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| | The WE CARE FOR CHENNAI Network is not currently active and cannot accept new posts | | Chennai - Why? | Views: 1007 | | Feb 05, 2006 9:50 am | | Chennai - Why? | # | 
SOEB FATEHI | | Why does Chennai behave the way it does?
Too much 'academics'?
Misunderstood democracy?
Too chauvinistic?
Dearth of entrepreneurship?
The British found Madras an ideal recruiting ground for disciplined and subservient officers to fill up the ICS cadre. Planning commision staff comprised of a liberally large majority of Madrasis. At all implementation cells Madrasis held both executive and operqations posts.
Suddenly Tamil Nadu slipped. What a fall. No THUD. The capability and the spirit just crumbled. As if to disintegrate into dust.
Why is it that today suddenly everyone is brimming with ideas but cannot agree on one and implement it?
Is it because a feeling of inadequacy persists? Resulting in a compulsive desire to prove one's point (even when the stakes are nil). Prove are argument but not walk the talk through to action.
Funny, eh?
Govind is trying to get 10 people to agree upon a date to do something. He is not asking for money. He is not asking for week long efforts. He is not asking for rigorous physical labor. He is asking for commitment and belief that small jobs can be done. He is asking for belief that even if a very small task is done it still adds to an aggregate to build up a big total. He is asking for belief that no job is not worth doing.
I see him asking for just a little addition to cleanliness. Just a few more trees. Just a little more clean drinking water.
Is he asking for too much?
No PIL necessary. No sanctions needed.
Do you need permission from anyone to wear a badge everyday? A badge which reads, "We Care For Chennai - Keep Our City Clean". Another which reads, "We Care For Chennai - Grow More Trees". And another . . . .
Wow! Fabulous Idea. Let us wear badges.
Where will the Badges come from?
Govind's friend Soeb (me) will give them - FREE(*).
(*) = conditions apply - PM me and ask.
[badges will be personally autographed by LK(g) - CEO, Pathway Inc.] Private Reply to SOEB FATEHI | | Feb 05, 2006 5:14 pm | | re: Chennai - Why? | # | 
Kanchana Ravichandran | | Why should we PM to get badges. Just send me as many as u can and I will distribute to as many as I can. Also let us know the terms and conditions so that we still just don't remain in the thinking and talking stage but get promoted to the action stage.
No news at all from Karthik after that. I see this is always the case. Someone gets inspired and says he would do it and the minute he gets people interested there is no further talk or action.
That is why time and again I keep posting once in a while or if I see someone coming with an idea which would help make Chennai better back him/her. And when there is no progression don't sit and lament at the state of affairs but try my offline mode and keep ensuring that some change for the better is happening around here.
So lets see if this badge idea will take off. I would love wearing this badge and proudly ensure that we can make positive changes happen here. Cheers and have a great week ahead.
kanchanaPrivate Reply to Kanchana Ravichandran | | Feb 05, 2006 6:01 pm | | re: Chennai - Why? | # | 
Govind Srinivasan | | Well, time now to take stock of the situation.
I think we have to pull the curtain down on the virtual platform of WE CARE FOR CHENNAI, in the shape as it is now in Ryze Network.
Here are my context-specific findings of the limitations of a virtual platform like WCFC. Yes, my observations are strictly limited to Chennai.
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What is possible in the virtual platform is difficult to be carried into the physical space. People find it easy to drop a few words or build up cozy ideas and find virtual friends.
There is a peculiar comfort factor people get by acquiring virtual friends - I mean friends on the net. Many such virtual friends may find it difficult to translate their virtual friendship to the physical world.
Commitment, redeeming commitment, intellectual honesty, fellow-feeling, etc. don't have the same meaning in both the worlds - I mean the physical and the virtual. People tend be more cautious, while giving commitment in the physical world, whereas there is a good lot of people giving any commitment, whatsoever. It is probably there in their psyche to make very positive vibes on the net. Such a behaviour gives them a "feel good" factor and a sense of fullness of life. A false-feeling of accomplishment too sets in their minds, on the sly, when they pound the key board and post their messages. Sense of 'guilt' is quiet less in the virtual world.
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Well, with this kind of findings, we may not be able to run WE CARE FOR CHENNAI for long - particularly in the net. A few people will always exhort the rest and a few once-in-a-while appreciations and verbal volunteering will also come out. But, then, there is a life to live for everybody and we all have to do a bit of soul-searching.
Since I will be wasting too much of time to find co-volunteers for the WCFC, I will rather put this network to sleep and give life to it through some other forum I am comfortable with.
I am certainly very happy to have got new service-minded friends like Soeb, Kanchana, Sushi and many others. I can certainly continue nurturing the relationship I have developed with these true friends and chalk out plans ahead. Harish is one person who really made me take the Ryze Network seriously. I don't know if other calls of life have taken a toll of his personal time. With him came a set of his colleagues. I am not able to find any of them in WCFC msg board these days. Happens.!
I still feel that I should find at least 2-3 more really service-minded net-savvy friends, with whom I want to make a definite impact to "make Chennai a better place to live in". Let me just wait for a few days more and say "adieu".
Cheers again.
Govind Srinivasan
ModeratorPrivate Reply to Govind Srinivasan | | |
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