Beleaguered society evaluates itself

This picture is that of women marching in small town of Deorala (in Rajasthan) in 1987 against sati crime as also religious rituals and celebration that followed wherein attempts were made to convert the site into temple as has been the tradition for centuries. Many of temples around here have such gory depraved foundations and traditions percolated as values. We needn’t elaborate on traditions and rituals associated with these sites of faith across the subcontinent, it’s been locations of amazing level of discriminations and debauchery. What is amazing in this picture is that most woman in this region are illiterate and face oppressive patriarchy add to it one of the lowest HDI index that makes it worst for women. But they understand what is wrong and stood to fight against it. Meanwhile men, the socalled rajput (a caste reference that was very much supported by post-colonial British angst -hence a source for credibility for Indian mediocre minions in the constant quest to salvage pride (arguably the only meaning in life for third rate people who unfortunately have usurped the narration), into some kind of carriers of bravery and valour. It happens only in this primitive society -these genetic transfer of human characteristics, that too for select few within the society!! No wonder it remains wasted pit, and has been an easy outing for invaders, not to forget few british merchants who sucked out for two centuries while mythical warriors scratched crotch and morphed into excellent masseurs of colonial masters meanwhile tightly holding on to fictions of fierce, that arguably exhibited itself through sterile sadistic pleasures on weaker -this ably facilitated by shloka spewing squatters delving deeper into moral vacuum of humanity. As is the case every reference of grandeur that one hallucinates falls flat in the face of reality. The spectre of delusions of omnipotence, fed and nurtured by deviant nature of social construct, that thrived after independence, is now producing its little chickens that are ready for cockfights in the fertile delusions of market media at the expense of common people and egalitarian values. 

That this society always scraps the bottom is clear from this picture of few hundred women protesting against verdict of SC to end discrimination of women in temple. They are beyond irony. In psychology when you identify with oppressor it is referred to as Stockholm syndrome. What do you do when you have large numbers identifying with discriminators?  It’s a failure of society. In contrast to Rajasthan this is Kerala where HDI is quite high and is proudly showcased as redemption in itself. Again proving that Indian society, unlike war torn regions around the world, is limited by its own limitations. It is almost impossible for literacy to become education, just a means to ensure easy earning. Surfeit nutrition needn’t produce healthy individuals but virile to breed. To mask their limitations, they dig themselves to deepest pits known to human societies, all the egalitarian values will be taken to its lowest possible limits for mediocres to evaluate themselves. Lacking compassion and any known talent these conspire to downgrade standards, and human values. Religion therefore will be moral vacuum devoid of compassion or understanding meanwhile safe pits for fragile egos to nurture into brutes. Sports will be stupid game of cricket with superficial anecdotes binding lack of skills. Art will be third rate movies that keeps digging, meanwhile churning icons of greed that set to trap people into buying as also market driven aspirational standards. Market charlatans tang with sycophantic leaders (in the last many decades these were airdropped onto hapless people, without any mass base except feudal atavistic connections) to severely undermine the democracy, while valued attitudes were selectively cultivated for patronages. Nepotism can be liberal as also socialistic suiting the heuristic of loot. 

In short you can do whatever but still home stretch to high moral grounds at your pace while people suffer. While they negotiated with colonial forces and awe struck with ideas of nonviolence it was common people who suffered, and now they negotiate globalised world for GDP its again common people who suffer while Ambani adds one more storey to Attila emblematising Indian mindset. It's on the cushion of bodies of millions of people that they have created their edifice of grandeur. Grand ancient temples are not benign space but source of power struggle and depravities, to segregate, to exploit and nurture depraved value system. For centuries these very forces denied common people entry to temple, and needed egalitarian compassionate narrations to break this sinister depraved sanctum semantics. If these were stringently dealt and these wasted squatters smoked out at the onset it wouldn't have putrefied to this, it's a sickness that has overwhelmed the society (picture herein of legendary Periyar leading temple entry movement in 1930s).    

  

More than two decades back I would write many exams. One of them had essay writing. I recall writing about a comparison between Rajasthan and Kerala, arguing that Kerala’s HDI hides sickness.  Rajasthan, I saw, had more potential and vibrancy than stagnant pit of Kerala (it was also the time when ISRO scientist -essentially replicators, participated in all humbleness in rituals to personally please gods for boychild miracles to enter their respective wife’s womb -imagine the horror if the blessing decide to enter neighbor's wife! Poor Radhakrishnan was only following hallowed traditions of Indian scientific mind, as also connecting to aspirational behaviour demanded by sycophants and primitives as political masters). But I guess I was naïve, eventhough stagnant pit is an ever-expanding reality as Indians negotiate literacy and become healthier, still one can but admire women in Rajasthan who came out to protest thirty years ago against what is essentially hopeless situation with overwhelming odds. This in contrast to these women in Kerala who negate their own reality. What can be more tragic than this? It’s an amazing failure of society, only points to deeper malaise that thrive as modern amenities land as if by miracle. Meanwhile the elephant dung in the room is misogynist world of monster mullah and modesty sacks transported by Saudi barbarians to across the world, that is now fed with much care by munchausen syndrome by proxy fattened fluffs in West (this surely cannot end well). With such low reference uncouth around the world have ready reference to fall back on, hence this belligerence that is by-product of competing zealous patriarchy unleashed by sinister nature of religion, isolated from the egalitarian roots of faith, and you can see this very soon playing out in Kerala ably assisted by market media and its insecure cunning power structures. One sincerely hopes these will not negate the ideas of equality and liberty that common marginalised people fought for to assert their rights, the ruffians at the door must be dealt with law and order. They make valiant attempts as market choice but truth must prevail. Faith cannot be conduit to exploitations, discriminations and prejudices. Instead of source of compassion, egalitarian values and open minded understanding anachronistic religions are becoming a nuisance.  

