Saturday, March 19, 2005

IN DILEMMA AGAIN?

The eternal syndrome of ‘to be or not to be’ has emerged once again before mankind in the form of sourcing workers or outsourcing works. Many of us had earlier thought that world will shrunk to a global village with the advent of internet and mobile phones. Manmade borders and colour barriers were expected to disappear in a highly connected world. But that is not to be, at least for the time being. Even if the geographical boundaries disappear, mankind will remain divided as different cultures, nations and economies for some more time. Movement of population from the less developed to more developed economies is inevitable in such a scenario. Until we have a level playing field among world economies, the less developed need to be protected and encouraged to close the gap. Socio-economic entropy is least in a world of equal nations and our aim must be to reach such a stable state at the earliest. It is worth remembering that agitations & unrests are least in developed economies and our planet would be a safer place only if the economic disparities between individuals (and nations) are within reasonable limits. Cost of any war on terrorism can be decimated by spending more on development of lesser economies than on military hardware. It is always better to prevent the need of war than preventing war. Global bodies driving for globalisation and liberalisation must formulate ways & means to achieve a New Economic Order among world nations in order to achieve this.

The current trend of outsourcing jobs to places where human resources are located (instead of other way around) is presenting a tremendous opportunity to work in this direction. Though protests can always be expected from marginalised sections of society in developed nations, the world leaders must seize the opportunity and enforce the flow of employment opportunities to developing economies. History will not pardon us if we fail yet again in utilising another opportunity to build a more just and equitable world order. It is time we realised that the returns from developing one’s own brethren in a lesser developed economy far outweigh the apparent benefits out of an advantageous gap in balance of trade.

It was different then

The last time we got a major chance for ‘globalisation of common wealth’ was during the Industrial Revolution that swept through large parts of Europe and Asia during eighteenth century. Instead of encouraging the active participation of colonies in the development process for overall benefit, the imperialists literally used the colonies to develop only their own societies. It won’t be an exaggeration to state that the wealth and well being we notice in today’s Europe owe a lot to the sweat (and blood) of people in their colonies in Asia and Africa. Most of the raw materials & manpower were in the colonies and Europe had the distinct advantage in terms of technology and military power. While many of the European countries attained unprecedented levels of growth by successfully utilising the cheap labour to exploit the equally abundant mineral wealth in their own nations, the poor colonies became poorer. Entire population in the colonising nations flourished but only a few in the colonies benefited from this organised exploitation. The fact that even a fraction of the benefit was not canalised back for the welfare of the poor in those colonies remains a permanent blot on the colonisers. Another chance, though of a minor scale, presented itself during the oil boom in the Middle East during seventies and eighties. The initial tendency of the privileged was once again one of mindless exploitation for one’s own benefit. Outsiders came with men & machinery and left with the exploits leaving the locals with little. But the world had changed and at least some of the affected nations could rise to the occasion by building facilities for value addition in their own soil is part of history now. Though not of desired levels, most of the Gulf countries could benefit out of their own natural wealth speak volumes about the changed times.

The consequences of unbridled migration from under developed and developing nations to rich destinations is in front of us to see. If 9/11 has opened the eyes of an indifferent international conscience to the ill effects of immigration, it is a welcome development out of a human tragedy. Miserable stories about qualified professionals from poor families ‘escaping’ to US/UK and consequent national loss to poor countries from brain drain are well known. Though some relief comes to those poor countries when a few of their successful emigrant sons bring in foreign direct investment, the social losses on account of brain drain far outweigh the economic gains. Moreover, such successful emigrants always serve as undesirable role models to the upcoming generation in such poor countries.

