Himalayan task of Cleaning India

    Prime minister Narendra Modi’s cleanliness drive is laudable, though he had chosen he cleanest part of Delhi to broom after  littering it for him to ‘clean’, so that I have reason to doubt the sincerity of the same. Had he been serious, he would have chosen the dirtiest part of Delhi(there is no dearth of it in the city)to initiate his cleanliness drive. Having said that, I think this is the first time a Prime minister voiced the need for cleaning our country. But how we are going to make India a filth free country? Indians are of the habit of cleaning their home and throwing the garbage on the street/road or any place that do not belong to “them.” We are used to live in a cocoon of our home among a heap of filth just outside or walk through dirty paths, as if it does not exist at all. I remember a French photo journalist asked me once the reason of our ‘indifference’ to the filth around us, I wish I would know the answer.Perhaps we are  a selfish race,so that nothing(including environment) beyond our immediate family do concern us or we are too passive to do something about it. Anyways, I feel it is not easy to get rid of the ‘culture’ that we are grown up with. We do not educate our kids in home/schools about the importance of cleanliness or hardly have any effort to make them aware the necessity of taking care of environment

  So proper awareness drive with penalty to those litter the public places is important as a baby step towards a clean India. I feel Indians are generally not self- disciplined, we need someone to impose strict measures on us (just to have a look at our railway stations or bus stations would enlighten one about this), so penalty is essential to make cleanliness mission a success.

A Tale of two India

       

     This is the story of two Indian women, one is a diplomat and the other is a domestic help. The former was arrested in USA on the complaint of the later for being under paid. I do not agree with the treatment of US towards this Diplomat, as always US is aggressive and adamant in her approach. US was defensive when someone called David shot two Pakistani’s at point blank few months back citing his diplomatic status, but this is exclusively for her citizens. I do agree that US justice system is comparatively fair, but only for her citizens, for others it can be a menace.

       Anyways, In India, it is still the semi-feudal attitude that guide an average Indian. The diplomat’s arrest was evoked quick reactions and response, but the domestic help remained unheard. I do not want to go into the details of this case, but our attitude as a civilized society is astonishing. The Diplomat represent an elite India having the means and ways to be heard, and the domestic help represent an India that is marginalized and unheard.

    Our casteist and semi feudal society do not consider manuel labour a dignified work and most of the time it is the lower caste people who do the ‘dirty works’ of upper and middle class India. We looked down on our maids,drivers and other labourers. We have thousands of cases where maids and workers are underpaid ill treated  and in a worst inhuman manner. Often they do not even be treated as a fellow human being, it is misfortune that force them to take up this jobs. We do not have a law to protect them, Kerala and Tamil Nadu are the only two states that have a law in place to protect the right of domestic help. As a Keralite, I know manuel labourers are decently paid and least exploited. But rest of India is lagging behind.

     Why we as a society fail our unfortunate children who do not have the means to have an education or a dignified life? Why we lack empathy as a society? I do not have an answer, perhaps the thriving materialism, lack of values in our whole system, and so many other trappings of modernity. Whatever it is I feel compassion is an essential quality of a human being, without that we are like a walking machine, so hollow and lifeless. Let us be more compassionate and considerate as a society.

Black is Beautiful

     Actor Nandita Das pioneers a new cause  by batting for the dark skinned girls in a fair-skin obsessed society. Besides a talented actor-director, Nandita is one of the best brains and a gem of a person. She greatly deserves appreciation for taking up this cause. Dark skin is not considered beautiful and women are biased based on their skin colour. Light skinned girls are favoured in the glamour industry and marriage market in India.  My little niece often complains how she is let down by her teachers and other students due to her skin colour despite being an  intelligent and talented girl. As a light skinned south Indian, I am often asked  ‘Keralites are dark skinned, why are you light skinned.' Once a North Indian businessman in Chennai embarrassed me with his  extreme racial prejudice, he has gone to the extend of saying that he avoids being friends with black people there.

      I have been asked few times by western men about our preference of light skinned girls in the film-model industry, but it is the same in Hollywood as well. Despite being an immigrant country, having different ethnic community,most of the Hollywood  actress’ are white European origin girls. Even today white race cannot escape from the superiority complex and brown-black race from inferiority complex.

   Anyways, obsession to fair skin is not exclusively Indian , rest of the world has its contribution too. In Macleodganj, Tibetan girls are the highest consumers of whitening creams (It is strange because they are light skinned people). When  

I had gone to TCV(Tibetan Childrens Village) to meet a Tibetan student,I was surprised to see her mother gifting a 13 year old girl whitening creams.To my advice against whitening creams especially on tender skin , she retorted that many girls use it there. I heard light skinned Chinese origin girls are preferred in Thai glamour industry. Japan,Korea etc also have their share of colour prejudices.

     There must be an attitudinal shift to appreciate black skin and understand it is not colour of skin that decides one’s looks. And in a look-obsessed world, we must go beyond the skin to appreciate real beauty.

