Day 240-2011 : A Pregnant Victory

It is the flavour of the season and hence has found a place on this blog too.

Anna Hazare and his India Against Corruption movement have just completed round 2 of their battle against the politicians, in and out of power.  Anna broke his 288-hours long fast earlier this morning on the back of the Indian parliament passing a resolution yesterday to agree 'in principle', to his 3 key demands on the content of the bill.  Thanks to Tata Sky, I haven't been able to track the various developments related to the movement for the last 2 days.  I have been depending on the more 'old school' method of consuming news in the last two days, the morning newspapers.

My sense of the the mood that prevails in the country, from what I read in the papers every morning, is one of jubilation.  The movement has been projected as the common man's fight against the powerful egalitarian class.  There seems to be a sense of achievement and empowerment in people at large, due to the developments of the last few days leading to the Anna breaking his fast this morning.  A great victory for democracy!

Or is it? 

Earlier last week I found myself debating the pros and cons of the 'Anna Methodology' with a few of my colleagues.  I found myself questioning the tactics adopted by the social activist and his team.  Mind you, I am all for the cause.  I strongly believe that corruption is like termites, eating into the foundations of our social systems and rendering them hollow.  And I fully support a movement aimed at making the laws in this country strong to rid us of the scourge of corruption.  However, to dictate terms to a democratic institution like the parliament for calling off the fast, to me, is equivalent to blackmail.  More importantly, it sets a dangerous precedent in a country like ours.  It can result in a free for all.  It concerns me.  And it should concern you.

There are voices within the core of Team Anna as well who feel the same way.  Justice Santosh Hegde has expressed similar views in public and not surprisingly he is no longer part of the core team.  I am sure, Justice Hegde, like me, sees an element of populism in the movement.  Anna and his team at times appear to be playing to the gallery, a rather large one too!  Anna's movement and fasts have been compared to the ones undertaken by Mahatma Gandhi.  I think there is a fundamental difference between the two.  Mahatma Gandhi never allowed a situation of 'me versus you' to develop when he agitated...the movement and the fasts focused on the causes. 

My argument with my colleagues was that in any negotiation it is not advisable to take an extreme stand as a starting point.  It gives very little room to manoeuvre to arrive at a 'win-win' solution.  Moreover, it results in a loss of face.  From my perspective, though the country at large might have forgotten it, Team Anna's main demand when he embarked on the fast was to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the parliament before August 30.  Anna has not been able to achieve that. 

What has been achieved is a 'pregnant victory' which promises more than it delivers.  For the sake of the strong democratic traditions of this country, I certainly hope that it finally does deliver.

Take care.

Day 233-2011 : Nature's Bounty

Last weekend I was in Nashik at my Chitappa's (uncle) place.  I spent some time getting acquainted to what my uncle has been working on for some years and now feel compelled to write a post about it.  Parvathy Nivas at Date Nagar, very close to the banks of the river Godavari, is a decent sized bungalow in a residential area.  However, it is a great example of how one individual can contribute to the green cause and make an impact.

It all started years ago when my uncle, Ramesh Iyer, bought the place and built a bungalow in a part of Nashik which was inhabited by few.  The house today, though surrounded by many rows of concrete now, has more greenery than one can imagine.  All a result of years of painstaking effort put in by one man and his family who are passionate about nature.

As soon as you step into the gate, there is a remarkable difference in temperature, even evident in a city which anyways has a very pleasant climate for most of the year.  If you are expecting to see a perfectly landscaped garden as is the case in most city households / complexes, you will be dissappointed.  Instead what catches your attention is the way in which the garden has been allowed to develop naturally.  In fact, my uncle says, this is not a garden, it is a jungle. 

And it surely has all the interesting elements of a jungle, especially the element of surprise.  The first interesting thing that strikes you is the use of waste material in the garden.  Coconut shells, broken pipes and plastic bottles have been used to create a vertical, hanging garden.  These specimens are found hanging all over in the garden, on the gates and even inside the house!  Space isn't a constraint here, however, such hanging gardens are I think, ideal for people who live in flats in cities and have very little space.

