Advice to Media from Desmond Tutu

Archbishop Desmond Tutu called on the media to be more careful in their choice of words when reporting on religious conflict. Tutu, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984, said that broad understanding of trouble spots was often complicated by the language used to describe the activities of people or religions involved in them. Tutu called for tolerance and understanding of religions.
"I would hope that you in the media would be passionate about letting people judge for themselves, that you would be careful about some of the language that you do actually use," he said.
"'Muslim terrorism' - have you ever read anywhere 'Christian terrorism'? - as if Islam propagates violence, but you have never spoken about what happened in Northern Ireland as Christian terrorism," he said.
"Fundamentally there is no faith that I know that propagates violence, that says it's a good thing to oppress anybody."
Tutu said he recognized the media could be a force for good but that it had responsibilities.
"You have a very powerful media. I know because you helped us very much in our struggle to tell our story. You did it for us and we benefited enormously."
Tutu added, however, that understanding different religions required peoples of all faiths to understand different perspectives.
"We Christians ought to get off our high horse and learn to be a great deal more humble, when you look at our history, the bloody things that we did in the name of religion," he said.
Tutu, 75, is the former Anglican archbishop of Cape Town and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work against apartheid.

Discrimination of HIV kids…

It is shocking the way the children are being treated in a school in Kottayam (Kerala). When I say children I mean both the HIV infected and the normal children. The reasons of parents sound cruel but the apprehensions need be understood in socio-cultural context. I recall even the most advanced societies dealt the disease in similar manner in the initial period. If you recall one Basket ball player in USA (magic Johnson, I recollect) was discriminated and had to quit (I have a vague recollection I could be wrong. I recall photo of his bleeding hand). Also many celebrities even hid the disease, like Rock Hudson. The point I am making here is the Metro based media and TV channels should stop being judgmental about the parents and desist accusing them of some serious misdemeanor. They may not be as cruel as is being made out. It is easy to pass judgment and show oneself as some kind of saviors in TV studios.

This blogger wants to know how many HIV infected students are studying in ‘prestigious schools’ or for that matter any of the schools in rich neighborhoods. They don’t even allow poorer sections, in clear violation of rules. Further they get huge money from abroad in the name of AIDS (it has become quite a chic disease to deal, a burgeoning cottage industry) why is the money not spend to take care of these children. This blogger suspects that the money is wasted on high profile events and photo ops at the expense of grass root work. This blogger tried his best to get the data of number of children suffering from AIDS in this country and how are they being counseled. I could get nothing. It is a shame. The shame is nearer home of many of those who are taking high moral grounds, care to admit.

This blogger empathize with the HIV infected children, as also apprehensive parents of other children…

Very wrong Mr. President

APJ Abdul Kalam did a tremendous job as President of India. He definitely is an inspiring man, gave dignity to the post. But his attempt to second term is unbecoming. Retiring from the post of President will give him more opportunity to constructively engage with society, in particular the youngsters with whom he is very popular. What the official commitments prevented him from doing, he could now impartially put his effort and energy. He has done whatever he could as the President and now could contribute more post retirement. He is unnecessarily dragging himself into controversy and sullying the respect people have for him. This blogger is looking forward to listen to his lecture post retirement, as it will make him easily accessible.

Although one would prefer a ‘non political’ Governor or President, Prathiba Patil is eminently qualified to be the next President of India. Again, Mr. Kalam has done an incredible job, he should exit with dignity.

This blogger has taken special interest in listening to people holding responsible position after they retire. One reason is it cuts down the nonsense crowd. Second is, a person once leaving the position turns more interesting, probably because they could say things they wouldn’t /couldn’t while holding the post!!. Last but not least they are more enlightening as also engaging with experience and anecdotes. The only person I was not able to listen to was Boutros Boutros Ghali, deeply regret it, I was not allowed in. Mr.Ghali was excellent as UN Secretary General, it would have been insightful to listen to him.

Prathibha tai for President

Quite clearly Ms. Pratibha Patil will be the next President. What one can make out is that she does have impeccable credentials, whatever doubt on her individuality one had (since one couldn’t stop wondering whether it is reason for sycophancy) was cleared yesterday when she made statement on Purdah. It is a reflection on her sincerity and speaking the mind without fear, taking that risk is what makes her my favorite. Also the intention of the speech was to encourage girls of the community to come out of conservative hold and constructively participate in progress, she gave example of Kalpana Chawla and so on, clearly the controversy morons are trying to create is taken out of context (Rajasthan is quite a backward state in terms of HDI, it does have some very successful business community though). Quite obviously the reason she has been in significant positions is not because of some packaging or other deviousness, she is genuine. In the world where there is a stampede on ‘political correctness’ at the expense of truth and positioning for gain she does come as healthy respite. It requires immense courage and conviction. She is dignifying and at the same time unassuming also, makes her my favorite. She has been member of State Legislature and Parliament, even as deputy chairperson of Rajya Sabha, now Governor. Pratibha Patil is eminently qualified to be the first woman President of India.

