Thought provoking.
It’s not very often that one comes across a book which delves into subjects that you particularly like. This book blends two of my favorite subjects-history and politics in an insightful analysis of how ancients lived and ruled in societies. More importantly, what one can learn from them.
Quite a lot as it turns out. The book is based on the firm view that all that is going on in our lives, has parallels in history. Thus by learning how people tackled issues not quite different from our own, we can govern ourselves better. From time immemorial, history has been faithfully recorded by preceptors, who in turn through their rigorous analysis have influenced it.
The most diverse set of luminaries are chosen in this book. It commences with Winston Churchill's experiences in the late 19th century in Sudan, fighting the Mahdi. It was here that he gained his initial military experience, and a sense of the importance of history and people. These insights stood him good stead in fighting Nazism and co-opting the Americans in WWII. He is praised for his foresight in aligning with Stalin despite his abhorrence of communism, only to repel the advance of Hitler. No book on policy can be bereft of Sun-Tzu and Machiavelli. The author vividly portrays these philosophers as well as the historical context within which they lived. Thucydides who wrote the opus, "The Pelopponesian War" is also profiled. Set in the background of the war between Athens and Sparta, it remains a fascinating read combining the military might and political battles in these city states.
Increasingly states might collapse due to the non-availability of resources and massive unemployment of the youth. It has also to do with the unwillingness of people who live in city-states to consider themselves as part of a larger nation. Here Kaplan studies Malthus, whose essays on economic demand and scarcity of resources proved crucial for thinkers of his era.
Finally Kaplan delves into studying political structures in the ancient civilizations of Sumer, India and China. He finds that multiplicity of cultures did not deter successful empires from being formed. Rather, commerce and some astute political maneuvering led to formation of dynasties which survived the ravages of time...until more powerful ones toppled them. He studies Tiberius, who ushered in a long reign of peace and prosperity in the Roman Empire. Thus, while Tiberius did not expand his suzerain, he certainly managed to govern it better.
The impression one gets from reading this book is of fast paced change, shrewd political masters and the primacy of political opportunism. We live in similar political scenarios, where war and the fight for dominance will increasingly become asymmetrical. The astute politician is he who knows how to navigate this.
Next stop : Plain Speaking by N. Chandrababu Naidu
Monday, December 24, 2007
Saturday, December 15, 2007
Games Indians play...
During one of my regular hunts at the LRC, I chanced upon a book with this title.For someone who is fascinated by India and her meandering millions, this book seemed just the right tonic.Add to the fact that it was quite lightweight and written by an academic of IIMB, and I felt this book would pack quite a punch.I picked it up.
The book attempts to answer some basic questions about Indians with a game theoretic approach. Some of the key questions were :
1. Why are we individually so brilliant, yet collectively dumb ?
2. Are Indians the world's greatest free-riders ?
3. Can we learn any lesson from the concepts of game theory ?
The author has made a good attempt at doing justice to the title. He starts with why Indians behave in such a bizzare fashion, something which he seeks to explain with our focus on short-term results versus long-term goals.
Also, he attacks our collective sense of fatalism and the cavalier approach we extends to issues which do not concern us individually.He bemoans the fact that Indians have never work collectively, and when they are put into teams each comes with the impression that work is a zero-sum game. Small wonder why the author compares us to crabs in the bucket,each trying to outdo the other! He concludes with an interesting reference to the Gita, and analyzes how the verses of the Gita actually enjoin us to incorporate a C-C (collaborate-collaborate) outlook to life.
My key "takeaway" from this book was his reference to Axelrod's experiment, which sought to define which game theory strategy works the best irrespective of circumstance. To his astonishment, a strategy with only three words in its program survived every other plan. It was............Tit for tat.
The book somewhere meanders into discussing various game theories and focussess incessantly on potraying the negative aspects of Indian society. Regrettably, it does little justice to ordinary people we meet who despite their fears are warm, friendly and a tad too forgiving at times. Also it fails to even tread on India's greatest glue - religion. India is a tremendously religious country, and much of our lives centre around our beliefs. Logic would suggest that religion should also guide our interaction with others, but this aspect is not covered by the book at all. I wish the author had applied his thoughts on this issue. Finally,he also makes a passing reference to politicians but does not do much of game theory analysis here as well.
All in all, an absorbing book, perfect for those few minutes of welcome nothingness that thankfully creep into our everyday lives !
Coming up next - Warrior Politics !
