Primary Education, anyone? Please?

Kanti Bajpai, noted Indian academic-analyst writes “If India is to build a stable liberal democracy, if we are to empower the vast mass of the Indian public, if we want to give ourselves a more equitable and fair society, and if we want sustainable economic growth, our university system desperately needs to be changed.”

The urgency of reforming the quality of higher education in the country is a stable topic and present developments initiated by the Cabinet Minister for Human Resource Development, are undoubtedly going in the right direction. But the underemphasized need for empowering the poor with quality primary education and easy access to college is equally important, if not more, as the majority of the population comes under this category and development can be faster by bringing them to the upper layer of the economic pyramid. In simple words, we need to facilitate the poorest of the poor with quality education so as to revolutionize the economic output and social equality in the country. Quality education offered to the poor at par with others at the right time can bring about radical changes in their outlook and can increase the confidence level of the poor to go ahead and capture the opportunities available.

I travelled to Cherthala in Ernakulam District in Kerala last summer to attend the wedding of my cousin. The natural beauty of the coastal Kerala with its backwaters, beaches and the clear, blue never-ending sky made me forget about the worries of the world for a while. Anthakaranazhi is a small village in Cherthala  where the Arabian sea joins the Vembanadu lake. The endless beach bordered by coconut trees and the hamlet of fisher folk of the small village faced the wrath of nearly 30-feet killer waves six years ago. Six years after Tsunami, the half-constructed cement houses spoke of the insufficient relief funds. Some families claimed the Tsunami to be a blessing in disguise. To sleep under a concrete roof was a waking-dream wish fulfillment.

 

Distracting myself from the thought of scary waves which can wash away houses and kill people any time, I went across to a few families to talk. After roughly two enlightening hours, I knew their inner thoughts, dreams and hopes for the future. In their understanding of growth and development, they are just as clear as the upper middle class and educated; they know of the latest technology and other reforms taking place around them. The only thing, I gathered, that stops them from climbing the ladder of the economic pyramid is limited access to colleges after high school and the reluctance of the upper middle-class to make them partners in this development process. They lack information regarding schemes available to them. Most middle-aged fishermen expressed reluctance to hand over their profession to their children and their grandchildren. They don’t want them to risk their lives every day to the vagaries of the weather and live on inconsistent fish yield. Krishnan insisted his children be sent to an English medium school, even if it meant a harder struggle later for better job prospects. They know that a shift from their present profession is necessary for their growth. They volunteer to be trained in other skilled jobs such as carpentry and masonry, while the wives sit at home to look after the children and to send them to school.

Talking to seventy-year old Krishnan, the fisherman from Anthakaranazhi in Mid-West Kerala, opened my eyes to the real need of the moment. People are aware that developments are taking place everywhere; their village has been declared as a prospective international tourist destination since the Tsunami in 2004. But they are hardly aware how it is going to affect them and their fishing works. Krishnan opines that the Government should make their intentions clear to them, about how their fishing activities would be protected along with the development of tourism in the region.

As Philip Yancey puts it, “Among the poor he had expected defeat and despair; he found some, yes; but he also found strength and hope and courage.” Empowering the bottom of the economic pyramid with quality education is the answer to India’s troubles.

Two Degrees

“Flooding across Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh was caused by unpredictable rainfall up to 600 percent higher than normal, in a river basin that is the driest in the country.” While countries are preparing to meet this December in Copenhagen to discuss the future of the Kyoto Protocol and other strategies to reduce carbon emissions, 11700 miles away we are counting the deaths and infrastructural damages caused by floods. 

As occasional references in newspaper articles and whispered speculations have hinted, this disaster and others around the world in Philippines, Indonesia etc. are a result of climate change. Factories in developed and developing countries belch out smoke and so do vehicles racing on highways and add what are called greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. Since hundreds of years these gases have been accumulating to form a layer that creates a greenhouse like situation. Thus there has been a gradual increase in the global temperature because of the heat that reaches the earth’s surface and is trapped by the layer formed by these greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide etc. emission etc. Changes to India’s annual monsoon because of the climate change are expected to result in severe droughts and intense flooding in parts of India. High temperatures can also have an adverse effect on productivity as it slows down development and reduces longevity of the crop and cause major disruptions in the global food system. The Science Daily says that in the coming decades, one-fifth of the world’s population could starve and millions of others become climate refugees, forced by heat and drought to abandon their lands and hunt for food elsewhere. 

