Crude Indian media slips further down the drain

We all know how obnoxious Indian media is, with very rare exceptions it is such a nuisance.  You really have to flip through many channels and printed materials to take the average to make sense of what is really happening. Despite these you still have to create your own medium to get quality news and views. Thankfully internet is an effective alternative. Every channel and newspaper is in its own little pit, very effectively coalesced by the market scramble for selling. The framework is going from crude to crude and hitting the bottom of sanity. A minor skirmish between an actor and her partner becomes a major concern, in the meanwhile a journalist at a TV channel (India TV) attempts suicide accusing the management of serious violation is blocked, by all the media outlets. It is the temple squatter’s framework: instead of finding out the problem and addressing it they close rank to ward of any threat to their power and prestige. Such hypocrisy is natural in scheme of things, it is a tradition. The readers will know that the squatters spread with much alacrity wherever there was opportunity to lick it big time (indeed they didn’t have any competition) so shifting from sanctum sanctorum to controlling news, therefore opinion, therefore blackmail, wasn’t that difficult. From tirupati to cricket to media to politics to entertainment the shift is rather swift (see it even rhymes, there must be some divine cause to it!!). Sharmas and Mishras have done it with much ease, and now they pass on to litters as legacy. The crude market has only consolidated these, indeed the crudeness has become an advantage, a sign of smartness. It is in the same context I express profound shock that a mountain that is named after an Indian carries a caste reference, it is regrettable. I request people to be careful while dealing with Indians, they bring load of muck, and therefore should be closely scrutinized. It is for the same reason that international community should declare caste as worst than racism, and any reference to it condemned. There are Indians who have been hanging around with high culture claim for sometime now; some even come with Gandhian charm. 

So it is with this charisma that Kasturi&sons have taken the responsibility of playing granddad of media, pointing to the hypocrisy of Indian media for blocking the news of journalist as also bring home some bitter truth about functioning of media. However the slave they recruited has an axe to grind (which is also quite normal, these deviousness. Wonder where do people get Pandita as surname?! Must be foreign return innovation by our little scoundrel, they get heightened culture consciousness once they are abroad, very easy to sink down the traditional muck). The fellow, quite sycophantically, points these firmly as hindi belt deviance. People who speak and conduct themselves in Hindi will very definitely have to be substandard, in turn Kasturi &sons with their fake sophistication and English (matching the british) are much better. The fact is most Indian media, in particular English media, are load of nonsense, indeed English media with its reach to the powerful and high intentioned grievously intrude and degrade institutions. So it seems news ‘stuck’ between luxury cars and colas are much better standard than “Amul Macho and Barnala Sariya”. Sample these lines by our little slave to know what English elitism and prejudice means “They knew the algorithm of elections and vote percentage. But many among them also brought with them various deep-rooted complexes about, among other things, the English language. They grudged a handful of journalists who could converse in English, who dressed in a particular way, and who thought nothing of a female colleague lighting up a cigarette”. Quite ironically the colonial minded slave has himself brought in “deep-rooted complexes”, further cigarette smoking is a stupid thing to do, male or female. Our juvenile seems to be stuck in ‘bollywood’ inspired surrogate ad sponsored route to emancipation, that keeps some people very happy and wealthy. Grow up kid. 

This is the version of journalist (of India TV) who attempted suicide, you will get insight into how these people work…

I joined India TV in February this year (2014) and things started to turn sour within a month. Senior Executive Editor, Anita Sharma repeatedly humiliated me in front of colleagues and belittled me on every occasion. She'd find faults with everything, from the way I looked, to the clothes I wore, to my hairstyle. I was told I'm not glamorous enough and that I didn't know how to carry myself. Anita Sharma would constantly criticize my voice and say it's too harsh but no one in the newsroom complained. In fact, I routinely gave voiceovers for special features - why would they let me do so if my voice was so bad?" "I asked whether it was for an interview or a byte but she never responded clearly. She kept telling me that she would like to send me out for some other reasons and once, when I insisted, stated that I could earn extra money if I agreed." "I used to cry every day and broke down finally. As a final resort I messaged MN Prasad (Senior Executive Editor) simply saying that ‘I am resigning'." Prasad said he'd discuss the issue, but he made no effort to call me or hear me out. While standard procedure across organisations need an employee to submit a formal resignation letter, but Prasad treated my one-line SMS as a formal resignation and asked me to leave without giving me a notice period or taking an exit interview. This is rather surprising considering the contract does not allow the employee to terminate his/her services." "The HR acted more or less like a puppet in the hands of the management and I was told to leave", she says. Dejected she attempted suicide. 

