Death of a dancer, passing of an era

Kottakkal Shivaraman was a master Kathakali dancer, he expertised in minuku that is streevesham (female roles) and took it a level that is iconic. He was a living legend, who gave life to mythical characters for almost six decades. Over the decades he was a delight to connoisseurs of this dance form. His pairing with Kalamandalam Gopi and Kalamandalam Ramankutty Nair are stuff of folklore now.

Kathakali is an amazing artform, a dance drama with heightened aesthetic sensibility. If you can comprehend the nuances and subtleties it indeed is one of the most fulfilling experiences. This blogger has had the fortune of watching many live performances (and try to learn for few months…it takes years and ages to master. Must say it did help to understand and appreciate this wonderful dance form). I have heard stories about my grandfather (who unfortunately was polio afflicted on one leg…and lived a life dabbling in ayurveda) who could tell from far away, sitting at home with faintest of hint, the exact scene. He was quite crazy about Kathakali (he even encouraged his children in dance and theater, amazing man). One of cousin used to go into frenzy enacting chenda vadyam and would froth and later become unconscious; people said grandfather’s spirit has gone into him. It used to scare me a lot those days. There is something primal about Chenda and with splendor of characters of Kathakali it goes to a different level, surreal. Somehow that effect is absent when you watch it on TV.

One of the important aspects of Kathakali apart from the visual splendor is the use of light. Long back I happen to listen to a speech by Mr. Menon (I guess it was Delhi…only thing I recall about him was he attended these programs quite regularly with his wife who was an ex ambassador. He died few years later, I did attend his condolence meet). He spoke so eloquently about Kathakali, how in olden days the vilakku (lamp) hid the darkness and the characters emerged from nowhere. This is one experience we miss with the loss of darkness. I thought it was one of the most brilliant speeches I ever listened to.

Post script: It is unfortunate that the Indian government failed to recognize (unlike the State government though) and reward great souls like Kottakkal Shivaraman. Just look at the way they elect people to Rajya Sabha who are supposed to be represent art and culture, it is a dubious process. Judiciary should intervene. This is why it is important to have coalition governments. Like in Kerala there are some iconic figures in different artforms across the country who may not be marketing themselves nor scheming for power. It is the responsibility of the government to recognize and encourage these. It is a matter of grave concern that Union Government has failed in its duties to respect and value the cultural icons of the nation. Culture is not only about movies and people involved in it, indeed it is marginal. It is a shame that in the name of art some pretentious people are being given importance. I guess there are too many fixers to exaggerate these people, it makes market sense.

This blogger like to know why are likes of Padma Subramanium not selected to Rajya Sabha, she is truly iconic. I have seen the programs that used to come in DD decades back, wherein she went to different temples and try to study and interpret the dancing sculptures. It was brilliant, a masterpiece, arguably the best program made on Indian classical dance.

Too many train mishaps…

There are too many train accidents in recent times for comfort. It is quite serious these accidents, lot of people are getting killed. Many who are injured are also maimed for life. There is so much metal inside the boggie that even a small jerk and fall can break some bones. But must say in recent times the designs are getting more modern and care is taken to reduce the contact with metal. Maybe they could use more of fiber that are strong but not lethal in case of accident. The situation in unreserved compartments does remain quite bad. One need to however keep in mind that Indian Railways provides one of the cheapest travel anywhere in the world.

They could adopt new technology to stop accidents, accidents like trains colliding onto each other should never happen in this age we live in. There are enough equipments to avoid these like for instance the jammers and so on. There has been widespread criticism of Union Railway minister Mamata Bannerjee (the firebrand politician from Bengal). Well how much of these decisions are decided by political executives is debatable. These are I believe done by the experts and Minister’s role is sanctioning and allocating. Having said Ms. Bannerjee cannot really exonerate herself from these mishaps, she is part of the collective failure. There are serious allegation of poor maintenance in Railways.

This blogger though don’t take the argument that she shouldn’t be interested in politics of Bengal. A politician once a Union Minister doesn’t seize to be a politician. As much as the Chief Minister of Bengal remains the member of CPM and attends political rallies. I am not even coming to the Agriculture Minister, isn’t this holding two post that is detrimental to the nation. Isn’t there a law against these?. Writes Mr. Sainath in indiatogether.org “Maybe it's time for the Prime Minister to extend inclusive growth to bring the Food and Agriculture Minister into food and agriculture. (Or we could include cricket in that sector.) Four Ministers in the same field would be truly inclusive.”

A minister is also a politician but it shouldn’t interfere with his/her responsibility as a Minister. If TMC wins the assembly elections (which is quite likely) she can take the call of becoming Chief Minster of Bengal, nobody should have any trouble with that. This is how democracy functions, nothing unique. It also need be pointed out that many of the former Railway ministers who are now criticizing were quite partisan (in some case blatant) in allocating national resources.

