Run Maadi!!

A 10k run is a huge personal achievement. Each runner has his/her own story to tell. And here is mine

Pre-race:

At 740am I reached Kanteerva stadium. Entered via Gate 5, did some warm ups and stretches. As I entered the stadium. it was evident, the mood inside was electric. There is a huge crowd cheering the professional race participants. There was ten min lag between the professional race and the 10K race. At 8:10am there was a big announcement of start of race. Every one was excited to start. There were hordes of participants who jumped the fence to enter the race arena and start off immediately. I was more cautious. I did not want to get hurt before the big run. So took the gate and entered the field. Once on the field started a slow jog. As I stepped on the mat (which has the detectors), the clock showed 8:21am.

Race: (Map: http://images.photogallery.indiatimes.com/photo/5917754.cms?)

8:22: Raghu (my engineering friend, who came from Hyd specially to run the race), handed me a bottle of water which can come handy.

8:23: As the crowd passed through the exit gate of the stadium there is a decrease in pace (also for the fact it is a steep climb for the exit gate). I slowly walked, criss crossing and dodging the crowd. Raghu and myself begin our journey on road with a war cry.

8:25: Pass through Mac Donalds on Kasturba road and the board showed completed 1km. Raghu shouts "Hurrah!! done 1, 9 more to go!!".

8:26: Enter onto Queens road, beside Chinnaswamy stadium. A volunteer sounds and instruction "Turn right ahead. You can also find some water there".

8:28: Passes through the 2km mark. Small disappointment. Ran for so much time and it is only two kms.

8:30: Overtook Sreekar (my neighbor at BTM). All three of us started together, but he paced ahead while at the exit gate. So finally caught up with him.

8:32: Took the off-shoot 1. which touches the Bible house on MG Road. The way back was a steep road. Had to slow a bit.

8:34: The bottle in hand was turning heavy. Now that I can see that water is being distributed all through the way, wanted to discard it. Took two sips and threw the bottle away (All environment conscious guys!! please be assured that the organizers have arranged to pick all the used bottles from the race track. So don't blame me.). Even the two sips had a affect on me. I can feel the water shaking in my body. :P. With that discomfort slowed down my pace for a few mins.

8:36: Now there was suddenly a bout of tiredness. Initially my idea was to run 7kms at a stretch without break. I could not keep myself on running mode any more. It was necessary I break my pace. I started walking. Next four mins I kept walking. Walked through off-shoot-2. This touched Cauvery emporium and brigade road.

8:40: Finished my first break, resumed running. Crossed the 4km sign post. Happy to see that. 6 more to go. I need to pace a bit.

8:42: A couple of guys cheering from the right side building ( I presume it is a military establishment). They gave enough strength to keep me going.

8:45: Touched the Manipal center (end of Cubbon Road). Turned on way back.

8:46: By now a lot of faces have become familiar. I know who had the same pace as me. They are ahead of me sometimes and then I pace ahead of them sometimes. But because of same speed there are always together. Now a bit of humour. I hear a girl speaking on her mobile saying her parents are in town for next one week and she will talk to them soon. But right now she is running. I did know what it actually means, but brought a smile on me the fact that she is in a race and she is happily chitchatting. :P.

8:50: A group of policemen keep cheering. I thought what would have happened to me if there is no cheering. Encouragement is much needed when on such an arduous task. It does not matter from where it comes from: an acquaintance or a stranger.

8:52: See a lot of participants queuing for water. Way to go. My time to race ahead.

8:53: Just about to turn on the offshoot-3 suddenly I trip over an empty water bottle. I ran into someone. Apologised and continued running.

8:55: Enter the cooling area. There is a spray mist of water and perfume. I also believe they had something to energize us.

8:57: Touch infantry road and turn back on the offshoot. I see the carpets again. I wanted to stamp on them for making me run like this.:P. So I bang them hard.

8:59: Touch the 6km mark. Time to relax for a while. After entering the Cubbon road, i relax. Started walking for next four mins.

