Shakespeare said – or rather, Brutus told his friend Cassius in ‘Julius Caesar’ - There is a tide in the affairs of men. Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune; Omitted, all the voyage of their life is bound in shallows and in miseries.
I tend to agree with the first part of the quote. If we look back at our lives, we can identify specific instances that changed our fortunes. I call them inflection points.
In my case, it was the tail of a dog which I grasped firmly which took me thru the flood that set me off on a path that would eventually end up in IIT Chennai!! No, I don’t mean IIT is full of mutts. Though that also might be true, the story is a bit different.
I was in the seventh standard then. In a school famous for its headmaster – a man referred to by the students as ‘Laddoo’. Not for any sweetness of personality but for the fact that he tended to be rather spherical in shape. In fact, he was exactly the opposite of sweet. He used to bestride the corridors of Model School Thrissur like a colossus, with an equally colossal cane liberally waving in his hand. And he equally liberally used to ply the aforementioned cane to the bottom of many a boy unfortunate enough to cross his path while he rolled around.
This attitude of suppression of students was generally shared by most of the teachers and my maths teacher was no exception.
And then, on that fateful day, the maths teacher gave the class an interesting assignment as homework.
It was rather a simple one- a set of coordinates was given which were to be plotted on a graph book. And once these points were joined, some amazing picture was to emerge.
As soon as I reached home, I set about plotting the coordinates. But imagine my utter agony of soul when I realised that the sheet on the graph book was too small to accommodate 3 of the points referred by 3 sets of coordinates. So I had an incomplete picture. I could already feel the cane of the maths teacher swishing its way towards my posterior!! I decided to join together at least the rest of the points and see what emerged. Well, what did emerge was a nice looking dog. But alas, a tailless dog. The three points left out would have completed the dog’s tail. I brooded and I brooded and I brooded. How on earth do I get these 3 points in? But no solution came to mind.
At this juncture, my dad happened to notice me hunched over the graph book, tearing my hair out and asked me what seemed to be the problem. At this point, my impression of my dad was that he was a nice and interesting character that came home for bed and dinner, and would tell us lots of stories during the weekends. But graph paper and coordinates? Man, you got to be kidding. How would he know such complicated stuff!!
Still, in a rather condescending manner, I told him the problem, patting my backside to drive home the extent of the peril.
“Is that all? Simple. You just cut off a small piece from the next page in the graph book, staple it to this page and then you can draw the tail on that piece.” He said.
What??? Cut off a piece? This will only prompt an even more vicious assault on the posterior!
I refused. But my dad insisted. Finally age carried the day against good sense (or so I thought)
But I had to admit that the dog, complete with its tail looked rather cute.
The day of reckoning came. With a quaking heart and trembling hands, I showed my book to the teacher. And wonder of wonders – he grunted. You might well ask, so what if he grunted? Don’t these vicious types usually grunt? Ah, but this grunt was different. It was a grunt, modulated to show deep appreciation. A type of grunt as yet unheard of in his classroom. He also showed the book to the rest of the class and said- Only Ramgopal has got it right.
My father, whom I had considered an also ran till then, suddenly became the hot stuff. My admiration for him grew leaps and bounds.
After this, I would go to him every time I had doubts in maths. And he proved to be equally adept at aspects of maths other than dog’s tail, like square roots , cosines and such similar pippins. In a very short while, my fundamentals were clear. Maths, which was just another subject became my favourite. This love for maths finally paved the way for my outstanding performance in IIT JEE.
So I fondly remember the dog’s tail. And I tell my kids the tale of the tail of the dog. What more interesting inflection point can one think of!!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
100 years of independence
As a kid, I often used to wonder what India would be like at the turn of the millennium. Now, I wonder what it would be like, in 2047 – after 100 years of freedom. What would the world be like and what would be India’s role in it?
Optimistic
After many years of sustained growth at much higher rates than the rest of the world, India would be at 14% of the world’s GDP. ( not yet as high as the 20% which it had attained in the 1500s, but clearly on the way there.)
India is a member of the security council of UN- a much restructured UN- along with USA, China, Russia, UK, France, Japan, Germany, Brazil and South Africa. (The member nations of the UN can now evict any security council member with a 2/3rd vote. Also, the veto power has been taken off from the security council)
India is the world leader in the following..
1. Services – any and all back office services- India is handling approximately 40% of all the world’s back office.
2. IT – the IT networks of almost all fortune 500 companies are managed out of India. 50% of the world’s software needs are met out of India
3. Space and aviation technology – India has become the launch pad for the numerous space missions (especially since there is mining in the moon and Mars) One out of every 3 space missions launch from India. In the balance 2/3rd, most of the highly sophisticated technology and components are designed and manufactured in India. India is also among the leading designers of nuclear fuelled airplanes.
4. Alternate energy – having gone thru a tremendous squeeze in supply of fuel in the second decade of the millennium, a forward thinking government invested heavily in research on alternate fuel. When the breakthrough came, the technology and the design was almost exclusively held by the IITs and a few Indian conglomerates.
In the early part of the second decade, the government had focused on connecting the semi urban masses to the back office opportunity thru a joint drive with the private sector. Education was restructured to impart the necessary skillsets. The result was astounding. Growth in smaller towns was at 10% + . The Indian private sector companies which actively participated in the partnership had runaway growth rates. The fact that women were encouraged to participate in this thru incentives ensured that by 2047, the sex ratio in the country had corrected to 995 females for 1000 males and for the last 10 years, there are 1050- females born for every 1000 male children.
There are 25 IITs in India. 60% of the seats are reserved for Indians. There is a headlong rush from all over the world to fill up the balance 40%. So is the case with the 50 NITs, 60 IIITs and 15 IIMs.
India has become the leading supplier of management talent in the world. 40% of the fortune 500 companies have Indians as their CEOs. (35% of the fortune 500 companies are Indian companies)
Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad have become some of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Another 20 cities have joined the ranks of the ultra modern, swank, clean urban centres of the world.
Finally, India has overcome the huge gap in medical care and no. of doctors/ beds in the country. Today, India is a destination for the most complicated medical procedures. Fuelled by medical tourism, encouraged by the government and the 30 new IIMS s(Indian Institute of Medical Science) a large no of private hospitals were set up in the second and third decades.
Development in infrastructure, combined with a drive on cultural tourism has made India one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world with 10 fold increase in tourism in 30 years.
The overall improvement in IT enablement of the government and pressure to change has made India far less corrupt. Reaching a rank of 75 in transparency index.
Development, driven by increased education,. reduction in infant mortality, increased life expectancy, better medical care etc has made a quantum leap. India stands at 70th in the world on development index.
India, like the world has grappled with and overcome the terrorist problem. Some incredibly mature and solution oriented talks by Manmohan Singh in the initial phase of his 2nd of 3 successful consecutive terms as PM saw the rift between India and Pakistan slowly healing. Pushed by the US, Pakistan abandoned its support of terrorism. Propelled by the huge funding by US and its allies, with its GDP substantially growing and fundamentalist forces dying out, democracy takes roots in Pakistan. This leads to improved relations with India. India and Pakistan settle the Kashmir problem amicably. The extreme right wing parties lose out completely in India as do other fundamentalist forces.
