Harvesting Cancer

Bhakra dam at 740ft is one of the highest in Asia. When it got commissioned in 1963, it changed the fortunes of the farmers in the region, and little did they know, lives of their future generations. The farm productivity of the irrigated land increased by 39% to 43%, compared to the rainfed plots. Increase in agriculture productivity however came at a very heavy price. People of the region literally paid for it with their lives. Cancer rates sky rocketed in 30 years, so much so that Punjab is now called cancer capital of India.

Intensive agriculture, aided by canal based irrigation, has enabled not only multiple crop cycles, but agriculture of unsustainable crops like paddy, resulting in tremendous stress on the soil and water. Soil is sought to be rejuvenated by use of increasing quantity of chemical fertilizers, where as water is increasingly getting pumped from the ground, getting depleted at an ever increasing rate.  Further, to protect the yield, farmers take no chances, and poison the produce and the soil, with pesticides. Concoction of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and multiple crop cycles, is resulting in dangerous levels of harmful chemicals in the blood of the locals.

Punjab has only 2.5% of total agriculture land in the country but uses more than 18% of all the pesticides used in the country!

South of Sutlej River in Punjab, called Malwa region, also called cotton belt - Batinda, Mansa, Faridkot, Ferozpur, Muktsar, Moga, Barnala, Sangroor  - is the worst effected by cancer. Other regions of Punjab - Majha (North of Beas and Sutlej till Jehlum) and Doaba (Between Beas and Sutlej) - are fast catching up on this dubious distinction.

Irrigation enabled green revolution. However, in the scramble that ensued, short term objectives got way too much weightage, compared to long term and sustainable objectives.  The problems range from the abuse of fertilizers and pesticides, resulting in poisoning of the soil and the produce, to unsustainable crop cultivation. Cultivation of paddy is resulting in water logging and soil turning saline, in places that are close to the canals, and dangerously depleted ground water table in other places.

To think of it, Bhakra Dam, besides many other ingredients, is a key input to the "harvest of cancer" in the region. 

The Land of Nalanda

When Nalanda was being destroyed in India, Cambridge was getting established in England. The story has unfolded on predictable lines since.

Here in Patna for Badminton National. Arre nahi babumoshaye, not me baba, for my Son.

Well, the idea of this post is not to bore you with where I am and what I am doing, it is to share the sheer darkness that still pervades this place. I have come back after 17 years. Last time I was here, it was for one of the cricket world cup matches in 1997. My recollection from that time is, sea of rickshaws every where, moving, rather crawling in all directions. The only change between then and now is the fact that rickshaws are replaced by auto rickshaws. The filth is still there, all pervading, omnipresent. Roads never existed earlier, they don't exist even today. Tons of people, just busy, doing their chore, oblivion of the dust, smoke, stench in the air. Samosas, litti with chokha, is being fried right next to open gutters, which has doubled up as garbage dump, which is there every few yards. Don't get me wrong, these garbage dumps are not by design, they just spring up impromptu, based on where ever someone, anyone, wants to throw garbage.

Chief Minister came to inaugurate the tournament, and with him came the Sports Minister of the state and couple others. They addressed the gathering. In the list of uninspiring / inaudible speeches, these, in my opinion, would top the charts. A few things that all the speakers did not forget to mention, before they started their respective speeches, was to welcome the participants to the land of Buddha. I was like, did you not drive on the roads that we took to come here? Why do you make mockery of Buddha's name by continually referring to him? If the reference is to be made, it should be like, hey we are sorry, that we have abused this land of Buddha, sorry that we have destroyed generations of people, sorry that we have taken away hope from the people, sorry that people here don't dream, they only have nightmares.

However I know, the land that once had a university like Nalanda, thinkers like Buddha, has the potential, if only the leaders stop raping it, looting it, for their personal benefits.

I look forward to my third coming, hope to share picture of a land truly becoming of where Buddha attained enlightenment.

Na Nar ke Na Narayan Ke (Neither of human nor of God)

A Sadhvi, who is also a Union Minister, made this comment, "Aapko tay karna hai ki Dilli mein sarkar Ramzadon ki banegi ya haramzadon ki. Yeh aapka faisla hai".

When a person makes this kind of remark, it tells me that the person does not have the basic goodness and calmness, in short does not have Godliness to be called a Sadhvi. The remark also suggests that it is depraved of basic etiquette, common sense and intelligence for it to be coming from a Minister. Hence in my opinion, she should be stripped of both these titles, forthwith.

unfortunately, this is becoming more of a pattern. Some overzealous BJP associates think that the majority that BJP got in the Lok Sabha, came on the back of vast majority's alignment with BJP religious ideology. Hence they think they have a licence to not only continue down their earlier path of religious bigotry, but in fact go down that path with renewed fervour and speed. In truth, the Lok Sabha mandate is more for economic progress, aspirations for better living standards and just plain fatigue with the status quo that Congress was pushing.

