Clue of the week
-------------------
"I am an imposing edifice, made of Red Stone. I reside in the Zero Mile neighborhood.I employ tons of Nagpuris. And oh yes, I got Money. Who am I?"
Friday, December 18, 2009
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Democratic Forum
One of the famous sub-plots of Mahabharat is when Krishna tells Duryodhan to cover himself up before meeting his mother who was to remove her blind-fold for a day.Krishna does this so that he can ensure his sides victory. Some may call this manipulation by the Lord himself to get his side's win. Other's will call it pragmatism, keeping the Big Picture in mind.
I believe pragmatism is really the road to Idealism. We have to work the system to make it work. Sounds oxymoron, but that's the way it is. In context of Nagpur First, there have been some well received suggestions last week, on pragmatism.
The hallmark of any democracy is an acquiescence to dissent, contest and even rebel. I hope we can keep this Nagpur First group as democratic a forum as it can be.Of course this means, we will have to deal with criticism and clashes of ideas. Sometimes these clashes can actually be fruitful.
Having said that, negative energy can sap the momentum. We are in a very nascent stage right now. All of us are volunteering for a cause bigger than ourselves. The cause being that of making Nagpur a Global City in next 11 years.
There has been phenomenal enthusiasm shown by Messrs Saqib Karori, Faiz Wahid, Ajit Kulkarni et al in past 2 weeks or so.. (More details to follow). Vivek Bhagwatkar has already shown how dedication and commitment can work wonders. More strength to him.
Since we are residing at different locations and we are a diverse group of Nagpuris, at times it becomes difficult to co-ordinate and move. But I feel good that we have got reasonable traction already. It's only a matter of time before things start taking bigger forms.
It may seem that things are moving slowly and nothing is really happening. But that is deceptive at best. We are moving one step at a time and lot is happening.
There would soon be a list published on all initiatives taken, either on yahoo group or this blog. We are always looking for volunteers to join any initiative of their liking with Tan (efforts), Man (constructive ideas, suggestions, process help etc.) and/or Dhan (of course the funds).
All folks who came forward with positive ideas,initiatives,donations should be commended for their virtues. Clearly shows, we are on a move and things will unravel positively from here on.
This is a horizontal platform, where vertical initiatives can grow and take shape. In other words, if any of Nagpur First members wants to join any initiative, your coming forward and aligning yourself with something, will be highly appreciated. In fact it will be encouraged.
There are two initiatives that have got traction in past week. One is led by our new member Ajit Kulkarni, from D.C who is targeting a 'walkathon' in Nagpur. Ajit is himself a marathon enthusiast, and has run some international marathons.
Ajit and Amit will be sending more details on this soon.
The other piece of news I need to share is that we have formalized a team for Nag Nadi Purification. The group is called Nag-Pure. We had our first meeting (the USA chapter of Nagpur First had this) and it went well. More invites would be sent to people who are keen on joining this movement and willing to bring positive ideas to the table.
Pretty exciting stuff there; So watch out for this space.
I believe pragmatism is really the road to Idealism. We have to work the system to make it work. Sounds oxymoron, but that's the way it is. In context of Nagpur First, there have been some well received suggestions last week, on pragmatism.
The hallmark of any democracy is an acquiescence to dissent, contest and even rebel. I hope we can keep this Nagpur First group as democratic a forum as it can be.Of course this means, we will have to deal with criticism and clashes of ideas. Sometimes these clashes can actually be fruitful.
Having said that, negative energy can sap the momentum. We are in a very nascent stage right now. All of us are volunteering for a cause bigger than ourselves. The cause being that of making Nagpur a Global City in next 11 years.
There has been phenomenal enthusiasm shown by Messrs Saqib Karori, Faiz Wahid, Ajit Kulkarni et al in past 2 weeks or so.. (More details to follow). Vivek Bhagwatkar has already shown how dedication and commitment can work wonders. More strength to him.
Since we are residing at different locations and we are a diverse group of Nagpuris, at times it becomes difficult to co-ordinate and move. But I feel good that we have got reasonable traction already. It's only a matter of time before things start taking bigger forms.
