Journey to Bimbetka: The prehistoric dwellings

I got up early next day and by around seven I was out. As mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, restaurants open quite late in most of North India, so breakfast had to wait. Then began my struggle to get a bus to Bimbetka. Nobody I asked was aware of such a place, infact many counter questioned ‘yeh kahan hai?!!!’ Finally I decided to go to the bus stand. ‘New bus stand’ was on the outskirts, took almost half an hour. Bhopal is picturesque and well maintained in certain pockets, but unfortunately there were too many poor people, mostly migrants I suppose, and defecating against bushes. The ‘new bus stand’ really had nothing new about it. Vehicles were being instructed through a mike from an enclosure, which nobody seemed to care. Evidently it was long route bus stand as rough looking men shouted ‘indore’ ‘ujjain’ standing next to their bus. I accosted the man on the mike, an obese man with big nose, despite the noise, commotion, and yelling he had to do, he looked extremely pleased with his job. He took few moments to digest ‘bimbetka’, I had given up when he informed that it is Beembitika, ‘you will get the bus from old stand, behind…talkies’. I got into a tempo, a old rusty almost ancient vehicle, it is a surprise that it even moves!!. A co passenger informed me that the government has plans to remove these vehicles but is being resisted. The vehicle has a long history some even refer it endearingly as samosa or was it a ridicule I couldn’t make out.

An hour later I found the bus stopping in front of the hotel I was residing….geez that is two hours gone, by this time Bhopal had woken up and streets were filled up with vehicles. Bimbetka is around 50 odd Kms from Bhopal and took just about an hour and half. Most people refer Bimbetka (which now I feel is anglicized version) as Bheembyetika, the legend goes that this was the place where Bheema of Mahabharatha spend some time to relax. There was an inscription on the road side indicating the direction for the site. Few meters in was a railway crossing, this landmark has a history. It so happened that in1950s VS Wakankar, an archeologist was traveling in train by this route, he saw rock formation similar to one he had seen in Spain and France, he later visited the place with fellow archeologists and discovered the pre historic site in 1958. For me though reaching the site took some time, it was 4kms top of the slope, apparently there were no transportation. It was quite a pleasant morning, the narrow tarred road had wheat field on both sides, in the morning sun it looked spectacular. Up ahead was forest reserve, a man I met assured that although this is a forest region the wildlife is quite inside. As I trekked leisurely the terrain had changed to huge bolder rocks and sparse dry trees. The silence was broken by scurry of babblers, magpies and occasional squirrels. Few Kms up and the route unfolded an open view of the plane, far ahead I saw some villagers grazing their cattle. Perfect, I thought, this is the right place to settle for pre historic people, since it provided vantage point on wildlife, ideal for hunting and the rock formations were such that it created natural homes. My thoughts were interrupted by a Langur who dashed and climbed a tree. It had a majestic, brooding face with none too happy expression (I am sure what he thought was ‘patha nahi kahan kahan se ajathe hai…ghar meh bait ke TV shv nahi dek sakhte’….contradiction here is most simian species speak and think only in English!!).

The rocks were more like tall, huge mounds spread across a distance. Uneven and chiseled by nature into myriad forms, itself a treat to eyes. It felt strange to be in midst of rocks that were homes to people thousands of years ago. I tried to imagine what their life would be (it is pre historic since it dated back to the period when humans were had not learned the art of writing). For next few minutes I roamed around the place, I sensed that I am not able to understand the rocks sites and markings, their significance. It was then I thought of getting some help, maybe a guide. There was not a soul in sight, so I walked and saw a man sitting almost hidden behind the tree. It was as if he was anticipating me “I am the guide. My name is Vimal”. He spoke in a mixture of Hindi and English, as most guides do. He was a self assured young man, seemed immensely proud of his job. But his confidence spilled over when he started speculating about me. ‘You from delhi?’ big no. ‘From bengal’ another no. He gave up, ‘bangalore’ I said. Poor fellow I don’t blame him with my Hindi nobody would guess I am a south Indian!!. He ventured once more ‘You must be in IT’, he concluded. Big no again. Sufficiently diminished he stopped probing and immediately grabbed what he was confident in, to regain himself. He gave a brief introduction about the site and took me around the rocks. Explaining and pointing out figures I had missed. Quite strangely he referred to pre historic people as ‘tribal citizens’!!. These were the oldest paintings in India, more than ten thousand year old, and they still look exquisite. The depictions were as vivid, of hunting and ceremonies. The paintings were done in white and red colour, the red being the later period that extended up to the medieval period of the Indian history. They used natural dye and since these paintings were on the roof and inside of caves, they were remarkably protected from deterioration through rain and so on. It was clear that these sites were inhabited or continuously used for religious purpose for thousands of years. Although I tried to interact in Hindi, assuming it would make him comfortable, he replied mostly in English though he was not very comfortable. Later I too spoke in a mixture of both, fully aware how much English is also about class distinction in this country and so my insistence on Hindi may be seen as an insult to his fragile worldview. It is unfortunate how the system has conspired to its own detriment, a kind of civilizational cannibalism, eating ones own roots. From cannibalism to colonialism to cannibalism we have traversed a full circle, of misery.

Having spent an hour at the site I walked all the way back, although it was sunny mid noon it wasn’t very hot, the sun of March showed its grace. Once at the main road I saw few people waving at passing vehicles which sped unheeded. There was no bus stop and buses are rarity, if ever they don’t stop, I was told, and they have been waiting for last an hour so. There were three school children waiting to go to school (probably afternoon schools) after an hour or so they abandoned the idea and went back. These seem to be normal happenings around here. People have basic necessity not taken care and the ‘national’ media focus on few hours of electricity cuts in metros (read delhi and Mumbai)…well its our (‘people like us’) arse we worried about. Since most people had to go nearby places they told me to show ‘lambi hath’ for Bhopal, one of them demonstrated it for me. It was a kind of outstretched rotating hand accompanied by urgent expression on face. After few hiccups and awkward moments it worked!!. It was almost 2:30 that I reached Bhopal; since I was starving rushed to the nearest hotel for lunch, realizing that it was almost 24 hours since I had my last meal. After a decent meal of phulkas and subzi I caught an auto to Union Carbide site (posted in earlier blog). From there I dropped in to Bharath Bhavan, saw few exhibits (congratulated myself for able to recognize Gulam Mohd Sheikh’s work from distance) and ended the day with a beautiful sight of sunset across the lake (Bharath Bhavan is well thought out structure). By the time I was back it was 8 pm, had a quick bath went out for dinner (they make excellent allu paranthas…I have tried it umpteen times never could match them, these guys are genius!!. It must be the ajwain and some other ingredient or is it the oil since I try use less so compromising on crispiness). Came back and checked out from the Hotel, I had a train to catch at 10:30 pm. So ended by 24 hours in Bhopal!!!!