Upholding social justice and individual liberty

What should have happened when India got the so-called independence (a case of transfer of power by colonial power to primitive castetva forces) has taken more than seven decades is in itself a statement on nature of society as also how much the casteist forces were incapable to understand or comprehend the enormity that egalitarian nature of democracy presented. The magnitude of mindset that was expected from these leaders fell well short in the hands of mediocre minions incapacitated of any independent thinking or moral context (ofcourse Nehru made valiant efforts, so did Ambedkar, but overwhelming uncouthness of so-called leaders representing the unfortunate society didn’t allow democratic values to percolate). These were third rate people thrusted into leadership not by chance but through well-crafted primitive nature of society, the impotence of which people have suffered for centuries that it was couched in faith made the exploitation sinister. True to their nature, instead of seeing the enormous exciting opportunity democratic institutions provided, these men with limited intellect went about consolidating regressive ways always searching new semantics to couch their depravities to showcase the West (the fattened fluffs suffering colonial angst are the easy compliant target) and using hapless people as conduit for their masquerade to awestrike the world. Meanwhile were trying out new tricks,  like nepotistic socialism, to lick and fill the enormous belly that was used to easy digestion and long siesta of speculative grandeurs of limited minds. This being the overwhelming nature of leadership its no wonder despite high mythical claims and as overseers of the world Indians fall short on almost all parameters of international standards. With some rare exceptions (who almost always end up fighting the system or have their own value systems) there seems to be lack of any understanding on what contributes excellence. There is always a stampede for shortcut that sanctum scums have elaborately prescribed, now the market charlatans have taken the baton.

Now that the society is valuating itself on much critical and egalitarian standards it needs to be celebrated. Meanwhile why are some squatting in sanctum as birth right is another crucial issue. This would have been dealt by any decent society at the outset. Such discrimination at the site of faith is unthinkable in any egalitarian society. Crucially it was likes of Gandhi who severely undermined the movement towards just society. Being a by-product of casteist worldview the cunning fellow consistently sided with castetva forces as the egalitarian movements and traditions were scuttled and sidelined for good.  So what was mainstream before independence became a subaltern struggle while the barren ideals were attempted into castetva frame in the best tradition of plagiarism that can be traced to before Buddha (thus elaborate Sanskrit is quoted as evidence of traditional wisdom wherein these didn’t have any connection with reality and frame that holds, it becomes a joke, the attempts as zen like thinking from amazing insular, for instance vasudevam kuttubakam). This had a serious ramification as casteists acquired a blueprint for guilt free exploitation with Gandhi as compelling mascot that could be pulled out when there was a need for high moral grounds while they up their game with semantics acquired as liberals. Its unfortunate, the amazing level of depravities that this society is enmeshed in, and then there are scoundrels posturing as leaders who perpetuated this all these decades and benefited, fully aware the untold misery it is causing on exploited and brutalised common people.

Meanwhile it is unfortunate the dissenting voice in the verdict. This judge is an insult on sensibilities, who seems to lack basic understanding of justice, dignity and liberty, most significantly the social context and exploitative history of this society. One wonders what kind of social milieu this woman represents, upbringing in oppressive patriarchy, where the education has failed, as also how she comes to hold such crucial position. Like Kavanaugh in US these kind of petty people at the high places can only do damage. Ideally they shouldn’t be in such positions of influence. Last but not the least is the position taken by the state government that is reflective of egalitarian traditions of the society.      

