A year (back) in India

It's been a super long while since I last posted on this blog. It's been a fantastic roller coaster journey since 2008. From two very interesting, confused, fun, enlightening, involved years at Michigan, to 9 months of living in a suitcase and travelling the world with GE rural health initiative, to finally moving with GE to India for a new role in Bangalore.

In fact, I have just completed one year in Bangalore. One very fantastic year enjoying the work, the colleagues, the family, the friends and the community.

Perhaps I should rename it 'Ashish Back-in-India'. The affair with this country continues.

Amitabh Bacchan Now Blogs in Hindi (or rather: अमिताभ बच्चन अब हिन्दी में ब्लौग करते हैं)

Cross-posted from my current blog: http://ashishinbschool.blogspot.com

While I haven't figured out a 'solution' (or perhaps even a clear problem definition), I am still quite passionate about the promotion of Hindi language usage on the web, and in computers in general. I have seen first-hand the transformation of my students in Bagar when they start using a Hindi-language interface versus an English one.

Looking back: the key difference is in the confidence to explore. I have never really been formally 'taught' Windows: my guess is by now many people who use Windows on a daily basis haven't been either. Simply the amount of time you spend on it making mistakes and then learning from them probably determines how good you get at it (of course, formal training will help you get there much faster). So the basic scenario that changes is that when an error message pops up in English, the students look for the teacher to 'tell them' what to do. In Hindi, they are much much more likely to start clicking around and learning themselves from a cause-and-effect method.

I believe that access to technology is NOT the chief impediment in the uptake of computer/cyberspace by hindi-language users in rural India. The issues is compelling applications and content. So far the only things that have worked are a) Bollywood b) Bollywood and c) Matrimonials (but even THAT is usually in English).

So, Amitabh Bacchan's announcement that he is going to blog in Hindi (बिग बी ने हिन्दी में लिखा अपना ब्लौग) is somewhat exciting. It is more of what works, but the mass media appeal of Amitabh Bacchan can't be denied. We had a Diwali party a week ago at our house, and we were showing some Bollywood videos on the projector. I remember all the Indians getting excited when Big-B came on the screen during 'Kajre Re'. And I remember my American friend's comment, "He's...got funny hair", in response to his Mehendi-dyed hair. It really his appeal and legacy that draws the crowd (and not his current performances), and through a Hindi-language channel, that could be a potential draw.

Actually, having JUST read his blog, i don't think (or rather hope) that there's going to be much traffic to a site full of photos of the view from his hotel room (I sure hope the Oberoi Udayvilas is paying him for this)

Anyways, will keep posting stuff as and when it creeps up. अल्विदा।

P.S. Here's the direct link to Big-B's blog: http://bigb.bigadda.com/

Thoughts while travelling

Cross-posted from my blog on ashishinbschool

I write this on my laptop sitting here at Union Station, Chicago, on my way to Ann Arbor from my hometown of Bloomington, IL. I had a long layover, so I decided to stop by the food court. I get stopped by this (presumably) homeless lady, and she asks me for money for food. Mom had packed some stuff for me, so I said, here’s some food you can have. Turns out she doesn’t have any teeth, and would settle for a coke.

Now this is not an uncommon situation in India, and usually I tend to just ignore it and move on. I think the Indicorps training kicked in at this point. I bought two cokes, and sat down with her. The conversation was, well, VERY interesting. She really had a lot to say. I think the lady was suffering from some dementia too, and I just didn’t what to say about most things (How do you react to a lady wearing foil under her hat so that the ‘people who can change shapes’ don’t read her thoughts?)  I just listened to her politely, and when I finished my drink, I wished her good luck with her crocheting (the needlework stuff) and walked away.

Something about this experience shook me. In some sense, my experience in India was a lot about in-your-face reality. I could have chosen to like it or hate it, but as a ‘social worker’, I could not have ignored it. In America (or actually just as easily in India), you can choose to block it out, ignore it, act like it’s not there. It reminds me of a line from the movie Crash, which talked about how we’re so separated from each other within all this glass and steel. Student life has really been like a bubble. Ann Arbor has a lot of issues to work with: but it’s so much more comfortable in your room.
 