The danger is that as the time progresses, as the Modi government's honeymoon period wears off, and as the government comes under pressure, which invariably all governments do, these vitriolic voices are going to get shriller, plus more of BJP & Co may join this hate bandwagon to play to the galleries.

This evil must be nipped in the bud. Any later than now, Modi government may not have the political capital to stop them.

The Last Mile!

The tiles fit snuggly into each other, as they were laid out on a flat foundation of sand. The workers, the mason, the material and the whole jing bang was there. The dirt pavement, which was such a hazard during rainy days, and such a dusty place to walk on otherwise, was finally getting a makeover. Walkers mostly preferred to walk on the road, making the road even narrower for the vehicular traffic and in the process risking their lives. Now things would be different, walkers would finally get their space. After enduring a few weeks of construction material on the road, all the noise, dust and the traffic jams that ensue, finally the pavement was ready. It looked neat.

But then, it started, one after another, in quick succession. There was recesses in the pavement at every few meters for the rainwater drainage inlets. The vertical tiles that separated the pavement from the road at the corners of these rainwater drainage inlet recesses started falling. They had not be secured properly with enough adhesive or the angle was not proper or both or something else, but they fell. They always do! As they fell, the beautifully laid out pavement tiles that were sitting so snuggly intertwined with each other loosened. First the ones at the corner loosed and fell, and then the next row followed, till the corners just collapsed. It looked like a pile of rubble. Soon, the loose tiles where gone. The corner looked like a mud slope from road to the pavement, of what was left.

Not that money was not spent, not that labors or masons were taken away from the spot before they could finish. No, nothing of that. It was simply a question of not taking care of the last bit, not doing a proper job of tying it up and sealing it properly.

Everywhere I see, I see that enough money is being spent, but it is the last bit, the last mile that which not done properly wastes the entire effort and the money.

The story repeats, weather it is the pavement, or the cover of the drains, which do not fit the opening properly, or the railing along the side of the parks, which are fixed so flimsily that you know that they will fall if given a push, or electric poles which have the naked electric wires hanging out of the small opening at the bottom of the pole, with the door to the opening, invariably missing or hanging/dangling.

Following Pareto's advice, I had definitely put this in the bucket of 20% things that if done right have a potential to provide 80% positive effect! 



 

My God

My God!
Every day for last 43 years I heard her voice. Hardly ever did I not see her or not speak to her. It was my routine to touch her feet before leaving home in the morning, whether I was going to school or college or work. Getting her blessings in the morning gave me a feeling of invincibility. Whenever I was stressed, just sitting with her would calm my frayed nerves. Even today, whenever I am in a tough situation, I close my eyes and imagine her giving me a reassuring... smile and confidence that she is there.

No, she was no superwoman, she was no magician, she was my mother and the power she had was love. Limitless and unconditional love. Love so strong that it even transcends the boundaries of the living and non living, for, even though she is gone, I still feel the warm glow of her love. I can still see her smiling and blessing, when every morning I close my eyes and touch her feet.
I have not seen the almighty God, the creator of everything, but I have seen my creator, my God, my mother. It is my God, who gives me strength and motivation to seek the all mighty, for when I find the all mighty, I will again find my God, my mother. For me the all mighty God is only a way to get to my God!
 

To the detractors of Kejriwal

I understand where you are coming from. If I may, I can categories your objections broadly as follows -

a) process and procedure for introducing the bill
b) about Kejriwal's grand ambitions, with an eye on Lok Sabha
c) about running away from the responsibility of governance

Here's my point of view -

a) Processes and Procedures - For last 67 years, we have seen how these processes and procedures have been used by the "System", the "Government Machinery", what ever you call it, to deny the country men what is duly their right. Right at the top of this Govt Machinery sits the elected bodies (loksabha, rajyasabha at national level and legislative assemblies at the state level), filled with politicians. So it is no surprise that they set the tone. You go to a police station to get a complaint registered or ask for verification for the passport, or go to local municipality to get your building plan sanctioned or get an electricity connection, procedures and processes are waved in your face. Ever thought why? Because, by making it complex it is easier to scare the people into giving the speed money to get things done. Processes and procedures are used to reward or thwart the efforts. I do not think Lokpal bill is a panacea, but I do believe it is one of the things that needs to be done besides so many others. I hope even the detractors agree with this fact, so why not let the processes and procedures take a back seat and let a good thing get passed.

b) Kejriwal's grand ambitions - First, let me say that it does not bother me. For me that is not even a question, as I look at what he is trying to do now or plan to do for the country and for the people. That is all that I am focused on. Having said that, let's assume that he indeed is ambitious. So, what is wrong with that? Are we all not ambitious? In fact I am happy that an honest, intelligent person, with integrity is ambitious and wants to do something at national level. Is that not good? Would you much rather have a criminal, dishonest person running the country?

