met with equally well funded counter measures. But this requires painstaking efforts by nameless, faceless people. It’s a thankless job with no glamour attached.

Harsh vigorous josh wala battles may be glamorous but are passé now. 

We have to defeat the enemy in the mind game he is playing.

Such battles are not fought with swords or guns or fighter jets.

They are fought with brains.

Hysteria will lead us to further alienate the Kashmiri which is what the Pakis want.

After the punishment which our Armed forces are definitely going to mete out; to avenge Pulwama, we have an unfinished agenda - to win over the Kashmiri Indians, who stay in PoK; by offering them a better life  in India, than the hell in which they live presently. 

Think

Organisations are different from individuals. The moment two individuals get together and organise themselves into one unit, say a family; each individual loses something which is given to the unit. In hunter gatherer societies, it was necessary and efficient to join hands to get food security.

As they started off, each organisation was created to serve human needs. An individual was willing to forgo some of his individuality to get better returns. As history progressed, the organisations started getting bigger and stronger. The individual now had to part with more and more of his individuality.

Life is all about give and take. For every piece of extra security, the individual gave a bit of his freedom.

In any cycle there is a range of optimum level where one gets a good mix of two alternatives. Here the two ends of the pendulum have freedom on one side and security on the other. As one moves towards security, one loses freedom and vice versa. Each person makes his place somewhere along this pendulum path with his own mix of this much security and this much freedom.

As history progressed, organisations started developing their own personalities. They consisted of individual humans, but these humans had to convert themselves into a rank or a position from their own personalities. Organisations insisted that one dissolves individual personality and assume the one ordained by the system.

By definition, organisations will always be against individuals.

The need for security will always create the need for organisations.

Once the organisations developed their own personalities, they started creating the need for their raison d'être. They created more and more need for security. Fear is the key.

The situation has now reached a stage where the fear has reached such proportions that organisations have made humans subservient rather than them serving humans.

We don’t have to look for aliens. They are amongst us.

The organisations we created to serve us have become the monster aliens.

Restrictions are increasing, CCTV surveillance, Gated communities, Id cards…

Where does one go from here?

We need to pause. We need to review. We need to rethink.

But will it be possible?

Our minds have been overpowered so much, that it seems well nigh impossible for us to think independently.

As always. there will be some of us who will rise above their fears. Others will continue harping on the greatness of the organisations.

It is necessary that organisations are kept at a level that they serve us instead of us serving them.

THINK

Extinction, the bright future.

We are at the beginning of a new era.

The dinosaurs are getting extinct.

The new age entails:

Reduction of one way media like television and newspapers. Gone are the days when one way information was king. From the newspaper barons, the Pulitzers and the Hearsts, we went on to TV as the chief source of infotainment. What next?

The signs of decay are evident. With more and more interactivity in the hands of the individual, the last desperate gasp of TV can be seen in the way news channels in India are screaming aloud, throwing all decorum to the winds, totally biased and unbalanced, they are desperate for eyeballs which simply are not there.

Ad spends will vanish on these screaming monkeys, as they will swing towards state patronage as a last-ditch effort to stay alive. They will grovel, they will scream, they will crawl, but won’t survive. Already the intelligentsia has give up on them. The masses will soon get over the hypnosis created out of bogeys and crying wolf.

With rise in interactive media, an entire industry is on the brink of collapse.

This is a mere indication of what is coming. And its coming sooner than you think.

This is what according to me is what the future entails:

1.       The good old ways of governance will change.

2.       The shape will change from the leader of the pack system to a bee swarm system.

3.       Focus will shift away from the Executors to the Prey.

4.       Development will shift from infrastructure to micro level.

5.       The focus will shift from the cities to the villages.

6.       Large business will yield to the small and micro level units.

7.       Economies of scale will assume a new meaning.

8.       Linkages will become important and these will cease to be in control of a few.

9.       Ethics and honesty will rule.

10.       The dishonest and unethical will be eliminated not by law enforcement but by denial of  opportunity.

11.   Social systems will change. Merit will mean not just caste, but actual quality of product determined by the consumer.

12.   The state will lose importance.

13.   Political boundaries will lose importance.

14.   Barriers of language, religion, will become extinct.

15.   Stealing and loot of resources will cease as digital currency and blockchain will ensure complete transparency and accountability. Those not adhering will cease to be operative.

Lets welcome the extinction. Lets plan for the future.

The fault lies within

We brace for the shock,
As we take stock.
For soon the fangs will be revealed,
Blood splattered all over the killing field.
It is a wolf not grandma on the bed,
Red Riding Hood stunned when all was done and said.
Twas never gentle the real intention
Forever fooled was the nation.
Divided were we by philosophy so old,
Father the saint was himself caste in the mould.
Privileged were some and shall forever be,
Condemned were they who wanted to be free.
How dare Oliver ask for some more,
We'll teach him a lesson with blood and gore.
He carries a lethal weapon they say,
Snatching the blindman's stick away.
Privileges are theirs till humanity will last,
Any attempt otherwise is "dividing on caste".
All watch with glee and hope as the mock fight goes on,
The suitors to the throne all promise a new morn.
Diverting attention by singing a tune,
We stand in a cesspool while aiming for the moon.
An ignorant society with belief in poison,
Changing heads instead of antidotal solution.
Each one of us, a beast cloaked in colors fair,
Searching for demons to vanquish in our lair.
Kicking the fallen is now to be called an act so brave,
Beheaded Marie lies squirming in her grave.

