courtesy : funtoosh.com
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
Jamshedpur Is Where India Is Shining
The following article appeared in Asian Age way back in 2004. Since then it has been shamelessly Ctrl C-Ctrl V-ed so many times on the blogosphere that there remains no shame in doing so one more time.
It happens only once in a while, and with very few people that a single action - read deed - of theirs, reverses ones entire opinion about them; something like what happened with Mr. Suhel Seth, - yes the Suhel Seth of The Telegraph Sunday magazine fame whom we all so love to hate for his cheeky solutions to the supposedly real life problems of people - when i found him to be the writer of this article. It should be mentioned here this column was not, as reported erroneously by some people, written by Mr. Lakshmi N. Mittal of Mittal Steel fame on his visit to jamshedpur which happened much later, but was circulated in the Bangalore centred 'Techingdom' - which explains its online re-reproductions - by a certain employee of Wipro, who goes by the same name.
Being from Jamhedpur myself, this article remains close to my heart - notice the capitalled first letters in the title - and reinforces my commitment - in a strange way - to a lot of things i stand for. If you share my 'homecity' you will probably understand.
Jamshedpur Is Where India Is Shining
Suhel Seth
I visited Jamshedpur over the weekend to see for myself an India that is fast disappearing despite all the wolf-cries of people like Narayanamurthy and his ilk. It is one thing to talk and quite another to do and I am delighted to tell you that Ratan Tata has kept alive the legacy of perhaps Indias finest industrialist J.N. Tata. Something that some people doubted when Ratan took over the House of the Tatas but in hindsight, the best thing to have happened to the Tatas is unquestionably Ratan. I was amazed to see the extent of corporate philanthropy and this is no exaggeration.
For the breed that talks about corporate social responsibility and talks about the role of corporate India, a visit to Jamshedpur is a must. Go there and see the amount of money they pump into keeping the town going; see the smiling faces of workers in a region known for industrial unrest; see the standard of living in a city that is almost isolated from the mess in the rest of the country.
For the breed that talks about corporate social responsibility and talks about the role of corporate India, a visit to Jamshedpur is a must. Go there and see the amount of money they pump into keeping the town going; see the smiling faces of workers in a region known for industrial unrest; see the standard of living in a city that is almost isolated from the mess in the rest of the country.
This is not meant to be a puff piece. I have nothing to do with Tata Steel, but I strongly believe the message of hope and the message of goodness that they are spreading is worth sharing. The fact that you do have companies in India which look at workers as human beings and who do not blow their software trumpet of having changed lives. In fact, I asked Mr Muthurman, the managing director, as to why he was so quiet about all they had done and all he could offer in return was a smile wrapped in humility, which said it all. They have done so much more since I last visited Jamshedpur, which was in 1992. The town has obviously got busier but the values thankfully haven’t changed. The food is still as amazing as it always was and I gorged, as I would normally do. I visited the plant and the last time I did that was with Russi Mody.
But the plant this time was gleaming and far from what it used to be. Greener and cleaner and a tribute to environment management. You could have been in the mountains. Such was the quality of air I inhaled! There was no belching smoke; no tired faces and so many more women workers, even on the shop floor. This is true gender equality and not the kind that is often espoused at seminars organised by angry activists. I met so many old friends. Most of them have aged but not grown old. There was a spring in the air which came from a certain calmness which has always been the hallmark of Jamshedpur and something I savoured for a full two days in between receiving messages of how boring and decrepit the Lacklustre Fashion Weak was.
But the plant this time was gleaming and far from what it used to be. Greener and cleaner and a tribute to environment management. You could have been in the mountains. Such was the quality of air I inhaled! There was no belching smoke; no tired faces and so many more women workers, even on the shop floor. This is true gender equality and not the kind that is often espoused at seminars organised by angry activists. I met so many old friends. Most of them have aged but not grown old. There was a spring in the air which came from a certain calmness which has always been the hallmark of Jamshedpur and something I savoured for a full two days in between receiving messages of how boring and decrepit the Lacklustre Fashion Weak was.
It is at times such as this that our city lives seem so meaningless. Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata had created an edifice that is today a robust company and it is not about profits and about valuation. It is not about who becomes a millionaire and who doesnt’. It is about getting the job done with dignity and respect keeping the age-old values intact and this is what I learnt.