Now read the response by the India TV channel, I am tempted to add my observation in the bracket… 

Ms XY had joined in February 2014. She was still on probation as her three month probation period had been extended since in her first three months she had made two serious mistakes on air. First time, she was laughing on air during live news while presenting serious news (well well, what do we say to that?! Are there any serious issues in news?! Isn't having winning body language the major journalistic concerns these days? Such delicate matters!). She had been warned. Second mistake she made was that while she was on studio duty she left the studio and newsroom, putting her phone on silent was sitting in the cafeteria. Due to non-availability of anchor, the channel had to give breaking news without an anchor on just graphics (and when did any news channel had any non ‘breaking news’ occasions?). She was given a second warning by HR. Complaints regarding her behavior were reported regularly. The last incident was a minor reprove by her senior in the girls make up room in the presence of two other female anchors (so the major part of job involves makeup room inspirational get-together. Aha how charming), after which she sent a message that she is resigning. It was confirmed with her by her immediate senior and then forwarded to HR. HR sent her a mail and informed her that her resignation had been accepted and she should come and meet them for the relieving formalities. She came and met them, handed over her I-card, collected her belongings from the make up room and left saying good bye to her colleagues. And the matter was amicably closed. During her service she never made any complaint of harassment or even shared it with any colleague. India TV was amongst the first few channels to have instituted a complaint redressal committee for women employees which is headed by a Supreme Court lawyer, if she actually had any issues she could have approached the committee. The two people she is blaming are very senior and highly respected professionals in the industry. The lady she is blaming has trained hundreds of young producers and anchors and is respected and appreciated very much (yes we know the standards the dimwits have). She is herself a mother of two girls, (aha we are now back to ‘I too have girl child, not one but two’ emotional drub, that is quite effectively used. I presume they are high culture family!) these false allegations have caused a lot of harassment to her and her family.

Geez I am drooling….

Cheated by FIFA

This is the second time it is happening, first it was Ivory Coast and now Mexico. I am shocked that there isn’t any remedial measure against these blatant cheating. We all, placed thousands of miles away, saw it in happening. The penalty was given wherein there was no foul, the teams were cheated by the system. Why cannot there be a second referee, who could have easily seen the replay, and denied the penalty? Atleast in case of penalties (which is as good as gifting goals) this could be done. In the context of things it wouldn't farfetched to point out that both the teams to gain (ie Netherlands and Greece) are European teams. It is truly unfair, there isn’t any providence in these matters, it is nothing but incompetence on the part of FIFA. 
 

Mediocre Indians peeps in: Watching FIFA matches is always such a pleasurable experience. Unlike stupid market friendly ‘sport’ like cricket there is no space for advertisement, which is such a huge respite. The hooligans masquerading as sellers have seriously negated watching experience (they have even invaded social media with their primitive gusto). They lack basic etiquette and decency, as is the defining characteristic of this section, they barge in with noisy and appalling ways to somehow make us buy their product. Market friendly commentators even see them as agent of change!! The uncouth young Indians also make their ‘smart’ presence felt with their easy going ways, as if the product is because of them, worst still having these products somehow make them smart as the inventor! Market apart from being ‘agent of change’ has also severely degraded the cultural scene. Small time actors are the biggest problem, hoisted by crude market, these pests barge into even wildlife related channels. More than mediocrity it is the audacity that is astounding. They consistently degrade institutions and propriety, and I am quite sure they are into all kind of unethical activities, right from invading privacy and manipulation for gain at the expense of people. Clearly market is helping dimwits to make huge amount of money. They even can make decision of buying a car by watching some stupid ads. Such is the quality of elite in a country where majority are poor who cannot even afford proper meal. There surely is lots of black money doing the round, many times what is in foreign bank…

Coming back to FIFA, though we are saved by Indian presence through crude ads, but you still cannot push them out. A small time actor, I gather, was anchoring the discussions before the match. It also included another actor, whose claim, I am told, was to have acted in a football related movie!! Such is the ways of mediocre Indians. Anything that is degradable will be degraded is the motto, you cannot really blame them, its india’s population driven feudal development pattern that fattens these crass wonders. My only request is to show some respect to millions of football fans by being professionals for atleast sometime, Brazilians will do the rest.   

