Essay on Socialism

It is rather funny that I should be writing about Socialism.

I have written earlier on about the importance of Capitalism and the necessary free movement of capital and labour to the best possible location so as to derive maximum economic return. In fact, I think there should be totally free movement of qualified capital and labour across the world.

Well, I have not abandoned those principles, I still believe that free Capitalism is the best form of economic model out there and we have seen how even a socialistic country like India could transform by adopting capitalism. There is no doubt in my mind that entrepreneurs and established industrialists would not be driven by patriotism only, they would rather be driven by demand and economic returns on invested capital and labour.

However, this might be a good occasion to relook at some fundamental principles from a government and governance perspective. It is critical to ensure that no person is left to die on the streets for want of medical care or food. The State (government) is responsible for ensuring that poverty and restricted access to government or private resources should not stand in the way of providing essential items or care to people below the poverty line.

I am not talking about subsidies here. The subsidies that the Indian government provides to various sectors of the economy are untenable even in the medium term, and I believe these will disappear soon. Imagine if those subsidies are used to fund the healthcare and education needs of the poor people at the bottom of the society. Given that the bottom part of the Indian society is probably more than 200 million people, a significant 18 to 20% of the overall population, there is an urgent need for the government to ensure their well being.

I am writing this piece, as I was impacted by published stories by news media on the plight of very poor “street” people who were turned away from government hospitals in Kolkata. This really hurts any decent person’s sentiments and one tends to think “what is this government doing – do they even care ?”. It was pathetic to see the husband of the lady who died for want of medical care, carrying two just-born kids who would now be left without their mother in this cruel world of insensitive Indians (and Indian government).

Please see the news item in Times of India “Two hospitals ‘refuse’ admission, woman dies after delivering twins”

Actions have to be immediately taken to ensure that such scenarios do not repeat in any part of the country. The administrator of the hospital should be summarily dismissed, sending a very strong message to the medical community that they have to live by their motto of service to mankind and Hippocratic Oath. Of all people, medical administrators and doctors in India cannot behave as though they are disconnected from the problems of the poor people on the street without any resources. In fact, they should go out of their way for ensuring delivery of immediate medical attention without any consideration.

Teaching our children about socialism and empathy is now becoming very critical in this extremely materialistic world of India. How do we ensure that our children are not insensitive to the sufferings around them ? How do we involve them in difficult community service, wherein they would come face to face with the human sufferings of the very poor people of India ? What can the government do to ensure that no one dies on our streets for lack of food or health care ?

Instead of tackling such huge problems, our government is embroiled in scandal after scandal and frittering away our scarce resources on funding Air India type of companies which should have gone away long time ago. Let us worry about the poor people of this country who are poorer than the folks in sub-Saharan Africa and ensure that the benefits of a growing economy trickle down to them as well. This might require “start-up” thinking.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
15th January 2012
Mumbai

Benefits of hot water

I drink at least 5 glasses of hot water every day – mostly at the office.

Why hot water ? Why not cold water, and why not a coke ?

I learnt about the benefit of drinking hot water or hot water mixed with tea leaves, during my time at Singapore. I was told that it was one of the reasons for people staying slim.

Anyway, I picked up the habit, and I believe it is a good practice to follow. Cold water is not good (iced water especially) for the body, except in rather hot weather. The ice spoils the teeth.

Hot water makes one perspire and detoxifies the body. I do not know the medical reasons, but based on experience, I can recommend that drinking hot water (at temperature that allows you to still drink it without wincing !) produces better health benefits than drinking a coke for instance.

You will feel good and positive throughout the day, you just have to keep drinking one glass of very warm water every 60 to 90 minutes right through the day. It has helped me enormously and I think it is the best thing that one can do without getting any harmful side effects. May be add a couple of drops of lemon which would be even more beneficial…….it cleanses your liver and kidneys and detoxifies your body effectively.

Please investigate for yourself on these benefits – consult your doctor if you wish. But I am sure you will come to the right conclusion on the benefits of drinking hot water or hot water with lemon drops. It could turn out to be one of the best health decisions you would have ever made in your life !