Further this blogger strongly believes that it is not necessary for Ministers, MPs and so on to be settled in Delhi for their term. They could locate themselves wherever they find it convenient; arrangement should be made for videoconference or other latest technological innovations. Why should Mr. Azhagiri or for that any elected leader need to be in Delhi, where they are not comfortable (and so means not able to contribute to their best). He or she could get the office e-transferred. India is not really Delhi. Many small timers with expertise in sycophancy have climbed into significant national positions just by being in Delhi. We have an example of a clerk becoming a powerful Union Minister without even going out of Delhi!!. This blogger doesn’t think these people have any unique qualities or expertise (indeed most are quite mediocre), it’s about how close you are to certain people. No wonder polices tend to be lopsided. This blogger strongly feels that Ms Bannerjee could locate herself to Kolkata as Union Railway Minister. She is not doing a particularly bad job. Though one feels these politicians not to speak too much into media, and give the impression that they are in control, people are not fools. It’s better to keep shut.

PS. Talking of trains, they have created walls along the railway track in cities, too many were getting killed while taking short cuts. Maybe they could also do something to prevent leaks from the railway track bridges that criss-cross cities, every day we two-wheeler riders have to wait for the train to pass to avoid being sprayed with muck water.

After the monsoons this blogger is thinking of making a trip to Meghalaya and maybe to Tripura (most likely in the mid October), these train accidents do make me uncomfortable.

Its over!!

So another FIFA is over, the technological advances in recent times has provided an opportunity for spectacular visual treat for the audience (one wonders four years from now how much the world might have changed, maybe we will be able to watch these in 3D TV…oops I think they already have it…geez the way the world is moving!!). South Africa has done a stupendous job.

Spain is good team but must say the finals was not really very impressive match, don’t know but I thought the players were really very nervous (commentator even mentioned “stage fright”, “nobody wants to take the risk”), there were so many fouls, incredibly everyone, except the goalkeeper and Snieder, of Netherlands team were shown yellow card, one even managed a red. Some kind of record that one.!! One thing stand out is that Spain scored total of only 7 goals in the entire event, and wins the world cup. Now that is amazing!!.

Peculiar case of Mr. Paul: I have been quite intrigued by Paul the Octopus. Media has gone absolutely crazy, some channels even carried his predictions as breaking news!!. Some in Indian media have gone bongos over ‘psychic’ Octopus, and not to be left behind arranged special programs dedicated to him even introducing other oracular specialist including a parrot, a frog, even a camel I am told!!. Some call him Octopus Baba, other’s Pundit Octopus and so on. If it was in India they would have made a temple for him by now and declared him a god!. It is the craziest thing that has happened in recent times and Indians are quite susceptible to these. Sometime back the statues of Gods were found to drink milk and I went all the way to a temple in Cochin where people had gone nuts. What I observed was when people go nuts their eyes go wider and they speak more than they should!.

Talking of Paul (I am told the Spanish want to call him Pablo and Germans meanwhile want to barbecue him!!) he has been remarkably consist. But he was to choose from two that made the probability 50%. Importantly whether Paul understands that there are human beings outside the aquarium who have divided land into countries and then they play something called football, where you hit the ball into designated space to be declared a goal and so on. Incredulity is amazing!.

Beyond a point though it is not funny and I have a serious reservation on the business of future predictions, intelligent guess is understandable. In India predicting future is small scale industry; all kind charlatans do the round. These situations are horrendous creations of 24x7 media. It is not amusing since it tends to give credibility to some seriously crap people, superstitions and create regressive atmosphere. Is this news? Market thrives on gullibility, these events only add to the power of globalizing nonsense. On a lighter note if only I could predict even few second before the event, I would have made a fortune in turf club by now. I would go to race on weekends make a pot full money travel around the world and then come back make a pot full then travel around. That would be amazing.

Talking of Turf club, I am having some horrendous outings (monetarily, otherwise its great fun. Best thing to do), guessing horses are quite tricky the factors get compounded everytime. Probability don’t work since horses are not numbers, they are dynamic. Add to these when I was at turf club the other day and was having my fruit salad (the fellow serves in paper that is from some magazine, how much hygiene these are I am not even thinking!!). While eating I glanced into the content of the paper (written words are always magnetic!!) and it was a poem, it seemed to be school magazine (Top corner said Sophia…that must be the school located right in the center of the city). I scribbled it down from the wet paper. Read:

A Student’s Prayer
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray I pass tomorrow’s test
If I should die before I wake
That’s one less test I will have to take

Shreya Gopal (VIII A)

It saddened me lot, so much so I forgot to put money in the race. To make it worse the horse I was fancying won. There are occasion to do and not do things, turf club is no place for poems. But I being me am not able to avoid these and then it enters into the mind and then it plays havoc. Intelligent predictions need absolutely clear and rational mind, it needs lots of calculations on different parameters, no emotions. Must say the kid has written something quite touching and struck a deep chord in me. We need thank Kapil Sibal for atleast trying to make learning a happy experience. Cheers to that.

Supersunday !!!

This coming Sunday is definitely a special Sunday not only the FIFA finals but also the Bangalore Derby. I am going crazy with excitement!!.

