The power of Document!

A few days back I needed to call the customer service for one of the utilities at home. The call went pleasantly. The representative listened to my issues, tried to resolve or provide me solutions and my problem was solved. I was happy. When I reached home and I opened my emails, I saw an email asking for feedback on the service provided by the representative. Along with the request for the brief survey, a transcript of our telephonic discussion was also provided as a documentary proof of our conversation.

A document is thus a summarization of the ideas that flew across two or more people in different communicating ways. The document lists important information that is mutually agreed upon and also the action items if any. The document is therefore the knowledge bits that may be required for a task. The document serves as a reference point for anyone using it for a task. The document also serves as a knowledge bank for anyone who reads it. This helps particularly in the customer service scenario where different people might be accessing your case. Thus all the knowledge of the people and the process is imbibed in the document.

At the heart of the documenting process, is the thought of “incomplete truth”. In certain scenarios this could be misconstrued as untruth. Hence the document serves as the proof of what happened or what was discussed upon. The delivery is measured upon the compliance to the document. What if the document was written incorrectly? What if the document is incomplete? What if the author or the content provider omitted something? How valid is this proof? The document is a capture of the oral or written communication. How about the clues visible to the eye, perception and intuitiveness? Where do they figure?

Looking from the IT sector perspective, where I belong, many IT professionals are good at what they do – development or support. But not equally good at documenting. This leads to the many issues faced in IT projects. The requirements document, design document, test document all may tell a different story from what was captured in the minds of the team themselves. At the end, the project and the team’s success is measured on the parameters provided in the documents. We know that the documents may not reflect the complete picture (an inherent problem), moreover the documents loose value over time when the requirements may have changed or alternate systems may have been assumed.

Documents are a powerful tool. At the same time, sticking by them is like living by the rules. Living by the set of instructions which define black and white and leave no place for different shade of grey. In the Indian context, this reminds me of Bhishma in Mahabharata who took an oath for a noble cause and stuck by it, even when the beneficiaries changed. Ultimately, his noble oath became a curse for the entire mankind.

Ashwathama is dead

After Bhishma was sent to his death bed by Arjuna, Drona took charge of the Kaurava army. What a great warrior he was! He was a great teacher too. He taught both Kauravas and Pandavas and knew the strengths and weaknesses of everyone involved. He was almost invincible with his knowledge of war schemes and weaponry. Sri Krishna understanding the frustration of Pandavas devised a plan to remove Drona from the war. Per his scheme, Yudhishtira will announce the death of Ashwathama. And the Pandava army would kill an elephant on their side named Ashwathama. Since Yudhishthira would not tell a lie, he was suggested to break the announcement in two parts – “Ashwathama is dead, though it could be human or the animal”. All the warriors were instructed to blow trumpets and conches to celebrate the victory as soon as Yudhisthira says the first part. Drona heard the news but couldn’t hear the second part. Filled with grief, he gave up fighting. Dhristhdyumna – son of his arch rival – Drupada, then beheaded Drona.

This is a very well-known and talked about story from Mahabharata. However, the lessons learnt from the story have been lost long before.

All heard stories or sentences have different meaning depending upon the mental state of the person hearing those. Filtering of information or selective dissipation of information can cause completely varying results. Similar information dissipation is also termed as “rumors”. We all have seen the havoc created through rumors all the time. Be smart – Don’t fall the way Drona did. Always examine, cross-examine what you hear before believing. Once the belief is made, your behavior and finally actions are defined.

Doesn’t the same applies to many a news articles being shown in various media? Often the news headlines make no sense to the article they are attached to. Or even the article does not conveys the complete information. It is very selective in the information displayed to suit the viewer’s mindset. This is a catch-22 situation. We see what we want. We are shown what we want. Ultimately, we start liking what we are shown. Who’s at fault?

Listen carefully. Think, examine, cross-examine.