Dealing with Indian high moral ground dwellers

Indians, particularly the elite sections, have severe affliction to posture as caretakers of the world (and on a fine sunny day even universe is in the ambit of influence). Arguably the self-professed entitled of the primitive society seems to carry the burden of ever higher morals passed on from sanctum vacuum blessing. They posture as opinion makers and influencers from ever expanding putrid pit, and every attempt is made to normalise these. With very few and rare exceptions their output is not only mediocre but have over the decades with firm grip over mainstream narrations severely degraded the society and reduced a promising society into more than many ways as basket case of the world. It is therefore necessary to conduct following test so as to not fall into high placed chicanery that accompanies wonderful turn of sentence (that constantly mesmerise british fluffs -a definitive reference, that some have been adopted as exotic diversity pets with monster mullahs) so as to be not carried away. Hence when reading or listening to an Indian, particularly those prone to take highest moral grounds at shortest of notice (includes the debauched gandhian blessed variety) check the following (akin to Bechdel test -a measure of representation in fiction):

First step: Does the fellow carry a casteist reference in his name or bearings? If yes drop him/her instantly. If no proceed

Second step: Does the fellow understand, and is sensitive, to the social context and historical framework of the opinion/news/events? If his/her opinion is social neutral, insensitive or shows lack of awareness, blatantly negligent to the reality of oppressed marginalised majority then drop him/her. The effort to understand is not worth the time however riveting the opinion, masquerading angst is an art around here indeed its virtue signalling with no skin -a common affliction of the blessed for big lick as caretakers/trustees.

Third step: If the fellow is aware of social context does the fellow take or position as anti-caste (in an effort to annihilate caste and primitive values herein) as has been the egalitarian traditions of this society or does he/she takes the clever ways of Castetva forces (cosy springboard of Hindutva forces) towards caste tolerance (enhanced by cunning gandhians, and positioned as non-violence to awe the world) -unique take on diversity of pus filled putrid pit. If yes drop him/her.

So as you can see it is extremely arduous task to weed out the muck. The western fattened fluffs who provide anchor to these caste apologists must be careful. There need to be zero tolerance for casteism they are as sinister a presence as the racist, Nazis and fundamentalist. Casteist louts are in the same company as feudal bigots and cannibals.                 

For an adaptive infrastructure

As the intensity and frequency of natural disasters increase, and many places in India, like Kerala, becomes particularly vulnerable to the onslaughts of climate change related crisis accentuated by  market instigated wanton greed and increasing population pressure it’s about time to think about adaptive measures. The infrastructure has to factor in the new changing reality. With water logging predicted to become a common occurrence we could learn from traditional house construction in places like Assam, as also many regions in south east Asian countries, that faces constant inundation. Houses here are constructed on raised stilt like platforms. I fail to understand why these construction strategies are not followed in places like Kuttanad. Two important considerations must form the basis of infrastructure investment. One, the building must have high level of resilience. Second, immediate functional recoverability, particularly of the basic connectivity like roads and bridges, after the disaster must become an important factor in construction.       

Unprecedented deluge

The kind of rainfall Kerala is experiencing is unprecedented, made much critical by unique geographical feature of the region and high population density. Sandwiched between tropical evergreen mountains and Arabian ocean it is a fragile ecosystem that has millions of years of making. In the recent times these have been severely degraded with population pressure and wanton consumerism -what is termed as development, this despite the fact that Kerala has quite evolved HDI standards. Unfortunately the opportunities provided by high HDI has not converted into responsible evolved social context. Literacy has failed to show enlightened understanding of life. It’s dog eat dog world that nurtures depraved mindsets that is constantly in material need to display and feel fulfilled. The onslaught of market, sanctum moral vacuum and amazingly consumerism thriving organised religions have competed to create a unique blend of mindsets, insular attitudes and heightened insecurities, self preserving reactional contexts. It is such a heartrendingly adverse society that loses no occasion to exaggerate itself (even 'God’s own country') that one is left baffled so as to desperately seek to hinge on any reference for sanity. The empathetic egalitarian contexts that were firmly connected to unique biodiversity and sustainable ways of life has long been negated and now finds space as ayurvedic quick fix brands that promise miracle.

This background is needed to understand the havoc of nature, as gold salivating greed filled self-assured society finds itself scampering for cover while superstition driven self-defeating rituals are left with no space in flooded land (includes keenly segregating and degrading godforsaken sabrimala. Sorry humans -men and women, keep off for now). Even in this tragedy disgraceful market intervenes the TV news with more bizarre baits to buy that is strikingly isolated from unfolding tragic reality. Not to be left behind celebrated and successful little Trumps at Airlines have hiked the ticket fare, monetizing tragedy is a business model that surely adds to GDP. Business is now open to highest bidders, you can skip the queue and leave the stampede to less blessed.

Climate change is real. Fossil fuel adds to global warming, meaning vehicles/cars being hawked by infotainment channels as latest models to entrap people to fill enormous bellies are adding to the accentuating problems common people face. While hapless people suffer there is a thriving tradition of fattening on misery -a blessing. The disconnect is amazing, and now colliding into new realization that something is seriously amiss and that the humans are woefully inadept to face the force of nature. Meanwhile the only good thing that comes out of this is that the State government (with assistance from Union government) has handled the situation quite professionally and shown uncommon alacrity. We can thank them for that.           

