ABCD of Everything : Always Being in Control of Destiny

 

“Gee Ma I wanna go home…” 

There are many versions of the famous song "Life in the army, they say it is mighty fine.” Everything aside, once in the army; forever the army within. Everything about the Army is practical and everything practical has theories behind it. Modern management theories, related to organisational aspects, individual behaviour and group dynamics have its roots in military practices. Indian Army officers, irrespective of the stream they are commissioned into, spend the lion share of their army life learning and climbing the hierarchical army ladder involves intense competition.   

I was a young captain, married and with two children. I also wanted to do well. The first real hurdle was a merit based competitive examination for admission to two prestigious institutions. The number of seats was fixed.  One could attempt only thrice. I was attempting it for the first time and I wanted to clear it. The exam had six papers. One paper had more than a hundred books prescribed. Current affairs and general knowledge paper had no prescribed books but anything under the sun or beyond could be asked. One was law. We could use five terribly unwieldy books. That made it even more difficult. Other papers had much less texts to cover but were no less fierce. 

One for Three  

I was spending 18 hours a day reading and the overload was beginning to show. Well-wishers discouraging me far outnumbered the few who said “there's no harm in trying at least once.'' “You have two more chances,” some rubbed it in even harder. “I am sure you will easily make it,” my wife said. She was the only person who seemed to trust me even when I doubted occasionally. I felt I must do a mid-course check. I approached a senior who had cleared the exam a few years ago.  

Sunday evenings are the best for such occasions. He was kind enough to call me over. A good senior, he poured me a whiskey, sat me down and asked me a question from the syllabus. I knew the answer. I took time to organise my thoughts and answered him. I was very happy with my performance. I took the first sip of the whiskey. “How's the whiskey?” He asked.  

He did not wait for my response.  

“The examination is for three hours. The maximum mark possible is 500. Keep five minutes for reading the question paper, 10 towards the end to check what you have written and five as reserve, you only have 160 minutes to score 500 marks. So 16 minutes for 50 marks. Every minute you spend in the examination hall is worth more than three marks,” he said.  I had nothing to say. I almost choked on the first sip, still in my mouth. 

“Your response to my question was excellent. Let us say you score a perfect 10. You took about 10 minutes to answer me. So, you scored a perfect 10 against 38. Forget the merit list,” he said. My heart stopped for a second. He had mathematically demolished six months of my preparation. Yet, he seemed like a genuine benefactor.  

“Remember, time is an important element of response.  You may know a lot but never spend even a second more than what the maximum mark requires you to, because that is what you can score best. Efforts must be commensurate with the rewards expected. Give only as much time to anything as the expected outcome deserves. In life too, don't spend time on anything more than it's worth,” he sounded like a Guru.  

“In the exam hall, there is no time to think, organise and write. Your answers must flow from a mental picture. It must flow involuntarily from muscle memory. Brain is like a muscle. Use it more, stronger it becomes and better it performs,” he said. “Make a mental picture of a mechanised formation setting out to capture an objective deep in the enemy territory,” he said. I visualised every step of the huge process. The formation with all its elements, leaving its concentration area as per the order of march, advancing towards the objective, establishing a bridgehead, bypassing unwanted distractions posed by smaller objectives enroute, containing those without depleting its main force, contacting the objective, and destroying it. “Oh, ABCD,” I said. He then asked me two questions. The answers were faster, easily organised and to the point. “Practise, you can do it better,” he said. 

“This is the only piece of advice I can give. Hope it helps. Cheers,” he said, raising his glass. I had forgotten my glass of whiskey lying on the side table. Army guys call it a peg table! “Cheers,” I said, picking up my glass. The whisky tasted great. I picked up the cue and left.  

Sacred Space 

Finally, it was exam time. I knew the answers to each question in the paper. So did everybody else. Maybe they knew more. We all had prepared for at least one year and some even more. Many were appearing the second time and a few the third. Silence in the hall was deathly till the second hour. Then the calls “sir,” started coming. Initially it was just a few. with many calling out, it turned into a chorus. The two invigilators were straining to answer each call. Having filled the main answer book, people were calling for additional sheets. They had much to write. Most of them first attempted questions they thought they knew best. They wrote everything they knew about it filling sheets, surpassing word limits. Irrespective of what was written, they could not have scored more than the maximum allotted marks. Having delved more on the few they knew best, they had less for all others they knew.  