Holi

रंग भरी देखो होली आई ,
मस्तानों की टोली आई।
उड़ रहा है अबीर गुलाल।,
मस्तानी है सबकी चाल।

रंग भरी देखो होली आई ,
मस्तानों की टोली आई।

खुशियों की सौगात है यह लाई,
संग संग रंग खेलें सब भाई।
बापू संग ठिठोली करें हैं माई ,
और बीवी रंगे देवर भौजाई।
बच्चों ने जब पिचकारी चलाई ,
दादी संग नानी भी नहलाई।

सुखी है अपना जीवन भाई ,
रंग भरी देखो होली आई।

मन का चैन फिर भी रहा है काट ,
क्यों ना लें हम खुशियाँ बाँट।
काहे करें हम लड़ाई ,
जब देखो हैं होली आई।

खून होता सबका लाल ,
हरा पीला तो होता गुलाल।
क्यों रहते हो खुद को बाँट ?
खुशियों को लेते हो खुद ही काट।

रंग भरी देखो होली आई,
मस्तानों की टोली आई।

सदा साथ रहने की हैं हमने कसम खाई ,
भेदभाव होलिका सांड जलाई।
प्रेम कि हैं मिठाई खाई ,
आओ नाचें हम सब भाई,
एकता की दें दुहाई,

क्यों की
रंग भरी देखो होली आई,
मस्तानों कि टोली आई।

What happened to us – Contd.

Sequels are in fashion. Why should I be left behind? So, here is my sequel -

In my previous blog – “What happened to us?” I touched upon the topic of relationship between couples. We saw the two extremes and hence can understand the shifting balances to find the perfect equilibria. Also I did state that we have somehow deduced that anything attached to female is inferior. There are many stories to that which have been concocted in multiple ways to suit our own progenical ideas. One of the most popular one being the sharing of Indra’s guilt for killing Viswaroopa – the teacher of the gods. Indra being the king of the gods needed someone to share his sin and absolve himself of the same. He then shared his sin with the earth, ocean, trees and women. The earth has seizures – volcanic eruptions as a result of the sin. The ocean produces foam / froth. The trees excrete gum. And the women have their menstrual cycle as a result of this sin. At the same time all four were given enormous boons to help Indra absolve himself.

While this story has been concocted in a way to show the impurities in women or how they were considered inferior and hence were asked to share the sin, the reality is that they saved the gods, asuras and humans from the wrath. Also, sharing can only be done amongst the equals. The pain can only be shared by the one who can bear it. These realities though bring out the real mettle of women are often ignored by our story tellers.

Now that we established a lowly race called females, we started viewing anything and everything attached to them as lowly as well. Be it relationship, association or even household chores. We saw two extreme women in relationships – Gauri and Kali. Knowing the patriarchial society we all live in, we want women to be Gauri and not Kali. We want to domesticate them. The concept of boundary – created by Laksmana in Ramayana for a very different cause – has been recreated many a times. In fact in some glorious terms, the woman is given the home as her region and is called as a master of it. The male is allowed the region outside of home while the woman is barred on the pretext of safety. However, going by the principle of the inherent inequality between the genders, the home and any associated work is considered inferior.

In many women empowerment talks, the orientation is towards helping women cross the chasm of the home to the outside world. No one talks of the male crossing the same chasm towards the home? Who would handle the household?

The house is the center of the mankind – life, recreation, reproduction everything. The house is where the human worships the God, realizes himself, understands the purpose of life and helps propagate the life through various channels. At the heart of the house is the kitchen, where the fire or Agni is produced for food, annihilation of impurities and procreation of energy to keep the household growing.

Due to the constant struggle to gain equilibrium of gender, we see the household getting affected. Women want to be equal to Men. They want to work and get equal rights and equal freedom. Men however, do not want to lose their position and hence do not want to take care of the work that women did so far. And finally to avoid the discussion and maintain peace, the maid is invented and invited into the household. Almost all the functions have been outsourced in various forms. Not realizing that the core of household lies in the invocation of Agni in the home and in ourselves.

