Followings the trails of pani chors….

Sometime back I was in Tamil Nadu on the trail of water thieves- pani chors as they known in North India. The visit to Kaladera, Rajasthan and Plachimada, Kerala (in here they are referred to as kolayali cola) few years back was send across to Crude Woman who dutifully communicated it to others- small pat for her. The copy of which is posted in Link: My blog ( www.sdepalan.blogspot.com). On my recent tour to Tamil Nadu I visited two sites of crime:

At Padathur in Shivganga District, Tamil Nadu :
Padathur is small village around 10Kms from the Shivganga district HQs, it is also an hour and half’s drive in Bus from the famous temple town Madurai. Padathur is a quiet little hamlet with some very poor people; there are bricked as well as thatched houses. The place is known for a sugar factory- Sakthi Sugar Mills. The village has a small temple at its entrance with a penchant for bells….it is possible that Gods here favor the offerings of bells or is it that people have decided among themselves that Gods are pleased with offering of bells?. There sure must be an interesting story here. As it was mid noon, quite hot and sultry I didn’t really find any one around (except one who was sleeping under the tree, there were also some shops near by) to ask these, further I had got this infection -conjunctivitis and my eyes were burning so I didn’t want to spend too much time here. Puduthur is a very unlikely place for any action. Sakthi Sugar Mill is 3kms interior and decided to walk the distance- as public transport are once in an hour, every few minute sugarcane laden truck headed towards the Mill. Later I happen to interact with a farmer who had come to sell his truck load of sugarcane- he treated me to a tea and dry peas ‘because I was the guest he the host’ he said. He refused to be photographed. He mentioned that sugar was sold to mill at the rate of 1050Rs per ton. That’s like one Rupee a Kg!!. Which I thought was less. But he was quite satisfied with the price “a good quality cane will weigh a Kg…one rupee is not much but ok” he clarified. I also congratulated myself for managing a conversation in Tamil, a language I was speaking after quite a long time. The road to the mill was well tarred for an impoverished village, clearly it was meant for the mill. The main occupation of the people seems to be collecting water -the activity people engaged in, even in the hot sun. People had to walk a distance to collect water as you can see from the snaps. Although the land is basically arid and dry, one spot on the way was green and cultivating sugarcane- a crop one knows is a water intensive. This was peculiar and I saw hose supplying enough water and some villagers crowding to collect water. This inequity is not surprising since Tamil Nadu despite its Dravidian upheaval, Justice movements in early last century has remained quite a feudal society and sometimes violently casteist. Tamilians as I see are one of the most hardworking people but mostly exploited. These are the kinds of place where Cocacola-Pepsi can easily tighten their strangle. In recent times there has been attempt by Cocacola-Pepsi to not be seen as exploiter the reason why they outsourced the sucking of ground water to Sakthi mills. There was a huge offer to Sakthi mills. I spend sometime interacting with the lady who runs a tea shop opposite the mill. She has been running it for last 19 years (or was it 29 years?) from the time the mill had started. The property around her has been bought by the mill, they offered her some money to vacate but she refused. One of her conditions was that her son should be given permanent job at the mill. She earns around 1000Rs per month from the shop which she is better than what casual labours are paid in the mill -around 65Rs for men and 55Rs for women, for a day of backbreaking work.
The Cocacola-Pepsi outsourced water sucking for a month or so (as a trial run) at the rate of 75,000litres a day, but by then people became aware of the mischief. The villagers went on dharna and peace marches, most of the people of village participated, in particular the school children. Unlike at Plachimada in Kerala where the simmering resentment among the local people manifested itself as an angry protest only three years after the bottling plant began operations, the agitation here was a in a way pre-emptive one. It was alleged that the unit had plans to dig borewells up to a depth of 3,000 feet (900 metres) on the Vaigai riverbed, besides using the unutilised part of the quantum of water permitted (49 lakh litres a day) specifically for industrial use by the sugar mill. The plans would have affected the water supply to Sivaganga, Manamadurai and Thiruppuvanam towns and about 80 villages covered by the Comprehensive Drinking Water Supply Scheme, the requirements of which are now met by water from the Vaigai riverbed. The scheme covers more than 3.5 lakh people. Exposed to acute drought conditions for several years, the people of the district, particularly in the villages, have had little access to water. Finally the Cocacola-Pepsi had to pack their bag and run. A case of successful campaign by the villagers.

