“Right Stuff” is a book written by Tom Wolfe in late 70s that won American book award for non-fiction. This is a story about about the pilots engaged in U.S. postwar experiments with experimental rocket-powered, high-speed aircraft.
This is a story set in 40s and 50s when the mortality rate of the test pilots was very high. They had a certain underlying belief that kept their morale up. They believed that the machine could never let you down and if you had the right stuff you will always survive; the unspoken and unwritten code of bravery and machismo that persuaded these men to ride atop dangerous rockets. In the foreword to a new edition published in 1983 at the time the film adaptation was released, Wolfe wrote that his "book grew out of some ordinary curiosity" about what "makes a man willing to sit up on top of an enormous Roman candle… and wait for someone to light the fuse.
The right stuff is not an algorithm that you can learn by heart. It is sum total of a variety of Attitudes, Knowledge and Skill.
What I intend to discuss in this article is a set of attributes that makes up the right stuff for a project man. These are not what Tom Wolf observed for an astronaut. These are some of my observations from my experience which I have grouped as the right stuff for the prject man. I don’t say this is comprehensive nor can I give you the recipe on how to mix this together.
When we try to identify the right stuff for the project man we need to first appreciate what is so uniquely different about Project Management in comparison with General Management. It is the ‘level of uncertainty’ which requires multiple skills to manage.
In this context of managing uncertainty let us look at the ‘stuff’ that makes the ‘right stuff?’
i. Don’t Give Up…
This represents your ability to persist and look out for a new window when one after another the windows close, because when you handle uncertainty you should be capable to continuously come up with new ideas and options. You should critically evaluate what works and dump the ones that don’t. Don’t get married to your ideas. Be ready to divorce, if the idea doesn’t work.
ii. The Seal Motto ..
My God, My Country, My team and then Me.
I’ve read somewhere that the most diversified commando force of the US government called the SEALS (on account of their proficiency in fighting in sea, land and air) have an ingrained order of sacrifice. First be ready to kill yourself for the sake of your team and then be ready to sacrifice the team for the country which stands only one step below God. (This may be a romanticized version of the story; or just plain fiction. But I like the relevance in this context)
Very often the priority chart for many is exactly in the reverse order. Ready to dump the company for your gang and ready to dump your gang for your self-interest.
You need the same S’EAL binding Philosophy’ as a team and commitment to a project to be a successful project man.
iii. Right Fighting Spirit
‘Fight when you Plan and Fight when you dissect. But when you implement, fight as one.’
As we are trying to manage high levels of uncertainty, the team should have the maturity and strength to put each idea to the furnace of critical evaluation and to dissect each mistake with the vengeance of a ruthless attorney.
At the same time when you take a decision, it should be a collective one. Each one should own the decision whether you supported the idea in the first place or not. No one should dare to work towards proving his point at the cost of implementation- no room for “I_told_u_so”
iv. Get Out of the Box.
Don’t get caught up in your ideas and stereotyped readymade solutions. Be willing to experiment beyond the ordinary, with focus on the end-result and not anything else.
v. Self Confidence
““Nothing great has ever been achieved except by those who dared believe that something inside them was superior to circumstances.” Bruce Barton
You need enormous self confidence to push ahead with what you believe is right. This is important to the leader as well as each member of the team.
vi. Show your Guts.
Project management need lots of guts to push and bully many uncommon ideas at uncommon speeds. You seldom gets chance to test out all your assumptions or point our credible references. Then your strength of conviction and the courage to take a position becomes very critical.
vii. Be in Synch
In projects the speed of change is quite high. The normal communication channel often fails in keeping each member updated about any new development. So each person should have the ability to judge the impact of any change in his area in the areas of others. He should take special effort to bring this to the attention of the affected party.
The project team should also have mechanisms in place to broadcast key developments to each member of the team.
viii. Fire in the belly
Every member of a project team should be a person with fire in the belly, a burning passion to make a difference and make things happen.
ix. Self Driven-SETI Vs Master Slave
Normal management structure often follows the Master Slave Model with the master distributing work and the slaves executing them. When a slave has a slack, he waits for a new job to be assigned and till then he is idling.
A project management team should follow the SETI@ home model (SETI @ home is a virus like program sitting in your computer, crunching numbers to support ‘Search for Extra Terrestrial Intelligence’ when your CPU is free from your work) polling his team for meaningful support when he has a slack.
x. Have Fun
Most important of all you should have fun in what you do. You should enjoy the challenges and the heartache as enriching experiences and not as sufferings in hell.
xi. Walk the Talk
A project manger should be a leader who leads from the front and not from the armchair. Be ready to roll up your sleeves and get grease in your hands.
xii. It is all in your mind..
Develop an attitude that takes pride in looking ahead and not rest on your laurels.
My favorite quote that portrays this spirit, is by Barnard Shaw
“I dread the word success. To have succeeded is to have finished one’s goal in life. Like the Male Spider that gets eaten up once it succeeds in its courtship. I like the world of continuous becoming. With a goal in front and not behind”
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Friday, February 27, 2009
Relationships – Part II: Lessons from Arabian Nights
In the first part of this article I discussed the spectrum of relationship. It was not a thought that is new or a new revelation. It was meant to be a trigger, to remind ourselves that this is a critical issue that we often neglect or wish away although it has very high influence on the success of any team or any organization.
Some of my friends who took an effort to read this told me that though this was relevant there I have not introduced any solution or tool. I agree I did not provide any prescription drug the Cartesian world is comfortable with.
In managing relationship there cannot be any algorithm. The only true foundation on which a strong relationship can be nurtured is an awareness of the spectrum and the human tendency to drift to its wrong end; accepting what the Japs said. ”You go to office to make your boss look good and to make your sub feel wanted”
Be a giver and not just a taker.
Having said that, in this part II I would like to share two thoughts that came to my mind when I read the story ‘Arabian nights’ for my daughter. First of all, for those who do not remember the story let me narrate it as I remember.
Once upon a time there lived a king who loved his wife very much. Somewhere along the line he went for a long expedition, to conquer the world around him. When he came back from his expedition, he heard that his wife had an affair with his friend. He was devastated. He lost his faith in womanhood. He executed his wife immediately.
From that day, as an expression of his anger at the womenfolk he was on a trip of vengeance. He would marry a woman every day and kill her the very next day. It was the duty of his trusted minister to find a prey every day.
The life of the minister was really sad. He couldn’t stomach what was happening around him. But he could not control.
The minister had a beautiful daughter who was smart and witty. Let us call her Raisina She decided to give a try to change the king. He forced her father to get her married to the king.
She had expressed one wish as a condition to the marriage. Allow her younger sister Rubena to sleep in the next room on her wedding night. The king agreed and they got married. The next day at two in the morning the Rubena woke up and as planned asked Raisina to tell her a story; a last story. Raisina started her story; the story was gripping and when it was early morning and time for her to die the story had just reached the its moment of suspense. The big sis told Rubina, “My baby, it is time for me to go”
The story was so touching and the king too was enthralled. The king allowed one more day for her to complete that story. During the day Raisina went about her normal day and made her useful for the king’s court. The night fell and the story continued. One story was over and a new story started. Early in the morning the story reached suspense again. One more day is extended. It continued for 1001 days. And then king realized the worth of Raisina. They lived happily ever after.
Let me present the learning I got from this story. First, till such time you have a credible story you are alive any relationship will live only if there is a story that interesting to both parties. So start developing storylines..
What is the next take from this story? Don’t make sweeping judgment based on few incidences. Be willing to spend the ‘1001 nights’ before you make your conclusion.
In most of the relationship we have in our life, specially in our office relationship we seldom get this time. But one thing that we can try is to avoid jumping to conclusion on the basis of few incidences. What you observed as a behavior could only be an aberration. There could be an extenuating circumstance so on..
When you are willing to take this position, then there is hope that you may be able to nurture relations to work for you.
Some of my friends who took an effort to read this told me that though this was relevant there I have not introduced any solution or tool. I agree I did not provide any prescription drug the Cartesian world is comfortable with.
In managing relationship there cannot be any algorithm. The only true foundation on which a strong relationship can be nurtured is an awareness of the spectrum and the human tendency to drift to its wrong end; accepting what the Japs said. ”You go to office to make your boss look good and to make your sub feel wanted”
Be a giver and not just a taker.
Having said that, in this part II I would like to share two thoughts that came to my mind when I read the story ‘Arabian nights’ for my daughter. First of all, for those who do not remember the story let me narrate it as I remember.
Once upon a time there lived a king who loved his wife very much. Somewhere along the line he went for a long expedition, to conquer the world around him. When he came back from his expedition, he heard that his wife had an affair with his friend. He was devastated. He lost his faith in womanhood. He executed his wife immediately.
From that day, as an expression of his anger at the womenfolk he was on a trip of vengeance. He would marry a woman every day and kill her the very next day. It was the duty of his trusted minister to find a prey every day.
The life of the minister was really sad. He couldn’t stomach what was happening around him. But he could not control.
The minister had a beautiful daughter who was smart and witty. Let us call her Raisina She decided to give a try to change the king. He forced her father to get her married to the king.
She had expressed one wish as a condition to the marriage. Allow her younger sister Rubena to sleep in the next room on her wedding night. The king agreed and they got married. The next day at two in the morning the Rubena woke up and as planned asked Raisina to tell her a story; a last story. Raisina started her story; the story was gripping and when it was early morning and time for her to die the story had just reached the its moment of suspense. The big sis told Rubina, “My baby, it is time for me to go”
The story was so touching and the king too was enthralled. The king allowed one more day for her to complete that story. During the day Raisina went about her normal day and made her useful for the king’s court. The night fell and the story continued. One story was over and a new story started. Early in the morning the story reached suspense again. One more day is extended. It continued for 1001 days. And then king realized the worth of Raisina. They lived happily ever after.
Let me present the learning I got from this story. First, till such time you have a credible story you are alive any relationship will live only if there is a story that interesting to both parties. So start developing storylines..
What is the next take from this story? Don’t make sweeping judgment based on few incidences. Be willing to spend the ‘1001 nights’ before you make your conclusion.
In most of the relationship we have in our life, specially in our office relationship we seldom get this time. But one thing that we can try is to avoid jumping to conclusion on the basis of few incidences. What you observed as a behavior could only be an aberration. There could be an extenuating circumstance so on..
When you are willing to take this position, then there is hope that you may be able to nurture relations to work for you.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Relationships- Part I: Bonding with the Boss
Managing and maintaining relations is a challenge; whether it is the relation between husband and wife or boss and subordinate or just between friends. How successful we are in this will determine how strong this team is. In private life if the relations sour the parties drift apart. If it is a family then the family may breaks down. In organization whose success critically depends on the interactions among the human beings, the challenge is manifold and a failure could lead to its degeneration.
In this article I don’t plan to discuss the whole gamut of relations; but just focus on the relation between boss and immediate subordinate. Especially, high up in the hierarchy where this gets to be more complex. If the sub is equally or more competent then managing the relation gets to be even more difficult.
A healthy team at the top is a blessing for the organization. They gel well guiding the organization to greater heights. The subs support the boss and help to implement their shared vision. The boss guides and encourages the sub in this endeavor. Thus the relationship is tightly coupled and complementary. As the Japanese say, ”You go to office to make your boss look good and to make your sub feel wanted”.
There can be many examples of such winning combinations. Infosys top management succession is a good example for this. Narayanamoorthi as the head of the organization lead from the front for a long time. At the same time, Nandan, Kris, Mohandas etc who were part of Infy from the beginning played critical role in making Infy a great company. Over the period this team ensured that each of these senior players was growing in stature both within and outside the company. This has helped in the smooth transition of the captainship of the company multiple times. Moorthy and Nandan who have now moved over from the executive positions, are still there as mentors and at the same time their credibility and stature has reached such exalted levels that they are able to contribute in a significant fashion to the policy map of India. I think this particular dimension of managing the relationships has been one of the key contributors of its astounding success.
It looks so obvious and simple. But it is one of the most difficult challenges. We looked at one end of the spectrum. Now let look at the other end of the spectrum. What are the risks that derail the relationship?
The sub may feel that the boss is there more by an accident of age or seniority. So he tries to belittle the boss and strives hard to prove him wrong. The game to make the boss look like and asshole is in full swing. You hide key info from him. Make a big story about the mistakes he made. Does it help? Most often not. It would be just counterproductive. If you take an effort to prove that your boss is an idiot, you are proving to be a bigger idiot for working for him.
The boss may feel that the sub is a threat to him or that he doesn’t play to his tune. Then lots of his energy goes in neutralizing the sub. You belittle him in front of the team or even outsiders. You don’t involve him in key deliberations. You go out of your way to ensure that he doesn’t grow in stature within or without. You rely more on outside experts and make him feel small. Does this help? No. It only dissipates the energy within the organization. The sub no more is your alley. He will work towards torpedoing your plans. He will never give his best. You need to remember your sub who is ready to give his life for you and the organization can be your biggest asset. (I assume that your sub is worth this respect. If not, you are to blame for having him there in the first place) when you help him to grow you grow too.
The reality is seldom at either end of the spectrum. It is a floating point that dances all along the spectrum. The success of the team depends on how both the boss and the sub fully absorbs and appreciates the essence of this continuum; analyze their relationship in this framework and work towards keeping the course steady. Then the relationship grows in trust and the teams become a winning combination and avoid game of one-upmanship.
In this article I don’t plan to discuss the whole gamut of relations; but just focus on the relation between boss and immediate subordinate. Especially, high up in the hierarchy where this gets to be more complex. If the sub is equally or more competent then managing the relation gets to be even more difficult.
A healthy team at the top is a blessing for the organization. They gel well guiding the organization to greater heights. The subs support the boss and help to implement their shared vision. The boss guides and encourages the sub in this endeavor. Thus the relationship is tightly coupled and complementary. As the Japanese say, ”You go to office to make your boss look good and to make your sub feel wanted”.
There can be many examples of such winning combinations. Infosys top management succession is a good example for this. Narayanamoorthi as the head of the organization lead from the front for a long time. At the same time, Nandan, Kris, Mohandas etc who were part of Infy from the beginning played critical role in making Infy a great company. Over the period this team ensured that each of these senior players was growing in stature both within and outside the company. This has helped in the smooth transition of the captainship of the company multiple times. Moorthy and Nandan who have now moved over from the executive positions, are still there as mentors and at the same time their credibility and stature has reached such exalted levels that they are able to contribute in a significant fashion to the policy map of India. I think this particular dimension of managing the relationships has been one of the key contributors of its astounding success.
It looks so obvious and simple. But it is one of the most difficult challenges. We looked at one end of the spectrum. Now let look at the other end of the spectrum. What are the risks that derail the relationship?
The sub may feel that the boss is there more by an accident of age or seniority. So he tries to belittle the boss and strives hard to prove him wrong. The game to make the boss look like and asshole is in full swing. You hide key info from him. Make a big story about the mistakes he made. Does it help? Most often not. It would be just counterproductive. If you take an effort to prove that your boss is an idiot, you are proving to be a bigger idiot for working for him.
The boss may feel that the sub is a threat to him or that he doesn’t play to his tune. Then lots of his energy goes in neutralizing the sub. You belittle him in front of the team or even outsiders. You don’t involve him in key deliberations. You go out of your way to ensure that he doesn’t grow in stature within or without. You rely more on outside experts and make him feel small. Does this help? No. It only dissipates the energy within the organization. The sub no more is your alley. He will work towards torpedoing your plans. He will never give his best. You need to remember your sub who is ready to give his life for you and the organization can be your biggest asset. (I assume that your sub is worth this respect. If not, you are to blame for having him there in the first place) when you help him to grow you grow too.
