Psyche of World Bank and more…

Having gone through many sites about World Bank, there is definitely a benevolent side of WB, like for instance the impetus on saving tiger and so on. Also the idea is not entirely about siding exploitative corporate but actively justifying cruder nature of capitalism. And yes WB has consistently faulted on this and so benevolence looks cosmetic, worst a strategic to look good. After all who are the people who employ or exploit unskilled or semi skilled migrants?. These are what is referred to as unorganized labor who constitute 90% of labor force-they are exploited and live in inhuman conditions in big cities, but yes they play a very important role in “development” and eventually contribute towards GDP growth and other macro economic indicator. These give “healthy” condition of nation’s growth and make lots of armchair economists, ivory tower policy makers and also porcine species at stock exchange ecstatic. This I gather make unusually sensitive moneybags -referred to as foreign investors-particularly FII (not FDI) -enough courage to invest. They are the first one to scoot recall East Asian currency meltdown a decade back. So it seems we are here to give these nincompoops courage to invest!!. That seems to be the purpose of governments. And yes World Bank is very generous to guide us to this quaint world. Never mind majority go through harrowing time, the stress though is on eventual the “developments” is going to reach you, “trickle down” to you (like judgment day prophesy!). But UNDP report and other studies points to contrary and have pointed to a gap that is widening at an alarming rate not only at the societal level but also organizational level since 1990s. The ILO report last year titled Income inequalities in the age of financial globalization has this to say “As economies expanded, global employment rose by 30 per cent between the early 1990s and 2007 alongside a redistribution of income away from labor, with the share of wages in total national income (GDP) declining significantly”. The report noted that while some income inequality is useful in rewarding effort, talent and innovation, huge differences can be counter-productive and damaging for most economies, adding that “rising income inequality represents a danger to the social fabric”. The gap in income inequality is also widening between top executives and the average employee, with the chief executive officers of the 15 largest companies in the United States, for example, earning 520 times more than the average worker in 2007, up from 360 times more in 2003 noted the report. And the crude nature of capitalism has seen to it that these are celebrated as merit!!. In a poor country like India when these issues are taken up TRP driven orangutans are asked to go hysterical.

It is very clear that Capitalism as is being practiced is increasingly threatening equitable, inclusive progress as also environmental sustainability. Let’s understand absence of violence is not peace. Collective violence from impoverished sections happen when they seem to have lost all other options, it is much worst than basic necessities it is about dwindling means to survive. As is the case of climate issues the sufferers are not really the perpetrators but poorest and marginalized pay for indulgence of few. Same is the case of “development” few get richer and other pay heavy price. Even though the economic crisis was significantly influenced by porcine species at Wall Street but funnily they don’t pay for it, the poorest and vulnerable pay for what is the mistake of greedy moneybags. That is what this system done to us. It is no longer funny.

An instance on how World Bank concocts nonsense

Dubious nature of World Bank (WB) functioning is an open secret, many of their policy suggestion have played havoc on poorer and vulnerable societies. Allegations of WB working for corporate interests (specifically American) at the expense of local population around the world are not unfounded we have many examples of it. Infact it wouldn’t be wrong to say that they function to further these. The ridiculous nature of their suggestions can be understood from the following instance. The World Development Report 2009 brought out by WB has found National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) a “policy barrier hurting economic development and poverty alleviation”. Try beating that one!!. While most people in this country are celebrating these stupendous policies and millions have benefited- the opportunity to earn in dignified manner, nice people at WB have started to wag for the masters. WB says this policy creates “barriers to internal mobility” and quite amazingly comes out with the unbelievable concoction that “lifting people out of poverty requires shifting populations from villages to cities”. It’s common knowledge that poor people get further marginalized when they land up in big cities and easily fall prey to exploitations, poor migrants go through hell. Brilliant people at WB though think otherwise and have this advice “negative attitudes held by government and ignorance of the benefits of population mobility has caused migration to be overlooked as a force in economic development”. Incredible!!. Truly incredible. Actually what they are saying is “goddamn @&@**##@ how are we going to get cheap labor now, what will we do without the exploitable people?. Geez that is less @%@#@$profit”.

NREGA is targeted at poorest and mostly unskilled and semi skilled labors in rural India and has helped them avoid hunger and distress migration. The need of the hour is to strengthen schemes like NREGA and reduce corruption prevalent in the scheme (RTI has been a help). It is also the time to question the role of international institutions like World Bank. The above picture is that of presiding deity at World Bank.

