Random thoughts on Onam, Mahabali and Vamanan

Another Onam is here. Wishes to All the Readers of this Blog.

Despite the diminishing relevance of Onam, which is essentially an Agrarian Festival, in a State that is highly Service Sector oriented, it is still a time for family get together, socialization and general lifting of the mood for the people. Any diversion from day to day struggles is welcome.

Mahabali, who ruled the Earth, and in whose memory Onam is celebtrated, was a just and wise king. So why was he sent back to Pathala by Vamanan, thus depriving everyone of the benefactors rule, where as the saying goes, 'there was no lies, cheating,  under measurement, theft', but only prosperity prevailed?

The reason lies elsewhere. The Swarga lokam is for Devas. Bhoomi for Humans and Pathala for Asuras. Pathala is not the hell we make it out to be. It is as prosperous as Swarga lokam. This was the law of nature.

But ambitious Kings, many a time, transgressed to others territory with a view to expand their Kingdom. Mahabali, an Asura, was not supposed to conquer the Earth as that meant occupation by force. As an analogy, one can imagine a British Ruler, however benevolent he may be, ruling over India. We will never accept it. 'Bandhoora Kanjana Kottilanengilum, Bandhanam Bandhanam thane paaril'. (Even if it is a golden cage, it still denotes confinement)

So Mahabali had to be sent back to Pathala and Lord Vishnu, in the guise of Vamanan, helped Humans get back their rightful Kingdom from the usurper, though a good one.

Again Contrary to what many thinks, Vamanan did not send Mahabali to Pathala by force. When there was no place for Vamanan to place his third step, Mahabali, a Vishnu Bhakthan, gracefully asked the Almighty to place it on his head, thus accepting his complete subservience to God. Even today in Vishnu temple, we allow Gods padam or  leg (mounted on a Kireedam) to be placed on our head. It is for this devotion that Vishnu blessed Mahabali and allowed him to come up to Earth once in a year.

Guruthwam

Guru Brahma Guru Vishnu Guru Devo Maheswara:

Guru Sakshath Parabrahma

Thasmai Sree Guruve Namaha:

In our Culture, we give utmost importance and respect to the Guru.

We have always advocated that one should have 'Guruthwam'. The belief is that for one to get the benefit of any knowledge or skill, he or she should have the whole hearted blessings of the Guru. Without it, he or she may possess the skill, but will not be able to deploy it effectively.

Guru is not a mere teacher. He is much more than that. He is a Teacher, Friend, Philosopher and Guide, who passes on knowledge accumulated over generations to the student.

Maharishi Viswamithra takes on himself to teach Sree Raman and Lakshmanan Divyasthrams in the guise of taking them away from the Palace to protect his Yajnas. A Sage with the Supreme Powers of Viswamithra do not actually need any help to ward off those trying to disrupt his Yajnas. The tutelage under Viswamithra was to stand in good stead for Sree Raman and Lakshmanan in the long run.

His own father Jamadagni was the Guru of Parasurama. When his father asked him to cut his mother Renukas head, for a mental indiscretion, Parasurama did not hesitate for a moment. But he atoned for killing his mother by asking Jamadagni to restore her life, which was done.

Contrast this with Karnan. He lied his way to become the student of Parasurama, who, on becoming aware of his true identity, cursed him that his skills will fail him when he needed most. Thus, Karnan, despite being a much better skilled Archer than Arjunan, had to die, for his skills did not stand him in good stead during Kurukshetra War.

There is an element of pathos in Ekalavya's story. He takes Dronacharyar as Manasika Guru and becomes a supremely skilled Self Taught Archer. Drona was astounded at the Nishada boy's skills, but asks him his thumb as 'Guru Dakshina'. Without the thumb, an Archer cannot shoot an Arrow. I have always wondered why Drona did this? Was it to ensure no one is better than Arjunan, his most favourite disciple? Why did he have to punish an innocent boy?

Probably because knowledge obtained without proper guidance can lead to improper usage which can be dangerous.

But, after all these years, while I can understand the curse on Karna, as he tried to learn through Subterfuge, I still cannot accept the young Nishada boy being incapacitated, to be heard of no more.