Try it out, but be regular in implementing the habit.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
4th January 2012
Mumbai

Old times from Beach Walking

It is funny how most of us like to take a walk on the beach, but rarely get to do so in the midst of hectic schedules, though plenty of beaches are available in India. Walking on a sandy beach is a good stress-reliever and I used to enjoy it, but it has been more than 18 long months since I have been on a beach, though I live in a city with several beaches.

This time though, I decided to visit the Besant Nagar Beach in Chennai, though most visitors would normally like to go to the Marina Beach, purportedly the second longest sandy beach in the whole world, stretching for several kilometres (which is the first longest one ?). This is a smaller one, far from the maddening crowds at the Marina Beach.

The Besant Nagar beach has white sand with less crowds and at this time of the year has a pleasant cool windy breeze. The sand does not really stick to you, which is the way I like it. The beach was not dirty like most other Indian beaches, and has hardly any plastic strewn around it, which was again environmentally a good thing.

I liked it today as no hawker approached me and disturbed my thoughts or actions. Incidentally, on this beach the hawkers are all centrally aligned along a stretch leading to the beach front. I do not support hawkers at all on a beach, but no amount of protest is going to remove hawkers from any Indian beach. I do not patronize the hawkers at all, except may be the ones who are outside the beach area on the pavement. Consumption of any food or drinks should be prohibited on any beach.

A beach without plastic, without hawkers, without balloons – that is just a dream in India. But in any case, I liked the Besant Nagar Beach which was decent and met some of my criteria for being a good beach providing a decent environment for people who come to enjoy a beach.

I did not see any life guards on the beach (not surprising), but neither did I see any warning signs. The tides were a bit high, and people including families with kids were in knee-deep and some in waist-deep water, enjoying themselves. But again, that is the way it is in most Indian beaches, except may be in Goa. People could not care less about their own personal safety, they came here to get a free entertainment and they were not going to be dissuaded.

I saw a few well-maintained horses, and my son elected to take a ride for just about USD 1 per ride lasting some 5 minutes. We are allowed to take pictures, and the horse walks with my son seated on the horse along the beach and returns after a few minutes. A good stress-reliever, I guess.

The best thing about a beach walk is that one gets to forget his cell phone and his computer, gets to walk on a sandy beach with eyes focused on sea waves, with his face getting brushed by cool sea breeze. I believe that this is good stress-buster which is free of charge, and few other things can match its benefits, it is critical to switch off your cell phone though ! and, do not tolerate any disturbance of any kind !!

Enjoy the breeze and the sea ! It is free !! And, do not disturb the ecosystem !!!

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
25th December 2011
Mumbai

Stress-Busters

There was an interesting coffee-shop discussion recently with some friends on what we do to handle the challenges and stresses that impinge on us during daily lives.

These folks handle challenging jobs with built-in stresses which they have to handle regularly, and they also face sudden issues involving their employees, customers and markets.

One guy said that he keeps the blackberry switched off during weekends, and “concentrates” on spending time with his family. Good idea but not practical in this “over-connected” world, where the world expects you to be connected and available.

Another guy said that he spends time on golfing Saturday/Sunday mornings which takes his time from something like 6 AM to 3 PM. No harm in that, but one has to be regular and focused on the game, which depends on a close circle of golfers who usually do not tolerate inconsistencies. Plus, you would hardly get time to attend to family or personal needs over the weekend, and weekdays are like 24 x 7 operation !

Some other guys prefer cricket, tennis or badminton.

The thing which has worked for me during weekends is a combination of 60 minutes gym (per day) plus concentrated putting on a golf patty at home plus of course, blogging, and you won’t believe this – cutting fruits ! Rest of the time is spent with the family or going for forced shopping !! The best stress-buster is at the gym followed by blogging and cutting fruits.

The fruits that I like and therefore, cut, are – apples, kiwi fruit, pomegranate, pears and guavas. Takes some good effort when you are not using any gadgets. I have an apple cutter, but I don’t use it as it is quick and takes the pleasure out of the manual cutting. When you take time to cut in a nice organized manner every late evening, arrange the same and hand out to family members after dinner, that is real good focused exercise.

Of course, sometimes variety is required, and then I would go for some light badminton or golf-putting. It is good to get the concentration, and I can tell you – it helps in your business and people interactions as well. Most of us lack listening skills, and it is critical to enhance the same and that would come with increased ability to concentrate your mind on the job at hand.

