I just can't imagine that you are not here with us.

APJ you will live in our hearts, and I promise in our deeds as well.

At a deeper level I feel all we Indians owe you a lot. The life that you lived, the dedication you showed, the dignity that symbolizes you...everything about you is inspiring.

You proved beyond doubt that it is possible to do things that you are passionate about, in spite of all odds.Yes the atmosphere is murky. But one can always shine. Like you did.

We at Creativity Mission India wants to make a pledge. We owe you the passion, that glitter in your eyes, that vision about India.

We will pay you back sir! With compounded interest, we promise.

This mother’s day, I take the opportunity to introduce you to one of the most distinguished personality. He is not greeted with a salute by a cop when he is out on the roads neither is he followed by a trail of fans crying for autographs. But still Dr. Ganesh Rakh is one of the most important persons in this country.

He runs “Medicare Gynecology Hospital” in Pune’s Hadpsar area. In a densely populated country like India, this is considered a profitable business, so what’s the big deal in it?

Well, the big deal is, for Dr. Rakh this is not a business. He has voiced his concern for the girls in India by giving free medical assistance on the birth of a girl child.

In today’s scenario when doctors are caught playing the foul game of converting a normal delivery into a cesarean just for the sake of money, Dr. rakh has emerged as an angel by charging nothing whether it’s a normal {Rs. 10,000} or cesarean {25000} delivery of a girl child.

The possibility of a girl’s birth is 50% which means Dr. rakh provides free medical help to almost half the people.

When I asked what made him start such a noble cause, his answer threw a light on the dark underbelly of our society.

He was poignant, “According to my experience, when a boy is born in a family, it calls for a celebration. Relatives pour in in huge numbers to the hospital but sadly it is quite the opposite when a girl enters the family. Relatives disappear from the clinic. If a boy is born, sweets are distributed; the hospital bill is paid with a huge smile. But when a girl is born, they vehemently argue on reducing the bill amount. Questions are raised on every tit bit. The truth is, by a large section in this country, even today a girl’s birth is mourned rather than celebrated.”

“And so I decided that we will give free medical treatment on the birth of a girl. No disagreements, no harsh discussions. We even distribute sweets and give a warm welcome to a baby girl. Just putting posts about women power on social media and worshiping mother goddess doesn’t make a difference if in real life the birth of a girl is not welcomed with open arms and heart.”

Dr.Rakh also mentioned that many times, new borns need neo natal treatment. “If a boy is weak or disabled in any way, the family opts for the best possible treatment but in case of a girl, they prefer her to be dead rather than going through a treatment, which is appalling. And so we decided on giving neo natal treatment also free to girls.”

Let me tell you, he has not inherited any fortune from his forefathers. His father was a coolie. He says, “We manage this with whatever little we make.” The building in which he runs his hospital is not his own, but on rent. Right from the landlord, some consulting doctors, to the staff of the hospital, they all equally participate in this cause. Consulting doctors don’t charge them on the birth of a girl; staff people understand if they can’t withdraw their salaries on time.

It is rightly said, that there is more to kindness than signing cheques in public. Dr. Ganesh Rakh is a true ambassador of “save the girl child” campaign. And an inspiration for our society.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………................................

You can contact Dr Ganesh Rakh at:

Medicarehospital2012@gmail.com
09850403026

​

Here is another brillianr video of Lesle Lewis rendering Marathi abhang with Mumbai Dabbawala. Shear brilliance! 

Creativity Mission India celebrated World Creativity Day with world famous Dabbawalas of Mumbai.

As part of the celebration renowned musician Lesle Lewis came down to the Churchgate hub of  Dabbawalas and jammed with their kirtan mandli. What an experience that was! He surprised the audience with his rendering of Marathi abhangs. people and went crazy. We don't get to see an artist of international fame like him on the streets and creating music on his famed guitar along with the 'taal' of dabbawalas. 

His spontaneous creative leaps from one song to another amazed everyone. Even younger kids went mad when he played 'Kaay Jhala'! 

He told us, "It was a truly creative experience, even I didn't know what will come next. 'Yaari dosti' bit happened all by itself! even I was surprised!"

He won the hearts of the audiences as well as the Dabbawala artists. There were shouts for more, but you know what? Dabbawalas had to go to deliver the tiffins. And they had to rush to deliver the Dabba on time. 

