For two rather depressed ladies

There are few sights as depressing as seeing two normally cheerful people in a state of acute depression. Well, that is exactly what I witnessed yesterday. Two friends of mine – one with the most senseless sense of humour I have ever had the privilege to know, another with a smile that made light bulbs seem dull – sat on the stairs of the Metro station in Connaught Place, with faces so long that one could have used them to measure cloth in store!

The reason – it had been a depressing day at work. A senior person had been less than civil in front of one of them and the other had just realised that she might be dealt a particularly unpleasant blow by an organisation that she had served rather selflessly for more than two years. The depression soon assumed global dimensions and both started wondering at just how awful the world is.

Being more of an author than a master conversationist, there was little I could do to make them feel better at that time. But well, perhaps I could have told them:

“It is a tough world out there, ladies. And it ain't pretty.

It is a world in which a madman invaded another country and authorised the killing of millions, while the rest of the world (including mera bharat mahaan) just sat and watched. It is a world in which a government could fall for signing a particular agreement but not for failing to close the gap between the rich and the poor. It is a world in which children who should in school beg on the streets and practice really old professions. It is a world in which people who try hard get the boot while those who sit on their posteriors get a[promotions.

But there are things that make a difference. There are still people who protest against an irresponsible government and media. There are people who still pause and help a blind person cross the street. Or get up to let the elderly take a seat in trains in buses. Or try to cover an event which they know will not get into print because their editor feels that it will offend advertisers.

Do they make a difference? Maybe they do. Maybe they don't. But they do their best. And by doing just that, save the world from being an utter disaster.

I remember once attending a lecture by Mr. Arun Shourie and his exhortation for honesty - “not just because it is the right thing. Not just because honesty is the best policy. But because if you are honest, there will be one less dishonest person in this utterly corrupt world.”

'Tis a world full of jerks of the worst order. Unfortunately, many of them are the top and influencing the fates of millions. But there are also a few good people around. They do try to make things better. And by their efforts, they give so many others reason to believe that one does not have to be morally bankrupt to succeed.

They may not make a difference in material terms. But in purely psychological terms, they move mountains. Because they reinstate one's faith in the essential goodness of humankind.

Just like both of you do.”

Hmmm...I wonder if that would have made them feel better? I will find out when they comment. Or when they laugh at me at work later today.

Heck, it would be worth it if it just gets them to laugh.

Ripping apart the cosmetics business

Anita Roddick, the founder of Body Shop, is one of my heroes. And this is mainly because unlike other businesspersons, she makes no false claims but calls a spade a spade. I am reading her autobiography “Body and Soul” and some of her revelations about the cosmetic industry are shocking to say the least.

She is particularly bitter about the way in which 'miracle beauty products' are being sold. She writes:

“The essential dilemma for the cosmetics industry can be easily explained. The big growth area is not in fragrance or make-up, but in skin care products, yet the simple truth is that such products can do nothing more than cleanse, polish and protect the skin and hair. That's it. Amen. End of story. There are no magic potions, no miracle cures, no rejuvenating creams. That is all hype and lies.”

And this is not a random claim. Roddick goes on to explain:

“The skin is made up of three layers – under the outer (the stratum corneum) is the epidermis, and under that lies the dermis, largely made up of collagen fibres, a fibrous protein which gives it support. When you age, these fibres are not replaced as rapidly and become damaged by the cumulative effect of sunlight, pollution, and an assortment of urban and environmental stresses. As a result, the dermis gets thinner and so the outer skin sags and wrinkles appear – in other words, you start to age visibly.

Some cosmetic companies endeavour to persuade you that they manufacture products that can supplement your skin' natural collagen supply, thus hitting the ageing process where it hurts.

No such luck...collagen molecules are simply too big to penetrate the outer layers of the skin...The plain truth is that no cosmetic product can prevent the ageing process. Nor, indeed, would one even be allowed under existing consumer legislation. Any product that could do that would not be a cosmetic, it would be a drug.”

But perhaps the most memorable lines of all are the ones in which she attacks her own industry for promoting insecurity among women:

“It is immoral to trade on fear. It is immoral constantly to make women feel dissatisfied with their bodies. It is immoral to deceive a customer by making miracle claims for a product. It is immoral to use a photograph of a glowing sixteen-year-old to sell a cream aimed at preventing wrinkles in a forty-year-old.”