The book attempts to answer some basic questions about Indians with a game theoretic approach. Some of the key questions were :
1. Why are we individually so brilliant, yet collectively dumb ?
2. Are Indians the world's greatest free-riders ?
3. Can we learn any lesson from the concepts of game theory ?
The author has made a good attempt at doing justice to the title. He starts with why Indians behave in such a bizzare fashion, something which he seeks to explain with our focus on short-term results versus long-term goals.
Also, he attacks our collective sense of fatalism and the cavalier approach we extends to issues which do not concern us individually.He bemoans the fact that Indians have never work collectively, and when they are put into teams each comes with the impression that work is a zero-sum game. Small wonder why the author compares us to crabs in the bucket,each trying to outdo the other! He concludes with an interesting reference to the Gita, and analyzes how the verses of the Gita actually enjoin us to incorporate a C-C (collaborate-collaborate) outlook to life.
My key "takeaway" from this book was his reference to Axelrod's experiment, which sought to define which game theory strategy works the best irrespective of circumstance. To his astonishment, a strategy with only three words in its program survived every other plan. It was............Tit for tat.
The book somewhere meanders into discussing various game theories and focussess incessantly on potraying the negative aspects of Indian society. Regrettably, it does little justice to ordinary people we meet who despite their fears are warm, friendly and a tad too forgiving at times. Also it fails to even tread on India's greatest glue - religion. India is a tremendously religious country, and much of our lives centre around our beliefs. Logic would suggest that religion should also guide our interaction with others, but this aspect is not covered by the book at all. I wish the author had applied his thoughts on this issue. Finally,he also makes a passing reference to politicians but does not do much of game theory analysis here as well.
All in all, an absorbing book, perfect for those few minutes of welcome nothingness that thankfully creep into our everyday lives !
Coming up next - Warrior Politics !
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Count your blessings !
We live in a dirty country. It is corrupt. People trash their garbage at will. There is no civic sense in most of us. Besides castigating a bunch of politicians, and worshipping a dozen FMCG super-salesmen in white, there is little which unites us. We pollute the rivers which we are supposed to worship. We mercilessly cut the trees on one hand, and earn carbon credits on the other. Our neighbors, depending on which direction you start from, consider us over-bearing, sloven, extra-smart, dirty and loud-mouthed. World over we have a reputation for being the only country which is yet to win a Gold medal at the Olympics, despite the legions of sportspersons we send. We are mercilessly blown into bits in trains, temples, mosques, chat shops, laser shows, but have neither the balls nor the brains to hunt these scum and drop them at death’s door, all expenses paid. In short, a country high on hype and short on mojo.
Yet, it is this country that our neighbours look up to in envy. Why they say, you can actually vote out somebody you don’t like! Emergencies to you mean a trip to the hospital! You are champions in maths and science, and wrote the code which runs the world of today! You have the power of the creator, the tenacity of the preserver and the purity of the destroyer!
Riddle me this- Then why in the blue blazes don’t we realize this? And more alarming, what will it take the people of the country to actually wake up? How many rivers of blood shall spring before we understand that we actually have a greater responsibility to the land that nourishes us?
Two instances actually make me write this rant. First, an open letter from the people of a neighbouring nation who have seen glimpses of democracy only to be denied their rights, time and again. Yet, the people there soldier on. Despite the threats of bodily harm and even death, they charge. That is because the worst form of existence is that which has no freedom. And on the other, an all too familiar proof that Wimpistan exists. Yet another series of well coordinated blasts. Only 13 dead this time. For now, that is. Tomorrow, breakfast will see a bunch of all-knowing “Porter analysis” trained heads, clucking their heads in disapproval, cursing the all too familiar politician. And soon, next week will see the presence of yet another term, more PPTs and group meeting and preps. In short, back to work.
Which leads me to the sad conclusion that the people of this country don’t count their blessings. They see not the beautiful country which I can see, not far into the future. If only each and every one stood up, without waiting to see if anybody else is already standing, or moaning that nobody will stand. They count not their blessings, but curse others for their failings.
Freedom was won sixty years back when the people knew that they had lost their all and had nothing to lose. Today’s youth criticize, but prefer their Dominoes,KFCs and cafe lattes. So be it. If only they knew the pride in standing up to their beliefs, if they had any, that is.
Yet, it is this country that our neighbours look up to in envy. Why they say, you can actually vote out somebody you don’t like! Emergencies to you mean a trip to the hospital! You are champions in maths and science, and wrote the code which runs the world of today! You have the power of the creator, the tenacity of the preserver and the purity of the destroyer!
