Ignorant or insane?

If there was an article in The Hindu that I had me sputtering in shock and disbelief, it was this article in today’s Metro Plus titled “Peddle Power”. If you have not read the actual article, power politics, media-politics nexus or something on those lines will probably cross your mind.

You are totally off the mark my friend. The “Peddle” was supposed to be “Pedal” actually. We are talking environment conservation here. Wonder how? Cycle rickshaws! I can hear your “huh” now. Not my idea folks. I will be at a psychiatric ward before I come up with such an idea. This is the wonderful idea that purportedly won Ms. Nicole Faria the title of Miss Earth 2010.

Ms. Faria’s reasoning behind the fabulous idea – cycle rickshaws save fossil fuels and provide employment. And oh! I forgot, they come cheap plus we also get entertainment and tourism guidance as an add-on by way of chatting with the rickshaw-puller. Can you understand my shock now?

One human hauling another manually is nothing short of slavery and servitude. I know there exist other forms of exploitation in the world today. But atleast slavery is something we got rid off, and way back in the 19^th century for that matter. And here we are instead of working on getting rid of the other evils, talking of getting one back on board. Yes, we still have the cycle-rickshaws in some parts of our country and that is very sad. And efforts are on in various quarters to do get rid of the practice.

How can one get away with such a statement? And get awarded the Miss Earth for that! God Forbid! Where are our Human Rights Organisations now? Are governments the only ones who will be condemned for human rights violations?

Almost as an afterthought, there is a mention of bicycle-renting(or I think that is what she meant) Bicycles and cycle rickshaws are galaxies apart, one noble and the other deplorable. Does she even know the difference? I don’t know what to think.

The Hindu of all newspapers published this “interview”. And made a headline out of that statement and spelt it wrong too! Please, not The Hindu too, going down the drain L

As I started writing this, I google’d for “Nicole Faria on cycle rickshaws” and noted with even more shock(if that is possible) that quite a few news articles had quoted it. I simply cannot believe it. How can this be? Has everyone lost their head or am I the insane one??

A historic silver lining

In these disturbing times of CWG worries, Ayodhya title-suit tensions, Kashmir troubles, floods and Naxal issues, there appear in the newspapers, once in a while, some heart-warming stories. One has to really burrow deep into the newspapers(and the right newspapers at that) to get to them, but they do exist, however small in proportion. One such stack of news stories that has been building up for sometime now is the news on heritage structures preservation.

We have been infamous for non-conservation of our structures. And what we did rarely in the name of conservation were shoddy jobs that distorted the monuments. What we did in the name of promoting tourism was even worse. Our Archeological Survey of India(ASI) has often been like most other government institutions – lethargic, if not anything worse.

So, it came as a surprise to learn about some really ambitious and well-done projects in archeology and heritage structures in the recent past.

First in the list is the Muzuris project. Muziris is an ancient port on the Malabar Coast that has been mentioned in ancient Tamil scriptures and Roman texts. It was a busy trading port in first century B.C.E. Though numerous speculations abounded, the exact location of Muziris had remained elusive so far. The fact that backwaters and river courses altered over the last two millennia did not help either.

For a long time, speculations on the location of the Muziris port centered around Kodunganallur on the banks of the Periyar River in the coast of Central Kerala. But puzzling lack of archealogical evidence meant Muziris remained mysterious. Careful study by a doctoral scholar in the 1990s threw up evidence of a small village Pattinam possibly being the spot where the flourishing port of Indo-Roman trade once lay. Archealogical evidence presented itself almost immediately and excitement mounted in all quarters. An expert team came together and systematic excavations began in the 2007. Excavations happen every year seasonally(due to the monsoon I guess) and loads of ancient treasures like beads, pottery, coins, etc have been unearthed. Iron age artifacts have also been found providing evidence that Muziris indeed had a long long history before it suddenly vanished one day.

Following the Muziris excavations, the Kerala government has launched the Rs 140-crore Muziris Heritage Project(MHP) which is funded fifty percent by the Central government. MHP covers not only excavations and conservation of the Muziris and its satellite ports, the project aims to pay a tribute and conserve heritage of the maritime history along the Malabar coast with central focus on Muziris.