I tend to compare the ability to focus on one task vis-a-vis handling a multitude of tasks simultaneously. I used to place more importance on the latter for a long time, as I thought my ability to juggle many tasks would help me move quicker and ahead of others.

But as we absorb the complexity of the corporate world and encounter bigger challenges in business and life, I found that the singular ability to concentrate on one big task to the total exclusion of everything else, even if that is required only for 2 hours, is a very critical and strategic benefit one can have. I had to develop that ability and it took time.

Some of the stress-busters (may be this is an incorrect nomenclature !) that I have mentioned above are helpful. However, to each his own – you got to develop your own “busters” for your own benefit, as only you can determine the specific lack of certain abilities in yourself. May be at a higher level, a mentor or coach that you have assigned for yourself can help point out such deficiencies.

The technique has to be developed by yourself and if that is successful, you would find that religious repetition of the identified stress-buster would help you out in a major manner.

One does not need medicines or medical counselling for beating stress. You can do it yourself and at the same time enhance one of your critical abilities for the future.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
12th November 2011
Mumbai

Switching Exercise Time for more productivity

I found something interesting.

I used to work out in the evening times almost every day, except while travelling. A couple of months ago, I switched the exercise time to the mornings (5:30 AM), because I could not get time in the evenings most of the days (except weekends).

I discovered that working out early in the morning has some benefits as compared to working out in the evening:

1. There is hardly anyone in the gym early in the morning. I have only one or maximum two companions, whereas in the evenings, the gym is rather crowded, with lots of people and lot of noise. I found that morning workout is less stressful.

2. Morning exercise leads to a more positive attitude at work. I do not know whether it makes one a better and more effective worker, but that conclusion can be derived eventually based on some research. I found that there is a feeling of “self-satisfaction” at having achieved something significant (though not materially) at the end of the morning workout, and that kind of carries on right through the day.

3. The spirit of determination to get the morning exercise completed by getting up at the same time every morning and getting ready for the gym, leads to a better control of one’s own schedule, and the feeling of control leads to a strongly positive orientation towards one’s physical and emotional health.

Come back from the exercise (minimum 45 minutes), cool off for some 10 minutes, have your coffee and some almonds and then get ready for the office.

I find that this regimen is more productive, than the evening schedule wherein one is mentally and physically tired after a long day of work. And, then one has to contend with the queue for the treadmill and other workout equipment at the gym, which is not the case in the mornings.

I am not totally sure that this regimen will apply to everyone, but it seems to be working for me. I thought of sharing the idea, so that some of you might check it out !

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
9th October 2011
Mumbai

Indian Doctors

Indian Doctors are known for their knowledge and skills all over the world. They are admired and respected for their competency and abilities.

But, in India, it is hard to find very good doctors. You really need to have a strong referral from a known person who you can rely upon. Even then things can go wrong.

In my experience, I have seen good doctors who keep looking at their cell phones, or who allow constant interruptions by others during their patient examination. I can understand that they do need to check their cell phones, check their SMS messages, take calls from their friends or family, etc., but why do they do all these things when examining their patient, who has taken the trouble of taking an appointment and coming all the way to see him/her ?

Recently, I went with my son to a doctor near my home. The doctor smiled at us when we walked in, but I was shocked to see another family (husband, wife and son) at her back who were having an independent conversation with the very same doctor. Further, the doctor’s assistant was constantly walking in and walking out. How can the doctor concentrate on us ? I have to blame the doctor only for this mess, as even the patient confidentiality was being compromised. This was just too ridiculous.

For a moment, I thought of complaining, but then I dropped the idea, like I have done many a time in India. The situation is different, the context is different, the people are different, when I compare India with Singapore or New Zealand (the places wherein I have experienced some outpatient treatment experience). Over there, the patient confidentiality is paramount, the discussions between the doctor and patient are strictly private, and the concentration of the doctor on the current patient is absolute and total.

