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??

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.

Poor Ganesha...

Come September, it is time for the festival of the first of Gods – Vinayaka. Vinayaka, Ganesha, Vignesh, Ganapathi, so on and so forth, his names are numerous. And for the record, I refuse to prefix Ganesha’s name with a “Lord”, he is not a knight of the British empire for God’s sake! And I am pretty sure he is happy with devotion with which we address him rather than a fanciful title.

Ganesha, is the first deity to be invoked before one commences any task – enterprise, travel, studies, wedding, religious ceremonies. But for all that, he is the most unassuming of all the Hindu Gods. From the most magnificient of temples to the most humble of adobes, Ganesha is happy to grace every nook and cranny and bless every soul and scrap. He is probably the only one of India’s multitude of deities who literally does justice to the adjective “omnipresent”. For his special day, he doesn’t demand elaborate rituals and festive food. He relishes kolukattai of course, but apart from that, he hardly demands anything. Simple prasad and a regular aarti is enough to please him on Vinayaka Chaturthi.

The unadulterated Vinayaka Chaturthi of, say, a decade back, meant simplistic devotion, good food and fun. Ganesha idols in sizes ranging from fit-in-a-child’s-palm to magnificient 10 foot-high statues, that reflected the might of the elephant god, adorned homes and streets. A handful of clay or turmeric moulded into a conical shape and adorned with sindoor sufficed for an idol in homes.

The festival of Vinayaka Chaturthi in its present form was conceived by Balagangadhar Tilak to promote unity and harmony through worship and cultural fanfare. He advocated setting up of Vinayaka idols in public places and community worship. Vinayaka statues made from clay, representative of nature, was to grace the occasion for a few days and then be submerged in water, to be returned to nature, thus symbolifying the cycle of birth and death and oneness with nature. And for people with a scientific bent of mind, an analogy to the law of conservation of mass or conservation of energy, can be drawn. In Vinayaka's benevolent smiling presence, cultural programmes would be conducted to bring together the masses and provide a respite from the monotony of life. It was very similar to the temple festivals celebrated once a year in almost all temples. The temple festivals fell at different times and had elaborate rituals, and not everyone was involved in organising them. Vinayaka Chathurthi was to unite people in worship and friendship all over India at the same time. As Vinayaka would go back to blend into nature at visargan, chants of "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Pudhachya Varshi Laukar ya" meaning "Come back soon next year", rent the air.

The simple charm of the festival is now lost, it has deteriorated to a divisive affair that divides people and neighbourhoods into competing entities, rather than bringing them together. The simple festivities have deformed into a gaudy affair of blaring music and vulgar dancing.

Ganapathi idols prop up every few feet, all over Bengalooru. This is no sign of great devotion, people want to have their "own" idols. Neighbours refuse to mingle and for every few houses have their own pandal. And there are, of course, groups of individuals forming umpteen number of "youth" organisations. They put up banners a month ahead "welcoming"(?!?!) people to the Vinayaka Chaturthi festivities. Then comes Vinayaka Chaturthi, and therein lies the irony - there is no Ganapathi idol yet. OK, there are many, but some of these "welcoming" youth groups have not set up their idols yet. Wondering why? Well, even if you put up idols every few feet, there are only so many idols you can put up simultaneously. So, Ganapathi comes in installments, or phases, or... well, I don't know to phrase it. He keeps coming for another month. As one Ganapathi goes for visargan another takes his place.

Each idol stays in place 2-3 days, loudspeakers blare music, music like, to give an example, "Ava enna enna thedi vantha anjala..". No offense to the song, I like it as well. But I am not very sure, that is Ganapathi's favourite slokha. Idols come up next to wine shops. Very convenient, I guess, for people to raise a toast to Ganapathi. And if the presence of Ganapathi in the pandal coincides with a weekends, god forbid!

OK, take the Ganapathis present in their respective pandals on Chathurthi day, does anyone feel like going to the pandal and praying there? There is rarely a priest and often no devotees, there are only the "youth" organisation members. You are foolhardy, if not plain brainless, if you step up to pray there. As Ganapathi leaves for the visargan, he is not sent off with dignity either. The vulgar music reaches a crescendo and drunken dancing holds forth. I am pretty sure he is glad to leave and does not anticipate with pleasure, returning next year. This goes on and on for a month after the chaturthi.

And to make things worse, these idols are made of plaster of paris and coated with synthetic paints that are unsoluble in water and toxic. Atleast on that front, the government's efforts seem to be making some headway. It is estimated that about 50% of the idols this year were made of clay and used environment friendly paints.

All said and done, it cannot be denied that there are some bright spots. In the Ganapathi temple in our neighbourhood, Ganesh Chaturthi festivities were conducted in traditional fashion. Ganesha made his appearance a day before Chaturthi. The priest did the puja everyday. Two days after Vinayaka Chathurthi, the procession took place heralded by folk dancers and drummers. It was a sight to behold indeed.