Religion and Decision Making

When my dear friend narrated the story of his 6-year marriage, I heard him without judging his marriage or the two people in it. Sorry, there are three people in it, and she came in 4.5 years ago, and is now both fulcrum and tug-of-war of the marriage like the Somaskanda murthy. Since I have been single all my life, I neither have the experience nor wisdom of Naradha to give away any free advice or play the role of a counsellor. All I could do was remember him in my prayers and call upon the unknown and unseen force for some intervention, solution and solace. Isn't that the approach to life taught by our elders?

Next morning, I went into my prayer room and stood in front of the pantheon of Hindu gods asking them for help. And as I starred at the pictures frames of Shiva and Parvathi, Vishnu and Mahalakshmi, Ganesh and Karthik, and other incarnations I was reminded of their life stories, which looked like a prelude of many of our lives.

A lazy and chauvinistic uncle (protector) who is in a reclining pose with one of his wives eternally seated by his legs and massaging them, a freak father (destroyer) who is in the company of pot headed followers, while showcasing his hotheaded side when he beheads his first son Ganesh. 

Another four headed uncle (creator) who gives away blank cheques (boons) and then runs for his life. This isn't it, all three of them constantly engage in fights with their wives and curse them to be reborn and atone for their sins before letting them back in. Is it an Ozzy Osbourne family?

 

When you see their next generation you able to agree with the proverb that the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree. The first son takes to emotional bingeing and becomes a poster child for obesity. The second one embroiled in sibling rivalry develops inferiority complex, and flees home before he is found on top of a hill. Eventually when he grows up he follows his father and uncle footsteps engaging in bigamy, while his elder brother remains single may be was affected by his parents marriage? Doesn't this look strikingly similar to children from wealthy and celebrity families, whose parents are trapped in failed marriages?

If this is not a dramatic enough, the reclining uncle engages in a cross dressing act and hotheaded father falls in love with his beauty, while their respective wives are still committed to their spouses and their so called functional marriages. What a debauchery!

Sadly, their incarnations on Earth haven't been any different or better. Born as Rama, the King of Ayodhya, the reclining dude deserted his wife and two children. As Parashurama, he killed his own mother at the behest of his father. Aren't these horrible examples to seek inspiration from?

Despite hearing only one side of the story, I failed to find for words of hope and wisdom to comfort my friend. And as I exited the prayer room, I realized the pantheon of gods to whom I have been religiously praying all these years are good examples of dysfunctional families, tales of bigamy and debauchery, kids and nothing but stories women trapped in domestic violence and bad marriages, etc. and nothing more. 

While religion may have other interpretations to judging their actions, often backed by karma theory, I was definitely convinced not to ask my friend to look towards religion or scriptures for wisdom or decision making. Rolling a die and decision based on the outcome seemed far more logical than asking the question what would Shiva or Vishnu do in this context? Or using them as a inspirational characters who can only provide a sense of false hope.

Rediscovery of Sowkhyam

I had heard his father's last concert in Chennai performed for Brahma Gana Sabha during Chithirai maasam festival at the Music Academy in 1992. Nalinakanthi Mathim in Ragamalika followed by Vilayada Idhu Nerama, Bho Shambo, Misra Sivaranjai thillana were sung at the concert, which after his demise have become the most abused thukkadas among upcoming musicians. This is also the case with many of the gems popularized by MS Subbulakshmi, Madurai Mani Iyer, DK Pattammal, KV Narayanaswami which are used by musicians to establish their equations with rasikas, who are patiently waiting for a reincarnation of these masters.

When Maharajapuram Ramachandran, son of Sangita Kalandhi Maharajapuram Santhanam took the stage this morning at The Music Academy there was no need for him to confine himself to the shadows of his father or render his masterpieces as a way to connect with admirers of his father's music. Instead, Ramachandran focused on showcasing the quality of his music and specially the extended Mandara Sthayi sancharam during Naataikurunji, Lalitha, and Kalyani raga exposition, which is rarely done by musicians today. 

Ramachandran sings at a very comfortable pitch that neither strains his throat nor the listener's ear drums. His saariram travels between the lower and upper octaves without getting caught at the vestibules, despite his sariram. And specially when he travels into the lower octave (keezh Pa and Dha) it is both a soul searching and stirring experience for his audience. 

Adding to his deep and crystal clear voice is the diction, which makes his music look like the fresh flower Brahma Kamal that blooms once in 14 years. Ramachandran has taken over 20 years to evolve his music making the wait worthwhile for his father's longing rasikas.

More musicians should practice and adhere to the sampradaya of Mandarasthayi sancharam during their aalapana and use this as a way to engage with the audience rather than prematurely climax in the Thara sthayi or use the cheap imitation technique of rolling out popular numbers from yesteryears.

Music has the power to end your reincarnation as much as it has the power to make you identify a reincarnation. Our Carnatic Music is a kalpakavriksham, so be wise in making the right wish and choice. 

Soul Stirring to Soul Searching

While some people dearly miss hearing Sudha Raghunathan, TM Krishna, Bombay Jayshree and Vijay Siva this season, I miss listening to Parasala Ponnammal and Late R.K.Srikantan and Kalpagam Swaminathan who even at their ripe age strictly adhered to classicism and performed with so much energy and passion. The only performing artist in this league are Vidushi. Neela Ramgopal and R. Vedavalli, while the later has called off her concerts this season, the former, a sought after teacher is performing only at a few places.   

At Raga Sudha, Neela Maami began the concert with Ritigowlai varnam followed by a sedate Rave Himagiri swarajathi in Thodi and then moved on to sing Devi Thava Pada in Sahana, a rare krithi of Thyagaraja on Devi. Ashwin Anand, a veena artist who played before Neela mami was among the blessed ones to enjoy her exquisite Vachaspathi (Pahi Jaga Janani - Swathi Thirunaal). Nereval at Mohanadaragaatri will ring in my ears for years to come and may be this rendition will stay in AIR archives for another century like the Chennai rain record from 1918.

While missing the  senior brigade in action, I anxiously went in search of youngsters and discovered a fresh crop: Vignesh Ishwar, Venkat Nagarajan, KP Nandini, NJ Nandini, Ashwath Narayanan, DB Ashwin, Akshay Padmanabhan, etc. in whose hands Carnatic music seems to rest safe, at least for now. One other reason for me to hear the new shoots is also because they are devoid of gimmicks, which is often transmutation of arrogance and complacence.

Vignesh's manodharmam in exploring Mukhari at the Music Academy, KP Nandhini's adherence to grammar of an accompanist despite being a vocalist, while playing for Ashwath Narayanan at Mylapore Fine Arts, and Venkat Nagarajan's guru bakthi that came to light when he went bare feet on the street to get an auto for his guru are all litmus test of a kind that exposes the character of the crop.

The morning slots in Music Academy and a few other sabhas also offer a chance for both rasikas and musicians to rediscover and reconnect with each other through music. And that is how I discovered Vidushi. Seetha Narayanan's unhurried and soulful rendition of Charukesi, Devagandhari and Kalyani that brought sowkhyam to both music and listeners just like her Guru Sangita Kalanidhi Dr. S. Ramanathan.

Only Carnatic music has the capability to stir your soul and also make you search your soul. As much as music transforms in the hands of a musician it also transforms the character of the musician. The transformed artist could take on the establishments for the right reasons like TM Krishna, realize their purpose as a responsible teacher and some may even take up a musical instrument to better express their inner call. As a listener, please put aside our prejudice, bias, political leanings and get out there and listen more. And don't be surprised if you get transformed in the process. If you do, pass on the credit to Carnatic Music.

