Arun Shourie Interview –  It’s a must watch.

One must bear in mind that Shourie was one of the front runners for the Finance Ministry and was obviously not chosen given he is not in PM’s circle of close confidants. His interview partly reflects his disappointment at not being given any role within the government.

On the Economy – I think he made some very valid points. There is dearth of Big Picture thinking.

The most pressing point being reinvigorating the Infrastructure sector and building up the Manufacturing sector to lay down the foundations for ‘Make in India.’

The fag end of UPA regime saw multiple projects get stalled because of lack of government approvals and a credit crunch. A lot of stalled projects have been provided requisite permissions now, however, credit continues to be a problem.

The balance sheets of most Infra players look ugly. Obviously their lenders i.e. the banks are no better. In essence ‘India’s’ home grown subprime crisis has by-passed its ‘hard working’ middle class but the excessive lending to the rich (politically powerful) Infra players continues to pester.

If the government is really serious to ‘Make in India’ – all other key aspects – ‘Labor’, ‘Land’ and ‘Credit’ need to be reformed. Eliminating ‘Red Tape’ in Permits which the government takes credit for is not only the minimum it is a ‘Given.’

Whilst, Shourie is fair when he points out that the efforts to restart the economy have been far from comprehensive, think he is being too harsh. These are all politically sensitive subjects and can cause a lot of political burnout. I dont think any government would have been able to achieve comprehensive reforms in under an year.

The other interesting aspect I think is the centralization of power – think this requires serious thought. Every leader has their own style of functioning and you cant argue one is better than the other. I personally prefer devolving power even though in a country like India it is a strategy filled with risks.

All said and done, Shourie continues to believe that Modi is the only person capable enough to lead the change. I dont disagree.

It’s been almost an year since I moved back to India. I will be lying if I say this time has been easy – each day has been rife with doubts – if I made the right choice to come back, if what I am doing is right thing to do, if I am good enough to actually make a difference. I have gone through these and what is left of me is certainly a stronger person.

When I used to sit in a trading floor in front of 7 screens, I always used to dream of working outdoors to improve the environment, to improve our villages.

After coming back to India, I met Nagaraj Gangolli around March 2014. Not only was I inspired by his work, I had found someone who helped me live my dream. He was leading Art of Living’s work to rejuvenate the Vedavathi River and had made significant progress. He had convinced people from 49 villages to undertake the project under MGNREGS. In his own words his work was to deal with the ‘Circus’ of grassroot level politics to ensure that constructive work actually gets done.

Over the last one year I have tried my level best to add value to the project – from streamlining the finances and the documentation process, to working with the government to improve execution and outcomes. Needless to say I have learnt a lot and am marginally wiser smile emoticon

Even so, I never knew I would have to step in and make a film on the work we had undertaken. Wonderful crew members ensured that was indeed possible – Jishnu Krishnan, Gautam Singhani, Abhimanyu Jadaun, Arun Sharma

I request to please take out time and watch the film. Whether you like it or not please do share it wink emoticon One of our aims is to reignite hope in our existing systems – to suggest that good work can be done. There is still hope.

Also please do bless the project so that we can continue this work against all odds.

If you have any comments please do write to me at himanshu.kalra@gmail.com.

P.S: Every time I share that I am working on River Rejuvenation people think that we are cleaning rivers. Well you can clean rivers where rivers exist. Most rain fed rivers in South India have dried down. What is left is empty streams with no water and we are working to ensure that these rivers start flowing again.

‘They Won – We Lost”

‘Don’t be so harsh’ I retorted.

This was how our conversation began – One between an affectionate tourist and the soul of the City of love and lights. The City was going through a siege and was visibly disturbed.

‘The perpetrators started this Wednesday.’ I continued.

‘I went out that evening. I travelled through your length and breadth. I discovered you again. You were shining bright as ever. The trains were still running. There were still selfies being clicked at the Tour de Eifel (Eiffel Tower). Even though you were perturbed, you were brave enough to let the spirit of Liberté, égalité, fraternité prevail.’

‘I couldn’t join you at La Republique but saw the pictures. It was inspirational. The suspects were still loose. Yet people came out in hordes. They were not afraid. Not many have seen seen something similar (last comparable incident was bombings of Paris Metro in 1995) They stood up with their Pens held high. The French courage to say what needs to be said was only reinforced.

