TIGblogs - siddiqua's TIGBlog

stranger to the world

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 01:46:00 EDT

'King of Pop' Michael Jackson dies
June 25, 2009
LOS ANGELES -- Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted child star who rose to become the "King of Pop" and the biggest celebrity in the world , died Thursday. He was 50.

i'm feeling really sad because i LOVED his music. i listened to his music since i was a kid. i think the media was ruthless in condemning him and though he was acquitted of all charges, american society really put this singer with his childlike innocence through such a terrible time all his life. maybe his success could not be tolerated by people who wanted to squeeze out all his earnings. he was a phenomenon. he was a fantastic dancer. no singer and entertainer in the world has had such a phenomenal reach as MJ. i mean, you could ask little kids or grown ups in small towns and villages here and they have heard of him. they don't know where he comes from, but they know him. he was that famous. i don't think we had or ever will have another artist like him.
finally he will rest in peace.

Keeping Out Rainwater

Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:24:00 EDT

Since the past few months Jayamma worried about the coming monsoon because the rain water would enter her house and flood everything, and because of the rain, pigs would enter through the door and take shelter in her house, and a lot of waste would flow in along with the rain water.

Now it was hard for me to imagine how this could happen.
But last week she seemed very happy because some road layers gave her a few spare bricks and a bit of cement. She said that she used those bricks to make a threshold in front of the door. So that effectively blocked out any rain water from entering (though I'm sure how she would deal with the pigs - maybe by bolting the door?). Now she's happier because her one room house floor remains dry even during the heaviest of downpours.

Documentary on Wild Boars

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:35:00 EDT

This is a photo of a young pig.

Two days ago I saw a documentary on wild boars on Animal Planet. It was very interesting because I found the behaviour of wild boars very very similar to the Indian pigs- how boars tend to move around in isolated groups, how one female takes charge of young of other females too, how sow are agressive when protecting the young.

I guess I've been observing them for too long. Last month near my home I saw a pregnant sow build a nest to give birth. It used its mouth to pull out or cut parthenium weeds and other herbs and piled them up in a safe corner. And once the piglets were born, another younger female sort of started to live with this 'family'. It wasn't a nurse, but I'm not sure why it made its appearance. Maybe as additional protection.
Once when a herd of buffaloes accidentally ventured near where these very young teeny weeny piglets were huddled (because they tend to move together when they are so very young), the sow got into a vicious stance challenging the herd who backed away very quickly.

One Tree

Tue, 16 Jun 2009 01:15:00 EDT

'I saw death cut down a thousand men
In that tall lovely legacy of wood' - poet Clifford Dyment on seeing an old tree being cut down.

An Australian pine tree grows in our home. Everyday I see so many birds perching on its tip or flitting from one branch to another. I made a note of the all the kinds of birds that have visited this tree in the past. They are -red ringed parakeets, bush chats, tailor birds, wren warblers, sometimes flower peckers, grey tits, crow pheasants, crows, a golden oriole, and a bird like an osprey. Just one tree can support so many birds, so many insects, so many microscopic life forms... Amazing!

Cut down just one tree, and its like you're cutting off the oxygen supply bit by bit for these life forms.

They manage our waste - Taking Away Pigs

Wed, 03 Jun 2009 16:07:00 EDT

A few days ago, the civic authorities carried away a truck load of pigs to leave them on the outskirts of the city because of people's complaints against pigs roaming the streets. The unfounded fear of swine flu and the very minor attacks on small children were among the other causes.

I don't understand the wisdom behind transporting all the pigs to the outskirts of the city.
For one, there never was a case of confirmed swine flu.
Second, pigs aren't a nuisance, and every animal has a right to self-defence. Little children throw stones at pigs, and most of the time, pigs run away but sometimes they defend themselves. You can't expect such an intelligent animal to not react when you attack it.

