Thinking over epidemics and environment

This article, written by Dr. Akhila S. Nair, Asst. Professor, Ambo University, was published by The Ethiopian Herald. To read it on the newspaper's site, Click Here

An awareness campaign against Ebola in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, September 25, 2014.
Obtained from: http://links.org.au/node/4167

Each day unravels before me many reasons why environmental science continues to be interdisciplinary. The branch of science has got strong linkages not only with the natural science, but also with humanities and social sciences. Globalism, eco-writing, environmental laws… there is a long list of instances when there occurs a marriage between environmental science and other schools of knowledge. On the other hand, laws of the land, culture, customs, mindset of the people, new inventions, historic discoveries and technological revolutions – all continue to have due impact on our environment. 

I was just thinking of these in the wake of the current surge of epidemics. Morbidity of living organisms, in short, leads to the morbidity of the environment, too. Epidemics thwart our green dreams. Virtuous life is fostered only when members of a society is healthy and happy. Preaching about environment to a perished society won’t earn desirable results. 

With Ebola outbreak, epidemic has become a hotly debated subject world over. Epidemic means the spread of infectious disease to a large number of people or other livings within short period of time. A disease is called an epidemic if the affected population crosses the expected number of infected people in a particular area.  Ebola, HIV/AIDS, Avian bird flu, Malaria, Cholera, Plague, Meningitis etc are some of the examples. 

Ebola info-graphic obtained from: http://flashpointsurvival.com. 

Connection between epidemic and environment is intertwined. For example, according to World Health Organization, a number of manmade and natural environmental factors including water supply, sanitation facilities, food and climate change influence the chances and spreading of epidemics. In case of diarrheal outbreaks most of the time, improper environmental hygiene is the main curse.  In case of many of such epidemics like Malaria or Ebola, natural hosts or vectors play a major role in their spreading.  Climate change can either favour or suppress the spread of vectors. 

It is a well known truth that fruit bats of the Pteropodidae family are natural Ebola virus hosts. But isn’t it also a truth that when climate change, fertilizer prize and dire lack of irrigation together take a villains’ role, poor people cannot find any better food than bush meat? Any epidemic outbreak weakens the physical and mental strength of the workforce. When there is no healthy agricultural workforce, there would be a concomitant crop loss and income loss. Consequently, there will be poverty, famine and diseases. 

Epidemics of livestock and poultry have also proved decisive.  November 2014 avian influenza virus attack on ducks in my homeland, Kerala in India, was reported to have brought a loss of over Rs.125 million to farmers. Though the disease outbreak could be successfully controlled due to timely intervention of the authorities, the money lost is lost; the peace of mind gone is gone. Definitely, such times of havoc drain away one’s eco-friendly enthusiasm. The reason should not be different for some countries having high prevalence of HIV/AIDS to lag behind socioeconomic developments. 

For such epidemics like HIV/AIDS, usually the victims come under the young age groups, who constitute not only the main workforce but also the major actors for positive social change, environmental wisdom and so on. When young adults face such catastrophe, there would be consequent turmoil in economy, farming, land use and natural resource management. When life itself is eroding, who would care about soil erosion!  

At the lash of an epidemic, people are thrown to stiff poverty. Naturally, for their minimal sustenance, they start seeking some shortcuts to make money. Thus becoming rampant would be sale and consumption of charcoal, timber, fuel wood and wild fruits duly exploiting their proximate natural resources. 

When society’s establishments fail to provide timely attention, epidemic victims resort to traditional healers, who would tax indigenous plant species in the localities for medicine and income. As the exploitation crosses limits, such plants fall under threatened category. Some studies have even pointed to the increased use of timber for making coffins in most affected localities. Not only that, fake traditional healers could prove detrimental, too. 

Tips to know between flu and Ebola. Obtained from: http://flashpointsurvival.com 

There were certain findings that HIV/AIDS patients think that their lifespan is shorter and hence there is no need for any commitment to the slogan, sustainable development. This underlines the need for social counseling for enhancing optimism among epidemic victims. Another finding is that premature deaths due to epidemics have stopped transfer of certain traditional knowledge about sustainable management of natural resources. 