I jokingly asked someone as to whether they ever thought of joining an Infosys or a Wipro and pat came the reply: "We are not interested in becoming crorepatis but in making others crorepatis."
Which is exactly what the Tatas have done for years in and around Jamshedpur. Very few people know that Jamshedpur has been selected as a UN Global Compact City, edging out the other nominee from India, Bangalore. Selected because of the quality of life, because of the conditions of sanitation and roads and welfare. If this is not a tribute to industrial India, then what is? Today, Indian needs several Jamshedpurs but it also needs this Jamshedpur to be given its fair due, its recognition. I am tired of campus visits being publicised to the Infosys and the Wipros of the world. Modern India is being built in Jamshedpur as we speak. An India built on the strength of core convictions and nothing was more apparent about that than the experiment with truth and reality that Tata Steel is conducting at Pipla.
I jokingly asked someone as to whether they ever thought of joining an Infosys or a Wipro and pat came the reply: "We are not interested in becoming crorepatis but in making others crorepatis."
Which is exactly what the Tatas have done for years in and around Jamshedpur. Very few people know that Jamshedpur has been selected as a UN Global Compact City, edging out the other nominee from India, Bangalore. Selected because of the quality of life, because of the conditions of sanitation and roads and welfare. If this is not a tribute to industrial India, then what is? Today, Indian needs several Jamshedpurs but it also needs this Jamshedpur to be given its fair due, its recognition. I am tired of campus visits being publicised to the Infosys and the Wipros of the world. Modern India is being built in Jamshedpur as we speak. An India built on the strength of core convictions and nothing was more apparent about that than the experiment with truth and reality that Tata Steel is conducting at Pipla.
Forty-eight tribal girls (yes, tribal girls who these corrupt and evil politicians only talk about but do nothing for) are being educated through a residential program over nine months. I went to visit them and I spoke to them in a language that they have just learnt: Bengali. Eight weeks ago, they could only speak in Sainthali, their local dialect. But today, they are brimming with a confidence that will bring tears to your eyes. It did to mine.
One of them has just been selected to represent Jharkand in the state archery competition. They have their own womens football team and whats more they are now fond of education. It is a passion and not a burden. This was possible because I guess people like Ratan Tata and Muthurman havent sold their souls to some business management drivel, which tells us that we must only do business and nothing else. The fact that not one Tata executive has been touched by the Naxalites in that area talks about the social respect that the Tatas have earned.
The Tatas do not need this piece to be praised and lauded. My intent is to share the larger picture that we so often miss in the haze of the slime and sleaze that politics imparts. My submission to those who use phrases such as "feel-good" and "India Shining" is first visit Jamshedpur to understand what it all means. See Tata Steel in action to know what companies can do if they wish to. And what corporate India needs to do. Murli Manohar Joshi would be better off seeing what Tata Steel has done by creating the Xavier Institute of Tribal Education rather than by proffering excuses for the imbroglio in the IIMs. This is where the Advanis and Vajpayees need to pay homage . Not to all the Sai Babas and the Hugging saints that they are so busy with. India is changing inspite of them and they need to realise that.
I couldn’t have spent a more humane and wonderful weekend. Jamshedpur is an eye-opener and a role model, which should be made mandatory for replication. I saw corporate India actually participate in basic nation-building, for when these tribal girls go back to their villages, they will return with knowledge that will truly be life-altering.
One of them has just been selected to represent Jharkand in the state archery competition. They have their own womens football team and whats more they are now fond of education. It is a passion and not a burden. This was possible because I guess people like Ratan Tata and Muthurman havent sold their souls to some business management drivel, which tells us that we must only do business and nothing else. The fact that not one Tata executive has been touched by the Naxalites in that area talks about the social respect that the Tatas have earned.
The Tatas do not need this piece to be praised and lauded. My intent is to share the larger picture that we so often miss in the haze of the slime and sleaze that politics imparts. My submission to those who use phrases such as "feel-good" and "India Shining" is first visit Jamshedpur to understand what it all means. See Tata Steel in action to know what companies can do if they wish to. And what corporate India needs to do. Murli Manohar Joshi would be better off seeing what Tata Steel has done by creating the Xavier Institute of Tribal Education rather than by proffering excuses for the imbroglio in the IIMs. This is where the Advanis and Vajpayees need to pay homage . Not to all the Sai Babas and the Hugging saints that they are so busy with. India is changing inspite of them and they need to realise that.
