The Orkut Generation

There is our generation, and there is our parents' generation (The gap between the two is understandable). If we divide our generation further, then on one side there are the now twenty-somethings who have seen the emergence of communication technology (more specifically, cell phones, chatting and social networking); and on the other side there's the younger lot - kids now in their teens who grew with all these technologies already around. It this post, I will first try to explore the gap between 'us' and 'them' (no disowning intended)[I will sometimes refer 'them' as the 'Orkut Generation']; and will then discuss the impact of these technologies on 'them'.

We use cell phones when we need to talk to somebody, they use it for sending jokes through smses and transferring ring tones through bluetooth; we chat to discuss something or to remove boredom, they chat because for them its the obvious thing to do; we use social networking sites to keep in touch with old friends, they use it for masti. In short, our use of communication technology is more need driven than there's. We can imagine life without all these things, they probably can not.

Before moving on, I must hasten to add that many amongst 'us' are more like 'them'.

What effect does all the communication technologies have on our 'Orkut Generation'? Well, I believe that on the positive side there are many things to look up to. But here I will focus on what is 'not so good' about such an exposure. The other day I stumbled upon the profile of one of my younger cousins on orkut. I noticed that the profile did not match with what I knew about my cousin. Then I saw the profiles of some other younger acquaintances. And there was a definite pattern in all these profiles -- there was a conscious attempt to present oneself as 'cool'. I was not sure how to react, but certainly it was not at all pleasing. I went a step further, and read some of the scraps in their scrapbooks. To my horror, the discussions, and in some cases the language used, were not up to the mark. There were also a large number of scraps form seemingly unsolicited people wanting to be friends specially with young teenage girls. All this saddened me. It gave a feeling, that may be its too much too early for these kids; and that the direction in which they seem to be going is not correct. Add to this, the time that they waste on these technologies. They would be better-off playing, reading, going out, or even surfing (not to mention studying) than spending time playing with their cellphones, chatting, or orkuting.

I don't think the negatives I discussed outweigh the positives that the communication technologies bring for our teenagers; but at the same time I am convinced that everything is not rosy and atleast there needs to be some kind of a check on the amount of time the kids spend with these technologies. Remember, 'excess of everything is bad!'.

The Latest Buzz: Online News Videos

The last one month saw 2 of the biggest media houses in the country, NDTV and The Times Group, transform their presence online. Both of them went for a complete overhaul of their websites, ndtv.com and timesofindia.com respectively. A lot has changed, but the feature I would focus on is the free video content (clips from the corresponding news channels) that has been made available on these websites. The only other significant player in this space is CNN-IBN through its website ibnlive.com. Infact my guess is that it was the emergence of ibnlive.com as the first amongst equals (mainly due to its free video content), that forced others to follow suit.

This new development is surely a blessing for all those desis spread across the globe, who crave for quality news videos from the homeland. But having said that, it has affected me, a resident, in no small way either. It was for the first time in many years that election results of an important state like UP were declared, I had time, but still I was not glued to the TV to catch all the action, the reactions, and the analysis. On a daily basis also, no longer do I hurry home to watch my favourite shows on news channels -- 'The Big Fight', 'Walk the Talk' or for that matter simply 'The 9'o clock News'. Instead, every evening before going off to sleep, I log on to the 3 websites I mentioned in the first paragraph and watch whatever I wish to (of course I need a good broadband connection to be able to do that).

This new way of doing things allows me to choose what I want to watch, rather than force me to see what is being shown as is the case with a TV. It also enables me to catch up with news, interviews, talk shows and specials that were aired at times when I was busy or unaware (its increasingly becoming difficult to track everything of interest that is aired on news channels). Last but not the least, it saves me from the commercial breaks that are a must while watching a TV.

On the flip side, a poor download speed can spoil the entire experience (though there are ways to get around it like pausing the video and letting the buffering complete). Some might complain that the resolution is poor in the full screen mode (in the normal node, the video box is very small). Others may say that it kills the experience of watching the TV together with the family.