Thus the issue is complex. When epidemics further mar the lives of the poor, how could they be eco-prudent? One thing is clear: wide gap exists in unraveling the intricate connections between epidemics, natural environment and its resources. But let’s not step an inch back in our struggle for the wellbeing of the environment to assure the wellbeing of its members; and vice versa. 

- Dr. Akhila S. Nair

When environment becomes literally sacred

This article, written by Dr. Akhila S. Nair was published in The Ethiopian Herald of 11th January. To read it there, Click Here.

Being an environmentalist, I was always attracted by one of the social theories about origin of religions – the one which proclaims that religions originated along with the origin of ‘totems’ among aborigines. Early men revered plants, animals and natural elements as their group’s strength and protector. This led to their groping according to the plant, animal or the natural element that they worshiped. Such groups are called ‘totemic groups’ and the plant, animal or natural element is called ‘totem’. 

Social scientists have noted that the cardinal characteristic of religions is that they divide everything into sacred and profane. Sacred belonged to the divine and the profane, for our mundane life. Consequently everything that belonged to the sacred category was segregated from the profane. Thus evolved were sacred animals, sacred mountains and sacred plants. Such symbols are aplenty among religions. Hinduism, for example, has got many such symbols in its belief system. Christianity and Islam are not different. 

An impressive consequence of such sacred-profane divide was the evolution of sacred groves. Sacred groves are holy sites with rich biodiversity and traditional beliefs. Since sacred and holy, such green consortiums remain protected and preserved without anyone instructing anyone to do so. That means conservation of sacred groves easily becomes the community’s need than any environmentalist’s cry. 

Sacred groves can be part of a worship place or divine monument. They symbolize man’s gratitude to the Mother Earth for the opulent resources she has provided. They serve to be undisturbed asylums for many unknown plant and animal species. Sacred groves are rich with diverse medicinal plants, indigenous flora and fauna. Religions impose social taboos which become socially imposed restrictions. Hence the protection of sacred groves becomes the natural obligation of concerned religion’s members. Different religions along India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Madagascar, Ethiopia and Kenya have this culture of nurturing sacred groves. 

In Ethiopia

Sacred groves get their Ethiopian manifestation majorly in the form of church forests. Church forests in Ethiopia are usually small land areas considered as saintly by the local population with a church at the centre. They are endowed with diverse types of indigenous plants, animals, birds and microorganisms.  Hills along northern, southern and central Ethiopia are usually spotted with a monastery or church having in its surroundings, remnants of thick forests of the past.  Studies have identified more than 35000 church forests in the country, with their sizes ranging from 1 acre to 300 hectares. 

Photos above show the sacred forest treasure of island monasteries at Lake Tana in Ethiopia. The lake has more than 20 islands housing monasteries. Each monastery is surrounded by thick vegetation which usually people keep away from considering their sacred value. Photo: SIVAKUMAR K.P.

Some of these forests date back even up to fourth century and remain to be glaring relics of the age-old Afromotane forests.   Local people try to protect them because of religious and cultural beliefs. For example, one of the beliefs is that the church forests of Ethiopia are representations of the Garden of Eden demanding our love and care.  Ultimately, due to such faiths, chances of exploitation become minimized. 

If you search for the first indigenous initiative in Ethiopia to safeguard biodiversity, your query would end at the country’s church forests. Ethiopian sacred landscapes include mountains, water bodies and graveyards which are abode for various species of plants ranging from herbs to shrubs and trees. Such localities are also gene pools of diverse, rare indigenous species. Native sacred forests are also sources of germplasm. They remain to be efficient indicator sites of the original ecological landscape, providing excellent gateway to the study and practice of in situ forest conservation and ecological restoration. 