There though is factual error in her claim that Mughals where the reason for obnoxious Purdah (veil) system in region of Rajasthan. Ms. Patil is not entirely wrong though, invaders where the reason for some regressive practices is not an uncommon knowledge but Mughals needn't be classified as one. Few years back if such statements were made I would be concerned and would ask to concentrate on real issue than going to the history, now though things have changed with mullahs and their practices being seen as epitomizing ‘secularism’ and quite nauseatingly ‘culture’!!. Not that Indian society was egalitarian before Muslim invasions, it was undoubtedly a patriarchal society but there were large pockets where things were quite open that is beyond Brahminical hold- it definitely was not a closed society like in West during the same period. Patriarchal it was but it cannot be denied that some practices got credence after invasion, in particular of the Muslims. It is not a coincidence that the practice is followed in Rajasthan even now- the main route of the invasions, many were converted but Rajasthanis were stoic. It was to ‘protect women’ as also they gradually followed the elite practices propagated by ruling power (mughals to be specific) that the practice of purdah took root. This blogger had visited many forts in Rajasthan, there are sites referred to as ‘jowar’ where women suicide en masse (one can find parallel in Sikh women jumping into well during partition) to avoid capture. Most medieval invaders were scoundrels but that doesn’t mean a community need be tarnished. There are two points here: one, happenings of medieval period needs to be seen in the context of the time (the same reason why Veil-covering whole face, is disgusting). Second, ordinary people have nothing to do with rulers. So I being a Hindu and therefore somewhere responsible for whatever some scoundrel Maharaja did few hundred years is ridiculous, unless of course I claim pride in him and his actions. The same hold for Muslims. Meaning, the general public did not have anything much to do with intrigues of elite, this true then it is true now.

Bairon Singh Shekawat is an excellent candidate for the post of President, a leader of stature and dignity. I can claim to know him personally!!!. Well it’s like this we were invited for his daughter’s wedding. It was in 1980 or 81 and he was the CM of Rajasthan. I still recall it vividly since it was the most lavish wedding I ever attended. I was also ecstatic since I was wearing new dress, we had purchased it few hours back as there was a realization that I don’t really have a proper cloth for the occasion!!. We kids had some great time running around what seemed to me as never ending pandals and rows of food. We bumped into Mr. Vajpayee (and Mr. Advani), who asked us where we stayed, one of us chided him for not knowing the place. Mr. Vajpayee laughed out loudly (I rate him as the best politician in contemporary India apart from Manmohan singh). It is not always that you bump into future Prime minister!!.

Way to go Rev. Thampu

The Dalit reservation in St. Stephen is definitely a right step forward; the shocking part is why it was not implemented till now. St. Stephen is quite a prestigious college with a majestic building to match, this blogger had the chance to visit many a times as part of job. The contribution of Christianity to Indian education system is quite significant. Unfortunately almost all the elite schools and colleges in India were ransacked by licker’s children, and since defining competence. The reason for demand for Christian missionary school and college has also to do with ethos of serving and compassion associated with Christianity which has contributed in the form of some very dedicated and sincere staffs who take it as part of their mission. Of course with commercialization things have changed but the core of setting these institutions was not about profit but an extension of service which Christianity holds very dear. Religion has lots of negative things but the positives can be counted more and one being this. The demands for missionary schools have also to do with quality of English language education.

Clearly till now most prestigious schools and colleges run by missionaries were contributing to very narrow section of elite-direct beneficiaries of colonialism, so the benefits haven’t reached to marginalized section. Further these colonial style environments have bred some very arrogant set of people who unfortunately also formed part of policy making and other significant positions. The reason why people from marginalized section couldn’t be in these positions has to do with lack of opportunity than the so called competence of elite. The contribution of Indian elite is a joke. Some arrogant have even written books on how Indian literature in India is irrelevant without contributions from Stephenites!. To be fair the overwhelming mediocrity in English literature (surprising how they get publishers!!) has to a large extend to do with alumni circle of Stephen. Many excellent English writers are not from Stephen is not a coincidence. Not denying few of my favorite authors like Amit Chaudhri and Amitav Ghosh (our man though has become very market savvy recently. Turd influence?) are from Stephens, but the arrogance is what I am questioning, since very few are great, most others used these facilities to propagate a mindset that has been the curse on Indian society. Success of most peoples from these (social science, literature etc subject offered without all India competitions or other considerations) ‘prestigious colleges’ around the country (writers included) have also to do with synergizing with elite mindset and lifestyle. Why is that education facilities in metros reserved for students from within cities thus usurping all the development benefits?. They should learn to migrate to different places, rather than ensconce in the comfort and then teach us competence or other ideals (moving their arse in studios). There should be consideration given to students from outside as also poorer sections within cities in prestigious colleges.

The reason why these measures of insuring access to poorer and marginalized sections to quality education has not been taken so far puts a question mark on people who are running these institutions. Many instead of following the beautiful aspects of Christianity have been using this for personal benefits by serving and fulfilling the desires of a narrow section in the name of merit. As clear are some on merit and competence, this blogger still don’t know what merit is, quite confusing!!.

