Republish Shah Commission report

The full details of atrocities committed under Emergency is not much known, since in last many decades attempts were made to downplay it, except in States like Kerala where it is part of folklore. Most Indians are born after this horrendous event, and hence would like to know more. Justice JC Shah was an amazing man, and unlike other small time opportunists and sycophants (whose progenies have reaped since then) he didn’t buckle, and for that people of this country are grateful. Shah commission report should be published again, this becomes important since every attempt was made to erase it by the powers that be. Not only Shah Commission report all other references which were sought to be erased should be brought out. We want the details of the darkest moments in India’s history… 

The issue of lead contamination, and a tribute to Clair Patterson

Market facilitators and their cronies are trying their best to obfuscate the deadly contamination in food as general degradation of environment, and hence by this warped logic, poor multibillion dollar companies shouldn’t be held responsible. One crony even suggests why don’t we feed these contaminated food to poor people instead of wasting. There is intense jockeying going on to get into the right side of moneybags hence benefits. Let’s make things clear: food contaminated with lead beyond permissible level is dangerous for human health, whatever may be the logic. Secondly, it is expected from the rich companies to use technologies to remove these dangerous contaminants rather than blaming polluted environment, and yes if they are not able to make more profit then try something else to multiply money. At the end of the day it is about doubling the money (whatever is the charade of investment and other compelling jargons). The other day I was reading an article by Madhav Gadgil, these lines, that is attributed to World Bank (Vice President) in 1991, were striking and should help put things in perspective “The measurements of the costs of health impairing pollution depends on the foregone earnings from increased morbidity and mortality. From this point of view, a given amount of health impairing pollution should be done in the country with the lowest cost, which will be the country with the lowest wages. I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that.”

This article by Mr. Madhav is quite interesting (to read it in regrettable newspaper being the only hiccup, maybe few years down the line these arbitrators will be obsolete, as a reader I wouldn’t mind paying him directly. Miniscule amounts will add on). I was aware of TEL and how it was pushed, but I wasn’t aware that “…It is now definitely established that alcohol can be blended with gasoline to produce a suitable motor fuel…concluded that alcohol-gasoline blends can ‘withstand high compression without producing knock.’ But alcohol cannot be patented and cannot bring large profits to companies. So, all discussion of its potential was deliberately suppressed, and TEL pushed with vigour”. But there is more to it, apart from Surgeon-General Robert Kehoe who undertook forceful advocacy of TEL despite awareness of dangers, there was another fellow named Thomas Midgley –the inventor of TEL (the godforsaken fellow also invented CFCs –ozone depleting and major green house gas). Midgley conducted live demonstration of inhaling TEL in front of reporters, it need be noted that he was seriously ill due to exposure only a few months back, and was fully aware of perilous effect of lead.

Lead was ‘embarrassingly profitable to produce industrially’. So in 1923 three of Americas largest corporations General Motors, Du Pont and Standard Oil formed a joint enterprise called the Ethyl Gasoline Corporation with a view to making as much tetraethyl lead as the world was willing to buy…they called their additive ‘ethyl’ because it sounded friendlier and less than lead, and introduced it for public consumption. It should also be noted that production workers, almost immediately began to experience the effects of poisoning, irreversible delusions, and deaths were reported. But the spokesman of company blandly informed the reporters “These men probably went insane because they worked too hard” (as documented by Sharon Mcgaryne in Prometheans in the Lab, a book on history of industrial chemistry). This background should help us understand the complicity of big corporation and their greed.

Madhav writes about one Clair Patterson, a brilliant young geochemist who “systematically investigated levels of lead in rocks, rivers and sea water, ocean sediments, the atmosphere and the biosphere. He demonstrated that over the last few centuries, the levels of lead in the remains of marine organisms incorporated in sediments had gone up a hundredfold. The obvious conclusion was that the prevailing levels of lead in the human body were a result of pollution, and were not natural levels at all, as Kehoe had been claiming so far. Patterson provided clinching evidence of this when human teeth and bones from ancient burials turned out to have just one-thousandth the amount of lead as teeth and bones of modern-day humans”. It took full 20 years after the publication of his paper that the U.S. government was finally forced to ban TEL. In the meanwhile they tried everything to discredit Patterson.