The reality is seldom at either end of the spectrum. It is a floating point that dances all along the spectrum. The success of the team depends on how both the boss and the sub fully absorbs and appreciates the essence of this continuum; analyze their relationship in this framework and work towards keeping the course steady. Then the relationship grows in trust and the teams become a winning combination and avoid game of one-upmanship.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Can you blame me.. (Fiction)
When I first saw him at the pet store in a small little cage cuddled up in a corner, he looked like bundle of cotton. Suddenly this bundle of joy was up and running towards us. That naughty little cuddly face reached out to lick my extended palms which send an electric shock up my spine. I knew I had fallen in love. The shriek of excitement from my baby daughter who was near me, made it clear that that she shared the same sentiments.
We took him home with no hesitation. Soon he became a part of our family. The perfect companion for my daughter, the one I look forward to meet when I return home.
He is so quiet and gentle. He barks a bit when he feels ignored. Even that is so gentle and it doesn’t irk me at all.
He runs to me in the morning when he sees my eyes open. He is out with me when I go to make my morning coffee.
He tags along with me all around the house. He waits outside the loo patiently till I am out and he is beside us when we sit down for a round of loo.
He jumps up and runs to me any time I call, irrespective of what he is doing. He is too happy to put his affectionate face on my lap and be there till I tell him to buzz off.
He gets excited when some bitches passes by. But if I call he is back to me with a sheepish grin.
When I am angry I shout a bit. But never does he shout back.
Even if I kick him in anger (which I will never do) I know he will not hold it against me.
He doesn’t spend the whole day in office. He is always there when I call him.
He doesn’t go out gallivanting with friends. He is happy to come out with me any time I want or anywhere I want.
He protests, but doesn’t make an issue when I want to be out with my friends.
He doesn’t go for binges or stag parties leaving me alone at home.
He is not too finicky about food. No complaints on what is cooked at home.
He looks so handsome and that make my friends jealous.
Can you blame me for caring for my dog more than my husband!!
We took him home with no hesitation. Soon he became a part of our family. The perfect companion for my daughter, the one I look forward to meet when I return home.
He is so quiet and gentle. He barks a bit when he feels ignored. Even that is so gentle and it doesn’t irk me at all.
He runs to me in the morning when he sees my eyes open. He is out with me when I go to make my morning coffee.
He tags along with me all around the house. He waits outside the loo patiently till I am out and he is beside us when we sit down for a round of loo.
He jumps up and runs to me any time I call, irrespective of what he is doing. He is too happy to put his affectionate face on my lap and be there till I tell him to buzz off.
He gets excited when some bitches passes by. But if I call he is back to me with a sheepish grin.
When I am angry I shout a bit. But never does he shout back.
Even if I kick him in anger (which I will never do) I know he will not hold it against me.
He doesn’t spend the whole day in office. He is always there when I call him.
He doesn’t go out gallivanting with friends. He is happy to come out with me any time I want or anywhere I want.
He protests, but doesn’t make an issue when I want to be out with my friends.
He doesn’t go for binges or stag parties leaving me alone at home.
He is not too finicky about food. No complaints on what is cooked at home.
He looks so handsome and that make my friends jealous.
Can you blame me for caring for my dog more than my husband!!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Teeth to the RTI Act..
I had been to Indonesia recently for a holiday. My visit was not just to Jakarta the capital city. I visited a number of small towns around Sumatra Island. One thing that struck me (other than the scenic beauty all around) in most parts of Indonesia that I have visited, both in main town and small villages, is the condition of the roads. It is quite good in comparison with the Indian roads; especially in comparison with the Mumbai roads that I am familiar with. I found this quite surprising, although this is an equally (if not more) corrupt country and also has torrential rains like we have in India.
Mostly these roads were constructed during the regime of Suharto who had to relinquish office in late nineties on account of allegations including rampant corruption and nepotism. However, during long years of autocratic rule of Suharto, he gave enormous focus to development of the country and its infrastructure. He also insisted on good quality implementation. As the corruption in most of the projects was on and above the cost for implementation, there was not much compromise in quality. In India the contracts are awarded mostly to the lowest quote. With rampant corruption in many of the projects, the quality of implementation suffers and it is less transparent and difficult to prove.
We need to find a solution to this dilemma. How can we strengthen the quality of implementation of our public good projects without compromising the democratic governance we have established successfully? Is it a part of our culture not to have civic sense?
One of the prime reasons for this could be the lack of proper regulatory framework which is manned with experts and enabled with necessary enforcement powers. The right kind of law enforced by the right kind of guy.
The next problem is the low and time consuming conviction rate, especially that of white collar crimes. With such poor probability of conviction there is very little incentive for compliance. But the upside profit potential act as an incentive for cheating on quality of implementation in most of the public contracts.
It is easy to hope for a total transformation in enforcement, judicial processes and its turnaround time. But will be a bit impractical to expect any quick change in the habits and practices of a large cross section of section of the society. Because it involves human beings and their values; both of which un-predictable.
Let us address the factors that are more predictable. The first one is the legal framework itself. It is important that we get the governing framework right ie; the rules of the game. If we ensure that this is clear and enforceable, the foundation becomes strong.
The next key factor that provides stability is transparency. Transparency in public expenditure; how much, for which project, paid to whom and with what outcome. Let this be out made public to strengthen the hand of the concerned citizens, watchful NGOs and the fourth estate.
The right to information act (RTI) is a good beginning in this direction. However the paucity in infrastructure in meeting the demand of information blunts its cutting edge, although it acts as a strong enabler. In many places, the human interface either stonewalls the inquiry or the requests get buried under paper.
Information technology can play a major role in here. We could establish a system for tracking the development projects undertaken by the government into a central repository. If we establish such a central repository then it would be easy for making this information available online, on demand. Such an online dissemination of information can be the driving force for decentralized social audit, by the people whose life is affected by each of these projects. It then is no more under the mercy of disinterested bureaucrats for whom these projects are often milking cows or at best job to do or a statistic to report.
The transparency portal established by the Brazilian government is an excellent example for such an initiative. From the feedback of some of my friends who visited Brazil recently, this portal really works and contributes to reduction in corruption.
The whole cost for establishment of such a system would only be few tens of millions and benefits that the society will enjoy will be hundreds of times the cost.
Mostly these roads were constructed during the regime of Suharto who had to relinquish office in late nineties on account of allegations including rampant corruption and nepotism. However, during long years of autocratic rule of Suharto, he gave enormous focus to development of the country and its infrastructure. He also insisted on good quality implementation. As the corruption in most of the projects was on and above the cost for implementation, there was not much compromise in quality. In India the contracts are awarded mostly to the lowest quote. With rampant corruption in many of the projects, the quality of implementation suffers and it is less transparent and difficult to prove.
We need to find a solution to this dilemma. How can we strengthen the quality of implementation of our public good projects without compromising the democratic governance we have established successfully? Is it a part of our culture not to have civic sense?
One of the prime reasons for this could be the lack of proper regulatory framework which is manned with experts and enabled with necessary enforcement powers. The right kind of law enforced by the right kind of guy.
The next problem is the low and time consuming conviction rate, especially that of white collar crimes. With such poor probability of conviction there is very little incentive for compliance. But the upside profit potential act as an incentive for cheating on quality of implementation in most of the public contracts.
It is easy to hope for a total transformation in enforcement, judicial processes and its turnaround time. But will be a bit impractical to expect any quick change in the habits and practices of a large cross section of section of the society. Because it involves human beings and their values; both of which un-predictable.
Let us address the factors that are more predictable. The first one is the legal framework itself. It is important that we get the governing framework right ie; the rules of the game. If we ensure that this is clear and enforceable, the foundation becomes strong.
The next key factor that provides stability is transparency. Transparency in public expenditure; how much, for which project, paid to whom and with what outcome. Let this be out made public to strengthen the hand of the concerned citizens, watchful NGOs and the fourth estate.
The right to information act (RTI) is a good beginning in this direction. However the paucity in infrastructure in meeting the demand of information blunts its cutting edge, although it acts as a strong enabler. In many places, the human interface either stonewalls the inquiry or the requests get buried under paper.
Information technology can play a major role in here. We could establish a system for tracking the development projects undertaken by the government into a central repository. If we establish such a central repository then it would be easy for making this information available online, on demand. Such an online dissemination of information can be the driving force for decentralized social audit, by the people whose life is affected by each of these projects. It then is no more under the mercy of disinterested bureaucrats for whom these projects are often milking cows or at best job to do or a statistic to report.
The transparency portal established by the Brazilian government is an excellent example for such an initiative. From the feedback of some of my friends who visited Brazil recently, this portal really works and contributes to reduction in corruption.
The whole cost for establishment of such a system would only be few tens of millions and benefits that the society will enjoy will be hundreds of times the cost.
It Made Sense...
Government of India has announced that only those officers who have at least one year of service left will be eligible to be selected to the post of chairman of CBDT and CBEC. A very sensible decision indeed. In the absence of such a rule, the post of chairman had become almost of joke. In the last two years there had been four chairmen for CBDT and during this current calendar year there would have been four more. With each of them being there only for few months, these posts ceased to have any meaning except to those who adorned that chair for few months. For them, it gave a feeling of pride and satisfaction at the end of a long career. A parting gift; but not an opportunity to make any difference. Often they just had time to attend the farewell functions as the chairman.
In my view, this is just a beginning. As the head of an agency responsible for revenue collection, it is practically impossible for any person to develop and implement any sensible policy decisions even in one year. Therefore, a chairman should be given a term of five years (or at least three years) like the head of regulatory bodies like SEBI.
The incumbent should be selected based on his past performance, merit and potential and not on the basis of rank in the civil list which is only a measure of how well he did in the civil service examination about 30 years ago.
The government may also consider bringing some fresh talents in these posts; like the head of internal revenue service is selected even from outside the service (even outside government) in countries like United States. The idea is not to deny the opportunity for the service people. But ensure that there is a process in place for the selection of a deserving candidate.
A related issue is the career progression of civil servants. Today in most of the services the promotions at every level are based primarily on the rank in civil list in each cadre. In fact, one of my friends explained to me that they have developed a computer based utility which also has a database of rank in the civil list and age of their cadre officers. This utility can chart the career progression till retirement with reasonable confidence barring for the unfortunate death of or disciplinary action against any serving officers.
With such strong disincentive for performance, it is surprising that there are still many officers who really work hard and try to make a difference and not to push private agenda. But this is today a rare breed that you site not so often.
Therefore, the HR policies for the civil servants should also seriously consider merit based career growth. At the entrance level the institutionalized process of selection is truly merit based (Although the level of the people taking the exams has significantly dropped in the recent past). The annual CR is almost a farce. Except in cases where the boss has an axe to grind, the annual rating is mostly excellent for everybody.
This total lack of compulsion for results or upgrade of domain knowledge, transforms these bright kids who once qualified in one of most competitive selection process to change their focus to deal making, developing patronage and pushing private agendas. They realize that it is more important to cultivate godfathers from the service and political masters. In an environment that is changing so fast, they soon get outdated. And these outdated minds often based on superficial understanding of issues make key decisions and force it down using the power associated with the government. (This is not to be taken as a sweeping statement. There are many exceptions to this rule; but as per the admission of many insiders, this has become an exception than a rule)
I appreciate the perils of promotions and postings on the basis of performance which may be misused to shelf good officers or boost corrupt or pliant officers. I am sure just like the rigorous process of selection; the government can constitute an evaluation mechanism administered by an impartial team which measures the performance and potential of the officers. May be not for every promotion; at least for two or three jumps (or drops) in a career span of 30 years can be based on merits. Going forward, this evaluation should also throw up mechanism for ejecting the poor performers out of the system
In my view, this is just a beginning. As the head of an agency responsible for revenue collection, it is practically impossible for any person to develop and implement any sensible policy decisions even in one year. Therefore, a chairman should be given a term of five years (or at least three years) like the head of regulatory bodies like SEBI.
The incumbent should be selected based on his past performance, merit and potential and not on the basis of rank in the civil list which is only a measure of how well he did in the civil service examination about 30 years ago.
The government may also consider bringing some fresh talents in these posts; like the head of internal revenue service is selected even from outside the service (even outside government) in countries like United States. The idea is not to deny the opportunity for the service people. But ensure that there is a process in place for the selection of a deserving candidate.
A related issue is the career progression of civil servants. Today in most of the services the promotions at every level are based primarily on the rank in civil list in each cadre. In fact, one of my friends explained to me that they have developed a computer based utility which also has a database of rank in the civil list and age of their cadre officers. This utility can chart the career progression till retirement with reasonable confidence barring for the unfortunate death of or disciplinary action against any serving officers.
With such strong disincentive for performance, it is surprising that there are still many officers who really work hard and try to make a difference and not to push private agenda. But this is today a rare breed that you site not so often.
Therefore, the HR policies for the civil servants should also seriously consider merit based career growth. At the entrance level the institutionalized process of selection is truly merit based (Although the level of the people taking the exams has significantly dropped in the recent past). The annual CR is almost a farce. Except in cases where the boss has an axe to grind, the annual rating is mostly excellent for everybody.
This total lack of compulsion for results or upgrade of domain knowledge, transforms these bright kids who once qualified in one of most competitive selection process to change their focus to deal making, developing patronage and pushing private agendas. They realize that it is more important to cultivate godfathers from the service and political masters. In an environment that is changing so fast, they soon get outdated. And these outdated minds often based on superficial understanding of issues make key decisions and force it down using the power associated with the government. (This is not to be taken as a sweeping statement. There are many exceptions to this rule; but as per the admission of many insiders, this has become an exception than a rule)
I appreciate the perils of promotions and postings on the basis of performance which may be misused to shelf good officers or boost corrupt or pliant officers. I am sure just like the rigorous process of selection; the government can constitute an evaluation mechanism administered by an impartial team which measures the performance and potential of the officers. May be not for every promotion; at least for two or three jumps (or drops) in a career span of 30 years can be based on merits. Going forward, this evaluation should also throw up mechanism for ejecting the poor performers out of the system
Friday, February 6, 2009
Of beggars being choosers… (fiction)
Summer has gradually set in. The day is nearly unbearable, but the strong cold wind from the snow-clad Himalayas still manages to keep the evenings cool.
After a grueling day at the office, crunching numbers and making strategies to con my unwilling brothers, I was eagerly awaiting for a pleasant evening with a beautiful damsel who has agreed for an evening outing. She also, like me, is a yuppie looking for an intellectual companionship. The fact that we belong to opposite sex adds spice to the intellectual deliberations for the evening (after all, the spice is what makes the food tasty).
The dress code for the new breed is quite different from the conventional romantic couple out for a date. Levi jeans (torn), T-shirt and leather chappals with carefully tousled casual looking hairstyle. Natural setting is the ‘in thing’ these days. Unable to go far away from the city, we decided to compromise for the mundane Nehru Park, which I must say is a poor substitute.
After a stroll along the length and breadth of the park, we finally found a place without much intrusion into our privacy. The small talk ranges from trends in modern Indian cinema to Advaita to management theory (you see we are an intellectual duo).
And then he comes.