Riddle me this- Then why in the blue blazes don’t we realize this? And more alarming, what will it take the people of the country to actually wake up? How many rivers of blood shall spring before we understand that we actually have a greater responsibility to the land that nourishes us?
Two instances actually make me write this rant. First, an open letter from the people of a neighbouring nation who have seen glimpses of democracy only to be denied their rights, time and again. Yet, the people there soldier on. Despite the threats of bodily harm and even death, they charge. That is because the worst form of existence is that which has no freedom. And on the other, an all too familiar proof that Wimpistan exists. Yet another series of well coordinated blasts. Only 13 dead this time. For now, that is. Tomorrow, breakfast will see a bunch of all-knowing “Porter analysis” trained heads, clucking their heads in disapproval, cursing the all too familiar politician. And soon, next week will see the presence of yet another term, more PPTs and group meeting and preps. In short, back to work.
Which leads me to the sad conclusion that the people of this country don’t count their blessings. They see not the beautiful country which I can see, not far into the future. If only each and every one stood up, without waiting to see if anybody else is already standing, or moaning that nobody will stand. They count not their blessings, but curse others for their failings.
Freedom was won sixty years back when the people knew that they had lost their all and had nothing to lose. Today’s youth criticize, but prefer their Dominoes,KFCs and cafe lattes. So be it. If only they knew the pride in standing up to their beliefs, if they had any, that is.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Not enough time !
Not enough time for all that I want for you,
Not enough time for every kiss,
And every touch and all the nights,
I wanna be inside you...
- INXS " Not enough time "
This post should never exist. I just dont have the time for this. In between maddening assignments, group meetings which lead to nowhere,resume prep sessions,arbit CP in class, admiring admirable people(hey i'm being honest!),eating,you tubing,playing snooker,reading an amazing book by Robert Rubin,where do i have the time ?
Which brings me to this entire hoo-hah about managing time.Interestingly, i've noticed i spend more time griping about this than doing something relevant about it. Why ? Maybe i'm super smart, so i can do it all at the last minute, and do well at that. or perhaps, i'm just plain lazy. Or perhaps, comforted that i am from the pulls and pressures of real life where i do a much better job, I'm just well...whining.
Some time back I faced a similar problem at office. It got so acute, I seemed to be slipping away. Thankfully, Dad came across this article in the ET which made lots of sense. The first thing to do in the day, it said, was to swallow the frog. In essence, hit at the toughest job of the day and the work will soon move on.
Problem is,there are too many frogs here...sigh !
Not enough time for every kiss,
And every touch and all the nights,
I wanna be inside you...
- INXS " Not enough time "
This post should never exist. I just dont have the time for this. In between maddening assignments, group meetings which lead to nowhere,resume prep sessions,arbit CP in class, admiring admirable people(hey i'm being honest!),eating,you tubing,playing snooker,reading an amazing book by Robert Rubin,where do i have the time ?
Which brings me to this entire hoo-hah about managing time.Interestingly, i've noticed i spend more time griping about this than doing something relevant about it. Why ? Maybe i'm super smart, so i can do it all at the last minute, and do well at that. or perhaps, i'm just plain lazy. Or perhaps, comforted that i am from the pulls and pressures of real life where i do a much better job, I'm just well...whining.
Some time back I faced a similar problem at office. It got so acute, I seemed to be slipping away. Thankfully, Dad came across this article in the ET which made lots of sense. The first thing to do in the day, it said, was to swallow the frog. In essence, hit at the toughest job of the day and the work will soon move on.
Problem is,there are too many frogs here...sigh !
Monday, October 8, 2007
Badrinath bats for India !
Finally !
I have waited to write this post for years !
I have ELP to review, PAEV to work on, term 5 and placements work all of which is easily measured by the ton. But I put all that aside to write about my friend who today has taught me what perseverance is all about.
They said only one boy from TN can make it into the squad. You need influence, and not just skill to get in, they said.When he was a youngster, he was too young. As he matured in stature, we feared whether they would say -"He's too old". Scrawny and thin, would he match the sledging of the Aussie, the build of the South African,the wiles of the English,the pace of the West Indian, the passion of the Pakistani ?
I remember him on the playfields of PSBB, as the batsman who never got out.The guy who sat in the last bench of my class and was always easy with his laugh. The boy who gave his all for the game, and finally, finally has been rewarded in turn.
