There are some people who would like to lick reality like what happened a century back when many nationalists were fighting the foreigners these people were busy licking the boots. They got their due. Amulya ganguli is one of them. Now he is here to give us lessons on reality (Out of touch with reality, Deccan Herald). Well when one is on the lap of marketeers it difficult not to grasp reality!!. Realities of profit!!!. Unrealities of degrading occupations and underemployment are easy to miss. Sensibility and socio-historic context is causality. Mr. Avijit Pathak sometime back wrote a very pertinent article wherein he pointed out the superficialities of occupations the youngsters are nowadays choosing and alienating social and personal being. For some that sounds like Marxism. So be it. At this juncture let me point out that one has no qualm in accepting a fact that Karl Marx was a brilliant and undoubtedly one of the most influential thinker. That offcourse is not true for his followers (well followers can only be followers). Whether its Communists or Marketeers the elites are no different. The Macaulay’s twins. The difference is in social positioning. The idea is to capture any space left by Marketeers and presto social concern is a sure shot way to maintain one’s position and nothing convenient than being a comrade. In elite circle and in its opulence it gives a rebelish flavor. They come from same milieu with shared interest in nuances of English, cricket or other elitist occupations. They squat the strategic positions and transfer it to their progenies. All the discussions, columns, interviews and so on… are about scoring points on each other. We are mere audiences who are just incidental in the process. If outsiders are smart enough to intrude, as through grassroot politics or simple hard work in any field they will conspire to take the maximum benefit. Then the outsider becomes one among them and then they celebrate. It’s no wonder that nepotism and corruption is normal happenings. Thus they remain floating in the public space. As also in an immensely advantageous position to capitalize on any new opportunity. Its not surprising that they now control or have influence in Media. Marketeers and communists elites are different sides of the same coin, they feed on the common people and their aspirations. They are here to consolidate their position. Whereas communists leaders seems to be fighting for impoverished and marginalized and lately secularism, the intentions are dubious. It’s all a sham to capture power. As with any system they have degenerated into self-serving coterie. They are definitely not different from any other political group. At grassroot level they morph into goondaism. It’s not surprising that universally acknowledged scoundrel Karunakaran (taking an example from kerala) is natural ally, to save secularism. Incidentally his party DIC(K) is quite an appropriate acronym. What a hogwash. Communists vote bank are mostly organized sector workers which incidentally is only 7% of the total workforce but as numbers, formidable vote bank. It is not denying that strikes are important aspect of functional democracy. It reflects the vibrancy and means of protest for people but that is not the reason for few people to take the society on ransom. Strikes and bandhs have given untold misery to common people. I myself have faced serious problems due to bandhs (many a times stranded without food or spend hours in crowded buses and end up walking long dictances) this is true for millions of people in this country. There is always a thin line separating protest and anti-social activity, mostly it slips into goondaism. Nowhere we hear any political leader of any party (who claim to be for the people) asking its cadre not make misery for common people. Infact they celebrate the “success” of “total bandh”. The unorganized sector, the daily wage earners are the one seriously affected. Who is responsible for this misery?. The recent Supreme Court verdict on political parties made to pay for bandh loss is a welcome step. This is about grass root functioning of political parties. At the elite level too comrades are big joke, like any other “senior” politicians of any other political party their aim is to maintain their power center. As for intellectuals, all kind of dubious people have gate crashed. Compared to other political parties this is an easy route for “social concerned” glitterati to squat positions and keep floating, so cat walking morons can have the audacity to claim into NCW, all part of kaifiyath I guess. As for me I am not for or against catwalks and other related crap, people have right to do what they deem right but I have, like most people all around the world, other existential issues to deal with. However I am very concerned when these superficials claim stake on significant position wherein people involved in grassroots need be appreciated. Then there are some big time “left leaning” intellectuals one Mr. Ram of The Hindu is a good example. This fellow is a regret. He is where he is that is running the shop of The Hindu & other publications, because of traditional reason. The fellow is so insecure that even the editorial board is about family. One wouldn’t mind much if people were competent. But this fellow (that is respected Mr. Ram, the presiding deity) is so incompetent to even be a clerk!!!. You see its like this if you want to be clerk one has to go through entrance exams in here one is to tackle a subject referred to as “general knowledge”. So if one doesn’t even know what CBI stands for then he is out. So intellectuals like Mr. Ram are even incompetent to be clerk. As a columnists his views whether on global warming or NPT is stupid and pedestarian. As an editor his cronies suffer from a didactic proclivities of