Good to go

There was a time;

We could have made it all better.

But did it ever matter

When we had our ways to stride?

Now that it’s all done and dusted,

Does it make any sense anymore?

 

As you stand by me

I’m blind and I don’t see,

Don’t waste your tears that’s not worth,

Don’t say words that I can’t hear;

Nothing’s gonna change what we made,

For I’m numb and I don’t feel.

 

The fairy tale began so well, oh did it?

The chapters were merrier than what we thought.

When the pages turned with the chimes

The seasons never stayed the same.

Every piece of the broken mirror

Says a thousand tales you wish never did.

 

As you stand by me

I’m blind and I don’t see,

Don’t waste your tears that’s not worth,

Don’t say words that I can’t hear;

Nothing’s gonna change what we made,

For I’m numb and I don’t feel.

 

As you stand taller than thou,

Nothing’s gonna change any better or worse.

I’m glad that we never miss 

Any moment that we could’ve ever made.

And though I cannot say it anymore

I wish if I could love you a bit less.

 

As you stand by me

I’m blind and I don’t see,

Don’t waste your tears that’s not worth,

Don’t say words that I can’t hear;

Nothing’s gonna change what we made,

For I’m numb and I don’t feel.

Out the dragons

You called out the dragons
From deep within the deep;
The dragons that were once chained,
You were brave enough to call 'em out.

When the night falls down,
All the starts shine bright,
The new moon creeps,
And the cool breeze sets.

When you stir the calm waters,
The ripples just don't die;
When you call out the dragons,
The fire would engulf everything around.

If you feel it's a myth,
That the dragons don' t exist;
The aftermath won't lie,
But then, what would be left behind?

Was it the ignorance,
Or the pride that set you forth;
The dragons that slept in the cellar,
That you woke up from the slumber?

Can you claim, 
Can you blame,
Can you frame,
Can you tame?

You called out the dragons
From deep within the deep;
The dragons that were once chained,
That you braved to wake up from the sleep.
   

The tentacles of AI

I saw my kid, when she was 4 years old, chatting over the phone. When I checked how she managed to make a phone call, I came to know that it was not a phone call, but she was having a conversation with Google. Two years ago, when I stumbled upon chatGPT, and the associated AI tools, with some basic knowledge of computers, I felt a chill in my spine. I felt that the scope of AI is beyond our imagination. This led me to ask a question to chatGPT if AI can take over human beings. The answer was a straight NO. But I rephrased it and asked it in a different way. This time the answer was not a definite NO, but ‘maybe not in the near future’.  How near that future is something that only time will tell.

As the title states, tcan it get into our lives and wreck havoc, or can it create a whole new arena of opportunities? Let’s delve deeper into it and try to figure out what it can or cannot do to our lives, how much it can impact us and where it can lead us to. The uncertainties it has started to create, the fear of losing jobs, and the fear of finding job opportunities among students, all cannot be ruled out. AI is moving ahead at a pace that we cannot fathom. 

While exploring the AI realm, I stumbled upon a site. Though I could create a script using AI, convert that text to audio and use it, I preferred not to. I wrote my own script, recorded the audio and used a photograph of mine to create a video (Click to watch). The body was stiff, but the face did a good job. Though the expression was not that great, the lip moment and head moment was not that bad. I also tried to create a song using another website with one of my lyrics. But the AI industry was not ripe enough to create even a bad one. Time took a toll, and I couldn’t explore much of it. But I was quite sure that AI is going to leap forward at an unprecedented pace. 

At that point in time, while speaking to a team of lecturers, I had to spend almost an hour on how AI is creeping in, but they were not ready to accept it. I asked them if they would prefer to stand in a long queue to buy a railway ticket or do it at comfort using an app. One of them said that she would prefer to stand in the queue. She was indeed from the Performing Arts department. She said she would want to interact with people, know their emotions, expressions etc. But, I felt it's right and didn’t counter it, later when I thought about it, I felt that that can be done even otherwise. I remember chatting with people around the world using mIRC chatrooms even before Yahoo or Google came into existence. 

The group of faculty members whom I interacted with was from the deanery of Arts and Humanities. They have their own way of looking at things. They say that human interaction is very much required. But will using apps and AI snatch away that interactiveness from anyone’s life? Well, not at all. If we can save the time using latest technologies we can use that time to go out and be with others thereby having all the interactions that we are looking for. If at all we need to know about people waiting at the counter of a railway station, we can simply be there without bothering about the rest of the troubles.

    Having said that, no matter how much we fear, or try to evade AI in our lives, the more it will invade our daily spaces. Is it going to be disruptive or constructive? We need to ponder deeply about it. Let us have a look at a few areas where it matters most, when it comes to media and communication to understand it better before thinking about the next step.

Whether we realise or not, AI is in all spheres of our life already. From the messengers we use to the advertisements we receive, it’s all around us. Often when you try to send an email, or a message in your watsapp, the words that are shown as suggestions are all a part of it. You might wonder why you get advertisements based on what you wanted to search or were speaking about, AI has its clutches on it.  

