Representation | பிரதிநிதித்துவம்

Representation - The action of speaking or acting on behalf of someone or the state of being so represented (Courtesy - TheFreeDictionary.com). 

The idea of democracy is based on this one import word. However broad and however sacred the idea of democracy is, man has defined a jurisdiction for it and hence is rendered useless beyond borders.

The time has come when democratic countries force democracy, ironic to the definition, on non-democratic nations. There are both good and bad outcomes to this. Yet, freedom being the most important of all human needs, their actions are, in my eyes, justified.

So, in a broad sense, when these developed democratic countries mind their business about Bahrain or Saudi Arabia and interfere with Iraq, the inconsistency and hypocrisy can be considered admissible for the greater good on a long run. The reason being - 'Representation' (or for that matter, lack of it)!

If there is no representation for (sect of ) the people of a country, there is no way their problems  can be solved with the help of other countries. So, for a considerable amount of time - the time till they have powerful representation, the women of Saudi Arabia, how much ever are against Sharia, will have to endure it. 

Why am I interested in "Representation - பிரதிநிதித்துவம்"? I am a Tamilan (pronounced Tha-mi-lhan : lha - roll your tongue and touch the back most part of your upper palette) . I am from Tamil Nadu, India and an Indian citizen. Tamil is recognized as one of the national languages and I have all the constitutional rights as an Indian from any other part of the country. I have people representing Tamil Nadu in the Lok Sabha (House of Commons - UK/ House of Representatives - USA). If there is something wrong happening to the people in Tamil Nadu, there is constitutional mechanism for our representatives to bring up the matter in the Parliament and cabinet meeting and have it discussed. There is a mechanism to solve the problems.

But what if, God forbid, what if Tamil Nadu people do not have representation in the parliament and have a problem that questions their livelihood?

Nothing will happen! Not because other people don't care. Not because the world is fundamentally sick. But for the simple reason that they simply cannot assume responsibility for the sufferings of a bunch of people who are inconsequential to them and their livelihood. The same reason why Iraq got so much attention while Bahrain did not. Iraq did not have good representation, and has a lot of oil and hence is more 'interesting' than the little autocratic blip of a country, like Bahrain, on the globe which killed its own people when they demanded democracy.

Like nothing happened to the hundreds and thousands of Tamil people in Sri Lanka. They don't have representatives discussing their problems today and have not been having one for the last so many years. Their only recognized representatives were the LTTE and they were to become a 'Terrorist organization' over time and hence the people became illegitimate. Besides, they did not have diamonds and oil to offer. 

The nearest of the kin they know of are the Tamil people in Tamil Nadu, India. So, the people of Tamil Nadu, India and Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka are connected by a thin powerful thread - Tamil, the language they speak. And they are all Tamilans - Not for the reason that they are from Tamil Nadu or Tamil Eelam. But because they speak Tamil. So, when something happens to Tamil Eelam people (or any one who speaks Tamil for that matter) there is a justified hue-and-cry in Tamil Nadu. For the same reason, the Jews in the USA raise their voices in favor of Israel!

The sense of association one has with a country, state, city, etc. has a variety of reasons. Both language and religion are powerful reasons. 

The reason why I have written this blog is the funny faces the people make when I make a hue-and-cry about the sufferings of the people of Tamil Eelam. 

The reason why I have written this blog is the funny questions the people ask me why the representatives from Tamil Nadu talk more about Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka than the naxals in West Bengal or the terrorism in Kashmir.

The reason why I have written this blog is the sense of association one has towards whom they consider kith-and-kin. For me, when a person in Tamil Eelam, Sri Lanka is killed in the ethnic war, it hurts more than  when a person in West Bengal is killed by naxals.

After all, ones sense of patriotism, nationalism, loyalty, etc. is inherently flawed if it is not for the mankind and earth as an entirety and is only for a fraction of it - like their country, continent, race, state, cricket team, city, language, religion, community, etc.

Conformance | A complex system's way out

The words 'complex' and 'complication'. They are similar but not the same. They are well used, if not overused, in Software Engineering.

To put it simply, a complex software solution need not be complicated. A complicated software system need not be solving a complex problem.

Complication - unnecessary complexity.

The Indian society is one huge ball of complications. Again, not necessarily complex!