It may seem that things are moving slowly and nothing is really happening. But that is deceptive at best. We are moving one step at a time and lot is happening.
There would soon be a list published on all initiatives taken, either on yahoo group or this blog. We are always looking for volunteers to join any initiative of their liking with Tan (efforts), Man (constructive ideas, suggestions, process help etc.) and/or Dhan (of course the funds).
All folks who came forward with positive ideas,initiatives,donations should be commended for their virtues. Clearly shows, we are on a move and things will unravel positively from here on.
This is a horizontal platform, where vertical initiatives can grow and take shape. In other words, if any of Nagpur First members wants to join any initiative, your coming forward and aligning yourself with something, will be highly appreciated. In fact it will be encouraged.
There are two initiatives that have got traction in past week. One is led by our new member Ajit Kulkarni, from D.C who is targeting a 'walkathon' in Nagpur. Ajit is himself a marathon enthusiast, and has run some international marathons.
Ajit and Amit will be sending more details on this soon.
The other piece of news I need to share is that we have formalized a team for Nag Nadi Purification. The group is called Nag-Pure. We had our first meeting (the USA chapter of Nagpur First had this) and it went well. More invites would be sent to people who are keen on joining this movement and willing to bring positive ideas to the table.
Pretty exciting stuff there; So watch out for this space.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Why we love Nagpur
Over a weekend chat with Dineshji we started reminiscing about Nagpur (as two Nagpuris usually do) and were trying to put our finger on this one question - What's so special about Nagpur?
Why do we all love Nagpur so much, when, for all practical purposes, and on all conventional parameters like development etc, it does not have a sterling record (at least relative to other tier-II cities)
In other words - 'Nagpur mein aisa kya hai'? I am sure, most of us have questioned this at some point or the other.
My initial instinct is to look at the question itself. Look at what language this question I put in. Yep. Hindi. I think there in lies our first clue. Nagpur, a Maharashtrian city, technically, has an overwhelming presence of non-Marathi folks, who have smoothly assimilated into the Nagpur culture. For all practical purposes, HINDI is Nagpur's lingua franca. In fact I have been told that Nagpur is the second most cosmopolitan city in India!!!
These two things clearly indicate Nagpur's embracing culture. To 'allow' and 'nourish' and not alienate something which might be considered 'foreign' in other places. The word really is FREEDOM. Nagpur allows us to be 'free' for most part. Allows us to choose what we want to do or not do. It does not have a sense of overbearing imposition of a certain culture, rammed down your throat. It just makes 'it Easy'.
I am sure, you'd think, that the above paragraph is loaded. But the fact of the matter is, Nagpur has been that kind of a city. Easy going and Simple and there has never been a strong will amongst natives to IMPOSE their ideas and views and way of life on others.
I have to share something from my personal experience on this.
College days are great learning experience , both academically and non-academically. And of course you end up making friends with diverse group of folks, from different cultures and sub-cultures. And now that I think in hindsight, I see that we had such a diverse group of people in our friend circle. Some from South India, some from North, some even from Assam/Nagaland etc. Over the period of time, I realized that all my non-Nagpuri friends, had gravitated to Nagpur in some ways or the other. They had, believe it or not, become Nagpur fans. The Nagpur-ness had rubbed on them in some ways and they would find some excuse or the other to visit Nagpur (even after Graduation). And enjoy.
One of my close friends, who never had any relation to Nagpur whatsoever, before living there for fours years, till date calls Nagpur his favourite city. In many ways Nagpur had converted him and he went native big time, in just a couple of years.
I am sure there are numerous similar examples. Where a non-Nagpuri went completely bonkers over Nagpur and in many ways became a Nagpuri.
Again, it's hard to put your finger on that exact pulse. That exact answer. Why Nagpur is attractive, even with all it's apparent drawbacks? Why it inspires such intense loyalty, even for non-Nagpuris in a few cases?
I am sure, if I was up for a PhD , I would have considered this for a thesis. :)
If some of you have any anecdotes , examples to share of people who you personally met, who became Nagpur fans, we would certainly like to read about them. If nothing else, it will at least give a sense of elation.
