Greatness, time and history

An Emperor asks his General the meaning of greatness in the film ‘Gladiator’ and very wisely answers it himself calling it an ‘idea’. I wonder whether a similar thought haunts our incumbent leaders. In the twilight of their administration, do they think how history would remember their legacy methinks not very likely…. However, is this idea of greatness only confined to those who make history? Seems very much so, what then of those who happily go about their lives oblivious of their part in the making of tomorrow?
Following Maslow’s hierarchical tree of needs most of us would be content on just being able to meet our basic, economic and social needs. The ascent of human civilization has shown that as we progress more and more we should be more and more bullish about our role and path in making it in the news. Democracy in a way has been a revolutionary tool in spreading this power to make change and bringing in its ambit more and more people. The idea of greatness is also relative and incumbent on how we view our history. A good example of this extension of relativistic view of history (with due apologies to Einstein) is the ancient hieroglyphs of Egypt when the legacy of one pharaoh was erased by another and what we have is at best a biased picture of the various Egyptian dynasties. Another very recent example that comes to mind is the way we look at the great events in our past; till very recently and even now the prevalent notion is of looking at seismic events in political and military arena. However, with our society becoming more and more a knowledge society, great events in our history are being rewritten; the development of calendar, the concept of zero, the steam engine, the development of the pc and more recently the Internet find a place of prominence. A classic example of this is the invention of the wheel. It was there all these years but it is only now in the technological age that we attempt to find out how, when and why about this mundane object. However, it’s not so mundane as its one of the six basic machines that gave humans an edge over much stronger adversaries and more importantly it led man to question the concept of limitation. He was no longer bound and constrained by what nature had given him but could win over nature by gaining mechanical advantage. Soon we have a whole new way of looking at our history where the main players are not the Emperors or Conquerors but some humble courtesan in India who invented the potter’s wheel or the inventor from Sumeria who developed the axle. As our history becomes more oriented to this we would find out more about the persons who invented these things, their lives and their challenges with a view to ascertaining the qualities that made them great. The lives of the people who had the enterprise and the initiative to embrace technology to make life better for the future would serve to inspire the children of the technological era. The implications are clear for all of us just like nothing is static in our present there is a dynamic change even in our past. The legacy that Emperor Marcus Aurelius talks about in his ‘Meditations’ would not have been appreciated in the dark ages of the twelfth century but the concept of greatness as an idea finds resonance in the 21st century. In the new way history is being interpreted, the greatness of Rome is not defined by Caesar’s triumphant march nor by the magnificence of the Coliseums; but by impetus to the world of ideas and no doubt in this history this long forgotten Emperor finds a special place. No doubt the world of ideas needs security and prosperity, both of which are the results of the successful wars of the Empire but the subtle point is the difference between the cause and the effect. However, does this mean that all the knowledge leaders of today become historically significant or great; No because ‘greatness’ by its very definition is elitist and would continue to elude most. But nothing can prevent great things from happening when they are accepted in principle by the people at large. It is the pygmalion effect on a massive scale. Our very own incumbent has very famously has said that no power can stop an idea whose time has come. Let’s hope the time has arrived…

Jugaad The power of creative improvisations

Actually I must admit, I had been thinking about writing my thoughts but always had some excuse. I saw my friends blogs recently and decided to start writing in earnest. I had some material I had written a year back... It still is relevant so my next posts would be these old works (sounds respectable) rehashed......

Jugaad ( P ) Pronunciation Key (jew ga.wd)
The quality of being capable of improvisations; creative ability; sometimes used negatively (n).

A new lexicon is being added in the world of business jargon. Just as Kaizen, Poka-yoke, Taguchi’s robust design symbolized a new paradigm in industry and business, an emerging Indian economy is poised to create its own paradigms, none better illustrated than what can be called jugaad or for the uninitiated ‘creative improvisations’. This new lexicon is still being created and it’s driven by those environments from which the new entrepreneurs are emerging. The language of mukkadams, jhol jhals and lochhas till recently looked down upon as crass expression of a rural noveau rich would gain a new respectability with the elite classes.
Statistics and economic forecasts paint a rosy picture of India's future and, for the first time, the phrase "emerging superpower" has a ring of credibility. Indians, have deliberately promoted a spiritual, other-worldly image; whilst amassing personal influence and group leverage. The truth is that the naked pursuit of wealth and power is considered dharma. A cursory glance at our epics would be a good beacon to point us to this obvious truism. (Varma, P. K, “Being Indian- The emergence of Pax Indica”, 2003, Viking)
Today, democracy has taken firm roots because it has proved to be the most effective instrument for the pursuit of power and also because it has empowered people who were earlier denied legitimate representation and provided them upward mobility. That a Dalit, Mayawati, can become the chief minister of India's most populous state is an example. An unabashedly democratic India, where compromise and co-opting are preferred to divisiveness and self-destruction, is the key to building an Indian century.
Given the right milieu, Indians can "emerge as the most resilient and focused commercial operators of the new millennium". This projection is based on many factors, most notably the ability of Indian people to conjure up some ‘jugaad’ and overcome adversity. This enabled creation of one of the largest Asian conglomerates (read Reliance Industries) from small time textile trade to Fortune 500 dominance. ‘jugaad’ and its manifestations is the key to transforming the great monoliths of the yesteryears Tata-Birlas from sluggish elephants to tigers on the prowl. The technological revolution has brought with it a diversity of challenges --- like fighting the Chinese Dragon swamping the low tech segment in its fiery wrath to dodging the American Tomahawks fired thru its pseudonyms read (WTO and IMF). The natural selection in this new world favors those individuals who can harness the power of jugaad and emerge as the new mukkdams of tomorrow. Besides possessing these characteristics Indians also possess a ‘brahmaastra’ that ensures a continued legacy of survival. This is the emergence of a latent pan Indianness, the new supranational and assertive Indian culture riding on the communication revolution. It permeates all aspects of Indian life, from food, art and dress to entertainment and employment.
As with other things in the world, this is constantly being reworked, redrafted and remodeled to suit the requirements of a globalised world and is not an absolute axiom. The challenge is in redefining old ‘lakshman rekhas’ and creating more space for these regional and national identities to not only survive but permeate and spread. My experiences coupled with experiences of friends and acquaintances give me confidence and assurance that the power of ‘jugaad’ will overcome these minor ‘locchas’.

Childhood’s end

I read this very interesting novel by Arthur C Clarke (1953). In this novel, the Earth is visited by powerful aliens, the Overlords. These beings, however, turn out not to be conquerors or Lords of the Universe, simply babysitters. They know that life on earth will undergo a transformation, unavailable, for unknown reasons, to them. In the end, the last generations of humans develop telekinetic powers, cease requiring ordinary nutrition, and finally vanish in a translation to another existence, whose terms, as energy, spirit, or transcendence, are left obscure, even to the Overlords. This kind of apocalypse is not of a kind familiar from existing religions, but to the non-religious it probably would also seem unlikely, especially when we learn that the Overlords are directed by a being, the Overmind, whose purposes and nature are really unknown to them. Nevertheless, we must consider that, however unlikely such a development seems, we cannot anticipate what is liable to emerge in the universe with increasing levels of development and complexity. At each level of organization in nature, it would be difficult or impossible for us to predict what emerges at the next level.
Yet we persist, sitting in one of these statistical classes, I began thinking what if there was no order, there was no purpose, there was no grand hidden meaning, what if the outliers were telling us everything. As beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is order for the scientist. This holds up rather well in general opinion, but the informed scientist must admit, even if grudgingly, that it doesn't quite agree with the results of science. There is, as it happens, a scientific measure of order. It is called "ENTROPY".