When reality strikes

So, we are getting these feral videos (sickening viral videos) of lynching, while these are being watched and commented upon there are some who are habituated to assume as guardians of society (trustees, if you will) who are working on consolidating an angst driven narration. They intense it as ‘things going wrong’, ‘democratic institutions getting weakened’ so on, the headline and carefully worked subtext catering to what matters in the moment of stampede, the opportunity to showcase as kindred souls. Always branding as worrier of others, though, not ironically, others are nowhere in sight in the sanitised surrounding with purity as source of comfort. Muslim names and cow connection tends to trigger a rather orgasmic response among these species. One wonders if it is these heinous acts or possibilities that these incident present as opportunities that generate these righteous rants.

Lynching is of course despicable and must be dealt severely. Law and order machinery must show alacrity on these matters. But these are not uncommon at all. In India these are common sight, and it seems individuals are waiting to coalesce into mob at shortest possible notice. Having been raised in the segregatory mindsets, degrading traditions, opportunistic values and heuristic morality the individual is already entrapped in an unethical potent, the caste for semantic convenience is now community readied for rhetorical subterfuge for high moral grounds under the elaborate cloak of ‘unity in diversity’. This fiercely identified setting is now aggregation of valueless individuals with least denominator and bleakest references to hinge on, but yes always carry highest possible estimates and ever exaggerated self-worth. While the culture and mainstream narrations consolidates these into subconscious there is a back-thumping consensus that Indians hold the key for the world as spiritual masters. This cringe worthy claim from a society that conceived heinous forms of social framework that quite easily eases out cannibalistic societies in its depravity. At least cannibalism has utilitarian excuse.

So, the other is always a constant presence even among people who have been living as neighbours for ages, while the angst driven elite hop from one opportunity to another and manipulate at its wake. Its laughable that mediocre Indian historian (with no sense of history) created this narration that britishers followed the policy of ‘divide and rule’, yes a bunch of colonisers were successful in convincing millions of people! The other therefore is to be revered or exploited, this is the frame that Indians are intimately aware of. There is rarely any understanding of equality or mutual respect as humans, it always needs categorisation, a clear understanding of position in the hierarchy (the reason why cunning MNCs are so easily able to tap into the insecurities of Indians). As much as reverence can be overwhelming, and always moves with sycophancy as it is based on fancy parameters or least discernible skills, exploitation is brutal and takes to the depth of inhuman ways. Hence when the group coalescence into crowd they revere the worst of human endeavour (whether art/sports/politics -as can be judged from the output) lacking discernible skills nor ideas of excellence or competence, everything comes cloaked with blessing. Hence reverence comes with elation that one could also succeed with pursuit of blessing, and yes, some minimum skills. Meanwhile the object of reverence falls in the same mindset hence will make all effort to exploit the adulation. Some of the so-called celebrities that market have confirmed for Indians genuinely believe they are talented, hence have the right to exploit the situation that market have blessed them with.

It is when the other is confirmed as vulnerable, marginalised or ‘lower’ that the group moves towards cannibalistic mob, and these needs minimal provocation. For angst driven elite (essentially the nurturers of the depraved framework) muslim name of lynched may trigger soul searching redemption possibilities while caste lynching lack the gravy nor the nuance that they disparately want to hinge narration on. The fact remains lynching is quite common, and happens all the while, some people die but many have been beaten up badly, and if it is not physical then the unique gandhian ways of nonviolence (the high culture purity driven humble benevolence of sickening self-righteousness) social sanctions that is carefully orchestrated to lynch the souls. Caste lynching and atrocities were till recently morphed as law and order problem to give the impression of pristine pure society living in harmony of ‘unity in diversity’, it is only now that these have become opportune for elitist narration of ‘things going wrong’. The situation has accentuated with dramatic changes in the last few years with advent of technology at the individual level, these lynching are now being videoed and shared. While thousands of cases of mob violence happen all the time, most go unreported, it is when someone dies that lynching gains credence and among these only few qualify for elitist angst. Then there are discriminations, injuries and murders that is executed at much smaller scale of participation. The reality is much bleaker, and the bleating elites nudging for grab are not only complicit but are beneficiaries. The unsettling hypocrisy is when they seek tone of atonement. 

  

(picture herein is the ‘selfie’ taken by perpetrator just before lynching a poor tribal man to death for stealing in ‘100%literate’ Kerala)   

The bleak world of Pranab

It is while interacting (and eavesdropping into conversations) with retired senior bureaucrats, who spent later part of their career in the highest echelons of power in the treacherous Lutyen’s Delhi, that you become intimately aware of the amazingly degraded people at the helm of affair steering the fate of this beleaguered society in the last many decades. Most senior bureaucrats, with some rare exceptions, are full blown egos -assiduously emulating their masters, who seek compliant audience for monologue on their past exploits. Post retirement these occasions become rare: with no power comes no sycophants. It’s a basic dictum of cannibalistic scums salivating for next deity in Delhi, carefully copied to all power centres across India. Hence this constant stampede for power, while some ransack whatever outlets, like market media or virtue signalling occasions, to salvage whatever semblance of power to afloat, some even mime it, as they lose entry to gravy train meanwhile contacts are alarmingly incommunicado. It’s a grim battle. All for the sake of common people -who indeed keep slipping into worst of all parameters jostling with bleakest places on earth for survival.