****
Post Script : I remember a funny incident that happened some years back on a chowk of Nagpur. A guy riding motorcycle bumped into a bicycle guy on a chowk Signal ('Light' for the US walas). And the motorcycle guy immediately apologized - "Arey sorry Boss. Laga toh nahi". And the ever humble dude on the cycle, picking and gathering himself quickly from the downfall said.."Nahi.. per Thank you for your Sorry boss"..
And they both moved on. Memory of this incident still tickles me no ends.
Doesn't this tell us something about Nagpuris?
Why do we all love Nagpur so much, when, for all practical purposes, and on all conventional parameters like development etc, it does not have a sterling record (at least relative to other tier-II cities)
In other words - 'Nagpur mein aisa kya hai'? I am sure, most of us have questioned this at some point or the other.
My initial instinct is to look at the question itself. Look at what language this question I put in. Yep. Hindi. I think there in lies our first clue. Nagpur, a Maharashtrian city, technically, has an overwhelming presence of non-Marathi folks, who have smoothly assimilated into the Nagpur culture. For all practical purposes, HINDI is Nagpur's lingua franca. In fact I have been told that Nagpur is the second most cosmopolitan city in India!!!
These two things clearly indicate Nagpur's embracing culture. To 'allow' and 'nourish' and not alienate something which might be considered 'foreign' in other places. The word really is FREEDOM. Nagpur allows us to be 'free' for most part. Allows us to choose what we want to do or not do. It does not have a sense of overbearing imposition of a certain culture, rammed down your throat. It just makes 'it Easy'.
I am sure, you'd think, that the above paragraph is loaded. But the fact of the matter is, Nagpur has been that kind of a city. Easy going and Simple and there has never been a strong will amongst natives to IMPOSE their ideas and views and way of life on others.
I have to share something from my personal experience on this.
College days are great learning experience , both academically and non-academically. And of course you end up making friends with diverse group of folks, from different cultures and sub-cultures. And now that I think in hindsight, I see that we had such a diverse group of people in our friend circle. Some from South India, some from North, some even from Assam/Nagaland etc. Over the period of time, I realized that all my non-Nagpuri friends, had gravitated to Nagpur in some ways or the other. They had, believe it or not, become Nagpur fans. The Nagpur-ness had rubbed on them in some ways and they would find some excuse or the other to visit Nagpur (even after Graduation). And enjoy.
One of my close friends, who never had any relation to Nagpur whatsoever, before living there for fours years, till date calls Nagpur his favourite city. In many ways Nagpur had converted him and he went native big time, in just a couple of years.
I am sure there are numerous similar examples. Where a non-Nagpuri went completely bonkers over Nagpur and in many ways became a Nagpuri.
Again, it's hard to put your finger on that exact pulse. That exact answer. Why Nagpur is attractive, even with all it's apparent drawbacks? Why it inspires such intense loyalty, even for non-Nagpuris in a few cases?
I am sure, if I was up for a PhD , I would have considered this for a thesis. :)
If some of you have any anecdotes , examples to share of people who you personally met, who became Nagpur fans, we would certainly like to read about them. If nothing else, it will at least give a sense of elation.
****
Post Script : I remember a funny incident that happened some years back on a chowk of Nagpur. A guy riding motorcycle bumped into a bicycle guy on a chowk Signal ('Light' for the US walas). And the motorcycle guy immediately apologized - "Arey sorry Boss. Laga toh nahi". And the ever humble dude on the cycle, picking and gathering himself quickly from the downfall said.."Nahi.. per Thank you for your Sorry boss"..
And they both moved on. Memory of this incident still tickles me no ends.
Doesn't this tell us something about Nagpuris?
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Noble Filth
A couple of news articles and posts caught my attention over the weekend. Without going into the politics of all this and to keep in line with our commitment of keeping Nagpur First and the blog politically agnostic, I would focus just on the content and context of this.
