Meet Lao She (Shu Quingchu)

Beneath the Red banner is book I bought from second hand book seller on the pavement (probably in Pune) for 20 odd rupees some years back (original Chinese, Panda publication!!). Lao She is modern china’s most loved writer and significant figure of 20^th century Chinese literature. This book is an autographical novel published after his death (he died in 1966). It is an account of Beijing at the turn of century, told in wit, candor and sympathy, intact despite translation. Lao She once said “During my childhood, I didn't need to hear stories about evil ogres eating children and so forth; the foreign devils my mother told me about were more barbaric and cruel than any fairy tale ogre with a huge mouth and great fangs. And fairy tales are only fairy tales, whereas my mother's stories were 100 percent factual, and they directly affected our whole family.” As one reads through the book one can easily get transported into the life of ordinary Chinese people, their aspirations and fear. Like these lines:

Duofu prized the ‘freedom’ which allowed him to do whatever he pleased, believing that this ‘freedom’ has been bequeathed to him by his ancestors and would be passed on forever, ‘for the enjoyment of his children and his children’s children’. Therefore he believed that Fuhai by working as an artisan had lost his Bannerman’s sense of self respect and that calling himself a member of White lotus sect smacked of sympathy with rebels. Duofo knew the White Lotus sect had rebelled at some time in the past, in what year he couldn’t tell.

Several months before I was born, my maternal uncle, Duofu and his father were all in a state of great agitation. They fervently opposed the reforms of 1898. My uncle had simplest and most convining reason: “we must not change the laws established by our forefathers!”. My eldest sister’s father-in-law couldn’t find anything better to add than the comment: “any change is change for worse”.

From another page of the book: As she washed me, Granny Bai recited the blessing she had used on innumerable occasions, leaving out not a single word:
First of all your head we rinse,
And know someday you’ll be a prince.
We next proceed to clean your back,
Good fortune your descendants will never lack.
Next we wash your ‘eggs’ in haste,
You’ll join the county magistrates.
Last your buttocks to my washing succumb,
And rule a province under your thumb.
…Although I never became a county magistrate or a prefect, I am still extremely grateful for the way Granny Bai washed me so spotlessly clean, cleaner perhaps, than any county magistrate or prefect ever was. Next, Granny Bai applied a burning mixture of ginger slices and moxa to my forehead and to all the critical joints in my body. As a result, I didn’t begin suffering from arthritis until I was sixty years old. She also soaked a brand new piece of blue cloth in fresh tea and vigorously massaged my gums with it. At that moment I burst out crying. Unintentional as it seemed, that crying was a most propitious omen!.

Later in the book there is description of preparation for Chinese New Year: …father didn’t buy anything special for New Year, the main reason being he had no money. He did not neglect Gods or Buddhas, however, and respectfully bought paper images of the God of wealth and the God of hearth, long sticks of incense, large and small red candles and five plates of half baked moon cakes .He also cooked some New Year rice and put it in special small ricepot. …he expressed the joy in his heart quite simply. “What we eat isn’t so important. But we mustn’t treat the Gods and Buddhas shabbily!....”. And continued “….For generations our family had very strictly maintained the custom of staying up all night on New Years eve and ‘sitting out the year’. Father just muttered and went back to wrapping dumpling. He took out a small coin, polished it, and stuck it inside a dumpling in order to determine which member of family would enjoy good luck…”. “at midnight, the sounds of firecrackers exploding increased as shop owners began sacrifice to the gods. My father chuckled again. He wasn’t sure if Yunnan was located to the east or the north, and he had less of an idea whether England bordered United States or was close to Yunnan but as soon as he heard the dong! dong! of firecrackers exploding in Beijing, he felt sure that there was peace and happiness on earth.

These lines on names I found very interesting: “…. in those days the more Bannerman desired to remain Bannerman and perpetuate themselves for countless generation the more they tried to imitate the Han Chinese. At first the upper crust intellectual sought out poetical and musical nicknames to add to their regular first names. Gradually this spread downwards until even colonels and captains in the Imperial Army had their own poetic names. For them this was height of sophistication.
I came across names which translated meant ‘pavilion of clouds’, ‘studio of abundance’!!. Amazing!!

Lao She’s acclaimed and popular work included Camel Xiangzi (Rickshaw boy- it was a best seller in US) and the drama Teahouse, which was made popular through Chinese theatre. This blogger had the fortune to watch traditional Chinese theatre sometime back it is spectacular- a visual treat, I particularly liked when they delicately emulated butterflies, it was brilliant.

Another book I read about China was sometime back, Pearl Buck though not a Chinese had spend most her life in china during the most tumultuous part of its history. Most of her writings are based in China (New York Times said: if ever, in one life, East and West met, it was in Pearl Buck). I happen to find My Several World, her autobiography few years back on the pavement of Bangalore. She being an insider to Chinese society is quite insightful and sensitive in the way she writes about its people. These lines about Chinese people’s ideas on governing interested me “…as a matter of fact, the Chinese had always governed themselves. They distrusted and even held in contempt governments. They were cynical to the last degree about official honesty and considered it inevitable that every official was corrupt. Their ancient adage is that the best government is the one that governs least. A country folk song runs thus:
When the sun rises I work;
When the sub sets I rest.
I dig the well to drink;
I plow the field to eat.
What has the Emperor to do with me?

And the Chinese people were quite capable of self government. Their traditional family system, wherein every individual man, woman and child belong to a clan and each clan was responsible for all individuals in it, was a sound basis for a new kind of modern democracy. It is hard for Americans to realize the soundness of the family clan as unit for democratic government, but indeed it is so. In china before communism began its destructive work on the family system, there was no need for example, for the expense of institutionalism which lies so heavily upon our own democracy. There were no orphanage……nepotism it is true, tended to be a problem, since it was natural that a man would try to get jobs for his relatives. Yet I do see the difference between family nepotism in china and political nepotism in the United States, and of the two, family nepotism in China seems less dangerous to society because the family remained morally responsible for each of its members, and the disgrace of any member was a family disgrace.