In journalism, AI has become an inevitable tool for quite some time. From creating scripts to final rendering it has a big role to play. Nowadays journalists depend on AI tools like Grammarly to make sure that the grammatical errors are avoided, rather than spending a whole lot of time reading the entire material. We can even input a few prompts and create articles using ChatGPT. One might wonder if it’s okay to do so. But in this fast paced world, it will be like asking if one should use a calculator or computer to calculate or rather spend time and calculate manually with high possibility of errors. It is a feature which is built-in in almost all the softwares these days to check grammar or spellings. Even while I am writing this article it is doing the checks and asking me to make necessary changes. 

AI has a big role in media. These days even logos can be created with prompts, which used to take days and months of brainstorming and thought processes. There are websites where we can create logos with prompts. One need not spend a lot of time on Photoshop or Coreldraw to do that. We can even create videos from photographs from AI sites. As mentioned earlier, we need even write a script of our own. All we need is to prompt and get the script. The same script can be used to generate a voice similar to any famous personalities or of our own. 

In the area of mass media, AI has a good role to play. But at the same time it has it’s issues too. Due to the algorithms used in AI, often we don’t get what we are supposed to, but get only what we want. If we are not vigilant and not ready to explore beyond the layer that engulfs us, we will never be able to see the realities. If we have been checking only what we like, then everything that we get will only be based on that. When it comes to NEWS, it’s a dangerous thing for those who are always biased. Already they are not in a position to think. On top of it, they get only news or articles based only on that view point. It’s the same with advertisements too. For eg, if you search for furniture and happens to check those made of engineered wood, then you won’t get ads of furnitures made of plywood or real wood, unless it’s pushed to you as advertisements and make you check it forcefully. 

 These kind of AI intervention in our lives will snatch away our capacity to think.  Of late, one of my friends, when asked to choose food at a restaurant proposed to check with AI what to eat. Another friend of mine told me about a meme which showed people stuck at an escalator when it stopped working. They just had to climb down, but were not ready to move as they didn’t know what to do in such a situation. Maybe someone could have at least used a search engine to find what to do. But this is where AI is taking us to. We are being made puppets, threaded in the hands of AI.

There was a time when we had to hire dubbing artists for voice-overs. Not just the price, but also the time taken with all the corrections and re-recordings were too high. These days all we need is the script. We get the voice in any gender, any race, any personality. Of course, dubbing artists are becoming a thing of the past, which is a problem, but on the other hand the production time and expense has come down drastically. With AI character in place it can even replace actors. Many might contest that no one would be interested in AI characters. But to answer that, one need to answer: don’t we enjoy cartoon characters?  

As mentioned earlier, with AI we can create characters and make them do what ever we want it to do with just some prompts. There had been instances where people made use of AI to show others in bad light. It has evolved so much that it’s not possible for many to find out if a video is real or fake. We can use AI creatively, but it can also be a disaster if not used wisely or without restrictions. We would need laws to prevent misuse of such elements. 

Another field where AI can be made best use of is in the field of education. It can be used as a medium of communication between teachers and students. One might feel a bit uncomfortable thinking that it would snatch away the jobs of teachers. But on the contrary it could actually be used as a supportive element in teaching. It’s impossible for a teacher in the class to carter to all sorts of students with different learning skills - The VARK (Visual, auditory, read-write and kinesthetic skills). Each one has a different way of learning. If we implement AI, we can take care of everyone individually. The teacher need not be there. Learning can happen on a laptop or a desktop. With the help of AI, a student’s learning skill can be identified and the teaching method can be chosen based on that. For those who are inclined to learning through auditory method, audio clips can be provided as learning material. If the learner is inclined to learning via visual media, videos can be provided for learning. This way it becomes more personalised and enhances the learning. 

If you fear loss of job due to this, you need not actually bother. Because a teacher can always be there as a mentor. AI technology would only reduce the burden of the teacher. To teach something, how many times and how many ways would a teacher be able to do? AI can do it in various ways, umpteen times without getting fed up. For any person to know each and everything in this world is impossible. But AI is the collective knowledge of all the people and data around the world. So it can answer the learner better than 100 teachers all together. Instead of mentoring the students in a classroom, the teacher can be there to support them individually beyond what the AI is used for. Even assessing the students will become easier that way. It would be like using Excel sheets to maintain the records of students and calculate their marks, average, etc and use analytics to know about the students’ progress. Why should one write down all the names of the students in the class for every assessment and do all the calculations manually? 

With AI, the first set of people to lose jobs ought to be the group that many won’t even envisage - doctors, lawyers and engineers. You might wonder why. A doctor, throughout the learning period learns about what is already there. Just as a teacher, a doctor too cannot learn everything in the world. If we go to a doctor, the prescriptions are given based on the symptoms. Doctor can go wrong often since there are many things that keep evolving. Keeping up to date is difficult because they won’t have time for that. AI is a collective knowledge. It can help one find the problems and give solutions based on the symptoms, whether it’s an age-old flu or a new virus. Even lawyers quote existing cases which can be in the database. No lawyer can get to know every case in the world. Here is where AI can come to help. In engineering, to know what materials to use for construction or for making anything, AI can decide the materials, the cost, the time and what not. Any building design can be created, based on the location, the soil, the budget etc etc. 

 

With all these said, is AI a boon or bane? The answer is ‘both’. It all depends on how we use, and for what. Future might belong to the one who makes best the use of AI. Especially in the media field, we can use it immensely to create contents, may it be NEWS, may it be entertainment, may it be movies, AI can bring down the cost of production to a great extent. It will drive a lot of creative people to bring out a lot of content. The one who knows how to use it will bring a lot more to the platter.

