An ABC Letter

My dearest Nephew,

It is winter of year 2012 (pronounced Two Thousand and Twelve for appropriate effect) and we are all very eagerly waiting for spring! Around the same time when beautiful flowers bloom in oak trees, your mother will a) offload a six-pound weight, b) heave a sigh of relief and….…c) beam. The rest of us will beam too and break into a waltz but you, my dear, will finally get some fresh air! I know, I know – all those vain attempts at kicking your way out – Never mind, you tried....

You know, the funny thing about coming into The World is that nobody, not one of us, can remember how we got here. All of us, including you, have to simply take our parents word for it. For instance, in exactly three years time, your Mama and Mami are going to convince you that it was the local stork that brought you to your parents’ doorstep.  And you will have to decide whether to take their word for it.  

But notice something funny about The World? You have to believe somebody first and understand things later.  It’s what we grown-ups call “trust”.  Let us call this Word A.

So, it was a beautiful afternoon in Spain and I thought it would be fun to write a letter to you (this is the first time I am writing to someone who is not born yet, hmmm…you should try this too!) Anyway, since you were still ‘in the dark’ (and that’s your first example of a pun…yes, you are welcome!) I thought I will tell you a bit about The World.

For instance, a lot of grown-ups have obsessed about how it looks like, from the outside. The first few guys said it was flat and then came a clever guy who said it was round (But he really got yelled at, for saying so). Never mind, you will learn about such things in that place we call “school”. But what they won’t tell you in school is that there was an even smarter guy who went back to saying it was flat and made a lot of money! See, it literally pays to think differently. So, remember, in your art classes, if you want to paint the sea yellow, the sun blue and the sky purple, then go ahead and do it! Sometimes we grown-ups are too afraid to color ourselves…differently. And there’s your Word B – “creativity”.

Three decades ago, I was in your place. I too was Being Born….Seems like a long time, doesn’t it ? But here’s the thing - time moves so quickly, you’ll hardly notice it. You will be so busy growing up that you won’t see time speeding by you. Don’t worry, growing up is not easy for anyone. You’ll have lots of questions about lots of things and you’ll face your share of challenges. I’ll let you in on a secret: It is really very simple. The only thing to remember while growing-up is this:-  When in doubt, always speak the truth. Yes, it is that simple. Your word C is “integrity”.

Ok, let me stop with that thought. I am so looking forward to seeing you!  Here’s wishing you a happy first breath!

Lots of Love,

An Excited Mama-to-be

One Woman, One Life.

Didn’t it start so strange? Us, two random people,

Brought together by technological chance

We started awkward, a balance delicate - feelings gossamer

Orthogonal thoughts ,antithetic backgrounds, shared values

Our story began, so commonly uncommon  

An emotional roller-coaster -

My reservation against your exuberance

My mistrusts , fears against your strength and confidence

Your unflinching devotion and your reasonable counsel

That naughty playful exterior covering solid pragmatic interior

Eventually leading me to see the world ,

With eyes - free of prejudice

And now, I slowly close them, to think of one thing to say

With a throaty lump and racing heartbeat,

“I want to be a better man for you”.

Chocolate Math

(Dusting the ol' blog after a long time..)

As I begin a career in academics, I have been thinking of what I call, the academic SPECTRUM of research. At the one end there is the empirical stuff which is very data driven and essentially an exercise in statistics. At the other end is the theory, which is driven by abstract mathematics.

What is amazing is how mathematics has really become the ONLY language of research - there is absolutely no other recognized way to communicate ideas in academics. Now, whether this is a good thing , especially in the social sciences, is a point of debate. (which, sadly, nobody wants to get into).

An uncharitable view of economics is that it is an elaborate exercise in "mathematical curve fitting" . By that, I mean - you pick up some nice smooth curves (log x, e to the x etc) from the mathematicians and then write stories to link them up with real-world phenomenon. Now, obviously - the properties of the above curves have been extensively researched by the math guys, so over-enthusiastic economists try to ascribe real world meanings to every one of properties and call them by grand names "Law of ..." this and that.. How else would you make a discipline out of it ! (The math guys will be like, whoa! dude - SLOW DOWN)

Anyway, the justification is that these are on a  "best efforts" basis. I buy that notion. After all, mathematics helps keep your thinking straight (and these are Krugman's words). But really, the most important thing that people seem to forget is this :

Math can only take you so far. We are nowhere close to the level of sophistication required to handle the real-world. Think of it as playing with binary digits while real world phenomenon requires the notion of complex coordinates.

More practically, what does this mean to all the academics doing research in economics & finance ?

Here's an analogy :
Imagine math as pure chocolate coming from the cocoa tree. There is a long line of economists lined up in front of the tree. At the very end of the line, far away from the tree, are the "white chocolate" economists - who use a little bit of math (chocolate) but a LOT of milk, sweeteners etc - in the work they do. They are far away from the "pureness" of the tree and closer to the town (real world) where they sell their economic ideas (white chocolate). At the very beginning of the line, are the "dark chocolate" economists, who use a LOT of math and very little of anything else. They don't really have much business with the town, most 'consumers' can't digest a lot of this variety. Right ON the tree are the mathematicians themselves ! Here, the chocolate cocoa is BITTER - Imagine, these guys must be really hard-core to like that stuff.

