Understanding Secularism

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

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

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

School home work on religion…

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

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

On watching movies and telling stories

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

Why horse racing should be encouraged and Car racing banned

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

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

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

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

It’s Ms. Mayawati all the way

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

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

Spare a thought for Mr. Murasoli

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

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

Why all of us should watch ‘An Inconvenient Truth’

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

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

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

Journey to Bimbetka: The prehistoric dwellings

I got up early next day and by around seven I was out. As mentioned in one of my earlier blogs, restaurants open quite late in most of North India, so breakfast had to wait. Then began my struggle to get a bus to Bimbetka. Nobody I asked was aware of such a place, infact many counter questioned ‘yeh kahan hai?!!!’ Finally I decided to go to the bus stand. ‘New bus stand’ was on the outskirts, took almost half an hour. Bhopal is picturesque and well maintained in certain pockets, but unfortunately there were too many poor people, mostly migrants I suppose, and defecating against bushes. The ‘new bus stand’ really had nothing new about it. Vehicles were being instructed through a mike from an enclosure, which nobody seemed to care. Evidently it was long route bus stand as rough looking men shouted ‘indore’ ‘ujjain’ standing next to their bus. I accosted the man on the mike, an obese man with big nose, despite the noise, commotion, and yelling he had to do, he looked extremely pleased with his job. He took few moments to digest ‘bimbetka’, I had given up when he informed that it is Beembitika, ‘you will get the bus from old stand, behind…talkies’. I got into a tempo, a old rusty almost ancient vehicle, it is a surprise that it even moves!!. A co passenger informed me that the government has plans to remove these vehicles but is being resisted. The vehicle has a long history some even refer it endearingly as samosa or was it a ridicule I couldn’t make out.

An hour later I found the bus stopping in front of the hotel I was residing….geez that is two hours gone, by this time Bhopal had woken up and streets were filled up with vehicles. Bimbetka is around 50 odd Kms from Bhopal and took just about an hour and half. Most people refer Bimbetka (which now I feel is anglicized version) as Bheembyetika, the legend goes that this was the place where Bheema of Mahabharatha spend some time to relax. There was an inscription on the road side indicating the direction for the site. Few meters in was a railway crossing, this landmark has a history. It so happened that in1950s VS Wakankar, an archeologist was traveling in train by this route, he saw rock formation similar to one he had seen in Spain and France, he later visited the place with fellow archeologists and discovered the pre historic site in 1958. For me though reaching the site took some time, it was 4kms top of the slope, apparently there were no transportation. It was quite a pleasant morning, the narrow tarred road had wheat field on both sides, in the morning sun it looked spectacular. Up ahead was forest reserve, a man I met assured that although this is a forest region the wildlife is quite inside. As I trekked leisurely the terrain had changed to huge bolder rocks and sparse dry trees. The silence was broken by scurry of babblers, magpies and occasional squirrels. Few Kms up and the route unfolded an open view of the plane, far ahead I saw some villagers grazing their cattle. Perfect, I thought, this is the right place to settle for pre historic people, since it provided vantage point on wildlife, ideal for hunting and the rock formations were such that it created natural homes. My thoughts were interrupted by a Langur who dashed and climbed a tree. It had a majestic, brooding face with none too happy expression (I am sure what he thought was ‘patha nahi kahan kahan se ajathe hai…ghar meh bait ke TV shv nahi dek sakhte’….contradiction here is most simian species speak and think only in English!!).

The rocks were more like tall, huge mounds spread across a distance. Uneven and chiseled by nature into myriad forms, itself a treat to eyes. It felt strange to be in midst of rocks that were homes to people thousands of years ago. I tried to imagine what their life would be (it is pre historic since it dated back to the period when humans were had not learned the art of writing). For next few minutes I roamed around the place, I sensed that I am not able to understand the rocks sites and markings, their significance. It was then I thought of getting some help, maybe a guide. There was not a soul in sight, so I walked and saw a man sitting almost hidden behind the tree. It was as if he was anticipating me “I am the guide. My name is Vimal”. He spoke in a mixture of Hindi and English, as most guides do. He was a self assured young man, seemed immensely proud of his job. But his confidence spilled over when he started speculating about me. ‘You from delhi?’ big no. ‘From bengal’ another no. He gave up, ‘bangalore’ I said. Poor fellow I don’t blame him with my Hindi nobody would guess I am a south Indian!!. He ventured once more ‘You must be in IT’, he concluded. Big no again. Sufficiently diminished he stopped probing and immediately grabbed what he was confident in, to regain himself. He gave a brief introduction about the site and took me around the rocks. Explaining and pointing out figures I had missed. Quite strangely he referred to pre historic people as ‘tribal citizens’!!. These were the oldest paintings in India, more than ten thousand year old, and they still look exquisite. The depictions were as vivid, of hunting and ceremonies. The paintings were done in white and red colour, the red being the later period that extended up to the medieval period of the Indian history. They used natural dye and since these paintings were on the roof and inside of caves, they were remarkably protected from deterioration through rain and so on. It was clear that these sites were inhabited or continuously used for religious purpose for thousands of years. Although I tried to interact in Hindi, assuming it would make him comfortable, he replied mostly in English though he was not very comfortable. Later I too spoke in a mixture of both, fully aware how much English is also about class distinction in this country and so my insistence on Hindi may be seen as an insult to his fragile worldview. It is unfortunate how the system has conspired to its own detriment, a kind of civilizational cannibalism, eating ones own roots. From cannibalism to colonialism to cannibalism we have traversed a full circle, of misery.

