Celebrating two years of blogging!!!!

Technology is incredible. It does provide so many opportunities, one never could imagine few years back. I started blogging July 2005 (12th to be precise) with a poem, it was a tentative attempt but has flourished since. I also have few other blogs, some connected with this one while others I open with different id. Calculating the number of posting in this blog and connected blogs (like depalans.blogspot.com and sdepalan.blogspot.com….trashing Turd not included. Turd is insignificant!!) comes to more than 200 odd postings. That is about 8 postings per month which is almost two postings a week. Not bad!!!.

Blogging is great fun. I don’t really do it with much intention except may be to get involved with few things around. It is about things one comes across. The other day I was watching ‘Tarkovsky’s home’ in my DVD. I came across these lines

“…let them all believe
let them laugh at their passions
because what they call passion is not some spiritual energy
but just a friction between the soul and the outer world
and firstly,
let them believe in themselves…”

One would not know whether it is ‘just a friction’ but some things around does make it inevitable, to respond. I really don’t consider myself much passionate but yes always had this great desire to explore spirituality, in my mid twenties. Tarkovsky is right about ‘believe’ in oneself. This blogger argues that this is what it seems lacking in most people in public life, effective positioning, extolled by popular media. The commerce has finally found cause. Cause is now tax saver!!. Cause is now awards and perks. The reason why we see these mutually contradictory mindsets thriving in an individual (extended to society) is for the stampede to gain, ethics is the prime liability. So issues get juxtaposed to marketability. Like for instance the reason why AIDS issue (thank god the figures have gone down!) has attracted so much attention has less to do with the disease or the real issue. These self appointed conscience keepers squatting Media-TV studios and other public space (I really don’t have much against politicians, they are elected representatives) have no reference point except maybe personal gain or get acceptance of West and thus cling on. This lack of ‘believe’ system according to this blogger, is where the threat is, since they can stoop to any level for even small gains. Market has a significant role but it shouldn’t be allowed to define all that is sacred to us. This blogger had always maintained that the business of Business is Business (the Government cannot ‘request’ business community, either you make laws or keep shut), charity within the ambit of Business is a cynical attempt on Brand building and should be taxed.

I don’t take blogging seriously, it is quite exciting though. The very idea of easy access to public space is astounding. Technology undoubtedly has been a great source of democratizing, at a level it is liberating. I wouldn’t have spend so much time in Delhi if I knew about blogging!!. I take Internet seriously and spend two odd hours a day exploring interesting sites and writings (and videos), its immense, its amazing.

I am very keen on v-blogging, it is amazing if you could post video with the text. Although photography has incredible possibilities this blogger took it up very recently, just around 7-8 years back, previously I never thought about ‘capturing’ space. I still try not to think about camera much when traveling, it’s interference. I find digital camera quite an interesting invention; you actually can see the result instantly unlike reel camera wherein you have to wait for the film to get over. Amazing I tell you. I recall instant camera when I was kid (later I came to know it is referred to as Polaroid), someone known had come back from ‘persia’ (it is a big event) and showed me this amazing camera, you click and the photo slide down, a minute or two the photos emerge. That technology, against all expectation, didn’t catch up with public…wonder why?.

We had a typewriter at home, I never thought the keyboard could ever be used (I practiced it as a career option when I was in school, most people whom I knew at that time started their career as stenos!! Incidentally I also learned short hand for few months during school summer vacation, in kerala, ‘job security’ was the fuelling factor for these initiations. My summer vacation repertoire (??!!) also includes working in vehicle mechanics workshop assisting repairing car/scooter repair, hated it) till the computer came along. Internet is the best thing to happen and blogging excellent outcome. It is overwhelming. Technology is God.

Blogging is the opportunity I ever could have, the more you think about its possibilities more exciting it is. I sure will be blogging for a very long time to come and keep refining/upgrading in whatever way possible.

Crossing the Blue lines: A tribute to buses!!