saving the world for us common people wherein not very strangely it’s a marketing strategy, that slips to the market demands at any opportune moment. Since they have this hallo of “concern for people”. Mr. Ram sometimes sneak into leftist meetings and proclaims himself as such. This if you analyse is a cheap gimmick to increase readership. It is a symbiotic relation with elite comrades. Such a farce for our sake. Referring to his editorial skills …well it is better left not said. Like his twin marketeers he too suffer from elitist afflictions of English language and cricket (the romanticized version). So when there are pressing problems or issues to report, BCCI becomes top news!!!. They also have this unique legacy that comes as a column titled “London Diary” (London???. Diary???). Another one a droopy eyed retired babu (moron goes by the Bhaskar Ghose) instructs us that if we don’t get our English phrases right we may become laughing stock!!!. And who gave this….theri *&*%$#$@# (this is the least diplomatic I can get)… to laugh on others. I am more concerned about how much damage this babu has done as a bureaucrat. No wonder this nation is nowhere in world scene, such pathetics. Probably it’s all part of hilarity and so anyone can interview Mr.Adoor and we have no option but to read. Mr. Ram also misuses his position (which he is occupying, lets remind ourselves again, for traditional reasons and nothing to do with competence) to settle scores. So Mr. Chidambaram’s wife’s issue (not very significant) becomes a top story for not one but three days!!!. Such commitments!!. So when Swamy squeaks Ram punches….on the keyboard off course. The “left leaning” is only for market and “social concern” is only a strategy, actually we all know this but too subtle to mention, the reason why humility is such a favored behavior here. It is least threatening for elites. As a newspaper The Hindu is a failure infact it is case study on what a newspaper shouldn’t be. Except for few brilliant columnists it is a disaster. I still wonder why these columnists contribute to this newspaper only…well maybe they have fallen for this “social concern” marketing strategy. Why not they too like say Jean dreze or Brinda karat give their articles to newspaper with more circulations?. I guess more people will be aware of what P.Sainth writes if it is published in something that is more widely read. I think the columnists at least the better ones need to think on that line. They also need create their own website for us common people to access than through these powerbrokers. In this increasingly crass world no newspaper is better or worse than others. We have to tolerate each of them as we tolerate each TV channel. The marketeers and comrade (intellectual or not) are no different from each other they are here to market position and maximize. So when dealing with them its quite appropriate that any individual should look for the best deal. It’s as crass as that. Most people generally fall for “I am going to be in TV or news” excitement and so on wherein the media will only show what can sells or increase their viewer ship. I am looking forward to a day when no one allows himself or herself to be misused by these honchos running the show for our sake. Everyone who is interviewed or even shown on TV should ask for the profit cut. You make money. We make too. Like some ghisa pitta hindi movie Macaulay’s twins were lost in some mela now it seems the globalised world has brought them together. It’s a happy reunion in the elite circle….it’s a nudge and wink world. From these sanitized world emerge gems like Amulya Ganguli. The column of Avijit Pathak reminded him of good old days of 1940s. Yes the time when many people were struggling in deep poverty and some who were well off sacrificed everything to fight the foreign occupation. But during this period there were also people who were bootlicking the Britishers. Britishers left and they were replaced by set of elite (except for few many were out of touch with reality) and bootlickers were in advantageous position. We have almost the same situation now that is the reason why the article by Mr. Pathak is very significant. It opens our eyes to the kind of morass we are slipping into. In most organizations competence is not the only reason why people are selected, the deciding factors are sometimes entirely different from what is within the parameters of the job. Take the recent controversy in Indian cricket or BCCI do you think it has anything to do with talents or competence?. (I suggest Mr. Chappel should quit. He shouldn’t degrade himself. I am sure he knows by now what this country is all about. Another option would be to join them, play politics, nudge and wink….generally have a nice time. If team fails then we can have oft quoted “it’s a learning experience”. In the meantime we can break as records a possible.) At the lower end jobs even humans becomes insignificant, it’s about whether one has bike or contacts for jobs like say salesperson. Having worked as a salesperson for sometime I now the inside out of this profession. People who squat the position of significance in any organization don’t have to go through such experience even if they do its part of “on-field training” lasting maybe a month or two. It’s not make or break system for them. It’s not about going without food or worrying about what will happen to them if they do not succeed as is the case of most salespersons or people at the lower end jobs, like call centers. This is not a post liberalization phenomenon as is being assumed. Its been happening for ages now it has become acute. Human’s basic need is to survive first so such jobs find takers and most of the time becomes acute necessity. And the more the time one spends here, the more one is trapped and later