China, which is now the largest economy in the world at 18% of the world GDP had gone thru its own revolution, and is now a democracy.
The world now has 4 economic blocks – the Americas ( US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Brazil), The EU, Greater China and India ASEAN and Japan.
Ramgopal Vallath is a happy retired man. Having made several tourist visits to the Moon and one to Mars, his life’s ambition is met. !!!!
Pessimistic
Fundamentalist forces are creating a strong schism in the country. The Islamic terrorism in the world spiralled upwards thru the second decade and created strong backlashes.
Most of the western nations substantially reduced interactions with Asian countries. Racial and communal discrimination spiralled in western countries and also in India. Fundamentalist right wing parties sprang up in the country. There are riots and communal violence in every state.
Pakistani army, heavily talibanised, dropped several nuclear bombs in India, which led to a retaliation. Thus the first full fledged nuclear war took place. This led the US to intervene and take over control of Pakistan and India went back by several years of development.
Several initiatives to create a global back office got scuttled by politicians with vested interests, who opposed English education. They also stopped modernisation on the tracks by clinging on to their warped view of Indian culture and instigating the unhappy masses against modernisation.
The country lost its focus on education and lost its share in the IT space.
Corruption spiralled up and India slipped to 150th rank in transparency index.
Ramgopal Vallath is a heart broken man.
So how do we ensure that India and the world takes Option A and not Option B? I believe the choice is for each of us to make. Between today and 2047, 3 new generations will be born, educated, enter the workforce and become world citizen. Let us inculcate the right values in them. Let us shun divisive fundamentalist forces and teach our children to do so. Let us work towards an open economy and discourage corruption. Let us take India to its rightful place by 2047. The choice is ours.
Optimistic
After many years of sustained growth at much higher rates than the rest of the world, India would be at 14% of the world’s GDP. ( not yet as high as the 20% which it had attained in the 1500s, but clearly on the way there.)
India is a member of the security council of UN- a much restructured UN- along with USA, China, Russia, UK, France, Japan, Germany, Brazil and South Africa. (The member nations of the UN can now evict any security council member with a 2/3rd vote. Also, the veto power has been taken off from the security council)
India is the world leader in the following..
1. Services – any and all back office services- India is handling approximately 40% of all the world’s back office.
2. IT – the IT networks of almost all fortune 500 companies are managed out of India. 50% of the world’s software needs are met out of India
3. Space and aviation technology – India has become the launch pad for the numerous space missions (especially since there is mining in the moon and Mars) One out of every 3 space missions launch from India. In the balance 2/3rd, most of the highly sophisticated technology and components are designed and manufactured in India. India is also among the leading designers of nuclear fuelled airplanes.
4. Alternate energy – having gone thru a tremendous squeeze in supply of fuel in the second decade of the millennium, a forward thinking government invested heavily in research on alternate fuel. When the breakthrough came, the technology and the design was almost exclusively held by the IITs and a few Indian conglomerates.
In the early part of the second decade, the government had focused on connecting the semi urban masses to the back office opportunity thru a joint drive with the private sector. Education was restructured to impart the necessary skillsets. The result was astounding. Growth in smaller towns was at 10% + . The Indian private sector companies which actively participated in the partnership had runaway growth rates. The fact that women were encouraged to participate in this thru incentives ensured that by 2047, the sex ratio in the country had corrected to 995 females for 1000 males and for the last 10 years, there are 1050- females born for every 1000 male children.
There are 25 IITs in India. 60% of the seats are reserved for Indians. There is a headlong rush from all over the world to fill up the balance 40%. So is the case with the 50 NITs, 60 IIITs and 15 IIMs.
India has become the leading supplier of management talent in the world. 40% of the fortune 500 companies have Indians as their CEOs. (35% of the fortune 500 companies are Indian companies)
Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad have become some of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Another 20 cities have joined the ranks of the ultra modern, swank, clean urban centres of the world.
Finally, India has overcome the huge gap in medical care and no. of doctors/ beds in the country. Today, India is a destination for the most complicated medical procedures. Fuelled by medical tourism, encouraged by the government and the 30 new IIMS s(Indian Institute of Medical Science) a large no of private hospitals were set up in the second and third decades.
Development in infrastructure, combined with a drive on cultural tourism has made India one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world with 10 fold increase in tourism in 30 years.
The overall improvement in IT enablement of the government and pressure to change has made India far less corrupt. Reaching a rank of 75 in transparency index.
Development, driven by increased education,. reduction in infant mortality, increased life expectancy, better medical care etc has made a quantum leap. India stands at 70th in the world on development index.
India, like the world has grappled with and overcome the terrorist problem. Some incredibly mature and solution oriented talks by Manmohan Singh in the initial phase of his 2nd of 3 successful consecutive terms as PM saw the rift between India and Pakistan slowly healing. Pushed by the US, Pakistan abandoned its support of terrorism. Propelled by the huge funding by US and its allies, with its GDP substantially growing and fundamentalist forces dying out, democracy takes roots in Pakistan. This leads to improved relations with India. India and Pakistan settle the Kashmir problem amicably. The extreme right wing parties lose out completely in India as do other fundamentalist forces.
China, which is now the largest economy in the world at 18% of the world GDP had gone thru its own revolution, and is now a democracy.
The world now has 4 economic blocks – the Americas ( US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Peru, Chile and Brazil), The EU, Greater China and India ASEAN and Japan.
Ramgopal Vallath is a happy retired man. Having made several tourist visits to the Moon and one to Mars, his life’s ambition is met. !!!!
Pessimistic
Fundamentalist forces are creating a strong schism in the country. The Islamic terrorism in the world spiralled upwards thru the second decade and created strong backlashes.
Most of the western nations substantially reduced interactions with Asian countries. Racial and communal discrimination spiralled in western countries and also in India. Fundamentalist right wing parties sprang up in the country. There are riots and communal violence in every state.
Pakistani army, heavily talibanised, dropped several nuclear bombs in India, which led to a retaliation. Thus the first full fledged nuclear war took place. This led the US to intervene and take over control of Pakistan and India went back by several years of development.
Several initiatives to create a global back office got scuttled by politicians with vested interests, who opposed English education. They also stopped modernisation on the tracks by clinging on to their warped view of Indian culture and instigating the unhappy masses against modernisation.
The country lost its focus on education and lost its share in the IT space.
Corruption spiralled up and India slipped to 150th rank in transparency index.
Ramgopal Vallath is a heart broken man.
So how do we ensure that India and the world takes Option A and not Option B? I believe the choice is for each of us to make. Between today and 2047, 3 new generations will be born, educated, enter the workforce and become world citizen. Let us inculcate the right values in them. Let us shun divisive fundamentalist forces and teach our children to do so. Let us work towards an open economy and discourage corruption. Let us take India to its rightful place by 2047. The choice is ours.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Manmohan Singh- Why I believe he will succeed
We have been hearing a lot about how Manmohan has sold out the country’s interests by agreeing to talks with Pakistan even before they addressed the terror attacks in Mumbai and also by allowing Balochistan to be mentioned in the joint statement.