Needless to say, the likes of Revlon and Ponds have been less than pleased with La Roddick. But that has not changed her in the least. She remains as outspoken as ever, backing up her claims with evidence that the cosmetic majors find hard to deny.

God bless her for that.

Randomness redefined

Old is gold
But new is diamond...
...and new and young is platinum


Is that an ad? Or a new phrase with deep philosophical meaning?? No, it's just one of the many random things that I keep muttering.
I come up with such moronic ideas whenever I am frustrated about not being able to file something (arghhhhhh)

The last few days :)

I have been extremely enthu about seeing our blog getting visitors over the last few days. Ironically, I have not been posting entries at all (probably that is the reason people have been dropping by). Thanks to Nimish's regular posts, faltoodiary has been active.

It's been an eternity since I last wrote something readable. And there have been reasons:

• one of the closest friend moved overseas and informed two days before leaving,
• change in job,
• death of a very close family member - caused due to the negligience of a hospital,
• a deadline which was deadlier than even death (as always)

... and lots of other things that I can't even recollect now.

All of these happened just one after the other and hence, there was no time to assimilate and to react to any one of them. Though emotionally, I have been oscillating between feeling relieved, to getting very angry, to being extremely excited and also suffering from extreme grief, followed by worrying for no cause (do notice that all emotions have been on extremes - and that's usual me. I am so glad I am not the same person 24x7).

Anyway, I am calm now and just hoping to write more. This is one space where there aren't any deadlines to meet so you can just write for writing's sake.

Cheers :)

Yippppppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

100 visits for our blog - :) :D :) :) :D

Just an ad!

She is rather different.

Most people love their friends and hate their enemies.

She tries to be fair. Even to those she dislikes.

If she was Caesar, she would have said that Brutus stabbed him because he mistook him for an apple.

She quit a job. Before she found another.

Professional idiocy? Or the ability to walk away from what she does not like?

She took a new job without a pay hike.

Professional idiocy? Or a willingness to put work above remuneration?

She weeps. Sometimes.

But laughs more often. And makes others laugh too.

Writes about dull facts. Talks lots of witty nonsense.

Wants to read more. Does not get time.

Wants to see films. Leaves ‘Love Actually’ CD on her computer table.

Wants to be in Singapore. Lives in Delhi.

Ruchi Hajela.

Journalist. Colleague. Co-Blogger.

Bobby. Samay. Giggle Generator.

And most important of all.

Friend.

She smiled!

A smile is a wonderful thing.

Yesterday, I got back in touch with somebody I had been trying very hard to avoid for more than a month. We had been rather good friends, but certain issues had cropped up between us – more professional than personal. The result: I had gone off on a rather snooty high horse, pretending that she did not exist. I did acknowledge her mails and messages but did so in a rather cold tone, discouraging any further communication. I would see her on the chat but would not say a word.

Was I happy? The hell I was. I was miserable. Work hit a bad phase. I tried to keep myself busy but well, something was missing. Yesterday, I finally decided to drop her a few mails, just like I used to in the past. And she responded. We were both online for a while and chattered away amiably of this and that. Of course, we blamed each other for being out of touch.

And then she smiled.

Well, she did not really smile. She just put a smiley icon in her chat. But I realised that there is nothing – nothing! - quite like seeing someone you are immensely fond of smile at you. Even in a chat. All the trouble at work did not matter. The daft contract that a stupid client had handed to me did not matter. Who cared? She was smiling!

I know I will probably argue with her again. Something tells me that she will again do something that will break my heart or upset me. Or maybe this time, I will say something rude and she will do the walking away. And then we will once more go into this silent fencing routine - me sulking, she silent. And who knows, maybe next time no one will apologise and we will just go our separate ways with our memories of each other.

But until then, what the heck, I have plenty to be happy about.

You see, she smiled!

Some poverty line!

Twelve rupees a day.

Evidently, if you can earn that much in India, you are above the poverty line. I got the shock of my life when I discovered this in MJ Akbar's editorial in yesterday's Asian Age.

