January 2009
"Here we are in a month named after the Roman god Janus, an appropriate personification of the start of the new year. This particular Roman god had two faces so that he could look ahead toward the future and back at the past at the same time. As we get rid of an old year and look forward to a new one, we all try to be a little like Janus. We know through experience what we did wrong and what we did right, and hope to do better this year. Some people make ambitious new year's resolutions; others just take a deep breath and hope for the best.…"
(Courtesy - World Wide Web)
At the India Gate,New Delhi, Jan 2, 2009,bhupesh balakrishnan
Jan is my friendly month…is infact my month. I have many reasons to feel great…for Jan makes me feel always special! With the first day being the New year, then exactly after seven days,arrives my birthday, which I share along with Elvis Presley. I had the privilege to have my dinner along with two Members of the Indian Parliament- one in the Lok Sabha, a Veteran Leader and the other person, a Member of the Rajya Sabha, on the First of January 2009.For me the dinner was special, since, after almost a two week long stay in Delhi, having my dinner all alone, i was happy to have my dinner that day along with some known friendly faces.So, for me the joy of having the dinner along with known faces made me happy, than the feeling,that, am having it along with two M.P.s of the Indian Parliament.
January also marked the entry of me as a "Lecturer", delivering my first guest lecture in a leading Management Institution in Chennai City. Delivering my guest lecture to a class of Second years, i dwelt upon the topic called, Customer Relationship Marketing and what it really and simply means to, and should mean to Organizations.End of the lecture, i had lot of their thoughts to carry back along with me, to--find out ways and means on how to execute those simplest of Customer Strategies to my brand.
Year 2008 was in many ways a life learning experience for everyone in this World. With the arrival of the global tsunami, the modern fight against terror –the Mumbai mayhem, the rising inequality between the haves and the have-nots, 2008 shook the world in many ways. It questioned the very basic path taken by our capitalistic friends across the World and the future of after-impacts arising due to post-globalization scenario.
Has globalization failed? Too early to comment and criticize. Interestingly, when I was in my last campus visit for my executive education programme in Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta a year back, we were requesting our Prof. Ashok Banerjee to recommend a good book to read. And, he suggested “The Olive and the Lexus Tree” by Thomas Friedman.
And, I started reading the book last year February 2008, and it was a co-incidence, when the first shake started happening in the financial markets across America. By the time I understood how Thomas was explaining about the benefits and necessary for Countries to get into their “Golden Straightjacket”, here, I was seeing Countries zipped out of their “so-called-golden straightjackets”. Incidentally, Thomas started writing this book after the last major financial crisis in 1997.
The book released in the year 1999, is now a witness to the next crisis, in a matter of just ten years.
I now started questioning the wisdom of Thomas Friedman. Obviously Thomas Friedman is a well-traveled New York Times foreign-affairs columnist, has seen more and heard more and experienced more than me. I do strongly agree with Thomas that the future shall belong to Countries who can make no mistake in establishing their Lexus as well as protecting their Olive tree. But, the way the so-called supermarkets and supercenters have become power centers, dictating and ruling the markets globally is what I question. And, 2008 exactly cleared me those doubts –that, they aren’t the ones to dictate the World markets. The tumbling of global financial powerhouses like a pack of cards falling down, has only justified my thoughts. What has happened has forced powerful economies like America and Britain to take a more Communistic approach. Bailout and take hold of their financial houses – nationalize their business houses and close their economy. India has been a country much criticized for its so-called protective economic approach- whereas what has protected India in both the 1997 crisis and the 2008 crisis is balanced approach…in the free market economy.
2008 Crisis has not insulated India since India has become part of the wired global financial and technological system. We are feeling the heat too.
What may save India to some extent, is its Agrarian economy and its nationalized banking system-which is regulated. Still, India will also have to pay its share of prices to having been part of the global market system. Being Greed is bad is the new lesson from the global markets. And, there cannot be a one-sided growth in the world. It has to be balanced. It has to be inclusive.
And, so let’s watch the way the so-called developed economies and emerging economies are going to battle this war.
January 2009 also marked the much-hyped and over-reacted event in the Political history of the West. The winning of Barack Obama as the first Afro-Amercian President in its history.
Let us welcome the new President of the United States of America.
Congratulations to you Mr. President of United States of America!
With the 24-hour news channels constantly getting fed with information’s round the World and beaming the same to one’s bedroom, it is humanly not possible to move away our eyes without focusing and paying attention to such big events. I am talking about the American Presidential Oath taking ceremony. I have always been a fan of History and so-was hooked to the event on that night as usual. But, what also wondered me was, are we Indians, up there watching the same ceremony of the Indian Prime Minister and President in our Country? I doubt that. People may say, that they aren’t not so inspiring. But, are we as Citizens of the Republic of India living as its true Citizen. How many of us do watch the Flag hoisting on Republic day and Independence Day in our Country. Let’s stop taking the same approach what many here took for showing their reactions to the movie, the SlumDog Millionaire. Let’s introspect and be candid. In Japan, when their leader come to speak to his people, people wear their military attire to sit attentively to listen to what their leader has to say. It could well be a thing of past even there…
I should consider myself lucky to develop this habit due to my family surroundings and my early serving in the N.C.C-being a National Cadet Corps for five years…during my school days and college days.