The way it handles complication is through conformance. Set a precedence and go by it. The problem is when precedence is WRONG. Like bribery, for instance; everybody knows that it is wrong. But no one can really address it because, it is 'complicated; not necessarily complex. Conformance is simpler'. In fact, the solution is one should simply NOT do it. But we have learned to conform to the norms; NOT the law.

Like the police, for instance; ideally, legally, (and all adjectives to denote correctness) when police has a case, all it has to do is, collect evidence, talk to witness, get the court to take control. In short, assumption, guesswork are unwarranted. But that is how Indian police works anyways! Norms and conformance to norms. Not the Law and not their job description. But simply NORMS.

Like how we try to address the caste system. To address it, one should simply not follow it. But we have learned to LOVE it. We love our castes. We want to marry within our castes. We want to keep the good genes inside. We do not know what to do with reservation - in the sense, should we love it because its definition is intended to reduce the distance between the castes both socially and economically; because it is defined to abolish the caste system. Or should we hate it because it tries to abolish the caste system. Our relationship with reservation is a complicated; not necessarily complex. That is for another blog.

Again, how do we handle it, conformance! To norms; again, not the rules that the religion prescribes, but NORMS. Ironically, even our religion (Hinduism) does not have as many rules as norms.

Here is a Kural (குறள்) that talks about conformance in a chapter about Unjustified Conformance / Incorrect Discipline

மழித்தலும் நீட்டலும் வேண்டா உலகம்
பழித்தது ஒழித்து விடின்

கூடா ஒழுக்கம் (குறள் 280)

The most apt description for the above couplet is below -

by - கலைஞர் மு கருணாநிதி / Kalaignar K Karunanidhi

உலகத்தாரின் பழிப்புக்கு உள்ளாகும் செயல்களைத் துறக்காமல் ஒரு துறவி, தனது தலையை மொட்டையடித்துக் கொண்டோ,
சடாமுடி வளர்த்துக் கொண்டோ கோலத்தை மட்டும் மாற்றிக் கொள்வது ஒரு ஏமாற்று வித்தையே ஆகும்

English equivalent of the description : Without refraining from doing what the world looks down upon, the act of growing long hair or shaving ones head is a fake attempt for conformance.

Conformance is very important in a society where laws have not matured. A society that is run by norms.
A feudal one - in short. We have crossed that long long ago.

Why is conformance so important in our society? What good does it do to us?
Conformance keeps us quiet. It calms us while erring and makes it easier to go against our conscience. Makes us think that our problems are not big enough to fight for. Conformance actually slows us ,the country as a whole, down. It kills the spirit to question, know and revolt (if needed). It curbs creativity; hinders change. More importantly, conformance prevents us from following the law.

We have to realize that the Law is a more logical, clearer form of long standing norms that makes sense. It makes right/wrong easier. Most of the times, following the law simply equates to correctness. Norms are not like that. Norms are localized, narrow and defined for a few, for the good of that few, by that few, of that few. NOT ALL!

Once we reduce our tendency to conform to norms, we will see that complications are simplified. And that we have clarity. Conform to the LAW; NOT NORMS.

V-Star, Camry and I

(courtesy http://www.ralepi.com)

That, my friend, is my big fat cruiser - Yamaha V-Star 650 cc V-Twin engine (air cooled though). Solid chrome body; candy-red but nothing sweet. 

She does not scream (ironic to the personification) or roar, but certainly turns & twists heads and more importantly threatens enough cars a day to make me smug.

My workplace parking lot, like all parking lots reverberates a lot and today, I found a Toyota Camry parked at a corner and as I was passing it, to park near by, it beeped. (beep....beep...beep..beep.beep - with increased frequency towards the later beeps). That caused the initial smug. But then, I had made up my mind to turn the beeping car weep.

Before turning the engine off, I raised the throttle a little and there you go the Camry beeps again (now, to think about it, like a frightened puppy). And now, I lost my mind in the smuggy feeling and started throttling again and again until the Camry started beeping so fast that it sounded like high pitched uncontrollable weeping. I was sporting the smuggiest smug on my face.

கண்கொள்ளா காட்சி - It was a magnificent scene.

Had the owner of the Camry been around (if the owner is a guy), he would have cried soulfully!!!!

God! I like my bike.

V.