Having spent an hour at the site I walked all the way back, although it was sunny mid noon it wasn’t very hot, the sun of March showed its grace. Once at the main road I saw few people waving at passing vehicles which sped unheeded. There was no bus stop and buses are rarity, if ever they don’t stop, I was told, and they have been waiting for last an hour so. There were three school children waiting to go to school (probably afternoon schools) after an hour or so they abandoned the idea and went back. These seem to be normal happenings around here. People have basic necessity not taken care and the ‘national’ media focus on few hours of electricity cuts in metros (read delhi and Mumbai)…well its our (‘people like us’) arse we worried about. Since most people had to go nearby places they told me to show ‘lambi hath’ for Bhopal, one of them demonstrated it for me. It was a kind of outstretched rotating hand accompanied by urgent expression on face. After few hiccups and awkward moments it worked!!. It was almost 2:30 that I reached Bhopal; since I was starving rushed to the nearest hotel for lunch, realizing that it was almost 24 hours since I had my last meal. After a decent meal of phulkas and subzi I caught an auto to Union Carbide site (posted in earlier blog). From there I dropped in to Bharath Bhavan, saw few exhibits (congratulated myself for able to recognize Gulam Mohd Sheikh’s work from distance) and ended the day with a beautiful sight of sunset across the lake (Bharath Bhavan is well thought out structure). By the time I was back it was 8 pm, had a quick bath went out for dinner (they make excellent allu paranthas…I have tried it umpteen times never could match them, these guys are genius!!. It must be the ajwain and some other ingredient or is it the oil since I try use less so compromising on crispiness). Came back and checked out from the Hotel, I had a train to catch at 10:30 pm. So ended by 24 hours in Bhopal!!!!

(the blogger at the natural museum at Bimbetka)

A day at Bhopal, and a visit to Bimbtka: A travelogue

I reached Bhopal almost on time, around 23:50…. I say almost since the train was late by 20 minutes, which is very much alright. A co-passenger, young man who was traveling to Delhi from Bangaluru (having attended an IT interview), suggested that I should exit from behind the Station as I would get cheaper lodges. Since he had done his studies in Bhopal and aware of the city I heeded to his advice. He was right, a kilometer’s walk and I was in a street that had hotels lining the side, and in various stages of closing down for the day. I entered the first one, not with an intention to occupy but to get the feel of the rent, 300/- was slightly above but I was happy that I was in a range I could bargain. After few harassing search I landed up in Meghdoot Hotel and settled for 150/-. Meghdoot means ‘cloud messenger’, Kalidasa- ancient Sanskrit poet, had written a collection ‘Meghdootham’ probably how the name got popular. But unlike the romantic history of the name, the Hotel was quite appalling, nothing surprising for a cheap hotel. A half finished staircase led to a very badly maintained corridor on the first floor, the rooms separated by moldy dark space for ventilator for toilet, leaking pipes. The first thing I checked about the room was the toilet. The toilet is an indicator of habitability is my time tested theory!!!. The room had a stale smell about it. Very strangely the windows didn’t have any rods or mesh to prevent entry. I have visited Bhopal few occasions before and had pleasant experience with people but there are always nasty people and tragedy is one step away. There is a word in English language ‘thug’, the word originated in these regions (It is ironical that Britishers themselves were biggest thugs, had the audacity to judge others!!) from a class of people who were very violent criminals, strangled travelers. These were the thoughts playing in my mind as I vacillated on whether to keep the window open. Discretion is a liability when comfort is in question, further I was claustrophobic, also I argued that since I don’t have any valuables (except maybe a cheap camera) and so in case I am done I will have the final revenge!!. The room boy brought jug of water and vanished, which was a good omen, since many a times these species tend to hang around, and if they ask ‘aur koi seva’ more than twice it is an indication on prostitution.

