Demonetization – Woes & Joys -- Not A Cost Benefit Analyses

  Lots of water has gushed under the bridges & over the causeways of all the holy & other rivers in the last several days after the cloud burst on 500s & 1000s. Firstly, the ‘Recommendations’ :

·       When the rough times are on – many agitate, the wise sit back, watch & relax. Good times must follow.

·       Don’t cultivate that hobby of amassing 2000s (you never know?!) – unless you find queuing up for money exchange great social fun.

·       Get PayTm, PayZapp, UPI, Chillr, On-the-Go (what the hell are they?) – check out from the nearest tea vendor how to download & use.

·       Activate some of your many Debit Cards, Credit Cards – apart from status symbols, they are useful for clean shopping.

·       Get your employees to open bank accounts & pay them by cheque/net transfer- ( I did it long before the cloud burst-note how their self esteem goes up with a cheque in their hands with their very own name on it).

·       It’s painful, but start paying all your taxes.

·       Pass on the dirty job to your Bank of keeping a tab & clearing your monthly electricity bills, water bills, telephone bills, gas bills. A by-product: save money on the usual late payment penalties.

  We are done with recommendations for the time being – more will come as indeed it is a dynamic process – every day is a developing situation. Please display ‘flexibility of mind’ - & by the way, this is a valued principle of war that has won many a battle. Call it an ‘open mind’ if you wish. And now for the body of this Blog.

  You know how a see-saw works in a children’s park or do you know how a pendulum works – that’s how my mind has been working overtime while reading absolutely convincing cost benefit analyses by well known as also by newly emerged economic luminaries of the country. I’m for demonetization now…read another piece by one more economic genius & I’m against this ‘drastic step’…no, I’m for it now…finally I decide to give up with our great economists with an unfulfilled wish that they all be put in a slushy Bear Pit & let them have it out.

  Meanwhile, like a disciplined soldier, I find that the final orders are out & time for ‘fruitful’ discussion is over. Might as well get things moving, it’s inevitable, lie back & enjoy – yes, the vast majority of our country folk are already enjoying the discomfiture of those who they gleefully imagine would be stranded with their 500s & 1000s. Correctly or incorrectly, they are sure that whoever vociferously demonstrates has also no clue or opportunity to skillfully change their vast treasures from Black to White.

  Talking of innovative ways of doing the mass Black to White – well it is a separate study by itself & many a thesis will be attempted in times to come. Sending surrogates to four different banks with four different ID proofs is kid stuff! Closing down the factory unit for a few days & sending junior employees each with 2.5 lakhs to deposit in their respective Jan Dhan accounts is schoolboy level creativity. Making a beeline to the numerous jewelers with wads of 500s/1000s is club level novelty. Well, the Big Boys make only mild noises of protest & always involve the Farmer. What is doing the silent rounds is that in a State or two (or more?) the “adtiyas” (wholesale grain merchants in mandis) have been handed over gunny-bags of notes for doing the needful. The adtiyas in turn have rounded up their hundreds of dependent farmers & paid them for the next few future crops in advance (never mind any failure of the monsoon) – it is perfectly legal to do that & the farmer has the necessary back-dated pink slip while he deposits the notes in the bank. In due course when the harvests come in, the adtiya sells, makes the money, does a fair share distribution of the white stuff – everybody is happy. But I sincerely hope & wish that there is a catch to it. More amazing stories are trickling in…I’m deferring their description for the time being to avoid a panic situation.

  Much of the year & especially the last couple of weeks, I stayed rather close to the farmers. Of course every region is different. The mood is of jubilation. Where is the lack of dough to get seeds, seedlings, fertilizers? Farmers don’t put all their money of the previous crop in fixed deposits – they keep enough cash to prepare for the next. It brings mirth to them that the wise urbanites are so naively concerned about them.

  One aspect that has escaped our inveterate experts & I would like to draw their kind attention to it. The unheard of application of the ‘theory & practice of Queues’ in our Nation has come to light across every corner & crevice in one single stroke. People have assessed for themselves various trade-offs of joining a line – forego favorite period of sleep, rise early & stand at the head hours before the office opens; have a nice sleep, pick up a bottle of water, put on a forced smile & join the trickling stream at the tail; any time of the day go along with your regular gang, queue up together & spend a memorable time till you exchange your 1000…I hope, wish & pray the concept of queuing, learnt with so much of sweat, sunburns & cramps gets profitably disseminated to other relevant areas.

