Why it is important for Americans to remove the ‘hate Americans’ tag….

America that is USA is a brilliant nation, there shouldn’t be any doubt on that. But unfortunately the political elite have created one big mess, I guess it is the Wild West thing- the cowboys aint do no wrong syndrome. Alpha male juvenility may work in some jungle but not in civilized surroundings and surely not as linchpin for foreign policy of a powerful nation, they have to be more responsible. The American attempt to unipolarise world to its material advantage is ill-conceived.

America's contribution to human civilization is stupendous. It is nothing short of incredible. The idea of America is tremendous. This blogger has read much about Americans, as also interacted with American tourists (some were snobbish though….but that is ok since it is not necessary to be mannered to people whom you bump in at tourist spots, particularly to inquisitive locals like say me who was just hanging around. But I do like the way they speak English, that nasal twang. It took lot of time for me understand that one!!). Unfortunately recently the Market has taken over almost all forms of interactions, and American based MNCs are one of the most vicious particularly the consumer goods category. It is bringing in a blatant form of consumerism and wasteful culture, indulgence as a mantra will only backfire. In countries with acute disparities like India the backlash is severe, with depleting natural resources the struggle will turn more violent.

America is so important to the world that each policy decision taken at Washington has global impact. Because of Technological innovations and inventions, because the Entertainment industry based in America- that has impact on billions of people around the world, because it has Armaments-nuclear stockpile that could decimate the planet, because they consume more than anyone on earth….all these put together makes America a nation to reckon with, a nation who’s future is very much the future of the world. But unfortunately American leaders have failed in most cases, not able to live up to the expectations; some even like Bush were disaster.

American presidential election therefore is a very significant event for the world. What candidates utter is scrutinized by the world- in the mainstream media, in blogs, in chat rooms and so on. This blogger is very much concerned about the process of election funding since this could influence policy decisions in future. Further this blogger is a skeptic of TV room or stage managed debates, a good debater may not be a good communicator, and good communicator may not always be a good decision taker, furthermore humanism may not be possible to be show cased. America needs a Humanist to be its next President, infact the world expects it from America.

The whole exercise of "I am better than others" dilutes humanism and other egalitarian understanding, the reason it does get ugly. It is sad and hopeless situation. The candidates need be responsible, this probably the last chance for Americans to get it right. The world is spiraling at an exponential rate contributed by fast depleting resources, dissemination of destructive potential and ideology. World needs Americans to have a President who takes a humanist approach to international issues and treaties. In a Market driven world this looks very bleak, market dynamics doesn’t allow, realpolitik compulsions prevents, collective selfishness seems to define policies….….still we can hope.

There are only 1411 tigers….

Tiger is our national animal with sixty percent of world’s tiger population inhabiting India we are truly blessed. Not for long. India has lost more than 50 per cent of its tiger population in the past five years ( 60% dip over the last 10 years) with the numbers dwindling to 1,411 from 3,642 in 2001-02 (3,508 in 1997, a century ago, there were an estimated 100,000 tigers worldwide), but now tigers have dwindled to less than a few thousand, according to the latest tiger census report. Only 1,411 !!!!, that is as many people inhabiting a housing complex dude!! (the photo above is of Siberian tiger)

The study This time, the census used a new method that combines field surveys and statistical estimation instead of the pugmark method followed earlier. This system uses remote sensing, GIS, in combination with high resolution spatial data based on sign surveys and camera trapping. In the process, the final census monitors tiger population as well as its prey population. The “State of tiger, co-predators and prey in India” report (The counting could not be carried out in the Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand due to inaccessibility because of naxalite problem while estimation is on in the massive Sunderbans area in West Bengal. However, based on available data in Palamau Tiger Reserve, the report indicates a low density of tiger in the area ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 per 100 sq.km) The State-wise analysis has shown that Andhra Pradesh has 95 tigers (as against 192 in 2001-02), Chhattisgarh 26 (227), Madhya Pradesh 300 (from 710, the maximum decline for a State. Note), Maharashtra 103 (238), Orissa 45 (173), Rajasthan 32 (58). Sariska has no tigers left. In the Western Ghats, Karnataka has 290 (401), Kerala 46 (71) and Tamil Nadu 76 (60). In the North East Hills and Brahmaputra Plains, Assam has only 70 tigers against 354 in the previous census. Arunachal Pradesh has 14 tigers against 61, Mizoram only 6 (28) and North West Bengal 10 against 349 earlier, though figures from the Sunderbans regions are yet to be compiled. The north-eastern region is a heavy rainfall area and does not support high tiger populations. The report clearly shows that occupancy of a forestpatch by tigers was negatively correlated with human disturbances indices and positively correlated with prey availability.