The pyjama is torn, stitched all around. Haven’t had a bath for days. A pleading look in his eyes, he is trying to earn his livelihood. He sees both of us sitting in a cozy chair, deeply involved in talking.
But he is quite an intelligent fellow. He approaches me straight. Tells me that he hasn’t had anything to eat the whole day. He is trying to strum the soft cords of my hearts at its social consciousness. I just can’t help showing how magnanimous a gentleman I am. Casually I handed over a one rupee note to him, hoping that he will fall at my legs with gratitude.
“What Sir, a good dinner at the dhaba would cost me five rupees, the cigarette you are smoking costs three rupees, are you not giving me the cost of even one cigarette. You privileged one, is this your great generosity”………….
He seems to be going into a lecture on the increase in cost of living and the exploitation of the poor by the ills like me.
The lady with me is having a hearty laugh at me squirming at his harangue. I was desperately trying to find a way to save my face.
Who told you, beggars cannot be choosers!!
After a grueling day at the office, crunching numbers and making strategies to con my unwilling brothers, I was eagerly awaiting for a pleasant evening with a beautiful damsel who has agreed for an evening outing. She also, like me, is a yuppie looking for an intellectual companionship. The fact that we belong to opposite sex adds spice to the intellectual deliberations for the evening (after all, the spice is what makes the food tasty).
The dress code for the new breed is quite different from the conventional romantic couple out for a date. Levi jeans (torn), T-shirt and leather chappals with carefully tousled casual looking hairstyle. Natural setting is the ‘in thing’ these days. Unable to go far away from the city, we decided to compromise for the mundane Nehru Park, which I must say is a poor substitute.
After a stroll along the length and breadth of the park, we finally found a place without much intrusion into our privacy. The small talk ranges from trends in modern Indian cinema to Advaita to management theory (you see we are an intellectual duo).
And then he comes.
The pyjama is torn, stitched all around. Haven’t had a bath for days. A pleading look in his eyes, he is trying to earn his livelihood. He sees both of us sitting in a cozy chair, deeply involved in talking.
But he is quite an intelligent fellow. He approaches me straight. Tells me that he hasn’t had anything to eat the whole day. He is trying to strum the soft cords of my hearts at its social consciousness. I just can’t help showing how magnanimous a gentleman I am. Casually I handed over a one rupee note to him, hoping that he will fall at my legs with gratitude.
“What Sir, a good dinner at the dhaba would cost me five rupees, the cigarette you are smoking costs three rupees, are you not giving me the cost of even one cigarette. You privileged one, is this your great generosity”………….
He seems to be going into a lecture on the increase in cost of living and the exploitation of the poor by the ills like me.
The lady with me is having a hearty laugh at me squirming at his harangue. I was desperately trying to find a way to save my face.
Who told you, beggars cannot be choosers!!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Tale of two towns
Creation of wealth..
Once upon a time there were two villages. Rampur and Sitapur. These were about 25 kms from each other. The people of these villages were poor. They mostly confined their lives to their own village. A local lad of Rampur called Ram fell in love with Sita of the same village. They belonged to different castes and the families did not see eye to eye. They knew that they could not think about a family in Rampur. So both of them ran away to Sitapur and lived happily ever after.
The parents were initially very upset so they decided not to think about the kids. Little by little Ram’s parents melted. One day they set out searching for their son and reached Sitapur. It was an adventurous trip. They managed to trace Ram and family. When they came back they had a lot of stories about the life in Sitapur. Especially about the beautiful waterfall outside the village and the dramas that the local kids organize during weekends. Next time they went as a group. Ram’s father who was a cobbler took some nice chappals he made and found that there were many keen to buy. Eventually the people figured out that travel between the villages was fun and brought some opportunities for business too.
The people were mostly poor and the commute was on foot. The village panchayats got together to build a road to connect both these villages. This road had nice trees on the side to provide shades. Some people set up small coffee and juice shops along the way, to add to the comfort the commuters. Some enterprising people set up regular service of bullock carts to connect the villages. Suddenly the travel time between the villages dropped drastically.
More people were travelling. Now we have more bullock carts out in the road. Some even have nice cushions to relax. In one bullock cart the driver would sing nice kavali songs all along the way. There are more shops along the streets. Nice jain vegetarian restaurants, and excellent kabab joints. Shops to fit all pockets.
Inter village trade flourished. Ram’s father, the cobbler in Rampur decided to set up a shoe factory and he built a big shed. He got youngsters who were normally wasting times at the street to stitch shoes. He started selling these shoes Sitapur too. Eventually every month one bullock cart load of shoes was being sold in Sitapur. The cobbler now set up training school to teach how to make shoes.
In Sitapur the kirana wala opened a showroom for shoes branded with the name of his daughter with Ram’s father supplying him the shoes.
The local chemist at Sitapur sent his son to the homeopathy college and now he is back running a small clinic.
Utopia in making…
These villages are now small towns and are getting noticed as people are getting richer. These towns were situated in a great country where the government had vouched that it will work to touch the lives of every citizen. Their long caring arms stretched out to these two towns.
A bus service was introduced between the Rampur and Sitapur which was run by the government transport corporation from the capital. Wow, the trip takes even shorter time. The bus company issued season tickets to the regular travelers.
The government ruled that only restaurants with permits will be allowed to be operational along the road so that they could control the price and the quality of food. They fixed the price for each food item and the government food inspectors regularly inspected the quality of food.
The government concluded that Ram’s father was exploiting the workers and the Shoe factory was nationalized. The government guaranteed minimum wages for each factory worker. Further, it prescribed very strict approval processes in place that it was practically impossible for anybody else to put up a shoe factory.
The benevolent government frowned upon commercializing education and shoe training school was taken over by education department and now there is no fee for any students.
Homeopath doctor was arrested as he could not show the certificate he got from the college and the government established a dispensary where every patient was treated free.
Now that the government has started regular bus service it banned the bullock cart service which was exploiting the poor travelers.
Truly an utopia
Reality Hits…
The capacity of the buses was not enough to meet the growing demand. Some enterprising bullock cart owners were running services on the sly. They were able get along with this so long as they paid a hafta regularly to the police from the capital.
The regular travelers set up an association to strengthen their rights. They were able to get a ruling from the government that only the association members could get season tickets in future and only they could travel by bus. With the strength of the union many of them stopped paying for the travel and some of them even pulled out seats as sofas for home. In spite of the increase in cost of running these buses, the government was so kind and they did not increase the bus charge at all.
With ticket sales so poor and spiraling operating cost, the government transport company did not have enough money to buy new buses or even repair the ones on the road.
Capacity so limited, there was a trouble brewing from various quarters. The government came out with policies reserving seats for each of the dominant groups. Naturally the impact these groups had in the annual elections was one of the main qualifying criteria. With each new party vying with each other to increase the reservation, at the end of it there were very few who were left without reservation.
To ensure that the reservation policy was not mis-used by un-deserving candidates, the government established a department to issue eligibility certificates. In fact this department was headed by member of the civil service. This department also helped creation of many government jobs and spawned entrepreneurs who acted as agents who helped you to get any certificate at a price.
The new shoe factory managing director who was on deputation from the civil service from the centre had no idea of running a shoe business or rather any business. But he had variety of specialized knowledge honed by his wide ranging experience. He developed a wonderful five year plans for the progress of the company. He identified export opportunities in production of Ski boots. He immediately arranged to import machines from Italy to make these ski boots. The knowledge that he acquired for this project by visiting many European countries has been an asset for the ambitious growth plans for this shoe factory. To avoid distraction during the study tour, he had taken his whole family with him. Even the local MP who is also in the board of the company accompanied the MD.
He established procurement division for hide and got the government to issue an order that hide can be sold only to this authorized procurement agency. He got his wife’s brother who is also member of the elite civil service (trained to collect revenue for the government) to head this procurement agency. Being a revenue service officer he could really understand cost and revenue. As the hide could not be sold to any other agency, the shoe factory could ensure that they got the hide at the price they preferred and get special favors for just having bought it.
The unions ensured that the wages kept up with rising inflation. With shoe making nationalized, there was no competition for shoe supply. The managing director allotted chain of shoe distribution shops. These were allotted to the relatives of the union leaders and the political masters.
As the shoes were used by common men, the government shoe factory sold them at prices below the cost price. But with production far lower than the demand, they fetched a very high premium in the market and the distributers made mother loads of profits. But they also cared for the interest of the country and made sure that they made monthly contribution for all the party funds.
Naturally the shoe factory was making losses. But it is supposed to make loss. Profit making is for the profiteers and government cannot be in profiteering.
The shoe training institutes set up with generous grants from the central government failed only in one thing. To teach how to make shoes. All the directors of the institute have now gone for a tour to North America for inputs on how to better this institute. Mind you, the whole study tour is funded by World Bank. In fact the World Bank is also assigning an international consulting company to undertake a worldwide study and develop a rehabilitation package. However with no fee, no research projects and no corporate funding the sustenance was critically dependent on government support. With changing priorities this was not a sustainable model.
Those who wanted to learn how to make shoes now had to go for private tuition. The rich among them sent their children abroad for studies. Of course these were set up by the teachers from the government training institute. These teachers had lots of time for such private tuitions as they had to visit the institute only once a month to collect the salary.
But it was important for each aspiring student to get admission in the institute as they were the only one authorized to give a certificate which was acceptable. With many children queuing up to get admission, the school could not cope up with the demand. Here again the government came in with policies of reservation which now had now a mass appeal.
The government dispensary has everything except the doctors. There are doctors posted here. But they seldom come here. They are busy with their private practice.
I narrated this story about the challenges of Governance to my little daughter. She looked up at me innocently and exclaimed. “Dad, the government seems to be doing what you do with me. Interfering and doing many things that you are not supposed to do. Your guidance is great and helpful. As I always tell you, if you stop this un-necessary interference, you will see wonders. Don’t you think the villages were doing better when the interference was limited and that the local people managed their affairs better?”
I say could not disagree with her on this. This problem is not just in Rampur and Sitapur. It is the problem of the whole country. The recipe for the public policy often appears to be as follows. First policies that lead to scarcity are made. Then you make policies to manage this scarcity. The policies that buy you votes and provide opportunities for rent seeking.
The controversy on reservation is a case in point. The real issue behind reservation is not about affirmative action. It is about scarcity. There are about 100 to 150 thousand new recruitments for both central and state government. We declare reservation for this. Instead make the environment conducive for employment creation (not in government). Instead of trying to make policies those create more schools and better schools we end up trying restrict schools and reduce the standard of the schools.
We see the same pattern in a variety of areas. From health, to education to labor policies. In summary what we we need is a shift in focus to policy that remove scarcity and enable access.
Once upon a time there were two villages. Rampur and Sitapur. These were about 25 kms from each other. The people of these villages were poor. They mostly confined their lives to their own village. A local lad of Rampur called Ram fell in love with Sita of the same village. They belonged to different castes and the families did not see eye to eye. They knew that they could not think about a family in Rampur. So both of them ran away to Sitapur and lived happily ever after.
The parents were initially very upset so they decided not to think about the kids. Little by little Ram’s parents melted. One day they set out searching for their son and reached Sitapur. It was an adventurous trip. They managed to trace Ram and family. When they came back they had a lot of stories about the life in Sitapur. Especially about the beautiful waterfall outside the village and the dramas that the local kids organize during weekends. Next time they went as a group. Ram’s father who was a cobbler took some nice chappals he made and found that there were many keen to buy. Eventually the people figured out that travel between the villages was fun and brought some opportunities for business too.
The people were mostly poor and the commute was on foot. The village panchayats got together to build a road to connect both these villages. This road had nice trees on the side to provide shades. Some people set up small coffee and juice shops along the way, to add to the comfort the commuters. Some enterprising people set up regular service of bullock carts to connect the villages. Suddenly the travel time between the villages dropped drastically.
More people were travelling. Now we have more bullock carts out in the road. Some even have nice cushions to relax. In one bullock cart the driver would sing nice kavali songs all along the way. There are more shops along the streets. Nice jain vegetarian restaurants, and excellent kabab joints. Shops to fit all pockets.
Inter village trade flourished. Ram’s father, the cobbler in Rampur decided to set up a shoe factory and he built a big shed. He got youngsters who were normally wasting times at the street to stitch shoes. He started selling these shoes Sitapur too. Eventually every month one bullock cart load of shoes was being sold in Sitapur. The cobbler now set up training school to teach how to make shoes.
In Sitapur the kirana wala opened a showroom for shoes branded with the name of his daughter with Ram’s father supplying him the shoes.
The local chemist at Sitapur sent his son to the homeopathy college and now he is back running a small clinic.
Utopia in making…
These villages are now small towns and are getting noticed as people are getting richer. These towns were situated in a great country where the government had vouched that it will work to touch the lives of every citizen. Their long caring arms stretched out to these two towns.
A bus service was introduced between the Rampur and Sitapur which was run by the government transport corporation from the capital. Wow, the trip takes even shorter time. The bus company issued season tickets to the regular travelers.
The government ruled that only restaurants with permits will be allowed to be operational along the road so that they could control the price and the quality of food. They fixed the price for each food item and the government food inspectors regularly inspected the quality of food.
The government concluded that Ram’s father was exploiting the workers and the Shoe factory was nationalized. The government guaranteed minimum wages for each factory worker. Further, it prescribed very strict approval processes in place that it was practically impossible for anybody else to put up a shoe factory.
The benevolent government frowned upon commercializing education and shoe training school was taken over by education department and now there is no fee for any students.
Homeopath doctor was arrested as he could not show the certificate he got from the college and the government established a dispensary where every patient was treated free.
Now that the government has started regular bus service it banned the bullock cart service which was exploiting the poor travelers.
Truly an utopia
Reality Hits…
The capacity of the buses was not enough to meet the growing demand. Some enterprising bullock cart owners were running services on the sly. They were able get along with this so long as they paid a hafta regularly to the police from the capital.
The regular travelers set up an association to strengthen their rights. They were able to get a ruling from the government that only the association members could get season tickets in future and only they could travel by bus. With the strength of the union many of them stopped paying for the travel and some of them even pulled out seats as sofas for home. In spite of the increase in cost of running these buses, the government was so kind and they did not increase the bus charge at all.
With ticket sales so poor and spiraling operating cost, the government transport company did not have enough money to buy new buses or even repair the ones on the road.
Capacity so limited, there was a trouble brewing from various quarters. The government came out with policies reserving seats for each of the dominant groups. Naturally the impact these groups had in the annual elections was one of the main qualifying criteria. With each new party vying with each other to increase the reservation, at the end of it there were very few who were left without reservation.
To ensure that the reservation policy was not mis-used by un-deserving candidates, the government established a department to issue eligibility certificates. In fact this department was headed by member of the civil service. This department also helped creation of many government jobs and spawned entrepreneurs who acted as agents who helped you to get any certificate at a price.
The new shoe factory managing director who was on deputation from the civil service from the centre had no idea of running a shoe business or rather any business. But he had variety of specialized knowledge honed by his wide ranging experience. He developed a wonderful five year plans for the progress of the company. He identified export opportunities in production of Ski boots. He immediately arranged to import machines from Italy to make these ski boots. The knowledge that he acquired for this project by visiting many European countries has been an asset for the ambitious growth plans for this shoe factory. To avoid distraction during the study tour, he had taken his whole family with him. Even the local MP who is also in the board of the company accompanied the MD.