With the alarming rise of AI, what if AI takes over almost everything? This is what one of my friends asked me. The answer is simple, though one might find it utopian. What does a human being need? It’s the basic necessities - food, water, clothing and shelter. If AI can do all the work, then we need not bother. AI can do a wonderful job in terms of creating all these necessities with the help of robots. It can get into agriculture and provide necessary food by doing any kind of farming anywhere in the world by understanding the soil, watering when and how much is required, pruning and all the care needed at the right time at the right quantity. No one needs to toil hard for that. Water can be plenty by managing the resources by AI. Enough clothing can be produced with the help of AI. And so is the shelter. That is when human beings get enough time to get to know each other, spend time with each other, love each other and go and explore places with plenty of time left behind. 

At that point in time creative people will keep creating things from their heart. No matter how much AI can do, creative people will never cease to create things. Just as a poet who keep writing poems, no matter how many million poets are there are in the world, creative people will always remain creative and never become idle.  

* I wrote this article as an assignment for one of my courses. It was not written just for the sake of it, but something that I wanted to share for long. It's a vast area to deal with. Hope I will be able to spend some time soon and write more about it.

AI conundrum - The scope of Artificial Intelligence in education

Of late, maybe none of my conversations, or workshops or classes that I take, go without the mentioning of AI. When I see the young generation not being able to think, I wonder if I should ask them to think, or just let them be as they are because AI is there to take care of all the decisions. If I ask them to think, it might sound like asking them to go back to bullock-cart age. We have progressed a lot in terms of technology, and AI creeping into our lives in such a fast pace, should we shy away from accepting the fact that AI is no more a myth and thereby embrace it, or should we fight against it? There was a time calculators and computers were kept away from all spheres for the fear that it will kill our abilities. But now it has become a part of our lives. Similarly, should we get along with AI or wage a war against it is what we should think. The choice is personal right now, though the choice may cease to exist any time sooner or later.

That being said, the scope of AI in the realm of education is something that can turn the whole system topsy turvy. It's a dreadful thought that creeps into many a mind of those in the teaching profession. The fear of losing their bread and butter might bring shivers down their spines. But is it something to be fearful about, or is it something that can come handy is what we need to think about.

Should we bother?

Can it lead to massive loss of jobs in education sector? Can it cause havoc? Well, the answer maybe yes. Why so? The potential of AI is so much so that it can replace the teaching fraternity as a whole. One might find it difficult to digest. I'm pretty much sure that those who know about computer programming can understand that better.  So what can AI do in the teaching-learning sphere? Let's take a look.

When a faculty deals with an average of fifty to sixty students in a class, it indeed is a diverse group whose learning methodologies are as varied as the group is. If you consider the VARK learning style, some are inclined to learn better with visual aids, some auditory, some read/write and others kinesthetics. When catering to students with varied learning styles, classroom teaching won't satisfy every individual. No matter how a person tries to incorporate all of these, it will not be possible to do all in one. This will lead to almost everyone lose out on a bit of each. Moreover one person cannot understand the mood of each and every student and cater to each one of them personally.

This is where digital content comes to use. It is very personal. The teaching happens one on one, with no one around. It has all the elements of VARK, including kinesthetics as it can have feedbacks and activities too. In the classroom, no matter how much ever a student is interested, due to mood swings, climate, time of the day etc, the student can lose attention. Even if not, the distraction by a friend can result in the loss of flow of attention. On the contrary, a video can be played when the student is in good mood to learn, beyond the stipulated time frame. More over, if concentration is lost for a moment, one can replay it and listen to it again and again as many times as it is understood, whereas it's not possible for a faculty to repeat anything umpteen times in a classroom setting. 

Role of AI in education

Now, where does AI fit in? If AI can be developed in such a manner that it can understand the learning methodology of a student, it can deliver the learning material based on that. For eg, if a student is inclined to learn better through visual aids, it can provide more visual materials than using other types of study materials. If the student didn't understand, or lost concentration, or feel sleepy, AI can detect the mood with the help of a camera and can either ask the student to take a break and get back, or maybe play a game to get the student back in track. Here, even the game can be based on the study material. If not a game, it can be a song, or a movie, or anything that the student will find rejuvenated as per AI's understanding of the student. 

One might argue that classroom teaching can never be replaced with digital learning. But, is it true in this era? My child, before going to school, learned almost all the nursery rhymes by watching TV. Well, of course, the next argument would be about their inter or intra-personal capabilities. How many from the previous generation are in touch with their friends and relatives physically? Have not most of them moved into making phone calls and sending messages, instead of going and meeting anyone personally? Even marriages and funerals are attended online these days. Should we be sceptical about the generation that is born in the digital era? I recently saw my 10 year old child with five or six children of the same age. I didn't see her speak, neither did other children. Everyone were having mobiles in their hands and were busy with that. Can we expect them to have the kind of relationships the older generation had? Will it make sense for them? Should we force our way of life on to them? 

