POLITICS IN THE NAME OF INDUSTRIALIZATION

Industrialization without meddling with the environment is a well known ordeal. The centre’s intransigent stance to stymie the progress of VEDANTA and POSCO in the state has put Naveen in a state of jeopardy. On one hand, the government is mum regarding the POLAVARAM project in Congress ruled Andhra Pradesh. On the other hand, the government is skeptical regarding the growing popularity of Naveen Patnaik on the national stage if the mega multi-million projects are implemented. Is the centre playing politics here? Can industrialization and urbanization go hand in hand with the welfare of the people? Do we have an alternative to Naveen’s dogma of handling the prevailing circumstances?
The centre’s rejection of UK based VEDANTA’s plans to mine bauxite has raised a plethora of allegations and counter-allegations. Mr. Jairam Ramesh’s intransigent stand in a country focused on development and raring to take the global high table has meant that he is scoffed at by some as an ‘inflexible’ green fundamentalist. For years, the environmental ministry was seen as rubber stamping projects. Suddenly the ministry and the ‘minister’ has come out hibernation and become proactive after mega projects such as VEDANTA and POSCO have popped up in states not governed by the ruling Congress party. Mr. Ramesh defends himself from the scathing allegations by stating that there was no politics, no emotions and no prejudice involved in his decision making. But isn’t it politics? The government’s lack of exegesis on the current issue to stymie the development is their failure to exonerate themselves. And they claim to do this for the Dongaria Kondh tribals to enjoy the flora and fauna of Niyamgiri hills. A diaphanous picture regarding the current state of mind of the Dongaria people is not available. The Gandhi scion’s recent visit to Lanjhigarh is a desperate measure to resurrect Congress in the state. It was an act of hypocrisy and diplomacy. The visit has been purported to impress the tribals and brainwash them against VEDANTA. They vehemently claim to be betrayed by the treacherous acts of Congress, who assured them of support and development but failed to stand by their words. When the people themselves are ready, then whom are you (Congress) fighting the ‘green battle’ for?
Now coming to the million dollar question-Can industrialization reach it’s zenith without hampering the environment? The ministry of environment and forests has done well not to grant forest clearance to the bauxite mining project. What finds expression through the environment ministry’s decision is the democratic essence of this country. The pursuit of indivisual good by millions of people yield collective welfare. Provision of public good such as law and order, clean air, protection of biodiversity and the environment and securing the rights of vulnerable groups like primitive tribes is easy to subvert in a political system where the state is willing to bend the rules for selected groups. This sounds sweet to our ears but is only one percent feasible. From my pragmatic point of view , industrialization without violating the environment laws is an uphill task. For the sake of urbanization and growth, we need to compromise with the environment to a certain degree. Because industrialization is held at utmost priority since India lacks in raw materials and energy. Sustainability and inclusion cannot be allowed to choke off growth. Withholding clearance is easy. Producing growth without violating laws or rights calls for political leadership. Every developed nation has gone through such political dilemmas and now it’s our turn.
I am quite amazed and bewildered, as to why the issue of NEELACHAL ISPAT NIGAM LTD is not coming into the foray! It was in the year 1982, during the reign of then CM J. B. Patnaik, that the NINL was set up in Kalinganagar, Duburi in Jajpur district. The then government had to go through the same ordeal. The dynamic ability and governing competence of then Chief Secretary of State, Sudhansu Bhusan Mishra, solved the issue amicably. The NINL required a huge plot of land acquired by the tribal people. In order to make the indigenous people realize the importance of industrialization in the state, and in their slake to pacify the local inhabitants, the government built well furnished, attractive houses in order to lure the villagers. Hence the villagers magnanimously offered their lands to the government in exchange of the houses. Hence the issue of land acquisition was scuttled into oblivion. Unlike the present precarious situation, where land acquisition is done forcefully, or the villagers are paid a meager amount for their lands. Even few people were killed in their resistance to the government’s bullying attitude.
But for once ( on a positive note ) the VEDANTA and POSCO issues have brought the state into limelight. It is at the forefront of discussion. (It came to the limelight for the ‘super cyclone’ and the perpetual floods) Always considered to be a downtrodden backward state, the issue has been able to elicit emotions from people residing abroad. The issue will have varied opinions from different sections but must be resolved for the betterment of the country, for the tribal people and for the environment.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME..HOSTEL REMINISCENCE

Since the day , I have landed on my native place, its kind of weird for me. The fact that your stay at home is not vacation anymore keeps nailing and prodding your subconscious mind. U are provided with all kinds of opulence n luxuries that anyone can ask for, but you still long for that unroutined self managed pervertic lifestyle. You refuse to accept d implicit, unpalatable truth. There are so many unanswered questions!!