I happen to read Joel Stein’s article in Time Magazine few minutes back, well one is not comfortable with references like Dot heads (juxtaposing that with Naipaul, will make you cringe…isn’t that how you define racism, xenophobia?). This article seemed to have ruffled lots of feathers in net but I do share that sentiment of the writer when one’s favorite places are being mutilated without much consideration. The new architectures that have started to dot Bangalore (some shamelessly copied from west in its entirety, Morons of Mediocre times!!) is painful. Unaesthetic, ugly buildings that make no attempts to gel with the surrounding, the climate, the culture, indeed it is arrogant, crude and everything that is wrong with market economy. It is a shame. It makes me extremely sad seeing these buildings, they have so much money they could have been innovative and could have created something unique, something that is a marvel, compatible and sustainable. I guess that is modernity. Add to it they have cut some huge trees (particularly next to jail museum, they have made such a bad road that it itself is a masterpiece. I am bangalored!!) and also created a horrendous looking blue wall. Funny part is it was chosen through a competition!!. Shouldn’t they demolish this and maybe use this space to create a garden or some beautiful eye pleasing art. It is amazing the level of mediocrity.

Yes I agree with offensiveness of dimwit ads portraying Africans as savages…well you cannot really expect anything much from fair and lovely world. One marketeer says the ads were “well received by young crowd”. Another instance of youngistan ka wow!!. Indians have racism ingrained. Diepiriye Kuku, a Delhi-based Nigerian-American says “These ads could never be aired in the U.S" he says India is decades behind the U.S. in addressing racial issues. Kuku wrote an article titled "India Is Racist and Happy About It" in a leading Indian newsmagazine last year (taken from Time magazine). The issue here is hypocrisy of communities like Indians that has not experienced or have empathy towards outsiders have any right to protest in support of "people like us" for what they face in other countries. I though don't agree with Mr. Kuku on people staring...don't know whether that can be seen as something as strong as racism. I recall when I saw African people for the first time, I was around eight years old, I kept staring at them for long time since I haven’t seen them before (the same is true of Europeans, when I schooling in pune there were lots of Europeans, in the beginning I stared later I got used), it takes lots of acclimatization not to behave differently. People who look different or dress differently generally attract attention but that is not same as stereotyping them like the marketeers are doing in India. What these ads are showing is africans are buffoons. Morons who make such ads should be punished...we don't share Coca Cola's "light heartedness"

This isn't not funny

I went out of Bangaluru sometime back and had parked my vehicle at the railway station. The parking coupon had this written (the pic herein), I generally read anything more than two times…don’t know whether I should write this, I am quite a terrible reader (my job is just the opposite, I always found that exceedingly funny), last decade and half I seem to have a control over it and can read quite fast.

I had actually missed it at the first instance on a closer look it read “surrender the coupon before living”. That made me smile…yah I also consider traveling as “living”, staying inside “dying”. But somehow it didn’t make me laugh, spelling mistakes are quite common and I consider it as elemental mistake in English language itself. A word should be written as it sounds and not as someone decided somewhere. Spelling mistakes are nothing funny though it might lead to funny situations. Incidentally in USofA they conduct Spelling Competitions at national level and make TV programs out of it. Shocking. Macaques from India tend to do well in these nitty-gritty (very much pushed by retarded parents) and in India it falls into “making the country proud” category and so given much prominence.

I recall ears being twisted over these mistakes millions of time, so I guess I have vested interest in writing this piece but there is something universal in these experiences. These mistakes at primary school level should have relaxations. Dictations are nightmares. I recall when I was in my primary school there used to be regular dictation tests, the school being run by Christian missionary took these matters very seriously. Children who scored less were whacked with sticks. The worst part was getting the result signatured from home. And that is where I got innovative (importantly being punished for the same mistake twice is against natural justice…I got that from Andha kanoon movie later where Amitabh Bachchan makes that impassionate speech before the judge!!… ye kaisa kanoon hai melord... I thought it was a terrific scene and we used to play it out in school) since mom was not into English and her signature was easy to copy I forged. And so had two notebooks one hidden in school another rewritten for home, it was a hectic nerve racking deceit. Double life!!. As for ear twisting, better part of my effort before these tortures went into transferring oil from hair to ear (indeed i would get into the act even before the test started!!), that made it slippery and difficult to hold!

English really was quite a tough beginning but must say it did open a new world, recently internet has added to the excitement. But I still have absolutely no idea about grammar; previously I tried to know now I don’t even think about it. My policy is constant reading will get you into a pattern of correct sentence construction. It seemed to have worked quite well. When I read myself it doesn’t look bad.
So even though I do come across spelling mistakes in hoardings and menu cards so on while traveling across the country I never found it funny, it does make me smile occasionally that’s about it I don’t consider it a big deal.

Waking up neo Luddites in FIFA

Fifa should introduce latest technology in arbitrating disputes regarding goals at the earliest particularly the one that cross the goal line and are obvious goals. What happened in the Germany-England match is a case in study. The goal was denied to England and the audience across the world felt cheated (by the way England did play quite pathetically, the defense was unspeakably lethargic and uncoordinated …the one with Algeria was the worst match but I need add here that with Germany there was some competence, and I did feel sorry for them). FIFA’s argument that it is costly is rather tame and must say stupid. Sepp Blatter &Co stand accused of being neo luddites, they are denying the inevitable. Few minutes back I was watching Wimbledon, the commentator while commenting on call reversal in favor of Venus William with the help of latest technology asked Blatter to follow the example.

There is no debate here FIFA should get its act right and make the changes at the earliest or take the blame for any mishap that goes out of control. The red card is on Blatter & Co.

