The way of life

In life, we come across a wide array of people from diverse fields and backgrounds. Some are dumb while others are smart. Some are failures while others a success. My experience in life has taught me the fact that there exists a thin line that separates success from failure. Moreover, it is all about how one defines success. Achieving financial prosperity has been equated with success by some while for others it might just be the attainment of a spiritual high. So, to each his own.
One of the most important and decisive factors in the definition of success is the individual’s interpretation of the term and the time he or she lives in. For instance, for people of our parents’ generation success meant completing our academic chores with distinction and getting a good government job with ample facilities like accommodation and a few subordinates at your beck & call 24*7. If one managed to get into administrative services, it was taken to be the pinnacle of success. Concisely, life was all about academic brilliance and success at the profession one's engaged in.
However, changing times have changed the way people think. It has changed the way we perceive success. Globalization has opened up new avenues and career choices. For many of us who could barely manage a job good enough to fetch a square meal a day for the family in the last decade, the new wave has brought new jobs with multi-million pay packets, big enough to splurge on the worldly comforts. Private sector jobs are not considered a taboo anymore, as was the case earlier. Adding to it is the fact that with the rise in the standard of living, one gets a chance to pursue his passion as his profession. That’s the precise reason for the sudden increase in the emergence of creative artists. Just surf across the television channels and you would realize what I am talking about. You will find that suddenly, the number of reality shows churning out singers, actors, dancers and standup comics has increased at the rate of knots. Every other day we have a new American or Indian Idol or a Millionaire. This at times has helped hone the skills of the existing but forgotten stars, while at others have sprung up new stars. It has also helped dilute the transnational borders for those plying the trade of goods & services and those practicing the exchange of fine and performing arts.
In addition, it has had a profound impact on our native culture and tradition. The influx of foreign investment in the Indian market has brought along its own fair share of cultural influence in to the Indian society. One just needs to take a look at the way our wardrobes have been transformed especially the teenagers. Gone are the days of saarees and salwar kameez, jeans, skirts & tees are in vogue. Same holds true for our food habits and palate. These days the number of footfalls at western food joints outnumbers those at our native ones by a fair distance. Even the food at home is mostly cooked by a maid or ordered from external sources. “Maa ke haath ka khaana”, which used to be the staple diet earlier has become a rare delicacy which one can afford only once in while.
Now, the traditionalists might bemoan the foreign influence on our psyche. However, they don’t realize the fact that it’s all a part of the natural cycle of life which has been going on for centuries. While there’s still a controversy to decide whether the Indian or the Greek is the oldest civilization, one cannot deny the fact that first civilizations originated from Asia and Europe. A flip through the pages of history demonstrates in no subtle manner, the grandeur of the mighty emperors from India & Greece, their empires and the rich heritage they have left behind for all of us to admire and learn from. The great American society owes its humble baby steps to the Greek and the Indus Valley civilization. They know it within their heart of hearts, but are too egoistic to accept it publicly.
So, in a way there’s nothing unusual about the great American dominance of the modern world. It is their hour under the sun and they should deservedly enjoy it. History of humankind is replete with stories of ferocious conquests and great empires. Its just that owing to the IT revolution most of us has more information than one can digest. In those days, the vanquished had no alternative than to accept the authority of the victor and conduct oneself in the best possible mutually beneficial manner.
The natural cycle of life is already pointing to the future. And the future lies in the hands of the two most populous states in the world, China and India. It’s not for charity that the United States of America is engaging India and China in multifarious treaties and agreements. They have realized it, it’s about time we did.
So, get ready to throw away your jeans and tees because by the time LOVE STORY 2050 materializes in some remote town of India, “Lehngaa Choli” might just be in vogue.

Have we sold our souls for a can of Pepsi?

Globalization has affected all of us in one way or the other. Some of us have been positively affected by it while others have had a negative impact on their lives. Anyone who has studied the phenomenon in depth recognizes that this is a new era. Whatever affinities it might have with it, the current global age is not merely a replica of the past. There are massive changes affecting our world. The globalization debate itself has become global in a way that would simply not have been possible before the advent of recent global communication systems.

Globalization has helped us enhance our lives in ways more than one. It has provided us with things we couldn’t imagine to have in our cupboards otherwise. Take a pen for an example. It was invented in Europe, but is used the world over today. Just imagine our lives without a pen! Would you prefer to write with a piece of wood dipped in a paste of green leaves? How would it feel writing your exam with a piece of wood? Just imagine. This is just a single instance, think of all the products and services that we use. About half of the products that we use today are produced in other countries and around 90% of them have been discovered or formulated on distant shores. It has connected our lives to those of others in ways more than one. Today we can contact anyone across the globe at anytime through multiple channels.

It has helped people mingle with one another. An Indian works for Microsoft Inc. on a project assigned to him in Japan. It gives him an idea of an American work culture in a Japanese environment. In a way, he is learning three cultures at a time. Same applies to an American working for Microsoft in India. This has led to the growth of a global culture. If we in India know about the American culture today, it’s all thanks to globalization. Same holds true for food. If we expect to get Indian food on the streets of New York, its all due to the bane called globalization.
Moreover, it’s not a one sided affair wherein one country is on a selling spree and the other on a buying one, it’s mutual and multilateral. If we are using computers manufactured in the United States, they are eating the Basmati rice produced in India at the same time. Globalization is heavily reliant on International trade which in turn relies on specialization. The economists favoring International trade are unanimous in their advocacy of specialization. This means that if a country is efficient at producing coffee, it should dedicate most of its land and resources towards the production of coffee and import other commodities from other countries. This would generate maximum revenue for the country from the export of surplus coffee and import other goods at a lower cost.

But this applies to an ideal world scenario where there are no trade restrictions as such.
International trade without restrictions leads to efficient allocation of the scarce resources and helps eradicate hunger, strife and poverty the world over, both at the same time.

Nationalism and patriotism are great virtues. Every one of us should possess these. But the question is, at what cost! How patriotic can you expect a poor & hungry soul to be!
Do we expect a person struggling to secure a square meal a day to be patriotic? These great virtues can be adopted and promoted only once our three basic necessities of food, clothing and shelter are satisfied. As goes a famous saying in Hindi, “Bhukhe pet bhajan naa hoye Gopala”.

So, the next time you pick up a can of Pepsi, just ponder for a few seconds. Are you selling your soul to purchase that can? Or does your purchase help the person who filled that can with the liquid at a non-descript filling plant in rural Karnataka? Does it help him earn a living for his family? And finally, does that piece of information provide you with a sense of content and satisfaction. Just ponder…..