Making India WORK !

Hi World !

I Just read a book which blew me away ! I couldn’t help but share it with you. Some smart old guy said “ the Most contagious disease in the world is an idea” and I think I am infected.

I am going to be your gracious host and spread the virus to you innocent unsuspecting simple minded folk. Ooooh ! I feel like Dracula !!!

Anyways on a serious note the book is “ Making India Work”

By a little known fellow called “ William Nanda Bissell”. Don’t fret if you don’t recognize him - neither did I but at the end of the book ; my respect for the guy was profound. IF you live in a any of the major cities in India and visit any big enough mall you are bound to run into the brand created by this Fellow. He Increased the turnover of his company 25 times in the last seven years so he knows a thing or two about getting things right.

Enough of praises for the author; the brand he built is “FabIndia”

where I happen to shop regularly. In case you do not know what they do – let me enlighten you. They provide artisans in rural india with access to the billion dollar india retail market while giving them a fair share in the profits made unlike most large scale retailers. Also worth noting is that instead of mimicking Western models of business and squeezing the hard working labour for every penny – FabIndia Follows a unique model of inclusive growth.Getting back to the Book – In simple words it is about Realizing the full potential of India. Although the name suggests india – I believe most of the world would benefit of these ideas were followed. I know I know – We have come across enough books & Movies Promising the same! Utopian India – Super Power India – India in 2020.

Honestly I don’t believe those books give any real time advice that can be implemented today to reach those goals. They talk about general solutions like education, poverty and hygine. No Offence to those authors but anybody can cook up stuff like that with enough free time on their hands and if the author is famous enough - anything he writes will attract a publisher irrespective of the quality of the work or its functionality !

William on the other hand has given us a roadmap - Where to start – What to do – How to do it ? What might be the road blocks ? How to handle them ? I have not seem another author do so much research and put in so much mental effort in spoon feeding people the idea of actually making india Work. I have to add – the title infers that if the system in the book is followed the whole of India will start to function towards a common goal – which is pretty much nonexistent now. India today functions inspite of its Government – not because of it.

This Book will correct that pathetic situation.

The Author has gone so far as to fill the book with tables and references from some of the most reputed sources. Although this would turn off most simple readers as this makes the book a very strong read in terms of flavor. But such facts are necessary to be included when you are looking to change the Largest Democracy in the World !

The amount of backlash expected if people start reading this book would be phenomenal. I expect most of it to come from the people who want the “Status Quo” to continue – ergo the People who benefit from the current system – ergo the elite few who get all the media attention.

In a way – making the book available only at the fabindia stores is a master stroke. Because under normal conditions the Older Generations don’t walk into such stores which are located in malls. On the Other hand the youth of india consider these very same malls as their eternal hangout. Also Younger India is more willing to change and have hope for a better world than the older generation who has gotten used to doing things the Neanderthal way. If people actually start reading this book in mass ( similar to the “Oh so famous Boy wizard with a scar” series ) then serious debate will result – which is the first step on the way to evolution or revolution. Bottom line being that it will definitely make people think – and in today’s world where almost everybody runs on Autopilot – making them stop for a second and making them think about Anything is in itself a great feat!

In very very condensed form – these are the major talking points in the book :

1. Reforming the total geographical system of india ( Getting rid of states and bringing in smaller more manageable units )

2. Giving these units more authority and decentralizing the government; giving the people most affected by a situation the power to decide what to do about it.

3. Realizing the untapped natural resources of poor india as wealth – and putting a system in place which distributes wealth between rural and urban divides which increases standards of living on both ends.

4. The Bold new concept of “Catalysts” (TCs) which spur the lowest rungs of society to get the best levels of Legal, Educational and Living standards.

5. This whole concept is based on the free markets which makes it more liquid and effective than the current draconian scheme. Means less intervention and more market dynamics.

6. And to keep the markets transparent – Cash is made obsolete and all transactions are digital.

7. Another new concept of a Single tax by the government – called Transaction charge ( set at 1% initially) instead of the hundreds of small nameless taxes we suffer from today.

Yes, these will be difficult to achieve and put into practice – Yes this is not a readymade Band-aid Fix like the ones today’s politicians are boasting off. Yes, this is THE solution. Yes, this needs a paradigm shift and yes, I believe the time is right for the same! This old form of democracy has gone beyond its expiry date. We can’t keep wrapping a corpse in new bandages and claim it’s new! The Democracy which we follow today is outdated and dead! We need to let it go! And William shows us how. The only fact in question is – do we as a country have the balls enough to do something never before done anywhere else in the world and set an example for once rather than following everybody else’s.

Although I would love to get into the details of the book and its visionary plans for a cleaner, greener and most importantly friendlier world – I would much rather prefer it to be a discussion with the rest of you who have read the book. Bring me your thoughts on the book, anything you liked or would like to add to it. This book is about our future – which considering that we are the 2^nd most populated country in the world – is the future of the world ! But this is no fairy tale – this is real – this is do-able. This has to be done in order for us to have any future at all . If this book and its ideas fall on deaf ears – then we might as well be looking at 2012 as the end of the world – and all of us might end up playing “Fallout” with our lives!

The blue prints in this book might not give us a perfect world – but it gets us closer than we are now – and that alone is worth the painstaking effort of converting that vision into reality.

Stop Dying ~ Go Live!

Holla !! Guess who’s back?

No – it’s not Slim Shady. Actually its the other guy who is neither slim nor shady, “Me”.

Sorry to keep my loyal followers waiting; but as they say “Good things come to people who wait” & “Wine gets better with age”.