It is different now

But the scenario is completely different this time round. Twenty first century belongs to services sector and we are standing right at the threshold of an era of possibilities towards employment for all. Small has become beautiful again and we need only smaller facilities to provide employment to a greater number of people. Time has taught us that providing education and employment is far better than millions in grant and aid. The multiplier effect of providing employment to just one member in a poor family is well known. The developed nations can keep their money but should voluntarily outsource the jobs that can be done in less developed locations anywhere in the world. If that comes to be accepted as an official policy of governance in all the developed countries, we are definitely heading for a developed planet itself in another fifty years.

Outsourcing of employment to countries in Asia and Africa has been found to make economic sense too. A recent report from McKinsey Global Institute estimated every dollar of costs the US moves offshore brings America a net benefit of $1.12 to $1.14 and projects net savings of $390 billion by 2010 to the American economy due to outsourcing. McKinsey reasons that as low value-added jobs go abroad, labour and investment can switch jobs that generate more economic value. Taking jobs to where qualified people can work in their own environment is one of the most logical things to do for any business unit. Individuals excel in work in their own natural environment and what better can be done than to allow an Indian to work in India or a Chinese to work in China? The other option of allowing immigrants has always led to development of cultural conflicts and divisive undercurrents in the society of host countries. Differences on account of colour and culture are deep rooted with much more implications than what ordinary social analyses can fathom. It has always proved futile to integrate ethnic immigrants fully into any foreign society. The wisdom of spending millions to showcase an integrated society makes little business sense when we can get the same work done by outsourcing.

IT has changed the world

Information Technology (IT) and IT enabled Services (ITeS) are changing our world every minute. Even our best economists are struggling to arrive at any conclusion regarding its employment or wealth generation potential. If handled properly, these neo-technologies have the potential to bring in development at a tremendous pace to vast sections of population in developing countries. The concept of virtual offices and remote operations opens up vast potential for offering a livelihood to millions without any displacement of population. Miles of high speed data transfer cables being laid under sea and scores of communication satellites launched every year are cementing the theoretical possibility of impoverished Asians and Africans taking part in world development. But the virtual reality of a developed world will become a reality only if the powers that be agree to a systematic use of third world talent by outsourcing jobs.

It is a fact that within the third world itself the digital divide is widening. Direct operations of large multi national corporations are inadvertently contributing to this. These corporations are setting up hi-tech offices amidst prevailing levels of low technology in these countries. The resultant effect on a section of the local populace in terms of income and digital access results in widening of the divide. Only a minute section of local people get exposed to higher technologies and facilities. The better option in front of these corporations is to outsource only the low technology jobs to these countries and utilise the technological advances in running virtual offices. The slow and calibrated exposure of developing countries to latest technology can also result in healthy development climates in these countries.

It will make a better world

A world devoid of hunger and violence is what all of us desire. The current war on terrorism is half won if we can address the reasons that breed violence. Inequalities will always exist in a world where 20% of people keep 80% of the wealth. But hunger and abject poverty anywhere in the world is definitely not acceptable whatever be the reasons or explanations. As an example, we still have a third of the world’s poor (with less than $ 2 income per day) in a single country like India. If this is not leading to large scale uprisings and revolutions drawing in the whole international community, we can only thank the ancient culture and religion that is keeping the millions passive. Unless opportunities are made available to sustain a dignified life for each and every individual living anywhere in the world the apparent calmness may not hold for ever. The number of human beings interested in charity food and money are coming down drastically in present day world. Everyone is looking for dignified employment and decent living preferably in their own environment. What better option do we have than allowing smooth transfer of employment opportunities through the broad band to the talented lot living far away from development? Export the jobs and restrict the import of workers. A world in which we find only tourists feeling the need to go out of their own countries is definitely better and safer.

‘RAJU’ SOCIALISM

Most of the old isms are now dead except for few embers in the minds of those who have seen their initial heydays. Classical version of socialism is one such defunct ideology. At the other end of the ideological spectrum is the highly imaginative (hence impractical) doctrine of “from each according to their might and to each according to their needs”. The need of the times is a viable social ideology by mixing socialism with social justice. The two main problems with classical socialism were its irrationality in equalising unequal beings and injustice in terms of denying legitimate rights of the abler. A rational and just version of socialism (we will call it ‘raju’ socialism) will be the best target for any modern society. “Raju” is the symbolic name of a common man in India and ‘raju’ version of socialism can satisfy his hopes & aspirations more than any other system. A brief outline of such a socialist society is attempted here.