He established procurement division for hide and got the government to issue an order that hide can be sold only to this authorized procurement agency. He got his wife’s brother who is also member of the elite civil service (trained to collect revenue for the government) to head this procurement agency. Being a revenue service officer he could really understand cost and revenue. As the hide could not be sold to any other agency, the shoe factory could ensure that they got the hide at the price they preferred and get special favors for just having bought it.
The unions ensured that the wages kept up with rising inflation. With shoe making nationalized, there was no competition for shoe supply. The managing director allotted chain of shoe distribution shops. These were allotted to the relatives of the union leaders and the political masters.
As the shoes were used by common men, the government shoe factory sold them at prices below the cost price. But with production far lower than the demand, they fetched a very high premium in the market and the distributers made mother loads of profits. But they also cared for the interest of the country and made sure that they made monthly contribution for all the party funds.
Naturally the shoe factory was making losses. But it is supposed to make loss. Profit making is for the profiteers and government cannot be in profiteering.
The shoe training institutes set up with generous grants from the central government failed only in one thing. To teach how to make shoes. All the directors of the institute have now gone for a tour to North America for inputs on how to better this institute. Mind you, the whole study tour is funded by World Bank. In fact the World Bank is also assigning an international consulting company to undertake a worldwide study and develop a rehabilitation package. However with no fee, no research projects and no corporate funding the sustenance was critically dependent on government support. With changing priorities this was not a sustainable model.
Those who wanted to learn how to make shoes now had to go for private tuition. The rich among them sent their children abroad for studies. Of course these were set up by the teachers from the government training institute. These teachers had lots of time for such private tuitions as they had to visit the institute only once a month to collect the salary.
But it was important for each aspiring student to get admission in the institute as they were the only one authorized to give a certificate which was acceptable. With many children queuing up to get admission, the school could not cope up with the demand. Here again the government came in with policies of reservation which now had now a mass appeal.
The government dispensary has everything except the doctors. There are doctors posted here. But they seldom come here. They are busy with their private practice.
I narrated this story about the challenges of Governance to my little daughter. She looked up at me innocently and exclaimed. “Dad, the government seems to be doing what you do with me. Interfering and doing many things that you are not supposed to do. Your guidance is great and helpful. As I always tell you, if you stop this un-necessary interference, you will see wonders. Don’t you think the villages were doing better when the interference was limited and that the local people managed their affairs better?”
I say could not disagree with her on this. This problem is not just in Rampur and Sitapur. It is the problem of the whole country. The recipe for the public policy often appears to be as follows. First policies that lead to scarcity are made. Then you make policies to manage this scarcity. The policies that buy you votes and provide opportunities for rent seeking.
The controversy on reservation is a case in point. The real issue behind reservation is not about affirmative action. It is about scarcity. There are about 100 to 150 thousand new recruitments for both central and state government. We declare reservation for this. Instead make the environment conducive for employment creation (not in government). Instead of trying to make policies those create more schools and better schools we end up trying restrict schools and reduce the standard of the schools.
We see the same pattern in a variety of areas. From health, to education to labor policies. In summary what we we need is a shift in focus to policy that remove scarcity and enable access.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Devastation of world financial markets - A case of Policy Reversals in India?
The economies around the world in the last few months are trying to adjust to the neutron bomb like devastation that downed many titans of the financial market and decimated large part of the forces, both officers and the foot soldiers, all around the world. We in India have also been caught the wake of this destruction and has been exposed to a fair share of misery ourselves. This experience has since raised questions from many as to whether this is a signal that the market economy too is a failure; like the failures of communism and planned economies in the last couple of decades. For a country like ours that is struggling out of the paralyzing hold of the planned economy, the lower impact this meltdown had on our economy naturally triggered these doubts. Fanning these worries are many who enjoyed the protective cocoons, of licenses and controls we had for practically each and every economic activity ranging from manufacturing to imports and exports, which ensured profit for few at the cost of many.
I am not an expert to assess the reasons and impact of the quake that shocked the financial world. But I couldn’t help pen few thoughts that come to my mind on the issues that are being discussed among my crowd of friends.
It is in the nature of market to see cycles of growth and creative destruction. During the cycles of growth we will see extensive rallies of innovations. Many of these innovations are meant to die. Like experimental mutations of evolutionary process. The environment around test these mutations and the ones that can survive these tests precede forward in the path of evolution. As Garry Hammel has explained in ‘Future of Management’, this is one lesson we need to learn from the evolutionary process if we want to build sustaining institutions.
Some time these innovations build a momentum that takes it to ridiculous heights. If we recall, similar enthusiasm and short term orientation resulted in blowup of about 65 billion dollars in the dotcom revolution. Internet then was a new idea opening up opportunities that were not dreamed. The matrices to measure the performance were just evolving. In the meantime there was much causality. Did the internet industry die? No. The right kind of models survived. In past most of these such bubbles were localized to industry and market. Whenever new technology or new product ideas have been identified, we have seen an immediate profusion of organizations that spring up to exploit this. Most of them die and few survive to become successful players in the market. Men with showels who ventured to prospect diamonds when new continents were discovered to the number companies which were set up to manufacture electrical machinery to computers are cases in point. How many have survived till today? Very Few.
What can control this runaway acceleration is healthy governance and stronger regulatory institutions to ensure that the innovations are good for the market as whole and not just for few people. Any game would need clear set of rules and an umpire who understands the game, its rules, its compulsions and who is fair. Else, greed or muscle power or fraud will rule the game.
In the last few years we saw out of balance developments in the market in comparison to the development in regulatory mechanisms. When complex financial engineering products were being structured and marketed the credit rating institutions who are supposed to signal the true risk associated with these products failed in their duty. The pull of the unhealthy incentive structure for these agencies (where their income was derived from companies whose products are being rated by these rating agencies) distanced them away from their fiduciary responsibility leading to ratings that failed to reflect the true risk which in turn lead to mis-allocation of funds.
When such ingenious financial engineering helped US sub-prime loans to reach un-sustainable levels the bubble broke. The mere scale and spread of infected assets across the market players suddenly came to light. That took away the trust that these institutions had among them; the trust that kept the money flow between these entities.
When the inter-institutional trust evaporated the absence of such well structured markets were exacerbated. This squeezed flow of money in the international money markets. The pumps that pressured the flow were no more primed sufficiently. It was this flow that provided the lubrication for the economy to work. And the sudden drying of the money market seized many of the moving parts of the real economy.
Financial markets can be compared to the circulatory system in a body (the other industry segments may be compared to different organs of the body). In an integrated world the infection in the circulatory system spread very fast and wide and it had its impact even in India although there has been no build up of toxic assets in India. The drying up of the western money markets added pressure on the international investors who had invested in India and the Indian corporate who had exposure to international money market which contributed to selling pressure in Indian stock market and a credit squeeze in Indian Money market.
Governments realized the magnitude of this disaster and the need for immediate action. They quarantined the infected, separated toxic assets and pumped in liquidity. Like the doctor taking series of actions to contain the infection and suggesting a life style of extreme moderation till recovery to normal health. It also suggested the need of disciplined life.
But this no way suggests the ossified existence of a vegetating economy with a permanent freeze on any innovation and experimentation. I don’t think the governments of US and Europe that came in with a bailout package, plan to permanently run these as nationalized institutions frozen permanently into a mummified existence. They wanted to contain the mess, doctor them to health and put them back to the competitive pressures of the evolution process. If we look a bit cynically, this is in a way similar to Buffet pumping funds to Goldman Sachs and buying controlling stake really cheap. I am sure both these parties are going to be better off from these transactions once the tide has turned and will not be saddled with unproductive and unresponsive companies to run. I am not suggesting that the intention of the interventions was profits; it was primarily stabilizing the rocking boat. But the process and the expected outcome is going to be similar.
The failure that we witnessed in the market and the governmental interventions even in the developed countries seem to spur pressure on the policy makers in our country to revert back to more government control of business. Let us for a second look back at what the prevailing situation was in our country before started our journey towards liberalized market economy.
The Indian manufacturing was protected from both internal and external competition. Import restrictions and high import tariffs protected them from external competition. The government licensing system, coupled with the MRTP removed any incentive for innovation or even providing quality product, customer service or improvement of product features. The history of our automotive industry is a classical case in point. India commenced production of motor cars in 1957 ; Toyota commenced production of cars in 1937 and Honda motor company of Japan commenced production of cars in 1963. For the next four decades we produced the same car, sold it at ridiculously high prices and the buyer had to wait for months after placing an order after paying an advance. In the meantime the Toyota and Honda established as world leaders in automotive industry. This is not something that was unique to automotive industry. Each and every Industry in our country from blades to cement to pharmaceuticals has the same story.
Banking and financial services industry was no better. Customers of the banks, instead of being serviced were made to feel like mendicants asking for alms. Stock market was a closed club of brokers with the interest of the investor always coming last.
What did it mean to Indian Economy? India was never regarded as place where anything was happening. The slow growth rate of around 3% was considered the characteristic Hindu rate of growth. The consumer had no options for any new products. The job opportunities were limited. Few connected industrialists made all the money by cornering licenses, sharing the booty with the political bosses who were also able to exploit this state of affairs by attracting the patronage of masses who were living in a world of shortages.
Since we gradually moved towards a liberalized economy we have now established ourselves as a place where things do happen. There is a feeling of widespread optimism that we are on a path of real development and not in a spiral of poverty.
Let the nostalgia or the convoluted interpretations of the happenings around blind us to the history. But let us use this as an opportunity to learn from these mistakes and strengthen our institutions so that the momentum we built is not extinguished.
I am not an expert to assess the reasons and impact of the quake that shocked the financial world. But I couldn’t help pen few thoughts that come to my mind on the issues that are being discussed among my crowd of friends.
It is in the nature of market to see cycles of growth and creative destruction. During the cycles of growth we will see extensive rallies of innovations. Many of these innovations are meant to die. Like experimental mutations of evolutionary process. The environment around test these mutations and the ones that can survive these tests precede forward in the path of evolution. As Garry Hammel has explained in ‘Future of Management’, this is one lesson we need to learn from the evolutionary process if we want to build sustaining institutions.
Some time these innovations build a momentum that takes it to ridiculous heights. If we recall, similar enthusiasm and short term orientation resulted in blowup of about 65 billion dollars in the dotcom revolution. Internet then was a new idea opening up opportunities that were not dreamed. The matrices to measure the performance were just evolving. In the meantime there was much causality. Did the internet industry die? No. The right kind of models survived. In past most of these such bubbles were localized to industry and market. Whenever new technology or new product ideas have been identified, we have seen an immediate profusion of organizations that spring up to exploit this. Most of them die and few survive to become successful players in the market. Men with showels who ventured to prospect diamonds when new continents were discovered to the number companies which were set up to manufacture electrical machinery to computers are cases in point. How many have survived till today? Very Few.
What can control this runaway acceleration is healthy governance and stronger regulatory institutions to ensure that the innovations are good for the market as whole and not just for few people. Any game would need clear set of rules and an umpire who understands the game, its rules, its compulsions and who is fair. Else, greed or muscle power or fraud will rule the game.
In the last few years we saw out of balance developments in the market in comparison to the development in regulatory mechanisms. When complex financial engineering products were being structured and marketed the credit rating institutions who are supposed to signal the true risk associated with these products failed in their duty. The pull of the unhealthy incentive structure for these agencies (where their income was derived from companies whose products are being rated by these rating agencies) distanced them away from their fiduciary responsibility leading to ratings that failed to reflect the true risk which in turn lead to mis-allocation of funds.
When such ingenious financial engineering helped US sub-prime loans to reach un-sustainable levels the bubble broke. The mere scale and spread of infected assets across the market players suddenly came to light. That took away the trust that these institutions had among them; the trust that kept the money flow between these entities.
When the inter-institutional trust evaporated the absence of such well structured markets were exacerbated. This squeezed flow of money in the international money markets. The pumps that pressured the flow were no more primed sufficiently. It was this flow that provided the lubrication for the economy to work. And the sudden drying of the money market seized many of the moving parts of the real economy.
Financial markets can be compared to the circulatory system in a body (the other industry segments may be compared to different organs of the body). In an integrated world the infection in the circulatory system spread very fast and wide and it had its impact even in India although there has been no build up of toxic assets in India. The drying up of the western money markets added pressure on the international investors who had invested in India and the Indian corporate who had exposure to international money market which contributed to selling pressure in Indian stock market and a credit squeeze in Indian Money market.
Governments realized the magnitude of this disaster and the need for immediate action. They quarantined the infected, separated toxic assets and pumped in liquidity. Like the doctor taking series of actions to contain the infection and suggesting a life style of extreme moderation till recovery to normal health. It also suggested the need of disciplined life.
But this no way suggests the ossified existence of a vegetating economy with a permanent freeze on any innovation and experimentation. I don’t think the governments of US and Europe that came in with a bailout package, plan to permanently run these as nationalized institutions frozen permanently into a mummified existence. They wanted to contain the mess, doctor them to health and put them back to the competitive pressures of the evolution process. If we look a bit cynically, this is in a way similar to Buffet pumping funds to Goldman Sachs and buying controlling stake really cheap. I am sure both these parties are going to be better off from these transactions once the tide has turned and will not be saddled with unproductive and unresponsive companies to run. I am not suggesting that the intention of the interventions was profits; it was primarily stabilizing the rocking boat. But the process and the expected outcome is going to be similar.
The failure that we witnessed in the market and the governmental interventions even in the developed countries seem to spur pressure on the policy makers in our country to revert back to more government control of business. Let us for a second look back at what the prevailing situation was in our country before started our journey towards liberalized market economy.
The Indian manufacturing was protected from both internal and external competition. Import restrictions and high import tariffs protected them from external competition. The government licensing system, coupled with the MRTP removed any incentive for innovation or even providing quality product, customer service or improvement of product features. The history of our automotive industry is a classical case in point. India commenced production of motor cars in 1957 ; Toyota commenced production of cars in 1937 and Honda motor company of Japan commenced production of cars in 1963. For the next four decades we produced the same car, sold it at ridiculously high prices and the buyer had to wait for months after placing an order after paying an advance. In the meantime the Toyota and Honda established as world leaders in automotive industry. This is not something that was unique to automotive industry. Each and every Industry in our country from blades to cement to pharmaceuticals has the same story.
Banking and financial services industry was no better. Customers of the banks, instead of being serviced were made to feel like mendicants asking for alms. Stock market was a closed club of brokers with the interest of the investor always coming last.
What did it mean to Indian Economy? India was never regarded as place where anything was happening. The slow growth rate of around 3% was considered the characteristic Hindu rate of growth. The consumer had no options for any new products. The job opportunities were limited. Few connected industrialists made all the money by cornering licenses, sharing the booty with the political bosses who were also able to exploit this state of affairs by attracting the patronage of masses who were living in a world of shortages.
Since we gradually moved towards a liberalized economy we have now established ourselves as a place where things do happen. There is a feeling of widespread optimism that we are on a path of real development and not in a spiral of poverty.
Let the nostalgia or the convoluted interpretations of the happenings around blind us to the history. But let us use this as an opportunity to learn from these mistakes and strengthen our institutions so that the momentum we built is not extinguished.