There mostly is no provision on clean bed sheets, so it is always advised to carry bed sheets and pillow cover. And yes towel and most importantly mosquito repeller, ascertain plug point connection before checking in, nowadays most hotels at lower end do have these since the mobile phones have percolated. However there is one nuisance for which there really is no escape, this encountered mostly in north India, they spit paan on the wall. The corners in a room sometimes really make you shudder before it merges into familiarity. This room though had spit, red streaks evenly spread all across the wall, biased next to the pillow. I tried to figure how anyone could spit laying down; to my surprise I found it is possible but the mystery of spitting all along the bed was taxing since there was only two possible way to occupy the bed: one is the present position and second is opposite, that is, place the pillow where now the leg is. It was impossible for a person to assume vertical or lateral position and be comfortable. The angle of the spit indicated that the person must either be laying or sitting on the floor, the later could be ruled out otherwise he is a maniac. I compromised on the theory that the spit were in various stages of spraying from the bed, contributions from hundreds of different occupants and their lung capacity, height and emotional state (people in extreme emotional self, like in ecstasy or anger are seen to spit with some vigor). But what is startling is that there is a wash basin right in the middle of the room and is meant for spitting!. Kya bhaisaab kamaal ki baath karthe ho aap!!!

It was well past midnight and I anticipated a hectic day ahead so after a quick bath, dropped to bed and was instantly asleep even before I realized that I had forgotten to have dinner. Never mind I will compensate that in my breakfast….

(next blog on Bimbtka, a study on prehistoric caves)

Tailpiece: Paan eating is quite romanticized in many of the North Indian particularly Hindi movies, many songs being quite popular also. The most popular being Kaike paan banaras waala. Another one which I recall is paan khaye saiyya hamare, malamal ke kurthe pe cheet lal lal …..the later part of the line is really very gross, our man need be whacked and taught some eating habit!!. Quite a deviance, north part of the country doesn’t stop to surprise/shock me. In places like lucknow, allahabad, banaras…many young males speak with their mouth full, raising their chin high to contain the paan spit while wanting to speak, and blurt out what I thought was incomprehensible words but perfectly understood by others (what about older males?…well they wouldn’t survive to that age with these daily indulgences, or probably dying with cancer). Also unlike me they find nothing unusual in the behavior, the whole situation is very funny. Whereas in places like Kerala you could be fined for spitting in public (well technically), in Varanasi they consider it an art form to be displayed on walls in colour red!!. I am a big fan of Banarasi meeta paan, whenever i am here i have it almost thrice a day!!.

Getting personal with Gandhian Crude Woman

Ideally one should not trash people….well we don’t live in ideal world further Crude Woman is no sacred cow she is as devious as people can get. Also there is a common understanding on civility but if trash is the truth what can you do?? By shirking from harsh truth aren’t we not being irresponsible? Some try to be diplomatic, this suit scoundrels perfectly. Diplomacy is minor hiccup, it helps both the sides to acknowledge and share, a non-judgmental mush. No questions asked. They gestate and thrive in this pool. Incidentally this is the pool Gandhi so effectively tapped, and they gave back the compliment. Though it was Britishers who were charming on matters of diplomacy, and so on one side you exploit people and fatten, in elite circle be in the best of behavior. They have been since a perfect role model for elite in this country. Propriety is a charade they have created and this slant helps in consolidating their position. Propriety becomes a liability when balance is against them (this is quite an international phenomenon even reflected in policies of many nations like say USA. It therefore has individual and collective manifestations). So, gandhism is another reason for squatting near positions of power, the hypocrisy of their lifestyle and what Gandhi really stood for is again another minor hiccup (ofcourse some do make valiant attempt to modify the philosophy with ‘changing times’). It is actually considered quite ill-mannered to even raise these ethical ambiguities. It is a quaint world (as they say the motto of the coterie is mil baat ke khao bhai…..this should be the official slogan of India…satmayev jayathe is rather outdated, if not India atleast BCCI should take this suggestion seriously!) There are many corrupt people (politicians are public figure so obvious example), but the corruption of using once influence not of position but inherited is most grievous. This is grievous since it takes away space for talented, deserving people, it is further tragic in an economical and social disparities ridden country like India. Take any example whether politics, business or culture the influence of family is rather stark. A son or daughter gets into power because of their parents influence, they get into positions of business or ‘entrepreneur’ with the socio-economic space provided due to inherited reasons, they even get exposure in popular space of entertainment because of parents (this is also very much true for dukhi atma movies referred to pretentiously as ‘art movie’…with few exceptions they really are pain much inferior than any popular movie….some people know how to lick the space for reason for awards or positioning as ‘concerned people’ in festivals. And the crude woman to masticate the charade that she is trying to-save-the-world-so-give-me-some-award). So Karan boy was right on target when he sang ‘it's about loving the parents’….well he surely should be grateful, don’t know whether he would fit in as even as a office boy if he didn’t had that backing ! (I like the songs of his movies though). So where is the sacred ‘competence’ people keep referring to? I guess it has more to do with subordinate level recruitments. Also, those who overplay ‘respecting elders’ are basically incompetent and direct beneficiaries of nepotism. Indian culture respected knowledge; earlier experience was knowledge the reason elders were given respect as repositories of knowledge. So, now if they want respect just because they are old and invoke ‘culture’ they should get a kick. They shouldn’t be allowed this cynical attempt to accrue power. Ever wonder why certain section in elite have great respect for Chanakya?....well the dude legitimized unethical practices almost 2000 years back. Talk of ‘culture’!

