Genetic musings

               This evening, walking back home after an intellectually charged session in Machine control, we witnessed a kid of maybe 12-14 years walking with her mother. Our attention was drawn to this mother-child duo because the facial features of the kid looked very familiar to us. For a moment, it was surreal because we did not expect to see that face so far away from home. It took a few seconds for us to realise that it was indeed someone else and in fact the similarity in features was most probably due to a case of Down's syndrome. It is a genetic disorder where an extra copy of the 21^st chromosome is present. Instead of two of it, three are present. This anomaly expresses itself by resulting in delay in growth, a relatively low IQ, language disability, etc.

               

The kid we knew from home was very active. Although we read from literature that Down syndrome causes low IQ, we can say from experience that, that kid was not lacking in it. He was very well-behaved and had a decent memory.

               

We find it very remarkable that, what is essentially a copying error can lead to such a dramatic affliction in humans. In fact this error is quite common, occurring once in every 1000 babies born in a year! To date, we do not know what leads to the presence of three pairs of the 21^st chromosome. The result of the extra chromosome is that, since the chromosomes hold the genes, the bodily functions regulated by the 21^st get over-expressed. Meaning - the increased production of certain chemicals. So, at the most fundamental and critical level, our existence is not controlled by us. Our consciousness is housed several layers above. To borrow a computer systems analogy, the hardware on which the software of consciousness runs is not autonomous. The software cannot correct for any hardware changes no matter how advanced it may be. We don't like it, but we cannot deny saying that we are 'being kept alive' by a machinery about which we understand very little and have a superficial control. That is our position.  

Reminiscences

               The time we'd like to recall here were the days in the early turn of this century when we had made our new home at the RajDhAnI of Delhi. For our 12 year old self, the experience was frightening, as our command of the rAshtrabhasha of Hindi was dismal at best. Although, we had a not-so-brief period of evening Hindi lessons when we were six or seven, those really did not amount to much. Having enrolled for prAthmic, we had to drop classes after a few months as our itinerant lifestyle involving a move every three years, necessitated another. But as a consolation, we did not have to scratch from start, as our command of the basic aksharas of Devanagari was quite good thanks to those lessons.

              

  As preparation, our pitAshri quizzed us on simple Hindi sentences one night. We still recall one of those – "Sonia Gandhi Congress party ki adhyakshA hain". We were intelligent enough to make out that it was something about the Congress party and the said lady, but 'adhyaksha' was beyond our comprehension or deduction. So we got mildly irritated and brushed it aside saying we knew enough to manage somehow (!)

               

First few days in our new class were difficult. We spoke good English, but it is difficult when you don't know the language. To our advantage, the school where we enrolled had a good number of students from the land of parashurAma, as the school was run by Christian missionaries from there. It was also our first brush with learning Sanskrit – it was our third language after English and Hindi. For several days we were clueless in the rAshtrabhAsha classes, satisfying ourself with disturbing our neighbour to ask a few meanings here and there. We concluded that nothing was going to change unless we took extra tuitions outside of class. And so, for the next year or so we used to go two days a week to a very nice lady in our apartment society, to get the hang of Hindi.

               

This period also saw us display a general slack in academic performance. Till before coming here, we used to be among the top three places of our respective class. Now, we found ourselves in the late tens, and even early twenty once. It still is a wonder to us that we managed to pass our very first Hindi exam. What surprises us now more than this fall-back was the fact that we couldn't care less about it. In hindsight, we feel that this attitude may have arisen due to the drastic shift in the education systems that we had seen so far and were seeing now. Until then, we were schooled in the art of cramming. The better you cram the more you are rewarded. But in this new place, focus was on knowing, at least to a reasonable extent, what one was studying and not just cram. We did not realise it then, but we sense now that we did not adequately see this difference and continued with the method that we were familiar with; so the result was less than good. This was quite apparent with the subject of Mathematics, where we got hit quite hard.

              

An important factor, which we see now, with the benefit of hindsight, was that of the difference in the curricula followed. Earlier we had the one prescribed by the Matriculation board of the Dramila (Tamil) desa. But at the RajDhAnI we were put through what is an ICSE curriculum. We had no idea about all this during our time there. We were a normal teenager who found himself having to adjust to a new environment. The Maths was very different, some of which we had never seen were had been done by the class here. This early scar has, we are afraid, remained with us. Not as a lack of ability, but as a lack of fluidity. It is one of the facts that we regret, because it is our belief that excellence in mathematics happens only with an early foundation. There may be exceptions, but this is a general trend. 