When we say that god lives in all of us, all men and women are equal since they all have the same god in them. It’s our interpretation that makes the difference. Man and Woman are not different. Our Hindu scriptures always depict the God to be “Ardha-Narishwar” – having features of both the genders. In one of the stories, sage Bhringi – a great Shiva devotee wanted to go around Shiva. Shakti (or Gaui or Parvati or Sati) told him to go around both Shiva and heself. But Bhringi did not recognize her. Still to help his task complete, Shakti fused herself with Shiva. However, ignorant Bhringi gnawed his way through the fused Shiva and Shakti to go around Shiva only. Angered at his act, Shakti cursed him to lose all the elements he received from his mother. Instantly, he lost all the flesh and blood. Left as a bag of tough and rigid body parts – nerves and bones he collapsed on floor.

To strike a balance, harmonization of minds is required. Instead of harping on rights, we need to understand the duties of oneself and fulfil those. Peace and happiness will come to all, but the journey begins from oneself.

Khalnaayak Ki Khoj - Search for the villain

श्रीमान नायक कहते हैं 
नया है जमाना ,
बेटे और बेटी में फर्क बतलाना। 
बेटी को खूब पढ़ाएंगे ,
पांचवी कक्षा में ही शादी करवायेंगे । 
बहू नहीं बेटी चाहिए ,
साथ में ट्रक भर दहेज़ चाहिए। 
पश्चिम में फ़ैल रहा व्याभिचार ,
और खुद रखते पत्नी चार। 
आधुनिकता है अनैतिकता का प्रचार ,
दूसरे के कपड़ों में झांकते हैं, ढूंढ मौके हजार। 
स्वयं हैं समाज सुधारक ,
और कार्य हैं हृदय विदारक। 
स्वयं हैं महाज्ञानी ,
तानों के सिवाय कुछ भी देना हैं बेमानी। 
देने का हाथ तो है एक,
और बटोरने के अनेक। 
बड़ों का करते हैं बहुत आदर,
सोचते हैं मरें तो काटें पाप के गागर। 
प्रेम है ईश्वर का वरदान,
और प्रेमियों का मिलन है विषपान। 
हम हैं बहुत ज्ञानी,
यह धन माया तो है एक दिन आनी जानी, 
इसे जोड़ कर क्या करोगे ?
मेरे पास छोड़ कर सुखी रहोगे। 
लूटपाट है धर्म इनका,
हिंसा ही है मंत्र इनका। 
मेरे तरकस में हैं अनेकों तीर ,
एक से मरे ख्वाज़ा, एक से मरे पीर। 
एकछत्र राज जो चलना है,
सर्वत्र अपना ही धर्म फैलाना है। 

सूत्रधार / खलनायक के विचार - 

अब तो कहते हैं हम तुमसे यही नितिन,

करना बस यही जतन प्रतिदिन,

बनना हो तो रावण बनना, कंस बनना,

पर इस मानव तन में पसु मत बनना। 

चेहरे पर मुखौटा मत रखना,

जो करना हो वही कहना। 

इस कविता का शीर्षक नायकों कि भीड़ में कहीं गम हो गया,

एक बार फिर नायक खलनायक से जीत गया। 

नायक करता भी रहा और कहता भी रहा,

और मैं इस अंतहीन जनसमूह में कर्मिष्ठ खलनायक ढूँढता रहा। 

What happened to us?

We just celebrated the international Women’s Day on March 8^th. A great day dedicated to women and thanking them for the society we are in. while exchanging messages from different contacts and relaying them to my wife, I was reminded of the season 1 episode 1 of “Satyamev Jayate” program which was aired on May 6^th, 2012. Anchored and and beautifully tackled by Amir Khan, the show focused on the topic of “Female Foeticide”. Looking back at the statistics recorded in the 2011 census in India, the rate shows killing of about a million girls a year. Considering the demographies, it is noted that the rate of female foeticide is higher in both literate and as well as illiterate communities. Even affluent communities have shown this mortal sin at skyrocketing rates. In another disturbing news, a few weeks ago, a high ranking official stabbed his wife suspecting her of infidelity. Rapes have become a regular feature.

Even while we consider the rest of the crimes (molestation, eve teasing, groping etc.) committed against women to be insignificant, this is quite alarming. However, given our state, the crimes are rising just like Sursa’s mouth.

