News and Media : Perpetuating Pessimism in the Guise of Creating Corrective Awareness !

Of late I am losing my interest in watching the News TV channels and reading the Print Media. I do not know the situation in other countries. But in this great nation of so-called pacifists, veggies and 'Ahimsawaadis' (proponents of non-violence) violence, cruelty and hatred are getting undue importance in the news media in recent years. 

It is a time of making material business benefits from even those activities that used to be considered semi-divine in some years ago. Yes, I am talking about journalism, teaching, preaching, healing and the like. 

Creating awareness about the evils of the society for possible eradication of such things in future may be a good idea. To that extent, propagating news about evil happenings might be tolerable.

But any thing in excess is bad and poisonous. Anything without applying the wise balance of mind is destructive.

'Breaking News' in red has become a continuous feature in the Indian TV channels that I am not able to differentiate the 'break' or the 'news'. And in reality, these neo news editors of these countless channels are breaking the heads of the viewers with these gimmicks which has lost its ingenuity. 

Most of the media men and women associated with the so-called national news channels seem to  loiter around the metros only with their cameras and microphones to look for road accidents and such human mishaps and disasters to be beamed to the millions of Indian households with such absurd impunity. 

They have now made the unfortunate sorrows of humans beings as a means of making money. They break the pathetic human agonies in to millisecond clips and beam it 24x7 with those ad-clips that run in to hours!

What kind of a media journalism is this ?

They have to be practical and cost effective, they might say. They give what the public want to see and listen. They go by the viewership statistics. News about bad things and evil incidences are what thrills the Indian viewers, they argue ! 

That reminds me of another story. Decades ago, a south Indian community in a central Indian city made repeated appeals to the railway ministry for linking their city with their south Indian home state with the convenience of a direct express train service. But the railway babus repeatedly rejected their genuine plea on the ground that their records showed no passenger demand on this route.How could that happen when there was no direct train service ? From where these babus could have got the relevant data of passenger load ?

So, when the TV fellows keep showing the those head breaking news of nonsense always, there is no escape for the viewers. The viewership would be cent percent on news highlighting the evil character of the Indian society. 

If feature films depicting evil stories are going to influence the minds of the majority people, especially the children,  as told by some of the wise social activists and psychologists, then the evil news propagation day and night would do more harm than that. 

Why do these media men and women flock around some peculiar characters associated with politics, cinema and sports and try to make them celebrities ? Are they getting some indirect benefits for glamorizing such men and women? Media plays to make some people celebrities and celebrities add to media popularity. It is a double benefit game. Only the common people are be-fooled in this game!

Media is called the fourth estate (read estate of power!) in a democracy. Yes, they are the ones who make and break deals. They are the ones who think that they are above all. They can break and make governments. Is it not something great ? 

But in the process they seem to forget their duties and responsibilities to the society. Just as the people who form the courts, the people who are the eyes and ears of the society also have to work with some self imposed ethics and codes of conduct. If not they are bound to perish some day together with the society they belong.

Why are they not projecting the good things from their society ? Why don't they project those good things with prominence ? Human achievements are much more desirable to be projected than human disappointments and troubles. The former propagates positive energy and helps in positive progress. The latter is negative energy that destroys!

Let us hope that our media men and women come out of their biasing influences and learn to do their duties and responsibilities the way it should be ! 

Let me conclude this by quoting an admonition to mankind from the superhuman authors of my favorite book of life guidance:

"As you view the world, remember that the black patches of evil which you see are shown against a white background of ultimate good. You do not view merely white patches of good which show up miserably against a black background of evil.

When there is so much good truth to publish and proclaim, why should men dwell so much upon the evil in the world just because it appears to be a fact? The beauties of the spiritual values of truth are more pleasurable and uplifting than  the phenomenon of evil." 

Analyzing the Pricing Strategy of A Profiteering Mind!

