Victory in cricket and emergence of Anna Hazare
For many Indians today, winning is becoming something of a habit: rising GDP, falling poverty, international recognition - and Dhoni's 11 men in blue.
As the match progressed last Saturday one initially felt that India would offer some flashes of brilliance and genuine class, and would then fade into the dark background. The old psychological ghosts would revive. With Sehwag out, Tendulkar gone, one felt that the entire team would collapse. They did so many times. But this time all were wrong. It's true that Sri Lankan bowling was lousy, but it was the Indian assurance that felt dramatically new. This Indian team genuinely felt that there was a job to be done - and that's what they did rather than flinging themselves into a run chase, going out in cameo blazes of glory as they once might have.
The true lesson of our World Cup victory is not that we won, but that we won through playing by the rules. Last Saturday, we had the swashbuckling cool of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Three days later, we had the cantankerous determination of Anna Hazare, who began his hunger strike. Anna Hazare's fast against high corruption was a welcome sight after India's victory! In fact, his protest against corruption helps illuminate a schizophrenic dissonance in how we think about success. The fact is that most of those who are considered victors in our society are those who ignore or subvert rules - in fact, who think rules are for idiots and losers. Whether it is leaders pushing through their favoured policies, developers racing to put up buildings, corporate leaders cornering natural resources, media stars cultivating celebrity access, or judges convening fast-track courts - we're all in a hurry. And so restraints in the form of laws, rules, procedures - all are irritating impedances, something to swerve around like a sluggish tempo on the road. Within this culture of success, victory depends on defying the rules. And it's a defiance we can justify to ourselves because we tell ourselves we're smarter, more discerning and deserving - better, plain superior - to the stupidities of rules and the rule enforcers.
There are, then, two quite dissonant conceptions of winning that we are living with. The cricket-pitch victory we all celebrated last weekend was a victory of and by the rules. It was a victory of talent, and it is an index of talent to be able to play and win by the rules. But in other domains of our life, the sense that rules matter is absent. When it comes to making money, pursuing power, advancing one's professional career, rules are viewed as an intrusive obstruction to aspiration. Corruption is more efficient. The emergence of Anna Hazare in such a situation should give all of us tremendous relief.
Is internet a boon or bane?The internet is become the most necessary part of most of our lives. Besides an important research tool, it is a vital medium for interfacing with the world, connecting with friends and expressing opinion. Accessing the World Wide Web is seen as a fundamental requirement. According to a survey, Net surfing at work enhances productivity.
Allowing employees non-work related browsing freedom contributes to creating a congenial work atmosphere. A happy workplace motivates employees to maintain higher standards of quality. Enforcing a strict code of conduct can dampen morale and retard productivity. It's good to focus on motivation rather than a disciplinary approach.
New ideas can profoundly enhance company's fortunes. Hence, effort is made to foster creativity at the workplace, including through workshops and team-building exercises. There should be recreation rooms for employees since what may appear a waste of time can actually provide inspiration for path-breaking ideas. The internet being a rich source of information, idle browsing can provide the spark for innovative thinking and problem-solving. A YouTube video can be the muse for an excellent boardroom presentation.
Allowing internet browsing freedom enhances worker satisfaction and hence performance and inventiveness. The more we invest in employee happiness and creativity, the higher the returns.
But there are critics who feel that internet is a costly distraction. According to them, in today's workplace, online games, social networking and entertainment sites make for insidious distractions, diverting attention from work. They say that precious office time and professional energy are expended on social networking or net surfing. Various studies say the average employee spends close to two hours per day using office computers for non-business related activity. According to the critics such non-professionalism is a cause for concern because it means loss of performance as well as revenue. They ask that if given today's grim economic environment and stiff competition, can offices afford these additional risks? According to them, there should be a department which will monitor how employees use the internet. That's a better way to improve the latter's effectiveness on the job.
Protect the next generation of women
There is an increase in the population of girls in Indian classrooms. Today's young women have better opportunities, greater academic accomplishment and, at least in our big cities and urban milieu, greater social autonomy than ever before.
In the past decade, as India's economy has grown and as the media and marketing revolutions have transformed our society, urban women are living a different lifestyle. You can get to see this in schools and colleges every day. It is evident in the way young people eat, meet, interact, entertain and relax.
Some tend to be judgemental about these changes and see them as necessarily bad; but it is not so.
Evolution is inevitable. We should welcome it and adapt to it, rather than rail against it.
As far as health of women is concerned, lifestyle changes, the growth of a snack food culture, tobacco use, greater sexual freedoms and career women postponing pregnancy decisions: all of these have profound health implications. Are we preparing our young women for these?
There are some diseases like two cancers, that of the breast and that of the cervix - that are exclusive to women. As a society we spend much less on the care and treatment of ill women than of men. This distinction is made in the mansions of Malabar Hill as much as in the slums of Dharavi.
A lot is known about this disease today than even a decade ago. It's time to focus on cervical cancer prevention and treatment too. This is one of the rare cancers that is preventable and curable. Yet it afflicts 1,34,000 additional women in India each year (2008 figures). Some 2,75,000 women die of cervical cancer in the world every year. One of every four does so in India. One-third of women who register for cancer diagnosis in Indian hospitals suffer from cervical cancer.
The remarkable aspect of modern medical science is that we can arrest and combat the cancer (or more accurately, pre-cancer) at several points. Cervical cancer can also be prevented by using vaccines.
The next generation of women needs to know about and be protected from this disease.
