I am born to this land and married to its soul. In the silence of solitude made within the sounds of songs that speak of its soil, I swell up and my sight gets teary. In the midst of solo travels across its breadth I swell up for no reason, teary eyed I blush, like a lover lost in thoughts of his great love.

I have no reason to justify my reactions. I haven’t had the privilege of a lineage that ruled over this land. I haven’t lost anything to the enemies of my land. I haven’t bred my thought with any patriotic fervor. I wish I could put it in some sort of perspective, but I can’t. In fact I despise its manifestations that I see walking around me everyday, people without a name to their gut who have sold themselves to a different history and an indifferent future. I don’t see any reason to love a country that harbours such ilk within it.

But I do.

And I don’t know why.

All I know is that my country breaks me, it breaks my heart. That there is nobody else that can.

Here’s what I mailed them -

Respected Committee Members,

I understand that there are more eminent and certainly a lot more qualified members of our civil society whose views and opinions you have solicited to formulate your report. In that regard I don’t even have any semblance of an idea as to what law can we pass that can ensure safety of our people in our country, both man and woman, especially in matters of sexual assault. However, I have a small but very pertinent note that I believe I must make as a citizen of India in the wake of recent events.

Though there have been nearly half a dozen a cases of rape have been reported since the time ‘Amanat’ was found by Delhi Police and admitted to the hospital. Each perhaps deserving an equal share of our angst. However, her case, that as of today will probably be expanded into sections pertaining to murder, deserves our special attention. For within the larger spectrum of sexual assault, the heinous nature of this case. I haven’t been able to read any bit of information on the incident without feeling a part of me die every single time that I try. No sane person with a heart can hold back their rage when thinking of the sheer pain of what she might have gone through. Our blood boils and it must. And in times such as this nothing but blood can cool it down.

It is in such a position that you have been entrusted with the task of strengthening our systems such that these black marks on our identity as a society are never repeated. And it is in this position that I hope you are able to keep your emotions in check.

As much as I want punishment of the severest nature for the sexual predators amongst us, I want you to not let that happen. I want you to take the onus to keep the distinction between us and those who perpetrate things that we so vehemently stand against sacred and visible. So that when you punish them it is clear that a responsible and mature civil society is dealing with the matter and not one run by angst and emotions.

My points are only two and more or less connected to each other

1. that a crime however heinous is met with and dealt with in the same demeanor regardless of the quantum of hideousness as any other crime against a fellow human
2. that a strong statement being made in your report cautioning us of our demands for violent justice against the perpetrators of this crime, that we are not like them

We have been demanding, our rage has been demanding, perhaps your voice is mixed in our screams as well. Yet, when you sit as part of this committee I hope you show the courage to do what is right. As a country we are going through a phase where there is a lack of strong civil and political leadership everywhere, you are placed with the responsibility to not let this exercise meet with a similar fate. I want you to show the leadership to say that we are not them, that by demanding inhuman judgments we are being no different from those that exhibit this monstrosity and assault the modesty of our women. I don’t want to be like them and I hope you won’t bring in a law that makes me one of them.

If it won’t add to noise that you might already be flanked by, I would want to add certain perspectives on the goal you are trying to achieve.

Speedy trials are needed yes..but that’s an inherent fault in our system. A few fast track courts won’t help matters to cover the large landscape that our nation holds within its boundaried. You with your experience are far better placed to take a call on this. But, I believe the ability to judge need to be watered down to the grass routes in these regards. However, various incidents and voices in the past amongst the Panchayat members lend little credence to the hope of justice at the grass routes. And this cannot be cured by having additional representation of women as some might suggest, they are equally regressive. We need a more proactive approach. Perhaps, when you arrive at your conclusions as a committee I hope you are in a position to frame a body that can hold decision makers at every level accountable to it. And perhaps have fast track courts to ensure this accountability is adhered to.

In my mind the sense of justice needs to be equitable regardless of the crime, however heinous. As much as it hurts to say, especially on a day when a young soul finally lost her battle she didn’t have to be part of, I believed that victims of rape shouldn’t be seen in anyway different from victims of any other injustice. Or so I used to think. But we are seeing far too many stories and far too many victims of this kind today. And as much as I want justice to be served in the right manner responsibly I want tougher laws.

No law might stop a man possessed by perversion, a wrong sense of libido or machismo, we can only hope and prepare our future generations to show better sensibilities to their fellow women. However, we can always put a fear of law. Molesting a woman’s pride is not just a case of aggravated sexual assault, it is not about the forced sex, instead it is a testimony to a savage attack on all the freedoms we hold dear as a society. It is a man saying to another that I can teach you a lesson and that is a slap on the sense of freedom of any person holds in this country. It is then not a matter of law, but a question of how equal are our rights and how equal are we amongst each other. It is a wrong show of power. It questions India. It is important then that the law doesn’t just look at cases of extreme nature but of any case of sexual assault. And it is equally important that the law makes it clear that this is not a crime against one woman but against the basis of our society itself. When you frame your recommendations do look at how this can be showcased as much the other pertinent points you look to include. And do this while keeping us human still.

I end with the hope that you are able to bring up a path breaking system and show leadership we are thirsting to see.

“Tell me Bruce, what kills you?” “Is it the bullet or the anticipation of it?”

“I dunno, guess it has to be the bullet that nails me in finally..”

“Exactly! But the anticipation of your death kills a thousand others when they are witness to it.”
“And that’s my job..”