This author could go through a worthy case study of 2009 from Southwestern Ethiopia about the biocultural diversity of sacred sites. It shows that the biodiversity contained in small sacred forest patches of Gamo highlands could successfully withstand a prolific agricultural encroachment and illegal logging, only because it was ‘sacred’.  

Challenges

As the country is surging fast through development in diverse arenas, the pressure on the sacred groves are also furthering. Researchers have reported that because of the population growth, urbanization, insufficient implementation of land use policies, social inequality and poor monitoring of post development activities, there has been an enhancement in the exploitation of sacred sites of the country. 

Many salient features including the medicinal plant diversity of native sacred forests are yet to be studied. In Ethiopia, people depend on many indigenous medicinal plants for human health care and for veterinary purpose. Still, cultivation of medicinal plants is not yet popular. Instead, practitioners and their patients usually resort to many wild varieties of medicinal plants both in natural and sacred forests of their proximity.  

In their 2013 study, Catherine and co-researchers reported that in northern part of Ethiopia, the sacred groves were surrounded by deforested, agricultural and grazing lands.  Most of the groves had no clear fencing. Worshipers, disciples, church leaders, and grazing animals enter and leave the forests throughout the day. Many church forests were cleared and converted to coffee plantations. 

Sacred forests of Ethiopia constitute a strong link between the faith and the conservation practices. Saving sacred forests means saving precious repositories of rare, indigenous biodiversity. Since religion as a social reality could set right norms, the process of conservation becomes automatically community initiatives. Since most of the country’s population is strictly religious, church forests can easily well ingrain the ideal of environmental conservation among the worshipers. Let’s be more proactive towards our church forests and other sacred natural assets.  

- Dr. Akhila S. Nair, Asst. Professor in Environmental Science Programme, Ambo University.

The latecomer

(This story has got no connection with any real life situation or individual, but just the author's imagination.)

In heavy morning traffic, the Mumbai roads have started roaring in different tones. When the arteries chocked too much, there was also dooming silence intermittently. A young man in formal dress was alighting from a taxi and darting into the reception of The Oberoi. In the hurry, he couldn’t respond to a nice welcome gesture offered by the well dressed guards at the main door. 

After a quick enquiry at the reception he rushed to the elevator. Though the fragrance and music inside were enticing, the man seemed unreceptive to all. He hooked his eyes at the scrolling display. His destiny is the tenth floor. Any halt before that was intolerable. 

He just glanced at his wristwatch. It’s 11am. Exactly the time told for him to face the interview board. The door was opened and a young beautiful executive popped out and tweeted, “Mr. Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay, please!”  “I’m here”, the man replied, hiding his embarrassment under a deliberate smile. Inside, a secretary was sitting with displeasure on his face. “Good morning Sir! Sorry to tell that you are late by two and a half hours. We have been trying at your mobile, but that was in off mode. The board could but get a confirmation from the airport that you have landed; and from your hotel that you have already left for this place. Please leave your credentials on my table for a usual verification”.

Late by two and a half hours! While boarding the flight previous night from Addis Ababa, his smart phone and wristwatch were set to Ethiopian time which was two and a half hours behind the Indian. Wiping with kerchief a drop of sweat that was rolling down the right side of his forehead, Mr. Mukhopadhyay submitted his credentials at the table. “Now get in for the interview, Sir. Best of luck!” the young executive replied smiling. 

Ramkumar Mukhopadhyay. One of the handpicked refugee management experts very familiar at the UNHCR head quarters, Geneva. Only because of that single reason that the interview board was forced to wait from 11am to 1.30pm just for a single candidate. The interview was only a formality. As soon as a concurrence was obtained from the Government of India, he was deputed as Director in charge of refugees in the north-east states. His duty was to see the veracity of those who claim to be refugees in those regions; whether enough amenities are provided for genuine refugees; whether human rights prevail there and so on. For a man who had been indulged in the boiling refugee matters in Ethiopia and other African nations, this Indian assignment was more or less an easy break. 