I believe he has done the right thing and he will succeed because of the following..
Usually, the internal pressure to posture is so high on politicians that they are scared of being seen to be giving in even one inch. Hence in international forums which are highly visible or sensitive, they refuse to take bold steps to diffuse situations or to reach out for solutions.
Experience tells us that solutions can be found to complex problems only if at least one of the parties involved take a bold first step.
Manmohan did just that. I believe he is also genuinely interested in solving the Pakistan problem as a person(and not just posturing for votes). He is sincere, genuine, and wanting to find long term solutions for the problems that haunt our country. It must have taken enormous courage on his part to have agreed to Balochistan and to further talks And he did it knowing fully that he will have huge opposition back home. Balochistan, because he genuinely believes there is no foundation in the allegation of Indian involvement and talks, because the last 6 months has taught him that we need to move forward to solve the problem.
There are 5 players in this problem. Pakistan, India, USA, LeT and the Taliban. India has the support of USA in bringing LeT under control. After 26/11 and how US citizen were targeted, that much is obvious. But currently they have a larger and more pressing problem in the form of Taliban. And they need the support of the Pakistani army to solve that. But once Taliban issue is sorted out, they will push to bring LeT under control. And I believe just before the talks in Egypt, the US would have given strong assurances of support to Manamohan.
We also need to remember that there is no entity called the Pakistan government. The power is divided between the Army ( most powerful) , the president and the prime minister. However difficult this might make it for India in getting any concrete action, this is a fact of life and cannot be wished away. This complex problem has to be tackled bit by bit, with enormous patience an courage, sometimes by giving more than what we are getting. And it will be a long upward battle. But if this strengthens the democratic government in Pakistan, that in itself is a huge win for India. After all, the single largest reason why Pakistani Army is all powerful is India. The vision of this huge enemy just across the border is what is used to light the frenzy of fear in the Pakistani hearts. And hence, the army keeps doing everything to stall normalisation of relations with India.
And most importantly, Pakistan has nuclear capability. Nukes controlled by the trigger happy army. So there is no question of attacking pakistan- surgical or full fledged.
So if Manmohan can support the democratic government of Pakistan to look good, and slowly try to stabilise the relations, simultaneously getting some progress on controlling LeT in return, then he would be on the right path.
If the hawks in opposition and the cowards in his own party let him be, he will succeed. Because he has world opinion behind him and he has the strength of his courage and conviction.
A vision, backed by strength of conviction and courage, relentlessly executed has the power to change the world.
I believe he has done the right thing and he will succeed because of the following..
Usually, the internal pressure to posture is so high on politicians that they are scared of being seen to be giving in even one inch. Hence in international forums which are highly visible or sensitive, they refuse to take bold steps to diffuse situations or to reach out for solutions.
Experience tells us that solutions can be found to complex problems only if at least one of the parties involved take a bold first step.
Manmohan did just that. I believe he is also genuinely interested in solving the Pakistan problem as a person(and not just posturing for votes). He is sincere, genuine, and wanting to find long term solutions for the problems that haunt our country. It must have taken enormous courage on his part to have agreed to Balochistan and to further talks And he did it knowing fully that he will have huge opposition back home. Balochistan, because he genuinely believes there is no foundation in the allegation of Indian involvement and talks, because the last 6 months has taught him that we need to move forward to solve the problem.
There are 5 players in this problem. Pakistan, India, USA, LeT and the Taliban. India has the support of USA in bringing LeT under control. After 26/11 and how US citizen were targeted, that much is obvious. But currently they have a larger and more pressing problem in the form of Taliban. And they need the support of the Pakistani army to solve that. But once Taliban issue is sorted out, they will push to bring LeT under control. And I believe just before the talks in Egypt, the US would have given strong assurances of support to Manamohan.
We also need to remember that there is no entity called the Pakistan government. The power is divided between the Army ( most powerful) , the president and the prime minister. However difficult this might make it for India in getting any concrete action, this is a fact of life and cannot be wished away. This complex problem has to be tackled bit by bit, with enormous patience an courage, sometimes by giving more than what we are getting. And it will be a long upward battle. But if this strengthens the democratic government in Pakistan, that in itself is a huge win for India. After all, the single largest reason why Pakistani Army is all powerful is India. The vision of this huge enemy just across the border is what is used to light the frenzy of fear in the Pakistani hearts. And hence, the army keeps doing everything to stall normalisation of relations with India.
And most importantly, Pakistan has nuclear capability. Nukes controlled by the trigger happy army. So there is no question of attacking pakistan- surgical or full fledged.
So if Manmohan can support the democratic government of Pakistan to look good, and slowly try to stabilise the relations, simultaneously getting some progress on controlling LeT in return, then he would be on the right path.
If the hawks in opposition and the cowards in his own party let him be, he will succeed. Because he has world opinion behind him and he has the strength of his courage and conviction.
A vision, backed by strength of conviction and courage, relentlessly executed has the power to change the world.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Racism and the Indian Diaspora
In the last three months, we have seen the headlines on the unfortunate incidents Down Under. Namely, racial violence against Indian students in Australia. The footages were scary. And the whole incident has also triggered off the reaction that the perpetrators wanted- drive terror into the hearts of existing and aspiring students, thereby strangling the funnel of aspirants.
I have some great friends who are Australians. There are some broad characteristics they share. They are responsible, have great a sense of humour, love to try out different things and are generally very amiable. It is difficult to attribute the acts of terror to people who hail from the same country as these friends. But then, these friends of mine are the global Australians – top 10% of the population in terms of exposure and intellect.
Even so, it would be interesting to drill down a bit into what exactly could be causing this dissonance among some people in Australia for this issue to have become so big. Also intriguing, since this is happening in and around Melbourne, the most cosmopolitan area in Australia, being home to people from over 200 nationalities.
In the last 10 odd years, Indians are actively pursuing higher studies in Australia. There is also migration of Indians happening to the main cities in Australia. The Indian students alone now contribute to about 3% of the population of Melbourne. So here is the situation- a sudden spurt in the population of a relatively less known ethnic group. A group moreover, which is focused on high tech and IT studies, in a city which is the high tech capital of Australia. Around the same period, Indians are seen to be taking away local jobs from other English speaking developed nations because of the cost arbitrage. Even some Australian jobs are being moved to India. Reason enough for huge unease.
But added to this are some fundamental traits which have added to the unease - the same traits that kept the Diaspora of Jews all over Europe a distinct and hated community for centuries.
1. The Indians keep to themselves
2. They cling to their own culture
3. They are financially well off
4. They are industrious and hard working
My relatives in the US are more active in Indian cultural and religious activities than I or my family ever am. Maybe this gives them a sense of identity. Maybe it is a defensive mechanism to prove that theirs is a culture by far older and richer than those of the Americans. This is very similar to the way the Jews carried themselves in the European ghettos. Outwardly, subservient (this is not true for the Indian communities in US etc. thanks to modernisation) but actually clinging on to their individuality and convinced of their superiority.
Added to this, the Indians are generally believed to be peace loving and usually do not want trouble. Similar to the Jews who never fought back and hence where held in contempt.