9:02: Hear a lot of cheering from Military men dressed in civilian clothing. Some say "Po Da!!"... some say "Bolo Bharat Matha Ki Jai". The way they shout puts a lot of energy in one. I resume my running all inspired. Now I would not stop till I hit the 8km mark.

9:04: The anchor with the mike announces: "Quarter of a race to go.. you have come all the way ... now dont give up here".... I mumble to myself..."I wont give up here... I will do it asap". He then gives a slogan "Lets go.. Bangalore!! Lets go Bangalore!!". Now I got a new chanting mantra... "Lets go Bangalore".

9:06: I keep chanting "Lets go Bangalore" and cross the 7km mark. 3more.

9:07: Two kids energetic and enthusiastic look at me and say "Go!! Go!!". So I need to "Go!! Go!!". I come to hit the Queens road again. and then run towards the GPO.

9:08: The anchor here says "Give me a Hi-Fi and Go. Don't let away at this moment. You have come here so complete. Only quarter of a race.". I say to myself " I heard that before. Run that quarter... you will know...dont just keep saying." :P.

9:09: Turn left to enter the Vidhana Soudha road. Here a mom and her kid look and say "Run..Run..".. so i keep running running.

9:10: A police truck passes through, followed by another. These guys are clicking pictures. Wow!! I wave my hands for them.

9:11: I pass through the 8km mark. Time to break. Plan to walk next one kilometer and run the next. Turn towards High court and Cubbon Park area.

9:14: Saw a kid vommitting out of dehydration. Just hope someone is there to take care of him. Hear two photographers comment on him. Thought it would be more helpful if they could help the kid.

9:16: Reaching almost the end of Cubbon Park. I see an ambulance with the emergency lights on. Just felt sad for someone to come almost close to 9km and could not complete the race.

9:18: Complete the longest strecth of walk. Lasted for 8mins. But it is a well needed break before i dwell on the last patch of the race. Now started running with all rigour. I am doing it

9:20: Cross the 9km mark. Hurrah!! 1 more to go. See a lot of people crowding at the water stall. A few steps ahead also saw volunteers giving glucose powder to all participants. Some were taking it in water bottles, some in hand and eating it directly. Thankfully i need not break now. Time to pace.

9:22: Enter Kasturba road again. I know I am close. Just a matter of mins. I motivate myself saying, run for next ten mins come whatever may. Keep going.

9:24: I can see the stadium. Hurrah!! I am there. I am nearing. Now time to focus and not to loose on pace. Keep going. Here a lot of senior citizens from CRY, stood on both sides of the road to give Hi-Fis. It is a much needed motivation. Last minutes are always crucial. Anyone can give up anytime. Thanks for them I enter the stadium

9:26: I stamp on the carpet. Hurrah!! I just completed a 10K run and I am still alive. Best part finished 10kms in 1hr 15mins. Thats a record for me.

After race:

I collect the refreshements. Drink gallons and gallons of water and sit to relax. The entire day today, my legs are aching but this is nothing before what I have achieved. Enjoyed every step of the race. Looking for more such now.

Update on this post:

1. The race timing can be viewed at

http://www.timingindia.com/results_page.php

bib number: 2958

2. my pic while at race:

http://www.marathon-photos.com/scripts/event_entry.py?event=Sports/CPUK/2010/Bangalore+10K&new_search=1&match=2958

A Book Worth Reading ..

Every time I buy a book there is a persistent concern if the book will live up to my expectations. (In MBA jargon it can be codified as "if the book fetches enough value for the money i pay... RoI"). I believe this is a concern shared by all the readers. In countries like India (of course China is also on the list) where piracy is quite rampant, their should be enough conviction and justification to categorize and buy, a 'rare' book from Crossword or Landmark. (rather than from a road side vendor).