St Stephen has taken a step that is long overdue. The problem here seems to be the question whether dalit do remain dalit after joining Christianity?. As suspected there is elitism in Christianity too, probably the reason why these inclusive steps not taken till now. Not ‘as suspected’, caste and other socio-cultural divisions are as acute in Christianity. It is not only a personal experience but I have read in some sociology text that Nadar Christians in TN are socio-culturally more closer to Nadar Hindus than Christians!!. Dalit reservation in prestigious colleges (need be extended to Mass Media) will definitely fill up the huge lacuna in representation of these sections (like the tribals) in articulating their views not only in national but international level in a constructive way unlike being ‘represented’, particularly by the hypocrite comrades. In this context the blogger express pleasure on learning that October 2^nd is to be declared as Non violence day by UN. How about April 14^th (Ambedkar jayanthi day) as Day against Discrimination (or even Racism)???. I guess the move lacks enough clout (what about India’s prestige??!!).

Rev. Thampu is quite a sensitive man, and I have had the opportunity to interact with him (of course I was disappointed with his comments on grammar in poems…but I guess things I do has large element of disappointment from inception so cannot blame him!!). Further he gave me breakfast!!! Now this might sound quite insignificant to some but for me these are very defining. To allow a complete stranger this access and to be treated with dignity was a surprise. Shock would be the correct word, since those days (I guess it was1997-98) abuse was quite common so was maintaining sanity. He even dropped me to bus stop in his car despite my very vehement protest. If you look from my perspective you will realize how significant these are. Of course he does have a patronizing handshake (typical of pallile achan!), so there was a bit of wriggle when I attempted to rectify!!. I have tried to follow his views in media for sometime; I did like the columns with Swami Agnivesh (i have a reverence for him). I also have been to church few times and have read few chapters from Bible (Genesis is sheer poetry), have attended many Christmas parties and get together. More than a decade back I used to be friendly with a “father’’ from Velloppally dioceses (I used to stay in beach front flat marine drive and used to drop in to watch sunset regularly- in cochin, he was also involved in AIDS awareness those days). Many of my close friends were Christians, frankly we never really thought on these lines except when it was getting some treat during festivals. During those days we also had some collection of jokes on “pallile achan”. But yes I don’t have much liking for Bandhi christhus nor the screaming cold eyed evangelist particularly from American subcontinent, they sometimes speak like Marketers!!.

The boss is here!!!

I am into Rajnikanth movies since college days. It was quite accidental since we used to stay in a lodge next to the college and there was this guy who was a tamilian, also there was a theatre nearby which showed Tamil cinema once in a while. Also once or twice in a week there would be strike in college (during internal exams we planned the strike….one commonly used ploy was 'no water in hostel' and so orchestrated march to college corridor with buckets and mugs!!) if there was no college strike there would be hartal or protest march in the city so things got cancelled. The gist is we had lots of time and studies was last thing in mind, with many having bikes/cars we invaded beaches, Kovalam in day time and Shankumukum for late night. It used to get routine so I would move out to do something different and one involvement was catching on Tamil movie, mostly alone. It was then I got stuck to Rajnikanth movie (the theatre also showed old hit movies). Shifting to Chennai added to the flavor but what I saw in here was beyond my imagination. Frankly I never knew much about ‘fan craze’. Chennai is the place to know what Rajnikanth is all about!!. Once there was huge traffic jam as they were celebrating 'Rajni’s B’day' (thalaivar). Tamil Nadu for me was quite a different place with huge innovative hoardings. The more I spend time here the more I started understanding people. I too started looking forward to Rajnikanth movie. He is quite a stylish actor with surprisingly not much pretension, I guess that’s what makes him endearing. And yes Njan oru thavana sulurai nooru thavana sola mathiri… I think that’s a classic dialogue. Also this one I came across recently (I don’t seem to have watched that movie) njan late ayi varuthen latest ayi varuthen. When I come late I come as latest!!!!!!!!!!!!! …..of course English lack the punch. You cannot beat his style and delivery, so what may look inane comes out as spectacular and instantly applauded (applauded is an understatement here!!!).

Rajnikanth is great. Mind it!!!!...

Sycophants as President???

Well it seems that Congress affiliated sycophants are queuing up for Raisina hill!!. President post is ceremonial but significant in many ways. Since they have somehow reached an understanding on a politician for the post it is better to focus on colossal figures outside this small coterie. Further the post is associated with elderly statesman not conniving sycophants. If the Congress cannot find a suitable candidate who is respectable and impeccable in his/her credential then I don’t see any reason why Bairon Singh Shekhawat shouldn’t be the next president. Too many lickers and positioners are doing the round in the name of secularism, the ‘third front’ should support Mr. Shekhawat who has done a decent job as VP in case better alternative is not suggested. We have had too many Congress sycophants as President, they now don’t have the majority to carry on the show, they should mend their ways. I guess the other partners in coalition should warn them of the consequences.