Yes, the surface air temperature is increasing at a rate of 0.4⁰c per century, a non-worrying decimal number to the masses who don’t think twice before going out on the streets to protest against an offensive movie dialogue. At the present rate, in another forty years we would’ve died in droughts or floods caused by climate change. The most worrying part of the prediction is the estimated increase in winter and summer temperatures by 3.2 degree and 2.2 degrees Celsius, respectively, by 2050. Once the global temperatures increase another two degrees, the damage will be irrevocable and we will have to devise ways to adapt to the changes caused by climate change. There will be no turning back. If you’re telling yourself you switch off your engines and fix leaky taps, wake up. The only purpose that will serve is perhaps save you on the electricity bill. We will not be able to prevent the consequences of climate change even if all of us switched off the extra light bulbs. Though less than 1% of scientists are in two minds about the man-made origins of climate change, more than 60% of the rest of the world’s population is still doubtful. 

The only thing the people can do is pressurise and influence their leaders to take favourable decisions and pass legislations for drastic change. India being a developing country has a 103% increase in greenhouse gas emissions behind China. As the World waits for USA own up responsibility to the damage they caused in the past and sign the Kyoto Protocol, the global temperature graph is steadily rising. The protocol left several issues open to be decided later by the Conference of Parties (COP) which was unable to reach an agreement in their later meeting in Hague, 2000. While the EU favoured a tougher agreement the US, Canada, Japan and Australia wanted the agreement to be less demanding and more flexible.  

The parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) are going to meet in December in Copenhagen to discuss a successor to the Kyoto Protocol whose target year to reduce emissions ends in 2012 with no significant results. Organisations around the world like Greenpeace protested outside the White House last month and will probably be there in Copenhagen too. We need to raise our voice against slack governments to pull up their socks before it is too late. The Indian govt promote fuel wood plantations, bio-gas plants, bio-diesel and other largely untapped clean sources of energy. It is the duty of the citizens to remind their leaders to take appropriate action. The earth needs us.

Two degrees is all we have.

Global Economic Recession- Lessons and Impacts

As phrased by President Obama, “our economy is shrinking, unemployment rolls are growing, businesses and families can’t get credit and small businesses can’t secure the loans they need to create jobs and get their products to market.”