Why does a comfortable commode doesn’t feel the same as the dirty toilets in hostels?


Why do you think it was worth standing in a queue and waiting for your turn to have lunch than d food served to u at your command?(the bed side tea, d living room dinner)


Why was it better to starve at night and have a ‘maggi’ session at 3am than having a proper supper?

Like me everyone who stayed in hostel will definitely be experiencing d same antagonistic lifestyle. Everyone is aware of the reality but refuses 2 accept it!!!

NAVEEN PATNAIK 'THE DEVELOPMENT MAN': A MIRAGE

One of the most enigmatic personalities in Indian polity, Naveen Patnaik, is on his way to complete his third term in office as the Chief Minister of Odisha. He is not included in the ‘indigenous flock’ of the state. He is still not adept with the state language (odia). He lacks the iconic stature and credibility of his father (Biju Patnaik). He definitely lacks the charisma of being the ‘leader of the masses’. So what makes him indispensable in the state?
Naveen was shielded from the quagmire of politics by his father. He went to Welham Boys and Doon School in Delhi in his nascent stage. His adolescent days were spent in London. He counted Mick Jagger and Jackie Onassis as his friends, drank tea at Fortnum and Mason’s and shopped at Saks Fifth Avenue. Such has been the upbringing of this man. So in what way can he understand the sentiments of the people of Odisha? In what way is he an Odia?
When he became the CM, he had hardly any idea about the language. Tackling his indifferent dialect was for him, an Everest to climb. One notable incident would be when he slurred the term ‘baripada’ as ‘badipada’(a slang). The unintentional ‘pun’ used here showed his helplessness.
He, a political novice, doesn’t have the credentials or experience to lead a state thrice. Just because he is the son of the late Biju Patnaik, a colossal figure in the state’s political history, he oughtn’t inherit his father’s legacy and take advantage of the nuances of his father’s deeds. He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth, and lead a luxurious an opulent life. Its very difficult for him to discover the solutions of the poverty-stricken state. He rarely visits the drought affected districts, which form the core of the state’s landscape. Also highlighting the villages affected by the natural calamities (the super cyclone, the floods, the drought, etc.). The meticulously identifiable white kurta of Naveen is accompanied by contempt an grimace on his face, when he visits such areas.
With aspirations of being a dictator in the state, he has acted shrewdly. He has been able to keep himself away from the clout of other ministers, who are nothing but a bunch of power hungry bourgeoisie politicians. He empowers his civil servants more than his ministerial colleagues.
Orissa has always been a land rich in raw materials. There are numerous mines in the state. Credit goes to Naveen for promoting urbanization and industrialization in the state, but at a very high cost. The burgeonising of foreign companies in the state has been a nefarious conspiracy of Naveen. The clandestine activities that go hand in hand with the setting of these industries, fills the pockets of these leaders. The multi-million projects such as VEDANTA ( Jharsuguda) and POSCO (Jagatsinghpur) have been set up in the state, the surplus nuances act as ammunition for Naveen during the elections. The illegal land acquisition from the poor farmers is callous. The poor farmers who are uneducated and ignorant, fail to realize the actual worth of the land, are satiated by Naveen for a meager sum of money. Apparently, they succumb to their ‘external forces’. The erring acumen of the common men for appraising the mettle of their leaders is quite bewildering. In the name of uplifting and articulating the plight of the poor and downtrodden, Naveen has been sucking blood from the body of his own men.
The lack of progeny and political lineage has worked in Naveen’s favor. Due to this common perception from the people, enables him to maintain a ‘non-corrupt image’. A number of vigilance raids by the government sleuths has beguiled the mob and strengthened his ‘delusive image’. These are nothing but mere acts to sabotage his opposition or pariah any power rising against him. But what about the squalor involved in VEDANTA and POSCO? What about the plethora of illegal money that he has earned through these assignments?
Now coming to the general elections, there is no ambiguity that Naveen lacks potential, able and dynamic opposition. This is one of the two reasons for his success in the general elections. The other is the relentless usage of money during the elections. From where does the flush of cash occurs? (VEDANTA and POSCO). “Fair is foul and foul is fair”. Here elections are won by underhand and despicable methods. The first time he got the sympathy votes from the people, the second, may be for his beguiling ‘non- corrupt’ image. But for the third time? What were the people thinking? Are the people of ORISSA so fickle and unmagnanimous that they fail to see the true colors of this ‘gentleman’? This time his ignominy was at a high-a plethora of corruption charges, his incompetence in handling the Maoist issue, inadequate supply of funds to the flood hit areas and many more.
The state is going through tempestuous times. It has so many pressing problems to surmount. Poverty is staring us in the face and we have yet to provide food, shelter, education and employment to millions of our people. And still the people don’t want to be counted. Are the people so ‘ignorant’ and ‘blind’ to overlook his liabilities? Is he such a great leader to come to power thrice in succession? The enigma of Naveen lingers on!!