Our cities don't have any form of waste management. All the garbage ends up in landfills and the anaerobic conditions created in a landfill make it very hard for bacteria to decompose any waste. Bacterial degradation is eitherway a very slow process. Most often garbage is overflowing from bins and strewn on the roads in big cities where it rots and the stench is unbearable.
I don't think people appreciate the role pigs play in waste management. They consume almost everything, from big bones that dogs can hardly chew, to rotting fruit, to human excreta. They're really responsible for keeping much of this city clean. I think they help prevent many epidemics. In this country where people and children still relieve themselves on the roads, the only solution are pigs because they clean up our worst waste. They even clean up excreta from railway tracks.
And yet, these gentle creatures are much maligned. Their usefulness is overlooked on account of their 'ugliness'.

The Baobab Tree

Tue, 26 May 2009 01:05:00 EDT

The Baobab tree is a native of the African continent. It grows in a small town called Savanur, not far from here. I read about the baobab tree in Africa and how its fruit is soon going to be exported to Europe and the US as a health food. This is the article :

What Will Happen When the Baobab Goes Global?

By DAWN STARIN

Published: May 25, 2009

IT’s known as the baobab in English, sito in Mandinka, gwi in Wolof and Adansonia digitata in botanical circles. Sometimes it’s called the upside-down tree, because its weirdly shaped branches resemble roots. It was made famous in the West by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s fable “The Little Prince.”

Guido Scarabottolo

In Africa, the baobab tree is steeped in mystique and surrounded by superstition. Many people believe that its spirit protects the community around it, and its tangible properties certainly nourish those who live near it. Parts of the tree are used to make rope and fishing line; to feed goats, sheep and cows; and to provide shelter, food and medicine.

While living in Gambia I saw parts of the baobab used to treat everything from malarial fever, infertility and asthma to headaches and toothaches. I have no idea if and how these local remedies worked, but all of a sudden the rest of the world — Western health food companies included — is catching on. There’s a growing belief that the baobab may be the world’s newest super food.

The tree’s white, powdery fruit is rich in antioxidants, potassium and phosphorus, and has six times as much vitamin C as oranges and twice as much calcium as milk. The leaves are an excellent source of iron, potassium, magnesium, manganese, molybdenum and phosphorus, and the seeds are packed with protein.

The baobab was approved for European markets last year, and the Food and Drug Administration is expected to follow suit soon. The fruit’s dry pulp will be sold as an ingredient in smoothies and cereal bars. Already, a small jar of African baobab jam made in England sells for around $11. According to the Natural Resources Institute in Britain, an international baobab industry could bring in about $1 billion a year and provide jobs for 2.5 million African families. On paper this sounds great, but there’s another side to the picture.

The baobab has never been a plantation tree; it grows wild in arid regions. (It can also be found in Australia, but it thrives in few other places outside Africa.) Presently people harvest only what they need and maybe a bit more to sell at local markets. If it becomes an international commodity, the baobab probably would need to be planted as a crop, even though arable soil is limited. The open land where local people now freely harvest wild baobab could be developed by agribusinesses into plantations, or else precious forests or farmland used to grow everyday staple crops could be turned over to the baobab export industry.

Although local people would probably find jobs on such farms, their ability to harvest or purchase the baobab themselves would be limited. They wouldn’t be able to pay as much as London dealers could. This means that some Africans could lose a source of household wealth, an important part of their diet and an essential pharmaceutical resource.

These possibilities — not to mention the threat of corruption, poor wages and genetic modification leading to a loss of the tree’s biodiversity — are not random predictions. Africa is no stranger to the overexploitation of its natural resources. But the solution isn’t necessarily to cut the baobab off from international markets. Regulations could be put in place to protect the tree, its environment and the people who depend on it — and still allow for profitable production.

The coffee trade provides a model. It’s clear that many consumers are willing to pay more for fairly traded coffee — which costs enough to provide the growers a decent wage for their labor. This bottom-up pricing should be applied to the baobab market, even if it means European health nuts have to pay a lot for their smoothies.