One should expect that type of treatment everywhere, but should not as well, especially in India. It sounds funny, but that is the way it is in most places except the very expensive clinics in India. Doctors in India do multiple things at the same time, as their time is precious and expensive to the patients and to the doctors as well ! Even when the discussion with your doctor is private and intrusion-free, I have seen the doctors pulling out their cell phones to answer a message – they can’t seem to wait till the patient session is completed. It only shows that doctors are only a reflection of the society, which is also impatient to respond to messages, doctors are not unique people who operate like they are totally isolated from the society.

In a nutshell, while I will not say that Indian doctors practising in India are not professional, I have to say that they do compromise their position as doctors most of the times. They should avoid doing so, as in themselves they are as good as any doctor anywhere in the world. They have repeatedly proven their worth in advanced countries of the world. The U.K. Health Service is a case in point. Indian doctors virtually run that service in a fabulous manner.

But let us get more professional in India, which is the toughest place to practise.

Welcome to Indian Doctors’ clinics wherein you get divided attention !

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
13th August 2011
Mumbai

Most Depressed People

According to a recently published WHO (World Health Organization) Study (refer report titled “Cross-national Epidemiology of DSM-IV Major Depressive Episode (MDE)”, published in BMC Medicine Journal), Indians are the most depressed people in the world.

Nothing is more laughable in the current context. Many other countries come to the mind, but not India.

The Health Ministry of the Government of India has promptly and correctly rejected the report, citing the fact that the study respondents were from the tiny state of Puducherry (Pondicherry), which is not representative of India as a whole.

In my opinion, the young Indians are the most optimistic anywhere in the world. They are doing far better than their parents, they have more disposable income, they have better and more opportunities for career growth, they are more entrepreneurial, and generally they appear to be more happy.

How can a WHO Study derive conclusion based on such a small sample, which is taken from a very small state (actually a Union Territory, not even one of the big States) ? What is its credibility ? It seems that they want to hit out at a growing economy in any which way they can – what else to conclude. They should publish the Indian Government’s rebuttal and acknowledge the fact that the Study was based on a non-representative sample of Indian population. That is the right thing for them to do.

On the other hand, I am really surprised that Pondicherry people are more depressed than the other Indian people. It is a peaceful small state with good standard of living, and cheap goods (cars are cheaper due to lower taxes, and liquor is far cheaper than the neighbouring state !). This is something to be examined.

Well, as I look around, it appears to be a confident and booming society. No one would ever think that India is a depressing place or that Indians are the most depressed people, even if he or she takes a walk through the slums of Dharavi in Mumbai. On the contrary, people’s confidence is improving every day, and the economy is growing, despite inflationary pressures and high interest rates. If not in the entire world, at least in the Asia Pacific region, India is the most positive place today. Hope it will stay that way for the next few decades.

Cheers
Vijay Srinivasan
30th July 2011
Mumbai

Is the Life You are living worth the Price You are paying for it ?

I was impressed and impacted by this article. I do not know the author, but this came in a mail to me, which I am acknowledging here. Please read this carefully and also see the related articles, nothing is more important than understanding the reasonable demand that one’s body and mind are placing on ourselves.

Courtesy: My IIM-B Classmate, Prahlad

What toll does it take, over time, if you get too little sleep; skip breakfast or settle for something unhealthy; struggle with a relentlessly challenging commute; attend meeting after meeting with no breaks in between; pump yourself up through the day with multiple cups of coffee or sugary snacks; deal with hundreds of emails that accumulate in your inbox; remain at your desk for lunch if you eat lunch at all; push through fatigue in the afternoon; head home at night feeling exhausted, but continue to check email through the evening; work on the weekends; and limit your vacations to no more than a week or two, if you vacation at all?

Consider the story of the “Boiling Frog”. It may or may not be true, but the point it makes certainly is. Toss a frog into a pot of boiling water and it instinctively jumps out, self-protectively. Next, place the frog into a pot of cool water. Not surprisingly, it swims around, happily. Now heat the water up very gradually and what does the frog do? It acclimates to untenable circumstances — and slowly cooks. The frog doesn’t notice what’s happening to him, until it’s too late.

We’re experiencing the same phenomenon. Facing ever more demand, complexity and uncertainty, our initial response is to push ourselves harder and more relentlessly, without taking account of the costs we’re incurring.