With AI, if we take it a step ahead, it can even speak to the student just like any of us. So it will become more of an interaction between them. Again, my child, when she was around four or five years of age, one day was speaking over the phone. I was wondering how could she make a phone call. But when I checked, it was not a phone call, but she was having a conversation with google. I don't think they will have the kind of thinking that we used to have once upon a time. Things have changed and they have moved far beyond the personal sphere. They will live in a digital world. I remember myself being busy with computer games and mIRC chats 20 years ago, and I never thought about anything else at that point in time. I used to be engrossed in it, not knowing what is happening around me. I was in touch with people across the globe, though I was cut off from my own relatives and friends. Twenty years down the lane, kids born in the IT age, will no doubt be far beyond that.    

AI in lieu of teacher 

When we speak about AI being the teacher, the student can even choose the teacher since it's all virtual. In a classroom setting, students can have issues with the teacher. Some students lose their interest in studies because of their teacher. Here, with AI, student can even choose the character. For eg, if a student is more attached to his/her father, the father's character can be chosen as teacher. This will give more of a personal touch. At times they might get bored with the same person teaching. Here again, just like the characters being chosen in games, students can choose/change the teacher character at any point in time. This will make learning more interesting.  

Also, human beings have limitations in terms of knowledge, amount of time, health etc. But AI can be with the student beyond any time, with a wealth of knowledge. Since it's a collective knowledge, the information it can give is beyond imagination. It can deliver the same information again and again without losing temper. 

If we sit and think of AI in teaching/learning, the advantages and possibilities are too many to list out. Here we would need to think about the role of a teacher. Should we move to AI and get rid of all the teachers? Or should we limit the learning possibilities of students with that of the limitations of human beings as teachers? Well, I would say that it's high time we move to AI. But at the same time, teachers should make use of AI and be facilitators and guides rather than fighting against it. One day or the other AI will surely takeover and if teachers are not ready to embrace it and make the best use of it, that is when they are going to be at the receiving end and may become obsolete. We can think of the scenario when computers were introduced, how even now, many struggle to make use of it, while those who have adapted it gives better output in terms of efficiency and timeliness. An MCQ question paper can give the results in fraction of a second than a teacher going through all the answers one by one and ending up with calculation errors, with so much of stress and fatigue. Which one is better? 

We can't turn a blind eye to the reality. It's high time that we explore the possibilities of what AI can do and how we can make use of it in the best possible way in the field of education. There soon will be a pioneer who will turn the entire world upside down. Should we walk a step ahead or lose out? Ask, and decide for yourself.

Memories to cherish

Nothing lasts for ever, but the memories till we go
The good times and the bad that we cherish
No matter whether we like it or not
Nothing lasts for ever, but the memories till we go.

This time this day, we'll be missing like no other day
We'd never wanna miss a wink for ever and ever
Just as these days that never come back
Nothing lasts for ever, but the memories till we go.

We walked into this place all alone
But we walk out not alone 
With a hell lot of friends and a wealth of knowledge
Nothing lasts for ever, but the memories till we go.

Some good times, some bad
Some sleepless nights, some missed heartbeats,
The rush hours and the fun that we all pass by
Nothing lasts for ever, but the memories till we go.

As we bid farewell to those around that stood by us
It's time to move on, to move on to a different world
All set to conquer, leaving all the wonderful moments behind
As nothing lasts for ever, but the memories till we go.

Teacher

         Who is a teacher? A teacher is the one who passes on the knowledge to someone. Who can be a teacher? Anyone who is willing to learn and impart the right knowledge to the listener can be a teacher. Who can be the best teacher? It is the who can sow the seeds of knowledge in the best possible way. What does a teacher earn? A true teacher earns true respect. Here I try to bring in some of my thoughts about teachers.

       I believe that teaching is the most noble profession of all and a teacher is the greatest sculptor of humankind. A teacher plays a very important role in a person's life. It can be positive or negative. A good teacher moulds a child and bring the best out of  him. A passionate teacher works towards it tirelessly. To the Teachers Day wish of one of my students, I responded this way: "A teacher becomes great when the student becomes great, in terms of knowledge and wisdom. Knowledge is about subject, wisdom is about righteousness, justice and love." 

      The first thought about a teacher that comes to my mind is my granny. Throughout my half a mile walk to market with her during holidays, I have seen many wish her with a lot of respect and say how their lives were transformed by her. When I look back, I realise how great it is to be a teacher.         

       How far can a teacher influence a student? Well, it depends on various factors like the age of the student, acceptance and trust the student has in the teacher etc. Knowledge, wisdom and the ability of the teacher to communicate plays a crucial role in it.   

      Why age plays an important role? The way adults think is different from a child, and so is a grown up. One should be moulded at a younger age. Tender age is like soft clay. Once it gets harder, it's difficult to shape, though possible up to certain extent. Once they grow older, the learnings and experiences they came across make them rigid in their thinking. So a teacher's responsibility at younger ages is the most important one. A student can love or hate a subject based on the teacher.     

        Another aspect I pointed out was acceptance and trust towards the teacher. Once a student can accept the teacher and the trust is built, the teacher can guide the student without a hitch. There are many things associated with it, like knowledge about the subject, wisdom, communication skills, appearance, cleanliness etc. Without a sound subject knowledge how can the knowledge sharing happen? But, that doesn't mean that only the one who knows everything can be a teacher. As I once said: "The day one believes he knows everything, that is the day he becomes a fool." So, a teacher's life is about learning one or the other thing every now and then.