There are Congress leaders who are admirable like for instance Mr. Chamling of Sikkim who fits in by all means. Also understanding that President’s post (like Governors) has more to do with symbolic gesture, that is, mainstreaming or recognizing region, community and so on.

Condolences: Ramchandra Gandhi who was apart from being grandson of Mahatma Gandhi was brilliant man. Albeit I have read very few of his articles but I have listened to his speeches and boy he was brilliant. When I first saw him I hated him since he gave an impression of khadoos budda with permanent scowl on his face and quite raggy attire. Those days I would drop into IIC (Idlers Idiotic Chatting-centre) very often for listening to some talk as also sip some good free coffee (very soon I decided that I would stay in places with direct access to these talk and free food holes, in summer the AC was a huge respite. So did stay mostly 522 bus route!! It’s essentially the place were retired people spend their time catching up with things, nothing else but yes some yawn and some fart!!).

Coming to Mr. Gandhi one of the speech I recall distinctly is after the nuclear blast by India wherein he dwelled upon tantrum and tantric!!. He was an amazing speaker and although he gave an impression of aloof and laconic when he started to speak he never stopped!!!. Another speech I heard was when he inaugurated a photography exhibition also in IIC where he talked about philosophy of photography!!!. (Incidentally they also served sushi and that was the only time I had that dish…its kind of raw tasting stuff. For sometime I was wondering have they cooked or not??). Ramchandra Gandhi had an insight which I never thought could exist, he was quite original and you could feel he was passionate about what he said since it reflected deep involvement on the subject. He was amazing. I observed he interacted with very few people. I met him only at IIC and it is shocking that he died there.

plz go to my new blog. It’s about Turd’s tryst with Ramchandra Gandhi!!!. I don’t use this blog on Turd, its degrading…..

At my first school and some things personal

I have an embryonic tie with Jabalpur, it is where I took my first real steps to learning. I say real since I did go to LKG for few months at Siliguri, we had just landed from Tezpur and before that initiated into learning in cochin, small ceremony at home (if I calculate the number of houses I have stayed till date, it would easily exceed 50!!). I have a very sketchy image of siliguri, just recollect that we stayed very near to a railway line or so. And there where lots of wild elephants, particularly in Tezpur. I also recollect stranded for days because of flood. We had photos of flood and so on, we used to take camera on lend.

Cantonments don’t change much and so is cozy old Jabalpur it remains the same, I have deep attachment with this place. It remains the almost same and even after around three decades I could retrace the paths. I studied in St. Aloysius Boys School for around 3years (later shifted to KV). It is one of the reputed schools around only recently it was made coed. I recall being kissed by Mother Theresa, now this was just before she got Nobel Prize and acquired international fame. I really didn’t know about her greatness nor people around me even after she was awarded the Nobel Prize (frankly people around didn’t had clue about these prizes). It is only years later when I was going through school magazine from old box that I saw this photograph, and saw Mother Theresa and children queuing up to meet her, which I was also part of. St. Aloysius was quite a strict school, there were lots of Keralites and also Anglo Indians but they believed in caning children. And the school principal had a peculiar habit of caning kids while distributing report card, he used to start beating after the tenth rank, the intensity of cane increasing, peaking after 30^th. It was quite a sight since kids believed that if they put saliva it pains less and they licked their palms! 

The best part of the school was that they showed wild life videos, once a month. Just imagine having access to something like this in seventies!! The impact was such that even now I spend substantial amount of time on wildlife channel and try to know more and more about wildlife and visit sanctuaries.

Few months back when I was in Jabalpur I tried to locate the ‘colony’ where we stayed, I had almost lost it when I recollected that we had a huge square shaped water tank next to where we stayed. I did locate the ‘colony’; it is just the same quaint little place (and the water tank is red painted even now!). The water tank is something deeply etched in my memory…..it has some dark secrets. It’s like this I was seriously violent kid (at home in best of behavior!) I was into killing insects, butterflies (oh how many I have killed and maimed, it sickens me every time), dragonflies, ants…one of the ‘games’ I initiated was identifying ant hills, with few kids we pulled up some younger one and dropped him/her into the hill, held him for some time and run away….and the mother will come screaming ‘hai mera bacha hai hai!!’…I somehow specialized in ants later even identifying the varieties and chemical in the belly that could sting if dropped into eyes (it's formic acid dude!!. Kerala even has spiders miming ants). I must have given lots of kids’ ‘identification marks’ as I threw stones at animals (my sis for one got a deep gash on her chin). The water tank had huge beehives; it was one of the cherished endeavors of the kids to hit it. There stayed a beggar woman under it and that is where the tragedy unfolded. Once we managed to hit the beehive and ran off, the bees attacked the woman, she was covered with bees. The whole colony watched in horror, some threw her blanket, an army vehicle took her to the hospital, she barely survived. A part of me was sure it was me, a part of me negates it…but nobody ever doubted me (nice kid that one, he wouldn’t do it), it is only now that I am able to accept. But frankly I never expected such an eventuality. I was so shocked, shaken after that I never picked up a stone all my life, of course I did concentrate on insects but stone throwing was out. For long time I had her screams in my dreams….So unlike Ravi Shankar’s ‘Screams of Dragonflies’ the screams were that of the beggar woman. Even now when I see beehive I feel uneasy but yes those guys in Nepal (?) who collect honey defying death with no modern equipment are incredible! In my teens though I had stabilized into animal lover, spending lots of time with cows and calves at my grandmothers. Now I take special care not to hurt, particularly, insects. Insects are actually quite beautiful creatures if one has time to observe! I also make it a point to watch TV programs related to small creatures. I also hold the view that dung beetle wrestling (they do in east Asia) needs specific skills !