I couldn’t have spent a more humane and wonderful weekend. Jamshedpur is an eye-opener and a role model, which should be made mandatory for replication. I saw corporate India actually participate in basic nation-building, for when these tribal girls go back to their villages, they will return with knowledge that will truly be life-altering.
Corporate India can do it but most of the time is willing to shy away. For those corporate leaders who are happier winning awards and being interviewed on their choice of clothes, my advise is visit Tata Steel, spend some days at Jamshedpur and see a nation’s transformation. That is true service and true nationalism.
Tata Steel will celebrate 100 years of existence in 2007. It won’t be just a milestone in this company’s history. It will be a milestone, to my mind of corporate transparency and generosity in this country. It is indeed fitting that Ratan Tata today heads a group which has people who are committed to nation-building than just building inflluence and power. JRD must be smiling wherever he is. And so must Jamsetji Nusserwanji. These people today, have literally climbed every last blue mountain. And continue to do so with vigour and passion. Thank God for the Tatas!
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Tata Steel will celebrate 100 years of existence in 2007. It won’t be just a milestone in this company’s history. It will be a milestone, to my mind of corporate transparency and generosity in this country. It is indeed fitting that Ratan Tata today heads a group which has people who are committed to nation-building than just building inflluence and power. JRD must be smiling wherever he is. And so must Jamsetji Nusserwanji. These people today, have literally climbed every last blue mountain. And continue to do so with vigour and passion. Thank God for the Tatas!
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Sunday, June 4, 2006
Haiku attempt #1
Seemingly so, the last post came a cropper. Friends told me about it being uninteresting, complicated and not very readable. Well, me being a rhino-skinned optimist, it's going to take a lot more than those petty aforesaid adjectives before I dismiss writing too as one of the talents that is a challenge for me, the previous casualty being singing. However that is another story and will save it for some time else. If anything, my resolve has only been strengthened and so my next 'mission' is yet more adventurous, - should call it 'the reverse-GRE syndrome', the more you fail the tougher your next task gets - it's my first step into the world of poetry.
Hopefully, the last word in the above paragraph has scared the meek at heart away, for poetry it ain't any ordinary. It's called Haiku, - if you are acquainted with this term you can save your self the botheration of going through the rest of the paragraph - which was actually a descendent of an ancient japanese form of poetry, and was practiced in its pure form by the true connoisseurs of poesy, until the remix culture created its mutant version which is so popular today. However, the fundamental rules still remain the same; it should contain not more than 17 of what approximate in the english language as the syllables, and preferably in the 5-7-5 format. For a more detailed knowhow check the wiki article on Haiku.
So, it goes like this...
a rainbow by night
when the crescent shines so bright
lonesome is not white
when the crescent shines so bright
lonesome is not white
Yeah! that was it. Trust me it took me three 'into bed yet not asleep' thought sessions to fit this idea into the 5-7-5 format.
PS: Please leave me with your thoughts.
Friday, May 26, 2006
the review : The Da Vinci Code
This will not be the IMDb or Times Of India kind of review, so without going into the formal details about the cast and crew, year of release and the like - okay! i can give you one formal info: I watched it today in the afternoon - we'll start right away. Firstly if you, ever since you learned that the female lead playing for Sophie Neveau would be Audrey Tautau, - never seen or heard of her before - have wondered that how possibly the producers could have thought of anybody, but for the gorgeous Sophie Marceau, - the Bond girl in Die Another Day - as perfect for the role was beyond comprehension, then all i can tell you is that you are not alone. Apart from having to change only half her name for the role, she would have beautifully fitted into the character painted by Dan Brown. Anyways Miss Tautau - or Mrs. but being the optimist that I am, I'd rather assume her to be single - doesn't do a bad job either. However that exactly is the thing - i wanted to use the word problem here - with this movie. It is a 'not a bad' movie.
