The World today and our Hypocrisy!

I probably know that this is not a moment for me to show this emotion, but can't help but express it.

So yet another person died in the hands of the police who are supposed to be guarding us from the dangers of the evils. Make no mistake, the men and women in uniform have always protected us and like in every form life, there are always exceptions.

But, that mentioned, it really does warrant an outrage and justifies all the protests that goes around globe! However, I feel a bit hypocritical about fighting for just one race or one living being! Is Alyan Kurdi not worthy of this protest? Are the thousands that have been displaced from Syria not worthy of these protests? Are thousands that are fighting in Hong Kong not worthy of these protests? Are the millions that were separated from their homeland in Srilanka not worthy of these protests? Are the billion odd people who are oppressed in China not worthy of these protests? Are the thousands that lost their lives in Iraq/Libya not worthy of these protests? 

Each year, thousands die because of gun violence. Mad men with guns get into school and shoot children. Don't those lives matter too? We are all putting our next generation to the dangers of Climate change! Should we not do anything about it? Is it not just hypocritical to fight for one race when there are so many more such races which face this! Future Generation is in itself a race, in my view!

Please make no mistake that am against this moment or the movement. Black Lives do matter and so do other lives as well! Every war/battle/fight/protest needs a purpose. And at this moment what I see is a very narrow view of all us. I strongly feel that this cannot be a moment or fight for just one race, it has to be holistic in nature towards the systemic social injustice and violence that is there across the globe. Else this will be one other moment/movement like the MeToo moment/movement and this shall also pass. For what I remember, if people had a sustained effort after Dr. King died, we would have not had this conversation! We are just the puppets of a very few who can manipulate our actions for their own purposes and keep the challenges alive while killing lives!

Again, make no mistake! I'm not complaining! I'm just anxious that we are not fighting for the right purpose, while also highlighting our hypocrisy! And after all, even I'm an hypocrite who cries foul when an elephant or a lion is hunted down, but can eat chicken and goat!

And so.... Each and every life should matter! Can we think like that? The change cannot be left to just the policy makers, but in people's minds as well!

Regards,

Raj.

COVID-19: Aftermath

So here we go, after a long while penning my emotions.

I was sitting in office today for the weekly leadership meeting. One of the guys was sneezing and worst is he traveled into Texas, the previous day! I even nudged him politely stating it worries me that he is sneezing and that, may be, he should not be in office! But he shrugged it off and the other guy wasn't worried like I was.

During my presentation, the risk aware me, raised the potential risk of disruption due to COVID-19 and almost instantly the question from the two was like, what about it? I said, we need to come up with a BCP for it because it is spreading fast and it was question of time that we prepare for it. It was a pause for a moment and I was hoping that it was taken seriously. The answer was, a lot more silence!! Mind you, this was last week, when the number of cases around the globe was raising and Italy is at the kind of brink.

That evening when I was driving back, I could not help but think of the below and I thought I may want to record it and look back how this had panned out.

- This virus is gonna bull doze a lot of things.
- The world would have changed forever.
- Economy will go down a lot. A lot of us will lose jobs.
- Food shortage because of transport and/or famine.
- Across the globe, social unrest will be there. With no money and job to earn money, people will turn to looting and stealing.

This will not be an easy world going forward. I for one, feel a bit weird. I feel a lot scared, but have to pretend to be brave for the sake of my girls!

At the other end of the pandemic, we may have changed forever. Whoever survives the virus and the violence, may be can restore what we used to call as humanity!

Hope that I'm wrong. Generally am not this pessimistic, but 1 week into that discussion, my folks at office do not realize what is and why we need a BCP.

And so is the leadership of many countries. Some have kind of shut things down and some haven't. But to me this is not just about virus, but also about the world after that! I'm not sure if any country leader is thinking about it! What and how to go about the disruption and potential social unrest!

All I can do today is to hope! Hope is the first cure for all problems!

Why do we need sports in life

Been a long time that I've blogged, but felt I should record it.

Over the weekend, after a hard fought Nilaa's volleyball game, I was having a conversation with her coach and the conversation turned to why did Nilaa get to a sport. He had his reasons, but mine was, sports is very much a good medium that builds an attitude for life. He was like, how so? Sports allows us to be in the real. It doesn't matter what your previous point was, you have to get back to reality to face the next ball. And it puts you in the moment. He was like, this is a good perspective.

This is exactly what I used to tell both my girls. Learn that attitude from sport! I still practice to get out at least once a week even after 40, is just to practice to be in the moment. 

Sports gives you attitude!! Allows you to practice CAP Of life. Committement, Attitude, Passion!!

So get out and give yourselves an exposure to a sport and most importantly to your kids!

Possibility from Probability

 Just a random thought...

Can possibility and probability co-exist? While in theory, it is not possible, I think in reality all of us are a real good example of them. 

Let's look at it simply. We are one in a billion which is allowed by an egg, That is the probability. From there on, here we are a possibility. If that tiny little sperm can beat all odds and bring us into reality, what can we not acheive?

All of us are born acheivers! It is just that we need to keep it going!

Regards,
Raj.

Lesson from Tides and Sun.

Last month, at dawn, on a Chennai beach resort, I happened to be sipping a coffee in a relaxed fashion and watching the Sun rise over Bay of Bengal!

I was seeing this beautiful work of Universe/Galaxy/Mother Earth in play. As serene and calming it was, this is what was stuck with me on how arrogant or in one sense igonorant, we have all become.