Is it Call of Music or Simply Sangita Kalanidhi?

I drew up a list of duos from the past and present in the Carnatic field and the recognitions received by them. The list made me ask a few basic questions: Is it lucrative to sing as a duo? Do vocalist command more respect and stand to gain more than instrumentalist? What does the Music Academy statistics say about the success of duos and in particular violinist?

1. Alathoor Brothers

2. Radha Jayalakshmi

3. Bombay Sisters

4. Rudrapatnam Brothers

5. Priya Sisters

6. Hyderabad Sisters

7. Hyderabad Brothers

8. Mambalam Sisters

9. Sattur Sisters

10. Malladi Brothers

11. Rajani & Gayathri

12. Carnatica Brothers

13. Trichur Brothers

14. Akkarai Sisters

Surpassingly, only two from the above list of vocalists made it to the lobby of The Music Academy that too after a gap of 45 years. That gives rise to a logical question, should people perform in pair or separately to win the title? Further, analysis shows that vocalists have a higher probability (42/89) of winning the title, only 10 out of 89 have gone to violinists. 

Is it the case of akkaraikku ikkarai pacchai or it driven my economics and statistics? Leaving statistics aside, we see that Ranjani & Gayathri, Akkarai Sisters who began their journey as successful violinist have transformed themselves into popular vocalists. And more recently, solo violinists, Amritha Murali and KP Nandhini have turned into vocalist. 

Let's not forget that Violin Maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman had a fall out with the Music Academy over his Sangita Kalanidhi and was finally cajoled with a Life Time Acchievement Award towards the end of his life. And we've also heard numerous stories of vocalist staging a walk out over the title.Yes, the Sangita Kalanidhi title does create a lot of heart burn among musicians.

Well, Akkarai Sisters rakthiful interpretation of Chalanaatai followed by Yedhaya Gathi seem to give a hint. Nevertheless, Sangita Kalanidhi statistics also confirms that the only sisters to receive Sangita Kalanidhi among instrumentalists are Sikkil Sisters. May be that explains the wapsi trend among violinist.

Is it a true calling to switch rolls or is to win SK? Only the duos can answer.

Trichur Brothers: Soothing and Soulful

Amidst some artists cancelling their Markazhi performances there is an ongoing debate if other performing artists are insensitive to the feelings and sufferings of the public caused due to the recent floods. Looking at the shear number of elders and youngster turning up for the duo's concert, I confirmed there was no relief material that was getting distributed and it was the healing power of music that got them to show up. 

But before I go into details why their music is a drug for some, I would like to ask an open question on their baani. The duo are students of Sangita Kala Acharya PS Narayanaswami like Ranjani Gayathri and many others, but I fail to trace a unique characteristic that best describe PSN baani across all his students. For example: GNB baani is attributed for manodharmam, brigas, fast paced delivery, etc. and this can be seen across MLV, Trichur Ramachandra, Sudha, and Sangeetha. So, what distinctly describes PSN baani? What should I spot across PSN's students?

The young Trichur Brothers, Sri Krishna and Ramkumar appeared tame like the Ganges at ugamasthan (point of origin) as they began the concert with a varnam in Begada. The next item, Rave Himagiri, a swarajathi of Shyama Sastri in Todi rendered with utmost devotion brought upon the same peace from watching Ganges trickle down the peaks of Gangotri.

But shortly with the change in the landscape, the duo revealed their wild side. Their brisk rendition of Siva Siva Yena in Pantuvarali weaving a beautiful pattern of kalpanaswarams transported me to the banks of Rudraprayag, where the two rivers Alakananda and Bagirathi from the peaks of Kedarnath and Badrinath come together. At the point of confluence both rivers give each other their due freedom and when one turns wild the other holds by morphin into a bank and the same quality was spotted among the pair.

Soon arrived Sahana like a gentle breeze on a summer afternoon, which failed to cool down the temperature. Despite taking refuge under a composition of Swathi Thirunaal, Jaya Jaya Rama, the brothers failed to evoke the mood, but quickly connected back with the audience through Garudagamana in Nagaswarali that came with delectable chittaswarams. 

Like humans encroaching upon river banks and flood plains, Sabhas have started to infringe upon artist creativity by trying to restrict performances to under 2hrs. The eldest of the two, Sri Krishna politely asked the organizer if he could take up some extra time before he delved into the contours of Charukesi. The violinist, Mullaivaasal Chandramouli failed to give a fitting response to the brothers by confining himself to the known boundaries of Charukesi. The moment of high came when the famous Vidwan Late TR Subramaniam's pallavi - Maragatha Manimaya Vilasitha Ramayya, Maravatha Guna set Misra Jampai Tisra Gathi was meticulously rendered in various ragams. 

Like the subdued Ganges at Har Ki Pauri in Haridwar, the duo concluded their concert with Varugalaamo, a Gopalakrishna Barathi's composition without taking away the healing properties of Maanji. Haan ji, now we know why elders and youth throng Trichur Brothers concerts. Isn't this the secret of PSN baani?

Interestingly, the artists refrained from using the words Pulayanaai and Parayanai and went with simple substitutes in the Maanji krithi. May be they worried after witnessing what had happened to Anirudh and Simbu recently? Ghatam vidwan DV Venkatasubramaniam was seen idle on the stage during the  130 minutes. Any payment issue or is protesting against intolerance in India?

Sub-Prime, but Scholarly

I don't pay for Carnatic music performances as much as I refrain from hearing prime slot concerts because I believe best music comes free and in sub-prime slots too. This came true this afternoon as I sat back and heard Dr. R. Ganesh, a foremost torch bearer of Sangita Kalanidhi Maharajapuram Santhanam baani.

Ganesh began the post lunch concert with an invocation to Ganesha, Sri Mahaganapathe in Abhogi composed by NS Chidambaram and also added a few rounds of kalapana swaras to warm up his throat, which also pumped in some caffeine to the audience.

When Ganesh rendered Pariyaachakama in Vanaspati, a melakarta and not a unrefined Palm oil, he reminded us of his guru, who not only popularized this krithi, but also had mastered the knack of tying down people with his effortless rendition. Ganesh seemed to have imbibed this aspect from his guru along with the timeless composition.

In the pallavi of the song, Pariyaachakama Ramaa, Padigurilo Pogadinadi, Thyagaraja asks Rama if he seemed like a droll of the shire as he sings praise of Rama at the Town square? Should we take Ganesh's rendition as message to the Music Academy for keeping this proven vidwan in the 1.30 pm slot? Is Ganesh a droll of the shire, why this treatment Music Academy? But this didn't seem to bother Ganesh or affect his music. 

This was the second Thodi I heard after Sunil Gargyan's version 90 mins ago in the same auditorium. But Ganesh's version was equally refreshing and projected his manodharmam, which is why Carnatic music will always stand the test of time irrespective of the venue, paid or unpaid concert or musician. Ganesh's rendition of Sri Krishnan Bhajamaanasa was evocative and responsible. He diligently handled the song bringing out the beauty of the saahityam and raga bhavam. 

Realizing the need for another fast number at this hour, Ganesh rolled out Kantajoodumi in Vachaspati, another melakarta (64), with a delectable nereval at Allanaadu Sowmithri followed by a volley of fast paced kalpanaswarams aptly accentuated by Peravalli Jayabhaskar on Mridhangam and SP Anantha Padmanbha on Violin. 

For those who stayed awake and attentive, he gave us a glimpse of Siva's dance by rendering Kanasabai Thirunatanam in Surutti by Gopalakrishna Barathi. Ganesh then went on to expand Kambodhi in a scholarly way, which to me possesses an anesthetic quality. Though his Thanam was clinical, it was crisp and effective. 