‘I kept walking across the streets. You are covered with messages of ‘Je Suis Charlie.’ (I am charlie) Millions across the world are coming out to support you? Why do you say we Lost?’

‘Well,’ the soul replied.

‘You know you are being optimistic, are you not? You forgot the kids  we met on streets who said that it was good that this happened. That the dead deserved to die. These are young kids – How am I ever going to have them understand my message of Liberté’

‘You forgot the kids who came and told you that they were scared. How am I going to explain to them a complex idea like freedom and why it is worth laying down your life for it?’

‘You forgot the inconvenient conversations in the room where the only muslim was trying to defend the Hijab. You felt grateful that you did not completely understand french then didn’t you’

‘I went through the facebook walls of the many moderate muslims from within and outside the City. The extremists are never going to condemn the attack – it was time for the moderates to stand up and take up the reins, else the cause of reforms is forever lost. You know both of us were was disappointed.’

‘I told Charlie multiple times. Don’t go to the extreme or else you will loose the moderates. But he never listened. Phew, I don’t know if he was right or wrong.’

‘How will I ever get these people to live together again you see – I guess They Won, We Lost’

Our conversation is rudely broken by the sirens of police cars. I come back to the Real World.

The person next to me and I look at each other. Both of us are scared. There are policemen everywhere. I scroll through my twitter timeline and read updates on the hostage crisis – no news about the area where we are – relief.

I spend the train to the Airport wondering when this will end.

The news that all terrorists have been killed greets me at the airport – ironic that a death becomes a source of relief.

As I board the plane the following crosses my mind  –
Aujourd’hui (Today)
Je suis probablement Charlie ( I am probably Charlie)
Je suis probablement Ahmed ( I am probably Ahmed – the muslim policeman who died guarding the offices of Charlie Hebdo)
Je suis probablement pas importante (I am probably not important)
Mais, je ne veux pas être un terroriste ( But, I dont want to be a terrorist)

All the incidents in the note above are true. I have however dramatised the narrative respecting the privacy of those involved.

Liberal – willing to respect or accept behaviour or opinions different from one’s own; open to new ideas

Dear PK,

Of all the titles that a humble earthling like me could bestow upon you, the word ‘Liberal’ probably suits you the best. I guess you will like it too. Forgive me if I am wrong for this is the impression I got after I watched three hour footage of your journey through my country compiled by a certain gentleman called ‘Raj Kumar Hirani.’

I must say you were quite critical of my country and my people. I am not as piqued as many others around me – Just have a couple of points I would like to make.

First, even though you portrayed you were open to new ideas it felt like you jumped into conclusions far too soon. If you wanted to understand what faith really meant you should have done more research and been open to a few more experiences. I wonder that you visited all these places but never came across The Bhagvad Gita’s subtle knowledge that would have brought instant perspective on your loss. You did visit Kashi the town where timeless wisdom flows but the knowledge left you untouched. I guess you even visited the art of living ashram but were not lucky enough to sit down in one of the meditation sessions to find some inner peace. Ah well!

Second, I saw you were visibly upset about the whole religious money making business. I regret to inform you that on your brief yet eventful sojourn through my country you very deliberately missed on some of the most important bits.

I wish I had accompanied you instead of Jagat Janani (little does she know) I would have taken you to the many schools that Vivekanada kendra runs in remote corners that are not convenient enough for Anushka and you to visit. I would have taken you to the kitchens of Akshay Patra that cook meals for 10,000 schools everyday. We would have silently listened to the chants of Gurbani in the majestic Harminder Sahib and had langar alongside another 100,000 souls. We would have gone to the meet the many prisoners that Art of Living courses have transformed.

But I guess you never had time for all this. I guess you were in a mad rush to get somewhere – to go back to your planet – to prove a point.

So you did not get time to explore your Self. Maybe in another lifetime you will be lucky enough to find a Guru (which literally translates into the element that takes you from Darkness (Gu) to Light (Ru))

Maybe in that lifetime you will be at peace with losses and gains – big or small. Maybe then you will try to find the silence within before constructing a lengthy one sided critique. I hope you realise your work has closed the doors of faith and sincere self inquiry for many liberal intellectuals like yourself.

Good Luck my dear Friend.

With Love,
A humble Earthling

P.S: I have nothing against the three hours of footage that you compiled which is now being sold in your name – ‘PK’. We call this footage ‘Movies’ on our planet. I regret to inform you that I won’t recommend it to friends for I don’t want them to listen to you ramble on a subject that you have ‘liberally’ (pun intentionally intended) forgotten to both research and experience.