Now,as he dons the baggy blue and shares a locker with Sachin,Dravid,Dhoni et al. my prayers go to him for his success. May he do well.
Finally, I've always shunned the game taking it to be a waste of time. I've always bet against India, because I still believe they are an all-star cast first and a team later. But now Badri, I'll cheer for India, and watch every ball when you step on the field. This is my tribute to your triumph.We'll all be watching out for you.
Chak de whatever !
I have waited to write this post for years !
I have ELP to review, PAEV to work on, term 5 and placements work all of which is easily measured by the ton. But I put all that aside to write about my friend who today has taught me what perseverance is all about.
They said only one boy from TN can make it into the squad. You need influence, and not just skill to get in, they said.When he was a youngster, he was too young. As he matured in stature, we feared whether they would say -"He's too old". Scrawny and thin, would he match the sledging of the Aussie, the build of the South African,the wiles of the English,the pace of the West Indian, the passion of the Pakistani ?
I remember him on the playfields of PSBB, as the batsman who never got out.The guy who sat in the last bench of my class and was always easy with his laugh. The boy who gave his all for the game, and finally, finally has been rewarded in turn.
Now,as he dons the baggy blue and shares a locker with Sachin,Dravid,Dhoni et al. my prayers go to him for his success. May he do well.
Finally, I've always shunned the game taking it to be a waste of time. I've always bet against India, because I still believe they are an all-star cast first and a team later. But now Badri, I'll cheer for India, and watch every ball when you step on the field. This is my tribute to your triumph.We'll all be watching out for you.
Chak de whatever !
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Aparajita !
It all began at lunch. One president, two directors and an ex-GS employee at the table. A simple question to the president from yours truly.
"Why aren't you dressed in the section colors today ? "
" Thats because I have this women's club meeting you see, so i dont have time to change "
"ok, whats it about ?"
" we are having this person from M who is a HR head, she is coming to talk to us about Negotiation techniques for Women "
" Hey, but why only women.....? "
And so began my curious quest into the thinking of women. Why pray, would u have a club exclusively for women ? Do men have the men's club here? (Ans - Nyet.) Some thoughts behind this made sense, others tickled my thoughts, and got me thinking about the role of women today. When I started this blog, one of the first assertions I made was that if we as a society have to improve, we MUST empower our womenfolk.
Not some condescending talk, but driven by cold blooded experience that :
a. The average female is more aware, intelligent and sensitive than the average male (unfortunately for men)
b. Women think through problems in a multitude of ways, and if we have to shed some of the baggages of the past and move ahead, society needs all the radical thinking we can get.(truly).
And at the heart of all this lay my pet theory, that all women appear alike but are different and the converse is true about men.Think about it. Men for all their differences are primarily concerned with the following:
a. Power
b. Money
c. Sports
d. Women (note, sports came before )
e. Glug, Glug, Glug !
Not necessarily in this order, but I'm sure a vast majority of my tribe would agree. Switch to women. I dare not talk of 5 things which drive women, for each lady has completely different views of the world around her and what shapes her life. Thus while we may argue that women spend too much time on the phone in general, or swap mails about lady drivers, the truth is that each is an enigma unto herself. And thats what makes every girl special.
But, coming back to the point, I think that such inequality exists always, across nationalities, races, cultures and yes even the sexes. Yes, men would not like to cede control, but thats natural to any dominating group. But then, all such differences disappear when people are given opportunities equally for them to flourish in. That’s because insecurities best disappear when you face the fear. That’s when you become Aparajita !
Moral of the lecture: Next time, please ask the men too. We'd love to come, and no, we don’t eat girls for dinner.
"Why aren't you dressed in the section colors today ? "
" Thats because I have this women's club meeting you see, so i dont have time to change "
"ok, whats it about ?"
" we are having this person from M who is a HR head, she is coming to talk to us about Negotiation techniques for Women "
" Hey, but why only women.....? "
And so began my curious quest into the thinking of women. Why pray, would u have a club exclusively for women ? Do men have the men's club here? (Ans - Nyet.) Some thoughts behind this made sense, others tickled my thoughts, and got me thinking about the role of women today. When I started this blog, one of the first assertions I made was that if we as a society have to improve, we MUST empower our womenfolk.
Not some condescending talk, but driven by cold blooded experience that :
a. The average female is more aware, intelligent and sensitive than the average male (unfortunately for men)
b. Women think through problems in a multitude of ways, and if we have to shed some of the baggages of the past and move ahead, society needs all the radical thinking we can get.(truly).