My South East- Asian Retreat
Break at the Lion's den
December is the time for my annual holiday. The policy of mandatory leave in our office gave no choice even for workaholics like me to find excuses to stay back. That is when Sachin, my good old friend, suggested that we could plan an Indonesian holiday. As I had spent two years in Jakarta some time ago, it had a nostalgic appeal. When he further sweetened the plan with an idea to hop around the scenic islands with a whole host of old friends and families, the idea was sold. I knew Sachin would make excellent plans. The kind of holiday I would prefer. Economical , exciting and off the beaten track. (Once you identify the right guy to do the project, leave it to him to deliver the best. But you need to learn to cherish the unexpected). For a contrarian like me, ‘off the beaten track’ has a special appeal. With Sachin married to Vandy who is Liz’s best friend no objection from the Home Ministry too.
We took a break at Singapore for few hours. Managed to meet up with Abhijit and Anju who were my class mates from IIM and who are now settled in Singapore. My daughter Isabella was too excited to spend few hours with Zen, their lovely Golden Retriever. It was something special for Isabella as Zen reminded her of ‘Rocky’, her old pet who is a similar Golden Retriever whom we had given to a friend when we left Dubai.
On to high hills..
We landed up in Jakarta by Sunday evening. Monday was the day to relax and chat up on the old stories. An evening visit to the local Chinese spa was sufficient to melt away the jet lag. In addition to the regular sauna, steam hot and cold pools they also had the ‘joy fish’ treatment which was a novelty for me. For this, you dip you leg in a pool containing some kind of live fish which love to nibble your feet. Apparently they love feeding on the dead skin. The spa patrons suggested a complete dip. But even a dip of foot was a crazy idea for me. Then I had a lovely massage for about an hour that was relaxing and rejuvenating. Specially the hot-stone massage.
Then on Tuesday we ventured out for our first leg. Five families including us. In addition to Sachin the cable TV channel entrepreneur, there were Chubby (Rajesh Menon) the adman with Miranda his wife, Sunil the banker and his wife Urmila, Paul (the paper industry executive) with his wife Maria. Nine children among all of us with three baby sitters made the up a group of twenty two. With all of us from same age bracket and tastes, group jelled quite well. The right mix of communion and personal space…
A local flight to Padang by Lion Air. The crowd we were, the kiddos were suggesting that the airline be renamed Monkey air.
Padang is the main town in West of Sumatra which is one of the major islands of Indonesia. The island that got its name splashed around the world when the Tsunami ravaged through it, killing millions of people. The flight from Jakarta took about one hour and thirty minutes after it took off about two hours late. The plane was flying along the western cost. The sea has a splatter of small islands all along. From up there in the sky these islands looked brilliant. Green patch in the middle (the vegetation), white sand ribbon around it and then the aquamarine patch (the shallow water) surrounded by the vast blue ocean. Some of these islands are perfect circles.
The airport building has a typical West Sumatran Architecture. The rooftops looks like two pairs of bull horns kept perpendicular to each other. When you look at a pair of horn in direction with both of them in a straight line away from your eyes, Originally this design may have been meant for effective air circulation. These days very often there are no vents in the triangle but rather decorative carvings. In some of the large mansions, in place of each of the above pair, there is a double pair.
[1]The slanting roof triangular edges appears quite similar to the Kerala architecture in houses referred to as ‘nalukettu’ In these case there are no horn-shaped corners as seen in Sumatran architecture. One would see a number of similarities of customs, cuisine and architecture between India and the Indonesia.[2]
These roof tops could have been shaped this way on account of the special place buffalos have in their folklore. As per one of the stories, once a Javanese king attacked them and they suggested a buffalo fight instead of two armies fighting it out. Javanese army sent in an elephant sized buffalo and the Sumatrans sent a half starved calf with its horns fitted with sharp blades. The calf ran to the huge buffalo thinking that it was the mother and tried to feed from the udder, slicing the giant’s belly. The crowd shouted Minangkabau, meaning the ‘buffalo has fallen’ Hence the locals came to be referred as Minangkabau (there are many other folk stories on how this name came about. But I just narrated the most exciting one). Legend has it that the Minangkabaus are descendants of the youngest son of Alexander the Great, King Maharjo Dirajo,more commonly known in Indonesia as Iskandar Zulkarnain. They originally settled in the Padang Panjang region and gradually spread out over the rest of Western Sumatra.
A two hour drive (about 90 kms) to Bukittingi (high hills in bahasa Indonesia, the local tongue- there are many places called bukittingi in this part of the world including one in Singapore) and then a one hour drive to Harau Valley by bus took us to the resort where we spend the next three days. The scenery along the way is breathtaking. Luscious greenery that reminds me of my homeland Kerala; God’s own country.
We stopped on the way for a Padang Lunch. In a typical Padang restaurant there are no menus for you to choose from. With a variety of food preparations available in Padang cuisine, which is unique to this part of the world, it would have been difficult to make any sense to decide from a menu. Particularly a menu in local tongue. (We cannot expect all the hotels to have menus in English) In a typical Padang Restaurant the waiters come and arrange small plates filled with each dish. You look at it, ask for explanation if you can’t figure out what it is, and then eat it. If you touch a plate you will be charged for. The variety is incredible. All kinds of meats, fish and vegetables cooked in different styles. (Out at the villages the meat may also contain many exotic options including dogs!) Many of the curries do use coconut milk as it is done in Kerala. Sea food options are plenty. For a carnivorous creature like me, this was really a treat.
During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II, Bukittingi city was the headquarters for the Japanese 25th Army. The city has its origins in five villages which served as the basis for a marketplace. The city was known as Fort de Kock during colonial times in reference to the Dutch outpost established here in 1825. The culture of this region is unique and one would find matrilineal system (again like in Kerala. Women own the property and the men choose to wander.
Located 930 meters above sea level Bukittinggi has a cool climate and is surrounded by three Volcanoes: Tandikat, and Singgalang Merapi. The other attractions include the Lobang Jepang-the underground tunnels made by the Japanese in the World War II and the Jam Gadung that is a large clock in the city centre. In the outskirts of the town is the Ngarai Sianok, a canyon separating Bukittinggi from Kota Gadang, 12 km away overland. Kota Gadang is renowned for its fine silver filigree and hand embroidery.
People in Bukittinggi appear to like dry, spicy and sweet snack foods very much. They have snacks with different taste, shape from one ingredient and it makes the foods here are special. For example, from cassava they can make spicy long shape cassava chips, tasty cubes cassava chips, and sweet round shaped cassava chips.
Harau valley is a small valley floor of rice fields surrounded in three sides by vertical cliffs. It looks as if a giant hand has scooped away a handful from the middle of a mountain. The resort we stayed was called echo valley (Lembah Echo). With the cottages on one of the cliffs and the opposite cliffs not quite far, the children could enjoy the echo of their loud hollers. In the morning the cacophony of the black gibbons coupled with its echo was a good alarm call. We are lucky that this alarm at a decent hour like 8 am and it does not continue through the day.
On the second day all of us got in to our bus to visit a picnic at a volcanic crater lake, Maninjau Lake[3]. The path to the Lake is impressive, with 44 hairpin bends that offer spectacular views over the lake. The drive was fun but by the time we decided for a boat ride the weather was not conducive. The bus driver suggested that we visit the underground bunkers & tunnels built by the Japanese. We never got around to doing that. There was a nice restaurant jutting to the lake where we enjoyed a gourmet lunch.
Evenings were normally spent in some sort of games. Paul was our ‘game boy’. He had come prepared with an array of board games and decks of cards. He was so innovative that ‘Theen Pathi”, the Indian version of poker, we played had so many types of challenges for wager. As we were not inveterate gamblers, the bets were quire moderate; but the excitement was not any less I suppose.
We walked to a nearby waterfall on the third day. The road is along the tall cliff which is quite imposing. I couldn’t help feeling mesmerized at the marvel of nature’s handiwork. The waterfall was from about 500 ft high. The quantity of water that was guzzling down was not so much. But the flow from such heights with a brilliant spray that drew a rainbow around made it a feast for the eyes. The cool spray on my face wiped away any fatigue from my soul.
Next to the waterfall was a nice climb up the cliff of about 500 ft. The cement steps made the climb easier uphill. Up from the top the view was brilliant. The valley was luscious green of various hues, depending on the vegetation. The large stream of guzzling water through the middle added colour and the background music.
We tried some local satays. Although satay supposedly originated in Java Indonesia and is very common item in most of the South East Asian kitchen, the taste from each part is distinctly different. Satay is made by grilling or barbecuing chunks of dice-sized meat (chicken, lamb etc etc) on a bamboo skewer served with various spicy seasonings (often containing with peanut paste)
There was a nice small nursery that sold a variety of oriental plants. There was one particular fern the cyst of which looked like a monkey head with bright brown hair. (res)
In the evening we were all again at the open air restaurant busy in a game of cards. Then we see a creature the size of a small bat that flew in and started flapping around. The ladies and the girls were equally horrified and started screaming. The ghost stories that I was narrating and the smell of that particular flower which is associated with Kerala ghost stories added to the special effects in the minds of many. The creature was trying to perch on the shoulder of each person and that added to the commotion. Finally it decided to settle down on the ledge and then we had a good look at it. A moth with wild pattern and multiple colours (being a moth the colours were not bright; but were brilliant). For kids the whole incident provided excitement laced with fear.
The next day early morning the long bus ride back to Padang airport for to catch a Mandala Air flight to Medan. Medan is a large town North West of Sumatra. The town has a large Chinese population.
Meet the grand parents....
We had our lunch at Medan town. The markets have a huge collection of fake jewellery. Specially watches of most of the top brands in the world were available for about Rs 250. After the lunch we set off to Bukit Lawang famous for the Orangutan sanctuary. (Orangutans means ‘man from jungle’ in Bahasa like we are referred as Orang India – men from India by the locals) We stayed at Eco lodge. Quite a cute and nice place. By the time we reached the lodge it was evening. The hanging bridge to reach the lodge swayed quite a bit and added to the fun.
Next day early morning we packed our backpacks for the trek in the jungle to see the Orangutans. There were two trails. One easy and the other difficult. The easy one was about one hour. In between we had to cross a large stream with fast current. There was small boat that is hooked to a pulley that rolls over a wire across the stream. The boat could take about four people at a time. The fast current made the minute long journey quite an excitement.
I was such a fool that I wore a walking shoe instead of a trekking shoe. With the sticky clay like mud forming a smooth layer under the sole, it became more like a skating shoe. As we took the easy trek up, onward journey was not so painful though it was tiring. Up at the top of a hill covered with thick tropical vegetation, we had some of the country cousins hanging out to accept the treat that we had taken for them. They have about 16 semi wild ones that hang out, accepting the goodies from the tourists. These were the ones which were mostly rescued from poachers as babies or found abandoned and then nurtured by the staff of the park till they became independent to be sent back to the wild. Therefore they were comfortable with humans and were too happy to be near us and allowed us to take snaps with them while we fed then with bananas.
There are about 6000 wild apes in the “Gunung Lesur National Park’ of about 8000 sq km. With one baby in about five to six years, and 30 years span of child bearing in a life span of about 50 years, Orangutans are now an endangered species. With straight auburn hair all round, they are quite beautiful.
There was also a large contingent of long tailed mecaca(LTM) adding to the attraction. As the centre of attraction was our large distant cousins, these LTMs might have felt neglected.
After an hour of our breakfast session with the orangutans we started our trek back to the hotel. We took the difficult trail and then the selection of my footwear penalized me. I had to hang on the branches and vines to prevent me from falling flat and treacherous slopes. I looked like a comical rendition of Tarzan the ape man or a clumsy baby orangutan while climbed up and down the slippery slopes. It was quite and excitement and exercise. On the way we had some of the orangutans following us and we kept feeding them the bananas. We were worried whether they were going to snatch away our back pack. The guides were only too happy narrate stories (real or made-up I don’t know) about some Orangutans chasing the tourists and it added to the excitement of the trek, specially for the kids.
The vegetation was quite dense with the fertility of the volcanic soil injecting life into anything that grows on the ground. There is not an inch without some kind of greenery. Trees with a variety of hanging vines and an assortment of ferns. Some wild orchids and un-describable flowers added color to the scenery. Twittering of the crickets and chirping or birds interspersed with occasional hoots by the monkeys provided the background audio.
By the time we were back in the hotel the cold beer really tasted like a drink from heaven. After lunch we were back at the stream for a rafting expedition. The guides had tied up about five large tire tubes one after the other and we climbed to it. One hour down the stream in the current on a rollercoaster ride was worth the money. We were brought back to the hotel on rickety truck.
The largest fireworks in the history of mankind..
[4]Next day we were back in our bus for an eight hour drive to Lake Toba. This lake has been formed in the caldera[5] of a huge volcanic explosion that occurred about 67,500 to 75,000 years ago. A mega colossal explosion with a Volcanic Explosively Index of 8, the Toba eruption is supposed to be the largest explosive volcanic eruption in the last 25 million years. The total amount of erupted material is about 2800 cubic km of which 2000 ckm flowed over ground and 800 ckm flew as ash which was mostly carried west word by the wind. (Although the eruption took place in Indonesia, it deposited an ash layer approximately 15 cm thick over the entire Indian subcontinent; at one site in central India, the Toba ash layer today is up to 6 m thick[6] and parts of Malaysia were covered with 9 m of ashfall[7]. In addition it has been calculated that 10 metric tons of sulphuric acid was ejected into the atmosphere by the event, causing acid rain fallout.Stanley Ambrose proposed that a volcanic winter induced by this eruption reduced the human population to about 2,000 - 20,000 individuals, resulting in a population bottleneck (see Toba catastrophe theory)).
The subsequent collapse formed a caldera that, after filling with water, created Lake Toba. The island in the center of the lake is formed by a resurgent dome[8] called the Samosir Island and it is almost as big as Singapore. In the strict sense, this is not an island because it is connected to the mainland by a thin strait.
Lake Toba which is 100 km long, 30 km wide at its widest point, 505 m at the deepest point with an average depth of 400 m, this is the largest fresh water lake in SE Asia. Net of the island the total water surface area is about 1100 sq. kms. Apparently, the water level used to be 200 meters higher and as the mouth of the lake spewing the surplus water to the Asahan river has eroded over the years the water level came down to the current level. Three dams, with a combined 606MW of power generating capacity, were built at the outfall of Lake Toba, where a canyon marks the start of the Asahan River.
As per an expert hydrologist whom we met[9] at Toba, who had spend quite of lot of time around the world including India studying water, the lake water is 90% pure compared to drinking water and we can seldom find such pure water in India including from the urban municipal water supplies. (I say I was not at all surprised especially after looking and tasting the Chrystal clear water of Lake Toba)
The Samosir island rises above the water level like a rock fort. On one side of the island there is ‘Tuk Tuk’ Peninsula which is small circular appendage of land less than one sq km and this is where most of the tourist resorts are based. In good old days, Tuk Tuk peninsula was a crowded place, offering all imaginable tourist facilities, with its continuous ribbon of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, minimarts, curio shops, bicycle and motor cycle rents, bookshops, internet cafes and tour companies following the road along the perimeter of the peninsula. Today, with relatively few tourists around, many hotels are closed, coffees hops have been abandoned and are falling to pieces, many shops and internet cafes are only open when their owners have some time to spare.
We were headed to a resort in this historic island. The last half an hour drives to the lake is winding down the crater and the vegetation is quite different from the rest of Indonesia. Thick green vegetation also included the kind of vegetation that is normally seen in semi cold climates as the lake is at an elevation of 900 meters and the ridge around it about 1300 to 2700 meters.