One of the projects under the MHP is the Chennamangalam Paliyam Palace and Nalukettu mansion conservation project. The palace was built by the Dutch for the Paliyam chief for his help in dislodging the Portuguese. Distinctive Dutch architecture and historic significance of the palace make it an important landmark of the pre-British European colonial conquests on the Arabian coast. After the renovation works, the Palaces will be handed over to the trust that has been maintaining it traditionally to open to public and continue maintenance. This is a good example of practical and sensible public-private partnerships in heritage preservation.

Then coming as an example of social conscience towards preservation of history is the Uttaramerur Kailasanathar Temple renovation. An entirely a private effort led by the REACH foundation, an NGO, villagers and students of IIT Madras, there are several aspects to be praised here. The renovation was by no means a haphazard job and care was taken to preserve the originality of the structure. Scientific techniques of restoration and methods to test the structural strength (courtesy of IIT Madras) were employed. Inscriptions of Chola and Vijayanagara periods have been discovered in the course of the effort. Work over two years has restored the 1200-year-old temple to its former glory.

The latest news is about the most prestigious of India’s international heritage conservation efforts - the Ta Prohm temple conservation project awarded to the ASI. The 12^th Century Ta Prohm is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Angkor Wat region of Cambodia. Though the uniqueness of the temple lies in the interweaving of mammoth stone structures and tropical trees, unbridled growth of the trees will lead to complete demolition of the structure. ASI’s work has recreated some of the damaged parts of the temple, created supports in wood and steel as well as facilities for tourists to walk through safely and view the temple complex. Initial skepticism on ASI’s technical capabilities has been laid to rest with the good work demonstrated so far.

It is true that these heartening news are far and few. And the scale of the efforts is in no way comparable to what is required to preserve the expanse of the rich heritage structures and sites of India. We still have the yellowing façade of the Taj Mahal, decaying Nizam’s wardrobe or the monsoon-damaged Charminar. But these stories are definitely something to be appreciated, definitely feel-good.

Lost & Found - A piece on "Columns"

Note: As I was hunting for something else in my "Writings" folder, I chanced upon this piece titled "Columns" that was quite decent and almost complete. I decided to complete it and post it. But I wasn't able to style my writing and content to sync up with the already present text. So I decided not to mess up the decent piece and post it as it is with just a line or two added to create an illusion of pseudo-completeness. So here it is:

Columns

With regard to columns, I have come a long way from the days I was literally scared of the centre page of the esteemed The Hindu. It was with The Hindu I was introduced to columns, way before I learnt they were called “Columns”. The very look of the columns and opinions page was stern with the cartoon not doing enough to lighten the look and feel of it. I treated it as a drab part of the paper and assumed people rarely read it (which I guess is indeed true with most people).

After a while, I started thinking about why somebody would add a couple of pages to an already bulky newspaper if those pages aren’t read or somehow worthwhile. I was puzzled and tried to read them to figure them out. I was put off more by the content than the language. I did not comprehend the issues being discussed. I reattempted the columns when I went to college. I had no patience for long monologues, and often cynical ones at that, then. I impatiently brushed them off as plain cribbing and whining and again decided they were a waste of print space.

Later, towards the end of my college education as I followed one election campaign closely I got another opportunity to read columns. Having a number of them on the election issues helped me relate to them better and comprehend them easier. I slowly realized they are interpretation of the news and that the columns, political ones, are a vehicle of public opinion. These columns enlighten the public, de-jargonise the statements, budgets, reports, etc. And the columnists being members of the society after all, the varying opinions get voiced and discussed. This was a very significant realization for me.

Columns are probably one of the strongest tools in the media arsenal. Many popular columnists have an almost hero-worshipping following. The columns become a part of people’s life. They discuss the affairs that are close to home. An effective columnist can sensitize the people on issues of public interest and mobilize public opinion.And there are of course columns that are no way related to current affairs, economics or politics - healthy living, pets, gardening, etc. I slowly got to know about these columns as well. The columns on Art, Science, Book Review columns, Sports, etc cater to specific audience. And these put together are probably read by more people than the serious columns.

Columns are not so popular in India as they are in the West. The US print media is all about columns. And here is what I think is the reason. The columns are a way for people to relate to each other. In India, people live in close proximity, they interact with people all through the day –at home, on the way to work, at work, at the children’s school as they pick up at the kids, at the grocer’s, etc. They are in constant contact with the society. They can feel the societal fabric. And they share experiences and exchange thoughts and opinions. An overcrowded bus will spark a discussion on the fuel prices, the Metro rail, traffic woes, latest demands of the transportation workers union, etc. Women exchange recipes and housekeeping tips over lunch. Men discuss Sports while they commute.

