The Young and The Rebellious

“These new changes are a Diwali gift to the youthful nation announcing again the irrelevance of blind traditionalists and practitioners of doublespeak. The vibrant new generation is becoming the Brahma of nation's destiny. A new track, rebellious mood, unyielding to the stale preachers, lighting their own lamp in their own way, is the new song of young Bharat. Those who want to see it, feel it.”

Aah, I was so delighted to hear these words. These words are from a recent article by Shri Tarun Vijay, the editor of RSS mouthpiece, Panchjanya. And it reinforces my long-held belief that we Indians have been in the grips of blind traditionalists for way too long. The very foundation of Indian culture is change; it is the sangam of old and new. Following everything in our “old culture” would be ok if everything old was perfect, or almost perfect. But what right do we have to call our culture to be an ancient and sophisticated one, if it leads to thousands of dowry deaths every year? Where is our sense of shame when we (or our close relatives) kill infant girl children (For every 10 boys, there are less than 9.3 girls in India. That means we have killed over 50 million girls since independence. Another reason why I think guys like me are still bachelors :))? Where is our sense of equality when women in the villages have to keep their face covered with a ghoonghat in front of men? Where is our moral standing when the second richest temple in India happens to be the one devoted to a 14-year old girl who committed sati (Yeah, I am talking about Rani Sati temple in Jhunjhunu)? Can anyone, anyone with a little sanity, make a case for a 14-yr old girl committing sati? And then erecting a temple out of that act? And then giving donations so that the temple authorities can become rich?

But the bigger question is this. Why do we always try to maintain status quo in order to appease the society? Do we not realize that societal rules are not God-given but made by society, and therefore not immutable? Where is our spirit of rebellion? Why do we need a Raja Rammohan Roy to tell us that sati pratha is wrong? Or an Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar to promote the integration of widows in society? Or a Shri Shri Ravi Shankar to tell that untouchability is completely out of context in this new century? Should not these ideas spring out from the heart of each and every Indian and each and every human-being because of our respect of all-life forms? Doesn’t the great religions of India proclaim the idea of equality, as when Sri Krishna in Bhagwad Gita proclaims “Samo ham sarva-bhuteshu”?

The young generation realizes the problem, but partly because of their desire to agree with the old generation and partly due to their insecurity, they decide to follow these practices. But no more. This century belongs to the new India. And we would not be bound by the diktats of these blind traditionalists. Not only are we the creators or the Brahma of a new order, as Shri Tarun Vijay mentioned, but we also have to be the destroyers or the Shiva of all rudimentary and out-of date practices. Agreed, the young generation has many drawbacks (for example over-consumerism, over-aggression, and alcoholism to name a few). But then, there is never a perfect solution. And I believe these are just initial stages of experimentation of the new generation where there would be ten failed or partially-successful experiments before we reach a final perfect solution. Isn’t this is what evolution all about?

There are many great things about the religions and traditions of India (yoga, ayurveda, dance and music, self-discipline, focus on family and emphasis on dharma (or personal duty)). But many of the other old ideas have to die. After all, our great nation is about constant change. Those who want to maintain the same old continuity have no place in the new scheme of things.

P.S.: Something I read recently
http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/India-set-for-the-marriage-squeeze-UN/233685/

Sharks in the Tank

An interesting story about Japanese fishermen that was recently forwarded to me:

The Japanese have a great liking for fresh fish. But the waters close to
Japan have not held many fish for decades. So, to feed the Japanese
population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever. The farther
the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring back the fish. The longer it
took them to bring back the fish, the staler they grew.

The fish were not fresh and the Japanese did not like the taste. To solve
this problem, fishing companies installed freezers on their boats. They
would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. Freezers allowed the boats to
go farther and stay longer. However, the Japanese could taste the difference
between fresh and frozen fish. And they did not like the taste of frozen
fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price. So, fishing companies installed
fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to
fin. After a little hashing around, the fish stopped moving. They were tired
and dull, but alive.