We reached the Prapat (township touching the lake) at about six in the evening and took a chartered boat to the resort. The choppy ride to the island took about 40 minutes. The ambience in the resort is truly heavenly. It was smoothening experience to sit out in the open with a cold beer staring at the stars and listening to the waves lashing at the jetty.
The people in this part of Sumatra are called Bataks. The Bataks were once a tribe of people who practiced cannibalism till early-mid nineteenth century although they had quite developed culture in many ways. Ceremonial feasting on the meat of the slain enemies or executed traitors were considered a matter of honour till the Christian missionaries converted them and persuaded them to put an end to this gruesome practice. Marco Polo wrote in 1292 that the Batak ate their parents when they became too old for work, and Raffles in the nineteenth century stated that for certain crimes a criminal would be eaten alive. The eating of human flesh was always a highly formalized ritual, however, involving specific religious beliefs, and only outsiders, consenting old people and certain kinds of criminals were consumed. When a Batak from another village, accused of one of the few capital offenses, had been duly tried and convicted, the sentence could only be carried out after the raja of his own area had acknowledged its justice by sending a cloth to cover the face of the condemned and a plate of salt and lemons as a garnish.
The Batak horn shaped roof is different from the Padang one. The roofs are slanted and mostly with tiles though tin sheets are quite common. But the horn shape of the roof top is different from the Padang Style. In the Padang style the horn is more curved, narrow and long. In Batak Architecture it is less curved, broad and short. The typical old houses used to be on stilts and the roofs are covered by thatch, including fine painted wood carvings. The living space consists of the entire floor, the fire and cooking place being its centre and the sleeping areas are superposed against the roof. The area between the stilts is fenced off with wood and this is where the domestic animals live and are fed from above with the cooking leftovers.
This was the second week of our trip around Sumatra and we decided to spend it chilling out here. The resort called ‘Tabo Cottages’ is run by Annette from Germany married to Antonius from this Samosir Isalnd. A law student from Germany, she had visited Lake Toba as a tourist and fell in love with Toba. Later she met Antionne here and married him and after dumping her law career and set up the cutest resort of Samosir Island.
She runs quite a place. The cottages are really beautiful. The villas are two storied and have a pair of suites each in both the floors. The suite we stayed was really cool. With wooden flooring, bedroom nice large four poster bed and a nice loft up for the baby, a large balcony with cane chairs and hammock these villas are meant to relax the mind and body. Just sit there at the balcony looking around, at the lake and the edge of the crater around the lush green treetops swaying in the breeze you will melt with the Mother Nature.
Nice clean bathrooms with running hot water and a large bathtub make the bath an experience itself. The resort had a nice garden in the front with few open gazebos. The garden was spoiled when lake stretched her arms after the incessant rains few weeks ago. The large pool with brilliant lotus flowers is still intact. We had taken over one of the gazebos and made it our hangout and place for our long sessions of ‘teen pati’
It was fun to laze in the balcony listening to the coos of the birds and typing this little attempt of a travelogue. When I felt that I have done a good day’s work I sauntered to the lake. Water is quite clean and cold. Half an hour of swim in the lake, and then floated around lazily looking at the scenic beauty of the hills around. Pure luxury.
Then we borrowed a bike and went for a ride along the village roads in the Tuk Tuk area. There are so many restaurants offering a wide variety of gourmet cousin to satisfy the tastes of the tourists from around the world. There are shops that offer variety of goodies like artifacts, second hand books, premium scotch and even magic mushrooms. A backpacker’s paradise !!
Tuesday was the classic chill out day. Early morning my daughter and I went for a cycle ride along the village roads. Then we borrowed a mobike and took a longer ride. The hills are a site to see. Mostly covered with green grass; between there are many coniferous trees. The vegetation here is quite different from the vegetation we have seen in other parts of Sumatra.
Then we played cricket for couple of hours which was followed by a swim in the lake. After the swim we went for a paddle boat trip in the lake with the children.
On Wednesday, the last day of the year, we went for an expedition of the island on the bike. The idea of biking around the country side itself was an adventure for me, as I was riding one after about 20 years. The road from Tuk Tuk to the main island is narrow and winding upwards. But as you see in most part of Indonesia that I have visited, both in main town and small villages, the condition of the road is quite good in comparison with the Indian roads although this is an equally (if not more) corrupt country and has torrential rains like we have in India. Mostly these roads were constructed during the Suharto regime[10].
The ride up the winding road of Samosir island gives breathtaking views of the Lake Toba. The lower part has thick blanket of tropical vegetation. As you go up, the mounts are normally covered with grass patches interspersed with rice and corn fields in well laid out terraces. With a significant segment of population following Christian faith, there are number of small and big churches along the way. Some of them are very old. A mixture of Batak and European architecture.
Batak tombs are very special, usually topped with a restrained Batak house made of brick and stucco. Most of them are comparatively modest, but some are grandiose structures, with several storeys, pillars and ostentatious ornamentation combining Christian and traditional symbols.
After a sumptuous lunch in a small restaurant along the way we bumped into a small Batak Museum. This was located in one of the small by lanes of the village. A Batak house filled with old artifacts of the region. The caretaker there also showed us a collection of modern day wooden imitations of old Batak artifacts. He looked like a smart dealmaker and willing to negotiate the prices of the goodies he was selling. Looked like he was ready to be persuaded to get us some authentic antiques at the right price. I have to admit that for an amateur like me many of the items in display looked authentic antiques. But I was not sure of what I would end up buying. So after dropping some money in his contribution box, we decided to retreat back.
Outside the museum there was an arrangement of stone sculptures depicting the scene of human sacrifice. It was quite an eerie site. Lucky to be standing there now as a visitor and not as the sacrificial lamb. Many of the wood carvings and sculptures have variations of buffalo, lizard and tiger motifs. The usual motif in the sub-tribe Toba is tiger, to give protection to its owner and repulse torment. While in sub-tribe Karo, they often create lizard motif.
After this Isabella and I rode up the mountain on the bike. It was late in the evening; almost getting dark. Both sides of the road had thick foliage of the jungle. Straight out of the museum with images of human sacrifice darting in our minds, we shared the excitement (a bit of fear in Isa’s mind) of this evening adventure. There was a spot up in the mountain from where we could look at the marvelous beauty of the country side bordered by Lake Toba in her full majesty. The roads were a bit patchy and with my mobike riding skills a bit rustic there were many occasions when we were almost near to kissing the mother earth. But this was the first trip I had with my little girl hanging on to my waist and it felt better than all the ‘exciting’ bike rides that I had in my younger days on my ‘Yezdi’ motorcycle of yesteryears.
We were back in the hotel at about 8 pm for a shower before the new-year party. Annette had arranged for a nice buffet dinner. At 12 pm the fireworks commenced to welcom the New Year. Coming from the land of deepavali (the festival of lights and the occasion to paint the skies with nonstop fireworks) the the Tabo fireworks was tiny. But standing there in the starry night at the lakeside, the vibrant colours of the fireworks up in the sky and its reflections in the waves of Lake Toba had a mesmerizing effect. Then all of a sudden one of the pallets of the serial rockets tilted. Instead of the missiles going up, they were darting to where we stood and exploding around us. We ran for our lives and the drowsiness of the tiring day and the single malt in the belly vanished. We were all alive and ready for round of poker again; gambling to the new-year, reminding us that the life itself is a game of poker. Half dependent on the cards that are dealt and the other half on how we play and risk we are willing to take.
Thursday was again a day to laze. Some swimming and some games. There was quite a heavy shower in the afternoon. As we were anyway relaxing with no outdoor trips planned, the cool shower was really welcome. Specially, since the weather god was too kind to us all during our trip. Sat there at the gazebo listening to the drumbeats of the large drops of water on the tiled roof and the waves of Lake Toba, like the hands of ‘Zakir Hussain’ dancing on the ‘Tabala’ at lightning speed.
Friday was the last day at Toba. Packed our bag and got into the ferry to a ‘Sunrise Cruise’ across the lake to the bus that was waiting for us. The awesome view and the twinge of pain on account of the end of this marvelous trip made all of us continuously click our cameras at everything and everyone around us. The boat chugged along towards the rising sun, filling our hearts with a sense of anticipation and expectation of the new-year ahead.
During relaxing days of the trip, I tried a few drags cigarette, a habit I had quit some time ago. Then my daughter was upset and asked me later why I did it. I casually replied that I was just joining the crowd for a change. She turned back and asked my “Daddy cant you follow the road less travelled?” I was awfully moved by the pearls of wisdom coming from that little heart that cared.
Bye Bye Jakarta..
Back to Jakarta by the evening after a four hour drive to Medan airport and then a two hour flight. Late in the evening we were out again to experience the variety of the Jakarta city with a dinner at “Sushi Grove” the restaurant chain, offering fusion Japanese food. As my most favorite cuisine is Japanese, this idea of a fusion was a treat that I could not resist and decided to hog like a pig though that is not what the doctor suggests for a couch potato like me.
Late at night at Sachin’s house we attempted to look at the photos that we clicked along the way; I was so tired that I dragged myself to the bed and was soon knocked out. A good night sleep with lots of dreams about the days then went by.
Looking back, the Indonesian retreat is a collage of experiences. Unlike our day to day life in the concrete jungle of Mumbai, for fifteen days we were one with the nature. Instead of the gray concrete and the light from the incandescent lamps that our eyes are used to, the diverse colours of the nature; the grass, trees and flowers of the oriental jungles soothed our frayed nerves. The starry nights at the banks of the majestic expanse of Lake Toba which is the aftermath of the biggest natural fireworks in the earth in the last 25 million reminded once again the insignificance of our life and our race in the infiniteness of the universe around us. Instead of our day to day interactions with business associates, we spent the days enjoying the companionship with family and friends. It is seldom that we seldom take time reflect and cherish and to enjoy life’s small and big gifts.
Some of this will be erased in time like the suntan we got from being out in the open. But some will stay back to bring an occasional smile and to remind us we need to recharge our batteries once in a while.
Sunday evening we boarded the flight back. Hearts were overflowing with sadness for what we left behind. But we were all ready to take on the world, to be back in that little pond of time with family, friends, foes and work.
[1] This is a file picture from http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Image:Taravadu.jpg which has been made available in public domain.
[2] Situated between India and China, Southeast Asia has been the birthplace of several cultures, some of which rank among the world’s greatest civilizations. Among the Indianized kingdoms which sprang up in Southeast Asia before the Common era, the great Khmer civilization and its capital, Angkor, in modern day Cambodia. The advent of Indians in Southeast Asia has hardly a parallel in history. In view of the ethnic affinities between the prehistoric Austro-Asiatic races of India and those of Suvarnabhumi, contact between the two regions may well go back to the remotest antiquity. Most of the countries of Southeast Asia came under the cultural and religious influence of India. This region was broadly referred to by ancient Indians as Suvarnabhumi (the Land of Gold) or Suvarnadvipa (the Island of Gold). Vedic Indians must have charted Java, Yawadvip, thousands of years ago because Yawadvip is mentioned in India's earliest epic, the Ramayana. The Ramayana reveals some knowledge of the eastern regions beyond seas; for instance Sugriva dispatched his men to Yavadvipa, the island of Java, in search of Sita.
Southeast Asia was often called by many British, French and Indian scholars as Farther India, Greater India, L’Inde Exterieure, and the Hinduized or Indianized States. The whole area was so influenced by India, that according to a European scholar who wrote in 1861, that "the Indian countries situated beyond the Ganges hardly deserve the attention of History." The various states established in this region can therefore be called Indianized kingdoms. Invasion nor proselystism was by no means the main factor in the process of Indianization which took place in the Indian Archipelago. International trade was very important. (reference http://www.hinduwisdom.info/ Sacred_Angkor.htm
[3] Since our return, we heard that about 7000 tons of fish were dead in this lake during the last week of 2008 and first week of 2009 on account of increased volcanic activity and unchecked fish farming.
[4] Source Wikipedia
[5] A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption
[6] Acharyya S.K., and Basu P.K. 1992. "Toba ash on the Indian subcontinent and its implications for correlation of late pleistocene alluvium." Quaternary Research 40:10-19
[7] Scrivenor, J.B. 1931. The Geology of Malaya (London: MacMillan), noted by Weber.
[8] A dome formed by swelling or rising of a caldera floor due to movement in the magma chamber beneath it. Unlike a lava dome, a resurgent dome is not formed by the extrusion of highly viscous lava onto the surface, but rather by the uplift and deformation of the surface itself by magma movement underground
All the above references are from Wikipedia.
[9] This is a Dutch man who fell in love with Lake Toba when he visited Lake Toba for a day and left his life, wife and career to settle down here.
[10] The explanation I could think of is as follows. During the autocratic rule of Suharto who had to relinquish office on account of allegations including rampant corruption and nepotism, during his 30 years of rule gave enormous focus to development of the country and its infrastructure. The corruption in most of the projects was on and above the cost of cost for a good quality implementation. In India the contracts going mostly to the lowest quote, the corruption leads to poor quality implementation which is less transparent and difficult to prove. We need to find a solution to this dilemma. How can we strengthen the quality of implementation of our public good projects without compromising the democratic governance structure we have established successfully? (Shall do some brain storming later outside of this travelogue)
December is the time for my annual holiday. The policy of mandatory leave in our office gave no choice even for workaholics like me to find excuses to stay back. That is when Sachin, my good old friend, suggested that we could plan an Indonesian holiday. As I had spent two years in Jakarta some time ago, it had a nostalgic appeal. When he further sweetened the plan with an idea to hop around the scenic islands with a whole host of old friends and families, the idea was sold. I knew Sachin would make excellent plans. The kind of holiday I would prefer. Economical , exciting and off the beaten track. (Once you identify the right guy to do the project, leave it to him to deliver the best. But you need to learn to cherish the unexpected). For a contrarian like me, ‘off the beaten track’ has a special appeal. With Sachin married to Vandy who is Liz’s best friend no objection from the Home Ministry too.
We took a break at Singapore for few hours. Managed to meet up with Abhijit and Anju who were my class mates from IIM and who are now settled in Singapore. My daughter Isabella was too excited to spend few hours with Zen, their lovely Golden Retriever. It was something special for Isabella as Zen reminded her of ‘Rocky’, her old pet who is a similar Golden Retriever whom we had given to a friend when we left Dubai.
On to high hills..
We landed up in Jakarta by Sunday evening. Monday was the day to relax and chat up on the old stories. An evening visit to the local Chinese spa was sufficient to melt away the jet lag. In addition to the regular sauna, steam hot and cold pools they also had the ‘joy fish’ treatment which was a novelty for me. For this, you dip you leg in a pool containing some kind of live fish which love to nibble your feet. Apparently they love feeding on the dead skin. The spa patrons suggested a complete dip. But even a dip of foot was a crazy idea for me. Then I had a lovely massage for about an hour that was relaxing and rejuvenating. Specially the hot-stone massage.
Then on Tuesday we ventured out for our first leg. Five families including us. In addition to Sachin the cable TV channel entrepreneur, there were Chubby (Rajesh Menon) the adman with Miranda his wife, Sunil the banker and his wife Urmila, Paul (the paper industry executive) with his wife Maria. Nine children among all of us with three baby sitters made the up a group of twenty two. With all of us from same age bracket and tastes, group jelled quite well. The right mix of communion and personal space…
A local flight to Padang by Lion Air. The crowd we were, the kiddos were suggesting that the airline be renamed Monkey air.
