Tough Questions....

Unusual choice of photo! But a view from my hotel apartment
where I would stand and stare out pondering over such questions.

A lot of times in the life we are confronted with tough questions which don't necessarily seem to have easy answers. We will try to explore some of these questions and see if we can get some answers:

Question 1: Why should I do the right thing when I see that everyone around me is doing wrong things and while still prospering?
Thoughts:
This is probably a very common situation that most of us run into every now and then. When I come across people who are dishonest, who lie, cheat at almost every opportunity they get and seem to have no ethics or moral values, and top of everything are prospering, I ask myself the question- Why should I be good? Why should I still be sticking to my principle and values though I am not getting any immediate benefit out of them? Should I do the right thing hoping that wrong doers will be punished and I will be rewarded in some form, be it at a later stage? Or should I too give up my values for immediate gain and no apparent harm? Of course the opporutunity is lucrative. Here it gets extremely challenging to hold on to things that you consider are right.
Now we all know that we should still do the right thing. But why??
Well, my opinion on this is that we are all human beings, we all live in a society. Anything and everything we do as individuals will have an impact on society, no matter how big or small. If we all do the wrong things, keep on doing the wrong things, never care about what is right or wrong, the society would eventually be inhabitable. The social order would simply collapse and no one will be able to live in such a society. Imagine living in a society where you feel that you are unsafe at home for fear of being burgled, unsafe on road for fear of being run over and unsafe while shopping for fear of being ripped off. Imagine being unsafe everywhere and all the times. Such will be the state of society if we as individuals don't stop doing the wrong thing.
Moreover as humans, we don't achieve our happiness merely by means of fulfilling our desires. We have a strong desire to maintain a certain balance and live our lives according to a belief system (not necessarily religious and it could radically differ from person to person). Ultimately we need our desires to be coherent with our belief system to be able to experience happiness in fulfilment of our desires.
So these I think are some of the reasons why should we do the right thing.

The next question immediately pops up. What difference it makes if just I do the right thing? It won't make any difference. Agreed. It won't probably make an immediate impact. But only at first. Gradually and eventually the goodness will get noticed. People who despised you or ignored you will soon start following you. All you need is the conviction to carry on.

  

Question 2: Now, what is the right thing? Something that is right for one person, might be wrong for the other person. If I am a soldier and fighting for my country, I am doing the right thing but still killing someone (be it the enemy) is not the right thing. So what is the right thing here?
Thoughts:
Now this is where the things will start to get tricky. Let's say in 90% of the cases its pretty evident so as what is the right thing. Its the remaining 10% bit which is usually tricky.
To understand what is The Right Thing, we will explore the concept of Dharma from Hindu mythology. According to Hinduism, there are four aims of human life. These are:

1. Kama
2. Artha
3. Dharma
4. Moksha

In broad terms, Kama refers to the desire in all of us, Artha to the material well-being, Dharma to the righteousness and Moksha to the salvation and liberation. Now the human life should strive to fulfill all these 4 aims in balanced proportions and imbalance occurs when one or two are pursued while ignoring others. I think most of us would have ample understanding about pursuing our pleasures (kama) and material goals (arth). I think we will spare Moksha for some other time as none of us probably ready to renounce our lives and pursue salvation. While we are still living a material life, Dharma, which is all about doing The Right Thing, gets most neglected of all these four tenets and hence causing a critical imbalance in the overall society.
Now coming back to our original question: What is The Right Thing. If Dharma is the one that educates us about righteousness, is Dharma documented somewhere? Is there an authoritative text on Dharma? Are there any practical guidelines that we can follow in our day to day lives?
Well as one would expect, we turn to our religions looking for an answer so as what is Dharma. But as it turns out, our world is already in a dismal state because of religious conflicts. Sacred texts from different religions and even within the same religion are often contradictory. Its really hard to find a single authoritative text that is compatible with our rational thinking. Moreover, I personally think that since the times during when the religious texts were written, things have moved on. A lot of things which were probably right according to those times would seem totally ridiculous in today's world.
So now if our mind is unable to decide and religion too is unable to offer a satisfactory answer, what do we do.
I think a viable solution is look into your conscience. Even in the most difficult of situations if we get in touch with our conscience and pick the option in which our conscience is not burdened, I think we will land in the right spot. Now be it picking up the lesser of two evil alternatives or looking at the net result of goodness that our actions will bear, the decision picked up by our conscience will ultimately help us achieve the satisfaction of the mind and hence not cause any ongoing unrest.
Unfortunately we don't live in a perfect world and many a times we are faced with decisions that will bring about unhappiness to at least some people. As long as we are aware of our actions and take accountability for the results, our conscience will remain clear and that will be the right thing!!

