Swades: The Movie

In appreciation of the scene; Mohans return journey, after meeting Hariram. The director has managed to convey the profundity of India's problems related to poverty. At the same time the age old tradition of respect and care of fellow human beings, very much rooted in Indian culture, is nicely bought out. Hariram continues to endure shame for his inability to keep the lights on for his family. The situation has become hopeless with no alternative sources of income in sight. Hariram is born in the family of potter's and in the same tradition becomes a potter. With income levels depleting, Hariram turns to farming but the community ostracizes him. The village is not willing to accept potters becoming farmers. This is the community expression of fear from, breaking away from tradition and change. Hariram looks to coming to cities, there is his wife's brother who migrated to cities took up jobs around manual labor. But the middle-men exploitation drives many of the folks back. So in a situation like this Hariram is in no position to repay his debts. And Mohan the US based scientist is embarrassed, overwhelmed by the situation. Hariram offers shelter and food to Mohan, for his journey has been long. It is during that late night, sleeping on the open air make-shift jute bed, thatched roof on top with the moon still managing to sneak through the hay, that reality dawns upon Mohan. The sheer desperation of the external environment and the hospitable, warm heartedness of Hariram; surges forth an emotion not experienced by Mohan before. On his way back, Mohan is reflective on the events. His journey back is again through the vast Indian heartland. Shoulder to shoulder with people, the population, he perches himself on different vehicles. The last leg in the train, there is a stop which is just to arrive when Mohan spots a kid in an oversized short with a kettle of water and mud-glasses selling water for couple of cents to the passengers. 'Water...take water for ...cents' shouts the kid to passengers at the window. Poverty is stark. What can one do to extricate from the situation? Is there hope? With the train set to leave the station, Mohan buys the mud glass of water. The train moves and the kid is in the station, watching out from the window, the heart is heavy, emotions crack up. There is a surge.......This is after all the land we were born. The land is calling its son's of soil. Help this land out brother! This is our land.

The incentive

These are times when we often hear about corporate scandals, greedy founders and C level corruption. Guess this is what caused this piece.

From time immemorial incentive techniques have been applied on all living creation. Parents offer the extra goodies to kids not wanting the unpalatable stuff, corporations offer extra monetary benefits for higher sales, animals trained and prodded to behave by morsel offers on every step taken etc. What does incentive really do? And why do we need them in the first place? Classic definition calls incentive a reward for the extra bit performance. With time things change. In the present day context, I guess we are put on incentives through hidden processes too. I call it hidden ‘cause, we do not necessarily use the products or services in lure of incentives. The airlines frequent flyer program’s, cell phone companies encourages us to talk more through innovative schemes, extra sleaze content through cable network encourages viewers towards extra airtime usage, buy one and get another pack free! And there is the routinely more overt and institutionalized forms. There are prizes for class toppers, and additional thousands for super sales achievers. Which leads me to wonder which part of our life is free from incentive? Religion? I guess not. All religious formats tempt practitioners using the fruit or the better life or the peace theory. This is not casting an aspersion in anyway or doubting their intent, but the continuous mushrooming of alternative practices to an extent suggests that these are also the days of instant gratification and there is a price which one is willing to pay for heaven. Now where does this lead to? An old Indian saying goes 'An excess of anything causes the opposite of the desired effect'. Incentives I guess keeps switch gears more often, step up the tempo. And as the pace increases compromises with one own value systems and processes is bound to happen. The lure to go after the forbidden fruit offered as an incentive still tempted Adam. Wisdom will get blurred. The Chicago public school data analyzed and wonderfully put forth by Levitt proves that the gurus too succumb to pressures of incentives! Today there is hardly an organization worth its repute not come across white collar crimes in its premises. To circumvent the ‘right’ practices in many cases, these crimes are also committed in a collaborative mode, which includes parties within and outside from whom product or services are purchased. In turn figures have been forged, quality of products compromised and vouched for. How much has incentives caused this effect is debatable. But it could be one amongst the influencing factors. Now there are theories which defend incentives. If there is no incentive, where do performers go? And in an undifferentiated world when excellence does not get rewarded, stagnation sets in. This speak is from the corporation standpoint. Extending this logic further, we could probably touch upon the origins of a company and perhaps touch the roots of capitalism itself! But I guess this will be separate conversation. No doubt that the internal pressure one puts on oneself due to incentive in an organizational environment is significant.