Padang is the main town in West of Sumatra which is one of the major islands of Indonesia. The island that got its name splashed around the world when the Tsunami ravaged through it, killing millions of people. The flight from Jakarta took about one hour and thirty minutes after it took off about two hours late. The plane was flying along the western cost. The sea has a splatter of small islands all along. From up there in the sky these islands looked brilliant. Green patch in the middle (the vegetation), white sand ribbon around it and then the aquamarine patch (the shallow water) surrounded by the vast blue ocean. Some of these islands are perfect circles.
The airport building has a typical West Sumatran Architecture. The rooftops looks like two pairs of bull horns kept perpendicular to each other. When you look at a pair of horn in direction with both of them in a straight line away from your eyes, Originally this design may have been meant for effective air circulation. These days very often there are no vents in the triangle but rather decorative carvings. In some of the large mansions, in place of each of the above pair, there is a double pair.
[1]The slanting roof triangular edges appears quite similar to the Kerala architecture in houses referred to as ‘nalukettu’ In these case there are no horn-shaped corners as seen in Sumatran architecture. One would see a number of similarities of customs, cuisine and architecture between India and the Indonesia.[2]
These roof tops could have been shaped this way on account of the special place buffalos have in their folklore. As per one of the stories, once a Javanese king attacked them and they suggested a buffalo fight instead of two armies fighting it out. Javanese army sent in an elephant sized buffalo and the Sumatrans sent a half starved calf with its horns fitted with sharp blades. The calf ran to the huge buffalo thinking that it was the mother and tried to feed from the udder, slicing the giant’s belly. The crowd shouted Minangkabau, meaning the ‘buffalo has fallen’ Hence the locals came to be referred as Minangkabau (there are many other folk stories on how this name came about. But I just narrated the most exciting one). Legend has it that the Minangkabaus are descendants of the youngest son of Alexander the Great, King Maharjo Dirajo,more commonly known in Indonesia as Iskandar Zulkarnain. They originally settled in the Padang Panjang region and gradually spread out over the rest of Western Sumatra.
A two hour drive (about 90 kms) to Bukittingi (high hills in bahasa Indonesia, the local tongue- there are many places called bukittingi in this part of the world including one in Singapore) and then a one hour drive to Harau Valley by bus took us to the resort where we spend the next three days. The scenery along the way is breathtaking. Luscious greenery that reminds me of my homeland Kerala; God’s own country.
We stopped on the way for a Padang Lunch. In a typical Padang restaurant there are no menus for you to choose from. With a variety of food preparations available in Padang cuisine, which is unique to this part of the world, it would have been difficult to make any sense to decide from a menu. Particularly a menu in local tongue. (We cannot expect all the hotels to have menus in English) In a typical Padang Restaurant the waiters come and arrange small plates filled with each dish. You look at it, ask for explanation if you can’t figure out what it is, and then eat it. If you touch a plate you will be charged for. The variety is incredible. All kinds of meats, fish and vegetables cooked in different styles. (Out at the villages the meat may also contain many exotic options including dogs!) Many of the curries do use coconut milk as it is done in Kerala. Sea food options are plenty. For a carnivorous creature like me, this was really a treat.
During the Japanese occupation of Indonesia in World War II, Bukittingi city was the headquarters for the Japanese 25th Army. The city has its origins in five villages which served as the basis for a marketplace. The city was known as Fort de Kock during colonial times in reference to the Dutch outpost established here in 1825. The culture of this region is unique and one would find matrilineal system (again like in Kerala. Women own the property and the men choose to wander.
Located 930 meters above sea level Bukittinggi has a cool climate and is surrounded by three Volcanoes: Tandikat, and Singgalang Merapi. The other attractions include the Lobang Jepang-the underground tunnels made by the Japanese in the World War II and the Jam Gadung that is a large clock in the city centre. In the outskirts of the town is the Ngarai Sianok, a canyon separating Bukittinggi from Kota Gadang, 12 km away overland. Kota Gadang is renowned for its fine silver filigree and hand embroidery.
People in Bukittinggi appear to like dry, spicy and sweet snack foods very much. They have snacks with different taste, shape from one ingredient and it makes the foods here are special. For example, from cassava they can make spicy long shape cassava chips, tasty cubes cassava chips, and sweet round shaped cassava chips.
Harau valley is a small valley floor of rice fields surrounded in three sides by vertical cliffs. It looks as if a giant hand has scooped away a handful from the middle of a mountain. The resort we stayed was called echo valley (Lembah Echo). With the cottages on one of the cliffs and the opposite cliffs not quite far, the children could enjoy the echo of their loud hollers. In the morning the cacophony of the black gibbons coupled with its echo was a good alarm call. We are lucky that this alarm at a decent hour like 8 am and it does not continue through the day.
On the second day all of us got in to our bus to visit a picnic at a volcanic crater lake, Maninjau Lake[3]. The path to the Lake is impressive, with 44 hairpin bends that offer spectacular views over the lake. The drive was fun but by the time we decided for a boat ride the weather was not conducive. The bus driver suggested that we visit the underground bunkers & tunnels built by the Japanese. We never got around to doing that. There was a nice restaurant jutting to the lake where we enjoyed a gourmet lunch.
Evenings were normally spent in some sort of games. Paul was our ‘game boy’. He had come prepared with an array of board games and decks of cards. He was so innovative that ‘Theen Pathi”, the Indian version of poker, we played had so many types of challenges for wager. As we were not inveterate gamblers, the bets were quire moderate; but the excitement was not any less I suppose.
We walked to a nearby waterfall on the third day. The road is along the tall cliff which is quite imposing. I couldn’t help feeling mesmerized at the marvel of nature’s handiwork. The waterfall was from about 500 ft high. The quantity of water that was guzzling down was not so much. But the flow from such heights with a brilliant spray that drew a rainbow around made it a feast for the eyes. The cool spray on my face wiped away any fatigue from my soul.
Next to the waterfall was a nice climb up the cliff of about 500 ft. The cement steps made the climb easier uphill. Up from the top the view was brilliant. The valley was luscious green of various hues, depending on the vegetation. The large stream of guzzling water through the middle added colour and the background music.
We tried some local satays. Although satay supposedly originated in Java Indonesia and is very common item in most of the South East Asian kitchen, the taste from each part is distinctly different. Satay is made by grilling or barbecuing chunks of dice-sized meat (chicken, lamb etc etc) on a bamboo skewer served with various spicy seasonings (often containing with peanut paste)
There was a nice small nursery that sold a variety of oriental plants. There was one particular fern the cyst of which looked like a monkey head with bright brown hair. (res)
In the evening we were all again at the open air restaurant busy in a game of cards. Then we see a creature the size of a small bat that flew in and started flapping around. The ladies and the girls were equally horrified and started screaming. The ghost stories that I was narrating and the smell of that particular flower which is associated with Kerala ghost stories added to the special effects in the minds of many. The creature was trying to perch on the shoulder of each person and that added to the commotion. Finally it decided to settle down on the ledge and then we had a good look at it. A moth with wild pattern and multiple colours (being a moth the colours were not bright; but were brilliant). For kids the whole incident provided excitement laced with fear.
The next day early morning the long bus ride back to Padang airport for to catch a Mandala Air flight to Medan. Medan is a large town North West of Sumatra. The town has a large Chinese population.
Meet the grand parents....
We had our lunch at Medan town. The markets have a huge collection of fake jewellery. Specially watches of most of the top brands in the world were available for about Rs 250. After the lunch we set off to Bukit Lawang famous for the Orangutan sanctuary. (Orangutans means ‘man from jungle’ in Bahasa like we are referred as Orang India – men from India by the locals) We stayed at Eco lodge. Quite a cute and nice place. By the time we reached the lodge it was evening. The hanging bridge to reach the lodge swayed quite a bit and added to the fun.
Next day early morning we packed our backpacks for the trek in the jungle to see the Orangutans. There were two trails. One easy and the other difficult. The easy one was about one hour. In between we had to cross a large stream with fast current. There was small boat that is hooked to a pulley that rolls over a wire across the stream. The boat could take about four people at a time. The fast current made the minute long journey quite an excitement.
I was such a fool that I wore a walking shoe instead of a trekking shoe. With the sticky clay like mud forming a smooth layer under the sole, it became more like a skating shoe. As we took the easy trek up, onward journey was not so painful though it was tiring. Up at the top of a hill covered with thick tropical vegetation, we had some of the country cousins hanging out to accept the treat that we had taken for them. They have about 16 semi wild ones that hang out, accepting the goodies from the tourists. These were the ones which were mostly rescued from poachers as babies or found abandoned and then nurtured by the staff of the park till they became independent to be sent back to the wild. Therefore they were comfortable with humans and were too happy to be near us and allowed us to take snaps with them while we fed then with bananas.
There are about 6000 wild apes in the “Gunung Lesur National Park’ of about 8000 sq km. With one baby in about five to six years, and 30 years span of child bearing in a life span of about 50 years, Orangutans are now an endangered species. With straight auburn hair all round, they are quite beautiful.
There was also a large contingent of long tailed mecaca(LTM) adding to the attraction. As the centre of attraction was our large distant cousins, these LTMs might have felt neglected.
After an hour of our breakfast session with the orangutans we started our trek back to the hotel. We took the difficult trail and then the selection of my footwear penalized me. I had to hang on the branches and vines to prevent me from falling flat and treacherous slopes. I looked like a comical rendition of Tarzan the ape man or a clumsy baby orangutan while climbed up and down the slippery slopes. It was quite and excitement and exercise. On the way we had some of the orangutans following us and we kept feeding them the bananas. We were worried whether they were going to snatch away our back pack. The guides were only too happy narrate stories (real or made-up I don’t know) about some Orangutans chasing the tourists and it added to the excitement of the trek, specially for the kids.
The vegetation was quite dense with the fertility of the volcanic soil injecting life into anything that grows on the ground. There is not an inch without some kind of greenery. Trees with a variety of hanging vines and an assortment of ferns. Some wild orchids and un-describable flowers added color to the scenery. Twittering of the crickets and chirping or birds interspersed with occasional hoots by the monkeys provided the background audio.
By the time we were back in the hotel the cold beer really tasted like a drink from heaven. After lunch we were back at the stream for a rafting expedition. The guides had tied up about five large tire tubes one after the other and we climbed to it. One hour down the stream in the current on a rollercoaster ride was worth the money. We were brought back to the hotel on rickety truck.
The largest fireworks in the history of mankind..
[4]Next day we were back in our bus for an eight hour drive to Lake Toba. This lake has been formed in the caldera[5] of a huge volcanic explosion that occurred about 67,500 to 75,000 years ago. A mega colossal explosion with a Volcanic Explosively Index of 8, the Toba eruption is supposed to be the largest explosive volcanic eruption in the last 25 million years. The total amount of erupted material is about 2800 cubic km of which 2000 ckm flowed over ground and 800 ckm flew as ash which was mostly carried west word by the wind. (Although the eruption took place in Indonesia, it deposited an ash layer approximately 15 cm thick over the entire Indian subcontinent; at one site in central India, the Toba ash layer today is up to 6 m thick[6] and parts of Malaysia were covered with 9 m of ashfall[7]. In addition it has been calculated that 10 metric tons of sulphuric acid was ejected into the atmosphere by the event, causing acid rain fallout.Stanley Ambrose proposed that a volcanic winter induced by this eruption reduced the human population to about 2,000 - 20,000 individuals, resulting in a population bottleneck (see Toba catastrophe theory)).
The subsequent collapse formed a caldera that, after filling with water, created Lake Toba. The island in the center of the lake is formed by a resurgent dome[8] called the Samosir Island and it is almost as big as Singapore. In the strict sense, this is not an island because it is connected to the mainland by a thin strait.
Lake Toba which is 100 km long, 30 km wide at its widest point, 505 m at the deepest point with an average depth of 400 m, this is the largest fresh water lake in SE Asia. Net of the island the total water surface area is about 1100 sq. kms. Apparently, the water level used to be 200 meters higher and as the mouth of the lake spewing the surplus water to the Asahan river has eroded over the years the water level came down to the current level. Three dams, with a combined 606MW of power generating capacity, were built at the outfall of Lake Toba, where a canyon marks the start of the Asahan River.
As per an expert hydrologist whom we met[9] at Toba, who had spend quite of lot of time around the world including India studying water, the lake water is 90% pure compared to drinking water and we can seldom find such pure water in India including from the urban municipal water supplies. (I say I was not at all surprised especially after looking and tasting the Chrystal clear water of Lake Toba)
The Samosir island rises above the water level like a rock fort. On one side of the island there is ‘Tuk Tuk’ Peninsula which is small circular appendage of land less than one sq km and this is where most of the tourist resorts are based. In good old days, Tuk Tuk peninsula was a crowded place, offering all imaginable tourist facilities, with its continuous ribbon of hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, minimarts, curio shops, bicycle and motor cycle rents, bookshops, internet cafes and tour companies following the road along the perimeter of the peninsula. Today, with relatively few tourists around, many hotels are closed, coffees hops have been abandoned and are falling to pieces, many shops and internet cafes are only open when their owners have some time to spare.
We were headed to a resort in this historic island. The last half an hour drives to the lake is winding down the crater and the vegetation is quite different from the rest of Indonesia. Thick green vegetation also included the kind of vegetation that is normally seen in semi cold climates as the lake is at an elevation of 900 meters and the ridge around it about 1300 to 2700 meters.
We reached the Prapat (township touching the lake) at about six in the evening and took a chartered boat to the resort. The choppy ride to the island took about 40 minutes. The ambience in the resort is truly heavenly. It was smoothening experience to sit out in the open with a cold beer staring at the stars and listening to the waves lashing at the jetty.
The people in this part of Sumatra are called Bataks. The Bataks were once a tribe of people who practiced cannibalism till early-mid nineteenth century although they had quite developed culture in many ways. Ceremonial feasting on the meat of the slain enemies or executed traitors were considered a matter of honour till the Christian missionaries converted them and persuaded them to put an end to this gruesome practice. Marco Polo wrote in 1292 that the Batak ate their parents when they became too old for work, and Raffles in the nineteenth century stated that for certain crimes a criminal would be eaten alive. The eating of human flesh was always a highly formalized ritual, however, involving specific religious beliefs, and only outsiders, consenting old people and certain kinds of criminals were consumed. When a Batak from another village, accused of one of the few capital offenses, had been duly tried and convicted, the sentence could only be carried out after the raja of his own area had acknowledged its justice by sending a cloth to cover the face of the condemned and a plate of salt and lemons as a garnish.
The Batak horn shaped roof is different from the Padang one. The roofs are slanted and mostly with tiles though tin sheets are quite common. But the horn shape of the roof top is different from the Padang Style. In the Padang style the horn is more curved, narrow and long. In Batak Architecture it is less curved, broad and short. The typical old houses used to be on stilts and the roofs are covered by thatch, including fine painted wood carvings. The living space consists of the entire floor, the fire and cooking place being its centre and the sleeping areas are superposed against the roof. The area between the stilts is fenced off with wood and this is where the domestic animals live and are fed from above with the cooking leftovers.
This was the second week of our trip around Sumatra and we decided to spend it chilling out here. The resort called ‘Tabo Cottages’ is run by Annette from Germany married to Antonius from this Samosir Isalnd. A law student from Germany, she had visited Lake Toba as a tourist and fell in love with Toba. Later she met Antionne here and married him and after dumping her law career and set up the cutest resort of Samosir Island.