  

Please donate generously to Greenpeace

 It’s getting clear that we are in for a virulent form of development. The far right parties in West (specifically US) see nature as exploitable commodity, clearly it has semantic religion background to it – the one that seeks to dominate the earth. The economic model and patterns of ‘development’ is hinged and decided by these. It is therefore unfortunate that the incumbent government has sought to take this path that leads to wanton destruction and alienation in the name of development. 

Indian society, in its non brahmanical framework, has always given importance to Nature. Such was the reverence to the Nature that the elitist conception, the temple squatters, had to cleverly adapt to the need and be sensitive to the surroundings. The impetus of Jains and Buddhists, as also traditions of great souls and seers influenced Indians to see earth as Mother Nature and respect its myriad ways. This brought deep soulful understanding of surrounding and realities of existence. While the temple squatters saw only idols and pecking orders, devoid of any soul or any understanding to the realities, their grand views therefore became elaborate sick jokes. The temple squatters consumerism (read exploiting the devotees) was consistently devoid of these connections that bound societies and its culture, they saw it as commodity as much as what they saw in fellow human beings. This framework quite easily is in sync with exploiting market. The rabid grandness of civilization role of India as superpower hinges on this framework. Everything has to be subservient to goodness of nation. Previously it was some amazingly tawdry miracle stories of gods as saviors of nature while the people held nature as savior, the godly push to the conception was partially successful. So what started as prayer to nature forces (like tree, mountains so on) acquired brahmanical pointers, it opened the gates for charlatans. The mountains were codified for temples, the same happened to rivers, the places of worship of nature morphed into religious centers of exploitation. Though it seared the soul of the society and its people but thankfully the primacy of nature was maintained. Can you imagine that they cut the mountains at bellary (it’s only a small example in this nation of humungous exploitation) and also donated huge amount of gold to Thirupati temple, and quite understandably temple squatters wallowing in millions (in the name of god, of course) accepted it gleefully. What amazing debauchery.  

When environment is destroyed in the name of development, when mountains are flattened in the name of progress it is the common people who face the impact of the destruction. It is also disconnects their fragile relation with the surrounding that sustains them. It puts their lives at risk as also our biodiversity. It also puts the future of society at peril. The understanding that Nature sustains us and its wanton destruction will put the future at immense trouble is only beginning of an understanding of how earth functions.    

It is in this framework that the con work of pliable bureaucrats (steel frame my foot) who have come out with some wonderful notion on NGOs, specifically Greenpeace and other environment protection related organization that are doing job of sensitizing the people of the loot and destruction that is being unfolded in the name of development. The report by IB is a shoddy attempt to work out a threat, and it is also quite clear that some big money is making its move. The likes of Aggrawals (Vedanta) have been salivating for sometime now, in the meanwhile they branded themselves as socially concerned (it’s is a strategy to win over poor hapless people, it’s a invite to marginalized people to cannibalize themselves). Pronnoy & his angels have been ever gracious in the hypocrisy, with harebrained actors they have converted Vedanta into savior industry. Such is the power of money, and reach of erstwhile kabadiwala –the quintessential Indian rags to rich by manipulation and exploitation story. These type of exploitative development is a rather feeble feudal substitute for vibrant innovation oriented development that Indian elite lack. Indeed with rare exception this is the claim to riches of most, either service (english and superficial sophistication) or exploitation (feudal norms and crony capitalism). 

It is clear that things are going to get ugly from here. Any trampling with the environmental laws and laxing of its provision will be severely dealt. Any attempt to jostle people into submission will be replied with equal force. The development cannot be at the expense of natural wealth, and the greed of few and exploitation of nature and its people. This will resisted. Organization like Greenpeace is doing a wonderful job. This blogger requests everyone to contribute to these organizations and strengthen them. There seems to be renewed belligerence from the part of exploiters.  It is possible that if peaceful means are exhausted then things could get violent. One thing though is clear: development will not be at the expense of future. Nature will be represented and defended, it will not be left to hooligans to work out their exploitative model.   

The Farce of Global Warming..

This was essentially written in 2005...