The baobab’s new popularity is exciting, but the European Union, the United States and African exporters should decide on regulations before the baobab is rushed to European and North American markets.

In Saint-Exupéry’s story, the planet the Little Prince lives on is too small to support the baobab. This is hardly our situation, but the Little Prince still has some useful advice for us: Taking care of your planet, he says, “is very tedious work, but very easy.”

Dawn Starin is an anthropologist.

via blogger

my vote, indelible ink

Mon, 04 May 2009 13:12:00 EDT

on may 30, i travelled for four hours to vote. for some time, while i was inside the polling booth, the EVM in front of me, i mulled over the choices i had before me. i knew i didn't want choose the two major political parties - the congress and the bjp. after a few minutes i pressed the button and i felt happy that i had the right to vote, the right to choose, to know that we don't live under military rule or under a dictatorship, even though a majority of our politicians aren't clean. i think voting should be made compulsory.

Amusing Incidents during the Indian Elections

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 13:24:00 EDT

This could happen only in India. A professor who was caught having an affair with his student , more than half his age, is now contesting from his area and calls his party, 'prem party' (ie. love party), and the symbol for his party is a heart. His election promise - building a park for lovers in the city. Then there is a magician employed by a party in Kerala who tries to hypnotise people into voting for that party, provided ofcourse that they agree to be hypnotised in the first place. And as usual, though its illegal, parties supply liquor to villagers in the hope of winning their votes. But politicians never seem to learn that villagers consume the alcohol supplied by all parties and in the end vote for who they like, or don't vote at all. This won't stop them from trying though.
Ever since the Iraqi journalist threw his shoes at GW Bush, seems like everyone wants to try their luck hurling shooes and sandals at politicians. There's an effigy in a village in UP propped up for the villagers to hone this skill. I wonder which Indian politician will be the next target after Chidu,Advani,Jindal...
Well, whatever the outcome of the elections, I can't help but marvel at how things are organized. So many regions, so many languages, so many people, so many officers, so many parties, so many candidates...
Some interesting facts I found about the elections -
no country in the world has polling stations located at altitudes of ~13,000feet.
Polling booths are accessible in Lakshadweep only by boat.
Its mind-boggling, this organization in this chaos. That elections take place in India more or less smoothly is incredible, and if this is not amazing, then I don't know what is.

Earth Hour doesn't help in any way .

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 14:27:00 EDT

I don't see what difference swtiching off lights for an hour would do to save the planet. Earth Hour isn't a very good idea. It may make people aware that we are doing "something wrong" when it comes to the environment, but it really doesn't help. It may make some people guilty that they aren't doing their bit. But,what difference will switching off lights for an hour each year make ? Won't people still be burning candles ?.. Think about it. Candles still release pollution. So what's the point.
We should go back to what we were taught in school - to turn off electricity using appliances and lights when not in use. Why have a light burning in the next room when no one's there. The more important thing is to make people realize that light pollution is a serious issue. Birds confuse bright city/building/skyscraper lights for the sun's light and many die in flight because they crash into buildings. So maybe we could have rules to dim the lights on all commercial buildings after a certain period of time after sunset. Light pollution also makes it difficult to spot stars in the night sky as well as creating sleeping problems in human beings. The concept of Earth Hour is well-meaning, but its impractical.
A little common sense instead of this overzealous enthusiasm would be better.

Tribal Woman (halakki Vokkaliga) in Kumta

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:02:00 EST

I spotted this tribal woman selling brinjals. They're called Halakki Vokkaligas. The first time I came across these tribal women was when I was nine years old. They were at the Sunday market in Karwar, selling odd dried stuff ( I don't remember what) I remember though one woman measuring a spice called triphal, commonly used in fish curry in a cylindrical measuring glass. Its very common to see these tribal women in this region (north canara).

via blogger

They're called Halakki Vokkaligas. http://karwar-daily-pic.blogspot.com/2008/07/lifes-burden.html

Tribal Woman in Kumta

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:02:00 EST

I spotted this tribal woman selling brinjals. The first time I came across these tribal women was when I was nine years old. They were at the Sunday market in Karwar, selling odd dried stuff ( I don't remember what) I remember though one woman measuring a spice called triphal, commonly used in fish curry in a cylindrical measuring glass. Its very common to see these tribal women in this region (north canara).

