Oops We Did It Again…

            What else, the US Congress once again remains deadlock...

            The recent ‘on again off again’ agreement on the issue of the 2 month extension of the Pay roll tax cut has once again brought into light the deep fractions between the two parties. Funny thing is the current point of fraction is not between the two parties but between the Senate and the House. On Tuesday Republican-led House refused to accept a Senate-passed version of the bill, which passed with 89 votes and the support of all but seven Republicans. The honorable speaker of the house Mr. John Boehner wants Senate to bring some changes to the bill. And don’t forget this is ‘just’ for 2 month extension. The drama will be repeated again come February!!

          

           It’s hard for me to believe that this is the most stable democracy in the world; or may be this is the future of a democratic society- ‘A controlled chaos’. Let’s not kid over selves, a civilized disagreement, by peoples representative on a national stage is lot better then open, violent altercations by the people on the streets. Not that I want to be a part of any of the current congress debates, but I guess as the nation matures and citizens become more aware, the issues will definitely have microscopic discussions. Or may be the current structure of Congress is just broken, only time will tell.

            Tell then enjoy the show and a special note to my American friends, please keep your fingers crossed before you open the January pay stub!

In God We Believe…?

            

            So yesterday I saw the news of how the scientists at CERN, the huge research facility near France and Swiss border are close to finding Higgs Boson aka ‘The God Particle’. Higgs boson is the elusive theoretical particle that’s believed to have played a key role in the formation of the universe. I tried to go into the details but it was just too much for my little cranium; plus, I still had to catch up on my Bollywood news.

            Later, I started thinking, would this mean that what Prof. Stephen Hawking, the famous English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, said was true. His theory on the creation of universe says that Universe was created because of the laws of science and not because of the will of God.

            I am certainly not going to argue with Mr. Hawking here but then how would he explain the functioning of the great nation of India? I mean, come on, everyone within and outside India know that it’s not running because of the government or the opposition for that matter!!

            Coming back to the point in question; if the scientists really prove that the creation of universe was because of Science, would your faith in God remain intact? Is there someone up there who looks (or sometimes doesn’t look) upon us? Would you still go to the temple and be religious?

            As far as I am concerned, I definitely believe in God, not just because I was raised in a religious family but because the way my life has turned out to be. If it was ‘only’ up to me, I won’t be were I am today, for sure. So for me God is definitely up there.

            Be religious or be an atheist, one thing that I noticed is that Science shows us the ‘How’ behind the functioning of the things and Religion gives us the ‘Why’.

India – Commingling of Past, Present and Future!!

           No matter how much you believe in the ‘India story’, one thing is for sure, Mumbai airport still stinks…literally!! But story outside the airport is full of confidence and promises. ‘India has changed’ will be an understatement.

            Past decade has really changed the psyche of the Indian’s. I think now Indians have started believing in themselves. You see the confidence on the face of the recent graduate. Gone are the days when a student was scarred to graduate for he/she will have to face the nightmarish reality of standing in the long queues of prospective job interviews, if they were lucky enough to be called. Now, the job demands are almost outstripping supplies of the graduates, thanks to the booming economy.

            For the limited travel that I have done, I can say that India is the only place where the past, present and future lives side by side. You still see bulls dragging the carts, on the road full of pot holes, right next to an Audi A6. You see people getting lunch from the Thai restaurant and sipping tea from a roadside tea stall the next moment.

            Its true that India’s social fabric is still broken, but as far as the ground realities are concerned, I think India is the most tightly held society in the world. India might not have the ‘911’ emergency service, but they do have neighbor’s who care for each other 24/7. They might be lacking AAA road side assistance, but they do have friends who are always on call. Agreed, just like any other developing society there are still some shortcomings which cannot be ignored or presented nicely in a poetic way, because they are real problems which have to be solved. But hey, they know how to live life. They know when to stop in the race of life and take a deep breath to enjoy that moment. No matter how big socio-economic problems they have a win in a cricket match against Pakistan, will lift the BSE Sensex the next day.

            India…is just different. It’s not a country but a huge diverse, community. They might get Wal-Mart’s and Reliance Fresh, but they will always love to buy from the road side vegetable vendor. No matter how wealthy they get, they will always bargain. They might go to the Michelin star restaurant, but they will always have that hunger for the ‘pan’.

I think everywhere else people live there lives, in India you live each Moment.

PS: I am still jetlagged, and might have been a little too philosophical…