The best way is to figure out reading the blurb. Any sane and literate man on Planet Earth would vow along with me that all the "Best Seller" tags are good for nothing. (All species who differ please do let me know :P). Luckily for me in last one year, all the books I have picked after reading the blurb have turned out exceptionally well. Though my conscience argues with me, I believe this is more of an expertise I gained rather than pure luck. And to convince my stupid brain (which actually does a superb job unknowingly), I pen this blog on how I pick the good ones:

Non-fiction

1. Facts: A non-fiction should provide a lot of facts and supportive arguments on why the fact is the way it is. If the blurb does not give indication that it discusses any of this it might be a sugar coated fact book or a fiction-in-guise.

2. Articulate: The best authors are very logical in the way they present the facts. They do not create a surge flow of 'gyan' but give them one at a time while connecting/sequencing each of them in a way. This way of writing makes sure that the 'gyan' is well assimilated and remembered for lifetime. If there is no sign of this logical flow in the blurb or in the initial few pages then the book is just an album of all facts relating to that topic.

3. View point: By end of the blurb reading, the reader should be able to point out on which side of the line the author is. Remember objective view is also a stance, and need not necessarily be left or right of the line. But the author should pick one of these stance. If you cannot make it out by reading the blurb, do not waste your time in reading the book, the author himself does not know what the theme is.

Fiction

1. Language: Though colloquial language is quite easy for comprehending, it is cannot capture all emotions/feelings. Avoid books which use a lot of this. Most Indian authors (including Chetan Bhagat) have succumbed to this temptation. Such authors can be a hit, because of other factors, like gripping storyline but they can never be repeatedly successful like a Rowling, John Grisham or Jeffery Archer.

2. Depth of description: Read the sentence "Wind is blowing and I cannot see beyond three feet from where I am". Now read "There is a whirl wind across the street. From the ground, the dried yellow leaves of the mango tree and the dust are picked. They are swirled in circular tantrums. I try hard to keep open my eyes but the dust and force, shut my eyelids. From in between the eye lashes I squint to see through the opaqueness a few feet away. But forces of God are more powerful than will of a man!!". The same idea is conveyed through two sentences. In fact there would have been a flash of same image in front of your eyes when you read both of them. But when you read later, the image is recalled and restored before the eyes for a longer time. It is zoomed in and zoomed out for the details. This creates a lasting impression and a plays the story before you.

3. Storyline: This is last, because every reader would read it from the blurb without fail before deciding on the purchase.

So now the factors a reader should consider are before us, the immediate question is how an author can realize the importance of these and connect with the readers. Anirudh and myself had a long discussion on a book "Immortals of Meluha", which is a fiction based on Lord Shiva's life. The only positive point about the book was a compelling storyline. The rest two factors were sidelined. So though this book was an amazing read, it was not as fun as a 'Harry Porter' or 'Rainmaker'. We then argued out which is 'the way' an author can build his capability of becoming an adorable author. I might sound cliche here... but you have to bear me.... We figured out that being an avid reader for themselves is the only way out.

Kashmir... India.. not India...India.. not India..

Last week, I finished reading "Kashmir" by M.J.Akbar. It was a fact filled book with lot of data thrown at the readers. (Though I did not like the presentation, I liked the idea of getting a lot of info). After reading the book my admiration for Nehru has increased by leaps and bounds. I am astonished the way he single handedly integrated Kashmir into India.

Kashmir is strategically located bordering Russia, Afghanistan, China. It is also guarded by the Himalayas from all the sides, giving limited access to its mainland, the gold mine. The beautiful habitat and fertile ground (Jammu) make it a treasure trove which for centuries many foreigners (everyone outside Kashmir) wanted to annexe. This list included the Huns, the Mongols, Afghans and Persians. But because of the extreme weather conditions none of the rulers could keep the captured kingdom. The first foreigner ruler who controlled the kingdom is Akbar. He has controlled the kingdom with his representatives in the Dongra rulers. After the Mughal empire has seen the sun set, Kashmir was taken by independent and fragile rulers, who never had the integrity nor the gut to keep the state in order.

