This blogger has decided to stop drinking Tea

Maybe stopping is an extreme step but I would request the readers to reduce tea intake (as also coffee). It so happened I was at Valparai (4hours from Coimbatore) sometime back, it is located right in the middle of verdant Western Ghats. Now I am an early riser and prefer going for long morning walks (stories associated with morning walk are many would like to post one of these days!) except in cities. Mountains and mountains of what was supposed to be thick jungle is reduced to tea estate (later that day I went to sholayar dam sight, the route took an hour of bumpy ride and all along it was acres of tea estate), it depressed me a lot. This is biodiversity grave yard. In biodiversity terms this is a massacre unprecedented. The loss if calculated in money is billions and billions. All for a cup of tea!. Another passion of colonial morons that has been passed on, it is a shame. Infact the foreign exchange earning of India from tea is the highest. And who are the people who are drinking this tea?. India accounts for one-third of global tea production and most of these are imported by European countries, most Indians use the cheaper variety.

So next time you have that cup of tea think of the environmental cost. Maybe you will not feel like drinking. And yes maybe it is also the time to reclaim the land from the estate and start giving back to the forest. All through out my travel I didn’t really see much wildlife, they have been pushed out. Need to add I did spot a pied kingfisher (my first) and scimitar babbler, and some wild mongoose. It was a very saddening experience.

I do take herbal/ organic tea sometimes, but I am trying to find out the location of the origin. Is it difficult to ask these products to mention where they are grown and what is the environmental cost?. I as a consumer would like to know these.

PS. same is the case of rubber plantations but then rubber has some necessity, cannot be avoided. The picture below taken few kms away from plantations shows what should have been.

Polluters celebrate at Copenhagen

With so much expectation and optimism Copenhagen turned out to be a serious failure, they have with their irresponsible and criminal inaction has put the planet in peril. The attitude of some countries is unpardonable. This includes USA and BASIC countries, the industrialized countries of Europe are not without blame. They made suckers of world and must say with impunity. This blogger strongly feels that majority of the country (that includes G-77) should come together and impose embargo on products from these countries, the irresponsible behavior at Copenhagen should be punished. Concerned and affected countries of the world should come together to discuss this and take action at the earliest. The polluters should pay: Now and Here. They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with their economic clout. Just imagine if say African continent (which is least polluter) decides to ban all trade links with major polluters how remarkable things would be. In the meantime citizens of countries like USA, China, India …so on take decision not to buy products from polluting nations and companies, then there could be meaningful transition. The clout of moneybags who have nothing but profit in their mind is quite significant that is the tragedy of the market economy, there is no premium on nature, it is an entity to be exploited.

There is lots of talk on development and progress. You just have to look at the position of India and China at the HDI index to get the full story. There is lack of equitable progress and yes environment has deteriorated meaning lack of sustainable development meaning benefits accrued by certain section. Indeed they have refused to take these seriously. The reason why there was so much celebration on non binding agreement. These vested interests constitue an insignificant section of world community and therefore not very difficult to rein in if there is a will.

Human beings are at cross roads and if we (frankly I am ashamed to be part of this specie) don’t get it right things are going to get worse and poorest are going to suffer. The reason why they should take action at the earliest: Ban the polluters. Come together and take decision on who the polluters are and take immediate action. Most people in the world will definitely support such moves. Give us that option

Small fish talks

Copenhagen is already a success

This blogger has landed back from a trip (it feels great to be away from crowded noisy polluted cities) and was not really aware of what is happening in Copenhagen. Although it seems to be information revolution era but getting authentic information is an arduous task so had to spend some time at the net. Scene at Copenhagen doesn’t look very encouraging but this blogger thinks that Copenhagen is already a tremendous success. I found people in my train compartment I was travelling discussing global warming, there has been extensive coverage in media. I was watching Tamil channel at a tea shop (TV has become omnipresent these days and in Tamil Nadu you just cannot escape it) and the news did cover the summit as well as the impact. So in a way Copenhagen is a success.

Though the Danish environment minister says her resignation is procedural there really seems to be quite a chaos at summit. It is quite saddening. I really don’t understand this developed country and developing country division (this diversion was anticipated). There are people who make substantial carbon footprint and there are people with less. Bit of study will point to the fact that richer people have higher carbon footprint and so are the main reason for disastrous consequences which most of us will have to face or are facing. Rather than blaming the rich it is the technology that is made accessible is a crucial factor (lifestyle demands and opulence is a different matter). As people get more materially comfortable this trend will increase and that precisely is what is happening, with people getting access to vehicles and other appliances. Therefore it is very necessary that a binding agreement be made at the international level that seeks to reduce the environmental impact of development. It couldn’t be simpler than this. And if world leaders meeting at Copenhagen are not able to reach a consensus on this then they are being highly irresponsible.

This blogger did his bit in trying to pressurize his government through this blog, like people from different countries are doing and are expected to do. Clearly the money bags have an upper hand in policy decisions at national and international level and most nations are succumbing to these pressures by vested interests. With financial crisis taking its toll issues of environment are not very “attractive”. However communities are known to take mitigative actions when faced with crisis (Ostrom) and sub national movement (California Governor…I have started to like that man, quite inspiring must say. Much better without muscles!) are possible choices. A binding international agreement though is the need of the hour to have a real impact.