In the teeming cities of the US and even the sparse suburbs, where famously people hardly know their neighbours, columns are a way to relate to each other – the reason of columns in every newspaper, local or national.

I digress way too much. This was supposed to be about the significance of columns not an analysis of the popularity of columns. Ok, getting back on track….

Columns can be very educative as the columnists are often from the field they write about and are profoundly knowledgeable on the topic. Yeah, they can be annoyingly opinionated at times but then, that is what they are paid to do :)

With the trend of the Internet Media, the columns have not died down, but they have shot up. Every newsite has numerous columns. But the fact that news stories are hard to distinguish from columns in another thing. Every Blogger is essentially a columnist of the WWW. But with the said explosion of columns, the content has become a little scarce. Nevertheless, the online columns and blogs have the potential to link up and engage educated people in meaningful dialogue that has gone missing from day-to-day life.

After Ratan, who?

The business sections of the newspapers, the general news and the conversations in coffee shops and streets alike are abuzz with discussion on this question – after Ratan Tata, who? Those who are old enough to know, remind us of the early 1990s, when the reign of JRD Tata was coming to an end and the discussion centred around if Ratan Tata will be able to step into the mammoth-sized shoes of JRD.

Ratan’s period at the helm of the Tata Group has been short compared to the reign of Jamshedji and JRD, but he has nevertheless created as deep an impact as his illusory predecessors. Ratan’s quiet demeanour, dignified conduct of himself and his affairs and the able steering of Tata group laid to rest doubts on the little-known Ratan of the 1980s. True to his name, he has both been a gem and a Tata. The most recent example of the dignity with which Ratan Tata held himself and the Tata group is the Nano project at Singur. As his dream project ran into troubled waters stirred by political ambitions, Ratan Tata with a cool head worked out a practical solution to the problem. He focused on his business and refused to be stirred by the political currents swirling around the issue.

In his unique style, he has now stated that ability and not blue blood of any sort will be the consideration deciding upon his successor. The interest in the successor to the Tata group is largely due to the Tatas being a pride of India. People want someone not fancy or flashy, but someone they can trust to carry forward the shining legacy of the Tatas. And one cannot blame people for wanting a Tata to be the successor, for that is the name they have come to trust and love. They are justified in believing the humility, philanthropist mindset and devotion to the motherland that has always set the Tatas apart cannot easily be matched by an outsider. They would very much prefer a Tata groomed with the same qualities in the family to take the baton from Ratan Tata.


Noel Tata, who is touted to be leading the race faces a different scenario from what Ratan faced in 1991. Ratan’s entry was watched with suspicion, even bordering on disdain, while Noel Tata’s possible reign is being welcomed already. After Ratan established his credentials of being an able “Tata” confidence seems abound that a Tata would indeed be the best-suited for the job, and hence Noel Tata would carry forward the legacy well.

All the talk about the search committee doesn’t impress me much or inspire me with great confidence. I would very much prefer Ratan Tata sat down to think and came out with the person best-suited. But the man in question apparently prefers an all-round assessment and discussion of merits/demerits of candidates by more than one head. Frankly, speaking for myself, I am not very happy with the names making the rounds as possible successors – Indra Nooyi, Arun Sarin, etc. I hope it is just a figment of the media's imagination(very limited one at that, at times).

Steering a group as big and diversified as the Tata Sons requires, above all, setting the vision, preparing the ground to some extent and delegating the responsibility to the right man arming him with all necessary authority. And none of the names seem to me that they can create a vision – for a vision here means much more than profit margins and market share. The vision of the Tatas has always been centered on Indian society not just the Tata Sons. And delegation is as important, one should know when to step back and handover charge, for one can do only so much when managing such a diverse range of interests. For instance, someone concentrating on Steel production cannot focus on Chemical business at the same time and do justice to both with ease.

Knowing the right mix of direct and indirect leadership is the key. And I cannot but feel only someone who has firsthand experience with the Tata group can do that effectively.

As for the Parsi question, though Ratan Tata hastened to dismiss that, noone really minds a fellow Parsi succeeding him, for they would look to the Parsi values to guide the successor. And I doubt anyone will actually accuse the Parsi community of wanting to keep the Tata reigns within their community.

All said and done, a head, that is disproportionately small to the large feet to fill the huge shoes, is what will complete the definition of the Captain of the Tata ship.