Long ago, when computers and computer programs were not so common , no one, even those somewhat familiar with these modern day marvels, never imagined the future scope of these to revolutionize the way businesses would be carried out. Besides, no one could foresee the huge money making potential that computers had in store. 

I remember a small engineering industry giving me a task of making a FORTRAN program to calculate the thermal design parameters of a shell and tube heat exchanger that the chemical process industry commonly used. The manual calculations used to take days and the said program I developed using my little knowledge in that programming language could do the task in seconds. Moreover, one could check various alternatives for the equipment design so easily.

The effort I put to make the program was a few hours a day for a couple of days. I gave the program write up and the IBM punch card pack that contained it to the  user free of cost. I felt shy to ask a remuneration for that work. I being just a budding student in the academic field at that time was not a business man to ask for a remuneration for my work. I knew making the program, but I did not know how to work out the price for my labor.

The well known billionaire of USA who made computer software an industry worth more than the much more complex hardware too was in his college at that time. He applied a different formula to evaluate the cost of his software programs that made software business of later days the top money spinning activity.

The simple trick was to evaluate the cost of the software in a different manner. Software production involved intelligent manpower. If you evaluate the cost based on that, the cost of a software pack could be to the order of say $ 1000. But the said software when used in another business had the potential of making a substantial profit of say $100000 for the end user. So, why not link that profit potential as the determining factor for pricing the software that was otherwise profitable for selling at $1000 for its maker. It the maker of the software could convince the end user of it money making potential then it was possible to strike a deal. Even a 50:50 profit sharing deal would have provided the software developer a clean profit of $50,000. Where is $1000 and $50,000 ?

See, the difference the approach makes in determining the price of a product ? 

The world now moves adopting these two basic strategies. Prices of items, objects and services can be determined based on the cost plus profit basis or on the basis of profit potentials. The latter is a complex affair. It depends essentially how people get hooked up to certain ideas and concepts, not necessarily always wise!

For example, business and money making for some are like the games that people play in the casinos. In this kind of business money simply flows massively from one end to the other without any one doing much efforts. Time, luck and mind play the tricks. This is the area of business where the customers are those who have made enough money that money no more have much value for them in life.

Let me explain this with another example. There are thousands of artists in this world who can make paintings much better than many of those names whom we now know as world celebrities. When the good art work made by an unknown artist can never fetch a reasonable price even to provide its creator a day's food, some thing that is much inferior, but attributed to a so-called celebrity artist can fetch billions in some art auctions. Now the question is what essentially has determined the prices? I would rather say it is the foolish thinking of the billionaire buyer that determined the price of the painting in billions than the beauty of the painting in itself. It is yet another matter how to make this billionaire or others like him foolish ! There are people capable of doing that !

Easy money making happens due to mind corruption. It is another form of corruption. It affects the society dangerously, but in a subtle manner.

I do not want to explain all the sub forms of pricing strategies adopted by people who are concerned only with profiteering. 

Even then, it adds color and contrast to life. If those billionaires in whose control billions have accumulated easily, would wisely channelize those billions for creating opportunities for the deprived people, then the matters would be different altogether.

Instead, if they prefer to buy gold, land and other properties and keep those things as future treasures hidden from every one without any useful purpose for anyone, it is a grave sin that they do to the society at large.

I do not consider money making and wealth generation as sins. But, money made and wealth created should not be made static. There is no harm in sinking some money when it accumulates too much in one hand by buying some art works. But use that money to buy the art works created by all artists. Not from just one or two. 

Those fortunate billionaires should think of spending their easy money for promoting such businesses and human activities that are not conventionally profitable. 

The neo Indian billionaires of India can do wonders for their country if they decide to do some thing of that kind, instead of spending their monies to buy castles and yachts in foreign lands.

Let the monies that got accumulated in their hands not make them foolish cowards finding interested only in those activities and things conventionally designed or intended for such people ! Let them realize that there are things much more desirable than their 'pseudocratic' life !

