History as we read it...

I was talking to a friend today. Her dad is into real estate business bigtime and conversation somehow turned towards it. She told me how her dad's partner has observed some really profitable real estate opportunities in J&K, but their firm can't invest in that state owing to regulations imposed under Article 370. "That article is another specimen of minority appeasement and cowardice of Indian governemnt who would never learn to walk straight when under international pressure". Of course, she was quoting her dad verbatim.

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This is not some personal opinion - the sentiment is shared by millions of other Indians (including our right wing political outfits). Why, in God's name, should J&K be given a unique status? How can one even think of recognizing LoC as the International border. What is Pakistan doing over there anyways? Isn't it our land, right back from times immemorial?

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The issue is too broad to be discussed on a blog - that's not my intention anyways. Difference of opinions would exist on such a sentimental issue, after all the two nations didn't engage into four military conflicts over it for nothing, making it perhaps the most controversial territory issue after West Bank/Gaza Strip. But, why are the citizens of these two nations totally unaware of the context of the whole situation, and form opinions based purely on emotional content (a sense of patriotism in case of Indians, and a feeling of Islamic-nationalism in case of brothers from across the border). And I am not talking about the illiterate population, this is about the educated youth.

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How many of the Indians know that J&K was not a state of India before 1948, or that it was a separate nation ruled by a Hindu king with majority of the subjects being Muslims. Or that it became a part of India only when the King didn't have any other alternative at his disposal to save himself from the Paki onslaught? Or that it was the Indian premier who approached UN first on the issue (perhaps, hoping for a Nobel Peace prize) which resulted into the ceasefire around LoC and the string of regulations in form of Article 370 to ensure "status-quo" until normalcy is restored for a plebiscite to be held. Or that there was indeed a genuine aspiration for "Independence" in Kashmiris throughout the latter half of 20th century which, badly handled by Indian government and taken full advantage by Pakistan, turned violent only in 1989. The valley was peaceful before that, but how many of us know it? Or that there might be some grain of truth in the reports of large no. of rapes and civilian murders by Indian army in J&K, published by leading human rights organizations.

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Pakistanis don't need to gloat either. They would always have this view that all muslim majority regions were to be "given" away to Pakistan under the Independence Act (when few of them have actually read it) and India cheated Paksitan in the latter's infancy stage by "holding" back Kashmir. Many suggest that Pakistan whipped Indian asses everytime the two met on the battlefield and that Indians were the first movers/aggressors in each case. Mukti Bahini was a "terrorist" organization, and "Hindus" live in "dark, small houses". They would always cry about 90,000 muslim "freedom fighters" who sacrificed their lives while fighting Indian Army, but do not know iota about the 1,00,000 Kashmiri pandits forced to flee their homeland and living life as refugees all over India. Or how miserable a failue the Two Nations theory proved to be when Bangladeshis fought for liberation. Or that wars always started when a military leader assumed power in Pakistan, as the nation's premier in a coup or through an out-of-control army.

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But why such ignorance on both sides of the border? Why do people of these two nations remain oblivious to such basic facts which are well-known to rest of the world? One peep back into my school history book, and I seem to get my answer. History text books stop at 1947, and reveal nothing what happened after. So the youth forms their own image of post-independence history - aided by a biased media, opportunistic government and a pseudo-nationalistic feeling.

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Why don't the governments try and educate people on the burning issue of kashmir? GoI would rather nuke itself than admit its blunder in Kashmir and GoP won't have any other issue to milk in the next general elections or to keep the attention of Pakistanis diverted from the real issues of military dictatorship and failure of democracy. Meanwhile, the youngsters in India and Pakistan would continue reading their school history books on how Muslim League (Congress for the latter) was adamant on partition, and how their nation has been cheated (and being cheated) on the issue of Kashmir. The Kashmiris, meanwhile, would continue getting crushed between the egos of the two governments, with all the (mis-placed) sympathy of Indian and Paki populace but little translating into action.

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I just hope for some enlightenment...

You have been shortlisted!

Under the authority vested in me by The Firm, I place you under shortlist.

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You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you during the interview. You have the right to speak to your PGP-II mentor, but cannot have him present during any questioning in the interview. If you do not have a PGP-II mentor, one will be provided to you at The Fim's expense.

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In due course, you shall be produced in front of the aforementioned interview panel and sentenced as per laws of The Firm after the panel evaluates the relevant evidence and hears the case of defense.

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P.S. You are advised to gather all documents supporting your case for imprisonment and prepare the "HR" questions well. Be ready to be grilled by the prosecution on "Case" and "Fit".

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P.P.S. Circumstantial evidence - thats all what we care about.

The ten commandments

I feel like a prophet these days...

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MBA education uses levers as class participation (CP) and relative grading (RG) for effective classroom experience. Both mediums are powerfully effective when used (by students!) in the true spirit of learning, but have quite distasteful outcomes when the same students indulge in what they call RG-giri, i.e. trying to portray each other in negative light to score some brownie points in front of the instructor; and indeed, often these brownie points do translate into grades :)

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Anyways, after one such session in a marketing course where the group presenting the case was massacered left, right and centre by an over-enthusiastic (Read: in the RG-giri mood) audience, yours truly too contributing with one question, we came out of the class laughing at ourselves...and then in the same lighter mood, postulated the Ten Commandments of CP.

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Only if Moses was alive, he would not have complained of hearing just the Voice of the Divine.

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(Some terms carry additional explanation in italics).

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1) Thou shalt not CP in the last 2 minutes of a lecture; especially if the prof himself is overshooting the class timings

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2) Thou shall not CP in XYZ course at all, the instructor already himself is a living CP specimen

(not mentioning the course to be, ah, politically correct)

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3) Thou shall not CP if thou art Rajamundry

(an over-enthusiastic chap who CPs, I guess, without any RG intention)

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4) The time between two consecutive CPs shalt atleast be 3 classes

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5) Thou shalt treat the whole class if thou CP more than once in a single day

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6) Thou shalt seek all CP-overdoer infidels and slay them in the name of God

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7) Thou shalt NEVER EVER put in a follow-up CP

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8) If thou art the last person to CP, thou get to be hooshed

(a popular physical torture over here in IIMB)

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9) All case-presenters are thy brothers and sisters, thou shalt love them

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10) Remember, thou shalt be CPed against the way thou CPed unto others

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Credits: CB, Sudhakar and yours truly