Raj is not the issue

Politics is a game that rewards well if played well and Raj Thackeray is a man who understands this. When you can't compete on the absolutes of the market of politics i.e. better governance, better standards of living for people, better facilities and better law and order, then you need to bend the market and that is exactly what Raj has done. He is walking on the same path as his uncle Bal Thackeray. Once you create a controversy and get in the eye of the public, you can later on tilt the subject in such a way that no one bothers to remember how it all started, in the meantime you get the attention from media and people.

Of course there are several important issues to work on in Maharashtra which should take priority over the ones that Raj takes a dig on. But, those issues are monotonous and the public is already wary of them. If Raj talks about good governance and improvement of law and order, he cannot create the media buzz, the public won't come back to hear him again as they know very well that such promises are not meant to be kept irrespective of who makes them and there is very little they can do in this regard without putting in efforts. But, when the issue changes to one in which immediate action is possible, the public is interested.

Actually such issues give the public an excuse to hide their failures. When people lose jobs due to incompetence, they find it difficult to digest. They start finding excuses and people like Raj Thackeray give them a reason which they accept easily even if they know deep down that it is just an excuse. Any one who speaks against that reason is an enemy. Not all people are visionaries or well educated. They fail to understand that market forces take the best path possible in the long run. When the industrial revolution came along, it is true that workers were afraid machines will take over their jobs but look at what happened. Machines did take up the monotonous jobs but helped create new jobs in multiples of the jobs lost. We are advancing from mechanical world to a world of information, knowledge and value addition. In today's world it is imperative that you continuously learn and develop your skill sets not just to advance but to survive.

If the jobs of construction laborers is taken up by north Indians in Maharashtra it is because the standard of living in Maharashtra has increased to such a level that a Maharashtrian cannot exist on the meager income of a construction laborer. Hence, Maharashtrians need to develop their skill set further and advance to skill set tier and take up better jobs. North Indians cannot displace Maharashtrians unless they have something more to offer, either better work or work at lower wages. In such cases Darwin's law comes into play i.e. survival of the fittest. In every market competition drives prices down and improves quality. That is the way the market works. When one tries to control market forces, we have seen what happens. When all north Indians quit and go back, do we have enough Maharashtrians to replace them? Then there will be a shortage of laborers driving their wages sky high. That means a loss to construction companies, delays in completion of projects, in short weakening of the industry. This would see a decrease in incentive for businessmen to get into the business and plan expansions. This equivalent to cutting the goose that lays golden eggs.

The public cannot understand this but surely Raj Thackeray with his political acumen understands this. But, it is not to his advantage to bring this to the public eye. And that is natural for politicians to do so Raj is no exception. If Raj is not the issue then what is? The issue is the slack law and order system in the country is the issue. When Raj makes statements that cause riots, there is delay in prosecuting him, the police are not sure how to deal with him and the courts work at their own lethargic pace. Freedom of speech implies that Raj does have the right to speak his mind but, slackness is maintaining law and order by the government is the key issue. Rioters are let off with minor fines and this gives them all the more confidence to do it again. When people are threatened by MNS activists, why are they afraid to go to the police? That is the real issue. Whether Raj was right or wrong is another issue but in a democracy, he has the right to place his thoughts on the table. In a democracy, we cannot restrict anyone to speak because then we head towards dictatorship.

Democracy works by seeking for a balance with political leaders fighting for their own group of followers divided on the line of caste, income levels, etc. So, it is not extra-ordinary for Raj to take up a stand for Maharashtrians. His fiery talk is also not the issue, his followers taking it to themselves to enforce his thoughts and getting away with it is the prime issue. If the law and order system works efficiently, Raj's followers would have thought twice before beating up someone. But, they know whatever happens, there is always a way to bribe oneself out of the clutches of law or get freed by some unknown power equation between the top officials of the party and the law enforcers.

Due to his latest speech, students in Pune are afraid to continue to live here. The question is why are they afraid? It is not because Raj is powerful but because the law enforcement agencies are extremely weak. Picture this, the rally organized by Raj recently in Pune was illegal as the permission to hold it was denied days before the rally yet, the rally took place under the supervision of the police!

So, before you discuss Raj and the right and wrong about his speeches, it is worthwhile to question the performance of the elected government and the role played by us, the public, in making the government understand that this is not acceptable to us.

As for those who believe in Raj, think about what would such a man do once he comes in power. He would shut Maharashtra from the rest of the country and the world. Today the issue is of north Indians but tomorrow it could be for non-Maharashtrians and then the foreigners. There would be no tourism, no foreign investment, no national industries and Maharashtra will become a secluded region. Is this your vision for Maharashtra? Yes or no is for you to decide after all, we live in a democracy where "the majority rules"

This is an Engineer speaking...