Let's face it, turning a bestseller into a movie has always been a tough ask, leave alone a book which is probably the most read by the current population on planets earth and mars. So before moving any further, if you are reading this to decide whether you should go for the movie or no, i would say that it is a must see if you have not read the novel. Nonetheless if you have, then i'd tell you not to hurry. For, even the crictics at Cannes would have been more merciful had the movie premiered in 2012 or so. People need time to forget about the book; it gets big upon the film and clearly so. While a book and it's reader have all the pages and time respectively, to relish the description of the Louvre, a movie has just about all of a five second shot; and you have to take it all in one eyeful as against a novel where the mind is fed in a linear fashion and has to its aid a storyteller who takes pleasure in pointing out the fine nuances of the structure.
Coming to the performances, it's again the same story; could have been much improved. Mr. Tom Hanks, well we all have seen you do much better than this. Having said that, if on seeing the movie you feel that Tom Hanks with his Harvard professor hairstyle - Hollywood always gives its professors long hair - does not quite resemble the Robert Langdon you had imagined while reading the novel, I guarantee that after watching it you shall never remember that face again. For Audrey Tautau, once again, a job well done but no more than that. Silas's role is a well etched one - I really do not know the names of the other people in the cast - His is one strong performance, be it the fight sequences where he once swoops down upon Langdon or his corporal mortification scenes. He and Tom Hanks can be safely said to be the best thing about The Da VInci Code. The other actors have not really done anything special. The character of Lee Teabing which was so central to the plot needed some careful development. Even the guy playing cop, though good, was no where near his French Kiss days.
On second thoughts, it is not so much the actors' fault. It's again the book being heavy upon the movie. The review on IMDb talks of the lack of chemistry between the protagonists. Well, it was always going to be difficult being otherwise, when you having read the book - most people who have seen the movie uptil now have read the book, considering the fact that it's been just one week and it has released only today in India - fully well know the story and are half expecting the characters to say what you are thinking. Your mind outruns the movie and when things begin to happen as predictably, you begin to lose interest. No wonder people complained of having to wait for the picture to finish. Nevertheless, that should be no excuse for its makers. The emotional and dramatic content could and should - with a script like this no! - have been raised several notches. The scene, for example, where Langdon figures out the code for the cryptex, even though heavy on effects, fails to make the dramatic impact it was capable of.
All the same, considering the sheer volume of facts that Dan Brown has enamoured us with in his work, the script writers and later the editors deserve special praise. The script i would say - and I am quite sure atleast Mr. Brown would agree - is a heavily edited form of the original. However whatever remains after the editing sticks more or less true to the book. The cutting and tailoring the work was really necessary, as you do not want the movie do be some National Geographic documentary simply pushing information down your throat, which i admit to having felt at a point - something near about four points would be more like it - while into the novel.
Final verdict: it's a three star, which translates into Good. For the time being watch the trailor below which contains one of the best special effects scenes in film.
PS: No I am not trying to refer this to some person with initials PS, - you will know why I say this when you read the book or see the movie - but to all you few readers who cared to read this far all the way down, I am into my fourth post and still have no comments; you either like what i write or you do not, whichever way it is, I need to be urgently informed. Surely you can do that as the trailor video loads.
Let's face it, turning a bestseller into a movie has always been a tough ask, leave alone a book which is probably the most read by the current population on planets earth and mars. So before moving any further, if you are reading this to decide whether you should go for the movie or no, i would say that it is a must see if you have not read the novel. Nonetheless if you have, then i'd tell you not to hurry. For, even the crictics at Cannes would have been more merciful had the movie premiered in 2012 or so. People need time to forget about the book; it gets big upon the film and clearly so. While a book and it's reader have all the pages and time respectively, to relish the description of the Louvre, a movie has just about all of a five second shot; and you have to take it all in one eyeful as against a novel where the mind is fed in a linear fashion and has to its aid a storyteller who takes pleasure in pointing out the fine nuances of the structure.
Coming to the performances, it's again the same story; could have been much improved. Mr. Tom Hanks, well we all have seen you do much better than this. Having said that, if on seeing the movie you feel that Tom Hanks with his Harvard professor hairstyle - Hollywood always gives its professors long hair - does not quite resemble the Robert Langdon you had imagined while reading the novel, I guarantee that after watching it you shall never remember that face again. For Audrey Tautau, once again, a job well done but no more than that. Silas's role is a well etched one - I really do not know the names of the other people in the cast - His is one strong performance, be it the fight sequences where he once swoops down upon Langdon or his corporal mortification scenes. He and Tom Hanks can be safely said to be the best thing about The Da VInci Code. The other actors have not really done anything special. The character of Lee Teabing which was so central to the plot needed some careful development. Even the guy playing cop, though good, was no where near his French Kiss days.