In 1940s when Jinnah was demanding for a separate state, independent states started to align with the two sides of the fence. The thumb rule for alignment was simple in some regions. Regions like east bengal where the majority population was Muslim was bound to go to Pakistan. But some states like Deccan, Kashmir and Jodhpur had a difficulty in making a decision. Kashmir had a majority Muslim population (70% at that time) but was ruled by a Hindu ruler. This caused the oscillation. One major force which biased the swing in terms of Kashmir deciding to join India was the friendship between Sheikh Abdullah and Nehru.

Nehru's ancestors belonged to Kashmir. His forefathers were Kashmiri Pandits who migrated to Allahabad. So his association and empathy with Kashmir is natural. But this was not the case with Mahtma Gandhi, Sardar Patel, Lord Mountbatten. Mahtma Gandhi had never in his lifetime commented on which side Kashmir should be associated with. In fact he never did with any of the independent kingdoms post independence. His argument was that, his duty was to get India rid of a foreign rule. But after removing the British crown from helm he never fore saw the anarchy. He thought once the Britishers left, India could as well be governed by small kingdoms as was done 400 years before. Nehru is true statesman in this regard, he not only saw what problems India would face long before Britshers left India but also knew how to solve them. In fact Lord Mountbatten once commented that India could not be integrated without Nehru and Patel. However Patel was never in favor of integrating Kashmir in India because of the majority Muslim population. He has forced the state of Hyderabad and Jodhpur to join India by a military coup. He could have done that even on Kashmir, but his blind eye towards Kashmir was the route cause of all evil. (even after repeated requests from Nehru). For Pakistan immediately saw an opportunity and with the trend set by Patel in annexing Hyderabad and other states, Pakistan wanted to annexe Kashmir.

But there was one major hurdle: Lord Mountbatten. As a Governor General and head of states of India and Pakistan, his permission is needed for any military action. And the newly formed Pakistan was aware he would not give permission for any such action on Kashmir. So they have formed a dummy army, with the army officials and the local tribesmen (as in current day Afghanistan). This did not need any official approval. This ad-hoc army was mobilized to annexe Kashmir. The then King saw the dangerous implications of the state and quickly agreed for integrating with India. (on advise from Sheikh and Nehru). Now as an integral part of India, Kashmir borders has to be protected. In this effort, (on Nehru's advise), Lord Mountbatten has ordered the army to preserve the sanctity of the borders. The Army could successfully thwart the movements of the militia and succeeded in not only driving them away from Srinagar but also push them towards Pakistan. But here the weather paid an antagonist role. The winter of 1948 was cruel and the both sides of the army froze at the battle positions abruptly. This posts which they held jointly is now called the LoC. Sixty years passed since this war and there is still no clarity on what happens to LoC.

It would have been solved by now had it not for the machinations of the political parties both at Srinagar and Delhi. Nehru and Sheikh Abdullah fell apart immediately after the integration of Kashmir to India. There 20 years of friendship was made sour by the political ambitions. Nehru wanted referendum in Kashmir to decide. While Sheikh Abdullah wanted to be in India with a lot of autonomy. The machinations were so cruel that the second mistake an India politician did was to blow up the issue of Kashmir and this time by Nehru himself. Pandit Nehru decided to take the issue to United Nations. He thought Russia would support him at UN, as India would be able to share its border with Russia furthering trade. Russia did, but not the extent US supported Pakistan. This made the balance of power equal.

Sheikh Abdullah was imprisoned for next eight years starting from 1951. This is the third mistake. He was one politician who was eager to integrate Kashmir into India hook or crook, if the conditions of autonomy were accepted. Nehru not only denied accepting the conditions but also suppressed him by moving him to a jail in Delhi. This has lead for some anti-India forces to raise in Kashmir. Though Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi tried correcting the mistake, the damage was already done and it has caused a lot of bleeding.