So, a potential researcher should decide which section of the line he wants to belong to. For myself, I can't be ON the tree ! Pure cocoa is too bitter for me. I'd like my feet grounded, though I prefer living in the forest rather than a being a man-about-town ;)  So, here's to the dark chocolate days !!

The Gilded Cage

The fledglings soared - higher, faster, stronger
They lived to 'Succeed', never to wander

But what comprises Success - the query hardly grows old
"Possession of food, and land and gold "

And so the brilliant birds, of glow and feather
Were taught to yearn - for promised lands of Enclosure

The Confined Land - it offered food, land and gold
But - in beautiful cages, of gilded bars manifold

Readily accepting, the birds began Life - in grand confines anon
The promise of regular food, turning whispers down

But Life got funny - it twisted and turned
Forcing birds to think - is it true , that which we learned :-

Is Success about land or is it about gold ?
Or is it Internal - a Fulfillment, to look back from old ?

And so began the longing - to break free and fly
To be just a Bird, sans gilded cage and rye

A chance Moment - door opens, but time is fickle
Two choices - blue, wild sky - closed, safe receptacle :
Crossroads - Zero Hour. Perched with wings spread
Awaits many a Bird.

‘Suitable’ Boys and Girls (On Why It Is Not What It Is – Or Is It. Not.)

It takes a fair bit of pluck to even attempt to understand Indian marriages. Consider, the fact that it is just not clear, till the very end, as to WHO is getting married. One would think that a marriage between A and B would, principally, involve exactly two people – (the above mentioned A and B). But no, my naive readers – it is much more complex than that. Take for instance, the case when A’s second cousin’s uncle’s grandfather had a show-down with B’s grandmother’s maternal cousin thrice removed -(at a time when a certain white powder was in vogue for dental hygiene). This random sparring of the grand-uncles, estimated to have occurred in circa 1900, if brought to light a mere 100 years later, can potentially damage the matrimony of A & B. So everyone is frantically trying to bury a non-existent hatchet. [ Never mind that, not just the hatchet, even the grand-uncles are already six feet under].

If you just rolled your eyes and looked skywards, then hold your gaze right there. We look up to the skies as well. After all, marriages are made in heaven(ly bodies). Douglas Adams would have called it the Galactic Improbability Correlation. The Galactic Improbability Correlation is essentially a piece of paper written about Mr.A and Ms.B (before either learned to read; and that’s the trick really) - with some Euclidean geometry thrown in for good measure. [Some call it horoscope, but that’s just semantics]. Anyway, this rule requires the planetary positions of Mr.A and Ms.B to have a high correlation. [ The astute reader might have guessed that by its very definition of improbability, the correlation often turns out to be imaginary].

Anyway, it is not all about imaginary worlds. We are intensely practical folks too. How else would you explain the fact that a working knowledge of a machine such as, say, an electric generator can actually help further your chances at marriage. Yes, we have power problems in India and it does help to have a handy ‘man of the house’. Is that it ? Er..not really. I was merely alluding to the fact that an engineering degree is a ticket to marital bliss in India. It is true, an engineering degree with a job in computer programming, will certainly take your stock in the arranged marriage market, north. Now, it is anybody's guess as to what the knowledge of electromagnetism has to do with matters of the heart, but enough said.

But let me emphasize that your humble blogger is merely making observations and reserving judgment. After all the proof is in the pudding: To put 1.2 billion people on the planet is no mean achievement.

What keeps me awake at night...

The High Court announced its verdict on Ajmal Kasab today. They seem to believe that he deserves some kind of punishment. I am impressed, really. Oh and it took them all of 3 years to arrive at that conclusion and it will take another 7 years before he MIGHT get punished. These guys are exceeding my expectations.

What is justice and why does society mete out punishment to wrongdoers ? These are important questions to ask and answer. (Disclaimer: the discussion here is NOT based on my reading or interpretation of the law, I claim absolutely no formal exposure to these concepts)

Okay, the answer to “why punishment” is not as obvious as it seems. Remember, no amount of punishment can ‘right’ a ‘wrong’. Punishing a murderer does NOT bring back the man he murdered. Period. And yet, as a society, we believe in delivering punishment. Why ?

There are two fundamental pillars underlying punishment : The concept of “retribution” and the concept of “deterrence”. Retribution arises from our fundamental subjective understanding of the ideas of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. I won’t go into morality and its origins, but let’s just say that MOST (=sane) people such as you and me believe that taking an innocent man’s life is fundamentally ‘wrong’. So punishing a man who does so, reinforces our beliefs and provides mental satisfaction. In other words, “retribution” is inextricably linked to the emotional aspect of a human being and it is that, which indeed, makes us human. Take the simple example of two children eating candy bars: Child A snatches Child B’s candy, which rightfully does not belong to him. Now, the parent scolds Child A and punishes her. Child B is served retribution.