       Wisdom is equally important, because it is wisdom that helps one to gain trust, without which there will be no acceptance. Wisdom stands by truth, justice and truthfulness. Most of the students whom I deal with, in the initial days itself I let them know that no matter how close they try to be with me, wether they love me or hate me, everyone is equal to me and no one get any special consideration, or less, no matter what. I am faithful to my job and hence I expect the same from them too.

       Communication is another aspect that one cannot neglect. No matter how much knowledge one has, without proper communication it cannot be imparted efficiently. The student will end up having half knowledge or even worst understanding of subject.     

        Most importantly, it is the passion that drives a teacher. If one gets into the profession for the sake of remuneration, then it will be the greatest injustice one can do to the profession. Respect needs to be earned by what one do. If one looks at gaining respect, without being driven by passion, it will be lost.       

         Should the teacher teach the subject alone? No. Along with subject, the teacher should be able to teach the student to think, reason, analyse and experiment. Not only that, even emotions, interests and many other aspects need to be touched upon. Every student and his/her thoughts should be respected. Not every one is equal and the same cannot be expected from all. Every individual has his own interest, talent and passion. Tap the right potential rather than diverting it or stopping it.      

       Of late, I have seen a degradation of respect towards teachers. Though one of the reasons is their upbringing, their experience with teachers plays a crucial role. Since people are lured into teaching profession with good remuneration, many of them, like any other profession, get into it without even a bit of passion. For some it might be time pass or just another job, but for another it's a dream of their life.         

      Maybe not being studious, I never had a good rapport with any of my teachers. So I don't have any good memories with any of them during my childhood. But in college days I did come across few of them whom I look up at. They had good thinking ability, subject knowledge, reasoning ability and above all humility. They indeed earned my respect.

     If I were asked whom I consider to be the greatest teacher, I would say my parents. But above all it's Jesus who taught the greatest art of life - love.

Watsapp to Signal - should you switch over?

A prelude

         When I heard about the new policy, I just shrugged it off just like any other policies that are too difficult for any lay man to understand. It didn’t bother me at all. But the moment I came to know that I am forced to agree to the terms and conditions, it did hit my senses. I felt that my freedom is at stake. That is when I called my friend and asked if we can create a new app similar to Watsapp. As usual, when ever I think of an idea, the response was that someone might have already done it. That lead me to the search and I stumbled upon ‘Signal.’ Immediately I installed Signal, and I had no one except me jumping into it. Soon I posted on facebook and got few of my friends who wanted the change. 

 

The aftermath

Not before too long, news about the switchover and the exodus to Signal forced even the CEO of Watsapp to come out in the open to alleviate the fears surrounding the new policy. They had to put out full front-page ads to stop the flow. On the funny side, based on Elon Mask’s tweet, another company with similar name made windfall gains in the sharemarket as their shares surged a whopping 5100% in three days.

 

Policy matters?

            Does it matter to you or me? Well, for me it does matter. You should decide for yourself whether it matters for you or not. We don’t have the time to get into the nitty gritties of the policies, or may not even understand any of those. I have seen people support Watsapp with the questions raised by the supporters of Watsapp. One of the questions was that, when we had been doing the same for quite a while, and as we have already given away everything through Google, Facebook, etc, why the hullaballoo?   

            Well, true that we have already surrendered almost everything. But should we still do it, knowingly? For me, I never felt any need for such kind of a freedom. That is the reason why, even before people came to know about linking bank account, pan card and what not, I have done it all. But, then, why make a fuss about this? 

 

Why switchover?

The reason is the amount of phone calls and messages I get. It has driven me to a point where I usually avoid calls from unknown numbers. There was a time I used to attend each and every call, and call back if I missed it, since I never wanted anyone to feel they are neglected. I was ever ready to lend an ear to those in need. But now, if someone wants to get in touch with me at times of struggles, it is difficult, because I don't attend calls from unknown numbers unless I am free, and I usually don't revert to them if I notice it. 

As for me, all this while I didn’t know of an alternative. Though I thought of an alternative years ago, I felt there will be no takers and hence it will be a waste of time bringing out a similar platform, even with minor changes. Of course, I couldn’t think of any additions that could drive people away from their comfort zone. Anyway, now that I have a choice, why should I let myself play the fool. I prefer to enjoy whatever freedom that is available.

            I feel I will be enslaved forever if I don’t move out when I have a choice. The ads I see, the phone calls I get, everything is linked to every single matter that I search, controlled by big players. In this era of manipulations and 'fakeism,' the real ones never reach you. 

            When I was a freelancer, I was once forced by a portal to pay and get leads from them. Though I was least interested in it, due to their coercion I took a small pack. Soon I came to know that I won’t get any leads as they put out in public only those who pay a hefty sum. So the better services I could offer for 60 to 80K were taken away by mediocre players who charge 1.5L and above, just by paying a handsome amount to the portal. People were left with no choice, as they never know what I could offer and at what price.

            When I connect that with the current scenario, I get the feeling that soon we will get not what we want, but what they give. When I say ‘they,’ those are the most powerful and rich I mean. When I have what I need right in front of me, should I bother? Well, that is where the enslavement happens. We won’t even know a product that is existing for 50 bucks when we will be offered a choice of only the one that costs 500 bucks, that too, the same product. Small players will be eliminated from the market. And if any remain, their products will be taken away by the big players. For the players it is okay, as they get the same from them too. But, we, the end consumers, will be the one who have to pay the price.

