Auto Strike

Somewhere around Sixty thousand Auto-Rickshaws of the Ahmedabad city went off the road yesterday. For a day they striked against a two-rupee a kilo increase in the gas prices. A policy level need maybe, threats of further strikes have also been conveyed.

Otherwise, on the road, people like me who commute in cars were a happier lot because the roads looked different and driving suddenly became a more pleasurable thing to do. Regular bus commuters were happier too, because no auto-rickshaw would cut across the lane and the bus won’t jerk of sudden brakes. But angrily they complained it took them a two hour longer waiting for the same buses - the buses wouldn’t stop as they were full of people. Some even took to pedaled commercial cycle carts. Rest, fifty percent weren’t affected at all, because they own bicycles and many don’t even need one.

Hah, some way to play politics, or play stupid, for the already cheap these affordable rickshaws in the city.

A Swine Flu lesson from a Chief

This incident makes me think in detail of a microorganism easily making his way through the VIP immigration gate of a country without being checked at all.

For some, it might mean an act of God, and for some even irony, but for me, reminds me that in these swine flu times I should be doubly sure of the source of my food - for example if the cook is not going to dip a meat curry ladle in a simple curry dish. And, oh! I should always wash my hands before my meal.

Beaten up, beaten down

Bret Lee throws a bouncer every ball because Bhajji irritates him. This is because, Bhajji earlier had a verbal argument with Bret’s friend Andrew. Andrew is an aborigin by origin. Andrew complains that Bhajji called him Monkey – a racial slur – while Bhajji insisted he was misinterpreted. He only called Andrew as ‘Maa-ki’ (means ‘Mother’s…’ - An Indian slur, not racial, something like ‘son-of-a-….’). Now Bhajji is really scared of Bret because he has to face another bouncer which may break his head.

Well, these fighting people, even if they don’t want to, have to face each other. Their encounters fetch all some good money. They travel to each other’s countries, play cricket and are loved by people in both. They are their stars.

We know Bhajji, like Bret or Andrew on the other side, loves his motherland. So he stays where he belongs. But his friends are not as successful or famous like him. Although the friend belongs to a well-to-do and an ambitious society, he exercises his option to travel to migrate to countries where he can earn more, and live better. One such place Australia, he meets Bret’s and Andrews friends. Some are unemployed, and have to go to job-centers to look for work. Bhajjis migrant friend may have to go there too. Plus, they meet at many other places, like marketplace, pubs, streets and so on. Most are unable to make good friends, because their different upbringing and thereupon, the culture makes them different people. Similar to Bangladeshis and Africans, who come to Bhajji’s country looking for work. Oh, how can I forget, Bhajji’s own country has its own internal migrants too.

There are small skirmishes and fist fights between these culturally different people. Some fights flare up as big ones, some bigger ones into protests.

And, critics and writers get some material to write.

Panchayati Raj and PIM

Dear reader, perhaps you would like to throw some light to this cloudy question of mine - especially the ones in the water sector. The questions relates to the governance and water sector in India.

We all know Panchayati Raj was formalized in the country in 1992, famously known as the 73rd constitutional amendment. This made mandatory for the villages to have their committees, known as Gram Sabha Panchayats. The reason of this change was to empower villages with self governance so these Gram Sabhas could make independent decisions for their villages. Now, this is big. Change certainly won’t come fast and the government is supposed to play a role of hand holder to this process.

But the water resources sector which basically thrusts on agriculture (95% of its schemes) has an important lowest level grouping, popularly known as Water Users Associations (WUA). For example, when a new canal or its minor supplies water, the beneficiary farmers will form a WUA . Technically, WUA’s are a simple farmer participation method incited in almost every part of the world as a decentralized method of management. But in India this all is done in the pretext of Panchayati Raj. While WUA’s cut across political boundaries of Panchayats they have nothing to do with these Panchayats. The latter are nowhere in the picture. Naturally because of the specialized task like the crop yield expected from these WUA’s, there is still top down approach to the way these WUA’s are managed, if I say the least.

Also, such an approach takes thrust away from addressing issues such as equity, ecology, sanitation and so on.

Now, isn’t this also a slight deviance from the constitution as well?

I will look forward to your comments.

Dying because of …

Hey, in my recent post on Beat of India did I mention that the folk music is dying? Because the people who sing it are starving! Or, is it because of this urban air now today?

The answer my friend may blow in the wind, and that’s why Bobji sings an important line in the last para of his "let me die in my footsteps"- Go out in your country where land meets the sun …

Going digital

Man wanted to draw, so he drawed on the dusty ground. The scribbles didn’t stay for long, also he wanted to colour them. So, he started to draw on the rocks or caves walls. Then lots of time passed, and he found himself drawing on the paper, or on the cloth. He devised better colouring pens too. The paper became an ultimate medium and was transportable. Now comes the time, when he can draw on a digital tablet. It is water proof, has colours aplenty, there’s additional glow and the pictures need only a few seconds to make a full circle of the globe. The only hitch, he has no time to draw.

Beat of India

Personally, for the music I like I either have to look faraway, or if it was not for this website http://beatofindia.com/, I would have been terribly bored.

Earlier as a child growing, the popular music in India and the music from Bollywood had disappointed me, and now it is the various talent exposition TV shows. Though in someways I do get what people can appreciate from someone talented singing popular songs, but I seriously do not get why these shows are bent upon destroying the confidences of some otherwise talented and ambitious people. A sound unique to someone, potentially superb is rejected because it does not exist within the popular culture’s dictionary of good sur (melody).

Beat of India is a life saviour; atleast for me. What they do is record an album of a local unknown artiste, whether rich or poor, and who has traditional groundings in his music. These singers or their songs are not fabricated for mass listening, so there are no unnecessary instruments or sophistication. They stick to the natural sound exemplifying either the struggle or the surroundings. Unlike the mainstream, there is aptly what is required - the artist, the accompanying instrument, and perhaps a few listeners like me.