c) Running away from the responsibility of governance - Mahabharat, Chanakya Niti, basic texts on governance, all of them cover this extensively. The basic principal is not only to have the good of people at heart, but the ability to deliver that as well. In the present setup, though the Kejriwal govt took the office, it was up against the challenge of entrenched opposition, that wanted status quo. The govt did what it could in last couple months, however, it was clear that the moment it goes after the big guns, or tries to implement the big ticket items on the agenda, hell will break loose. It did. The response of the government, in my opinion is a smart one, instead of becoming a lame duck government, not being able to deliver what is good and is promised, when it found itself stone walled, it quit. The calculation that would have gone into this action would be something like - re-elections are going to be called along with the Lok Sabha elections, the party will come back with majority and then carry on with its agenda of cleaning the system. Smart, isn't it. Also, at the same time, Kejriwal and the team can put their energy in planning for Lok Sabha elections, getting the right candidates etc. So, what is wrong? If a good thing can get bigger, all the more better.

The "I" in "Me"

For a long time I have struggled with one question - "Who is the "I" in "Me"? My brain, thru' the exclusion principle, had reasoned that it itself, that is my brain itself, must be the "I", since it is the store house of my thoughts and my thoughts is what makes me who I am. I was comfortable with that idea, since it seemed rational, however, I was not comfortable for long. If that is all that is there to be known, if that is the ultimate truth, I should have been at peace with myself. As I had reasoned, knowing the ultimate truth will bring me peace, it will make me calm, it will quench my thirst, my brain will quieten down. Well, I was nowhere close and still ain't.

Hindu philosophy offers another explanation. It says, "I" is the atman. Atman is not any part of the body, not even brain.  It further says, it is not possible to know the "I" thru brain. An analogy to explain it more vividly - one does not need any light to see the sun, sun is seen in its own light, similarly, one does not need brain to see "I" the atman. Seeing atman is like self awakening. Seeing in this case, ofcourse,  is not the seeing thru' eye, it is to know, to experience, to awaken, to become self aware, to realize that "I" is different from the body and "I" is the only constant, hence it is the only truth.

Question is how to get to this "I" in "Me". Hindu philosophy says, you get there thru' guru. Guru, it says, is the only way.

The key takeaway for me has been that brain is not the way to get to "I". All this while I have been thinking that brain/intellect could be a way to get to the "I" in "Me". It was a revelation to me, when I heard what the Upanishad's say, that this is an independent path.

Let there be Million Indias but No Hungry Child in One India

Huston we have a problem! However, this one is not for Huston to resolve.  It is a Himalayan problem, that we, the dweller in the shadows of Himalayas, have to comprehend, come to terms with and fix.

The problem is "Unity in Diversity". I expect a question, why is that a problem, is that not a virtue? Exactly, that is what we have been told and taught all thru' our school, and is now ingrained in our brains. We are a land of diverse cultures, multiple languages, different faiths, blah blah blah and yet we are united. Really? Common, really?

Even at the height of India's dominance of the world (at that time India controlled approximately 33% of World's GDP), India was not the geographical India as we know it today. India was multiple independently ruled states that stretched from Indian Ocean in the south, to Himalayas in the north, and from today's Afghanistan on the west, to today's Bangladesh on the east. That kind of independent states structure did two things to our region (if I were to call India as a region rather than a country)

a) it brought a lot of prosperity to individual states, within this region, and the region as a whole.

b) From time to time it allowed external forces to invade this region and loot the wealth, since individual states were not all very militarily strong, and sometimes played one against the other, ultimately leading to Britishers subjugating the entire region.

So, what is the take away from history?

a) By uniting we have solved the problem of security, we are a much more secure region, that can not be subjugated in bits ad pieces, as was possible earlier, when the region was divided

b) Uniting these diverse parts, means we are living a common minimum program. Which essentially means, we as a united nation, only do those things, run those programs, that are acceptable to all.  In a setup where there are diverse set of cultures and creeds and faiths and different development levels, you know what happens, there is very less that come out as common, and lot of good things of different geographical areas, cultures, faiths are left out, since they are not acceptable to others. So, what has it done to the region? Well, it has left us with sub optimal growth. It has wasted multiple generations in this region. It has spread poverty equally!

It wont be an exaggeration, if I were to say,  we are not united, we are bound together. We have tied our hands and feet to each other so that all of us can sink together!

What we must do. We must overhaul our federal structure. Make each state autonomous. In the new structure, center should have control over only three things - Defense, Foreign Relations and Monetary Policy for the region's currency, everything else should be run by the States. Each State must choose its Prime Minister, these Prime Ministers can then choose a President for the entire nation. With a center that is only responsible for Defence, Foreign Relations and Monetary Policy, the buck will securely be with the respective States so as far as development and growth is concerned. Let there be no ambiguity in who is responsible for children going to bed hungry.