There are two days left and lets see how they work it out. And yes people would like to know what really happened and who are the deal breakers. USA despite Clinton’s efforts in Kyoto did not ratify the treaty. We need to have a system that points to carbon print of the product and company stated so that consumers can decide. And yes American MNCs or Chinese goods or any other country could be boycotted at the international level if they blatantly disregard world community or are seen as deal breakers (negative role played by Germany need be noted) . I think as consumers and world citizens we can take that action. This time we need to fix the culprits, nationally and internationally.

Post script: Indian English TV channel is quite a joke these days and their coverage of the Copenhagen summit lacks much depth (the Delhi based bunker NGO has landed and the woman quite clearly is barking for the Indian government. The channel even had a small time actor sneaking in with his sacred opinion, had to immediately change the channel!!. Hazards of Incredible India I guess). Thankfully Net is where you can access authentic indepth information, and no nauseating manipulations (BBC also is a good source).

Wonder how Kurosawa would have responded?

This blogger cannot help but wonder how Kurosawa would have responded to issues of climate change?. Akira Kurosawa was an amazing movie Director and this blogger had the fortune to watch almost all his movies and do have a collection of his CDs. Kurosawa was very much affected by the threat of Nuclear Bombs (signature movie being Rhapsody in August).

The other day I was watching “Dreams” again, it is a must watch. Brilliant in its execution and so much compassion, the colors, the music…each frame exudes with love and care. Again Kurosawa attempts to see a world after nuclear holocaust, a hopeless world where humans prefers suicide, wherein humans become demons and cannibalism to survive. In barren sooty land, oversized mutated flowers (a kind of diabolical beauty) humans writhe in pain. It is a compelling watch. There is also a dream of a boy who cries when trees are cut…done as it were poetry. The best was about Von Gogh, the painting comes alive, replies Gogh about his missing ear ‘I was painting my self portrait couldn’t get the ear right so cut it off’. Only Kurosawa could have conceived these beautiful lines, only he could rightfully understand Von Gogh.

There is another touching ‘dream’ of dead soldier emerging from tunnel and insisting that he is not dead, ‘even my parents think I am alive’ ‘I remember eating cake my mother made’ to his platoon commander. Followed by a battalion of dead soldiers reporting to duty, victorious they think. Whether it is happening in the officer's mind is matter of conjecturing but he insists the soldiers to not to come back, ‘you all were annihilated’. He says exasperated ‘returning to the world like this proves nothing’. I have watched this piece many times; I am struck by the beauty of it, the sadness of it. It has moved me every time.

This blogger has watched many great movies over the time (I also love popular movies, though restricted my outings in last few years. I just cannot miss a Rajnikant or Govinda movie!) and almost all masters Japanese, English, French, Iranian, Spanish, Indian…you name it. Indeed at one point used to travel across the country to catch up with film festivals (need to add here that there are lots of pretentious people amazingly mediocre who sneak in, occupational hazard of an audience I guess!!). But if you ask me which is my favorite movie it has to be “Dreams”, my favorite director is also Akira Kurosawa. As an audience I terribly miss him. I am sure Kurosawa would have compassionately addressed predicaments of human society- like climate change, he would have created something brilliant by now.

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There is enough optimism…hope they work it out

Remembering Bhopal

The worst industrial tragedy and no justice for 25 years, what more can one say. Some lives are cheap. Shouldn’t the international community take this up?. Why no criminal charges filed at international criminal court. The other day I was watching BBC and they did some testing of drinking water, it is still highly toxic. There is a criminal negligence here. There has been tons of material written about this but still no action.

The joke here is Union Carbide is back as Dow chemical in India with some unscrupulous leaders extending the red carpet (et al Budhadeb Bhattacharya the incompetent CM of Bengal). Few weeks back I was in Pallakad (in Kerala), went to a small restaurant nearby for breakfast (the idlis of Pallakad is something to die for!!) . The owner was reading The Hindu newspaper (it’s a small time newspaper with big intention, doesn’t sell much but made inroads through Tam Bram threaded types who had fiefdom in bureaucracy after independence -thus acquiring gravitas. Now it survives on cut and paste job), this blogger buys only the largest selling newspaper -though not regular- wherever I go it tends to give the pulse of people, dear Ram will have to earn his 3Rs. Anyway newspapers are not to be taken seriously (except maybe the cartoons the main reason why I buy, some of these guys are brilliant. RK Laxman still is my favorite. Few months back I went for exhibition of Mario Miranda, he is amazing. I also loved the names he gave his characters).

So I was saying… the newspaper had an apology by dear Ram. It was about retraction on using Dow chemicals to sponsor some children event, indignant readers protested. Dear Ram writes “the reaction of readers was not anticipated”. Dear Ram thought he can earn some easy money there. Kya mamu public ko ch**thiya samaj liya kya?. What dear Ram with all his pretentious sophistication is trying to say is me tho nanna sa chota sa pyala sa muje kya malum. Scoundrels like him will not be into any corruption since they already have property worth millions just by squatting on prime property. The clever fellow works on the fringes of unethical, trying to extend a wee bit daily (it is a cottage industry in market media). He also comes in TV channels once in a while espousing higher ideals (which incidentally if you analyze will be helping him and his clan. This blogger thinks there should be stricter laws on privacy). This blogger strongly request readers not to buy such newspapers that promote killers of Bhopal. The presence of Dow Chemicals itself is a reflection on corrupt system that facilitated these.