Watch the video to know what you missed!

These are exciting times. It's transition from an old world to a new one.
We may not perceive the revolutionary times we are living in as we are too close to it.

The Great Transition:

The parallel I see is the mid 15th century invention of printing press and the way it impacted the world. When people got the knowledge, information and the power to exchange ideas they embraced it. Thoughts became viral. A speech could be printed and pamphlets distributed in no time. Thoughts traveled.

When knowledge becomes fluid, it sure breaks the old systems. It challenges authority. Gutenberg invention changed the world in a powerful way.

But today we are in even more exciting times. Printing needed skill and investments. Not everyone could do it on their own. So media was still in a few hands. But the internet has changed that. This has made information and knowledge travel on steroids. Media is now no more limited in few power centers. We all have our own media channels. The social media!

The Facebook and Twitter and tumbler are not just pastimes.These are not just chronicles of what we ate and where we traveled. These are powerful channels to raise our voices. These are the records of our collective sentiments. A click of a button can make our point of view known. And others can join us or shout back at us in dissent.

Obviously it threatens the status quo, the authority. They say people may not use it responsibly. My question is, if a person is good enough to choose you as a representative why she is not good enough to question you on your decisions? 

The truth is, in our kind of democracy, the people in power are NOT a choice of the majority. When you make a government by 35% popular votes or even by 45% that says majority are in dissent. And they have a right to express their views. And people who voted for a government on certain expectations has every right to raise concerns when the representatives take a U turn on stated policies. Or start behaving like masters. 

The political class have been nurtured in the false sense of superiority. And while the world has changed in a big way they will take time to accept the harsh reality. They try to limit the power of the masses. While we may see only a few cases now and then, it is an indication to all others what may happen to them if they laugh at the 'masters' or show dissent.

The quashing of section 66 A by supreme court is a welcome step. It is in line with the zeitgeist of the times. Political class must understand they have to change now. It's no more an old world.

Yes, some people use abusive language. They are unreasonable at times. But then some times our representatives use derogatory language in the parliament and show their prejudices. We are not going to shut the parliament because of their behavior, isn't it?

A people ruled by fear can't create anything new. They can't walk with their heads held high. If we want a great India we must have a right to express ourselves freely!

We often see social media postings about "It happens only in India!" Many boundaries are breaking and we see inspiring stories of breakthrough efforts and achievements from unexpected corners. 

Now and then we read news stories of individuals achieving great feats, in spite of all barriers. A young girl from Kerala creates a new machine or a small town boy from Maharashtra designs a new kind of bicycle. A flurry of likes and shares on Facebook begins.

The comments if translated into an emotional equivalent says:

"Way to go India! Let's conquer the world!"

The Objective Look:

Now let us take the patriotic blinkers off and look at the situation in an international perspective. It's a race and there are many more countries competing with us. We might be faster than before, but not fast enough! The data suggests in comparison to others we are getting back.

As per the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Index:

Beyond Numbers:

We are fond of comparing ourselves with the Chinese economy. Recent news reports suggests that we are overtaking China in terms of growth percentage. They are at rank 28. Which is 41 ranks ahead of us. A huge difference.

But it not just numbers that's important. In the survey countries are divided into various stages. We are in the 'factor' driven economy. The lowest category.

It means we are still competing on the basis of unskilled labor, natural resources and low prices.

The next stage is efficiency driven economy where you compete on better productivity, efficient processes and quality of output produced. China is an efficiency driven economy.

So, just multiplying what we do is not good enough. We have to focus on the qualitative aspects. 

Some people will be quick to suggest that UPA 2 and its dismal performance is responsible for this reversal in the trend from 2009.

I don't want to get into that debate. As a country what matters is that we are not doing well. We all must put our act together. We must establish institutions and systems which can convert available resources and talents into future projects. What we are doing is not good enough, we must push ourselves.

Now there are 2 choices:

1: Some of us can outright discard these surveys.

Because it really looks like a paradox. We see so much energy in our youths. Entrepreneurial spirit is high. And yet we are lagging behind.

2: Let's take it as an indicator, get our act together and make the most of our resources.

What you suggest?

Links: For an in depth study here is the complete report for you.

Here is a great message from Steve Jobs. I believe every creative genius worth his salt realizes it. And that's the moment of truth that begins to change everything around us.