Have you heard the song by Willie Nelson? Back on the Road Again? Incredible it is, and reflects my state of mind entirely. How I wish to be back on the road again. And not just any ol' road - the road untrodden, a road where there is at least a thin sliver of sand enabling me to print my footsteps. And we have been trying. For over three years now. Trying to achieve the impossible dream. The dream of bettering a Guinness World Record. Of taking our vehicles to the highest ever altitude taken by any man (or woman) anywhere in the whole wide world. Our target is to drive to an unprecedented altitude of 23,000 feet.
But that is not the impossible dream. The impossibility of the dream lies here in the city. A dream that will see us manage to get enough funding to be able to go ahead and make the attempt. We are not looking at anything fancy - no fancy gear, no fancy equipment, no fancy vehicles, no fancy support team. Just enough money to be able to rig up a vehicle, enough money to be able to put gas in the tank, enough money to be able to manage three decent meals a day, enough money to pay the peak fees and the sherpas. Three years ago we started out with a need-based budget, today we are talking of a budget that just about meets costs.
And it is so difficult to convince people to pay heed to us. Maybe the sheer audaciousness (is that a word?) of it all, the extreme nature of the event, the impossibility of achieving success, is what is detering people from giving us their support. Or maybe it is just that they do not believe in anything that is not conducted with a piece of English willow and a five and ounces of leather!
But, it seems that a trip is likely in the next fe weeks. A trip similar to The Longest Mile (that is the name we have given our impossible dream). A trip that will take us back to my favourite playground - Ladakh. And a trip that will hopefully see us bettering a Guinness World Record. Come September!
But I really do have ot be back on the road again. Just to feel the cold and crisp air on my face, to go through places that teaches humility in the face of tremendous odds, to experience once again the sheer ruggedness and isolation of the coldest desert in the world. And this time it seems we will be able to do the trip thanks to the efforts of my two good friends - the Brothers Cooper.
Oh to be back on the road again!!!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Monday, July 21, 2008
India (and Indians!) Everywhere
We are witnessing some tumultuous times in India. A Government desperate not to lose the vote of confidence. Unprecedented growth in the economy. Galloping inflation. A stock market gone haywire. The nuclear deal (and I still don't know what the big fuss is all about).
And the world coming in to India to be a part of what is touted as the next big thing. Not people can put a finger on what that something big is, but there is a sense in the air, that something big is about to happen. There are two distinct Indias. One that is at the forefront of this global scenario, raking in the benefits (and the spoils). The other India is one that is not only blissfully unaware of all that is happening in their own backyard, but are largely untouched by it. Consequently, a lot of people are getting left out in the sharing of wealth. Traditional education, traditional employment, traditional form and manner living is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Unemployment is bound to increase since the process of percolation of the needs and wants of a new global order will take some time to become part of the process of our culture.
I feel it will take at least one generation for the process to fall in place. The flux will continue till the time that the new needs and the manner fo fulfilling these needs is not addressed in a systemic manner. Education from the school level in general, and vocational training in general has to be geared to meet the growing needs of the new employers.
Even employers are going through this flux. Many employers are trying to come to grips with the global India. Most are conditioned from childhood with stories of the Raj - British as well as Licence. We grow up believing that we are subservient to the powers that be. The sudden empowerment is difficult to accept. We still believe we cater to our own enclosed constituencies. Why can't we believe that we are part of the new global order and increasingly it is other countries that will become dependent (subservient!?) to India and Indians. Goe are the days when a Green Card was a prized document; soon people from all over the world will cherish a Hari Patti, the Indian version of the Green Card. And the sooner we understand, accept and adopt this reality, the sooner we will see India (and Indians) Everywhere.
Uttar Pradesh is the world's fourth largest "country" in terms of population. Almost 20% of the world citizens are Indians. And here we are, still hankering to own products manufactured by countries like Korea, Taiwan, Finland, Switzerland, etc. What prevents the Swiss from cherishing the Made in India label. We are capable, we have the talent, all we need to believe that we will soon be the rulers and not the ruled anymore.
And the world coming in to India to be a part of what is touted as the next big thing. Not people can put a finger on what that something big is, but there is a sense in the air, that something big is about to happen. There are two distinct Indias. One that is at the forefront of this global scenario, raking in the benefits (and the spoils). The other India is one that is not only blissfully unaware of all that is happening in their own backyard, but are largely untouched by it. Consequently, a lot of people are getting left out in the sharing of wealth. Traditional education, traditional employment, traditional form and manner living is becoming increasingly irrelevant. Unemployment is bound to increase since the process of percolation of the needs and wants of a new global order will take some time to become part of the process of our culture.
I feel it will take at least one generation for the process to fall in place. The flux will continue till the time that the new needs and the manner fo fulfilling these needs is not addressed in a systemic manner. Education from the school level in general, and vocational training in general has to be geared to meet the growing needs of the new employers.
Even employers are going through this flux. Many employers are trying to come to grips with the global India. Most are conditioned from childhood with stories of the Raj - British as well as Licence. We grow up believing that we are subservient to the powers that be. The sudden empowerment is difficult to accept. We still believe we cater to our own enclosed constituencies. Why can't we believe that we are part of the new global order and increasingly it is other countries that will become dependent (subservient!?) to India and Indians. Goe are the days when a Green Card was a prized document; soon people from all over the world will cherish a Hari Patti, the Indian version of the Green Card. And the sooner we understand, accept and adopt this reality, the sooner we will see India (and Indians) Everywhere.
Uttar Pradesh is the world's fourth largest "country" in terms of population. Almost 20% of the world citizens are Indians. And here we are, still hankering to own products manufactured by countries like Korea, Taiwan, Finland, Switzerland, etc. What prevents the Swiss from cherishing the Made in India label. We are capable, we have the talent, all we need to believe that we will soon be the rulers and not the ruled anymore.
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