PS. I came to know the other day that Kalpana Sharma has left dear Ram and has syndicated her columns. Cheers to that. When will PSainath or Praveen Swami do these will be interesting, their market rate is quite high. It is amazing that these talented people are ready to work under some small time unethical scoundrel running dwindling business.

In the meantime this blogger wouldn’t mind sponsoring a tela for dear Ram to sell peanuts at marina. Don’t know whether he can even do that?. There is no harm in trying though!!.

A request to Mrs. Gandhi

This blogger appeals to UPA Chairperson and Congress head to take the responsibility and rein in the rogue elements in Indian establishment who are trying to scuttle international commitment on climate change that is to take place in Copenhagen. The fact that climate changes are anthropogenic is well established by scientific studies and there has been lots of attempts being made in recent times to subjectify these by influential interest groups (not the least by Bush administration). The Climate Change meet schedule to happen at Copenhagen is important for the world, and yes it needs to succeed. There has to be a binding agreement to reduce green houses gases. There is a need to see the world beyond the narrow views of economist and diplomats. History is quite ruthless when it judges and future generation is not going forgive. Is Mrs Gandhi listening?. This blogger wants to know what constitutes ‘national interest’? Who are the people who defined these?.

In the meantime this blogger is extremely excited by the commitments made by EU, as also the enthusiasm of USA under its new leadership. I am particularly gladdened by the leadership role taken by China on these matters (it definitely befits its status as responsible world power. I am a big admirer of Chinese civilization, having read much. Recently I have been reading some brilliant Chinese poems. A positive China is asset to the world). We need also to note the commitment made by Brazil. If India plays foul then it should be isolated, the world need to point firmly who the deal breakers are. It is a disgrace. History will judge and will judge harshly, but then do we really have time for these small timers?!!

Small Fish Talks

Ye insecurity feeling kya hotha hai bhaiyya

Last few days TV studios of English/ Hindi channels are invaded by people with “insecurity feeling” or “sense of insecurity”. It is an affliction that the richer section finds difficulty in handling. Recently commemorating anniversary of terrorist attack on Mumbai this feeling has become all pervasive. Tragedy of the event withstanding this blogger finds tribulation of these fragile people quite amusing. That they need psychiatric help is quite evident, that they find themselves incapable of handling realities of life is not unexpected. Of course there are remarkable people with amazing resilience but this blog is not about them.

In the opulence of now or never world, pushing out the realities with big curtains, the sequestered life try evading mortality. A feeling of omnipotence and misplaced vigor defines their action. It is when realities barges in that “sense of insecurity” envelopes their little life. They feel cheated and harassed. There is unison “we don’t deserve this” lament. On the sidelines there is also fierce competition among “could have been victims” celebrities trying to capitalize the rush. It is the eyeball chase. Not denying that rare few did raise some relevant questions.

It seems that the sole responsibility of the government is to provide sense of security to this section while majority people in this country don’t even understand what secure life means. What arrogance. It is clear that the Indian government failed miserably to prevent these attacks and the response too was tardy, there has been lots of allegation and counter allegation since (not the least by senior police officers). But the question is how can these attacks be prevented?. Terrorists are mindless people and they care for none. It is quite difficult to anticipate, but yes response could be worked.

Pertinent question here would be when was life secure?. How can life ever be secure?. Don’t people face these realities everyday? I guess we all know that things could change quite drastically any moment. Common people negotiate these everyday, every moment. Indeed living is a risky proposition in the circumstance which most people find themselves in. With all kinds of diseases, violence, misshapes lurking in corners, things are stacked heavily against them, life is stressful. Many give up, many die undeservedly, most survive and stare death back. No not because they are brave, it is just that it is the last option, and yes after few instances it get routine, so habituated. Try figuring out how many people die every day and for what reason, of course behind every death there are many near deaths too. People keep dying for no reason of theirs. Where is then sense of security?.

Negotiating insecurities: this blogger recall feeling terribly insecure sometimes in early part of his life, later as I started my career in Chennai there were lots of rich guys who ran family business, for them job was fun which it really was but somewhere a thought always lurked in me of being one step away from abyss. There were no fall back options. So unless I do something substantial I felt very insecure, in the earlier part it nearly consumed me (even trying exploring what exactly is ‘substantial’). Also the impression given was that these are ‘crucial period of getting experience for furthering career so don’t waste time’, that added to the stress.

Later while I traveled around the country, I got the experience of fragility of life and many times just about managed to scrape through. Don’t know whether it was exuberance of youth or general excitement of traveling to new places I mostly felt insecurity in retrospect “man that could have gone wrong” kind of thing, and incorrigibly forget to take precaution next time!. It was probably during that time I started to carry this note on the first page of diary that I carried (plz click to enlarge). Recently though I carry paper sheet as diaries add to extra weight. One of my weird hobbies is to locate the road map of the accident I see in news. The recent bus accident near Nagrota (HP) is well known to me. Spate of minor train accidents in recent times has left me vaguely uncomfortable.