In recent times the main passion though seems to be to capitalize on the angst of people, there is a huge space here to lick. The reason why Gandhi has suddenly become a target of the elite section has nothing to do with this post globalization gandhian guilt but a smart realization that there is so much to lick. The area where not much attention is focused is how so called egalitarianism in the elite leads to rabid form of individualism. An individualism lacking any individuality, they loose all reference point, it is about scoring points within their circle, the most obnoxious part is when they use hapless like slum children for self promotion and positioning (Crude woman is only an example in this cesspool). They use whatever they could to float in this morass; Gandhism is the latest fad in here...

I wanna sell my book dude!!!

Move away marketers and spin doctors there is a new dude in the block. He is the one who can sell any dud with such élan that it will like hot chips. He and his gang, all have almost sinister resemblance that is no coincidence. They mostly held influential positions and were sissies when it mattered, now trying to seek redemption through book writing, it is also not a coincidence that they make huge money in the deal. If Gen. Musharaf could then so could our very own moron Jaswant Singh (his claim to fame also includes escorting hijackers to kandhahar….even his English couldn’t save this embarrassment). Both sold their books with dexterity by planting stories, creating suspense, using prime time of salivating media …putting even seasoned marketers to shame. One would have to admit that despite Jaswant boy’s rather stellar performance it was Musharaf boy, who won hands down. You see unlike ridiculous accented Jaswant, Musharaf is also engaged in saving the world from jehadis….how?? Quite complicated will try delve some other time.

The latest dude in ‘I wanna sell my book’ is the ex Director of CIA who goes by the name George Tenet. As a pre sale act he has been dropping ‘bomb shells’ regarding the policy bungling after September 11. He claims to be not the member of ‘Lets attack Iraq’ club, which nobody is ready to buy (but first they will have to buy the book!!. Tricked you!!). He said to Larry King ‘nobody had the wisdom to predict the events in Iraq… ’. Geez I never thought that needed wisdom. Even a seven year old kid hundreds of Km away knew it. This blogger had collected their voices against the war on Iraq and send it across to Ram buffoon…contact him for further reference (well if I had a blog then I wouldn’t be so foolish!!). Well atleast Tenet boy is smart; he will sell more copies of his book and be a millionaire. Next ‘writers’ include Bush, Cheney, Powel, Rice…..no wonder US of A has so many millionaires!!!. Millions on the bodies of innocent people. What a shame. Tenet’s tenet? ‘Humans makes mistake’. Tenet’s unsaid but practicing tenet? ‘…..well humans make mistake but we sure will make money out of it…..its prime time money churning entertainment dude’.

Post script: suggested title for Bush’s forthcoming book ‘Did it for papa’/ ‘There is a Sam in Osama’/ ‘Lost but won but lost in Baghdad’. For Cheney ‘Have gun, will shoot’/ ‘By God I will Shoot’/ ‘I am aiming the duck, it could be the President’.

Natwar Singh’s forthcoming book: My well oiled son!!!

Bharath Ratna for Rajkumar

If anybody deserves the Bharath Ratna then it is none other than Late Rajkumar. Conceding that the politicians and Media do overemphasis the role of movie actors as it provides them with saleable faces and glossy bytes but Rajkumar was above all these. He avoided the media and carried no pretensions of grandeur. A man so humble and impeccable in his bearing that all sections of society in Karnataka admire him. The outsiders particularly the anglicized elites squatting in power centers may have a cynical view on this but the fact is common people in Karnataka consider him God. There is nothing wrong in that since he epitomized what they considered admirable (in reel and real life, as also a hugely successful actor) and he on his part never misused that trust. He did attempt to channelise these into positive action but never for personal gain, indications on how much he respected people. He was truly great. He was to Karnataka (and to many south Indians) what Dilip Kumar (taking another example from film industry and a great human) is to north India. The nation needs to recognize him with the highest award.

Post Script: It is bit late though and one wonders what he would have made out of this demand!!!. I guess some people are so great that it increases the worth of awards.