I attempted serially from the beginning. I picked up parts relevant to what was asked from the picture in my head. My answers were short and in point form. I left enough space at the end of each answer so that I could come back and add if need be. I did that too; I had enough time. I took no additional sheets. When the results were published, I found space in the merit list. Many who used additional sheets did not make the merit.  

I used the same technique during the course also. I secured an “Alpha’ grade and the coveted ‘instructor’ certification. I became adept at using this technique to my advantage. It has helped me do well in all the competitive examinations and all the training programmes ever since. It helped me in efficiently deploying the fishbone techniques in investigations, defect identification, and arriving at the best possible outcomes. 

‘ABCD’ of Things 

I extensively use the technique in my training programmes also. Over a period, I learnt to retool it to deal with issues in real life. I call it ‘ABCD’ of things.  

Irrespective of longevity, life is a marathon, a race to an objective in depth. Our existence in a society is a continuum of changing situations, an amalgam of interpersonal relationships and intrapersonal equilibrium. Whether we want it or not we have to deal with people, good or bad and situations favourable or unfavourable. Assigning the quantum of relevance is very important for the outcome, short and long term. But how? 

Advance Assessing 

Classic mechanised formation consists of many tanks, combat vehicles, artillery, anti-aircraft guns, attack helicopters, and a myriad of logistics elements with people to operate each of it. Housed in barracks, it is an idle resource. Its potential is best elicited when it advances towards the objective according to a plan. Both adversaries have resources. Only one emerges victorious. ABCD makes the difference.   

Each one of us is like a mechanised formation. Inactive, we too are idle resources. Unless we have an objective to advance towards, there is no progress. Life without purpose is only existence. When we advance, we will come across obstacles big and small, opponents strong or weak, and situations benevolent or vicious. We may have to tread unfamiliar terrains. Some may even be deceptive. But advance we must. Nothing must stop us.  

Advancing in life calls for assessing people and situations. When it comes to people, we have the choice to associate or dissociate, engage, or ignore, cooperate, or compete. Choice of the option depends on the inevitably of the person to our objective and the accuracy of our assessment. 

Assessment of situations must also be linked to our objectives. It must result in determining the extent of our association. Situations existential or vital to our objective will need intense participation. Others can receive differential intervention. Some though irritating can be ignored or avoided while a few may need to be contained 

Bridge or bypass 

Dissipating force levels to address distractions enroute to the objective severely erodes momentum of operations. The long line of trucks and tanks on the road to Kiev, unless so planned, was the result of poor assessment by someone and poorer execution by everyone else. Assault on Kiev could never be mounted and victory remains elusive. With innumerable imponderables, life too is like that.  

The trickiest of imponderables in life are people, each one driven by their own inadequacies and insecurity. There are many who we must associate with. Launch bridges to reach them. Even if they are not inclined to, keep the bridge head open. There will be many who we should not associate with. Bypass unwanted distractions. Beware of pretenders.  

Avoid and ignore people who are detrimental.  At times it may not be possible due to spatial constraints. Requirements of societal life may dictate coexistence with rabid, unreliable, selfish people. They may be our relatives, colleagues, neighbours and even sworn enemies. Their mere presence may be festering. But, giving them time more than what they deserve will cost us our objective. Engage only to contain them, otherwise bypass. At times we have to bear with unbearable. Call it luck!

 

Nothing is permanent. Situations, like seasons, will change. Good going can turn bad and bad become good. When going is good and weather favourable, race along and cover as much ground as possible. When it hits turbulence, manage the present, look beyond the immediate, cast the bridge beyond to establish the bridgehead and surge through the obstacle. When the situation is incomprehensible, persevere and hang on. At times it is best to retreat to recoup and relaunch elsewhere. Buy or bide time but static kills.  Create the picture that you want to see ahead. In most cases it fructifies. Accuracy of assessment is the key. 

Cooperate or Competing to Capture  

Even successful operations do not go exactly as planned. Victors in war seldom win all battles. Individual battles do not aggregate to decide the outcome of a war though each loss in the battle has a price. The loss in one battle could negate all the victories so far and cut short the campaign itself. History is replete with examples.  

It is important to understand that today is not the only day in life and today's success or failure does not necessarily define our ultimate success or failure.  Life is not even the sum of successes and failures. However, giving up for good, giving no chance to oneself to pick up the gauntlet once again essentially terminates the journey in defeat. There are times when we must decide between cooperating and competing. It is natural to hesitate but devastating to be indecisive.  Deciding not to respond could be a good decision but that coming from indecision is detrimental.  