They're called Halakki Vokkaligas. http://karwar-daily-pic.blogspot.com/2008/07/lifes-burden.html

via blogger

Chinese buying fish on Arabian Sea coast.

Thu, 12 Feb 2009 12:31:00 EST

Yesterday, at the fish market in Karwar, a lot of people were unhappy with the state of affairs concerning the non-availability of shellfish. There was a sense of shock and despair because shellfish were either too expensive or, more likely, not available at all. On enquiring further, I got to know that all of the shellfish is being bought by Chinese for four to five times the price that local
customers would pay from fishermen, making it unaffordable. Some people here grudgingly say that the Chinese have such an appetite for fish and each person eats so much that it seems unlikely the Karwari would ever be able to eat fish at all in the coming years.
Well, I spotted a couple of Chinese on one of the roads leading to the beach.
Many years ago,deep sea trawlers that supplied fish to other countries had made life miserable for the fishermen here, who hardly had a catch and couldn't even afford mackerel, which was the cheapest fish in the market.

bonds

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 01:01:00 EST

"Being Indian means... living with the birds, the animals and the fish as though they were your sisters and brothers. It means saying the land is an old friend and an old friend your father knew, your people have always known... To the Indian people our land is really our life."

- Richard Nerysoo, Inuit, Canada.

The picture in this post is a postcard I received from Survival International. And the young persons in the photo are the Jarawa, a tribe living in the Andaman Islands (India). Its hard to believe isn't it. At least I find it amazing that they're still there, surviving. Look at what the picture says : No Debt, No Bombs, No prisons, No Poverty, No homeless, No Junk Food, No Pollution, No Sweatshops.. And people call them primitive.

When the construction of Great Andaman Trunk Road began, the route through the forest exposed these peoples to the 'outside' world, and more importantly, the 'outsiders' saw them for the first time. Many tourism related businesses focus on "spotting" these people in the "natural" habitat. Odd how we have scant regard for another human being. In 2002, the Supreme Court passed a landmark judgement to close down the Great Andaman trunk Road. Last I read in 2006, the road hadn't yet been completely closed.

This isn't any different from what we see about how land is being grabbed in Mangalore for the SEZs. http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/01/21/stories/2009012158360300.htm

None of us is against progress of the nation, or progress in science and technology. But what worries me is that the efforts each state government takes to woo investors and set up SEZs, the same efforts are not applied to make agriculture feasible. After all agriculture is the backbone of our country or of any civilization. It was a very bold stand taken by Nitin Hegde and his eighty year old mother (mentioned in the article), not relenting (but for how long?) in the face of powerful players. The earth connects us to her by some invisible bond. Its not only about losing your land, but your way of life, and breaking that bond we've nurtured over time. In the face of opposition, the officials had contacted absentee landlords, who had severed all ties with agriculture or with the land, who didn't benefit from the land, except now that by coming back and selling the land, they would become richer. Somehow it feels like betrayal. Because, the earth is alive; and this is what you give back.

via blogger

Obama 2009

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:43:00 EST

"Yes He Can, Now He Must "
I am sure no other world leader has ever been welcomed into office in such a grand manner, and with so much of enthusiasm and expectation from the people. Its such a historic moment for the United States and also for the world to witness this. But Barack Obama has inherited a huge mess and it will be a very difficult task to set right all the wrong done by his predecessor George W Bush. People can be very ruthless and quick to judge if he fails to deliver. The rest of the world already has so many expectation from him. Looks like the right man to be president at the completely wrong time.
I really liked the inauguration ceremony. It was so elegant and nothing in my country could compare to this ceremony. Most of our politicians appear so shallow, callous and ill-informed. Anyway, Obama will need all the luck in the world for this job.

