Fair and lovely

Not religion, but beauty makes her wrap her face. Its important for young Indian women to be fair, so she must avoid tanning at all costs, especially now that heat waves are more frequent due to the effects of global warming. And yet, the urban middle-class woman is increasingly independent. You'll see her zipping around on scooters, covered from head to toe!

Seashells on the Internet

The internet is like a dry river bed littered with gold waiting to be found. But you have to know how to control it so that it readily gives up it's treasures. And I know how to do that. So for me, the internet has turned into a vast stretch of beach strewn with beautiful seashells. All I have to do is walk along the beach and pick up the ones that catch my eye. And I go walking every day. Today I found two mesmerising seashells.

1) A visual exploration of the scale of the universe, from the minutest 'planck length' unit to objects in astronomical units and beyond. It was beautifully illustrated with familiar objects and childishly witty commentary! I haven't completed my journey through it yet, but the hour spent on it thus far has been fascinating!

(sorry, this link may not work)
http://images.4channel.org/f/src/589217_scale_of_universe_enhanced.swf

2) The complete collection of every world press photo winner up-to 2011.
http://www.archive.worldpressphoto.org/years

This second one revealed some heartbreaking photos that will forever be etched in my memory. There were too many taken from wars. And a surprising few from droughts. The effect of seeing living human beings, especially children, so physically fragile and vulnerable is something words can't describe. It is the emptiness in their eyes that haunts you. I've never met anyone in that state, but the image is sad enough.

It has renewed my resolve to never waste food. There maybe a surplus around me, and others may waste without thought but at least I will not be accomplice to it. At least I will only take my share, enough to nourish my body, nothing more.

But sometimes, it is difficult to come to terms with this excess surrounding us. I happened upon an episode of master chef on the BBC. It reminded me of how obsessed we are with good food in the rich world, and how much 'edible' food goes waste in the process of feeding that obsession. I realise I have to reconcile this stark reality somehow, but right now, the answers elude me.

Day 2 - Boarding the Jagriti train

The girl in the picture is from Deoria in Uttar Pradesh, a mid-income state in the north east of India, bordering Nepal. She is rallying the 450 passengers about to embark on this journey with her simple, unbounded enthusiasm

As the clock approached midnight on Christmas eve, we boarded the train. And here I sit in my sleeper berth on Christmas day finally taking in a quiet moment.

I spoke to someone who, after much thoughtful examination and contemplation, has decided to take on a 5 year project to prove a scalable model to turn barren lands into productive and profitable farmland. Profitable for the farmer that is. Now that's harder than it sounds.

What's particularly intriguing is that the project happens to be funded by one of India's biggest conglomerates and led by one of the world's richest men, a shrewd capitalist. Worth investigating..

The other interesting conversation was with Amit, a new grad from a village in Maharashtra, of which Mumbai is the capital. Here was a brave young man who had the courage to stand up to his family for the sake of his passion, which lay not in engineering as he had been pushed into but in public service, administration in particular. Government bureaucrats are perceived as the bad guys in India, especially by the youth. I asked him "aren't you afraid of the bureaucracy and corruption?" His answer was an unflinching "no". He wanted to change the system from the inside. He was well aware of the evils, but had chosen to focus on being the change he wanted to bring.

Jagriti Yatra (Journey of Awakening) Day 1 briefing

(I forgot my camera so the photo is from this great blog)

In Mumbai.. recovering from the one hour ride back from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT). The open autorickshaw offered no protection from the cloud of particulate matter enveloping us as we crawled our way out of the city's clogged streets. Recently read a new study on its harmful effects on asthma sufferers.. blast! I've forgotten my inhalers in London.

Need to see a doc about that.

But the injurous trip to and back from IIT was worth it - the first meeting between the journey orgainsers and the 40 chosen facilitators was energising! It's an eclectic bunch of pros, from painters to bio-scientists, grassroot entrepreneurs to arctic explorers, and industry veterans to ex-mckinsey consultants. Drawn to the journey for a whole spectrum of reasons from examining India's relationship with the environment to discovering their life's purpose. The common thread was a hunger to learn and contribute.