Basically, a furor was raised last week by some in the media and political class over Mr. Jairam Ramesh's off the cuff remark about filth in India. Ramesh said, 'If there was a noble prize for filth, India would get one'
There are multiple ways to look at his comment. One of them of course being, the minister, an IITian by qualification, is being a smarty pant. And that his comment is condescending to Indians. Other way to look at it is, he is just stating the fact. Of course a follow up argument can be made;, so even if he is right, what is he as a minister doing about it? (In fact someone suggested, the youth workers of his party should take up the lead in cleaning India)
But as I said, beyond the politics of all this and the media mumbo jumbo, what can we as citizens do to change a mindset? To bring in some sanity and civic sense?
It's easier said than done and from the email that came last week from one our members that had Mr. Vijay Phanshikar going full cylinders on Nagpuri attitude, you can tell it's a herculan task.
Having said that, can we take some baby steps in that direction though? Can we start small instead of changing everything overnight with one magic wand?
Not to blow my own here, but last visit to Nagpur I tried something, that if nothing else made me feel good. I took my wife out for a morning walk on the West High Court road in Dharampeth. It was around 6:30 am and so there was hardly any traffic or even people on the road. There was though this one guy who was preparing 'Kande Pohe' and 'Tarri' smack in the middle of the road's cross-section. There were around 10 people, mostly young folks, surrounding him, waiting for Pohe to be prepared and consumed.
After the ritual of eating was done, I saw that everyone of the eaters, started throwing their paper plate on the road itself. There was a middle-aged women who was taking a parcel order, and she seemed to be from an educated background, and she too threw her paper right next to the stall.
The idea, apparently was, to throw the waste around and someone will definitely pick it up. In this case, the pohewala himself.
What struck me most was not the act of throwing itself, but how "given" this was? Like it was a norm. A regulation, if you will. No one looked remotely affected by this, including the poor guy who was making pohe and was probably going to collect the waste once he was done.
I told those people, much to the shock of my wife, that they give those waste plates to me. I would collect them and throw it in a trash nearby. One of the young dudes in the group even commented .."arey yeh to munna bhai hai".. I am guessing he was alluding to the movie Lage raho... (a movie, incidently made by a Nagpuri, btw)
Although I did have to endure some under the belt hits, I thought I saw some effect. Half the people did throw their stuff in a plastic bag the pohewala had. Other half of course ignored and went their way.
The point of all this is, that day, I could not change Nagpur or even 10 people, but I did change, I thought a few minds. I am hoping even if ONE of them starts NOT doing this stuff, that's a small win.
The incident left me in a state of minor satisfaction, although my wife did say this.."Don't try to be a neo-Gandhi, will you...?" (Oopsie..)
I know I was not being a Gandhi and I was being a smarty pant, but what the heck; made me feel good momentarily.
So what do you folks think? Do we have some ideas that we can use to start a 'Clean Nagpur, Green Nagpur' campaign? How best we can pass this on? Any champions out there who can take this up?
If you think you have good ideas, please pass it on either via emails or commenting on the post.
-/ACD
**
Basically, a furor was raised last week by some in the media and political class over Mr. Jairam Ramesh's off the cuff remark about filth in India. Ramesh said, 'If there was a noble prize for filth, India would get one'
There are multiple ways to look at his comment. One of them of course being, the minister, an IITian by qualification, is being a smarty pant. And that his comment is condescending to Indians. Other way to look at it is, he is just stating the fact. Of course a follow up argument can be made;, so even if he is right, what is he as a minister doing about it? (In fact someone suggested, the youth workers of his party should take up the lead in cleaning India)
But as I said, beyond the politics of all this and the media mumbo jumbo, what can we as citizens do to change a mindset? To bring in some sanity and civic sense?
It's easier said than done and from the email that came last week from one our members that had Mr. Vijay Phanshikar going full cylinders on Nagpuri attitude, you can tell it's a herculan task.
Having said that, can we take some baby steps in that direction though? Can we start small instead of changing everything overnight with one magic wand?