Tailpiece – there is much more to it but I must conclude that if the see-saws or pendulums are in action with you, take the advice of a very cerebral friend of mine who very kindly sent to me: Mr Narayana Murthy, Mr Bill Gates, World Bank, IMF are for demonetization; Ms Mamta Banerjee, Mr Kejriwal, Mr Mulayam Singh are against it. Does that make it easier or yet harder for you to decide!? Or are you looking forward to the evasive debate in parliament from where some new twinkling pearls of wisdom will surface?

SURGICAL STRIKE - ARE THESE WORTHIES OFF THEIR ROCKER.OR ARE THEY PLAIN ANTI NATIONAL?

The question left unanswered in the first part was "Where from did PM Modi draw courage & confidence to give a bold decision to the Indian Army to go ahead & do the strike?" It has been concisely & aptly answered by a friend through Email & I quote "...most obviously from the Indian Army. He would have done an instinctive analyses, calculated the risk involved & arrived at a straightforward decision that if there is an organization that can deliver just about anything, it has to be The Indian Army ..." I have nothing to add.

 I really did want to go ahead & talk to my civilian friends, as promised, of how the Strike might have happened. But I shall have to shelve it to another day. The reason is very appalling. While I am far away in North America, I have been following the news now & then. It really hurts to hear that there are politicians, political parties, celebrities, journalists, actors questioning the veracity of what the Indian Army has stated through none other than the DGMO about the Surgical Strikes. The DGMO has stated enough for countrymen to know that a successful operation was executed against terrorist camps across the LOC & given them the confidence that their Army will do it again as & when required. Evidently many WORTHIES in India have picked up the Pak line that there was no strike in their territory. 

 A massive coordinated disinformation campaign has been launched in Pakistan to firstly hide the weakness of their troops deployed along the LOC, secondly prevent their public to know of the bloody nose given to their "terror assets" & thirdly to discredit the Indian Army. There is a vital FOURTH REASON which the WORTHIES do not understand.

 The FOURTH REASON is to provoke & tickle the pseudo liberals, jumpy politicians & hardened political parties in India to put pressure on the Government to release the recordings of the operation. I must state here that when a strike such as this is conducted, everything happens with lightning speed & the Special Forces disengage & disappear even when the enemy is in disarray & in a state of shock. The Pakistani Army would still be struggling to piece together how these raids were executed by the Indian Army so that they could take counter measures in the future. The terror groups would yet be dizzy as to what hit them.Thus my friends would understand that what the WORTHIES are doing knowingly or unknowingly is to demand from the Government to air videos to give on the plate to the Pak Army & the terror organizations the plans & execution of the entire operation. The Pak nefarious objectives are so evident to common sense that you do not really need a soldier to explain all this.

 ARE THESE WORTHIES OFF THEIR ROCKER OR ARE THEY PLAIN ANTI NATIONAL?