The global financial upheaval that started around two years ago and influences our daily shopping sprees even today has been called by various names depending on the aspect of economy it affected, subprime crisis, banking crisis, liquidity crisis, financial crisis etc. It is the biggest economic catastrophe since the Great Depression of 1930s, one that redefined the way the world’s economy was conducted. The origins of the financial crisis remain ambiguous as economists and politicians continue to debate on the why it happened. As a consequence, the jury is divided over the diagnosis and only superficial medicines in the form of stimulus packages and reduction of central bank interest rates are being administered by various governments across the world, leading to the uncertainty of a complete economic recovery. However, some common threads of transgressions and excesses can be seen running through the whole fabric of banking and financial institutions of the developed economies starting with the largest economy, USA. These transgressions were initially started in different pockets of the economy as minor financial aberrations and slowly before anybody knew it, had engulfed the whole financial system. This happened mainly because the market and financial regulation was relegated to the back seat leaving the market forces to decide the outcome of these actions prompted greatly by personal greed and short term gains. This credit crisis presented the central banks across the world with their biggest challenge since their inception and questioned their ability to perform the primary duty of keeping financial stability and price stability in the economy. Inadequate financial supervision by central banks especially in developed countries, have contributed to this crisis as much as the excessively low interest rates and loose rating of borrowers leading to the subprime crisis. Therefore, the two major causes of the financial crisis were the macroeconomic policies of the developed economies, majorly USA, and flaws in the national and global financial regulation and supervision. Firstly, policy makers and heads of financial institutions got carried away by the euphoric rise in asset prices especially housing that happened without reason. The consequent policy changes further deteriorated the situation, such as reducing interest rates and excessive lending without verifying the borrowers’ capacity. It has to be noted that anything that goes up irrationally has to come down often without a reason because “there’s no free lunch.” Measures should have been taken to stabilize prices and the reasons for the sudden increase in asset price should have been investigated. Secondly, the reduction in growth has not been limited to advanced economies. The impact of the financial disorder first showed on the largest economy in the world where stocks plummeted and major companies went into losses in successive quarters and even liquidation of financial giants. It was only after this crisis that it was implicit how globalization has made economies across the world an interconnected system and there is in fact, no decoupling of world economies. There have also been many types of stress tests applied on various banks to test their ability to withstand such crises. Every country should be in a position to successfully handle financially stressful situations with their own judicious selection of policies. This will limit its vulnerability in a crisis such as that faced by keeping inflation at reasonably low levels, comfortable internal and external debt positions and stable currency exchange rate. The country’s policies should be adjusted so that sufficient counter-measures to reverse or slow down the effect of financial stress are taken. Since recession is the result of reduction in the demand of products in the global market especially in the developed economies, with falling prices, companies across the world have resorted to various cost-cutting measures. Many of the existing projects have been kept on hold and new investments put-off such as indefinitely postponed steel mills in north-eastern India. The heavily affected industries are IT, financial sectors and real estate. As per FICCI (Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industries), due to the global recession, export industries like garments, gems, textiles, chemicals and jewelers had cut production up to 50%. Consequently, the employment rate gone down drastically, people have been laid-off and promotions and salary raises have been frozen.

Since India’s financial markets are not as open as other Asian and American markets, the effect of the US recession on the Indian economy has not been that serious. Indian banking regulators have been successful in establishing sufficient risk management systems and competencies and this has ensured that our banking system has been resilient enough to withstand these external shocks to a great extent. This makes the Indian financial and banking system an object of envy to their peers in other advanced economies. An important lesson to be learnt is that proper checks and balances should be in place before complete liberalization and integration with external financial markets, to be better prepared to face a financial crunch.

Another positive impact of this crisis has been that Indian firms have learnt to cut-costs and become more efficient in their processes and operation. They have successfully carried out many innovative ideas and out-of-box strategies to be competitive in a ruthlessly beaten down market and many have come out with flying colors. Today most companies, especially those in the export sector, are in a far better position competitively than they were before the recession. This opens up immense opportunities for these companies to flourish in the post-recession era.

The financial turmoil and ensuing struggle is an opportunity in disguise for economies especially the developing around the world, to emerge with stronger fundamentals for “with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come.”

Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do unto You

The dictum of “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,” when applied can bring peace and harmony and wipe out irreconcilable differences. An anecdote of two hostile roommates validates this human psychology. Their schedules often conflicted so that when one of them insisted on studying in the room at night with the lights on, the other would be trying to catch a wink of sleep. After weeks of sleepless nights and trips to the library at midnight, one of them decided to turn off the lights and shift to the common lounge – so her roommate could sleep. The next night the other roommate did likewise.
What we just saw was the Golden Rule in action – “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Generally, the rule will lead to a solution in any conflict between two sides that believe in social justice and have similar moral ethics. Effectively practicing the Golden Rule is important because it can be used to solve a lot of the world’s conflicts, where both sides claim to be upholders of social principles. In the familiar case of the warring roommates one was obliged to the other as she had turned off the lights for her. The one who took the initiative realized that having the lights off when sleeping was a reasonable demand that she herself had wished to claim.
Why does the rule work so seamlessly? As individuals and nations, we have similar moral ethics and so demand similar rights – right to expression, practise any religion, promote our culture, travel anywhere etc. These rights depend on others’ ability to accommodate them- they will accommodate them as long as their own rights are not infringed and their personal spaces and rights do not overlap and conflict with each other. The Baha’i faith says “…if thine eyes be turned towards justice, choose thou for thy neighbour that which thou choosest for thyself.”
Sometimes conflict is inevitable. This is when we need institutes to dispense justice. What they do or what we strive to do is obtain the maximum possible rights for both sides. If each side was to focus only on its rights, it ultimately becomes a power struggle where the stronger side gets its rights at the expense of the weaker. However the idea of justice demands equal treatment for everyone which is only possible if the stronger side focuses on obtaining maximum rights for the weaker side as well. Although the stronger may have to forfeit more privileges as compared to the weaker, ultimately the balance will tilt towards social and economic equality which is an aim of justice and above and beyond any individual gain. The process of obtaining optimal rights and focussing as much on the other side’s right to rights as one’s own was enunciated by R. Ingersoll when he said, “Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.”
A political peace process strives towards a solution that is acceptable to all sides involved. An example in the contemporary world is the Indo-Pakistan peace process. In the past years there have been decisive wars with significant losses on both sides. Even though India may have been victorious militarily, true victory must satisfy both sides and guarantee a balance of rights. The winning side may become more unyielding to look for maximal rights while the defeated side will be hurt and forced to forfeit more of its rights. This will tip the balance even further to the stronger side and the situation will only worsen. At other times the war may lead to a peace summit where the winning side becomes forgiving and magnanimous in victory while the other side cautiously yields to demands that may be fair even if they are not optimal. This would be a small step towards justice that came at a very great cost to both sides. For example, the Tashkent declaration after the 1965 War led to terms which were mutually acceptable and beneficial. Although they did not bring about complete peace the countries were now on speaking terms. However it is clear that the most efficient solutions came about in peace summits where both countries resolved to focus on the other’s benefit as much or more than its own. Such a resolution comes out of extraordinary conditions and results in extraordinary gestures. When Pakistan recognized that India had as much right to a just retribution as they did, it conceded the country’s involvement in the Mumbai blasts and agreed to take action against the culprits. They behaved towards India just as they wanted India to behave towards them. India then recognized Pakistan’s new efforts towards an optimal solution and reciprocated accordingly. This has clearly soothed the conflict much more than before, that too without war. By invoking the Golden Rule, the countries have established an open and candid relation between them. This is an important and indispensable step towards a common new goal of maximum benefit for both.
So the Golden Rule can be effective for reconciling different kinds of conflict – whether between roommates or between countries! Is there a situation where it can’t work? Indeed, a rare situation when the Golden Rule does not lead to a solution is when the sides, even if they believe in social justice, don’t share a similar idea of moral ethics. For example, if a student offers his best friend assistance during an exam, and is turned down, not because his friend doesn’t need it, but because his friend puts academic integrity before their friendship. Thus the student who offered the help cannot expect reciprocation when he himself is stumped during some exam. Though both want the best for each other, his moral ethics differ those of his friend.
The principle of social justice has been noted in similar words in all religious texts including the New Testament, Talmud, Koran, and the Analects of Confucius, to promote peaceful resolution of issues. Among the earliest appearances in English is Earl Rivers’ translation of a saying of Socrates: “Do to other as thou wouldst they should do to thee, and do to none other but as thou wouldst be done to.” To reiterate, the Golden Rule can be used to reconcile any kind of conflict of interests. And the only prerequisites are similar moral ethics and a conviction that social justice and equality for everyone surpasses any kind of individual gain. Thus it is no surprise that the Rule has been established independently in more than twenty systems of faith, systems whose ultimate purpose is to facilitate every individual and nation to grow equally in love, harmony and mutual respect.

The Icredibles

Napoleon Hill says that desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire that transcends everything. Passion for excellence is what distinguishes the achiever from the mediocre. The little spark of inspiration is what ultimately leads to success in each of our endeavors.This passion drives you to hitch your wagon to the star, to strive relentlessly towards your goal and finally revel in its glory. Your passion for perfection will make success a way of life. For people having that spark, the sky is not the limit, but only the beginning.