At Gangaikondan in Thirunelveli District, Tamil Nadu:
Thirunelveli is a district located in south of Tamil Nadu state not far from western ghat mountain range. Tamiraparani is the river which flows through the region. Gangaikondan is around half an hour from Thirunelveli District HQ. As I got down from the bus at Gangaikondan the first thing which struck me was the place had a very plane surface with shrubs- very few trees or plants, found only in patches. This is Mars!!. I was told that Coca cola plant was located 4km inside. It is interesting since the Cocacola-Pepsi had made sure that their name is nowhere in the scene and have outsourced the sucking business to very tame sounding South India Bottling Company Ltd (SIBCL, almost a Public sector !! So cute). This funny statement of J. Ramamoorthy, SIBCL's executive director, I came across "We're not Coca-Cola. We're a franchisee. It is totally South Indian owned, and we're bringing in the money. Coca-Cola will merely provide the technology,". Wow. But the people when I asked about where this Company-SIBCL, was located showed ignorance only when I referred coca cola did they recognize!!. Since Cocacola-Pepsi was located in uninhabited surrounding (see in the photos the white spot as you approach that is Coke Pepsi factory!!!) I decided to take an Auto. As you approach the plant you cannot but think it as some alien spaceship!!. I read in a website about how people in this region stumble upon Coke factory, it is quite funny. "I literally stumbled upon the construction when I went looking for my cows," says S. Elosius, a resident of Thuraiyoor. "Here's a company set a kilometer off the road. Even when it's fully constructed, people can't see it," he says. "How can it be that it is the area's largest investment, and I come to know of it only by accident two months after construction has begun?". Local residents and public interest organizations say there is undue secrecy surrounding the project. Dr. R. Murugesan, a professor and district vice president of the Tamil Nadu Science Forum, has strong words about government agencies. "It is not possible to find out anything relevant about the project beyond what little information the company has made available. The Pollution Control Board and the District Collector are against public interest. The Collector claims he knows nothing. But we hear that heavyweights in the ruling party are backing the project," he says (statements taken from the Net). The little information I could gather was that the unit covers an area of around 32 acres inside the SIPCOT complex, spread over an area of 2,500 acres in Gangaikondan. The lease period for companies coming up in the complex is 99 years. SIPCOT can draw upto 45 lakh litres per day . The coke unit alone willget 5 lakh litres everyday (there is however confusion regarding this with contradictory claims). The water will be drawn from theTamiraparani river in Seevalaperi, some 14 km from the site. There is something more to it, as I was going through the web sites a pattern I was quite familiar with emerged. The plant is in a depression in an area fed by the Semboothu springs. Groundwater quality in the area is excellent. Parameters such as chloride and hardness are well within permissible levels. If groundwater is used for bottling, purification costs would be very low. Further there only two other industries located on this industrial estate all 2,000 acres of it are empty otherwise!!!.

