January 8, 2012
An unusually hot day for the season. We noticed the heat right from the morning while sitting out to read the newspapers. The rise in temperature had nothing to do with the ironing guys showing up with their carts after a month. The neighborhood promptly pounced on their lax attitude towards labor!
"innekku enna pesa porenge," the inquisition began about their disappearance, "kalyanama, house warmingsa?" (What excuse are you going to say today? marriage, house warming, global warming?)
The man did not think of applying the global warming excuse to which he does contribute a slightly more than average Indian footprint with his charcoal-based ironbox. Instead, the Tamilian iron master took it straight to Mullaperiyar dam issue, "bus kedaikale Saar," (There was no interstate bus service!)
"bus ellam randu naal thaane prachanai..." (The bus problem was only for two days..)
"ellai Saar, paathi vandhittu thirumbi pone" (No Sir, I came half way and had to go back)
"We should call some other guys to do the ironing instead of waiting for these guys," came a practical suggestion delivered in a threatening tone.
Nobody was going to look for other guys. These guys came after a gap of one month means that they had several towers of clothes to get through. It took them the whole day. May be it was their prayers that kept the rain at bay.
As I type it, they are still stretching the final few sarees. They play old melodious Tamil songs while working. It produces the soothing effect of listening to the now extinct transistor radios. Great background score for a Sunday newspaper reading.
By 11am, I was taken to the Kerala government's center for continuing education, commonly known as 'IAS academy'. I was introduced briefly to the head of the operation who has been featured regularly in newspapers about the multiple vigilance investigation against him on corruption charges. He sat in a gigantic office room under the framed photograph of Mahatma Gandhi. I am trying to remember if Gandhi was smiling. He asked if I would consider preparing a GATE/GRE coaching program for them. Polite refusal. The rest of the operation he was running resembles a glorified 'tutorial college'. But as expected, no dearth of students.
One of my friends had suggested that I try to get the lecture videographed and upload it on youtube. Video camera was a really long shot. It was difficult even to get a projector. We managed one. In the brown metal roofed classroom which accentuated the glare of the red plastic chairs, I began a little after 11:30 on "The Financial Crisis (2008- ) A credit crunch by any other name..." following a very flattering and generously fictional introduction by my uncle. I felt obligated to start by stating that he had overlooked the most important qualification that had brought me there: that I was his nephew!
Around 50 students in the class. Early to mid-twenties age group. Neatly segragated sexually. Andhra Pradesh DGP would have been pleased at the way the girls were dressed. They might all have been hungry, a whopping majority seemed reasonably alert.
A couple of girls lost interest by the time I got to "Asset backed securities". Few even took notes!
Amma sat in the last row. I caught her napping half way through. But the mention of 'Federal Reserve' revived her.
Through stories of Kahneman, Adam Smith, Goldman Sachs and Alan Greenspan, I wound up by 1:20. Madoff and other Ponzi scheme piqued students' interest. I found an opportunity to squeeze in Dan Gilbert's Stumbling on Happiness. To add some local flavor, I indulged in a very unfair comparison about the Malayalee lust for gold and the Dutch tulip bubble!
Couple of times I reminded them that the whole presentation mostly just my opinion and they should keep that in mind whenever they hear lectures or read articles on economics and finance!
Enough head-bobbing of agreement whenever the dismal corrupt state of India was mention. I hope some of these kids actually get into the administrative service and manage to make some difference.
A gracious staff member brought me a glass of lime juice half way through. Since it was way past lunch time, there was only one Q in the Q&A. A particularly enthusiastic guys asked if the Occupy Movement receives covert funding from the likes of Koch brothers...well-informed dude!
Obligatory vote of thanks while I gulped down the lime juice. A thick layer of undissolved sugar at the bottom of the glass. "You should consider giving this lecture again somewhere," Amma said when we got back. I take that as a compliment. In fact, it looks like I will do a repeat performance soon at the Press Club.
After delivering a lecture outlining the latest glitch in capitalism, the afternoon was spent reading the book on Kerala history by the head of world's first democratically elected communist government, E.M.S. Namboodirippadu!
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