So how will this problem go away? In a world fast becoming more and more homogenous, each country will have to accept outsiders and learn to live with them. In another 100 years, I believe that most of the developed world will have far more number of people of mixed ethnicities, transplanted across continents, speaking different languages and accepting/ embracing different cultures. But the path towards this utopia will be full of ups and downs, though in an overall upward trajectory.
There is bound to be backlashes based on racial and religious biases. Whites Vs. Browns and Christians Vs. Muslims.
Let the open minded minority lead the way for the majority which is indifferent. And together let them isolate the truly bigoted and narrow minded minority. The sooner we do this, the sooner the world will truly be one. And the sooner mankind will find its destiny.
I have some great friends who are Australians. There are some broad characteristics they share. They are responsible, have great a sense of humour, love to try out different things and are generally very amiable. It is difficult to attribute the acts of terror to people who hail from the same country as these friends. But then, these friends of mine are the global Australians – top 10% of the population in terms of exposure and intellect.
Even so, it would be interesting to drill down a bit into what exactly could be causing this dissonance among some people in Australia for this issue to have become so big. Also intriguing, since this is happening in and around Melbourne, the most cosmopolitan area in Australia, being home to people from over 200 nationalities.
In the last 10 odd years, Indians are actively pursuing higher studies in Australia. There is also migration of Indians happening to the main cities in Australia. The Indian students alone now contribute to about 3% of the population of Melbourne. So here is the situation- a sudden spurt in the population of a relatively less known ethnic group. A group moreover, which is focused on high tech and IT studies, in a city which is the high tech capital of Australia. Around the same period, Indians are seen to be taking away local jobs from other English speaking developed nations because of the cost arbitrage. Even some Australian jobs are being moved to India. Reason enough for huge unease.
But added to this are some fundamental traits which have added to the unease - the same traits that kept the Diaspora of Jews all over Europe a distinct and hated community for centuries.
1. The Indians keep to themselves
2. They cling to their own culture
3. They are financially well off
4. They are industrious and hard working
My relatives in the US are more active in Indian cultural and religious activities than I or my family ever am. Maybe this gives them a sense of identity. Maybe it is a defensive mechanism to prove that theirs is a culture by far older and richer than those of the Americans. This is very similar to the way the Jews carried themselves in the European ghettos. Outwardly, subservient (this is not true for the Indian communities in US etc. thanks to modernisation) but actually clinging on to their individuality and convinced of their superiority.
Added to this, the Indians are generally believed to be peace loving and usually do not want trouble. Similar to the Jews who never fought back and hence where held in contempt.
So how will this problem go away? In a world fast becoming more and more homogenous, each country will have to accept outsiders and learn to live with them. In another 100 years, I believe that most of the developed world will have far more number of people of mixed ethnicities, transplanted across continents, speaking different languages and accepting/ embracing different cultures. But the path towards this utopia will be full of ups and downs, though in an overall upward trajectory.
There is bound to be backlashes based on racial and religious biases. Whites Vs. Browns and Christians Vs. Muslims.
Let the open minded minority lead the way for the majority which is indifferent. And together let them isolate the truly bigoted and narrow minded minority. The sooner we do this, the sooner the world will truly be one. And the sooner mankind will find its destiny.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Stories, stories and more stories
Stories and more stories – mythologies, stories of real life adventures, short stories by great authors – all of these were lovingly told to my brother and I when we were children. And we eagerly absorbed them. What we did not realise at that time was that each and every one of these stories that my parents told us invariably had a value or moral attached to it. And slowly but steadily these values built our character.
My dad focused more on stories of great courage - both physical and mental- stories of endurance, stories of the triumph of human spirit against unbelievable odds. He also loved to tell stories plucked from the pages of biographies of great people- stories that reinforced the inner strengths and humility of these persons.
I still remember listening open mouthed when he told us the story of the crossing of the
He taught me the lines Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
My mom would tell us stories from Hindu mythology. Stories of kings and gods and demigod each with its own learning. But more importantly, stories which were so vivid in their imagination that they triggered off our (my brother and I ) first interest in books.
Thus between the two of them, my parents delivered some fundamental values to us over many wide eyed story sessions. Looking back now, i believe the most well trained child psychologist could not have faulted my parents for the content, the medium or the delivery method for these values.
Apart from instilling values such as courage, honesty, integrity and respect for elders, the other very important value that was instilled in us was that of equality. I learned from my parents that all men are born equal. Cast, creed, colour, religion, economic strata, etc. did not matter. What mattered is the person.
My dad also insisted that we study in government schools in Malayalam medium to be more rooted to the real
So how did I manage to pick up some English? I believe i learned my English thru reading the works of the best 3 possible authors. Enid Blyton to start with, then PG Wodehouse and finally William Shakespeare. I don’t think reading any other author could give a better foundation in the queen’s English than Enid Blyton. My parents made sure we have plenty of Enid Blyton to read. All the ‘famous fives’, ‘secret sevens’, ‘five findouters’ etc. Apart from laying the foundation for English language skills, these books also evoked the strongest love for adventure and of course love for voracious reading.
My dad used to translate PG Wodehouse stories and Sherlock Holmes stories to us when we were kids, So from Enid Blyton, the next logical step was to start reading Wodehouse. What a treat. What amazing language. And what an incredible sense of humour. If everyone we know reads a few volumes of PGW, the world would be full of people who do not take themselves too seriously. We would have less zealots and terrorists.
I stumbled on Shakespeare by the most amazing bit of serendipity- again thanks to my dad. We were discussing the great speeches made by famous people and he told me about Mark Antony’s speech in Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar. We immediately took down the “complete works of William Shakespeare” from the shelf and went thru the speech. It fascinated me so much, I decided to read the whole play. So there I was, 13 year old, who had never conversed in English, studying in Malayalam medium, where the teachers taught that a ‘rocking horse’ is a small rock carved horse, wading thru the unabridged works of Shakespeare. It was tough. But I persisted. Each time I read a line, new meanings were revealed. I went on to read a lot of other plays as well.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
On Mother's Day, a tribute to the Stronger Sex
When I was 11, I wrote a poem about my mother. I guess it would be appropriate to share it on this day..
My constant companion in joy and misery alike,
Always soothing, loving, gentle, understanding.
Caring for me with all her heart.
She is always there rejoicing in my joy,
Soothing me when I am sad.
As a child when I became sad, I would hide my feelings and lock them in my heart.
Then she would be there, a gentle word, a soothing touch, always understanding and giving me joy.
Ye, she is my mother, comforting me and lifting me to heaven from gloom unknown.
She would know my feelings of which I know naught,
Always caring gentle loving comforting
I would be rude when she is close,
A lamp whose value I know not when in hand.
When she is away, in darkness do I grope
For the love given by her gentle heart
I know she is with me and shall always be, sharing both joy and misery with me.
My dear mother, my darling most loving friend I ever had.
My mom still treasures this poem. She has locked this up in her locker and every once in a while she takes it out and reads it.