Could Sun Yat-sen and his followers, and this includes the later Nationalists governments under Chiang Kai-shek, have understood the value of the family system and have built upon its responsible democracy, there is little doubt that Communists would be ruling in china today. One proof of this theory is that the communists, wishing to establish their political theory, have made their main attack upon family system, and the measure of the length of their stay will be to the degree to which they are able to separate the members of the family from each other and thus destroy the fabric which has kept china alive, functioning and vital for centuries after her contemporaries in history were dead”.

How communists in China organized the society will help us understand contemporary China and its xenophobic reactions better, Ms Buck gives an insight:
..the communists had organized the forces and they were the leaders. Even Chiang Kai-shek was with the communists, we were told….something new and dangerous had been added. The communists were building upon hate, the hate for foreigners, the injustice of the past. Never before had the old hatreds been organized.

This blogger is not entirely against communist, provided they are just another Party in a multiparty democracy. Communism as state ideology is dangerous, it is dictatorship of few against majority and they have the tendency to mutate into worst kind-Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot created much misery. I have great admiration for many ex leaders of Left in Kerala (contemporary commies of Bengal are the worst. The CM of the State probably the most incompetent CM ever). At the international level Lenin and Gorbachov tops my list.

Pearl Buck writes on her influence of China in her upbringing and thinking, that I found similar to the elderly people around me used to think.

“...thus it was from him in those days of my early youth that I learned the first axiom of human life, and it is that every event has its cause, and nothing, not the least wind that blows, is accident or causeless. To understand what happens now one must find the cause, which may be very long ago in its beginning, but surely there, and therefore a knowledge of history as detailed as possible is essential if we are to comprehend the present and be prepared for the future. Fate Mr. Kung taught me, is not blind superstition or helplessness that waits stupidly for what may happen. Fate is unalterable only in the sense that given a cause, a certain result must follow, but no cause is inevitable in itself, and man can shape his world if does not resign himself to ignorance. Mr. Kung liked to quote also from the Bible, partly, I imagine, to prove to me his liberal Confucian mind, and he reminded often, in his lofty manner, that one could not expect figs from thistles”. “….but the important lesson which he taught me was that if one would be happy he must not raise his head above his neighbor’s.
‘He who raises his head above the heads of others’ Mr. Kung said ‘will sooner or later be decapitated.’
It was true in china as in other democratic nations that when a man becomes too famous, too successful, too powerful, mysterious forces went to work and the earth began to crumble under his pinnacle. The Chinese are a proud and envious people, as a nation and as individuals, and they do not love superiors…they never believed that superiors could exist…..the fact partly explains the present anti-Americanism, this and the attitudes of missionaries and traders and diplomats, all white men indeed, who consider themselves whether consciously or unconsciously superior to Chinese, so that a smoldering fury has lived on in Chinese hearts for more than a century and this fury, which white men could not or would not recognize, is the chief reason why Chiang Kai-shek lost his country and why communists won it. Had he been wise enough he would expressed boldly his own anti-western feelings and had he done so he might held the leadership. But he thought he could win by American force and this his people could not forgive him, and sadly for us, Mao Tse-tung seized the opportunity that Chiang threw away…….it is hard for Americans to believe that American charm …ready smile and outstretched hand, does not win the Chinese. What then can the American do? He must read history afresh.…”

The intentions of Pearl Buck were benevolent but it seems that the reading history may not save the Americans, so much has changed in last few years that things have become only complicated. Unless Americans don’t behave more responsibly to world community, and that policies are extension of corporate needs things are going to get worse. Hilariously the worst of Corporate are finding something common…Coca Cola is having a strategic alliance with Beijing!!!.

If you don’t agree with some people brutalize them, eliminate them: A lesson from authoritarian China

Communist China brutalizing its own people is a well documented factChina the most populous country in the world is under siege for many decades now. The citizens are denied basic rights and any access to information apart from state controlled and heavily censored media. The regime has systematically purged intellectuals and activists, many people whose ideas conflicted with the State have been brutally dealt. They repressed religion and any forms of worship, in a blatant attempt to control people. But Chinese are patient and hardworking people one wonders how long they will carry this burden of abuse. Market has provided short term respite but individual right is basic of any civilized society.

Falun Gong or Falun Dafa is a spiritual practice introduced in China by Li Hongzi. It is a system of exercises, meditations, and teachings that renew the body and mind. Three of the main principles in this practice are truthfulness (to be true to yourself and others, return to your true self), compassion (to have kindness and consideration to all beings), and forbearance (to bear humbly the trials and tribulations at each stage of your growth ). It soon became very popular. Either one agrees to Falun Gong or not is not the question here but the way it is dealt in China. Chinese regime will have to be civilized in dealing with dissent.

So what is wrong with something as peaceful as Falun Gong? Consider most countries around the w

orld where people of different religions, sects and other diversities live in tolerance. But the dictators in china cannot tolerate differences, anything apart from their ideology has to be eliminated. History has taught us how vicious communists can be (history will also teach us how dangerous uncontrolled Market system can be!!). Communists like Market lack soul they are systems where humans have to fit in. The problem is humans are not really into fitting in (if you look at it the fundamentalists of all religion have the same problem).

Respecting differences is not for regime in china. So thousands of followers of Falun Gong were massacred and maimed. They were crushed with such severity that only communists can muster. State run newspaper Xinhua used words like ‘decisive victory’ against “poisonous torrent” “people gone mad” (also note the language used against Tibetans, shows how uncivilized the mindset of dictators are). Except probably Gorbachov (he was a great man) if you look at the communist top brass you will see almost always people who are seriously deficient of basic intelligence and compassion. They are dogmatic and lacking tolerance (democracy also throws such people occasionally, Bush is no exception!!), although they have a very keen understanding of rhetoric and organizational skills. Crackdown on Falun Gong incidentally violated even the Chinese constitution that guarantees freedom of association and religious belief (Art.35-36), but then china doesn’t really have any opposition, at the best it is party infighting.