There are some areas where individual tiger populations have high probability of long term survival by themselves: Nagarhole-Madumalai-Bandipur-Waynad population, Corbett population, Kanha population, and possibly Sunderban and Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong populations. Tiger populations that exist and can persist in a meta population (part human interference) framework are Rajaji-Corbett, Dudhwa-Katarniaghat-Kishenpur (along with Bardia and Shuklaphanta in Nepal), Satpura-Melghat, Pench-Kanha, Bhadra-Kudremukh, Parambikulum-Indira Gandhi, and KMTR-Periyar.

The landscapes that have potential but are currently in need of conservation inputs are Sirsailam Nagarjun Sagar, Simlipal, Ranthambore-Kuno Palpur, Indravati-Northern Andhra Pradesh, and Bandhavgarh-Sanjay-Palamau. The report clearly shows that occupancy of a forest patch by tigers was negatively correlated with human disturbances indices and positively correlated with prey availability.

In three other regions, the long-term future of the endangered cat looks good, the study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India notes. The north-east, including Kaziranga and other habitats in the Brahmaputra valley, is one. The central Indian belt around the Kanha tiger reserve and parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh is the second. The third belt is the one encompassing Bandipur, Nagarhole, Madumulai and Wayanad tiger reserves, the last safe haven for the tiger population in the south.

The reason Until recently, habitat loss was thought to be the largest single threat to the future of wild tigers in India. It has now been established that the trade in tiger bones, destined for use in Oriental medicine outside India's borders, is posing an even larger threat. Having decimated their own source Far Eastern traditional medicine manufacturers are now targeting India for their supply of tiger bones. Poaching of tigers for the traditional Chinese medicine industry started in northern India in the mid-1980's. Regardless of the tigers' classification as a "Critically Endangered" species, the demand for its parts has drastically increased at an alarming rate since the end of the 20th Century. The tiger is primarily killed to supply underground black markets with its organs, pelts and bones. These items are highly regarded in eastern medicine, claiming to posse's capabilities to heal all sorts of human illnesses and dysfunctions. In Asia, parts other then the bones are used in mythological medicine. This includes the tiger's eyes, hair, internal organs and even tiger penis (which is used in a soup as an aphrodisiac). In Hong Kong black markets, venders sell a pound of powdered tiger humorous bone sells for over $1700. Keep in mind that all of these so-called treatments are completely unproven by science and have absolutely no real medical value. In the '90s, the demand for tiger parts for Oriental medicines resulted in increased poaching. Indian tiger parts were much desired because China's dwindling tiger population threatened the manufacture of such medicines. More so because in the last 25 years China suffered a greater loss in its tiger population than any other country.

Poachers use one of the following methods to kill a wild tiger:
Poison - which is usually placed in the carcasses of domestic buffaloes and cows. During the dry, hot summer months small forest pools are also poisoned by poachers, or depressions dug and filled with water for this purpose. There is a sophisticated and well organised supply route operated by the major traders, to distribute poison and collect tiger bones from the remotest villages.
Steel Traps - which are made by nomadic blacksmiths. These traps are immensely strong. In a tiger poaching case near Raipur in 1994, it took six adult men to open a trap. In one area in central India, investigators found that so many steel traps had been set that the villagers were fearful of going into the forest. People have received dreadful injuries from these traps.
Firearms - are used where hunting can be carried out with little hindrance.
Electrocution - by tapping 230 volts -11KV overhead electrical wires and laying a live wire on animal tracts.
Tiger poaching occurs in all areas where large number of tigers have been recorded. Poaching is particularly prevalent in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Assam.

The efforts The Centre-sponsored Project Tiger -- a massive conservation programme launched by Indira Gandhi on April 1, 1973 conservationist Billy Arjan Singh says "Project Tiger was initially a success while it was a species-oriented project, but progressively registered failure when academics of preserving the ecosystem replaced the symbolic value of the tiger." Singh believes that even the temporary increases in tiger population were caused by immigration due to destruction and degradation of its habitat in Nepal, and not to the widely acclaimed success of wildlife policy in India. The Project has not evolved in accordance with the changing habitat of the tiger..

The law machinery Investigations carried out in 1993-94, during which a total of 36 tiger skins and

667 kilos (1470 pounds) of tiger bones were seized in northern India, brought to light the severity of the problem. If an offence is committed against the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, there is a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment or a fine which may extend to Rs. 25,000 or both. For an offence committed inside the core area of a Tiger Reserve, there is a mandatory prison term of three years, extendable to seven years and a fine of Rs. 50,000 extendable to Rs. 2 lakhs. In case of a subsequent conviction, there is an imprisonment of at least seven years and a fine of Rs. 5 lakhs which may extend to Rs. 50 lakhs. Despite these penalties, the laws are difficult to enforce and to date, in spite of hundreds of cases, only 16 people have ever been convicted of killing a tiger.