LIFE OF A DEFEATIST

LIFE OF A DEFEATIST

I didn’t understand simple things;
Dreams are made of glass,
While reality stings.

Whenever I dreamt of a better tomorrow
Life always gave me sorrow.
Light brought shadow with it,
While light was pale, shadow was bright.

Hatred and loneliness everywhere,
No respite, no care.
I lost my way
To be happy and gay.

What to give and what to share,
When life has given me nothing to spare.
While others have garden
Full of flowers of different colors and forms,
My courtyard
Is full of mud and thorns.

I didn’t understand simple things;
Dreams are made of glass,
While reality stings.

LIVE THE PRESENT MOMENT, FREE OF PAST AND FUTURE

LIVE THE PRESENT MOMENT, FREE OF PAST AND FUTURE
Living in the present is the only way to live. It is in the present moment that we intimate our inner selves and find salvation. The present enables us to come in terms with outer reality. It is the link between the irretrievable past and the embodied future.
In life, we continuously say ‘goodbyes’ to our past, and in ‘now’, we plan a perfect future. The now is present in all that we enjoy and each moment expands our inner consciousness. In the ‘now’ we can be engulfed by sunshine and rain. The dawn of the day makes the morning a time of peace and tranquility, loaded with positive vibrations and thoughts.
As the day progresses, we go on to encounter the good and the bad. We try to strengthen the good in us and weaken the unpalatable. When we choose to live our lives by dwelling in the past and our attention riveted in the future that hasn’t arrived, we lose the precious ‘now’.
We have many desires and targets. We don’t always get what we want. Some of us are happy with what we get, others remain dissatisfied. Still others don’t give up; they keep trying. Which approach is the right one?
There is another approach. You can have a desire. Put in your best effort to fulfill it. But make sure that you enjoy the effort rather than the fruits. There are those who make an effort grumbling and are happy only when the are achieved. There are others who exhaust themselves making an effort to such a degree that they have no strength or enthusiasm to enjoy it’s fruits. So enjoy the effort, no matter what the effect.
The approach should be to celebrate the march towards the destination. If the destination is reached, we will be happy. If it is not reached, nobody can take away the sense of thrill at having run the race, the delicious fatigue felt along the whole body. The happiness is derived not from reaching the goal, but from the struggle that one wages as part of his attempt at reaching it.