That day, on the bed after dinner, his mind was churning over certain issues: first, falling late for the important rendezvous; second, carelessly keeping the mobile switched off....  “Had Susanna was with me, such blunders would not have occurred” he heaved a sigh. 

Susanna. Sri Lankan brilliance in the form of a 26-year-old young female. It was during his third assignment by UNHCR that Mukhopadhyay met Susanna for the first time. It was all a mess inside the Somali refugee camps which was a cluster of shaky sheds with corrugated tin walls and roofs. Susanna was junior assistant to Mukhopadhyay who was in full charge of the camp’s protection under the UN. Gradually Susanna crept into the entire life of Mukhopadhyay. He woke up to her sweet kisses and slept at her feather touch. His speeches had inputs provided by Susanna. He trotted the globe according to travels plans immaculately prepared by his sweetie. Even after five years of such a fanciful life, they were not married. This always smouldered in Susanna’s mind. Once she vented by saying “I don’t want to live a refugee life”; another occasion she made it a point: “If we do not marry now, time will go and it will be too late for that to happen”. Each time Mukhopadhyay replied with no words but shrugs and laughter. 

Susanna is now away from Mukhopadhyay at some place which the latter does not know.  More than 500 days have already passed like this. 

*****
Today Mukhopadhyay takes charge at his Guwahati office. He never liked sitting at a cabin and relying on field staffs. Day two onwards he goes in the field for reconnaissance. On his way to the lower Assam camps, there was a long queue of vehicles waiting. Boarder Roads Organization was fast repairing part of a road that was caved in by abrupt floods of Brahmaputra. After a long crawl, his vehicle reached a refugee surveillance centre. Nobody was in the office. Seats were almost empty. “What the hell is going on here? Where are the guys?” Mukhopadhyay was shouting angrily. 

His growl definitely meant that any lame reason is unsolicited. A pin drop silence prevailed. Far end of the silence was disturbed by a faint roar of the Brahmaputra; and its near end by these female words: “Sorry Sir! May I humbly bring to your kind attention that this is already lunch time for this centre? You are late by two and a half hours than the time that was faxed to this centre”. 

At first Mukhopadhyay felt a thunderbolt and later enjoyed it as music of his soul. He looked up and saw Susanna standing up. She looked majestic in sari. Her table carried a name board that stated “Mrs. Susanna D’zuza, Centre Coordinator”. One D’zuza has already possessed her. 

Without any reply Mukhopadhyay walked into the refugee shelters. He soon indulged in making conversations with the inhabitants and became one among them. 

Suddenly it rained. An old inhabitant lamented, “This year rain is a late comer. Untimely rains can only bring flash floods and destroy our land”.  Mukhopadhyay managed to reciprocate with a smile. A smile is something that a refugee rarely sees.

- Sivakumar K.P. 

Results that 'Modi'fied my thoughts...

This article was also published in The Ethiopian Herald, dated 25 May 2014

Respecting people's verdict: Dr. Manmohan Singh, outgoing PM (right)  greets new PM of India, Narendra Modi
(Photo obtained from the face book page of Mr. Binoy Job, Media Director, PM's Office)

As the largest polls and the longest wait for results are over, India gave a landslide mandate for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led alliance.  Out of the 543 parliamentary constituencies, 337 were won by the BJP and its National Democratic Alliance, wherein the BJP alone ows 283 seats. With this, the party has received a mandate to rule the nation as a single party, not bothering much on its pre-poll, post-poll alliances. The BJP’s leader, 63-year-old Narendra Modi, who is incumbent Chief Minister of Gujarat State, would be swearing in as the 14th Prime Minister of India on 21st of May. 

The Modi typhoon has literally uprooted the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) of the Indian National Congress (INC). The alliance had to satisfy with a meagre 59 seats out of which the INC’s share is 44. Compared to the elections of 2009, the NDA has marked an increase of 196 whereas the UPA has slid by 175. Majority of surveys predicted a clear victory of the NDA, but not a massive sweep of this sort. Out of the total votes polled, the NDA has procured 38.9 percent, the UPA 23.4 percent and the rest, who are not party to any alliances received 37.6 percent. 