Information asymmetry and not very invisible hand of Thierry Henry

Well I have been reading Stiglitz last few days, I had read some of his columns here and there (trying to figure out what this financial crisis all about, as also searching about World Bank) but now thought of sitting down and read through his basics (encapsulated in his very long Nobel Prize speech). While I was reading these I was also watching TV!!. It was about the controversy that surrounded France win over Ireland in pre world cup. It is very clear that Thierry Henry handled the ball. The players knew it the world saw it. It was an obvious foul and should have been disallowed. But it was allowed, it didn’t violate the rule, it fitted in well into the system. So even though we all know it was wrong but the system doesn’t perceive nor could it rectify or correct the wrong. It seems it depends on the individuals to confess. It is therefore matter of individual choices thus subjective. In the meantime there is stress on transparency. But things are as transparent as it could ever be!!. This precisely is the problem.

We all want to do something to prevent climate related catastrophe, we all want to protect environment but the system seems incapable of perceiving these. It is also about the kind of things that keep happening around us, we are all very concerned about insidious nature of market and how it is seriously undermining socio-cultural context. Trivialization, macabre exaggeration and amazingly crude is what is sought to be seen as normal change. There is something seriously wrong but the system instead of rectifying has chosen to propagate this. Isn’t it funny that the economic system is hinged on people spending, the more you consume the healthier the system. Conventional wisdom though contradicts, indeed it is absurd. But this it seems is the path to prosperity, development.

Stiglitz mentions “When I began the study of economics some forty one years ago, I was struck by the incongruity between the models that I was taught and the world that I had seen growing up, in Gary Indiana, a city whose rise and fall paralleled the rise and fall of the industrial economy. Founded in 1906 by U.S. Steel, and named after its Chairman of the Board, by the end of the century it had declined to but a shadow of its former self. But even in its heyday, it was marred by poverty, periodic unemployment, and massive racial discrimination. Yet the theories that we were taught paid little attention to poverty, said that all markets cleared – including the labor market, so unemployment must be nothing more than a phantasm, and that the profit motive ensured that there could not be economic discrimination. If the central theorems that argued that the economy was Pareto efficient – that, in some sense, we were living in the best of all possible worlds – were true, it seemed to me that we should be striving to create a different world”. So there the contradiction.

One of the key aspect of Stiglitz’s assertion is information “what happens when people lack the key information that bears on the decisions they have to make, or when markets for important kinds of transactions are inadequate or don't exist, or when other institutions that standard economic thinking takes for granted are absent or flawed”. The referee in the Ireland-France match (or any other match) lacked the key information, which quite absurdly was accessible to even an audience across the globe within few seconds, and the system saw to it that he couldn’t access these. Fairness was compromised for institution. Doesn’t that sound familiar?. It seems we are controlled by an inexplicable superior force, an invisible hand.

Is it surprising that Adam smith (the founder of modern economics) also mentions “by an invisible hand”, the free market led efficient outcomes?. The “invisible hand”, one can safely say now, was a euphemism for lack of information but necessarily meant to keep the government out. Stiglitz has argued “Interestingly, there has been no intellectual challenge to the refutation of Adam Smith’s invisible hand….individuals and firms, in the pursuit of their self-interest, are not necessarily, or in general, led as if by an invisible hand, to economic efficiency". He adds "have shown that whenever information is imperfect and markets incomplete, which is to say always, and especially in developing countries, then the invisible hand works most imperfectly." He concludes “governments can improve the outcome by well-chosen interventions”.

Like the financial crisis recently there clearly was no “invisible hand” in Ireland-French match. The world saw Thierry Henry handling the ball, the Irish though can include these in their enviable collection of fables.

PS. Last heard: they are thinking of banning Thierry Henry!!. Frankly what exactly is his fault?!!. Theater of absurd, the script should make Samuel Beckett proud!!

It is time for Tobin Tax

Tobin tax was suggested by James Tobin way back 1970s. The idea was to implement a tax on each foreign currency transaction thereby penalizing short-term speculation. This is what Tobin said “This dissuades speculators as many investors invest their money in foreign exchange on a very short-term basis. If this money is suddenly withdrawn, countries have to drastically increase interest rates for their currency to still be attractive. But high interest is often disastrous for a national economy, as the nineties’ crises in Mexico, South East Asia and Russia have proven. My tax would return some margin of maneuver to issuing banks in small countries and would be a measure of opposition to the dictate of the financial markets”.

His suggestion has been in the cold storage for a longtime (except maybe a nightmare for students preparing for exams, like this blogger many years back!!. I came to know about Tobin tax in mid 1990s, I found it attractive even then. Later East Asian currency crisis confirmed it). Recently British PM Gordon Brown brought it out, he said “I think we should discuss whether we need a better social contract to reflect the global responsibilities of financial institutions to our society. There have been proposals for an insurance fee, or a resolution fund or a contingent capital arrangements or a global financial transaction levy.”.
Tobin tax will help counter the volatility of financial markets and avert financial crisis. It will also discourage speculative currency trading and reduce exchange rate volatility. There is a popular support for these suggestions not only at the policy making level but even in the streets. There have been much discussions and it is high time to implement these proposals.

