Equality

Read this interesting post on the NY Times about differing male-female motivations ("Is there anything good about men?..."). It describes an argument by a Dr Baumeister (apparently a prominent social psychologist) that the fact that men have a lower chance of reproducing than women (today's human population is descended from twice as many female ancestors as male ancestors, according to Dr Baumeister) leads to women adopting 'safer' behaviour than men (since they have more to lose by taking risks which may lead them to be unable to have offspring). This in turn leads to some of the societal structures we observe, where men take up more prominent and influential social roles.

Anyway, you can read the details in the article if you are interested. What I feel compelled to point out here is my old favourite topic - the role of evolution and genes in shaping the behaviour of humans (and all other living beings). I am all for the right to equality, and think that it is one of the basic foundations of a fair and economically successful society. But that right to equality should be one of equality of opportunity, not of outcome. If someone points to the fact that women occupy only a small minority of significant managerial posts in big corporations as being evidence of discrimination against them, then I believe that they are making a logical mistake. If women (or whichever social group in question) are in a minority at the top of the corporate ladder, then the could be a variety of reasons for the same. Discrimination is one possibility and can take myriad forms. Discrimination could either happen directly within the corporation, or in the form of denial of opportunities for education at earlier age, for example. Another possibility is that the behaviour exhibited by females as a statistical entity would predict such a situation, given that certain traits are required to reach and occupy executive managerial posts. If taking care of their children is more important to a person than spending insane hours at work, then he/she may not find it easy to become a CEO. If women are more likely than men to exhibit the behaviour of devoting more time to their children, then it is logical to expect to see fewer women CEOs (This is a hypothetical argument of course - I do not know if becoming a CEO requires spending insane hours at work). Of course, I would assume in this case, as in most others, the reason is a combination of a bit of both (which one is more significant, or if there are others, I do not know). Similarly, if fewer men than women serve as nurses in hospitals (I do not know whether this is true, but am just presenting a hypothetical example), then I would not automatically conclude that men are discriminated against in this profession.

When proponents of reservations for deprived classes point to their under-representation in higher education or private corporations as being evidence of discrimination, I fear they might be jumping to unwarranted conclusions. Perhaps such simplifications make life easier for those seeking to persuade the public, but they do end up confusing and occasionally riling me :(

Financial Woes

Have a relatively free weekend this time. Played at the office football tournament in the morning (was not very exciting, since I did not get to play much, but atleast my team won 2 out of the 3 matches we played).

As usual, my sister came over in the evening. Saw a bit of "Ice Age" with my niece, but mostly spent time sleeping and snivelling :(

Because of the slight cold I have developed, I have decided to spend tomorrow at home and catch up on reading. I am presently still working on Hamlet (I began reading it over a month ago), and also reading a book called "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham. The book is considered a classic on value investing, and Warren Buffet is one of the admirers of Graham. I am enjoying the book very much too, and hope to learn valuable lessons in the art of picking good long-term equity investments.

Speaking of investing, I had a look at my bank statement today. Am going through a severe liquidity crunch. My spending has exceeded my expectations. I have a huge loan repayment to make (since I decided to prepay the entire amount I borrowed for my European trip, half of it refinanced by my parents), for which I have already deposited a cheque with my bank. Problem is that the cheque could be presented for payment anytime during the next two weeks, and my account balance is running perilously close to the cheque amount. I expect some cash inflows over the next few days (salary, interest, dividends), but do not even want to think about all the hassles I'll face if that cheque bounches for any reason. All that combined means that I have had to borrow more money from my mom to be able to give a gift my sister on Raksha Bandhan :( For a graduate of WIMWI, working in a fairly cushy job in Bombay, that is simply a question mark on my basic financial competence. My plan is to pay off all my debt, fund my proposed foreign vacation and hopefully buy a computer and camera with my regular salary income by April 1, 2008; so that my entire bonus can be invested in a long-term plan. Did some rough calculations - with my present spending patterns, it is not going to happen :( What will I do?

Movie Review: Chak De India

Saw the movie late last night in a nearby theatre. This is the third good Hindi movie I recall seeing in cinemas this year, the other two being Guru and the delightfully and devilishly witty Bheja Fry.

The movie is very tightly made, though it has two clear themes. The first is an exploration of the divides that still afflict Indian society. There is little new that the film has to say about the topic. Still, some of the words spoken by the characters bring forth the sad reality that some Indians do have to experience. The 'Muslim' captain of the Indian hockey team misses a penalty stroke against Pakistan, and is hounded out of the team and his locality on charges of being a traitor to the country. Years later, a former colleague tells him, "Ek galti to sabko maaf hai!" He replies, "Sabko?" I venture my opinion on any and every topic without the thought of aspersions being cast on my motives. Not all Muslims in India are accorded this basic courtesy (I have observed this discrimination very infrequently in the liberal groups I have associated with, and fear that the case in the larger Indian society might be worse).

Another line that struck me was spoken by a girl from a Northeastern state. She is about to register for the national hockey team, when the registrar, with completely good intentions, mentions, "Hum aap ka mehmano ki tarah swagat karege." With a disappointed look, she sighs,"Apne hi ghar mein mehman ban na kisko pasand hai?" (All the 'quotations' from the movie are based on my recollections - they may not be exact). The treatment accorded to the denizens of the Seven Sisters is step-sisterly, unfortunately :(

The second theme is the focus on the building of a successful sporting unit from a bunch of talented but indisciplined girls. Here too, the film follows the beaten track of players from disparate backgrounds coming together and beating the odds. But it is still very good entertainment.

The characters are really good. I especially liked the tomboy from Haryana, whose crude lines are hilarious. "Mere bapu ko bhediye ne kaata hai?!" The other forward, the modern city girl from Chandigarh, is quite good-looking :) Almost all the characters have been portrayed quite well, and seem to possess the stuff that champions are made of.

Definitely worth a watch!

The Travel Itch

Spend much of the afternoon today walking around the Fort area in south Bombay. Saw the buildings housing David Sassoon Library opposite Kala Ghoda (At one time a statue of King George V atop a horse stood there, now it has been shifted to Rani Baug, I think), Bombay University and the High Court. For the first time, I noticed the rounded, semicircular side of the Bombay University building. I like stone buildings generally, and especially those built in Gothic style!

I am now determined to take a vacation in January. Have done some financial planning, and taking the trip (in conjunction with paying off the loan I took to fund my European travels, and replacing the laptop and camera I lost there) into account, I will not be able to begin saving till March 2008. Not too sure how prudent that is, but the travel bug has taken hold of me :) Still have to finalise the destination, but leaning towards Greece (and also considering Australia). There's enough time to plan and work out the details. The only hitch - will my boss give me leave?

History and Evolution

A theory that hints at evolutionary change being responsible for recent human history - now that's very interesting. Came across this article in the NY Times today, discussing the outlines of an explanation of the causes of the Industrial Revolution based on changes in human behaviour (In Dusty Archives, A Theory of Affluence). Can't wait to lay my hands upon "A Farewell to Arms" (and also get the time to read it).

Third T-Nite

Went back to WIMWI for the weekend. Saw T-Nite, met my dormies and some other friends, had maggi at CT, stared at the library across the LKP and wandered through the brick-lined and grassy pathways surrounded by the lovely, lovely brick buildings. Felt really good...will try to write more when I do not have office to wake up for 5 1/2 hours later.