Perspectives on civic engagement

While Indians take pride in our national heritage, history, culture; there is one area that we seriously lack in : Civic awareness and engagement.

Indians are extremely un-aware or callous about civic issues and tend not to worry about the space aound them or even issues pertaining to public order or safety and well-being. THere is an almost extreme form of selfishness which permeates thinking . A form of thinking which says that my world ends where the door of my home closes. The absolute callousness with which society in India functions is an indicator of this.

The average educated American is aware of issues around him/her ; seems to care and takes pride in trying to understanding, if not solving the problems around her. This attitude is the first step to building a strong civil society.

As i landed in Washington Dulles Airport, there were kiosks manned by US volunteers who were helping people with information etc..I noticed at least 3 advertisements in a span of a day for volunteering opportunities in the city.

The initial impressions that i am gathering seem to be positive and there seems to be a strong civic consciouness in the USA, which is missing in India. Perhaps a lesson for us to learn from a relatively new country ?

we have all the time in the world...

How Bono got away with saying ' f&^%^ Brilliant ' in public : This is f^%^& brilliant !

Wole Soyinka at Dubai International Poetry Festival

Some sound-bytes from a Q&A that we did :

• On George Bush - I believe as other Nobel Laureates who gathered in Brussells some time back that he should be tried in the international court of Justice, just like the current president of Sudan. He has perpetuated crimes against humanity and as such should be held accountable for them
• On Sudan – I believe that the African countries and Arab countries should have intervened earlier. Many years earlier, and not waited for 2.5 million people to be displaced. What is happening in the country is the mass rape, murder and displacement of millions of helpless people and this cannot be tolerated. I don’t think this is interefernece in the country’s internal politics. It is intervention against what is wrong.
• On Nobel Prize : I haven’t done anything after winning the prize which I didn’t do before winning the prize.
• Can poetry Change the world : I don’t think it is possible for poetry alone to change the world. Politicians are very powerful in today’s world. But I do firmly believe that poetry can bring about a change in perceptions and have a long-term impact on the people’s minds which will start a battle against all evil.
• On competition of languages ( French, Arabic , English for domination ) : We need to agree to have working languages which will make our lives easier. If we have a common medium of exchange purely for practical purposes, that is welcome; while respecting and maintaining the diversity of each language.
• On the role of poetry in the world : I believe that poetry is undergoing a revival of sorts. This is because the world is in a bad situation today. We are going through tough times and I don’t mean only economically. While some people turn to religion during times of trouble, others turn to Poetry and I personally prefer poetry over religion . It offers me solace and I believe this is the reason many others turn to it too.
• On Barack Obama : he is a brilliant young man who has shown in a short time his leadership qualities. I think he ought to be worshipped coming in after George bush.
• On poetry in the Arab world : I am not very familiar with the Arabic language but from what I know., I believe there is a rich tradition of poetry in the Arabic world and the tradition is very rich indeed. There is a distinct differentiation between formal Arabic and colloquial language, which doesn’t exist in other languages.
• On Palestine : I think the solution is an independent Palestinian state, and some world leaders are beginning to realize this as a viable long-term solution.
• On generalizations done about Africa : I am not comfortable about the generalizations that people make about the continent. We must be aware that it is made up of many countries with several traditions and religions and languages. The complexities involved are various and many layered. It is not a homogenous continent much like Europe.
• On Arabic literary heritage : one thing that I find fascinating is the rich literary language in the Arab world. There is a clear demarcation of the literary language and colloquial form.

Humor amidst crisis : 3 funny stories from Dubai

Amidst all the stories of gloom and doom that one reads in the newspapers these days, the saving grace is some funny stories which stand out, and compel us to think that life is not to be taken too seriously after all. There is humor amidst all the tragedy and struggle around us. In the span of less than ten days, three stories caught my attention. Observing the media on a daily basis can be a very interesting exercise. On days, I have seen two stories contradict each other on very big issues and on the same page of one newspaper.
The first was about a man trying to steal pigeons into Dubai. This gentleman, an Australian had wrapped the poor creatures in newspapers and kept them in his trousers. Add to this, there were a few eggs too. How he managed to smuggle them and keep the birds alive is beyond comprehension. He was caught at the Airport when passing through the immigration checks. Was he testing the limits of the security checks or the limits of his own foolishness, one doesn’t know.

The second story was about an Indian man arrested for cross-dressing . He was apparently wearing a bra and was caught in the act of putting on mascara at the Mall of Emirates. The police arrested him for indecency and indulging in cross-dressing. The man confessed to behaving in such a bizarre manner as he was due to act in a Bollywood film in which he played a woman’s role. But I guess he did not know the limits to which the law can be stretched.

The third story was in The National, an Abudhabi based newspaper. “Errant drivers to be sent on anger management courses” screamed the front page headline. Looking at the limits to which the laws in UAE can go to ensure that people obey the law, this sounds funny. Granted that all drivers don’t drive carefully and conscientiously. But anger management courses ? This seems a bit funny. Faisal Al Qasim, head of the Dubai Police Traffic Institute was quoted as saying “ Issuing fines and suspending licenses is not everything, we realized that people here lack the traffic awareness that exists in other countries such as the US or UK”.
Humor is embedded in the fabric of Dubai. One only needs to look at the absurd behavior of many people to see it. Many times, it is not ignorance, innocence or combination of both that makes these stories newsworthy.

Stand Firm - lovely song by Peter Tosh

Here's a classic by Peter Tosh, someone whose music i was introduced to a few years ago.

"Live clean, let your works be seen, stand firm....."

Slumdog Millionaire music score

AR Rahman doesnt stop surprising his fans. After scores of award winning ( and original scores), here comes another set of songs from the musical genius. Though i havent seen Slumdog Millionaire yet, his music is compelling enough for me to buy the next ticket to the movie.