The Individual

There has been numerous instances of the individual changing the fate of their families, countries and individuals who by their actions have changed the way the world lives. So a Newton by his intellect and findings changed the way we perceive the basic nature of the thing in the world and a Hitler or a Napoleon used their power of foresight and conquered or tried to conquer the world. I do idolise the latter two guys but for their evil intentions, they would had been one of the greatest source of power of the individual in the world history.

In the modern corporate world the power of individual is being suppressed to some extent, as there is more insistence on team work. So, if you are very good at your job and not a great team player there are high chances that your seniors would try to stymie your growth prospects. This is most obvious at the lower level positions in the corporate hierarchy, because that's the level where you can be more easily be subdued and subordinated, where there are less chances for picking up something and going for it all on your own.

Here it should not be read that I am against team work, in fact I emphasize on the fact that no individual can achieve a great objective in life without forming a great team. But for that they need to be given that leverage to go ahead in life. The most recent and striking example that I would pick up is from the field of sport, none other than the legend Zidane, any body who follows football in any form would surely be aware of Zidane's exploits, most importantly in the ongoing world cup. He had a lead a aging team, mired in criticism from all and sundry to the pinnacle of the greatest sporting event in the world. Football is all about team work, but once in a while we get to see, players who are not only great at individual skills, but are great leaders too. And they can use their charismatic greatness to lead an average performing group of individuals to glory. I know this example is debatable but one more win and the debate would be over.

In the field of Indian business the most striking name would be that of the late Dhirubhai Ambani,who single handedly fired the inspirations of millions and who doesn't know Mr. Murthy of Infosys, they not only created huge businesses but set an example of achievement, humility and how a middle class youngster can chase his dream and be one of the richest or one of the most respected by his own actions. That's the power of individual at its best, they did not inherit millions but they made millionaires out of nothing.

I want to stress on two things by the above exmples, one that hard work, passion, ethics, patience and integrity together with some arrogance and attitude thrown in can make an individual achieve his objective in life. Second, you can be everything but still fail if you don't know how to form a great team. A strong willed individual who can inculcate these few simple attributes in himself won't need to sit in a cubicle cursing his compnay, his bosses, his fate and everything else in the world for being wrong.

The number of examples about people that I have given in this one post surely exceed the sum of all examples I have given in others, the reason being I don't believe in making God out of people, they can be my inspiration but not everything.

By the ways this was my 50th post, excluding nearly 10 which I would have deleted in the initial phase of blogging.

A night of fear and love

A couple a years a ago rain meant joy for me, it meant walking home from college soaking in a drizzle with a 'bhutta' in hand, visiting beaches and waterfalls with friends and pals, playing football in water logged on the roads till the body soaked and turned white. Rains meant closed schools, breezy beaches, gusty promenade, beauty, romance and so much more to each mumbaikar. Mumbaites were so used to heavy to very heavy rains that even on a rainy day when people in any other city would just doze off in their warm houses, a typical mumbaite would trudge through the waters and reach work and back as if trying to beat the nature at its game.

One fine sunny day the GOD's decided to break this will, to test our strength, to storm our minds and cloud our memory with fear, death and destruction that rains bring in and unleashed the fury which is now known and 26/7. Within a couple of hours they poured as much water as they don't even in a year, these were no rains this was wrath and revenge of the nature for a fault mumbaikars still can't understand.

The city fought back hard, refusing to bow down, people walked kilometers on a dark and gloomy night, they had never imagined in their lives. With water logged to heights of 6 to 10 feet it was nothing short of outrageous courage to even walk on the roads, tens of hundreds died. Some drowned, some electrocuted, others asphyxiated... suddenly so many reasons for death surfaced, so many ways to the same end; death, and the same reason rains!!!

One of the longest night in the history of city slowly passed by, the waters receded, leaving behind an indelible scar on the minds which would go down only with the generation. The receding waters and the breaking light showed what should not be talked and discussed, silence is what I have maintained since the day whenever some one talked of the day. Many attempts at penning my experience on the day have been shredded to dust only after a year I could freeze down some thought to pen.

The memory of beautiful monsoons now seem too distant, too far fetched, what comes to mind is the hours spent soaking in the downpour, the long night spent in the bus, walking kilometers at the break of dawn on the road which seemed a junk yard of vehicles and so many more things.

One thing blossomed through out all this was love, in many forms. One could see couples hanging around, walking hand in hand, helping each other to tide over the trouble they would probably face once they reach home. Then there was the love for humanity, people who were lucky enough to be safely at home made sure to help others with all their means, providing them place to rest, distributing food to stranded commuters, giving lift when possible.

The rains exposed many faces of the city out of which one I haven't talked about as all know it as well and none are doing anything to save themselves from its apathy.

Cost of democracy?? Cost of wealth??

Was just wondering the cost of democracy that Americans are paying, no not for their own country but bringing democracy to Iraq, which is many thousand kilometres away from their land and would have never in the wildest of their dreams attacked them or even would have come close to one.

American Deaths since the war started : 2538 out of which 2051 have died in combat. source http://www.antiwar.com/casualties/

Ask the Iraqis the cost of democracy that they are paying, it would certainly be hundreds of thousands in terms of direct deaths and and God knows how many in terms of indirect deaths, the Americans won't let the figures come out for sometime to come. Did the Iraqis ask for democracy they didn't, they were happy to be ruled by a dictator however cruel till they had peace, progress, education, religious freedom, a modern life and nearly everything they could ask for. But then they had the biggest curse that God and endowed them with, OIL, the oil that gave them everything, took away the same.

A fanatic, capitalistic, religious bigot called Bush and his Son not satisfied with looting their own country plundered Iraq. The reasons that they have given are many and change every few months, first they were WMD's, then chemical weapons, biological weapons, bringing democracy....... and now that God had visited Blair and Bush, the messiah of the oppressed and asked them to attack Iraq. Didn't they ask God why the heck he wants them to do that, anyways we all do that to save our asses, when nothing works blame it on God and when nothing works leave it on God. That's whats the worlds has done, leave the Iraqis on God only he can save them.