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When Mr. Narasimhan wakes up every morning at 5.00 it is essentially for two purposes. One, to anticipately wait for the phone call his son would occasionally make as he drives back home in Fermont from his Silicon Valley office and two, to hit the ground jogging with his retiree friends around his housing society peripherals. The half-an-hour drive after office hours gives Kaushik Narasimhan the perfect setting to catch-up with his dad’s sugar level updates, stock take his mother’s arthritis medicines, check out on the latest political grapevine in India and also listen to the latest tales of the boastful auntie next door. And when done with the materialization of or the wait for the US call, Narasimhan would quickly ready up in the short-sized Bermudas and over-sized sneakers that his son gifted him from America and join his friends on the ground, all of whom invariably have a son, a daughter or a niece settled in the US. Half a dozen circumambulations of the society later, they would soon settle down on the park benches, both to slow down their aging hearts and to share notes on the latest accolades of their off springs in the land of opportunities.
“My son has just purchased a new Duplex house in Richmond and we are planning to go for the Grahapravesham next month” Santham’s voice was filled with parental excitement as he shared the news of his son’s residential upgrade.
“That’s fantastic…. I heard the real estate prices have gone over the roof in US?” enquired Venkat, who having retired from the home loan department of a nationalized bank always had his pulse on international property prices.
“It cost USD 700,000 and he has still not taken any mortgage” Santham made it a point to emphasis the financial success of his son, a landmark for a H1B visa holder.
“My boy, that’s more than Rs.6.5 Cr! With that money we can buy a property opposite Kushboo’s house in Chennai’ opined Kapilan, who has posters of the film actress all over his house and his son is the joint-secretary of Kushboo Rasigar Mandram, Seattle.
“With Rs.90/- per dollar, I had to shell out Rs.60.00 lacs to pay the first-year fee of USD 65,000 for Sharanya’s Master’s program in Yale university and she still has one more year to go!” the lament of a retired father to fund his daughter’s foreign education was hard to miss. “Maybe I will sell my Naganallur flat next year. I see no other way out!”
“But Mr.Sadasivam, even after completing her education, she now will have to pay USD 100,000 every year to get a H1B Visa! And you know she cannot work in the US without a H1B. How are you going to manage that?” Senthil’s query was more out of concern of the recent Trump’s announcement and its impact on Sadasivam’s finances than to cause him distress.
“See Senthil, my Lord Murugan will take care and I rely completely on Him. And my only prayer to Him is that the US dollar should become cheaper” Sadasivam was referring to the falling rupee rate vis-à-vis the USD.
“No chance Sir, it is only going to become costlier and will soon breach the Rs.100/- mark, most probably before Pongal itself!” Chandrasekhar sounded prophetic as he made these claims. He recently lost a hefty commission when his US client cancelled the order of the T-Shirt supplier in Tirupur because of the new 50% tariff.
“Is that so? I will then book our tickets to the US next month itself! My daughter is expecting and me and my wife will have to be there well before the due date in April’26” former finance ministry official Parameswaran was at his budgetary best when he announced this plan.
“Sir, whatever plan you make, unless the visa charges are taken off and the dollar prices come down, our children are all going to be in trouble, big time” Conceded Senthil whose daughter and son-in-law got their H1B visas just two months back and escaped the USD 100,000 fee each. They may not be that lucky next year.
“Correct, he even offered to re-build the UN headquarters with escalators that doesn’t stop in the middle” Senthil was alluding to the Trump’s speech in the UN.
“It’s going to be tough till the Trump era ends. He is basically a business man who believes in making America great again by cutting deals”. Mr. Rajagopal comments relied on his vast experience teaching behaviour sciences to management students.
“I and Trump belong to the same industry sir” quipped Ramamoorthy who has three unfinished housing projects in Chennai city to his credit. “He sees himself as a real estate developer first, and as POTUS later”.
“Even his signature resembles the Manhattan skyline Sir!” Ramamoorthy was referring to the straight, tall and continuous lines in Trump’s signature.
“For me it looks like the ECG reading of a person who just suffered a heart attack” resorted Dr. Kannan, a heart specialist and along with being a health enthusiast.