China recently has acquired a status thanks to its size and Market, so it is a economic power. Corporate world has been pumping their resources into china as they are assured returns (it surely is a safer place, harmonious!!). It is very shocking that a country that doesn’t guarantee basic rights to it citizen is permanent member of UNSC that too with veto right. China has been blatantly supporting oppressive regime around the world.

Chinese support to Sudanese massacres it is a well documented case in recent time the Chinese complicity in Darfur and the misery. China vetoed peacekeeping mission in darfur recently reason being ‘non interference’ while the government sponsored Janjaweed have massacred 200,000 people and driven out 2.5 million people from their homes in last four years (Spielberg quit the Beijing Olympic Organization committee in disgust). Quite clearly China is using its position in UN to justify its human right violations.


Chinese support for Military regime in Burma the oppressive junta in Burma is very much supported by china is no secret (even the monkeys in Indian government are trying that one, the scoundrels call it strategic alliance).

The great Chinese civilization

China probably is the only continuous civilization in the world, dating back to centuries. Most of us have studied about ancient China in school, the specific contributions of Compass, printing, paper and gunpowder (I also recall the merit based selection system to bureaucracy). Chinese for centuries had mostly trade relation with the outside world. European imperialism in 19^th century influenced china in its own quest for expansion into central Asia and Korea bringing it in conflict with Britain and Japan, and so to world wars. Su Yat San (Nationalist Party) in the meantime proposed transforming China into a modern democratic country (the contribution of Chinese writer Liang Qichao need also be noted, however unknowingly contributing to autocracy). But the power struggle with communists saw Nationalists being relegated to Taiwan while Communists capturing the mainland.

The beginning of single Party dictatorship: Communist party of China under Mao Zedong established Peop

le’s Republic of China, a new political and economic order modeled on the Soviet example was installed. The “Great Leap forward” disaster saw Chinese comrades parting way with Soviet Union. Under Mao China saw “cultural revolution” that was Mao’s ploy to strengthen his position in the Party, millions of people were massacred, and vast cultural heritage destroyed.The poignant lines from Soul Mountain by Nobel leaurate Gao Xingjian who escaped Chinese Dictators

“…….he said that hiding in the cabin he had witnessed a terrible massacre during Cultural revolution…. people were tied with wires at the wrists in groups of three and forced into the river by spraying them with machine gun fire, if one was hit all the three fell. They were like fish on the hook, they splashed and struggled for a while, then floated down like a dead dogs. Oddly, the more the people killed off the more people there are, whereas with the fish the more that are caught the fewer there are. Wouldn’t it be better if it were the other way around?...”

After Mao’s death sidelined leaders like Deng Xiapong were instrumental in initiating reforms and opening the economy. Deng and his supporters argued that managing the economy in a way that increased living standards should be China's primary policy objective,

even if "capitalist" measures were adopted. Despite the reforms in economy the politics still remained under the tight clutches of Communists, the single party tyranny continued with crack down on any dissidence the most significant being the Tinnanmen square massacre of 1989. China has in the recent times acknowledged the importance of protection of human rights and has taken steps to bring its human rights practices into conformity with international norms but serious problems remain.

Individual freedom is sacrosanct to modern civilized societies. Freedom of expression (with responsibility) and choice to practice faith is integral to this understanding. Whatever may be the forms of government if people are not granted freedom and human rights violated then it is abuse.The reason why democracy is cherished despite many shortcomings, is the degree of transparency and representativeness. In traditional China Philosophy of Confucius was developed into an autocratic ideology and the individual after birth was conditioned to be subservient to clearly defined hierarchy of authorities (Buddhist and Daoist retreats too constituted the collectives with institutionalized order). This influence of Confucian ideology that stresses harmony and obedience that permeated each sections of society was the reason why communists were able to have ruthless control in the last few decades since its inception.

The need for Democratizing China and freeing its citizen from repressive Communist dictators.
Communists mostly are ruthless people since they have one track mind and have difficulty in accepting variant views (this blogger has read Functionalist sociologists….there is a Marxian view on everything from marriage to history. They have theory for everything!!. It is a very interesting read, at extreme it is hilarious. As funny as Market panacea). The irony of China is that coterie of people have tight hold over the most populous nation on Earth and although Communists they work on Capitalism!!. The gist here is control by few and benefits of boom passed on to party cadre and rich, thus consolidating position and hold. Poor people are getting poorer and exploited, their voice suppressed (any other country there would protest- against say misguided Three Gorges dams, and massive dislocation of people in the name of development but in China it is about harmony!!. Paradoxically communist China doesn’t even allow unions!!).The current economic system favors cities, especially coastal cities, over countryside; state-owned enterprises (SOEs), communist officials (who comprise some 80 percent of private business owners, though a small fraction of the population), and foreigners over ordinary Chinese; and high technology over agricultural development. A democratic society would have made possible rural majority to probably force the government to give them greater economic opportunity and a larger voice in major projects.

Like any other forms of dictatorship, single party dictatorship in china looks for external enemies to divert the attention of its citizens, the reason why they are so manically upbeat about nationalism associated grandeur. Also note the brutality in dealing with any forms of dissidence or protest. It is a sign of supremely confident and egoistic leaders an eventuality in authoritarianism as they are not in touch with people, they loose connection with reality. Also note Chinese involvement in repressive regime around the world whether Burma or Sudan. A transparent China will help in stability of the world as also environment. It is estimated that the 2008 Beijing Olympics will cost more than $20 billion. The cost of launching first manned space mission in October 2003 was comparable. China is also spending massively on missiles, warships, and a new air force, much of which is imported. Democratization would almost certainly change Chinese policies.