We had a cycle (Hercules) and although it was for adult and very heavy, I learned cycling here, riding ‘kaichi’ in the hot afternoons when everyone slept, since it was forbidden, caught and got whacked many times. What we did was each day it was someone’s turn to get the cycle- most kids father had cycle, and then took turn to ride. Once caught the plan was abandoned for the day. The games included marbles, climbing trees and so on…all forbidden so had to be in constant watch out. I did get some serious beatings for playing marbles finally they used tactics like ‘it will spoil your handwriting’ (since I was known for excellent handwriting which deteriorated subsequently). Later though life changed in Delhi it was cricket and football, in Jaipur kite flying…and as things brightened horse riding, badminton, squash and so on. Jabalpur though remains very special, I recall crying a lot when we were shifting (it did acquire legendary proportion in the correspondence of elders), the whole journey from Jabalpur to Sagar I was inconsolable, maybe since it was new for me later I did start looking forward (shall we say preparing myself) to shifting. I also recall being taken to school in cycle and I had this habit of shouting ‘ram ram bhaiya’ (the salutation word around here) to any passerby and every time my ear getting twisted!!.
Jabalpur has become very crowded though. Beda ghat remains the same but with some more buildings. The marble ghat and Narmada river is a sight to watch at night. In the meantime how about allu parantha and coffee for breakfast!!. Also introducing my co-passengers on the way to beda ghat

Understanding Secularism

As mentioned earlier in this blog the Indian understanding of secularism is unlike western, the religion is not an entity, which is kept in isolation or seen as threat to unbiased governing. Hindu religion is too much entrenched in daily life without being a definition on identity. There is no ‘practice’ one has to follow, your house is a temple, kitchen is a sacred space, other people are sacred, other religion’s gods are sacred, animals are sacred, trees are sacred, food is sacred, even books and benches (I am sure we recall ‘bench pe chadega tho paap lagega’…infact whatever I did was ‘isko paap lagega’!!). You like it or not you yourself are sacred! Even if you protest or satire still you can be a Hindu. Of course there is darker side of dangerous demeaning superstition, casteism, patriarchy…but the space for protest, discussion was never denied. Frankly it was not Hinduism but the selfish and ignorant elite who let the religion down (sediments one can see in threaded morons at Guruvayoor). The protest against the morbidity in the system got theorized without much practical impact, as is the wont in this society. The charismatic one’s either moved away from the fold (like Budha, the Jains or Sikhs or gurus who created their own bands of followers, many falling back), the other form of protest was negation of religion getting more credence in the later part of 19^th century with the advent of colonialism and access to views considered ‘modern’ (albeit the modernity part was a joke since there is no view which was never explored in this society. Also colonialism had nothing to with modernity, infact they were sick people, religion inspired ‘white man’s burden’. Yes the exposure to systematic experimentation (read science) and its technological miracles dented understanding on ‘apara vidya’. Although Hinduism never denied experimentation, science, maths and so on…unlike in west where the prosecution from religion was imminent, but the failure of Hinduism was overwhelming significance on ‘beyond’ (nothing wrong quite normal for any contemplating human) but it undermined the practical realities ….so the best brains of the time searched the ‘mystery of God’ considering practical pursuits demeaning. This imbalance was where degradation set in, since it became excuse for overwhelming mediocrity, devious ways of control (caste and patriarchal norms), at crass level contempt of working class and thus large section of society denied any chance to contribute, the loss was immense. It is not surprising that Indian civilization’s contribution to humanity is the concept of ‘zero’, the idea that comes through contemplation, vagueness (the beauty of OM)…..and that’s where it ends. The practical aspect of Hinduism, some say, ends there!

Plethora of philosophies (and lots of cacophony in the name of discussion) is what is left. One may say ‘nothing practical’ but if it helps people to face crisis in life with equanimity then nothing can be more practical, further Hindu way of life may have lots of contradictions, absurdities, contemptuous practices….it has to a large extend paved way for tolerance and cohabitation of different views and beliefs, which in modern world referred to as ‘secularism’. This led to acceptance of Democracy as natural extension. Nothing can explain how one billion people of god knows how many sects, beliefs, faith, languages, race…..and many living in abject poverty, with problems of corruption and nepotism…and what not, are able to live together with not much major problems.