PS: though Argentina, Germany (and hopefully Brazil tonight) are doing extremely well this blogger is putting money on rank outsiders to win the world cup (I do hope Brazil or Argentina wins!!. It is fun to watch them)

Corporate Khap Panchayats and Youngistan ka Wow !!

Last few weeks media (in particular English media) is having a freak out time bludgeoning Khap Panchayats, rightly so, these are regressive, patriarchal and regrettable presence from past. These though are extremely fortuitous events for city based pretenders since it presents people who are rural and speak rustic Hindi into a pattern that makes us feel so very modern and advanced. This wedge is what media seem to be exploiting and its dismissive tone is in line with market’s construction of modernity. Though there is something seriously wrong with these panchayats in intruding the privacy of people and individual choices but the realities of villages and small towns needs these social groups and they have been tremendous help to people in majority of cases. It is regrettable that they have got themselves into mess and have not been able to change with time. I guess enlightened elders should be able look at these with empathy and compassion and focus on pressing problems than patriarchal arrogance. Modernity is contextual and evolutionary and not some commodity that is imported.

Any harm to individual life and property should be severely dealt and law of the land is supreme in these matters (the issue of polygamy and other regressive practices fall into these primitive patriarchal model, just because it is part of some skewed understanding of organized religion doesn’t in any way justify it. There should be same parameter in judging what is disparity). Now coming to the market driven media since when are they beacon of modernity?! This blogger is very much concerned about corporate khap panchayats. Look at the kind of regressive ideas they try to work in through ads-in most cases its juvenile and stupid. Look at the kind of products they have created right from fizz drinks to creams with ridiculous claims. To take the specific case of media you switch as many TV channels (they claim to be news channel, interesting!) and you will find all kinds of charlatans predicting future, indeed it is considered revered tradition, not to forget other nonsense as news!!. Market is exploiting these to hilt. It is worst than Khap. There is no killing or physical harm but the damage is significant. For some sophistication comes quite easy (Turd will nod vigorously her head on that) but there is something remarkable about people living in congested places and surroundings and facing all kinds of problems and intrusions, and still don’t go harming each other all the time, it needs tremendous resilience and tolerance. There is a difference between living in a room with dozen member family and poverty, and living in houses where you can shut your door and shut out others. You can have some great views and thoughts shut inside a room away from the crowd and problems (nothing wrong in that but the problem is most cannot even manage that, even minimum decency is found wanting in opulence) but the realities of what is considered eclectic philosophies are lived by people all the time otherwise India with all its problems and disparities wouldn’t be what it is. India should have been high crime rate ghettos. Those who shout for India in strategic places are just looking for personal benefits and acceptance from west, it is just positioning nothing much. And indeed most Indians don’t even recognize them.

Last few days some killings in delhi is making the news (there is feeling among Delhi based national channels that delhi is India!!. Nothing wrong but union ministers endorsing is unacceptable. India should start with Agartala, also means that when it comes to honoring people from art and culture into Rajya Sabha the government is expected to do a survey and serious study and not macaques and rodents salivating for power from holes of market media. Also there should be conscious effort to represent people from North East and other seriously marginalized communities and their cultural contribution. UPA has been regrettable and owes an apology. Scums have surrounded the policy makers), horror part of these killing is that they look like people who are what media defines as modern, they even have the style of the people who are creating youngistan ka wow. They have all the modern gadgets and swanky cars. And they are from Delhi, the capital city where all these pretenders have set up their shacks.The irony is obvious.

Isn’t that shocking? Not really. When I was in Delhi there was this intriguing case of Natwar Singh’s daughter-in-law who suicided, it seems Mister Singh (who claims to be a well read intellectual....well...when you are from Stephen these tags come quite easily with other comforts-patrons include Chinese stooge dear Ram-he also has royal blood, as much as poacher family who are vigorously trying to work on their brand value) and his family were against the marriage and they made unbearable for the hapless woman. This is just an example, to get more into primitive nature of these people open the newspapers on Sundays, an outsider will find these matrimonial 'requirements' funny as much as there is fun in being critical of khaps. As marketer would say there is nothing right or wrong what matters is where you have positioned for the lick (god save Nietzsche).

Shocking: it is shocking that Tamil is not a language in Chennai High Court. First and foremost why this is still Madras High Court when the city is Chennai? High courts seem to be still trapped in colonial legacy. Each state’s High Court should have language spoken in the region as medium of communication. I hope the political class take up this issue at the earliest and reflect the realities of the nations (I am shocked that these biases still exits, the temerity of these people). If the learned judges don’t understand the language then translators should be appointed. This is excellent situation since it will give employment opportunities in the areas that is part of culture and heritage. Unlike the kind of dumb, superficial , exploitative jobs that have come into being in recent times, market will of course celebrate these jobs as career options, it is understandable.

Is it an upset World Cup?

Well the way things are proceeding fancied teams are having a tough time look at Brazil (North Korea!!), Spain (what happened there?), Italy, England (must say was disappointed), France (really bad performance)…Germany probably was an exception and was clinical (despite absence of Ballack). Paraguay was impressive. This world cup is exceptionally noisy…well that adds to the fun. Some incidents are memorable in its irony like for instance Thierry expressing disbelief on being denied handball however best was when the commentator said as Maradona, the coach, picked up the ball from the sidelines “that is the first time Maradona handled the ball in fifa finals” just couldn’t help laughing. Good one that. Camera work has been high quality. Great work.