Clair Patterson’s contribution is significant and it needs to be told in its entirety. Though his intent was to find the definitive age of Earth, which he did succeed and that in itself was remarkable effort. He was using a new method of ‘lead isotope measurement’, and that is what led him to the atmospheric lead. Patterson found that before 1923 there was almost no lead in the atmosphere, and that since then lead has climbed steadily and dangerously. Readers will note that 1923 was also the year when Ethyl Gasoline Corporation was set up. Patterson made his life’s quest to get lead out of petrol, he became a constant and often vocal critic of lead industry.  Ethyl Gasoline Corporation was a powerful global corporation with many friends in high places. Patterson suddenly found research funding withdrawn. The American Petroleum Institute cancelled research contract with him, so did Union States Public Health Service, a supposedly neutral government body. Ethyl Gasoline Corporation even offered to endow a chair at Caltech ‘if Patterson was sent packing’ (as reported by Jamie Kitman in The Nation). He was excluded from National research council panel appointed to investigate atmospheric lead poisoning, though he was a leading expert in this field. To his credit Patterson never wavered, and eventually, because of his efforts, Clean Air Act of 1971 was introduced, and finally to the removal of leaded petrol from US in 1986. It took many more years for it to be applied in chronically corrupt countries like India. Meanwhile lead in paints was removed only recently.

All the above information is input from a remarkable book A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson I was reading a month back. This is one book that is strongly suggested. I wanted to buy it almost a decade back when it was published, but somehow couldn’t and then the thought fettered. Few months back I was watching Fareed Zakaria ‘GPS’ wherein he suggested this book. Couldn’t get it in Mysore or Bangalore (?) and finally bought it from Khan Market Delhi, worth the effort and the read. Bill Bryson definitely has the way of explaining things, and it is compelling to read the stories behind the inventions, discoveries so on. Bryson writes “Clair Patterson died in 1995. He didn’t win a Nobel Prize for his work. Geologists never do. Nor, more puzzlingly, did he gain any fame or even much attention from half a century of consistent and increasingly selfless achievement. A good case could be made that he was the most influential geologist of the twentieth century. Yet who has ever heard of Clair Patterson? Most geology textbooks don’t mention him. Two recent popular books on the history of the dating of the Earth actually manage to misspell his name. In early 2001, a reviewer of one of these books in the journal Nature made the additional, rather astounding error of thinking Patterson was woman”. Apart from being an outstanding geologist his effort to remove lead from atmosphere in itself makes this man a prodigious soul.                  

Incorrigible rogues as journalists

Journalists cannot be expected to show competence in an overwhelmingly mediocre society nor are they expected to exhibit qualities of concern, tethered as they are to crude framework. Exceptions are always there but you can be sure in market media these are rare. This news piece could be from any newspaper (that it happens to be from Kasthuri&Sons is a coincidence, probably a tribute to their forefathers and family vaginas for former life deed pathways). Their promotion of obnoxious views is given but that they are able to squiggle in crudeness in news snippet, where space for prejudice is limited, is undoubtedly a talent. Now market friendly Crude woman would react by “Woman, and her husband…” crap, if men smoke then women smoking is about gender equality. That’s how you become darling of market, and work out service industry gigantism. The more you sell more merrier is the world, and yes richer you are intelligent you are. In this melee some even come out as ‘senior journalists’, something not quite unique in a society that expertise in grading people, sensitive about hierarchy.

Mr. Gajendra is an admirable man: As a citizen I am troubled by the protest of FTII students, it is quite unbecoming. As long as statutes don’t put in any qualification (why haven’t they?), a political appointee is deemed qualified. If they haven’t protested all these decades why are they now? Clearly it is politically motivated. Are all the political appointee of high caliber? How are people appointed to the RS? (if Mr. Gajendra has acted in cheap movies then ZK has written some serious crap in the name of art that will embarrass anyone). Undoubtedly these appointments are obnoxious mix of nepotism, sycophancy, manipulation, corrupt practices, political expediency so on. It is in this context one has to admit that Gajendra Chauhan is an apt choice to head FTII, though I have serious issue with a man with squatter framework surname to head any institution. His role in Mahabharata was well appreciated (indeed benchmark in some ways), further a head of the institution is not for inspiration but to run the institution properly. This blogger would like to know the attendance record of previous “inspiration invoking” heads. Most significantly despite their claim for high reputation, Indian film industry is quite mediocre. This also put in focus on nepotism, as to how do people get into such institution, the selection committee so on. Crude Woman can get in but Mr.Gajendra cannot is not because of lack of talent, nor that Mr. Gajendra was stuck with low grade movies (which doesn’t take away his artistic skills or potential) while Crude woman hobnobbed with the best and expertised her quid pro quo skills, due to lack of talent. Crude Woman was in a position to manipulate awards while Mr. Gajendra had to negotiate existential demands, part timing in hospitals so on, as he worked hard to get foothold in a manipulative and nepotism driven mediocre film ‘industry’.