STOp ! – Hold on a sec!! Dont read any further – just forget you read the last 2 lines – They were sooo lame – i don’t even know why i even spend the energy to come with such shit!! OH FUCK!! – i used a curse word – the old blog dint have any curse words. Which must mean this is no longer the same old blog!!

I would be doing cartwheels if i could – but since i can’t – here is why the blog has changed.

WTF ?? Why should i explain to you guys why my thinking has changed?? It my brain & if i wanna curse – then even if the earth stops spinning and chuck Norris turns soft – i am gonna curse.

Whats the big freagging deal? – People change – times change – so did i – here’s the new me. Pzas 2.0

Contradictary to popular belief this is not mini me – this is actually Mega Me !

This used to be the place where i shared my stories for public feedback & tried to be as nice & socially acceptable as possible without bending over backwards & kissing my ass.

And then – just like in my fictional stories – a miracle happened – I got a job and met a very special friend of mine – “The Real World”. He was a nice enough to show me around his balls & decided to fuck me up royally before i could tell him i wasn’t gay. Now that i survived that – i am back with a new fix on life, death & the whole fucking universe. You sorry bitches out there better get ready to read the most meanest, hottest, wildest crap ever written. Every Word, every sentence, every fucking dot on this page is my catch on things. Everybody knows this shit – but nobody talks about it – and cuz i have decided to fuck fear – i am gonna lay her naked – right here and screw her happy ass till she cant walk straight no more.

This is was the first thing i kinda realised as soon i was in the real world. People are afraid – they are very afraid. The only difference between people is in the scale in which they are scared. If i am less scared than you – you think of me as brave. So here’s my catch on one of the most common fears that normal people have – and incidentally never bothered me too much – go Figure!!

Fear of the Future / Death

If you actually stop & think about it – instead of blindly following generations of brain washing – you will understand how fucked up this fear is.

Phobia Buster –

Fact * Everyone has to die – no exceptions. Even the pope has to die – Barrack Obama – you – me & the mosquito currently sucking my blood – all living things perish. The Flesh & blood we are made of has an expiry date. No matter how hard you bargain – this cannot be changed.

Now that we have established that we all die – let’s look at the options on how to handle this news.

Option A. Decided that no matter what you do – it is pointless in the larger picture & kill yourself right now.

Option B. Keep Avoiding the idea of death – fearing it perpetually & still die in a tormented life.

Option C. Or as most religions do “Gift Wrap” it in shiny labels like “Heaven”, “Afterlife” and believe that you have all the time in the world & after world to do everything you ever wanted.

But after my brush with the real world – i have come up with a weird whacked out solution – it might not be completely my original idea – but what the heck ! I think it works – so here goes.

Now that all your days are numbered and there is nothing you can do about it – Embrace death & using it create a sense of urgency to force yourself into action for the things in life that matter the most to you. Times when these small itty bitty fears stop you – fears like rejection, loneliness, uncertainty, self doubt. Spit on their face & declare that you have only one life with a limited number of days – so you can’t keep running away from them & keep wasting the precious time you have left. Gambling on a chance of overcoming these fears is way more useful than sitting in a corner & brooding over what might happen if you fail. Just shut up & do what you like – so something so that there is a meaning & purpose to your existence, something that can keep you alive even after your physical form has perished. All Great people have done something worth remembering & that alone makes them alive till this day. But people who are paralyzed into inaction everyday of their lives might be considered physically alive – but have died at the hands of their fears a long long time ago. Finding such a cause to fight for – one you are ready to give up your life for – is the most profound feeling of relief you will experience. I can’t say i have found it yet – but one of these days – i just might.

This thought process will affect your everyday functioning greatly. Firstly if you are stuck in something you have no interest in – but are only carrying on out of fear of failure – fear of trying something new – fear of getting what you always wanted. Then this dangling sand clock of limited time over your head should snap you into action to get what you want. Then you shall be happy – truly happy – not just an ephemeral temporary use & throw – time killing happiness.

When you have clarity of your goal & understand perfectly that you have limited time to achieve it – then if you are truly passionate about your goal – your mind will find ways of getting you there – it might not be easy – but you will be living your life fully – instead of simply vegetating.

Stop Dying & go Live!

iGive

Hi All,

The idea of making a difference in this world has been on my mind for quite some time now.
I am excited to finally be doing so - however small it may be.Do not hesitate to donate through this Website - it is simple, totally secure and the most efficient way to help me reach my goal. The NGO I have chosen will receive your money quickly and effortlessly. If you are an Indian, US orUK taxpayer, there are tax benefits to be had as well.

I've found a great way to celebrate my birthday. Instead of giving me a gift, I'd be thrilled if you joined me in supporting "Seva Mandir" by making a donation to them.

I've chosen "Seva Mandir" because they will be using this money to "Develope Pastureland and help afforestation" and this is a cause dear to me.

GiveIndia will process every donation and provide you with a receipt for the same. Thank you for visitingmy iGive page and supporting my cause.

The NGO I am supporting is : Seva Mandir
Its Vision is: To foster democratic and egalitarian values in society so that citizens from plural backgrounds can come together and address their problems. Also, to encourage the people's initiative in governance by building autonomous village institutions.
Any amount, big or small will help and add up to make a difference. So please click on this link below

http://www.giveindia.org/give/pledgepage/Vinod

You will be taken to my iGive page where you can make a secure online donation. You will get a receipt via email that you can use for tax deduction purposes.

Thank you in advance for your generosity and for making my day special.

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Blogger

;-)