The landslide victory of the NDA has led to an opposition without a leader. This is because no single party in the opposition, even not the INC, could manage to get the stipulated 10 percent of the total seats which is 54.

‘Modi’fication

The current election results have brought in a new turn in the Indian politics. At first, the whole nation has endorsed Narendra Modi’s leadership. Charismatic seniors are not scarce in the BJP; yet the Modi wave has eclipsed all. Modi’s tenure as the Chief Minister of Gujarat was both praised for the progress brought to the state; and criticized for his autocratic style. Modi‘s fondness towards the rightist faction of the BJP, namely the Sangh Pariwar, a consortium of Hindu nationalist organizations, is a concern both inside and outside his party; as well for the religious minorities. Yet, no criticism could tar him, but the victory has only made him brighter. During the election campaign, while requesting the Muslim voters to 'give one more chance for the BJP', Modi was tactfully painting his pro Hindu ideology with slight tones of secularism. While seeing this mammoth victory, we should assume that his tactics worked well. 

Now, the victory can also be reckoned as an overwhelming popularity accrued upon him for being a backward caste member whose life had a humble beginning as a tea vendor. Definitely common man in India must be seeing him as a counterpart, a source of hope that knows the ebbs and flows of a modest life. 

Another major impact of the election results is the historic downfall of the INC, the one that enjoys the credit of ruling India for the longest term. The party has recorded its slenderest win. Before, the party’s biggest decline was in the 1974 elections, when people reflected their ire against the autocratic imposition of emergency by Indira Gandhi. Even then, the party could gather 154 seats, which only furthers the shame of 2014.  

Major reason for such extermination should not be anything other than the anguish people have against unbridled corruption at all walks of governance during the past two terms (10 years) of UPA rule. When a ruling party approaches elections after two continuous tenures of rule, there should also be an influence of a natural degree of anti-incumbency sentiment. For majority of enlightened voters, it was also not a pleasant thing to accept the typical dynasty leadership of the INC. Altogether such facts played a detrimental game for the party.
  

Criticism upon Rahul Gandhi, the Prime Minister candidate of the INC was that he had no genuine political experience except the qualification that he is a dynasty’s link. A bit of his political maturity and composure was but visible while addressing the media immediately after the election downslide, when he, as the vice president of the party, readily owed full responsibility of the failure. 

404 to 44; 2 to 283

In the history of elections in India, the credit of winning largest number of seats is still owned by the INC.  In 1984 elections the party bagged 404 seats supported by sentimental erosion following the assassination of Indira Gandhi. At that time the BJP was thrashed to mere 2 seats! It’s quite ironical that after three decades, the INC is shrunken to 44 and the BJP, swollen with 283. A single party majority to rule India is also for the first time in 30 years.

Manifesto

Win and loss are integral of elections. But what is counted would be the way the winner uses the opportunity to rule.  The UPA decade was noted for proliferation of corruption. Hence the BJP election manifesto had a prominent place for anti-corruption drive, furthering the common man’s hope.  Launching public awareness programmes, furthering technology-enabled e-governance etc are among the party’s anti-corruption strategies. A pertinent question still remains unanswered in their manifesto: Awareness at grassroots or a thorough cleaning at the apex, which is needed for eliminating corruption? Let us hope that the BJP's manifesto won't be thrown to blatant verbicide. 

Outwardly the BJP manifesto would differ from that of the INC, but not at the crux. This is more in the case of foreign policy. The BJP manifesto about its foreign relations begins with a very complex, long sentence. One should patiently read it many times to get at least a grip on its tail. Though the party would hint a drastic difference from the Nehruvian one, ultimately everything lands on the same terrain, as has been proved during its previous tenures.  Don’t make a wild conclusion that a BJP rule would strain the Indo-Pak or Indo-Bangladesh relations. The BJP rules in the past have only opened new avenues for fostering such relations. But these are something that a pro Hindu party cannot overtly state in its manifesto. 