    

I am calling him ‘Pranab’ because of a viral interview video with another of market media’s mediocre representative whom he chastised for “interrupting” and arrogantly reminding him that he is “interacting with former president” (jantha nahi meh kon hu? Or better still the one you encounter on the streets of VVIP delhi “jantha nahi hai mera baap kon hai?” or someone who cautioned me after doing wrong “Don’t mess with me man you don’t know the kind of contacts I have and what I can do to you”. In the mean streets of Delhi, lower end outsiders have to be extremely wary. It always has the potential to go horribly wrong and nobody will be bothered). Its amazingly petty to use such language (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfg6RUr6j8c) that too someone who has held almost all senior positions, and was assiduously nurtured by the forces that be, for last many decades. It surely speaks of the uncouth worldview at display. Their rent seeking entitled life seems to be revolving around immediate need to make people feel small in their presence and therefore feel blessed. Meanwhile the journalist concerned, who has latched on to big time virtue signalling secularism, exhibited amazing lack of vigour or journalistic ethics (most likely he had put all his eggs on camaraderie and least expected this turn of events, it’s a breach) and even apologised! When you ask them to shut up they crawl! Why did he apologise? It’s the job of journalist to question and counter question, and if the interviewee is not comfortable he could say so. Not by ego mania ‘you know who I am or I was’? The fact that the fellow agreed for interview means that he will be vigorously scrutinised, it’s a two-way process and nobody is lower or higher. As mentioned earlier this fellow is the beacon of Castetva force and as such is quite sensitive to hierarchy, and likes of him have spent their life time on weaving these matters at the expense of governance, and these have percolated into government machinery and institutions severely degrading democracy. 

So, by eavesdropping a discussion I gathered that post Sanjay Gandhi’s death Indira Gandhi had become quite vulnerable. And as is the case with this depraved society there is a thriving business of predictions, astrologers and divine speculators, all kind of charlatans circled in as advisors, and those surfeit in assured blessings were always in the forefront (The audacity is such that it is also being equated to as science evidently to buttress the claim of grand understanding of universe that others are yet to catch up with. Such is the audacious claim of bunch of intellectually challenged. Previously they crept in as divine advisors of kings and quite easily reduced them to stuttering incapable nincompoops, hanging between fate and fatalism, meanwhile severely degrading the society. History is evidence of Indians lack of calibre or organisational skills, with some rare exceptions here and there. Hence the leeway of peaceful and nonviolent narration that clever Gandhi became an alibi at the expense of common people who endure amazing form of violence inflicted in a way very few societies have been able to accomplish. Castetva narration is desperately hinged on purity of nonviolence with Gandhi as showcase). Indira Gandhi’s vulnerable state was even mentioned by Pupul Jaykar in her book. Already casteist forces had firmly established into the democratic institutions and had begun cannibalising it, the progress we see now has to do with few exceptional and committed people as also democratic nature of technology that helped empower common people but on most parameters India remains a dustbin case despite so much potential, promise and possibilities. The garbage at the top tentacles run deep as they parasite on common people.

It is in this milieu that Pranab effortlessly enters. I am trying to find out where his talent lie that he was cushioned into important positions. He is not communicator, undecipherable words in thick Bengali accent and a propensity to loose temper shows serious psychological lack, makes it horrible. Nor he has any oratory skills nor any charisma. These are serious indictment for someone moving around as politician (that too 'senior' leader) trying to represent hapless and oppressed people. So how did he not only survived but thrived? What stood for him was camaraderie that casteist forces had established around power centres, around the family in this case. It was when Mr. Rahul Gandhi blatantly claimed to be “jeneu dhari shivbhakt” (indeed caste revivalism that should be seen as slur if context is understood) and was being anointed (as it were) that things fell into place. It was the rise of ‘jeneu dhari shivbakts’ in early 1980s that ensnared the family and Pranab was right there in the thick of it without any discernible talent or skin in the game (like any sycophant, who are helidropped on unsuspecting people as leaders). There were so many possibilities to create egalitarian nature of society and unleash potential of people but likes of Pranab were not only woefully incapable but incapacitated by twisted feudal casteist mind trapped in his own muck Indeed after he took over as FM (for whatever reason, in mid 1980s) the disparities and inequity, in already beleaguered society, only increased. Pranab-Reliance-Tirupati is an aspirational template that the depraved across the country emulate to further nepotism and corruption in the cloak of purity. A transaction of blessing that very few are fortunate is being confirmed, hence the cue, the beginning of stampede by masses to please the powerful gods. It encompasses everything that plagues this society and the perils of Pranabs only added to the misery while cleverly manipulating the narrations. Habitually, they have well placed their litters too as caretakers (what “chatur bania” referred to as trustees, the self assured ones entitled to trickle down goodies). Egoistic insecure sycophants who measure others in the same scale so as to dispense patronage and largesse, this therefore percolates down over skills, merit or even rule of law. A careful study on plight of Indians can be traced to these nefarious designs by garbage at the top.