Education is also supposed to develop humility in the students. A story unknown to many is reiterated here. Hanuman, who was blessed by all the Gods when he was a child, went in search of a suitable Guru, and zeroed in on Sage Thrinabindu. But the Sage refused citing he was a Vanara, and a Vanara acquiring education, in his opinion, was of no use to anyone. A dejected Hanuman remembered that Surya Bhagavan had given a word to his father, Vayudevan, that he will be responsible for the education of Hanuman when the time comes. Promptly Hanuman met Surya Bhagavan at sunrise and reminded him of his word to his father. Surya Bhagavan agreed to teach him everything, on the  condition that Hanuman has to learn everything in one day, and that too before Sunset. Hanuman agreed and learned from the Gurumukham of Surya Bhagavan, by facing him and walking backwards while Surya Bhagavan undertook his journey around the Earth. All in one day.

Having acquired the knowledge, Hanuman meets Sage Thrinabindu and bragged how he got a better teacher than him. It was then that the Sage cursed him that he will be unaware of his knowledge and strength till someone tells him. Lack of humility led to this situation, even to Hanuman.

Years have rolled on. Today there are hardly any Gurus, not even Teachers, only Information imparters, who lacks the dedication, the tapasya, and the knowledge required of a Guru.

This is reflected in the quality and mindset of Students these days. They have no respect for anyone, leave alone their Teachers.

We have degraded our Education system to such an extend that we are creating a Generation of 'Kurutham Kettavars' which actually means 'Guruthwam Kettavar' or those who are not blessed with Guruthwam.

Is there any wonder the moral values of the society are going down day by day?

A Judge is a 'Honourable' Man, So they are all 'Honourable' Men

For a long time now the Judiciary in India has been encroaching into the domain of the Executive. This started during the 10 year of UPA rule, when a weak Prime Minister was only too happy to allow the Judiciary to set policies as he did not want a confrontation with his dominant Alliance Partners.

The scenario is similar in various State Capitals. In Kerala, the UDF Government virtually drags the Court into any major policy initiative - be it the Liquor Policy or Division of Wards in the Local Body Election or even in routine Corruption Cases.

This is cowardly as it sets a dangerous precedent. It is akin to allowing Auditors to manage a Company, which is just not on. The Judiciary's role is to ensure whether the laws are followed, and not to make laws or to even make suggestions in this regard.

While I am second to none with respect to my appreciation of the Indian Judiciary (despite rotten apples, the poorly paid Judges do a tremendous job mostly), we need to be objective.

There have been far too many instances of over reach by the Judiciary. The trigger to this article is a directive by the Allahabad HC that the children of all Government Servants and Policy Makers should study only in Government School. This, the Judge feels, will make the Officials and Lawmakers more sensitive to the needs of Public Schools. It is no ones case that Government Schools are neglected and the students who are from the under privileged section of the society suffer a lot. But the Judge should have known that his Activism Judgment, while scoring high in dramatics, will not stand the test of law even in a Law School mock court.

We have seen the Court make caustic comments about the lack of progress in the Ganga Cleaning Project, or in the running of Railways or even the Government. But have we ever heard the Honourable Judges make one critical comment against themselves or the Judiciary? Our Judiciary's inefficiency in completing cases in a reasonable time frame is the biggest hurdle that stands in the way of the Country achieving greater heights. In today's scenario anyone with money or political backing can break laws with impunity knowing fully well that punishment, if it is handed out at all, is down the road 20-30 years down the line. This is with respect to Criminal Cases. Forget about Civil Cases. If I file a case for breach of Agreement, I cannot hope to get a verdict either way in my life time or next. The Judiciary, that makes such a hue and cry over the inefficiencies in others, is studiously silent when it comes to reforming itself.

I can site a few instances to demonstrate my point. It would have been hilarious, were it not that it is so tragic.

Take the case of Yakub Memon. It is bad enough that the Judiciary took nearly 20 years to execute him. The case dragged on for years for no reason whatsoever. It took 6 years for the appeals to be disposed off (he was sentenced to death by the lower court in 2007 and was upheld by SC in 2013). The comedy started after the President refused to commute his death sentence. One would have thought that once SC upholds the verdict, and disposes of the Review petition the Court should say firmly that its role has ended. Clemency by President is the last option. But in India, it is a No. The SC again opened its door to hear whether Presidents decision was correct, whether its decision was correct. Then we saw the convict appealing to the State Governor for Clemency (as if he is above the President!), then again to the President and finally the comical scene of the CJ ordering a hearing at 2 am in the morning on another petition by so called 'eminent' lawyers. It must have assuaged the bloated ego of our SC Judges no end, but in the end all they did was to make the Judiciary look ridiculous.