Not to blow my own here, but last visit to Nagpur I tried something, that if nothing else made me feel good. I took my wife out for a morning walk on the West High Court road in Dharampeth. It was around 6:30 am and so there was hardly any traffic or even people on the road. There was though this one guy who was preparing 'Kande Pohe' and 'Tarri' smack in the middle of the road's cross-section. There were around 10 people, mostly young folks, surrounding him, waiting for Pohe to be prepared and consumed.
After the ritual of eating was done, I saw that everyone of the eaters, started throwing their paper plate on the road itself. There was a middle-aged women who was taking a parcel order, and she seemed to be from an educated background, and she too threw her paper right next to the stall.
The idea, apparently was, to throw the waste around and someone will definitely pick it up. In this case, the pohewala himself.
What struck me most was not the act of throwing itself, but how "given" this was? Like it was a norm. A regulation, if you will. No one looked remotely affected by this, including the poor guy who was making pohe and was probably going to collect the waste once he was done.
I told those people, much to the shock of my wife, that they give those waste plates to me. I would collect them and throw it in a trash nearby. One of the young dudes in the group even commented .."arey yeh to munna bhai hai".. I am guessing he was alluding to the movie Lage raho... (a movie, incidently made by a Nagpuri, btw)
Although I did have to endure some under the belt hits, I thought I saw some effect. Half the people did throw their stuff in a plastic bag the pohewala had. Other half of course ignored and went their way.
The point of all this is, that day, I could not change Nagpur or even 10 people, but I did change, I thought a few minds. I am hoping even if ONE of them starts NOT doing this stuff, that's a small win.
The incident left me in a state of minor satisfaction, although my wife did say this.."Don't try to be a neo-Gandhi, will you...?" (Oopsie..)
I know I was not being a Gandhi and I was being a smarty pant, but what the heck; made me feel good momentarily.
So what do you folks think? Do we have some ideas that we can use to start a 'Clean Nagpur, Green Nagpur' campaign? How best we can pass this on? Any champions out there who can take this up?
If you think you have good ideas, please pass it on either via emails or commenting on the post.
-/ACD
**
Friday, November 20, 2009
TGIF
Thank goodness its a Friday. And so how about indulging in some weekend levity?
What do you folks like best about Nagpur? It's greenery, it's laid-back attitude, it's samosas.. or just it's people?
Time to take a vote. Go for it folks. Show your true Nagpuri blood. The vote is on top-left-rail of the blog. You won't miss it.
What do you folks like best about Nagpur? It's greenery, it's laid-back attitude, it's samosas.. or just it's people?
Time to take a vote. Go for it folks. Show your true Nagpuri blood. The vote is on top-left-rail of the blog. You won't miss it.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Orange
So we are going Orange!
The color Orange is relevant to Nagpuris of all hue I guess. We have already made the NagpurFirst.org site Orange. So, keeping in tune with everything, this blog is going Orange too.
The color Orange is relevant to Nagpuris of all hue I guess. We have already made the NagpurFirst.org site Orange. So, keeping in tune with everything, this blog is going Orange too.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Nag River Rejuvenation
As some of you are already aware, Nagpur First has recently taken up an initiative to help restore and rejuvenate Nag River...(It is more of a 'nala' though).
A team of people in Nagpur and another team in Chicago is helping set up some initial ground work to take this effort forward.
We anticipate that this would be a multi-year, multi-dimensional undertaking and Nagpur First would seek dedicated team members to champion this. People with experience and knowledge on this subject are welcome to send in serious and constructive suggestions. Response and Comments on this post will be appreciated.
In view of this effort, Dineshji and I, met with Dr. Prakasam Tata at his residence yesterday in Naperville. Dr. Tata was kind enough to give us some insight in the work he did in the field of water treatment and related areas.
Recently Dr. Tata overlooked a project to salvage a 170-acre lake in his home town of Vizianagaram in AP. He worked in collaboration with US and UN agencies to get success on this project.
Dr. Tata worked at various levels in Research and Technical Management at Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, IL.
Mr. Amit Badiyani, on the other end, is co-ordinating efforts to work with key people from Nagpur, the folks who first suggested us the Nag River Rejuvenation project.(More details to follow).
