Rafiqi Reccommends...

Our In - house MBA, Rafiq Batcha realizing my “jaahiliyat” and a habit of sitting in the dark room like a photographer, watching “negatives” develop, keeps turning on the lights. This time he recommended these bulbs….oops books….

Tim Ferriss’s “The 4 hour work week”, is a must read for tomorrow’s leaders and a treasure for an entrepreneur’s library. It takes “outsourcing” to the extremes in order to save time, make money and live in a borderless World. When a modern day war can be outsourced, why not our personal engagements? It is a revolutionary work. (Unfortunately he does not recommend outsourcing mahobbaten and its paraphernalia…woh kambhakt khud hi karni hogi!!)

Alan Wiesman’s “The World without us” is an imaginative scientific curiosity and it looks at the world when we, all 6.2 billions of us would disappear. He travels all over the globe and makes some interesting observations. For example, he mentions about how the New York subways would flood coz there would be no one to pump the water out, and how the tall buildings would corrode and then fall. Nature will reclaim everything.

I think this book would not do well in Mumbai. Mumbai - wallahs see their version of “The world without us” every monsoon. When monsoon approaches they prepare for another 7/26, another round of flooding, another round of building collapses and another round of walking on the submerged roads in the middle of the night and not getting mugged. If Mr. Wiesman Had spoken to any Mumbaikar before writing this book, he would have dropped the idea, as anyone in Mumbai can tell you that “The World without us” is not that bad after all. Where else can you get a chance to meet people you would not otherwise, to hold their hands while soaking wet, and eat Chicken Biryani, Aloo Gobi and Masala Dosa depending on whether you are in Bhindi Bazar, Shivaji Park or Matunga respectively?..baad main garam chai bhi milti hai...

Seriously speaking, just think about it. ALL of us gone - Forever....nada! What it would be like? On some level, I feel so relieved and content with this thought, coz it would take away all those unscrupulous, greedy, scheming, satanic minds from dear earth. Which means no more aggressions, no more mental violence, no crimes against man and nature, no corruption, no scandals, no lies and manipulation, no rapes and murders. Only Peace…as was envisioned by the Original Author.

But this also means no more heart and its dilemmas. No more sweet bitter memories, no more shared laughers, no more glorified stupidities, no more heart to heart talks, no more kisses on the foreheads and no more hugs without expectations! A world without hearts can be a scary place brother! Hearts are like a safety deposit boxes in a bank where we keep depositing yaaden, wade and everything in between.

I think I have gone off on a tangent, so let me end this one. But before I go, please open the window of the room you are in, take a deep breadth, look outside and imagine…a world without us!

Wouldn’t it be cool?
Oh Yeah….

Peace….