Today after all these years, I have realised just how true each of these words are. My Amma is possibly the sweetest and gentlest person I have met. (and i am sure the world is full of people who would say that about their mothers). The one person who unstintingly pours out love, irrespective of the situation with absolutely no expectation in return-that is Mother.
Most times, we do not understand the huge intrinsic strengths that women have. We take their gentleness and their flexibility for weakness. It took me many years into my adulthood to realise that I had been so completely mistaken in believing that my mother played second fiddle in my Parents’ relationship. Sure, my dad is usually adamant and unyielding. He gets his way most of the time. But her very flexibility and ability to adjust is her strength. My father would not survive without the support of that gentle strength.
So on this day, called Mothers day, (Mother being the most important and ‘purest’ role a woman plays among the many critical roles she plays) I would like to pay a few tributes to the gentler sex.
I have the highest respect for women. Many ancient civilised societies were matriarchal. I am sure the very empowerment of women ensured proper law and order and an overall higher quality of life. The biggest change that happened when small bands of hunter gatherers settled down to become farming tribes was the higher status in which they placed women.
Even today, societies which empower women and give them the respect they deserve are the progressive and progressing societies.
With their amazingly thicker Corpus-Callosum (the bundle of nerves that connect the left brain to the right brain) as compared to men, I am sure women would continue to dominate in intuition, common sense and overall grasp of complex situations.
Let me, as a genuine admirer of the fairer sex, take my hats off to womanhood – Mother, wife, daughter, friend and LEADER.
My constant companion in joy and misery alike,
Always soothing, loving, gentle, understanding.
Caring for me with all her heart.
She is always there rejoicing in my joy,
Soothing me when I am sad.
As a child when I became sad, I would hide my feelings and lock them in my heart.
Then she would be there, a gentle word, a soothing touch, always understanding and giving me joy.
Ye, she is my mother, comforting me and lifting me to heaven from gloom unknown.
She would know my feelings of which I know naught,
Always caring gentle loving comforting
I would be rude when she is close,
A lamp whose value I know not when in hand.
When she is away, in darkness do I grope
For the love given by her gentle heart
I know she is with me and shall always be, sharing both joy and misery with me.
My dear mother, my darling most loving friend I ever had.
My mom still treasures this poem. She has locked this up in her locker and every once in a while she takes it out and reads it.
Today after all these years, I have realised just how true each of these words are. My Amma is possibly the sweetest and gentlest person I have met. (and i am sure the world is full of people who would say that about their mothers). The one person who unstintingly pours out love, irrespective of the situation with absolutely no expectation in return-that is Mother.
Most times, we do not understand the huge intrinsic strengths that women have. We take their gentleness and their flexibility for weakness. It took me many years into my adulthood to realise that I had been so completely mistaken in believing that my mother played second fiddle in my Parents’ relationship. Sure, my dad is usually adamant and unyielding. He gets his way most of the time. But her very flexibility and ability to adjust is her strength. My father would not survive without the support of that gentle strength.
So on this day, called Mothers day, (Mother being the most important and ‘purest’ role a woman plays among the many critical roles she plays) I would like to pay a few tributes to the gentler sex.
I have the highest respect for women. Many ancient civilised societies were matriarchal. I am sure the very empowerment of women ensured proper law and order and an overall higher quality of life. The biggest change that happened when small bands of hunter gatherers settled down to become farming tribes was the higher status in which they placed women.
Even today, societies which empower women and give them the respect they deserve are the progressive and progressing societies.
With their amazingly thicker Corpus-Callosum (the bundle of nerves that connect the left brain to the right brain) as compared to men, I am sure women would continue to dominate in intuition, common sense and overall grasp of complex situations.
Let me, as a genuine admirer of the fairer sex, take my hats off to womanhood – Mother, wife, daughter, friend and LEADER.
Thursday, May 7, 2009
The Indian Middle Class Values
My great grandmother on my mother’s side was a Namboothiri’s (a Malayali Brahmin) “sambantham’ – girlfriend. She had 7 children from him. I believe he was so rich he used to bring hollowed out ivory tusks filled with gold coins home to her.
But when he died, his legitimate children came and took away all the wealth.
On my Dad’s side, my great grandfather (grandfather’s father) was a government servant appointed by his highness of Kochi state.
Two people who shaped my character more than anyone else (apart from my parents) were my two grandfathers. Kumarankutty Menon was my father’s father, a man with the highest level of integrity, sincerity, energy, focus and drive. Throughout his life, i have seen him stand up to injustice. He was fearless, a bit of a rebel, an early innovator for anything and impeccable in his integrity.
He left Kerala for Benares when he was a teenager to do his undergraduation in engineering at Benares Hindu University. The stories of how he made his way there without knowing a word of Hindi, how when he reached there he was told that there was some confusion in the admission and he had to go back, how he stayed on and eventually cleared up the issue are all now part of family legend.
He used to tell us stories of how cholera, typhoid and small pox killed many members of his family when he was a child. This, inspite of the fact that being from a reasonably well off family, life must have been easier on him than on most others. I find it amazing, used as i am to modern medicines and vaccinations to think that 50% of the family died before the age of 20.
What were the values I learned from my grandfather?
• First and foremost – integrity. He retired at a senior level in the government- as a chief engineer in the Kerala State Electricity Board. At a time when a government officer of that level could just about command anything and was almost like a ruler of a fiefdom, he managed to keep his humility intact. He would not misuse any government property or perks ever for personal use. He was totally incorruptible and the respect he carried for this was enormous.
• Energy and drive – it is believed that in India, government officers have limited abilities to move things. The bureaucracy is just too slow and cumbersome. But KK Menon refused to believe this. Dressed in his smart shorts, T shirt and British style cap, he would be leading his team from the front. The 100% rural electrification achieved by Kerala state way ahead of any other states in the country could partly be attributed to the efforts and energy of this small dynamite of pure will power.
• Ownership and responsibility- He never shirked a responsibility. Ever. Whether at work or in his personal dealings, he always stretched and took ownership.
• Willpower and focus – KK Menon never gave up in life. He faced many health challenges in his 90 year life span- Cholera, Diabetes, slipped disc and even a mild heart attack. He not only never gave up, he attacked each of them in his usual methodical focused fashion and he conquered each of them. You could actually say of him – danger knew full well that KKM is more dangerous than he !!!
And then there was his opposite pole – VS Panikker. Slow to action, high on intelligence, a repository of vast amount of knowledge. My maternal grandfather. My memory of him- wearing his Mundu, bare-chested, slowly devouring one book after another. For him, any knowledge, however trivial or eclectic was welcome. From science to Vedanta, history to geography all went into that brain.
Financially he was not as well off as Kumaran Kutty Menon. But the one thing he did not compromise on was his children’s education. My uncle, Dr. V Balakrishnan is a shining example of this uncompromising focus. My grandfather ensured he put my uncle thru his course in medicine. From there, he went on to get his MD and then his DM. One of the first to attain this level of educational qualification in Kerala.
What he passed on to me was an undying thirst for knowledge. Knowledge of any kind. I still see this thirst in my uncle, Dr. Balakrishnan. I hope this thirst is never quenched in me.