Gated Communities

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 04:17:00 EST

Recycling is big in India, though not in a formal organized way. The waste collected by ragpickers is sold to certain people, who in turn convert it, re-sell it, etc.

Last Thursday, the ragpicker Santosh stopped by my home to collect waste. I had told him that if he came once every week, I would give him all the waste collected in my house; which includes cardboard boxes, plastic covers, plastic wrappers, foil,empty bottles, milk packets, cartons etc. This was the first time I noticed a dog hanging around him. I asked him if it was his, and he said yes. From then on I noticed that every ragpicker combing the streets and garbage bins has a dog faithfully following them. Then something jolted my memory. When we were little, my sister came running home while playing in the next street panicking. She was worried about a man letting loose his dog on this ragpicker. And this ragpicker was a little boy around my sister's age then .. maybe nine, probably the same age as Santosh is now. A couple of days ago, a friend mentioned that their area was a posh area of that city and so ragpickers weren't allowed there because they were dangerous. And that people don't like them.

What outrages me is that we are treating the people who collect the trash we create like trash itself. The ragpickers are keeping dogs to protect themselves from people who might chase them away. Their only crime is that they are assumed dangerous, and that they are unkempt and dirty and make an area look "bad". I had come across certain areas like those in a city I lived in a couple of years ago. Imagine having to sort in festering garbage bins with bare hands, always vulnerable to all kinds of diseases. Its a job that none of us would be willing to do, and to illtreat someone who is clearing our mess is terrible cruelty. They're not sub-human. If there weren't any of them to clear our waste, I think all of us in India would have died being choked in our own dirt.