Expatriates have something to be glad at the BJP government. A major breakthrough in furthering links between the homeland and Non Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origins (PIOs) was during the tenure of previous BJP government when Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister.  The annual celebration, Pravasi Bharatiya Dhin for the NRIs and PIOs on every January 9 was initiated by him. For the first time, many proactive initiatives for furthering the investments in the country from Indians abroad were also taken by his government. 

The BJP and its NDA alliance have got a handsome majority and ample five years in hand. Narendra Modi’s first tweet about the landslide victory was that ‘good days are coming for India’. Now people of India eagerly wait to see how much, and for whom ‘good’ the ‘Modi’ days would be. 

Money magic!

(This post was also published in The Ethiopian Herald, dated 10 05 2014)

Am I making money for a living or living for making money? For me, this is definitely an imbroglio, as puzzling as do I eat for living or live for eating! 

It was during a scintillating show by magician Muthukad that my naked eyes witnessed a truly whimsical way of making money. Muthukad roamed among the audience showing a clear empty metal container. The emptiness of the same was certified by audience members who checked all its sides with huge care and attention. But at each snap of the magician’s finger, money fell into the container. Clang, clang... and in no time, the vessel was full of coins – all freshly plucked from thin air!! That’s the way of making money for a magician. 

I have many times dreamed of a tree bearing not fruits and flowers but coins and currencies! But every time I wake up to that harsh reality: righteous and the easiest way of making money is not a magic, but hard, hard work. Hard work is the only switch to earn money for any human being of normal pursuit. By ‘normal pursuit’, I mean a pursuit that do not comprise smuggling or money laundering; or else selling violence or pledging dignity. 

Money month
In Ethiopia, I consider July and August as money months since these are the beginning months of fiscal year.  While in India, I used to perceive April as a money month. April marks the beginning of a fresh fiscal year. With more money in hand, your project can expect more allocations during April than in the magpie March. Every year, April also gift me two occasions of gaiety: Vishu or Bihu the Indian festival and Easter, a global one. 'Kaineettam' or 'Gift money' granted by elders to youngsters remains an integral attraction of Vishu celebration. During my childhood, once when I got a big one rupee coin as Vishu ‘kaineettam’, from one of my aunts, I gasped with huge wonder. For the first time, my aunt was expanding the value of ‘kaineettam’ for me – from usual fifty paise to big one rupee!! By granting that bonanza for me, my loving aunt truly stood with her name, ‘Vishaalam’ meaning broadminded. 

Money and its religion
Karl Marx and Max Weber had made exciting observations on religion and money. To Marx, religion never brings a solution, but gives a hallucination that today’s agonies are for tomorrow’s wellbeing! To him, religion is akin to opium that never heals a wound, but just suppresses the pain. Marxism hence demands a thorough dismantling of the Capitalist system, where a minority amasses capital and wealth and a majority sells their labour for meagre wages. Marx has observed that though outward propaganda of all religions are for salvaging the deprived classes, no religion could put an end to the unbriddled flow of captalism. 

Karl Marx and Max Weber

Asian stories
Max Weber, one of Marx’s next generation German counterparts, studied the relation between different religious faiths and thier inspiration for earning wealth. Hinduism which is considered as a religion as well as an ideology stipulates four 'Purusharths' or 'ultimate reality of one's life'. 'Dharm' (obeyance to social rules), 'Arth' (earning for one's living), 'Kam' (sex for making progenies) and 'Moksh' (eternal liberation) are the four 'Purusharths'. These are of course enough for triggering capitalist growth. Still, Weber found that during its ancient times, Hinduism lacked an ethical encouragement toward capitalism. Major limit was its caste system that glued people to certain occupational levels. It became ethically impossible to break it and earn as per one’s own ambition. 'Karma' philosophy underlined that today’s life is the result of past ‘karmas’ or actions. Hindus at large were hence turned passive towards earning wealth beyond one's need.

