Back to the Future...?

or should I say "Back from the Future"? I dont know...

Just back from my hectic yet wonderful three weeks to India... And I could see some strong signs that things have changed for the better there... and that there is so much opportunity for the future... to be "the Future".... how well do we leverage those opportunities.. thats the question...

But, as they say, change is the only constant... and there were so many that I could see.. For example, Chennai has expanded much beyond the boundaries of three years ago... When I was there the last time, the southmost part was Thiruvanmiyur/Velachery... with some smattering of IT companies on ECR.. and there was Mayajaal...But, now the city has expanded all the way to Mayajaal... thats almost Mahabalipuram! Imagine.. I can live in Mahabalipuram, on the splendid seashore and amidst the rock temples and commute to work some 30-40 kms away in as many minutes!!

For another, taxis are more prevalent (saw that across quite a few cities) and many a time, economical than autorickshaws now. But, stuff in general have become more expensive... the cost of cold coffee has almost doubled in the period... things like face wash has become common across many sections... price of flight tickets have reduced, in general..

I also had the good fortune of meeting the leader of one of the emerging political parties... Dr. JayaPrakash Narayan or Dr. JP, as he is known... of the Lok Satta in Hyderabad... he won the recent elections from Kukatpally in Andhra Pradesh and I hear his party garnered 11% of the votes overall in the constituencies they contested from. And the best part is that he won without distributing money or liquor!

Obviously, one of the things we spoke about was on the same topic.. change. And he mentioned, "The only way to bring about long-lasting change for the good is by transforming the political arena. And that needs people like you".

I know some of my friends are doing some great work at the grass-roots level... like my friend at Lok Satta... or the other friend at Swaraj (Delhi)... but "The Future" needs more.

While you and me are contemplating how we can champion such movements, we can support by becoming an Executive Member. Interestingly, Lok Satta is one of the few political parties that is accounting all the donations received. (The other one is probably Swaraj, but I am not sure. I need to check with my friend) And everything is 'white'.