The Red Anachronism

"The soul of India lives in its villages", quoting our Nation's Old Man. And this story too begins in one of India's villages, Naxalbari. A popular peasant uprising brought this quiet village near the Nepalese border into the limelight. It started off as a protest against the rampant feudalism prevelant in the area. A catharsis of sorts that did not end then and there. Certain 'revolutionaries' like Charu Majumdar, inspired by Mao's 'success' in China and with their own outdated sense of Communist idealism, decided to take it further and formulated the ideology for the Naxalite movement as we know it today. They denounced the mainstream Indian Communist parties for swearing loyalty to the Indian Constitution and Union.

Contrary to popular perception,in History it has always been the Bourgeois who have fueled the famous Revolutions and propelled the lower masses against the rich. The Bourgeois used the poorer classes to further their own ambitions which were being restrained by the upper classes (This is pointed out by Paul Colinvaux in his book The Fates of Nations: A Biological Theory of History). Lenin who spearheaded the Russian Revolution was not a labourer, but a lawyer born to Russian academicians. The Chinese Revolutionary, Mao Zedong,a son of a wealthy farmer was also educated. Similarly the Naxalite movement's 'brain' is derived from among the educated urban Indians, disillusioned with the Indian Bureaucratic setup. This brain is instigating the underprivileged masses who form the 'backbone' of the movement to challenge the diseased Indian bureaucracy.

The movement has now spread virally across vast swathes of India. Stretching from the Nepalese border to Karnataka, they control a bulk of India's forests. They mount frequent attacks on Government establishments in the villages and ambush the convoys passing through 'their' territory. This has crippled the Govt's ability to react to this Red menace. The police are not adequately funded and supported. This problem continually haunts us and has claimed so many lives in the Mumbai attack and also in this case. No one but successive Indian governments are to blame. By turning a blind eye to corruption and neglecting the development of the tribals, they have and are continuing to help justify the Naxalite movement. Salwa Judum and other face-saving initiatives are desperate measures which are not yielding any significant results. At the heart of the problem is the economic disparity between the India seen in the 'India Shining' campaigns and Rural India. But the question remains, are the tribals and peasants better off under the Maoists? Have they achieved even marginal improvement in standards of living?

From an economic perspective, the Industry is unable to tap the potential of these Forests and mineral-rich lands, courtesy the naxals. The Government could use these to further the development of the tribals and lower classes by providing employment and funds.From an international perspective, this comes at a time when India is strongly pushing itself as one of the World's Superpowers and an important player in the South-Asian region.

The Government must adopt a two pronged strategy of (1)adopting a time-bound program for alleviating the poverty and provide the basic needs of the affected masses(2) Step up the pressure by adopting a more hard-line stance and deploying more troops (and if need be, the Armed Forces). This is not the time for haggling whether its a problem of the States or the Centre. Stop passing the baton. Its a question of maintaining Sovereignty. The Central Government should take the pivotal role and co-ordinate with the local governments, and strike down this violent uprising. The Prime minister recently appealed to the Naxalites to drop their guns and approach the problem in a democratic way by contesting the elections. Jokes apart,on a more serious note, will the Naxalites so easily bow down to the very system that they are vehemently opposing? They have to be coerced into submission in order to that. The Naxalites cannot aim to achieve anything phenomenal by opposing India militarily. Its only a matter of time before their movement will collapse. All it takes is the will of the Central Government to act strongly and reclaim the trust that it has to lost among the citizens who form the backbone of the movement. But when will this happen is the question. The real losers ultimately are the peasants and tribals who do not stand to gain anything from this conflict. These are Rebels with a cause, albeit a losing one.

Damnation

A sunny day in Jerusalem. Benjamin Menasseh is taking his usual stroll in the streets of the Old City. He hears the barking of dogs around the corner and notices two dog-catchers running past him. They trap the stray mutts and drag them away to a waiting van. Mr. Benjamin makes a grimace. It brings back those horrid memories which he has been trying to forget. German soldiers marching the Jews out of the Ghettoes into those dirty trains bound for Auschwitz, Sobibor and other hellish camps. The countless innocents who died as guinea pigs in the mad Nazi experiments. The intolerable humiliation and pain inflicted upon his people. ‘How could a rational human subject another to such mindless torture?’ he wonders. He and his people have come a long way since then. They have settled the Promised Land and displaced the resident Arabs. Benjamin contemplates this over some Cappuccino at a roadside cafe.

“...Nobody living can ever stop me,
As I go walking that freedom highway;
Nobody living can ever make me turn back
This land was made for you and me..”