Needed a paradigm shift in understanding Development

If Market is to define development, if GDP is to define progress then disparities will be the result, violence a plausible outcome. The gap between GDP and HDI is a harrowing tale of negligence. The difference between the two is the difference between progress that is seen and progress that is real. GDP is a cosmetic indicator and has short term benefits the reason why market economists and politicians get excited about it. If majority of Indians eke out their lives in pittance, and are vulnerable and malnourished then there is something seriously wrong with the system. Yes there has been lots of progress in last few decades but it seemed to have been mostly accrued by certain section. The lack of distributive justice has seen that progress has led to majority section getting increasingly vulnerable while a small section getting increasingly opulent. They call it merit, quite clearly merit as defined by market lacks competence. Merit here hinges on crude nature of competition and so what we get is justification of crasser world. Subjectivity of reality is insisted to get the vulgar in. In this quaint world TRP driven orangutans (read market media) are expected to be watch dogs. Some kind of joke this one. How do you expect people to be sensitive or empathetic in such a crude system, by its very nature these subtlelities lack any usefulness. The intricate nature of different societies and surroundings are sought to be bludgeoned by a system that lacks any element of egalitarianism. The goodness of profit as defining nature of human aspiration or relations is a limited understanding. Is it this that they are trying to globalize?. Is this globalization?.

If it is then people will react and so do nature. When nature degrades and cannot take it any more it becomes violent, the issues related to global warming are culmination of a process that started with lopsided understanding of progress. Similarly when people react then societies become violent. When disparities are acute they organize and retaliate, it is a sign that democracies have failed. This also is a culmination of lopsided nature of development that fails to reach majority (despite the best intentions. India incidentally is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. That includes corporate corruption).

This blogger doesn’t support violent means adopted by some sections of Naxals (or Maoists) and sincerely hopes perpetrators of heinous acts are brought to justice (and yes Mister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya should learn to keep his arrogant mouth shut. He cannot “teach lessons” to Naxals or Maoists, he can only deal with them. Our man is at it again he is only spoiling it further as he has done earlier). There is a need for space for civilized intercourse, clearly the disparities fueled by crudeness of market has reached a point of no return unless the system rectifies it. Also mineral rich land belongs to the people who occupy it and they should have the right to sell it or should be given the share of the companies that sort to exploit these (ever wonder why mineral rich regions are the poorest and exploited?. And not coincidentally all the naxal/maoist activities are in this region. Clearly things have gone seriously wrong). Better would be a corpus fund dedicated to their basic needs initiated development and not exploiters understanding of development (read market). And yes it should be in millions if not billions. Tribals and Dalits have been pushed around for too long, this time it not going to be easy. If the same understanding of development that is around for sometime is sort to be imposed then the reactions are going to be severe.

This blogger wonders how corporates get raw materials at relatively cheaper rates wherein the inhabitants loose their habitat, livelihood and everything that is precious. This is also posited as sacrifice for bigger cause. (Really so they know what sacrifice means!!. I thought it was taboo word). Anyway why is only one section asked to perform these, it’s been happening for ages here. Time to stop is now. This blogger has had a hand on experience not only at NBA (wide range of articles-particularly by Arundhati Roy and Gail Omvedt were helpful as also many discussions on Development during those walks was enlightening…on the lighter side we guys got bottle of Mahua and don’t recall much after that!!!) but also when I went all around the country tracking the exploitative products (Coca Cola and Pepsi). How is that they get these natural resources (and electricity in the name of investment) so cheap when people’s livelihood and surroundings are threatened?.

Soldiers share secrets

Soldiers share secrets

Soldiers in the abandoned graves
on the battlefield
didn’t say I killed you
you killed me.
We won, they lost.

It is their last tears, rotting bodies
discarded memories
and orphaned hopes
that spoke
in overgrown shrubs and its furious wildflowers.

(the above pic taken from the Net. This blogger doesn’t think wars or violence will end. It’s been there since life began. Civilized ways of problem solving is what makes humans unique, through non violence- discussions, fairness, containment etc. Despite this violence will always be a constant presence. This blogger finds it difficult to speak against Obama in Afghanistan. As said earlier people at highest decision making position face huge challenges and risks and the kind of options Obama has chosen is path breaking in its intent and historicity. There is a significant shift. It’s the mean and not the end, indeed end is a process. This blogger like millions of people in this world find Obama an admirable and inspirational figure. This poem is my dedications. War is always a last option, the people who die are ordinary people caught in wrong place)

Putting the prize on hope

We are living in very exciting times, the Nobel peace Prize to Obama is a testimony to it. It is recognition to history and intent. When people at highest decision (geez my problem today is that I took almost 5minutes to find the correct spelling of decision!. This one can be really be frustrating but thankfully Wordfile does provide alternatives. Frankly how can c sound like s?) making position have the right intent that itself is significant. Unlike common people, people in significant position can make serious impact. It is really not achievement but path shown. This is very much true of Gandhiji if you look at it Non Violence as a means was not very successful and Indian subcontinent did see the worst form of violence in his life time wherein he was very much part of the people who influenced these situations. But despite these his commitment towards Non Violence as means for conflict resolution was steadfast and does remain a potent alternative in volatile times we live in. Obama though will have to find a balance between being a leader of a powerful nation that impact the human beings and this planet and increasingly desperate domestic problems and yes average American can be amazingly insular and collectively selfish, I guess that is what market can do to societies.