The Fall

The object accelerated purposefully towards its unknown destination, displacing millions of air molecules. A windy spring morning had coaxed it out of its home in the skies, on a course to cause hurt and history.

Fortunately (?) the journey was cut short, hitting a young lad's head with some force. "Ouch!", cried a startled Newton.

Mr. Kejriwal's power struggle

                The decision of the newly-sworn Aam Aadmi Party government regarding slashing of power bills by 50% for consumers, by offering to finance it through a government subsidy clearly shows that they stand to offer nothing new in terms of radically new governance.

There has been long allegations and protest by people of Delhi that they are being overcharged by distribution companies. The present CM himself, in his more radical days, went around tearing off power bills, asking people to not pay their bills. But an important issue has been glossed over in the name of rallying against the alleged "corporate harassment" of power companies. The fact of the matter is this – Delhi is largely seen as the power theft colony of India. Estimates vary, but the AT&C (Accumulated Transmission and Commercial losses) in distribution ranges from a staggering 30-50%! These are essentially from people, illegal housing colonies putting a hook on power lines and drawing power, without paying. Imagine, if 100MW is available for distribution, the company can't recover costs on this 30-50%. So essentially, they can recover the full cost on only 50% of the electricity they distribute. This leads to a pricey bill for middle-class consumers who are regularised/metered consumers. This illegal power theft is politically patronised. It is not a practice common to Delhi alone but a common fact of life across India.

                

        So, Mr.Kejriwal instead of offering to take institutional measures to curb this spurious theft has followed the oldest trick in Socialism 101. Offer subsidies. Train people to pay less for what costs more in the market. The problem is once people get used to this artificially supported cheap power, it is very hard to get them to pay as per market realities – check the issue of Petrol deregulation for starters. While his steps towards forcing companies to a CAG audit is welcome, he should go ahead for a Social Audit for all parts of Delhi and take strict action against people drawing illegal power. That would truly be a step in the right direction to help the Aam Aadmi.

2013 in Books

"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested" 

                        reads an old quote attributed to Francis Bacon. I move to make an alteration to the same- Some, if not all MUST be shared! Paulo Coelho believes in not owning more than a fixed number of books in his collections because he thinks a book has its own journey to make, from one hand to the next, like how the writer's mind wanders from one idea to the next as he wrote the book. While I am not so generous, I feel that I should at least spread ideas about the books I read in 2013 and feel others should read

Ten books. So, here goes.

ENGLISH

BeingDifferent: An Indian challenge to Western Universalism

            I found this a tough read. Rajiv Malhotra, an eminent Indian intellectual based in Princeton, USA has been championing the cause of an Indic perspective to India for almost three to four decades. He feels the academia is full of Western interpretations of Indian philosophy, so he turns the table and dissects the same from the Indian point of view, extending the same to Western or Abrahamic philosophy. A very serious read, but rewarding.

The Cuckoo's Calling

            A sensational debut by the unknown Robert Galbraith, this crime thriller has a very languid, lazy pace to it. Proceeding largely through interviews of the same incident from multiple characters, Det. Cormoran Strike tries to piece together the suicide of a starlet- Lula Landry. Although not racy, the plot the writing is charming, packed with details and an unexpected twist at the end. Hope we see more of Galbraith in the coming years.

Stories of your life and Others

            A short set of science fiction stories by American author Ted Chiang. These stories have fetched him multiple Hugo, Nebula and Sturgeon prizes. No wonder they are real gems. All novella lengths. The subjects range from Babylonian cosmology to linguistics; from mind-control to medieval time travel. A fascinating range of tales, all told in a very engaging manner. An unputdownable this!

Maximum City

            Suketu Mehta return to the Bombay of his childhood to find not just its name changed, but quite a lot. Yet, some things never change. He chronicles the city's dizzying pace of life, the gang-wars, the Shiv Sena, Bollywood. The narration is lively, interspersed with history and anecdotes. The parts about the '93 blasts make chilling read. Overall, an outstanding piece, on India's financial capital.

Inferno

             Dan Brown's latest offers a 600 odd page guided tour book to the city of Florence, Venice. Langdon runs against the clock trying to retrace the events of the past few days, with his memory failing him. He must refer to the Italian master Dante's works to find his way out of all the travails that are invariably directed with him at the center. A very engaging read, with the climax faltering. Better watched as a movie.