These pretentious people cannot decide who is talented or can they veto a political appointee, nor does the student have prerogative to decide who should head them. Snobbish elitism and high level manipulators may have problems but they just have to gulp it. Take it on the chin and move on, times are changing. Decades of fattening thyself in the name of art is over, now it’s the turn of the other side. For common people these are just jokes. And yes FTII has been the looser for long, the lackadaisical approach and least concern for competence has taken the toll. I read that it is so badly managed that it has become horrible. 

The only thing that goes against Mr. Gajendra is his pedalling of stuff that promotes superstition. One wonders why promoting superstition not against law, the channel owners looking for easy money should be held responsible. But then how is it different from pedalling Coca cola Pepsi or whatnot, or matrimonial columns? …water purifiers or detergents, what is Crude woman (or small time bharat ratna fellow, he really cannot avoid these. What a cheapskate) connection to these, that she pedal to suck up money? All the products (some crudely exploitative) seeks to capitalise on manipulation. Mr. Gajendra, like many political appointees, is selected by the government in its own intelligence and reasons. He therefore must be given chance, and must be judged on his performance as an administrator, for which he is appointed. It is here that he should be keenly observed, and students protest herein, in case of transgressions, will make sense. In the meanwhile any student having problems must be dealt with disciplinary actions or rusticated, as is deemed fit under the rules. Arrogance, highbrow egotism shouldn’t have space. Indeed these students are known for their notoriety (all in the name of art and freedom of expression, i suppose, before having produced anything at all!!). One of the earlier directors of FTII, Mohan Agashe, had to go following students’ protests over his attempt to restructure some courses. FTII suffers from serious mismanagement, and interference from powerful interest groups/people. Mr. Gajendra’s appointment is only a continuation of that, it got stuck this time as the powerful coterie who were arbitrating benefits in the name of art/culture have been ignored/shunted out or are aware of losing ground and easy sucks, hence the viciousness. It only shows their depravity. Mr. Gajendra has survived in the industry despite trying circumstances and has clawed his way to head a premier institute is in itself something to admire despite his alleged shortcomings. He must carry on…  

PS: Crude Woman says “we don’t discriminate, hum log bhaisaab gender sensitive type ke log hai”. ZK adds “murga ho ya murgi biriyani sabki banegi” “it iz naturalz lawz”.    

Creator of Rock garden is dead

It is one of the most amazing creations you can witness. Millions and millions of mosaic, glasses, bangles ceramic pieces, broken pots, other 'waste' even electric sockets etc. aesthetically arranged in shapes, images and immaculate sculptures that transport you into some faraway fantasy land. First few moments as I entered the rock garden I was disappointed but then as you go further and further in, you wonder and gasp ‘this is impossible’, for a single person to conjure and execute this is nothing short of miracle. It’s brilliant.

I have visited Rock Garden many years back as an itinerant cheap backpacker, early this January I was back in Chandigarh, ofcourse with ubiquitous and irritatingly intrusive conception called camera. I spent more than an hour and as I was exiting I stopped at the curio shop and bought a rock garden inspired keychain that has a rather interesting peacock (I now use for my cycle, kind of interesting to look at it every time you take the cycle out) and then for a fresh pomegranate juice (O they make it so well, the khatta metta thing is lip smacking and yes healthy) and that is when I got lucky. I was talking to the juicer seller, marvelling about the rock garden and then enquiring about Nek Chand as I had seen a banner celebrating his 90^th birthday so on. The seller said “You are quite a lucky man” (translated) and pointed to an elderly man in the crowd and said “That is NekChand!!”. Mr. NekChand is rarely seen and this was in one of his rare outing, and to see him next to his creations was truly fortunate. I found him quite agile, reserved to the point of shy and observant to the surrounding. He couldn’t be more than sixty, I thought. Few minutes later he got in his car and left. He hid the rock garden for almost two decades as it was considered illegal, as he assiduously went on with his work!!. What a remarkable guy, in the overwhelming mediocrity that is getting louder and louder these days, here was a brilliant man and a rare Indian. My condolences.  

