My Cinderella Story

In other tragic news, my trusted pair of slippers that has lasted me nigh on eight years, through inordinate rough use in four years of undergrad and four more years of less strenuous use in grad school, has finally given up the ghost. The strap on one of them broke yesterday evening and has rendered me temporarily slipper-less. While I mourn the passing of an old friend, I intend to go on a slipper-shopping spree (try saying that fast, btw) sometime this week. OK, so I may not be in a fairy-tale (though some people may have smartass ripostes to that) and my slippers may not be made of glass, but the loss is still a painful one. My heart, like my slipper-strap, is irreparably broken. :(

Ruminating About Race, or, I Should Have Been a Social Sciences Major

Amidst all the hue and cry about how the Hindu caste system is archaic and inimical to Indian society, my dad has an interesting point of view. According to him, the caste system actually lets different communities find their own niches unlike the un-stratified social structure of Europe and America. I would have to say that I agree to an extent.

It is a theory of mine that the caste system allows the various Indian communities to pursue different wants and needs and life expectations, compared to the US, where I think the biggest problem is everyone aspiring to the "American Dream" of a house with a white picket fence, a garage, two kids and any number and breed of dogs.

Going off on a slight tangent, I think the reason racial discrimination is prevalent in certain Western societies is that a large part of the socio-economic structure of countries is based on race, especially in the lower strata. Thus, in the US, Indians and Pakistanis drive taxis or own convenience stores and motels, East Europeans are janitors, Mexicans serve as house help, gardeners or window-cleaners, African-Americans drive the transportation systems and form the bulk of the general service sector. Here, people are doubly compartmentalised, by race as well as by profession and economic status.

Contrast this with India. Here everyone may be of the same race (I'm ignoring the Dravidian-Aryan divide as a more macro-scale issue) but there are several similar possible divisions based on caste and religion. But, since it is well-nigh impossible at first glance to tell what caste or religion a person belongs to if one doesn't know the person's name and he/she doesn't display a clear distinguishing characteristic like the brahmin's sacred thread, the Christian's crucifix or the Sikh's turban, in this situation it is much easier and hence more likely for different castes to share an economic stratum, which in turn makes "casteism" (if there is such a word) less severe. Here, caste considerations really only come into play during social choices like marriage and the more powerful economic discrimination is diluted.

The foregoing discussion should probably not include small rural communities where everyone essentially knows everyone else. Furthermore, as the level of education increases, these racial/caste-based distinctions begin to dissolve, but that is already well-known.

A Love of Labour

Interesting how differences in the way labour is valued can affect reactions one gets in the most unexpected of situations.

Sometime towards the end of last year I bought a charcoal grey suit from Men's Wearhouse. Cost considerations dictated that I get a machine-stitched bottom-of-the-line item that does, nevertheless, more than serve its purpose. This January, I increased my suit collection to two. Only, this one is a beautiful hand-tailored blue pinstriped item.

If you're in the overly-mechanised US, you're thinking, "Holy crap! How, in the space of a few months, did he go from a penniless mass-produced-suit buyer to being a rich snob who must have his couture, like his soup, haute?"

Funnily enough, if you're in cheap-labour-is-everywhere India, you're thinking, "Damn, the grey suit was machine-stitched? Wow, you don't get that kind of quality in this hand-tailored crap!"

So, how did I make the transition, which, depending on where you are, is either a step up or a step down? Simple - the second suit was stitched in Calcutta. And, as it turns out, both cost almost exactly the same!

To PM Or Not To PM

In latest news, Sonia Gandhi is expressing her reluctance to be the Prime Minister, which I think is quite impressive and foresighted of her. One could already sense this whole foreign origin thing becoming a huge issue, and I think she's doing the right thing under the circumstances.

But I couldn't say that and let it go without throwing my two cents in, so...

Personally, I do agree that it seems strange to allow a person of foreign origin to head a government, but the question then is, where does one draw the line? For example, if, say, Rahul Gandhi had been born in Italy but had moved to India for good within a matter of months, would that (and more importantly, should it) render him ineligible for the post of PM? I don't think it should. Then should there be a minimum residency requirement in India and/or a maximum residency requirement outside India? That might be the way to go.

In any case, in this particular scenario, when I don't really see a viable leadership alternative, and when there is nothing (yet) in the Constitution that doesn't allow it, I think it would make sense for Sonia Gandhi to be PM. Granted she is a political novice (although given her handling of these elections, I'd say she's learnt a few tricks of the trade from the family she married into), but does anyone else in the Congress really command that kind of support for PM? I'd have to say that the Manmohan Singhs and Ghulam Nabi Azads don't inspire the kind of national sentiment that a Gandhi would.

I must hasten to say here that I only support this idea in the interests of governmental stability. Unfortunately, governmental stability doesn't necessarily translate into socio-political stability, which might be the bigger issue here.