            Theatres that used to offer tickets for 20 to 50 bucks, is just an example. Once the big players came, they had to stop their businesses. They were swallowed by multiplexes and we now pay 250 to 500 for the same. Of course, facilities are better, but is it worth? And if we can be selfish enough to neglect those who cannot afford to basic entertainment, then there is no scope of another thought. Anyway, still bigger players have come in the form of OTT. But now multiplexes are crying foul. The cycle will go on. 

            For me, ‘Signal’ seems to make sense since I need to share only my contact number. They don’t take my other details. I can be in control. Moreover, Signal is an opensource platform, and until they decide to sell it, I have a choice above the enslaving app. I only wish if there was an alternative for facebook too.

             More than anything, I don’t want to be controlled like robots. I don’t want them to decide for me, a freedom I always fought for even from my parents since childhood. And if being such a slave doesn’t matter, then one need not be bothered at all. Choice is yours.

Disclaimer: 

           These are my personal views based on my understanding. I am only a human and I can make wrong assumptions. Don’t ever blindly believe in what I say. Do think, even beyond what I can, and draw your own conclusions.        

Oh! How I wish...

Some wishes come true,
Some remain forever;
Some are wished never to happen,
Some wishes seem too strange.

I wish if I could tell you,
Tell you the way you want me to;
I wish if I could give you,
Give you the way you want me to.

Is it true, is it false,
What we have within us;
Can we take, can we give,
The one that need be.

I wish if I could give you more,
The way you want it to be;
But I know not how much more,
To give you the more you want.

I wish if I knew how you measure,
Though I am sure I cannot match;
For what I have is not what you want,
And what you want is not what I have.

I wish if I could love you less,
So that I could love you more;
I wish, if I could love you a little less,
So that I could love you a little more.

Strange, as it seems to be,

I wish if I could love you less;

Not to love you any less,

But to love you a little more.

DEMONetisation - in my view

        I need not say what demonetisation is, since all of them in India would have got a taste of it. Though I started writing this as soon as demonetisation was announced I couldn't complete it due to lack of time. After quite a long time, I am continuing with this. 

      
       When my friend broke that news for me, saying that all high value currency notes are going to go extinct in the nick of time, and on seeing the news by few 'reputed' channels reporting new currencies to have IC chips which will reveal where the notes are, even if it is hidden several feet beneath earth's surface, I told him that for the first time I appreciate our PM Modi for taking a great step. But soon, as usual, doubts started creeping my mind, whether it is possible, and what could be the cost of installing chips and what could be the value of each currency if so much is spent on such technologies. Soon I added a clause on appreciating Mr Modi with 'if the new currency is going to have all the said features.'  

     Not too late everything came to light, and my opinion completely changed. I became one of the critics and started speaking against demonetisation. I don't think it is even required at this point in time to mention what went wrong because everyone should have understood it. Yet, I thought I will complete what I started.  

    As I expected, and as many people predicted, demonetisation broke the backbone of our economy. When Manmohan Singh, the previous PM, said it is a monumental disaster, and what is going to happen, they were mocking at him. But rest is history, though not for the feeble hearts. "Give me 50 days," became just another jhoomla. Many innocent lives were lost, but why should anyone care as they belong to lesser Gods. From bringing out black money, the greatest achievement became Rahul Gandhi being made to stand in queue. Many were rejoicing just for that reason as they were standing in long queues. We all stood in queue, but none of the black money holders were found to be there.      

      Meanwhile, one of my friends told me the ‘real’ reason why demonetisation was done. He said that his uncle works in the printing field who knows all about printing notes and that the real reason for the sudden declaration of demonetisation was because the printing of new notes was assigned to a Congress party leader and since he started leaking the news about demonetisation Modi had to announce it before everyone exchanged the notes. For his thinking capacity he really believed in it. I really liked the story. But unfortunately for him I felt it's another cooked up story, the reason being, BJP people entrusting Congress guy with such a task seemed too much for me to digest. I told him that how foolish Modi must be to do that, that too when he is working day and night to have a nation without Congress (Congress-mukth Bharat in his own words). Moreover, this is the era of watsapp. How long would it take for the news to spread like wildfire.  Yet not even one person knew it, even after the Congress guy leaked the news. 

            Modi said that it was to create a cashless economy that he did it. But, to make a cashless economy, he could have simply eliminated all high denomination notes for ever. If every office accepts only digital payment and only small denominations up to 100 were to be allowed, even corruption could have been controlled to a greater extent. But then why did he introduce still higher denomination of 2000? Other than for elections, why else would he have introduced it? Why else would he do that? And most importantly, before we even saw the notes it was available with the terrorists.

            As per his declaration, even fuel surcharge was waived off during that period. But I got charged for it. When I enquired they said though he said so, there was no instruction given. I need not wonder how a person could sit on the PM chair and lie so blatantly, cus it’s not just a one-off incident. We can write an epic on the lies starting from 15 lakh on every account. 

       By the way, the reason for demonetisation kept changing colours on a regular basis. If we ask the ardent supporters, even today each one will have a different reason, just like our diverse culture. From curtailing black money to stopping terrorism, reasons were aplenty. On the economic front, few economists blindly supported it with their own theories as usual, while others told what exactly is going to happen. Me being an ordinary guy who has no idea about how economy works, I relied on those who made sense. 