That likes of Pranab was confident to assert out of Congress (without any mass appeal or skills herein) has to do with his immense assurance in camaraderie skills authenticated over decades of temple hopping and dispensing state patronage to these despicable casteist feudal sites in the name of faith while severely undermining egalitarian traditions and compassion driven narrations. He has been a go between Castetva and Hindutva is because of the camaraderie that he assiduously built using state machinery as also trampling over the aspirations and hopes of common people. These he exploited to hilt and was immensely successful in the cannibalising ecosystem of lutyen’s delhi. While pliable market media connived to hail him as some kind of negotiator, the truth as usual is chillier. Castetva forces final homecoming is Hindutva, all else is side show meant to amuse. Secular pouting mullah feeding mediocre casteist feudals can masquerade as liberal and try their best to stampede into local and international narrations with their angst and virtue signalling. They will be exposed.    

At Vembanad Fish Survey

My ancestral home is adjacent to backwaters but my awareness of freshwater ecosystem is quite limited so is the knowledge of issues related to Vembanad lake, probably because I haven’t spent too much time here. But that is not an excuse whatsoever, and I also know some houseboat owners who lack awareness of fragile nature of ecosystem nor elicit any keenness to know. Indeed there is a space for Naturalist to work in high end tourist houseboats, there is so much to explore here from fresh water, estuarian to marine species as also amazing diversity of avian species. Unfortunately Indian tourists are one of the least responsible or educated, subtleties of life tend to miss most Indians, and the more money they have the crass they come. Shows what kind of people market capitalism in mix with primitive nature of this society is nurturing in the name of development.

 Vembanad is the largest wetland system in the country that is also a Ramsar site. It is unique in many ways. Over the years it has degraded, indeed it started in 1820s with reclamation for paddy cultivation. Kuttanad being the rice bowl, uniquely located below sea level. This grew much urgent in 1940s with Burma crisis. There was a constant and persistent move of common property resource towards private hands. 1960s brought in chemical fertilizer and pesticide intensive green revolution which contributed to further degradation of the ecosystem. Thannermukkam bund (salt water barrier), major construction on the lake in 1970s, cordoned off the fresh water from marine. Thus preventing migration of aquatic species as also increasing siltation as the bund was kept closed due to farmer lobby. Profusion of hyacinths and clogging of major portion of riverine part of the lake can be traced to these events while eutrophication played its part. Next came backwater tourism, the number of houseboats is mindboggling as there is a stampede to cash in, and so begins damage due to solid waste disposal, specifically plastics irresponsibly disposed by tourists and locals (plastic from devotees at Sabarimala also floats into this lake), and appalling sanitation conditions that has brought diseases like dengue, chikungunya and rat disease (leptospirosis). The oft repeated story of economic prosperity through environmental degradation has negative impact on fragile ecosystem as also livelihood of fishermen.

It was with this background that I decided to participate in Vembanad fish survey 2018 -proclaimed as ‘democratic fish monitoring’, a motley group of experts and volunteers while I snugged in as ‘local resident’ to embolden the ‘democracy’ claim. Ostensibly a survey but it also aims to protect Vembanad ecosystem by creating inventory of fish diversity as also spreading awareness. Over the years they have been able to motivate to create ‘Lake protection forum’ as also mini fish sanctuary -an initiative by fisherfolks without any help from external agency (that seeks to provide breeding grounds for fishes through bamboo barricades). We were divided into three groups and assigned three regions, in these three region five spots were identified for sample collection. Three types of nets were used 1)Gill nets 2)Cast nets 3)Scoop nets. Cast net were of two types 35mm and 50 mm that were laid overnight while cast nets and scoop nets were applied 5times each in each location. The samples were collected, identified, parameters like weight and length noted. Our team was headed by ichthyologist Mr Anwar from KUFOS (Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies) who was extremely knowledgeable and passionate about his profession. He explained about each specie that was caught including scientific as well as local knowledge (including taste! The man surely knew his fishes), some went to the freezers while the rare to aldehyde for genetic sampling. He elaborated about whether the fish was herbivorous or carnivorous, sexual dimorphism (rare occasions when both male and female were caught) parental care fishes, parasites so on. Meanwhile some also studied the water samples. 