Bhubaneswar to Puri- Change of culture in two hours

BHUBANESWAR TO PURI-CHANGE OF CULTURE IN TWO HOURS

It was a scorching hot afternoon that day and the of travelling by bus was quite intimidating to my subconscious mind. So I started off my journey to my maternal grandfather’s house with much frown and grimace.
I reached the Bhubaneswar bus stand pretty comfortably in an autorickshaw, though the perpetual ‘looish’ wind kept brushing against my face. I got down from the auto and boarded a ‘Puri’ bus . I would say that I was lucky to get a seat in a ‘Puri’ bus as it generally tends to be very crowded. Suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue, a different picture popped up in front of me.
There were a cluster of people, signifying their respective backgrounds. The people were sweaty and stinky, which affected my respiratory system considerably. Some of the people were so old and weak that you could literally count the 206 bones in their body. One thing was very common-the ‘paan’ in everybody’s mouth. The bus ticket was 27 rupees from ‘kalpana’ to ‘bada daanda’. That didn’t bother me much. But I was amazed to see that this amount did deter others. Arguments and altercations occurred between the passengers and the conductor regarding the bus fare being 25 instead of 27 rupees. Some of the passengers even went paranoid and accused the conductor of beguiling them. Certain passengers boarding at ‘sakhigopal’ confronted against the conductor when he demanded Rs. 4 instead of Rs. 3. This left me utterly bewildered and made me realize the value of a single rupee.
Certain people had a claustrophobic ordeal. An old lady sitting beside me, goaded the kid sitting at the window seat to swap places. She wanted to puke, and the constant prodding left the kid fuming. Eventually the kid had to succumb to her request. I sat with bated breath to reach Puri.
After an hour’s journey, the bus reached ‘Pipili’. The place was a hub of artistic handicrafts and exotic beauty. It was crowded and the constant chirping and rushing of men drew everyone’s attention. The decorative articles, the handbags and many other articles had a touch of ‘royalty’ imprinted on them, like the traditional Rajasthani attire. There were those huge hats which resembled to the ones worn by the ‘barmy army’ in England. But I was a bit perplexed when I got to know the cost at which they were sold. The price was quite less compared to their worth. May be the reasons would be the lack of advertisement, inefficient connectivity to the place, ignorance and illiteracy of the people, etc. The bus sped through a stretch of forests which was serene indeed.
After sometime, we reached the suburbs of Puri. A characteristic picture of a ‘below poverty line’ area appeared. The roads were too narrow for simultaneous vehicles to pass through. To my amazement, all men were pucker faced and topless. The only clothes on their body was a so called ‘lungi’ or a red ‘gamchha’. The women superseded the men in terms of attire. Most of them were scantily clad. To be precise, their sarees were not exactly opaque, and the starry eyes could get a glimpse of their private parts. Their embodiment would perhaps signify their frustration and disgust, or their antipathy to overcome it. The street drains were lined by impudent kids, ‘shitting’ in the open without a tinge of shame on their face.
Then finally I reached my destination. As I got down from the bus, I could feel the spasm of enlightenment in my inner soul. I couldn’t make out that implicit feeling. May be for that sole obvious reason, PURI(the abode of Lord Jagannath) was one of the ‘char dhams’. The rickshaw drivers came rushing towards me to offer help, in a polite manner. A sense of belonging rushed through my inner self. This land belongs to my forefathers and I am the ‘son of the soil’. On my way to my grandfather’s house, many people(whom I hardly knew) gestured a friendly smile and seemed very caring.
The trip was unique in its own way. It was an education and realization of the world out there. Though it is 60 Km away from Bhubaneswar, the difference in culture is substantial. While the Bhubaneswar people were emotionless and progressive, Puri people have only emotions to offer!!!

vision of a common man

VISION OF A COMMON MAN

The present precarious situation of our country is quite bewildering. The hidden grievances of our people has audaciously erupted in the form of volcanic lava. India once called as “land of opportunities” has been transformed into a “land of hypocrisy”. The lack of competent bureaucrats and the inability of our eminent leaders to tackle the prevailing melancholy state of affairs, will doom our country. I guess, never before has India ever been faced with such malicious issues simultaneously.

First of all, tackling the ‘Red Menace’(Maoists) has become Achilles’ heel for us. The so called ‘negligence’ shown by our government towards the downtrodden , backward class, tribal people has been countered in the form of massacre and terror. The Maoists have been perpetrators of senseless violence. The asylum of the Maoists have been the forests of Maharashtra, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, and Andhra Pradesh. The Maoists are nothing but common inhabitants of a region, deprived of their rights. Handling this sensitive issue is more demanding than countering terrorism since the Maoists don’t demand a separate country, but equality in terms of lineage and rights. The basic difference between a Maoist and a terrorist is the same. The Maoists have a lot of sympathizers, but soon with a plethora of merciless acts of violence, even they are being numbered.

The state government is reluctant to employ military force against the indigenous people. Hence being soft towards them , they refuse to accept the Maoist problem to be mild. The police personnel are not well trained, and the old, rusty equipments are no match to the AK-47 of the Maoists. Also recently, as discovered by Home Secretary G. K. Pillai, some of the Forest Officers are linked with them and act as promoters and catalyst in their endeavors.

Secondly, coming to the CWG fiasco, I was in New Delhi few months back. Believe me, the situation there is quite unpalatable. I couldn’t get the spasm of something grandiose taking place in a few months time. Through the CWG, the prestige of our nation is at stake as the whole world will be watching us. The whimsical committee headed by Mr. Suresh Kalmadi(IOA Chairman) have brought shame and admonished our country on a world stage. There was a plethora of irregularities observed in the budget allocated for the games by the Union government. Moreover we keep pondering where our hard earned money(paid in the form of tax) is being utilized!! The term ‘corruption’ in Indian polity is no neologism, but the way the committee went ahead in their pursuit of hosting the CWG was unethical. Surely ,it is a great opportunity for us to showcase our multidextrous abilities to the world, but not at the cost of filling one’s pocket. The news of huge financial irregularities is emerging at a time when the CWG is a few days away from kick-off. Hence any major actions against the ‘traitors’ is very unlikely. The media and the mob can bleat regarding this issue, but the big bullies will come out of this quagmire and scuttle this issue into oblivion.

