Beautiful minds

Have you ever heard about the Misinformation Effect?
Let me give a brief description here:
We think that memories are played back like recordings, but they get modified and corrupted by current information and sensibilities, i.e., memories are highly influenced by the present. (Source: The Book). Read more here.

I noticed an example of this effect at play:
The TV series Gmae of Thrones gives an amazing description of people, emotions, attitudes, clothes, and architecture of the mythical land of Westeros set in (perhaps) medieval age. Seems so wonderful! We tend to believe that it is like how it would have been in the history.

But hey!!
That's not real. This is not how it was. It could have been totally different. The misinformation effect is at play here.

Ohhhh..
Alright. Definitely it is not real. The people, the emotions, the attitudes, the clothes, and the architecture of the mythical land of Westeros are all influenced by our present sense of aesthetics and sensibilities.
But hey!! Aren't they beautiful?
The way they are. Isn't it exquisite?
Beauty in its totality when seen all by itself.
More amazing are the minds of the creative directors of the show. If the creation is so impeccable and magnificent, how the mind of the creator will be!

Life of a soldier in Tipu Sultan's army

We have enjoyed the wonderful depictions of history on television. Tipu Sultan was great TV serial that showed the politics, lifestyle, and struggle of the elite of princely India.
However, did you ever pay attention to a lay soldier in the army of mighty Tipu Sultan? Have you ever wondered how the life of actual soldiers would have been 300 years ago?

I think, like any of us, they too were unique. Each soldier a different and complete story. Each one having a parallel struggle going on in their life, along with struggles of the dynasties. This soldier would have joined the army as a profession, either by interest or by family pressure. This soldier would have wife, kids, kins, animals, and a home full or empty of pots, utensils, chulha (stove) etc. At home, he would not behave as a savage, as he does in the battlefield. He would be a simple man, with motivations and incentives like all of us today but perhaps in a different packaging (form).

At this point I must also acknowledge the fine work of the so-close-to-real TV series Game of Thrones. The show (perhaps) inadvertently tells the stories of happiness and agony of personal lives of common soldiers.
Each tiny component is important. Rome will not be build in one day and not without a multitude of tiny yet significant factors, such as people.

Acknowledging the factors that..

Who we are today, is a result of a complex actions and reactions that occur in our life's chemistry. Many factors helped us and many harmed us. We are the end results. Many things are subtle such as our guardians' silent motivation or demotivation, and many are  loud & clear such as our schools of education. Many things we know and many we do not.
It feels good when I realise and acknowledge these factors, good or bad, as contributors of what I am today. I can't and won't be grateful and thankful to all such factors, but I certainly will be for some.

This is an image of the receipt of a governmental saving scheme deposits.
Such savings by my parents made my education possible. Coaching, college, PG, certifications.

I feel appreciative of such small efforts which have a potential of manifesting in big results.
Thanks. Thanks to whatever you might call it.
Thank God.

Gossip Loving Women

We hate those wide eyed, apparently wicked, gibing, and gossip loving women.
There are sometimes so disgusting.
Discussing other people's personal lives, corrupting a fact and generating a rumour. That's so wicked and unfair.
Who gave them the right to do so?
We never peek inside their lives and blemish their character.
That's just so wrong. They are so not 'normal'.

But hey!!
I see a problem right there!
These women aren't like us. We are two different kinds of people.
We have so many resources at our disposal. For multitasking, for diversifying our thoughts, and for entertainment.
After a busy work and study, I enjoy watching the TV series such as Dexter and Game of thrones. I get entertained. The part of my brain that craves the juice of entertainment had its cup empty. The enjoyment of watching TV filled that cup and hey! We become 'normal'.

What about these women?
Practically spending their all day inside the walls of a house, these women still struggle with limited resources. Their 'entertainment cup' is mostly empty. They need entertainment. So they gossip.
And who doesn't become other than 'normal' while gossiping?

Even the Indian TV is feeding them this attitude. Saas-Bahu serials further reinforce these women's desire to gossip.
Gossip about TV actors.
Gossip about neighbour's life.
Gossip about you!
With harmless intentions (mostly), they gossip away things that hurt some people.
But they are not evil.
In fact, they are 'normal' in their own setting. I can't judge them.
I am 'normal', so are these women.

An Experiment at a city government Department

A city government department (such as Municipal Corporation) keeps a dropbox called "Complaint Box" at their office and on their website to better attend public's grievances. But there is no "Thank You" box at these locations.
Placing a "Thank You" box will be an interesting experiment. It will tell something about the public and the government body.

Public could be characterised in following two ways:
Always complaining, never owning issues of others, and wanting a channel to divert the anguish of their personal lives. The unfamiliar and impersonal city government body is perfect choice for such a scapegoat.
Or, Public that can appreciate the great work done to the service of the city by that government body. They just don't know how to thank them.

Similarly, the government body could be portrayed in these two ways:
Actually never caring about the city and complaint box is just a sham.
Or, It does its work honestly but is frustrated that public is never happy. Each time public would raise the bar of performance to new level. They don't get a thank you note from the public, may be because the public doesn't know how to.

This second dropbox will tell what public is and what the government body is.

Photo Credits: Microsoft Office Imagery

A Housewife

A housewife.

She can’t be thanked enough.

She endures so much in her life. Yet she performs so well. She manages so well. Expectations of the whole family. Doing numerous thankless household chores.

A perfect manager, without an MBA, of home.

In the daily operations at home, her ‘kaizens’ are  beautiful. (The stacking of stuff in kitchen to optimise the time of cooking. Everything is placed at an arms distance.)

Her ‘sales skills’ are good. (Mouth watering ‘cuisine’ that she prepares make the world’s best food preparations pseudo-gourmet.)

She manages the ‘finances’ well! (Over time she will get those kitchen spices that are the best and the cheapest. She’ll take an extra load of work to save few bucks on outsourcing.)

She is perfect in ‘people management’. (She daily makes a beautiful song with the ‘notes’ of husband, kids, parents, friends, neighbours.)

She is a ‘visionary’. (Among all the household busyness, she’ll take out time to ensure her kids study serenely and well.)

But this beautiful component of the machinery if the society is an ‘unlucky customer’ who doesn’t get what she wants. She is seldom told ‘thanks’ for what she does. She is often taken for-granted.

Her endeavours should be appreciated.

She should be thanked.

Disclaimer: This literary piece is not an equivalent of ‘Diamonds and jewellery’ that man has forever appeased woman with. If you think that, man has, for ages, successfully confined woman inside the boundaries of a home and inadvertently or deliberately subdued her aspirations by blinding her with diamonds and jewellery. If you think, hence man enjoyed a nice time outside the home without any competition from the opposite sex at his workplace. Then you think the way I used to do. In my years when my mind thought of ‘rebellion’ against everything, I never realised the importance of a ‘homemaker’ and overvalued working of woman outside home, at offices, universities, and research centres. I still am rebellious about many things, but now I can see a ‘housewife’, a ‘homemaker’ is as respectable a job as that of a rocket scientist.

If man can overcome the inhibitions and enter into the domain of a ‘homemaker’, it would be a social expression respecting this function essential to run the society.

And of course, human aptitude (natural proclivity) helps best manage the aspirations. A human should choose what they like and can be good at. Be it a professor or a marketer or a police officer. A ‘homemaker’ – wonderful!!