With his recent success against Federer in the greatest tennis match ever played at the last Wimbledon final, Rafael Nadal shattered notions of his adversary’s invincibility. Although it took a long, hard and rain-interrupted battle, Nadal left legends impressed finally claiming the well-deserved winner’s cup. Fellow player Marat Safin believes that “To beat Federer you need to be Nadal and run around like a rabbit and hit winners from all over the place.” Surely there’s a lot of hard work behind all those remarkable aces and even his enviable fitness.

So what makes the 22-year old Spaniard a match for the indestructible Roger Federer?

Some argue it’s his fitness and agility, some assert it to be his powerful and animated shots on court, but I believe it’s his passion and perseverance that took him to the zenith. Born in Mallorca in Spain, Rafael Nadal is a living example of how will power, hard work and skill in sync with a desire for perfection and precision can make all the difference. Rafael Nadal turned pro in 2001 and has been nearly unbeatable since, giving his opponents a reason to fret. The 6′1″ left-handed player with a double-handed backhand has also proved his mettle at the French Opens for the last four years, winning all of the singles titles he has played. His achievements, according to Wikipedia, “have led some to regard Nadal as the greatest clay-court player in the history in the sport.”

Michael Jordan, similarly considered the God of Basketball, confesses that “I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” And it doesn’t stop at trying for Air Jordan; he tried and persisted until he got his shots perfect. His mind-boggling dunks and three-pointers is his reward for the endless hours he spent sweating during practices. In his own words, “Success isn’t something you chase. It’s something you have to put forth the effort for constantly. Then maybe it’ll come when you least expect it.”

‘Invincible’ sportsmen like Roger Federer, Michael Schumacher or Tiger Woods are not super human; rather they are mere mortals with a very strong passion for excellence. This passion translates to hours of perspiration to attain the immaculate perfection that they enthrall us with.

This is what makes them incredible.

Obama ’09!

Barack Hussein Obama II (pronounced /bəˈrɑːk hʊˈseɪn oʊˈbɑːmə/; born August 4, 1961) is the forty-fourth and current President of the United States. Obama was the junior United States Senator from Illinois from January 3, 2005, until his resignation on November 16, 2008, following his election to the presidency.

The first African American elected President, he was sworn in on January 20, 2009, in an inaugural ceremony at the U.S. Capitol.

The Would Have Been Vice President

Many adore her while some loathe her, and Sarah Palin’s fluctuating popularity among the undecided voters will determine who will be a heart-beat away from being America’s next president. Never before has the race for vice president been such an enthusiastic topic of discussion for the people, until McCain introduced Palin as his running mate from up north. The governor of Alaska has found many followers among working women and other hockey moms, floored by the candidate’s can-do spirit and her down-to-earth discourses. The vice presidential candidate along with fisherman husband Todd, have five children including a pregnant and unwed daughter of seventeen and a four month-old son prenatally diagnosed with Down syndrome. This is one of the many reasons middle-class citizens “relate to her” and would like to vote her into power. But in the last six weeks, Palin has been the subject of resentment and ridicule not only for her horrifying ignorance on matters one expects a vice presidential candidate to be more than familiar with, but also her soccer game type casual phrasing in interviews and formal debates.

Since Palin was largely unknown outside of Alaska prior to her selection by McCain, her personal life, positions, and political record has become the focus of intense media attention and scrutiny. What John McCain was thinking when he chose someone who couldn’t even defend his own legislations might be a little late to discuss, but there were always other, more experienced possibilities like former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, United States Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut or former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge.

In a time when inexperienced but passionate leaders like Barack Obama are promising change for the greater good, perhaps Palin’s lack of direct Foreign Policy experience can be forgiven. But compared to opponent Joe Biden, Palin lacks more than that. An interview with Katie Couric of CBS News, termed as appalling and cringe-inducing by senior analysts due to a show of Palin’s relaxed approach regarding important matters, revealed an embarrassing side to the Alaskan Governor. Besides using laid-back and relaxed expressions like “I’ll betch ya’” and “darn right”, Palin tended to be imprecise and diverged to philosophical explanations in answer to questions on serious legislation matters. In contrast, Biden is well-versed with world issues and talks with a knowledge befitting his impressive foreign policy experience. Sarah Palin was once quoted citing Alaska’s proximity to Russia as part of her foreign policy experience, despite never having been involved in any negotiations whatsoever with Russia. Biden, on the other hand, may sound overbearing and imperious when he speaks, but at least one can be sure he knows what he’s talking about.