For many Indians today, winning is becoming something of a habit: rising GDP, falling poverty, international recognition - and Dhoni's 11 men in blue.
As the match progressed last Saturday one initially felt that India would offer some flashes of brilliance and genuine class, and would then fade into the dark background. The old psychological ghosts would revive. With Sehwag out, Tendulkar gone, one felt that the entire team would collapse. They did so many times. But this time all were wrong. It's true that Sri Lankan bowling was lousy, but it was the Indian assurance that felt dramatically new. This Indian team genuinely felt that there was a job to be done - and that's what they did rather than flinging themselves into a run chase, going out in cameo blazes of glory as they once might have.
The true lesson of our World Cup victory is not that we won, but that we won through playing by the rules. Last Saturday, we had the swashbuckling cool of Mahendra Singh Dhoni. Three days later, we had the cantankerous determination of Anna Hazare, who began his hunger strike. Anna Hazare's fast against high corruption was a welcome sight after India's victory! In fact, his protest against corruption helps illuminate a schizophrenic dissonance in how we think about success. The fact is that most of those who are considered victors in our society are those who ignore or subvert rules - in fact, who think rules are for idiots and losers. Whether it is leaders pushing through their favoured policies, developers racing to put up buildings, corporate leaders cornering natural resources, media stars cultivating celebrity access, or judges convening fast-track courts - we're all in a hurry. And so restraints in the form of laws, rules, procedures - all are irritating impedances, something to swerve around like a sluggish tempo on the road. Within this culture of success, victory depends on defying the rules. And it's a defiance we can justify to ourselves because we tell ourselves we're smarter, more discerning and deserving - better, plain superior - to the stupidities of rules and the rule enforcers.
There are, then, two quite dissonant conceptions of winning that we are living with. The cricket-pitch victory we all celebrated last weekend was a victory of and by the rules. It was a victory of talent, and it is an index of talent to be able to play and win by the rules. But in other domains of our life, the sense that rules matter is absent. When it comes to making money, pursuing power, advancing one's professional career, rules are viewed as an intrusive obstruction to aspiration. Corruption is more efficient. The emergence of Anna Hazare in such a situation should give all of us tremendous relief.
Is internet a boon or bane?The internet is become the most necessary part of most of our lives. Besides an important research tool, it is a vital medium for interfacing with the world, connecting with friends and expressing opinion. Accessing the World Wide Web is seen as a fundamental requirement. According to a survey, Net surfing at work enhances productivity.
Allowing employees non-work related browsing freedom contributes to creating a congenial work atmosphere. A happy workplace motivates employees to maintain higher standards of quality. Enforcing a strict code of conduct can dampen morale and retard productivity. It's good to focus on motivation rather than a disciplinary approach.
New ideas can profoundly enhance company's fortunes. Hence, effort is made to foster creativity at the workplace, including through workshops and team-building exercises. There should be recreation rooms for employees since what may appear a waste of time can actually provide inspiration for path-breaking ideas. The internet being a rich source of information, idle browsing can provide the spark for innovative thinking and problem-solving. A YouTube video can be the muse for an excellent boardroom presentation.
Allowing internet browsing freedom enhances worker satisfaction and hence performance and inventiveness. The more we invest in employee happiness and creativity, the higher the returns.
But there are critics who feel that internet is a costly distraction. According to them, in today's workplace, online games, social networking and entertainment sites make for insidious distractions, diverting attention from work. They say that precious office time and professional energy are expended on social networking or net surfing. Various studies say the average employee spends close to two hours per day using office computers for non-business related activity. According to the critics such non-professionalism is a cause for concern because it means loss of performance as well as revenue. They ask that if given today's grim economic environment and stiff competition, can offices afford these additional risks? According to them, there should be a department which will monitor how employees use the internet. That's a better way to improve the latter's effectiveness on the job.
Protect the next generation of women
There is an increase in the population of girls in Indian classrooms. Today's young women have better opportunities, greater academic accomplishment and, at least in our big cities and urban milieu, greater social autonomy than ever before.
In the past decade, as India's economy has grown and as the media and marketing revolutions have transformed our society, urban women are living a different lifestyle. You can get to see this in schools and colleges every day. It is evident in the way young people eat, meet, interact, entertain and relax.
Some tend to be judgemental about these changes and see them as necessarily bad; but it is not so.
Evolution is inevitable. We should welcome it and adapt to it, rather than rail against it.
As far as health of women is concerned, lifestyle changes, the growth of a snack food culture, tobacco use, greater sexual freedoms and career women postponing pregnancy decisions: all of these have profound health implications. Are we preparing our young women for these?
There are some diseases like two cancers, that of the breast and that of the cervix - that are exclusive to women. As a society we spend much less on the care and treatment of ill women than of men. This distinction is made in the mansions of Malabar Hill as much as in the slums of Dharavi.
A lot is known about this disease today than even a decade ago. It's time to focus on cervical cancer prevention and treatment too. This is one of the rare cancers that is preventable and curable. Yet it afflicts 1,34,000 additional women in India each year (2008 figures). Some 2,75,000 women die of cervical cancer in the world every year. One of every four does so in India. One-third of women who register for cancer diagnosis in Indian hospitals suffer from cervical cancer.
The remarkable aspect of modern medical science is that we can arrest and combat the cancer (or more accurately, pre-cancer) at several points. Cervical cancer can also be prevented by using vaccines.
The next generation of women needs to know about and be protected from this disease.
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