Bhopal unfolds after 26 years: Its amazing to see the unfolding of Bhopal tragedy, wonder what was media doing all these years?. These “revelation” only adds to criminal negligence by all the people at the helm of affairs. What makes the contrast terrible is how Americans are handling the oil spill. These big companies have gotten away with worst transgressions in Africa. I guess some life are cheap, it’s a matter of geography. Isn’t former honorable Chief Justice of India Ahmedi contempt on society?. All the people who gained from these and other deals have passed these tactics/benefits to the next generation, so you know what this young new India is all about. It is extending what is passed from the corrupt/power hungry elder generation (it’s also about loving the one’s family!!). Recognize where the next big lick is and wag your tail accordingly. The binge is now on being liberal and yes viciously secular (whatever that means) and if you missed that one take the boat that goes the other extreme. Market media is into balancing act so you are sure to get your bite and god saving attention. India is relatively peaceful or for that matter secular (whatever that means) not because of these macaques who shout (one rodent has even sneaked into Rajya Sabha recently with his big mouth, till recently the moron was making fun of young people through reality shows,whatever crap you do if it is market friendly then there is a easy take as modern, if you have a muslim name wonderful, clearly our young leaders watch too much TV!!) but because of traditional/cultural values passed on from generations around the country, that provides the resilience (of course there are regressive elements too but that shouldn’t be the reason to condemn the whole) and reference points.This blogger is not against discussion but it shouldn't be entertainment with small timers. These are serious matter and in depth understanding needed and not frivolous titillations, anyway Delhi based tail wagers are not competent for these. They could learn from BBC (except that Punjab is not Pooonjab!! Sorry dear Master it is too late to change for your convenience). I take strong exception against using victims who don't understand English by English channels as dummies for their purpose, the onus is on TV channels to provide them translation of proceedings, that is basic decency. I hope they are also paid.

Hundreds of Bhopal (using it as a metaphor for corruption) happens all the time around the country, you have to be cunning to gain from these (as the marketer would say “capitalizing the opportunities”) and then it is about consolidating one’s position by doing some “good work” also referred to as charity (O the joy of giving), cynics would call it brand building!!. This blogger isn’t much bothered about Corporate Social Responsibility but is very concerned how responsibly/legally and ethically they earn. Laws should be stricter and any transgression seriously dealt. India is also one of the very few countries that have not ratified the United Nations Convention against Corruption (UNCAC), other countries that has not ratified the treaty (that was adopted in 2003 and came into affect from 2005) include Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Italy (it’s been under Mister Berlusconi for a decade now). Let me quote a para under Criminalization and Law Enforcement (Chapter III, Articles 15-44):

Chapter III calls on States Parties to establish or maintain a series of specific criminal offences including not only long-established crimes such as various forms of bribery and embezzlement, but also conduct not already criminalized in many States, such as trading in official influence and other abuses of official functions. The broad range of ways in which corruption has manifested itself in different countries and the novelty of some of the offences pose serious legislative and constitutional challenges, a fact reflected in the decision of the Ad Hoc Committee to make some of the requirements either optional on the part of States Parties (“…shall consider adopting…”) or subject to domestic constitutional or other fundamental requirements (“…subject to its constitution and the fundamental principles of its legal system…”). Specific acts that States Parties must criminalize include active bribery (the offer or giving of an undue advantage) of a national, international or foreign public official, and passive bribery of a national public official and embezzlement of public funds. Other mandatory crimes include obstruction of justice, and the concealment, conversion or transfer of criminal proceeds (money laundering). Sanctions extend to those who participate in or attempt to commit corruption offences. The Convention goes thus beyond previous instruments of this kind that criminalize only basic forms of corruption. States are encouraged – but not required – to criminalize, inter alia, passive bribery of foreign and international public officials, trading in influence, abuse of function, illicit enrichment, private sector bribery and embezzlement, money laundering, and the concealment of illicit assets.

This time its Africa !!!!

The game begins at Madeba land

The place to be in for next few weeks is South Africa, and as audiences I would say Kerala is always exciting place to be in during the matches it is electrifying. Traditional supporter of Brazil and Argentina this time I am putting my money on an outsider England. Don’t know I am doing a blasphemy… yah guys why not England they look quite balanced, of course Spain is always a threat. So it is a goaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaal for next few weeks

Travesty

It is a matter of shame, it just goes on to show how cheap life of common Indians are. So shouldn’t the gas victims take up arms or join the Naxals?. They have tried everything possible peacefully and it is clear that Indian state is not equipped to give justice nor it seems particularly bothered. This blogger believes that this case should be tried at the international level this is crime against humanity. Not only the criminal negligence by the company but the politicians who are involved in these as also the lack of justice for so many years.

Union carbide is now back as Dow chemicals and our policy makers have rolled out the red carpet- O the precious unscrupulous FDI (not the least by comrades in Bengal), it seems our life (and yes death too…cheap deaths) is dependent on it. And then there is a case for GDP that makes lot of people ecstatic. The moral of the story is if you swindle, swindle it big so that you are too precious to fail (Wall Street can teach more on this). You can poison and maim thousands of people for generations and still live like Anderson in villas on some US beach. I like most people are tired of this joke. The least they could have done was to atleast show that justice is being given but today’s verdict is a cruel joke , accentuated by the fact that this is the first conviction in 25years of struggle. Shame on Indian Judiciary.