We have another case of the blatantly anti national Teesta Setalvad's lawyer being given permission to break the hearing by a SC Judge to plead for her anticipatory bail over video conferencing and it being given on priority!!

The less said about convicts Lalu Prasad Yadav and Salman Khan roaming around free after all these years is a testament to the 'Efficiency' of our Judiciary. And what happened to the Coal Scam cases or the 2G Scandal which rocked the country 4 years ago?

We saw the SC turning a blind eye to the blatant misuse of power and wealth accumulation by one of its on Chief Justice. It refused to even look into the case.

Finally, we have a stranger situation. The Supreme Court is hearing a Case where it is the aggrieved party!!. I am talking about National Judicial Appointment Commission Act case. This is a fight between the Government and the Supreme Court, where the SC is apparently the aggrieved party (by SC means SC judges). By any logic, this should not be heard by the SC, as there is a clear Conflict of Interest. It should  have been heard by an impartial Third Party.

But who will bell the cat?

Let the Honourable Judges not forget the famous word play of Mark Antony and how he used the word Honourable to rouse the crowd.

Let us not hope what befell Brutus and Cassius after Antony's 'Honourable Men' usage, doesn't fall on our Judges	

Graahaka: Devo Bhava

Ever wondered why China has grown leaps and bounds on the global business front, while the Western Countries are playing catch up?

About a month back I wanted a quote for some Oil Field Equipment to participate in a tender in Oman. I contacted a Chinese Company, and my query was handled by a young Sales Girl. Despite me giving her a stiff deadline (Just a Week), and giving difficult delivery terms, she did a terrific job. She met my specs, deadline and all other requirements well in advance. Despite a change in spec at the last minute, she, uncomplainingly, reworked the quote so that I was able to prepare my tender well in advance. And she has been following up with me on the fate of the tender religiously since then.

About a week after this, I had to contact a Western Company for a much bigger order of Oil Field Equipment. In this age of falling business in the Oil Sector, one would have expected them to work day and night to give me the quote which was worth nearly $ 7 Million. It is three weeks since I floated the RFQ, and I have been running from pillar to post to get my requirements met. First they didn't respond for a week. Then, they asked me to split the RFQ to three and send to three different people. Later, I got a mail saying it will take time as they are short staffed, as many are on vacation. Then a further excuse that they had to source it from third party. And as I type this blog, I am yet to get the quote for 2 Categories. All this, despite we having excellent personal contacts in that company!!

Unfortunately, Indian Companies also are very poor in meeting Client requirements. If Narendra Modi's push to make India a manufacturing super power has to be realized, he needs to ensure that our Companies have a very high level of customer orientation.

We are proud of our quote 'Athidhi Devo Bhava'

It is time we also chant the mantra

'Graahaka: Devo Bhava'

The Anti National Mother and Son Isolated

Parliament being not allowed to function by the Opposition defies logic!

There is more to it than meets the eye.

Congress, or more specifically Sonia and Rahul, have taken the lead in sabotaging the session.

And it has nothing to do with the upcoming Bihar Election, for Congress is not a significant player there.

Many in Congress are reluctant participants in this sham protest. And other opposition parties mute spectators only because this was the first instance, they thought, they can beat Modi and NDA with something.

Frankly the issue they chose, of Sushma helping out Lalit Modi, is at best an impropriety and not corruption by any means.

And that too for Sonia and Rahul to lead the stalling antics from the front is rare. Normally they let their henchmen, Congress MPs, to do the dirty work.

So why did they expose themselves to the point of being ridiculed?

Many have opined that the mother and son couldn't stand losing power. But this is too simple an answer.

There is lot of discontent within the party. Amarinder Singh was conspicuous by his absence, and he is the Deputy Leader of the party in the House. Shashi Tharoor was openly critical of the disruptive strategy and most of the veterans are unhappy with Rahul's brigade dictating the affairs of the party.

Sonia or rather Rahul thought (well, cant say he thought, as he is incapable of any thought process. So rather his dumb advisers thought) that  by attacking Sushma Swaraj, they can keep the flock together.