(the blogger at the natural museum at Bimbetka)

A day at Bhopal, and a visit to Bimbtka: A travelogue

I reached Bhopal almost on time, around 23:50…. I say almost since the train was late by 20 minutes, which is very much alright. A co-passenger, young man who was traveling to Delhi from Bangaluru (having attended an IT interview), suggested that I should exit from behind the Station as I would get cheaper lodges. Since he had done his studies in Bhopal and aware of the city I heeded to his advice. He was right, a kilometer’s walk and I was in a street that had hotels lining the side, and in various stages of closing down for the day. I entered the first one, not with an intention to occupy but to get the feel of the rent, 300/- was slightly above but I was happy that I was in a range I could bargain. After few harassing search I landed up in Meghdoot Hotel and settled for 150/-. Meghdoot means ‘cloud messenger’, Kalidasa- ancient Sanskrit poet, had written a collection ‘Meghdootham’ probably how the name got popular. But unlike the romantic history of the name, the Hotel was quite appalling, nothing surprising for a cheap hotel. A half finished staircase led to a very badly maintained corridor on the first floor, the rooms separated by moldy dark space for ventilator for toilet, leaking pipes. The first thing I checked about the room was the toilet. The toilet is an indicator of habitability is my time tested theory!!!. The room had a stale smell about it. Very strangely the windows didn’t have any rods or mesh to prevent entry. I have visited Bhopal few occasions before and had pleasant experience with people but there are always nasty people and tragedy is one step away. There is a word in English language ‘thug’, the word originated in these regions (It is ironical that Britishers themselves were biggest thugs, had the audacity to judge others!!) from a class of people who were very violent criminals, strangled travelers. These were the thoughts playing in my mind as I vacillated on whether to keep the window open. Discretion is a liability when comfort is in question, further I was claustrophobic, also I argued that since I don’t have any valuables (except maybe a cheap camera) and so in case I am done I will have the final revenge!!. The room boy brought jug of water and vanished, which was a good omen, since many a times these species tend to hang around, and if they ask ‘aur koi seva’ more than twice it is an indication on prostitution.

There mostly is no provision on clean bed sheets, so it is always advised to carry bed sheets and pillow cover. And yes towel and most importantly mosquito repeller, ascertain plug point connection before checking in, nowadays most hotels at lower end do have these since the mobile phones have percolated. However there is one nuisance for which there really is no escape, this encountered mostly in north India, they spit paan on the wall. The corners in a room sometimes really make you shudder before it merges into familiarity. This room though had spit, red streaks evenly spread all across the wall, biased next to the pillow. I tried to figure how anyone could spit laying down; to my surprise I found it is possible but the mystery of spitting all along the bed was taxing since there was only two possible way to occupy the bed: one is the present position and second is opposite, that is, place the pillow where now the leg is. It was impossible for a person to assume vertical or lateral position and be comfortable. The angle of the spit indicated that the person must either be laying or sitting on the floor, the later could be ruled out otherwise he is a maniac. I compromised on the theory that the spit were in various stages of spraying from the bed, contributions from hundreds of different occupants and their lung capacity, height and emotional state (people in extreme emotional self, like in ecstasy or anger are seen to spit with some vigor). But what is startling is that there is a wash basin right in the middle of the room and is meant for spitting!. Kya bhaisaab kamaal ki baath karthe ho aap!!!

It was well past midnight and I anticipated a hectic day ahead so after a quick bath, dropped to bed and was instantly asleep even before I realized that I had forgotten to have dinner. Never mind I will compensate that in my breakfast….

(next blog on Bimbtka, a study on prehistoric caves)

Tailpiece: Paan eating is quite romanticized in many of the North Indian particularly Hindi movies, many songs being quite popular also. The most popular being Kaike paan banaras waala. Another one which I recall is paan khaye saiyya hamare, malamal ke kurthe pe cheet lal lal …..the later part of the line is really very gross, our man need be whacked and taught some eating habit!!. Quite a deviance, north part of the country doesn’t stop to surprise/shock me. In places like lucknow, allahabad, banaras…many young males speak with their mouth full, raising their chin high to contain the paan spit while wanting to speak, and blurt out what I thought was incomprehensible words but perfectly understood by others (what about older males?…well they wouldn’t survive to that age with these daily indulgences, or probably dying with cancer). Also unlike me they find nothing unusual in the behavior, the whole situation is very funny. Whereas in places like Kerala you could be fined for spitting in public (well technically), in Varanasi they consider it an art form to be displayed on walls in colour red!!. I am a big fan of Banarasi meeta paan, whenever i am here i have it almost thrice a day!!.

Getting personal with Gandhian Crude Woman

Ideally one should not trash people….well we don’t live in ideal world further Crude Woman is no sacred cow she is as devious as people can get. Also there is a common understanding on civility but if trash is the truth what can you do?? By shirking from harsh truth aren’t we not being irresponsible? Some try to be diplomatic, this suit scoundrels perfectly. Diplomacy is minor hiccup, it helps both the sides to acknowledge and share, a non-judgmental mush. No questions asked. They gestate and thrive in this pool. Incidentally this is the pool Gandhi so effectively tapped, and they gave back the compliment. Though it was Britishers who were charming on matters of diplomacy, and so on one side you exploit people and fatten, in elite circle be in the best of behavior. They have been since a perfect role model for elite in this country. Propriety is a charade they have created and this slant helps in consolidating their position. Propriety becomes a liability when balance is against them (this is quite an international phenomenon even reflected in policies of many nations like say USA. It therefore has individual and collective manifestations). So, gandhism is another reason for squatting near positions of power, the hypocrisy of their lifestyle and what Gandhi really stood for is again another minor hiccup (ofcourse some do make valiant attempt to modify the philosophy with ‘changing times’). It is actually considered quite ill-mannered to even raise these ethical ambiguities. It is a quaint world (as they say the motto of the coterie is mil baat ke khao bhai…..this should be the official slogan of India…satmayev jayathe is rather outdated, if not India atleast BCCI should take this suggestion seriously!) There are many corrupt people (politicians are public figure so obvious example), but the corruption of using once influence not of position but inherited is most grievous. This is grievous since it takes away space for talented, deserving people, it is further tragic in an economical and social disparities ridden country like India. Take any example whether politics, business or culture the influence of family is rather stark. A son or daughter gets into power because of their parents influence, they get into positions of business or ‘entrepreneur’ with the socio-economic space provided due to inherited reasons, they even get exposure in popular space of entertainment because of parents (this is also very much true for dukhi atma movies referred to pretentiously as ‘art movie’…with few exceptions they really are pain much inferior than any popular movie….some people know how to lick the space for reason for awards or positioning as ‘concerned people’ in festivals. And the crude woman to masticate the charade that she is trying to-save-the-world-so-give-me-some-award). So Karan boy was right on target when he sang ‘it's about loving the parents’….well he surely should be grateful, don’t know whether he would fit in as even as a office boy if he didn’t had that backing ! (I like the songs of his movies though). So where is the sacred ‘competence’ people keep referring to? I guess it has more to do with subordinate level recruitments. Also, those who overplay ‘respecting elders’ are basically incompetent and direct beneficiaries of nepotism. Indian culture respected knowledge; earlier experience was knowledge the reason elders were given respect as repositories of knowledge. So, now if they want respect just because they are old and invoke ‘culture’ they should get a kick. They shouldn’t be allowed this cynical attempt to accrue power. Ever wonder why certain section in elite have great respect for Chanakya?....well the dude legitimized unethical practices almost 2000 years back. Talk of ‘culture’!