Post Script: BP oil spill is such a catastrophe and gallons of oil is leaking every second causing significant damage to ecology but the CEO (fellow named Tony Hayward) after initially denying it as minor and then shirking responsibility is now using this precious time to come out with an ad trying to garner sympathy (the way he express his sadness should fetch him an Oscar). A seasoned marketer would say “that is capitalising opportunity this is in the nature of market”. What kind of scoundrels are these?

What a charming movie!!

I am just out of theater watching the movie Avatar, thought of blogging about it since I have an hour to surf. What an amazing movie. It so happened that the movie was being shown at PVR Gold, now I have absolutely no idea about these classifications only when I reached the theatre (quite far from where I stay) that I came to know it is super luxury class- the ticket costing almost thousand bucks !!!. I had such a shock, it took me moments to gather my senses then evaluated my options (this is the only theater that is showing this movie and so on) and decided to shell out the money, though quite reluctantly. The theatre itself was quite an experience the kind I don’t think I will forget in a hurry. Cozy sofas that stretch all the way, waiters waiting to take order from the menu placed and so on. Man it was some other world!!.

Coming to the movie, it is a stupendous effort. How do they do it?. How do they create these amazing worlds? I think the previous movie which left me astounded was almost two decades back: The Jurassic Park, I couldn’t believe what I saw (only Steven Spielberg could make that one. Richard Attenborugh was amazing presence, I am a big admirer of David Attenborugh too- incidentally there is a new program in Discovery channel every day at 8pm that i love so much...it is nothing short of incredible), James Cameron has extended that world o so beautifully. Amazing visual kept me spell bounded, the story too had lot of contemporary relevance ('shock and awe'...yah cud see that!!). Some dialogues stand out like when she says “mother earth doesn’t take side she only balances life”. Overall I loved this movie and will cherish for a long time

I would love to see the movie again but I guess the cost factor is a dampener. I could have seen this movie earlier but one thing or other came up, also I rarely go to crowded theaters and I was into traveling and so on (not that I was busy, I rarely am busy. Love it that way)

Where exactly is UN?

Israel has seriously flouted international laws and norms, and if UN doesn’t take any action then we are in for it. This could escalate into dangerous new level. Most importantly it will give legitimacy to fringe groups as happened after invasion of Iraq. What Israel has done is nothing but state terrorism and if international community doesn’t deal with situation in all its fairness then we can expect extreme elements to capitalize, and for a country like Turkey this is catastrophe. UN is expected to take stringent action at the earliest.

So aloofly precise and so fragilely proud...

On why Szymborska matters and matters so much…

I am quoting from part of the Nobel Prize speech by Wislawa Syzmborska that I thought was quite brilliant and very relevant to the contemporary times we live in…

I've mentioned inspiration. Contemporary poets answer evasively when asked what it is, and if it actually exists. It's not that they've never known the blessing of this inner impulse. It's just not easy to explain something to someone else that you don't understand yourself.

When I'm asked about this on occasion, I hedge the question too. But my answer is this: inspiration is not the exclusive privilege of poets or artists generally. There is, has been, and will always be a certain group of people whom inspiration visits. It's made up of all those who've consciously chosen their calling and do their job with love and imagination. It may include doctors, teachers, gardeners - and I could list a hundred more professions. Their work becomes one continuous adventure as long as they manage to keep discovering new challenges in it. Difficulties and setbacks never quell their curiosity. A swarm of new questions emerges from every problem they solve. Whatever inspiration is, it's born from a continuous "I don't know."

There aren't many such people. Most of the earth's inhabitants work to get by. They work because they have to. They didn't pick this or that kind of job out of passion; the circumstances of their lives did the choosing for them. Loveless work, boring work, work valued only because others haven't got even that much, however loveless and boring - this is one of the harshest human miseries. And there's no sign that coming centuries will produce any changes for the better as far as this goes.

And so, though I may deny poets their monopoly on inspiration, I still place them in a select group of Fortune's darlings.
At this point, though, certain doubts may arise in my audience. All sorts of torturers, dictators, fanatics, and demagogues struggling for power by way of a few loudly shouted slogans also enjoy their jobs, and they too perform their duties with inventive fervor. Well, yes, but they "know." They know, and whatever they know is enough for them once and for all. They don't want to find out about anything else, since that might diminish their arguments' force. And any knowledge that doesn't lead to new questions quickly dies out: it fails to maintain the temperature required for sustaining life. In the most extreme cases, cases well known from ancient and modern history, it even poses a lethal threat to society (emphasis mine).

This is why I value that little phrase "I don't know" so highly. It's small, but it flies on mighty wings. It expands our lives to include the spaces within us as well as those outer expanses in which our tiny Earth hangs suspended. If Isaac Newton had never said to himself "I don't know," the apples in his little orchard might have dropped to the ground like hailstones and at best he would have stooped to pick them up and gobble them with gusto. Had my compatriot Marie Curie said to herself "I don't know", she probably would have wound up teaching chemistry at some private high school for young ladies from good families, and would have ended her days performing this otherwise perfectly respectable job. But she kept on saying "I don't know," and these words led her, not just once but twice, to Stockholm, where restless, questing spirits are occasionally rewarded with the Nobel Prize.

