Dear Colleagues
As another round of random reflections arrive to you, today is May 1, associated with workers' movements around the world:
- Focus on workers seems to be dimming in conversations and programs lately. The labour identity is also being erased in several ways. Blinkit courier boys are called business partners; house maids are women associates; IT workers are labeled self-employed entrepreneurs. So, are there no workers left nowadays? In which case, how does any work get done? At home, 'wives of houses' do most of the work associated with cooking, cleaning, caring, etc. Machines seem to be doing most work in factories and offices. Robots carry the cricket ball in IPL matches, even. Everything else seems to be done by self-employed, or consultants!
- Every visit to Bengaluru reaffirms its centrality in tech ecosystem of the country. Youthful demographices, late night cafes and tech systems in all walks of life are ever so present in the city. Perhaps congruent with this image, auto-rikshaws in the city are clean, drivers well-behaved and vehicles efficient. Most shopping and restaurant streets of Bengaluru also seem to have a Paan shop. Its owner/manager is typically a migrant from Bihar or UP. Tech & Paan, interesting combo?
- Various provinces of India were busy in elections during most of this month. Securing votes has become a boxing and/or wrestling match, with voters as spectators. SO, large spectacles are organised and fake news industry on social media is frantically busy. On what basis do voters choose whom to vote for? In multi-party democracy, voters are supposed to be given clear choices about socio-economic-ecological development agendas. In contemporary national and international politics, manifestos have no meaning, only personalities and media projections matter. Some day, democracy will engage citizens, not just voters.
- If your journey is disrupted because a train or flight has been cancelled, passengers face major hassles. Key hassle is absence of authentic information about alternative travel arrangements. In this era of digital platforms & global call centres, it is impossible to connect to a real human to get real time correct information about choices. Passengers have no choice, simply!
- Today is also birthday of Lord Buddha. His message of peace is very relevant today, as various wars are being fought needlessly. Acting peacefully used to mean much more than absence of wars, conflicts or violence. Now, on Buddha Poornima (full moon night), we peaceniks aspire for wars to pause, and mindless killings to stop.
This phenomenon is currently playing out universally, in most countries and communities. May Buddha's teachings inspire humanity at this juncture?
Stay well, Sincerely
Dr. Rajesh Tandon
About the Author
A Ph.D. from Case Western Reserve University (Cleveland, USA) and an electronics engineer (IIT, Kanpur) with a graduation in management (IIM, Calcutta), Dr Rajesh Tandon is an internationally acclaimed leader and practitioner of participatory research and development.
His journey with PRIA started in 1982, as a young IIM graduate wanting to do more than just complete his PhD fieldwork.