Now the entire country is asking the same question-whether bidding for the CWG was a rational, pragmatic decision? Holistically, wasn’t it an impetuous thing to do? India, definitely can’t be termed as a sporting nation nor does it bear a sporting culture. When the country lacks adequate infrastructure and decent training facilities for sportsmen, is spending thousands of crores of money in hosting the CWG justified? What if the money would have been utilized in improving the infrastructure(giving world class facilities to our sportsmen, providing synthetic surfaces for the hockey players, providing more grass, clay, and hard courts for our tennis players, synthetic tracks for our athletes, etc) instead of spending crores of money on ‘toilet papers’? Players who have been connoisseur in their respective fields, have achieved proficiency by training abroad. Few notable examples are-Leander Paes, Prakash Amritraj, Somdev Devvarman are settled in US, Anand settled in Europe, Abhinav Bindra(who won us gold in the Olympics) hired a foreign personal trainer. The questions that have popped up in recent times have no answers but a successful CWG taking place is highly surreal.

Thirdly, the Kashmir issue. I’m in a huge dilemma to take any side. On one hand, I would like Kashmir to be a part of India for eternity, but I can’t close my eyes to the sentiments of the people of Kashmir. The present state of Kashmir can be best described as ‘filmy’(not in real sense but exactly as depicted in hindi movies). The constant oppression and biased policies of the state government towards the kashmiris, has made them to face the inevitable wrath. The agitation led by the Hurriyat stalwart Syed Ali Shah Gilani, is at a nascent stage. It would be our fallacy to underestimate this agitation which has already been successful in maiming the state government. Omar Abdullah, who is a novice in the field of politics, has been detrimental in handling the current situation. He has been tagged as ‘puppet Chief Minister’ in the hands of people sitting in New Delhi. His attempt to hold the CRPF personnel responsible as scapegoats has backfired. Even the political opposition, PDP, has refused to coordinate. Its high time now for the President of National Conference Dr. Farooq Abdullah to take the reins into his own hands and start the negotiation process. Farooq is a true kashmiri in every aspect and understands the sentiments of the people of kashmir. Its understandable that in order to satiate the extremists, immediate negotiations is a must. Earlier, the state government had to deal with the masochistic people(‘jehadis’), now they have a dubious job of suppressing the frantic instigated by the religious fanatics. As stated by Gilani “it took 200 years for India to gain independence from British rule, and its been only 62 years since we have been fighting”.

It all started under Pandit Nehru, when the kashmiris were deprived of their democratic rights(plebiscite) and were forced to merge with India after partition. Since then, they have been under constant scrutiny and are toiling under the perpetual discrimination in each and every aspect. India is a democratic country that allows everyone to express his or her views. But how does one express anger and anguish?(may be by agitation and stone pelting). An believe me, seeing kashmir as a separate entity(or merging with Pakistan) is not a distant possibility anymore!!

Its time for our eminent PM Dr. Manmohan Singh to break his shackles (you can get who I’ m referring to)and come out as a leader to usher the nation. He ought to be the great ‘healer’ in this noxious environment. Nobody doubts his credibility as an ‘economist’ or ‘statesman’ but lacks dynamic abilities. Its perfect time for him to intervene and prove the world that India is a secular, democratic country indeed!!

What does the common man do in these cases? Increase in the literacy rate in our country has made the common man(which includes the rural people)aware of the prevailing circumstances in our country. Even if a person is illiterate(academically) every household can afford a daily newspaper. The common man has a characteristic opinion and vision of his own in every aspect. The baseless evening gossips in the market place are now replaced by awareness issues. It will be our fallacy to consider the common man to be naïve and ignorant. The common man in today’s world is an erudite. The world is changing; India is changing. But what can the common man do about it?

Its true that India is a democratic country. But the only thing that the common man possess is a ‘single vote’. Today when elections are won by sheer power of money and hooliganism, the common man stands alone helpless. His sincere efforts are jeopardized and sabotaged.

A common man is not born with a silverspoon in his mouth like the Gandhis, the Pilots, or the Abdullahs to carry on the political lineage. He is forced to be satisfied by the stature of a mere party worker. The common man has knowledge and credibility but no opportunity. The common man pacifies and convinces his inner soul and moves on in life, fully aware of the outer world!!