The rise of right wing can be traced to a large extend to the practices the political elite followed for last one century or so, most even contemptuous of Hindu religious expressions, alienating the mainstream Hindus. It also was a direct consequence of organized religion and political positioning of Hindu elite to compensate their loosening hold. Early 20th century was initiation of India as a political entity, post independence the political consolidation gave way to assimilation of Hinduism through popular medium, later prevailing socio-political hypocrisy led to spectacular rise of political parties that also had some extreme fringe elements. To see this as assault to democracy or secularism is stretching the evangelist’s idea of apocalypse. BJP ruling the centre was natural outcome as natural were the reason they were booted out. It is also the failure of self-serving leaders who couldn’t provide an alternative to Congress. Repeating ‘secular’ word doesn’t cut much ice with common people, they can see through the diversions. InIIndeed for last few centuries there have been prosecutions in the name of religion, the status quo was maintained after the Independence (essentially transfer of power), so expressing Hinduism was either equated to regressive practice or even superstition. Not denying there are serious problems here but to dismiss Hinduism as superstition and ridiculing the practices while on the same hand organized religions practices are eulogized is confusing. The reality is superstition can be handled with logic while fundamentals arising of ‘sacred texts’ is considered beyond logic and so misused (here I am not saying logic can explain everything but practices, conventions…can be explained to the context. The idea is religion cannot explain all things. If tried on contemporary problems of the world as also personal problems, it leads to tragedies). The threat to the world is from these sources. Zealots need rallying point and some excuse, if ‘holy books’ provides (however misconstrued or not) the rallying point where civil society is not given space, and excuse provided by neighborhood leaders (substantiated by ‘secular’ media-columnists) we have catastrophe waiting. The ‘red Indians’, the Africans, the aborigines, as also most people in India have faced (and are) facing significant oppressions but they never become ‘crusaders’ or ‘jehadis’, this is not a coincidence. The history of humanity in the later part (referred to as medieval) was about marauding armies most instigated by religion to a significant extent (colonialism was also about Christianity). To call them ‘brave’ is an insult. Any group of people motivated by reason of religion and otherworldly assurance can be turned into killing machines; to call them brave is travesty. The reason why brave people in Africa or ‘red Indians’ never turned vicious marauding Army decimating other culture is not because they didn’t have the potential (killing doesn’t need much potential!) just that they had ‘animistic traditions’, meaning respecting nature, meaning not organized. That doesn’t mean they didn’t kill or invade but it was very limited, motivation may have been immediate gratifications or existential reality. Unlike proselytizing religion- the compelling reason for peace (in islam or christainity), people are ready to kill themselves and ‘others’. The other gets defined as ‘evil’ (in an acute sense unlike animistic traditions) and the killers as ‘sacred’, the contradictions explained as 'path to salvation'. With such motivated ‘army or soldiers of god’ planning the war requires minimal expertise. The worst forms of crimes have been done in the name of religion.

School home work on religion…

I recollect in school we studied about social ills apart from other things I recall purdah system and lavish marriages. Why I recall these is purdah (or veil) has now done an about turn and has become part of culture!!. This has more to do with Mullahs we cannot avoid and so has to be tolerated. How a patriarchy symbol makes it as 'culture' is intriguing. Since Indian elite has embryonic relation with Britain, recent happenings here have consolidated these regressive mindsets and so has given credence to these ills. It is a quite a sore sight to watch women packed and paraded like this, symbolizing religious freedom!!. More than sore sight or indecency it is violation of public space (the reason the move by France is such a respite since these disgust were attempted to be sacred). In recent times there is a trend to treat religion as untouchable, an entity in itself beyond the purview of the State, the Media seems to also insisting on this….surely this is seen as an extension of ‘personal choice’(which at crass level defines Market). Again this has become rallying point for fringe elements in Hinduism, the backlash of feeding organized religion and their sacred ‘culture’. The recent is the way temple entry issue is being handled. Temples or any places of worship are definitely not beyond the rules. That would be illegal and undemocratic. Religion as extra constitutional entity is not how secularism is understood or practiced in this society, that is western idea and as can be learned from recent happenings is flawed and if not contained would end as serious threat. It is also the reason why democracy is so fragile in Islamic nations and individual rights threatened or the rising credibility of far right in west (despite per high capita income). If the civil society finds a tradition condemnable then it cannot be condoned since it is under purview of religion. Religious heads (mostly for the reason of hereditary and archaic traditions) cannot bypass the rule of land as it encapsulates rights of people. Religion as long as it has social-political construct will have to pass the test of laws of democracy.

(plz go to depalanhere for lavish marriages….its trashing time folks!!)