Also, this could be a pre emptive strike, as the enquiry on Vadras land deal, the National Herald Case and the Black Money bill could prove to be detrimental to the family in the near term.

They know Modi is no Vajpayee. Vajpayee was too soft on Sonia, and should have finished her off 17 years ago, but didn't and India has to pay the price. Modi is made of different stuff. He is tough, ruthless and has a history of finishing off his political rivals. He decimated the entire Congress leadership in Gujarat, and has totally neutralized trouble makers like Advani, Joshi and even upstarts like Sushma Swaraj and Rajnath Singh, within the party.

He has been overtly polite to all his political opponents after becoming the PM to build consensus, be it Mufti Muhammed Sayid, or Mulayam Singh Yadav,  Lalu, Sharad Pawar and the Mercurial Mamta Bannerjee. Jayalalitha is of course an old friend of his. He has been courteous to Sonia and Rahul whenever they meet, though Sonia rebuffed him when he went to greet her in Parliament recently.

It looks like Modi reaching out to other leaders, which is as it should be (One can oppose politically but can/should have a good personal rapport with all), is being taken as a sign of weakness by Sonia. And she is making a big mistake and is likely to regret in leisure.

Modi quietly tolerated the nonsense in the hope of getting the GST bill passed somehow. Now that this has not happened, wait for him to lower the boom.

And then the anti national Mother and Son would be running for cover. As of now, by the end of Parliament session, they are friendless. The whole country is against them. The industrial houses wont give them a rupee as donation, as they are seething. 

Modi has managed to turn the tide against Sonia and Rahul and have isolated them.

As on date, Sonia and Rahul don't even have a single friend left standing, with the exception of Sitaram Yechury, whose party itself is a pariah to all and sundry.

Vada Malai or Jilebi for Lord Hanuman

I have often wondered about the significance of offerings made to Gods.

Why do we (South Indians) offer Vada Malai to Anjaneyar?

Clarification to this question was given once by Kanchi Sankaracharya, the learned Periyavar, when this was put to him by a North Indian (In North India, they offer Jilebi , instead of Vada )

When Hanuman was a child, he saw the rising Sun, mistook it for a ripe fruit and jumped to catch it. Unfortunately, this happened at the precise time Rahu was about to swallow the sun, as it was a day of Eclipse (As per the myth, Eclipse occurs when Rahu swallows the Sun). Curious at seeing Rahu on the verge of snatching his fruit, Hanuman grabs him and starts toying with him. After a while Rahu manages to get out of Hanumans grasp and approaches complaining to Indran, with tears streaming down his eyes. To make a long story short, Indran mounts the Airawatam, and uses his Vajrayudham on Hanuman, stunning him.

Vayu, the father of Hanuman, got upset on seeing his Son unconscious, carries him and withdrew from the three worlds, causing unease and discomfort all over.

To placate Vayu, and amazed at the fantastic ability of the young child,  all the Gods came down and blessed the baby Hanuman, and gave him many boons, including protection from water, ability to change forms etc.

At his turn, Rahu, who by now was impressed by the strength of the baby, blessed him that any devotee who makes an offering of food made of Urad Dal (Urad Dal is the favourite of Rahu) in the form of a Malai ( a malai or string resembles a Serpent, which is the base form of Rahu) to Anjaneyar will be cured of any inflictions as a result of Rahu, which is essentially malefic in nature.

Salt is plentiful in South India while North India has more of Sugar Cane. Thus, in South India devotees offer Urad Vadai Malai, which is made of Urad dal dough and salt, while in North India, they offer Jilebi , which is also made of Urad Dal Dough in Sugar Syrup. And Jilebi has the shape of a coiled Serpent.

Thus it is basically to avert the ill effects of Rahu, that one offers Vada Malai to Anjaneyar

To build a team, you need people with different core competencies

A team should be multi skilled that has synergy to make it function effectively and to achieve success. More often than not, we see leaders pack their team with like minded people, or people having similar skill sets and view point, so that their comfort zone is not disturbed. Same is true of CEOs of Companies. While such a course of action will apparently make life easier on a day to day basis, the team may not achieve great success.