In recent times though these admirable symbols are being hijacked by parochial forces, this is very sad. It is also very unfortunate that Tamilians are targeted and many cinema halls don’t show Tamil movies. This blogger rarely goes for movies but Rajnikanth movies are something I don’t like to miss (I like his style. Njan oru thavana solutha pathu thavana solamadiri… jagarudhe. Beat that one!!!!. He is the most stylish actor i have come across). So one wonders what happens to his latest movie in Karnataka. If it is not released in Karnataka it will be nothing short of tragedy.

How I learn to stop worry and love the Gun

So we have another shooting in US of A. Kids killing each other and themselves is a pattern we have started to associate with this country. But still people can buy guns and ammunition at free will from the friendly corner shop. Most civilized society will cringe even at the thought of people owning guns, being sold like this is unimaginable. But then US of A is a different place here people are proud of their ‘fundamental right’. Right to carry gun it seems is most fundamental of all rights. It seems people have right to protect themselves….very true then what state machinery is for? If US of A cannot even provide protection to its own citizen then what kind of law and order machinery they have. And if they cannot even enforce order within their own country, that each citizen has to own a gun, then what gives them the authority to play policeman to the world?......just hold it there. There seems to one group who seems to be in win-win situation and that is the gun lobby.

Gun lobby in US of A is very strong and vocal, it has very influential people, politicians in the payroll. Before even full scale tragedy of VT massacre were out, politicians (even a Presidential candidate) were found allaying doubts from the minds of Gun lobby. This is the level of crassness they can go. Nexus of Gun Lobby, politicians and big business, and the fear psychosis nearing paranoia they create among hapless citizen fed on information overdrive, is well documented in Michael Moore’s Bowling for Columbine (the gun culture does have its history in slavery, the fear in whites....as shown in the Documentary, now they create imaginary enemy. Osama helped thier cause). This insightful documentary although searing tragic in its portrayal of how people can be herded into self destruction, for an outsiders like me I couldn’t help laughing at these stupid people and their predicament. That is what makes it such a tragic-comic. The killings of innocent and fundamental rights of maniac. The agony, pain of victims and righteous, pride of gun peddlers.

It is kind of surreal since in real world people would see reason, compassion. But US of A works on different game plan. It definitely brings in the question of how much ammunition lobby influences US policy making, particularly when it comes to military actions abroad (latest is they are trying to align with Al Quaeda to harm Iranians!!!). Isn’t the world being held by coterie who just wants to make profit at the expense of people’s life, democracy a compliable conduit in their macabre scheme? Maybe the reason they talk democracy at home and the need to spread it abroad, sometimes with such viciousness. Also if people can decide whether they can carry gun, countries can decide whether to keep nuclear bombs. “Gun doesn’t kill people, people kill people” argues Gun lobby. Well…“nuclear bombs doesn’t kill people, people kill people” ditto!!!. “Knife in the cockpit doesn’t kill people, people kill people” ditto!!. So are we talking about deterrence or threat?. If it is fundamental right of the people to own gun then it is also unalienable for countries to own nuclear bombs. US of A is not the only country that has to safe guard the rights and lives of its people, Iran has to, and yes even Cuba has to. What gives US of A moral authority on the world when its policies are dictated by vested interests??.

The latest in the media regarding VT massacre is to try understand the mind of the killer (a South Korean with some serious problems that he couldn’t handle and very unfortunately killed many innocent people including two Indians. Very upsetting indeed), they are trying to look at his brain, it is about frontal lobe I am told, a kind of instinctive fellow. So much for ideas on sense of humor!!. Well what about the minds behind ‘gun lobby’?? What about the brain which calculates to maximize without much empathy or even sympathy on thousands of lives lost and maimed??. The corporatisation of politicians doesn’t leave us with any distinctions. President Bush in his address at VT says the victims “were at wrong place at wrong time” and that is all about the tragedy. It should be that ‘they were in wrong place at wrong time but in front of the right gun we help him buy (thumbs up dude). This is about democracy and rights. We also have some very unfortunate people at very wrong place in front of very right smart guns in Iraq, earlier in Vietnam….”. Amen to that. Dude I love my Gun. The Korean kid had a problem, millions youngster around the world have problems. But millions of kids around the world don’t have gun lobby to help. Countries have their government influenced by vested interest, but most countries don’t have arm suppliers or are not nuclear power. This makes US of A very dangerous country.