The world needs to empathize with Chinese people particularly the majority who are exploited and have no voice, the economic benefit is going to a minor section as well as the Party. China is a significant nation, more than a nation it is a brilliant civilization, but is run by a set up that is not representing nor answerable to its people. It is shocking that authoritarian China is a permanent member of UNSC. In recent times China has gained credibility thanks to follies of Bush & Co. and seem to be aligning with “Islamic world” as a counterbalance against “prosecution of west”, the reason why constructive change in leadership of US will help call the bluff. The requirements of China’s increasingly well informed society (thanks to technology) and its dynamic economy, political change in the People’s Republic of China is a distinct possibility in near future, happenings in Taiwan and Honk Kong are indicators. The world needs to help the Chinese people against the repressive regime. It is one of the very few remaining communist dictatorships in the world: the overwhelming majority of the world’s nations are democratic or democratizing. Local elections do happen in China but it is decided by Party, even the choice of the candidates is dictated. Organized opposition is not tolerated.Chinese point to these elections as evidence of the development of democracy. Some argue that such experiments in democratization indicate major changes taking place in China today and reflect genuine political reform,other however, have charged that elections in rural China have little practical significance in China’s political process.

In recent times China has been using Market to off balance democratization efforts. Economic and material prosperity will weaken the need for democracy is the overwhelming belief in the Party. Paradox is communism has turned out to be spectacular success for capitalism, china’s economy I read is booming. And regime is also using corporate to track down the dissidence. It is a win-win situation, greed-creed win-win

Delicate art of Sand Mandala

Mandala, a Sanskrit word that means "circle," is a sacred diagram created in sand or paint. It symbolizes the pure, perfected universe, and provides a visual framework for establishing feelings of peace, well-being and wholeness. Composed of millions of grains of dyed sand, the mandala is believed to have a positive effect on all who see it as each particle personifies goodness. Created by Buddhist monks and nuns, the mandala is part of initiation ceremonies -- accompanied by other ritual art objects, costumed dancers, music and chanting -- that grant the initiate the privilege to study and practice the teachings of a sutra or tantra, sacred texts that are guides to visualizing a particular deity.

Sand mandala takes weeks to make. After completion it is destroyed signifying impermanence of things. If you haven’t seen sand mandalas being made then you have missed something big. This blogger rates at top must see art form. It is a brilliant conception, consider also that these people have lived in most remotest of region . I spend almost two hours watching it being made, it is so delicate needs very sophisticated handling. After few days when I came back to see the complete mandala I was moved-it affected me deeply, it is an experience that cannot really be described.

Imprisoned voices of Tibet

Tibetans are probably one of the most peaceful communities. Tibet culture is refined and subtle that was sought to be brutally suppressed. Chinese government will have to realize that there are civilized norms to be followed. Freedom of religion and faith is basic right of every individual.

This blogger doesn’t have anything against Chinese people (Incidentally I am a big fan of Jet Li, he is no nonsense). Governments particularly the one’s that are not representatives of the population may not always reflect the aspirations of the citizens. Chinese government cannot repress and brutalize people and still claim to be civilized. Millions of peaceful people are refugees and displaced for decades, their refined understandings threatened to extinction. It is very painful something has to be done by the international community. Chinese government will have to take steps towards process of dialogue with Tibetans.

This blogger quite coincidently is at McLeodganj (in Dharamshala, Kangra valley) where Dalai Lama has taken refuge. Yesterday’s incidents in Lhasa was felt in this part of the world, interacting with youngsters one gets the feeling that they are increasingly advocating violence, though they are still the fringe. The elderly monks-they don’t interact much, are very saddened (Dalai Lama has called for stopping of violence). One gets a creepy feeling of cynicisms and this is dangerous. If violence wins the battle here then only the international community will have to take blame. The protestors who did candle light walk are asking for the UN to intervene and stop the blatant human right violations. If the world community fails then they are giving legitimaticy to violence as option.

Most shops in McLeodganj do carry the message of Dalai Lama of ‘never give up”. It’s been a long and arduous journey for these people. This blogger has seen documentaries of their struggle, and the journey they took across dangerous mountains (I found many of the Tibetan audience crying…this was in IIC delhi, probably in 1998-99). I have also spent hours watching sand mandala being made, it is brilliant. So are thangka painting (I do keep some pasted on my wall), they are very sophisticated people but simple in their mannerism. Surely the world cannot fail them. These lines of Dalai Lama….ultimately, humanity is one and this small planet is our only home, If we are to protect this home of ours, each of us needs to experience a vivid sense of universal altruism.

Below snap of elderly monk walking back home after the evening prayer

Njan Madras pakaran poren !!

These are the lines from a popular Tamil movie song, almost a decade back. This blogger has strong liking for tamilians, when you travel around Tamil Nadu you see so much hope so much potential. Tamil nadu is a place where anything is possible!!. Amazing people, mostly loud but very passionate about things, they have that sturdy primal energy. It is the cradle of the Dravidian culture. India’s future is very much through Tamil Nadu. Despite the fact that politicians of Tamil Nadu are viciously divided sometimes even taking things at personal level it need be noted that whether it is DMK or AIADMK they have taken care of the infrastructure particularly roads. Having traveled on the road all around the country this blogger want to congratulate the Government of Tamil nadu- those who have ruled the state for last decade or so, they have done an excellent job. You can see the difference as you enter from Karnataka or Kerala. There is so much of space, labor and infrastructure in the State that one wonders why these big buildings are constructed only in cities?. Of course Tamil Nadu particularly northern part has some extremely poor population, some of the sights are quite painful. The reason probably that cuisine of southern Tamil Nadu are richer and varied, also immigrants to east Asia are mostly from this region, the prominent being the chettis of chetinadu (karaikudi is a ghost town with huge empty palatial houses, it is one of the kind place). Despite pockets of poverty Tamil Nadu is a colorful place (probably after Rajasthan) the kind of kitsch art you will not find anywhere despite profusion of vinyl posters (even these are oversized!!). It is a place of exaggeration, take it or leave it. Period!!.