Unfortunately, the Japanese could still taste the difference. Because the
fish did not move for days, they lost their fresh-fish taste. The Japanese
preferred the lively taste of fresh fish, not sluggish fish. The fishing
industry faced an impending crisis! But today, it has got over that crisis
and has emerged as one of the most important trades in that country! How did
Japanese fishing companies solve this problem? How do they get fresh-tasting
fish to Japan?

To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the
fish in the tanks. But now they add a small shark to each tank. The shark
eats a few fish, but most of the fish arrive in a very lively state. The
fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move. And they survive
and arrive in a healthy state!They command a higher price and are most
sought-after. The challenge they face keeps them fresh!

Humans are no different. L. Ron Hubbard observed in the early 1950's: "Man
thrives, oddly enough, only in the presence of a challenging environment. "
George Bernard Shaw said: " Satisfaction is death!"

*Moral Of story - *

If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges
keep you energized. You are excited to try new solutions. You have fun. You
are alive! Instead of avoiding challenges, jump into them. Do not postpone a
task, simply because its challenging. Catch these challenges by their horns
and vanquish them. Enjoy the game. If your challenges are too large or too
numerous, do not give up. Giving up makes you tired. Instead, reorganize.
Find more determination, more knowledge, more help. Don't create success and
revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and
abilities to make a difference.

Put a shark in your tank and see how far you can really go!

Namo Namaha—Saluting the Unsung Heroes

As India makes its march into the 21st century as a confident nation, there have been many instances of successful people. Though if one follows the Indian media, the success stories are those of Bollywood stars, entrepreneurs who have made millions, and cricketers (despite the fact that they are loosing one series after another; the latest one being the series with England). True, they deserve credit for what they have achieved for India, and they have made us all proud (well, except for cricketers). But I want to dedicate this blog to the unsung heroes: social workers, scientists, IAS officers, artists, and others who may not have achieved the glory, but whose contributions are probably equally important. They have worked selflessly for their society and their nation without expectations of major monetary gains. I have listed a few of them with links.

Major Manish Pitambre, who lost his life while fighting hardcore terrorists in Kashmir. Alas, Indian media was busy with a terrorist's (Sanjay Dutt) acquittal
http://www.planetpowai.com/news/1208200704.htm

Shri Marappa Annamalai, Shri C G PATIL, Shri K N Shankara, Shri G RAVEENDRANATH, Shri PS VEERARAGHAVAN, Shri MKG NAIR, and other members of the ISRO team that built and put a GSLV satellite into the space in 13 months flat, a record of sorts.
http://www.indianexpress.com/sunday/story/215171.html

Shri Raju Narayanaswamy, the IAS officer from Kerala who has shown a no-nonsense attitude towards illegal constructions.
http://www.indianexpress.com/story/214374.html

Shri Chamu Krishna Sastry, founder of Samskrita Bharati, who has devoted his life to spread the language of Gods, Samskrita. This guy is on road 20 days a month!!! India’s ancient wisdom is mainly in Samskrita, and its spread is necessary for the preservation of our culture.
http://www.lokvani.com/lokvani/article.php?article_id=3432

Shri E. Sreedharan, the Metro Man who built the Delhi Metro before target timelines.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E._Sreedharan

Shri Niraj Mohanka, Shri N.S. Rajaram, Shri Natwar Jha, and others for showing the continuity of Indian culture and its greatness http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Supplement/article/253/
http://www.hindunet.org/hindu_history/ancient/aryan/aryan_toi.html

Smt. Meenakshi and Shri Anshu Gupta, founder of the social-service organization, Goonj
http://www.goodnewsindia.com/index.php/Magazine/story/goonj/

And finally, the innumerable yogis and rishis who have brought the light of yoga, pranayamas, meditation, and ayurveda to the modern world.

Some of these people or organizations (like Samskrita Bharati) need monetary help to continue their work forward. All of us cannot be karma-yogis like them, but we can definitely contribute by donating to these organizations. Every bit helps!!!