There is a farce happening in the name of Global Warming. No not the kind that Mr. Bush and cronies are cooking and force feeding to media, attempts on unsexing up the data. No it is not even about scuttling the discussions with God ordained verdicts of inevitability call it karma, qayamat or judgment day, take your pick!!. It is not even about the ubiquitous ever-prevailing globalized ideation of weonlyseeprofit Corporates. It is none of these. The farce is so very deep that it can claim to be a tradition. The farce is so very prevalent that it is almost a culture. The culture of deceit of “trustees of nation”. It is about being used as pawns by the indulgent elite for their purpose. Indulgence (or indolence it breeds) is a matter of choice and we common people have absolutely no problem with it. We also have no problem with those Editors, TV channel honchos, Columnists (carrying that aura of intelligentsia and other petty world views), photo op. activists and regrettable Gandhians (who have nothing about Gandhi or anything near it, its about positioning to gain)…….promote these lifestyle, it’s exercising their choice. We have no problem with any of these, infact we are not bothered, we have more pressing problems of day-to-day existence. Yes if you have money flaunt it, what is money for then? If you have body show it, show it wide open, before botox takes over (pun intended!! Frankly I have no problem with people using latest means to look good, it’s their life). If you can write, vomit columns. But NEVER ever think!!. Thou aint do that. The modern human has been influenced by philosophies like materialism and existentialism. He has entertained views like "The world is a machine, composed of inert bodies, moved by physical necessity, indifferent to the existence of thinking beings." He refused to take a holistic view of reality; and help in developing a system in which requirements of body, mind, intellect and soul are integrated in a balanced and harmonious pattern and in which human societies function, not separately, but as complementary units of the same universe. But then we all have right to choose and choose we do. So why should we, the common people, have any problem with the elites? We have absolutely no problem. It’s a free country all have right to choose. So far so good. The problem arises when we, the common people in this country, are used. That is what the farce of discussion on Environmental problems; particularly Global Warming is all about. Consider all the International Agreements (mostly disagreements!!) on Environment whether its Montreal or Kyoto protocol there is a demarcation between “developed” and “developing” countries. This becomes a standards for defining, calculations, measures to be followed and time frame settings. So India is classified as “developing” country, which means all these elites are packed into one group with the common people!!. The latest UNDP report pegs India’s position at 127. The report says “…failure to provide substantial investments in human development and health and education opportunities for all could undermine India’s future prospects”. Studies after studies have shown growing acute disparities not only in India but also all over the world. The UN's Human Development Report (1999) adds that in 1960, the top 20 per cent of the world's people in the richest countries had 30 times the income (in terms of total GDP) of the poorest 20 per cent. This grew to 32 times in 1970, to 45 times in 1980, and to 59 times in 1989. By 1997, the top 20 per cent received 74 times the income of the bottom 20 per cent." This implies that the globalized world we are living in today is seeing a dramatic rise in inequality. There are also marked and increasing disparities in the world community between those who have access to clean and safe resources and those who do not. Disparities of this nature may be the result of historical circumstance, contemporary economic and trade relations or simply inadequate or inappropriate governmental regulation. In a study from the London School of Economics by Robert H. Wade (‘Is globalization making world income distribution more equal?’ May 2001), similar factors have been cited as the cause for the rise in global and between-country inequalities. Rapidly widening income distribution within the biggest countries (India and China) has also been a major contributory factor. While the gap, worldwide, between the average income of the top quintile of people (top 20 per cent) and the average income of the bottom quintile within each country is about 5:1, the gap between the average income of the top quintile of states and that of the bottom quintile in India is of the order of 25-30:1. According to the results of the 53rd round of the National Sample Survey, the percentage of rural poor in India increased from 35% in 1991 to 38.5% in 1997. Since the vast majority of India’s poor, estimated to be anywhere between 320-400 million, live in rural areas the overall number of poor has risen. Almost 50% children are malnourished, U5MR is as high as 141/1000 in poorest section. Majority of people have very low life expectancy, much less than already low national average. 62% of household do not have water supply in or near their home, potable water is a dream in millions of household. 93% don’t even have toilet in their home or any sewerage facility connected. Obviously it’s clear from the above that water consumption is minimal (not as a choice, off course). So these seminars, documentaries, talk shows are obviously not meant for 93% people in this country for the simple reason they just cannot afford to waste water. Few decades back Mrs. Indira Gandhi made a very dumb statement (if she were alive today she would, I assume, take it back) poverty she said is the greatest polluter. Dumb as Bush is he quoted this recently!. It is important not to fall for these elitist definitions on pollution. Poverty is NOT the greatest polluter. The difference between “pollution” and “dirtying” need to be understood. Poverty is definitely the greatest dirtifier (yep that’s a new word. Thanx!!). Poverty creates unsanitary conditions, dirties the surroundings, and causes disease and epidemic, the reason for high sickness, mortality rate among