Indira Gandhi as her father, is stalwart. She was not only a stateswomen but also a daring decision maker. Her decision to encourage rift between East and West Pakistan, her decision to declare war on Pakistan, her decision for Nuclear tests, have made Pakistan weak at their knees. Had she lived for a couple of more years she would have solved the problem. But fate is not an easy task master. It not only killed Indira Gandhi but also Sheikh Abdullah immediately after. Farooq Abdullah, though was anointed by Sheikh Abdullah, was naive and new to power machinations. He along with Rajiv Gandhi tried patching up the work but both of them were not as experienced or visionaries as their prior generations were.

The final and the most expensive mistake was done during the V.P.Singh government. If Indian political history is scanned and if the worst phase of India politics is to be picked, , personally I believe, it would be V.P.Singh's two years. The damage created in those two years is higher than what was done during emergency. He opened a Pandora's box including reservations, financial crisis, Kashmir, Hindutva et al. When Dr.Rubaiya Sayeed, daughter of Mufti Mohammed Sayeed was kidnapped he showed his cowardliness. He has agreed to sacrifice India's pride, courage and bargaining power in exchange for life of a minister's daughter. He did not wait for Kashmir's then CM, Farooq Abdullah, to come and take part in the decision making process. (At that time the CM was in London on a vacation). Nor did he pay heed to his suggestions of not trading India for a women's life. This not only showed India's weakness but also encouraged terrorism in Valley.

The B-Factor

The conversation was set on one Saturday evening, just outside a cinema:

Subhash: So vishnu is not coming? What happened?

Murali: He has already been to a movie in the morning.

Subhash: This movie is good... really hilarious, he should have come what if he has been to one in morning. BTW which one did he see?

Murali: SIMHA!!!

The moment he uttered the movie title, we could not control laughter. For next ten minutes we were laughing incessantly. It dawned to both of us unspoken that he must be in shock for at least a day. :P

Thats the impact, Balakrishna, the Telugu star has on the common man. I do not know if he no one advises him about his image or he feels proud with that image. But good or bad he captures the mass market with his super hero stunts.

Two days ago in an conversation with the auto driver, I realized the recall value of his movies. I asked him a passing question what was the movie on screens worth watching. Spat comes reply "Simha". With the above background, I ask him what makes the movie so special. He tells me that the dance sequences are amazing and so are the fights. Curiosity gripping, I ask what is so special about the fights, he answers ... he kills 2500 people in the 3-hour story. :P.

'Barberic' conversations

It is very surprising to see the places where interesting conversations teem up. These places are those where work takes its own time (with no deadlines or pressures), where conversations are to kill time or just to boost one's ego that one can also blabber. These conversations are just not aimless conversations with no real motivation, but sometimes even involve fact based and also supported by theories. Some of these places can be a day flight (yeah yesterday i had a pretty lass, next to me... and we discussed on 'MS in US'. :P) , a bus stand, a queue en-route to the electricity counter (online payments had brutally murdered this prospect these days), book stores (crossword... Gosh!! how can I forget him. he was pitching for Amway.). I want to leave all the embarrassing stories and talk about one place which has been my fav spot for interesting conversations.

If you have not guessed the place till now (from the title...), it is a barber shop. This sets the ambiance of a 'conversation friendly eco-system'. So here are the conversations i overheard and participated in my last three visits:

1. I was not reading newspapers off late and so I had no clue of the latest happenings. The comb started chaffing my scalp and the scissors almost comes kissing the comb, suddenly there are fowl words uttered with a bang. I look at the barber in the mirror. For a minute I thought it was my stubborn dandruff which is the object of his despise. He smiles at me and says "Is there an ashram at Hyderabad too?" (he knows that I am from hyd). I brush aside the conversation saying that there are a lot of ashrams trying to gauge the most appropriate place that he should start cropping. He says "He has an ashram near mysore and still he does this.". Now his eyes direct me to the TV screen while his fingers nimble at work. I turn my eyes from his reflection in mirror to the TV screen. I see a orange clad man but before I can see what he is up to there is a brutal force on my neck which twists it to the other side as though it was something I am forbidden to see. But soon I realized the intentions of a barber is to tweak the erring strands of hair and not be my moral police. The barber on the next chair now comments: "Why is that heroine....." it fades away as though I am not privy to those words. Now buoyed by my curiosity (or ignorance) I yell at him "What happened?". He looks at me with a pale face as though condescending on to me 'you dont know this... you dull head?' and speaks for me "Nityananda Swami... he is a rogue. He has two ashrams near Bangalore.. one near bidadi and one in tamil nadu. He has an affair with the actress. Now he is caught red-handed. This guy must be hanged. He got so much money also.". (As though, having money is a crime in India). The next half an hour was an open discussion on all the Swamiji's in India and how faithful they are.

2. I always thought career planning and networking was for white collared jobs. Well educated spoiled brats plan their careers and live by the dreams. But that day I was proven wrong. The guy with a scisscors in hand and comb on my scalp was a novice. I know it, the moment he laid his hands on me. Not that he does not know the skill, he does. But he is brimming with excitement and enthusiasm which is not always good when someone is holding a razor to your neck. So I eased him a bit describing how I would need my style of craft and asking him some personal questions. In mid of the conversation there is an entrant into the room. Suddenly the big barber turns in all appreciation to him. He smiles and exchanges greetings and asks "When are you coming back?". With all earnest, the reply comes "Dont know... but soon". He then leaves nodding his head. Now the novice turns to his master and asks who it was. (As though he should know everyone walking in from that door). The master says that he was with him for last two years. Now he went to his village and started his own shop. (probably inspired by Billu Barber :P). He keeps coming to city to take novice barbers to work in his shop. As an 'alumni' of the present shop he comes here. (Alumni meets :P). The novice now very much into this story asks if he can join that shop? (and did we hear that poaching is only in IT companies?). Spat comes the reply "I will tell him to take you if you do well here for next one year." :P.

3. Going on an overseas assignment is always fascinating for Indians. In fact that day even I was thinking of picking up a job with a US or European company and relocating. But this conversation gave a different perspective. As I raised my head to have a glimpse of the craftsmanship applied on my scalp, I see a person walking in. He was pretty heavy built, dark and strong. The master barber welcomed him with all respect. I initially thought it was a local 'pehalwan'. During their conversations I came to know the guest has just returned from Dubai. He is a driver who migrated from Bangalore to Dubai. He is respected because of his foreign stature. The master barber wanted to check the prospects of migrating to dubai and pursuing his profession. Can you guess what the reply was? The guest comments "Its a bad idea for a profession like barber because the sheikh's dont shave their beards". :P

ENU: European Non Union

Even for an observer like me, it is a big disappointment to see a debate whether EU would continue or not. The economies of scale which it brings, were not only considered profitable for Europe but also for the nations they transact with. But today when this discussion on continuity of EU has to be chastened, here are my thoughts on what went wrong.

The concept of economic union is quite slippery. Because every member wants to participate in it for an economic benefit and when there is an economic benefit, staying away they would rather prefer that. Thats what is now happening with Germany which does not want to help Greece because there is no potential benefit from helping a 'lazy' member. They are not very keen on concept of one currency now as it carries no economic sense in trading in a single currency. From Germany's side, out of all its peers, they are the only country which can have positive growth rates this year while rest of Europe wrangles to come out of recession. So why would they give all their money to a laggard economy and cut down their fruits of growth?