Loved their confidence and enthusiasm during intros.. but it seems most have yet to master the art of concision.

Worked out a role for myself in guiding Jagriti's communications effort.. fun chat with the production team. Lots of ideas on documenting the experience and sharing it online in real time... I'll link through when the content starts flowing!

Will leave you with a parable from the astute rickshaw-wala dude who dropped me off home. We were talking about different approaches to development, those of the enterprising Indians among the world's top 10 billionaires list and those like himself working hard to feed their families,

"There was a dark alley leading to a temple. A rich and famous guy fixed a lightbulb to brighten up God's house. A beggar outside found a candle to light the alleyway where many people passed. It ended the darkness. When both died and reached heaven's door, God gave the beggar first priority to his throne. When asked why, he said 'he helped many people see the way, you merely lit an empty room".

I think it was clear where he stood.

Jagriti Yatra (Journey of Awakening)

In a week, I'll board a special train in Mumbai, the city where I grew up, along with 450 youth from across India. They've been selected from 3000 applicants to embark on this journey of inspiration. They live on $1-$3 a day, but dream of a richer life, not just for themselves but also for their communities. And so the purpose of this journey is to ignite their imagination and show them the way - through enterprise!

I, along with 3 colleagues from Google, and around 50 'facilitators' will be their mentors on this 20-day odyssey around the country. Well, at least that's the role I've signed up-to. But in truth, I share their quest for insight and transformation, for I've decided to leave Google and pursue 'enterprise led development' myself. And so, what better way to understand the challenges than to experience them on the ground, meet those breaking through with new solutions, and debate them with hundreds of kindred spirits!

The train will travel at night and stop at destinations during the day - a mix of 12 cities and villages along a circular route - where we'll spend time with role model entrepreneurs and study their pioneering models. There will be plenty of time to exchange ideas, views, and debate opinions along the way... like a think tank on wheels!

I'm looking forward to sharing this adventure with YOU! I'll post as often as I can from the train..

Here's a flavour..

JOHNNY MAD DOG UK HD TRAILER

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I'm not sure what draws me to these intense movies, maybe a chance to get closer to the truth. It took everything I had just to sit through this one. I cannot imagine what it would be like to live through this story. Now that I've watched it, I feel the emotion imploding. I don't know what to do with it. I cannot shout. I cannot share. Who among the people I know would want to listen? Who would seek the lessons hidden in this movie?

So I come to this page to let it out. The reality outside my comfortable flat in London. How complex, the web of our lives together. How unconscious we are. I have seen and read so many 'hard' things over the past year, it has been enough for me to 'get it'. To get whatever I'm supposed to get out of it. I get that we can do better. I get that I must do better.

Sorry if this is starting to sound cryptic, it's because words are failing me right now. Perhaps I will return and explain myself better.

Freedom comes from within

I found this profound thought shared by Ela Bhatt from The Elders on Facebook.



Shes uses simple words to counter our conventional view on freedom. "You see, freedom is not given, it comes from within". It's what Gandhiji had been trying to say in his autobiography. I get it! I understand that we have to overcome the fears that enslave our minds, that battle has to be fought within first. And we all have it in us to win. That's the human capacity Ela refers to. I see now that Mandela was free inside the walls of his prison, for you can contain a body, but not a free spirit. And I also see how I, am not free.

I would sit inside my home and feel lucky that I could do whatever I pleased. I was free to do, say, and think as I wanted. Yes, while I am fortunate enough to live in a democracy and have the economic means and education to avail any opportunity... my spirit is not free. My fears keep me from standing tall. They keep me from seizing the infinite opportunities at my feet.

External freedom is hollow if you have not come through the fire and freed your inner self.

In the light of Ela's words, I have new perspective on Aung San Suu Kyi's release from house arrest in Burma. Ela is right, "it is not the leader who brings freedom, it is the people who bring freedom". And yet the world's attention, including my own, is centred on Suu Kyi right now as some sort of saviour. She can certainly inspire her people, but ultimately it is they who have to rise up "without any rancour towards their opressors" and break free.