Monday Musings 207 - Scrutiny

Monday Musings 206 - Scrutiny

Scrutiny as a tool for progress

It’s not even a month that the new dispensation at New Delhi has come under scrutiny. Its decision on rail fare hike and ensuing rollback and then the annual budget itself came under fire. It announced the death of their honeymoon. Alas the doomsday that was predicted by the absolute majority in the parliament leading to a decisive shift towards the right did not arrive. So who checked its arrival?

I guess scrutiny did that. There is intense scrutiny of everything that the government does by the opposition, or whatever is left of it at least, the judiciary, the executive, the free press and an ever buzzing hyperactive social media. Everyone knows that whatever they say or they don’t, will be deciphered, analyzed, decoded and split wide open – and that keeps them cautious, on their toes and vigilant.

Scrutiny is such a good thing; Organizations create their own structures of scrutiny. They create review mechanisms, dashboards, reports, MIS and the ever ubiquitous meetings to keep each other in check. There are some lower order objectives of doing all of the above – like bringing everyone on the same page, sharing information, giving updates on progress so on and so forth. However the larger order purpose of these meetings is keep everyone in check by putting each other under perpetual scrutiny. Actions get dissected, results get analyzed, decisions get scrutinized – so that the wayward are brought to their senses, the vagabonds are tied to sanity and the ship stays on its course.

Social structures have scrutiny in built into them. Families and cultures have scrutiny in built into them, again with the unstated purpose of regulating behavior. The wayward are not appreciated, excommunicated and in some extreme cases hunted down.  Organized religion thrives on scrutiny through the notion of sin and the right and wrong. One man’s God becomes another man’s Satan, and instead heavens opening up, it is hell that is let lose.

Even games have scrutiny for smooth play and sports have to be scrutinized by organized sporting bodies. Companies are scrutinized. Sectors are put under regulatory scrutiny. Professions are scrutinized through their associations.

The all pervasiveness of scrutiny might lead us to believe that left to himself, man, his vocations and his interests will only cause mayhem and chaos. Whatever comes out of the fruits of a man’s toil must be kept in the leash of some scrutiny or the other. So we have a whole bunch of scrutinizers as a separate profession in itself whose job is brings sanity in every scheme of things.

I keep thinking, however, who will scrutinize the scrutinizers – because scrutiny is such a good thing.

Guru

206 Monday Musings: Mother Maria

206 Monday Musings: Mother Maria

I read about Maria Sharapova’s ignorance about Sachin Tendulkar with a deep sense of spirituality.  I am sure most of us in the subcontinent believe that she has committed sacrilege and there is a judgment day that awaits her for it, but not before she must be condemned right here on earth, if not stoning her  Taliban-style, which regretfully continues to remain illegal and poor in taste.  

However most people miss the sheer depth of the statement Maria dear has made, if she was any less stunning than she currently is, I might have recommended her for sainthood, which if done now would be a terrible waste of beauty. Now I am known for many vices and may be remembered for many utterances that breach the boundaries of sanity, but I assure the reader that it shall not be known of me, that I wasted a beauty standing on very long legs on something as sainthood.

Coming back to what Maria said and what it means, let it be known to man, who spends years to attain immortality and timeless fame, that he shall never be known enough for every man to know him, in this case a woman of course.  One may be an icon, a legend, a God, even if only of a game of white flannels and a red cherry, he shall remain known only to a few. There will always be a large part of the world that shall remain oblivious to his existence. With sufficient time everyone forgets everyone and with still sufficient time everyone gets forgotten.

I often wonder, is there a qualitative difference between remaining unknown with all the genius you may have been bequeathed through the chicanery of chromosomal mutation, spending enormous time and effort to convert that genius into something fruitful and the pursuit of excellence and fame - and remaining unknown without attempting much – and I discover to my satisfaction that the latter still remains my preference. I might raise the hackles of a few who might the votaries of the former, to whom I shall always submit, that Maria will remember neither.

In expressing her ignorance about the existence of Sachin, Maria in a stroke of brilliance united me and Sachin – that she knows neither him, nor me. I have never felt so special, wanted and important in my entire life.

In the long term, we are all dead. In the long term we are all forgotten. Thank you Maria for reminding us that. Hope we listen to you at least – you are so eminently listenable. Even if no one else does, for the love of those ear danglers, I will.

Eternally yours

Guru