"Rally against monkey menance
Shimla Nagrik Sabha, a civil society body, on Monday held a protest demonstration at the MC office against the failure of the civic body to check the increasing attacks of monkeys, langoors and dogs on people of the town... ..."*
I remember that about 5 years back I was climbing up to the Jakhu hill, when a determined group of three monkeys accosted me, and not being satisfied at finding me empty handed, one of them put his hand in my trouser pocket. last month I did succeed in going to Jakhu hill in a per seat Taxi service started by Himachal Government. When the taxi reached the precincts of the temple, the driver casually warned us "Those of you who are wearing spectacles, please remove them". Being taken aback at this 'firman' of the taxi driver I asked him why? His reply was again very cool, "Aj kal bandar chashma utaar lainday nay"....
Yes I also raise my feeble old voice in support of this campaign of Civil Society.
*Source: The Times of India, 13.9.2011
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Monday, September 12, 2011
OLIVE RIDLEY TORTOISES AND POMFRET FISH:
Recently on May 15, 2011, there was a news item that the forest officials of Odisha had released about 350 baby Olive Ridley turtles into the sea at Talasari beach located under Bhogarai block in Balasore district. The officials had located a bunch of Ridley Olive turtles laying eggs at Talasari beach along the coast of Bay of Bengal and provided protection to the turtles’ eggs. These eggs were protected by these personnel for three days with the help of some fencing. As the eggs were hatched, the hatchlings were released into the sea. Going back a few decades, it was only in 1974 that the phenomenon of mass nesting and laying of eggs by Olive Ridleys’ on the Orissa coast were first discovered and recorded.
But that is not really the full story. One Captain Alexander Hamilton described about the mass nestings in 1727- a good 284 years back and almost two and a half centuries before their recording in 1974. This is what he wrote: “About twelve leagues to the northward of Cunnaca, is the river's mouth of Ballasore where there is a very dangerous bar, sufficiently well known by the many wrecks and losses made by it. Between Cunnaca and Ballasore rivers there is one continued sandy bay, where prodigious numbers of sea tortoises resort to lay their eggs and a very delicious fish called the Pampleey come in shores, and are sold for two pence for hundred. Two of them are sufficient to dine a moderate man.”
(An extract from my forthcoming book on the French Balasore)
But that is not really the full story. One Captain Alexander Hamilton described about the mass nestings in 1727- a good 284 years back and almost two and a half centuries before their recording in 1974. This is what he wrote: “About twelve leagues to the northward of Cunnaca, is the river's mouth of Ballasore where there is a very dangerous bar, sufficiently well known by the many wrecks and losses made by it. Between Cunnaca and Ballasore rivers there is one continued sandy bay, where prodigious numbers of sea tortoises resort to lay their eggs and a very delicious fish called the Pampleey come in shores, and are sold for two pence for hundred. Two of them are sufficient to dine a moderate man.”
(An extract from my forthcoming book on the French Balasore)
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
OH NO, NOT ANOTHER “RATH” YATRA?
Having spent 36 years in Orissa, any mention of Ratha Yatra at once brings to mind the early part of July, heat and high humidity and over 5 lakh devotees on the Badadanda (the great path) braving it all to have a glimpse of Lord Jagannaths’s Ratha or the chariot. It is faith and devotion in its purest form.
But today’s piece about Rath Yatra of another type- yesterday’s announcement of the veteran leader Shri Lal Krishan Advani that he is going to take out another Rath Yatra - this time to focus on the problem of corruption facing the country. Remember he is a vetern of Rath Yatras? The Sarathi (driver) of Shri Advani’s Rath (which really is a bus) must be getting ready to get the vehicle serviced and preparing for a long journey on the road.
First of all why not keep this ‘Yatra’ clearly distinct from Lord Jagannath’s Ratha Yatra and not christen it as “Rath Yatra” but call it something like, say Yatra against Corruption?
As is known, Shri Anna Hazare has already announced that he would be taking out a march or Yatra against corruption in the country. May be the two leaders would consult each other so that they are not doing ‘Yatras’ in the same area. One doesnt know at this stage if Anna’s Yatra would be from North to South of the country and the Advani Yatra from West to East or the other way round.
It is not unlikely that taking a cue from their leader, the MPs and MLAs belonging to Shri Advani’s party would take out such Anti-Corruption Yatras in their respective constituencies. And the ruling political party (which seems to be having very good prospects of becoming the future Opposition Party) MPs and MLAs too would be under pressure to take out such Yatras against corruption in their respective constituencies.
Likewise the NGOs would not be left far behind and they would also take out their Yatras. The Left Parties would surely launch their Yatras too but may term those as ‘Marches by the Workers and the Peasants’. Schools would vie with each other to take out such Yatras. The rating agencies would have a whale of a time coming out with facts figures and future projections of various yatras and deciding whose was the biggest.