On watching movies and telling stories

Yesterday I happen to watch this movie ‘Jani Dushman’, it is quite a badly made movie with array of popular actors of 70s and 80s. For me though this movie holds lots of significance. It’s like this in school days I used to watch hell lot of hindi movies since army theaters were very cheap (almost free) and there was always one nearby, also since most were ‘open air’ you could see it from some wall. They used to change the movies once or twice in a week, and this was quite an event since those were the days when most people didn’t have TV. In school also talk was mostly about ‘kya thoone yeh picture dekhi hai ?’ so if you have watched and others haven’t then it’s about ‘acha story suna’ then there would be stampede of kids who want to listen the story, it used to spread like wildfire ‘oye yeh film ki story suna raha hai’, they congregate excitedly. There were kids who could quote the dialogue with dramatic effect and so in demand. There were occasions when I had watched the movie before anyone but my stint in this ‘field’ was quite short. What happened was I used to tell the story but also add my own masala, soon lost credibility ‘yeh saala bana ke boltha hai, isse story math suniyo’. I just couldn’t resist the masala part, so would take the ‘hero’ on my little ride, detour!!. So they say after watching ‘oye thoone jaisa kaha vaise tho kuch hai nahi!!’ accusing of some serious misdemeanor. In late 70s or early 80s if I recall correctly ‘jani dushman’ was quite a popular movie (I was in delhi that time). For some reason I couldn’t watch the movie although I disparately wanted to since I had heard the ‘story’. This was supposed to be ‘horror movie’, ‘drawni picture hai’ unlike most other movies of those days; I carried the vivid image of a man changing into demon as sketched in the posters (Jekyll Hyde variety) for long time. It was only yesterday I finally stumbled upon this movie in one of the channels, quite accidentally though. It was such a let down, but even then I watched it till the end, just to confirm whether that kid had told the ‘story’ correctly. I recall the face of the boy very vaguely, he must now be a middle aged man working in some office somewhere least recalling the ‘film story’ he told me years and years back on that crowded back bench of the class facing the window and I imagining (and asking myself every few minutes) ‘aisa ho saktha hai kya?’.

Why horse racing should be encouraged and Car racing banned

It requires not much knowledge to understand that car racing (Formula 1 or whatever) has become a liability. Wherein the world-over people are being told to cut on Energy (diesel/petrol/gas/electricity) consumption, continuing with this ‘sport’ is untenable. Common people are being told to be prudent in their energy consumption and include lifestyle, habit changes, while millions of gallons of precious oil are wasted to indulge in this ‘sport’ (not to mention air and noise pollution). It is a crude exhibition. It is insulting to common people. In the contemporary context it is unethical and should therefore be made against the law. Sometime back hunting Tigers and lions was considered a sport in elite section of this country (one really wonders what kind of people would consider this a sport, they must be psychopaths. Killing to eat is understandable. It is now followed as a ‘tradition’ in some richer countries, Dick Cheney enjoys it, I am told). So they killed and had some great fun photographing themselves over the dead animals, hanging the skulls in their rooms. Now it is considered against the law since these species are threatened. The ‘sport’ is illegal in most civilized societies, on conservation and ethical consideration. The same holds true for Car racing now, it has become an untenable luxury. If the organizers of the ‘sport’ don’t adopt environmental friendly technologies then there is an immediate need to ban it altogether, there is no reason to allow continuing this indulgence of few at the expense of majority of people (indeed the very existence of life) in the world.

It is in this context that Horse Racing should be encouraged. Horse racing is most environmental friendly and immensely exciting sport. Further the revenue generated is quite significant, in places like Hong Kong it is the backbone of the economy. It provides gainful employment for hundreds of people with almost negligible energy consumption. Not only that this blogger believes that Horse Racing requires more skills than car racing. The challenge is more when you are maneuvering and trying to get the best from an unpredictable horse as compared to a car- which is more of a technological challenge, the skill needed by the driver is miniscule compared to a jockey. Then there is this sheer beauty of horses galloping as compared to noisy metals guzzling gas.

There is a tendency in this country to encourage sport that is beyond the reach of common people (cricket has a long colonial past). The new sport therefore are Tennis (Federer is gr8), Golf (this arguably the most disgusting sport, Monsieur Pioret will agree!!), Billiards, car racing….isn’t there a pattern?. Guess why it is like this….

Post script: Some people do take Horse Race as gamble which is upsetting. This blogger has seen people betting too much money without even any study, an addictive habit. It is kind of psychological affliction. In Bangalore they shout ‘thoo’ when they get the predictions wrong, which I find very funny.

It’s Ms. Mayawati all the way

You got to admire this lady. She is incredible. It is a sincere wish of this blogger that Dalit wave catch all over India, and form a deciding factor in political churning. It’s been too long since this section has been kept away from policy matters, by manipulative people cleverly positioning themselves to represent their angst. The age of patronizing is over. Its time that dalits should represent themselves in all field rather being represented (there is a cottage industry here) or being used as a token. Till recently most dalit leaders (or other visible presence in public space) where generally part of tokenism Mayawati showed what dalit power can achieve with bit of manipulation. Of course I am against casteism but we are talking within the system. Meaning she defeated them in there own game that too in the largest state. The best thing about her is that she is very open about her ambitions unlike the manipulative types, who talk about saving the nation and actually are more into looting. She needs no gloss, no TV studios. This is the most significant aspect of her achievement, in media driven world of metros this is a lesson. It is not a surprise that most media failed to predict her stupendous win. It definitely puts question mark on representativeness of media, the kind of survey they bring out on us and the society we live in, clearly it’s all a sham. And yes despite all its hype English media doesn’t really have the competence to interview Mayawati….that is if she has the time and inclination. When more and more leaders from marginalized section get into Union cabinet and other significant positions it will be a respite from metro based studio hoppers, the media savvy, the gloss. TV programmers (read spin doctors) will have to work extra time to search for ‘people like us’!!!. For politicians like Mayawati there is however a danger of too much dependency by cadre on her at the expense of organization. Also realpolitik compulsion may see her not representing all the aspiration of dalit, but it nevertheless is a significant achievement. The ‘muslim factor’ has seen politicians supplicating fundamentalists (and elite) of the community and thus detrimental to democracy, ‘dalit factor’ however is expected to strengthen the democratic process by making it more representative.