Compulsory Crash Helmets For Two Wheeler Riders:Reason Why I Left Riding Those Cute Machines !

I purchased my first scooter way back in 1981 and it was an yellow Lamby-150, which was a modified version of the good old Lambretta originally made by Innocenti of Italy. At that time, it costed me about Rs.8500. During those days, the other scooters in the Indian market were the bulky, imbalanced Bajaj scooters, following the designs of Vespa of Piaggio, Italy and the Indian version of the Lambretta made by the Public Sector company, Scooters India Limited, in the desi name , Vijay Super.  

My Lamby was similar to the one above!

Picture courtsey: Google Images

During those days, the common men of India were just experiencing the pleasure of motorized self travel. There were a few motor cycles as well such as the Royal Enfield, the Java and the Rajdoot, the latter being the most preferred means of transport for the farmers of North India.

All these models of scooters and bikes had their dedicated customers. Scooters were for the urban class and bikes for the rural folks used to be the unwritten rule. Perhaps, the rural roads were not good for the small wheeled scooters. 

Being in a well planned city with relatively good roads, it was a pleasure for me riding my Lamby and I liked it very much. It was a perfect, well balanced and sturdy one. The only problem encountered at times was its starting trouble. Perhaps, this one aspect made the unbalanced Vespa models of Bajaj, the most preferred scooter in India at that time. These scooters did not give much starting problems. All one had to do was to tilt the machine to one side for the petrol to flow to the carburetor before attempting to kick the start pedal. With such an advantage over the other few scooters, the common man at that time was ready to pay almost the equivalent of a new scooter as premium for a second hand one even when it was almost a decade old. The Vespa never failed in starting, though proud owners of these scooters tilting them to one side before attempting the kick starter, used to be a common sight on the roads in those days. My Lamby too was not so unreliable. Only thing needed was to know the trick of starting its engine without the petrol flooding its cylinder causing an embarrassing delay in starting. Somehow, I knew the trick ! 

The only harassment the two wheeler owners of India faced from their democratic government used to be the insulting manner in which the policemen stopped them on the road for checking  the 'papers' which meant the license, registration book and the insurance policy. What they gained by checking these papers used to be an unsolved question for most of the owners and the non-owners of these vehicles alike. Perhaps the ruling class wanted to show their existence and power to harass those not in power ! Perhaps, they wanted to show that they are with the genuine owners and not with those thieves riding these machines without the papers in proof of legal ownership in their possession. Frankly, I have no idea ! But, it is widely talked in private that these vehicle checks are for aiding another form of  forcible tax collection in the form of penalties specified in the motor vehicles act. It acted as a means of filling both the official and unofficial coffers!

I was fortunate that I escaped from these police men's traps during those many years when I owned my scooters, the Lamby and then the modern gear less Kinetic Honda. I normally avoided those routes and times where these policemen in groups wait and catch their preys. Yet, I was caught one day.

It was an evening. A friend of a friend came to meet him. At around 9 PM, my friend came to me with a request of dropping his friend at the railway station to catch the late night train. In those days, perhaps even now, this city where I lived, did not have any worthy public transport. Interestingly, this city is a modern city of 1.5 Million people in central India. During those days, the population was around 0.4 Million.

My friend too wanted to see off  his friend. Thus, it was inevitable that we three make the trip on my Lamby. Though my Lamby and I were capable of  doing that, the police did not allow such things. And I told my reluctance to break the law to my friend. But, the situation was such that there was no other way than to break the law. The police would not be there any where at this time, was the assurance given by my friend.