Probably someone like Saurav Ganguly, under John Wright, managed players who varied in skill and temperament to create a wonderful team. The maverick Sehwag, the sedate/solid Dravid, the genius Sachin, the artistic VVS Laxman, temperamental Harbhajan, the rock like Anil Kumble, mercurial Zaheer Khan was a pot pourri of characters, seemingly not having anything in common. None of them had anything in common with Saurav, who himself was an highly excitable character with leadership skills. And Saurav had the rock solid but quietly efficient John Wright as Coach to back him.

When Greg Chappel took over as Coach, he tried to have players who will be comfortable with him, and of particular nature in the team, which led to the team under performing badly.

And Dhoni packed his team, of late, with yes men, taking out all dissenters one by one, and he the team performance took a nose dive.

One has to just have a look at Mahabharatham to understand the concept better.

Yudhishtira was the Conscience, the moral/ethical guy who was supreme in Chariot war.

Bheema was the source of strength, the powerhouse, who intimidated everyone.

Arjuna the masterly skilled Archer, in possession of an enviable range of Celestial Weapons.

Nakula, the ace horseman, whose skill was so essential in maintaining an Army whose backbone was Horses. It also brings forth the importance of having a good maintenance man in any team. One who will ensure everything is in its place and working. He was also a master swordsman, well versed in Ayurveda.

Sahadeva, the astrologer was also known for his wisdom. He could look into the past or future. A visionary who was an immense source of knowledge about the history.

Add to this, the Sagacity and Counsel of Sree Krishnan, and you got an enviable team which is multi skilled and having diverse core competencies.

Individually, they might not have become world beaters, but collectively they were formidable.

There is a lesson to be learned in team building from this.

Well Begun is Half Done

I have a very sensitive nature. I cannot see anything that is in the making or unfinished. It jars my sensibilities.

My father, when he was alive, constructed a house for himself, and oversaw the construction of two houses for my sister. Whenever I came home, he will ask me to visit the construction site and give my opinion. I used to evade his request, or rather make a cursory visit without showing much interest. I couldn't make any sense out of the foundation or the semi finished house.

When the house is completed, I will be in my elements. Looking at everything wholistically, and critically, I will come up with suggestions for amendments or tell him where he has gone wrong ( he was a down to earth practical guy, with hardly any aesthetic sense, whereas I was just the opposite ).

This will drive him mad, and he would chide me for not telling this to him early, though he would try to incorporate, if he can, my suggestions, even if it means redoing the civil work.

I was reminded of this when I see articles after articles chiding Modi for not making drastic visible changes. Most of the Indians are like me. They would like to see the finished article only, but cant appreciate the work in progress. And once it is finished, they criticize with all their might.

But if you look back over the past 14 months, Modi has been busy rebuilding the Country brick by brick. To his credit, he hasn't been dogmatic. Has embraced good things from the previous government i.e GST and even the UID scheme. The ideas was to fix things not broken totally rather than reinvent the wheel. Can't blame him on this.

If we look deeply, we will see the foundation being laid for many initiatives that will change the fortune of the nation.

His foreign sojourn has led to India's prestige restored in the World Arena.

The Defense is happy with him, as he has backed them to the hilt, unlike his predecessor who dilly dallied on any reprisal. Duval has worked wonders - be it repatriating stranded Indians from strife torn areas, or taking the attack to the enemy in Myanmar, or signing the peace deal with Naga rebels. We are much safer as a country knowing Duval is keeping an eye on things.

The opening of Bank Accounts for all, will reduce diversion of subsidies and ensure the benefit reaches the ultimate  beneficiary. No mean achievement

True, Modi has been very luck with lower oil prices. But it has helped him to improve the financial position, which was in a bad state following the scorched earth policy legacy of the UPA's wasteful government.

Swatch Bharath and Digital India are the baby steps in creating a cleaner modern society. As are the Smart Cities and the AMRUT programs. 5 years down the line these initiatives, along with those regarding connectivity - roads, port and railways - will make a huge difference

Make in India is at its base stage. We need to see how it progresses before commenting on it.

Our Education system is totally broken. We are yet to see any major initiative to set it right. It just cannot be tinkered any more. This is a once in a life time opportunity to fix it. We owe it to our future generation.

One year is not a long time when one wants to fix an economy and correct decades of rot and decay.

As the saying goes, 'Well begun is half done'