Let's see – twelve rupees a day. That makes it – about three hundred and sixty rupees a month. What is the bare essentials one needs for an existence – a roof over one's head, some food and clothing? Can one get all that in Rs. 360 per month?

Well, one must! Because if one is earning that much, one is above the poverty line! No wonder the Government claims that almost three-fourth of the country is above the poverty line. If you are earning Rs 13 per day, you cannot be poor. You may not be able to afford food, clothing or any kind of accommodation (heck, even a room in a slum in cities comes for more than Rs 12 a day). You may not have enough money be able to support a family, send your child to school or even afford a doctor when one of you falls ill. But hey, you are not poor if you are earning Rs. 13 per day.

Makes you wonder, doesn't it? With such a definition of poverty, who wants to be rich!?

Forget domination, just do your best!

The Times of India today came out with a full page ad asking its readers (of course, the term “us” is used throughout, indicating we are all one happy family) to “stop basking in our glorious past” and start “dominating today.” Of course, I could go on and rant about how disgraceful it is that the nation’s leading newspaper prefers to put an ad of its own initiative before the main news, but that is a theme that can be picked up on another day.

My main concern is with the words “dominate” and “lead,” both of which are used in the advertisement – incidentally, the initiative is called ‘Lead India.’ Both are perfectly legitimate words. And both sound wonderful and dramatic.

Both also have a hidden meaning. When you dominate, you dominate somebody. When you lead, you lead somebody. Both dominate and lead indicate the presence of a follower – a person who has to be led or dominated. To be ruled. We were dominated and led by the British for almost two centuries. Do we want to do the same thing now?

You can accuse me of being obsessed with semantics. Perhaps I am. But to be honest, I am not sure I want to dominate or lead. I am one of those who believes that leading is necessary only in times of crisis or panic. In normal day-to-day life, a person should be allowed to make his or her own choices.India does not need leaders. The lord knows we have had more than our fair share of them – some good, most abysmal. What India needs is equality – of opportunity, wealth, and justice.

I don’t want India to become a superpower. There is very little to be gained by becoming a superpower, apart from the option of forcing trade terms on weaker nations or invading them. What I want is a nation where children don’t beg on the streets. A nation where a policeman does not ask openly for a bribe to do (or not do) his duty. A nation where justice is dispensed in a fair manner to all. A nation in which everyone has access to good healthcare and education. I don't want great generals, I want a great army. I don't want a superstar captain, I want a great team!

You don’t need to "get up, stand up and be counted" to make a difference. You just need to do your best. To do your duty. Not as specified in a corporate or government manual, but your duty as a human being. This is, after all, the land of the Gita (which incidentally, was written in the same “glorious past” that the paper wants us to stop “basking in”) which told us - “do your duty and do not worry about rewards.”

Domination? Leadership? You can keep it. I would rather walk with someone than force him or her to follow a certain path. And I am not going to stop “basking in my glorious past” just because a publication that values an advertisement more than news tells me to!

A final note to TOI: ‘Domination’ is not the only word that begins with ‘do’. Some of the words that begin with those two letters are distinctly unpleasant – dope, doofus, doormat...

Does track record matter?

“Have you seen his/her track record?”

Those were the words that were offered by the head of an organisation as a rationale for the selection (and retention) of one of the most unprofessional people I have seen in recent times. The person had served in a number of very well-known organisations but still seemed to know appallingly little about the job, and worse, seemed more inclined to grab a pay cheque and run, rather than work.

Still, he/she had a good track record. Evidently, that gives one licence to do just about anything and get away with it. Because hey, look at their track record! Someone who has worked in such high-profile organisations cannot be an ass!

Is that so?

I would beg to differ. There is no organisation in the world that does not have its share of prime idiots. In fact, I would go so far as to say that a person who has worked in a smaller organisation is likely to be far more efficient or hard-working than one who has been in a high-profile organisation, simply because the former work so much harder. I have seen a team of three people generate far better content for a magazine than a team of about ten people working in a much bigger organisation. The reason? Well, the three worked much harder while eight of the ten in the other organisation were too busy avoiding work! And yet, if someone looks at their professional profiles, it is probable that the eight who did no work at all would be considered as having a better track record than the three who did.