Bhitti

            This is probably my favourite read of this year. A translation of SL Bhyrappa's Kannada autobiography. Prof. Bhyrappa needs no introduction- a bestselling Kannada author, Sahitya Academy winner. How often do you find a Southern Indian regional writer feature in the top five of Hindi bestselling authors? In Bhitti, he traces his life from his birth in a poor inner Kannada household to his ultimate success as an author. But this journey, as in all cases, isn't without setbacks. Losing his father at an early age, being abused by his uncle, having to starve for days without money after being defrauded, everywhere we see Bhyrappa confront the challenges life throws with an indomitable will and ultimately triumph. More than anything, it is amazing how he delineates the lessons he learnt from all these experiences. Words can't describe this long book. Please read.

The Lowland

            Jhumpa Lahiri weaves a tale of love and revolution in Calcutta of 50s and 60s. Two brothers from a lower middle class family are the focus. The younger is a daring guy, while the elder is reticent. In college, their paths diverge. The younger brother is idealistic and gets involved in the Naxal movement. The elder moves to America for doctoral studies. They grow apart, both in distance and in world view. He gets in to a relation with a divorced women only to be deserted by her. One day, he learns the his brother is no more. He goes back to his homeland to find the reasons. What he gets there, what happens form the crux of this very emotional tale.

The Strangest Man -The Hidden Life of Paul Dirac, Quantum genius

            Paul Adrian Maurice Dirac is without doubt, one of the greatest physicists in Britain after Newton. An engineer by training, a mathematician by ability and a physicist by choice, he made fundamental contributions to the development of Quantum mechanics and the mathematical machinery underlying it. Yet, he was a strange man. This biography explores his personality quirks- his extreme reserve and literal-mindedness. He spoke very little. A humorous unit of measuring speech is dubbed the Dirac, with one Dirac meaning one word per hour(!). We get to see his human side as well- his upbringing and his routines. A very refreshing book this by Graham Farmello.

TAMIL

            I did not read too many Tamil works this year. The few I read were not all great.

ஜயமோகன் சிறுகதைகள்

                Tamil writer Jeyamohan has carved a niche out for himself with his wide ranging works. This is a collection of his short stories. The tales are based mostly in and around his hometown of Nagercoil. The setting is rustic and the characters are not too layered. Makes for casual read. The tamil is a bit difficult to get, because of the local dialect words used.

சுஜாதா

            Sujatha Rangarajan is one writer who continues to be a best seller even after his passing away. I read three novellas of his and an anthology of tributes to him, by eminent personalities who had worked with him. In his novels, his attention to details, are what stand out. The style is conversational; the bi-polar characterisation of the serious lawyer Ganesh and his rib-tickling side kick Vasanth provide for a perfect setting.

The Hindu goes vernacular

So, I had recently tweeted about The Hindu, one of India's oldest newspapers launching a vernacular edition in Tamil. Yes, it is official now. The edition is all set to be launched on a pilot basis from Trichy. Here are the feelers out for the same.

 

Looks pretty impressive to me. It promises to carry forward the more that 100 year tradition of its English parent and to offer a refreshingly new alternative in the existing Tamil media space. It seems it will be the same format of The Hindu with news, articles tailored to suit the Tamil style. 

All fine, yet one point sticks out as a sore thumb. The Hindu has a reputation for its Leftist stance on issues and as a 'rational' paper shunning superstition. Yet, the Tamil version is also offering a Daily Horoscope like the other Tamil dailies do currently. Is this ideology sacrificed in the altar of popular business? Well, whatever it maybe Best wishes to them. I am rushing to get my copies booked.

Pavlov's Dog Syndrome and Media

So, post Narendra Modi's elevation as the Campaign panel chief of the BJP, the media frenzy and obsession over this "polarising" leader has attained new,dizzying levels. Every presenter worth his salt and even the stray reporter has to add a thing or two about Modi on air, such is the mania. Now, naturally this is expected since the present UPA government headed by the diarchy of Sonia and Manmohan, with the balance of power largely tilted towards the former, has failed miserably on every single count of governance. Let me not get started on chronicling their endless scams and policy disasters, my paper and ink are limited. There is, and I emphasise, a genuine necessity felt for a viable alternative and Narendra Modi offers this hope. So the Establishment is on a witch-hunt to discredit the man himself, by this allegation or that. What infuriates them most is his absolute nonchalance to all this. Probably he believes in the adage- let barking dogs bark.