“With so many of our children in the US, we should rename our Triveni Apartments as Trump Apartments”. Chari, who was quiet till now came up with this wonderful suggestion to win the Trump grace.
“In fact, to win the grace of Trump we should honour George Washington! American Indians should build a Temple for the first President of the United States and invite Trump for the Kumbabhishekam ceremony. That will work wonders for the Indo-US relations!”
“What a fantastic idea Chari sir! With George Washington’s face on the dollar, there is no better way to strengthen the rupee vis-à-vis the US currency”. Narshimhan’s parting shot left everyone in splits!
Yours
Narayanan
Declaimer: This is a fictional piece and resemblances are only co-incidental.
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The only car that I ever sat in till I entered my twenties is the Ambassador, that, from the exterior, resembled the shell of an unevenly broken egg fitted with four wheels. All parts of the Ambassador car is notoriously known to produce noise except the horn! The shoes I wore for years were only from the Bata and the TV channel I watched was exclusively the Doordarshan. Except perhaps for the under garments, the dresses I wore then were stitched to measure by the family tailor and the concept of ready-made wears sounded alien. The idea of dining-out meant sitting on clanking chairs in noisy hotels and gulping down the routine south Indian menu or on very special occasions, savouring a plate of Chapati with Kurma in a semi air-conditioned restaurant. Holiday travels essentially meant visits to temples in nearby towns in public transport and vacations are but extended stays at cousin’s and aunt’s homes.
Till the early 1990s, this lack of choice encompassed all facets of life extending from products for personal use to goods and services of mass consumption and to the career options one can pursue. The bulky wrist watches most men wore came from the house of HMT and refrigerators in most homes were either Kelvinator or Godrej. If it is a bread toast for breakfast, it has to be Modern Bread spread only with Amul butter and Kissan Jam and if one were to drain it down with a health drink, it would be a Horlicks. The joy of riding a scooter was derived mostly by owning a Bajaj and the luxury of air travel were experienced only on the state-run Indian Airlines. The jobs in the organized sector were few that are either in the government departments and public sector undertakings or in the few private corporates. With unemployment and underemployment being the norm, one would thank the stars if he were to be gainfully occupied! With 431 million people living in extreme poverty the mood in general was fatalistic and the youth, non-aspirational!
In this gloomy scenario enters Dr. Manmohan Singh as the finance minister to undertake the herculean tasks of liberating the economy from the deliberating clutches of license quota and permit regime. Working assiduously to loosen the shackles that were holding the country back, Dr. Singh opened private participation in key areas of the economy allowing foreign investments to come in that compelled the domestic industries to compete with global players. Companies came in hordes to set up factories, foreign investments sky-rocketed and new industrial towns sprouted across the country. In few years, manufacturing companies around the world, from automobiles to electronics industries, have their manufacturing facilities in India with domestic ancillary industries milling round them creating jobs in thousands. With a vast pool of IT talent, India soon became the global hub for software services and young professionals in millions were recruited straight from their college campuses to be employed in the industry. Armed with the added advantage of proficiency in English language, the country soon transformed as the backend office to the world with young boys and girls servicing clients located on the other side of the globe. Call centres that work 24/7 with young workforce came up even in mofussil towns creating a domino effect on other support services like transport and logistics. With jobs that generated good income, a new middle class, young and dynamic, came into existence that drove demand upwards. India, thus got into a phenomenal growth trajectory never seen in the past fuelling an unsatiated quest for better quality of life. Indians have become aspirational!
To cater to these billion aspirations, international brands flooded the market giving Indians multiple choices and options for products ranging from cars to chocolates. Toyotas, Fords and Hyundais increasingly dominated the Indian roads while supermarkets were stuffed with Swiss chocolates and Californian almonds. Allen Solly, Louis Phillipe and scores of other clothing brands set up exclusive showrooms in every town just as Nike, Woodland and Lee copper became the favourite shoe brands for the upwardly mobile. LGs and Samsungs started commending the electronics market and McDonalds and Dominos became the preffered eating joints for the young Indians to hang out. Luxury brands like Harley Davidson, Louis Vuitton and Arnold Watches register high sales while Apple iPhones have a major share of the Indian mobile market. Along with these global players, Indian companies and brands too sprang up to capitalize on the opportunity resulting in healthy competitions ultimately to the benefit of the Indian customer. From a society devoid of any choice to a market with limitless options, this transition of India is unprecedented and fundamentally transforming!
