Help Kerala, save Himachal

                     

Kerala  is in tatters. This beautiful, verdant southern state – aptly called “God’s own country” – has been devastated by the ‘monsoon 2018’ heaping heart-rending misery, death and destruction upon its people. Known for its tranquil and soothing backwaters, charming tourist locales such as Wynad and Munnar, visiting Kerala and savouring its multiple delights is every Indian’s (as well as foreign traveller’s) dream…no less of us- the landlocked northerners. Therefore, it is painful to see the coconut/palm-tree studded lush green landscape of Kerala having turned into such an ugly watery mass:  broken roads, shattered bridges, submerged houses, fallen trees, tormented and scarcity-stricken, desperate people huddled on roof tops struggling to just survive. The visuals of   gushing rivers of flood waters destroying everything coming in the way send a chill of horror down the spine. What a deluge! What a sorry spectacle! And now as the flood waters subside, the frightening spectre of disease and more deaths stares the affected people in the face with venomous snakes (and even a crocodile) having sneaked into rooms, kitchens and wash basins.  At the same time hats off to the intrepid and self-less men and women who ventured out to  save lives; our brave men in uniform who risked lives in daring rescue operations; also that sensitive Tamil girl who donated her entire 3-year savings (kept for buying a bicycle) for Kerala relief. Such noble gestures, small though they may look, help us have our dwindling faith in the intrinsic goodness of humankind restored.

But the question is who is responsible for Kerala’s present misery and destruction? Monsoons visit us year after year. Why has the catastrophe been so huge, so mind-boggling? And the loss of life and property so astronomically high? The answer is simple and obvious: human greed and intervention; our senseless fiddling with nature.

Not that I say this as just a sweeping remark. All environmentalists are unanimous. A man of the eminence of Madhav Gadgil, one of India’s most outstanding ecologists (formerly at the IIS, Bengaluru), says it in no uncertain terms. The Western Ghats Ecology Expert Panel (WGEEP) that he was head of, submitted its report in 2011. It said that several areas in Kerala which come under the Western Ghats are ecologically sensitive and needed careful preservation. The report recommended strict curbs on illegal mining, constructions and quarrying. The government – as governments always do – dumped the report and went on its rampaging ways. Illegal constructions on river beds went on as before… so did mining… so did stone quarrying.  It is a man-made disaster, he says. Rains have been intense this time, no doubt. Such rains have occurred before too. But increasing human interventions have aggravated the loss, misery and the calamity. He asserts that if the governments simply follow the laws on land-use that are already in the law books and not flout them as they do, his report would automatically stand implemented. But then what will happen to the politician-bureaucrat-contractor nexus? They have to get rich quick. They have to line their own pockets and the politicians have to fill the party's coffers, in addition. Otherwise how will the next elections be won without bribing and buying the voters? You need bagfuls of cash and goodies for that. And this vicious cycle of corrution and greed goes on and on. Who cares for the environment, the costs, and human misery?

Well, while sad and bad it all is, now we need to rise and back up our beloved emerald state in this hour of suffering and loss. Let’s therefore - like that large-hearted Tamil girl - contribute generously and help Kerala recover and regain its old grandeur and charm. And I don’t understand why all this fuss about accepting aid from other countries and good Samaritans. Countries and individuals must learn to stand together in reaching out to those in distress. So, hell, no politics please.

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Also, what Kerala is in our South India, Himachal is in the North:  for its rich and unique biodiversity as well as for its beauty. Let’s learn a lesson or two from Kerala. Let’s not repeat those mistakes. Let’s not promote and support illegal, unauthorized constructions. The HP Government must not subvert/bypass laws (to appease construction lobbies) - laws against land-use violations, mining and quarrying. It must not succumb to any pressure to allow change of land use for commercial purposes in sensitive, ecologically fragile parts of Himachal. It must not let the hills be cut amd dynamited in unscientific manner leading to disastrous consequences as we saw this monsoon. Shri Jai Ram Thakur ji, you are our hope. You must please deliver on the environmental front too.  Madhav Gadgil says it is Kerala now, Goa will be next. Let Himachal not follow suit.