It’s been a whole week since I promised to write, and I clearly haven’t even written an iota. I can’t complain though: I’ve had an ultimately relaxing (read: lazy) break. Some TV, answer a few e-mails, run some errands. Nothing to really push the limits anyhow.

And that in itself summarizes nicely my modus operandi for the last three months. Do a little work (enough to get by), watch TV (I call it catching up on lost time), answer a few e-mails, talk a lot every now and then. If the US army helps you be all that you can be, I’m definitely operating at no more than 30% of what I can be. This is not the Ashish of the last two years. I owe it to myself (and so many more), to be much more than that. B-School can’t just be another two years to get a degree – there is much more I can do in this world. 

In the spirit of true self-reflection, I have to talk about what I’m going to do about it. B-school does provide rigorous academics, and it does nourish my intellectual curiosity (to what extent is purely my choice). But that still doesn’t take much time, and I still operate in a very me-centric world. My biggest decision of the day really is to figure out what I’m going to have for dinner. I think I’m walk upto the Chinmayanand Mission in Ann Arbor, where Shardaji is the Acharya, and start giving time there. I was really impressed by her BalVihar and her philosophy on working with kids and helping them connect to their Indian/Hindu roots. I think it’ll be really good for the soul to work with kids again: remind me that most of the joys of life are really really simple.

Plus, I think for overall health I am going to start running again – but to a particular goal. I am going to run a marathon next summer (let’s call it May 2009). I think the running is also going to provide me much needed daily discipline.

It all sounds very nice: on the eve of this next quarter to begin, here’s my plan to engage my body, mind and soul. Stay tuned for weekly progress.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Now In B-School

As I start a new chapter in my life, I've also switched over to a new blog. You can now track me at http://ashishinbschool.blogspot.com. It took me a long time to come up with the name ;-)

First post: As Easy As Apple Pie

Now publishing from Flock

Finally got my own laptop. It's not the tablet that I've been looking at for a while, but Dad had one that I could use. $900 that could be better spent on so much more, especially with the much increased price of food items in America over the last two years. The cool thing about getting my own laptop is now I can finally play around with the things I've wanted to for a while. Like the flock browser, which I'm using to blog from right now!

As I move on to the next chapter of my life, I'm also considering moving on from this blog. One that reflects the thoughts and action of the coming two years as an MBA student.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

Organic Farm in Gujarat

Pics from our trip to the organic farm near Ahmedabad. We went there at the end of July as part of our closing workshop at Indicorps. The lady who runs this place - Purvi - has a pretty inspirational story herself.

Time to say goodbye

To India, to a changed Ashish, to Bagar, to GDL, to friends, family,
colleagues, community

i leave with a promise to come back, and that i'll do things that
justify the faith you have put in me, and what you have helped me
learn about myself

adieu

--
Sent from Gmail for mobile | mobile.google.com

For exciting opportunities to really make a change at the grassroots
level, join GDL (www.gdl.org.in). Current posts are:
(1) GDL Director
(2) Program Manager - Entrepreneurship Development
(3) Program Manager - Community Leadership

Has anybody used this to learn English?

http://www.lingq.com/

Is it worth delving into? What exactly IS the linguist method? How much is this feature TRULY worth paying for?

mjunctionedge plans to release regional language content

Close on the heels of the announcement of mjunction in Hindi, mjunctionedge, the content & conference division of mjunction is going to offer regional language content (including Hindi). Read the article on Business Standard here.

"We have about 1100 subscribers right now for the English version. With our regional language foray, we expect to reach 5,000 subscriptions by the end of this year. Our consumers are mainly corporates and traders," Oberoi added.

Two reasons why that's interesting - it proves that there is a HUGE market for regional language content. And it AGAIN proves that you have to have a very good reason for people to come to your site. In this case (and the same for any technology project), the laser focus and a value-add application is what makes it successful. It's the same for the farmers who use e-Choupal to a) find prices for their goods and b)transact with ITC to sell their stuff. Or for the fishermen of Tamil Nadu who use it to check the weather forecast and determine the likely place for a good catch & if/when it's safe to be out there.

Again, it proves the old adage that I have learned over and over again as a technologist in the real world: A computer is simply a calculator. If you have nothing to add up, you don't need it :-)
 

Learn a new language

www.livemocha.com

It's an interesting concept - free lessons, but you have to 'earn' points - by logging in frequently, and referring people. What intrigues me is the social networking part - find other people who are learning the same language, and use them as language partners.