Ultimately its a matter of individual choice and feasibility. Remember its not being forced on you. If you find merit in it (as I do) then use it, otherwise continue the same old way.

I personally feel that its a very good development. It is something that was long overdue. In has finally arrived and it is here to stay. It will grow and grow at a rapid rate. So, be ready for more of it!

The Big Fat Indian Weddings

My two sisters got married in the last one and a half years and the weddings gave me valuable insights into urban middle/upper class marriages in our country. In this post I will try to highlight what according to me is good and bad about the 'Big Fat Indian Weddings'. I will focus on the celebrations only, and not on what happens at the time of match-making or after the marriage (that's a long story in itself).

First the positives. The best part about the entire event is the coming together of the extended family that takes place, specially if the celebrations are spread over a period of 3-4 days or more. The atmosphere that is created in the house -- where the jijas and the saalis, the dewars and the bhabhis, the mamas and the bhanjis, and the chachas and the bhatijas, all engage in witty conversations and leg pulling of a unique kind -- is something, that cannot be experienced in any other setting. Add to this the small small telas (rituals) that are performed during the course of the celebrations, each one demanding the presence of a different relative (bhai, bhabhi, jija, mama, dewar etc.), which keep the interest levels high beside providing fodder for humorous comments and hilarious anecdotes. The very frequent breaks for yummy food and even better manuhar where all the pyar is poured in that one extra poori that the behna is serving, make the occasion even more memorable. It won't be wrong to say that the real wedding takes place over the course of these 3-4 days; what happens on 'The Day' is more of a mela.

To sum it all up in one sentence, the best part about an Indian wedding is the expression of the 2 most crucial pillars of our society -- 'parivar' and 'parampara', that takes place in a fun filled and joyous atmosphere.

Now is the turn of negatives. The thing that annoys me the most is the whole lot of len-den that takes place during a wedding. Let me hasten to add, if all of it happens wishfully without the footer 'yeh to karna hi hota hai', then its fine; but as soon as the slightest element of expectation (on the taker's part) and/or compulsion (on the giver's part) creeps in, then it completely disillusions me. Basic reasoning is enough to establish that a lot of len-den that takes place between the ladkiwalas and the ladkawalas in a wedding is based on the old assumption that 'a girl child is inferior'; otherwise the parents who give their beloved daughter in a marriage, would not have been expected to accompany that with material things for the ladkawalas. Despite the 'girl child is inferior' syndrome being absent in many urban families, the len-den still continues. And remember, this is just one type of len-den. A lot of it happens within both families also.

Equally disheartening is a lot of dikhawa that is done to match/uphold people's perception about you, your status and your 'big heart'.

On a lighter note, another thing that I would like to see changing is the following -- most telas are performed blindly just because some elders have seen them happen since their childhood, without themselves ever understanding their relevance. Remember, we are living in the 21st century, the century of knowledge. Know the significance of the different rituals, follow the ones that are still relevant and pass the information on to the next generation. This will make the entire exercise more fruitful.

Because of my self-imposed limit on the length of my posts, I have just been able to mention the most profound goods and bads of urban Indian weddings. Though the bads have consumed more space in this article than the goods, I strongly believe that the goods still outweigh the bads, and that is why I am eagerly waiting for the next marriage in our family (that of one of my cousins, not me!!).

Shashi on Sunday

The 'All That Matters' page in The Sunday Times has for long contained columns by a bunch of eminent writers -- 'Swaminomics' by Swaminathan A. Aiyar (Consulting Editor, The Economic Times), 'Men & Ideas' by Gurcharan Das (Author, India Unbound) / 'Indiaspora' by C. Rajghatta, 'Jugular Vein' by Jug Suraiya (the man behind Dubyaman), 'Politically Incorrect' by Shobhaa De / 'Flat World' by Thomas Friedman (Author, The World is Flat) and 'Erratica' by Bachi Karkaria. But this post is about non of these. Its about a new column that has been added to this illustirous list since January this year. I am talking about 'Shashi on Sunday' by Shashi Tharoor.