Poets, if they're genuine, must also keep repeating "I don't know." Each poem marks an effort to answer this statement, but as soon as the final period hits the page, the poet begins to hesitate, starts to realize that this particular answer was pure makeshift that's absolutely inadequate to boot. So the poets keep on trying, and sooner or later the consecutive results of their self-dissatisfaction are clipped together with a giant paperclip by literary historians and called their "oeuvre" ...

I sometimes dream of situations that can't possibly come true. I audaciously imagine, for example, that I get a chance to chat with the Ecclesiastes, the author of that moving lament on the vanity of all human endeavors. I would bow very deeply before him, because he is, after all, one of the greatest poets, for me at least. That done, I would grab his hand. "'There's nothing new under the sun': that's what you wrote, Ecclesiastes. But you yourself were born new under the sun. And the poem you created is also new under the sun, since no one wrote it down before you. And all your readers are also new under the sun, since those who lived before you couldn't read your poem. And that cypress that you're sitting under hasn't been growing since the dawn of time. It came into being by way of another cypress similar to yours, but not exactly the same. And Ecclesiastes, I'd also like to ask you what new thing under the sun you're planning to work on now? A further supplement to the thoughts you've already expressed? Or maybe you're tempted to contradict some of them now? In your earlier work you mentioned joy - so what if it's fleeting? So maybe your new-under-the-sun poem will be about joy? Have you taken notes yet, do you have drafts? I doubt you'll say, 'I've written everything down, I've got nothing left to add.' There's no poet in the world who can say this, least of all a great poet like yourself.

(You can read the full text at Nobel Prize website- go to the link. The amazing pic of water lily was taken at recent visit to Coorg)

Wall Street and code of conduct !!

I came across this on the Net.

A fellow Ernie Paragallo was convicted last week, fined and sent to jail for two years (the maximum penalty) for starving and neglecting many of the 177 thoroughbred horses on his upstate New York facility. Judge (George J. Pulver Jr.) at Paragallo’s sentencing had this to say “Your moral compass is out of kilter and points you in improper directions…Your sense of integrity, your code of conduct, your perception of right and wrong was perhaps formed by your days on either mean streets or Wall Street.” (emphasis mine)

tragic...

Quite tragic, one of the worst accidents in Indian aviation history. Most of the victims are Keralites, don’t know when was the last time when so many keralites died like this. Quite a tough life when you work hard for years and decide to return with savings and end up like this. That compounds the tragedy for many people.

Condolences

Bairon Singh Shekhawat was quite a popular and respected leader, also known for his progressive interventions. At a personal level I recall bragging about having met him to kids in school. Quite saddened...

PS: quite a strange thing happened two days back, I have this breathing issue and as i got up late in the night I realized I was dreaming about meeting Mr. Shekhawat!!. (I often have dreams about childhood and spaceships...i guess that is quite common!!)

Talking about spooky happenings more than a decade back I wanted to buy Swiss knife (that multipurpose pocket knife), so I went to this exclusive shop in Connaught place. A beautiful contraption no doubt but unaffordable, disappointed I returned. Few days later I was sitting in the nearby park and lo somebody seem to have forgotten the very same Swiss knife I wanted to buy!!!. It was quite unbelievable. It is one of my favorite possessions and much used while I travel. Every time I look at it I do feel quite strange even now. I guess one of the coincidences that happen in life.

The tragedy in denial of ordinary

There are events that defy nature that is considered impossible, is that then miracle?. If it is impossible then how does it happen?. Clearly there must be some scientific explanation otherwise it is hoax. What is miracle now maybe explained later till then it is miracle. Or it could be that we create miracles since we want to feel the presence of superior force that can defy laws of nature thus indicating its whims to control these. Thus the creator and destroyer- the god. This I find horrendous and to have this as the basis of religion seems like arrogance to say the least. Since it denies the existence of ordinary, it denies small wonders. The extraordinary miracles of each life and nature are missed in this construction. This denial is then celebrated through stamping the nature and building edifices of human achievement over these. Everything becomes subsidiary (indeed exists) for human progress, it is like the planet is a mall for us to choose from. The alienation has begun.

It is quite clear that humans have created religion to justify their arrogance. Though they play the act of being subservient to supreme, what they are actually doing is serving their own conceptions. It is the ego that is playing supreme. And they construct huge monuments to preserve and edify these. Thus ego acquires halo of sacredness. Sociologists will find lots of functionalism in these gatherings but at the end of the day it is collective hallucinations, it is assertion of superego of human society. It has served socio-cultural function alright but what it has denied is immense. The loss to human conscious to significance of ordinary beauty of the surroundings is colossal. Religion is therefore incomplete since it is denying the smallness, it is denying ordinary.