In recent times the main passion though seems to be to capitalize on the angst of people, there is a huge space here to lick. The reason why Gandhi has suddenly become a target of the elite section has nothing to do with this post globalization gandhian guilt but a smart realization that there is so much to lick. The area where not much attention is focused is how so called egalitarianism in the elite leads to rabid form of individualism. An individualism lacking any individuality, they loose all reference point, it is about scoring points within their circle, the most obnoxious part is when they use hapless like slum children for self promotion and positioning (Crude woman is only an example in this cesspool). They use whatever they could to float in this morass; Gandhism is the latest fad in here...

I wanna sell my book dude!!!

Move away marketers and spin doctors there is a new dude in the block. He is the one who can sell any dud with such élan that it will like hot chips. He and his gang, all have almost sinister resemblance that is no coincidence. They mostly held influential positions and were sissies when it mattered, now trying to seek redemption through book writing, it is also not a coincidence that they make huge money in the deal. If Gen. Musharaf could then so could our very own moron Jaswant Singh (his claim to fame also includes escorting hijackers to kandhahar….even his English couldn’t save this embarrassment). Both sold their books with dexterity by planting stories, creating suspense, using prime time of salivating media …putting even seasoned marketers to shame. One would have to admit that despite Jaswant boy’s rather stellar performance it was Musharaf boy, who won hands down. You see unlike ridiculous accented Jaswant, Musharaf is also engaged in saving the world from jehadis….how?? Quite complicated will try delve some other time.

The latest dude in ‘I wanna sell my book’ is the ex Director of CIA who goes by the name George Tenet. As a pre sale act he has been dropping ‘bomb shells’ regarding the policy bungling after September 11. He claims to be not the member of ‘Lets attack Iraq’ club, which nobody is ready to buy (but first they will have to buy the book!!. Tricked you!!). He said to Larry King ‘nobody had the wisdom to predict the events in Iraq… ’. Geez I never thought that needed wisdom. Even a seven year old kid hundreds of Km away knew it. This blogger had collected their voices against the war on Iraq and send it across to Ram buffoon…contact him for further reference (well if I had a blog then I wouldn’t be so foolish!!). Well atleast Tenet boy is smart; he will sell more copies of his book and be a millionaire. Next ‘writers’ include Bush, Cheney, Powel, Rice…..no wonder US of A has so many millionaires!!!. Millions on the bodies of innocent people. What a shame. Tenet’s tenet? ‘Humans makes mistake’. Tenet’s unsaid but practicing tenet? ‘…..well humans make mistake but we sure will make money out of it…..its prime time money churning entertainment dude’.

Post script: suggested title for Bush’s forthcoming book ‘Did it for papa’/ ‘There is a Sam in Osama’/ ‘Lost but won but lost in Baghdad’. For Cheney ‘Have gun, will shoot’/ ‘By God I will Shoot’/ ‘I am aiming the duck, it could be the President’.

Natwar Singh’s forthcoming book: My well oiled son!!!

Bharath Ratna for Rajkumar

If anybody deserves the Bharath Ratna then it is none other than Late Rajkumar. Conceding that the politicians and Media do overemphasis the role of movie actors as it provides them with saleable faces and glossy bytes but Rajkumar was above all these. He avoided the media and carried no pretensions of grandeur. A man so humble and impeccable in his bearing that all sections of society in Karnataka admire him. The outsiders particularly the anglicized elites squatting in power centers may have a cynical view on this but the fact is common people in Karnataka consider him God. There is nothing wrong in that since he epitomized what they considered admirable (in reel and real life, as also a hugely successful actor) and he on his part never misused that trust. He did attempt to channelise these into positive action but never for personal gain, indications on how much he respected people. He was truly great. He was to Karnataka (and to many south Indians) what Dilip Kumar (taking another example from film industry and a great human) is to north India. The nation needs to recognize him with the highest award.

Post Script: It is bit late though and one wonders what he would have made out of this demand!!!. I guess some people are so great that it increases the worth of awards.

In recent times though these admirable symbols are being hijacked by parochial forces, this is very sad. It is also very unfortunate that Tamilians are targeted and many cinema halls don’t show Tamil movies. This blogger rarely goes for movies but Rajnikanth movies are something I don’t like to miss (I like his style. Njan oru thavana solutha pathu thavana solamadiri… jagarudhe. Beat that one!!!!. He is the most stylish actor i have come across). So one wonders what happens to his latest movie in Karnataka. If it is not released in Karnataka it will be nothing short of tragedy.

How I learn to stop worry and love the Gun

So we have another shooting in US of A. Kids killing each other and themselves is a pattern we have started to associate with this country. But still people can buy guns and ammunition at free will from the friendly corner shop. Most civilized society will cringe even at the thought of people owning guns, being sold like this is unimaginable. But then US of A is a different place here people are proud of their ‘fundamental right’. Right to carry gun it seems is most fundamental of all rights. It seems people have right to protect themselves….very true then what state machinery is for? If US of A cannot even provide protection to its own citizen then what kind of law and order machinery they have. And if they cannot even enforce order within their own country, that each citizen has to own a gun, then what gives them the authority to play policeman to the world?......just hold it there. There seems to one group who seems to be in win-win situation and that is the gun lobby.

Gun lobby in US of A is very strong and vocal, it has very influential people, politicians in the payroll. Before even full scale tragedy of VT massacre were out, politicians (even a Presidential candidate) were found allaying doubts from the minds of Gun lobby. This is the level of crassness they can go. Nexus of Gun Lobby, politicians and big business, and the fear psychosis nearing paranoia they create among hapless citizen fed on information overdrive, is well documented in Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine (the gun culture does have its history in slavery, the fear in whites....as shown in the Documentary, now they create imaginary enemy. Osama helped thier cause). This insightful documentary although searing tragic in its portrayal of how people can be herded into self destruction, for an outsiders like me I couldn’t help laughing at these stupid people and their predicament. That is what makes it such a tragic-comic. The killings of innocent and fundamental rights of maniac. The agony, pain of victims and righteous, pride of gun peddlers.

It is kind of surreal since in real world people would see reason, compassion. But US of A works on different game plan. It definitely brings in the question of how much ammunition lobby influences US policy making, particularly when it comes to military actions abroad (latest is they are trying to align with Al Quaeda to harm Iranians!!!). Isn’t the world being held by coterie who just wants to make profit at the expense of people’s life, democracy a compliable conduit in their macabre scheme? Maybe the reason they talk democracy at home and the need to spread it abroad, sometimes with such viciousness. Also if people can decide whether they can carry gun, countries can decide whether to keep nuclear bombs. “Gun doesn’t kill people, people kill people” argues Gun lobby. Well…“nuclear bombs doesn’t kill people, people kill people” ditto!!!. “Knife in the cockpit doesn’t kill people, people kill people” ditto!!. So are we talking about deterrence or threat?. If it is fundamental right of the people to own gun then it is also unalienable for countries to own nuclear bombs. US of A is not the only country that has to safe guard the rights and lives of its people, Iran has to, and yes even Cuba has to. What gives US of A moral authority on the world when its policies are dictated by vested interests??.