I'll see if we can try it here with the students to encourage them to learn English. For sure a lot of to-be volunteers will use it for Hindi. A really good friend of mine is using it to learn Russian. I might use it learn Spanish (again).

But do share your observations/lessons with us, to see if it is worth trying out on a big scale.

Of Homecoming

This article features a good friend of mine, Shubham Rai. We grew up together as kids in a little housing society in suburban Mumbai :-)

 

http://boloji.com/analysis2/0347.htm

 

While the writing may be a little 'buoyant' (just like the article's view on the Indian Economy), the central theme of the confidence of Indian youth is SO true. I remember when Shubham told me the first time about starting this company called rentimental. No joke, I think it was 3 or 4 years ago. I remember being really really intrigued by the sheer positivity and confidence - he was the face of the new emerging economy. In many sense that conversation was a turning point for me: I clearly remember thinking, man, this is another India. My parents would NEVER have thought about quitting their jobs to 'try out' anything.

 

After making that plunge into coming to rural India, that assessment hasn't changed. India, and Indians, are still quite buoyant about the future. In any case, it is refreshing to see Indians move beyond their fatalism and take destiny in their own hands.

One chapter closed

Maybe it was all the talk about everything being under my control, but it just felt like the right time.

I just shut down my Xanga account.

Why not leave it there you say? You hadn't blogged there in years, you say?

It was a different chapter of my life. I needed a different outlet. A group of people to "share" my inner feelings with. To vent. That's how I dealt.

Now I have some momentum to my life - propelled by my own will. And there is somewhat of an urgency to get there (because everything takes so much longer than you think it will). Now I make faster (better?) decisions. Its just time to close that chapter. And move on ahead. No baggage. No looking back into the mirror and trying to recognize myself in a person, God, almost 8 years my younger.

Cheers to Change!

Of Mental Toughness

One of the things I have realized (not understood, realized) is that there is nothing that I cannot do. There is nothing that you cannot do either. All that stops us is simply HOW badly we want it.

One of my all-time favourite movies is The Thomas Crowne Affair (the one made in the 90s with Pierce Brosnan, not the original one with the Rat Pack). There is a great line from it: "Anything's obtainable". I thought it was cool how Pierce Brosnan was saying it at that time. Now it's simply a fact of life.

This realization isn't quite as liberating as it might seem to be. For someone who's not a natural optimist, it's hard - it now means that everything I do in life, is a choice. It means the words I say, the people I associate with, the jokes I crack, the doodles I doodle, the noodles I eat, when I wake up, when I sleep, what I choose to do, which MBA college I go to, which MBA college I get rejected from - EVERYTHING is by my choice. Because everything, suddenly, is under my control.

You know what the irony behind this is? I found that anybody is capable of doing anything because of my life and work in India. It's funny because India is BY FAR the country which believes (relies?) most on destiny. I totally agree with Arun Sarin, ex-CEO of Vodafone, on his comment that one of the Indian values is a "heavy dose of fatalism".

Here's the thing about knowing that everything in life is a choice. It means that 1) You need to be VERY VERY clear on what you want out of life and 2) You gots to be strong. Not physically tough. But mentally very strong. And there is probably nobody more inspiring in that regards than Tiger Woods. I think about this article about him almost every day. Here's an excerpt:

During the broadcast of Monday's playoff round, Nike ran an ad that had Earl Woods's voice running over images of his son: "I'd say, 'Tiger, I promise you that you'll never meet another person as mentally tough as you in your entire life.' And he hasn't. And he never will."

You can like this model or not. Either way, the legend grows.

The Frozen Gaze by David Brooks, NY Times, June 17, 2008

Does this mean that only the mentally strong i.e. those who are willing to give what it takes to achieve what they want are the only ones destined to be happy in this world? Or, in the words of Sheryl Crow (I know), is happiness "wanting what you got"? Do you have to have and KNOW your ultimate goal in life? Or will destiny take you where you are supposed to go?

I don't know. Which means I'm rooting for destiny.

MJunction - now in Hindi language

Yet another Hindi language site goes up.

http://mjunction.in/hindi/

And this one is exciting: it claims to be India's biggest e-commerce site. According to this article, mjunction was launched in Hindi with a view to lure small and medium scale entrepreneurs, and offer them insight in Hindi.