The reason why the industrial estate is empty is in the socio-historical nature of the place. These information I found in the Net: Residents of the Manur Panchayat Union, within which Gangaikondan village falls, are predominantly Pallars, a Dalit (former untouchable) caste. The Dalit uprising of the 1990s saw scores settled for centuries-old oppression - primarily with the upper caste Thevars. P. Kirupairaj, a member of Puthiya Thamizhagam - a Dalit political party led by Dr. K. Krishnaswamy - explains the dilemma that Pallar residents face. "The reason why some people support the project is probably because it's been 15 years since SIPCOT started and there have been no takers. Some people feel that this area is being neglected because we're Pallars, and that it is unwise to oppose the first company that comes here. People feel that resistance is futile; that all this is fated and that we don't really have a choice." Kirupairaj however is quick to point out the fallacy in the belief that locals really don't have a choice. "We have won significant victories in our struggle against discrimination. It is known that when we (Pallars) set our minds on something, we persist till we win. We have to make our people aware of the potential benefits and the dangers. Even now, we're not opposing all projects. Only projects like Coca-Cola that pose a threat to our water resources," he says. Quite remarkable these statements considering the socio-economical conditions in which they live.
Lets now look at the events folded since the Cocacola-Pepsi landed here. When Coke first approached Gangaikondan Panchayat President Kamsan for approval, he granted it (don’t be shocked by the name, anti-brahmanical names are very popular in Tamil nadu). He said he had granted permission as the company had all the necessary government approvals. He had not seen the allotted plot or read any of the material that the South India Bottling Company Limited had given him. When the local resistance to the company gathered momentum, Kamsan cancelled the permission given to the South India Bottling Company Limited and also passed a resolution in the panchayat to that effect. Later that day, he passed another resolution giving the South India Bottling Company Limited permission again!!!!. When local reporters grilled him, he alleged thathad powerful people had threatened him over the telephone. Within few days of this incidence Kamsan died in suspicious circumstances. Most of the people whom I interacted are very clear on who killed Kamsan: ‘’it’s the people at the Coca cola’’. Offcourse this will never be proved, they have enough money and clout.
On Republic Day this year, gram sabha meetings -- which all villagers attend, as opposed to panchayat meetings, in which just the ward members and the panchayat president are present -- were held all over Tamil Nadu. At the Gangaikondan Gram Sabha meeting, a resolution was passed to cancel the license given to the South India Bottling Company Limited plant. The Manur Block Union -- which includes the Gangaikondan Panchayat -- was convened under heavy police cover. It approved the license given to the plant. Thus, the gram sabha verdict stood nullified. So although majority of people were against coke the Block Union which involves fewer people passed the resolution, quite democratically one must add. The apprehensions of the people did find echo in here too. "We don't know the full details of the project. This is the first big investment in our region. We can't reject the first investment that comes our way. We need the jobs," says A. Rajesh Babu, an elected councilor in Manur Panchayat union (from the Net). A section of local residents, particularly elected members of local governments have extended their support to the company. They argue that the company will bring much-needed jobs and boost the local economy. Company spokespersons go one step further to say that if the company runs into trouble here, other investors will refuse to set up in Gangaikondan. Ironically, the veiled threat of economic "untouchability" or a flight of capitalists comes less than a decade after Gangaikondan and nearby villages witnessed a three-year spate of bloody caste violence in the mid-1990s to end the practice of untouchability. Gangaikondan's fear of becoming "economically untouchable" seems to be one of several issues clouding what may be genuine concerns about the impact of a project that extensively uses local water resources (from the Net).
However in last year or so protests by locals have gathered momentum. Many local residents, political parties and environmentalists have raised concerns that the water-intensive plant will deplete and contaminate groundwater, and draw from Tamiraparani river that cannot fully meet even drinking water and agricultural needs of local communities. Local farmers are angry at even that amount of water being taken away from them. Various political parties as well as a broad range of groups, such as the South Tamilnadu Merchants Association and the Tamilnadu Government Employees Association participated in a rally, indicative of the growing discontent over Coca-Cola's operations in India. Interestingly a delegation from Gangaikondan visited Plachimada in early August 2005.
The argument of those opposing the project, like other places I visited, has to do with the fact that drinking water and agricultural requirements are not currently being met by the water allocations from Tamiraparani River. "Charity begins at home," says S. Sunderaraja Perumal, president of the District Congress Committee Tirunelveli (Urban). "Within the Tirunelveli corporation limit, there are four to five places where people take to the streets because they get no water or insufficient water. They are all Scheduled Caste (Dalit) people, some of whom live within 30 meters of the river. How can you take water for Coca-Cola when you haven't even provided drinking water to your population?" the Congress leader questions (taken from the Net). Perumal says he is not opposed to drawing Tamiraparani water for drinking purposes. "They're taking water for drinking water needs in Kovilpatti, Sankaran Koil. We're not opposed to that. But water cannot be put on sale to a company that uses water as the raw material and sells water as a product. 500,000 liters of water can comfortably take care of the water needs of 5000 people within Tirunelveli town," he says. R. Krishnan, a member of the Communist Party (Marxist) and former member of the state legislature, echoes Perumal's sentiment: "The difference is that this company is treating water as a raw material and selling it. That is wrong. SIPCOT's 4.5 million liter requirement is for the basic needs of industries that will come up in the industrial estate. Earmarking 10 percent of the total water intake for one company that occupies just 31 acres of a 2000-acre industrial estate is ridiculous." (taken from the Net).
While returning I had a cup of tea at a shop opposite the industrial estate. He was busy as a group of people had just ordered tea. What he manage to say was “people are against Coca Cola”. On the bus an elderly man smiled from the crowd. He was around 55 to 60 years and not wearing much cloth, a torn blue banyan, chek mundu and a plastic bag. He had a sturdy short body and a great smile. “ oongalle standill patha chu……(translate) I saw you at the auto rickshaw stand. You wanted to go to coca cola?.....did you go?” he asked. I nodded.
“I used to work at coca cola….”.
“Why you left the job” I asked.
“They gave only 70Rs per day now I work at a place where I get 100Rs and much less work” was his reply.
This is surely a statement on claims of employment generation by Cocacola-Pepsi (we know how bogus it is…meant to divide people). Further what is the cost of natural resources they steal??. While getting down the man informed with an endearing smile that his name was Kasumuthu (money boy literally!!) and I could call him for any job I needed him for. I wanted to take his photograph but it was too crowded and secondly I rarely take photos of the people on their face. I am very uncomfortable about it….it feels like objectifying people. While they speak I surreptitiously take out camera and click, almost an apology!!. They see it and laugh. I guess mobile phone cams are least intrusive, I am thinking of saving some money and buying one!!. Coming back to Kasumuthu he reminded me of Nanook of North!! (the legendary Robert Flaherty’s classic silent movie of 1922). The only difference being that he lives in surroundings where technological benefits are available unlike Nanook . But his life is still as tough as Nanook of North. Kasumuthu is Nanook of South!! At 60 odd age that is a real wrenching life. Thande ka thadka.