The Apple IPhone - It Is Good Stuff

When it comes to gizmos and tech devices, I consider myself a technophobe. The reason being that after a while we become excessively dependent on these gizmos and they start controlling our lives way too much. But recently I happened to try the new IPhone and I just loved it. It has an awesome user interface with host of nice features. I particularly liked the touch-screen UI, and expect it will slowly become a standard for cellphones in the coming years.
I have two issues with the IPhone though. The first is that its screen is not smudge-free as is promised and the fingerprints are clearly visible on the screen after a while. It will be nice to have a technology that can render an IPhone screen smudge-proof, especially since some LCD screens and printing papers (the ones with matte finish) already possess the smudge-free properties. The other issue is that IPhone is not compatible with Microsoft Outlook. If IPhone can do that, I think it might pose a serious challenge to corporate mail services like Blackberry in the coming years.
However, all said and done, IPhone is good stuff, and I am looking forward to own it.

Adieu, My Beloved (Car)

My dear one. We have been together for over four years. Our love for each other has been the source of envy for many of our close friends. Despite the fact that I often mistreated you, you never complained and always took good care of me. We traveled the length and breadth of Texas and Tennessee together. But now, the time has come for us to part.

Adieu, my beloved ’95 Chevy Prizm. Stay happy with your new owner.

Yeah, I managed to sell my almost-junk student car!! It required all my marwari ingenuity and salesmanship.

Adieu, my beloved.
You were not a car, you were a piece of art
You had become my life’s indelible part
Without you, my life was incomplete
Like a bed without a bedsheet.

Your headlights were the beacon of my life
And your engine’s roar the sound of my soul
Your steering wheel was my inner compass
And your mirrors my inner reflections.



P.S.: Excuse me for my shoddy poetic skills

The Land of Bhaarat

Desis in USA, specially those who have been staying here since a long time, are a strange lot. I have been fortunate to know many of them personally. They are all quite successful materially, with big house, multiple cars, and well-educated children. Talk to them, and they would sing paeans about the better quality of life here compared to in India. But that’s just the surface. Scratch the surface, and one would find the agony, the pain inside them. Oh, how many of them long to go back to their own country, to their own motherland, in middle of their own people. How they feel complete strangers and un-loved and un-belonged in the land of opportunity. How most of them interact and live just within a desi community, akin to a ghetto, to provide them the emotional support. And despite all their yearnings and desires, they cannot go back. Because their kids are now Americans. And they won’t go back to India.

During my stay in Nashville last year, I closely came to know a couple, both doctors. Very nice couple and nice kids. As we started talking about life in USA, their defense mechanism ticked in, and they were singing praises about the quality of life in USA. But after talking for a few minutes, they said to me in an exasperated tone, “The initial charm in life here was money. And that is gone. Now we want to go back. But my 6 yrs old son won’t. He does not even eat Indian food now”. I met them subsequently many times. It was quite evident that they were completely bored and disinterested with their life. Another person in Boston mentioned that he is waiting for her daughters to graduate from college before he moves back to India. "Bhaarat is the only place where you live peacefully. USA is fine for a few years", that's what he told me. On being asked how can he leave his children behind, he said jokingly with a tinge of despair: “Well they have their own life now.” Another gentleman from New Jersey said that he is “stuck” here.

To make my point, here is a comment from a desi in USA from an article. Look at his longingness:
“Anyone who has lived in the USA, coming from India, if they are at all sensitive, will tell you that India is unique in Her ability to let one feel relaxed inside, in spite of often extreme turmoil outside. I'm not talking about familiarity of language or culture or food, but rather a feeling inside that cannot be described very well. Many Indians will tell you that in the US, they cannot sleep, they fall sick for no reason, and when they return to India, in spite of the terrible health conditions in some places, they get well, and sleep again.“

I have a pretty good experience of living in USA. I have learnt a lot and I have enjoyed a lot. But having said that, I miss my country, and I want, maybe within a few years, to go back to the land of Bhaarat—my janmabhoomi, my matrubhoomi, and forever my karmabhoomi.