When it comes to people it is not necessary to win over all the people we meet. Many are not worth any effort. Let barking dogs bark and beware of the ones that could bite. Success lies in identifying whom and assessing how much. Similarly, when it comes to situations, we may be called upon to decide whether we should continue or give up. Cardinal rule is not to reinforce failure and the caveat; all easy goings do not lead to success. 

Dictating Destiny 

There is a sense of helplessness when we talk of ‘Taqdir’, ‘Bahgya’ or Destiny. Many, even when they achieve prominence by sheer ‘Bhagya,’ ‘Taqdeer’ or destiny, create stories of struggle and a fictional army of opponents they had overcome. Destiny is not always limited or facilitated by the accident of birth or natural turn of events.  Success comes when we decide our objective, define our journey, and doggedly persevere. 

Success comes to those who can dictate their own destiny. In most cases they even define others destiny.

I am Happy I Lost a Few Crores

 A LESSON WITH MALICE TOWARDS NONE

It was our wedding anniversary.  My wife and I had been receiving calls wishing us well. A few years back, when I was working, there used to be an endless stream of calls and cards congratulating us and wishing us many years of happiness. I returned all the calls and replied to all the cards. Now that I am retired, we get much fewer calls and cards. It doesn't upset us at all. We knew that positions that facilitate felicitations. We still receive calls and cards. We cherish them. The reduction in numbers is compensated by the length of each call.

This year, I received an unexpected call. 

 

It was about 2:45 in the afternoon. I had just woken up from my siesta. The call was from someone I knew. We both had retired around the same time. We had not spoken for years. He called in to wish us a great wedding anniversary. I was surprised. 

“What do you do to keep yourself occupied?” he asked. 

“I spend time reading and writing. I blog and vlog. I am also working on a book. Once in a while I get a corporate training assignment,” I said.

“That's very good. I have been regularly reading your blog. You take up something from everyday life and bring out profound lessons. You write really well. I am impressed. I am eagerly looking forward to your book,” he said. I loved that ego massage.  

Now, it was my turn. “How do you spend time?” I asked. 

“I am an entrepreneur. I make some good money. I raked in a few crores last year.  I expect better results this year. Even during the pandemic we did some real good business,” he sounded very matter of fact. 

I always had this feeling that people in business are always busy and short of time. He sounded very casual and relaxed. I was  happy for him. The conversation culminated with both of us promising to be in touch. Like all successful businessmen, he had an urgent call to attend to.

He kept his promise. 

Two weeks later he called me up. I had just reached my study after my siesta. We exchanged some pleasantries. 

“You seem to be vacationing like there’s no tomorrow,” I said. I had seen, over the social media, a lot of photographs of him and his family enjoying themselves at different places. 

“Actually my work requires me to travel. We took out time to enjoy ourselves. I have teams across many cities in India and few abroad. I have a team in your state also,” he said.  I was very impressed.

 

“Jacob, do you want to get into business?” he asked. 

“Knowing how honest and committed you are, I think you should be able to make some good money for yourself,” he said. 

I didn't answer. I was stumped, clear and clean. It took me a little while to compose myself. I was definitely not interested. My hands were already full with activities I love. I wanted to be polite while declining the offer. 

“What is the business?” I asked. 

“E-commerce, like Amazon,” he replied. 

I was sceptical. “Can you fill in some details?” I asked. 

“That, I will tell you in due course of time,” he said. 

“Wait, let me check if I can make you speak to my mentor,” he said. 

He put me on hold and made a quick call to somebody. “Jacob, you are lucky. He is a very busy man. Luckily, he has a slot free the day after. He  agreed to speak with you the day after at 3 o'clock. I will send you a video link tomorrow. We both can connect about 10 minutes before, chat up for sometime and he can  join at three,” he said.

“Thoughtful or something else?” I wondered. 

“What is the business all about? What is the name of your company?” I did not let him go. 

“I am not inclined to get into any business,” I said.  

“There is no compulsion Jacob. Hold your horses till the day after. After listening to my mentor, if you think you want to, we can discuss. I recommend you ask your wife also to join the call,” he replied.  

“Mentor? We both held high ranks in the hierarchy. We mentored many while  in service.  Why do you now need a Mentor?" I asked. 