Catch per unit was calculated by measuring time. Mr. Anwar discussed about night diversity, and that one would find more catfish. Since it had rained most catch were fresh water fishes. He also narrated interesting anecdote related

to Green chromide aka pearl fish aka Karimeen, the state fish of Kerala, that the scientific name Etroplus suratensis has origin in Surat town in Gujarat where it is only an introduced specie, product of mistaken attribution by British ichthyologist. As also Green chromide has a unique symbiotic relation with Orange chromide (Pseudetroplus maculatus aka Pallathi) wherein it allows the later to devour its babies (fry) in return for removing parasites as Orange chromide specialise as ‘cleaner fish’. That should be some benchmark for utilitarianism! Highlight, atleast for me, was witnessing the smallest fresh water endemic fish in India: Horadandia brittani. Perky little adorable fish that one.

From our trip, that started at 6am and finished at 2.30pm, we were able to document 30odd fin fish and three shell fish. Quite an interesting day for me. I must mention I kept an eye open for birds too, as we navigated around luscious fruit bearing ‘suicide trees’(Cerebra odollam that kills atleast one person a day across this region and east asia), and not very surprisingly Stork-billed Kingfishers are in abundance. Before I conclude this blog I need to add a scene wherein acres of land, that had coconut trees and vegetable gardens, was reclaimed by lake through flooding. On the one hand it was hoary sight with dead trees spreading the horizon in a dystopian nightmare while it provided space for nesting avian population. A local farmer when asked said “There is a truth between earth and sky, it will find its way”.

Andersons of our time

There are money bags scouting poorer societies as investors -extolled as divine exotic species by market media, as saviours, while greedy corrupt politicians fall over each other to supplicate the new deity ensconced in traditional cultural pointers, the astounding deceit spontaneously acquires banality, indeed we are expected to, it is ordained. The money bags are god's way of informing us of copious blessings granted that we ordinary mortals have no option but to supplicate, and who else to take the lead but the elected representatives keen on sharing the blessing, the arduous task of doing for the sake of people. Economists and feudal positioners -working as gravy train gate keepers, authenticate it as beginning of economic development, the harbingers of prosperity. The GDP. Meanwhile it's beginning of misery for common people, first they will be threatened, offered some paltry incentives or else driven out. Money bags will land to exploit the ‘resources’ that took billions of years in making, rampaging the precious nature, fragile ecosystem and leave the environment polluted and degraded. As they grab and accrue their profits others are left to fend for themselves. In corrupt and nepotism driven crony capitalism there are no checks and balances, laws are subjective, human lives are cheap and environment not valued whatsoever. Mediocrity thriving Indian economic story is hinged on exploiting nature and fleecing huge population -desperate people in iniquitous society trapped and wallow in its own muck, and from these despicable frames arise the icons, greedy insipid constantly beckoning to snare.

Anil Aggrawal, Indian born but now typically NRI (I gather it is a lucrative move, you really don’t see Non-resident Britain in India do you?) is another of WarrenAndersons of our time that we have to endure, who are waiting for opportunity to blatantly exploit whatever can be monetised and wherever can be monetised while democratic institutions are severely compromised. Natural resources are common property and no one should be able to make such profit so as to become billionaires or even millionaires. It should be so taxed that major revenue must be go to the state and therefore to the welfare of the people. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen, and really cannot happen in a society that function in moral vacuum while protagonists scheme sickening self-righteousness as compensation. Lawyers and feudals stampede as economists and policy makers with keen sense of entitlements and how to trickle it down as requirements of fate. It is no wonder this society nurtures manipulators and scoundrels, and every town has its own success story doubling on misery to surrounding. Money therefore becomes sign of blessing, and the favour is returned by  much publicized and reverent action of filling up of hundi with gold and untold riches. The deity is favored as conniving policy makers and exploiters converge while squatters help keep a tag. This therefore percolates onto hapless people who crowd onto such sites as these are fed as sure signs of powerful god adept in dispensing blessing -so queue in, stampede and beg. Hence the irony of richest temples, poorest people and beggar minds playing catch up game in moral vacuum that percolates as attitudes and behaviors, hence as societal norms.

We don’t need charity of likes of Andersons or Aggrawals, what is needed is strict monitoring of exploitation of natural resources, equitable distribution of profits for the betterment of society and as a compensation for environment and ecosystem degradation. Natural resources cannot be private property of individuals to showcase their blessings and then patronize as charity. The audacity of Aggrawal to use state machinery to murder hapless people who were protesting against degradation of living space and immense hardship to their livelihood is a breaking point. Likes of him should be checked.                        

On a morning walk

On a morning walk

A primal world in the horizon

Is clasped, the keen sense

Cruising light years unlocks, in waiting moment.

A breeze is all that is felt on the canopy of acacia

The tiniest matter are brilliant henceforth

Ladybird on Caribbean blue-spike initiate meaning

Right back to the big bang, and nothing.

In the end, Nietzsche’s vivid mind

Beethoven’s keen ears

Borges’s insightful sight

Blue prints of memories etched in decaying neurons. 