The second pillar of punishment is the idea of “deterrence”. By serving punishment to criminals, you deter other potential criminals from committing similar crimes. If a mass murderer is hanged, then society believes that the knowledge/witnessing of the hanging will make other psychopaths to think twice before they embark on their planned executions. In the example of the children, a third Child C, who sees Child A being punished will think twice before snatching a candy bar from any of her peers.

The important thing to realize is that these are not purely ‘logical’ concepts. They go deep into the fundamental idea of being ‘human’ and ‘moral’, so ANY person who does not understand or much less, believe in them, can be considered mentally deranged. In fact, the mind of a criminal/psychopath lacks this very concept of justice. Park this conclusion in your mind because I intend to bring this up later.

Now, I make the claim that DELAYING punishment flies in the face of the very fundamental notions of justice described above. Essentially I argue that if justice is delayed, then the very purpose of punishment is simply not served. It is almost as if, there is no need for punishment any more. Take the case of retribution. In the simple example of the children, it absolutely makes no sense for the parent to punish Child A, a whole YEAR, after her having snatched the candy bar. Think about it. Child B has long since moved on and it is very likely that he won’t even REMEMBER the incident. Since it has been a year , the punishment does not seem to “matter” any more. This is a very important point. We cannot talk of retribution without simultaneously accounting for the TIME dimension.

Now consider the deterrence argument. Since the parent punished Child A after an year, Child C who was deviously clever and observant came to the following conclusion : “ Whoa! So it takes more than a year for the grown-ups to catch up. Nice! In a year’s time – I won’t even BE in this neighbourhood. I can hardly predict what’s going to happen next WEEK, so who knows how things will be a YEAR later. Let me take my chances and snatch that candy bar !! “ Essentially, a DELAY in punishment has exactly the opposite effect. It serves as an INCENTIVE to criminals to take their chances and go ahead with their crimes.

To summarize, justice that is DELAYED serves absolutely no purpose whatsoever and contradicts the two basic pillars of punishment. Lets look at the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Ajmal Kasab murdered innocent civilians in cold blood. That fact is undisputable. Now, Kasab will file an appeal with the Supreme Court and then the mercy plea with the President. It will be 2018 by the time he gets “punished” (will that word have any meaning any more?)

Ask the families of Ameena Begum or Mira Chatterjee, two of the many innocent women massacred at CST, if they care. Find out if it matters anymore for the kin of Inspector Vijay Salaskar or Constable Yogesh Patil who died trying to save lives. Ask the father of Vinod kumar who lost both his wife and son together in the senseless killings. These are normal people like you and me. And they didn’t deserve to die. They didn’t.

What kind of twisted perverted society do I live in ? To me, a society that condones delay in serving punishment is no different from the dark mind of a deranged criminal because, as I demonstrated earlier, the DELAY represents a basic travesty of the very two pillars of punishment. In effect, it goes against our fundamental notions of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and finally questions our basic notions of being ‘human’. And guess what ? This inhuman society finds itself going all out to protect and provide for the mass murderer. The Times of India reports that Rs 45 crore has already been spent on the upkeep of his ‘special’ jail. At a daily expenditure of Rs 9 lakh, the tax payer will ‘sponsor’ the killer to the tune of Rs.200 crore by 2018. [Oh, did I mention that the innocent people whom he murdered in cold blood received half his DAILY expenditure as ‘compensation’]

And please please, spare me the ‘eye-for-an-eye-leaves-the-country-blind’ crap. What is the point of having eyes if we don’t even blink in the face of injustice ?

A dash of Bertie !!

Not just me, YOU, would have hardly imagined. Yet, recent circumstances in my life have distinctly taken a Wodehousian turn. Yes, the good ol' life, has just gotten....how shall we call it....Idyllic. Indubitably. That's the word. Truly, positively Bertie Wooster-ish.

Although I don't scamper off getting engaged to random-golden-haired-blue-eyed damsels as Bertie does, I undoubtedly share his penchant for faux pas on the romantic front ! My whole experience with the dating scene in our great country (blotted by acts of devouring random variants of a spicy dish made of semolina with caffeine on the side) , has been a tad too Interesting. (consider the deliberate capitalization as a forced attempt at being euphemistic).

And then there is the whole idea of having to work for a living. Bah ! So Bourgeois. My kind employer's extended sabbatical leave (which is sure to drastically end if they chance upon this blog) have so re-organized my day's schedule as to give me enough temporal latitude to attempt reading scary books such as these. But classic literature, does make you say la belle vie, doesn't it ? Some of the recent ones such as this (Sheesh, don't look at me like that, I turned ALL of a tender 29 yesterday) and this were splendid, to say the least.

And the Bertie resemblance doesn't end there. I have my fair share of aunts who's recent calling in life is to get me married ASAP lest they begin to chew-glass-and-make-sacrifices-by-moonlight.

All in all, I epitomize Bertie's fried-egg feeling.

Now, irrespective of how long these 'trying' circumstances of serendipity last, I have made a firm resolution on my 29th birthday (isn't that Bertie's perpetual age?). Witness under oath : Bili, a.k.a fellow Drone.

I intend to get more creative and serious in my not-so-idle pursuits. Writing. Here I come !!!