Meanwhile in another part of the City, Abdel Ahmed Yassin prepares Mohammed Arafat for the mission. Yassin repeats the instructions and promises Arafat that his family would be protected financially. He reminds him that 72 maidens await him at Paradise.

“..So as you read this know my friends
I'd love to stay with you all
Please smile, smile when you think about me
My body's gone that's all..

..These are the last words,
I'll ever speak, And they'll set me free...”

72 hrs ago, Arafat was a successful shop-keeper until the Gaza bombings rendered him both jobless and homeless. He was forced to beg and scavenge to feed the hungry mouths. Unable to continue this life on the road, he broke down and tears rolled down his cheeks. He owned a small piece of land in the Gaza Strip. So did his father and grandfather before him. What right did these Zionists have to claim it as their own? They cannot possibly expropriate this land just because their ancestors used to occupy it a millennium ago, could they? The Jews suffered injustice at the hands of a fanatical anti-Semite. But that does not justify their treatment of the hapless Palestinians. The train of thoughts came crashing on Arafat. He could not endure the inexorable aggression and trespassing of the Zealots. His people did not possess the advanced killing machines that the Jewish state employed. Nor did they have Uncle Sam’s backing. They were refugees expelled from their motherland and unwelcome in the neighbouring nations. The international peace conferences were but a farce conjured by Israel. He was forced to resort to the one thing that irks any organised form of society: Terrorism. ‘Strike at the enemy’s heart and instil a constant sense of insecurity in the minds of the common people.’ Arafat enlisted in one of the numerous Martyr Brigades.

“..So there's problems in your life
that’s fucked up, but you're not blind
you’re just see through faded, overrated
and out of your mind... “

“..Nobody wants him, He just stares at the world, planning his vengeance
That he will soon unfold...”

Pierre Delacroix, a freelance photographer by profession, a Catholic by birth, a rationalist by thought is on his maiden visit to the Holy City. Even after visiting the holiest of the holy places, he is not able to come to terms with the fact that people were dying on a daily basis over this small piece of land. He blames the British for the present turbulence in the region. He accuses the Brits of always dividing the people of a nation before granting independence. Israel and Palestine. India and Pakistan. He comes to the conclusion that Jerusalem is a city of endless and selfless sacrifice where the citizens subordinate their interests in an ardent pursuit of the greater cause which they believe is the ‘right’ path.

“...They fire off many shots or many parting blows,

Their actions beyond a reasoning, only god would know, And as he lies in heaven or it could be in hell

I feel he's somewhere here or looking from below, But I don't know, I don't know...”

Pierre stops at a roadside cafe and not finding any free table takes up a seat opposite a short, balding man wearing a yarmulke. Being a loquacious person by nature, he strikes up a conversation with the Jew, named Benjamin Menasseh. The Holocaust survivor shares his experiences with the Frenchman. He listens to Pierre’s rationalist arguments, but is slightly troubled at the sight of a tall bespectacled Arab with unkempt hair approaching them. The source of Benjamin’s trepidation is the blank look on the Arab’s face. A dead man walking.

“...Might be waiting for someone
Might be there for us to see
Might be in need of talking
Might be staring directly at me...”

Arafat arrives at the cafe. He surveys the scene and is satisfied that the cafe is packed as usual. He approaches the nearest table and interrupts the conversation between an old man and a photographer. He opens his jacket to reveal a pack of explosives. Arafat stares at the pale faces filled with terror. Beads of sweat trickle down his forehead and his aquiline nose. He can barely hear the screams of the people. He prays to God, thinks of his family and pushes the detonator.

A blinding flash of light.

“..We are not the sons of God
we are not his chosen people now...”

“..Out of the darkness, brighter than a thousand suns...Holy Father we have sinned”

( Article submitted for review/publication in Vitruvian 2010)

Bekal Fort & Sita Falls

Bekal Fort : A picturesque tourist spot close to Kasargod in Mallu-Land. Its about 4hrs from Surathkal by bus. Disembark at Kasargod Bus Station and take another to Bekal. There isnt much that the place offers except for the remnants of a medieval fort and some photosnapping opportunity. There is a nice beach about 1 km from the fort. The water is saline enough for anyone to float in it. Ideal for ,say, a wing trip ( about 10 fellows).

