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.