Corruption is a serious issue but there is a mischief in bringing Taj corridor case at this point, one wonders whether judiciary is being manipulated. This coincidence of Mayawati elected as Chief Minister and case against her surfacing at the same time is strange. Further people from poorer sections find it difficult to contest elections and run party. Unlike say our boy Arun jaitley, who is a millionaire and without being elected ever was a Union minister!! What spoke was his money and influence (meaning corporate backing). And now he does the round of TV studios with a specific intention of usurping the gains of Party workers. It is imperative that Election commission need to provide money for Dalits and tribals contesting elections or their election expense be refunded if they get certain percentage of Vote. Otherwise it becomes more of Reservation by people like Arun Jaitley. The system at this point seems to be balanced in favor of people like Jaitley, which in civilized world will be defined as corruption.

Spare a thought for Mr. Murasoli

Last year I had the opportunity to be in Madurai. I was exploring the place and came across a small park that had a statue of a king, since the inscription was in Tamil I searched for someone who could explain it to me. That is when I came across Murasoli, he sat nearby and was reading some technical papers. I got talking to him. He had high ambitions and wanted to do well in computer engineering, found this place silent enough to concentrate. I asked him about his name, he explained that his father was an ardent DMK supporter (Karunanidhi to be specific). He was named after the newspaper the Party published. With family infightings in DMK and violence in Madurai one wonders what must be going through Murasoli’s mind? I sincerely hope his name doesn’t become a liability for him. With the kind of politicians around don’t know whether that is hoping for too much.
Some people are genuine the moment you meet, so took his photograph. His ambitious self with limited resources was also endearing. I wished him best of luck and moved on.

Tail piece: Talking of names I have come across many different and interesting names of people. But the one I recollect distinctly was of my college mate: Dil Prem Pratheek, he explained to me that he was symbol of his parents love and also they wanted to name in Hindi since it was national language. Quite romantic!! Another interesting name I came across is: Betnisol, now this boy was named after a medicine which saved him when he was an infant. Imagine being named after doctor’s prescription!!. Never could beat this one.
In 1970s there was a craze in Kerala to give children two letter name, it was kind of trendy….the reason why you have saju, liju riju, aby, mini, lizy, reji, …and hundreds of permutations and combination of these and more!!. And yes you wouldn’t find these in Maneka Gandhi’s list!!.

Why all of us should watch ‘An Inconvenient Truth’

‘An Inconvenient Truth’ is a documentary that was released for public viewing recently. Although I rarely go out for movies, I had read about this one a lot in the Net, so decided to view last week. This documentary is in most parts is a kind of power point presentation by Al Gore (..well the man ‘who was the next President of USA.…It is not funny!’), and unlike power point presentations it is not at all boring, he speaks with lots of insight and involvement, very interestingly personalizing the issue. So we see a human behind the man, a passion behind the words. In the end you not only know about global warming and how serious the threat is, you also end up admiring Mr. Gore. I couldn’t help thinking if he had become the President of USA, how different the world would be or would he been co-opted by the system as it happens most of the case.

If Britain was once referred to as ‘nation of shopkeepers’, the contemporary USA is undoubtedly a ‘nation of lobby’. So the lobby against the global warming, against ban on guns, against cigarettes have a manual which Cooney boy followed so dedicatedly to scuttle the issue…..the first step is to theorize the fact, so create ambiguity (‘Doubt is our product’ is the mantra) and then add some controversy. This seems to be the pattern followed by unscrupulous people in the corporate. Blurring the lines of need and greed, and placing it as freedom, then idealizing it as democracy is a ploy we are seeing on daily basis. As the documentary quotes ‘if we live in denial we will end up in despair’. We are living in an age where every action (and inactions) has severe consequences on future of the planet. The evidences are for us to see…..we need to ‘connect the dot lines quickly’ before it’s too late. Mr. Gore has done an incredible job. And we should be grateful to him for bringing the issue of Global warming as priority not only at the international, national level but also in the personal sphere of each individual. The documentary places the responsibility at our doorstep in all its urgency, this is what makes it a must watch.

All of us need to watch documentaries like these particularly the youngsters, it should be screened in colleges and discussed. Earth despite all its problems is an amazingly beautiful place. It’s a miracle.

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!!.