The attempt now in US media seems to be to identify kids with problem, the potential killers. Meaning now the attempt will be on compliance. This suits the State and the Market. So anyone protesting or even taking a solitary position could be targeted. As for macabre writings …well in that case Raj Kamal Jha should be in high security prison, seriously!!. So should many other writers and so would many of the greatest thinkers, inventors (dude most were loners!!. They were not “normal” people who came in chat show!!). So are we talking about creative writing or mind mapping?. This blogger poohs poohs the attempt at classifying the kid on his writing, maybe he was poor writer with astounding imagination that may not fit with the conventional behavior, considering that he was into English major, wherein he was suppose to present creative paper unlike say a pre teenager who expresses anguish through pictures or scribbles. What is seen as macabre makes him extraordinary….not necessarily a killer, he was bit old to be studied through writing. It is quite a coincidence that he killed. What is not a coincidence is that he like many other killers in US of A could easily access the weapon that could cause maximum damage. How about spending some time to know the people behind Gun lobby?. This is were the focus should be: the cold blooded profit mongers who make money through blood and misery of people. In the meantime why not telecast Moore’s Bowling for Columbine, it will be more insightful than dissecting the unfortunate kid and creating imaginary monsters. The kid had some serious problem but what is the problem with people who support Gun Lobby??

No to Asian games in delhi

A big No to Asian Games in delhi in 2014. Why delhi why not any other city??. It seems they want all the development to happen in delhi only.
How about Pune, Chennai???

Very unfortunate: with deep regret i have to inform that i have misplaced the password of my other blog www.sdepalan.blogspot.com or maybe i forgot to close it and so...I feel very sad about it. I spend hours retrieving it, i seemed to have forgotten the email i gave. It really is very tragic.
From now on my other blog will be www.depalanhere.blogspot.com.

Bet on everything!

There was a funny incident of attempt to ban betting in Bangalore Turf, dare you!!. I guess first they should close down the stock exchange. More people have lost money speculating on Shares. Stock exchange somehow has gained the status of sacred institution, quite an achievement. You close turf betting, you close stock exchange. Ideally these discussions are time pass!!. This blogger would like to see cricket being open for betting. Government has absolutely no business to tell people where to put money. Further if over paid monkeys are adorned with Arjuna awards why are jockeys not considered, this is discrimination. This blogger would like to see outstanding jockeys like Narredu be awarded. Horse racing need to be given the respect which is due. Riding a horse (and winning the race) needs extreme skills. Picture this: would you like to see bunch of underperformers rubbing the ball on the crotch (god why???. I guess if pitch can behave, crotch can help!!) or would you go for incredible sight of amazing set of horses ridden by colorful jockeys, running together???

Recently it was reported that one of the ‘Indian cricketer’ had signed an endorsement with a condition that he would spend as much as time on the pitch intent to give exposure to the product. This is shocking. The media however refused to name the person as if it is some state secret. We would like to know who this player is. He has not only brought disrepute to the game but has hindered the chance of Indian team. He has fooled millions of followers of this game. He has indulged in unethical practice which is as grievous as match fixing. So hiding his name is equally criminal. The BCCI has to reveal the name…..or in case media is aware of it they should bring this scoundrel out. People would like to know, they are being fooled.

Please join in the appeal to release Alan Johnston the BBC reporter kidnapped more than a month back.
This blogger had always a very healthy view of BBC. I love watching BBC as much I listened the radio as a kid, the Hindi version too. They should be cautious when dealing with India (unavoidable because of population), since lots of pretentious people are stampeding for attention. Foreign channel if serious can know more about the nation and its issues by directly involving the common people and not elite (particularly those pretentious types who have positioned to save common people aka Crude Woman) British and American attention would make the day of any these scum, it is their reference point, pinnacle of achievement, origin of ‘making India proud’. Channels like BBC will only degrade itself associating with superficial people.

On exclusive interviews

This blogger questions the people holding government (public) positions giving interviews to private channels. A minister, a member of judiciary and bureaucrats are not paid to give exclusive interviews to private TV channels. This should be taken as a breach of conduct. Once a politician assumes office he has no business to associate with TV channel or Press, this is a form of corruption- media suaveness at the of expense competence in the job, it is dereliction of duty and misuse of position for personal gains. Press release and statements given at common platform- conferences, are the way to communicate to public. Any other involvement of members of Executive, Judiciary or Legislature is serious threat to democratic functioning. The official time and money shouldn’t be used to work on PR.

One had lots of expectation when a member of marginalized section of society took over as Chief Justice of India but unfortunately our man spent more time in giving interview to media. Where does he get the time to indulge in these?. This is also true of Cabinet ministers. The Finance Minister gave ‘exclusive interviews’ to many channels after the budget, one must admire his energy hopping from one TV studio to another, repeating the same thing.