The best way to describe a socio-political ideology is to describe the nature of society (country or nation) that it will usher in. In this respect, any society can claim to have achieved ‘raju’ socialism only when the following four minimum conditions have been met:-

· Basic minimum requirements for all
· No negative discrimination whatsoever
· Proportional representation in power & economic structure
· Rational distribution of wealth

Basics

In any modern society, the question of social justice comes in only after the basic requirements of the common man have been met. In addition to the essential minimum of food, shelter & clothing, the modern man wants good infrastructure too in terms of water, roads, electricity, health, education and entertainment. If these items are not readily available and affordable to (almost) all the members of a society, there is no point in talking about social justice or socialism in that society. These basic requirements constitute the canvas on which the picture of ‘raju’ socialism can be drawn. In addition to the bare canvas, we need the framework of freedom of life, movement, expression, and faith to hold together the picture. In the absence of such basics, all talk about social justice and liberation are meaningless and like drawing a picture on water. So the first step of the leaders who want to attain ‘raju’ socialism in their society is to get the basics right.

Discrimination

Any society that has attained ‘raju’ socialism must be devoid of all types of negative discrimination. No one should be prevented from doing anything or enjoying any benefit because of reasons beyond his/her control like birth, colour, race etc. The only thing good and rational about classical socialism was its strong advocacy of equality before law. All members of a society must be equal before the common law of the land and only the selected or elected few must be assigned special privileges on strictly ex-officio basis for a fixed period. Elected leaders are like idols in a temple and unless we give or assign them special privileges and powers, they will be weak in taking decisions. However, there must be strong restraining and punitive laws against those who violate the spirit of equality. The psychological impact of a non-discriminatory justice system is very high in the eyes of the common man in any society. If an ex-ruler is arrested and treated as an ordinary criminal for confirmed corruption charges, the ordinary citizens of such a country will not be shameful but proud.

Representation

Every society is made up of several communities or groups. Each such group or community must share the responsibilities and benefits in direct proportion to their numerical strength in an ideal and just society. To do that, each community should have their representation in the power and economic structure in direct proportion to their population. Imagine a state (in the Indian union) with X,Y and Z communities in the ratio of 20%, 25% and 55% respectively. If at any point of time, the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary and Chief of Police in that state happen to be from ‘X’, there is something definitely wrong with the political state of affairs. If 50% of the doctors and engineers belong to ‘X’, there is something rotten in the social sector. If 75% of the trade and agriculture is controlled by ‘X’ and ‘Y’ together, there is something seriously wrong in economics as well. The state is far away attaining ‘raju’ socialism.

Distribution

Distribution of wealth according to the capability and needs of the individuals is the crux of ‘raju’ socialism. Once the very basic requirements of even the weakest member of a society have been met, further distribution of wealth must be according to the capability and efforts of the individuals. There is absolutely no logic in restraining any individual from accumulating wealth by merit and fair means. If someone is intelligent and hardworking, he/she should definitely have avenues to become wealthier without any hindrance. Those who are more capable and hardworking must be richer than the ones who are idiotic and lazy. Such a system will motivate or provoke the less capable and lazy to perform better. Instead of creating an artificial equality by bloody revolutions, efforts should be made to mould a competitive system by rewarding excellence. That is the only way a healthy competitive upward mobile society can evolve for the good of each and everyone.