“Jacob, that is where we go wrong. We all have our specific areas of competence. Everywhere else we need someone to hand hold us, at least to start with. My mentor is much younger to me. He is an alumnus of IIT and IIM. An expert in the business, he helped me set up mine. Now I am on my own running a hugely successful venture. I am making money like never before,” he said. 

It seemed like a pep talk intended to shake me out of my slumber and motivate me to dive in to look for the big money bag. “Beware,” my insides screamed. 

“I am not interested in doing any business. I would just like to enjoy what is left of my life without taking any more tension,” I said. 

“Don't worry. You don't have to invest anything now but your competence,” he replied. "Jacob, I have a meeting scheduled. We will catch up the day after," he said. Our conversation ended abruptly. 

My mind was fast at work. Something was not right. Over the cup of tea in the evening my wife and I discussed and decided to let the offer wade by.

Two days later as promised he connected. "Where is Mrs Jacob?"  he asked. “She will not be joining,” I told him. Few moments later his mentor joined live. 

“What is your dream in life?” he asked after the initial pleasantries. 

Running fast towards 64, my bucket list was already complete. I had decided to take life one day at a time. “I am looking forward to publishing my book,” I said. 

“That's great. You must be wanting to do something more in life," he prodded. 

“I have got more than what I deserved and desired. We love travelling. We are doing everything we want to. We are happy with life,” I said.

“Travel abroad? You need lots of money,” he said. 

“Not much. We plan, save and travel,”I replied.

“You fly business class?” he was not letting go. 

Clearly, he was leading me somewhere. I decided to go along.  

“I take the cheapest ticket available,” I said.

“ Why not  business class?” he asked. 

“No. With the money I have, I can either travel longer in economy or shorter in business class. I prefer the longer option,” I replied. 

“Would you mind flying business class?” he asked.  

“Who would?” I replied

“If you have sufficient money you can fly business class across the world all your life,” he said.

I sensed where we were headed to. “Who doesn't know that?” I asked. 

 

“I was also like you. Even after passing out from IIT and IIM, my wife and I were mere employees and had to think twice before spending. Now we make so much money we don't have to think how to spend it. We have made enough that we can travel anywhere we want whenever we want.  Now my business is making money on its own. I don't have to work. My wife and I get a lot of time together,” he said, trying to draw me into that world of abundance, opulence and free time.

“That is indeed great and I am very happy for you. I am already doing all that without the kind of money you are talking about. My wife and I get to spend the whole day together happily talking to each other. We share the daily chores together. I don't need the kind of money you have to be happy. To be honest, the money I have is more than enough for me. I don't think money can help me be happy,” I said.

“What about your medical expenses? You are getting old and as time goes by you will need more money for your health related issues,” he said.

I could not help but laugh out loud.  “I am very clear about it. I have already told my wife and children what to do when I am sick and cannot control what is being done to me. I have told them that I do not want to prolong life without dignity. I have also told them what to do with my body. I have insurance that should cover me for all normal sicknesses. I am not hanging on for nothing,” I said.

“You mean to say you have already attained Zen state?” he asked.

I did not know whether it was a taunt or he actually meant it. “I think so,” I replied.

“I possibly cannot help you,” he said.

“I didn't seek help to be happy,” I replied.

Clearly, the conversation did not go well. He went out of the call with a curt goodbye. My former colleague also  disconnected with a quick goodbye. I have never heard from them thereafter.

Recently, my wife and I were travelling with my colleague. In the course of our conversation he told us of a similar experience. The conversation he had, followed the same pattern. In fact he went a little further in the process but stopped just short of investing a sizable chunk of his life savings. Many people fall for the sweet talk, the dreams of unlimited flow of money and the good things that come with it and about how one can make millions through the ‘get quick rich fast’ schemes. It's not small amounts that they end up losing. Some of them end up losing their entire savings. Sad but true, those luring us with calls are mostly people whom we know or trust. Most of those calling up are themselves trapped into the web of deceit and greed. They might have been ignorant, naïve or greedy to get into it but they are simply cunning and heartless to get someone known into the quicksand they got into.

Escape comes from having the ability to distinguish between ‘need’, ‘want’ and ‘greed’. 

In Malayalam it is referred to as ‘atyavasyam’, ‘avasyam’ and ‘anavasyam’. ‘Atyavasyam’ or the unavoidable (inescapable requirements) are our needs or necessities. Without these, life can be miserable. Food, shelter, clothing, education, medical care, insurance, transport and such like things fall in the category of needs. One must have money for acquiring these. 