The man who joined the United Nations at the age of 22 and captured national headlines a few months back when he was nominated by India as its candidate for the post of UN Secretary General, has written a series of interesting articles in the weekly edition of the national daily. I generally don't like to make sweeping statements, but I would not hesitate to say that 'Shashi on Sunday' is arguably one of the best columns that I have come across in the Indian print media in recent years.

This post is not about Shashi Tharoor - the person. So, if you interested in knowing more about him, you might want to visit the following links :
His Website
Information about him on Wikipedia

Coming back to 'Shashi on Sunday', what has captured my imagination the most are the views expressed in it by Shashi Tharoor, and the easy and free flowing narration of the column. Also interestingly, the column refuses to comment on the 'Big Story' of the week. It ignores the hot debates and takes up relatively lighter issues. It comments on matters which are not immediate but are never-the-less relevant in these 'Times of Change'. To cut a long description short, I would simply refer you to some of my favorite editions of the column :

Making the most of India's soft power
The elephant who became a tiger
India, Jones and the Temple of Dhoom

If you go through these articles, it will give you a better sense of what I am trying to say. As for me, this is Saturday night and I am waiting for the morning, when I will get hold of yet another edition of The Sunday Times and turn to my favorite column -- 'Shashi on Sunday'.

The happiness of relief

The apex court has stayed the implementation of 27% reservation for OBCs in central universities. When I heard this, I didn't jump of happiness. Neither did I call up friends to congratulate them for the now visible fruits of their efforts (of speaking on this issue last year). My reaction was more sublime and less visible. The news gave me a peculiar inner happiness, the 'happiness of relief' one gets, when he gets to know that what he believes is right. I am an optimist. Even in this era of pessimism about the systems that we have in place in our country, I strongly believe that though things are in bad shape, they are not rotten, and more importantly, they are getting better with the passage of time. The Supreme Court judgement simply reinforced this belief of mine; and thus that inner happiness. [One could not have expected such a bold judgement by the court, say 10 years back]

The judgement I think, made a stronger statement than what the print and the electronic media reported. According to me, it said 2 things loud and clear -- firstly, "you can't get away with everything" ('you' here referring to the legislature); and secondly, "there is still place for logic in decision making". This was clear by the questions the SC asked the government -- regarding credibility of data on the number of OBCs in the country, and about the logic behind non-exclusion of the creamy layer from the quota benefits. The court even went ahead to say that its all "vote bank politics". I think these are the more important reasons why this judgement should be applauded.

We all know that the 'reservation debate' is far from over. What will happen in August when the next hearing on the issue takes place is yet to be seen. The final judgement can go either ways. But this stay order has certainly brought smiles to the faces of all students, who protested on roads across the country last summer against reservations. More importantly for everybody, including those who did not protest on the roads (but never-the-less discussed the issue in their drawing rooms), it gives a clear message -- "Don't Lose Hope!".

What to expect?

Hi! Its been long (almost 2 years) since the thought of starting a blog first came to my mind. But as they say -- its better late than never.

Coming straight to the point, what can one expect from this blog? Well, as the title says, these are changing times (in India). And the change is not restricted to any particular sphere. Its one thing that is increasingly becoming constant in every aspect of our life. And with the passage of time, more and more of our countrymen are becoming a part of this change -- positive change (atleast the net effect is positive). Through this blog I wish to express my viewpoint on a wide range of issues (as and when they crop up) and share my experiences in these times of rapid change. You can expect posts on politics, business, society or for that matter anything that directly or indirectly affects us. To cut a long story short, this would be a generic blog with focus on India in these very exciting "Times of Change".

I cannot comment with certainty on how frequently I would post here but to begin with I plan to post atleast once a week. Your participation in these posts would be most welcome. I hope you enjoy this journey with me.