Imagine what? There would be hundreds of Yatras against corruption crisscrossing the country at the same time. Would this not adversely impact the economic and academic activities in the country and push important social issues to the background, one might ask. “Dont you think we care too?” someone would roar in to explain, “after all we are doing this for eradicating corruption and speeding up development.” What can one say to this except giving a silent look of utter amazement at the explanation.
I remember when I was young there used to be a popular digestive called the “Rambaan Choorun” which was supposed to be the cure for all diseases. Perhaps there are some people who feel that taking out “Yatras’ is the sure shot remedy for all the ills facing the country.
If nothing else, we may at least end up in the Guiness Book of World Records as being the country which has had maximum number of Yatras in a year. Some smart researcher may do a Ph.D. on the "The Paradigm shift of strategies and the Socio-political impact of Yatras agains corruption in India"... ...
Should one not appeal to both Shri Advani and Shri Anna Hazare to take care of their health and not to overstrain themselves by taking such long avoidable journeys.
But today’s piece about Rath Yatra of another type- yesterday’s announcement of the veteran leader Shri Lal Krishan Advani that he is going to take out another Rath Yatra - this time to focus on the problem of corruption facing the country. Remember he is a vetern of Rath Yatras? The Sarathi (driver) of Shri Advani’s Rath (which really is a bus) must be getting ready to get the vehicle serviced and preparing for a long journey on the road.
First of all why not keep this ‘Yatra’ clearly distinct from Lord Jagannath’s Ratha Yatra and not christen it as “Rath Yatra” but call it something like, say Yatra against Corruption?
As is known, Shri Anna Hazare has already announced that he would be taking out a march or Yatra against corruption in the country. May be the two leaders would consult each other so that they are not doing ‘Yatras’ in the same area. One doesnt know at this stage if Anna’s Yatra would be from North to South of the country and the Advani Yatra from West to East or the other way round.
It is not unlikely that taking a cue from their leader, the MPs and MLAs belonging to Shri Advani’s party would take out such Anti-Corruption Yatras in their respective constituencies. And the ruling political party (which seems to be having very good prospects of becoming the future Opposition Party) MPs and MLAs too would be under pressure to take out such Yatras against corruption in their respective constituencies.
Likewise the NGOs would not be left far behind and they would also take out their Yatras. The Left Parties would surely launch their Yatras too but may term those as ‘Marches by the Workers and the Peasants’. Schools would vie with each other to take out such Yatras. The rating agencies would have a whale of a time coming out with facts figures and future projections of various yatras and deciding whose was the biggest.
Imagine what? There would be hundreds of Yatras against corruption crisscrossing the country at the same time. Would this not adversely impact the economic and academic activities in the country and push important social issues to the background, one might ask. “Dont you think we care too?” someone would roar in to explain, “after all we are doing this for eradicating corruption and speeding up development.” What can one say to this except giving a silent look of utter amazement at the explanation.
I remember when I was young there used to be a popular digestive called the “Rambaan Choorun” which was supposed to be the cure for all diseases. Perhaps there are some people who feel that taking out “Yatras’ is the sure shot remedy for all the ills facing the country.
If nothing else, we may at least end up in the Guiness Book of World Records as being the country which has had maximum number of Yatras in a year. Some smart researcher may do a Ph.D. on the "The Paradigm shift of strategies and the Socio-political impact of Yatras agains corruption in India"... ...
Should one not appeal to both Shri Advani and Shri Anna Hazare to take care of their health and not to overstrain themselves by taking such long avoidable journeys.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Stretch Limo....
Stretch Limo is a car found in great abundance on the roads of Ludiana district of Panjab, India - Originally an American invention of the pre-financial mess days......This is the sole one that I ssaw in St. Petersburg.
Extract from " Saintliness In Politics Cuts Both Ways" by Dileep Padgaonkar
“... what Hazare has done is to act solely according to the dictates of his ‘conscience’, his ‘inner voice’, to attain his goal. He places those dictates well above Parliament – the repository of the will of the people – and the Constitution – the touchstone of our republic.
Like other claimants to infallibility – the Pope, the communist Commissar, the fascist ideologue, the jihadi theocrat – Hazare too appears to abide by what he believes are self-evident propositions. He alone can distinguish between vice and virtue; he alone knows the truth; there is only one path to reach it and that is the path laid by him. In other words, he alone is entitled to deploy his very own means to eradicate corruption. ... ...”
Like other claimants to infallibility – the Pope, the communist Commissar, the fascist ideologue, the jihadi theocrat – Hazare too appears to abide by what he believes are self-evident propositions. He alone can distinguish between vice and virtue; he alone knows the truth; there is only one path to reach it and that is the path laid by him. In other words, he alone is entitled to deploy his very own means to eradicate corruption. ... ...”
The Neighbourhood... ...
One hears that "The Government of Sindh in Pakistan has decided that teaching Chinese language in all schools from Grade VI on wards shall be compulsory from 2013 onwards."
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