Anywhere but Westminster - What we can learn from Brexit?

   It has been more than three years to the day of the decision fo United Kingdom to exit the European Union(EU). "Brexit" the term coined for this separation was perhaps a euphemism to what has been a long and possibly torturous process that has all of the country unhappy. The first problem that arose was the margin itself. With a 51.9 % majority for leaving , one can argue that whether the decision was made with sufficient information in public space. I think not. Without the fine details of what the terms would be for such a separation, the decision was taken by the people believing their political representatives would iron out a good deal for them.

  After three years, no matter which side of the decision you choose, the conclusion is that the political representatives have failed to deliver a safe conduct for their county. As I write now, there is a second extension being asked from EU after a nearly comical chain of events in the British Parliament. The twists and turns in this saga would probably put a lot of our own TV series to shame. However, before blaming them, one has to really understand why the majority chase to leave the EU? What prompted this all? Largely, we can safely safe the people who did not benefit from being in the EU (I think neglected is an appropriate term) voted for having their country back. The sentiment echoed in much of President Trump being chosen in a way and the slogan "Make America Great Again!". The anger and frustration of being neglected with the loss of jobs and access to a good life was a time bomb ticking. Brexit shows how things add up and how many times the affluent middle class(in this case those who benefited from being in EU) showed apathy to the neglected neighbourhood. Just to add that never have I seen such a bunch of politicians in the UK . You could choose any of them from any side and they would not stand the test of time. After three years of negotiations with EU, they have come back to the same place where they have started i.e nowhere.

One can only wish and pray that not much livelihoods are lost as we go into the next upcoming years.

  As an observer, the things we can learn a lot from the Brexit mess. One for sure is to always read and question any decision that a government takes. Read the fine print. In the same year as Brexit, we were subjected to demonetisation by our own government without sufficient information in public space. All these experiments need to stop. The second one is to elevate quality politicians up the ladder of which we have a chance in the upcoming elections. So, voting these elections for a quality candidate automatically becomes a prerogative. We don't know for sure what the future for Brexit will be but it gives us a chance to introspect. Let's use that !

The Declassification of Information and India

De-classification of information by any Government presents its citizen with a viewpoint of what went behind the decisions that the Government made.  The process of de-classification involved making public of all the communication that transpired in Government decisions. Hitherto, this was a secret vault was closely guarded. By de-classifying the footnotes, scribbled  handwritings a great insight into the functioning of the Govt. Independent India has been shy of de-classifying its wealth of information . Unlike the US and UK where a government papers are up for review after 25 and 30 years, we have been largely unaccustomed to this process. 

   A great step forward  was when the Indian Govt started de-classifying information through its website (https://tinyurl.com/yxtuz4lb). There is a treasure trove of information on this site right back to the British Era.However, what is equally impressive is the search engine (http://www.abhilekh-patal.in/jspui/_) that has been provided for an interested citizen. Just to fire imagination, an interest use case is that of Alexander Kovacs. Alexander Kovacs was a Hungarian Jew who had escaped warn torn Europe to be in service of British India in 1941. Being an expert in weapons and ammunition, the British employed him in Calcutta. However, being a foreign national in India brought him under the eye of the intelligence and police apparatus of Bengal. The files declassified show the to and fro in the Indian Govt on establishing the credentials of Kovacs during his stay in India from 1941-45. Why did I choose Kovacs as an example? The reason being on leaving India Kovacs went to New York and from there in the services of the dictator Rafael Trujillo to help him establish the famed San Cristobal armoury.

  Just another good case is that of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. The files declassified are present at http://www.netajipapers.gov.in/. Conspiracy theories have surfaced from time to time about the fate of Netaji. The Netaji papers do at least help in shedding some truth behind what is still unknown. The underlying fact that this information is available for all of us to read and understand our history. Being an avid student of history, it helped me understand the machinery of parliament and police in matters of secrecy. Would highly recommend people to read and use this information.

Memento Mori !

Memento Mori or "Remember that you have to die". You have to feel it. It's a calling. I could not put it better. Being in competitive corporate culture, one forgets this so often. The thing that put this notion in my head is my reading on Stoicism and this fabulous painting which explains (Thank you Daily Stoic for this !).

This landmark painting called "Still Life with a Skull" by Philippe De Champaigne constitutes the three essentials - tulip(life), skull(death) and hourglass(time). What holds on to you is the skull and if you notice closely, the hourglass as the real dynamic part. The skull looking at you gives the message that you are it in a future time frame with the hour glass being the reminder. However, it should not be taken on a depressing note. On the contrary, it should send the message that life should be lived to the fullest and that valued for others as well. Thankfully, I have been on a digital detoxification drive allowing me to have some time to have reflections on my own. If you have a love/passion, give it the time it needs. Life is short as the Stoics say. Make full use of what is gifted to you. Enjoy the "present".