Just as I was thinking of how the Murmurthis never sang for name, fame, or money, Dr. Ganesh aptly presented a beautiful pallavi:

Thyagaraja Manohari Guruguha Janani

Shyamakrishna Sahodari

And followed it with swara exercise in tri kalam, he also aesthetically interspersed the pallavi phrases Thyagaraja Manohari, Guruguha Janani and Shyamakrishna Sahodari

with swaras in ragamalika. Ganesh concluded the concert with the Misra Sivaranjani Thillana paying obeisance to Kanchi Paramacharyal popularized by his guru.

Ganesh possess all qualities of a scholarly musician including pleasing voice, pedigree, proficiency, humility, and perseverance. His singing is responsible and truly reflects the Maharajapuram baani. So What if he doesn't have a full-house or a prime slot? Let's remember that Carnatic music nurtures the soul of both performer and listener irrespective of the venue and prime slot. 

Leaving you with a question to ponder like the last time. Why do male musicians wear vibuthi stripes resembling a zebra crossing when their performance slots don't fall right after Tri-kala sandhyavandhanam? Is vibuthi stripe like what make-up and lipstick are for women? 

Goodbye Sudha, Welcome Sangeetha!

Many years ago the famous Carnatic music critic Subuddu was asked whose music would he would listen to if he were ever stranded in an Island. His candid answer to the question was Smt. Sudha Ragunathan. Though I'm not comparing myself with Subuddu, but if I were asked a similar question tweaking to today's situation ( For ex: Nov 23, 2015 traffic snarl) without a wink I would say Sangeetha Swaminathan. 

I have never heard Sangeetha live, but listening to her music on my iPad, Desi Radio app, I felt she came across as a sincere performer with depth, maturity and more importantly she had brilliantly internalized her guru's style, Smt. Sudha Raghunathan. And for those of you who are missing Sudha's concerts this Markazhi, cancelled due to medical issues, you can definitely bank on Sangeetha to fill that void. Sangeetha sounds like Sudha's replica from 20 years ago, when the entire MLV school of music was left on her shoulders to be carried forward.

Finally, I heard Sangeetha live at Charsur's Arts Foundation, where she deftly and diligently handled 4 of 72 melakartas bringing out unheard compositions and educating listeners. As I was getting ready for her concert, a septuagenarian and mother of a popular musician dissuaded me from going there. Her line of defense was that concerts focusing only on the 72 melakartas can be a tedious listening experience. Nevertheless, I made it!

From the go would not be the right usage for a Carnatic music concert, so let's say from the strum of the tanpura shruthi, Sangeetha breath was brimming with music. She began the evening with a Chelini Kori varnam in Gowlai (melakarta # ) that set the mood and also raised the expectations of audience. She beautifully presented Gaanamutham, a composition of Kotieshwara Iyer in Salagam (melakarta #37 ). It would not be a exaggeration if I said Sangeetha's music is Gaananutham. 

Taking up rarely heard melakarta ragas for enunciation is not easy task for the artist since they will have to strike balance between educating and entertaining listeners. Sangeetha sketched a beautiful outline of Devakriya raga aka Suddha Saveri before taking up the rarely heard Sandhya Devim Saavithri, a composition of Dikshithar. The long and not so easily pronounceable Sanskrit phrases in the song set to Devakriya raga made the nereval exercise at Guptatara marga as difficult as the ascend to K2. This ascend not only needs skill, maturity but also blessings of the lord of the mountain, namely, the composer. Sangeetha's music seems to have that in abundance.

While listeners were mentally gasping, Sangeetha took up Thavar Izhaipadhu Yen Iyalpandro in Ragavardhini (melakarta #32) with humility and sincerity. Kalpanaswarams at Devar Sirai Meeta was captivating and proved her musical lineage. 

Just as I was thinking how could a concert be complete without Thyagaraja's composition, Sangeetha sketched a crisp Bilhari followed by Intakann aanandamemi o Rama making us feel Intakaan aanandamemi o Sangeetha! 

With cricket matches and Carnatic concerts shrinking to shorter formats, musicians and players rarely get opportunity to exhibit their talent and showmanship. Despite having only 45 minutes at her disposal, Sangeetha essayed Dharmavathi (melakarta # 59) displaying length and breadth of the raga and without repetition of the phrases during execution of Thanam and Pallavi. 

The Pallavi - Krishnam Mukundam Bhagavantham Hridi Bhajami, Brindavana Sthambam Sukumaaram was both presented in Darmavathi and Maand, which was followed up with kalpanaswarams in Dharmavathi, Sahana, Nagaswarali, Maand showcasing the mastery of her parampara in manodharma sangeetham. 

While I left the concert humming Sangeetha's concluding Hamir Kalyani thillana, I was asking myself, why do the current crop of musicians like Sudha, Sanjay, TM Krishna, etc. despite having successful students don't use them as vocal support? Is the usage vocal supports considered demeaning to the stature of the musician? Are vocal supports categorized alongside hearing aids, reading glasses, and walking sticks? But didn't seem to be the case with Sudha, who accompanied her guru for many years before becoming a torch bearer of MLV baani. Or is it simply because their bloated egos and insecurity that still prefer thaniavarthanam? It takes a lot of thinking and magnanimity to write a will and appoint their torch bearers just as it takes a lot of honesty to comes to terms with what one doesn't know. So, don't refrain from finding out what you don't know from attending series like the ongoing one on Melakarta.

All said and done, Sangeetha should not be seen as substitute for Sudha, but as an able torch bearer for the GNB, MLV and Sudha parampara. Despite her vidwat, Sangeetha hasn't been duly recognized with awards or titles by the Sabhas that mushroom by the dozen every Markazhi in the city. But that doesn't to have any bearing on her music. Is it because she is a resident of California and not part of these frogs that fight and croak in Mylapore wells? If Subuddu was around, he would have definitely said, "Good bye Sudha, Welcome Sangeetha!"

A Master In the Make

I haven't heard Saketharaman in over two years, but that hasn't impacted his singing. Like clouds that are capable of filling the lakes of Chennai and his music has potent capability to fill the auditorium with rasikas and breach their hearts. Unfortunately, I was late for his concert themed Navarasam at 2015 Markazhi Maha Utsavam. 

As I got off the car, I heard a familiar nasal voice essaying Saranga with bakthi and bhava. By the time I settled in my seat, Saketharaman forayed into the Saranga raga krithi, Neevaadanegana. His powerful voice and briga loaded singing reminds me of two doyens, GN Balasubramaniam and Tanjore S. Kalyanaraman. Both stalwarts employed appropriate brigas without going over board, and bringing out the bhava in the lyrics and rasa in the raga doing full justice to composer. 


His rendition of Yeppadi manam of Arunachala Kavirayar effusing of karunarasam made audience sway their heads is proof of what his music can do listeners. The maturity with which he handled the charana saahityam "Karumbu muritaarpole" showed his maturity to bring together the artha bhava and raga bhava. Shortly, the little master brought out the ananda rasam through the Mohana raga krithi, Narayana Divya Namam transporting listeners to Vaikuntam. He concluded the evening with an appropriate Virutham Saayam Kaaley followed by a Devarnama, Yadavaraya in Chenchu Kamboji that reminded me of the impeccable rendition by Late Smt. M.L.Vasanthakumari. 

There was a time when senior vidwans like Umayalpuram Sivaraman and Mannargudi Easwaran accompanied youngsters to encourage the budding talent. But now Saketharaman has duly earned the status of having stalwarts accompany him. And today, his manodharmam and rendition style closely resembles that of GNB and Tanjore S. Kalyanaraman.