P.S.: I am not saying all the desis want to go back, but definitely a majority. Some of the desis are quite happy and blissful with their life here. Also, I am talking about desis who have been settled here for a long time, not relatively fresh migrants like myself.

Guru Poornima!!!

It was around four years back when I did my first part 2 Art of Living course. The memories of the course are still fresh in my memory. Before the course, I thought that the best time I could have would be a night of dandiya with friends. But that course blew me off. Competely. In many ways, it fundametally changed the course of my life.

It was also the first time I met Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. That guy amazed me the first time I met him, and still I cannot fathom or match his energy, enthu, and dedication. When I travel to India, it takes me a week to get over the jet-lag. But it seems this guy becomes more energetic every time he takes a flight. He hops out of the plane, goes for a course or a talk, meets people, plans out future activities, and sometimes cooks :); all the while smiling without showing any trace of tiredness. And whenever I meet him, thoughts vanish and mind becomes serene and calm; a calmness I dont experience anywhere else.

For good or for bad, I dont have the extent of devotion towards Sri Sri as many others in AoL community have, but he is certainly the person I respect the most in my life, apart from my parents. And on this auspicious day of Guru Poornima, I fondly remember the last four years of my life, and gratefully dedicate this blog to Guruji.

A Vegetarian, By Choice

I have been a vegetarian for practically my whole life, though I never really considered having non-veg food to be morally incorrect. In-fact, to a certain extent, I thought having non-veg food is probably better as it is more nutritious. If someone asks me, why I am a vegetarian, my reply typically is, “I am a vegetarian because I grew up that way. I find it hard to change myself now”. Around a month back, though, I went for dinner with VP of my company, Eric at a funky restaurant in Boston. I have always looked out for new delicacies, and that restaurant had options I never heard before. One of them was foie gras, and the description mentioned that it was filled with almonds, some vegetables, and pineapple. That surely excited me, and I almost ordered that dish. Until Eric warned me: foie gras is not only non-veg; it is probably the most extreme non-veg one could find.

Upon returning home, I did some google search, and I was horrified to read about it. Foie gras means fat liver, and is from a duck or goose. Now, that’s fine to me. But, wait, there’s more to it. To enhance the taste of liver, the goose or duck is force-fed for ~15 days to fatten the liver. And how are they force-fed? Well, by inserting a tube all the way down to the esophagus of the duck and inserting the food with a pump. Each duck or goose is fed around 2 kg of food three times a day, and each pumping takes 2-3 seconds. Many of the ducks and geese are hurt during the process; some die. The pipes cause serious damage to the throat and esophagus, sometimes leading to their death. Some of the birds cannot even drink water because their neck is so badly damaged during repeated pipe insertions that water sprinkles out from the neck to the outside air. The ones who are alive during the 15 days face a torturous life, as they cannot move because of over-feeding.

I found some scary pictures of duck who have been force-fed, but they are way too gross to be posted here. Go to http://www.goveg.com/photos_ducksgeese.asp and look at the photogallery. I am just adding this picture that compares the size of liver from a force-fed duck to that of a normal one.



That night, I guess, I was happy to be a vegetarian.

Symbolism in Hinduism—1

When I was in my teens, everything concerning Hinduism seemed wrong: multiple Gods, illogical rituals, and mindless devotion to Gurus. During my teen years, I was fairly an atheist, and rejected Hinduism in all its forms. However, it took a trip to USA and Part 2 course with Art of Living Foundation that spurred my interest in Hinduism exactly four years back. I still don’t have as much knowledge about Hinduism as I would like to have; yet, whatever little knowledge I have puts me in awe about the insight and ingenuity of our Vedic rishis. They are rightly called “seers”, because they could “see” what is difficult for us ordinary mortals to see. And the rishis of yore encrypted their research results in our scriptures, particularly the Vedas, Puranas, and the Upanishads.