SURGICAL STRIKE - NOT A FLASH IN THE PAN

  Some well informed friends (including a Surgeon!) have been mailing to me their thoughts about "The Surgical Strike" by the Indian Army, even as I sit in far away North America. The term itself within 24 hours has entered every Indian's dictionary. "And why not?" asks one of them, "If we can celebrate a cricket victory, why not a brave, risk-laden military success that has upheld the honor of the Nation!" Then there are those highly patriotic non-combatants in Delhi who have, I am told, developed sore throats expressing their joy & passing on their well-intentioned & indeed well-deserved accolades of courage & bravery to those manning the top citadels of South Block. The soldier who did it on ground is also mentioned with pride. It is said that there are some worthies quite conspicuously in a trance, not knowing what to say since the "expected" nuclear war has not happened - but I think this is not the occasion to pull their legs.
  So this Blog is primarily directed at my friends in the Civvy Street, to give them a soldier's view of how things might have happened. But first let's get the basic facts - you must know that a combat soldier is not a killer who is on a spree with automatic weapons. He fights when he has to, only for his religion - and his one & only religion is the safety & honor of his Nation. He is motivated to follow his religion with a fervent desire to keep his Regiment's flag flying high. His rigorous training, his long vigil in utterly rugged conditions & his ingrained values give him the absolute resolve to risk his everything for his fellow soldier. The meaning of team spirit to him is not just high-fives & bear hugs. He designates the enemy of the Nation as his enemy that he must demolish.
Some more basic things. Yes, some of you have hinted that the Indian Army has just learnt & adopted new tactics. Come on! Is there any other army in the world that is constantly active & battle hardened in such diverse terrain conditions & combating a variety of adversaries? And doing it with what ever it has, even with the most obsolete stuff. Other modern armies regularly learn skills of soldiering from our experience & expertise. With the nature of warfare going on for decades on our soil, the Indian Army units are forever trained & motivated to strike across the LOC to give it back to the enemy. Only they never got the green signal all these years; the enemy thought he had achieved moral ascendancy & kept pushing in indoctrinated terrorists. But now within a few days after the top leader has shown he has the risk profile to go all the way, the Indian Army without fanfare delivered what the Nation desired. And it is undoubtedly, quietly, secretly, preparing to have a go when the green light comes up again.
  My friends also want to know who is this Commando. Well, he is that live hero that every little boy wants to be. He is not that enigma that Phantom or Spiderman depicts but he is a practical close equivalent. He fights in a team. He is physically tough, even tougher than other tough soldiers. He can run with his weapon & heavy loads over rugged terrain as silently as a black panther. He can see in the darkest night, he loves bad weather. Surprise is his force multiplier. He can para jump, he can slither down a helicopter, he can rappel down a rock face. He does not care for sleep or comfort when a task is given. He can quickly change his objective. He hits the enemy hard with utter violence, at lightning speed & enormous shock. He disengages while the enemy is in shock. He never leaves own casualty in enemy territory. He gets back to base. Cleans his weapon, tends to his wounds & awaits further orders. He is full of humility, He does not brag. When there is a lull, he rejoices with his battalion at a Bara Khana, he sings with gusto even with a hoarse voice, he does the jig even awkwardly. He is human. He demands nothing more - only the respect that is due to him. (By the way, don't go away with the impression that only Special Forces do the task just completed - every battalion on the LOC can do it & several participated in the recent strike).
  Oh yes! Some time ago one of you mailed about the fearless American Special Forces assault to eliminate Osama - it was of course a great operation but remember it was into the territory of a junior dependent ally. And the Entebbe rescue by Israelis is also quoted - again a super operation. No comparisons, though you must note that all movement by our teams was carried out through alert coordinated enemy defenses supported by modern network of electronic surveillance devices.
  Now about how things might have happened. First & foremost - where international consequences are at stake, the buck stops on the Nation's Top Person's desk. So to take a bold decision, it requires courage & guts. Even the staunchest critics of PM Modi must on this occasion give it to him with an applause. The Govt has shown to the world that it has the will. The question you might ask is where from did the PM draw this enormous courage. Good question! You would have already guessed the answer. Should I talk about this & the foray in a later Blog?

OBL at Pine Hills Eco Camp - Saga of a Grade Seven Class (Useful Stuff For Principals, Teachers, Parents, Grand Parents, Students)

OBL at Pine Hills Eco Camp – Saga of a Grade Seven Class

(Useful Stuff For Principals, Teachers, Parents, Grand Parents, Students)

  Rashmi, Grade 7, from a leading school in a big city, is not really into nature. She would rather be at the City Centre with a group of friends, mobile in hand, going for a pizza or a giant burger – that’s fun for her & why not, most kids love to do that.  She lands up against her wishes at Pine Hills along with 40 classmates uand a couple of teachers for their annual camp – how boring! But she finds a way to be happy – with a couple of like-minded girls they chitter chatter in a tent, sharing their Cadburys & chips, while others are wandering and exploring the hills.

  The bell rings, whistle is blown and it’s time for the challenging Pine Hills Ropes Course. Reluctantly, Rashmi & her friends drag their feet to the start point – it’s compulsory to be there & they are basically disciplined kids.