If only Saketharaman can work on two output qualities, namely, avoid nasal singing and leave the swaying to rasikas (artist swaying from the mike produce a jarring effect from uneven sound output), his concerts are sure to be devagaanam and audience will follow him like his tanpura from venue to venue.

A Future Star Sings at 11.45 am

Ananya Ashok made an impressive start at The Music Academy with the varnam in Thodi, Era Naapai set to Adi tala. If her sruthi aligned voice with ensemble was put to test in the first song, her manodharmam was subject to litmus test during the enunciation of Kedaragowalai. Her paatanthram dazzled like Kohinoor in the Kedaragowalai krithi Venugana Loluni of Thyagaraja. Neraval at Vikasitha Pankaja Vadanalu was handled without distorting the beauty of saahityam and raga lakshana. 

Shortly, she began Shyama Sastri's Maanji raga Krithi Brovavamma Thamasamela and my pulse dropped to 56 bpm; it was so sedate and effusing with bakthi. With rendition of Mysore Vasudevachariyar's Paripaahimam in Subhapantuvarali along with delectable chittaswaram in appropriate kaalapramanam my pulse jumped back to 61 bpm.

The main raga Poorvikalyani was sung in an unhurried and unambiguous way displaying both her understanding of the raga and sense of aesthetics. Soon followed Muthuswami Dikshithar's Meenakshi Memudham that flowed like nectar forcing people to rush back from the canteen to the auditorium. 

I was bereft of words upon hearing Vaaztha vaayum virutham in lilting Jonpuri that was followed by Aandavan Darisanamey composed by Muthiah Bagavathar. The concert concluded with a thillana in Chenchruti. Accompanists, Turucherai Kaushik on mridangam and Nagercoil Anand on the violin added beauty to concert, while duly earning their credits. 

Ananya is blessed with a mellifluous voice that effortlessly traverses between upper (Thara sthayi P) and lower octaves (Mandara sthayi M). Though Music Academy has slotted Ananya at 11.45 am, we will soon find her music and voice graduating her to evening slots and taking her to places. Ananya's next concert is at Barathiya Vidya Bhavan on Tue, Dec 22, 2015 at 14:00hrs.

For more details read a short interview of Ananya - http://srutimag.blogspot.com/2014/02/ananya-ashok.html

What I learnt from organizing and participating in flood relief work

Everybody except the political class is being moved by the fury of the recent Chennai floods is an open secret. Individuals from Bangalore, Kerala, Andhra and other organizations are sending supplies in trucks and vans, while those far away are participating by sending in money. Sadly, some of these supplies were hijacked and rebranded by ruling party cadres, while some were lost in supply chain leakages. Though people's intention to donate materials is commendable, distribution without wastage, misappropriation, and pilferage is key. 

Here are some visible wastage and broken links that I've identified in the supply chain.

1. Uncoordinated supply and people trying to do things on their own is creating a big wastage. In the last three days I have seen half a dozen meals being delivered to the same location that end up being discarded thereby creating civic issues. 

2. Lack of requirements mapping for households affected by flood vs. people living in relief camps and prioritizing needs. For ex: groceries being distributed in flooded homes.

3. Sharing requirements on Whatspp, Facebook and Twitter often turns out to be a hoax. For ex: 100 units of blood requirement at Children's Hospital in Egmore and need of a doctor to treat 100 sick children in Sidapet when verified turned out fake messages. 

4. Difficulty in managing crowds and distributing relief material. For ex: My colleague and a bunch of volunteers had a harrowing time trying to distribute blankets. The same people tend to come back in the queue to help themselves with another blanket. Finally, shortage of materials also create unhappiness, jealousy and skirmishes among the community.

5. Lastly, a broken supply chain adds to the problem creating wastage of aid materials. While people donate to organizations, lack of volunteers at the receiving end to sort, map the needs and requirements, deploy and distribute material fails to solve the need and the intention behind the donation. 

6. Also, people at the receiving end tend to be greedy and want to lay their hands on anything and everything being distributed. Don't be surprised if I tell you that I had to chase a few men from the queue when we distributed sanitary pads and diapers. 

How can we ensure better distribution of relief materials without wastage and creating civic issues?

1. Area wise analysis of needs and allocation to organizations or group of individuals to supply and dispense them as opposed to random collection and distribution.

2. Ensure sustained relief operation as opposed to one time effort by mapping the entire life cycle of relief materials: food, clothing, health, sanitation (while at camps), education supplies, health, sanitation, garbage collection etc. (when they move back into their homes) and prioritize.

3. Proper balancing of both supply (sort, pack, and deploy materials) and demand (distribution) arm with equal number of volunteers.

4. Door-to-door distribution as opposed to asking them to queue up at a place thereby reducing duplication and wastage.

5. Ascertain hygienic conditions (toilets, garbage bins), recycling and collection of waste at the point of distribution.

6. Involve members from the local community and put up your organization branding to ensure that political parties don't score a free goal.

7. Finally, all volunteers must be given preventive medicines (a course of antibiotics) and vaccinations against common water borne and communicable diseases.

If you have donated or planning to donate money or material, please think about these issues and ask organizations questions on sustainability, hygienic conditions, distribution plans and proofs. If you can volunteer, nothing like it.

Let your contributions and benefits be longstanding and not like the Chennai rain causing deluge and ending up in the salty ocean.

Tragedy of Indian Monsoons

The Indian monsoon stories are soaked not just in rain, but also in tears and tragedy. The South West monsoon usually arrives at Kanyakumari on May 31st sweeping through the entire nation within 3 weeks and lasting for approx. 90 days, while treating Tamil Nadu like a Dalit (untouchable). And the North East monsoon aka retreating monsoon arrives in the last week October and lasts for approximately for 45 days often punishing Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh (now Andhra Pradesh has been bifurcated into Andhra and Telegana). 

Soaked in tears and tragedy

Sometimes monsoons arrive on time and in full-force causing loss and damage to property and life, bringing along with it water-borne diseases that leave people suffering for months, and finally, the trauma of survival leaves families shattered for years. However, when monsoons fail to arrive, people face the brunt of drought, starvation, and their bad loans eventually push them over the edge to commit suicide. Unfortunately, the met department can never predict tears and don't count while accounting for deficit or excess.

Terrorism of another kind

How can individuals, civic agencies, and Governments prevent such tragedies has been debated in our newspapers and TV channels and are forgotten soon after. I joined the bandwagon this year launching a scathing attack on Chennai Corporation for choosing a wrong timing to widen the footpaths that has left the storm water drains clogged inundating streets after streets. 

While my fellow participants on the show pointed out the lapse on the part of Government allowing people to encroach upon lakes causing flooding thereby, creating a man-made disaster during this year's North East monsoon. Isn't this terrorism of another kind?

Humans vs. Nature

Marking territories and seizing power are both qualities of humans and nature. Sadly, humans don't seem to learn their lessons from losing to nature. 

Here is a picture taken at Velachery lake where humans have mercilessly encroached  upon the water body thereby polluting and ruining the aquatic life. A local resident tells me that Velachery lake is constantly shrinking is size like the Ozone layer. He also shared that today, a 4-lane highway that divides the lake was non-existent 15 years ago and humans began their trespassing by building temples along the banks that eventually led to massive encroachment and degradation. In the recent rains, the lake swelled up reclaiming its lost area and hitting the restart button on the encroachers. 