Life in a pen

The sheep were all gathered

A worried look on their face

For if what they heard was true

Wiped out would be their race

Their race

Now that was a joke

For among them they had

Differences that forever kept them broke

They looked all alike

Yet the equality was misleading

Some were superior & born twice

While the remaining did their bidding

Herbivores and harmless they seemed

Yet in cruelty they surpassed the worst

Darwin would turn in his grave

As his theory they simply bust

The fittest gene no more survived

For the twice born used the meme

Enslave the minds was what they did

And the unfit could do as they deem

The sheep multiplied and rapidly expanded

Their bleats turning into thunderous roar

Ravaging the countryside of all it had

Scaring everyone from canine to boar

Their strength came not from numbers

But from the captivity of their mind

The safe cocoon of categories did the trick

Each sheep having pride in their kind

Like zombies they believed and behaved

Ne'er one could from the path stray

A fully disjointed group yet a large one

In differences, their unity lay

As is wont of every safe haven

The pioneering risk was absent

Anyone could come and rule

So long as the status quo was present

Everyone waited for the lion to come

Who would provide the leadership needed

For the fear of the wolf kept them trembling

In nightmares they often bleated

Ne'er trusting anyone amongst them

To combat fear they sought information

Learning and growing while among them they fought

Their eyes turned upwards, pregnant with expectation

Any pioneer, anyone who could take risk

Was condemned to be the wolf in sheep's clothing

Buccaneers who'd often provide directions

Were treated with scorned loathing

Nipping in the bud any potential lion

While their populace got a bloating

They looked askance for guidance but alas

All they got were sheep in wolf's clothing

Demons and Beasts

The demons stand towering over others
The regalia, the pomp, the arrogance of power
The ones who have partaken the wolf's milk
The forbidding look for those not of their ilk

In a spherical habitat, no boundaries, no permanence
They for sure defined their physical dominance
They made borders in all known directions
But that was the least of their machinations

And the beasts, they struggled for life with all their grit
However, they failed to see, the bottomless pit
Having walls of glass they could not scrape
Trapped they were, with no escape

They huffed and puffed and they did shove
These wretched creatures devoid of love
Snapping and growling to just declare
This is my territory watch out, beware

But obesience was never lost
The demons had planned this heavy cost
The beast would fight but always bow
Facing fear, their eyes would forever be low

The beast would grunt and they would bray
But before the concept they would pray
Thinking this alone will bring salvation
Not knowing, the concept was a virtual creation

The unseen, the unknown always creates fear
Keep ignorance alive, keep everyone in terror
The creator of fear holds all the keys
Let the beasts keep snarling, as the demons enjoy peace

Surronding themselves with menacing warriors
They create a cocoon of meritorius barriers
No beast could reach the demons so far
If any beast tried, they raised the bar

But yes, the clouds, they are clearing
The sun breaks free bright and shining
The strong looking statues look in a haze
As they melt and crumble in knowledge's gaze

The pipes used by the demons to suck the beasts' blood
Sent down info which soon became a flood
Armed with this brilliance, using all tact
The beasts looked up to see the fact

The demon was a mere caricature full of fear
Empty, powerless was what he called holy and dear
The beast had a difficult climb full of pain
Reading, knowing led to an inch of gain

They looked at the glass walls and what did they see
They were not beasts but innocents like you and me
The demons gazed in horror as the holy fell
Fragile false creators who could not even yell

The demons shot aiming low
The so called beasts deflected the blow
Twas a losing battle as is every fight 
No one wins however the might

The weapon of knowledge is the best one yet
It shows the futility of the lost bet
Life has to win, peace has to reign
That way humanity, not its creation, will gain

The saviours have arrived

The cynic in me is growing old
It is weak now, once it was so bold
The shrug of the shoulder, the helpless emotion
That smirk on the face, indicating my negation

The nostalgic look, of faraway times
Nothing is right, living has become a crime
Life it seems has gone from bad to worse
Living and moving as if under a curse

The stupid pride, see I know best
It was I who topped every test
What do you youngsters know about anything
Gone are the days, when I was the king

The daily news, full of misery and gore
Creating chasms, fighting and lure
Gladiators of both sides doing their ops
Blood dripping from their lips, they lick their chops

Then one day suddenly on me it dawned
As the sun came up shining in the morn
I saw them running with heavy perspiration
I was thrilled to see, this was a new generation

Not the oversized slobs I dreaded to see
But younger and much more fit and yes, free
They inspired confidence, rather than create despair
To be wonderstruck, the world has to prepare

Now here was something which spelled hope 
I felt my cynicism appearing like a joke
Wired and yet unwired, these rascals were
By Angstrom level devices, powered everywhere

Knowledge made them into sharp lancers
They knew from where to source all the answers
Gone are the days when the teacher taught
The only fountain from whom info was sought

My pride in my knowledge did get hurt
As they searched and gave replies curt
Faster than what my mind could recover
Faster than my own recalling power

That's unfair I did say then
For this much info I collected in ten
What takes you just a second to hunt
Took me hardwork of over a month

You're stupid, to meself I said
What good is knowledge if it cant be spread
Oh how great life has become
Kids are solving the mighty sum

The clouds they are clearing
Illumination is heavily bearing
Upon the unchanging unjust lords
Who have used others in the name of gods

I see the toddlers walking 
Barefoot towards the hall of learning 
Emaciated, hungry, in the run down construction
They share with dogs, as they swallow the concoction

A smile replaces what earlier was grim
My face explodes in a toothy grin
Soon my child very soon
Technology will take you to the moon

I am needed, yes indeed I am
Why like a fool I was so glum
Who else but me in this minefield of quarks
To guide these bright little twinkling sparks