Ways & Means

On the whole, the ‘raju’ socialism expounded above contains shades of socialism, social justice, welfare state and capitalist ideologies. More important are the ways & means of reaching such a ‘raju’ socialist state. We have seen Communism failing miserably in creating a sustainable socialist society through bloody revolution (by the proletariat) in the USSR experiment. It is now confirmed that neither politicians nor dictators can lead us to a just society. We need natural leaders of the like of Mahatma Gandhi, who combined politics with spirituality. Ordinary political leaders are not necessarily natural leaders but most often aberrations in the arithmetic of electoral politics. A ‘raju’ socialist society must be built on consensus based on a constitution drafted by natural leaders who have won the trust of the society by their living style and not their speeches alone. In modern democracies, there must be a forum for such natural leaders for providing the guidance. In India, the old concept of having a ‘Dharma Sabha’ made up of spiritual leaders (proportionately from all religions) above the elected ‘Lok Sabha’ and ‘Rajya Sabha’ can be the best vehicle for attaining a ‘raju’ socialist society.

CO-OPERATIVE MANDIRS

There are hospitals, schools, colleges and all types of manufacturing & trading establishments in India under the co-operative sector. Then why not have a co-operative temple too? In a recent judgement, the Hon’ble High Court of Kerala observed that most of the transactions taking place in a temple are commercial in nature and ruled that all temple employees, except Poojaris, come under the purview of the Industrial Dispute Act. This is a very good development. Our leaders must immediately seize the opportunity and proceed with setting up a few ‘co-operative mandirs’ that can trigger reforms in our society. Thousands of co-operative temples at village level and 600 odd Hindu Reform & Revival Centres (H2RCs) at district level can transform our society to ancient glory within a decade.

It is true that Hindu society is desperately in need of reforms and the mounting demographic pressure has accentuated this need. India, in general, and Hindu society, in particular, is made up of people who have highly varying interests with a whole lot of historical grievances pertaining to caste system. The religion itself is such that it is beyond integration beyond a limit. Large sections of our society are now caught between the devil of inability to organise and the deep sea of poverty. Multi National Religious Company (MNRC) executives are prowling around looking for ways to meet their yearly targets for harvest of souls. Only way out of this impasse’ is to activate ways and means for uplift of economic conditions of deprived sections of the society in novel ways. One definite way to do this is to go for a few co-operative temples at selected backward areas in the country.

Select any of the highly vulnerable tribal or backward areas in the country and register a co-operative society with most of the people in the locality for a token share value. With the money thus collected (and supplemented by country wide agencies) set up a temple in the name of the popular deity of the locality. An elected few of the co-op society can manage the affairs of the temple. But the most important point is to have the general body meeting of the temple co-operative society every month to approve the income & expenditure statement and distribute 50% of the income to all the eligible members. A sign board with the following information in the local vernacular must be put up in front of all such temples to declare the intentions and encourage everyone to donate liberally.

This is a Co-operative Temple
Our income will be distributed as follows:-
50% to current members of the co-operative society
25% will be spent for running the temple
25% reserved for future development
Please deposit your offerings in the designated place only
Do not tip the poojari or anyone for doing his/her work
Feel proud that you are contributing to distribution of common wealth by donating to this temple

If this co-operative experiment can succeed in a couple of places, I am sure it will catch on in the rest of the country. It can revolutionise the way we see our temples and democratise the running of temples. And most importantly, the stranglehold of any particular community on the affairs of places of worship will fade off for ever. Once again, temples can become an integral part of our daily lives and not mere monuments housing the omnipresent & omnipotent Gods shrouded in superstitious beliefs and rituals under the custody of a select few. And all of us will own at least part of a temple.

MIGRATION MIGRAINE

Migration of individuals or communities for making a living or for fear of life has always taken place through out history. In the present age of globalisation and acute political turmoil, this phenomenon is unavoidable too. Migration is good in a way because it results in dialogue between nations, religions and cultures. And the cross products are usually better than the raw materials. But when migration takes place under manipulated conditions with ulterior motives, the bad blood that it generates can be disastrous and resultant mistrust can stay on for generations.