       

     There were many who even said they will quit politics if their reasons were proven wrong. They were all proven wrong, yet neither did they quit nor did anyone ask for it. As a normal person, what I felt was that if demonetisation was a success as they still ‘claim,’ then why hasn't our tax collection increased phenomenally. I have noticed that more than 70% more sellers have started giving bills. There was a time I had to insist on bills. Even after getting a taxed bill I was not sure if the receipts were original those days. But now they themselves have started issuing bills. Even if we keep it at 50% increase, then that means our income generation should have doubled. But it has not happened.  

      Anyway, all the black money came into their kitty. When cooperative banks were not allowed to operate, the bank in which Amith Shah was the director received the greatest amount of demonetised notes. Amith Shah's son's company made a windfall. For me it sounds absurd to think that a company that was not making any profit and all of a sudden made profits in crores and within no time it became bankrupt. And the irony is that the company made all the profits merely by selling seeds when farmers were suiciding. At the end of the day, demonetisation did serve the purpose - they won the ensuing elections by fooling people. I don't know if any one who voted for them still has understood what exactly happened, and will even understand. Maybe after few generations, they might.

The conquest

Human race, the race that raced

'Gainst all odds that they faced

From premitive, the imperative,

From ages to ages, the fugitive.

On the pursuit when races fell

As they advanced through the races to hell

Numerous heads often rolled

To boast of the power that they hold. 

Cries lost, at times in the womb

When bodies piled tomb after tomb

Races that raced against each other

To conquer, life after life wither

The myth of race, a drunken race

When no mercy held the ace;

Hail, hail, hear the voice rise

As humanity at the feet of merciless lies.

Wake up, wake up, oh humanity if not dead

Out from the dream off of the bed

There's a bright day out there

Beyond the mask that we wear

Hail, hail, let the voice rise

Of a new beginning, a new sunrise

Hail, hail, may humanity prevail

Beyond the colors that we hail

Mockery of justice

Drenched in the days they'll rue of an innate nature,
Wicked men prowl through the ghostly streets;
Innocence caught in the quagmire of egos,
As reckless minds draw the final blood.

Amidst the cheers and deleterious silence,
Wisdom butchered in merciless growls;
Insanity regains its lost sheen
As jackals masquerade as saviors, delight.

"Arise, arise, oh ye triumphant lies,"
Out comes aloud the euphoric cries;
Tied to emotions they play the second fiddle,
Benighted, the tyrant men dig their graves.

Innocence weeps

O ye mortal, 4 wat ye fight,
How long wil u njoy nother's plight?
1 day it wil al b beyond ur sight,
Then, mark my words, harder wil b the dust u bite.

Blood stains frm ur hands u can wash away
But, wil the conscience ever clear ur way?
Crowd wil cheer as u kill em day by day
O ye mortal, 1 day or the other 4 all this u wil hav 2 pay.

It's easy 2 take away many a lives,
As innocents fall under ur knives;
1 day u too wil close ur eyes,
Oh ye mortal, then, above ur grave wil their curse arise.

What makes me anti-national traitor

     Today I received an old forwarded message via whatsapp saying Indian National Anthem was awarded the best National Anthem of the world by UNESCO. The interaction that ensued thereof made me think where I stand in my communication skills and where India has reached in terms of patriotism and nationalism. The conversation is given below, with my friend’s name changed to 'Real Indian' as I was portrayed the antinational by him.

biNxWiz: V dont need a reason 2 b proud of India. If so we'l hate India for many other reasons, jus like singing glory to our cricketers wen they win and throwing stones when they lose. The message about National anthem is a fake one. Let's not get carried away with lies. Let us love our nation as it is, no matter how great or how worse it is.

Real Indian: Binny do u hate india?? Let us know y….

Real Indian: You can share ur feelings to hate india.  There is nothing wrong

biNxWiz: I wud like 2 know on wat context u say i hate India. Wen u say i hate India, which i dunno, u shud tel me. I'm afraid u dint understand wat i'm telling, or i failed in my communication

Real Indian: U said above national anthem.  Even I m too not sure whether that is correct information

Real Indian: If so.. then u have many reasons to hate india

Real Indian: This msg been forwarding since long back

Real Indian: I don't think we can react on such msg..

Real Indian: In my opinion. These kind of msg been forwarding daily. .

Real Indian: U have no reason to react like u hate india for many reasons

biNxWiz: That message is a fake one. I do a search before i believe in wat others say. Wen i received the same message frm my aunt i searched and found it was wrong

Real Indian: Yes I didn't said its correct. .cos every one don't know the truth. .

Real Indian: Like this der r many fake msgs every day

Real Indian: But do u have any specific reason to hate india

biNxWiz: It's not abt reacting. If someone says something wrong should we let them believ in it?

Real Indian: No need to believe. .for that u replied u have reason to hate

Real Indian: India is a big country der r many good n bad thing. . Some things Favor to some ppl n not for some ppl.

biNxWiz: I never said i hate India. I was taught 2 lov others, even my enemeys and how can I hate India? Have i ever hated u, tho i'm frm Kerala? I still dunno which part f India u belong, n i never bothered 2 find out, cus i lov u as u r. On wat basis r u accusing me f hating India?