Hitting the restart button

Mylai Balaji Nagar in Madipakkam/Velachery faced the fury of swelled up canal inundating homes at 2 am in the morning and leaving people run for their lives. When we visited three days later, the narrow lanes still had ankle-deep water and residents were sad over lost ration cards, certificates, and identification documents. Sadly, in India being reborn is much easier than getting a government document issues, specially after a such incidents. 

No escape route

I got curious and asked one of the residents if this was also an encroached area and her response surprised me. She said that they were resettled from Mylapore slum to Velachery during the construction of the Mass Rapid Transport System (MRTS). Shouldn't the Government do a proper layout rather than recreating another slum with dangerous living conditions and close proximity to water bodies?

A health disaster in waiting

While walking around the smelly neighborhood, we saw stagnated rain water everywhere reminding us of water-borne diseases such as typhoid and cholera and vector-borne diseases such as malaria and dengue. With their homes besieged by rain water and their clothes and belongings soaked in mixture of sewage and rain water, they pleaded for new clothes and blankets to themselves warm and stay protected against mosquitos. 

What I have captured and shared here only represents a fraction of the tragedy of urban dwellers, but then in rural India farmers lose their homes, crops and farm animals to the monsoon pushing them deeper into poverty.

Irrespective of the monsoon cycle, this is the story across India for many years in the past, present, and future. So, do you now understand why the Indian monsoon will always be full of tragedies?

Did we just go around taking stock of the situation and lambasting civic authorities and the Government or did we spring into any action? Come back tomorrow for more updates. 

Chennai Drowning

Unprecedented rainfall in the last few days breaking the 1976 record ( I was a year old) has exposed improper urban planning and plaguing civic issues that almost turned Chennai into Venice. Had it rained for another day we would have joined the list of lost cities like Atlantis.

On the national television, a show on the CNN IBN anchored by Zakka Jacob, Chennai Drowning, last night, I had an opportunity to voice concerns along with my fellow citizens. On the show C. Rajasekaran, an advocate by profession put out a petition "Implement Better Flood Preparations in Chennai, Mayor of Chennai @chennaicorp" on Change.org and Manu Sundaram from one of the opposition parties (DMK) shared their concers and also listed out next steps for the Corporation of Chennai.

Here is the YouTube link to the show http://youtu.be/2tjaaEHJWIE

Listen to the entire program if you hadn't watched it live. I share my views at 16:23 minutes.

If you are Chennaiite, please support by signing this petition: https://www.change.org/p/implement-better-flood-preparations-in-chennai-mayor-of-chennai-chennaicorp recruiter=427175430&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive

Please show your solidarity by sharing the petition and YouTube link on your Facebook and Twitter.

Elections and Electoral Choices: Suicidal!

Free and fair elections are important in a democracy, as much as winning and losing elections are in the life of a politician. But what do elections mean for the common man apart from having the day-off? Simply put, does the public ever win in a democratic set-up?

John Lyly said that all is fair in love and war. Today, elections are fought like wars (from war of words, money to free-bees) all parties promising love, sometimes cash too in return. Does it mean that being unfair before and not delivering their promises after elections is fair?

In a democratic set-up like India, the public express their voice and choice on the ballot paper at both state and centre once in five years. Some of those choices are made out of anger against the ruling government and decisively made to fight corruption and bring in parties that promise development to power.

The psephologist, who predict election outcomes and the news anchors and opinion makers who analyze and categorize victories as anti-incumbency, caste-led, sympathy driven, development focused, etc. forget to study why despite a strong verdict the public never wins in an election?

The Election Commission of India spent 3 billions rupees (300 crores) of taxpayers money to conduct the recent elections. Today, election results have been declared for the Bihar state assembly and the people have overwhelmingly voted for Nitish-Lalu alliance that have separately ruled and drained the state  in the last two decades. Let's not forget that the former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad was convicted in a fodder scam and has been barred from contesting in elections. If Nitish's hat-trick victory is analyzed alongside the development in Bihar in the last 15 years, I find the choice and ambition of the people working against each other.

Bihar, was a centre of power, learning, and culture in ancient India. With a literacy rate of 63.82%, Bihar now ranks lowest among all the states of India. The failure to transit from a feudal based economy to a market oriented economy created unemployment and lawlessness. As a result, both educated and uneducated have migrated out of the state to make a living, and those living in it continue to wither in penury. In the recent elections, only 56.8% have exercised their franchise of which many of them support an known devil (Nitish) than an unknown angel. But isn't that suicidal?

Pondering over the electoral choice, I asked myself if people benefit more from electing a ruling party at the state which is different from the one at the center? While Modi was the Chief Minister of Gujarat for a decade, the ruling party at the center was the UPA, but despite very little support from the center, Modi managed to make Gujarat an attractive destination for investors thereby providing employment, making the state power surplus, and building infrastructure conducive for trade and development of the economy. 

On the other hand in Tamil Nadu between 2006-11, the DMK in alliance with the UPA drained the coffers, failed to bring about development, turned the state dark (power crisis) and also their ministers were caught in one of India's largest scams, the 2G, worth billions of rupees. 

The anti-incumbency wave brought back AIADMK to power in the subsequent elections in 2011, while the UPA was still in power at the Center. In the last 5 years, AIADMK constantly at loggerheads with the center, failed to bring about any development and improve water and power situation in the state. While welfare schemes like Amma brand water, pharmacies, movie halls, canteens, cement, etc. only emptied that coffers being filled through selling liquor. Today, 30% of women in Tamil Nadu have turned into alcoholics. The state has ruined many families, broken marriages, ruined peace at homes thereby changing the fate of an entire generation by promoting alcohol. 

Policy paralysis, parliament log-jam and opposition parties not engaging in fruitful discussion has ruined the future of this country. The 15th Lok Sabha, with UPA II government, was the crowning glory of the BJP in disruption of the Parliament - at 61 percent, its productive time was the worst in Indian legislative history. During the same period, the record for Rajya Sabha was equally dismal - 66 percent. Compared to 297 bills during the 13th Lok Sabha, when the BJP-led NDA was in power and Congress in opposition, the UPA II could pass only 179 out of its planned 328 bills. Several serious pieces of legislation such as Women’s Reservation Bill, Direct Taxes Code, Micro Finance Bill, Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill and the Bill enabling the introduction of Goods and Services Tax just lapsed. What was more tragic was that 60 per cent of the question time was wasted by the BJP-led acrimony. (Source First Post: http://www.firstpost.com/politics/parliament-logjam-can-congress-beat-bjps-record-of-disruption-2361104.html)

While UPA was in power parliament disruption was an every day affair sponsored by the opposition, and now with BJP back in power the UPA is returning its blows with a vengeance. Is this how the parliament and parties function and engage in a democratic set-up?

Isn't it suicidal to make a choice between the devil and the deep blue sea or vote out of sheer compulsion? Six more months to caste my vote in the Tamil Nadu state elections, I again ask the same question in the first paragraph, does the public ever win in a democratic set-up? 

To all my lone wolf friends

I often write to my lone wolf friends to share more than a birthday wish. Here is a recent email that I shared with them. Though you (my married friends) have coaxed me many times to get hitched by selling stability and companionship that marriage brings along, I was convinced to teach them how to simply their lives. Interestingly what is true about life is the end, the days in between are scripted and enacted. Read on....

Guys, 

Unlike in Korea where funerals are a three day affair and friends and family donate money to help (http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/02/world/asia/a-lonely-end-for-south-koreans-who-cannot-afford-to-live-or-die.html), the farewell is an elaborate affair in India and is also getting to be expensive. Increasingly are people choosing to stay single and with families moving apart and away there is a need for a well-managed funeral service that gives people a respectful farewell rather than being found by neighbors after a few days and disposed off like smelly garbage.