The latest in the media regarding VT massacre is to try understand the mind of the killer (a South Korean with some serious problems that he couldn’t handle and very unfortunately killed many innocent people including two Indians. Very upsetting indeed), they are trying to look at his brain, it is about frontal lobe I am told, a kind of instinctive fellow. So much for ideas on sense of humor!!. Well what about the minds behind ‘gun lobby’?? What about the brain which calculates to maximize without much empathy or even sympathy on thousands of lives lost and maimed??. The corporatisation of politicians doesn’t leave us with any distinctions. President Bush in his address at VT says the victims “were at wrong place at wrong time” and that is all about the tragedy. It should be that ‘they were in wrong place at wrong time but in front of the right gun we help him buy (thumbs up dude). This is about democracy and rights. We also have some very unfortunate people at very wrong place in front of very right smart guns in Iraq, earlier in Vietnam….”. Amen to that. Dude I love my Gun. The Korean kid had a problem, millions youngster around the world have problems. But millions of kids around the world don’t have gun lobby to help. Countries have their government influenced by vested interest, but most countries don’t have arm suppliers or are not nuclear power. This makes US of A very dangerous country.

The attempt now in US media seems to be to identify kids with problem, the potential killers. Meaning now the attempt will be on compliance. This suits the State and the Market. So anyone protesting or even taking a solitary position could be targeted. As for macabre writings …well in that case Raj Kamal Jha should be in high security prison, seriously!!. So should many other writers and so would many of the greatest thinkers, inventors (dude most were loners!!. They were not “normal” people who came in chat show!!). So are we talking about creative writing or mind mapping?. This blogger poohs poohs the attempt at classifying the kid on his writing, maybe he was poor writer with astounding imagination that may not fit with the conventional behavior, considering that he was into English major, wherein he was suppose to present creative paper unlike say a pre teenager who expresses anguish through pictures or scribbles. What is seen as macabre makes him extraordinary….not necessarily a killer, he was bit old to be studied through writing. It is quite a coincidence that he killed. What is not a coincidence is that he like many other killers in US of A could easily access the weapon that could cause maximum damage. How about spending some time to know the people behind Gun lobby?. This is were the focus should be: the cold blooded profit mongers who make money through blood and misery of people. In the meantime why not telecast Moore’s Bowling for Columbine, it will be more insightful than dissecting the unfortunate kid and creating imaginary monsters. The kid had some serious problem but what is the problem with people who support Gun Lobby??

No to Asian games in delhi

A big No to Asian Games in delhi in 2014. Why delhi why not any other city??. It seems they want all the development to happen in delhi only.
How about Pune, Chennai???

Very unfortunate: with deep regret i have to inform that i have misplaced the password of my other blog www.sdepalan.blogspot.com or maybe i forgot to close it and so...I feel very sad about it. I spend hours retrieving it, i seemed to have forgotten the email i gave. It really is very tragic.
From now on my other blog will be www.depalanhere.blogspot.com.

Bet on everything!

There was a funny incident of attempt to ban betting in Bangalore Turf, dare you!!. I guess first they should close down the stock exchange. More people have lost money speculating on Shares. Stock exchange somehow has gained the status of sacred institution, quite an achievement. You close turf betting, you close stock exchange. Ideally these discussions are time pass!!. This blogger would like to see cricket being open for betting. Government has absolutely no business to tell people where to put money. Further if over paid monkeys are adorned with Arjuna awards why are jockeys not considered, this is discrimination. This blogger would like to see outstanding jockeys like Narredu be awarded. Horse racing need to be given the respect which is due. Riding a horse (and winning the race) needs extreme skills. Picture this: would you like to see bunch of underperformers rubbing the ball on the crotch (god why???. I guess if pitch can behave, crotch can help!!) or would you go for incredible sight of amazing set of horses ridden by colorful jockeys, running together???

Recently it was reported that one of the ‘Indian cricketer’ had signed an endorsement with a condition that he would spend as much as time on the pitch intent to give exposure to the product. This is shocking. The media however refused to name the person as if it is some state secret. We would like to know who this player is. He has not only brought disrepute to the game but has hindered the chance of Indian team. He has fooled millions of followers of this game. He has indulged in unethical practice which is as grievous as match fixing. So hiding his name is equally criminal. The BCCI has to reveal the name…..or in case media is aware of it they should bring this scoundrel out. People would like to know, they are being fooled.

Please join in the appeal to release Alan Johnston the BBC reporter kidnapped more than a month back.
This blogger had always a very healthy view of BBC. I love watching BBC as much I listened the radio as a kid, the Hindi version too. They should be cautious when dealing with India (unavoidable because of population), since lots of pretentious people are stampeding for attention. Foreign channel if serious can know more about the nation and its issues by directly involving the common people and not elite (particularly those pretentious types who have positioned to save common people aka Crude Woman) British and American attention would make the day of any these scum, it is their reference point, pinnacle of achievement, origin of ‘making India proud’. Channels like BBC will only degrade itself associating with superficial people.

On exclusive interviews

This blogger questions the people holding government (public) positions giving interviews to private channels. A minister, a member of judiciary and bureaucrats are not paid to give exclusive interviews to private TV channels. This should be taken as a breach of conduct. Once a politician assumes office he has no business to associate with TV channel or Press, this is a form of corruption- media suaveness at the of expense competence in the job, it is dereliction of duty and misuse of position for personal gains. Press release and statements given at common platform- conferences, are the way to communicate to public. Any other involvement of members of Executive, Judiciary or Legislature is serious threat to democratic functioning. The official time and money shouldn’t be used to work on PR.

One had lots of expectation when a member of marginalized section of society took over as Chief Justice of India but unfortunately our man spent more time in giving interview to media. Where does he get the time to indulge in these?. This is also true of Cabinet ministers. The Finance Minister gave ‘exclusive interviews’ to many channels after the budget, one must admire his energy hopping from one TV studio to another, repeating the same thing.

Let us look what this exclusive involvement in TV studios mean: Out of one billion people let us negate the people who do not have access to TV- there are millions, lets say at an optimistic level around 80% people have access to TV. Of this how many have access to cable connection?. From the percentage of people who have access to cable how many watch English channel (which in a ridiculous dement have assumed themselves as ‘National’), a favorite channel for lickers since they exist because of PR in English as also their proximity to power center. Take the example of any politician (or minister) who rushes to TV studios and you will see a licker owe his (or her) existence to the sycophancy and positioning in TV studios. Coming back, so we do have very miniscule percentage of people who watch English Channels. Now those who do watch English TV channels there are lot many channels to choose from. So what is the chance that someone has switched on the particular channel at the specified time to watch that ‘exclusive interview’? How many watched the interview of let’s say Finance minister or the Chief Justice. Few thousands at the most and this from one billion!!!. This brings in the question: who the Minister is responsible to?. Obviously to the cabinet and the legislature…..meaning to the people. So what is he doing in the TV studio giving ‘exclusive interviews’ wherein he is representing more than a billion people???. Why is a Minister who is representing one billion people choosing medium to address few thousands? Why is he investing his precious public time on these platforms??