In a nutshell, the middle class values I acquired were the gift of my grandparents. Strengthened further and delivered to me thru my parents. And I can tell you, delivered to me and my brother with the utmost efficiency and amplification. Strengthening the lessons thru personal examples and other delivery methods, which would leave indelible and deep impressions in my psyche.
The one common value which was strongly embraced by both my sets of grandparents was the huge importance they gave for education. This was one very visible phase of the evolution of middle class India. And possibly what laid the foundation for the knowledge based economy that India is evolving into many generations later today. The middle class knew that education was an important path towards upward mobility. And they focused on it. Ensuring a college education for all the children became a must for parents.
India was also going thru the first flush of independence. The country embraced Nehruvian socialism. It was the time when large government owned public sector institutions came into being. Working for the government was prestigious. It was also the way to fast tracking in the new feudal order- the feudal system of government bureaucracy.
But when he died, his legitimate children came and took away all the wealth.
On my Dad’s side, my great grandfather (grandfather’s father) was a government servant appointed by his highness of Kochi state.
Two people who shaped my character more than anyone else (apart from my parents) were my two grandfathers. Kumarankutty Menon was my father’s father, a man with the highest level of integrity, sincerity, energy, focus and drive. Throughout his life, i have seen him stand up to injustice. He was fearless, a bit of a rebel, an early innovator for anything and impeccable in his integrity.
He left Kerala for Benares when he was a teenager to do his undergraduation in engineering at Benares Hindu University. The stories of how he made his way there without knowing a word of Hindi, how when he reached there he was told that there was some confusion in the admission and he had to go back, how he stayed on and eventually cleared up the issue are all now part of family legend.
He used to tell us stories of how cholera, typhoid and small pox killed many members of his family when he was a child. This, inspite of the fact that being from a reasonably well off family, life must have been easier on him than on most others. I find it amazing, used as i am to modern medicines and vaccinations to think that 50% of the family died before the age of 20.
What were the values I learned from my grandfather?
• First and foremost – integrity. He retired at a senior level in the government- as a chief engineer in the Kerala State Electricity Board. At a time when a government officer of that level could just about command anything and was almost like a ruler of a fiefdom, he managed to keep his humility intact. He would not misuse any government property or perks ever for personal use. He was totally incorruptible and the respect he carried for this was enormous.
• Energy and drive – it is believed that in India, government officers have limited abilities to move things. The bureaucracy is just too slow and cumbersome. But KK Menon refused to believe this. Dressed in his smart shorts, T shirt and British style cap, he would be leading his team from the front. The 100% rural electrification achieved by Kerala state way ahead of any other states in the country could partly be attributed to the efforts and energy of this small dynamite of pure will power.
• Ownership and responsibility- He never shirked a responsibility. Ever. Whether at work or in his personal dealings, he always stretched and took ownership.
• Willpower and focus – KK Menon never gave up in life. He faced many health challenges in his 90 year life span- Cholera, Diabetes, slipped disc and even a mild heart attack. He not only never gave up, he attacked each of them in his usual methodical focused fashion and he conquered each of them. You could actually say of him – danger knew full well that KKM is more dangerous than he !!!
And then there was his opposite pole – VS Panikker. Slow to action, high on intelligence, a repository of vast amount of knowledge. My maternal grandfather. My memory of him- wearing his Mundu, bare-chested, slowly devouring one book after another. For him, any knowledge, however trivial or eclectic was welcome. From science to Vedanta, history to geography all went into that brain.
Financially he was not as well off as Kumaran Kutty Menon. But the one thing he did not compromise on was his children’s education. My uncle, Dr. V Balakrishnan is a shining example of this uncompromising focus. My grandfather ensured he put my uncle thru his course in medicine. From there, he went on to get his MD and then his DM. One of the first to attain this level of educational qualification in Kerala.
What he passed on to me was an undying thirst for knowledge. Knowledge of any kind. I still see this thirst in my uncle, Dr. Balakrishnan. I hope this thirst is never quenched in me.
In a nutshell, the middle class values I acquired were the gift of my grandparents. Strengthened further and delivered to me thru my parents. And I can tell you, delivered to me and my brother with the utmost efficiency and amplification. Strengthening the lessons thru personal examples and other delivery methods, which would leave indelible and deep impressions in my psyche.
The one common value which was strongly embraced by both my sets of grandparents was the huge importance they gave for education. This was one very visible phase of the evolution of middle class India. And possibly what laid the foundation for the knowledge based economy that India is evolving into many generations later today. The middle class knew that education was an important path towards upward mobility. And they focused on it. Ensuring a college education for all the children became a must for parents.
India was also going thru the first flush of independence. The country embraced Nehruvian socialism. It was the time when large government owned public sector institutions came into being. Working for the government was prestigious. It was also the way to fast tracking in the new feudal order- the feudal system of government bureaucracy.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
From the flood of Manu to Jewel in the crown – 4000 years of Mystery and History
Noah’s Ark, Legend of Gilgamesh, Manu and his fish - did these events/myths all happen independently thousands of miles apart??? Or are they one and the same and just got adopted into different myths at different times? Hard to say.
But we can possibly say that Indian history or at least Indian myths started with the flood and Manu.
Prior to the Aryan migration into what is today Afghanistan (Gandhara of old), Punjab, and the north of India, there was a flourishing civilisation scattered over large parts of Pakistan and what is now Rajasthan/ Gujarat in India. The Indus Valley civilisation, as it is referred to today, though not as ancient as the Egyptian or the Mesopotamian civilisation, can nevertheless rank among the really ancient well developed urban civilisations, with its own distinct language, script, arts and culture. Unfortunately, very little is known of the origins, the history, and the reason for the mysterious disappearance of this civilisation. Estimates suggest that it lasted from around 2600 BC to 1900 BC.
With the Aryan migration (I am loath to say invasion, since the jury is still out on whether there was actually any invasion or was it a peaceful migration) also came the legends and the myths. Ancient wisdom in the form of Vedas, Upanishads and Epics.
One can say Mahabharata was really where legend started meeting history. The great epic, culminating in the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas where every known kingdom aligned with one side or the other – a battle that dwarfed the Trojan War by several magnitudes. It is the Mahabharata, possibly placed around 1400 BC, (around the same time as the Santorini explosion which removed Knossos and the great Minoan civilisation from the face of the earth) that gives us a good picture of the several kingdoms which mushroomed in the great north Indian planes between Indus and Ganges rivers. It is also Mahabharata, rich in values and traditions, strong in morals and yet very practical in its outlook on how to survive in the real world, which lays down the Values that is to dominate India for the next 3500 years. Like its contemporary event, the Trojan War, or for that matter, like most of the Old Testament, Mahabharata was committed to writing only centuries later. This could explain why Ramayana, which logically relates to events that could have happened much later in actual history, could be depicted in Mahabharata as having preceded Mahabharata. For Mahabharata refers to that period in Indian history, when the Aryans were settling the north Indian region (Uttara pada). Ramayana- to the forays far down south (Dakshin pada) all the way to the colonisation of Sri Lanka.