If this is management, give me a break!

This is not to say that all those who work in well-known institutions are dumbos or all those who work in smaller ones are models of efficiency. All I want to say is that you cannot really judge a person solely by his or her track record. Actions always speak louder than words, especially those on your resume (heck, who writes anything bad in their resume, anyway?).

All of which reminds of a Hindi film in the 1980s called Jalwa in which Naseeruddin Shah plays the role of a police officer who has been taken off a sensitive case. When he objects, his senior tells him, “The new officer has more experience.” Naseer’s response: “Sir, insaan aur achaar mein kuchch to farak hota hai!” (Sir, there must be some difference between pickle and a human being!)

I rest my case. I have nothing against a good track record or stacks of experience. But I would trade them all for someone who is sincere and actually works, rather than pretends to.

David vs Goliath, October 29, 2000, Gaza

All your armies, All your fighters,
All your tanks and all your soldiers.
Against a boy holding a stone,
Standing there all alone.
In his eyes, I see the sun,
In his smile, I see the moon.
And I wonder, I only wonder.
Who is weak and who is strong,
Who is right and who is wrong.
And I wish, I only wish.
That the truth has a tongue.

(Poem by Qaseem Qaseem in tribute to Faris Odeh - the boy throwing the stone at the tank. For more on Faris Odeh, read the blog entry below. Picture taken from www.intifada.com)

When the odds are overwhelming...fight!

"It doesn't matter what you do, things won't change."

How often do we hear those words, advising us to just grin and bear something that is wrong simply because "the system is too corrupt," "no one really cares," and "what difference will it make?"

Similar words were perhaps said to twelve-year-old Faris Odeh on October 29, 2000, when Israeli tanks rolled into Gaza. He was forbidden to go out from his house because there was fighting outside. Bullets and shells were being fired. His father threatened to thrash him if he so much as stepped out of the house. His mother begged him not to go out.

Faris went out into the street. But he did not go unarmed. He went with all the weapons he could find. And when he came within range of the tanks, he unleashed them.

Faris Odeh threw a stone at a tank.

He threw a lump of stony earth against one of the most deadly fighting machines made on the earth. One that was made of several layers of reinforced steel and iron. One that had enough firepower to destroy his entire neighbourhood. Hoping to damage it with a stone was like hoping for an echo after dropping a rose petal from Mount Everest.

Still, Faris threw the stone. He could have stayed indoors like many other Palestinians. He could have shut the doors and windows and pretended nothing was wrong. Or maybe even wept silently in shame, and participated in a protest march on another day. Because no matter what he did, things would not change. Israel would not leave Palestine. The tanks would always be able to come and go as they wished.

But he didn't. The tank was on his land. And he would not tolerate its presence. So he went and fought with all he had – a little pile of stones.

He knew the odds. He knew he could not win. Still, he fought. He dared to light a candle in a whirlwind. Because anything – even certain death – was better than suffering in silence.

Cynics will point out that while Faris was brave, the stone he threw did not really make a difference. Israel is still in Palestine and can send in tanks whenever it wishes. They could not be more wrong.

By that one gesture – that one stone thrown at a tank – Faris inspired thousands of his countrymen. Rare is the house in Palestine today that does not have a picture of the twelve-year-old boy confronting a tank with a stone in his hand. He did not drive the tanks out of his land, but he gave his people reason to believe. And he showed the world that no matter what the odds, one can always fight.

The next time you feel something grossly unfair is happening, see if you can do something about it – sign a petition, send an application, donate some money, file a case in court...anything. And if someone tells you that it won't make a difference, just think about the Palestinian boy.

Whatever you do will have more chance of success than Faris Odeh had when he faced a tank with a pile of pebbles that day in Gaza!

(Faris Odeh was killed in Isreali gunfire ten days after the stone-throwing incident, and is revered to this day as a martyr of the Al Aqsa Intifada. Every year, Al Awda presents the Faris Odeh Activism Award to those who have stood up against injustice.)

Give up...move on...be happy :)

The title says it yet again (I realise I no longer enjoy reading or writing looooong stories and hence, would describe what's happening in my life in one liners). Well, this is going to be my style for the next few days till I really have many things to talk about.