Need to add here that Tobin saw it as step to cushion exchange rate fluctuations only and nothing else but I guess world has grown much after him or quite likely he had tunnel view of world and yes role of economist in socio-political context is only advisory. Tobin tax will create as Brown puts it “contingent capital arrangement”. The suggestion to put it under UN is quite brilliant, this would give UN much needed fund to put the priorities of world community in place. Unlike Tobin this blogger would like to see UN strengthened, World Bank and IMF can wait. UN represents multilateralism and there is an urgent need to foster these. As UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon said recently "We share one planet, one small blue speck in space. As people, as nations, as a species: we sink or swim together,"

Shocking (some clarifications included)

This blogger stumbled upon in the net the other day that the former US president George Bush had visited India recently. I am shocked. What was the basis of granting him visa to visit this country? He stands accused of war crimes, causing untold misery to many. The dangerous situation in Iraq that has spilled into the region, now threatening Pakistan is directly the result of actions of Bush administration. Even now hundreds are dying, the vicious cycle of killing and counter killing that started with the attack on Baghdad. This blogger strongly feels that criminal case need be taken up against Bush&Co in International Criminal Court. If perpetrators of mass killings in Bosnia, Rwanda or Sudan could be tried then what prevents Mr.Bush from facing the justice. In the meantime Bush &Co should be treated with disdain, the law need to catch up with them at the earliest. If Milosevic and Al Bashir can be tried what prevents the trial of Mr. Bush. Or is it that USA is a powerful country therefore it can break international laws and convention with impunity?. And yes what about Mister Tony Blair?.

I am ashamed of Indian government for giving permission for his visit, and yes I shudder to think how Al Qaeda reacts to this. I am really concerned about innocent people whose lives are put at serious risk by these foolish actions. One wonders what kind of people would like to listen to a former President, who was a nuisance. Really what weight does his views now carry? When it mattered he bungled up big time, it killed thousands of innocents people, then he says Intelligence agency "misguided" him on WMD!!. It is not only a travesty but reflection of servile nature of socio-political elite holed up in delhi, who invite him. The argument is that he was friend of India. Really! understand this US under Bush did only what it suits them, and yes if India was Uganda he wouldn't be looking this way. Indeed international diplomacy is about national interest. The lack of statesmen and people with vision for humanity is reason why this blogger was excited about Obama. Mr.Bush a friend of India is an enemy of the world and humanity!!. That is the India I hate to be in. Why should any country for that matter even allow Mr.Bush to enter?. He need be declared as persona non grata.

Post Script: The International Criminal Court (referred to as the ICC or ICCt) is a permanent tribunal to prosecute individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. Article 5 of the Rome Statute grants the court jurisdiction over four groups of crimes, which it refers to as the “most serious crimes of concern to the international community as a whole”: the crime of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. This blogger wants to know why suo moto case not be taken against Mr Bush?

India is not a signatory but wanted to have the use of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction included as war crimes but this move was defeated. India has expressed concern that “the Statute of the ICC lays down, by clear implication, that the use of weapons of mass destruction is not a war crime". Well said.

When the baby elephant got killed

When the baby elephant got killed

The baby elephant trailing its mother
suckle her in leisure
ran about the forest in abandon
its tiny trunk explores anything and everything.
It was the very instance
the Superfast train smashed into it,
limp body thrown meters into the air.

Inside the train
people hurrying to reach
people traveling for fun
not aware of the fate of baby elephant
that lay mangled to be photographed, commented
and condemned for being a nuisance.

(written few months back forgot to post!!)

An apology

Well i guess i need to apologize for being too harsh on the Environment Minister in my last blog. The fact is he is under tremendous pressure by vested interests. He did spoke few months back on voluntary carbon cut, which this blogger thought was path breaking, but unfortunately had to retract. It is clear economic interest of few is a major influence on policy decisions. Mr Jairam Ramesh's job is increasingly getting tough, he is in an unenviable position. Do you are damned, don't do you damned still, but he is making his attempts despite tremendous pressure . I guess it is easy to pass judgment sitting in front of computer screen. My fault, i do go overboard sometimes.

Having said nothing explains his endorsement to report on glacier melting, i thought his views were mischievous and the timing also puts serious aspersion. Hopefully these are not repeated. And yes there is nothing admirable about Chanakya, this blogger thinks that he and Manu were instrumental in putting foundation to an understanding that justified crude social system and individual ethical laxity. Arthashastra and Manusmriti should been condemned to dustbin of history with its writers many centuries back.

The bogeyman strikes

The Ministry of Environment and Forest has come out with an astounding report that says Global warming has nothing to do with glacier melting, since it couldn’t concoct it fully without sounding absurd it admits that “While some glaciers are certainly shrinking, the pace is not as fast as elsewhere and it is certainly not because of global warming”. How it is certain is not clear. Our regrettable man at helm of affairs is turning out to be small timer bend on pleasing the masters, the moneybags. Jairam Ramesh is playing the role of Phillip Cooney, the henchman for irresponsible corporates. He calls it “informed discussion”, never mind that the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, headed by Dr R K Pachauri, in its last report had, in contrast, warned that "glaciers in Himalayas are receding faster than in any other part of the world" and that at current rate of depletion, "the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2035 and perhaps sooner is very high" if the global temperatures rise unabated. Dr Pachauri, in response to the Environment ministry discussion paper, said, "I'd like to find out the secret source of this divine intervention... I don't understand the logic of this... I am puzzled where this magical science has come from... This is something indefensible." When asked if the discussion paper could be taken into consideration in the on-going round of scientific review by IPCC, he said, "IPCC studies only peer-review science. Let someone publish the data in a decent credible publication. I am sure IPCC would then accept it, otherwise we can just throw it into the dustbin.". Jairam Ramesh it is clear is incompetent to be Environment Minister.

