M.S. Suresh
2004-03-03 23:37:55 UTC
Presenting Muthu...
Let me introduce Muthu. Who is this "Muthu"? Muthu is one of the many names in India that both males
and females have. Muthu is a layman, an average Indian, who has a good job, good salary, good
spouse, good children, a working cellphone with international roaming and WAP facility, a maruti
zen, a Palm, a good house, lot of savings, good bank balances, a pentium 4 multimedia computer at
home for the globalized children... someone who is by and large, "a happy Indian".
There are a lot of such Muthus, and the problem is not with that. The problem is that India, with a
population of over a 100 crore, does not comprize Muthus alone. The more pathetic, unfortunate and
more sad a problem is that these Muthus are either not aware of this, or are indifferent to this
painful reality. So long as Muthu and family are well, India is a great country. When the cellphone
does not work, when the maruti zen yawns when enroute with family to the Beach in the middle of a
hot sunny overbridge, when negotiating through a high traffic signal, when Muthu's flat appartment
faces water scarcity, when the roads are not good for the precious maruti zen to vroom along, then,
Muthu starts cursing India. "What a wretched country! I am going to US", Muthu sobs and laments.
Sad, but True. (phrase courtesy: the great number by Metallica.)
Fortunately, one of those Muthus stops being just another Muthu, and "thinks":
1) Where does India want to go today? (allusion courtesy: Microsoft)
2) What do our Political Parties say to us these days?
3) What have these Parties been telling us all along, since 1947?
4) What do these words mean: "stability, economic growth, GDP, inflation, foreign exchange, poverty
alleviation, literacy... secularism, hindutva, globalization, communalism, employment, silicon
valley... etc."?
5) What has India "achieved" since 1947?
These questions may all be too big, but their answers, unfortunately, are too short and single
worded. This particular Muthu who thinks, knows that.
Imagining that India is one large Multinational Organization, Muthu starts doing a SWOT Analysis on
India. Before getting any further with this Analysis, some hard realities about India being a
Democracy strike Muthu.
Coalition Politics is becoming inevitable - so proclaim the Parties and the Analysts alike,
agreeably. But why? The number of Voters favouring a single Party and its ideology is reducing.
Parties which were once strong and large have split up (why, is not the point, that they have split
up, is). Parties which were once diametrically opposite in ideologies now work together as Coalition
Partners for just one reason: to win the election. These Coalition Partners even switch partnership
at another point in time, for the very same reason: to win the election. Oh no, this is not a joke,
this is politics, politics in India, Muthu grins.
Another one bothers Muthu: the number of Voters is reducing - "now who can argue with me on this
point?" Muthu wonders. One can safely assume that over the last three decades, the voting rate has
come down from over 65% (or more) to even 50% (or less). While chewing on those numbers, Muthu keeps
in mind the following:
a) rigging, duplicating of votes
b) India's total voting strength vis a vis total population of over a 100 crore (1billion, in
globalized terms)
c) those who really bother to cast their votes
Muthu takes the next step and feels that India has some dire priorities to be addressed:
1. Control Population - not brutally, but something like China, with a clear 'over the period of
time' strategy
2. Provide Literacy for the remaining 70% of India's population, likewise, with a clear 'over the
period of time' strategy
3. Draw up a clear "Organic" Growth Strategy for the next five years
4. Implement that Strategy with a time frame
5. Evaluate the effects
Muthu shares this thought over a chat with some fellow citizens who shoot back with questions from
their MBA/CA/... books: "Array babaa Muthu, what about our huge Debts? Fiscal deficits? Foreign
Exchange? The Rupee? The Trade Deficit? The inflation rate? The GDP? The ... ?"
Muthu smiles, and examines some creative possiblities: Why not make a systemic and organic change in
the Indian Administration? Why not remove Democracy and institute Bureaucracy? No, this is not a
joke, Muthu goes on. Organizations are a bureaucratic setup, with Leaders, Managers, Hierarchies,
Reporting Relationships, Responsibility, Authority, Accountability, Delivery, Quality, Competition,
Systems, Procedures, Methodologies, Impact Assessment Mechanisms, Tools for corrective action,
Performance Appraisal... etc. all laid down in our management books. Organizations are run with
profit and growth motives, and a lot of Organizations are empires like Tata, Reliance, Birla, Wipro,
Infosys... Muthu sparks with creativity.
Muthu's realistic assessment of the status quo and the pragmatic outlook for the future do attract
our attention; but Muthu's creativity is a little too imaginative, though not completely non-viable.
Our choices are limited:
1) carry cyanides on our necks and die for our politicians
2) abstain from voting like a cynic, pay income taxes through the nose
3) catalyze a change in the system by working with people
4) continue to be the typical Muthu, the happy Indian, curse India and migrate to US when something
does not work
5) remain in our rooms and listen to Heavy Metal.
Please think, it is election time.