poor albeit many could be prevented with awareness and primary health facility. But its contribution to pollution is miniscule as compared to richer societies; say in posh colonies of Delhi, Islamabad or Las Vegas. In richer societies the surrounding is clean (sometimes at an obsessive level, like in Singapore), the lifestyle in such societies exudes cleanliness to the extent that even they sneer at “unclean” people on the streets. But behind this façade of cleanliness hides the story of some greatest polluters in the world. In fact the lifestyle of most people in richer society itself is a study on: How pollution happens. Just a simple example from daily experience to make the point clear. If a common man wants to move from point A to point B in a city he uses bus (very rarely that is in case of emergency an Auto, after much haggling). The buses are generally packed with 80-100 people in peak hours. The same distance is covered by an occupant in car. So whose per capita consumption is more, whose per capita pollution is more, who is taking more space of road in peak hours contributing to more pollution?. India faces a serious urban transportation crisis marked by traffic congestions, disorder, extreme high level of environmental pollution (noise pollution included), accidents with high fatalities and injuries as also deep inequities of access. WHO on World Health Day last year focused its attention on Road Safety, the report points that1.2 million people die in road accidents every year around the world. The death toll is highest in low and middle-income countries, where pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists and passengers are especially vulnerable. 85% of all road accident deaths occur in developing countries and nearly half in the Asia-Pacific region. In addition to human suffering, estimated costs of road traffic injuries are between 1% and 2% of GNP per annum in these countries. This represents a loss of approximately US$ 65 billion every year; almost twice the total development assistance received worldwide by developing countries. India accounts for about 10 percent of road accident fatalities worldwide. This accentuates deep inequities in access further. Yes please use car use all the modern gadgets, be comfortable (even I would if I have money, who doesn’t want to have a comfortable life but at the moment I am comfortable with my cycle or walking small distances…you see I am rarely in a hurry. I don’t have to rush anywhere!!) but it’s wrong to include us common people with the elite particularly during the discussion on pollution. Studies show that buses now occupy less than 1% of all vehicles on urban roads of India. Some people are so poor that they cannot even afford to travel even in this cheapest mode of transportation (which in most cases are rickety metal boxes with engines). Thousands of people use cycles in unruly traffic of cities defying death everyday. Studies show that 56% of road accident fatalities are accounted by cyclists. As we are aware now that Bangalore has serious infrastructure problems. One wonders how much misuse of vehicles (sometimes as style statement as shown in ads) has contributed to this chaos. The investment on urban transport mostly focuses on widening of roads or spaces for parking while the cyclists and pedestrians are ignored. This imbalance has to be rectified. There is a need to make traveling in private vehicles more costly and the money invested in pedestrian oriented infrastructure. Each society needs to create vehicle free zones and bicycle tracks. Traveling in fancy cars (all the features are useless in congested streets) in cities is no longer cool; it has become a liability on most of us common people. Proposals to tackle global warming are being described as “bad investment”. Infact a panel of eminent economists (Nobel prize winners among them) some years ago placed initiatives to tackle HIV/AIDS, malaria, sanitation and other problems confronting the world ahead of the issue of Global Warming!!. It was referred to as Copenhagen consensus. Clearly problems of sanitation are very important, it causes millions of avoidable deaths but prioritizing it over the dangers of global warming is what the elitist farce all about. Sanitation can be and need be tackled at local level so is the case of HIV; it needs a culture-region specific response (an international guidelines can be proposed). The effort at international level need be (and essentially be) focused on policies that have long term impact on the planet. Global warming and issue of climatic changes has to get the utmost priority. This pointing the finger at poor societies and their sanitation (dirtying) is an attempt to hide the real culprits and scuttle the issue. Classifying sanitation over dangers of global warming is an attempt at playing God on poorer societies. This also reeks of cottage industry of charity. Those who are trying to play God need to look at the mirror. Their lifestyle and what they are promoting around the world as “clean” is causing serious impact on environment in effect the vulnerable societies. The poorest people almost always live in the poorest environment. Global warming will affect (and is affecting) the world’s poor- those least able to protect themselves against crop failures and rising sea levels- far more severely than the affluent. The effluent’s who create more effluence. Yes its “bad investment” to reduce global warming. Yes reducing profit is definitely a “bad investment”. But the question here is why should we and our future generations suffer because of your life style. The “problem” at the grass root level in poorer societies is that they use material (technology), which they have access to. The main criterion here is cost-benefit. The cost most time is such an over riding factor that they forgo even the basic comfort or need. So asking poor societies to do “bad investment” is criminal. It is because of the greed and life style demand of the elite that the sanitation and basic needs of impoverished have worsened. Take the example of Coke Pepsi and other luxury product at the expense of local basic needs. This is being replicated all over the world. Dirtying is definitely the byproduct of reduced access to means of survival.