So, we three proceeded to the station on my Lamby. For the first five kilometers nothing happened. Then, suddenly on an unlit square, they appeared, stopping me. We three tried to plead, argue and beg with the officer. No use. My friends decided to walk the other 2 kilometers to the railway station in the night leaving me alone with the policemen. After harassing me for about half an hour, they agreed to leave me making me poorer by Rs.100, a good amount in those days. The money obviously did not go to the official chest as the uniformed men were kind enough not to give me a receipt. If they make it official, it would give me more trouble in the courts ! That was their reasoning ! With the ordeal over I felt relaxed and was happy even with the loss of the money. More than the money, it was the mean minded looks and talks that these government officials mete out to the public that is common knowledge to all. The policemen are not normal humans who can recognize other normal humans. That is what  I felt that day !

So, whenever I see these uniformed men on the road, a kind of panic sweep my whole body. I have not broken any law and I am no criminal. But, a law breaking policeman could easily make me one if he so desires. That is my worry. I have known senior police officers, many of them perfect gentlemen and I have known many policemen as well who are also good people. Just as there are good and bad people there are good and bad policemen. Yet, my worry remains. In these days of democracy, many people take the troubles of gaining power through their involvements in the so called politics and try clinging to such political powers for getting some influence over this tactical government machinery. All over the world, it is like this ! They make rules to create a vicious organization with whimsical powers thinking that it would do good and then keep amending it thousand times for controlling it, making it a double edged sword that harms the good and the bad equally and always. A ferocious dog might give a pseudo security feeling to its master, but when masters keep changing, the dog becomes confused and no more be willing to obey some of its masters any more !

It is the invisible power of God that has been protecting me from such visible and invisible forces. That is what I believe. Yet, it is not wise to get in to the traps of such dark forces, knowingly.

And that is the reason, I decided to sell off my last scooter and decided not to ride one any more. The authorities introduced a new rule which made wearing crash helmets compulsory for bikes and scooters. The authorities are wise men and women. They know better than common people like me. They introduce rules and laws for the benefit of people like me. That is what we are all supposed to believe! But in a society composed of a mixture of good and bad, semi-perfect and imperfect beings, perfect rules and perfect justice can never arise !

They have found that riding scooters and bikes cause accidents. A good percentage of accidents become fatal for the rider. And the major reason for fatality is head injury. So, wearing a helmet can reduce the head injury and the fatality. That is the simple logic. Scooter and bike riders should be happy to wear the crash helmets to save their own lives.

But, given a choice, most riders do not wear the crash helmets that are now available in the market. Initially, I too purchased one helmet.

To my horror, I find wearing a helmet enhances my chances of making and accident. Without a helmet I am clearly conscious of the surroundings and the vehicles nearby. There is little chance that I hit someone or someone hit me. But with the helmet, my vision is hindered, my hearing is tampered and my perception is lowered. My chances of making accidents enhance many fold. Besides, my perspiring head keeps me irritated always. If I do not make an accident, it is only the providence of God !

So, I considered it wise not to wear the helmet while I ride my scooter. For me, prevention was better than a cure. Wearing a helmet increased the chances of an accident and also improved the chances not losing life due to head or spinal injuries. But it will not prevent you from getting other injuries and fractures. You can still be in the hospital bed for days or months. So, how do you make the choice ?

I had experienced the difference of riding a scooter with and without the helmet and I took a considered decision that not wearing the helmet was better for me. Because in this case my chances of making an accident is reduced. Unfortunately, it is difficult to prove this, unless the researchers take honest feelings of the riders into consideration instead of relying on statistical accident data for conclusions.

Regrettably, the authorities go by the latter route and preferred to take  away the choice of the riders. They made it compulsory and empowered their police to harass those riders without wearing these helmets.

I did not want to get into troubles with the police again. You see, there are good and bad ones there. The latter in more numbers !

So, I sold off my last scooter and became a four wheeler driver instead for my personal movements in and around. I know, it is not an energy efficient decision. Nor it is one I enjoy much.

There are many like me and now the roads are no more good for any smooth traffic.

The wise authorities are perhaps thinking to empower their police with yet other restrictive rules !

I am waiting to leave my four wheeler and walk for good ! I do not know whether that too could make me safe !