‘Wants’ or ‘avasyam’ make life more comfortable. Better quality of food, good house in an upscale locality, adequate clothing, access to good education and medical care, the quality of things that one possess etc fall in the category of wants. Better or higher the platform, the more comfortable life becomes. One needs more money for it. Unfortunately there is no end to betterment. The problem is about defining one’s needs and determining the limits of wants. The envelope is  infinitely stretchable and the boundary between ‘want’ and greed is invisible. One may not realise when one has left the decent boundaries of want and has strayed into the layer of greed. Many who fall prey to scamsters and their ways are the ones who have recently strayed into the layer of greed.

Happiness is the ability to be satisfied. Wisdom is knowing where to draw boundaries.

Looking back, I might have lost many crores but I surely preserved a few lakhs. I am happy about that loss.

 

American Chop Suey Syndrome

 "I am ready. Let us go," said my wife when I reached home from the office. It was a 'half day' in the office and I did not have to return to work. We had decided the previous day itself that we would be eating out that noon.

Tezpur in 1987 was not like what it is now. There were not many eating places to choose from. We reached Tezpur only a few months before and had not yet explored the place. I also had not received much PCK (Previous Course Knowledge) about the place. PCK, in the army, refers to the inputs including notes, old question-papers and other tips, normally a senior gives to the junior in the same regiment or unit, about a training course he or she had attended. Over the course of time PCK extended its reach and now covers almost everything that one passed on to a new arrival or junior in the regiment or unit. Obviously, not many in the unit had gone out to eat. There were reasons. Officers and their families mostly went out in the evenings after office hours and came back late after dinner. The law and order situation prevailing then was not considered safe enough for evening outings. Moreover, Tezpur was away from the unit. 

Mobile Phones and Google Maps were not even distant dreams those days. With absolutely no PCK in hand, the only other way to find a good restaurant was to actually try out each one physically. Driven by hunger and not one to upset my lady, I decided to explore. It was also my first trip out to the town. I had just my sense of direction and the will to persevere to help. I kicked my Royal Enfield bullet to life and set out with my wife and child. Tezpur town was a good half an hour's drive. We drove through the empty road, reached the town and looked around. We couldn't find any 'good looking' places to eat in. With hunger pangs taking over, I homed on to a small little place where a bright board hanging outside said in English, "Chinese food". 

I stopped my bike and asked the guy, sitting outside the rickety restaurant, if they served lunch. The guy was very friendly. He called us right inside and seated us. We were the only ones. We were very hungry. The fastest he could give was a plate of 'Hakka' noodles. We ordered a plate to quell our hunger. We love trying out new dishes. We asked him what he could make special for us. 

He suggested that we try American Chop suey. I had not heard of this dish before and the name sounded intriguing enough to be experimented with. It was ironic that the two sworn class enemies, capitalists and the communists, came together to make something edible.  Both of us had never tried it before. We placed the order for the first plate of American Chop Suey of our lives. It had soft noodles , topped with fried noodles and poured over it was a rich tomato sauce. over it rested an egg bulls eye, perfectly done. We both fell in love with the rich sweet, sour and filling concoction. That was in 1987. Ever since, whenever we go to a restaurant that serves Chinese fare, we order a plate of American Chop Suey. 

It has been 36 years! We have tried American Chop Suey at countless restaurants all over India. We tried it in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia where I thought I could get authentic American Chop suey. We  ordered it even in America. But not one has ever measured up anywhere near the American Chop Suey*, we ate in that little wayside eating place that day. Our children have grown up. They now treat us to dinners. When they take us to restaurants where Chinese fare is served they invariably order American Chop Suey hoping that we will, one day, find something like our first plate of American Chop Suey. 

Yesterday, my wife and I were sitting and enjoying a bowl of Thukpa she had prepared. I brought up the topic of 'that plate'  of American Chop Suey. “That American Chop Suey is a huge lesson for life," I told her. She looked at me quizzingly. I reiterated, "Yes. There is a huge lesson for life in our search for the ‘that’ American Chop suey". In fact it is the ultimate tool to  understand problems in personal life and interpersonal relationships. I call it the American Chop Suey Syndrome**. Let me explain.