There is definitely an equity dimension in the whole issue of global warming. There is a deep abyss separating these two societies. The line of demarcation is not between nations but between societies within the nations. We people in this part of the world share more with common people in mumbai or plachimada or New Orleans. We are the one who have to first face the fierceness of any natural or man made catastrophe. It is we (our near ones, neighbors) who contribute to the statistics in Breaking News. Whether it is tsunami or flood or cyclones the poor part of the society faces the maximum brunt. How is that occupants of huts (or small houses) with minimal facilities is equated with houses/flats with 5-6 air conditioners and fridge stacked with “soft” drinks and so on. It is not that I am against modern lifestyle and choice of comfort. People can decide for themselves. But they definitely will have to take responsibility for the consequences. We common people cannot pay for their exigencies nor will we allow them to piggyback ride us. There is everything for need (that too is depleting) but there is definitely not for greed (that’s an oft quoted line). So when Mr.N.Ram writes in a column (in The Hindu, where else!!) few months back that …..per capita Co2 emission by India is very small fraction of what is seen in USA…..it shows nothing but his very carefully cultivated Machiavellian ignorance (or probably delusions). What do I like millions of people in this country share anything with this megalomaniac and his Formulae One juvenilities or some Botox Turd in some excellent car. Theirs is a different world which majority us people don’t identify with (in many cases, like upwardly mobile, this could be not by choice. Attributing egalitarianism or restraint to poverty is crap philosophy). But the fact whether we like it or not we live in different worlds albeit we share the same geographical region of India. A small example will suffice: Although per capita per day water consumption in India is low there is a huge inequity in access. The per capita consumption in urban slum is 10 liters while in rural India it averages 40 liters (for domestic use). The per capita consumption in urban rich areas stands at whooping 300-450 liters wherein according to Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security, an overall basic water requirement of 50 liters per person per day is proposed as a minimum standard to meet four basic needs—for drinking, sanitation, bathing, and cooking. Another scientist Falkenmark uses the figure of 100 liters of freshwater per capita per day for personal use as a rough estimate of the amount needed for a minimally acceptable standard of living in developing countries, not including uses for agriculture and industry. Taking an average of both 70-80 liters per capita per day we find that rural India and urban slum are below the water requirement wherein the urban rich consumes almost triple the required! Clearly there is a huge disparity. Majority of us do not share this world of greed, instant gratifications, gimmickry, superficiality coupled with essential attitudinal arrogance (for people like Botox Turd its about occupying the eyeball space, its exhibitionism which has replaced demonstration. Presentablilty of self that is no different from the chauvinists in audaciously classified “backward” places, instantly placing Botox Turd and her clan as forward!!). This is the world wherein sensibilities are declining with onslaught of pop culture, material acquisitions and life style-success they define. A world of cultivated politeness (politeness here is limited to within their circle, people who are influential), exchange of pleasantries, strategic use of words, market messages……ofcourse everything with lots of style! When they argue (as in Times of India, Editorial) that India, brazil, china…..have equal right to first benefit from the earth resources……what they really mean is the benefits for greedy indulgent elite in these “developing” countries at the expense of poorer section of these societies. You can feed on us and still be part of us is a strange logic. This nation based per capita classification is an unacceptable argument. Its not “rich countries should clean up their act first”. It is rich societies in each country should clean up their act first. You cannot hide behind us, come forward and take responsibility towards consequences of your profligacy. There is a need for Environmental or Pollution Tax to curb per capita consumption and life style demands (so instead of frequent flier benefits we can have frequent flier tax!!!!). You see we need socio-environmental “Growth” too. The companies should be forced to reveal their green house liabilities to their investors. The profit over people (Chomsky) extended to profit over people and environment has to stop. There is an immediate need for a paradigm shift in policies related to issues of environment, particularly on global warming, green house gases (GHGs) and ozone. Mr. George Monbiot writes in Guardian Newspaper “....…“raise awareness”, “accelerate deployment of cleaner technology” and “diversify our energy supply mix”. There is nothing wrong with these objectives. But unless there is a regulation to reduce the amount of fossil fuel we use, alternative technologies are waste of time and money, for they will supplement rather than replace coal and oil burning. What counts is not what we do but what we do not do (emphasis mine). Our success and failure in tacking climate change depends on just one thing: how much fossil fuel we leave in the ground……”. He further writes “…..meaningful action on climate change has been prohibited by totalitarian capitalism…”. Totalitarian capitalism is where the government lax the rules for “efficient business” and market to decide the peril of “disposable” environment. This is not denying that there are instances of Corporates do want (and are insisting) stricter environmental laws to give impetus to eco-friendly technology to be viable. Clearly the global warming and issue of climatic changes are hinged on what elites (including upwardly mobile middle class) of all societies in all the countries do not do, that is in relevance to per capita consumption and life style demands.

