Book Review: Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg

Wife and husband, they entered their house after a long gruelling day. “God, I’m exhausted” said the man. The woman, without batting an eyelid, entered the kitchen. She cleaned up the kitchen and the rest of the scattered house. By the time she started getting ready for bed, half an hour had passed and her husband was already snoring.

I read her speech at Harvard. I heard her TED talk. Both were spectacular. So when I saw her book Lean In as a new launch on Random House Publications, I knew I had to get my hands on one. So I did!

Sheryl Sandberg (COO of Facebook) has found her calling, her higher purpose. She wants to make the world (mainly us men) aware of the hardships women go through at work and at home. She exhorts women to tide over them and have faith that they can do it all [though asking for (no, demanding) a little help is always useful].

Sheryl has not written this book to count her accolades or blow her own trumpet (she does admit though, that it’s necessary to blow your trumpet in today’s world). In fact, she sheds light on how her life progressed right from school (where she wasn’t athletically oriented) to the present day. She states that during her pregnancy days, it was her husband who pointed out that pregnant women had reserved parking spaces at Yahoo. Until then, even Sheryl hadn’t given it much of a thought, while pregnant women before her must have silently suffered. She still has women coming up to her who say they want to give up a promising career because they want to start a family. It’s nothing new that women are the gender that is always ready to make sacrifices for their partners; vice versa is generally unheard of. Sheryl encourages women to go against the stereotype if they choose. Believe that they are worth more and focus on their careers instead of feeling guilty that they're bad mothers for not spending more time with their kids.

Lean In - Sheryl Sandberg

The author has dedicated an entire chapter to the importance of having a partner sharing responsibilities at home. Sheryl had a very difficult first child delivery. In fact, she pulled a tendon after delivery and had to walk on crutches for the next 8 days. The bright side for her was that her husband learned how to change the baby’s diapers before her. She’s really happy to have found a supportive partner in him, who actively participates in taking care of the kids and helps in household work too, apart from being an entrepreneur. She cites examples of friends where fathers are just as involved (if not more) in child rearing and domestic chores. Studies say that children in those households develop fastest. There is not much of a difference between children whose mothers stay at home or are working. But actively involved fathers certainly boost their children’s development.

There’s nothing I don’t like about this book. This is Sheryl’s first attempt at writing a book; this is her facing her fears (she wouldn’t have written a book otherwise); this is her trying to bring about a change; this is her leaning in. I spoke to a few women praising her resolve. The women retorted that it’s easy to do something like this once you’re a CXO or something. That’s not the point. Sheryl had this resolve of trying to make things better for women since long. It’s the person’s character that matters, not the designation or power.

Sheryl believes that equality in both genders will not only be reached when there are more women leaders in the corporate, but also when men share 50% of the household work. Good point. A mere 5% of the Fortune 500 companies are headed by women. This skewed statistic has to change. Just like whites were needed to support the revolution for rights of Afro – Americans, men must support the revolution to empower women. But more importantly, women must believe they are worth more. This book is a must read for men and women alike. I used to think that I won’t let my wife work after we have kids. After reading this book, I feel a change; one which will ensure I support women in whatever they want to do regardless of their circumstances. Thank you for sending me this book, Random House Inc.

Should We Start Building Our Own Defence Equipment?

The Augusta – Westland deal (3,500 crores for 12 helicopters) is yet another case of corruption in the Indian system. New names keep cropping up regularly in the case, leaving the Defence Minister A.K. Antony wringing his hands in helplessness.

The calls for involving private sector companies in building defence equipment in India are getting louder. India has become the world’s largest recipient of arms in recent years. On the other hand, China, which held the top spot in 2006, has now fallen to fourth. Several TATA group companies, L&T, Mahindra, Reliance and others are showing increasing capabilities in developing defence equipment. The army, however, doesn’t seem too excited.

The Defence Research & Development Organization (DRDO), Defence PSUs (DPSU) and ordnance factory boards (OFBs) hold virtually a monopoly in supplying arms to the Indian army. However, these entities are plagued with corruption, inefficiency and bias. Less than 3% employees in the DRDO hold a Ph.D. An acquaintance of mine has visited the DRDO a few years ago and said a lot of time is spent by employees chatting, sleeping or lazing around. All this while almost 30% procurement and 100% R&D for arms lies in the DRDO’s hands. The DPSUs and OFBs are no better. This is a large point of concern.