A politician can use media when he is not in the office, before elections and so on, like you see the actors coming out before release of movies. It is a win-win situation for both; it is about how well who uses whom. That’s ‘fourth estate’ for you!!. It is quite a sight to watch a slave interviewing a popular figure, particularly from the film industry. The intensity is as much as you see a dog in front of butcher shop (next time try observing and compare with media snooping on “Abhi-Aish” wedding!!). The salivating slave will try to extract whatever from the celebrity, it is a kind of tussle and the slave’s future is very much dependent on it (do we laws protecting the slaves??). Once you get the ‘bite’ it’s for the spin doctor’s to take over. So we have out of context quotes and if luck favors “Breaking News”. And then we have self appointed guardian- the newsreader, fresh from beauty parlor, you feel will almost break into ‘everything we do, we do it for you’. The reason why they don’t have this song running while they read the news is a mystery; probably they guessed it right that it’s beyond Homo sapiens to comprehend too many noises. Well we can blame god. Not very Market savvy I say.

One wonders whether we do have copyright laws??. Since the input is on TRP, the news is about entertainment. Thus we have more of movie and song sequences in TV channels. Infact they try to create news so as to include movie bites and songs (another favorite area is cricket). Nothing wrong it is ok to be desperate about profit- it is an internationally accepted understanding!!. The question is do they pay for it particularly to producers, script writers of the movie and songwriters, lyricist of the song, if not it is exploitation and cheap way to make money. Have they bought the rights of the movie or the scene which they are broadcasting?? (offcourse scenes from new movies are part of promotion and that is an important revenue source). Also many of the channels have song competitions; the creators of these songs should get the cut (recently songs are being used to peddle products. Easy job!!). Movies and songs are not public property nor are TV channels doing any public service. It is important that there is freedom of expression but it also very important that there should be protection of creativity. The unscrupulous shouldn’t be given free run to undermine everything to make profit. There is an immediate need to create laws to end this exploitation. Meaning less shubh laab …….rrrreppppeeeeattt (from Rajnikant movie song!!)

Forget Osama where is Anderson dude??. Shouldn’t we ‘shock and awe’ the US??

It was on a pleasant afternoon that I reached the sight where the Union Carbide Plant was located (I had been here more than a decade back). The Plant had large barren land surrounding, not cordon off, no guards, children played cricket and cattle grazed the field. This was shocking since hundreds of tons of toxic waste is still left untouched- an environmental disaster site. Studies indicate that tons of toxic material dumped at the old plant has now seeped into the groundwater. Well water and groundwater tests conducted in the surrounding areas in 1999 showed mercury levels to be at “20,000 and 6 million times” higher than expected levels; heavy metals and organochlorines were present in the soil. Environmental groups who had collected samples from the soil (groundwater, fruits, and vegetables) have found high levels of heavy metals such as nickel, chromium, mercury, and lead, along with other toxic materials in the area and surrounding. Shocking also because this is the sight, which caused the worst industrial tragedy in the world.
Opposing the Plant, across the road, was like any other poorer location of the city- densely populated, congested houses with narrow by lanes, most of them had one or more family member victim of this disaster. Dow chemicals (which now own Union Carbide) refuse to clean up the place and has put thousand of people’s lives in constant life threatening ailments for last 23 years. A Union Carbide spokesman says that the company and its sole shareholder, the Dow Chemical Company, cannot be held liable for any waste cleanup at the plant or any contamination of the ground water. "There is no legal foundation for application of liability". Comrades in Bengal have now opened the door for Dow Chemicals. Comrade scoundrels. People of Haldia should know what they are getting into. Dow Chemicals was also fined by US finance regulatory recently for unfair trade practices in India. They bribed Indian officials around 8.8 million Rs. Any cases in India???. Off course not, it’s about sacred Investment, rising GDP and off course Comrades Party Fund, after all they have to save the world!!. Experts warn that Indian regulations on industry remain lax, and that a future Bhopal-style tragedy referred to as ‘Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry’ is still very possible.

The worst commercial industrial disasters in history, mass murder is the word used (quite appropriately), occurred on the night of 3rd December 1984. I recall this clearly since I was awake as I had to finish school homework and the TV was on- not sure if it was the fateful night or the night after but the image of people running helter skelter is etched clearly. Another connection is that few years later we had a classmate in school who escaped the tragedy unscathed despite being in Bhopal (years later I came to know he got severely burned in an accident) he used to give vivid details of the event.

Of the 800,000 people living in Bhopal at the time, 3000 died immediately around 500,000 people were exposed to the leaking chemicals. Approximately 20,000, to this date, are believed to have died as a result; on average, roughly one person dies every day from the effects. Over 120,000 continue to suffer from the effects of the disaster, such as breathing difficulties, cancer, serious birth-defects, blindness, gynaecological complications and other related problems. According to a report it is believed that 50,000 people are unable to work because of their debilitating ailments. This chilling paragragh from a senior railway official who was witness to the tragedy when train arrived carrying victims from Bhopal to Itarsi:

The sight at Itarsi was something straight out of Dante’s ‘Inferno.’ Dozens of men, women and children were writhing in agony and we watched them in horrified helplessness. Death was a welcome relief to the victims, their eyeballs swollen red and bursting, every breath bringing agony to their burning lungs. The screams of the tortured bodies were in different languages

Beginning in 1991, the local authorities from Bhopal charged Warren Anderson (who headed Union Carbide and retired in 1986), with manslaughter, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Anderson has so far avoided an international arrest warrant and a US court summons. He was declared a fugitive from justice by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal on Feb 1 1992 for failing to appear at the court hearings in a culpable homicide case in which he was named the chief defendant. Orders were passed to the Government of India to press for an extradition from the United States, with whom India had an extradition treaty in place. He went missing for several years, until he was discovered by Greenpeace “living a life of luxury in the Hamptons”. The Bhopal Medical Appeal believe that “neither the American nor the Indian government seem interested in disturbing him with an extradition”. Some allege that the Indian government has hesitated to put forth a strong case of extradition to the United States, fearing backlash from foreign investors who have become more important players in the Indian economy following liberlisation. A plea by India's Central Bureau of Investigation to dilute the charges from culpable homicide to criminal negligence has since been dismissed by the Indian courts. (para copied from the Net). Around the wall the views (frustration is better word) of people could be read.

The contamination from grazing cattle stock getting into food chain and consequences on children playing in the field, facing constant exposure is anybody’s guess. In an investigation broadcast on BBC on Nov 14, 2004, it was reported that the site is still contaminated with 'thousands' of metric tons of toxic chemicals, including benzene hexachloride and mercury, held in open containers or loose on the ground. Some areas are reportedly so polluted that anyone entering the area for more than ten minutes is likely to lose consciousness. Rainfall causes run-off, polluting local wells and boreholes, and the results of tests undertaken on behalf of the BBC by accredited water analysis laboratories in the United Kingdom reveal pollution levels in borehole water 500 times the legal maximum in that country. This blogger didn’t risk venturing into the site. There was a small park adjoining the Union Carbide plant, where children were playing. The park had old rusted slide that seem to be centre of amusement for the kids. I had no intention to speak to people, 23 years is frustratingly long period, its important not to fleece their tragedy. I considered asking questions on tragedy an insult on people in here. But children’s experiences are different, so got into the mode of getting to know them, asking about the school they study and so on. Children were not too keen on interaction as they were too immersed in their game, only when I took out the camera they were interested and congregated around me shouting “photo lo hamari” in the mean time I asked them in passing whether they were aware what happened out there, pointing to the factory. For a moment there was a silence then the youngest of them got into the act, and screamed “‘gas nikili thee” and slid down as if exhilarated by the knowledge!!. The eldest of them who could be 7 or 8 mentioned his father has eye related ailments since the gas leak, meanwhile younger one pulled his hair and ran, and he chased him cursing. I left them in their own world, somewhat guilty of the intrusion.