The issue of Global Warming at the moment is being tackled at two levels. The first is more recent one that is the need for adaptation. With increasingly turbulent and extreme oscillation of climate the need for system to adapt to the changes is being recognized. But the need for adaptation shouldn’t side track the more important issue of mitigation, which is the second level at which the global warming is being tackled. Mitigation, wherein a sincere concerted global effort is more urgently needed. The International Agreements and concerns towards reducing GHGs, improving technologies and stringent pollution rules has also to take into consideration the issue of disparities within the societies. Classifying counties into “developing” and “developed” for international agreements has to go and replaced by rich and poor societies. Each country needs to be forced as part of international agreement to recognize this division and make rules accordingly on pollution control and sustainable development. We majority people all around the world cannot take the burden of indulgent few who are sucking away our common resources with impunity (off course it does give them a chance to “help” us and be in the news). As a Marketeer verdicts in one show (well its all a show !!!) “…being profitable allows for concern for environment”. It’s about let me fatten myself first. Many of these elites who are jostling the eyeball space have reached there by the very means which has caused much misery and harm to others, not to forget the long term environmental consequences. Then they try to patronize us, by charity, by whatever means that help them to cling on public space (Crude woman is only a symptom of bigger epidemic). As early as 1987 The Brundtland Report in Europe (UK?), titled Our Common Future, defines development as “…..that which meets the needs of the poorest without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs….”. Already world over the indications are that the global warming has crossed that threshold wherein sudden shifts in climatic changes happen. Sergei kirpotin and Judith Marguard reports in New Scientist recently that an area of permafrost (in Siberia) has started to melt for the first time since it was formed some 11000 years ago at the end of the last ice age. The area, which covers the sub arctic region of western Siberia is world’s largest frozen peat bog and scientists fear that as it thaws, it will release billions of tones of methane, a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than Co2 into the atmosphere. The peat bog could hold some 70bn tonnes of methane, a quarter of all of the methane stored in the ground around the world. Over the next 100 years it would add around 700mn tonnes of carbon into the atmosphere each year. This would effectively double atmospheric levels of the gas leading to a 10% to 25% increase in global warming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climatic Changes (IPCC), 2001 points out “…that a global average temperature change ranging from 2.5 degree F to 10.4 Degree F would translate into climate related impacts that are much larger and faster than any that have occurred during the 10,000 year history of civilization”. It further says “…the impact associated with deceptively changes in temperature are evident in all corners of the globe. There is heavier rains in some areas (people in Mumbai and Bangalore, recently Chennai are quite aware of it now! Thankfully I was prudent enough to choose a place where I was spared of this misery) and droughts in others. Glaciers are melting and spring is arriving earlier, oceans are warming (hurricanes and storms are related to these changes) and coral reefs are dying…”. Things therefore are slipping from bad to worse. Leonard Fuentes (a Cuban novelist) writes in a column recently “…..as Cuban poet Jose Marti said about poetry, either we save ourselves together or we all lose ourselves. This is the nature of “global” game in which what is at stake is not the wealth and comfort of few but the lives of everyone, in Cuba, in Barundi, in Ceylon, in Venice, in California…..”. Let me end this very long (thanx for the patience! Not that I give a damn!) article with a line I read somewhere : we are not getting along with each other if we are not getting along with the planet.