‘Vous-voulez de banana,’ (translation – ‘Do you want a banana?’) – Never before and possibly never after will these words sound as special to me as they did. I was bubbling with joy at the fateful coincidence. They came from a dishevelled homeless person on a train station in Paris as he was munching a banana and offering it to a traveller on the platform. From Asking to Offering – what a role reversal.

The bananas had had quite an ordeal and their story started a few hours ago when owing to a series of coincidences, I ended up alone on the streets of Paris with nothing but 3 and a half euros and a travel pass. I had no ideas where I was going, nor, did I know where I wanted to go. I only knew I had an evening to spend and to somehow manage dinner.

I love long solitary walks especially when it is cold and this jaunt had a modest beginning. It started off with a conversation with a Romanian beggar in broken French. The venue – a posh Parisian street that houses luxury brands like Louis Vuitton.

I can be assured that the conversation went well as we exchanged pleasantries before I departed and I offered him 50 cents from the 3.50 Euros I had that he graciously accepted. My repeated attempts to ask him ‘Why does he not work?’ did not really pay off as I genuinely could not construct the question in French.

Nevermind the beginnings, the journey picked up pace quite literally (pun totally intended) as I tried to cross the street to get closer to the marvellous Arc-de-Triomphe. The weather was cold, the signal for pedestrians still red and the sight of a warm bus standing next to the signal all too inviting. I decided to ditch the Arc and ended up boarding the bus .

Scenes of Paris flew by as I sat on a window seat behind an old French lady. My mind trying to figure out where to get off. I wasn’t quite sure. Number of fancy restaurants flashed by and before I knew I was on the surreal sets of the movie Moulin Rouge – was this for real. It probably was and I had reached the crime prone ‘Soho’ of Paris. Curious to explore more I got off and started strolling through the streets.

One thing life has taught me is that when streets rise higher as though moving towards heaven the prudent thing to do is to ascend higher. I followed the lesson and started climbing higher. After the sights of few cosy houses and cafes, the ‘Rues’ (french for ‘Streets’) of Paris led me to the magnificent Sacre Coeur (the most beautiful church I have seen in my life).

For a devotee nothing can be more romantic than a place where he can have a private meeting with God (something Aamir Khan and Raj Kumar Hirani will probably need a few lifetimes to understand – sorry PK). It was 8:45 in the evening, from the height I could see the brightly lit cold city. To my delight the doors of the Church were open and I slipped into one of the quiet benches. I don’t remember when I went into deep meditation but Nuns crooning the sweetest melodies brought me back to reality. It was Saturday night and to say the prayers were divine will be an understatement.

As I sat there wondering the series of events that brought me there I couldn’t but feel grateful. Of all the places in Paris that a person who merely had 3.5 Euros, a travel card, and no ideas about the city could reach this was the sweetest. Thank you ‘Guruji’

After the prayers got over I said Goodbye to God and got out. By this time I was assured that my wife would have reached home. I was very hungry but I decided that I will only eat if God offered me a nice meal – 3 Euros in any case was not going to be enough so I had to trust divine providence to work again this evening. I got out of the Church to see a old man asking for money and readily parted off with a Euro Coin.

The next 15 minutes or so it took to walk back to the Metro station was quite interesting. I was bombarded with drug peddlers, and pimps – offered everything from ganja to décolleté. Unsurprisingly I did not get bothered or scared as I only had 2 Euros, a travel pass and a meditative mind to lose. Thankfully I lost nothing.

I finally reached home hungry, happy, albeit disappointed that the divine did not organize a meal for me. How could this be? I was upset and so decided to fast that night even though the fridge had plenty of food.

‘Where is my meal, God?’ I just could not let go.

I had to only wait eight hours for the question to be answered. Early next morning I went to buy some bread and milk. As I went to the counter, the guy said something in French and handed me a large parcel. As I got confused and replied ‘I was sorry I did not get you,’ he replied in adorable French English – ‘ Would you like these Banana’s as gift?’ I smiled and realised that my dinner was here, only a little too late.

I graciously accepted. Only catch I don’t eat bananas in cold weather – however, I had seen this time of the year the city had plenty of homeless people who could use some extra food. The lesson was learnt – ‘I had enough, God did not want me to Ask but to Offer.’ A few hours later the Banana’s had reached their rightful owner on the train platform.