In this partial world the arrogance of humans pupates into unchallenged bigger ideas of self (ofcourse as a servant of god) then the egos clash. The world becomes too small for these big egos they therefore take it to afterlife. Therefore these grand plans of destruction, this asserting of self as means of god’s will, this madness. When they resurrect their faith what they destroy is millions of small miracles. When they blast bombs they are destroying themselves too this they don’t understand since they have denied the nature, their very own origin. Their ego that constructed their god denies the understanding that it is nature that preserves and sustains this life. This understanding is too minor too simple for their exaggerated conceptions. Thus they deny part of themselves, destruction therefore becomes cannibalism. Every terrorist, every destroyer, is eating into his own self.

The issue now is youngsters are being sucked into this system without as much having an experience of life, without any awareness of self and surroundings, there is denial of choices. This is dangerous since what is being denied is core that defines individual life (the self and surrounding, intricate symbiotic connections) they are being denied the experience of miracles in ordinary. This has become acute recently since ordinary is slowly vanishing from our surroundings, we live trapped in colossal and make believe- the virtual. In the pursuit of grand even the idea of destruction is grander. If they could learn it from the diligence of as small a life as spider or an ant that there is so much to learn from nature and how insignificant we are in this vast universe then they may just pause a while. And the miracle may happen in that pause. A realization that millions of ordinary miracles surround us and that they can live and thrive very well without us or our juvenile constructions (not denying these may help in our own existential predicaments). It is time to appreciate the beauty of what has been dismissed for too long as ordinary. How about starting with an ordinary flower or an ordinary insect?

Thailand is slipping…

One of the most beautiful country and a favorite destination for many tourists around the world is slipping quite badly…hope it is not civil war that will be tragic. This blogger sincerely hopes and prays that they find peaceful solution.

Is your chocolate product of Fair trade?

You shouldn’t be surprised if your chocolate is a product of child labour. I happen to see this program on BBC the other day (they sometimes come out with some amazing programs). The cocoa that is majorily cultivated in West African region uses exploitative conditions. This program (Paul Kenayon-the reporter) traces how children are sold for labor and these cocoas finally end up as the raw material for huge conglomerates. ‘Fairtrade’ is the logo that was agreed upon to prevent these, after much reluctance from multi billion dollar companies. (A brief history: The controversy came to a head in 2001, when U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel and Sen. Tom Harkin introduced legislation mandating a labeling system for chocolate. The industry fought back, and a compromise was reached establishing a voluntary protocol by which chocolate companies would wean themselves from child labor, then certify that they had done so. The certification process would not involve labeling of products, but it would call for public reporting by African governments, third-party verification and poverty remediation by 2005). This situation still remains grim. So next time you have chocolate bar (these days shops are stacked with chocolate bars…looking at these is in itself amazing) check out for Fairtrade logo but also keep in mind that this logo in itself is no surety that the child labor is being used or not, as the program so effectively brings out. By the way any idea why region around the world that are rich in natural resources are inhabited by poorest people?. The MNCs tends to multiply their profit while the people go further down (you must see the deprivations in these regions, it is heartbreaking). This blogger is not into chocolate (I do buy one in case I am satisfied with a story I have written, which means it is rare!) but I guess one can live without chocolates. It doesn’t seem to worth it, definitely not over the tears of children.

Talking about child labour I think we Indians do have an unenviable record. Despite laws child labour is rampant. Child labour is used quite openly by garment industry (indeed right in the middle of Delhi in poshest of places-the fashion industry-children were being used in most exploitative conditions). I see child labour all the time while traveling, it need be added that the mid day meal scheme has been a brilliant conception and has attracted many children from poor families to schools.

Celebrating Tagore

This blogger was fortunate to be part of 150^th birth anniversary celebration at lawns of Ravindra Kalashetra the other day. It was morning well spent (I would have loved to see the complete program but due to demands of job I had to leave midway). You will get the amazing lyrics in tagore’s renditions if you hear it in Bengali, and yes one can feel the language if you know Hindi. This elderly lady’s song was absolutely mesmerizing, I also need to point out these kids here, their effort was brilliant. For more pictures visit photo blog…

Beloved Tagore

I cannot even explain how much I love Rabindranath Tagore. At one point I used to carry a thin copy of Gitanjali wherever I traveled. Those days I used to spent lots of time wandering the mountains of Himalayas. It is here I understood how tremendous this book is. It was enlightening. Much later I came across photos of some of the verses of Tagore in one of the libraries (I guess there is a copy in Sahitya Akademi Delhi, recently I saw it at Cubbon Park library too). It is a beautiful book and you can spend hours looking at . There are some amazing Black and white pictures. Read these enchanting lines of Tagore...with the pictures i took (i always wanted to do it!) 

  Let my doing nothing when I have nothing to do become untroubled in its depth of peace like the evening in seashore when the water is silent

I have scaled the peak and found no shelter in fame’s bleak and barren height. 

Lead me my guide, before the light fades, into the valley of quiet where life’s harvest mellows into golden wisdom

The tall grass sends waves of laughter to the sky in its flowers and I gaze upon the horizon

Earth, clamped into rock or flitting into the clouds; rapt in mediation in the silence of a ring of mountains or noisy with the roar of sleepless sea waves; you are beauty and abundance, terror and famine

Waves rise and fall The flowers blossom and fade 

And my heart yearns for its place At the feet of endless

Congratulation Mr Gill

people of this country are indebted to you...