Of particular interest to me has been the hidden symbolism behind Hindu scriptures, Gods, and rituals. Each and every act of Hinduism (and probably other religions as well) is constructed such that it is beneficial to mind, body, and spirit. Idol-worshipping, pradakshina or circumambulation around temples, offering coconut during pujas, offering water to Sun; they all have a beautiful reason behind them. Performing them might look senseless, but never doubt their efficacy. For example, looking at sun (for 30 seconds or so) while offering water during sunrise is beneficial to the eyes because the harmful UV rays are completely blocked during the long travel of the sun-rays. My mother does this practice every single morning. Ofcourse now-a-days, some people do it at 8 am rather than at sunrise, thus damaging the eye-sight. Even the stories about Gods in Hinduism have deep spiritual underpinnings. In one of my later blogs, I will write on the spiritual significance of the story of beheading of Shri Ganesha (and subsequent replacement with elephant head by Shiva). Stay tuned…

Crime Statistics

The recent bomb blasts in Hyderabad made me think as to how safe is it to live in India. So I thought it will be a good idea to compare crime statistics between India and USA.This comparision is especially important for desis in US like me who want to return back to their native country at some point of time. And here are the results (data from www.nationmaster.com) :

Total Number of Crimes (per 1000 people) in USA: 80
Total Number of Crimes (per 1000 people) in India: 1.6

Murders (per 1000 people) in USA: 0.043
Murders (per 1000 people) in India: 0.032

Rapes (per 1000 people) in USA: 0.3
Rapes (per 1000 people) in India: 0.014

Terrorism fatalities (per 1 million people) in last 40 years in USA: 10
Terrorism fatalities (per 1 million people) in last 40 years in India: 1.4

A vast number of crimes in India I think are not rreported. For example, I think large number of rapes and petty crimes like burglaries are not reported in India. But even after accounting for this fact, I think it is safe to conclude that living in India seems to be a safer option. Of course, when it comes to belief in police and judicary, USA fares much better than India.

Shivoham, Shivoham

One of my favorite verses from "Nirvana Shatakam" by Jagatguru Shri Adi Shankaracharya, espousing the concept of advaita or non-duality

Na Punyam Na Paapam Na Saukhyam Na Dukham
Na Mantro Na Teertham Na Vedo Na Yajnaha
Aham Bhojanam Naiva Bhojyam Na Bhoktaa
Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham

Na Me Mrityu Shankaa Na Me Jaati Bhedah
Pita Naiva Me Naiva Maataa Na Janma
Na Bandhur Na Mitram Gurur Naiva Shishyah
Chidaananda Roopah Shivoham Shivoham

Translation:
I have neither virtue nor vice, nor pleasure, nor pain,
nor the sacred chant of mantras nor pilgrimage,
nor the scriptures, nor the sacrificial rituals,
I am neither the act of enjoying, nor the enjoyable object, nor the enjoyer,
I am pure Knowledge and Bliss,
I am shiva, the Auspiciousness itself.

I have no fear of death,nor have I any distinction of Caste,
I have neither father,nor mother, nor even birth,
nor relation, nor friend,no teacher, no disciple,
I am pure Knowledge and Bliss,
I am all Auspiciousness, I am Shiva.

Shaadi - 1

Me: "So, what are your hobbies?"
She: "Travelling".
Me: "Really. Where all have you travelled?"
She: "To my dadaji's and nanaji's village"

And I am flabbergasted. Here, I am, on a vacation to India meeting girls to end my bachelorhood. And this girl hasn't travelled anywhere except her grandfather's village, and claims to have travelling as her major hobby. And then suddenly the girls father, who happens to be in the same room, chips in, "Are bhai, ghumne ka kaafi shauk hai hamari ladki ko. bas oppurtunity nahi mili. aapke saath shaadi hogi, to woh oppurtunity bhi mil jaayegi". Shaadi, my foot.