For once, the Times of India had something interesting to add to this whole issue - they said that if Sonia became PM, that would only indicate the robustness and inclusiveness of the Hindu-dominated Indian democracy, which already has a Muslim bachelor President and would add to the mix a Roman Catholic foreign-born widow as PM! This compared with the other "great democracy of the world", USA, which, has never had (and most probably never will have, at least in my lifetime) anyone other than a white, Christian, married man as President.

Ru Paul for President, anyone?

Tossed Salads and Scrambled Eggs

And "Frasier" ended the way it began. Smooth, subtle, poignant without being cloying and with a delectable twist even when the major events were already pretty much common knowledge. So much better as a finale than the lame "Friends" closer last week, which, even with all the secrecy and the airport adventures, wasn't really able to surprise us with the Ross-Rachel outcome.

The show even managed to weave in a tribute to Tennyson's epic "Ulysses" via the flash cards between segments, which were then masterfully brought together in Frasier's farewell speech to his family and then to the extended family at KACL and Seattle. This is what tying up loose ends is about, and MSN does another excellent job in reviewing the finale - read the perfect report here.

And so I leave you with these diametrically opposite glimpses that are a trademark of the show that managed to walk the fine line between slapstick and highbrow comedy with all the grace of a seasoned circus acrobat...

Niles (looking at Daphne feeding their baby): God, they are so beautiful!
Marty: Yes. And they'll stay like that as long as she keeps breast-feeding.

"It may be that the gulfs will wash us down;
It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles,
... and though
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven, that which we are, we are -
...
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield."
- An excerpt from "Ulysses" (Alfred, Lord Tennyson; 1842)

Goodnight, Frasier. The building won't be the same now that you've left.

Psephologise This!

Whew! The great Indian election is finally over. So stand up and take a bow for a job well done, India! The large turnout (especially in rural areas) and the outcome are ample proof that the world's largest democracy is not only very much alive, but vigorously kicking too.

I've been following the election results since last night and I have to say the NDA's defeat is quite comprehensive and not a little shocking (so much for all the exit polls and psephologists and politics pundits and gurus and maharishis and sadhus and the such!) I think the most surprising thing was how the BJP lost ground in what I thought were its strongholds - AP, TN, and even Gujarat and Maharashtra.

Going by those results, as well as the results in Karnataka, it appears to me that the flogged-to-death phrase "anti-incumbency" is an important factor in Indian elections, which, I would think, is an unhealthy sign - it implies that the whichever party is elected rarely satisfies the electorate during its reign and is thus replaced the next time elections come around.

Another thing I noticed this time is that a number of younger, well-educated contestants (some of them the children of politicians) seem to have done well. Rahul Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Omar Abdullah, Jyotiraditya Scindia, Milind Deora and Akhilesh Yadav being the more prominent ones. This seems to be a general reversal of the trend of an increasingly aging parliament.

Most of the "stars" outside politics seem to have done well too, from Navjyot Singh Sidhu (he will be a sight to watch in parliament!) to Govinda. And at the same time, I can't believe leaders like Yashwant Sinha and Murli Manohar Joshi were defeated. This election must have quite a sobering effect on the party.

Here's an article that I think does well in summarising the result. The authors have the benefit of being objective observers and are thus able to bring a sense of perspective to their analysis.

But far and away the biggest thing about these elections is the fact that they were completely, 100% electronic. And this in a so-called Third World country with a population of a billion people. Compare this with the mighty USA. It has only a quarter of the population and is the most powerful and technologically advanced country in the world. But despite all the resources at its disposal and despite being still haunted by the "chad" fiasco of the 2000 presidential election, this November's election will see the return of the same old paper ballots and (hopefully) the same old fiascos. After all, what would we do for entertainment otherwise?

What The...

The gratuitous use of the word "fuck" in a perfectly grammatical and otherwise perfectly respectable English sentence is like (and as satisfying as) having great sex with the language.

And in other news, you know what the difference between people in California and people in the rest of the country is? The people everywhere else are human.

Where Should Your Vote Count?

One thing that has always bothered me about voting is how one chooses. And by that I don't mean choosing between candidates because, of course, that is dictated by which one you think is better. But isn't there sometimes a conflict between what would be good for your constituency and what would be good for the country overall?

For example, in the current scenario in India, I'm sure there are numerous non-BJP candidates that are better options than their BJP counterparts in their respective constituencies. But, looking at the bigger picture, isn't it more important to give the BJP-led alliance the majority it needs to have a stable government for another five years? I'm inclined to agree. But then again, if everyone did that, then there could be a significant number of constituencies where the weaker candidate got elected. (In all of this I'm assuming here that there is no alternative group with nearly enough seats to form even a marginally stable government.) Tricky! And of course the staggered polling schedule combined with the exit polls only make this decision harder for the people voting in the later phases.

Interestingly, this conflict of interests would probably be avoided to some extent in a presidential form of government, where you pick the best president for the country as well as the best congressional representatives for your constituency.