Distinction between pride, preference and prejudice…the frogs in the well croak

The depravity of Kasthuri&Sons is an unending pit, that they mask their depravity with characteristic ease is what defines deviant elite of this amazingly putrid society in more than many ways. Lump of humans coalesced in their primitive norms and values that masquerade itself into subtleties of higher being is a habit that is common in this part of the world. They have been negotiating these deviances, that violates basic human rights at every step, with self-assured ease, unchallenged by strict scrutiny or basic sense or thoughts of compassion (in this crude world words like compassion remain words and thoughts or else you need nothing less than a mahatma or miracle). With firm grip on narration the voices of brutalised protests are dealt with ease of neglect, if it gets louder stamp it, ignore or else push it as subaltern, finally if nothing works, as an act gallant, include in as any contrarian view. The unity in diversity primetime show continues. The avuncular benevolence is the focus here, the tradition of tolerance is throttled in from nowhere, the halo is much more than aggregate of the society can even muster. These therefore is added as necessary embellishments to the main narration, meanwhile brutalities is sought to be packaged as benign traditions.   

It is in this context that Kasthuri&Sons use their slaves to croak. They seek to distinguish "pride, preference and prejudice", elucidate their primitiveness in garb of choices and diversity. They assume the role of benevolent guardians. Only fascist, likes of Nazi (a narration that West understands quite well), comes close to this sick world that seek nuances in utmost bleak reality. Mozart in concentration camps is chilling. It’s a reminder of brutalities that depraved mind seek to savour, its degeneration of humanity at a colossal scale. In this brutal world where ethical norms are ambiguous it is the question of where you are placed. Kasthuri&Sons (by them, I mean the primitive Indians who seek to give moral bearing to the horrifying realities) are direct beneficiary of the primitive framework, the assiduously accrued spin offs have been capitalised with much ease. Hence “taking pride in or preferring a particular caste, either in the case of marriage or while voting for a candidate during elections, is not necessarily considered prejudice in India”. According to the logic of this world, anti-semantics or racism is matter of choice, it is how you play it. The key word is “not necessarily considered prejudice” it’s a leeway towards liberal, a hint towards rapprochement, a higher self, a space for experimenting with truth. In this world of ‘not necessarily considered’ what is not ambiguous is the smoke from the chimneys, that people are being burned alive. Read the audacity in these lines “…this is only limited good news, because it unfortunately aggravates the prejudice against Dalits and Adivasis”. Unfortunately?! So these are matters of fortune. Hence Nazis not so bad treatment of non-Jews treatment (I was reading Jehovah's Witnesses were among the few who could leave the concentration camps by renouncing their religious beliefs) but “unfortunately aggravated” atrocities against Jews. Systematic annihilation of humans, systematic brutalising of people is, according to Kasthuri&Sons part of fortune. 

Nazis had their own logic while Kasthuri&Sons trace their hogwash on acts of previous birth. Amazing travesty these people. What makes it grievous is that they are very much aware and are in the midst amazingly brutalities in the name of caste, particularly in TN. That what Kasthuri&Sons consider as identity is tethered to untold misery, a framework that degrades and decimates humanity in individuals, seems not their concern. It is the easiest route to power structure. We are being informed that we are living a life of ‘identity over system’, they quote fellow Gupta (sideshow intellectual alibi). I need to bring in here: the humanities and so called art stream in Indian context are worse than the science rot (engineer/doctor). What goes in the name of sociology/anthropology consists of books that spread amazing nonsense. There is difference between documenting and expressing ‘pride, preference and prejudice’. Most of these texts are written from colonial angle that quite well morphed casteist/racist ideas, indeed most of these books cannot be part of any civilised setting, forget school or colleges. Likes of Dipankar Gupta comes out of these holes tethered to brutal framework, hence can only see things as ‘phenomenon’ and will go back to their caves for further research. Our man has a tough life rollicking between Gandhi and MN Srinivas. I am not going further into these, the muck gets deeper but yes will remind a note of protest I wrote on my visit to Tribal museum at Silvassa.