                                  Vajpayeeji...you will live on                       

Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tall stature dwarfs us all.  On top I am too aam an aadmi to even attempt to write an ode to him. Like you all, I can only mourn the loss and watch spell-bound the images of his life’s great journey on the TV screen hopping from one channel to another.  And the more we see, read and hear, the more dwarfed and wonderstruck we feel by the persona of this statesman standing so tall against the current breed of bickering, squabbling, nitpicking and shallow politicians. Saddled with heavy responsibilities of public offices that he held, he could still laugh off his worries. The bitterest of his foes he could disarm and flatten with a heart-tugging poetic barb, a philosophic riposte or a pithy phrase laced with idealism. And who can forget that winsome smile of his, the thoughtful pauses when he spoke, followed by a sudden jerk of head and the hand rising up in a lofty flourish as the audience held its breath? What then followed was some sparkling oratorical gem from his silver-tongued mouth to a thunderous applause. He was a poet-philosopher- statesman of the rarest kind. The responsibilities of his office never let his wit and sense of humour die; nor that endearing impishness of a child. He was larger than life.

I recall a small story about him dating back to the time of Janata party government.  He was with Moraji Desai the then PM, as External Affairs minister. The PM was addressing an Indian diaspora in the USA. A strict puritan, Mr Desai was expounding on the virtues of abstinence from alcohol and all that stuff to a rather bored audience. After PM’s address as the duo started to leave, Vajpayee ji turned back to the hall, winked and with a grin muttered: “Khao or piyo.” The gathering was in splits as it clapped lustily.

I heard him speak way back in the late 70s or early 80s…I don’t exactly remember, when he came to Palampur. The small ground behind the old Palampur was jam-packed and overflowing with people. I could just catch an occasional glimpse as I stood watching from a long distance. The flavour and the magic spell cast by his speech laced with wit, humour, idealistic fervour, deft poetic and philosophical touches is still fresh in my mindscape. It will live on. And so will this colossus of a man in my heart…nay, in OUR hearts and minds.

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             तप रही है धरती, जल रहे जंगल कहीं, कहीं आ रहे भीषण तूफान,

             कहीं बाढ़ें, कहीं दरकते पहाड़, गिरते पत्थर ले रहे लोगों की जान I

             अगर मिल के प्रयत्न नहीं करेगा दुनिया का हर इक इंसान,

             तो नष्टभ्रष्ट हो जाएगा सब कुछ, और  कोसेगा हम सबको भगवान I

     Will humankind annihilate itself ?             

               

Our beautiful blue planet is turning into a hothouse like never before. Japan’s Tokyo registered a high of 40 degrees Celsius and more this summer killing 125 people. South Korea has been seething and sizzling under unusually high temperatures. Almost all of Europe is writhing with highest ever levels of mercury this hot season. California in the US of A has had 18 wildfires causing large scale destruction. The fires around Athens caused 91 deaths just a week back. Smog engulfs most cities of India and China most often, endangering health and lives of people. The destruction wreaked by floods is rising every year. Crops are failing and wilting under high temperatures and dengue and malaria are extending their reach to hitherto unaffected parts of the country including our own hill state. With green cover ever on the decline, hills being unscientifically cut and rivers being mined, landslides and floods have become ever more common and massive. Big boulders are tumbling down the fragile hill slopes  hitting moving or standing vehicles and killing people. Just this week  Kinnaur suffered a devastating land slide reminding us of Kotrupi last year. And several Kotrupis, big or small are happening and more still are waiting to happen. Three years back the Paris meet decided to bring down the carbon levels to 2 degrees Celsius below the pre-industrial levels. Have we? No. In fact the coal consumption has increased post Paris talks. Coal is the dirtiest fuel yet India’s growing economy consumes 80 % coal alone for its factories.

Who is to blame? Of course Britain and the rest of Europe to the largest extent. Europe led by Britain used coal to fire up their furnaces during the Industrial Revolution of the 19^th century, and got rich. Now when India, China and other developing countries are using cheap but dirty fossil fuels to ameliorate poverty, they are crying hoarse. Yes crying hoarse and even arm-twisitng the developing countries, but when it comes to helping them by making available cheaper technologies for reaping solar and wind power and providing funds for the switch over, they are looking the other way. Trump has already dumped the Paris pact. And as things now stand, the declared targets have not been met and pious proclamations have been honoured more in breach than in execution.