India: The land of rising consumerism

Image by BBC

The huge population of India, which, till not so long ago was seen as one of the nation's biggest problems, is today seen as its one of the biggest assets. The up-rise of the middle class has opened up more business opportunities in India than any other part of the world. While the western economies struggling to come out of recession, there aren’t any apparent signs of one in India. Auto, Telecom, Banking, Pharmaceuticals are all rising sectors in India. All of this has lead companies to introduce products in India at a break neck speed. And the Indian consumer who just never had so many options for every little thing, is now almost baffled. People are coming out of the 'savings' mentality and are spending more money for maintaining a better lifestyle. All of this is good. Consumers have more options, companies have a great market. But there are a few things which could bring about bad consequences for consumers if not handled properly:

Consumer laws

Few months back I read about Maruti Suzuki's A-Star having some problems with its fuel tank which could cause fuel leakage, consequently a posing fire danger. I was absolutely shocked when I read a statement by a Maruti spokesperson indicating that there are no such laws in India under which they are mandated to recall the cars for safety fears. Another auto industry analyst also highlighted:

"In India, there is no law of highway safety or any regulatory authority of that nature which requires them to make such disclosures."

Although Maruti did recall the cars after a global widespread of the problem and also probably because of the incessant criticism, what this brings into light is a general state of consumer safety laws in the country. There is probably just very little that most of the companies have to go through before launching new products in the market (as compared to West) and worse of all, they can always get away with almost any wrong doing.

Is it Amnesia?

Secondly, I guess we have a short term memory as far as buying decisions are concerned. Even if a company is known for introducing bad products in the past, we, as consumers base our buying decisions largely on the spot deal rather than the long term reputation of the company.

I think as consumers, the onus lies with us that we make the right decisions for ourselves. Huge multi-nationals will flood the market with all sorts of products. They will almost force us into buying anything with their intelligent marketing. But end of the day, its our money, our family, our health and our life. We should all think through the long term effects of our buying decisions. A packet of potato chips was bad when it didn't have any saturated fat. It is still bad when it doesn't have any trans fat. It will still be bad when it won't have some new kind of fat!!

Corruption in India

Corruption- a word that seems almost inseparable from my beloved country. I have really been thinking about it! Why do we have so much corruption prevalent in India as compared to any of the developed nations? Why do we encounter corruption in almost all spheres public services? You get away from almost any offence by paying a suitable bribe, from as little as breaking a traffic signal to as big as murder.

Some of the reasons which I believe are responsible for such a deep and widespread of corruption in India are:

1. Extremely low levels of salaries:

In general, everyone wants to lead a comfortable life - live in a descent home, own a reasonable means of transport, give good education to his children, reasonable means of comfort and luxury. I believe there is nothing wrong in that. Problem arises when one's income from fair means is not able to support these requirements. This provides a natural push to look for alternate sources of income. And for those possible, they move into the lucrative world of corruption. And given the fact that they can get away with almost anything, corruption becomes an even more attractive option. Unless we do something about it, I think it will be hard to bid good-bye to corruption.

2. Lack of accountability:

There is very little or absolutely no accountability in the public system. Each year hundreds of crores of rupees are allocated to ambitious water, land and education projects. But hardly you can see a tangible output. No one just bothers once the money has been allocated and received.

3. Of course, a bad bad leadership:

This is probably the biggest reason. A corrupt leader sets a bad example for his followers. This provides an added motivation for his subordinates to get into corruption. I just read about the alleged scam in the allocation of 3G spectrum in India and have been deeply moved by it. I am terribly frustrated and really want that the involved minister and other people should be brought to justice. They should be given a speedy trial and a harsh punishment which will set an example for others.

4. Education
I think our education system stresses more on competition and than on making great humans. We have a terrific sense of competitiveness. In the race to excel in every sphere of life, we forget that education is first meant to teach us some basic human values. Long gone are the days when we used to hear-Honesty is the best policy. Always speak truth.
I think that's where from corruption sets in. Our basic moral values have degraded over the past many years and today's generation has mostly seen corrupt officers and ministers around them.

If we really want to tackle corruption, we'll need to many steps and it will take a generation's time to clean up the whole system. At the outset, the corrupt leaders should be punished harshly and be given exemplary punishments. This will have immediate effects. We should also work towards improving the standard of life of a normal public servant. Give everyone enough means for a respectable life. In the long run, we should improve our education system. Unless our upcoming generation really values the morality of our literatures, it will be hard to bid corruption good bye for ever.

I feel extremely frustrated to see that my country is lagging behind despite having a huge potential to be a world superpower. There are 1000s like me who feel the same. I wonder if there is something I can do about it.