I need to find a way to keep abreast of more of these developments, other than just chancing upon what the ad bar on top of Gmail provides. Come to think of it, it's the only ad space that I regularly seem to find value in and click on.

शब्दनिधी (Shabdnidhi)

I was recently introduced to Shabdnidhi (http://myjavaserver.com/~hindi/shabdnidhi.jsp), a new English to Hindi Online Dictionary that I was very impressed . What's especially powerful about Shabdnidhi is that it provides contextual examples on how that word is used. And, the results are not (yet?) overcrowded like www.shabdkosh.com. Having said that though, I must give MANY kudos to shabdkosh for really pushing the Hindi Dictionary effort online. It has been an invaluable resource to me and all the GDL team here in Bagar for the last two years.

I sent an email to Debashish (one of the guys working on Shabdnidhi) with a few questions on how Shabdnidhi is different, and what, in his opinion, should people use. Debashish had a very candid and straightforward reply. Basically, he recommends using both Shabdnidhi and Shabdkosh.

My recommendation? Use Shabdnidhi if you're a general user. Use Shabdkosh if you can't find the meaning. Use Google Translator for what it's really most powerful: Translating entire web pages to get the gist of it. It's a game changing equation in some sense - it allows the Hindi user to at least get SOME meaning out of English language sites. However, like most online automated translators, it's nowhere close to a natural language translation. Ahhh, memories Babelfish and freetranslation from my Spanish class days.

Source For Change on Economic Times!

Source For Change, an all-women rural BPO based right here in Bagar, Rajasthan and incubated at the GDL, is now in the papers! Check it out:

http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=RVRNLzIwMDgvMDYvMjQjQXIwMTIwMA==&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom

Be sure to also check out their brand new website: www.sourceforchange.in

- Ashish

--
For exciting opportunities to really make a change at the grassroots level, join GDL (www.gdl.org.in). Current posts are:
(1) GDL Director
(2) Program Manager - Entrepreneurship Development
(3) Program Manager - Community Leadership

Of Showmanship, and Hope

First of all - let me make the usual "it's been a long time since I last blogged" apology. It HAS been a while. Believe you me though, it certainly hasn't been dull.

But, in accordance with my belief (now principle?) that everything I have achieved in the last two years (and perhaps most of my life) has been a crime of passion, let me talk about tonight, and let's chew over the abundant food for thought that it has provided.

So we went to see a shrine today. I was told it was a big मेला (fair), and there would be a lot of भीड़ (crowd). It is held only at certain times of the year, so it had to be today. Well, it was enough to convince 18 of us to go there. Now, first we were shown hospitality. Then the usual rounds and special places in the shrine. All very cool and ethnic. And then a long long wait for the special आरती (aarti - worship/ceremony) to be held by the head priest. After a long wait that tested everybody's patience, we finally got to the happenings.

And that's when I believe it pushed many of us out of our comfort zones. There were terminally ill patients being questioned and promised to be healed by the भभूत or the प्रसाद that the Maharaj (priest) gave to the ailing. Followed by the spirits of the possessed women 'dancing'.

Now, I'll leave the interpretation and opinion aside. Maybe it was the late night and thus nothing fazed me. Maybe it didn't faze me because I've developed a very thick skin over the last two years. But, upon retrospect, I came out with two things from there:

1. That shrine offered hope - to the terminally ill, who have gone to all major and minor doctors, is it so bad to come to a place that offers you the hope and promise of a cure by the power of God? Is it bad to share your suffering with other sufferers? Is it bad that you become the focal point of all the people there (at least 1500-2000 today)? Is it bad that suddenly for 5 minutes 2000 men and women suddenly care about your suffering, and WANT to believe that the suffering will end with a cure?

In the business of social change, I know that Hope with a capital H is perhaps paramount to long-term sustainability, both of the social servant and the community member. And Hope with a capital H is what this place offered, without any monetary price in return.

