GUYS, i have decided to post most of my stuff in SULEKHA where there is a wider audience. Also, it helps not to ask everyone to read it personally. I would be posting here too, but only on topics where we would have to know each other. Here is the link to my sulekha posts, Sulekha blog

HINDI NAHI MALUM

The experience that i have had as someone from Tamilnadu, which for many by default means i am anti-hindi, is not unique. In fact i am sure that many have had similar experiences. I have been asked so many times why we tamils hate Hindi, why we refuse to learn hindi or why don't we learn hindi. I don't really care about the politics being played out by the political parties on this, but i really see nothing sinister in not learning Hindi. But, i have had a tough time explaining to my hindi speaking brethren that not learning hindi does not mean that we are anti-hindi.

Take my own case, I did my schooling in a pretty good school in Chennai. I was offered the option of learning Hindi or Tamil along with English which was the medium of instruction. My parents reasoned, and i completely agree with their notion, that first i have to learn my mother tongue and for communicating with the rest of the world i have English. There was nothing like, i should not learn Hindi. As a matter of fact, i did take private Hindi lessons since i felt it would help if i worked in North India. Again, it was a very practical consideration that it would help me communicate if i end up working in North India.

But, once i moved to US for my graduate study, i have been asked the same line of questions over and over again. It all starts with why do you tamils not learn Hindi? I have to explain that i was given an option of choosing between Hindi and Tamil, and i chose Tamil since it was my mother tongue. The fact that tamil has a vast array literary work and is used extensively in TN validates my reasoning. Then the question becomes, why do you guys hate hindi? When i confront them to give me an example where tamil population in general being anti-hindi. The best they can come up with is the DMK anti-hindi agitation which used to happen even before i was born. The only way anyone can define the attitude of majority of tamils towards hindi is apathy - indifference. We know it is a major language spoken in the Northern parts of India (40 % of India, i suppose). But more than that no-one really keeps hating hindi. The same indifference can also be seen towards Bollywood movies. Its not that we all hate Bollywood movies, its just that we have an industry which produces equally "good(?!)" movies. Once they find me uncompromising, they of course use the Brahmastra, a question that supposedly should make me see their point.

The Brahmastra their questioning my patriotism because i don't speak hindi. I should say that most of the times it was never asked straight. It was always a little play with the words where you can see that they are trying to appeal to the patriot in me. So, the question begins with 'Hindi is our national language. You would learn a completely foreign language like English, but you wouldn't learn Hindi you National language.' I used to get really really angry when i used hear that. I came to realize later, when i have heard the same enough number of times, that this argument does not stand scrutiny. First of all, only 40% of India speaks Hindi. That means 60%, a majority does not speak hindi. Two, Indian constitution itself specifies that both Hindi and English are the official languages for the central govt. Three, there are 21 official Indian languages, so its not like Hindi alone is given some official, sacred position in the constitution. And nowadays, i don't fail to inform my friends who invoke patriotism as a reason to learn hindi, that Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel. The other thing i have realized is that the people who complain the most are the ones who would come to chennai, where they know people don't speak hindi, unprepared and come out of the central station and expect everyone to understand them. They don't understand that they be a little more prepared when they go to a new place.

The point is, we indians have so many things to worry about, food, electricity, water (bigtime in chennai), school, exams, job, spouses, siblings, career etc., Nobody has the time to hate a language that they don't even know.

POLITIKX MACHI

I was totally indifferent to American Politics, that was until Iraq happened. Having seen the build up to this war up close, it just hit me how a decision, however stupid it might be, taken in washington can affect the lives of hundreds of thousands half way across the world. Unlike most of my fellow desis who are in this country who kinda know where they are with respect to the Iraq war and indifferent to American Politics nevertheless, i started paying attention to some of things happening in Washington. So, i would note down some of the absurdities as i find them myself or noted elsewhere weekly as America prepares for elections in Fall 08. Anyways before i go on with this weekly American and Indian Politics update, i thought i would give in some links to presentations which were quite thought provoking. I have seen each of these presentations more than once and thought a bit about the stuff they are talking about. Take a look at these videos with an open mind. It would give a whole new perspective on the kind of journalism that is present here in the US.

The first video is a talk by Noam Chomsky (one of the intellectuals i respect the most) and by well known Journalist Robert Fisk. Its more than 1.5 hrs, but believe me, it will be a well spent 1.5 hrs (certainly better than Spider Man III). http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8431351908091440891

The second video is a documentary by Bill Moyers titled 'Buying the War'. This is about how the mainstream media capitulated at the feet of this administration instead of doing its job. Cheerleading as they were when their services were needed the most in asking the tough questions, they have now taken a U-turn in their approach and have started asking some questions (though not quite tough enough, i would say), but only after the approval rating has plummeted to the late 20s. A case of too little, too late. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/btw/watch.html

The third one is an interview with Jon Stewart of the Daily Show by Bill Moyers again. Unlike other interviews you might see on TV here in the US, this is an intelligent conversation between two men about the Iraq war and Gonzo-gate. http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/04272007/watch.html

What is the case in India? From what happened in Dinakaran Office in Madurai, there is nothing to feel proud about. Shameful is the first word that comes to my mind, Madurai being my native place.