With this buoyancy came the burgeoning demand for modern housing and real estate projects mushroomed not just in metropolis and major cities, but also in smaller towns. High-rise apartment buildings began dotting the skylines and new residential townships sprang up in their hundreds as the nation witnessed an unprecedented housing boom. With disposable incomes in hand, the young were also looking for investment avenues and the opening up of the stock market to digital trading just gave the right opportunity for the share market boom. From traditional bank savings, Mutual Funds became the favourite instrument for investments for the middle class reflecting the growing confidence in the market. Thus, Dr. Singh as finance minister overhauled the Indian economy erecting new pillars of growth for the future.
If it was the emergence of a new middle class that defined Dr. Singh’s term as finance minister, it was the elevation of poverty and rural re-generation that stood apart during his tenure as the Prime Minister of the country. By ensuring hundred days of work in a year for every rural household, Dr. Singh tackled the issue of rural unemployment and thereby squarely addressed the intractable problem of poverty. By enacting right for food as a fundamental right, he made it mandatory on the government to provide food to all its citizens the result of which, by the end of Dr Singh’s premiership, more than two hundred million Indians were effectively lifted out of poverty to lead life with dignity and honour. And again, during this tenure, he ensured a digital identity to every Indian through the famous Aadhar Card that facilitated their economic inclusion in later years. Be it putting a mobile phone in the pockets of almost every Indian or the waiver of the distressed farm loans or protecting people’s right over land and forests, Dr. Singh, as prime minister, made colossal contribution to the upliftment of the poor and thee marginalised.
As Dr. Manmohan Singh passed onto history on 26th December 2024, the country and its 1.4 billion people are in eternal gratitude to its noble son who forever changed their destiny!
Yours
Narayanan
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Come mid-December and Ms. Kamala Rajagopal turns a very busy person right from the wee hours of the day. Getting up early from the bed, she rushes to take a head bath in ice-cold water, wraps herself hurriedly in a saree, rolls her wet hair in a towel to make a bun with her shivering hands and dashes to the courtyard with a bowl of rice powder, turmeric and Kumkum. Tucking her saree at half length for easy movement, she bends down with a lump of rice powder and glides her figures on to the floor in intricate patterns. As the fine powder flows down with the movements of her fingers, an exquisite design with curves, lines and dots magically takes shape on the ground. Once the design is complete, she goes on to add colour to the outer and inner layers with the red Kumkum and turmeric and an auspicious “Kolam” majestically comes to life on the courtyard. Just has she completes the Kolam task, sounds of cymbals and mridangam waft through the chilly air signaling the arrival of “Margazhi Bhajanai” and Kamala stands with wide excitement to receive the procession.
In the Tamil month of Margazhi, every morning, bunch of devotees form groups to move in processions on the streets of Chennai and other towns of Tamil Nadu collectively singing hymns in praise of the Lord. Leading the musical march of this “Margazhi Bhajanai” are young girls dressed up as “Kodhai” and “Andal”, dancing to the rendition of Tiruppavai. The Tiruppavai is a set of thirty “Pasurams” or hymns, one for each day of the month, attributed to the female Tamil saint Andal that extols her love to the beloved Lord. Composed in chaste Tamil, each hymn signifies the devotee’s yearning that progressively leads her to divine fulfilment. Unmarried girls take up the singing of the Tiruppavai with great enthusiasm in the belief of finding the right groom for marriage! As the dance and music party reach her home, Kamala joins the chorus in the singing of the “Pasuram” and bows her head down in deep reverence.
Once inside the house, Kamala sets herself to the task of stringing garlands with freshly plucked flowers, the scents of which lends an aura of serenity to the entire home. Hues of pink, yellow and red garlands are tastefully adorned on to the idols and pictures in the pooja room as Kamala sits to begin her daily chants of the “Tiruvampavai.” Tiruvampavai is a collection of Tamil hymns in praise of Lord Shiva and is devotionally sung in the month of Margazhi. These compositions of Poet-Saint Manikkavacakar are deeply philosophical laced with unadulterated adoration of the Supreme and is assured to bring joy and prosperity to the household. Kamala’s morning devotion comes to a close with the waving of the “Aarti” to the singing of “Shobanam Shobanam.”