Pitted against the poacher's sophisticated weapons, the forest department is handicapped by infrastructure problems. To expect a forest guard to protect 15 square kilometres under his jurisdiction armed with just a danda is ridiculous forest guards work under difficult conditions. They often remain on duty for all of 24 hours, through the month. Since there are no medical, educational or social facilities in his spot in the forest, he is compelled to live away from his family. Helpless against the might of the poachers, incidents have been reported where forest guards have had their toes chopped, even their bodies hacked in the line of duty. At times forest officers get entangled in legal wrangles with poachers and timber merchants.

Custom authorities in India multiply poaching offences by ten to estimate the actual figure of illegal trade. On this premise, the Wildlife Protection Society of India indicates credibly that at least one tiger is killed by poachers every day. "Though Indian wildlife protection laws are considered amongst the most stringent in the world, the lack of a trained enforcement staff force has rendered these laws weak, almost non existent,"

The resources Fifty per cent of India's tiger population falls outside the protected area network. Inflicted with problems like schemes that go implemented, vehicles that cannot be repaired, and a severe resource crunch, the 23 tiger reserves have lost their sheen. However, the five year plan allocation for tiger conservation has been more than doubled to Rs 750 million. In 1998-1999, the central government has increased its funding for Project Tiger from Rs 80 million to Rs 170 million. Yet, unless administrative measures are not rectified, no real change will take place at the ground level.

Sane voice "This is the worst ever crisis. Our forests and wildlife, especially tigers, are facing their most serious threat now," said an impassioned Valmik Thapar, perhaps India's best known wildlife conservationist and an expert on tigers and their habitat, an author who also presents the acclaimed BBC television series -- Land of the Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent. He maintains that the ministry of environment and forests is not equipped to handle the pressures and demands of forests and wildlife. "The government should create a new ministry for natural treasury". At present wildlife falls under the ministry of environment and forests. Thapar reiterates it is time environment and subjects like pollution were separated from forests.

India claims two-thirds of the tiger population of the world. Of the eight subspecies of the tiger, three -- the Caspian, Bali and Javan tigers -- are already extinct. The position of the South China subspecies is perilious; the Siberian, Sumatran tiger population is very low; and the Indo-Chinese and Bengal tiger habitat is so little in some areas that they face the threat of inbreeding and subsequent genetic disorders.

The tiger is a symbol of our biodiversity. If it is allowed to become extinct, it will spell disaster for a host of other fauna and flora, vital water catchments will be lost, affecting the lives of millions who depend on natural resources for their very survival. This blogger-being an avid wildlife enthusiast, has been to most wild life sanctuaries in India, right from Corbett to Manas to Madumalai but has witnessed tiger only once, that too for split second, at Corbett. It is an elusive but brilliant animal (tyger tyger burning bright!!). Unfortunately the place to watch tigers are zoos or in TV. Or the dummies, the snap taken by the blogger in bannerghatta zoo. Bengaluru is probably the only metro city that has wild life sanctuary, 40 minutes drive (there is also an artificially created butterfly park. Mysore has a natural one).

Yes Tiger No Tiger!! Two years back I was in Bandipur sanctuary we were taken around in a mini van (wonder why they can’t have noiseless vehicles, the battery one probably. Is it that difficult to provide these vehicles?). A 7 or 8 year old kid who was with his extended family was absolutely excited he shouted ‘tiger’. We all poked our eyes but found nothing then he said ‘no tiger!!’. After few minutes he again shouted ‘tiger’, again the group wandered out, he laughed ‘no tiger’. Then his father glared at him, he tried again he got a good pinch. That kept him quiet. So no tigers!!.

The angst of outsiders

What is happening in Maharashtra -isolating the outsiders (now North Indians) is nothing new, the danger is audacity of few individuals and later media mileage. This blogger wonders how cameramen reached the spot during the violence. Thankfully though it is contained to a large extend but they have been repeating images even now to stoke passion. Exemplary punishment should be given to the perpetrators of such crimes. Money should be charged from individuals for damaging public and individual property, these actions should be given publicity as a deterrent. The mob generally commits heinous acts since they get anonymity, identifying individuals from video footage and punishing them should be shown to people. The feeling now among common people is that anyone can commit anything and get away with it.

At a certain level every individual in a city at one point does feel to be an outsider. But the alienation is acute among migrants particularly at the lower strata. There is lots of space for people at higher strata since money cushions the impact and the contribution is mainly at idea level, leading to more vibrancy in most cases. Further they have choices and migration is not for survival. At lower level of society it is survival and that puts immigrants directly in competition with inhabitants to fight over depleting resources and opportunities. This tragic situation is what is exploited by vested interests in the name of religion and parochialism. These fault lines are consolidating in most metros cities, the danger is very real. Comparing Mumbai with New York is ridiculous, for one Mumbai has lots of poor people living in abject condition as is the case in most big Indian cities.