In the same interview when asked by Couric what she read to keep herself up to date with world happening and issues, Palin was vague and replied on the lines of “anything that’s in front of me.” Later when Couric asked for “specific examples [of John McCain’s legislations] in his 26 years of pushing for more regulation,” with unswerving hope of getting a definite answer, all Palin said was “I’ll try to find you some and I’ll bring them to you.” As Peter Wallsten of the Los Angeles Times explains, it’s time voters realize that they want more in a vice president than just someone like themselves. “With great power also comes greater responsibility”, and surely we can expect more from the next vice president.

Being assured with freedom of speech and expression I believe that people like Sarah Palin should remain hockey-moms, attending baseball matches and taking care of the kids. Because running the world’s most influential and powerful country is no child’s play.

Deceivingly Festive Season

I must confess, it seems like it’s been ages since I celebrated Diwali ago. At school, we had our last “Say No to Crackers” assembly four years ago, when we were still young and impressionable. Teachers admonishing kids and preaching posters used to be the very spirit of Diwali. The week before the holidays would be dominated by the same, droning speeches by children, reciting out gruesome facts about child labourers at the behest of their teachers. They never gave up hope with us ten year-olds, wishing that just this year, we would go back and actually practice what we preached all week. But as a part of the majority, I can tell you that most of us did burst crackers, even if a little hesitantly. It was always at the back of our heads though, the pitiable plight of children of our age, forced to work in hazardous conditions, under ruthless and cold-blooded bosses.

But now, at age fifteen, they just seemed have stopped trying at all. No more feeble attempts at putting up a pretence merely for a class assembly and actually itching to go back and burst those crackers. We’ve outgrown that sweet age when we made anti-crackers posters for competitions, ever so diligently, if only for winning. Looking back at those campaigns at school by a few concerned individuals and at my present state of blissful ignorance, I realised that the facts remain, whatever our age.
Under aged children are still toiling at odd hours, with soot on their hands and an adolescence lost to this horrid industry. Forced child labour is still a grim reality at Sivakasi, the capital of the cracker industry in India. Thousands of children working (illegally too, but that’s another matter) and risking their lives with no fire fighting safeguards, in perilous working conditions. According to sources from NDTV.com, “at least 2000 children are being exploited this way for a paltry sum of Rs 10 to 40 a day.” Think again, do they deserve this sorrow when there’s an alternative?

I haven’t burst crackers in years, but not because I bothered or cared for the miserable life of children employed in the cracker industry. I seem to have outgrown the age when I enjoyed buying crackers and bursting them along with my friends who had better, louder ones. I should say, I had just as much of fun without those horrid things. Helping my neighbours with their rangolis, lighting up our balcony with diyas and a box of kaju barfis to gorge on can make your Diwali just as joyous. Diwali has of course, always been synonymous with loud and eye-catching crackers. But wouldn’t it be better if it were to symbolise joy, happiness and kaju barfis for everyone, even for that old couple coughing away because of the smoke and those toiling child labourers?

In plain language, if we continue purchasing crackers, the factories stay in business and thousands of poor kids continue getting exploited. It would be naive to assume that someone doesn’t know how the crackers’ industry in India works, employing under-aged children without sufficient safety measures. Ignoring facts does not change them, and it’s up the each one of us to decide. Your decision could make a ton of a difference to more than thousands of children like your own. It’s time we stopped being selfish, being happy in our own little community and disregarding the rest of the population. Change now.

We need our own Obama

When I was supposed to miss school to drop my sister off to university in New Jersey, I jumped at the opportunity. After all, this was the closest I could get to have a closer look at this year’s Presidential campaign and rallies.