Physiologically, we move into hyperarousal — flooding our bodies with stress hormones such as adrenalin and cortisol. It’s an automatic response to the experience of threat, and it provides an instant source of energy.

“Allostatic load” is a term coined by the neuroscientist Bruce McEwen that refers to the physiological consequences — most especially on the brain — of chronic exposure to relentless demand. When fight-or-flight hormones circulate in our body for too long, keeping our arousal high, they become toxic — not just physically, but also emotionally and mentally.

The most immediate problem with the fight-or-flight state is that our pre-frontal cortex begins to shut down. We become reactive rather than reflective. We lose precisely what we need most in these complex times: the capacity to think analytically and imaginatively; to embrace nuance and paradox rather than choosing up sides; and to take a long-term perspective rather than making the most expedient choice.

It’s not good for us, and it’s not good for companies.

The antidote, well understood by trauma researchers, is to give people practical and specific ways to lower their physiological arousal — to get out of fight or flight. If you’re hyperaroused — and vast numbers of us are, much of the time — you must learn first how to regularly relax your body. Only then is it possible to calm your emotions, quiet your mind and make wiser choices.

In the trauma community, it’s called self-soothing. In the workplace, it’s about using simple strategies to buffer relentless demand by taking more conscious and regular care of our most basic needs.

Our most fundamental physical needs, beyond food, are to move and to rest. “Sleep is the foundation of physical energy” . All but a tiny percentage of us require at least 7-8 hours a night to feel fully rested and even small amounts of sleep deprivation take a significant cognitive toll.

We also operate best when we take renewal breaks at least every 90 minutes during the day. Breathing deeply for as little as a minute, for example, can completely clear the body of cortisol.

Movement is a second, more active way to change channels and to build physical capacity. The best way to move is to regularly challenge our current comfort zone — to push our heart rate into the aerobic and anaerobic zones at least four times a week, for at least 20 minutes at a time, and to train with weights at least twice a week.

Even if you don’t do that, it’s immensely valuable to get up and move at least several times during the day — and even better, to get outside. Above all, our goal should be to increase our oscillation over the course of the day — moving between relaxation at one end, and more active forms of energy expenditure at the other.

At the emotional level, our core need is to feel safe, secure and valued. The most reliable way to ensure that happens is to move flexibly between valuing, appreciating and taking care of others — which builds trust and appreciation — and taking care of ourselves. One without the other is insufficient. We need to regularly refuel ourselves with positive emotions just as much as we need to renew ourselves physically.

The more attentive we are to meeting these core needs, the less likely we are to feel overwhelmed and exhausted, and the more sustainably high-performing we’re capable of becoming.

Courtesy: My IIM-B Classmate, Prahlad

I am sure this article impacted you as well.

Take care,

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
9th July 2011
Mumbai

Health Food

I am not writing here about the list of health foods for all and their benefits. There are any number of websites and publications that address all kinds of health foods, and I keep seeing a number of articles in local news media in India, as India is developing a fascination for such health aspects of life at the affluent community level. People seem to be worried about their health, and the number of heart-attack and diabetes patients at the sub-30 age level is fast increasing causing fears in the minds of the younger generation.

I thought that we should start following good eating habits right from the young age. I am on the losing side of this fight even with my own kids who are ardent junk food eaters. I am not able to wean them away from the McDonalds and KFC. I won the fight against the bad sugary soft drinks though only partially. These are now banned at home, though I cannot stop them from consuming these bad stuff outside home when they are on their own.

It is hard to avoid eating rice in India. I have almost completely stopped, except for certain occasions. The combination of rice and fragrant ghee (melted and heated butter oil – don’t know how to describe it better) is the reason why we put on weight and it is also bad for the heart. Both rice and ghee are out from my food for a long, long time. The best is wheat and that too without adding butter to make the chappathi or naan fluffy to eat. I know that even here a tough looking naan won’t be acceptable at home, but I try to get a variation done for me somehow. At restaurants, they often cheat you when you order a “plain” roti or tandoori naan and then go on to specify you want to have it without butter. They just cannot do that and deliver to you in the way you desire. So, whenever I go to restaurants, I eat even less – I prefer to order rotis and some vegetables. Now comes the vegetables – all the curries in the restaurants have butter for their smooth texture and creaminess. So one has to consume less of this stuff. At home of course we can make dry vegetables with some spicy masala and that would taste great. One needs vegetables for sure, but without the extra addition of butter on top of it which will have a bad and long-standing effect on one’s health. You won’t be able to fix the damage later on, despite what you hear to the contrary in the health media.