I have started to realize that American society is very different, although the pointers may seem like elitist from Indian or poorer country context but that may not be always be true. American society is very much influenced by visual media so even the President may have to spend some time (I still am very skeptic), further it is a mono lingual society. In American context it is seen as trying to reach the common people but in Indian context this is travesty, in particularly when Union Ministers takes time to express ‘exclusively’ in TVchannels (It need be seen as wasteful expenditure, for a nation of billion people an union minister need value his/her time). During the Memorial of Michael Jackson which this blogger happen to watch, a basketball player (Johnson?!) talks about his association and even mentions how Jackson ignored his chef and shared KFC chicken. Now that was a kind of a revelation for this blogger, in most developing countries likes of KFC or McDonald is symbol of crass consumerism/market imperialism but in America fast food is for common people, it places itself as anti-elite. So much of contrast!!. Therefore when Obama goes out for a bite, in American context it is connecting with common people but in Indian context very much elitist. So when these are taken out of context to countries like India it is seen as triumph of consumerism. The reason why market media here tends to get excited about Obama…no not about NPT.

In here special occasion is generally celebrated at home with focus very much on making variety of dishes and being together. In America they go out and spend (this blogger also understands that West really don’t have much culinary variety-basically meat & bake based, or that in poorer society richer dishes are reserved for occasions). Obama may never know this but the cunning market media in poor societies (specifically a country placed at 138 on HDI but very much hyped on GDP, I sincerely hope the French come with new development index at the earliest) is using him to promote consumer culture and to validate their extravagant lifestyle. He may not know but in here he is already brand Obama!!.

This blogger wishes everyone an exciting festival season and also requests to spend less and yes simple sweets can be prepared at home or hygienic shops near you avoid corporatized celebrations. And yes if you are buying some product check its usefulness and do a survey, don't get carried away by small time actors, cricketers and others who shamelessly peddle product (incidentally they are paid millions for few lines, this in a country where 80% people earn around 20Rs a day. Now that is merit i guess). Brand building and connecting to consumer seems to be based on cheating, it is stinking. In this context this blogger would love to watch Micheal Moore's Capitalism: A love story. I am sure it will make lots of sense as his other documentaries have.

Excerpts of the speech by Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed at UN meet recently

"The threats posed to the Maldives from climate change are well-known. Every beach every house lost to storm surges, every reef lost to the increasingly warm waters, every job lost as fish stocks dwindle, and every life lost to more frequent extreme weather events will make it harder and harder to govern the country until a point is reached when we must consider abandoning our homeland. I therefore call on you, the leaders of the world, to protect the future of front-line countries like the Maldives by reaching an ambitious and effective agreement at December's UNFCCC conference in Copenhagen which seeks to limit average global temperature increases to less than 1.5 degrees centigrade above pre-industrial levels. To do otherwise would be to sign the death warrant for the 300,000 Maldivians.

But, the Maldives is determined to do what we can to survive. We are going to be the first country to go carbon-neutral in 10 years time, in order to do that, we are determined to formulate a survival-kit, a carbon-neutral manual that would enable others to replicate in order that all of us together might just about save ourselves from climate catastrophe. As part of our efforts to achieve a unified voice, I will be inviting some of the most vulnerable states affected by climate change to the Maldives. We hope that this November summit will reinforce our determination to leave no stone unturned to ensure our survival".

Another poem !!

Beginning

Under me the earth
explodes a million times
magma restrained in a primal rhythm
pulsates life
eons and eternal.

The flitting butterfly
a moment in time
ascents the sky
to catch the sun.

(the above poem is dedicated to Christopher Okigbo, one of the greatest African poet. Also visit my bird blog from the link for more on Okigbo)

Tragedies waiting to happen…

Many tourist places have lakes and when there is lake there is boating and when there is boating there is tragedies waiting to happen. This a scene from one of the tourist place, this boat is carrying 30odd children/adolescents with no adult supervision (except maybe the solitary rover) nor any life jackets. So why do they do it?. Well it is called maximizing profit!!

Hey it’s great to hear about Rio de Janeiro as the venue of 2016 Olympics. This blogger didn’t give any chance to Tokyo or Chicago (US already had an Olympics recently!). So the million dollar question is when will it happen in India?!!. I guess they could start building an Olympic city now itself. A town on the border of Andhra-Karnataka or Pune-Kolhapur region wouldn’t be a bad idea.