International community needs to take these transgressions of human rights in all its seriousness. The brutalities is institutionalised to such an extent that there is a persistent effort to see it as normal. So far it had some success since the brutal elite had firm control over narrations hence they twisted depravity as some wonderful exotic tradition. The intellectuals, particularly in West, too have been complacent hence coopted into this nonsense. Casteist/racist based references should not tolerated and must be dealt severely; since Indian society is in the morbid grip of primitive who have stakes it is for the international community to initiate actions. In the meanwhile shops run by likes of Kasthuri&Sons should be denied dealing with civilized world, they shouldn’t be allowed cut paste from reputed columnists. International newspapers and the columnists concerned must take a stand on this. Newspapers that promote primitiveness in its pages (while actively censoring news related to or from the perspective of brutalised sections) through write ups/views that masquerade choices and matrimonial ads that seek to anchor these must be dealt severely. Their attempts to play benevolent figures in international scene are a sham and an escape from home truths. They try to portray themselves as liberal, egalitarian…by hitting gravy pointers.

PS: Spotted: Kasthuri&Sons at marina beach pleading amused passerby ‘Kapathingo french muslimgale kapathingo’. A century back they would be riding on downtrodden, literally, as they espoused grand ideas, now it’s a subtle metaphor. The myriad ways of the deceitful world. Meanwhile if anyone is interested all the justification and reasons can be traced to family vagina (in the streets of Delhi they have much better way of elucidating this), the distinction between pride, preference and prejudice. 

In the traditions of Mir Jaffars and Jaichands

All kind of nonsense are there on offer, pretty faces play on our emotions with endearing lines and compelling expressions, hawk all kinds of junk. No wonder the sellers from abroad, who consider lives of Indians much cheaper (consider the low standards they adopt for Indians, right from automobiles to food), boost ego of the elite by assuring them the status of service industry giant. India is seen as junkyard, a place/people who can be unscrupulously exploited (godforsaken economist use euphemism like investor friendly as embellishments for growth) they are catered for big moneybags, it’s a place to multiply their money without much care. The impunity is such that they even dismiss government reports. It is clear that Maggi (Nestle) is only the tip of iceberg. Indians are consistently exploited by paying the complying elite, the charming facilitators, who in turn give positive spin to exploitation with compelling ease. It is a framework we all know quite well. The tradition of Mir Jaffars and Jaichands is very much alive. The compliable elite are now in investor friendly role. Throw some more money and perks they will do worse, with charming ease and niceties. The sellers (service industry representations) are giving the impression of professionalism and competent work culture; meanwhile the brand values of care and compassion is all a spinoff for easy money. We know these are just packaging and superficial matters. The price the society pays is much high. They are quite consistently pushing in lifestyle that replicate American wasteful ways, hence consumption, thus growth, therefore development. They have destroyed a lot in the name of development. When Nooyi is declared as greatest Indian, hosted very much by Pranab (wonder what is the deal about Presidents/Governor that they are given such obnoxious deference, clearly they are trying to recreate the darbar. The unelected lords, the template that seeks to put every elected leader in his/her place), we know who is great and for what reason. Indeed Nooyi is appointed for very specific reason, her charade of competence withstanding. It is India, the hapless people (in particular impressionable children) and the natural resources, that is the target.

Technology led democratisation is the reason why people are finding their voice, their vigilance is being reciprocated and consolidated through social media. These are finding voice in the popular media, who are still controlled and manipulated by powerful forces. The political elite who have traditionally serving the entrenched groups, as also moneybags too are becoming circumspect. Indeed internet and the spin off herein has been the greatest leveller and liberator. Nothing has been as spectacular for human race as this has been. It is such a wonder that it is beginning of history. It is individual, it’s personal and connected, it is defining the way society functions, redefining arbitration of power, meaning of authority. It is selfistory.

Indeed few decades back Nestle would have easily wriggled out by paying off. It is not the consumers who are ‘confused’, it is powerful whose reduced space for manipulation that is creating the confusions. Indeed Nestle should be asked to pay compensation that should go to cancer patient funding. These people are worst, must add, extremely dangerous sociopaths. The neighbourhood restaurants can only be blamed of hygiene matters (which too are important and should be checked regularly by authorities) not this kind of depravity. Anyday stomach problem is a better option than stomach cancer! 

Post script: there is an excellent and thought provoking article written by Kancha Illaih recently. This blogger hopes that it is translated in all languages and published in all newspapers and websites.