Completely avoid the sugary soft drinks. Banish them altogether. Do not order mocktails at the restaurants, they almost always have sugar and bad alcohol. The restaurants do not like patrons who avoid drinks, even if the customer is a tee-totaller. The fact is that they make more money on drinks as compared to food.

Lots of nuts – almonds, walnuts – and lots of fruits – pomegranate, apples, kiwi fruit, pears, blueberry, peach and the like – will be great to have for anyone. There is no hard and fast prescription. Keep eating fruits and nuts as long as you do not have medical conditions which might preclude these food items. Unfortunately, fast food snacks have taken over our evenings – the samosas, fried chicken, masala peanuts and the like – which are really bad for the heart. Avoid all fried substances, banish them. I know it is really hard to do all this stuff, but given the way our lifestyles have changed, do we have a “bad” and at the same time “good” alternative ? Anything which tastes great is not necessarily bad, though often they are !

Enjoy healthy food, but check with your doctor always before you change your regular food habits, and mind your BMI (Body Mass Index) and your waist line. Better to be healthy than to be sorry later in life or even in the near term as it is happening increasingly in India.

Cheers

Vijay Srinivasan
3rd July 2011
Mumbai

In support of 25

There is currently a raging debate going on in the entire country regarding the right age for allowing youngsters to drink liquor. There is so much coverage on what is not a very important topic in the midst of the challenges India is already facing, that one can easily get tired. The Times of India is even conducting an online campaign in support of the drinking age to be lowered back to 21 years of age.

Well, the arguments advanced in support of continuing the 21 years limit to allow public purchase and consumption of liquor are not surprising, to start with. When one is allowed to vote in elections at the age of 18, and allowed to marry at the age of 21, why the restriction on liquor consumption ? How is this ever going to be implemented, even when the current restriction is not being enforced ? Indian youngsters are mature enough to take care of themselves, and are responsible enough to make decisions for themselves, et al.

While the logic is sound, the legislators of the Maharashtra Assembly obviously felt otherwise and increased the age limit to 25. Certain considerations would have played key role in what appears to be a regressive measure.

Let us look at the accidents involving youngsters. Most of their accidents come out of rash driving and driving under the influence of alcohol. There is no reliable statistics, but much publicized accidents (by the same media who are now crying hoarse against the legislation) in which 18 year olds even killed bystanders under a drunken rage should not be forgotten. What is the certainty that responsibility will kick in ?

Even some student organizations are in support for the extension of the age limit to 25. In my opinion, there is no urgent necessity to indulge in drinking for a celebration. We did not do it in our times when we were youngsters, and what has changed now ? There is no reason to ape the West in everything. The matter is very similar to smoking. Both liquor and cigarettes are major causes of health problems, and why consciously allow indulgence at a very young age ?

This is my personal opinion (disclosure – I am a social drinker but much beyond the age limit !) and I am sure any youngster reading contradictory opinions like this is going to be incensed. But that is her or his right to express – that cannot be questioned. Similarly, they should respect parents’ right of expression and should not muzzle the free thoughts. I did not see one single negative comment on the Times of India article – even parents were all supportive of the right of youngsters to drink at the age of 21 ! Not a single word against it !!

The main issue is enforcement. In the interest of making a sale, the shopkeepers sell to the under-aged. Punishments are extremely rare. The only way that enforcement can be ensured is to make everyone carry an ID card, like in some countries. If that ID card is of credit card size, there should be no problem, and it is the responsibility of the shopkeeper to verify the age of the buyer by specifically demanding to see the card. When we check into any hotel in India for a stay, we have to produce a photo ID card, don’t we ?

Let us see how the battle between the legislators and the young Indian youngsters pan out – it will be interesting to see the arguments on both sides. However, the main point is that this is really an unnecessary distraction when India is facing so many issues and challenges.

Cheers,

Vijay Srinivasan
19th June 2011
Mumbai