The American Chop Suey we ate in a roadside ramshackle restaurant in 1987 might or might not have been the ultimate.  It tasted great and we were hooked on, for life.  Why? There are physiological, psychological and emotional reasons

We were very hungry. In a place we were not familiar with and struggling to find a place worthy to eat, we found a place with something to eat. Our physiological needs were immediately and completely met. It also addressed our fears and state of uncertainty. Our psychological needs were addressed. The person was very friendly and helpful. He saw to it that he first gave something to eat and then took time to make that chop suey. Our emotional needs of being specially cared for were also met. It was the first time we tasted a chop suey, adding  novelty to the experience.  Solace from hunger, secure feeling in a  place where we were total strangers, a sense of being cared for and the novelty of the dish created a halo around ‘that plate  of American Chop Suey’ making that experience uniquely beautiful and unforgettably tasty. Even today, it remains our most beautiful dining experience. That, to us, also remains the benchmark for dining experience. 

Though we haven't found ‘that very same’ Chop Suey, we have enjoyed excellent Chinese fares including American Chop Suey at many places. Comparison is inevitable but we haven't allowed comparison to mess up our dining experiences. We have come to terms, but the search continues. Allowing that one unique experience, in the distant past to mess up with the present is the most potent prescription for disaster. This is what actually happens in our daily lives and in our interpersonal relationships.

We know a few people, each of them amazing in their own ways, but having chosen to live in shells of misery of their own making. They are in perpetual search of that ‘American Chop Suey’, sitting at the dining table called life and messing up the current dining experience called ‘present’ paving way for a terrible experience, called tomorrow. They have chosen to walk forward looking backwards. Fall is inevitable. 

Once we experience something  good or bad we cannot wish it away or forget it, however hard we try. It just remains there, sometimes in the conscious and mostly in our subconscious. Interestingly, the recordings of the subconscious mind predominantly influences our decision making, our ability to process  and experience the present and plan our future. 

Many love affairs that culminate in marriages are potentially vulnerable to American Chop suey Syndrome. The partners during the novelty phase of courtship subconsciously record unique experiences and establish benchmarks for the other. Everything done later is vetted against the Chop Suey benchmark. Unfortunately the reality of life is starkly different from fantasies of romance but comparisons do not cease to exist. The oft heard phrase, “he was not like that” or “she was not like that '' are classic symptoms of the person suffering from ‘American Chop Suey Syndrome’. Sadly, longer the courtship, more likely the syndrome and more severe the impact.  Many courtships that do not eventually end up in permanence might also have been afflicted by American Chop Suey Syndrome to start with. Novelty wears off first, followed by dilution in emotional support, deterioration of psychological congruence and lastly physiological necessities. This order of degradation actually allows people to linger on in misery of dysfunctional relations longer than they should be.

It is not only confined to love affairs, marital relations or interpersonal relationships. It wreaks silent devastation in intrapersonal affairs. Secretive, selfish, insecure, violent, perverted people and liars are likely to be severely afflicted with American Chop Suey Syndrome. Most of them are likely to have suffered some childhood trauma creating indelible imprints that become benchmarks against which the individual evaluates every conversation, activity or incident. Responses from that person are aimed at addressing the need. They make a shell of misery for themselves and spread misery for others too.

interestingly, all of us do suffer from varying levels of American Chop Suey Syndrome. It is natural and to some extent required too. Most of us will turn around and deny its presence.  Denials apart, it is for us to decide whether we should be  sitting at the table of life and lament the shortcomings of the fare called today against what we wanted or just enjoy what we have. 

I enjoy my today, the way it is. I am also in search of a better tomorrow. I am also in search of 'that' elusive plate of American Chop Suey.

*With all respects to all the chefs who prepare American chop suey all over the world, my article is

in no way an insinuation or insult  to your capabilities. It is a personal experience and a lesson that

I have drawn for myself and one that i constantly tell people whom i train or help with to deal with

problems in their life

**This is purely my observation. It has NO scientific study to back up. You may look around and

decide for yourself. I didn't find any reference to the “American Chop Suey Syndrome’ on the net.

Kahi Pe Nigahen Kahi Pe Nishana

 Opportunity or Crisis?

"In the midst of every crisis lies great opportunity" is a quote often attributed  to Albert Einstein. In the age of social media where  fake news descends on us by the minute like hurricanes, truth is the casualty. Anybody can fearlessly write anything and attribute it to anyone famous or remotely famous. It is immaterial whether Einstein actually said so or not, but I have been given this alluring piece of advice in countless motivational sermons I have listened to. It is only fair that I in turn give this powerful and motivating piece of advice to my children. I have used it in the many training sessions I took up. I have done it without attribution. Well; it's a great piece of advice to receive in a situation of crisis. I am having a rethink.