I am proud to be part of the Indian Army….as having served in its Junior Army Division. But, then, people are not asked to join Army…but, do their basic duty as the Citizens of this great Republic. Somehow, we come short there. Our TV anchors were going ga-ga on the who is India’s Barack Obama. It really irked me…the wrong question….India’s has given so-called revolutionary leaders aplenty in the past….and they will keep coming.Why should we need barrack Obama? Maybe, they need more Gandhi and Other Indian leaders.
Let we people not forget that Barack and Rosa Parks are recent achievements in American history. India has many more such people, well before what America and other nations could throw outside to the World.
Mahatma Gandhi is not still much understood and appreciated by we Indians unfortunately. Whereas, he has been an inspirational figure to Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela and today’s Barack Obama.
The Asian Countries, including India has had in the past and present Women as Head of the State and First Citizen of this Country. It has happened in this Republic India. India has many women as great freedom fighters…as early as in the eighteenth Century.
Bhima Bai Holkar, Rani Channama, Rani Lakshmi Bai of Jhansi, Sarojini Naidu, Kasturba Gandhi, Aruna asaf ali, Vijayalakshmi Pandit, Sucheta Kripalani, Sister Nivedita are are all few but among many other notable Women leaders the Country has given to the World.
Dr.Ambedkar, the Chief Architect of the Indian Constitution, was born in the –those days, so-called untouchable family. He has risen from abject situations of denial to be India’s first Law Minister. He is a Produce of this great Republic of India. Unfortunately, we Indian’s take a break, lazing on their Birthdays, given to recall them, has become Public Holidays to watch the new movie release of the month. Commercialization of everything has made us know no bounds on what we do in today’s World.
Two things are widely debated and spoken in the Year 2008 in India. One is the global Recession.
Let me reproduce the words written by Lee Wei Ling, the Director of the National Neuroscience Institute and Lee Kuan Yew's daughter( Lee Kuan Yew is the Former Prime Minister of Singapore) ….Lee writes…. . I still find it hard to believe that there are people carrying handbags that cost more than thrice the monthly income of a bus driver, and many more times that of the foreign worker labouring in the hot sun, risking his life to construct luxury condominiums he will never have a chance to live in.
She continues further…. But if one is blinded by materialism, there would be no end to wanting and hankering. After the Ferrari, what next? An Aston Martin? After the Hermes Birkin handbag, what can one upgrade to?
Neither an Aston Martin nor a Hermes Birkin can make us truly happy or contented. They are like dust, a fog obscuring the true meaning of life, and can be blown away in the twinkling of an eye….
In this new year, burdened as it is with the problems of the year that has just ended, let us again try to choose wisely. To a considerable degree, our happiness is within our own control, and we should not follow the herd blindly….
The second thing is Freedom to do what one wants in India.
The Republic of India has given so much of Freedom-so much that we abuse the same using the same freedom given to us by our own constitution. The biggest freedom we have is our Rights to Vote and elect our Government. Those who have been to or read about Countries where Democracy does not exists-can appreciate what it means to enjoy to Vote and elect one’s own Government. We are acting as mere critics and not as agents of Change.
We should start acting as good and sensible citizen of this Country. Democracy also bring along with -its own challenges which we need to tackle. Let’s not forget, that well-established monarchies with great governing patterns have governed states of India in the past-centuries before the rest of the World came to coin the World, called, Democracy. Indian History will explain us what great a nation we have been in the past..
Rather than criticizing, lets salute our own achievement. We Indians have plenty to feel proud about like any other nations. Not less, if at all, only more to feel proud about. A peace loving nation, India with all its cultural diversity is a lesson for any other nation to become Democratic.
At the India Gate,New Delhi, Jan 2, 2009,bhupesh balakrishnan
Amidst all our failures, we continue to script our own success. This land has plenty to offer to the rest of the World, including the great Western nations.
Concluding, am happy to note that there is one President in U.S, who speaks and makes sense about what he speaks about. He promises a lot. I strongly believe that at the end of the day, the President of U.S will act as its President and not so different. Interest of America is the key to him.
But, no more can an American President be successful by trying to bring to global table his agenda of Uni -polarizing the World-for no more can that bring laurels to America and save it. It will destroy the great nation. So, Obama has started well. He has also admitted to having screwed up in his staff appointments. This shows his accountability. So, he can be trusted. He has to be trusted. For there is no other choice. But, what we all have to realize is What is Good for America can no more be good for the rest of the World. But, is bad for America can well be bad to rest of the World. And, here am, specifically talking about the mindless capitalistic approach of the Americans.
Let’s welcome the next phase of globalization with a human face!
(Other Photos Courtesy : Google)
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Nice Read
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