Perhaps it is time for companies for rediscover the mission of their existence. It may sound too altruistic to imbibe the spirit of those statements in every action undertaken by the employee on behalf of the company. But why not create reward scheme which gives the social objectives a degree of importance? ‘Be leader in infrastructural projects’, or a ‘number # 1 detergent brand’ to ‘leading truck manufacturer’ or ‘be a world class IT services provider’ can be trickled down to a socially relevant and yet individual cause for employees and partners to take up or strive for. This thought needs further exploration.

Chakravyu

How much I yearn for change,
That when it cometh

I let it go for future gain.
when the future proves in vain,
In search I begin for change.

A rigmarole it seems this is.

Beginner's weeds

As days progress,
Weeds from gaps spurts out stark.

Try to progress as much as I might,
They succeed in holding me back.

Folks cajole me to swim downstream,
How else can I avoid their flak,

All I seek from thee is breaking up this heart,
I know there still exists some crack.

Swades

In appreciation of the scene; Mohans return journey, after meeting Hariram.

The director has managed to convey the profundity of India's problems related to poverty. At the same time the age old tradition of respect and care of fellow human beings, very much rooted in Indian culture, is nicely bought out.

Hariram continues to endure shame for his inability to keep the lights on for his family. The situation has become hopeless with no alternative sources of income in sight. Hariram is born in the family of potter's and in the same tradition becomes a potter. With income levels depleting, Hariram turns to farming but the community ostracizes him. The village is not willing to accept potters becoming farmers. Is it an expression of collective fear? Fear from what? It can also be fear from change, breaking away from tradition. Hariram looks to coming to cities, there is his wife's brother who migrated to cities took up jobs around manual labor. But the middle-men exploitation drives many of the folks back. So in a situation like this Hariram is in no position to repay his debts. And Mohan the US based scientist is embarrassed, overwhelmed by the situation. Hariram offers shelter and food to Mohan, for his journey has been long.

It is during that late night, sleeping on the open air make-shift jute bed, thatched roof on top with the moon still managing to sneak through the hay, that reality dawns upon Mohan.

The sheer desperation of the external environment and the hospitable, warm heartedness of Hariram; surges forth an emotion not experienced by Mohan before. On his way back, Mohan is reflective on the events. His journey back is again through the vast Indian heartland. Shoulder to shoulder with people, the population, he perches himself on different vehicles. The last leg in the train, there is stop which is just to arrive when Mohan spots a kid in an oversized short with a kettle of water and mud-glasses selling water for couple of cents to the passengers. 'Water...take water for ...cents' shouts the kid to passengers at the window. Poverty is stark. What can one do to extricate from the situation? Is there hope? With train set to leave the station, Mohan buys the mud glass of water. The train moves and the kid is in the station, watching out from the window, the heart is heavy, emotions crack up.

There is a surge.......This is after all the land we were born. The land is calling its son's of soil. Help this land out brother! This is our land.

Seek

Creation I seek
When started I am meek

Develop I seek
To what I know not

Depth I seek
Now it is skin deep

Balance

To lead a balanced life is not easy as it seems
There still exists fire in my dreams

Steady state in isolation is not possible
Vaccum in mind
Sensousness shades the periphery

Goodbye

Perhaps it is time to say goodbye
The world is full of alibies

Meditate

My ways to meditate
Is to ruminate
Bring pathos to heart
A gentle upsurge

Soak with feelings
Dry through expression

Is it action that is meditation
Inactivity is a myth

Hope

Maybe it is time now, to move
Enough caricatures, let my heart subdue.

The veil of transparency ceases to see through,
Yet I hope to see you.

Aspiration

To aspire something higher
To define that thing
Is to Know.

To aspire that you know
Is to know what you know
Are you aspiring?

To aspire that
That which is not known
Is to aspire that
Which you are not.

To rise to that
Which you are not
Is what is aspiration.

To know, I do not know
And
To know that I do not know
Is aspiration.