Remembering Stanley Kunitz on his birth anniversary….

I haven’t read Stanley Kunitz before, only few months back after he expired. And I have become huge admirer of his poems I happen to read from the Net and downloaded to my computer. I liked these lines he said in an interview:

"Poetry is ultimately mythology, the telling of stories of the soul. The old myths, the old gods, the old heroes have never died. They are only sleeping at the bottom of our minds, waiting for our call. We have need of them, for in their sum they epitomize the wisdom and experience of the race."

These lines from his poem “The Long Boat” as a remembrance….

Peace! Peace!
To be rocked by the Infinite!
As if it didn't matter
which way was home;
as if he didn't know
he loved the earth so much
he wanted to stay forever.

Sea is Watching....

Sea is watching

When the powerful of the world
for a penny more
do more harm than good.
When learned words concocts lies
and wrong of their few undone by fabrications
of their few.
The cacophony of development
swallow the last gasps of trees,
the rivers, and sky.
The wary sun sets in the west
with a sigh
not heard by many.

Till a day
when sun catches fire
and all countings done by the sea.


Post Script: Sea is watching is also the name of the Japanese movie, the last by Akira Kurosawa as a writer. The DVD of which is in my collection- also includes Godard, Bergman, Fellini, Kubrick, Makhmalbaf, Kieslowski, Bresson, Truffaut…….it is difficult to get these and have spend hours wading crowded and sweaty shops, it's worth it though. Either it should be these great Directors (these not part of Hollywood except Kubrick, who is rare. I do like Speilberg and Lucas movies) or I am very much into Animation. Other genre I prefer is Detective like Pierot (Monsieur!!) series, Bond (The name is Bond…James Bond!), also have almost all of Hitchcock- even his b&w TV series!. The great thing about having a DVD is you decide what to watch and when.

Mischievous media..

If there are no conclusive evidences on Mumbai blasts then people (meaning police and investigating government officials) should keep shut. We common people in this country are not here to listen to nonsense in the name of speculations and allegations. We want to see how much competent you are. Tell me why CCTV never installed in railway stations or for that matter in public places wherein people gather??. They recently inaugurated Metro trains in capital city Delhi with big fanfare, does security concern not part of the constructions, these cameras cost one millionth of the cost involved but since it is common people who die they are not bothered. Even though they had clear intelligence input on terrorist attack they didn’t take much precaution. In London blasts CCTV played a major role. I am sure the security agencies were aware of these but they found no reason to strengthen safety measure here. Very competent indeed. Mumbai local train and commuters were sitting duck. Now they are busy conducting raids…..no comments. But if they find nothing I will surely comment. Giving sleepless night to people for one’s own incompetence is not investigation nor delaying flights and trains as a reason for heightened security. One TV channel showed how easy it is to get into metro trains without any checks. Who is responsible for these lapses??. And now they are leaking through media about investigating phone calls to Pakistan made minutes before the blasts- it seems they have narrowed some 35 calls, one even made 30secs after the blasts. Wow. Then they say it is SIMI (where is the evidence?. If no evidence then it is a cheap act, a mischief). Then a politician with an eye on forthcoming election and his ‘Muslim vote bank’ comes out and says it is not true (how does he know it is not true??. The investigation is not complete yet!!). It has become a game for political elite. How great!!. Action need be taken on the officials who ‘leak’ such information. By revealing procedure used on investigation you cannot blame a set of people or a country. They are attempting to orient what they ‘feel’ is the truth or lets say what some people want to be true. Unfortunately ‘feeling’ have no significance here we need facts and evidences. That comes through meticulous investigations. One TV channel even has ‘exclusive revelations’ by ‘high government official’ on involvement of Pakistan!!. Such mischief. I think they have this mindset that people will take any nonsense….well some people may but the Courts don’t nor do international community. Come out say it in public with evidences if you dare.