After the college when most guys were moving out to different cities I probably was the only person to move towards Madras (now thankfully Chennai). Impulsiveness was predominant character trait those days, so the reason for choosing Madras was equally incredible: Madras had long beaches and I loved to hang along the sea!!. That probably was my first step towards career building!!! (Great start dude!!). Expectedly Madras was very tough on me, it was quite a struggle and I shuffled jobs almost every month and quite incredibly each job was entirely different from other!!. It still beats me, things I did. Few days back I was in Chennai and dropped in for sunset at Marina beach. I couldn’t help smile, the same place I sat so many years back as a pensive, seriously stressed youngster. It is a full circle and been quite an experience (the kind of things one comes across while traveling is amazing). It is great to be me!!.

Chennai too has changed there are more buildings like the Raheja towers at mount road, it seems to be implanted from some Hollywood movie set!! (Spencer’s was hang out place, so was Sathyam theatre). The roads are still able to handle traffic unlike the pathetic scenes in “silicon valley” Bangalore. At one point I knew so many people at Chennai, one job I distinctly remember was working in some Channel related group, making programs and so on. Most guys were youngsters and from very affluent background they were doing the job for fun. It was mostly partying around. I recall very vaguely one fellow I met, he got a small role in Mani Ratnam movie “Bombay”, his was if-you-don’t-look-carefully-you-might-miss-it role. He was supposed to be with the main lead actress (don’t recall her name) while they searched the body of children in the mortuary, he was part of young friends of main protagonist. The fellow when I met him at music academy insisted I should see the movie.

Music academy I used to visit quite regularly since the stretch from Stella Maris to US consulate was the place we generally used to be. The place has become quite congested with a fly over (I must say most aesthetically done by MRF, this fly over is an example that could be emulated) and huge hoardings- this blogger is very much against these hoardings it is unaesthetic and a sore sight, there should be a law against these. There used to be kactheris on regular basis in Music academy. Incidentally I have almost one year of Carnatic music training, so I do have a fine ear for this form. I also met Kamal hassan here with his two daughters, he is an amazing guy and an excellent actor. He interacted with us since he knew one of the guys at personal level. Madras taught me the influence of visual medium and the power it holds on people, it is astounding. Madras also taught the need to be consistent in what one does. It was only much later that I thought of taking writing and reading seriously, and also taking up full time traveling (there is so much to see in India that every time it is new!!).

I recall there used to be an automatic dosa maker (it was kind of a robot) at central railway station, although it tasted quite awful I used to drop in to see how it is made atleast once in a week, and there always was a small crowd!!. While walking on the Mount road I came across TVS showroom&garage, and boy boy boy I suddenly recalled haven’t I worked here briefly!!. I almost forgot about it….well it was forgettable!!. There was some written test later the top guy of Dept told me to join as a trainee Engineer for few days before he can consider, I went for 4 or 5 days (it was quite a physical job from 9-5, and absolutely hate grease) around this time there was science fiction movie festival at US consulate (which was half a Km away, they had theatre at the basement) for a week, so managed to sneak in and forgot about the job!!. Since I had got free accommodation, a small room on top of Government building, I didn’t have to worry about rent and so was quite footloose. Being at Fort St George I used to see the then CM Jayalalitha quite regularly, quite enigmatic that lady (was called Amma or Purachi Thalaivai), people just prostrated before her, it was quite a sight, for a guy fresh from Kerala (where people don’t gave undue importance to politicians or filmstars) it was unbelievable.

Marina beach we used to come most Sunday mornings to play cricket/football (shockingly the same time the Tsunami struck few years back, few hundred people died here. I very vaguely recall some faces…hope they escaped). There also used to be bunch of ‘dupe artists’ who used to practice stunts as preparation for movies, it was amazing. Henceforth I cultivated an interest for watching technicality of stunts, now it has gone hitech. The beach though has become cluttered with unplanned shops. I came across this interesting elderly man who had a contraption that could read your hand and predict future for 10Rs!!. I really got inquisitive on this one. He dusted my hand with black sand and deftly took the imprint of my palm on a white paper. The paper was then fed into a computer and presto the hand print came on the screen and he pressed a key, the print out of my future came out!!. It was an amazing idea and he was doing brisk business. There are so many innovative ways to make money, and yes he deserved that 10 Rs!! (though I have no liking for ‘future reading’….present is interesting enough!!). I ended my day by taking a photo with Thalaivar Rajnikanth!!. Even posing with his cut out is an honor for most people here. He is having a magical hold over people for last three decades, it is a miracle.

Why it is important for Americans to remove the ‘hate Americans’ tag….

America that is USA is a brilliant nation, there shouldn’t be any doubt on that. But unfortunately the political elite have created one big mess, I guess it is the Wild West thing- the cowboys aint do no wrong syndrome. Alpha male juvenility may work in some jungle but not in civilized surroundings and surely not as linchpin for foreign policy of a powerful nation, they have to be more responsible. The American attempt to unipolarise world to its material advantage is ill-conceived.

America's contribution to human civilization is stupendous. It is nothing short of incredible. The idea of America is tremendous. This blogger has read much about Americans, as also interacted with American tourists (some were snobbish though….but that is ok since it is not necessary to be mannered to people whom you bump in at tourist spots, particularly to inquisitive locals like say me who was just hanging around. But I do like the way they speak English, that nasal twang. It took lot of time for me understand that one!!). Unfortunately recently the Market has taken over almost all forms of interactions, and American based MNCs are one of the most vicious particularly the consumer goods category. It is bringing in a blatant form of consumerism and wasteful culture, indulgence as a mantra will only backfire. In countries with acute disparities like India the backlash is severe, with depleting natural resources the struggle will turn more violent.

America is so important to the world that each policy decision taken at Washington has global impact. Because of Technological innovations and inventions, because the Entertainment industry based in America- that has impact on billions of people around the world, because it has Armaments-nuclear stockpile that could decimate the planet, because they consume more than anyone on earth….all these put together makes America a nation to reckon with, a nation who’s future is very much the future of the world. But unfortunately American leaders have failed in most cases, not able to live up to the expectations; some even like Bush were disaster.