 

Looking at the demographics of India's population (data from July 2014),

0-14 years: 28.5% (male 187,016,401/female 165,048,695)  

15-24 years: 18.1% (male 118,696,540/female 105,342,764)  

25-54 years: 40.6% (male 258,202,535/female 243,293,143) 

 

Today, India's population is young, but one day we will be a aging nation with need for such services. Further, increased migration and lifestyle choices will only increase degrees of separation and need for funeral agencies. It is not a bad idea to start an outfit that services people who are single and/or have no family left or who don't want to burden their families. 

An EMI model used to buy cars, homes, jewels and even vacations may be introduced with several packages so that people pay for their last rights when they are young, healthy and alive. By drawing up the list of friends and family who must be informed and invited gives an opportunity for everyone we love and those who love us to grieve and seek closure. For those who kept pestering us on when we plan to invite them to our wedding meal, here is a definitive opportunity. What is real about life is the end and not the days we live. 

A non-profit arm can be started in parallel to help those who cannot afford to pay for this service. Some day we all have to say goodbye to this world, let's plan it today and also help those who have no means to do it.

My grandparents have always inspired me by how they lived, loved, and their meticulous planning for their farewell. One of my relatives even changed cash in various denominations to be used during his funeral rights. During a conversation with my maternal grandmother a month ago, she said she was preparing to leave behind a cupboard with things that needed to be given away as a apart of her and my grandpa's funeral rituals. They have already given away most of their possessions to their family and friends and today their house has less material than the 206 bones in each of their bodies.

Always inspired by her practical thinking, I have put fixed deposits to take care of my funeral expenses and also for some of my dear ones (they don't know about it). As a principle, I have also stopped spending on material things.

Let our end be as planned as our single hood. Maturity and clarity to simplify ones life is a service that we must do for your loves ones who are often left to deal with the remaining, not to forget the legal rigmarole. 

The Walk: a metaphor for the journey of life

The Walk narrates story of a rope-walker Philippe Petit who achieves his ambition to walk between the twin towers in NYC with the help of his friends and mentor. This is an organic movie, it is based on a true story. While watching the movie I realized The Walk is a metaphor for the journey of life, while the experience and emotions vary depending on the type of walk: ramp walk, cake walk to fire walk. 

A tight screenplay 

As a result of doing a course on screenplay writing, I noticed things that I may not have noticed otherwise. Every character in the movie was introduced to establish the premise (conflict), etched out to further develop the premise and finally resolve the conflict. Each character also had an internal struggle that was resolved before the end of the movie. 

The journey of a hero

We all need a mentor in life. Some go in search of him/her, while some wait for her/him to arrive. Ramana Maharishi says, 'the guru appears when you are ready', while Paul Coelho in Alchemist says, 'the Universe conspires to fulfill your desires'. 

According Joseph Campbell's explanation of the Hero's Journey, the hero/protagonist needs a mentor and Papi Rudy in the movie plays  that role for Philippe thereby helping him achieve his ambition. 

All of us are heroes in our respective journeys and it is important that we develop an ambition and cultivate discipline, focus and dedication, which are pre-requisites for appearance of the guru and progress towards our ambition.

In between 

Apart from the mentor, you can see how characters make their entries to help Philippe in his journey, while resolving their inner conflicts in the process. A mathematics teacher helps Philippe with the calculations and in the process improves his spoken English and gets over agoraphobia, fear of heights and a Jean, a photographer, takes pictures of Philippe crossing the towers thereby establishing his career as a photographer.

Ambition and calling

In the process of achieving our ambition, some of us get attached to certain characters, while some others develop a grudge against those who leave. The last scene in the movie is a lesson on why people exit our lives. Anna, Philippe's girl friend who came over to the US to support him in his dream to finally leaves for Paris. When Philippe asks her to stay back she says, 'you had a calling from the Twin Towers, while I am waiting for mine'. What a profound statement to make and not succumb to the transient emotion/ambition called love. I admired the confidence in the woman work towards defining her ambition and wait for her call, and not being afraid or hesitant to help Philippe without expecting anything in return.

Though many of us seem to have understood the larger purpose of life, sometimes we make efforts to fully take control of it. We are cautious who we let into our lives; we question their purpose and want know our role in their ambition or in resolving their conflicts and vice verse. But in reality, we have no control over who walks in and out of our lives.

In all, The Walk is about a call and an ambition. It explains why people enter and exit our lives and how one needs to look at the purpose of life without getting too attached to our friends, family, and mentors. Most importantly, it helps us resolve our conflicts. 

So, go take a walk!

Deciphering the art of screenplay writing - Part 1

'Only a healthy caterpillar can turn into a beautiful butterfly', said a French Director. The Caterpillar he refers to is the script and the butterfly is the final movie. 

At a script writing workshop I realised that it is not an easy profession and recognitions are very hard to come by. In India the situation is even worse because there are hardly any scriptwriters and sadly directors double up as scriptwriters. Does that reflect on the quality of our scripts? Is it due to skill shortage or are the directors trying keep a larger portion of filmmaking and associated credit to themselves? You can investigate further for the answers.

Scriptwriting or screenplay writing is intellectually demanding job that not only requires writing a script, but also transfer words (fluid) into powerful images (fixing and engaging with audience) that inspire the director to capture them on the camera. Yes, it is hieroglyphics. For example: when the writer describes the morning as a misty and filled with thick fog and dew, and director gets a visual clue where to locate the subject and arrange for necessary props to add authenticity to the storyline. 

Screenplay writing involves presenting or establishing a conflict, developing it further and before resolving it. Like the 1/3 rule in photography, the writer follows 1/3 rule for each of the three sections. Rhythm, proper usage of camera angles, symbolism, lyrics,  trops (objects), and music further accentuates film making process and enhances the output. 

Inja, a movie made by an Australian filmmaker, portrays apartheid and South Africa during transition. Loyalty, the theme (conflict) in the movie is established and coved through a national flag, superior-subordinate relationship and a puppy/dog.  The brilliance of the script writer reflects in the trops, metaphors, smilies, and symbolisms used in the movie.

The three elements of establishing a conflict, developing and resolving are described below. Watch the movie here before you read my notes from the class - https://youtu.be/k_p0_twBWWU (please don't cheat)

Establishing loyalty - unfurling of national flag, showing a playful puppy responding to the whistle of the boy, and showing the relationship between black (subordinates) and white (boss), 

Transferring loyalty - cutting the rope and making a collar for the puppy, unfurling of the new flag

Establishing order -  threatening the black boy to bag the puppy, physically abusing the puppy to obey, physically marking boundaries, dog chasing away a black man on a cycle, asking black man for medicines

Killing loyalty - asking black man to shoot the dog and gun shot at the end.

A story can be narrated using one of the four styles or in combination: naturalism (analytical dramatic mode), lyrical (using songs), didactic (social messaging or morals), and melodramatic (songs, humor, action,) as appropriate. So, which category does Inja fall under?

Create Smart Villages and Smart Workers

NMy first week at the farm has made me ask several fundamental and policy related questions. One, on the intention of Government towards farmers: is it keep them poor and dependent on subsidies and welfare schemes for another century? Two, on the discipline, pride, and outlook of farm labor and farmers. 

What caught my attention in today's newspaper was a picture showing a fertile agricultural land in Amaravati being destroyed to match up to the imaginary fantasy of Chandrababu Naidu, Chief Minister of Andhra, which seemed appalling and atrocious. Why can't a capital city have banana farms and why should it be modeled after Paris, Dublin, or Rome? 