Remembrance and tribute

Apparitions

Today, the noise of traffic
reminded a screech, a crash
a death.

A life so valued
gets a chance to be recalled
in the cacophony of mindless vehicles and abusive drivers.

I curse myself
for the precious lapse
and attempt to sacred the thought.


(remembering Dearest Dinesh, a relative, a close friend who “liked to bike around Cochin 12 o clock in the night” and I on the pillion!!)

Tribute to Lauri Baker
Lauri Baker came to India from England during the World War 2, and later moved to Kerala. He became immensely popular with low cost houses he designed. ‘Baker houses” were at one point quite popular among elite in kerala, many clones doing the round. I also knew few friends whose parent’s were senior bureaucrats’ preferred ‘Baker house’. It was a kind of a statement!!. I have seen Mr. Baker on many occasions’ decades back, quite a lively face.

Slimiest of them all

When we talk of Sports in India we cannot ignore the corruption and politicization. Cricket for instance has attracted all kinds of scoundrels. The slimiest of them is one who goes by the name Sharad Pawar. This fellow is the Union Agriculture Minister and also scraped in as BCCI head, now our man wants to see himself as ICC chief- with bit of politicization on racism he might even make it, already the greasy fellow has capitalized on the divide, most South Asian countries it seems are supporting his candidature. Infact the interest in matters of cricket has crossed party line (Jaitley boy is another patriotic savior), Pawar is therefore in an enviable position, something we should admire, the reason why monkeys use words like ‘astute’, even ‘senior’. In Indian context successful politician is the one who has clout. Clout comes from money, money buys vote bank. Clout and money also comes from the position one holds.

Agriculture Ministry is least of Pawar’s concern. Thousands of farmers have suicide and are suiciding as I write. When he visited Kerala sometime back he refused to meet farmers in Wayanad, lack of time was the reason given. What is consuming his time? A seasoned scoundrel meaning ‘senior politician’ he knows his priorities. Is he not holding the office of profit being a Union Minister? Is he not violating the code?. Even if he is not isn’t it clear that he should be concerned with grievous matters of his Ministry?.

What has this man to do with cricket; he is very obviously capitalizing the game to build up his clout and wants the limelight. Why any politician should be allowed space in sport bodies? Why is Indian sport not doing well has answer in these and Pawar is a glaring example. People like him should be kicked out if not shoved out like the Australian team recently did on the dais, poor little Pawar was doing what comes naturally to him- getting himself photographed. Rightly so, Australians didn’t want him in the frame. For a politicians this is the most tragic moment!!. Senior cricketers cried foul on Australian teams behavior. The reason has more to do with the clout this fellow has- its licking time folks, why are they not crying foul on the way the politicians have invaded the game? Why nobody asks ‘What is Pawar doing in cricket??”. One ‘senior member’ of Indian team (meaning ‘permanent member’ in Indian context) even invoked ‘culture of treating elders”. With statements like these he is sure to remain in the team for long time (not to forget Maharashtra lobby). Bloody wimps. They could learn a lesson or two how to treat scoundrels from Australians (ofcourse it was ill mannered but then what has mannerism to do with Pawar in Indian cricket board). When push comes to shove then shove should end up in a kick otherwise why shove?!

People like Pawar can be evicted by no other way. They are veterans in this game and know how to cling on. It is not about charisma, the clout has basis in money power which he has accumulated over the years. Surely the fellow found his wavelength in Enron (must have made millions through bribes. This fellow's name keep creeping-in in almost all corruption scandal). Corporate corruption is unheard of in India. Now Pawar is making money through ‘men in blue’. No wonder ‘men in blue’ have more endorsement obligations, an achievement even the best teams in the world cannot match. It is that ‘cricket is just a game’ is accidental. Pawar laughs off any other suggestions. Suicides by farmers is another game going on. The fact that Indian agriculture sector is in shambles is another game he need to shrug. The tragedy is he will carry on, as he has been for decades. And yes monkeys in Media will admire his cunningness after all it is just what they also aspire for, such dexterity. Lickers will converge and share some tips, this is where the stampede is. Cricket is just a game!!!.

On buying emotion (written before the WC debacle)

Sachin Tendulkar is a member of Indian cricket team. Many Indians know him and admire him for his batting skills. But many is not most since most Indians don’t watch cricket or may not have TV, there are many other issues, basic needs, to take care -also considering that millions live below poverty line. That is reality check for you which market gloss cannot hide. Nevertheless Sachin Tendulkar is an inspiring figure for millions of youngsters in metros and small town.

So far we understand that Mr. Tendulkar is a good batsman with an impeccable on-field behavior in short a good sportsperson. The problem starts when he packages himself to sell products. Here they focus on his personal attributes-which is constructed as the situation demands, more appropriately the market demands. It is also that the Market capitalizes (or packages) the image he- media, has created. Since media is extension for market it means the same thing. This is where they play with the emotions of people. People like-adore Sachin because he is a good sportsperson. Now the construct is Sachin likes-adores Coca Cola (or say a brand of bike) so since people adore Sachin they should also adore the product. Adoration here is now constructed as ‘buy it’. The last part is implied-this is where we get to acquaint subtlety in crass world of Market. The role of Sachin is to emote, to authenticate this liking. This is where the issue of cheating comes since he is emoting to capitalize the emotions of the people for his cricket playing skills into hard cash for the company. This blogger however fails to understand what kind of fool will be influenced by ads when making choices of such costly products. It is ridiculous but then Sachin is so admired by many they can be unreasonable. It is also a different matter whether Sachin has ever used that brand of bike or has done a comparative study with other brands. Most importantly who is he to tell people which brand to buy. He is only a cricket player not a bike expert. Clearly they are playing with emotions of the cricket lovers for shubh lab.

Sachin Tendulkar is just an example this true about all sportsperson around the world, but Indians make it big because of population rather than competence. Now the question is since they made millions out of people’s emotions what happens when they break people’s emotions or don’t fulfill the expectations-further hyped by market???. People will give it back in the same coin. They attack their property and abuse them……well this blogger has absolutely nothing against people’s emotional outbursts. Fans are expected to behave that way particularly when they are being cheated, or sold big dreams by mediocre. In Indian context it needs to be particularly vicious, since we are not living in decent world why always expect fans to be decent (offcourse most ridiculous fan reactions are media managed-no rocket science there). When selling product they target people’s emotions but when they fail in the game they tell people to be rational and blame the fans for irrationality. You invoke their emotions and make money and now tell them to control themselves when at receiving end, quite strange!!!. This blogger also feel that the fan’s reactions has been quite subdued, they need to go step further particularly in case of players who come in ads. They should make them live in fear. So that next time they take an ad assignment they need to understand what they are getting into. Licking into people’s feelings can be dangerous. Shubh lab comes with strings attached dude.

