The Chin(a) music - moving from Death-metal to Classical

China - This name has different connotations to different people
An Indian (who anyways has 5 opnions about any country) might think this about China
- A factory which is synonymous with the word "cheap"
- An imbecile who does not have a good memory either about history or geography
- A smoking hummer which has overtaken India by actually building its own expressway
- An incredible opportunity to make money
- A neighbour with a gym in his house, always seen flexing his muscles but never
with a smile

Obama, has it easier. He has only two views but is confused whether to engage or enrage it.

To most African countries, China is the Big-Brother (read 'USA') they never had

Tto the 'civilized' European Union, its the 'Thakur' of Bollywood, who makes money while those within suffer.

Australia cant stop eulogizing and glorifying it

And both the North and South Poles cant stop thanking it for aiding it with more of the solar energy it badly needs

Latin American has only an inkling of what it is and so has 'no-comments-please' while Canada and the UK dutifuly follows the path of Big-Bro (again read 'USA' and not as 'China')

Anyways the point of this blog is exactly the opposite of the feeling most get hearing the word 'China'.

China, according to the Elliott waves and Socionomics (a forecasting tool and a study of behaviour of man and markets, pardon my definition Mr Prechter) has been in a downward spiral since 2008 but when the next wave on the upside arrives, China would enter into a powerful orbit, which I feel would help it overtake the USA quicker than what many think.

Socially, China would be a more livable place (with... who knows even a democratic setup). After the current wave of border tensions with its neighbours is resolved (ofcourse no one knows how brutal the resolution could be) it would assume deep peace within. The recent emission control promise would become a reality and life in China would be "LIFE".

But for all this to happen, a painful cataclysm of sorts is in the offing. After all its not easy for a fast moving dragon to simply change orbit, without trampling a few.

DOOB (gaya) BHAI !... Hooray!!!

Jan 2007 was the last post here and this is Nov 2009. Seems like a generation has passed since I last confronted myself on Meta Space. So many people around me remember 'those' days with a hint of despondency. Those were the days when everything glittered and every place aspired to be 'Doob-Bhai'.

With cracks evident in 'Doob-Bhai', it seems we are in for another tectonic shift, much like '9/11'. Isnt it amazing that we are seeing far more 'historic' events in this century (with a frequency matching the gyrations of a Govinda song) than what has been witnessed in the last century? If there was a Volatility Index to measure these events, where do you think the barometer would have reached for this century?

Speaking of 'Doob-Bhai', I get a sense that people want it to fail under its weight. After all its a human behaviour to take pleasure in seeing a flamboyant and fast moving mammoth crumble down due to gravity. The spectacular rise of a city in such a short time (10 years is just a blip) was a cause of envy for cities which have been ploughing their way to greatness. And as it has been with Human Beings, 'Doob-Bhai''s own siblings were the ones most green with envy.

'Ab-boo-dabbi' couldnt have asked for a better situation. The richer sibling, with more than enough oil for every strand of hair in the Solar System, has often been relegated to a side-kick to 'Doob-bhai'. Now, its 'Ab-boo-dabbi''s chance to strike twice with one arrow.

By claiming to the world that it has offered a life-line to 'Doob-bhai' it gains political mileage. At the same time, it can get some control of 'Doob-bhai''s resources (emirates, nakheel, the brand 'Doob-bhai' etc.) Ofcourse, with some clever band of lawyers and financial hobnobs it can avoid giving away the entire life-line (who would care how much 'Doob-bhai' gets in the end after a few years)

So, with a few billion dollars, or even less (out of its reserves of Hundreds) 'Ab-boo-dabbi' can ascend to the throne of West Asia. With it, comes political strength, financial might and finally relief to the royal folks that 'Ab-boo-dabbi' is not just a black dabbi lying unseen on the carrom board of Middle east but the much coveted Red King .

Get out or get lost!

---Bid adieu to the green-belt in north-east Bangalore and get set to welcome the concrete jungle that will arise as part of the development of Bangalore or just 'Get Out of theCity'.
According to the draft Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) 2005 of the Bangalore DevelopmentAuthority (BDA), 200 sq-kms of green space in the north-east will be lost, especially betweenWhitefield and Devanahalli, as they will be converted into residential and commercial spaces.
BDA Commissioner M K Shankarlinge Gowda told this paper that according to the draft plan, thegreen-belt was opened in 2005 for development.
''If people cannot accept the city's growth, they should just get out. The area has monoculture vegetation with eucalyptus in large numbers,'' he said.---
- New Indian Express


Can a few short sighted people with vested interests determine the fate of a city? And how much do they know what constitutes monoculture vegetation?

I dont know how much more time will people need to revolt. If you would like to make a difference pls do anything you can, from preventing trees getting unnecessarily cut, to filing RTIs. Join those already working against such blatant threats. At the least try to realise the false propoganda spread in the name of 'development'.