Modi bashing is alright, but when it comes from a reputed post like Chairperson of Prasar Bharti, the person has to be exposed. Sample this from Mrinal Pande on The Hindu - Rambogiri in the year of the flood.

The Hindu's morbid and pathological aversion to Modi is nothing new.So it offers free real-estate to random people like Mrinal to cry hoarse about this elaborate Houdini that Modi is trying to pull on the unsuspecting masses. The primary motivation for her tirade is this piece of yellow journalism from Times of India - http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2013/06/23&PageLabel=3&EntityId=Ar00306&ViewMode=HTML 

The source and truth about this article is quite questionable. http://anothercommonman.wordpress.com/2013/07/01/a-worlds-view-without-glasses-truth-about-modis-rambo-act-facts-myths-from-horses-mouth/ quotes someone involved in the making of it and says it was based on a casual conversation with a wonder-struck BJP leader. It was never Modi's claim that he did it. As usual, ToI, true to its style, spun an elaborate plot and portrayed Modi positioning himself as the panacea for all trouble, while in truth he was merely a concerned CM trying to ensure people from his state were rescued and returned safely. Such is their spin-doctoring. Now, this spin is what Mrinal bases her articles on. Now we know how Doordarshan cover news items. 

The article is hearsay based on hearsay. I'm surprised a "reputed" newspaper gave it column space. Any sane editor would have seen red and refused such an unabashed personal attack. Oh, wait, there's nothing new in The Hindu seeing "Red". So lets move on.

 By now his image-makers have ensured that whenever Narendra Modi enters the scene, his arrival is orchestrated in such a way as if six liveried buglers were heralding a king’s arrival. He makes straight for the head of the table, throwing curt nods and brief waves at those awaiting his arrival. He waits politely, occasionally smoothing his hair carefully or running a hand over his stubble while the master of ceremonies gushes over him before requesting him to take the mike. All this while the eyes in his unsmiling face dart ceaselessly across the room sizing up supporters and potential troublemakers from various enemy camps. He rises, lopes across to the podium and looks around as a classical singer does, inwardly humming thearoh and avroh of the raga he is going to perform. Then, he begins to speak and you realise what a remarkable gift he has for spin doctoring and dodging the real facts with disarming sincerity, while pouring scorn over his opponents.

Here, Mrinal esays her Freudian psychoanalytical skills that would make Wendy Doniger seem like a school kid. Such felicity to read Modi's mind and be right about it always. How does all this even matter, I fail to understand.Whether he combs his hair or shaves his beard, who gives two hoots? But Mrinal makes such irrelevant details as the lynchpin of her article. Will Mrinal and the organisation she heads care to expose the multiple failures and scams of the government. In a thriving democracy, Media is the watch-dog of the government. But they have forgotten the 'watch' part and continue to be what is left behind after that. She would have done yeoman service to the nation if similar skills had been used instead to crypto-analyse the silence of our Honourable Prime Minister. Or will she investigate the UPA chairperson and her mysterious foreign trips? But that is not part of her work-brief.

It is harder to fool people. That is what happened with the reported incident of Rambogiri. By now we have all heard Narendra Modi distance himself from the claims made on his behalf and snap at every public gathering about how it is the “midiah” that constantly spreads lies about him and his party. He also says he is convinced that the people of India are not buying this distorted picture of him and his efforts to lead his State and party.

Her bias and rabid hatred for Modi the man stands exposed when she cryptically taunts his lack of English background and sophistication when she says "midiah", making fun of his Indian accent. That one sentence would be enough to unveil her agenda. That of government sponsored propaganda. Surely she is US educated and carries a sophisticated accent, but by mocking Modi's accent she is caricaturing an entire class of Indians. It is this high-handed and arrogant approach that characterises everything in this government.

The bottomline is this. Congress is on borrowed time. The people have decided to have a Congress Mukth Bharat. It is only vested interets in media and cocktail-party circuits that want Congress Raj to continue. The work of somehow salvaging a win once again by hook or crook has been delegated to Sepoys of the Establishment like Mrinal. Perhaps. Two decades back people may have been fooled. Not anymore. 

P.S.- What about the title? Well,pavlov's dog syndrome is a classical conditioning where an animal(dog) is trained to exhibit a certain response. The Congress government has trained the media to exhibit such responses and protect it at all costs and ferociously attack any challenger.