Its a sad state that one human being has to be afraid of another human being. The first time Santosh came to our home with his brother, he was very hungry and asked for food. Their mother was waiting for them at a far distance because she thought her being their would jeopardise their chances of getting food. They're so young. The sack Santosh carries to collect waste is as big as him. He could hide inside it comfortably. Santosh literally finances his older brother Ganesh's education. Ganesh goes to school. They're all so afraid of everyone. Like some fringe community who we all need, but don't want to look at or care for. We want our work done, but want them to be invisible, without rights, without food.
~~~

Last month I was in Bellary district and had a chance to stay at a guest house in a very beautiful township. Everything was organized, the roads were wide and there were trees everywhere, the houses were beautiful, and it was hard to imagine that this was a part of India. But I don't think I would ever want to live in some place like that. I would prefer the chaos of a 'normal' city anyday. I don't want to live anywhere or create an atmosphere where someone would be afraid of approaching me because of where I live. Maybe one day when everyone has that kind of equality, I wouldn't mind.

ಹಂಪಿ ಪಂಪಷೆತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಸುಸ್ವಾಗತ Hampi

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 21:46:00 EST

I had studied about the Vijayanagar Empire in history in school. I had read about it everywhere. And all my life my mother told us stories about Hampi,the kingdom of Vijayanagar kings. She could go on and on about the famous stone chariot and how her sister had climbed up onto it. But nothing had prepared me for the grandeur that is Hampi the first time I saw it. This historical city on the banks of the Tungabhadra is a magnificent testimony to this famed kingdom. The Kishkinda of Ramayana is believed to be Hampi. The Vijayanaga empire was famed for its wealth. There are so many beautiful temples, so many architectural splendours,you would need at least a week to visit the entire city. It is huge. The best thing I loved were the stone reliefs. Each sclupture seemed to depict a story- much like photographs. SOmetimes, there was a continuous succession of sculptures depicting the start and end of an incident. There were reliefs showing the visits of foreigners to the kingdom, how they were welcomed with music, and women wrestlers,warriors etc. The women then seemed very modern. I wish I could have spent more time exploring every place. I still find it incredible that kingdoms of old traded with far away kingdoms in different countries. Everything and everyone worked for the king. Artists,dancers, sculptors, architects, cooks..all of them worked for the king. So as long as the king was powerful, the kingdom was healthy. When it was time to leave, I wished I didn't have to go back. The last thing I did was feed the temple elephant a small banana. I don't know if I can visit again though its only three hours away by bus from here. But I am glad I got a chance to visit.

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:12:00 EST

ಹಂಪಿ ಪಂಪಷೆತ್ರಕ್ಕೆ ಸುಸ್ವಾಗತ

via blogger

ಹಾಯ್

Thu, 25 Dec 2008 12:12:00 EST

ಏನ್ ಹೇಳ್ತಾ ಇದ್ದೀರಾ ?

via blogger

Gems ಫ್ರೊಂ Tagore

Wed, 24 Dec 2008 11:12:00 EST

In the same year, 1916, Tagore offered a withering indictment of European colonialism. Speaking in Japan, he remarked that “the political civilisation which has sprung up from the soil of Europe [and] is overrunning the whole world, like some prolific weed, is based on exclusiveness. It is always watchful to keep at bay the aliens or to exterminate them. It is carnivorous and cannibalistic in its tendencies, it feeds upon the resources of other peoples and tries to swallow their whole future. It is always afraid of other races achieving eminence, naming it as a peril, and tries to thwart all symptoms of greatness outside its own boundaries, forcing down races of men who are weaker, to be eternally fixed in their weakness”.

Writing in the journal Prabasi in 1908, Tagore observed that “Whether India is to be yours or mine, whether it is to belong more to the Hindu, or the Moslem, or whether some other race is to assert a greater supremacy than either — that is not the problem with which Providence is exercised. It is not as if, at the bar of the judgement seat of the Almighty, different advocates are engaged in pleading the rival causes of Hindu, Moslem or Westerner, and that the party that wins the decree shall finally plant the standard of permanent possession. It is our vanity which makes us think that it is a battle between contending rights — the only battle is the eternal one between Truth and untruth”.

Kalburgi murgi

The Wonder of Ignorance

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 09:43:00 EST

There are some things that you just cannot explain to people, because they just do not know. Neelamma is a woman who passes by my house every morning. She sells green leafy vegetables in a big basket she carries on her head. Every morning it is customary for her to use her persuasive powers to charm my mother into buying everything she has. And my mother has succumbed many times to her hypnotic words - "nod amma, palaka, menthe, balivadka, rajgiri,.." (all names of herbs).
Once she asked my mother where my brother was and why he never visited. My mother told her that he lives far far away, in another country. To Neelu, the furthest place from here could only be Bangalore, a city that is almost fabled in these parts because people think that's where you can earn so much of money. In her mind, nothing could be further than Bangalore, but yet it was within reach. So how could my mother say that her son could not come because he lived far away. Surely there are trains that come from that city everyday?
