Dedications

A very close priest friend of mine sent me this video link which I found interesting and very true http://www.wimp.com/carlinlanguage/ (copy paste the link and see the video before you read the following).

The video hilariously explains how language is now coated with jargons and layered with verbosity to hide or subdue the reality or simplicity. Some of the examples are humorous but come to think of it, it is true and happening. Simplicity of language is now articulated with words either to show intelligence (most often the reverse) or to belittle the listener and project authority. Most often it is just to project a cool image.

Simple words like difficulty or a problem is now termed as ‘challenge’. Accents are introduced to words like ‘often’ where the ‘t’ is now phonetically pronounced. Friends are now ‘dudes’, and parents are ‘folks’ and ‘Jesus Christ’ is an exclamation. It was a big exclamation for me with the Catholic Church in Bombay (and maybe all over India for English masses) suddenly changing its format of prayer during Mass. Simplicity of prayers is now jargon.

The most simple prayer ‘Lord’s prayer’, where we prayed as ‘Our Father in Heaven, Holy be your name’, is now ‘Hallowed be thy name’. Does God really need praise with jargon of words? ‘Forgive us our sins’ is now ‘Forgive us our trespasses’. So when did sin become something trivial as a trespass? The simple prayer ‘I believe in God’ which is also known as ‘Nicene Creed’ and wonder how many know what that means; is also now twisted. Church goers now have to refer to a pamphlet to say their prayers which was earlier something simple and taught from childhood.

For me the feeling was a like a child who forgot his poetry lines and needed to be assisted with a written chit. The little devotion I had is now spent in saying what the Church wants me to say and not what I was taught to pray. The reasoning behind the change was to standardize prayers in the Asia subcontinent. Standardize it to whose levels? Why couldn’t it be standardized to what Indians are used too, and have the rest of the world do what we were doing in fervor and simplicity? Now with the change, neither there is the fervor or simplicity.

The most beautiful (Indian way) of receiving communion served on the tongue, is now given an option to stretch out your palm and receive it, which looks like one has to beg for Christ. Change in the saying prayers is not going to build faith or have God hear you better. Let not religious practice be standardized to global levels but let it be standardized to more cultural Indian levels. In my childhood the ‘The Lord’s prayer’ which was said with joint hands and head bowed down, is now said with a stretch of hands, with some stretching their hands so high as if trying to touch God. So will the sign of peace which is done with folded hands and bowing to the next seated to you, be standardized to the ‘kiss of peace’, which is practiced in some parts of the world.

Instead of changing prayers and glamorizing them with jargons, it would be better if we could strive towards changing hearts and minds. Educating the community towards values and social issues where we can contribute and build our mark as a community which would be more ‘Christ like’, rather than trying to have Christ like us, in the way we pray……..where I pray “Forgive me Father, for I know not what I pray”.

Once again another opportunity of investment in thwarted under the pretentious claim of protecting jobs. So if Foreign Direct Investment in retailing would affect jobs and small time traders, why was the same yard stick not used for a KFC, McDonald, Pizza Hut, Coca-Cola, Pepsi or foreign designer clothing? Why not for everything of foreign origin?

If a Wal Mart comes to India, the fear is that they could source produce directly from farmers and sell at lower rates. Can this not be done by Reliance, Tata or a Godrej? Then what happens? Will prices be better for the farmers? Will they not use the same strategy of killing small time traders with cheaper prices, or hoard produce and sell later at higher prices, or they being Indian companies will they be doing charity?

Tatas trying to set up a car manufacturing plant in Singur in Bengal is made to shut shop, and they have to then set it up in Gujarat. So even creating jobs is a problem. Indian IT companies Bangaloring jobs from US and Europe is fine, and it is even finer the workers paid peanuts and the employers rake in millions, but if a foreign company wants to do business in India is bad.

Indian consumer getting products cheap is bad, as jobs and small businesses have to be protected. Why can’t India not compete and need to be always protected? Is it really protection or a government going on its knees to stay in power, as it is bullied by a Mamta Banerjee who can topple it? This was the same Mamta Banerjee who threw Tatas out of Singur, and the same Mamta Banerjee who made a mess of the railways when in power, and was the running the Railway Ministry from Calcutta instead of the Centre in Delhi.

Food price are anyways skyrocketing, is it because MNC’s are in retailing? If a FDI in retailing can bring prices down it is bad. If the fear is that MNCs will hike prices after killing the corner stores, then why not regulate food prices? Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar was recently a slap gate victim in Delhi for the rice in food prices. With that what happens, security for politicians is demanded to be increased. At the same time security for food prices is not a concern.

Security for the common man is the least concern when political parties go on a rampage and indulge in vandalism under the pretext of rising prices, or sectarian attacks on people from other state working in another state, for example in Maharashtra. If a common man wants to protest peacefully their protests are attacked like what happened to Baba Ramdeo or permission for a fast denied to Anna Hazare, at the same time political parties need no permission to get on the streets and create mayhem.

So it is not just FDI that is not allowed, but even raising your voice to protest is not allowed. Privatization and globalization is only way out for an economy to improve. Foreign investment is allowed in the stock market, then why not in common market?

Foreign Direct Investment in retailing cannot be worse than the Foreign Direct Intervention by an Italian who is running a government of puppets.