While you travel it is very
important to know and do a study on weather pattern of the region you are
visiting. This is critical input in your travel plan and preparedness for any changes, as it turns out the change could be worst.
Unfortunately weather forecasting is not given
much importance, while I travel I keep a keen eye on weather forecasting and
cloud buildup that can be seen through satellite pictures –the reason why
billions of rupees were spend to launch these satellites. Not a single TV channel
in India –all languages included, that is hundreds of ‘news’ channels, don’t
have anything close to making people aware of changing weather and what can be
expected. These are critical information, that helps millions of people. I have
written this before, one need to look at CNN -such comprehensive coverage,
indeed I was trying to know about the aftermath of the tragedy in Uttrakhand
and how weather is changing by watching CNN weather report. Even BBC also has a
comprehensive detailing on weather (that is when they get time out of royal
engagements…it is a shame, it makes me cringe. Viva democracy!!). Then there
are websites, I cannot point out one Indian website and I must add Indian
Meteorology Department website is least user friendly and is typical of the way
government functions. As far as Indian media is concerned few newspapers carry
satellite pictures, but that is stale in the age of instant information. As far as News channels are concerned, it is
such a waste…the great Indian mediocrity is back in the show. One channel has a
truck moving (ofcourse with sponsors name) across Indian plain and giving us
temperature, other has some ‘chic’(its derogatory term…but there are rarely
males!! This is one channel that has high pretention on gender equity. Talk of
gender specific occupations!! Must be for matrimonial purposes I guess. Beti TV
meh athi hai tho demand tho badega hee!!). Overall Indian TV channels are such
irresponsibly waste when it comes to giving the people information that is getting so critical.
Travelling irresponsibly in
environmentally fragile region…
It is the crowd that travels so
irresponsibly, and pass on to children (of course producing children is another
traditional occupation!!). They now come in personal vehicles, and throw out waste
as they pass… to wash their sins, I am told!! I was at Rishikesh, at the
evening aarthi of Ganges in Parmarth.
Swami Chidanand Saraswati is an evolved man, during the brief talk, that was
attended by hundreds, he stressed on the importance of respecting nature. Hari se Hariyali was an interesting
connection. But what he mentioned about travelling Indians had everybody in
shame. Even in Sweden, he mentioned, there are notices in Hindi asking not to dirty the place!! He asked people to
pledge not to throw plastic and respect environment by planting trees,
everybody raised their hands in unison. He even distributed saplings. This
piece will not be complete if I don’t mention another of great Indian psyche,
that is brahminical in its origin. At Parmarth aarthi young men in saffron led
the prayer, after the prayers there was stampede for slippers that was
deposited at a counter and was managed by an old man, quite obviously he was
facing extreme difficulty as deluge of people created unruly scene. There was
no discipline, no order. In the melee slippers were misplaced, the place was
strewn with slippers. Around these stood the very same young men in saffron,
serenely observing (right word be ignoring) the predicaments of people. I asked
one of the fellow why don’t they have proper management of these, as you can
see there is only one old man at the counter, and he surely is not able to
handle it. This must be happening every day? The young man and his colleague
who very recently were immersed in Bhakti sangeet, turned vicious, his serene
demeanor slipped with characteristic alacrity, the same you see in streets of
Delhi when luxury car scratch against rickshaw, and mask of sophistication
slip. He declared with much anger that taking care of slippers was not his
concern. Of course, I forget, the reason for this exaggerated reaction -dealing
with slippers falls in lowest of order, as unemployed ‘brahmins’ verdicts few
centuries back and so part of ‘old scriptures’ and therefore ‘respected’. These
people should be made to work at the slipper counters for few weeks, and then
they can have Sri square kind of fake dimwit serenity. It is in this context
one has to understand the karseva at Gurudwara (picture herein of top lawyer in Pakistan Muhammed Kurshid Khan, doing karseva in a Gurudwara). You extend this and you will
also understand why India was partitioned, and who were responsible for
alienation of a section that they demanded another country.
Uttarkashi before the tragedy…one
can say with much certainty: waiting to happen