2. The maharaj is a master salesman, who knew that he had the Upper Hand in this game of tradng Hope. From creating the completely confident aura of a definitive cure, to making a religious experience for new comers, to asking those who don't benefit to never come back again, to the sheer showmanship in front of the crowd. It made me WANT to believe. I saw a man convince people that what he was saying is what was ailing them, I saw a man convince people that their pain/problem is where he tells them it pains. In that crowd of people, there was no question at all how the whole place was working: the man was a true leader. Not a manager, but a true leader, whose own followeers reinforced his personal brand.

So with these dreams of Hope, and Sales, I bid you a long overdue शुभरात्रि (good night)

- Ashish

It's Official

No, not in the same way as my friend Kali's "It's Official", but still good.

I'm just glad that the package arrived. Date of the letter - 15 March.
Date the package was sent 16 April (second try - got returned on the
first try). Date it arrived here: 15 May.

IPL

Pics First, Post Later

20080511-IPL_Jaipur

Off the beaten path...

...I'm Not.

I finally succumb to the great Indian (with a capital I) entertainment extravaganza called the IPL. For the as yet uninitiated, and there shouldn't be many, since even the NY Times is carrying the news on the IPL these days: IPL stands for the Indian Premier League - a cricket league where the franchises, with fantastic names like the Kolkata Knight Riders and the Bangalore Royal Challengers, battle it out in the Twenty20 overs version of the cricket. Best part - it's like the English Premier league: there's sick amounts of money (SICK - and the salary cap is coming OFF next year), there's international stars (as usual, the Aussies rock), and an international TV following. Unlike the EPL, there's cheerleaders (which, btw, are probably what people come to watch the matches), every match is studded by Bollywood stars (who are bigger than the sport at these games), and the skill level isn't all that high. Well, that's for snobs (like me?) who think that this "version" of the game highly dilutes the skill quotient. It does. There are none of the orthodox drives, the patience, the timing of the ball etc etc. It is बिंदास गल्ली किरकेट (bindass galli cricket ~ No worries alley cricket).

Which is probably why it touches the heartstrings of so many Indians. Finally, you get to see people being paid your entire life-earnings in 3 hours for doing EXACTLY what you do for free in your own alley. There is no skill involved, बस धन धनाधन देते जाओ (just keep whacking at the ball basically). And you have to admit - it IS entertaining. It's just like baseball (for those uninitiated to cricket itself "gasp, horror"): nobody comes to watch the pitchers pitch well, non? People come for the batting, the runs.

And runs are in ample supply at these games. There's just something exciting about this bite-size version of the game that you'd wanna just eat it up. This recent tendency of gobbling up bite-size anything is probably the reason behind my recently expanding waistline (if you haven't noticed from all the pics yet).

So yah - I go tomorrow with 4 others at GDL to watch this match. A respite from a busy week at GDL (is there any other? Well, this one didn't START busy at least). Between the Rajasthan Royals (go team Rajasthan) and the Delhi Daredevils. In celebration of Radhika's b'day (but, alas, she'll be at home preparing for her GMATs, along with our brand new English trainer and his wife).

And as I sit there in mighty expensive seats (I pay more for that 3 hours of entertainment than my Teaching Assistant gets in half a month), undoubtedly a part of my guilt-ridden mind (uff, how do I get rid of this negativity) will be thinking about the precise subject of this post: how off the beaten track is this?

And does it matter? I mean, isn't intentionally doing something different just an ego boost that says - I'm not like the others, I'm special, Better?!? Or as every smart businessman will tell you, it's the only way to sustain a business - what's your differentiator? Couldn't I be spending this time finding a way to make सांगरी का अचार (sangri pickle - sangri being a famous Rajasthani vegetable that grows on the khejdi tree), as I had planned. Where I'd get this stuff, find some women to make it, market it, and give 'em the money? Or maybe actually paying a visit to Swami uncle to see how he's doing after his fever? Or going to the wake of my Teaching Assistant's grandfather?

No, those are not questions of the beaten track. Those are not even just questions of a busy schedule and/or prioritizing (remind me to write long about that one day). These are simply questions of a guilty and confused mind whose integrity is being called into question. And that question of integrity, of what I believe I am, what I say I am, and how I act, is because of the central theme of my entire life: shifting identities.

I came, I saw, I became Indian. But with two months before I go back to the US, I will now leave, I will now see and re-see, and I do not know what I will become.

I guess you could say I'm just On The Cusp ;-). Welcome to the blogging world my friend.

Good night.