Ingenious use of waste materials as a hanging garden

You will be surprised to find a small pond inside the compound.  This small pond boasts of not only many types of fishes, but also frogs and turtles.  Lotus and lilies grow in pond.  The pond is at the base of an artificial waterfall made in the garden.  The thick vegetation in the garden is home to, believe it or not, more than 60 species of birds, not captive, but living out of their own will there.  There are a couple of bird feeders, which is filled with seeds at all points of time.  The house also has nesting boxes for birds!

A Bird Feeder

Nesting boxes for birds

One of the most interesting spectacles that I witnessed on this visit was the Tailor Bird's artistry.  The mother had clinically sewn up three leaves, by her beak, in a camouflaged corner of the garden to make a comfortable nest for laying her eggs.  The eggs had hatched when we were there and we could see the chicks ensconsed in the comfort of the cotton and cloth cushion made by the mother Tailor bird inside the nest.

The Tailor Bird's Nest

Next up was the kitchen garden, where many fruits and vegetables are grown.  Papayas, custard apples, blue berries, coconuts and lemons were all there.  All of it is for self consumption or giving away as gifts to guests and relatives.

However, the most interesting part of my uncle's work has been the creation of many terrariums.  Terrariums are enclosed ecosystems built on a smaller scale for raising plants, with controls for environmental conditions.  He is now an authority on terrariums and hosts and lectures school children on environmental trips regularly in his garden.

Terrarium

Another terrarium - Bottled Beauty

Apart from the various requests from schools and colleges, Ramesh Iyer's work for nature has been recognised in the local circles and he is now invariably a part of any initiative on the environment in the city.  Due recognition for all the tireless efforts I would say. 

However, the journey has not always been easy. There have been irritants such as neighbours, who objected to the thick growth of vegetation inside the house, complaining about the possibility of insects troubling them!  Needless to say, all such complaints by people who have never ever planted a tree in their lives have been dealt with tact and strength of will over the years.

Kudos to this man and his impressive commitment to nature.  I hope many more will follow in his footsteps and join him in increasing the fast depleting green cover in our cities!

Take care.

Day 218-2011 : The English Nightmare

The Indian cricket team has had a pretty cool last year and a half.  They haven't lost a series, for the last 11 series, have sat on the top of the world Test rankings throughout the year and in April, won the World Cup as well.  Truly, a dream run!

They must be, however, beginning to realise that this dream was only a prelude to what they might call, in a couple of months' time, as the 'English Nightmare'. 

The India v/s England series was billed as top draw, a battle between, arguably, the world's two best cricket teams.  At stake is the top spot in the world Test rankings.  It has however, turned out to be a damp squib.  Two tests down, it has been a no contest between a tired, ill-prepared, injury ridden side and a well prepared and disciplned side.  The Indian side has been slow on the field and doesn't have a clue on how to handle swing and seam.  The only exception has been 'The Wall', excelling at the place where he made his debut about 15 years ago.

England now have an unbeatable 2-0 in the series.  So what are the reasons for this disgraceful slump? 

The symptoms:  No Virender Sehwag, the musical chairs between Yuvraj and Raina, Gambhir injured and to top all of that, the main strike bowler, Zaheer Khan out with a hamstring injury after bowling a few overs in the first test. 

For once, I would not blame the cricketers at all.  Clearly, we do not seem to be taking good care of our cricket team!  The BCCI has been greedy and these are all the symptoms of that.  The schedule of the Indian team is jam-packed; the idea being to milk it more!  The World Cup followed by the long and hectic IPL followed by the West Indian series and then the current England series.  Those who have been part of all of this, should be exhausted by now!  We run the risk of pushing some of our talented cricketers to the brink of burnouts.  Is BCCI killing the hen which lays the golden egg?

On the other hand, the English team look to be very well prepared.  It is probably the strongest ever English team that I have seen in the last few decades.  They seem to have sorted out their ego issues (especially prima donna KP!) and the captaincy capers.  Strauss has led well.  They have planned the downfall of each and every Indian batsmen meticulously.  Their batting line up is solid!  And most importantly they look hungry and want to be the best team in the world.

As I watched the two test matches on the telly, it was very evident that I have been watching the world's number one Test team.  But it certainly wasn't India.

Take care.