Big data, free will and why Indians are in for serious bother

          

There are so much data available out there, and with expanding ‘Internet of Things’ this is bound to increase exponentially, that big data is now unfortunately seen as new oil. Huge unstructured information is being retrieved and channelized through cognitive immersive technology.  Data with augmented intelligence has now created possibilities of better reasoning, hypothesizing or seeking correlations for further study, and essentially better decisions and understanding. Unfortunately though, data is also limiting into a new feudal order. Feudalism was nurtured through land ownership while Capitalism thrived with proprietorship over machinery. And now control over data is creating a new order of Dataism. Societies where feudal norms are strong, where capitalism is the interplay of cronyism and nepotism, and where moral ethical frameworks are weak, there is a serious threat that has potential for cataclysmic impact on the lives of common people. Their world is expected to shrink further and life made more meaningless. Where humans are treated as slaves, expendable commodities, for entitled few, and where exploitations of weak and sycophancy for powerful is a norm then things are going to get much tougher. The situation becomes much bleaker when you realize that the elite section is highly insecure –as they are effete and incompetent, that adds to the tyranny of control, the brutal control. There is a strong tradition –indeed a culture, of fixers and manipulators nurtured by sycophancy hinged power centers that keep shifting wherever there is gravy to lick. It has array of rituals to please and propitiate to whichever be the power.

Data has become intrusive, and is used to create psychological profile and attributes of individuals and classify people into different groups of consumers for targeted sales and marketing campaign. It is used to influence choices individual makes, even insecurities are used for manipulations, and now it is being taken to next level with cognitive data. Social media is all about building the user base. How do I drive lots of engagement? Building engagement is important in this money metric game, and they don’t care about the nature of engagement, this engagement-based business model that incentivizes the most mindless things that harm the fabric of society. It’s consistently trying to trigger fear and anger to get the outrage cycle going, because outrage is what makes you be more deeply engaged. You spend more time on the site and you share more stuff. Therefore, you’re going to be exposed to more ads, and that makes you more valuable. The social-media giants have become “attention merchants,” bent on hooking users no matter the consequences. “Engagement” is the euphemism for the metric, but in practice it evolved into an unprecedented machine for behavior modification with everyone under surveillance by their devices and receiving calculated stimulus to modify them. Digital networks are creating mass behavior-modification regimes, manipulating minds, trapped in feeder bubbles. Even original good intention winds up empowering its opposite.

As they say dataism is the singularity, an all knowing omnipresent processing system based on the universal faith in the power of algorithm. While the real emerging issue is that people are not able to assign moral agency to algorithms. For instance Trump’s narrow victory appears to have been fashioned, at least in part, by a covert appeal to the insecurity, religious fervor or racism of voters willing to rely on social media for information about the world. “Those who financed and carried out this ugly propaganda campaign were careful to avoid having their names associated with such lies and distortions. They were also unwilling to openly argue and defend their ideas”. These kinds of intrusions have been happening all the time through advertisements where human emotions are relentlessly targeted and society measured at stunted adolescent cravings. Societies where myths and truths are persistently kept blurred, perceptions are constantly pushed into authentic, so as to ease manipulation and domination is going to be particularly at risk.

It is therefore incumbent on us to insist on primacy of free will. You can have all my data but you cannot manipulate my will, therefore my decisions and choices. Humanity must be retrieved from these cannibalizing creatures. Societies like India where every innovative technology has much significance as manipulative technology to control choices of common people this must be insisted. Children must be taught on these matters, hence critical thinking must be insisted as part of inquisitiveness. Quite an arduous task for societies where elders are severely compromised to fatalism in the mounting hopeless burden of realities that works in moral vacuum and quick fixes. Where people are ready to fleece lives (even souls of dead), brutalize thoughts. In such a situation atleast the minimum hinge i.e. hard earned money must be safeguarded from these exploiters, and must be judiciously spent. To start with anything that is sold through advertisement must be avoided, they have nurtured mediocrities from film and cricket as recruit of art and sport –a hint of competence for common people, that is kept so low that it is tantalizingly reachable in the process has degraded the society to trap people. The society has been constantly bludgeoned into adolescent dealings –that market proposes, which has now become more intrusive with new technology. Perceptions and exaggerations have severely compromised the society, as it is readied for exploitation. A beginning can be made with younger generation.  

It is our reason that help us judge, to theorize our experiences. It is the reason that gives us sense of freedom in a brief but what is essentially determined frame of life followed by death. Reason also gives us the unique ability to understand reality, as it unfolds, and equips us to discern –through experimentation and thinking, to decipher as to which reality is absolute in nature and which is mutable. To submit willingly to what is discerned as immutable necessities of reality rather than bitterly, or in ignorant blissfulness of fatalism driven choices. This attitude that springs from comprehensive understanding of free will is what is precious. This unique human attribute is what helped us to not only negotiate, calculate but channelize with remarkable accuracy the laws of nature into wonderful discoveries and inventions. This free will nurtured see big data as no threat whatsoever.