Now I can’t be a 100% sure, but in my mind this post didn’t come out of an exclusive interview. Instead it probably had its genesis in a regular Press Release. But the beauty of it is that it doesn’t give any hint of a PR.

That’s what I would like our bloggers to do. Very often I see a patterns with digital news. You have an introductory paragraph, put in quotes from the release and add the numbers that they share in them as ” mobile is gonna grow 40%YOY QOQ BYTPKL , the release said,” which is just said. This is finally ended with a concluding paragraph which will essentially be of a non committal nature. Or another thing one sees is that you have a case of the release being completely ignored and you find a review of whatever is done with followed by an a customary tale of one thing that’s missing from the effort.

For me, seeing this is a sure way to ignore your posts as a reader. I can however be converted into a fan when you begin to connect the dots. People are trying to say things and hide things when they put out a Press Release, your job is to bring both to the fore and then go beyond and show people aspects they might have otherwise missed. See the post again, see how numbers are analysed not just from the blogger’s understanding of it but also from what the company has previously spoken about and what its competitors are doing. Readers don’t want to read press releases, nor do they want to know your opinion on it (really), instead they want analysis, as a friend of mine says – connect the dots.  Once you start doing this frequently, your opinion will begin to matter to readers. This is what I would have told this Maneesh.

But leaving that bit aside, one of the ideas that struck me while working on this was the whole idea what it would mean to be a particular country-man in the future. About how as global lines get blurred a person’s identity or idea even a country’s idea of self determination might change from the perception that we hold.

What if nations begin to extend beyond their geography, and I don’t mean in the colonial sense of it, but from the more grander notion that is put on a country like India for instance, that of an idea. And as nations grow as an idea, its country men will get divided among those who believe in that idea and those who don’t. The interesting part is that these people might not even originally belong to that country.

An pertinent example, a good section of our urban society is a lot more attuned to an American thought process and aspire their lifestyle to match theirs (often misconstrued as standard of living). They don’t believe in the India they see or hear about (they don’t live this India) and would want India to be like the USA.

In my mind they are American not Indian. Or at least that’s the hypothesis or the base thought I am setting out with. It will be an interesting study and if in my lifetime it gains momentum and becomes true, it will have serious implications on the political and societal future of mankind. Another paradigm shift in our great continuing march of civilization.

One hour of progressive awesomeness. Also check out JP Graziano.

***

I was reading about Leo Burnett today. Probably a few years too late but nevertheless one thing struck me. He had a habit of keeping keeping a folder in the lower left-hand corner of his desk called “Corny Language” (lifted as is from Wikipedia). The habit or its value itself is not consequential in this post. It could have been anything really. It however led me to imagine his desk. This although my interaction with him was just a sole photograph and some iconic icons (Marlboro Man and Pillsbury Doughboy) and having never seen his office let alone his desk. But I did, and I imagined the office and the countless people who worked with him.

***

I am toying with a notion that how we go about our work lends a very credible hand in how it shapes up and what it stands for. Little histories of things you find, think about and create upon go into your work. So they need to be respected. Your desk, your idiosynchrosies, your habits, your routine, your tools are also reflected in your work.

To me that came as an after thought but what was surprising was that it was at so much odds at my way of working. In my very short career I have always looked at my environment not coming in the way of my work. I considered it a weakness if I can’t perform to my capability because of what is around me. We have worked at Smursh at the height of Summer without an AC 2 inches away from a black terrace, while I knew it would be a good story to tell to me it was like put me anywhere I can work. Today, in this moment, I consider it the cockiness of a wrestler wanting a handicap match all the time. My ego is embarrassing.

I still can’t stand people who go “I can’t do anything without my first cup of coffee in the morn”. Or who can’t “think clearly without a smoke” or who need masturbate to align the stars right for their day to go well. But I am coming around to the notion that people are different. Not that I have any of the above working with me, but I have had to fortune (good or bad who knows) to interact with a few of this variety before.

***

So when I came to know of Burnett’s habit and I imagined the whole space around, I am more aligned to the idea that a space of work needs to be respected as much as the work itself. Give space for habits and routines that are unique to emerge.

By this I don’t mean to suggest that every office should be big and plentiful with cafeteria’s and gyms and pool tables. Fun yes, but that’s not what I mean by a space of work. The company should provide the opportunity for its people to own a place and put their unique stamp on things. And this can be done at any company of any size. Allow the possibilities of rituals to seep in as an offshoot of routine and add to the culture.

I think it comes around to finding a balance between what is important to you and what is priority and make a choice.

***

In the meanwhile I found this interesting post about the rituals of some writers and artists. It’s pretty cool.

These days I am in this pursuit of figuring out the future for companies like mine. Independent, small, local digital based businesses. It is important for me to know and see the value that we can add to the system. Currently there are more questions than answers on the same. Things like CRO sheds light on where the ones who are ahead are thinking and provides perspective to find an answer quickly.

The lesson’s done but the learning’s not. Still grappling. Still failing. Still fighting. Another dawn will pass by and we will be done with a full 366 days, the bleakest in my living memory. And thus we march with our addiction to hope held squarely inside to something brighter, yet shuddering at the very probable possibility of things getting bleaker.

That though is the process. There’s no joy in a journey too smooth. We take things as they come and fill ourselves to measure, good or bad. And while we are miles away from any semblance of achievement or sense, this has already been some journey. Grateful, regretful, beautiful.