3,500 crore for 12 choppers - Augusta Westland deal

Senior officials say middlemen thrive in defence deals because foreign companies do not have the bandwidth to wade through red tapism and corruption in India. India must start developing in house defence equipment. We can’t build all equipment ourselves; some arms still need to be imported. But by doing this, India will reduce dependence on other nations and corruption in this field. We are easily the best software exporters in the world. That expertise can surely be utilized by the defence sector to develop state-of-the-art arms and help India stand shoulder to shoulder with the world. Our soldiers deserve to be better equipped wherever they are deployed.

What do you think?

Congress Now Fighting Terrorism For Us?

Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab hanged within 80 days! I don’t know what’s more amusing; them being hanged or how gleefully we Indians have lapped this up.

Where did the Congress suddenly get these balls from? Until a few days ago, this very party running the government was ordering lathi charges on citizens. It sat twiddling its thumbs while the youth demanded justice for the gang rape victim. The Congress sat on its huge ass since 2009 while the Indian economy almost hit rock bottom. Policy paralysis was talked about daily in newspapers. The government failed to bring about a consensus on retail FDI, GST and other policies which should have been implemented long ago. CWG, the telecom spectrum, coal mine allocation... all these scams and more came to light when the Congress was in power since 2009. Mamata Banerjee dumped the Congress, Mayawati’s support was listed by dropping CBI investigations against her; there was no respite from the Naxalite issue either. Instead, the Congress went around trying to implement Section 144 and banning books which they claimed hurt religious sentiment. Pakistani soldiers beheading Indians was also publicized in the media to distract the Indian population from the Delhi gang rape issue. It was easier to make Pakistan look the villain and shift focus from a matter we called our government to action on. Did that party really find the guts to hang terrorists; something which wasn’t done since 12 years?

Kasab & Afzal Guru hanged?

The biggest terrorists are Congress party leaders themselves. In this article, I’ve pointed out how twisted and malicious Sonia Ghandi is. The news of the terrorists being hanged is a political gimmick. Just like the Americans claiming to have killed Bin Laden and buried his body at sea. So fucking predictable! Why would the Indian government have the terrorists hanged and burn their bodies in a hush – hush manner? Wouldn’t they want to display the dead bodies to showcase what they’ve done? Isn’t that normal human tendency? In my opinion, the jailed terrorists have not being hanged. They are alive and well; probably moved to secret location. The government merely wants to earn some brownie points from us citizens ahead of the 2014 elections.

The Congress has repeatedly violated my motherland in this stint. True, other parties have done and will do the same. But when awareness has increased, why must we behave like we used to a decade ago? The Congress needs a jolt like one they got when they lost out to the BJP. They must realize that they can’t take their power for granted. The jolt in 1996 was enough to galvanize them to action when they came to power in 2004. Our GDP grew substantially and people started predicting India’s bright future. Where are we now?

One thing is certain – I’m not voting for the Congress this time. Fuck that, I’ve never voted for them. Instead, I vote for some independent party worker who will be more passionate about development in my area. We need to show politicians that they cannot live their lives battling accusations of corruption, allow crime to continue and try to distract us from core matters by focusing on petty ones. We expect them to provide us a secure environment – economically and personally. What are you going to do?

image: Courtesy Google Images

Happy Republic Day?

“Happy Republic Day!” “Happy Independence Day!” – we tweet, share status updates on Facebook, attend our colony’s flag hoisting, games and  parties, and are back to our usual selves the next day. Flags lie strewn on the streets a day after every colony has patriotic songs blaring from rented loudspeakers. Our sense of patriotism gets deflated in less than a day.

What is achieved by celebrating Independence or Republic Day? At the national capital, the Prime Minister and the President speak hollow words; the government shows off our military prowess in parades when it can’t provide safety to its own citizens. Closer home, we attend parties which have nothing to do with talking about becoming responsible citizens after flag hoisting, play games and worst – liquor shops remain shut.