We are indulging in more research and information gathering in coming weeks to have a good handle on this undertaking. We will be posting more Data and technical information as and when more progress is made. As again, your response with any information that can help us will be encouraged.
A start has been made and we hope to see Nag river transformed into a truly 'living river' in a few years.
As we gather more momentum on this, here's some fun stuff, members of Nagpur First blog readers can try. We would like you to suggest us a Name for this initiative.
Few pointers
1] The name should be short and relevant to the cause.
2] Negative connotations like Andolan and Bachao should be avoided
3] You can use either of the three languages (English,Hindi,Marathi) to come up, but sticking to the core essence
4] It should be constructive and positive in it's tone.
Some suggestions have alread been made, including..
START FISHING IN RIVER NAG
'Nag Nadi Utthapan Abhiyan'
NEAT - Nag river Accomplishment using Environmental Technologies
Nag River Development Project
Once we zero down to popular ones, we'll put an online vote too!
So readers, let your creative juices work full time or just pick the one you like best..
-A.C.Deshpande
A team of people in Nagpur and another team in Chicago is helping set up some initial ground work to take this effort forward.
We anticipate that this would be a multi-year, multi-dimensional undertaking and Nagpur First would seek dedicated team members to champion this. People with experience and knowledge on this subject are welcome to send in serious and constructive suggestions. Response and Comments on this post will be appreciated.
In view of this effort, Dineshji and I, met with Dr. Prakasam Tata at his residence yesterday in Naperville. Dr. Tata was kind enough to give us some insight in the work he did in the field of water treatment and related areas.
Recently Dr. Tata overlooked a project to salvage a 170-acre lake in his home town of Vizianagaram in AP. He worked in collaboration with US and UN agencies to get success on this project.
Dr. Tata worked at various levels in Research and Technical Management at Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, IL.
MWRC serves an area of 883 square miles (2,290 km2) which covers the City of Chicago and 125 suburban municipalities.He is also the President of India Development Coalition of America (IDCA) , an organization, we are looking to seek guidance from on this project as they have some experience in this field. IDCA has worked extensively on Yamuna River rejuvenation in and around Delhi. We are already in touch with key members of this organization.
The District operates the largest wastewater treatment plant in the world, the Stickney Water Reclamation Plant in Stickney, Illinois, in addition to six other plants and 23 pumping stations
Mr. Amit Badiyani, on the other end, is co-ordinating efforts to work with key people from Nagpur, the folks who first suggested us the Nag River Rejuvenation project.(More details to follow).
We are indulging in more research and information gathering in coming weeks to have a good handle on this undertaking. We will be posting more Data and technical information as and when more progress is made. As again, your response with any information that can help us will be encouraged.
A start has been made and we hope to see Nag river transformed into a truly 'living river' in a few years.
As we gather more momentum on this, here's some fun stuff, members of Nagpur First blog readers can try. We would like you to suggest us a Name for this initiative.
Few pointers
1] The name should be short and relevant to the cause.
2] Negative connotations like Andolan and Bachao should be avoided
3] You can use either of the three languages (English,Hindi,Marathi) to come up, but sticking to the core essence
4] It should be constructive and positive in it's tone.
Some suggestions have alread been made, including..
START FISHING IN RIVER NAG
'Nag Nadi Utthapan Abhiyan'
NEAT - Nag river Accomplishment using Environmental Technologies
Nag River Development Project
Once we zero down to popular ones, we'll put an online vote too!
So readers, let your creative juices work full time or just pick the one you like best..
-A.C.Deshpande
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Words and Action
In some sense we have been lucky to see India transform in many ways in recent times.
My father always used to tell me how, to get his first scooter he had to wait for a few years after booking it. To own a Bajaj Scooter, during those days, you had to pay a premium if you wanted to bypass the regular line of consumers. A classic case of low supply high demand. (Same was the case with telephones)
We have come a long way from having to slant the Bajaj Scooter in one direction and kick start it in early morning hours after several attempts. (The joke goes - 'that is why Bajaj did not venture into Airplanes. Who was going to slant them?'). In today's India we can simply show up into a showroom and come out with any vehicle we have the capacity to purchase.