American presidential election therefore is a very significant event for the world. What candidates utter is scrutinized by the world- in the mainstream media, in blogs, in chat rooms and so on. This blogger is very much concerned about the process of election funding since this could influence policy decisions in future. Further this blogger is a skeptic of TV room or stage managed debates, a good debater may not be a good communicator, and good communicator may not always be a good decision taker, furthermore humanism may not be possible to be show cased. America needs a Humanist to be its next President, infact the world expects it from America.

The whole exercise of "I am better than others" dilutes humanism and other egalitarian understanding, the reason it does get ugly. It is sad and hopeless situation. The candidates need be responsible, this probably the last chance for Americans to get it right. The world is spiraling at an exponential rate contributed by fast depleting resources, dissemination of destructive potential and ideology. World needs Americans to have a President who takes a humanist approach to international issues and treaties. In a Market driven world this looks very bleak, market dynamics doesn’t allow, realpolitik compulsions prevents, collective selfishness seems to define policies….….still we can hope.

There are only 1411 tigers….

Tiger is our national animal with sixty percent of world’s tiger population inhabiting India we are truly blessed. Not for long. India has lost more than 50 per cent of its tiger population in the past five years ( 60% dip over the last 10 years) with the numbers dwindling to 1,411 from 3,642 in 2001-02 (3,508 in 1997, a century ago, there were an estimated 100,000 tigers worldwide), but now tigers have dwindled to less than a few thousand, according to the latest tiger census report. Only 1,411 !!!!, that is as many people inhabiting a housing complex dude!! (the photo above is of Siberian tiger)

The study This time, the census used a new method that combines field surveys and statistical estimation instead of the pugmark method followed earlier. This system uses remote sensing, GIS, in combination with high resolution spatial data based on sign surveys and camera trapping. In the process, the final census monitors tiger population as well as its prey population. The “State of tiger, co-predators and prey in India” report (The counting could not be carried out in the Indravati Tiger Reserve in Chhattisgarh and Palamau Tiger Reserve in Jharkhand due to inaccessibility because of naxalite problem while estimation is on in the massive Sunderbans area in West Bengal. However, based on available data in Palamau Tiger Reserve, the report indicates a low density of tiger in the area ranging from 0.5 to 1.5 per 100 sq.km) The State-wise analysis has shown that Andhra Pradesh has 95 tigers (as against 192 in 2001-02), Chhattisgarh 26 (227), Madhya Pradesh 300 (from 710, the maximum decline for a State. Note), Maharashtra 103 (238), Orissa 45 (173), Rajasthan 32 (58). Sariska has no tigers left. In the Western Ghats, Karnataka has 290 (401), Kerala 46 (71) and Tamil Nadu 76 (60). In the North East Hills and Brahmaputra Plains, Assam has only 70 tigers against 354 in the previous census. Arunachal Pradesh has 14 tigers against 61, Mizoram only 6 (28) and North West Bengal 10 against 349 earlier, though figures from the Sunderbans regions are yet to be compiled. The north-eastern region is a heavy rainfall area and does not support high tiger populations. The report clearly shows that occupancy of a forestpatch by tigers was negatively correlated with human disturbances indices and positively correlated with prey availability.

There are some areas where individual tiger populations have high probability of long term survival by themselves: Nagarhole-Madumalai-Bandipur-Waynad population, Corbett population, Kanha population, and possibly Sunderban and Kaziranga-Karbi Anglong populations. Tiger populations that exist and can persist in a meta population (part human interference) framework are Rajaji-Corbett, Dudhwa-Katarniaghat-Kishenpur (along with Bardia and Shuklaphanta in Nepal), Satpura-Melghat, Pench-Kanha, Bhadra-Kudremukh, Parambikulum-Indira Gandhi, and KMTR-Periyar.

The landscapes that have potential but are currently in need of conservation inputs are Sirsailam Nagarjun Sagar, Simlipal, Ranthambore-Kuno Palpur, Indravati-Northern Andhra Pradesh, and Bandhavgarh-Sanjay-Palamau. The report clearly shows that occupancy of a forest patch by tigers was negatively correlated with human disturbances indices and positively correlated with prey availability.

In three other regions, the long-term future of the endangered cat looks good, the study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India notes. The north-east, including Kaziranga and other habitats in the Brahmaputra valley, is one. The central Indian belt around the Kanha tiger reserve and parts of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh is the second. The third belt is the one encompassing Bandipur, Nagarhole, Madumulai and Wayanad tiger reserves, the last safe haven for the tiger population in the south.

The reason Until recently, habitat loss was thought to be the largest single threat to the future of wild tigers in India. It has now been established that the trade in tiger bones, destined for use in Oriental medicine outside India's borders, is posing an even larger threat. Having decimated their own source Far Eastern traditional medicine manufacturers are now targeting India for their supply of tiger bones. Poaching of tigers for the traditional Chinese medicine industry started in northern India in the mid-1980's. Regardless of the tigers' classification as a "Critically Endangered" species, the demand for its parts has drastically increased at an alarming rate since the end of the 20th Century. The tiger is primarily killed to supply underground black markets with its organs, pelts and bones. These items are highly regarded in eastern medicine, claiming to posse's capabilities to heal all sorts of human illnesses and dysfunctions. In Asia, parts other then the bones are used in mythological medicine. This includes the tiger's eyes, hair, internal organs and even tiger penis (which is used in a soup as an aphrodisiac). In Hong Kong black markets, venders sell a pound of powdered tiger humorous bone sells for over $1700. Keep in mind that all of these so-called treatments are completely unproven by science and have absolutely no real medical value. In the '90s, the demand for tiger parts for Oriental medicines resulted in increased poaching. Indian tiger parts were much desired because China's dwindling tiger population threatened the manufacture of such medicines. More so because in the last 25 years China suffered a greater loss in its tiger population than any other country.