Next the fact that the economic union is headed by a powerless governing body, which has no authority to obligate or punish erring big boys, is a big pull back. The only aspects which the EU controls or rather overlooks are trade, research and some common activities. It has no power to dictate the governing finance laws. It has no defense body. It has no taxation authority. So how can it enforce a wealthy member subsidize a poor member? To analyse how this affects, I extend the analogy in the Indian context. India is formed from 565 princely states and a British Raj. The integration was possible because, the federal government, controlled the central taxes through which it can collect money from wealthier states, it had a standing army to punish erring states, it had the authority to control all incoming wealth into member states through foreign affairs policies. Because of this a state a wealth generator like Gujrat cannot prevent central government from using its money in a state like Bihar. Through this it can always improve the conditions in states like Bihar from the wealth generated in other states. This is also the same parent-child relationship pattern among the federal and state governments of United States of America. This control is absent in EU.

The cultural impact is apparent. Even with a free migration in between member states, the schengen visa, fast connecting infrastructure Europe cannot be considered one entity. The cultural differences are huge and langauge is surprisingly the biggest barrier. Here they should pick a few lessons from USA and India about cultural tolerance, acceptability, respect and non-racist behaviors. Until they feel that their neighbor is equally intelligent and capable, irrespective of their language they speak or the traditions they follow, they will not be able to accept the 'Others Europeans'. And until they start accepting 'Other Europeans' as their peers/friends they will not sacrifice to help them.

Last, but not least, countries like Greece rushed in to embrace Euro. Here UK has shown its maturity in maintaining the relationship with EU but sticking to its currency. The fact that there are countries within Europe which are not same in terms of transparency should have been given a better thought and worked upon. What remains to watch is, what happens when more countries start joining the union and shifting to Euro. There were already some apprehensions while discussing Turkey.

I am confident that Euro for all practical purposes will be continued as a single currency for atleast a decade. After all it took almost a decade to shift to a new currency they would not now shift back to their previous currencies (whose transition will take another decade). But for the future success of Euro all this should be factored in.

P.S: Some thoughts are borrowed from "Will Debt do them Apart" by Sanjaya Baru from today's Business Standard.

Copy Masters - Perfecting what we copy

Indians are always known to be adaptable and quick learners. We quickly adapt to the social conditions and needs by imitating and copying what is acceptable (to society) and fetching (monetarily). A peep in the past and I can quickly list a few striking things which we "inherited" or copied:

1. The constitution from the British and US system

2. The strict regulatory form of government, again from the British

3. A Western education system. Mainly from British and off late from the US system (like the IT and MBA education)

What is striking is that though we have copied a lot of these just like most other nations/countries/geographies, we have perfected each and every aspect of this to such an extent that now we can claim to be pros in these. Our constitution is robust and unbreakable. We have a robust regulatory system that the finance system in India stood the litmus test of global recession without deterring much. Our telephone regulatory system is now the ideal case study for countries who want to correct their course. We have mastered the western education that IIXs produce the best brains in the world.

After figuring out that we are masters of what we copy, I wanted to know which is the best practice/system which we have copied from others. And a bit of deep thinking and I was stunned on what I realized. I am sure any compatriot of mine would be equally surprised to tag this system as something alien. Guess what is the system? ... "Democracy". Democracy is a system which Indians are never exposed to. Since the recorded history of more than 5000 years, there was no democratic form of government in India. It was introduced by the British in the 19th century, but with limited scope. A true exposure to democracy has actually come in the last 65 years. (Since the formation of interim government in 1944). In this short span of 65 years we have mastered this alien concept so well that it is hard for any of us now to believe that India can be run in an monarchy or autocratic form of government. We just cannot accept that democracy has originated in Greece(before 300BC) and came to India eons after. Though it is a very short time frame, the passion and vigor with which we have embraced, made it the soul of our society. Here we should remember to credit our cultural and societal values which make India accept the best and reject the bad. Since democracy gives a voice to every individual (however feeble that voice may be) and lets things settle in the best accepted way of the society (with whatever delay it injects) it reflected the philosophy of Indian. That is one reason we have scored well ahead of all independence peers (like Pakistan, Srilanka and others) and also have a convincing story for future (unlike the uncertain Communist China). It is no wonder we are one of the youngest but largest democracies of the world.