But that's the material change. What about the mindset? Has that come along too? Thankfully yes, at least to some extent. We have moved on from the tight permit-licence-quota-raj time period to a new exuberant and confident India, being driven by a youthful and spirited generation. The overall optimism of New India is contagious to say the least.
Hopefully this optimism and positive energy manifests itself into something remarkable and fruitful for India. We may already be noticing signs of it in various aspects of the society.
Reminds me of an essay I read sometime back by Rediff.com's Amberish Diwanji. In that essay, Diwanji says
Almost 20 years down the line, we are all here and results are there to see. This is not to say that India has magically transformed and there are no more issues any more. Of course we have issues facing us left, right and center. Of course there are great number of people still not able to make ends meet. Of course 42% of our children are still mal-nourished. Problems galore.
The changes of early 90s was not one single magic bullet that would change everything. But it did set up a series of transformational changes that when taken in context will help us understand the New Emerging India. History probably can only be appreciated in hindsight.
As a Nagpuri phrase suggests- "gyan batna" is simple. But you got to wet your feet and take the plunge. Sitting on fence and talking is cheap. It comes at no cost. What counts is words followed by action.
Nagpur First will hope to leave it's foot prints on the new , positive, emerging India. It hopes to follow the words with action that has tangible results. It's not going to be easy. But challenges can be fun too..
Even as I type this, there has been some momentum on the Nag River Rejuvenation Project. It's still early days and more details will follow in subsequent posts. But there has been a start ...
My father always used to tell me how, to get his first scooter he had to wait for a few years after booking it. To own a Bajaj Scooter, during those days, you had to pay a premium if you wanted to bypass the regular line of consumers. A classic case of low supply high demand. (Same was the case with telephones)
We have come a long way from having to slant the Bajaj Scooter in one direction and kick start it in early morning hours after several attempts. (The joke goes - 'that is why Bajaj did not venture into Airplanes. Who was going to slant them?'). In today's India we can simply show up into a showroom and come out with any vehicle we have the capacity to purchase.
But that's the material change. What about the mindset? Has that come along too? Thankfully yes, at least to some extent. We have moved on from the tight permit-licence-quota-raj time period to a new exuberant and confident India, being driven by a youthful and spirited generation. The overall optimism of New India is contagious to say the least.
Hopefully this optimism and positive energy manifests itself into something remarkable and fruitful for India. We may already be noticing signs of it in various aspects of the society.
Reminds me of an essay I read sometime back by Rediff.com's Amberish Diwanji. In that essay, Diwanji says
[..]India's worsening economic situation hit a nadir when the first Gulf War broke out in early 1991 and oil prices went through the roof. To the utter horror and shame of Indians, the Government of India had to fly India's gold reserves to the Bank of England as a deposit to ensure that India did not default on its international paymentsClearly necessity is the mother of all inventions. India, just about 20 years back had to take a call. Should we or should we not open up? How far can old-school economy sustain us? How should we re-invent ourselves?
Most Indian women wear a mangalsutra (a chain with some gold and a small pendant of gold or stone), and which is never removed unless the woman is widowed. It thus symbolises the health and wealth of the house. Sending Indian gold to Britain (the country that millions hold responsible for impoverishing India) was, clearly, deeply humiliating and unacceptable[..]
Almost 20 years down the line, we are all here and results are there to see. This is not to say that India has magically transformed and there are no more issues any more. Of course we have issues facing us left, right and center. Of course there are great number of people still not able to make ends meet. Of course 42% of our children are still mal-nourished. Problems galore.
The changes of early 90s was not one single magic bullet that would change everything. But it did set up a series of transformational changes that when taken in context will help us understand the New Emerging India. History probably can only be appreciated in hindsight.
As a Nagpuri phrase suggests- "gyan batna" is simple. But you got to wet your feet and take the plunge. Sitting on fence and talking is cheap. It comes at no cost. What counts is words followed by action.
Nagpur First will hope to leave it's foot prints on the new , positive, emerging India. It hopes to follow the words with action that has tangible results. It's not going to be easy. But challenges can be fun too..