Cricket - False Religion, False Gods, and False Patriotism

Cricket is played and followed in India with a religious fervour. So much so that not taking an interest in cricket is considered non-patriotic by many. Just before the start of Cricket World Cup, I was talking to a friend. On being asked how am I going to watch the world cup games, I replied that I am neither going to watch the games, nor I really care about the final outcome. To which I was branded a non-Indian and non-patriotic. My friend (well, no longer a friend since he stopped talking to me since then) just could not understand why as an Indian I did not like the game. I tried to reason that liking cricket has nothing to do with being patriotic; I might love India, but still not like cricket. But to no avail, the guy was a cricket-fanatic. And he is not alone. Majority of the Indian population are like him: dumb, senseless cricket-fanatics, who think that Sachin Tendulkar is the greatest human being ever born on this earth.

When I was a kid, I was a passionate follower of the game. On days when there was a cricket match, I would start pretending to have fever from the morning so that I wont have to go to school. My parents would understand the whole drama, still once in a while they would allow me to take a day-off from school. As soon as I got the permission to not go to school, all my fever/stomach pain/headache disappeared in a second. Those were also the good days of cricket for India, as we used to win a majority of the matches. But as I grew older, India started losing roughly two out of three matches. And then came the match fixing revelation. And my world was shattered. Sandip Agarwal had been duped royally. Never again will he follow this game.

Ever since then, I have not really followed cricket, though, thanks in part to my friends, I have always been abreast of the scores and the results. Even now, India loses a majority of the competitive games, and I am happy that I am no longer passionate about it. Gambling on cricket still goes on merrily, and my inside sources (well I am a marwari, and a lot of the money on cricket gambling is from my community) tell me that the matches are no longer fixed, but the individual scores of some batsmen are fixed beforehand.

In the last year or so, though, there has been a change in my attitude towards cricket. It has changed from one of utter carelessness to that of hatred and now to utter hatred. Cricket these days dominates everything in Indian media. The news channel are making merry hyping the game by using words such as 'jung', 'ranabhoomi', etc, as if there was a war going on. People first watch the game for 10 hrs (or 50 hrs if it is Test match) and then discuss the game with friends for 10 days. Sitting in front of TV for such long time is going to make them one-dimensional human beings. There are so many other good things in life for a youngster-- dance, party, travel, but please dont watch cricket so much.

Indian cricket is no more a sport, its an epidemic. What has Sharad Pawar anything to do with cricket? Isnt he supposed to take care of the agriculture department, which is one of the most important department in Indian govt? Doesnt agriculture, which supports the majority of Indian population, deserve all his attention? Wont it be better that he rather devote his time and energy in improving crop productivity and lowering deterioration of agricultural produce? Every month, hundreds of farmers are commiting suicide, shouldnt he take care of that? But, no, cricket must take his attention, as that is where he could hog the media limelight. Who cares about the poor farmers.

The loss of India to Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in this World Cup has brought mixed feelings in me. On one hand is the loss of pride, since we lost on the world arena. But on the other hand, I think this is exactly what India needs. Hopefully, cricket-crazy people will realize the complicity of cricket board members, politicians, media moguls, and gamblers. Cricket is just a sport, let it remain a sport. Dont elevate it to a religion. If it is a religion, then we are probably worshipping false Gods.

Will India really become more dispassionate about cricket? I know that my expectations from India are a lot, but then, I am an utter optimist and a diehard patriot.

P.S. I am not against the game of cricket per se. What pushes my buttons are the number of cricket matches and the hype it generates.

The American Alcohol Industry, its Manipulation of Media and Scientific Research, and Impact on India.

A popular belief in the first half of 20th century was that cigarette smoking is healthy. Cigarette smoking was extremely common with the intellectual class, as is evident by acclaimed movie “Good Night, and Good Luck”. But the American society of today by and large abhors smoking. On looking closely at the situation, it could be noticed that the wrong impression of health benefits of smoking did not arise from any medical study, but by some clever advertisement strategies by cigarette companies with ad-lines like “More doctors smoke Camels than any other cigarette” or making cigarette smoking a sexy and alluring thing.