From that era, to the time when the British tentatively stepped in as traders and slowly by means of political will, guile, cunning and courage, made India the most prestigious addition to the sprawling British Empire in 1857, India was the land of mystery, untold wealth, magic, elephants, learned gurus and incredible wealth. It is believed that 22% of the world’s GDP was in India.
From 500BC to 1100AD, it was a story of fragmented kingdoms, neighbouring kingdoms swallowing each other, new dynasties mushrooming, conquest by central Asians, forays by Greek (Yavana) kings, in turn conquest of Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Cambodian and Vietnamese lands by Indian dynasties.
Great dynasties – Mauryas and Guptas came into being, spread across the subcontinent, left their indelible mark in the rich cultural and value systems of the subcontinent and disintegrated back to smaller kingdoms. Centres of power (Magadha, Kalinga) and centres of great learning (Taxila, Nalanda) sparkled briefly and went off.
More importantly, Jainism and Buddhism, two religions which both have peace and love as their central theme originated in India. Buddhism was exported out with a huge thrust of the mighty Ashoka behind it. Sri Lanka, China, and later Burma, Indonesia, Thailand- all fell to the influence of this message of peace.
From 1100 AD onwards, the Muslim conquests of India started. There was constant pushing of territories, conquests and reconquests, succession struggles, dynastic overthrows, intrigue – mostly in North and later in central India. The south was relatively stable and peaceful. Pallavas, Chalukyas, Cholas, Pandyas, Rashtrakutas all were long stable dynasties and more importantly, even if there were boundaries constantly getting rewritten between them, the cultural continuity remained.
The strong difference in values and culture one can observe between people from north and south India can be explained by this very vastly different treatment meted out by this current millennium. The north Indian is far more aggressive about his turf, more practical, more pushy and individualistic. People from south tend to be more laid back, more accommodating and generally contented with letting matters be.
The last 200 years pre independence, before the whole of India was united by the British and given a national conscience and then rent asunder into 3 distinct units in the greatest human tragedies of modern world, Indians also acquired a new trait – a huge inferiority complex vis-à-vis the white westerners. And an embrasure of Gandhian principles as a defensive mechanism to prove that we are the have-nots by choice.
But we can possibly say that Indian history or at least Indian myths started with the flood and Manu.
Prior to the Aryan migration into what is today Afghanistan (Gandhara of old), Punjab, and the north of India, there was a flourishing civilisation scattered over large parts of Pakistan and what is now Rajasthan/ Gujarat in India. The Indus Valley civilisation, as it is referred to today, though not as ancient as the Egyptian or the Mesopotamian civilisation, can nevertheless rank among the really ancient well developed urban civilisations, with its own distinct language, script, arts and culture. Unfortunately, very little is known of the origins, the history, and the reason for the mysterious disappearance of this civilisation. Estimates suggest that it lasted from around 2600 BC to 1900 BC.
With the Aryan migration (I am loath to say invasion, since the jury is still out on whether there was actually any invasion or was it a peaceful migration) also came the legends and the myths. Ancient wisdom in the form of Vedas, Upanishads and Epics.
One can say Mahabharata was really where legend started meeting history. The great epic, culminating in the battle between the Pandavas and the Kauravas where every known kingdom aligned with one side or the other – a battle that dwarfed the Trojan War by several magnitudes. It is the Mahabharata, possibly placed around 1400 BC, (around the same time as the Santorini explosion which removed Knossos and the great Minoan civilisation from the face of the earth) that gives us a good picture of the several kingdoms which mushroomed in the great north Indian planes between Indus and Ganges rivers. It is also Mahabharata, rich in values and traditions, strong in morals and yet very practical in its outlook on how to survive in the real world, which lays down the Values that is to dominate India for the next 3500 years. Like its contemporary event, the Trojan War, or for that matter, like most of the Old Testament, Mahabharata was committed to writing only centuries later. This could explain why Ramayana, which logically relates to events that could have happened much later in actual history, could be depicted in Mahabharata as having preceded Mahabharata. For Mahabharata refers to that period in Indian history, when the Aryans were settling the north Indian region (Uttara pada). Ramayana- to the forays far down south (Dakshin pada) all the way to the colonisation of Sri Lanka.
From that era, to the time when the British tentatively stepped in as traders and slowly by means of political will, guile, cunning and courage, made India the most prestigious addition to the sprawling British Empire in 1857, India was the land of mystery, untold wealth, magic, elephants, learned gurus and incredible wealth. It is believed that 22% of the world’s GDP was in India.
From 500BC to 1100AD, it was a story of fragmented kingdoms, neighbouring kingdoms swallowing each other, new dynasties mushrooming, conquest by central Asians, forays by Greek (Yavana) kings, in turn conquest of Malaysian, Sri Lankan, Cambodian and Vietnamese lands by Indian dynasties.
Great dynasties – Mauryas and Guptas came into being, spread across the subcontinent, left their indelible mark in the rich cultural and value systems of the subcontinent and disintegrated back to smaller kingdoms. Centres of power (Magadha, Kalinga) and centres of great learning (Taxila, Nalanda) sparkled briefly and went off.
More importantly, Jainism and Buddhism, two religions which both have peace and love as their central theme originated in India. Buddhism was exported out with a huge thrust of the mighty Ashoka behind it. Sri Lanka, China, and later Burma, Indonesia, Thailand- all fell to the influence of this message of peace.
From 1100 AD onwards, the Muslim conquests of India started. There was constant pushing of territories, conquests and reconquests, succession struggles, dynastic overthrows, intrigue – mostly in North and later in central India. The south was relatively stable and peaceful. Pallavas, Chalukyas, Cholas, Pandyas, Rashtrakutas all were long stable dynasties and more importantly, even if there were boundaries constantly getting rewritten between them, the cultural continuity remained.
The strong difference in values and culture one can observe between people from north and south India can be explained by this very vastly different treatment meted out by this current millennium. The north Indian is far more aggressive about his turf, more practical, more pushy and individualistic. People from south tend to be more laid back, more accommodating and generally contented with letting matters be.
The last 200 years pre independence, before the whole of India was united by the British and given a national conscience and then rent asunder into 3 distinct units in the greatest human tragedies of modern world, Indians also acquired a new trait – a huge inferiority complex vis-à-vis the white westerners. And an embrasure of Gandhian principles as a defensive mechanism to prove that we are the have-nots by choice.
Saturday, January 24, 2009
A quick peek at Kerala- an amazing cultural cauldron
This is in continuation of my previous post..
The state of Kerala where I hail from became Kerala after India got its independence.
Before that for a long time, it had 3 main kingdoms- Travancore (Thiruvithankur), Cochin (Kochi) and Malabar. Known for its incredible natural beauty and trade in spices, this narrow strip of land was well known throughout the known world. King Solomon’s ships used to trade at the Malabar coast and so did the Arabs, the Chinese, the Romans etc.
Myth has it that the land of Kerala was created by the sage Parashuram, the 6th Avtar of Vishnu when he threw his Axe over the sea from Gokarnam in north to Kanyakumari in south. The land rose up from the sea as the Axe passed and created this lush green land. The land was used by Parashuram to do his penance for his slaughter of Kshatriyas.