Throughout history, India (Bharat) has always been a favourite destination for the migrants and refugees. Only very recently a Jewish team came over to thank the Cochin Royal family for their treatment of Jewish migrants thousands of years ago. Then there is the well known case of Zorashtrians or Parsees who have now become part and parcel of our society. Our long western coast has welcomed thousands of migrants including Arab Muslims, Syrian Christians, Knanayas etc. Some of them came for making a living and some others for saving their lives. Except the Jews, all others have stayed back and have got mixed with our people. Though each group came for a different reason, they received the same warmth in treatment. It is a matter of pride for Indian culture that migrants have felt more at home in this great nation than in their own.

Migration Mania

Migration as a means of starting afresh is a distinct option in front of many from aged nations. The social order and hierarchy that has piled up over centuries are often difficult to shake off for those at the bottom. Migrating to alien lands where no one knows about one’s background provides tremendous opportunity for the historically disadvantaged to come up in life. This feeling has grown into a sort of mania in many countries. The apparent success of people who have done it, fuels the degree of maniacal passion in potential migrants. There are many aspects of the receiving society that influence the psyche of migrants. For example, lack of volunteers in advanced countries to become nurses (for fear of AIDS) & take up uncomfortable occupations are forcing the potential migrants to opt for such trades, irrespective of their likes and dislikes. Now there are many families in India that sends at least one of their girl children for nursing so that she can start the migratory ‘escape’ for the entire family.

Also, there are many who migrate just for the fun of it without any reason or purpose. Like all other aspects of life, it is boring for many to stay put in one place through out one’s lifetime. These are people who look for variety in all aspects of life and migrating to newer places becomes a natural option for them.

Migration Mafia

In many parts of the world, migration is no more a spontaneous one but a well arranged and calculated one. Life’s ambition of many youngsters from third world countries is to migrate to USA, Europe or Australia. Indian youngsters are no different in this. If becoming an engineer or a doctor was a common objective a couple of decades back, becoming a migrant is a popular objective among many Indian youth now. There are agents of the Multi National Religious Corporations (MNRC) doubling as agents for migration and the potential migrants fall easy prey for them. The price they pay for earning a migration ticket can be very costly and they realise it only much later in their lives. The last wish of many such migrants is to have remained as unprivileged in their own country rather than becoming second (or third) class citizens in an alien land.

Migration within a country or state is a different matter altogether. Within India it is lawful for any citizen to purchase land in any part of the country (except Jammu & Kashmir). There are thousands of individual families that utilise this option to settle down in metros and other states for building up a life. This has only helped in the process of national integration. But there are others who indulge in organised efforts to displace the existing weak sections of society from a place and replace it with ‘our own people’ by organised migration. Jewish settlements in Gaza are classic examples of such attempts on the world stage. Nearer home, we have the Malabar Migration Mafia (MMM) that has almost wiped out the Adivasi settlements from Malabar area, especially Wayanad District in North Kerala. MMM is a formidable force to reckon with in the social, economical and political arenas of Kerala. The poor Adivasis, who number only a few lakhs, are facing a similar situation as the Red Indians of Americas and Aborigins of Australia. Like MGM Cinerama’s epic “How the West Was Won”, it time for the MMM to make “How Malabar Was Won”. But for the Kerala society at large, this organised migration has become a migraine now.

Model Migrants

If there is a contest for the best migrant community world-wide, Parsees of India would win hands down. They have not only assimilated into India’s culture but also contributed so tremendously in the fields of industry and nation building. Migration is a welcome phenomenon for the receiver nation or society if the migrants indulge only in positive activities of the host society. Keeping away from power politics and controversies is a must for making any migrant community acceptable to the hosts. However high their numbers may be, the original inhabitants of any geographical area would never like the migrants to rule over them. The case of Fiji is an example of this. In the present world, the option to migrate is a must. But it will remain a welcome option only if the migrant community world-wide set good precedence in getting along with the natives. More and more of settlements in Gaza and Malabar will generate only bad blood. The concept of displacing helpless natives by the might of political power or deceit is abhorring and unacceptable to the civilised world. It has to be stopped at all costs if migration is to remain as a viable option for individuals. Generating migraine for the host society is the least expected of any migrants.