Some fun from serious stuff (not undermining the tragedy though): Actually we should be grateful to these terrorists that they are not causing more devastation which they can easily do. When there was attack on USA in 9/11 the joke doing the round in India was that this can never happen in here since such meticulous planning doesn’t work as nothing runs on time here!!!. The terrorists will get so worked up waiting for the Train to come or flight to take off that they will suicide in frustration with appalling transportation system!!. But Mumbai locals are extremely efficient, the reason why such a dastardly act worked. I guess we can handle sometimes appalling transportation system (most trains do run on time these days) but what we cannot tolerate is incompetence, apathy of security agencies and their lackadaisical understanding of measures to be taken in crowded and vulnerable places. I am told Union Home Ministry is also into deciding who to be given Padma awards!!!. So dude who is to get Padma bhushan this year!!. There are too many people squatting around the power centers. How about our Joker??!!. It takes lots of courage running from one TV studio to another!!!!. Geeeeeez. Give us a break some one

Learn to keep your mouth shut Mister Kasuri

The Foreign Minister of Pakistan should learn when and where to open his mouth. He and his goddamn ‘core issue’ daal can be fried later. By making such statements the Pakistan Government it seems has condoned the despicable acts. As far as most people in the world are concerned the ‘core issue’ is: When will Democracy return in Pakistan?. The military captured the power in this country almost 5 years back. The people don’t even have the right to decide who should rule them. And this fellow has the audacity to speak about other people. I want to know who gave him the power to be the Foreign Minister of Pakistan. Forget people in Kashmir he doesn’t even have the right to speak about (or represent) the people of Pakistan. The common people in Pakistan have not decided him to be their representative. Power thief Gen. Mushraff is still clinging to President’s office mainly because of the looming terrorist threat in western countries. And since Pakistan is a ‘frontier state’ West (in particular USA) needs him and so keep him in a good humour (quite difficult that one considering denizens in Army have very limited sense of humour!!). He is been seen as ‘modern’, I guess it has more to do with the western attire he wears making him less scary than any Mullah. Mushraff is the kind of guy West can deal, or so he has successfully projected himself. At the end of the day he is just a military dictator whatever cosmetic effort done. Offcourse one need add in case of free elections the chances of far right winning is a distinct possibility. So his is a ‘lesser devil’ card. The West (and even India) has indulged him for long for these reasons. It doesn’t mean they cross the line. These views of ‘Foreign Minister’ Kasuri are very provocative. How about someone responsible in India saying after, say a bomb blast in Lahore (god forbid) wherein hundreds die that this has to do with military dictator rule and since we in India are democratic we want them to be a democratic??. Off course such irresponsible things may not be expected from India due to effective checks and balances. There is an open media here; there are political parties to question and so on. Recent gagging and killing of media persons in Pakistan is not unknown to world. The ‘core issue’ at this point in front of the world is the early return of democracy in Pakistan. The ‘core issue’ is allowing dissident political leaders of Pakistan (like Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Shariff) back in the country without threat of prosecution or physical harm from the authority of the presiding Dictator. The ‘core issue’ is also insuring free and fair Media for the people of Pakistan.