How in the world do you explain geographical distance to someone who has only a vague idea of the vasteness that is the Earth ? Its mind-boggling because you've grown up "knowing" things, and its just something that's there. Probably to her the biggest water body would be the mighty TungaBhadra river nearby, and the biggest mountain - Bathi, a sort of hill close to this city with a Muslim saint's tomb. She simply never got it when my mother tried to explain how far away it was. It was across the sea. She thought my poor mother was making up excuses for an evil son who never took care of his parents.
I don't know what her reaction would be if she were to travel to some place far away. maybe the concept of earth, space.. doesn't exist. There is a world,she knows, and there is heaven and hell and god.
Who knows what kind of imagination lies in her mind. And how wondrous itwuld be to discover forthe first time that there is a sea, a desert or that there is another place so far away from home that you can't walk back home.
Maybe it was imagination that made people discover things, simply because they didn't know, and so they didn't know to expect how things were. We all know too much. We go out trained and prepared for someting which we think we will face, and the eventual success is when we come across that which we never expected.
My grandmother's neighbour, among many questions about travelling in an aeroplane, asked if the flight would stop somewhere in some town so that people could use the restrooms. That was hilarious. But later when she went for Hajj, the Muslim pilgrimage, I'm sure she knew that a plane didn't stop midway so that people could use the toilets on some dusty Indian road.
Its good to know things,to not be ignorant, but occasionally its also good to not know, and then when you experience it for the first time, it is something most of us would remember for a lifetime.

News Reporting

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 21:40:00 EST

All of last week, I was glued to the television. I was watching the news of the terror attacks in Mumbai, "live", "as it happened". And I've been following the news more or less regularly, which is surprising because I stopped watching news channels a couple of years ago. Somehow I feel that media journalists in India are very incompetent and unprofessional. They act like they're the leaders, like they have a right to question everybody, and the questions are so often irrational, or as is the case most of the time, some questions have no answers and, yet the journalists demand an answer, any answer, and then dissect and discuss and debate on that answer. Some time back, an tv journalist had questioned P Chidambaram, and was rebuked by him for asking matters of national interest on foreign soil. Maybe its because they're younger that they have no experience or, I think, its mostly journalistic arrogance. On several Indian news channels, news anchors, in my view, are warmongering. They have no respect for anyone else's opinion, are occassionally rude, get angry and it looks like all they want to do is to push forward their own points of view and make the invited guests and speakers admit that the news anchor is right in saying what he is saying. Its like tabloid news on tv. No one is sure what they're reporting. As long as its a long list of sentences blurted out in regular intervals, its called reporting. Everything is sensationalised, is over the top. People's sorrows are played out so that the viewer can sit on his couch and cry with them. Its just too much.

Not Another Attack!!

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 06:14:00 EST

I am tired of repeated attacks by terrorists in India. I would blame our vulnerability on poor intelligence and lack of border security. But the worst thing that affects me as an Indian is the repercussions. Its terrible to know that these terrorists always end up being identified as Islamic terrorist, as Muslims. After the dastardly terror attacks in Mumbai, the mood among people is vitriolic. I read a comment on an indian forum where this person said that he wants to drag muslims out like dogs and kill them on the streets. I am so upset that terrorists always end up being muslims.I won't shy away from admitting that a lot of muslims actually think it is not at all a wrong thing to be a terrorist and to kill someone. But the majority do not, and that is important. It is a difficult time for muslims I think all over the world because we have to tell the world that we are as much against terrorisma dn mindless bloodshed as any other peace loving human being. i don't understand what or who these terrorists are following. But they're successful in one thing and that's destroying the image of islam.

Robbing from the Poor to Give to the Rich

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 11:09:00 EDT

Its always shocking to note the cruelty and insensitivity of officials involved in projects like the SEZs. When the NDTV correspondent asked AG Pai of the Mangalore SEZ why the farmers who were being evicted from their lands weren't previously notified, he replied that all orders were on the net and also easily available with the officials. Can an illiterate farmer have access to the internet when he cannot read. How do you know if your land is being taken away if you aren't notified about it. The government's sanction of SEZs was based on the faith that only non-arable land would be used. But time and again this has not been the case. Fertile land is being forcefully