The recent spate of killings by blue line buses in delhi and the preoccupation of these by ‘national’ channels, took me back to my tryst with these monsters and yes death. (The news on the day I landed in delhi was about a school boy crushed by blue line, a news paper carried the explicit image of the boy, it made me sick and very apprehensive, this was I guess 1995. I went to delhi in later part of 1995 (if I recall rightly) and stayed in single room flat in Regairpura, next to a horse stable!!. Within a month got sick-probably being exposed to cold climate after a long time, and returned, after a year I was back, this time vowing not to quit!!). I had so many close calls with death from buses (particularly in delhi) that I have lost count. It has become so common that I now shrug ‘geez that could have killed me’. But I do recall the very first week I was in delhi and was going to Cannought place and the bus took the turn to minto road, someone said get down here, not being sure of the place and very confused I jumped and slipped right in front of oncoming bus, it was a miracle that I survived, few inches. For a moment I was the object of craning faces from all vehicles in vicinity, and yes some abuse words (marega behnchodh- which has only a ritual significance in delhi). At that time I was not very comfortable in Hindi- not used it for almost a decade, so in crisis situation translating from Malayalam to Hindi in the mind consumed precious moments, ended up in very awkward situations (after an year or two I had mastered even the delhi accent!!). This is precisely what happened once during the same period, the bus was moving from daula kua to karol bagh, it is a isolated route with no stopping. It was very crowded bus and I was hanging out and the grip started to pain by the time I realized in the duress that it is ‘roko bhaiyya’, I had started to slip surely I would be seriously injured so I screamed and people thought something had happened so they also screamed and the vehicle stopped!!. Quite an experience that one.

Many a accidents are not because of the drivers fault, the people themselves are to be blamed. Many times I cheated death and I knew I had committed the mistake; somewhere the concept of mistake itself gets blurred, since they don’t stop or you look for convenience and jump. Incidentally jumping from moving bus has its own special thrill, the reason why this blogger hates closed door buses like say in Bangalore. There are some novice who sometimes try going against the motion of the bus (I don’t call them stupid but ignorant), that is when the chela shout with utmost pleasure ‘behnchodh bihari’. Ustad also joins in with a wink (they have no liking for biharis, so much so it is an abuse word). Before jumping I used to shout ‘ustad break lag dhio jara’ of course this has absolutely no effect on him, but he is aware that I am jumping, a signal, with a futile attempt at touching his softer side, he may glance at you and you go with an obsequious best ‘laga de yaar’. If it works he will slow down. It is sometimes the passenger who instigate. Further these drivers work under tremendous pressure. That doesn’t mean they aren’t reckless many of them are serious maniacs. Once I was traveling at night during winter, a drunkard thought it was his day under the sun and so started talking crap he shifted his attention to a Sardarji and next few minutes started praising Sikhs in general and so on. I moved next to the driver, very soon I realized that he was driving quite recklessly almost running over a couple on the scooter. People seem to have had enough with the drunkard and one could hear shouts from rear. It was then that the driver came out with his masterpiece “behchodh piya hai tho pait meh rakh, mujko dekh koi batha sakhtha hai ki quarter pee ke baitha hoon!!!!”. I immediately got down at the next stop.

If speed alone is the criteria then the Pvt bus drivers in ernakulam-cochin are the most dangerous in the country and I say it with lot of authority as an experienced passenger having traveled in buses in most cities in India. The Pvt short route buses in kerala though are very clean and a pleasure to travel with well mannered conductors. In TN though the experience of traveling in Pvt bus can be horrendous since they believe in ‘blasting music’ the louder the better it seems. I once told to reduce and the man smiled as if I was attempting to humor!!. The buses in Hindi heartland is entirely different experience, here the first surprise is ‘ok this bus can start, ok it has started lets see if it can move, ok it is moving now lets see if it can run…surprise surprise!!’. Don’t be amused if you have animals or poultry as co passenger. The buses in deccan region are slightly better. The buses in Kolkota are relic with wooden seats. Very few cities though have fleet of double decker buses except maybe Mumbai. Trivandrum had two and I made it a point to travel in them while in college, it feels great to be at the top front seat, you get a different perspective of traffic.

Traveling in buses can have many lighter moments like for instance there was this obese lady who was complaining about being squeezed while trying to get out in a very crowded bus. She shouted at a man, he retorted ‘aap motti hai tho hamari galthi hai kya!!’.

Creating terrorists

Indian society except maybe in some pockets of Metros is unlike West. Here social status, prestige, honor etc are important ingredients in social relation and defines society to a large extend. Of course it does lead to regressive practice and can threat individualism however the influence of the above mentioned is significant. So when the PM of Australia finds it necessary to mention that an Indian is ‘detained’ and later mindless media juxtaposes the ‘story’ with terrorists and car bombs the implication is obvious. It is shocking the way things are handled.

The investigation agency in the West has to act responsibly and should have a code of conduct in revealing details to Media. What does it gain by publicizing this detail of an Indian ‘detained’ is beyond logic. He is almost a terrorist now, who will take the responsibilities of these mischiefs. If he is proved guilty then punish but don’t allow people to be prosecuted by sensational seeking media. One wonders whether the Investigating agencies are trying to hide their incompetence or is it a panic response or is it their way of assuring general public about the ‘progress in the case’?. My hunch is that it is political pressure and combination of above. They are also in a way trying to define the ‘other’. These are critical moments and whatever is said during these periods is blown up and scrutinized in detail, even though the reality maybe quite far. It gets into the subconscious, even if the man is found not guilty. It is not about the allegations (in this case the word is ‘detained’) it is the characterization, the attempt to classify and most importantly the opportune moment to connect these. So we have images of burning vehicles and the word ‘detained’-securitizing the hapless man and his family. Don’t be surprise if all ‘Asian Muslims’ in west is looked upon as suspicious by common people; they are just exhibiting their subconscious impressions. Slowly but surely subconscious exhibits itself in conscious actions, this is where political manipulations gets its space.