Another Sort of Blog

The Bicycling Log makes its debut. My thousand-mile goal started off well this week. Logged a total of seventy-two miles, with two rides of sixteen miles each and one slightly longer one today of twenty-two. Quite happy with the way today's ride went - I was able to achieve a decent speed of about 14 mph, but it remains to be seen whether I'll be able to maintain that on longer rides leading up to the thirty-mile Bike the Drive at the end of the month.

All Things Beautiful

Beauty can be captured from existing objects or created from seemingly mundane things that are not immediately apparent as being beautiful. Both can be tricky work, but each has its own challenges.

Here is an example of a website that does the former. Sujai is a good friend and just an amazingly cool guy from my undergraduate days. The website documents his recent trip to Turkey, a place which I'm am now sold on.

This is a link to the website of a friend of a friend. The "Photography" section is a fantastic example of what a discerning eye and an artistic mind can do with anything from Coca Cola cases to a cow's face.

Amigos Para Siempre

Well, it's finally over. And I have to say, the final episode was quite a letdown. After knowing for more than a year that this would be the final season, the "Friends" finale seemed a very hurried, disorganised attempt at tying up all the loose ends. "Frasier", on the other hand, by all appearances, seems to have done an excellent job in that regard. Everything's been well-primed, and while the element of surprise may be slightly lacking (not that there were any surprises to speak of for "Friends"), it should end on a much more memorable and dignified note.

The hourlong retrospective before the "Friends" finale was far better, well-choreographed and with some great songs in the soundtrack. But I still wish they'd focused more on some of the supporting cast that has become as much a part of the show as any of the lead characters. I missed Gunther, Janice, all the assorted parents, Ugly Naked Guy, Susan and so many more.

And a segment on all the guest appearances would have been appropriate too, methinks. Jon Lovitz as the pothead restaurateur, Bruce Willis as Elizabeth's dad, Elle MacPherson as Joey's red-hot roommate who singlehandedly destroyed Joey's immortal "How you doin'?" pick-up line, Reese Witherspoon and Christina Applegate as Rachel's neurotic, sorority-girl sisters, Charlie Sheen as Phoebe's chicken-pox-afflicted Navy man, Denise Richards as Monica and Ross's smouldering cousin, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt as Chandler- and Rachel-haters respectively: the list of memorable cameos is well-nigh endless.

But at the end of the day, in spite of the clichéd ending, in spite of the well-below-par last couple of seasons, in spite of all the (undeserved) hype of the past weeks, I can't help feeling sad that there will never be another new "Friends" episode. Not so much for the show itself, but for the characters that I have grown to know and love. This article sums up my feelings perfectly. While "M*A*S*H" is quite possibly the best TV show ever, it's end did not affect me in quite the same way, because by the time I started to watch and appreciate it, the show had already ended. "Seinfeld" I never really liked that much - I think it tries to be too smart by half. So "Friends", and next week, "Frasier" are the ones that will be remembered and missed.

Can anyone say "box set"?

Past, Present and Future Tense

So after yesterday's ride I'm no longer sure about the STP. Granted it was windy and the damn wind was swirling around all over the place. Granted it was my first long ride of the season. And granted it wasn't on a road bike. But I don't see how I'm going to get into shape in a short eight weeks for a two hundred mile ride (even if I do it over two days), especially in the Pacific Northwest, which is endowed with more than its fair share of ascents. Sixteen miles in eighty minutes. That's like 12 mph. But more importantly, I'm feeling it enough today to cancel plans of riding this evening. Now try a hundred miles in one day, a night's rest, then doing it all over again. Not happening. Not this year at least. Which kind of sucks, because I was hoping I'd be able to make it.

Still, my goal is to hit a thousand miles on my bike by the end of the season, including my almost-four-mile daily round trip to school and back. Now that's a lot more doable. I figure if I ride fifty miles a week for sixteen weeks, interspersed with random events like Bike The Drive, Cricital Mass and BLT, I should be able to hit that mark, even allowing for fickle weather.

In other news, my parents' old apartment back in the old country has finally been rented out. And despite the fact that I'll probably never live in that apartment again, it's not the most pleasant feeling to imagine strangers defiling what was my home for sixteen years and still has a very special place in my heart. But so it goes.

And while on the subject of nostalgia, the "Friends" finale is tomorrow. I've not really been following the last couple of seasons, because it really began to get stale and the newer episodes weren't even that funny any more. But I felt sad nevertheless when it finally hit me that after tomorrow their lives will no longer be even remotely intertwined with mine. So, barring the Apocalypse, you know what I'll be doing from 7 - 9 pm CDT tomorrow. And it's made a little more poignant by the fact that another of my favourite shows, "Frasier", is ending the following week. I wonder what NBC's going to do to fill the void left by these behemoths. "Scrubs" is the only sitcom worth watching on TV these days (yay for Zach Braff btw), but even that's going to find it hard to follow these heavyweight acts.

Oh and here are my predictions for the two:
1. Friends: Ross and Rachel finally hook up. Monica and Chandler move out.
2. Frasier: Marty and Ronee get married. Niles and Daphne have a baby. Frasier follows Charlotte to Chicago. Roz anyone?