Recently, I was driving from Kottayam, my home town, to Cochin. At every prominent junction, over the 60 kilometre route, I saw hoardings and advertisements of agencies inviting prospective candidates to go abroad for studies. Each board screamed "opportunity to study abroad". Ironically few boards were even nailed upside down. Was this shower of opportunities an ominous sign of a crisis? 

Figures

Kerala, ‘God’s own Country’, boasts of almost 100% literacy. A survey on the state of higher education in Kerala was conducted in 2020 under the aegis of the Kerala State Higher Education Council. its findings were made public in June 2021. Table No 2 of the survey report reveals that Kerala has 18 Universities and 1504 colleges. It included 701 Arts and Science Colleges, 167 Engineering Colleges, 102 Medical Colleges that include Allopathy, Ayurveda, Dental, Homeo and Allied Health Science colleges, 5 Agricultural colleges, 4 Fine Arts Colleges and 177 Paramedical Colleges, which include Nursing, Paramedical sciences, Pharmacy, Optometry, Medical Laboratory Technology and Pharmaceutical Science institutes. Nearly 13 lakh students were reported to study in these institutions. 

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Many who do not take admission to colleges within Kerala go their way to other Indian states to study. A significant number also goes abroad to study. According to people involved in the ‘study abroad’ business, approximately 30,000 children from Kerala have gone abroad to study recently. In the absence of authentic data in the public domain, the numbers might not be ‘the truth, nothing but the truth.’ The cumulative numbers might anyway be much larger. Reports suggest that students from Kerala can be found in 54 countries, their migration facilitated by student recruitment agencies or educational consultants, most of them without any government accreditation or approval. Even Curacao, a small Dutch Caribbean country, that is a landmass of just 444 square kilometers with a population of 1.5 Lakh people, hosts Malayali students.  War in Ukraine and COVID breakout in Wuhan troubled Kerala because there was a sizable Malayalee population studying there. Why is the Malayalee youth running out? Are Malayalees looking for better things to study?

Pursuit

Is the exodus because of inadequate seats for studies? A prominent online news portal reported in Dec 2022 that more than 23,000 seats for B Tech were lying vacant in various engineering colleges under the Kerala Technological University. It also reported large vacancies, unfilled seats, in the arts and science colleges also. It was also reported that many self-financing colleges were willing to reduce the fees just to fill vacant seats. Certainly, the rush out of Kerala is not because of unavailability of avenues for studies.

Is the outbound flight driven by pursuit of knowledge and skills? If Malayalee youth felt that the courses available in Kerala were not good enough they could easily enrol themselves for better courses outside the state, within India, maybe at slightly higher costs but far lesser than what they spend abroad. Many do that. The best colleges under Delhi University are getting more Malayalees every year. The truth is that most of the students going abroad to study are taking up nondescript courses and subjects. Such subjects and courses are available in Kerala at a fraction of the cost incurred by parents of the child going abroad for studies. Then there is something else. 

Erosion

Some people say that students take admission outside Kerala because the examination system is more lenient and offers convenience for those not academically brilliant. The rising number of students from Kerala securing seats in Delhi University undergraduate programs and that too in prestigious colleges that demand very high and stiff cutoffs weaken this argument. Moreover this argument holds water if everyone is rushing to a particular university, considered to have porous systems of examination and evaluation. It is not the case. The rush is mostly to many different self-financing institutions in Tamil nadu and Karnataka, which accept low scorers from Kerala at higher financial contributions. Though some of these colleges are reputed, most are not. Many children taking up technical courses in these colleges never end up completing or passing the course. They at best waste their parents money and get something worthless in the competitive job market.  

Those in power in Kerala certainly are aware of the poor quality of research and institutional inability and hesitation to upgrade  academic infrastructure. To them it doesn't matter that the majority of educational institutions in Kerala are not accredited by the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC). Militant student unions have played their part in eroding academics and the education system beyond immediate redemption. What happens to the others doesn't seem to bother them  because their future seems assured and taken care of. String of exposes where student union leaders and party members have been caught  manipulating the system to get certificates have come to light. Erosion of the system from within is complete. 

Those championing the local mother tongue and localised syllabus to be mandated in the education system anyway send their children abroad. They do not want their children to be limited by local education. It is practical wisdom and not double speak. Deliberately turning blind eye to systemic flaws, pretending that nothing is wrong and turning against those pointing out deficiencies, letting loose the weight of the government machinery with all its vicious might is an effective and powerful political weapon. It envelops the society with fear and helps cover up. However, Kerala is not the only state suffering in this regard. But why is the youth running away to study abroad?