Poachers use one of the following methods to kill a wild tiger:
Poison - which is usually placed in the carcasses of domestic buffaloes and cows. During the dry, hot summer months small forest pools are also poisoned by poachers, or depressions dug and filled with water for this purpose. There is a sophisticated and well organised supply route operated by the major traders, to distribute poison and collect tiger bones from the remotest villages.
Steel Traps - which are made by nomadic blacksmiths. These traps are immensely strong. In a tiger poaching case near Raipur in 1994, it took six adult men to open a trap. In one area in central India, investigators found that so many steel traps had been set that the villagers were fearful of going into the forest. People have received dreadful injuries from these traps.
Firearms - are used where hunting can be carried out with little hindrance.
Electrocution - by tapping 230 volts -11KV overhead electrical wires and laying a live wire on animal tracts.
Tiger poaching occurs in all areas where large number of tigers have been recorded. Poaching is particularly prevalent in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Bihar, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Assam.

The efforts The Centre-sponsored Project Tiger -- a massive conservation programme launched by Indira Gandhi on April 1, 1973 conservationist Billy Arjan Singh says "Project Tiger was initially a success while it was a species-oriented project, but progressively registered failure when academics of preserving the ecosystem replaced the symbolic value of the tiger." Singh believes that even the temporary increases in tiger population were caused by immigration due to destruction and degradation of its habitat in Nepal, and not to the widely acclaimed success of wildlife policy in India. The Project has not evolved in accordance with the changing habitat of the tiger..

The law machinery Investigations carried out in 1993-94, during which a total of 36 tiger skins and

667 kilos (1470 pounds) of tiger bones were seized in northern India, brought to light the severity of the problem. If an offence is committed against the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, there is a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment or a fine which may extend to Rs. 25,000 or both. For an offence committed inside the core area of a Tiger Reserve, there is a mandatory prison term of three years, extendable to seven years and a fine of Rs. 50,000 extendable to Rs. 2 lakhs. In case of a subsequent conviction, there is an imprisonment of at least seven years and a fine of Rs. 5 lakhs which may extend to Rs. 50 lakhs. Despite these penalties, the laws are difficult to enforce and to date, in spite of hundreds of cases, only 16 people have ever been convicted of killing a tiger.

Pitted against the poacher's sophisticated weapons, the forest department is handicapped by infrastructure problems. To expect a forest guard to protect 15 square kilometres under his jurisdiction armed with just a danda is ridiculous forest guards work under difficult conditions. They often remain on duty for all of 24 hours, through the month. Since there are no medical, educational or social facilities in his spot in the forest, he is compelled to live away from his family. Helpless against the might of the poachers, incidents have been reported where forest guards have had their toes chopped, even their bodies hacked in the line of duty. At times forest officers get entangled in legal wrangles with poachers and timber merchants.

Custom authorities in India multiply poaching offences by ten to estimate the actual figure of illegal trade. On this premise, the Wildlife Protection Society of India indicates credibly that at least one tiger is killed by poachers every day. "Though Indian wildlife protection laws are considered amongst the most stringent in the world, the lack of a trained enforcement staff force has rendered these laws weak, almost non existent,"

The resources Fifty per cent of India's tiger population falls outside the protected area network. Inflicted with problems like schemes that go implemented, vehicles that cannot be repaired, and a severe resource crunch, the 23 tiger reserves have lost their sheen. However, the five year plan allocation for tiger conservation has been more than doubled to Rs 750 million. In 1998-1999, the central government has increased its funding for Project Tiger from Rs 80 million to Rs 170 million. Yet, unless administrative measures are not rectified, no real change will take place at the ground level.

Sane voice "This is the worst ever crisis. Our forests and wildlife, especially tigers, are facing their most serious threat now," said an impassioned Valmik Thapar, perhaps India's best known wildlife conservationist and an expert on tigers and their habitat, an author who also presents the acclaimed BBC television series -- Land of the Tiger: A Natural History of the Indian Subcontinent. He maintains that the ministry of environment and forests is not equipped to handle the pressures and demands of forests and wildlife. "The government should create a new ministry for natural treasury". At present wildlife falls under the ministry of environment and forests. Thapar reiterates it is time environment and subjects like pollution were separated from forests.

India claims two-thirds of the tiger population of the world. Of the eight subspecies of the tiger, three -- the Caspian, Bali and Javan tigers -- are already extinct. The position of the South China subspecies is perilious; the Siberian, Sumatran tiger population is very low; and the Indo-Chinese and Bengal tiger habitat is so little in some areas that they face the threat of inbreeding and subsequent genetic disorders.

The tiger is a symbol of our biodiversity. If it is allowed to become extinct, it will spell disaster for a host of other fauna and flora, vital water catchments will be lost, affecting the lives of millions who depend on natural resources for their very survival. This blogger-being an avid wildlife enthusiast, has been to most wild life sanctuaries in India, right from Corbett to Manas to Madumalai but has witnessed tiger only once, that too for split second, at Corbett. It is an elusive but brilliant animal (tyger tyger burning bright!!). Unfortunately the place to watch tigers are zoos or in TV. Or the dummies, the snap taken by the blogger in bannerghatta zoo. Bengaluru is probably the only metro city that has wild life sanctuary, 40 minutes drive (there is also an artificially created butterfly park. Mysore has a natural one).

Yes Tiger No Tiger!! Two years back I was in Bandipur sanctuary we were taken around in a mini van (wonder why they can’t have noiseless vehicles, the battery one probably. Is it that difficult to provide these vehicles?). A 7 or 8 year old kid who was with his extended family was absolutely excited he shouted ‘tiger’. We all poked our eyes but found nothing then he said ‘no tiger!!’. After few minutes he again shouted ‘tiger’, again the group wandered out, he laughed ‘no tiger’. Then his father glared at him, he tried again he got a good pinch. That kept him quiet. So no tigers!!.