A prayer for Malala-the little Angel

Little angel Malala- though the meaning of your name is ‘grief-stricken’, you makes me think of a beautiful unknown and nameless flower that envelop me with a sweet fragrance from your enchanting valley, Swat. My heart reaches out to you little angel, Malala, the amount of courage and wisdom you have shown is beyond your age, you are truly an angel sent by God to hold a light against the darkness of your beautiful valley. Tears roll down on my cheeks whenever I see your innocent angelic face and so astonished about the silence of the otherwise violent protestors in the name of religion, when you are targeted in such a brutal manner. I am so tempted to think like the ‘Little prince’ of author Antoine de saint-exupery, that the ‘grown up are really really odd’, they make a noise for nothing and interested only in triviality that often trivilalises noble causes. There are millions to take sword in the name of religion, but none to question an inhuman and brutal act on a little girl. I hope you would be the sunshine girl and the beacon of hope to millions of suffering girls in your country and around the world. Hope many girls would be inspired by your courage and brilliance. You represent hope and is a precious being, my prayers for you to get well soon, little sweet flower.

America's own Osama

Shakespeare wrote, ¨Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more: it is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing" (Macbeth). Perhaps the sound and fury doesn’t stop at death!Osama bin Laden’s death seems more of a tale than life- we don’t know whether to cry, laugh or forget with all the horrific details of his death unfolds before us.I don’t know how significant is the death of Osama to the world, when he is only a name sake head of Al- Quida. But obviously this is a great news for US president Obama who is seeking re-election in 2012. To an extend, USA is responsible for the making of Osama bin Laden and the fanatic elements in Islam.They prepared a fertile ground for fanatics like Osama to grow and spread their sickening idealogy among ignorant masses. So it was necessary for them to get rid of him as he had grown out of their control!

USA acts unilaterally when it feels its interests must be served-Iraq invasion, Afgan war etc are a case in point. At the same time advice countries like India to keep restraint at the face of terror! We know well that the master mind of Mumbai riot(1992) and the master mind of 26/11 are having a royal life in Pakistan, but India couldn’t do anything about that till date. US always played its game well in this part and managed to isolate India surrounded by ‘enemies’. I think, now, it is too late when the US realized its past mistake of nurturing islamic fanatism in the guise of fighting communism or whatever.

Whenever required, USA used Pakistan like a tool to slow the Indian growth in the region, unfortunately, both this countries devote a major chunk of its economy for purchasing weapons from rich counries! Why? Both presuming a war between themselves! Strangely Pakstan(read its Army and ISI),
considers its very existence is based on anti-India rhetoric and invest their time and energy on propagating hate! While those fanatics do nurture the under privileged to fight their ‘war(jihad)’, they would be enjoying all luxuries of life in the comforts of their home.I am sorry for the ignorance of common men, and how they are being manipulated.

India and Pakistan have lot of people, living in extreme poverty, many of them do not have even basic amenities in their life. Yet both this countries compete to invest in weapons to fight their war to an ‘unknown enemy! I wonder why this Asian neibhours(I am not mentioning about China that invests a huge chunk of its economy for defence purpose) are not wise enough to understand that USA or west is not going to lose anything if they fight, but only stand to gain from it. Atleast in their country, their citizens are not starving, they have a good social support system and are well taken care of.

In this imagined ‘would- be war’, people of both this countries are real losers, this not only deviate us from the real issues, but affect the development of our countries also. So I just wish people of both this countries could wake up from their slumber and fight for their basic right to live as dignified human beings. Or am I just dreaming?

Remembering Mahatma

Each time I read Gandhiji’s autobiography, it gives me new reflections of his life. He is the most discussed person in the modern world and his philosophy acquires more relevance today than ever. I must admit that we Indians know very little about him, and ofcourse ungrateful to our great son. I heard people often pass judgements about him even without caring to read his autobiography, or even without a little knowledge of his life. We often have a tendency to belittle his person, his achievements. I can only sympathise to those who are not able to understand a spiritually and morally elevated person like Mahatma.

Mahatma's(great soul) Christ-like saintliness and purity of heart are much talked about and is widely admired.
But through the pages of his life, one can find a Mahatma who is strong willed, curious, keenly interested in the world outside his sphere of action, besides he loved traveling. His reaching out nature is evident in the way he learned Tamil, Urdu etc to talk to Indians in South Africa. His selfless nature is appealing even to his enemies, that earned him lot of friends. Though a practicing Hindu, his religion is barely ritual-bound. He believed that ‘God could be realized only through service.’ As Gandhi himself admitted, Christian influence is evident in his life, even he read Bhagavad Gita(Hindu holy text)at the insistance of his Theosophist friends in England. He was keenly interested in studying about religion, debating and was sincerely tolerant towards all religious beliefs.
God is the strong force that controlled Gandhi’s actions and believes, obviously he was an immensely blessed soul. Though essentially an Indian at heart, he was influenced by Ruskin Bond, Tolstoy and HD Thoreau, and his thoughts were never confined to narrow nationalism.
His interest in sanitation and service inspired him to nurse those affected by contagious diseases, but surprisingly, he had been never infected by that deadly disease. Gandhi was definitely a mass leader, his charisma alone drove people to lend their service even to most demanding task, even without him asking for that. Gandhi was adamant about his ideals and it was impossible to influence him unless he let to be.