The India Government’s foreign policies has been to a large extend dictated by North Indian centric people (they say at one point Indian foreign service suffered from MENONgites!!. But the fact is Delhi is in North India and is very much influenced by overwhelming Punjabi type crowd, many have seen partition ….and they have their counterpart in Pakistan….its quite a get together. Same culture, same food habits and so on). India however is too big a country. Pakistan is an important neighbor no doubt but just because Delhi is located in North (therefore the ‘national media’) is not the reason why Pakistan to be taken as most important. In South particularly Tamil Nadu and Kerala States are more concerned with happenings in Sri lanka and south- east Asia like Malaysia and Indonesia (as for keralites they are more concerned about even small events in gulf countries like Kuwait or Saudi or UAE). Uttar Pradesh and Bihar State are more concerned about happenings in Nepal. West Bengal, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura States are very much concerned about happenings in Bangladesh. Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh are inclined towards happenings in China (if you read ‘Argumentative Indian’-Amartya Sen, there are chapters on India-China historical and cultural contacts). Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram States are into Myanmar. Such a huge country and because of some people in Delhi the whole country it seems to seeing only Pakistan. There is a need to bring back the perspective to match wholeness of this country and its varied people. Evidently the leaders of major political parties and the honchos in media are not equipped for such responsibilities.

.

Terrible acts..

It’s extremely painful to see bodies strewn around the tracks. It could be any one of us. We strongly condemn these acts of terrorism. Mumbaites are resilient people and one is sure they will come out of these wanton acts stronger. We salute them for their bravery. It is important not be carried away by jingoism or any other attempts on communalism. Terrorism has no religion or State (it need be pointed very strongly that common people in other countries, say Pakistan are as much insecure and susceptible to acts of terrorism as we are here). Also before pointing finger to any country it’s important to have full details. It is cowardice to blame others for our own security lapses. It is also equally an act of cowardice and crime against humanity for any other country to abet such acts. It need be also kept in mind that few people in a society creating problem shouldn’t be the reason for entire society, community or country to be blamed. That will be most tragic. The acts of terrorism shouldn’t be allowed to be deviated into vendetta against a community or country. We should all pledge not allow any devisive force to capitalise the tragedy and cause more mayhem. The situation is very fragile indeed.

One also has serious apprehension on security (investigative) agencies. One is reminded of the bomb blasts in Delhi at paharganj recently, wherein a foreigner expressed his surprise and shock that the area has not been cordoned off. There seem to be no crack group to handle such disasters. Also even after half an hour after the blast (as I write these) no ambulances nor any sort of medical help has arrived. It is common people who are again coming to help. The security force has not taken over the area and cordon it from people, despite the fact that TV have reached there within few minutes. This is precisely the problem, then they start allegations that cannot be sustained in the court of law or the international community. In many cases those who are arrested are let off by the court for want of evidence. Every such acts points not only to intelligence lapse but also to the failure of the disaster management group. As a common person on the street I strongly feel that modernization is needed. A crack team should reach the spot within few minutes; indeed like many other countries we need helicopter and other modern services. The way these situations are now dealt is very primitive to say the least.
My heart goes out to the people who lost their life in these senseless acts as also people who are injured. We are with them. This act is strongly condemned and we want guilty to be punished immediately. That is not asking for too much, considering the track record of investigating agencies maybe it is.

Gods very own country

A tradition or custom which degrades humans and undermines nature is not worth it and should be shunned. The recent controversy on Sabarimala is no different. The claim that women of certain age are impure and therefore not allowed definitely goes against the values of humanity as also anti-constitutional, against the law. The women who do go to these temples should be congratulated. Having gone to sabarimala you very well know it is quite impossible to reach the statue, it’s too far and too in. The kannada actress concerned is not bound to answer anyone. The kerala government should answer why public money is being wasted on setting up ‘enquiries’. The ‘enquiry’ needs to be set up to find who are the people who become priests and what gives them right to be one? Also why ‘non Hindus’ not allowed in Kerala temples? How do you define Hindus? How a ‘Hindu’ is different from ‘non Hindu’?….well Nazis atleast had reason like shape of the nose, length of cheek and other path breaking criteria. Where in Vedas, Upanishads or Bhagavad Gita it is mentioned ‘who is a Hindu and who is non Hindu’? I also want to know from these ‘wise men’ at what stage an ‘Atman a Hindu and non Hindu’?
In the contemporary world ‘Brahman’ means thugs and some slimy creatures who make living out of temples. But in the puranas it says when you know atman, your inner self you also know the heart of universe, that is Brahman, the ‘inner self’ of all creature. One of the scripture mentions it thus:

The spirit within me is smaller than a mustard seed.
The spirit within me is greater than this earth and
Sky and the heaven and all this united is Brahman.