:)
MSS
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Let me introduce Muthu. Who is this "Muthu"? Muthu is one of the many names in India that both males
and females have. Muthu is a layman, an average Indian, who has a good job, good salary, good
spouse, good children, a working cellphone with international roaming and WAP facility, a maruti
zen, a Palm, a good house, lot of savings, good bank balances, a pentium 4 multimedia computer at
home for the globalized children... someone who is by and large, "a happy Indian".
There are a lot of such Muthus, and the problem is not with that. The problem is that India, with a
population of over a 100 crore, does not comprize Muthus alone. The more pathetic, unfortunate and
more sad a problem is that these Muthus are either not aware of this, or are indifferent to this
painful reality. So long as Muthu and family are well, India is a great country. When the cellphone
does not work, when the maruti zen yawns when enroute with family to the Beach in the middle of a
hot sunny overbridge, when negotiating through a high traffic signal, when Muthu's flat appartment
faces water scarcity, when the roads are not good for the precious maruti zen to vroom along, then,
Muthu starts cursing India. "What a wretched country! I am going to US", Muthu sobs and laments.
Sad, but True. (phrase courtesy: the great number by Metallica.)
Fortunately, one of those Muthus stops being just another Muthu, and "thinks":
1) Where does India want to go today? (allusion courtesy: Microsoft)
2) What do our Political Parties say to us these days?
3) What have these Parties been telling us all along, since 1947?
4) What do these words mean: "stability, economic growth, GDP, inflation, foreign exchange, poverty
alleviation, literacy... secularism, hindutva, globalization, communalism, employment, silicon
valley... etc."?
5) What has India "achieved" since 1947?
These questions may all be too big, but their answers, unfortunately, are too short and single
worded. This particular Muthu who thinks, knows that.
Imagining that India is one large Multinational Organization, Muthu starts doing a SWOT Analysis on
India. Before getting any further with this Analysis, some hard realities about India being a
Democracy strike Muthu.
Coalition Politics is becoming inevitable - so proclaim the Parties and the Analysts alike,
agreeably. But why? The number of Voters favouring a single Party and its ideology is reducing.
Parties which were once strong and large have split up (why, is not the point, that they have split
up, is). Parties which were once diametrically opposite in ideologies now work together as Coalition
Partners for just one reason: to win the election. These Coalition Partners even switch partnership
at another point in time, for the very same reason: to win the election. Oh no, this is not a joke,
this is politics, politics in India, Muthu grins.
Another one bothers Muthu: the number of Voters is reducing - "now who can argue with me on this
point?" Muthu wonders. One can safely assume that over the last three decades, the voting rate has
come down from over 65% (or more) to even 50% (or less). While chewing on those numbers, Muthu keeps
in mind the following:
a) rigging, duplicating of votes
b) India's total voting strength vis a vis total population of over a 100 crore (1billion, in
globalized terms)
c) those who really bother to cast their votes
Muthu takes the next step and feels that India has some dire priorities to be addressed:
1. Control Population - not brutally, but something like China, with a clear 'over the period of
time' strategy
2. Provide Literacy for the remaining 70% of India's population, likewise, with a clear 'over the
period of time' strategy
3. Draw up a clear "Organic" Growth Strategy for the next five years
4. Implement that Strategy with a time frame
5. Evaluate the effects
Muthu shares this thought over a chat with some fellow citizens who shoot back with questions from
their MBA/CA/... books: "Array babaa Muthu, what about our huge Debts? Fiscal deficits? Foreign
Exchange? The Rupee? The Trade Deficit? The inflation rate? The GDP? The ... ?"
Muthu smiles, and examines some creative possiblities: Why not make a systemic and organic change in
the Indian Administration? Why not remove Democracy and institute Bureaucracy? No, this is not a
joke, Muthu goes on. Organizations are a bureaucratic setup, with Leaders, Managers, Hierarchies,
Reporting Relationships, Responsibility, Authority, Accountability, Delivery, Quality, Competition,
Systems, Procedures, Methodologies, Impact Assessment Mechanisms, Tools for corrective action,
Performance Appraisal... etc. all laid down in our management books. Organizations are run with
profit and growth motives, and a lot of Organizations are empires like Tata, Reliance, Birla, Wipro,
Infosys... Muthu sparks with creativity.
Muthu's realistic assessment of the status quo and the pragmatic outlook for the future do attract
our attention; but Muthu's creativity is a little too imaginative, though not completely non-viable.
Our choices are limited:
1) carry cyanides on our necks and die for our politicians
2) abstain from voting like a cynic, pay income taxes through the nose
3) catalyze a change in the system by working with people
4) continue to be the typical Muthu, the happy Indian, curse India and migrate to US when something
does not work
5) remain in our rooms and listen to Heavy Metal.
Please think, it is election time.
:)
MSS
------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/0EHolB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->
Yahoo! Groups Links
<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/iluIndia/
<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
iluIndia-unsubscribe-***@public.gmane.org
<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/