Let us look what this exclusive involvement in TV studios mean: Out of one billion people let us negate the people who do not have access to TV- there are millions, lets say at an optimistic level around 80% people have access to TV. Of this how many have access to cable connection?. From the percentage of people who have access to cable how many watch English channel (which in a ridiculous dement have assumed themselves as ‘National’), a favorite channel for lickers since they exist because of PR in English as also their proximity to power center. Take the example of any politician (or minister) who rushes to TV studios and you will see a licker owe his (or her) existence to the sycophancy and positioning in TV studios. Coming back, so we do have very miniscule percentage of people who watch English Channels. Now those who do watch English TV channels there are lot many channels to choose from. So what is the chance that someone has switched on the particular channel at the specified time to watch that ‘exclusive interview’? How many watched the interview of let’s say Finance minister or the Chief Justice. Few thousands at the most and this from one billion!!!. This brings in the question: who the Minister is responsible to?. Obviously to the cabinet and the legislature…..meaning to the people. So what is he doing in the TV studio giving ‘exclusive interviews’ wherein he is representing more than a billion people???. Why is a Minister who is representing one billion people choosing medium to address few thousands? Why is he investing his precious public time on these platforms??

A politician can use media when he is not in the office, before elections and so on, like you see the actors coming out before release of movies. It is a win-win situation for both; it is about how well who uses whom. That’s ‘fourth estate’ for you!!. It is quite a sight to watch a slave interviewing a popular figure, particularly from the film industry. The intensity is as much as you see a dog in front of butcher shop (next time try observing and compare with media snooping on “Abhi-Aish” wedding!!). The salivating slave will try to extract whatever from the celebrity, it is a kind of tussle and the slave’s future is very much dependent on it (do we laws protecting the slaves??). Once you get the ‘bite’ it’s for the spin doctor’s to take over. So we have out of context quotes and if luck favors “Breaking News”. And then we have self appointed guardian- the newsreader, fresh from beauty parlor, you feel will almost break into ‘everything we do, we do it for you’. The reason why they don’t have this song running while they read the news is a mystery; probably they guessed it right that it’s beyond Homo sapiens to comprehend too many noises. Well we can blame god. Not very Market savvy I say.

One wonders whether we do have copyright laws??. Since the input is on TRP, the news is about entertainment. Thus we have more of movie and song sequences in TV channels. Infact they try to create news so as to include movie bites and songs (another favorite area is cricket). Nothing wrong it is ok to be desperate about profit- it is an internationally accepted understanding!!. The question is do they pay for it particularly to producers, script writers of the movie and songwriters, lyricist of the song, if not it is exploitation and cheap way to make money. Have they bought the rights of the movie or the scene which they are broadcasting?? (offcourse scenes from new movies are part of promotion and that is an important revenue source). Also many of the channels have song competitions; the creators of these songs should get the cut (recently songs are being used to peddle products. Easy job!!). Movies and songs are not public property nor are TV channels doing any public service. It is important that there is freedom of expression but it also very important that there should be protection of creativity. The unscrupulous shouldn’t be given free run to undermine everything to make profit. There is an immediate need to create laws to end this exploitation. Meaning less shubh laab …….rrrreppppeeeeattt (from Rajnikant movie song!!)

Forget Osama where is Anderson dude??. Shouldn’t we ‘shock and awe’ the US??

It was on a pleasant afternoon that I reached the sight where the Union Carbide Plant was located (I had been here more than a decade back). The Plant had large barren land surrounding, not cordon off, no guards, children played cricket and cattle grazed the field. This was shocking since hundreds of tons of toxic waste is still left untouched- an environmental disaster site. Studies indicate that tons of toxic material dumped at the old plant has now seeped into the groundwater. Well water and groundwater tests conducted in the surrounding areas in 1999 showed mercury levels to be at “20,000 and 6 million times” higher than expected levels; heavy metals and organochlorines were present in the soil. Environmental groups who had collected samples from the soil (groundwater, fruits, and vegetables) have found high levels of heavy metals such as nickel, chromium, mercury, and lead, along with other toxic materials in the area and surrounding. Shocking also because this is the sight, which caused the worst industrial tragedy in the world.
Opposing the Plant, across the road, was like any other poorer location of the city- densely populated, congested houses with narrow by lanes, most of them had one or more family member victim of this disaster. Dow chemicals (which now own Union Carbide) refuse to clean up the place and has put thousand of people’s lives in constant life threatening ailments for last 23 years. A Union Carbide spokesman says that the company and its sole shareholder, the Dow Chemical Company, cannot be held liable for any waste cleanup at the plant or any contamination of the ground water. "There is no legal foundation for application of liability". Comrades in Bengal have now opened the door for Dow Chemicals. Comrade scoundrels. People of Haldia should know what they are getting into. Dow Chemicals was also fined by US finance regulatory recently for unfair trade practices in India. They bribed Indian officials around 8.8 million Rs. Any cases in India???. Off course not, it’s about sacred Investment, rising GDP and off course Comrades Party Fund, after all they have to save the world!!. Experts warn that Indian regulations on industry remain lax, and that a future Bhopal-style tragedy referred to as ‘Hiroshima of the Chemical Industry’ is still very possible.