  After the demo by the ustad is given & guiding principles of technique & safety are explained by the senior Facilitator, the boy who leaps forward to do the first obstacle – the Commando Bridge – is Varun. He had been the perkiest of them all since arrival at the camp – he was everywhere; he wanted to be like Don Bradman – very impressive ambition indeed. He climbs up the ladder, puts his left foot on the first rung of the Commando Bridge and then – yes and then – his legs start trembling. He is encouraged, motivated by the instructors & teachers to go on but NO says he in a quivering voice. “Hey, Varun, you can do it – don’t come down!” says a loud, emphatic, girlish voice – it’s Rashmi!! But Varun climbs down, rather embarrassed. His image had always been of a brave, pushing lad.

  So the teacher announces that Rashmi will be the first one to do it. Rashmi’s face paled on hearing this. “What have I landed myself in?” Rashmi must have thought. But her pride did not allow her to back down. She slow-marched to the ladder, climbed up even slower, distinctly nervous, put her left foot on the first rung of the Commando Bridge – total silence – she was never known as the outdoor, adventurous kind -  some voice perhaps in the stomach said something & Rashmi heaved herself up, took the first step forward & hesitated – the long walk ahead on the rungs seemed unnerving. “Rashmi, walk as though you are on the cat walk”, said the Facilitator, encouraging.  And Rashmi, 13 years old, started walking like a super model on a ramp, rung after rung. Half way, stopped a moment,  so much up above the ground she was, the cool breeze floated her hair about, bunches of pine needles on the trees whispering soft wavy sounds so close by – “Nature isn’t so bad after all”, she was obviously thinking – now the applause & encouragement from her classmates was loud and clear, she posed for a photo with a big wide smile, lots of clicking, Rashmi had become a hero in the forest, far, far away from the City Centre. She came down amidst clapping. Wow! “Hey, Rashmi, I didn’t know you were so great,” her expression suggested that this is what she was saying to herself.

“Well done, well done, well done…” so many voices.

  The story isn’t over yet. Facilitator was asking “Varun, what’s the motto of Pine Hills Ropes Course written on that placard?” “Sir, ‘I can, I will’ is the motto”. We’ll tell you the next part of the saga of this camping class soon. We find it very exhilerating, very fulfilling with these kids. Next Blog – a few days away.

Regaining Verve After Tragic Loss Of Dear Wife Sudesh – And How!

1.  We arrived with the Funeral Remains at Delhi airport past midnight, received by Sudesh’s brothers Suresh & Varindar and her sister – in - law, Malika Nadda. We men-folk drove off to Haridwar. Malika promptly decided to accompany the girls to Chandigarh even though she had to be back in Delhi in the morning. Sister Rajesh & her husband Brig Ajay Raina had already deployed themselves along with others to receive them at our house. Ceremony on the banks of the Holy Ganges was smooth, thanks to the pre-plan & preparation. Moving on, we arrived Chandigarh. Varinder had already tied up the venue & every detail for the Prayer Meet “Shanti Paath” which was 48 hours away, leaving only the final touches for me. So much & much else was the support! And it was unceasing as we were going through one religious ceremony after another with great deliberation. So many standing behind us, so many for dear Sudesh – perhaps grief was beginning to get dented.

2.  At home, right away the void hit us. But sons in law, Sanjiv & Shashank, daughters Jyotsna & Bhavna got cracking for the work they planned for their dear Mom. Sleepless nights of the past weeks, jet lag, long travel, grief, sadness – all put on the back burner. In between attending to all ceremonies, pulled out old albums & bundles of photos, laboriously scanning hundreds of them and made out a beautiful 20 minutes video of their darling Mom, super imposed with lovely tunes, to be screened at lunch after Shanti Paath. There were young Anaiya & little Naisha cooperating fully. What children! They can give a beating to Grief!

3.  At the Prayer Meet, eulogies & tributes were spontaneous. Management Guru Bhushan Nadda, her younger cousin, narrated some real incidents of childhood days – for him Sudesh’s great virtue was to step forward, break norms unhesitatingly & very boldly too if anyone needed help. Young nephew, Dr Aman Batish, emotional, had every word coming out from the heart. Sanjiv & Shashank were composed as they spoke of their memories of Mom, providing great confidence. Then came Anaiya, 7 year old, her own concept of eulogy.  I must put out her speech:

My Nani was like a beautiful Balloon. Everything about her was bright and colorful. She loved going on long drives to see fall colors and would get excited every time she saw trees painted red, orange and yellow. She would point out to the trees and say “Anaiya look at this one or look at that one”.I loved the way my Nani dressed up in her bright clothes. She looked the most beautiful in her light blue sari with a red bindi on her forehead. She was very fond of flowers; last summer we planted colorful flowers together in the backyard; she would know the names of all the flowers. My Nani was always full of energy. She used to clap each time I finished a big glass of milk or played a tune on my piano. Whenever I fell sick, she used to massage me for hours. Nani was always excited to attend my music concerts or dance concerts no matter how I performed. Even when she was tired, she made sure she combed my hair and made my braid every single morning before going to school. I will miss you Nani. I will miss your laughter, I will miss the halwa you used to make in the morning, I will miss going to the camp with you, I will miss playing Guess Who with you but mostly I will miss your warm tight hugs and kisses. My Nani was like a beautiful balloon and now she is flying high. In the end I will sing a song from a cartoon video that Naisha and I watch – “Big Balloon Big Balloon, bigger than the sun and moon. Flying high in the sky, flying high and high and high…” And from the tranquil of the congregation, a baby voice joined in the song – yes, 2 year old Naisha!

Grief, sadness are not disappearing but are they being pushed hard to the corner! Not waiting for “time the healer”, Next Blog.

Combating Grief After Dear Wife Said Goodbye To The World

1.  Six months ago at 1230 hours on 28 Nov 2015 Sudesh went away – beloved wife closed her eyes.  Several hours earlier she had no idea she was going so quickly. We both were in the hospital room of one of the foremost Cancer Hospital & Research Centers of the world – Sunny Brooks Hospital, Toronto. Breathlessness had overtaken her a couple of days earlier. Speaking became very difficult. So she wrote instructions for me using perfectly spelt complex words where an English teacher in a Convent School could make a mistake. Very confident, ever alert, self-assured traits – that is how she went & that is how she was known by everyone who knew her. She held my hand firmly, very firmly, and gave her typical mischievous smile in the middle of the night, say eight hours earlier, as though she was deliberately testing me – I was holding back my emotions as only I knew what was impending. It is so strange living by yourself without one who had been your nearest one for forty years. Grief, sadness are hard hitting words but can be handled.

2. Sudesh & I met 21 Feb 1976, got engaged 22 Feb & wedded 23 Nov 1976. An amazing girl – rare amalgam of very modern & utterly traditional; loved parties, music & dance floors & yet would recite ‘Aartis’ of every religious occasion & ‘Shloks’ by heart that would do credit to a Pandit ji. Fun loving, she was loved for her spontaneous uninhibited laughter – “I wish I could laugh like you!” was a desire expressed by many so often. She taught in schools & colleges in stations where we were posted, she ran a successful boutique in Delhi & as a typical regimental lady, “did nothing” when the situation demanded. Multi talented, she particularly excelled in the creative culinary field – even converted a couple of “langar cooks” into chefs who today are flown by air in the civilian world to teach other chefs! More about her later.  How to combat grief is the Blog.

3. The last rites were performed in a Funeral Home in Toronto.  She was dressed in one of her favorite saris, as she lay in the coffin, looking resplendent as though she was embarking on a party – that was always her style. Nice send-off was one good feeling; it’s the last time that we shall see her that was swelling the eyes with salt water. Daughters, Sons-in-Law, me maintained composure with enormous difficulty, not adequately, but to the extent possible. And then she was gone, slid into the electric crematorium – what a hollow feeling. The grief really hit us then. We went home – to a home in which we shall never be able to hug her again.

4. We came to India with her funeral remains straight to Haridwar from the airport & then to Chandigarh. Forty eight hours later on 08 Dec 2015 was the Prayer Meet “Shanti Paath”. For me, the real combat with grief was triggered when Anaiya, our seven year old Grand Daughter, spoke on stage to the large gathering at the mandir. What an innocent & yet a warm, heart-stirring speech, conceived it herself, wrote it herself with a little editing by her Dad - I shall soon tell you about that. Till then, I can only say that grief can be overcome – time is a healer as they say but how does one keep waiting for time. For a soldier “combat” is a word that comes naturally when facing a grave situation. The hard reality is that one partner has to go first leaving the other behind, but why so early, why so quickly & why with such little notice! There are some things other than “time the healer” – those in the next Blog.