She runs quite a place. The cottages are really beautiful. The villas are two storied and have a pair of suites each in both the floors. The suite we stayed was really cool. With wooden flooring, bedroom nice large four poster bed and a nice loft up for the baby, a large balcony with cane chairs and hammock these villas are meant to relax the mind and body. Just sit there at the balcony looking around, at the lake and the edge of the crater around the lush green treetops swaying in the breeze you will melt with the Mother Nature.
Nice clean bathrooms with running hot water and a large bathtub make the bath an experience itself. The resort had a nice garden in the front with few open gazebos. The garden was spoiled when lake stretched her arms after the incessant rains few weeks ago. The large pool with brilliant lotus flowers is still intact. We had taken over one of the gazebos and made it our hangout and place for our long sessions of ‘teen pati’
It was fun to laze in the balcony listening to the coos of the birds and typing this little attempt of a travelogue. When I felt that I have done a good day’s work I sauntered to the lake. Water is quite clean and cold. Half an hour of swim in the lake, and then floated around lazily looking at the scenic beauty of the hills around. Pure luxury.
Then we borrowed a bike and went for a ride along the village roads in the Tuk Tuk area. There are so many restaurants offering a wide variety of gourmet cousin to satisfy the tastes of the tourists from around the world. There are shops that offer variety of goodies like artifacts, second hand books, premium scotch and even magic mushrooms. A backpacker’s paradise !!
Tuesday was the classic chill out day. Early morning my daughter and I went for a cycle ride along the village roads. Then we borrowed a mobike and took a longer ride. The hills are a site to see. Mostly covered with green grass; between there are many coniferous trees. The vegetation here is quite different from the vegetation we have seen in other parts of Sumatra.
Then we played cricket for couple of hours which was followed by a swim in the lake. After the swim we went for a paddle boat trip in the lake with the children.
On Wednesday, the last day of the year, we went for an expedition of the island on the bike. The idea of biking around the country side itself was an adventure for me, as I was riding one after about 20 years. The road from Tuk Tuk to the main island is narrow and winding upwards. But as you see in most part of Indonesia that I have visited, both in main town and small villages, the condition of the road is quite good in comparison with the Indian roads although this is an equally (if not more) corrupt country and has torrential rains like we have in India. Mostly these roads were constructed during the Suharto regime[10].
The ride up the winding road of Samosir island gives breathtaking views of the Lake Toba. The lower part has thick blanket of tropical vegetation. As you go up, the mounts are normally covered with grass patches interspersed with rice and corn fields in well laid out terraces. With a significant segment of population following Christian faith, there are number of small and big churches along the way. Some of them are very old. A mixture of Batak and European architecture.
Batak tombs are very special, usually topped with a restrained Batak house made of brick and stucco. Most of them are comparatively modest, but some are grandiose structures, with several storeys, pillars and ostentatious ornamentation combining Christian and traditional symbols.
After a sumptuous lunch in a small restaurant along the way we bumped into a small Batak Museum. This was located in one of the small by lanes of the village. A Batak house filled with old artifacts of the region. The caretaker there also showed us a collection of modern day wooden imitations of old Batak artifacts. He looked like a smart dealmaker and willing to negotiate the prices of the goodies he was selling. Looked like he was ready to be persuaded to get us some authentic antiques at the right price. I have to admit that for an amateur like me many of the items in display looked authentic antiques. But I was not sure of what I would end up buying. So after dropping some money in his contribution box, we decided to retreat back.
Outside the museum there was an arrangement of stone sculptures depicting the scene of human sacrifice. It was quite an eerie site. Lucky to be standing there now as a visitor and not as the sacrificial lamb. Many of the wood carvings and sculptures have variations of buffalo, lizard and tiger motifs. The usual motif in the sub-tribe Toba is tiger, to give protection to its owner and repulse torment. While in sub-tribe Karo, they often create lizard motif.
After this Isabella and I rode up the mountain on the bike. It was late in the evening; almost getting dark. Both sides of the road had thick foliage of the jungle. Straight out of the museum with images of human sacrifice darting in our minds, we shared the excitement (a bit of fear in Isa’s mind) of this evening adventure. There was a spot up in the mountain from where we could look at the marvelous beauty of the country side bordered by Lake Toba in her full majesty. The roads were a bit patchy and with my mobike riding skills a bit rustic there were many occasions when we were almost near to kissing the mother earth. But this was the first trip I had with my little girl hanging on to my waist and it felt better than all the ‘exciting’ bike rides that I had in my younger days on my ‘Yezdi’ motorcycle of yesteryears.
We were back in the hotel at about 8 pm for a shower before the new-year party. Annette had arranged for a nice buffet dinner. At 12 pm the fireworks commenced to welcom the New Year. Coming from the land of deepavali (the festival of lights and the occasion to paint the skies with nonstop fireworks) the the Tabo fireworks was tiny. But standing there in the starry night at the lakeside, the vibrant colours of the fireworks up in the sky and its reflections in the waves of Lake Toba had a mesmerizing effect. Then all of a sudden one of the pallets of the serial rockets tilted. Instead of the missiles going up, they were darting to where we stood and exploding around us. We ran for our lives and the drowsiness of the tiring day and the single malt in the belly vanished. We were all alive and ready for round of poker again; gambling to the new-year, reminding us that the life itself is a game of poker. Half dependent on the cards that are dealt and the other half on how we play and risk we are willing to take.
Thursday was again a day to laze. Some swimming and some games. There was quite a heavy shower in the afternoon. As we were anyway relaxing with no outdoor trips planned, the cool shower was really welcome. Specially, since the weather god was too kind to us all during our trip. Sat there at the gazebo listening to the drumbeats of the large drops of water on the tiled roof and the waves of Lake Toba, like the hands of ‘Zakir Hussain’ dancing on the ‘Tabala’ at lightning speed.
Friday was the last day at Toba. Packed our bag and got into the ferry to a ‘Sunrise Cruise’ across the lake to the bus that was waiting for us. The awesome view and the twinge of pain on account of the end of this marvelous trip made all of us continuously click our cameras at everything and everyone around us. The boat chugged along towards the rising sun, filling our hearts with a sense of anticipation and expectation of the new-year ahead.
During relaxing days of the trip, I tried a few drags cigarette, a habit I had quit some time ago. Then my daughter was upset and asked me later why I did it. I casually replied that I was just joining the crowd for a change. She turned back and asked my “Daddy cant you follow the road less travelled?” I was awfully moved by the pearls of wisdom coming from that little heart that cared.
Bye Bye Jakarta..
Back to Jakarta by the evening after a four hour drive to Medan airport and then a two hour flight. Late in the evening we were out again to experience the variety of the Jakarta city with a dinner at “Sushi Grove” the restaurant chain, offering fusion Japanese food. As my most favorite cuisine is Japanese, this idea of a fusion was a treat that I could not resist and decided to hog like a pig though that is not what the doctor suggests for a couch potato like me.
Late at night at Sachin’s house we attempted to look at the photos that we clicked along the way; I was so tired that I dragged myself to the bed and was soon knocked out. A good night sleep with lots of dreams about the days then went by.
Looking back, the Indonesian retreat is a collage of experiences. Unlike our day to day life in the concrete jungle of Mumbai, for fifteen days we were one with the nature. Instead of the gray concrete and the light from the incandescent lamps that our eyes are used to, the diverse colours of the nature; the grass, trees and flowers of the oriental jungles soothed our frayed nerves. The starry nights at the banks of the majestic expanse of Lake Toba which is the aftermath of the biggest natural fireworks in the earth in the last 25 million reminded once again the insignificance of our life and our race in the infiniteness of the universe around us. Instead of our day to day interactions with business associates, we spent the days enjoying the companionship with family and friends. It is seldom that we seldom take time reflect and cherish and to enjoy life’s small and big gifts.
Some of this will be erased in time like the suntan we got from being out in the open. But some will stay back to bring an occasional smile and to remind us we need to recharge our batteries once in a while.
Sunday evening we boarded the flight back. Hearts were overflowing with sadness for what we left behind. But we were all ready to take on the world, to be back in that little pond of time with family, friends, foes and work.
[1] This is a file picture from http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Image:Taravadu.jpg which has been made available in public domain.
[2] Situated between India and China, Southeast Asia has been the birthplace of several cultures, some of which rank among the world’s greatest civilizations. Among the Indianized kingdoms which sprang up in Southeast Asia before the Common era, the great Khmer civilization and its capital, Angkor, in modern day Cambodia. The advent of Indians in Southeast Asia has hardly a parallel in history. In view of the ethnic affinities between the prehistoric Austro-Asiatic races of India and those of Suvarnabhumi, contact between the two regions may well go back to the remotest antiquity. Most of the countries of Southeast Asia came under the cultural and religious influence of India. This region was broadly referred to by ancient Indians as Suvarnabhumi (the Land of Gold) or Suvarnadvipa (the Island of Gold). Vedic Indians must have charted Java, Yawadvip, thousands of years ago because Yawadvip is mentioned in India's earliest epic, the Ramayana. The Ramayana reveals some knowledge of the eastern regions beyond seas; for instance Sugriva dispatched his men to Yavadvipa, the island of Java, in search of Sita.
Southeast Asia was often called by many British, French and Indian scholars as Farther India, Greater India, L’Inde Exterieure, and the Hinduized or Indianized States. The whole area was so influenced by India, that according to a European scholar who wrote in 1861, that "the Indian countries situated beyond the Ganges hardly deserve the attention of History." The various states established in this region can therefore be called Indianized kingdoms. Invasion nor proselystism was by no means the main factor in the process of Indianization which took place in the Indian Archipelago. International trade was very important. (reference http://www.hinduwisdom.info/ Sacred_Angkor.htm
[3] Since our return, we heard that about 7000 tons of fish were dead in this lake during the last week of 2008 and first week of 2009 on account of increased volcanic activity and unchecked fish farming.
[4] Source Wikipedia
[5] A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption
[6] Acharyya S.K., and Basu P.K. 1992. "Toba ash on the Indian subcontinent and its implications for correlation of late pleistocene alluvium." Quaternary Research 40:10-19
[7] Scrivenor, J.B. 1931. The Geology of Malaya (London: MacMillan), noted by Weber.
[8] A dome formed by swelling or rising of a caldera floor due to movement in the magma chamber beneath it. Unlike a lava dome, a resurgent dome is not formed by the extrusion of highly viscous lava onto the surface, but rather by the uplift and deformation of the surface itself by magma movement underground
All the above references are from Wikipedia.
[9] This is a Dutch man who fell in love with Lake Toba when he visited Lake Toba for a day and left his life, wife and career to settle down here.
[10] The explanation I could think of is as follows. During the autocratic rule of Suharto who had to relinquish office on account of allegations including rampant corruption and nepotism, during his 30 years of rule gave enormous focus to development of the country and its infrastructure. The corruption in most of the projects was on and above the cost of cost for a good quality implementation. In India the contracts going mostly to the lowest quote, the corruption leads to poor quality implementation which is less transparent and difficult to prove. We need to find a solution to this dilemma. How can we strengthen the quality of implementation of our public good projects without compromising the democratic governance structure we have established successfully? (Shall do some brain storming later outside of this travelogue)
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Remembering Gandhi
We have an argument with our colleague in which he takes a position that contradicts us. May be his position is quite stupid. May be he has a hidden agenda. Should we just accept it? Should we not contradict and put forward our position. The answer is yes. But should we lace our disagreement with retorts that is based on his caste or religion or family or his foibles? Should we call him a fool.
The moment we do that, we take the disagreement to a different plane. His ego is bruised. We touch a sore spot. The response would definitely be at very least a ‘tat for the tit”. Most probably one grade stronger and bitter. Soon it becomes an arms race of insults and accusations.
Gandhiji advocated ahimsa. Jesus Christ taught us to show our other cheek when we are slapped on one cheek. Utopian? Impractical ? Not meant for common man? Naturally these are our reactions. In fact, we feel that forgiveness as a response is more an expression of weakness and cowardice. Or we just can’t’ help hitting back?
But the underlying spirit of these teachings has a simple message that we can attempt to heed to, in our daily doses of conflicts… in our family life, office, public interaction.
This simple message is that we learn to avoid escalation of conflict. Each time we succeed in preventing one such escalation we sow a seed of peace.
Does it mean we don’t defend our rights or our convictions? That we allow the bullies to push their way through? No. but we can try to avoid making statements and observations that are not really relevant to the issue at hand. but inflammatory uttering that we use as a means of expressing our anger, to get back at those who wronged us.
Unfortunately our society is falling to this trap of arms race.
A Muslim bomb. A Hindu bomb in response. Pakistan supported terrorism. Our arms build-up at the border,.
One TV channel revealing position of commando.. Other TV channel telecast the interview with an MP who announces that a number of VIP guests are holed up in the chambers of Taj. Both these watched by the terrorists thus jeopardizing the rescue efforts.
One politician triggers violence against north Indians. The response is a massacre of Marathi in another state.
Does this happen only because of machinations byour politicians? I don’t think so. Are they not reflecting what our hearts silently beat for? As V S Naipaul commented. "The politics of a country can only be an extension of its human relationships"
It is time for us to reflect. Make a promise. Hold your tongue when it itches for a retort. Book mark this in your head.
We need to build a consensus. Build a momentum. The spirit of ahimsa. It got us independence with minimum bloodshed. It can keep us independent with minimum bloodshed
The moment we do that, we take the disagreement to a different plane. His ego is bruised. We touch a sore spot. The response would definitely be at very least a ‘tat for the tit”. Most probably one grade stronger and bitter. Soon it becomes an arms race of insults and accusations.
Gandhiji advocated ahimsa. Jesus Christ taught us to show our other cheek when we are slapped on one cheek. Utopian? Impractical ? Not meant for common man? Naturally these are our reactions. In fact, we feel that forgiveness as a response is more an expression of weakness and cowardice. Or we just can’t’ help hitting back?
But the underlying spirit of these teachings has a simple message that we can attempt to heed to, in our daily doses of conflicts… in our family life, office, public interaction.
This simple message is that we learn to avoid escalation of conflict. Each time we succeed in preventing one such escalation we sow a seed of peace.
Does it mean we don’t defend our rights or our convictions? That we allow the bullies to push their way through? No. but we can try to avoid making statements and observations that are not really relevant to the issue at hand. but inflammatory uttering that we use as a means of expressing our anger, to get back at those who wronged us.
Unfortunately our society is falling to this trap of arms race.
A Muslim bomb. A Hindu bomb in response. Pakistan supported terrorism. Our arms build-up at the border,.
One TV channel revealing position of commando.. Other TV channel telecast the interview with an MP who announces that a number of VIP guests are holed up in the chambers of Taj. Both these watched by the terrorists thus jeopardizing the rescue efforts.
One politician triggers violence against north Indians. The response is a massacre of Marathi in another state.
Does this happen only because of machinations byour politicians? I don’t think so. Are they not reflecting what our hearts silently beat for? As V S Naipaul commented. "The politics of a country can only be an extension of its human relationships"
It is time for us to reflect. Make a promise. Hold your tongue when it itches for a retort. Book mark this in your head.
We need to build a consensus. Build a momentum. The spirit of ahimsa. It got us independence with minimum bloodshed. It can keep us independent with minimum bloodshed
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