Kerala (by this, I mean what consists of the present state of Kerala – which prior to independence was the Malayalam speaking kingdoms) also had a distinct and differently evolved cultural system.
I would say that the really distinct feature of Kerala was the Matriarchal system which was prevalent in many communities. Children stayed with their mothers and the mother’s side of the family. One inherited property from the mother’s side. My surname, Vallath, comes from my mother. Women could accept any number of suitors, and could as easily get out of a relation and into a new one as could their consorts. Women, in a nutshell were empowered.
But the curse of Kerala was also that the caste system which was pervasive across India was extremely strong in Kerala. There were the 4 castes (Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras) and then the untouchables. It is believed that the untouchables had a really tough time in Kerala. The shadow of an untouchable was not allowed to touch the path of a Brahman.
The strong cultural beliefs also gave Kerala some wonderful art forms (Kathakali, Koothu, Mohiniyattam etc.) based around temple life. Several temples in Kerala acquired huge myths and legends around them – Guruvayur, Sabarimala, Kodungalloor, Chottanikkara, Pazhavangadi, Vadakkunnathan, and several dozens more. Stories of these temples, their patron kings, the temple elephants, the gods and goddesses- all interwoven in some of the most fascinating myth/legends ever to come down over generations- some of them over a 1000 years or more. (I would love to share some of these stories – Aitheehyams – sometime later)
Kerala rulers and people were also very xenophilic. Openly embracing and accepting different cultures and religions which traded with them. The first Islamic mosque outside Arabia was built in Kerala at Kodungalloor in 612 AD during the lifetime of Mohammed, by the King of Musiris, This was done, after the previous king, Cheraman Perumal sent back letters of introduction along with his Arab friends from his death bed en route back from Mekkah. He had earlier abdicated his throne on hearing of Mohammed from Arab traders, and made the pilgrimage to Mekkah and met up with Mohammed.
The Jews were trading in the Malabar coast from the time of King Solomon (BC1000) and St. Thomas (one of the original 12 disciples of Christ) landed in Kerala and spread the gospel.
The average Malayali even today shows these signs of openness to different ideas and ideologies. They also show an extremely complex mix of empowerment of women on one hand and male chauvinism on the other – a state no doubt reached by the male trying to fight back for supremacy. The first ever democratically elected communist government in the world came up in Kerala in 1956. So did the Kshetrapraveshana Vilambaram, a proclamation which legally allowed the untouchables to enter the temples.
It is from this rich tapestry of cultural and religious milieu that the Vallath family and RamG emerges !!!!!!!!!!!!!
The state of Kerala where I hail from became Kerala after India got its independence.
Before that for a long time, it had 3 main kingdoms- Travancore (Thiruvithankur), Cochin (Kochi) and Malabar. Known for its incredible natural beauty and trade in spices, this narrow strip of land was well known throughout the known world. King Solomon’s ships used to trade at the Malabar coast and so did the Arabs, the Chinese, the Romans etc.
Myth has it that the land of Kerala was created by the sage Parashuram, the 6th Avtar of Vishnu when he threw his Axe over the sea from Gokarnam in north to Kanyakumari in south. The land rose up from the sea as the Axe passed and created this lush green land. The land was used by Parashuram to do his penance for his slaughter of Kshatriyas.
Kerala (by this, I mean what consists of the present state of Kerala – which prior to independence was the Malayalam speaking kingdoms) also had a distinct and differently evolved cultural system.
I would say that the really distinct feature of Kerala was the Matriarchal system which was prevalent in many communities. Children stayed with their mothers and the mother’s side of the family. One inherited property from the mother’s side. My surname, Vallath, comes from my mother. Women could accept any number of suitors, and could as easily get out of a relation and into a new one as could their consorts. Women, in a nutshell were empowered.
But the curse of Kerala was also that the caste system which was pervasive across India was extremely strong in Kerala. There were the 4 castes (Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras) and then the untouchables. It is believed that the untouchables had a really tough time in Kerala. The shadow of an untouchable was not allowed to touch the path of a Brahman.
The strong cultural beliefs also gave Kerala some wonderful art forms (Kathakali, Koothu, Mohiniyattam etc.) based around temple life. Several temples in Kerala acquired huge myths and legends around them – Guruvayur, Sabarimala, Kodungalloor, Chottanikkara, Pazhavangadi, Vadakkunnathan, and several dozens more. Stories of these temples, their patron kings, the temple elephants, the gods and goddesses- all interwoven in some of the most fascinating myth/legends ever to come down over generations- some of them over a 1000 years or more. (I would love to share some of these stories – Aitheehyams – sometime later)
Kerala rulers and people were also very xenophilic. Openly embracing and accepting different cultures and religions which traded with them. The first Islamic mosque outside Arabia was built in Kerala at Kodungalloor in 612 AD during the lifetime of Mohammed, by the King of Musiris, This was done, after the previous king, Cheraman Perumal sent back letters of introduction along with his Arab friends from his death bed en route back from Mekkah. He had earlier abdicated his throne on hearing of Mohammed from Arab traders, and made the pilgrimage to Mekkah and met up with Mohammed.
The Jews were trading in the Malabar coast from the time of King Solomon (BC1000) and St. Thomas (one of the original 12 disciples of Christ) landed in Kerala and spread the gospel.
The average Malayali even today shows these signs of openness to different ideas and ideologies. They also show an extremely complex mix of empowerment of women on one hand and male chauvinism on the other – a state no doubt reached by the male trying to fight back for supremacy. The first ever democratically elected communist government in the world came up in Kerala in 1956. So did the Kshetrapraveshana Vilambaram, a proclamation which legally allowed the untouchables to enter the temples.
It is from this rich tapestry of cultural and religious milieu that the Vallath family and RamG emerges !!!!!!!!!!!!!
Value systems and evolving India
Close friend of mine from US, Jen told me she loved my blog because of the cultural insight it offers. So i have decided to make a slight diversion from books and move into cultural roots..
If you were to take my life and study it, examine the inputs that have gone into making little RamG into Ramgopal Vallath, examine what macro change could have caused those inputs, you would pretty much get a great idea of what drove India from a 3% growth (known as the Hindu rate of growth) economy to a 9% growth economy and its values from those firmly rooted in the conservative interpretations of Sanathana Dharma (Hindu way of life) to what we see today as a strive towards consumerism, wealth creation, aggressive nationalism, world dominance etc.
So where do I start? Maybe I will start from 3 generations back – my great grand parents..
But let me dwell a bit first on the cultural roots to give you a flavour..
If you were to take my life and study it, examine the inputs that have gone into making little RamG into Ramgopal Vallath, examine what macro change could have caused those inputs, you would pretty much get a great idea of what drove India from a 3% growth (known as the Hindu rate of growth) economy to a 9% growth economy and its values from those firmly rooted in the conservative interpretations of Sanathana Dharma (Hindu way of life) to what we see today as a strive towards consumerism, wealth creation, aggressive nationalism, world dominance etc.
So where do I start? Maybe I will start from 3 generations back – my great grand parents..
But let me dwell a bit first on the cultural roots to give you a flavour..
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