When the mornings are chill, the breakfasts during the Margazhi month have to be steaming hot and also should taste hot! And Kamala tries out her unique recipes during these days and one such is the “Chettinad Paniyaram” with the accompaniment of “Kara Chutney.” When the soft Paniyaram dipped in spicy chutney is popped into the mouth, it just melts with the first chew and slips down the gullet while the aromatic chutney leaves a flavour of heat as you let go the steam with a puff of the mouth. This delicate balance of soft and spice entices you to reach out for the next bite and the entire plate is emptied much before you realised it! Like a “Pasuram” a day, Kamala has a recipe a day for the entire month of Margazhi!
The evenings of Margazhi are exclusively reserved for music programs that are held at the hundreds of Sabhas spread across the city and Kamala and her husband have meticulously chalked out an itinerary of concerts to attend for the whole month. Called the ‘Kutcheri’ under the common parlance “Margazhi Maha Utavam”, these concerts showcase the rich musical traditions of South India in all its magnificence. The performance slots are allotted to artists based on their popularity and ratings with the evening concerts exclusively reserved for renowned musicians. While maestros and upcoming artists strive to put up their best performance on every stage during the season, both the connoisseurs and commoners look forward to this musical extravaganza with unabashed excitement! All the hotel rooms in Chennai city during the month are choc-a-bloc with rates sky-rocketing to cash in on the huge influx of Carnatic music lovers across the globe. Along with a huge boost for the art of music, the “Margazhi Maha Utsavam” is also a great fill-up to the commerce of the city!
After a feast for the ears with soul-stirring music, the post-concert time every day is reserved for a feast to the stomach. Sabhas organize food festivals in their premises where lip-smacking vegetarian food and sweets from all corners of India are served to the guests. Kamala and her husband make it a point to try out a different dish every day and relish the evenings to the fullest. Many of her menus at home are inspired by the items tried out in these food courts!
After a treat to the soul and the stomach, Kamala retires for the day very late in the night only to wake up early next day to welcome another day of Margazhi!
Yours
Narayanan
A kolam competition in progress…
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Painted and decorated pots are lined up on both sides as the woman in blue Kanchipuram saree pulls up a bucket of water over the pully of the well. On the courtyard stands a scarecrow guarding the spread of a wide assortment of spices for sun-drying along with freshly laid strands of potato fryums while, a few feet away, little girls are indulged in a game of ‘hopping the squares’ in gay abandon. In the grocer’s shop across the street, the shop-keeper is accurately weighing a kilo of gingelly oil on a balancing scale as the lady customer checks the aroma of a fistful of raw rice by placing it under her nostrils. In the Lady’s Fancy Store next door, the salesperson is slipping a bunch of colourful glass bangles into the hands of a mesmerized young lady just as another one enjoys her reflection on the mirror with a newly purchased pair of ear danglers. At the end of the road is the Iyer’s Tiffin Corner where the dhoti-clad uncle is cooling a glass of steaming filter coffee by pouring the hot stuff on to a ‘Davara’ from a height just as his wife is savouring a plate of idlis soaked in sambar. Taking a left turn and walking a few steps, led me to a lush green stadium where men clad in whites are locked in the game of cricket. Completely lost in an absorbing match, I hurried out on realizing sunset and took a turn right to be greeted with the Nadaswaram and Thavil musicians playing for a marriage procession. The groom in three-piece suit and a garland around him is slowly driven in an open car with a bunch of pretty women dressed up in fineries and holding goodies in decorated plates leading the convey. As the entourage headed towards the temple, I too sneaked into it to take a view of the grandeur inside.