On second thoughts, it is not so much the actors' fault. It's again the book being heavy upon the movie. The review on IMDb talks of the lack of chemistry between the protagonists. Well, it was always going to be difficult being otherwise, when you having read the book - most people who have seen the movie uptil now have read the book, considering the fact that it's been just one week and it has released only today in India - fully well know the story and are half expecting the characters to say what you are thinking. Your mind outruns the movie and when things begin to happen as predictably, you begin to lose interest. No wonder people complained of having to wait for the picture to finish. Nevertheless, that should be no excuse for its makers. The emotional and dramatic content could and should - with a script like this no! - have been raised several notches. The scene, for example, where Langdon figures out the code for the cryptex, even though heavy on effects, fails to make the dramatic impact it was capable of.
All the same, considering the sheer volume of facts that Dan Brown has enamoured us with in his work, the script writers and later the editors deserve special praise. The script i would say - and I am quite sure atleast Mr. Brown would agree - is a heavily edited form of the original. However whatever remains after the editing sticks more or less true to the book. The cutting and tailoring the work was really necessary, as you do not want the movie do be some National Geographic documentary simply pushing information down your throat, which i admit to having felt at a point - something near about four points would be more like it - while into the novel.
Final verdict: it's a three star, which translates into Good. For the time being watch the trailor below which contains one of the best special effects scenes in film.
PS: No I am not trying to refer this to some person with initials PS, - you will know why I say this when you read the book or see the movie - but to all you few readers who cared to read this far all the way down, I am into my fourth post and still have no comments; you either like what i write or you do not, whichever way it is, I need to be urgently informed. Surely you can do that as the trailor video loads.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Sunday, April 30, 2006
truth is funnier than fiction
Post number 3 and still no sign of the first one!?
Anyways, the following conversation - translated into english - took place last weekend - or may be it was friday - when afternoon was not quite 'after', and i was still in deep slumber after the semi-nightout, until woken up by our washerman guy.
my washerman : bhaiya, do you have any clothes to give?
me : haan let me see
Anyways, the following conversation - translated into english - took place last weekend - or may be it was friday - when afternoon was not quite 'after', and i was still in deep slumber after the semi-nightout, until woken up by our washerman guy.
my washerman : bhaiya, do you have any clothes to give?
me : haan let me see
my washerman : next year, are you staying in this room itself or shifting somewhere else or going completely? Because if you are going finally, then you must give me some money. Won't you?
me : arre dada, i'm not going anywhere; if i change my room i will let you know. Here, take these, three t-shirts only. And dada wash properly, this one has got a few stains on the sleeve and on the back - while showing him the stains on my tee - they should go.
my washerman : haan bhaiya, see these stains now itself or else when i bring them back you will blame me for putting them there.
me : arre dada, i'm not going anywhere; if i change my room i will let you know. Here, take these, three t-shirts only. And dada wash properly, this one has got a few stains on the sleeve and on the back - while showing him the stains on my tee - they should go.
His next words brought about the most abrubt end to out short confabulation, for as he left in the jiffy this guy is always in, i stood at my door muted, trying to decide which option would be better or wiser or smarter or whatever: to laugh out loud and tell people about it later - now you know which of the two i picked - or call him back and yell like hell.
my washerman : haan bhaiya, see these stains now itself or else when i bring them back you will blame me for putting them there.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
the typical indian street
This becomes my second post. Don't scroll down looking for the grand opening one, because its still lying in the 'drafts' and should be there for some time more. Meanwhile, i came across this video on youtube and liked the idea of embedding it in the blog, so check it out. Although, i must add that it does take up several minutes before loading completely, - and no, its not worth the time as well - so try out some of the links that i've planted on the right and set your watch to the IST - that is all the fun i have for you on this page - while the file loads. Finally, if you are actually watching, then follow the white zen that turns right into a by-lane.
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