The Indian society – predominated by the Hindu philosophy of living has always worshipped women as a Godess, a mother, a sister, a wife and a daughter. There are countless examples of learned and even warrior females in the Hindu scriptures.

The question arises as to why have we degenerated ourselves into the unfathomable society that we are in today?

In my view, the issue lies in within us and in our interpretation of our habituated truths! Whether it’s us or our children, our thoughts emanate from our values. Our values come from our beliefs. And our beliefs come from what we see, what we hear and what we practice. Like it or not, we have created this myth that the woman is inferior to man – check it out yourself – a man chooses his bride and can reject anyone without having to give an explanation. We have considered that a male is positive while the female is negative. A person born with a female body is considered to be a burden as compared to a male body. We have started a comparison amongst the two than understanding the differences and the abilities of the two. The scriptures celebrate both – male and female – saying that they are inseparable and the two together only can help you understand the nature.

In the past when there were news articles about the disgrace brought upon women, certain intellectuals deftly shifted the responsibility. Looking back at our fundamentals was missed out by many. Our scriptures, tell us stories about

• Bhudevi who runs as a cow to escape the wrath of gods, humans and asuras but is comfortably sitting beside Vishnu upon assurance of her well-being
• Lakshmi who runs away from Indra who desires her but is calmly sitting with Vishnu who just loves her without desire.
• Parvati who loves, adores Shiva even when he is mendicant and unattached to everything
• Kali who rises above Shiva and drinks blood

What we see are two very extreme portraits of a woman and her relationship with a man. In my understanding, the society is struggling hard to find the balance between the two extremes. And since we do not understand a true balance, we often allude to it being nonexistent and commit heinous crimes towards each other.

The importance for the society is to realize the difference and acknowledge it. Just as we acknowledge the different creations of nature, we need to acknowledge the man and the woman. After all, it’s only the difference of physical appearance. Spiritually we are the same. Once we can appreciate the differences and allow for both the forms to coexist and move forward will we be able to create a better society for all. Not only this applies to the crimes committed towards other women or children, but also in our married lives.

The six pointed star

A six pointed star holds a great significance in various culture and religions.

Referred to as the “Star of David”, it represents the identity of the Jews. Christians revere the star as the Star of Creation and each point denoting the day of creation. Muslims also consider the star an important symbol. It represents the “Seal of Solomon”. Quran says that David and King Solomon were prophets and kings and hence their symbols are revered too.

Figure 1: The Star of David	Figure 2: The star on Pope's crown
Figure 3: Hexagonal structure in the Qutab complex - Islamic Architecture	Figure 4: Use of the star in Humayun's Tomb

The Mormons or the Latter-Day Saints symbolize the star as the union of God and the man – the downward triangle representing the descent of god from heavens upon mankind and the upward triangle represents the man rising up to god through his deeds. And I bet all the symbol enthusiasts must have been waiting to hear about the free masonry and the star! Well, yes the star is interpreted as two interlacing triangles or union of two principles or forces prevailing in the universe. And the star is an important symbol in occult practices. It is considered both as a talisman and for conjuring spirits.

Even our Hindu scriptures are not unaware of the star. The star is used to represent the union of spirituality with materialism. The upward triangle shows the spiritual ascent and the downward triangle represents the material binding which keeps humans a part of the nature. These triangles also represent the union of the male and the female creations of the nature. The male form is suggested to be able to focus itself on the spiritual ascension while the female form is capable of creating the life within itself and hence represents the growth of materialism. While one argues that one form is superior over the other, the knowledge lies in the union of the forms and the balance provided by them. The growth in one dimension requires a balance from the other to offer stability. Remember the “tilak” on the forehead of Sri Venkateswara or Sri Vishnu? Notice that the tilak has three lines – a cup like figure made of two white lines joined together and an ascending redline in the middle bounded by the cup or the joint white lines. The red line represents the spirituality and the white lines represent the material nature. The cup or the chalice thus formed, gives the much needed balance to the spiritual growth of a man.

Figure 5: The star in Hinduism

Figure 6: Sri Venkateswara's Tilak