The entrance of the temple had a huge Gopuram or the tower that depicted in it all the ten facets of Lord Vishnu, from the form of a fish to that of the horse-riding Kalki. And as I moved in, a huge square tank filled with blue water and pillars painted in red and white concentric circles all around greeted me giving me a deep feeling of tranquility within. Once past the tank, the entrancing form of Ganesh with an elephant trunk and a mouse beside him was a sight to cherish just as the form of his brother Kartikeya standing with a peacock that came next. As I moved along the corridor of the temple the form of Krishna playing the flute with the white cow in the background was absolutely enticing as the serene beauty of the snow-clad Kailasa mountain that followed it. The figure of Lord Shiva, clad in dear skin, sitting erect in deep penance was a scene straight from the scriptures. Stepping out of the temple from the other entrance, one marvels at the craft and the creativity of the Indian artisans!
Well, this is not a tour of a typical Indian town but the description of the miniature displays that are arranged in South Indian homes during the nine-day Navaratri that fall in the month of October every year. Called the “Golu”, the arrangement of these miniatures calls for a mix of ideas, imagination, visual creativity and a nuanced understanding of Indian cultural heritage. Largely done by the female members of the household, men chip-in to create the layers for the miniatures to be placed and in setting the ambiance with lights and sounds. The Golu settings could be anything from a simple three-step decoration to a massive multi-layered grandeur with lavish detailing on many aspects of human life that would require months of planning and many days for execution. While it is common to set up Golu at homes, public Golus in temples and at cultural centres are also huge attractions during these days.
Once set-up, the family members derive satisfaction only when the Golu is seen, appreciated, photographed and pictures and videos shared in social media. And for this, friends and relatives are invited to visit the homes during Navaratri and they invariably turn up to marvel at the ingenuity of the creative mind behind it. The female visitors offer musical renderings to the gods and goddess on display and the visitors are feasted to exquisite delicacies, gifted with clothes and dress materials for all the nine days. And at the end of it all, it is the rich, beautiful, vibrant and diverse culture of India complete with its music, dress and culinary that is in generously showcased during Navaratri.
Golu, in a nutshell, signifies the celebration of life in all its hues and colours and there isn’t a dull moment when life is shared with all around us. These miniatures are the true heavenly visitors to our homes!
Yours
Narayanan
With over 640 million voters exercising their democratic rights through 5.5 million Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) spread over a million polling stations, the just concluded general elections in India was indeed a gigantic exercise that is both a pride for the nation and an envy of the opponent neighbours. And when 542 candidates emerged victorious to be the new Members of the Parliament through a grueling eight-week long campaign in blistering heat, what was on abundant display throughout this election process was the proverbial “Dance of Democracy” in all its facets.
This celebration of the will of the people is made possible by our forefathers who in their collective wisdom adopted the concept of universal adult suffrage fundamental to our democracy. They gave all Indians above the age of twenty-one (later lowered to the age of eighteen), the right to vote irrespective of their caste, religion, colour, language, social, economic or other distinctions that was truly revolutionary for the time. Thus, the most deprived of the Indian shares equal power with his most privileged countrymen in electing his representative which often manifest in the final verdict in its own unique ways. In this election, while the ruling dispensation was brought back to power, it was contained way short of a simple majority so as to be dependent on its allies to run the government. As they pressed the little button on the EVM, it seems that the substantial chunk of the poor, the youth and the marginalised had the concerns of livelihoods foremost in their minds and thus decided to sober the powers that be. Such is the sovereignty of the people of India that they hold the ultimate authority to reward, replace or reprimand governments through that instrument called the Vote, collectively exercised once every five years.
Yet, this power of the vote as it is practiced today has some serious lacune. In a constituency-based First Past The Post (FPTP) system, many a times the will of the people is inadequately reflected in the outcome of the election. There have often been instances where voters of a particular political party, though relatively smaller in number but concentrated in a tiny region, gather larger share of seats than the ones with much larger vote share but dispersed over a wider geography. Thus, in the state of Bihar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) with over 22% of the vote share in the state won just four seats whereas the smaller Lok Janshakti (Ram Vilas) party won five seats with just 6.33% of the votes! And in some states, a small difference in vote share translates disproportionately to huge difference in the seats. In Odisha for instance, The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) with a vote share of about 45% won all but one of the twenty-one seats in the state whereas the Biju Janta Dal (BJD), though polled over 37% of the votes drew a blank! So also is the case of AIADMK in Tamil Nadu with 20% of the votes and no seats to its kitty.