The knowledge of these makes him or her a Brahmin. Not that when my grandfather used to fart or belch with his threaded potbelly, it used to heave and so I too a Brahmin and so I can lick inside the temple (plz don’t pardon me for the language used…it’s my pleasure!!). The ordinary temple going Hindus don’t give a damn about these ‘rules’ and many a times are pained by these rules of exclusion. Apart from famous examples of Yesudas, Indira Gandhi and so on there are many examples at personal level for most of us. Like some years back I was in north kerala-Malabar, and there was this fellow who had married a foreigner in USA and wanted to solemnize it through Hindu tradition in his favorite temple but was stopped at the entrance since she was ‘not Hindu’. Ofcourse her ‘non Hindu’ status was more to do with her colour of her skin. That in civilized societies is referred to as racism. Quite peculiarly in some temples in say Cochin they had no problem-long back I had gone with some foreigners and I told them to put chandana puttu (sandalwood paste)…that made them Hindu. I was apprehensive but it did work!!.( incidentally these foreigners ask too many questions on Hinduism they generally have an exotic view and yes I catered to that exceedingly well…its about free food-not asking but making them give, and generally having nice time talking to foreigners on beaches. For last few years I lost interest in such occupations). So the rules of temples are generally decided by these thugs on their fancy. I don’t think we need to tolerate their idiosyncrasies nor is there any need to indulge them. It is time up for these scoundrels. It is these Brahmanical thugs who have wriggled into temples, who create problems to common people for sake of maintaining their self importance. The reason of removing shirt in temples is not about being equal in front of God as is being circulated; it’s about seeing who is threaded. Why not remove that dirty grimy thread also from that potbelly body? Any takers? First they didn’t want "untouchables" to be in since they are impure, having lost they have extended it to other things. It’s a shame. These thugs who are running the temples should be kicked out. Further public need to know where their money-they give it as offering to god, is going. As people give money to the temple for spiritual-egalitarian reasons it need be spend as such like on orphanage, education of poor and so on. The money is not for ‘maintenance’ of thugs inside the temples….we are not responsible for them and they shouldn’t make a living on the faith of ordinary people. On the contrary these scoundrels owe apology to the society….what apology they should be arrested. Talking of Ayyappan temple in sabarimala and it’s need for godforsaken ‘purity’; what about many Ayyappan temple all over the country? Further the argument that there are also women’s only temples in kerala is quite out of context in this discussion on ‘how religious elite perceive gender’ since the reason why men are not allowed is not about men being impure, in some case it is about safeguarding the family.

Ah, vain are words, and weak all mortal thoughts!
Who is there truly knows, and who can say,
Whence this unfathomed world, and from what causes?
Nay, even the gods were not! Who, then, can know?

The source from which this universe hath sprung,
That source, and that alone, can bear it up-
None else: THAT, THAT alone, lord of the worlds,
In its own self contained, immaculate
As are the heaves, above, THAT alone knows
The truth of what itself hath made-none else!
(Hymn of creation: Rig Veda)

One thing I really like about Hinduism is respect accorded to trees and other living creature (the condition of cows and animals are appalling in many cities. People do feel bad about these. But they really are not in a position to do anything except maybe to feel pity). The cows in metros are like portable temple. In my neighborhood where I used to stay sometime back this cow used to come everyday morning to this house on its on and say mow mow and the lady inside would shout aayee and give her rotis and then pray….so no need to go to temple!!. But sadly cows are turning out to be portable automatic garbage disposal unit. I have also seen many elderly people during morning walk feeding ants! Many trees in crowded cities were saved because of the sacred value attached to it. And most temples all over India have trees, particularly true where snakes are worshipped; in places like kerala temples give space for a complete ecosystem to thrive. Temples here are few unobtrusive stony structures, where you can do your own small conversation with the god unhindered by rituals. This is religion at its best. Some intellectual morons do refer to these as ‘animistic’ traditions in a tone that is demeaning. Fools when read more books don’t become wise, clever maybe.

These snaps of trees taken from many part the country ranging from Shantiniketan to Trivandrum. Guess why they were saved from the axe of ‘development’?

So beautiful these lines from ‘Hymn of creation’ (Rig Veda)….its incredible that these were written more than 5000 years back (some would say 10,000 years). Just brilliant. It gives feel of milky way.

Existence was not, nor its opposite,
Nor earth, nor heaven’s blue vault, nor aught beyond.
Death was not yet, nor deathlessness; the day
Was night, night day, for neither day nor night
Had come to birth.
Then THAT, the primal fount
Of light—immobile--rest and action joined--
Brooded in silent bliss. Itself beside,
In the wide universe there nothing was.