What do tides teach us? Perseverance: They keep trying every moment to breach the shore. They never give up!

What does Sun teach us? Hope: Each day Sun comes (I know earth rotates and not Sun) back with a hope that we will get better and not giving up on us, giving us another chance.

Imagine, if the tides succeed and/or Sun gives up! It is destruction! That is how fragile we are as the potentially only conscience in this universe, at least at this point!

The lesson I took from that morning is, keep hoping and persevere! If we lose hope and don't keep trying, life ends!

Regards,

Raj.

Oviyaa.. First day at School!

Second time in our lives, we are facing this so called mixed feelings!

Our second Angel is now set to get out into life. It's been a busy 5 years for us since she came in our lives and now to see her move out of her comfort zone and to be there all alone for a while is way too a bit incomprehensible. 

While am happy, glad and excited to see her step in the next phase in life, am scared to let her go as well! But I believe that is how nature teaches us!

I missed to see her off today, but knowing her, she should have been all smiles, happy and proud to do it!

As I said this few years back when Nilaa went out, it will forever remain a moment to cherish and celebrate and hope both of them do well in their lives!

As a dad, all I can hope for is to give them the best life they deserve, while they carve out their own paths from now on!

Regards,
Raj

Integrity undefined

There was a question on Integrity in one of the conversations I was having with my friends. Not sure if I read it somewhere, but, here was what I said as my definition.

Integrity is not about doing something right when someone is watching, but it is about not doing the wrong thing when none is watching! Meaning, doing the right thing, being the right thing at all times! Is it possible? I believe yes! If we are true to ourselves, I think we can!!

Regards,
Raj.

Big 40 - As it is called!

For a change, it doesn't feel like just another number.

Probably I've crossed 2/3rd of my productive life span where I can and I could be of some effect in this ecosystem. This post is not about me doing or not achieving something.. It is just possibly a reflection of what I feel about the years passed

10 years of innocence...
10 years of ignorance...
10 years of arrogance...
10 years of exuberance...

Not sure what the next decade has in store for me and how I would treat it...

But, for now, am enjoying this adulation that I receive, very aware of the fact this is pretty much a huge responsibility to do justice to this love and affection. I've always said this and will say this with much more gratitude this time! I'm who I'm because of people around me. Am very fortunate to have never felt alone in my life. I accept all of these with the utmost humility!!

Thank you so much!

Keep loving me...

I love to be loved!
I live to be loved!

- Raj

My Views!

Over a few discussions on the Jalli Kattu issues, I realized, that people have less or no understanding of the challenge and I don't blame for not everyone knows everything!

But to say this a barbarism or cruelty towards animals, I think then it is ignorance! 

Now let's have the argument..

1. If bull fight is not a sport because a group of men don't treat the bull fairly, then Kabadi is more worse than this! Tomorrow PETH will be formed and strip us those only gold medals in Asian and common wealth games that India gets.
2. People in India, we believe in fasting and some fast for 48 days to go to Sabari Malai etc.,. Let's also ban that, because it is cruelty towards humans, for goodness sake. Let PETH be formed!
3. During Pongal days, we have something called uriyadi, where folks are blindfolded and are asked to hit the pot hanging on ropes a bit further and one has to go and accurately hit that. It can and actually does hurt other people!
4. I know the whole argument of mine could be nullified saying who talks (actually cares) about humans, it is all about animals. Many arguments on those as well... mine is.  We have kids and pets at home and mostly in India, we have them chained and confined within homes. And the kids, the way they play with those dogs and cats, if we could relate that to this one, it by no means is less cruel. So let's ban pets at home as well!

There are many such stuff that we do, that could be illogical to the so called western and modern worlds! 

In the name of modern world, we have lost a lot of good stuff. Yes, we need to evolve.. Yes we need to get out of the caste systems, thank goodness, we have banned sati and other rituals that hurt humans and may look uncivilized. But underline the word ritual! Sati was a ritual, not a tradition! So let's not mix things!

These traditions and sports have been there for ages and have reason to that. Let's understand that the we deviating from those cultures will have spin off effects on the very fabric that holds us as a family or even a society... 

And if tradition is wrong, why get married and have a family! Let's go eff around! I know the people who have counter arguments will say that Jallikattu issue has nothing to do with tradition, but in my view, Jallikattu is very much a sport and sports like these are part of my tradition! And yes I want to up hold my traditions!

These are my personal views and not intended to hurt anyone's sentiments! But we are living in the so called modern times where others' sentiments do not matter! So registering my views anyways!

- Raj.

Happy 2017!

I termed the years 2015 and 2016, years of determination! I guess we as citizens of the world have shown a lot of determination in the past couple of years! However, we are still a long away from being called as humans that we once were!

We have made this world a lot more complicated and made ourselves lot more greedy for everything. We have increased the pace of our lives as like there is no tomorrow. In what we call as success, we have ended up killing lot more people, not just taking their lives, but, also killing them by killing ambitions, aspirations and dreams!

I know all of these are because of our lack of compassion towards our fellow human beings and living beings, in the name of a phrase called "Survival of the fittest!"

Let us show the compassion to our fellow humans and mother nature to make sure this world is a better place to live in!
Let us train our children to have the compassion so that they learn to live and let live.

Let 2017 be an year of Compassion!

Let's Live and let others also live!

Regards,
Raj.