Languishing farmers

Farmers and farm laborers have been reduced to mere vote banks by our politicians having very little representation in the state assemblies and parliaments. Since farmers and farm labor don't pay taxes and don't fall in the tax bracket, there is no incentive for the Government to keep them alive and happy. 

Playing political pawns

Around election time parties dangle carrots to secure their votes, and forget them soon after elections. Every time a party comes to power they announce schemes by playing to gallery and many at times schemes remain on paper and end with a press release. 

Issues like famine, drought, floods, etc. are politicized and protests are staged by opposition parties to draw political mileage and fuel ire against the ruling Government. Aligning with opposition parties haven't earned them much return. This has been the story for the last 70 years and farming ecosystem continues to languish in the hands of political parties.

Restore pride and be self-reliant

Though unemployment is still high in the nation, rural India is short on farm labor. Some Central Government schemes like NREGA that guarantees 100 days of rural employment/year isn't very effective way to keep the remaining workforce motivated. 

Though socialistic schemes such as free rice and subsidized pulses through PDS, free power for farm pumps, guaranteed procurement prices for produce protects them at one level eventually fuels laziness and creates dependency. 

Government and policy makers must think of policies that use tax payers money to restore pride of farming community and make them more responsible, self-reliant rather than keeping them on doles and life-support.

Today, in villages I see children going to schools by vans and girls bicycling to nearby schools, thanks to the Government for enabling children with the means children get basic education. But isn't it time that we improve the quality of education? Primary health care remains a distant dream for people in rural. 

Over the last week I spoke to some of the farm laborers asking if they are aware of their rights and duties and Government policies that they can leverage upon. Sadly, many of them were not even aware of life insurance scheme launched by Govt. of India that gives their families 2.5 Laks in case of death or accident by merely enrolling in Mudra Bank. Governments at both state and central must continue a sustained awareness and communication campaign to ensure that rural India benefits from the schemes that are launched.

How to create smart villages

1.Focus on setting up agricultural universities in villages that provide education coupons to farmers children.

2. Provide easier access and interest-holiday loans and encourage farmers in setting-up farming allied small-scale industries thereby providing employment and adding value to their produce. This in turn will prevent migration from rural to urban.

3. Provide technology support to mechanize farms and science and technical know-how to improve farming techniques and yields.

4. Eliminate middlemen and connect farmers with buyers directly.

4. Build storage, warehousing, and processing facilities to stock grains thereby preventing wastage and pilferage.

5. Improve working conditions, enforce safety and protective gear, fix pay scales and bring mandatory contribution towards PF, ESI, and gratuity to labourers who work more than 100 days with any farm or employer.

6. Create awareness campaigns and call centers to propagate and educate farmers on the schemes launched to support their well being.

7. Lastly, provide access to quality education, healthcare, counseling services, etc. thereby creating a smart village that is self-contained.

By providing farmers and farm labor with incentives to work harder, improving their standard of living only gets to them to give-up subsidies and graduate them into tax paying bracket. Doesn't this become a win-win for both farmers and Government?

Be smart workers and not just hard workers

Since farming is an unorganized sector and farm labor needs no big skill and qualification, they don't command respect that white and blue collared workers command. Since there are no barriers to entry and exit, they have no bargaining power. As a result, getting labor to work in the fields is the biggest problem today and that is partially the reason for poor employee morale and farmers selling off their holdings.

It has been over a week since it stopped raining, and we are racing against time and struggling to spray herbicides. We hardly been able to get 4 workers to dispense the medicine across 200 acres of land. I know this sounds like a time and manpower problem that we solved in high school algebra, but there is more to solve here if we need to stay here long-term and ensure a mutual win-win.

It is time farmers and farm labourers living under the thumb of politicians and false protection of leftist wake up and emancipate themselves. Farming can be run in a corporate way with adequate protection yielding them benefits to farm labor like employees in other industries. A smart worker reaps more than a hard worker.

A new business and HR model is the need of the hour to make farming an attractive profession, train and retain workforce, give them incentives to work harder, get them up the income ladder and tax bracket and eventually give up subsidies. 

Humans inspire to conspire against nature

While we were getting ready cross the canal and get on top of the bund to oversee spraying of weedicides, the farm labor asked us to stand back as a snake hurriedly made its way ahead of us. Though the labor was concerned about our safety and lifted the stick, we asked him to not to harm the snake. In the back of my mind I was curious to know if it was a cobra or a rat snake having recently read a report confirming India's numero uno position wrt death from snakes bites and lack of anti-venom in rural hospitals. 

Bunds are a good place to rest, reflect, and marvel. Sitting on it, I recollected my high school biology lesson on food chain and how species are both dependent and connected in a large ecosystem. While at the same time I was on the lookout for snakes and every time a blade of grass touched my feet, I was hyper reacting. 

Though knowledge and information are powerful, but it resides in the head and sometimes creates unnecessary anxiety.

Home is where the food is

Bunds are also the nesting place for termites, ants, crabs, insects, rats and snakes. Termites are very sensitive to light and heat, they use sand from the wet canal to built their eco friendly homes. And sometimes they coexist with ants. Once water starts to flow in canals, both ants and termites migrate to a higher ground (bunds), while crabs and frogs continue to stay on the side of the canal to feed on small fishes, insects and tadpoles. What an ingenious planning, but we still classify these species under the five senses category.

Conspiration against nature 

While crabs, ants and termites do all the hard work in building their homes, snakes and rats feed on them and finally take over their nest. Isn't this behavior similar to those emulated by our people and politicians who encroach lakes, canals and river beds and finally making it all theirs? 

Another conspiracy formula was being mixed in front of my eyes: 300 ml of Ricestar and 125 ml of Nominee Gold per acre of land to control the growth of weeds. Will these chemicals affect the food chain of birds, insects, rodents and reptiles was the next thought in my mind.

Birds of prey

While I watched herbicides being sprayed, I also spotted three birds of prey. One was a forked tail drongo eagerly sitting on the power lines and patiently waiting to catch bees and dragonflies. I spotted them in pairs and from time-to-time one darted in and out of fields, while the other made calls to alert the other of predators higher in the food chain and also divert their prey. That was a dual income family!

Second one was a kingfisher with bright blue wings and orange belly waiting to feed on the fishes and frogs in the canal. And the last one was hovering like a drone in the sky was the Eagle aka Garuda, vehicle for Vishnu looking for rats and rat snakes. It is an irony that we worship Gods and their adopted vehicles, yet we conspire against them and poison their food chain. 

It is interesting to see sibling rivalry in the Eagle family. Eagles in general lays two eggs, and the older, larger chick kills its younger sibling once hatched. The dominant chick tends to be a female, as they are bigger than the male. Doesn't it sound similar those stories in newspapers?

Today's trip to the farm was an excellent opportunity to reflect back on my learnings from high school biology and at the same time compare and contrast human and animal behavior. Isn't it true that nature and its creations inspire humans to only conspire against them?

Reflect, support and return to roots

Though many of us started as farmers and agriculturalists and somewhere we were enamored by white/blue collar jobs and migrated to other lucrative professions that involve sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity. Today, some out of guilt and few out of necessity and tired of city lifestyle are beginning to move back to villages. Both my grandparents are agriculturalist and I am the first generation in my family who has not practiced agriculture. This sabbatical offers me an opportunity to compare and contrast both professions and possibly, get a keyhole view into farming and the sacrifices made by the community. And this blog is an attempt to understand farming from both inside and outside.

There are two points that keep me both awake and thinking at night these days. One, how can we make agriculture more sustainable given shortage of labor, adverse climatic conditions, lack of capital and loan facility, and politics of water. 