This is not to deny that some sick people are into creating violence, and yes in Britain most do fall into the pattern. The question is what about people who are innocent but fall into these created patterns? Will the apology (if he is not guilty) to the ‘detained’ man give him his dignity or take away the public ignominy? What about the intense pain the family is going through?

Britain has not only failed to deal with radical elements but is a source of instigation in other places. How much radical elements from Britain influenced the obstinate stand taken by Sikh heads vis-à-vis Dera Sacha as also the fueling of lal masjid in Islamabad need be studied. Afterall it was Britain which gave asylum to all the zealots in an arrogant understanding of Human rights. Chickens have come to roost!!

Post script: I apologize for writing things wrong about Pyramids. I did some study in the Net and found that the creators, workers etc of the Pyramids were actually looked after well, my ignorance, my mistake. Pyramids are undoubtedly the most astounding structures in the world. Ancient Egyptians were quite refined people, the care with which they have chiseled each and every space and stone is incredible. Ancient Egyptians (like the Incas of South America, the creators of amazing Machu Pichu) had something divine about the way they visualized surroundings.

The wonders that make India

The other day I happen to catch glimpses of interview with Union Culture Minister in front of the Taj Mahal. Glimpses here means just about a minute or was it the promo? Anyway this particular Minister is not someone whom you would give second thought. I guess the occasion was the hoopla over ‘wonders of the world’. For this blogger the ‘wonder of the world’ is the Union Minister herself!! The poster girl of Emergency as Culture Minister of 2007 is nothing short of ‘wonder’.

One of the dictionary meanings of ‘wonder’ is ‘the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising’. I don’t know whether in Indian context it is ‘strange or surprising’. Since we have another ‘wonder’ in the name Sharad Pawar who is a disaster as Agriculture Minister as also BCCI President- it’s a shame, but that doesn’t prevent him from clawing for ICC President. Wonders of the world!! Yes it is also about sacred ‘competence and merit’.

Ambika Soni is a study on sycophancy: Selected to Rajya Sabha as early as 1976 (during Emergency to be precise), then in 2000 as also 2004. When one is into sycophancy getting elected by people is for lesser mortals. Ambika Soni is not one of the rare ‘leaders’ who have never got elected to Lok Sabha. The ‘wonder’ is she has been ‘national leader’ for close to three decades, not mean achievement by Indian standards, very tenacious indeed.

As most sycophants worth their salt she has now realized the spin off of Market savvy. So some disgusting TV program in other country does keep her awake. She has absolutely no qualm in spending Tax payer’s money in coming out with ‘full page’ ad to ‘invite’ some third rate actor of third rate program to ‘experience Indian hospitality’. The alacrity and timing I am told was admired by NRI couch potatoes. Quite audacious our lady, I guess we need not blame her, market suaveness does have its deep pits!

There seems to be frenzy going on in certain market driven circles to ‘declare’ Taj Mahal as ‘wonder of the world’. It is a huge market gimmick which the common people should definitely be wary of. Who are the people deciding these ‘wonders’? Surely the mobile phone companies are a major beneficiary. And why should we spend our money to sms for market gimmick. No self respecting Indians should indulge in these.

A tourist should not visit Taj Mahal because it is classified by some people as some ‘wonder’, it might excite children though. This blogger has visited Taj Mahal when he was in school (as also all India tour in college). It is great to look at particularly from a distance. It is definitely an architectural wonder like the Pyramids. However the romanticization part is bit overdone. Shah Jahan’s love for his wife Mumtaz is understandable but what is not understandable is cruelty met to the workers and builders of Taj (if the stories of them being maimed are true). Surely the workers also had their loved ones, how Shah Jahan’s love precedes their’s is not clear to this blogger. This darker side should be mentioned in the brochures. The miseries of hundreds of people shouldn’t be lost in the packaging. History is not only about rulers it is also about common people, and democratic India is duty bound to spell these, inspite or despite the Market compulsions. The civilized societies around the world should take note of these whether it is Coliseum or Pyramids, the history/brochure on these should be comprehensive, and need include miseries of common people. It is not history otherwise…