So according to ancient holy scriptures GOD was not HE or SHE. GOD was THAT.

Wow what a game !!

Italy deservedly won against Germany. The last two goals were spectacular. Just when you thought this was going to end in another penalty shoot out….bang comes the surprise not one but two. Wow.
France also played well but Portugal was tough to beat. One is skeptical of the way the penalties are awarded. It spoils the game. Agreeing that ‘human element’ in umpiring is to be maintained but one feels that penalty foul could be brought under technology. It becomes unfair otherwise.

So it is going to be Italy Vs France …..when it comes to European teams I am neutral…choosing favorites as the game proceeds. I am a big fan of Latin American football. No goal could beat the Argentinean one. It was well planned and brilliantly executed.

Remember the truth

Recently LTTE asked Indian government to forget the past. Forgetting the past is the most dangerous malaise we face in the contemporary world. The memories of atrocities shouldn’t be allowed to be forgotten. That will be most tragic. Remembering the past is the most crucial thing for healthy development of society. When we forget History, it tends to repeat itself. And when it repeats it is more vicious. It takes revenge on our memories, mocking our future. Forgetting is crueler than cruelty itself. This is what these people want; to forget the past. Forgetting makes cruelty thrive. Memories are needed for constant reminder and vigilance. It is also important to pass on these memories to the next generation so as to make them understand the threats we face. Also understanding the past in present context is equally important.
There is always an attempt to obfuscate the truth by introducing an element of ambiguity. Like ‘how do we know what is true?’ or ‘we cannot be sure’. These questions make sense when directed as metaphysical queries but not otherwise (in science the truth is included as what Darwin referred as ‘providential truth’. This helps people to be grounded). It is a dangerous attempt to deny truth for narrow gains of elite. And many in print media columns and TV studios do bring these as alternative world view and hence the attempt for ‘balanced’ approach (and wriggling space for some Jokers). Future is very much dependent on fragility of the past. You miss it you will break it.

Remember the Truth

We remember them
colonizing people, dividing places, bartering faith.
Killing Jews, and Muslims, and Hindus
and Christians, and Buddhists, and children, and infirm.
Yes we remember.

We remember them
gassing people in Auschwitz,
vaporizing them in Hiroshima.
Chasing with machetes and sickle
in Kigali, in Darfur, in Ahmedabad
and in lanes of other places.
Yes we remember.

We remember them
cluster bombing people with F-16s and missiles
in Baghdad, in Kabul, in Bosnia
blasting them with RDX, with land mines
in Colombo, in Jerusalem, in Palestine
and in lanes of other places.
Yes we remember.

We remember them
imprisoning Suu ki and Mandela
shooting down Gandhi, and King
and leaders who threaten
the devil which poison peoples mind with hatred
and make merry their misery.
Yes we remember.
O yah we very well remember the Truth.

Post Script: negotiations are important. And if talks with LTTE can bring peace in Sri Lanka, so be it. But forgetting is dangerous.
I have been extremely pained by the killings in Srilanka. It is so much like Kerala that it feels as if happening here, very near by. And it is nearby; Srilanka is not far from kerala. It has close historical and cultural links with kerala. Infact in mid 1940s the diwan of kerala did toy with the idea of Travancore joining Srilanka!!. I have seen many srilankan movies; sinhala has some similarity (very very sketchy though but the people and their nuances are quite similar) with Malayalam. So the bomb blasts and killings do disturb. I was pushed into happenings in srilanka quite early as many Army men (posted in pune) whom I know had gone to srilanka as part of that disastrous and ill-conceived IPKF mission (under Gen. Kalkath, if I recall correctly. Many were killed. And their children got into good professional colleges under killed-in-action quota). And after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi, kerala was on high alert. And everyone was asking “so where is shivrasan?”. Almost a decade back I was so much into srilanka that I read every literature available. Essays, Novels, short stories, poems….and even got to know few artists and journalists, who had come to India (they say I do look like a srilankan!!!. Wherever I go I do like to look like the inhabitants except in North east where I am bengali, here I sometimes also morph into malayalee Christian-quite easy that one). Off course I didn’t do these for any specific purpose; it is just that I was too upset by the happening in this beautiful island that I had to know everything concerning it. There is an immediate need for genuine effort for peace in here. This is being going on for long time. Time to stop. We need new and young negotiators with open minds on both the sides. The old people tend to be stuck in their ego trap and past experience.