C Karthikeyan

Evolution vs Surface Tension: A comparitive study of Absurdities in democracy

Atleast one Presidential debate, however early or premature it might be at this point, is over and its funny to see what passes off here for debate. Take for instance the Republican Presidential debate in Reagan library in California. After all the softball questions, John "trying-to-sound-hawkish-inspite-of-truth" McCain was asked specifically if he believed in Evolution. He took a second and gave out a yes, albeit cursing his own luck for getting this question. Then came the question to the bunch as a whole, asking anyone who doesn't believe in evolution to raise his hand. Three of them raised their hand. McCain was mentally kicking himself for telling YES instead of filibustering. He needed to change or adapt his story in the next one or two seconds. How does he do it? He immediately starts speaking, calling the host by name before he goes to the next question and tells him," you know what, i believe in Evolution, but when i hike the Grand Canyon i can see the hand of GOD." I was like, WHATTTT? He is flip-flopping at a rate that would make a commercially available flip-flop proud. The irony in this whole issue is this. US took home all the 5 NOBEL Prizes for Science last year, yet their presidential candidates are being asked if they believe in Evolution.

Think about this happening in India. I don't think there is any debate (or Primaries in our country like here, but no one can beat us in rhetoric) in this format in India. Anyways, our politicians do have the worldview to talk about absolute rubbish with such conviction that you would forget the real issues at hand. Like in Gumidipoondi, when i was on the way to Tirupati from Chennai, there was a meeting (looked like for one of the councilors post) a DMK guy was on stage thundering aloud at the injustices happening in Iraq. I was like what about the local issues of water, electricity etc., NOPE those are real issues never to be touched.

Having slept while watching this debate, i had this weird dream. Its a Prime Ministerial Debate. The hopefuls for a future PM for India are all standing there trying to prove who is more religious than the other and why they have to be selected. Prannoy Roy asks Candidate 1 this question - Do you believe in Surface Tension? Quite taken aback, the candidate says, "though i feel tensed most of the time, i don't let it surface. I control myself." Thanking for giving a new perspective on surface tension, Roy moves on. Candidate 2 is asked the same question. Being a man of Science and reason he says, "yeah! of course." Then Prannoy Roy with a tongue in cheek asks, how many of you think Ganpathy really drank milk? When half the stage and almost all of the audience raise their hands, Candidate 2 immediately interjects and says, "ROY, i believe in surface tension, but when i saw the milk being sucked in from the spoon, i understood Ganpathy was thirsty", to thunderous applause and everyone going Ganpathy Pappa moriya!!!

I woke up and started thanking GOD (irony!!!) that our country hasn't come to this level. Atleast, not yet!

C Karthikeyan

RESERVATION - Who will bell the cat?

Reservation, this one word will evoke a whole gamut of emotions in every Indian, whether he is either for or against the idea. Each one of us, Indians, have an idea about how this immensely important issue should be. Yet, i see no intense intellectual debate or rational reasoning put to use within our society, right from the street corner tea stall to the corridors or power in New Delhi. Rather, our emotion seems to take a lead leaving us with more agony, people digging their feet deeper into their beliefs however bigoted it might be without a chance for any form of compromise. The media, which always sensationalizes everything from a petty robbery and something as personal as marriage, has only fanned the flames of anger and passion.

Everytime the idea of Reservation comes up in the national conscience it brings up a passionate, though with either impractical or unreasonable, debate about what form Reservation should take. The most common and an idea that almost every educated Indian seems to agree is the idea of Reservation based on Economics. At this point, i agree that the current form of reservation is not serving those who really need it and it is for this reason i want to explore, open this question before you guys, to have an honest reasonable interchange of ideas on what should and could be done. I don't want some general vague talking points we see everyday on TV.

These are some of the conclusions i came to when i thought about Reservations based on Economics. Though, if there is a way to successfully implement this which is not a small task by any means, this idea might be one of the fairest, i couldn't see how this can be brought about. I want to just go through some of these issues that i can think of and to see if we can with a solution through this discussion. I am thinking of a practical solution, not some Utopian idea which should make everyone happy in India. That is impossible.

Firstly, how do we decide on some one's economic strata, when only a minuscule percent of the Indian population pays tax. Herein lies the biggest problem. When such a huge chunk of population depends on the agriculture and other small businesses where we don't have any form of accounting, how to formulate a solution where again a privileged few won't take advantage of the loop holes of the system?

Secondly, in the system how do we decide who become eligible for reservation? If we are going to make the decision based on the incomes of the parents, what if someone tells that he doesn't need any support from his parents, for that matter he has separated from them and expects to be eligible for reservation? If there is a tangible benefit, i.e., difference between a seat in IIT or some private college, in showing yourself to be economically disadvantaged then people will abuse the system. We all know that.

Thirdly, we all know that the true spirit for reservation has long been dead. In fact it died the day it was written. Think of the idea of reservation. It is for people who have for generations have been on the margins of the society, who without any form of help from the Govt in an apathetic society like ours will never be able to compete in the mainstream. However, whenever there is a debate on reservation, whether you watch NDTV or IBNLIVE or whichever channel, who do you see shouting at the top of their voice, its the people who are in the IITs, the AIIMS and other prestigious institutions.

I accept, they too are affected by the way politicians play with reservation as a tool to be in public memory whenever they get lost in the crowd. But have you ever seen these channels go to a remote corner of India, ask a villager who still fights daily to survive about what he needs and how this system has to be changed to bring him into the mainstream. No, i have never seen it. For the news channels its about money, viewership - the middle class and advertisements. For the politicians its about the votes. Much like the Africans (refer previous post) who have to be kept poor to display the benevolence and magnanimity of the rich, there is a huge population in India in who's name there is a struggle going on, but surely they wouldn't know what happened in the end, for they will be left untouched just as they were left untouched when Reservation Version 1.0 ran through its life.

I will post some of the ideas that i have seen that are not really based on pure economics in my next post.

C Karthikeyan