There are several ways to develop a city keeping in mind that trees are integral part of it. Besides, just as one of the Karnataka ministers wants an SEZ close to his property there is a rush to flatten out trees and destroy lakes to cash in on realty mania.

All that s(h)cience is not gold

Science is still blind faith and excellent marketing. It just goes round and round in proving and disproving itself.

So while Newton may say one thing, a few centuries later Einstein may say something contradictory more convincingly and with more 'proofs' (which are again scientific). In between are people who keep swaying with blind faith that science is after all 'science' and cant be wrong. There are more defensive voices like science is evolutionary and that its core remains the same. That, refinement happens by ongoing evaluation and everything is out there for everyone to see.

But what can people with blind faith see? And what if the 'scientific means' itself is flawed? Yes, there are many facts claimed by science which cant be disproved. But just because they have been claimed by science, it is not its own contribution. Science or No-Science, there are somethings which always exist.

I have been told that I do not understand science. But when people claim that science is rational and tolerant why cant we see it from an 'outside-in' view? A fish in a pond can never understand what a pond is, it has to get out to see it. This might sound absurd, but science should be able to validate itself fully when seen from a non-scientific domain. I know its foolish to do so, but drawing parallels is not a crime and maybe this can be given another thought.

Okay, the gibber-talk is over.. breathe easy.

The Tail of Cities

"This is the worst of times, this IS the worst of times..."

Bangalore, is no longer in the best of times. Why just Bangalore? No city is vaccinated against vagaries of time and society.

From a sleepy city to a bustling one, from green to brown, from 'we' to 'me', from hospitality to brutality.. Just about everything shows a clear trend - > Disgruntled people and a weeping city.

From what I know about trends analysis, there is something called a 'breakout' accompanied with a few other characteristics which trigger a fresh trend in movement of a wave. If we compare the fate of the city to a wave, we have already seen the 'breakout' in the last 2-3 years.

Along with economic development and changes to society & our collective mindsets, we have now moved into a different orbit.

Look at the words below in the context of Bangalore-Before and Bangalore-Now. Notice what you feel as you run the words in your head.

Economic Activity
Rich-poor divide
Growth
Flora & Fauna
Traffic & Civic sense
Administration
Public perception & behaviour
City Climate
Empowerment

Development is an inclusive term, but we have made it lopsided.
The great Indian middle class is growing with more money and power, but is that a sign of a better society?
Are we more developed if we have more wealth than last year?
Cant we think of development in terms of number of trees in the city co-existing with better movement of people?

The 'development' we are talking and thinking of is going to bring us all down under its weight. Take the case of mindless felling of trees and the plundering of nature for flyovers/roads/parking area/commercial activity. Or even the mindless culling of hundreds of stray dogs to avenge the tragic death of a girl by few handful of insane dogs.
Barbarism is closing on us, as we single mindedly pursue 'financial and immediate profit'. Common sense is slowly getting buried and the bad news is that we do not even realise it.

The tail of the city has wagged and the signal is there for all of us to see.

The magic WAN( T )D

Ever wondered...

1. Why do u want what u dont need?
2. How will u want wot u`ve got?
3. What will u want after all ur "wants" are granted?
4. When will u stop wanting?
5. How long will u want "the most wanted want"?
6. Which "want" will want u to "unwant" every "want"?
7. Can there be a "want" u`d never want?
8. Is a "want" the only want u`d ever want?
9. Do all the "wants", even want u?
10.Do "wants" want more "wantin" than u want to "want"?
11.What "want" will stop u wantin?
12. Why do u keep wanting what u really should not "want"?
13.What after all, is a "want"?

a ---------- l ---------- o ---------- n ---------- e

No man is an island but each one has a moat around his fort.

The volume of each one's moat generally remains the same. Its the height upto which the moat is filled which varies from time to time and person to person. When the water recedes, it would mean the person is getting into a state of solitude and contact with other people reduces.
One just needs to check the level of water in one's moat and check how lonely she is. You pour in more water, build more gateways and you get more connected. Just think of it, solitude and loneliness is a matter of choice.

But what happens when solitude is thrust upon you?
When you are in a strange land or weird situation. When all you have is the 'unknown'. Or when your environment has always been such that solitude is all that is 'known'. Or when it is self inflicted due to some reason. Maybe one's upbringing leads her to crave for solitude. It could be a need of self discovery or just a way of life. Sometimes its always there but denied or suppressed.

In all such times, fortification is heavy and there is ample opportunity for one to discover the land within. On the flip side, there are chances of slipping into a whirlpool of fear, boredom and a state of rot. This can make the fort barren from within.

Some people argue that staying alone and feeling lonely are two very distinct choices. They give a thumbs up to "staying alone" which is perceived as being independent and self sufficient

But seriously, how does it all matter if the fort is dead within.



p.s. I really dont know if I tried to communicate anything here, but I am sure those who have been through it can make sense of this.