I feel his autobiography is a must read for all humanity, though not a Mahatma, at least it will make us a better human being. A great soul who wrote when the world was at war, ‘Soul-force is matchless. It is superior to the force of arms. Men who use physical force are strangers to the courage that is requisite in a passive resistance.’(Satyagrahi). He proved with his very life that Ahimsa(non violence) is the prerogative of the courage and achieved greatness not through power or status, but by not wanting that.

Kashmir: Lost Paradise?

Kashmir is mostly in news for wrong reason, but is that what Kashmiries deserve?
Kashmiries are generally very enterprising and hard working people having a nomadic inclination. They are present in all touristic spots in India with their traditional handicrafts,shawls etc. The paradise as Kashmir is, I recollect memories of my visit to there few years back. As Kashmir is a boiling pot, a prime reason of dispute between Pakistan and India, I was curious to know the mind of the people. There are few people who create problem for Kashmir with Pakistan’s support, but I feel it is more or less a political issue. I hardly have seen any Kashmiri having feelings for Pakistan though they do not neccessarily feel as Indians. To be part of Pakistan is the last thing many Kashmiries wanted. (Of course we often forget about Kashmiri pundits who are mostly stay as refugees in their own country. Kashmir is their land also though some fanatics try to do an ethnic cleansing to make it a muslim place.)

But today throwing stone at security officers are considered a job in this beautiful valley, again, with the support of neibhouring country, poor youths are lured to score political mileage. I doubt to what extend this school boys are aware of freedom and India-Pak issue. Unfortunately those vicious minds behind this act, don’t aware of the impact of this on youth, their future. I wonder whether they want to build a ‘free Kashmir’ of some young illiterate stone-pelters?
Kashmiries are very friendly and not religious fanatics as they are being portrayed- They would invite you to their home with pleasure, feed you and make you feel at home. They have the ability to adapt to any circumstances that contribute to their good business skills.

Kashmiries are proud of their Kashmiriyat, many feel that free Kashmir can be more prosperous if independent, but there are some alien voices that are happy to be part of India. One Kashmiri fruit vendour in Mcloedganj told me, ‘If I see any terrorist, I will kill him, they are eating from Hindustan’s plate and spitting on it’. Another young Kashmiri is of the view that they can’t surive if Kashmir is free, ‘how we will survive just with dry fruits and Apple? We are indebted to Hindustan for rice, pulses,vegetable and other items’. He says. Anyways he is sure that Kashmir is neither going to be free nor going to be part of Pakistan, all in their life they may fight for freedom in vain’. ‘Hindustan isko chodega nahin(India will not leave it)’, he says with a glint in his eyes.

For India, it is an issue of prestige and for Pakistan it is an issue of water as many rivers origin from Kashmir. Indians generally feel that Kashmiries are pampered due to the separatist issue there. India pays a heavy price to retain Kashmir with her, she spends huge money of tax-payers on this valley. Though Ladakh is part of Jammu and Kashmir state, the peaceful Buddhist people there feel that they get a step-motherly treatment from govt. Some even say that they are ignored as they don’t throw stones at security forces.
Despite all this, Kashmir still burns and common people who struggle to meet both ends suffer, while those ignite violence enjoy luxuries and their children study in elite schools. Finally does that really matter which country you belong to?

When i was a Communist...

I was a co-traveller of communism as a dreamy teenager- may be I prefer to call me rather a romantic revolutionary. The place I was born is the cradle of communism in Kerala that caters to my ideal dreams of a paradise on earth by revolution, as many teenagers of my area. Like many communists I questioned God who distributed inequality, suffering and illness. And it was a fashion among communists to discard Gandhiji and hail people like Lenin, Stalin and Mao.

Probably you can’t be a communist all through your life, it is perhaps a temporary resort of a disturbed soul. Revolutionary ideas sprout where there is frustration, pain and sorrow. My frustration arose from the sufferings and pain in the society despite my personal pains. It is natural for any thinking teenager to get attracted to such ideologies that promise a world devoid of injustice. Besides in Kerala many intellectuals, artists and writers were part of this movement.

Violence and ugly side of campus politics was an eye-opener to my communist dreams. I realized that communism lack humanity and concentrate all energy on the material aspect of life. (Any idealogy based on pure materialism is hollow and thus lack the spiritual depth that is the very essence of existence.)
Young minds are used (even brain washed sometime) to celebrate and secure power and authority. I couldn’t digest my innocent friends turn to blood-thirsty animals incase of a fight with opposite group. That was when I mentally distanced from this utopian idealogy.

Now communism for me is a lost paradise that probably exist only in dream. History proved that communists were the worst massacres and dictators on earth. Any ideology that curtails the freedom of individual would die a natural death. It has to be reformed with time, otherwise communism may lose its relevance in modern times.