The angst of outsiders

What is happening in Maharashtra -isolating the outsiders (now North Indians) is nothing new, the danger is audacity of few individuals and later media mileage. This blogger wonders how cameramen reached the spot during the violence. Thankfully though it is contained to a large extend but they have been repeating images even now to stoke passion. Exemplary punishment should be given to the perpetrators of such crimes. Money should be charged from individuals for damaging public and individual property, these actions should be given publicity as a deterrent. The mob generally commits heinous acts since they get anonymity, identifying individuals from video footage and punishing them should be shown to people. The feeling now among common people is that anyone can commit anything and get away with it.

At a certain level every individual in a city at one point does feel to be an outsider. But the alienation is acute among migrants particularly at the lower strata. There is lots of space for people at higher strata since money cushions the impact and the contribution is mainly at idea level, leading to more vibrancy in most cases. Further they have choices and migration is not for survival. At lower level of society it is survival and that puts immigrants directly in competition with inhabitants to fight over depleting resources and opportunities. This tragic situation is what is exploited by vested interests in the name of religion and parochialism. These fault lines are consolidating in most metros cities, the danger is very real. Comparing Mumbai with New York is ridiculous, for one Mumbai has lots of poor people living in abject condition as is the case in most big Indian cities.

Inhabitant’s angst of loosing the hold over their home city is also very real. With native culture- tradition and language being made subservient to increasing aggressive alien culture can be unsettling. This also observed in other parts of the world (even richer societies) mutating sometimes into xenophobia. Sentimental association with the home city is emotive and therefore can be easily be directed against immigrants who could be seen as cause of all problems.

But the tragedy of immigrants particularly from poorer sections (also people who may be underemployed, as also those who don’t have skills for Market oriented jobs like farmers, artisans and so on) to cities is wrenching. It is uprootedness of colossal proportional, it is dislocation of an individual. Then there are humiliations, prejudices, biases and cheatings -it is always easy to take an outsider for big ball before he/she learns the trick of the trade, sometimes the mistakes are so grievous that they may never come out of it (inhabitants have maneuverability space). One of the first thing people learn is to compromise, it is a process of dehumanization, alienation, marginalization, pitfalls are many they end up living in most inhuman and degrading surroundings. Limited resources add to other problems like lack of sufficient nutrition and proper medical attention and so on. They have to face the brunt of all problems.

This blogger knew lots of youngsters at personal level who came from Bihar/UP to study or find some job after graduation in Delhi (in early part of my stay here sometimes we used to pool money for monthly get together). It is quite an uphill task and odds are really stacked against them. It also put question mark on the employment and educational facilities provided by UP/Bihar government (it is not really about these two states there are youngsters from Uttranchal, HP…and within States who go to big cities for better prospects).

As an individual this blogger feels the public space has reduced significantly in recent times. Animosity towards migrants, suspiciousness of cheating (as in trains), afraid of terrorism (therefore intrusion into privacy of outsiders), wariness towards strangers….has lead to increasingly siege mentality among people in public space. So for an outsider it becomes much more difficult.

Raj Thackerey though has successfully exploited the situation. One shouldn’t be complaining since that is what any human in Market driven globalized world is supposed to do. People particularly poor immigrants will face miseries some may even get maimed or killed that also is normal, when there is power struggle people will have to pay the price (ditto, for somebody’s Coke-Pepsi many will have to give up their drinking water. The nature and intention is same the context is different). To be fair to Raj he is a political outsiders so he has to do some stunts to break in (quite interestingly in recent times as they talk of competence and merit….parents are quite viciously promoting their children whether in politics, art, business…there is a huge stampede to promote children). He though has the all important surname (if he was Raj Dongre instead of Raj Thackerey he would have been bundled out at the first instance). Few decades from now he would have positioned himself as a matured leader. The metamorphosis is complete!!.

The exploitative nature of human relations is as old as human history. It is only that evolution of societies has created new fault lines. The insider-outsider based on geography is the most vicious variety.

The place where dreams of a nation took a pause

Sriperambathur is a small town desperately trying to catch up with the world. It has many big companies setting up shops and is bustling with people. I have never been here before and so dropped in for few hours on my way from Chennai to Kanchipuram (a city I had read about so much in the History).Sriperambathur burst into the world scene on the night of May 21 1991. The tragic assassination of Rajiv Gandhi shocked the world. He was on an election rally and was very much on the way to be the PM (eerily similar to Benazir Bhutto). Terrorist organization of Sri Lanka -LTTE was responsible for the heinous act. It was quite a sad event, I recall being grief stricken for few days. It was a horrible sight.

I recall Rajiv Gandhi as quite a charismatic leader (I saw him once in Pune...we were 5 guys going for tuitions and he waved to us). Because of him we had to face the question in school as to where do you see India in 21^st century?!!. “hamme bharath ko ikisvi sadhi meh le jana hai”. The Samadhi does have sculpt of him leading the country to technology and development. It is a peaceful place with pillars denoting rivers and a stone marking the spot of assassination on a tapering path signifying the last path he took, aesthetically done (I did got carried away by the surrounding since I almost got hit by a speeding vehicle as I came out and was crossing the road. This one was real close, the guy must have been in some hurry!!. He shouted some abuse in Tamil, despite being in Delhi for more than a decade-a place that really tests your survival instincts in cities, shouting back never got into my system. Anyway I should consider myself very lucky to have survived with few scratches). What really shocked me was Rajiv Gandhi was only 47, I was thinking he was older. When you are young all older people are old, in school and college one year difference is significant. It is only when you cross certain age you think age in relative terms. Surely Einstein will agree!!.

Condolences

Baba Amte was a great man. He was from a generation that came out inspired from ideals of freedom struggle, probably one of the very few true Gandhians. This blogger had the opportunity to touch his feet when we visited his ashram in the interiors of MP. Last few years he was mostly bedridden but the spirit was same. He was an awe inspiring presence.