Engineering is one career held in great awe by almost everyone. I, for one, am proud of (almost) being an Engineer. I landed up in mechanical engineering by chance. Throughout my engineering there were so many instances of pure luck that anyone might be compelled to declare that it was written in my destiny. Some of those instances fox me even today but, as an agnostic I am saved from being fooled by the high talk of destiny. Since my childhood, I never had a clear picture as to what career I wanted to get into. The only thing I always knew was that I will to make it big into something. Consider this -

After my 12th, I appeared for the AIEEE only because I wanted to stay back in Pune in the vacations instead of going back to my home town Solapur. Luckily, I cleared it and got an admission into BITS Ranchi. But suddenly that was not where I wanted to go. I wanted to stay back in Pune for some more time but I could find no reason strong enough to convince my parents. A thats when my dad asked me not to go to Ranchi and stay back in Pune with my sister as he did not want her to stay alone. So I took an admission in the then coveted MIT Mechanical. I opted for Mechanical because I was fascinated by Aeronautical and a lot of experts in the field of engineering recommended that Mechanical was the best branch if one intended to get into Aeronautical! But, I was not even sure of mechanical and I had filled up mechanical as my preference in the AIEEE quota form and Electronics and Computers in the regular CET form. Luckily, my AIEEE form was processed and I got my first preference. I found out how naive I had been in accepting that mechanical was the best road to Aeronautical by the end of my 1st semester. So I wanted to change my branch and get into computers. Luckily or unluckily, I fell ill during one of my papers and flunked. This disqualified me from branch change process and I had to stay in Mechanical. I almost lost my interest in mechanical. But, by the end of 2nd year, I started feeling at home in the most basic branch of engineering and began faring extremely well in the exams and topping the department. It seemed I was made for this very branch of engineering and it all seemed so logical and natural to me. Thats when I realized I had landed in the right place. Sheer luck huh!
Next was the time of placements. In the 5th sem (the last one that counts for placements in our college), I could not appear for 2 papers because of the sudden death of my grandfather. I was quite disappointed that I would miss the best companies. Then along came the company which had the best job profile I could imagine, in line with my future plans at the moment. This company came only on a very high percentage criteria and I was among the very few high percentage students left to be placed. Thats how I got the job of my dreams. Sheer luck huh! There were quite a few other events too but the above ones were the most glaring examples of unplanned events in my career.
Throughout these 4 years that I have spent in engineering, I have encountered countless people who seemed to be disillusioned as to what engineering exactly is. I heard a lot of question and statements such as -

"You should have opted for computers. Its more in demand."
"Why didn't you opt for electronics? Thats the branch for intelligent people."
"What does a mechanical guy have to do in the computer industry?"
"If you always wanted to get into business, why did you get into engineering?"
"Don't you think if you enter into the field of commerce/management, all the time you spent in learning design and machines would turn out to be a waste?"
"You are a mechanical engineer and yet you don't know what technology is used in which car?"
"A mechanical engineer is worth his mettle only if he works in a core company."

Some of them might seem naive to you, and with some you may identify your own beliefs. To me, they all signify one thing - lack of understanding of what engineering or any other course is all about. This was the one thing that disturbed me. It was in the 3rd year or so when I started searching for the real meaning of engineering. Somehow I could not digest that I was here to learn the text books or to score marks. The whole system looked hollow to me. But, soon I figured out what engineering actually meant and what it stood for. Thats when I started respecting engineering even more. Once I really understood engineering, it felt obvious that the various branches were just manifestations of the same thing. Thats when the boundaries between the branches faded and disappeared for me. It was then that I realized that it was not mechanical that made me happy, I might have equally enjoyed any other branch of engineering, actually it was the concept of engineering education that I enjoyed. If you ask me to name the one thing that engineering has taught me, I would say its not technology, its not design equations, its not thermodynamics, its not machining. It is - how to think. It has taught me that behind every design equation there is a well defined logic, it has taught me that the thought process that goes into designing any mechanism, the though process that goes into machining. Though its never stated explicitly, the aim of engineering is not to show you how things are done but, to demonstrate the power of the mind and imagination. It shows that even the intangible failure of materials can be fitted with an approximate failure theory. It shows that though man does not understand the exact nature of a few phenomenon, it is possible to hypothesize the reasons and fit an approximation that is a stone throw away from the exact solution.
People who just memorize design equations and claim to be designers are fooling themselves. Those who really understand it know that equations are not an end in itself, the thought process going into their derivation is the end and the equations are just a means towards this end. Isn't it true about every other course also? Take arts e.g., students are not there to learn the names of the master pieces of the masters but to understand what goes behind creating master pieces. The master pieces are not an end in itself, they are the means to a much higher end.
If an engineer fails to understand this, in my view that person is still an incomplete engineer. Sooner or later, s/he has to realize this because only then will s/he understand the actual worth of engineering.
The extent to which I feel about engineering might be evident from this feeling of mine that tomorrow, when I achieve any of the career goals that I have set for myself, though it may not be in the field of core engineering in the layman terms, I know that the engineering education I have had will be one of the strong pillars on which it will stand. I know that on the days when I shall put into practice all that engineering has taught me, not the equations but the thought process, the power of logic, those will be the times when I shall proudly reward myself by claiming to be an Engineer, a Mechanical Engineer!