Google Doodle - Happy Republic Day

This Unity in Diversity is hurting us more than doing us good. The politicians are preying on pockets of caste, creed and religion and each community abandons the other when it gets what it wants. We gel well and accommodate each other but live as fragmented parts of society. We can’t take someone grievously injured on the street to the hospital for fear of a police enquiry on us. Cops, politicians, lawyers and government servants take more advantage of their power than use it to fulfil their duty – protect common man. Rapes, murders and other crimes are the order of the day. New infrastructure takes eons to build, and when done, they lie idle waiting for some minister to inaugurate. Each state has a separate history, separate Gods, taxes, festivals... how are we ever going to feel united?

Do we need Republic/Independence Day to organize sports competitions in our buildings? Can’t we do it on any given Sunday? Why waste these days having fun? Why not try to do something (at least on these days), that make us feel more Indian? Why not forget our caste, creed and more and look at ourselves as Indians first? Shouldn’t we stop differentiating on the basis of language? Ensure safety of people who live around us? Aid in spreading education so that reducing illiteracy will make a stronger India? Or would we rather prefer satire tweets and Facebook updates about how messed up our country is?

The time is not only now; it is always. If we want India to be better, we must start with ourselves. Make ourselves worthy to contribute to society. Then pay back to our motherland who has given us so much but is being raped repeatedly by politicians and the likes.

image courtesy: Google

The Indian Cricket Team: Familiarity Breeds Predictability

The Indian cricket team lost the One Day series 2-1 to Pakistan and the Test Series 2-1 to England. They tied the T20 series 1-1 with each team. They lost all matches against England & Australia when they visited those countries. We can’t remember the last time the Indian team won a series comprehensively after the World Cup. This team is just a pale shadow of the one that won the World Cup and probably one of the worst title defenders, right?

We could go on and on. But one thing to factor is the amount of time the Indian team has spent on the road. Before the World Cup in 2011, India was constantly playing since November 2009. New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka, West Indies and other countries were toured, apart from the series of matches played at home. Injuries, fatigue, loss of form and frustration become a norm at such times. And knowing how much the BCCI cares about these aspects, combating them becomes very difficult. Most people say these are mere excuses, but it’s important they put themselves in the players’ shoes.

The dejected Indian cricket team

Let’s look at the time after the World Cup. India had a small break before they toured West Indies and then left for England. Something went wrong and we lost all matches there. That’s ok occasionally; even Australia lost both test matches, the ODI and T20 when they came to India. Then we began castrating our heroes; the very players who won us the World Cup. Everything they had done was suddenly washed away and we were back to calling them ‘incompetent’. The disaster at Australia and other places followed. Forgotten were the facts that this team had won us the Asia Cup crown in 2010 also.

The Indian team isn’t going through a good patch now either. Expected to win 3-0 in the test series against England, we lost 2-1. To add to that, we lost the ODI series to Pakistan also. But have we wondered why? It’s because of familiarity. The Indian cricket team plays maximum matches every year. Mini series are squeezed in between tours. Players are always on the road and barely have time to relax, recoup from niggling injuries (most Indian players play at 60% fitness), or add new weapons to their arsenal. Consequently, they become predictable. The same batting strokes, same bowling variations, same bowling options, etc. Oppositions are so familiar with the Indian team because of the amount of videos that must be available to study that they’ve dissected our team like a frog in a biology lab. They’ve broken down each batsman, bowler, fielder and probably know them better than our players themselves. That’s why Ashwin is being taken to the cleaners while Bhuvaneswar Kumar is successful; he’s relatively unknown. But I guess Kumar will go down a similar path of most Indian fast bowlers – dream debut, awesome performance for some time and then injuries and lack of infrastructure will make him toothless too.

The seniors need to be rested, but the BCCI won’t take that step because it will mean loss of revenue for the richest sporting body in the world. New blood should be given a chance and our calendar should become less gruelling. These aspects have been argued over rhetorically for ages now without any outcome. So we must understand where our players are coming from rather than being so harsh on them. Until the BCCI doesn’t take steps to correct this, or until our players don’t stand up for themselves the way they did before the Sydney Test, all we will see from our team is spurts of brilliance. We must ensure they have our support, not our criticism. Do you agree?

Image Courtesy: Google Images