The worst commercial industrial disasters in history, mass murder is the word used (quite appropriately), occurred on the night of 3rd December 1984. I recall this clearly since I was awake as I had to finish school homework and the TV was on- not sure if it was the fateful night or the night after but the image of people running helter skelter is etched clearly. Another connection is that few years later we had a classmate in school who escaped the tragedy unscathed despite being in Bhopal (years later I came to know he got severely burned in an accident) he used to give vivid details of the event.

Of the 800,000 people living in Bhopal at the time, 3000 died immediately around 500,000 people were exposed to the leaking chemicals. Approximately 20,000, to this date, are believed to have died as a result; on average, roughly one person dies every day from the effects. Over 120,000 continue to suffer from the effects of the disaster, such as breathing difficulties, cancer, serious birth-defects, blindness, gynaecological complications and other related problems. According to a report it is believed that 50,000 people are unable to work because of their debilitating ailments. This chilling paragragh from a senior railway official who was witness to the tragedy when train arrived carrying victims from Bhopal to Itarsi:

The sight at Itarsi was something straight out of Dante’s ‘Inferno.’ Dozens of men, women and children were writhing in agony and we watched them in horrified helplessness. Death was a welcome relief to the victims, their eyeballs swollen red and bursting, every breath bringing agony to their burning lungs. The screams of the tortured bodies were in different languages

Beginning in 1991, the local authorities from Bhopal charged Warren Anderson (who headed Union Carbide and retired in 1986), with manslaughter, a crime that carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison. Anderson has so far avoided an international arrest warrant and a US court summons. He was declared a fugitive from justice by the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Bhopal on Feb 1 1992 for failing to appear at the court hearings in a culpable homicide case in which he was named the chief defendant. Orders were passed to the Government of India to press for an extradition from the United States, with whom India had an extradition treaty in place. He went missing for several years, until he was discovered by Greenpeace “living a life of luxury in the Hamptons”. The Bhopal Medical Appeal believe that “neither the American nor the Indian government seem interested in disturbing him with an extradition”. Some allege that the Indian government has hesitated to put forth a strong case of extradition to the United States, fearing backlash from foreign investors who have become more important players in the Indian economy following liberlisation. A plea by India's Central Bureau of Investigation to dilute the charges from culpable homicide to criminal negligence has since been dismissed by the Indian courts. (para copied from the Net). Around the wall the views (frustration is better word) of people could be read.

The contamination from grazing cattle stock getting into food chain and consequences on children playing in the field, facing constant exposure is anybody’s guess. In an investigation broadcast on BBC on Nov 14, 2004, it was reported that the site is still contaminated with 'thousands' of metric tons of toxic chemicals, including benzene hexachloride and mercury, held in open containers or loose on the ground. Some areas are reportedly so polluted that anyone entering the area for more than ten minutes is likely to lose consciousness. Rainfall causes run-off, polluting local wells and boreholes, and the results of tests undertaken on behalf of the BBC by accredited water analysis laboratories in the United Kingdom reveal pollution levels in borehole water 500 times the legal maximum in that country. This blogger didn’t risk venturing into the site. There was a small park adjoining the Union Carbide plant, where children were playing. The park had old rusted slide that seem to be centre of amusement for the kids. I had no intention to speak to people, 23 years is frustratingly long period, its important not to fleece their tragedy. I considered asking questions on tragedy an insult on people in here. But children’s experiences are different, so got into the mode of getting to know them, asking about the school they study and so on. Children were not too keen on interaction as they were too immersed in their game, only when I took out the camera they were interested and congregated around me shouting “photo lo hamari” in the mean time I asked them in passing whether they were aware what happened out there, pointing to the factory. For a moment there was a silence then the youngest of them got into the act, and screamed “‘gas nikili thee” and slid down as if exhilarated by the knowledge!!. The eldest of them who could be 7 or 8 mentioned his father has eye related ailments since the gas leak, meanwhile younger one pulled his hair and ran, and he chased him cursing. I left them in their own world, somewhat guilty of the intrusion.

Remembrance and tribute

Apparitions

Today, the noise of traffic
reminded a screech, a crash
a death.

A life so valued
gets a chance to be recalled
in the cacophony of mindless vehicles and abusive drivers.

I curse myself
for the precious lapse
and attempt to sacred the thought.


(remembering Dearest Dinesh, a relative, a close friend who “liked to bike around Cochin 12 o clock in the night” and I on the pillion!!)

Tribute to Lauri Baker
Lauri Baker came to India from England during the World War 2, and later moved to Kerala. He became immensely popular with low cost houses he designed. ‘Baker houses” were at one point quite popular among elite in kerala, many clones doing the round. I also knew few friends whose parent’s were senior bureaucrats’ preferred ‘Baker house’. It was a kind of a statement!!. I have seen Mr. Baker on many occasions’ decades back, quite a lively face.