That now brings me to the topic of drinking alcohol. The alcohol industry has cleverly positioned itself in such a manner that a teetotaler is considered as if he/she has come from a different planet, and this is especially true for teenagers and youths. The last ten years of my student life has firmly convinced me that it is peer-pressure which leads to the start of alcohol in teenagers that slowly becomes a full-blown pursuit. Much of the media reports on alcohol consumption focuses on the positive health impacts of drinking alcohol, though there is a wide scientific literature that unequivocally proves that drinking alcohol, even at low to moderate amounts, can lead to increased rates of suicidal tendencies, breast cancer in women ("Alcohol Dehydrogenase Genetic Polymorphisms, Low-to-Moderate Alcohol Consumption, and Risk of Breast Cancer." Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research 31(3)), and brain damage among adolescents (http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/388/iom_fact_sheet.pdf). Instances of medical benefits are often cited by my friends as well as in popular media. A New York Times article comes to mind, in which was mentioned a study that showed that a chemical found in wine, resveratrol, was found to prevent cancer in mouse. On the surface, the article gives an impression that daily consumption of wine would be a potent prevention against cancer. But further analysis throws two surprising things, which were not really highlighted in the article. First, the dose of resveratrol given to the mice in the month long “scientific” study is equivalent to 10 bottles of wine everyday. And mind you, that is in mice, not in human beings. And the second fact, which I found very funny, is that resveratrol in wine comes from grape itself. So even if I am a human being with an average brain, I would rather have grape juice than wine for health benefits. Not only I would get more resveratrol, I also imbibe other benefits of grape juice which are lost during the fermentation process in making wine.

The alcohol industry has gone further than the cigarette industry by manipulating scientific research. Large number of scientific studies (for example "Alcohol Consumption and Hemostatic Factors: Analysis of the Framingham Offspring Cohort." Circulation 104(12) and "Alcohol Consumption and Risk of Lung Cancer: The Framingham Study." J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 94(24)) that show the positive effects of alcohol on health is sponsored either by organizations like Wine Institute or Beer Institute or by persons associated with such organizations.

Another shocking fact is that underage drinkers account for around 20% of the revenue of alcohol industry. The average age for an American for his first alcoholic drink is 11 years for boys and 13 years for girls. Alcohol abuse is linked to two-thirds of sexual assaults and more than half of traffic accidents. Yet the media and the politicians are completely indifferent. The reason is simple: money-power. Alcohol companies spend around $5 billion in alcohol advertising and were one of the most generous donors to various Republican and Democratic candidates in the 2000 election cycle.

(http://www.ama-assn.org/ama1/pub/upload/mm/388/iom_fact_sheet.pdf).

In today’s globally connected world, America is a role model for many developing countries. As such, alcohol consumption is rising at a remarkable pace in India. A decade ago, alcohol consumption was looked down upon; alcohol drinkers used to drink in the privacy of their homes. But these days its very common for youngsters to frequent bars and pubs, and parties where alcohol is served is commonplace. Consuming alcohol is considered cool and hip among yougsters, whereas non-drinking is looked down upon. Alcohol consumption has also been linked to increased domestic violence in rural areas of India. Alcohol is purchased by lower income group people often at the expense of basic necessities. From a recent article (http://www.unhooked.com/sep/thirdworl.htm), “Not surprisingly for a country in which the doctor-patient ratio is 1 to 2310, the health services are focused on providing bare essentials such as immunization. When questions of alcohol consumption do arise, the answer is usually simple: "Don't drink". Religiously, culturally, socially and economically it is the only answer that makes sense. In other words, for an average Indian abstinence in not a matter of choice but an imperative.”

Is the lesson of alcoholism India wants to copy from America? Cannot India rather emulate America’s ideals of discipline, creativity, and hard-work?