Mister Ramesh has also the temerity to call IPCC “alarmist”. The Machiavellian fellow’s love for Chanakya is an open secret (Chanakya or Kautaliya- in case one is not aware, was the original scoundrel who lived few thousand years back, justifying lack of moral ethical context. The elite sections over the centuries have invoked him for their selfishness and crude behavior). The “informed discussion” for likes of Jairam Ramesh is step towards subjectifying the issue. It is about obfuscating the truth, it helps the scoundrels to sneak in and create havoc. In Market media democracy this theatrics is referred to as discussion, but what it does is polarize the society. Since the whole exercise of market is hinged on perception, there seem to be no reality and the common people tend to take sides on what they feel comfortable about or justify their surrounding or gain. It helps in building up cynicism about reality and acceptable context for emotional reactions. Arrogance of ignorance is the product of market media.

The reason why the world finds it difficult to come into any understanding on Global Warming despite the fact that there is clear and urgent scientific evidence (as also conventional understanding) about these may not be because of any psychology rigidity of elderly (as Manbiot argued in Guardian Newspaper recently-go to my link for further, on the contrary elders in poorer and societies closer too nature will agree with it readily, they go by what they observe) it is more to do with the nature of market economy and the functioning of market media. USA is a good example they have very advanced level of literacy as also facilities to learn, they also have done some experiment with pedagogy and so on. But nowhere in the world despite these advanced levels of availability of information and technology is the society so polarized, for an outsider it borders absurd. The evolutionist- creationist debate is just an example of arrogance of informed ignorance. These unhealthy polarization of societies is the bloodline of elite section, they thrive on it. They rarely work for common good but create adversaries and controversies, and other distractions to take away the realities of common people and replace it with concoctions.

So am I surprised by our home grown Machiavellian, he is doing for his very own survival. This is his opportunity for PR work for his future and in India (as also other poor societies) you had it if you antagonized powerful people or moneybags. Jairam Ramesh is just trying his trick to work on his cost benefit analysis, as also playing for the people who placed him in this position. Infact the logic is everyone is expected to do what is good for oneself, otherwise you are misfit -market economy has justified it for centuries. So if everyone is working for their narrow gains how collective decision making possible that too at global level?. Global warming will seriously impact the poorest and marginalized. The perpetrators rarely pay, and the system has seen to that profit is accrued by small section and they fatten at the cost of majority. So if any attempt is made to rectify these it is clear that powerful people will try to obfuscate. Jairam Ramesh is also making a crude attempt to pit Indian scientist against “western scientist”, it is about science and patriotic sentiments I guess!!. What a shame.

Frankly the reality here is crude form of capitalism has become a threat to democracy. It is being hijacked by moneybags and seriously power hungry people. We seem to have reached an impasse and unless these are resolved there doesn’t seem to be scope for collective actions. Also this blogger strongly believes that there is no developing country and developed country issue here, there are only people who pollute more and people who pollute less. And the people who pollute more are rich and powerful and so they try to create confusion on veracity on anything that threatens their lifestyle or greed. Don’t know about greed but certain level of lifestyle can be maintained with adaptive technology, but if you find it difficult to even do that since it will reduce your profit then it is unacceptable, it is a crime. Indian corporates are basically family businesses, status quo solutions is more profitable. They are rarely known for innovations (check out R&D investment) and basically incompetent to handle changing realities and so need government support. Infact government machinery is being actively used for narrow gains of corporates. In a globalized world governments are not expected to biased towards domestic industries and yes I as a consumer will prefer product that uses adaptive or mitigative technology whether Indian or foreign. There are no borders in global warming.

Post Script: conventional wisdom says that Mister Jairam Ramesh should resign as Union Environment Minister. He has failed to take up the issues of environment, his priorities are misplaced and I wouldn’t be surprised if I find him in the board of some corporate few years down the line or is he trying to collect money to fight elections (that is a tough call, sycophancy is second best option). Anyway our man is trying to secure his (not to forget family and friends) future at the expense of majority, people like him are liability. Why blame him even our Nobel laureate behaves like small time intellectual pimp!!. So when he talks about ecology he gives the impression that he has got his pants down, these are beneath his dignity it seems!. Afterall Marx didn't see anything beyond labor capital!!. This blogger places huge significance on Nobel prizes and has been a major source of reference for many great writings in recent times, but the awards on Economics has rather trivialized the awards. Apart from Stiglitz, Krugman and recently Ostrom and few more I haven’t really found anyone much inspiring. Indeed the whole concept of economics looks rather fragile in the immediacy of the problems the world faces.

Meet Kakki

I met Kakki few days back on the trail of dense forest of Western Ghats. Western ghat is a biodiversity hot spot with an amazing variety of flora and fauna that are threatened to extinction. It was while waiting for infrequent transport that I encountered Kakki. I found him laughing and pendulate his head as if he knew that I would have to interact with him, maybe he was used to people asking about timing of next bus to town and so on. Aware of this I maintained a stoic distance and a stance of “well you got it wrong this time”. Minutes passed and every time my eyes explored the surrounding, he was very much in the frame with expectation and some amusement. I took out my pocket diary to scribble something I had observed and now recollect, in the circumstance it also served an assertion on my part. Kakki took few steps and sat next “so you are coming from far?”. My first reaction was to avoid him with non committal disinterested “yes” and maintained with myself. I could hear a chuckle then he too relapsed into silence. His initial excitement mellowed or most likely he was taken aback by my rudeness. Spending too much time in cities tends to take away spontaneity in interaction with strangers, mistrust being an overriding emotion, not entirely misplaced but yes that may not be defining in all context or situations. Kakki was facing the brunt of it but he came out amazingly tolerant. Kakki lived in a world where it was normal for people to interact with anyone they met, and so he insisted being normal “you came two days back didn’t you?. I saw you walking all around the place”. This agitated me: so I am being observed, no privacy, some backward people these. The fact though was outsiders are an anomy in remote places and so a source of curiosity. “What is there to see in jungles?” he giggled.