Reaching the ominous tipping point

Though India's IT and ITES industry is referred to as the sunrise sector it contributes to less than 9% of our GDP, while agriculture contributes 14% to our GDP feeding 1.3 billion. With cultivable land decreasing due rapid urbanization and industrialization and with population on the rise we will soon reach the ominous tipping point where demand overtakes supply affecting food supply.

The UN survey predicts that by 2020 more than 50% of the India's population would have shifted from rural to urban putting more pressure and stress on food producers, who at the bottom of the pyramid shoulder the burden and responsibility feeding the nation. Are we willingly turning India into another Sub-Saharan country ridden with hunger, famine, and poverty?

Who will hear farmers?

In the last 18 months Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made trips around the world to build investor confidence, seek investments in India, alongside his efforts to pass land acquisition bill in the Parliament, but sadly hasn't visited villages or asked his ministers to lend their ears to withering farmers and attending to their needs.

I was at a local supermarket today and I was not surprised to see all those products available in city supermarkets on the shelves. If FMCG companies can crack the rural market and master the art of marketing to rural India, is it that difficult for a Government to understand rural problems and solve them? 

Can a branch exist without the root?

Can manufacturing and software code feed the nation? While industries can generate employment and put money in the hands of people, but agriculture is fundamental to human survival. US has already learnt their lesson on outsourcing manufacturing to China, is it India time to learn a lesson outsourcing and abandoning food production? 

Second point that made me toss and turn at night is the living and working conditions of farm labor and improve the ecosystem. In corporate sector we enjoy job safety and security, early bonuses, raises, and perks like medical insurance, maternity, weekends off, and privilege leave. But do farmers enjoy the same rights and privileges? Is that why they migrate in search better jobs that guarantees all of the above?

Is it sustainable?

My father holds large land holdings; he educated us and provided for us from agricultural income. Though he moved us to the city for better education, but he always brought us back to the village for summer vacation to stay close to our roots. Though our lives were basic, he taught us how to be happy and contended.

Is Rs.150 a day for women and Rs.300/ day for men sustainable to run a family with two children? Let's say a dual income rural family working on the farm for 25 days a month, it cumulatively adds up to Rs.11,250, which will be hardly enough to help them make both ends meet. Let's pause for a minute and think what monthly expense(s) of us matches with this rural income. 

If you are two acre farmer then you have financial and physical challenges to meet. Economically, a two acre farmland is not large enough to sustain their lifestyle and hence they will have to supplement with income from working elsewhere. That is also a reason why they tend maximize farm output through use of excessive chemicals. 

Build their pride and create more opportunity

Majority of farmers in India hold less than 2 acres of land and together produce to feed the nation of 1.3 billion population. The only way to arrest rural migration and deter farmers from giving away their land to industries is by making agriculture lucrative and farming the pride of the nation. Alongside, there is also an immediate need to provide quality education and hospital facilities in nearby towns. 

Government must definitely look at creating an ecosystem that will not only help farming, but also add value to farm produce thereby arresting migration. For example, they must provide opportunity for farmers children to qualify in the areas of food technology, food processing and also provide them with necessary loans and technology know-how to set up food processing units that give them an opportunity to use their education and support agriculture.

The sacrifices made by the farming community to feed the world is million times more effective and real compared to what corporates do under the banner of social responsibility, which is more of lip service and a marketing ploy. It is time we pay are dues and gratitude back to the farming community.

Consuming is alone is not supporting

Though capitalists and industrialists all started as agriculturalist, but why haven't they taken up farming on a large scale after achieving their monetary goals? Is it hard to return to the roots once you found a place in the branch. I will write in detail about how farmers make ends meet and the perks and subsidies that they receive from the Government in my next blog. 

At times, I may sound both capitalist and socialist in my writings, but I believe in keeping the 'Golden Goose' healthy and happy.

Farming, once a sunrise sector

This has been my fourth consecutive working day in the fields and I must confess that I enjoy working and negotiating with the workers as much as I enjoy working in climate controlled offices. I also managed to synthesize Vitamin D directly from sunlight without any medical aid. :)

Racing against time, wrestling against nature

We went in early this morning to ensure that water in fields were drained because dry field is a prerequisite to application of weedicide. During our coffee break, we spoke to farmers from adjoining lands who also complained about the unprecedented growth of weeds this year. 

Given what happened to farmers in Punjab who cultivated cotton this year, I suspected if weedicide manufacturers polluted river/canal with seeds from the weeds to push their products? Or could it be due to the late arrival of rain, delayed opening of the dam? With periodic night showers and North East monsoon only a few weeks away, every farmer is racing against time as much as wrestling against nature. 

Shades of green

Watching laborers manually remove weeds by uprooting roots from the soil, I asked my father a simple question: how does one differentiate between weeds and paddy shoot? 

He took me aside and pointed at the shades of green and yellow in the fields. The parrot green blade was paddy, while the yellowish green blades of grass were weeds. His answer sounded simple to the ears, but challenging to my eyes.

Not a green field

Exposed to 35 deg C sunshine, standing in ankle deep water and bending forward to manually remove weeds along with their roots isn't a fun job. If you asked me if they were compensated adequately for their efforts, the answer is no. Women get paid a paltry sum of 125 Rs. a day, while men get paid Rs. 350. In addition, all of them are offered tea and snacks in the afternoon. 

Surprised on hearing their pay scales, I pointed out to my father that disparity exist between genders in both fields and boards rooms. Sadly,there is no green field for women!

Multiple dilemmas

If you are going the organic way then weedicides are not an option; one has to manually remove weeds which makes organic farming a labor intensive and expensive alternative. As a result the output from organic cultivation is also reduced, which explains why organic produce is more expensive. Are you willing to pay more for low yield and additional labor cost than consume chemical loaded produce that comes with varieties of side-effects from cancer to autism? 

Whether organic or chemical farming, it is a tough job standing in waterlogged fields for 8 hours and manually removing weeds. If only each of us were made to grow food we consume, we would stop being greedy and wasteful. Sadly, we throw money at supermarkets, but seldom think about the sweat and heat behind cultivation of each grain.

Delivery Manager of the farm

While my father was busy inspecting the fieldwork, I was following up the field in-charge referred to as Thalayari to see how we can get expel water from the fields. Maybe it will help you understand better if I explain the role of a Thalayari. 

He is paid a monthly wage and is responsible to guard the field against predators (livestock and rodents), vandalism, and sabotage. He also oversees workers during the day and more importantly manages and regulates water flow (Neeranickam) to the fields. Therefore, he needs be well versed in the neural circuit of the fields. He is expected to appraise on the health of the crop and bring to notice any incidents of sabotage and suspicion. In short, he is equivalent of a delivery manager in the IT world who manages teams and their morale, anticipates bottlenecks and delivers the required output.

Understanding the politics of water

Could a two hour rain inundate fields and canals? Was there something fishy and political? How did acres of dry land ready to be sprayed with weedicide was inundated with water overnight? While I was busy using my intellect to solve the water logging issue, my father took a different approach to understanding the situation by posing simple questions to understand the local politics.

Though my father suspected sabotage, but he couldn't get any answers from the Thalayari to confirm his suspicion. To break the stalemate, my father posed simpler questions like a teacher only to get him to think and come up with a solution. He questioned him on the various inlet and outlet points to the fields and asked about the water level in the river and gradient in the pond. Given adequate clues, he pushed him further to go around the area and find a way to drain the water in the fields.

Did we manage to drain the fields and spray the chemical to contain the growth of weeds on time? Come back tomorrow to learn more about the difficulties of farmers, farm workers, and farming as an occupation. Also learn about the three species of birds that I spotted in the fields today.