After hearing Barack Obama’s passionate speech at the convention, I felt overwhelmed despite being an Indian and far from the process of nominating their President. I could sense his genuine desire to change his country for the better with hope, determination and optimism. Although my hopes of meeting the revolutionary leader remain bleak as ever, at many occasions during my stay and touring in the neighborhoods of New Jersey and Washington, I felt a connection with the leader which surprisingly I never did with an Indian politician.

While walking the streets in New York, I passed a young man selling Obama merchandise. Instinctively, I asked for the price to buy an Obama badge, intending to flaunt it proudly. But on second thoughts it seemed foolish, a young Indian coming on vacation and endorsing Obama? Finally deciding against it, I walked past slightly sullen. On every day of the Democratic Convention, I would be in front of the nearest television; hanging on to every word Michelle Obama, Joe Biden or Nancy Pelosi spoke. After watching Obama’s speech at the convention, I read his speech in text, analyzing his plans for the future, his views and what he would do once he becomes President.

Another day I walked past a house asserting their support for the Republicans with a McCain-Palin poster. I smirked and found myself miffed at their decision to back McCain, rather not support Obama. I was in for further indignation when my own aunt I was staying with, supported McCain. In the evenings, we had debates on who is better and usually it was just me on the Democrat’s side, defending all of the nominee’s tax-cuts and other legislations. The discussions often prompted me to search more on his policies so that I could convince my aunt more cogently.

As teenager living in India, I don’t remember showing such enthusiasm and zeal in any election process here. I haven’t bothered looking up government procedures except on very few occasions. But let my patriotism and pride of being an Indian not be mistaken. My experience only highlights the need for more leaders in India, to appeal to the youth and make them partners in the road towards prosperity and development. I don’t want to look to the west for political stimulation, that too the American Presidential campaign. We need more Omar Abdullah’s and Rahul Gandhi’s, sincerely committed to welfare of the nation, yet enthusiastic and direct in their approach. Such politicians, with their dedication and earnestness will attract the youth to the system, and make them more involved in its functioning. India’s youth shouldn’t have to look beyond their territory for inspiration and encouragement.

Mark Twain believed that “There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist.” As a true patriot, I hope that one day we will have a passionate leader to look up to for that hope and promise. While I continue to search for Democrats rallies in the Washington neighborhood, I hope that in a few years we’ll have our own Obama, right here in India.

Distant Euphoria

My father called from Germany to say congratulations: “Obama’s got the nomination for president!” Finally. Squealing into the phone, I was euphoric. My instantaneous reaction was to jump around the room singing, “Yes, we can” — punching ferociously into Google for more information. I updated my blog with a regal picture of the senator from Illinois in front of the Capitol, while watching his gracious acceptance speech at St. Paul, Minnesota in front of a roaring crowd that refused to stop cheering. “It is because of you that I can stand here and say that I am the Democrats’ presidential nominee,” he said to the elated gathering at Minnesota.Mine may not be the generic teenage reaction, but surely I’m part of the growing momentum of passionate youth rooting for Barack Obama in India. The time I first heard of the senator vying for the Democratic nomination, his speeches and ideals were a whiff of fresh air. “Change, wow!” I had exclaimed.

Obama’s policies on outsourcing and free trade may not be as congenial to India’s progress as those of his rivals. So what is it that really connects him with us? Besides his speeches and baritone, of course, it’s his candour, humility and perseverance. He is constantly fighting for change, whether he just lost a caucus by a wide margin or won one narrowly in a state. His larger than life credentials can never overshadow the human factor.

His enthusiastic and eloquent speeches, his candid opinions on state matters and his desire to break away from the stale incumbency are just a little of his enormous appeal. Obama is obviously someone different from the rest, who wishes to “unite the blue states and the red states” and all people regardless of race, gender and religion. Seeing a presidential nominee sweating in a basketball jersey leaves me gaping at his versatility and cooldom. Obama has awed me to the extent that even Yao Ming, Bill Gates or Justin Timberlake couldn’t.

I don’t think he is an elitist, I think he is class defined.