Real Indian: I don't think v can say I hate india

Real Indian: U said u have reason to hate

biNxWiz: That's the real problem India is facing now. One person say somthng, anothr person understand somthng else n it turns out 2 b a fight between Indians

Real Indian: I m not accusing anyone. . Some ppl forward msg as it is without thinking. .

biNxWiz: I'm sorry 2 say, as i said earlier, either u dint understand or my communication was wrong

Real Indian: That msg doesn't hurt anyone. .

Real Indian: It may b wrong info

Real Indian: U could have aware ppl that it's wrong msg

biNxWiz: V r educated enough 2 find the truth rather than believing in lies

Real Indian: Yes

biNxWiz: Hav u evr thought that such fakes can turn a nation upside down? Beyond that, if v spread such lies who wud believ in the truth v say?

Real Indian: But I would like to suggest u.. I don't like if u think u have reason to hate india for silly msg

biNxWiz: C'mon boss, evn aftr sayng so much y r u not understanding?

Real Indian: Educated ppl like u and others never accept lies

Real Indian: This info may not be feel proud an Indian.. but don't u have any other reason to feel proud?

biNxWiz: First, pls clear ur mind of that misunderstanding abt my msg. I dint say i hate India. Please read that message few times. Stil if u dint under pls consult someone else 2 xplain it.

Real Indian: I read it..you said we ll hate for many reasons.

biNxWiz: Boss, didnt u read it starts with 'if so?'

Real Indian: Its not to hate india. . It's to hate to particular person or things..

biNxWiz: I'm sorry, i fail 2 make u understand wat i meant

Real Indian: Ppl are making mistakes and and troubling others. . For that reason v can't take India name

Real Indian: Don't take the name of India. .

Real Indian: This false information forwarded by humans. .

Real Indian: That's it I can said

biNxWiz: Ok fine boss, sorry 4 saying v shudnt lie n believ in lies.

Real Indian: I m not saying to belive lies

Real Indian: U react the person who spreading fake msg

biNxWiz: Ok, sorry for saying its fake

Real Indian: U didn't answer that don't u feel proud an Indian for any other reason?

Real Indian: I would like to hear that if u comments on such msgs that u also accept good part of India. .

Real Indian: Leave fake things and accept good things to feel proud. .

biNxWiz: The answer lies in wat i wrote 1st. No matter wat i say i am not able 2 communicate. So i give up

Real Indian: I need straight answer

Leave about that msg.. Don't u feel proud for any other reason ?

biNxWiz: No matter wat i say, when i'm not able 2 communicate, wat's the point? Abov all i can giv any answer, but how wil it make sense wen i can evn lie?

biNxWiz: Any1 can say anythng, but wat if he doesnt mean?

biNxWiz: The straight answer is there in wat i wrote 1st. Sorry, I dont kno how 2 make it clear

Real Indian: In india all types of ppls are there. . No need to worry about it. . Ppl who want dey love

Real Indian: Who doesn't no need to bother

Real Indian: India ll b always India. . Jai Hind

biNxWiz: :-)

      With that, as the conversation ended, I read my first comment again and again to find out where I mentioned that I hate India and where I belong as, me being an Indian, another person asks me not to use the name of India. Once, while discussing with one of my friends, he said that he didn’t read any of my messages and that he doesn't want to read any of them either. I wondered what was he chatting with me about until then. With today’s chat I realised that the so called patriots and nationalists are people who argue without even listening. I’m not sure if there is any future for thinking capability and debate in this country. Our future generation is going to be dumb in terms of common sense even if they will govern the world with their knowledge. But if I’m wrong in what I have written, then I don’t know when I will learn with such poor understanding capability of mine. 

      

     I would like to add a small story, which was written in Malayalam by someone and was shared through facebook. The story will deviate from the original a lot because it was some time back that I read it and I don’t recollect it well. The story goes like this: 

  

    Once there was a mother with two sons. One of the son will wake up everyday and go to the roof top and start shouting at the top of his voice: “I love my mother. She is the greatest one in this world and there is no other mother like her.” Every now and then he keeps shouting the same.

    The other son, who goes to work and take care of the mother, according to his brother, hates his mother because he doesn't say everyone that he loves her. One day all of a sudden there was a commotion with all the neighbours gathering in front of their house. The matter was that the mother started coughing and the ‘hating’ son said to the ‘loving’ son that she is coughing and we need to take her to doctor. The ‘loving’ son got enraged with this. He called all the neighbours and said: “See how much this fellow hates his mother. He says she has got cough. How can a son say such a bad thing about a mother? Shouldn’t he be beaten up for that?”

    The poor ‘hating’ son couldn’t do anything but keep quite with sadness in his heart. Days went by, and the mother’s situation was getting worse. Once again he approached his brother to take her to hospital. This time he gathered all his neighbours and wanted to kill him because it was too much for him to bear. The poor mother sat there coughing not able to understand what is going on. 

     I felt this story is apt in explaining what is happening in India of late. This chat with my friend made me feel as if it was with Arnab Goswami that I was doing it. Who is the one who loves and who is the one who hates. The wise and unwise will judge in their own way. Wish if wisdom prevail.

Related posts:

Mother please don't cry 
Who's an Indian