Of Maximals and Minimals

Traffic rules exist and always there are quite a few who would think that they are there to be broken. This is a sad fact of life in countries like India. Recently the authorities are trying to do their best to ensure some sense of discipline and avoid unnecessary accidents on stretches in Mumbai and suburbs and also the expressways- down to the level of parading the accident –damaged vehicles to inculcate some sense in the public.

Having said that and giving the authorities due credit for the effort they are taking to instill discipline in this nation of unruly motorists, I cannot help but point out to what I recently spotted as a signage just before the start point of the -Pune expressway, which also has seen its share of peril in recent times.

Serious as the subject is, I could not but smile at the choice of words. What exactly is this minimum fine upto business ? Is it that one part of the bureaucracy wanted a minimum number while the other part screamed for a finiteness to the whole subject ?

Or is it that that originality of the idea to have a technically infinite fine clashed with the impending elections round the corner and the fear of “fined” electorate threatening to boot the government out to infinite space resulted in this maximalism ?

Or is it that some learned post doctoral fellow in mathematics in this country has decided to help the bureaucracy in providing up-to-date statistical data on fine collections via a complex software which can make ISRO seem like child’s play ? Maybe it is the government’s idea of starting to bring more and more people under the educational umbrella by quizzing the hapless motorist after he commits the mistake on the median, mode and standard deviation of the fine collection the past one month and the reprieve being proportional to the marks secured in this impromptu viva.

Being mathematically challenged, I decided to drive on….

Place a bet !

We all have the habit of taking bets , sometimes on trivial issues or just to have some fun. A playful bet, among friends is normal and is part of pure fun, albeit at the expense of the person who loses and has to pay up. So many of us have in the past placed bets on the outcome of cricket matches etc and have either coughed up and paid or have shared the spoils of the wager, be it a treat or whatever such inconsequential.

One of my lasting friendship with one of my Australian colleagues began as a bet , many many winters ago, on the outcome of India playing Australia in Test series, when both of us were working in cricket-less continental Europe, with only internet feed to give us updates. (With the current form of India, I do not want to delve into the details as to who had won that time, many may not believe it !).Such episodes are common-place and do not worth a mention at all.

However what has always intrigued me is the weakness of some to gamble and wither away all, throwing caution to the winds. Whether we have to go back to the mythological game of dice or newspaper reports about families having their life spoilt due to the reckless gambling or the 24x7 slot machines of Vegas, I have always wondered how anyone can get such a kick when the theory of probability stares at you hard and winks at you more than you think it should or would.

However some years back I did have the chance meeting with such an inveterate fan of the theory of probability and was really amazed. We were having a chat at a club with some of my colleagues and over harmless banter we were introduced to this rather smart looking person, who as he was introduced, lives to gamble. The fact that he was still a member of that famed club, had a good job with a reputed company and was not in rags, was proof enough that he won a few more than he lost.

He mesmerized us with his stories of winning some and losing a few over the next hour. He summed up that without at least one wager a day, he cannot even digest his supper. When we asked whether the pack of cards was his constant companion he surprised us more by stating that he can gamble on anything, with or without tools. On further explanation he gave a short demo which I will never forget. He asked if anyone of us had a five hundred rupee note. This being quite some years ago when the 500 was not so much in circulation , one of our friends confirmed that he had one in his wallet. The man of the moment immediately placed a bet which none of us had any courage to accept. His bet was simple: he placed a 1:1 bet on whether the last digit of the rupee note was even or odd.

Since none of us chicken hearted could match up with him the bet was never placed, but he demonstrated to our extreme amazement what an inveterate gambler can be.