Ten things I'll miss the most if I have to leave Adelaide

Photo by Dulce M. Muñoz Valla…

Adelaide was a new place when me and wife came over here almost 1.5 years back. But we have developed some strong bonds with the city. There are some things that I am going to miss terribly if I have to move out at some stage:

1. We made some nice friends here. Friends who have been with us through the good and bad times of life. I think their company is the single most thing I am going to miss.
2. Living by the beach: We were lucky to find a house next the beach. This would have just been a mere dream elsewhere. I would miss the evening strolls, the cool breeze, the jetty and the romantic sunsets.
3. Meditation sessions at Australian School of Meditation: I can't thank enough Gopaladasi and BalakrishanDas for their meditation retreats. The couple organises free chanting and meditation classes at their place and offer free food too to all patrons. The chanting experience is extremely mesmerising and has brought me even closer to my spiritual self.
4. BC sessions with a workmate: I think I have had a great time gossiping with a friend of mine at work. Over period of time, we have developed a special frequency. Certain things mean special to us and we can relate to situation in the wink of an eye. 
5. My time at the gym: Adelaide is the place which let me have some time for myself and my health. Gym is another important part of my routine and I am going to miss it too.
6. 20 mins drive: Adelaide is a small city and life here is extremely manageable. Takes merely 20 mins to drive from work to home. Another 10 and you can reach from anywhere to anywhere in the city.
7. Great pizzas: Adelaide has got heaps of places which make excellent pizzas. Pedro's, Squisito , Cafe Fellini (special dessert pizzas) are just few of them.
8. Breakfast in the hills: Living in Adelaide gave us the luxury of living by the moment without having to plan in advance for outings. Sometimes, me and my wife drive up to Adelaide hills just to have some breakfast. The views from Mount Lofty summit, the fresh made doughnuts in Handorf are all worth being missed.
9. Haigh's chocolates: My wife loves the Haigh's chocolates' Caramel coated with milk chocolate. She just can't stop eating them once she starts!
10. Hmm....Cant really think of a 10th one! Does anyone else know something about the city which I would miss!!!!!

What I want to see in my e-reader!

B&N has announced its new e-reader. Looks like its going to give a tough competition to Amazon’s Kindle. But I guess it still lacks a few things which I would like to see in an e-reader before I buy one:

1.  There should be a standardized book format like MP3 is to music. I should be able to buy books from any online store and read them on my e-reader. I don’t want to be tied to any single vendor for buying my e-books.
2. There should also be a facility to have someone read the books to me. For instance, if I am reading the book at home and I leave it at some point; then I travel to work in my car, I should be able to plug-in my reader to my car speakers and have someone read the book to me from the point I left off. 
3. There should be a facility to  browse books online, compare the prices and then I should be able to choose where I want to buy the book from.
4. It would be great to have some sort of online public libraries from where I can borrow books, read them and return them like we do in case of a normal library.
5.  Of course I would also like to be able to use my e-reader as an internet device, music player and watch a few movies. I guess I am looking for more of a pocket computer rather than just an e-reader. But that’s what I need. An all in one device.
6.  If not for (5), I would be ready to pay up to $100 for the device. The books should be priced lowered too. After all its saving publishers and retailers a lot of money by taking out any printing, retail and transportation costs.
7. External memory support, 3G and WiFi connectivity etc. are few other things but I guess B&N reader Nook already has these facilities.

 Till some of these things appear in e-readers, I guess I will have to be content with my i-phone!

Finally its over

I wrote my GMAT yesterday and more than anything I am glad that its over. It had me quite busy for the past few weeks. I guess I will now have more time for my pregnant wife, book reading, blog, gym and the new thing I am going to try this summer, tennis!!

Meditation in Adelaide

I recently started going to the 'Australian School of Meditation' classes being held here in Adelaide. The classes are held by an elderly couple in their early 50s. They have been practising meditation for well over two decades I believe, it could be even longer. The have transformed their living room into a full-fledged meditation hall. Its full of Krishna's photos, posters and statues. As soon as I entered the place, I felt a feeling of profound peace and calm within myself. The paintings of Krishna, comfortable sitting arrangement, mild lighting, together with the burning incense sticks created an extremely soothing atmosphere.
The style used mostly is meditation through chanting. They chant many Krishna mantras and play guitar along side. Its a very mesmerising experience. Above all, its free and many a times they also hold dinner meditations where by the patrons are provided free food. If you are interested in meditation and like the style of doing it through chanting, I guess this is the place.
For more information, you can visit the Australian School of Meditation website here.
I got a CD from them which guides you through a fifteen minute meditation retreat. You can enjoy it here -->

Apart from deeply soothing and enjoyable, another good thing about this CD is that it is just 15 minutes long. So you can get it into your daily routine very easily.
Hope you like it.