Saint pips Sage

Two beautiful stories have fascinated Malayali minds for generations – one of Sage Parasuram throwing an axe (‘mazhu’) to recover land from the sea and another one about the adventurous trip of Saint Thomas to India in 52 AD. As a young child, I too have got thrilled about the mighty throw and adventurous trip by sea. Little did I realise then that these mythological incidents would get into our history books one day. As in all other spheres, the foreign Saint has beaten the native Sage in the race. Now that the Saint has overtaken the Sage into history books, it is unfair to leave the Sage behind. Here are a few tips for a fair settlement.

The single act that carried the day for the Saint was his climb on Malayatoor hills and leaving behind his footprints on the rock for future generations to really see. Divinity of the Saint made him leave the footprints on solid rock and not on any perishable materials. That has made it much easier for the Holy See to declare Malayatoor as an international pilgrimage centre and thus carry the whole story into the history books. The narration used to go as follows “After receiving wholeheartedly the mandate to evangelise the world, Saint Thomas set out on an arduous journey which saw him land in the land of spices. He set foot at Kodungalloor, the famous port of yester years, in AD 52 …… His missionary expeditions took him far and wide, and while traversing through the famous caravan route Saint Thomas came to Malayattoor. According to Ramban paattu, Saint Thomas emulated his Lord and deliberately went up the mountain to converse with the Lord. Tradition has this story that, in deep anguish and agony, Saint Thomas prayed to the Lord and upon touching the rock, blood sprang forth from it”. Now there is still a place called Malayatoor and on the hills there is a shrine. And most importantly there are foot prints on the rock. Good enough reasons to elevate mythology into the history books and we cannot blame the Holy See of any propaganda for conversion. To complete the picture we could have even fixed a date for the climb – why not 30 September, AD52?

Now let us take up the case of Sage Parasuram. Again the story went as follows “Parasuram was the 4th son of Sage Jamadagni and Renuka. He learnt the art of weaponry from Lord Siva. King Karthaveerajunan was fascinated by Jamadagni's cow and demanded it. Since the Sage refused to part with the cow, the King decapitated the Sage and forcibly took the cow away. The news infuriated Parasuram and he went to Mahishmaatipura and challenged Karthaveerajunan to a duel. Parsuram defeated Karthaveerajunan and avenged his father's death. For generations, he carried on annihilations of the Kshaktriyas (the martial race). As a mark of repentance for this sin, Parasuram meditated at Gokarna and invoked Lord Varuna (the Lord of the Oceans). Parasuram asked him for a boon. To absolve himself of the heinous crimes he had committed, he wanted to gift some land to the Brahmins. There was no land available. Lord Varuna told Parasuram that he would give him as much land as he wished. He told him to fling his traditional axe (Mazhu ) from where he stood at Gokarna. The land from Gokarna till the point where the `Mazhu' landed would be given to him was the boon that Lord Varuna promised him. The throw of the `Mazhu' from Gokarna to Kanyakumari created Kerala. Parashuram donated this land to the Brahmins”.

Here again, we have both the locations (Gokarna and Kanyakumari) still in place. And instead of footprints we have the full state of Kerala intact. What more is needed for giving the Sage too his credit? If our archaeologists are smart enough, we could have even unearthed parts of the giant axe; and we cannot blame the Sage for that. So in all fairness, Sage Parasuram’s heroic act should also make it into our history books. It is now up to the counterpart of the Holy See to elevate the Sage’s story into the history of India. As for the date, something like 12 January, BC5532 would be logical enough. And why not have an anniversary of the historic throw every year? I am sure I have given enough ideas for a controversial debate in history.