Here are some pics : http://www.flickr.com/photos/37915201@N08/sets/72157622298812035/

Sita Falls : A waterfall nestled in the Western Ghats. Ideal for Class trips and has been shagged on by successive NIT-K Batches.Hobby photographers will be forced to take people-pics although they would prefer otherwise.There is a short trek involved. There are two paths in the wood, one being the less traveled and for the more intrepid. Frost-ian. The water is cool and therapeutic. The right time to go there would be when the dog days settle in. That way one can avoid leeches and other risks associated with trekking in the monsoon season.

Here are the obligatory snaps :http://www.flickr.com/photos/37915201@N08/sets/72157623318306168/

Ootacamund

Here are some snaps from the Ooty trip at the beginning of the long vacations.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/37915201@N08/

The Summer of '09: Part-2

Three months of holidays gave me quite some time to rejuvenate the long lost habit of reading( Thanks to DC++).

1. "Enemy" by Lee Child : A classic American thriller by a Brit author. Fast paced.

2. "Freakonomics" : Refreshingly different. Managed to obtain this book through one of the numerous acquaintances made at HAL.

3. "The Collected Short Stories" - Roald Dahl : Dark Humour packed with brilliant twists.

4. "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson : Very informative and at the same time not boring.

5. "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell : The book itself itself is an Outlier. A class apart. Leaves you in an introspective mood at the end of it.

6. "Hitman" by Garth Ennis : Unlike the macho Punisher, Tommy is quite vulnerable. Lots of references to cult movies. Fun stuff. I felt the ending was quite lame though.

The Summer of '09: Part-1

Sophomore year ends.Three months of holidays.No plans. Regrettable.

Sad but True.

Although it was quite late already, I tried to land a project in IISc and paid a visit to the lush,beautiful campus. IISc is truly a sylvan paradise which houses some of the most brilliant scientific minds of our nation. And then there are these undergraduates who swarm this place every summer. Literally a plague of locusts. Anyways, I found a cool professor who was willing to let me in. He did hint at my lack of knowledge in the field he was working on. So, i decided to put the IISc idea to rest and try something different.

I volunteered at a non profit organization that works to improve civic literacy and increase citizen participation in the local government. To get a feel of what they do, i studied their various initiatives for a few weeks. I also managed to get an article on Namma Metro published in their Bi-monthly Newsletter.

And then, Industrial Training at Aircrafts Division,HAL.This was an Undergraduate course requirement. I spent roughly a month at this place and divided my time between the Electrical Looms Shop, Final Assembly and Aircraft Equipping. More of Mech Engg and less of Electrical. Anyways, I learnt the basics of Aerodynamics, Hydraulics and an overview of Aircraft Production. It gave me an opportunity to observe and experience stuff that is normally out of reach for the general masses except at shows like Aero India. Walking on the wings of the last production Jaguar was really a thrilling experience. Apart from the Jaguar, I also got to view the Hawk Mk-132,Tejas,IJT,Lakshya and Kiran from up close. Sadly no cameras to capture these once in a lifetime moments. National Security. Understandable. Apart from that, the work culture is no different from that in any other Government supported Industries.

Multiple Personality Disorder

‘Hello, I am Jennifer calling from Houston, Texas’. So says Shreya Rao (Some arbit name. No references implied) every now and then, with an almost perfect American accent.

No points for guessing where she works. A Call Centre.

Many foreign business organizations have shifted their front office tasks such as customer services and back office tasks like accounting to places like India, the Philippines etc. The reason from their point of view is quite obvious and rational. The operating costs become lesser because the fixed employee salaries are transformed into variable costs (considering the fact that many of these BPOs offer wage per service). It is also partly plausible from the Indian call centre workers point of view considering they get quite a good pay with respect to Indian standards.

But there is a dark side to this arrangement that looks deceivingly symbiotic. This system largely exploits the call centre workers. Many of these services require the employees to use pronunciations that differ remarkably from their natural accent. Initially these employees undergo intensive training in which they are taught to mimic American pronunciations and are given an introduction to American culture and thinking. The trainees are told to think and talk like Americans. In other words they come to possess this dual identity. This is to give the American customer a feeling that they are talking to someone from the parent company without knowing that their call has been outsourced! This gives a really bad impression about Indians in general when the customer finds out that Jennifer from Houston is actually Shreya Rao who hasn’t even been to the US. Many of these employees tend to fall under false impressions regarding the American Dream. They change their own lifestyle to adapt to their jobs. Some even think its ‘cool’.

Hard to blame them. Some of them are from poor families for whom they are the only bread winners. These are side-effects of a rapidly globalizing world. These workers might be increasing the revenue of the companies, but they are hardly making any contribution to the Indian system.