Even as I type this, there has been some momentum on the Nag River Rejuvenation Project. It's still early days and more details will follow in subsequent posts. But there has been a start ...
Sunday, November 8, 2009
An Idea
One of the most inspirational quotes of contemporary history has been ".. ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country."
These are JFK's timeless words as we all know. And these words inspired an entire generation of folks to join a movement; much similar to what we witnessed almost 45 years later when a "message of change" resonated with a vast majority of people across the US and the world.
Why did these messages click? What was in it, that made it work?
We think it was the moment itself. The timing, if you will. "An idea whose time has come, works" as they say. An idea is something that in most cases sparks with a conversation. And it grows into a bigger flame as more contributions are made.
Something similar happened to Nagpur First. It started as a simple conversation between two hard-core Nagpuris and now as you can see it's truly on it's way to becoming a much bigger movement.
But the work has only just begun. It's still nascent in it's form and shape with some baby steps taken. We need to nourish this small sapling and make it grow into a tall, handsome, robust,shady and green tree. As green as our dear Nagpur.
Nagpuris have a lot of passion and a lot of fire inside our belly. Now we need to channelize this fire into something constructive. Something bigger and greater than its own self. How each of us approaches is not relevant at this stage. We need to keep the big picture in mind. The picture being that of a 'Nagpur - A Global city by 2020'.
This blog and it's editorial team firmly believe, that this is a realistic goal and that if we all engage in a positive and constructive way, we can make it. We can Do It.
The Nagpur First blog will be our attempt to express and articulate various efforts and needs to achieve this goal. We will be looking for volunteers who can champion and lead causes close to their hearts. Something that will benefit Nagpur as a whole.
After all, we firmly believe that Nagpur deserves it's place under the sun and on the Global Map. And we shall overcome everything to get it there.
A sincere thanks from Team - Nagpur First to all who have joined and contributed to this mission so far. We hope to continue attracting more and more talent as we move ahead.
So Ladies and Gentleman, fasten your seat belts. We are about to embark upon a truly fruitful journey, that which will make our city, our Nagpur, a Global destination of reckoning by 2020.
- Nagpur First Editorial Team.
These are JFK's timeless words as we all know. And these words inspired an entire generation of folks to join a movement; much similar to what we witnessed almost 45 years later when a "message of change" resonated with a vast majority of people across the US and the world.
Why did these messages click? What was in it, that made it work?
We think it was the moment itself. The timing, if you will. "An idea whose time has come, works" as they say. An idea is something that in most cases sparks with a conversation. And it grows into a bigger flame as more contributions are made.
Something similar happened to Nagpur First. It started as a simple conversation between two hard-core Nagpuris and now as you can see it's truly on it's way to becoming a much bigger movement.
But the work has only just begun. It's still nascent in it's form and shape with some baby steps taken. We need to nourish this small sapling and make it grow into a tall, handsome, robust,shady and green tree. As green as our dear Nagpur.
Nagpuris have a lot of passion and a lot of fire inside our belly. Now we need to channelize this fire into something constructive. Something bigger and greater than its own self. How each of us approaches is not relevant at this stage. We need to keep the big picture in mind. The picture being that of a 'Nagpur - A Global city by 2020'.
This blog and it's editorial team firmly believe, that this is a realistic goal and that if we all engage in a positive and constructive way, we can make it. We can Do It.
The Nagpur First blog will be our attempt to express and articulate various efforts and needs to achieve this goal. We will be looking for volunteers who can champion and lead causes close to their hearts. Something that will benefit Nagpur as a whole.
After all, we firmly believe that Nagpur deserves it's place under the sun and on the Global Map. And we shall overcome everything to get it there.
A sincere thanks from Team - Nagpur First to all who have joined and contributed to this mission so far. We hope to continue attracting more and more talent as we move ahead.
So Ladies and Gentleman, fasten your seat belts. We are about to embark upon a truly fruitful journey, that which will make our city, our Nagpur, a Global destination of reckoning by 2020.
- Nagpur First Editorial Team.
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