Post script: The above piece was written before the Indian cricketer’s disastrous performance at the “world cup” (sure there is world out there!!), I was ambivalent about publishing this in my blog. The suggestion of this blogger (who has no love for cricket but is very concerned about Marketers exploiting people’s emotions, also since every moron in the town has an a suggestion why not me!!!) to BCCI would be to make an obligatory clause in the contract with the players to avoid endorsement and ads. The argument that players are doing this in ‘free time’ is rather juvenile since they are exploiting people’s expectations and emotional association with the game and are therefore very much responsible for inactions on the field. This blogger suggest the players to go for a long walk during ‘free time’!!!. Also the contract should ask players not to indulge with Media (essentially bunch of monkeys desperate for big money) nor should the board members, the media need to be dealt with press releases- that is asking for too much when people are jostling for eyeball space.

Greed comes from insecurity. Insecurity is an illness of mind, they reflect this when they play the game and refuse to take risks as they don’t want to loose money from endorsements. They don’t mind working on their own image (creating records another passion around here at the teams expense -remember that fellow Ravi Shastri-who just wanna have Audi car babe-he does come in with his expert comments nowadays, he surely can coach team on matters commercial!!. The point was not whether India won the match but whether it was right for Tendulkar to miss double century!!). Image building therefore takes precedence over team or the game. Thus we have more ‘Stars’(Digaj kiladi) than players. The reality was shown by few teenagers from Bangladesh!!. Then they say that Bangladesh played well (no Indian ‘stars’ never play badly- they are part of cosmic reasons). What Bangladesh team was all about was shown by Sri Lanka. The reality is far from the hype the monkeys are creating. How about not keeping record of players score???. This will make matches immensely interesting.

In conclusion this blogger feels that only player worth mentioning would be Rahul Dravid. He has been impeccable. Quite an inspiring fellow, I feel sorry for him. I guess the Market hype did his team in (it can be quite disconcerting when millions of people are watching and have opinions). The ‘stars’ in his team forgot they are to play cricket and not represent Pepsi-Coca Cola (Champu Khan did his patriotic puppetry bit). The tragedy was already written on the wall if anybody had time to read.

“I will use my gun if needed….”

Well well well I don’t have a gun…..sorry to disappoint. This was a statement made by ‘senior politburo’ member of CPI (M) as a clarification since a loaded gun was detected in his bag at Chennai airport. It was answer to Media on whether he would use gun. Neek pokkan (comrade Pinrayi Vijayan) uttered what government at Bengal did not hesitate to practice. These are the ‘new leaders’ of Left- byproduct of ‘changing times’ in certain circles. This blogger had in recent past documented the complete lack of social development in Bengal. The ‘leaders’ are truly the feudalist in Marxist garb. They never had to practice democracy in their daily dealings since the society lacked mobility ….so elections became matter of ritual. It is true in any region where the comrades have ruled they tend to undermine democracy…..and thus are prone to dictatorial exigencies. Atleast in other communist regions they had (have) the history of giving utmost important to social indices, also leaders do spring up from lower strata- sometimes truly revolutionary whether Lech walesa or Castro, in Indian context particularly in Bengal the ‘bandralok’ have usurped the power and have passed on to their clan, with, one must admit here, remarkable efficiency that even the non political intellects of the country have been taken for ride for quite sometime. Some achievement this from the bunch that operate through goons at the grass root, but impeccably humble at social gatherings. The goose is very much out and as suspected the scene is far from rosy. The ugliness is for all of us to see. It is easy to play the opposition and garner votes and sympathies of people but when one is in power the equation changes. As the boogeyman told children in kindergarten ‘with power comes responsibility’.

It is not a coincidence that CPI (M) is known to bulldoze its allies in the Left, they surely are not used to democracy. This is not a startling fact, it was always there but now in open since they are in the decision maker’s seat in a crucial situation, expectedly they showed their true colours. It is also not a coincidence that it is the Left that has been vocal against democratic institution like the Election Commission or the Supreme Court (in Kerala the student’s wing came blatantly in open against the Court throwing out norms and conventions…with active support from the ‘leaders’). As a preempt they have also started making statement against Art. 356. This blogger is very much for article 356, infact my contention is since it is politicized and misused many a times, there need to be provision on PIL from citizen to impose Art 356 in case the Governor fails to act or centre considers political exigency. Suo moto could be taken by the court. There is a need to strengthen Art. 356 by including common people.

This blogger suspects the lack of transparency and corruption in election process in Bengal. When the RSS members in government service is cause of concern why not Comrades. Any form of politicization of government machinery is serious whether RSS or Comrades (or even mullahgiri). Post liberalization the political parties are hand in glove with Marketers, it is no wonder that despite changes in the government the policies are almost the same. Democracy surely has become a farce. And yes neek pok Vijayan can use his gun if he wants, so can the goons in Nandigram. Sometimes the dialectics of materialism has no dialects but only materialism, Comrade Budhadeb Bhattacharjee I am told knows better.

Thank u Mr. Minister

The railway minister’s budget is welcomed on the initiatives taken on unreserved compartments. Increasing the unreserved compartment and making them comfortable (cushioned) was long overdue, particularly the later. This move will definitely help millions of commuters. This blogger has traveled in unreserved compartments hundreds of times. The journey can be quite miserable. But then most Indians at lower strata are quite tolerant to discomforts and create their own ambience to overcome hiccups that it turns out to be pleasant experience, mostly. There is a common misconception that Indian trains don’t run on time my experience has been contrary, except few instances trains have mostly run on time in last 6-7 years, earlier though it was pathetic. Also there is an assumption that unreserved bogies are unsafe…..well it is true to some extend, offcourse one is responsible for oneself and has to take sufficient precautions. This bloggers experience has not been entirely negative. Sometimes the compartment is so full that one might have to stand many hours and even when someone do offer few inches of space (and they do…somewhere people do try to make others comfortable despite their own misery which can be overwhelming at times) the seats are wooden that it starts to sting after few hours, the reason why the cushioning the seats is such a marvelous move (no guesses why previous railway ministers never thought on these line).

There have been some problems during journeys on these compartments like for instance once a man slipped, fortunately the train was not moving fast but he did injure himself, skirmishes do happen but nothing major. Sometimes people also travel inside toilets!!!!. I for one drop out if it gets too bad and create a new plan for traveling…..well I don’t work under anyone!!!. Rishte meh hum thumhare baap lagthe hai, naam hai shehanshah!!!. However one problem remains and you really cannot blame the railways for it (it’s about too much population) that is once you are in you cannot move so food and toilet is no option.