“What’s your name?” I finally condescended, unable to ignore him.

“Kakki”

“Kakki that is an interesting name” I try to patronize, it comes naturally.

“Well you can call me kakki or nakki, it doesn’t matter” he retorted and to soften it immediately followed with a loud guffaw (nakki in Malayalam means sucker).

“So what do you do?” I asked the mandatory question. His answer startled me, in his accented Malayalam (that had strong hint of Tamil) he said “kaat adikunnu, mazha peyunnu, angne pokunnu” meaning “wind blows, it rains, going on”. Kakki may have never heard about haikus but what he spoke was poetry, also in a subtle way he was pointing to the absurdity of my query. Later though he did tell that he works as a casual labor in one the plantations.

Kakki stayed inside the forest, he invited me but to go there I needed permit from forest department, so I declined. He belonged to karumba tribe “the lowest of low in tribal community” he said. “So you also have hierarchy?” I asked. “Sure we learned” he laughed insane. When I took the camera to take his pic Kakki insisted that I need to tell before I clicked he wanted to give serious expression he said and made sure it came correctly!.

Psyche of World Bank and more…

Having gone through many sites about World Bank, there is definitely a benevolent side of WB, like for instance the impetus on saving tiger and so on. Also the idea is not entirely about siding exploitative corporate but actively justifying cruder nature of capitalism. And yes WB has consistently faulted on this and so benevolence looks cosmetic, worst a strategic to look good. After all who are the people who employ or exploit unskilled or semi skilled migrants?. These are what is referred to as unorganized labor who constitute 90% of labor force-they are exploited and live in inhuman conditions in big cities, but yes they play a very important role in “development” and eventually contribute towards GDP growth and other macro economic indicator. These give “healthy” condition of nation’s growth and make lots of armchair economists, ivory tower policy makers and also porcine species at stock exchange ecstatic. This I gather make unusually sensitive moneybags -referred to as foreign investors-particularly FII (not FDI) -enough courage to invest. They are the first one to scoot recall East Asian currency meltdown a decade back. So it seems we are here to give these nincompoops courage to invest!!. That seems to be the purpose of governments. And yes World Bank is very generous to guide us to this quaint world. Never mind majority go through harrowing time, the stress though is on eventual the “developments” is going to reach you, “trickle down” to you (like judgment day prophesy!). But UNDP report and other studies points to contrary and have pointed to a gap that is widening at an alarming rate not only at the societal level but also organizational level since 1990s. The ILO report last year titled Income inequalities in the age of financial globalization has this to say “As economies expanded, global employment rose by 30 per cent between the early 1990s and 2007 alongside a redistribution of income away from labor, with the share of wages in total national income (GDP) declining significantly”. The report noted that while some income inequality is useful in rewarding effort, talent and innovation, huge differences can be counter-productive and damaging for most economies, adding that “rising income inequality represents a danger to the social fabric”. The gap in income inequality is also widening between top executives and the average employee, with the chief executive officers of the 15 largest companies in the United States, for example, earning 520 times more than the average worker in 2007, up from 360 times more in 2003 noted the report. And the crude nature of capitalism has seen to it that these are celebrated as merit!!. In a poor country like India when these issues are taken up TRP driven orangutans are asked to go hysterical.

It is very clear that Capitalism as is being practiced is increasingly threatening equitable, inclusive progress as also environmental sustainability. Let’s understand absence of violence is not peace. Collective violence from impoverished sections happen when they seem to have lost all other options, it is much worst than basic necessities it is about dwindling means to survive. As is the case of climate issues the sufferers are not really the perpetrators but poorest and marginalized pay for indulgence of few. Same is the case of “development” few get richer and other pay heavy price. Even though the economic crisis was significantly influenced by porcine species at Wall Street but funnily they don’t pay for it, the poorest and vulnerable pay for what is the mistake of greedy moneybags. That is what this system done to us. It is no longer funny.

An instance on how World Bank concocts nonsense

Dubious nature of World Bank (WB) functioning is an open secret, many of their policy suggestion have played havoc on poorer and vulnerable societies. Allegations of WB working for corporate interests (specifically American) at the expense of local population around the world are not unfounded we have many examples of it. Infact it wouldn’t be wrong to say that they function to further these. The ridiculous nature of their suggestions can be understood from the following instance. The World Development Report 2009 brought out by WB has found National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREGA) a “policy barrier hurting economic development and poverty alleviation”. Try beating that one!!. While most people in this country are celebrating these stupendous policies and millions have benefited- the opportunity to earn in dignified manner, nice people at WB have started to wag for the masters. WB says this policy creates “barriers to internal mobility” and quite amazingly comes out with the unbelievable concoction that “lifting people out of poverty requires shifting populations from villages to cities”. It’s common knowledge that poor people get further marginalized when they land up in big cities and easily fall prey to exploitations, poor migrants go through hell. Brilliant people at WB though think otherwise and have this advice “negative attitudes held by government and ignorance of the benefits of population mobility has caused migration to be overlooked as a force in economic development”. Incredible!!. Truly incredible. Actually what they are saying is “goddamn @&@**##@ how are we going to get cheap labor now, what will we do without the exploitable people?. Geez that is less @%@#@$profit”.