An article in The Economist (August 2 issue) titled ‘The world is losing the war against climate change’ is an eye opener. It says that in 2017 the demand for coal in fact rose (rather than diminish) for the first time in four years. Subsidies in solar and wind power generation have declined and investment has stalled. The global temperatures have risen and not fallen- bringing them to 2 degrees Celsius below the pre-industrial levels is a far cry. “Mankind”, it says, “is in fact losing the war.”

Happily, there is now a rapidly growing awareness in the people across the world of the precarious condition of this earth.  68 per cent of people in 38 countries according to The Economist perceive global warming as a major threat second only to the Islamic State inspired terrorism. In America most of the states have dumped Trump and are in favour of the Paris deal and enforcing ‘green’ measures. The problem is not just political inertia. There are powerful lobbies of oil-producing countries and oil companies who have a tremendous clout to prevent the switch over to ‘green’ fuels. Electric cars are being produced and run in larger numbers than before, so are the cycles, but a lot, lot more needs to be done. It needs to be realized that the switch-over is a win-win situation for all. It may cause financial loss in the short-term but the long-term gains would be great both in terms of economy and reduction in environmental costs which are mounting each passing day.

I don’t want to sound alarmist. But time has come when all citizens of the world must unite and fill the streets of New York, London, Paris, Delhi and Beijing and rend the skies with shouts to stir the politicians out of their complacency. We are already late. Let’s save our planet…and thus save ourselves.

                             

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Some stray  musings post Football World Cup from this dreamy, utopian fellow

On the  platter this week for you dear reader-friends to share and swallow!

     Musings post Football World Cup  
                

The catchy headline post FIFA football World Cup final said it all: ‘France won the cup but Croatia won the hearts’. Croatia, we all know, is a tiny East European country but made it a cracker of a match against the formidable France. Croatia’s debonair lady President Kolinda Graber-Kitarovic’ did her own bit in keeping the team upbeat. She shed the trappings of her high office and false ego (unlike our politicians), spared time, watched Croatia matches and supported her team to the hilt. It was indeed a pleasant sight to see her meeting her country’s players, hugging them and boosting their morale with her pep talk and that winsome grin of hers. With such a President to back them, the Croatian team played all its matches with gusto displaying great fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude. And when France won the final, there was not the least trace of dismay on the President’s face and she met and embraced the French players too with equal warmth and cheer, displaying sagacity, grace and a true sportsperson spirit. The world needs more such leaders.

And what about Russia: the host country? Weren’t Russians – women in particular – outstanding as hosts? A spirit of festivity and excitement that ran through the streets and the venues where matches were being played, could be felt and even smelled through the TV screens. The jubilant cricket-crazy fans that had converged on Russia from all parts of the globe had a whale of a time. Shedding all inhibitions, Russians let their hair down, mingled with the visitors, and befriended them to celebrate this great world sports event…so much so that the Russian government got worried  about steep rise in possible pregnancies among the Russian women post the event! I always thought Russia's (under Communist dispensation) to be a closed, insular society like ours- though we are a democracy. But post this event I have had to revise my opinion about them: generally speaking, they are vibrant, open-minded and jovial, and not sexual hypocrites (as well as  prudes and perverts) like us.

                                         

Likewise, the way the Croatian men and women celebrated their quarterfinal match on the Russian streets had to be seen to be believed. The steamy images that a dear friend of mine shared with me on WhatsApp took my breath away, shot up my adrenaline and sent my heart racing! That’s what free human spirit is and should be all about, I thought with a chuckle.

Sports events are great unifiers. They bring people together. They help nations and communities rise above petty and dirty political games. They help us rise above the parochial considerations of caste, race, community, religion that our incorrigible politicians exploit to create fractures and fissures in society and between countries. The world looks like one global village where balmy spirit of joy, rejoicing and mutual good will reigns supreme. These help us dream of a world where there are no wars, no crimes, no violence, no hatred, no injustices, no disparities.

I wish there were more such events and the world learns to live in peace to celebrate nothing but the wonder and magic of life and of free human spirit. But what a silly, impossible and utopian dream I dream. Alas!

Anyway, hats off to France the winner and the proud and brave runners-up Croatians; and a big, big hug and a peck on the cheek to their charming President; and not the least, a flying kiss to the warm and hospitable Russia!

                                       

                               

              
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