Inhabitant’s angst of loosing the hold over their home city is also very real. With native culture- tradition and language being made subservient to increasing aggressive alien culture can be unsettling. This also observed in other parts of the world (even richer societies) mutating sometimes into xenophobia. Sentimental association with the home city is emotive and therefore can be easily be directed against immigrants who could be seen as cause of all problems.

But the tragedy of immigrants particularly from poorer sections (also people who may be underemployed, as also those who don’t have skills for Market oriented jobs like farmers, artisans and so on) to cities is wrenching. It is uprootedness of colossal proportional, it is dislocation of an individual. Then there are humiliations, prejudices, biases and cheatings -it is always easy to take an outsider for big ball before he/she learns the trick of the trade, sometimes the mistakes are so grievous that they may never come out of it (inhabitants have maneuverability space). One of the first thing people learn is to compromise, it is a process of dehumanization, alienation, marginalization, pitfalls are many they end up living in most inhuman and degrading surroundings. Limited resources add to other problems like lack of sufficient nutrition and proper medical attention and so on. They have to face the brunt of all problems.

This blogger knew lots of youngsters at personal level who came from Bihar/UP to study or find some job after graduation in Delhi (in early part of my stay here sometimes we used to pool money for monthly get together). It is quite an uphill task and odds are really stacked against them. It also put question mark on the employment and educational facilities provided by UP/Bihar government (it is not really about these two states there are youngsters from Uttranchal, HP…and within States who go to big cities for better prospects).

As an individual this blogger feels the public space has reduced significantly in recent times. Animosity towards migrants, suspiciousness of cheating (as in trains), afraid of terrorism (therefore intrusion into privacy of outsiders), wariness towards strangers….has lead to increasingly siege mentality among people in public space. So for an outsider it becomes much more difficult.

Raj Thackerey though has successfully exploited the situation. One shouldn’t be complaining since that is what any human in Market driven globalized world is supposed to do. People particularly poor immigrants will face miseries some may even get maimed or killed that also is normal, when there is power struggle people will have to pay the price (ditto, for somebody’s Coke-Pepsi many will have to give up their drinking water. The nature and intention is same the context is different). To be fair to Raj he is a political outsiders so he has to do some stunts to break in (quite interestingly in recent times as they talk of competence and merit….parents are quite viciously promoting their children whether in politics, art, business…there is a huge stampede to promote children). He though has the all important surname (if he was Raj Dongre instead of Raj Thackerey he would have been bundled out at the first instance). Few decades from now he would have positioned himself as a matured leader. The metamorphosis is complete!!.

The exploitative nature of human relations is as old as human history. It is only that evolution of societies has created new fault lines. The insider-outsider based on geography is the most vicious variety.

The place where dreams of a nation took a pause

Sriperambathur is a small town desperately trying to catch up with the world. It has many big companies setting up shops and is bustling with people. I have never been here before and so dropped in for few hours on my way from Chennai to Kanchipuram (a city I had read about so much in the History).Sriperambathur burst into the world scene on the night of May 21 1991. The tragic assassination of Rajiv Gandhi shocked the world. He was on an election rally and was very much on the way to be the PM (eerily similar to Benazir Bhutto). Terrorist organization of Sri Lanka -LTTE was responsible for the heinous act. It was quite a sad event, I recall being grief stricken for few days. It was a horrible sight.

I recall Rajiv Gandhi as quite a charismatic leader (I saw him once in Pune...we were 5 guys going for tuitions and he waved to us). Because of him we had to face the question in school as to where do you see India in 21^st century?!!. “hamme bharath ko ikisvi sadhi meh le jana hai”. The Samadhi does have sculpt of him leading the country to technology and development. It is a peaceful place with pillars denoting rivers and a stone marking the spot of assassination on a tapering path signifying the last path he took, aesthetically done (I did got carried away by the surrounding since I almost got hit by a speeding vehicle as I came out and was crossing the road. This one was real close, the guy must have been in some hurry!!. He shouted some abuse in Tamil, despite being in Delhi for more than a decade-a place that really tests your survival instincts in cities, shouting back never got into my system. Anyway I should consider myself very lucky to have survived with few scratches). What really shocked me was Rajiv Gandhi was only 47, I was thinking he was older. When you are young all older people are old, in school and college one year difference is significant. It is only when you cross certain age you think age in relative terms. Surely Einstein will agree!!.

Condolences

Baba Amte was a great man. He was from a generation that came out inspired from ideals of freedom struggle, probably one of the very few true Gandhians. This blogger had the opportunity to touch his feet when we visited his ashram in the interiors of MP. Last few years he was mostly bedridden but the spirit was same. He was an awe inspiring presence.