taken over by the government. Its an eye wash and a great lie by our government that the displaced people will be rehabilitated. There never has been any rehabilitation. Can you replace the crops growing , their land, their homes. Farmers are best at farming, why take away their livelihood, their lives . Why is it always people who are powerless, who do not have a voice who are oppressed ? Maybe they should demolish some houses and buildings in cities and build SEZs there (or are they afraid of the backlash). Or better yet, demolish homes of prospective SEZ businesses, and build SEZs in that land.
And they wonder why there is support for Naxalites.

Divisions

Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:09:00 EDT

Yesterday, I was in an area that is inhabited largely by Muslims. The person who showed me around the place told me it was referred to as 'little Pakistan'. I was outraged because I am an Indian and my sense of patriotism was deeply hurt. Moreover, being Muslim means that my allegiance is to my country, the country I live in. I was upset. Each time we see Indian Muslims being questioned over their loyalty to their country and here was a man who was gleefully telling me about how the area he lived in was nicknamed 'little Pakistan'. Later when I went back home, his words set me thinking. I have never been victim to communalism, never faced any direct repercussions to Hindu backlash, and never but once lived in an area which had only Muslims. After the riots in the 'early 90s, he said that many Muslims were killed, and many made this particular area their home. And the many Hindus living there fled their homes, sold them, and even now, there are a few Hindu families who are slowly trickling out of the area after finding suitable buyers for their homes.
It feels like I am waking up to an alternate reality, one which I wasn't aware of earlier. The smaller the city or town, the deeper the trench, the more profound the divide. It wasn't that I was completely unaware of it. But seeing it played out so visibly in front of your eyes is very disturbing. As a child, my parents had never asked us to differentiate between Muslims and other religions. They were just people, good or bad. But in primary school, in Bidar, there was a stark divide between children, Muslims, who were told by their parents to not mingle with others and vice versa with the Hindu children. Not accustomed to this, my brother, sister and I were surprised and told our respective classmates to join together. After that everyone started playing together.
I feel its parents who feed discrimination and division into minds that do not have fixed ideas yet. Even in later years, there were always a few students who didn't mingle with other religions. But in the face of friendship, all barriers fell. Living in larger cities, and among mixed populations, access to affluence, all of these break barriers. Unfortunately, the current trend seems to be "ghettoisation" of communities. Muslims don't get homes for rent if the owners are Hindu, there are housing societies or apartment blocks that have only Muslim resident, there seems to be some effort to instill fear into peoples' minds that living among your own communities or ethnic groups would ensure complete safety. In smaller towns there are alsosevere caste related differences. Maybe this was an idea perpetuated by the British that Muslims are only a rung higher than Dalits, (I haven't researched it, but I do remember reading about it in Mulk Raj Anand's novel), but this is what is practiced in reality. In effect, there is so much of fragmentation everywhere. Little islands of the same ethnic groups huddled together in anticipation of an attack that may never come.
I don't like to live in a wholly Muslim area. It is stifling. There is more diversity and scope for growth when you aren't forever worrying about what your community in the same neighbourhood might say. Because of the recent spate of bomb attacks lamed on terrorists who happen to be Muslim, there is an increasing pressure on the Muslim community in India, and maybe worldwide too. People take two directions in reaction - they either become fiercely anti-Hindu, become zealots, and go to the extent of communicating, and mingling only with the Muslim community; the other direction that many take is to wear a garb of pseudo-modernism. Where you dissociate with anything to do with Islam, or being Muslim, or practicing Islam. All this negative media on Islam is making many Muslims distance themselves from Islam. I feel one does not have to stop practicing Islam in order to be seen as a law-abiding citizen, or to be seen as progressive, tolerant and most importantly, a good neighbour and helpful citizen to others.
Two years ago, a Canadian had asked me if I lived in a Muslim area or a non-Muslim area in India. To me it was absurd that anyone could think there were specially designated areas for people of a certain religion. I said, 'of course not', but the more I see it, the more reality strikes me, and hard.
All my life I have had friends from different religions, from different sections in my own religion, and these weren't differences that we were aware of. You would think education, migration, "melting-pot" scenarios would solve everything. Well, not in India. Whatever happened to diversity in plurality.

Buffalo

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:33:00 EDT

Contrary to their appearance- the enormous size and long horns, buffaloes are as gentle as children. Or so this man told me. But I don't think they hear very well. They don't move from the roads even if the horn is blaring. Now that's called thick-skinned.