And at the heart of all this lay my pet theory, that all women appear alike but are different and the converse is true about men.Think about it. Men for all their differences are primarily concerned with the following:
a. Power
b. Money
c. Sports
d. Women (note, sports came before )
e. Glug, Glug, Glug !
Not necessarily in this order, but I'm sure a vast majority of my tribe would agree. Switch to women. I dare not talk of 5 things which drive women, for each lady has completely different views of the world around her and what shapes her life. Thus while we may argue that women spend too much time on the phone in general, or swap mails about lady drivers, the truth is that each is an enigma unto herself. And thats what makes every girl special.
But, coming back to the point, I think that such inequality exists always, across nationalities, races, cultures and yes even the sexes. Yes, men would not like to cede control, but thats natural to any dominating group. But then, all such differences disappear when people are given opportunities equally for them to flourish in. That’s because insecurities best disappear when you face the fear. That’s when you become Aparajita !
Moral of the lecture: Next time, please ask the men too. We'd love to come, and no, we don’t eat girls for dinner.
Friday, September 21, 2007
Greed is good?
I must confess to entering the first class of Government, Society and Business with some trepidation. It immediately conjured a vision of endless and inconclusive talk-talk amongst the poor professor and the class participation warriors. Add to this me being strategically located in the last row of class, and I thought I had the perfect combination to catch up on sleep leftover from the last 3 terms.
No such luck. And thank god for that! This subject has clearly been a winner. Not one class has gone without spirited debate, and the manner of teaching has been excellent .Prof M sure knew how to provoke the debater in you, and I’ve seen him skillfully draw out even the most tongue-tied of my friends. Not that the CP warriors needed any motivation…
However, my beef in this class relates to one topic. Bribe taking. While most people would expect a harangue against bribe taking and giving, Prof M did exactly the opposite. He showed graphically how a bribe might represent society’s response to allocate scare resources for specific economic activity.
Without going into the technical mumbo-jumbo, simply put a bribe is described as an economic mechanism designed to ensure that inefficiencies in production and distribution of resources, which could be due to government diktats, are resolved to the satisfaction of the sector that requires it. Take for instance infrastructure vs. housing. If the government mandates that a ceiling price for cement (incidentally that is what is the situation in India right now) and does not back it up with strict implementation, it is a recipe for bribe taking.
Without the proper monitoring in place, all that happens is that the housing sector offers the cement suppliers, a purchase price which is a notch above the ceiling price. Lo and behold! There is insufficient supply to the infrastructure sector, with the cement being diverted to the housing sector and a bribe taker’s paradise on our hands.
The prof’s advice? Look at things in context and you might actually see the relevance of bribes. But I disagree with the rationalization. Slapping one another does not make us friends. How will you explain the economics of bribes to the poor people at the ration shop who have to bribe the officer to get provisions? Or the monies which should be doled out by hapless people for sundry governments certificates?
Do two wrongs make a right?
No such luck. And thank god for that! This subject has clearly been a winner. Not one class has gone without spirited debate, and the manner of teaching has been excellent .Prof M sure knew how to provoke the debater in you, and I’ve seen him skillfully draw out even the most tongue-tied of my friends. Not that the CP warriors needed any motivation…
However, my beef in this class relates to one topic. Bribe taking. While most people would expect a harangue against bribe taking and giving, Prof M did exactly the opposite. He showed graphically how a bribe might represent society’s response to allocate scare resources for specific economic activity.
Without going into the technical mumbo-jumbo, simply put a bribe is described as an economic mechanism designed to ensure that inefficiencies in production and distribution of resources, which could be due to government diktats, are resolved to the satisfaction of the sector that requires it. Take for instance infrastructure vs. housing. If the government mandates that a ceiling price for cement (incidentally that is what is the situation in India right now) and does not back it up with strict implementation, it is a recipe for bribe taking.
Without the proper monitoring in place, all that happens is that the housing sector offers the cement suppliers, a purchase price which is a notch above the ceiling price. Lo and behold! There is insufficient supply to the infrastructure sector, with the cement being diverted to the housing sector and a bribe taker’s paradise on our hands.
The prof’s advice? Look at things in context and you might actually see the relevance of bribes. But I disagree with the rationalization. Slapping one another does not make us friends. How will you explain the economics of bribes to the poor people at the ration shop who have to bribe the officer to get provisions? Or the monies which should be doled out by hapless people for sundry governments certificates?
Do two wrongs make a right?
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