This blogger had almost two years of free run and didn’t have to travel in unreserved. Since my travels are mostly short notice and whimsical I faced untold miseries during traveling in the earlier days then I had this brainwave and it worked spectacularly. Where I used to stay there were guys who worked in railway ministry and they mentioned about last minute release of seats (VIP quota or emergency quota and so on) I tried to get reservation from them but it was bit laborious and you have to pay some 100 rupees. I gathered if you know some top fellows things would be easier, and so I spend some time to know about the structure of railway ministry and presto I came to know about the magazine run by railways (I still am not sure why do they have a magazine!!). There was an Editor who was quite a senior fellow in the hierarchy, easy target!!. Things worked out and quite pleasantly (shocking would be right word) he found me very interesting. I spend many hours in his office, he really didn’t mind me sitting for no reason more appropriately he took lots of time to get talking since somebody or other will drop in or phone, most time I was eavesdropping, these guys have their own little world. …he also gave me coupons for food and so on. I gathered he thought I would make it big (the article I wrote for the magazine was quite mediocre and it was published after few years…things go at their own pace at government!!). He was a nice man but prone to hyperbole. He once even mentioned ‘where you are sitting once Salman Rushdie sat’ (meaning even great writers had come for his favor…sure I believed!!). I just had to book the seat and give the PNR number to his secretary a day before and voila I get reservation, I had two wonderful years of traveling. Absolutely great but then he retired (i did try work out with the next Editor but I was quite rudely shown the door). Nice man he was, he helped me more than many ways. So now the Railway Minister has taken these measures which will definitely make millions of commuter’s life bearable if not comfortable. This blogger congratulates the Railway Minister for the policy decision.

For the Finance Minister: Why not heavy tax on the inheritance of property???. Since we didn’t have much of land reforms this would be quite an appropriate move. Offcourse it requires bold initiatives from the politicians (oxymoron?).

*all photos taken from the NET

A cowardly act

Condolences for people killed in train blasts near Panipat. This probably only instance in Indian history when so many foreign nationals are killed. It’s a horrific act.

Lessons to Mr. Pronoy on Media propriety

There are things the media needs to learn sometimes the lesson can be from street, this banner I came across some years back at Pune (if I recall correctly) would help. It says:

IN OUR COUNTRY
DON’T ATTEMPT AT PREDICTING WEATHER CRICKET
AND ELECTIONS

On sensitive indexes and behaving pitches, and orders of Master

Fixing a competition is cheating, therefore illegal. Whether in cricket, football or any other game it is a punishable act. However what makes betting illegal is beyond this blogger. Punting is free will of an individual. If punting can be allowed in games like horse racing what makes cricket so special? Also what makes cricketers super patriots unlike say players of kabaddi or jockeys?. The issue of ‘fixing’ is precisely this. Surely the elite are following the instructions given by their erstwhile masters. So horse racing becomes “… a game of mere skill within the meaning of section 49 of the madras city police act and section of gambling act..(Supreme Court 1996)”. So one can bet in racing not in cricket. Therefore horse racing is about money making and cricket is about patriotism!!. Quite a strange logic. Britishers wanted it that way so the slaves followed it. And unlike Indians, Britishers also considered themselves as gentlemen (quite difficult to digest by common people but elite I am told have better idea than mortals), so the games they preferred also came to be ‘gentlemen’s game’ unlike kabaddi or other local games. Gentlemen surely, they spit, they curse, they abuse, they cheat, they fool (one even graduated as a poacher, now hiding under political clout). When exploiters were gentlemen then we know where the elite get their values from. One would be enlightened about Indian society if one goes on to find what makes a cricketers and which section of society predominates, also what makes Indian cricketers so very incompetent (except some rare exceptions). Many hang around in the team because of ‘reputation’ (typically Indian); ‘market value’ though will be a better term.

In recent times there has been an attempt to ‘represent India’ among elite circle, this an attempt to usurp the gains coming in India’s direction because of the huge consumer base. The foreigners are looking for identifiable figures to associate and also reward, as recognizing India. The stampede in elite circle is understandable. The reason why all kind of dubious people are now ‘representing India’. Some in elite also try to sell on the bogey of India’s tradition on ‘tolerance’ (the reality would be much revealing) and ‘secularism’. They try to classify people to justify their reasoning (most appropriately their own reason d’entre). Many in sports (like cricket) are seen as representing even religion this suit elite section perfectly to harp on how divergent our culture is to the Europeans and so try to consolidate their positions in these circles as ‘representing India’. What is common place for us becomes celebration for them.

There is a joke doing the round in commentators box during the cricket match that cricket is game of ‘uncertainties’. Pray which game is about certainties?!!. The way they create hype around the game (conceding that it is probably the only game where even the pitch ‘behaves’. Sensitive gentlemen and sensitive indexes). Ultimately this is a game which is played not by most countries (some 10 odd countries, with a huge population having nothing much to do and almost a similar set of elite and their devious ways). But in a nation of a billion even an average performance by the team is main news if not ‘breaking’. Mediocre media and its priorities, competition of TRP.

All games should be open for betting, it’s an individual’s choice. What is the logic that only market can gain from this game? Why cannot common people also make money from the game?. What is so ethical about sportsperson selling products??. What kind of system is this and who these credibility?? Why parameters change when it is about common people, people who want to bet on the game. Also even though a Sri Lankan player (say Jayasuriya or Murlidharan) or West Indian player (Lara and so on) are infinitely better than many ‘Indian players’ they can never dream of making as much money- the reason is very much because of population, surely not competence.

The ‘match betting’ in cricket and the media paranoia is where the absurd meets ridiculous. Funny though all the frenzy, for concerned people these circus can be disturbing. Media can carry on their petty money making manipulations, most people don’t have much expectations from these self appointed guardians. Our concern is misuse of state machinery. Police force of the State is not meant for enforcing club rules. I am sure the police forces in states have better things to do than checking ‘code of conduct’ compliance of club members. What a shame. They can only investigate in case of criminal complaint. The enthusiasm shown by DGP of Maharashtra is misplaced. I am sure our man has more significant law and order situations to handle (god forbid no bomb blasts happen but in case any such incidents occur in future this fellow should be held responsible for dereliction of duty). This blogger questions the Home Ministry of the Nation (and the states) as to how the government officials are allowed direct access to TV channels (collectively referred to as Media). Isn’t it violation of service clause? As a rule government officials shouldn’t be voicing their views to channels (they are not being paid by the government to feed sound bytes to mediocre media). The government officials or anyone representing government are supposed to give information through press conference or press release.

I do like to end this article on a positive note congratulating the government on the action taken to enforce private channels to share the direct telecast in Doordarshan. Marketers shouldn’t be allowed to fatten themselves in the name of the country and its people (7minute delay by private channel is audacious, if need be a parliament act can be passed on these matters). Like this blogger most Indians welcomes these moves by the government. People elect the government to be responsible to their needs and aspirations and not hobnobbing with profit mongers. Nothing wrong in shubh labh though, just that gotta follow the rules dude, meaning less profit!!.

Unfortunate One

This taken from a blog i came across the other day (the blogger: Bob in Washington). The poetry and the snap touched me in a way not experienced in recent times.

Oh, if I could speak,
If only I could speak!
How I would tell you,
How often I would tell you
I love the air,
I love air.
I love sunlight,
Oh, the sunlight!
Life! I love life!
Oh ... If only I could speak!

Language of conscience

It is in the soul of things
that disintegration
invades earlier than other
a twitch in the mind
an involuntary pull of hand
a pause in a thought
before acts of deception
and crime