habituated and so one gives up the futility of trying something else. This is true for any degrading profession whether prostitution or door-to-door selling. But that is not the reason why it should be celebrated (and particularly by people like gangulis of the world). There is offcourse a tragedy here, of alienation from ones being and ones entity as a human….this might sound like Marx, well I am proud if it does. Nothing is more satisfying than being compared with spectacular humans. Definitely it also provides an opportunity for dements to classify and then denigrate, that is the shortest way to be market savvy. However these are not vomit from sanitized theorized world of Macaulay’s twins and their happy family values, these are part of hardcore experience. Further I would have joined any of these call centers if it were existent few years back or any other “menial” jobs. And yes I would have worked in such places however degrading it might seem. Like millions of people in this country or anywhere I would have queued up to get any kind of job or means of employment. I too would pay money to dubious agencies and be cheated to go to gulf, incidentally a heaven for unemployed. I too wouldn’t mind to be a cheap tour guide or cook in some sleaze pit. Offcourse its my ingenuity if I learn to enjoy or create a system for pleasant experience, unlike romanticized version of these jobs, the reality is tough. Life is tough that doesn’t mean one will stop hoping for a change. People live in appalling surroundings and demeaning situations because they carry hope. Hope for better future however unreal it may seem. They look forward to “altering” their situation. In this context when one mentions, “altering the world” one is more concerned about self and off course the surroundings with which it is linked. When surroundings are byproduct of something more sinister, deeply entrenched bias then it is time to question that. People like Amulya Gangulis of the world will never face the insecurities of working in these “menial” positions where performances can detach oneself from any achievement except maybe an acknowledgement of living and life. This is the kind of world where I would not like to enter if given an option nor will I invite anyone. But for millions there is a world that really is optionless and one is never invited but pushed, some end up calling it fate. It’s a surreal world of loosing self (that is if one has sanctity of one’s own self). It’s a world of cannibalism masking as competitiveness, of ever-increasing greed of the employer. And yes profit does increase. Investment does doubles. Boss is happy. But that is not necessarily translated into people being happy. Here I am not talking about the upwardly mobile middle class who some how try to break into happy family of Macaulay’s twins indulgent lifestyle, I am here referring to millions of workers in unorganized sector who may not form vote bank. This world has to be altered and I for one will definitely do everything to “alter this world”. Thanx Marx. Thanx Kafka. Yes true it is a hippie life. Yes true. Anyway what is the difference in hairstyle of a beggar and a punk in las Vegas or the clothings of vagabond and FTV trash walk?. Yes it’s a bohemian life. Yes taking up degrading work is an in-thing. Yes it’s the new flavor for us. So is lining up for job one knows one will not get is great fun. Good timepass. Yes I too will work in any goddamn place and do any “menial” job. But that doesn’t mean I will start appreciating the job or the system that propagate these. For the simple reason like most humans I too have the basic intelligence to realize that I am being used. It gives me money but doesn’t use my potential to any meaningful way nor do I have anything to look forward to as future. It doesn’t assure me security. I am always at the mercy someone else. I slowly loose control over my self and is reduced to an object, a manual labor, a bull, a cog for some higher purpose. As the former CEO of GE said in HARDtalk BBC yesterday “…successful company create more successful people and so create a successful environment and they return the success to society….success is a habit…”. The problem is his idea of success is only about profit!!. Asked about global warming or other social context, he had only words of contempt. We cannot blame intellectually challenged Bush if he take such appalling stands on Environment issues, poor fellow is surrounded by such appalling people, who feed him tales of "success". What these people want are slaves. Efficient slaves. More efficient more success. Off course slave should never ask questions. Because the kind of question they ask will be difficult to answer. The questions will jolt the Macaulay’s twins......
Why are you my employer?
How is that you are running this business?
Who gave you the right to decide on my competence?
Those were only few samples. So you see “inner calling” can really be a dangerous thing in the increasingly “free world”. It could jolt the foundation of elites, who have distributed and spread themselves into every opportune position to help us. They are here to save us in the end fattening themselves (not surprisingly they spend major part of their life shedding this fat). That’s a happy ending!!. IT has provided incredible opportunity to alter our world. Many spectacular people are running these businesses and are role model for others purely because of their talents and humanness but it seems to have reached saturation. We will have to definitely do everything to “alter this world”. This world being perfected for maximum profit. This world doomed for profit. Maketeers, profit makers, share brokers….will be unhappy. Boss will be unhappy. But I will be happy so will be millions of people. And that is majority. That is future.
