Sorry,WHO?

“There were real people filling up those blank screens with ideas and mass movements,” shoots Kabir Chandok,senior software professional,Infosys. “I’m still stumped,” says Munish Jauhar of Gray Cell Technology. “It’s as good as giving it to Obama!” Agreed,it is empowering,it has managed to drag people out of their cocooned existence,given voice to many,a parallel life to others,soulmates,employment,etc. But it’s still a medium,insists Munish. And medium can’t be role models. “The peace prize is a reward of excellence for human endeavour,so ideally it should be given to the founders of the Internet,” he feels. Kabir agrees. “The Nobel Peace Prize should be given to the guy who’s behind the idea or the message,not the carrier. And Internet is not all positive,it has been a ground for hate groups,unethical hacking and other cyber crimes,” Kabir adds.

While Alfred Nobel,real peace activists winners like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King must be turning in their graves,it came as a surprise when 2003 Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi and famous Italian surgeon,known for his contributions to breast cancer treatments,Umberto Veronesi hailed the nomination. Along with them,reports AP/Forbes,Wired Italy too has launched a campaign,‘Internet for Peace,’ which will carry on till September 2010. It will feature stories and experiences of those who have tried to promote peace and harmony via the web. In their defence,examples like the mass democratic movements in Iran post election courtesy the Net make it a worthy candidate. Log on to internetforpeace.org,and they say: “We have finally realized that the Internet is much more than a network of computers. It is an endless web of people. Men and women from every corner of the globe are connecting to one another,thanks to the biggest social interface ever known to humanity. Digital culture has laid the foundations for a new kind of society. And this society is advancing dialogue,debate and consensus through communication. Because democracy has always flourished where there is openness,acceptance,discussion and participation. And contact with others has always been the most effective antidote against hatred and conflict. That’s why the Internet is a tool for peace. That’s why anyone who uses it can sow the seeds of non-violence. And that’s why the next Nobel Peace Prize should go to the Net. A Nobel for each and every one of us.”

A weapon of global hope,of mass construction,one that exists without barriers,that’s how Internet is being sold. But still,isn’t it a non-living entity? And isn’t this,(it’s a far shot),the rise of the machines and technology overpowering the human world? “Technology does intend to have an overpowering effect,but hey,the concept is earth shattering,” says Navneet Singh who is with Google’s R&D Mobile Engineering wing. “It’s an an inanimate thing alright,and the nomination sounds quirky. But it’s well-deserved for it has made an impact and changed lives and the underdog is being recognized,” Pancham Parasher of Cue Blocks Technology is hopeful that the prize will take into account all those behind this grand innovation. If that’s the thing,why not start with the printing press,then radio,television,mobile,google,twitter,facebook,etc,etc,etc!