NREGA is targeted at poorest and mostly unskilled and semi skilled labors in rural India and has helped them avoid hunger and distress migration. The need of the hour is to strengthen schemes like NREGA and reduce corruption prevalent in the scheme (RTI has been a help). It is also the time to question the role of international institutions like World Bank. The above picture is that of presiding deity at World Bank.

Needed a paradigm shift in understanding Development

If Market is to define development, if GDP is to define progress then disparities will be the result, violence a plausible outcome. The gap between GDP and HDI is a harrowing tale of negligence. The difference between the two is the difference between progress that is seen and progress that is real. GDP is a cosmetic indicator and has short term benefits the reason why market economists and politicians get excited about it. If majority of Indians eke out their lives in pittance, and are vulnerable and malnourished then there is something seriously wrong with the system. Yes there has been lots of progress in last few decades but it seemed to have been mostly accrued by certain section. The lack of distributive justice has seen that progress has led to majority section getting increasingly vulnerable while a small section getting increasingly opulent. They call it merit, quite clearly merit as defined by market lacks competence. Merit here hinges on crude nature of competition and so what we get is justification of crasser world. Subjectivity of reality is insisted to get the vulgar in. In this quaint world TRP driven orangutans (read market media) are expected to be watch dogs. Some kind of joke this one. How do you expect people to be sensitive or empathetic in such a crude system, by its very nature these subtlelities lack any usefulness. The intricate nature of different societies and surroundings are sought to be bludgeoned by a system that lacks any element of egalitarianism. The goodness of profit as defining nature of human aspiration or relations is a limited understanding. Is it this that they are trying to globalize?. Is this globalization?.

If it is then people will react and so do nature. When nature degrades and cannot take it any more it becomes violent, the issues related to global warming are culmination of a process that started with lopsided understanding of progress. Similarly when people react then societies become violent. When disparities are acute they organize and retaliate, it is a sign that democracies have failed. This also is a culmination of lopsided nature of development that fails to reach majority (despite the best intentions. India incidentally is one of the most corrupt countries in the world. That includes corporate corruption).

This blogger doesn’t support violent means adopted by some sections of Naxals (or Maoists) and sincerely hopes perpetrators of heinous acts are brought to justice (and yes Mister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya should learn to keep his arrogant mouth shut. He cannot “teach lessons” to Naxals or Maoists, he can only deal with them. Our man is at it again he is only spoiling it further as he has done earlier). There is a need for space for civilized intercourse, clearly the disparities fueled by crudeness of market has reached a point of no return unless the system rectifies it. Also mineral rich land belongs to the people who occupy it and they should have the right to sell it or should be given the share of the companies that sort to exploit these (ever wonder why mineral rich regions are the poorest and exploited?. And not coincidentally all the naxal/maoist activities are in this region. Clearly things have gone seriously wrong). Better would be a corpus fund dedicated to their basic needs initiated development and not exploiters understanding of development (read market). And yes it should be in millions if not billions. Tribals and Dalits have been pushed around for too long, this time it not going to be easy. If the same understanding of development that is around for sometime is sort to be imposed then the reactions are going to be severe.

This blogger wonders how corporates get raw materials at relatively cheaper rates wherein the inhabitants loose their habitat, livelihood and everything that is precious. This is also posited as sacrifice for bigger cause. (Really so they know what sacrifice means!!. I thought it was taboo word). Anyway why is only one section asked to perform these, it’s been happening for ages here. Time to stop is now. This blogger has had a hand on experience not only at NBA (wide range of articles-particularly by Arundhati Roy and Gail Omvedt were helpful as also many discussions on Development during those walks was enlightening…on the lighter side we guys got bottle of Mahua and don’t recall much after that!!!) but also when I went all around the country tracking the exploitative products (Coca Cola and Pepsi). How is that they get these natural resources (and electricity in the name of investment) so cheap when people’s livelihood and surroundings are threatened?.

Soldiers share secrets

Soldiers share secrets

Soldiers in the abandoned graves
on the battlefield
didn’t say I killed you
you killed me.
We won, they lost.

It is their last tears, rotting bodies
discarded memories
and orphaned hopes
that spoke
in overgrown shrubs and its furious wildflowers.

(the above pic taken from the Net. This blogger doesn’t think wars or violence will end. It’s been there since life began. Civilized ways of problem solving is what makes humans unique, through non violence- discussions, fairness, containment etc. Despite this violence will always be a constant presence. This blogger finds it difficult to speak against Obama in Afghanistan. As said earlier people at highest decision making position face huge challenges and risks and the kind of options Obama has chosen is path breaking in its intent and historicity. There is a significant shift. It’s the mean and not the end, indeed end is a process. This blogger like millions of people in this world find Obama an admirable and inspirational figure. This poem is my dedications. War is always a last option, the people who die are ordinary people caught in wrong place)