This anomaly in correctly interpreting the choice of the people calls for progressive intervention and one instrument that’s available is the idea of Proportional Representation (PR) of political parties based on their vote share. Though a complete shift to the concept of PR may not be feasible nor desirable, a partial adoption of its tenets would be a step forward and the Delimitation Act to be implemented offers the right opportunity. The Delimitation Act that is to come into force based on the census conducted after the year 2026 is expected to increase the number of parliamentary seats in the country and these incremental seats could be considered for PR. The Law Commission has already made a similar recommendation for a Mixed Member Proportional Representation (MMPR) wherein the present ‘First Past The Post’ system is imaginatively aligned to PR for the additional seats. This also would be in line with the larger trend the world over for PR in parliaments and senates. There are today about a hundred countries that practice PR in one form or the other and the system seems to be inclusive and more genuinely represent the divergent nature and character of the population.
Politics and political systems, as any other branch of human endevour, are evolutionary in character and as such should be dynamic enough to reflect the shifting aspirations of the people. And timely reforms are the key to keep the system robust. India, for long, has been a votary for reforms in the Security Council of the United Nations and has justifiably sought a permanent seat to make the Security Council “legitimate, representative, responsive and effective” reflecting the geo-political realities of the times. It is thus only prudent that reforms be also carried out in the Indian electoral process to make it more representative and responsive.
From the time of Plato’s The Republic and the republican Janapadas of ancient India, the search for a more inclusive and representative form of governance has remained a constant pursuit for millenniums and it still continues to be a ‘work in progress’.
Yours
Narayanan
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My dear Sales colleague,
Now that the yearly sales closing is done, I am sure you would be experiencing a sense of great relief! Like the person gasping for air after having been forcefully thrust under water for a full three and a half minutes, this sense of freedom is unfathomable. A thousand kudos to you for withstanding the immense pressure of the 31st March deadline for achieving the annual sales target under which lesser humans would have easily succumbed. You have successfully managed to process the last minute orders, overcame debilitating internal challenges and ensured timely supplies… all these are nothing short of near super human feats that only a sales person like you could ever deliver!
A Sales person’s job is one of the hardest as it involves mastery over a range of hard and soft skills while the outcome is never certain. In a profession where you need to demonstrate unparalleled grit and determination just to stay afloat and relevant, it’s the great salesmanship in you that emerge triumphant. The communication and persuasive traits, that unique hallmark of a vintage salesman, is amply evident in the longevity of your career while your ability to empathise and evolve out-of-the-box solutions to customer demands is a trademark forte of a seasoned salesman. And when matters go wrong and bizarre and sales figures take a nosedive, it’s your resilience that stands you apart from the lesser mortals. You bounce back every time you are beaten, you adapt every time market conditions evolve and you call out every time internal systems become non-responsive! When success smiles, you take it in your stride knowing only too well that to continue in sales you cannot afford to rest on your laurels.
Yet it is always your job that is in the line of fire whenever figures slump even for reasons that are beyond your control. Though it is you who got in the revenue for the company for many years, helped it build the brand and identify new markets, it is always the sales man’s job that is at stake at the first whiff of adversity. The new product could be out of sync with market demands, the credit policies could be detrimental to sales growth and the problems of logistics and servicing could be appalling… yet none of them operating in these areas will be accountable for these lapses but only you, the sales person. While you are made to explain the downfall and risk job loss, others continue unaffected, even gain pay rises, promotions and possible retirement extensions and enjoy the unfettered security of a permanent job.
But as a Sales person you are only too aware of this anomaly and take it spiritedly as part of the job hazard and continue with your amazing work, smiling. For you too have a family to feed, a monthly home loan to pay, the children’s school fees to remit and elderly parents to take care of. You remain jovial and enterprising for you cannot afford to be otherwise, for the larger good. But let me assure you that the job you do is completely inimitable, most essential for the business enterprise and the value you bring to the table is indeed priceless. You are the jewel in the crown!
The month of March may have come and gone but as a true hero you continue to march valiantly, and unfazed!
Yours
Narayanan
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