Is it a case of “Kahi Pe Nigahen Kahi Pe Nishana?*

Nigahen aur Nishane

A close look at where they go to study may reveal something! Canada, The UK, Australia and New zealand are their most favourite destinations. Some are heading for Europe too. This segment is now understood to be growing fast.  According to people in the know of things,  youth is not headed out in pursuit of academic qualifications but in search of ways to migrate. Incidentally, these countries allow Indian students to stay back as full time workers for two to three years once they qualify from institutions there.  Industrious nature of the people involved normally culminates in them obtaining ‘permanent resident’ status in the host country, a migration of sorts, a shortcut. 

In essence everybody going abroad wants to get out of Kerala and India. Hardly anybody comes back to Kerala for a job with a foreign degree. Those who come back are normally only those who had gone to study medicine, because they have to pass an examination in India to be part of the medical system in India. The others coming back to Kerala after studies are the ones who have failed to secure a ‘permanent resident’ permit.

More out of despair and less out of desire, children going to study abroad find ways and means legal or illegal to hang on somehow. It is because there are inadequate jobs and shrinking avenues for job creation within Kerala. Despite all the claims that the government makes, people habituated to fruits of militant trade unionism continue to bleed industrial establishments. Once known for quality, the state’s education system has suffered a serious blow to its credibility, due to  misdeeds of  political cadres. Those who can afford to therefore find escape routes to get out and never come back if they can manage to. The exodus of qualified nurses from Kerala to all over the world and the ease with which they secure permanent resident status there, strengthens this argument. Many nurses working in the gulf are slowly moving out to Europe, America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.  It is only a matter of time before the entire family of the nurse migrates to the new country. ‘Study abroad’ is just another way to gain a foothold in a distant land.

Costs

Nothing comes free, not even spirituality. There is a financial and social cost to the phenomenon of children going abroad to study.  Parents work abroad or within India to raise the money required.  According to data available Indian students spent over 30 billion dollars in 2019 for education abroad. This is expected to rise to 80 billion by 2024. Many parents feel that the risk and effort is worth it. Such migration commences with heavy financial cost. Students, actually parents, most of them pledging all their immovable assets, end up taking large sums, reportedly starting from Rs 8 lakh to 45 lakhs per person for meeting the expenses. Statistics released by the State Level Bankers Conference (SLBC) reveal that the total outstanding education loans in banks in Kerala  have gone up from Rs 9841 Crores in Mar 20119 to Rs 11,061 in Mar 2022. Interestingly barring a few stray cases everyone repays. Unpayable debt culminates in human tragedy called suicides.

In Kerala the social cost is visible and exasperatingly aggravating. Many houses built with hard earned money are lying locked because the owners have now become permanent residents abroad. Clusters of such houses in some areas, some housing old, ailing and hopelessly lonely  parents hoping to die sooner than later, have started haunting those with conscience. The current rulers in the state have found an opportunity in this crisis, otherwise a situation that is emerging as a human tragedy. They decided to levy additional tax on locked houses. Someone seems to have infused some sense of sanity and they have retracted their steps.

Kerala Story 

This is not just a phenomenon confined to Kerala. Punjab is already  struggling with the social cost of mass scale migration. Andhra and Telangana are also in hot pursuit. Tamil Nadu will catch up very soon. According to data available, US border patrol authorities are said to have intercepted more than 4,297 Indians crossing the Mexican border in two months in 2022.  There are more than 34,230 Asylum cases pending in the American immigration courts in October- November. According to statements made by the Minister concerned to the parliament, a large number of people are giving up Indian citizenship in favour of other countries, the figures clearly showing an increasing trend. Thus, the student exodus may not be a purely a ‘Kerala Story’. Kerala could be a small part of the great Indian story, a story that many who know may not want to tell,  and the masses who should know, remain  ignorant lost happily in the Euphoria of excavation of the past.

Individuals might succeed in their pursuit of their Nishane with Nigahen elsewhere. But, if rulers have their Nigahen elsewhere the society may miss the Nishane.

* ‘Nigahen’ in Hindi  means vision or sight and ‘Nishane’ in Hindi means aim or  target. The reference is to a famous Hindi song by Shamshad Begum for from the movie CID released in 1956