Traditional concept of ‘sib’ or community in China kept the land strongly attached to community. Private possessions and rational development of individuals became not a priority. Chinese religion Confucianism regarded social order as akin to an eternal and inevitable cosmic order, where individual attempts to capital amassment got little place.

European saga
‘The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism’ by Weber explains why commercial activities in many western European countries expanded along with the growth of Protestantism. 

Calvinism, a major Protestant type demands its followers to devote their life for worldly asceticism, instead of spiritual deeds. Hence its followers started devoting for worldly work leading to worldly wealth. But their creed prohibited using the profit for any worldly pleasure; instead the individual should reinvest it for another worldly pursuit. Hence work and capital amassment became a pastime for them, leading to commercial boom in Europe, Weber explains. 

But, Weber found that the Catholic doctrines refer ‘Calling’ as a divine dictate to devote one’s life for spiritual service for God. Hence in Catholicism, there is little priority for worldly means and amassment of wealth. 

Ancient Judaism had a peculiar ethical dualism that on one hand favoured Western culture, but on the other, discouraged a rational economic conduct. Islam demands its followers sharing profit for the poor and never gathering interest proceeds. 

Kali Ghat and Tirupati temples of India; Lalibela, Ethiopia

Man, money and God
Today, as man scales pinnacles of achievement, not only Gods are offered money, but also money creates more Gods. As surplus money mounts, human Gods and spiritual mediators arise forming many new religious cults.  When Kali Ghat or Tirupati of India find middlemen mincing money from devotees for obtaining a 'darshan' (holy view),   visitors at Lalibela in Ethiopia would pray if the entry fee was bit lesser. 

Fruits of corruption
There is no scarcity for crusades against the evil of corruption. While first visiting Ambo University in Ethiopia, among the sights that caught my attention, was an impressive poster against corruption. A recent massive anti-corruption campaign by Anna Hazare in India proved a turning point in Indian politics. The ruling Congress lost its hold in the capital city of Delhi to a newly emerged political party named, 'Aam Aadmi Party'.

In India, there is a deluge of awareness campaigns, propaganda and news against this social cancer.  Still, 'ministers, honourable' eat as much corruption fruits to become 'ministers vulnerable', with a few of them going behind the bars. May it be an impoverished country of Asia or Africa, or else an impressive one among the First World, corruption seems omnipotent. Or else, like death, corruption seems a social leveler. On the other side, places of worship shines with added brilliance of money. 

- K.P. Sivakumar

It’s election time for India

Rahul Gandhi (left) and Narendra Modi: Battling chieftains
Photo from: en.wikipedia.org

Come 7th April, India, the largest democracy is going for voting. Placed 7th by geographical size and 2nd by population, India has got its election process equally extensive and complex. The voting would continue till 12th of May along 35 regional provinces (28 states and 7 union territories). Voting, one of the cardinal democratic rights would be enjoyed by 814 million people – a figure far above the total voters of the US and Europe. To reach the climax – the much awaited results – you have to wait till 16th of May, when the whole world would know about which party would rule India for the next five years. In India, parliament elections began in 1957 and the upcoming is the 15th.

According to the Election Commission of India, general elections this time would be held along 543 Parliamentary Constituencies. Along with this, elections would also be held to decide upon governments in three states including Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Sikkim. 

Indian elections stand tall, owing to its mammoth proportion and highest levels of democratic values. This, along with the geopolitical as well as strategic significance of the country, gets the world’s eyes hooked on Indian elections and their results. 

Ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by the Indian National Congress (Congress) and the main opposition, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are the principal contestants. 

A past story

The Congress holds the record of being the single party to rule India for the longest tenure. The party could rule India alone – without any alliance - during 1957 and 1962 under Jawaharlal Nehru; and in 1967, 1971 and 1980 under his daughter Indira Gandhi. In 1984 and 1991, congress once more got the majority to rule the country without any other’s support, owing to emergence of sentimental waves – during the assassinations of Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv Gandhi respectively. 

Elections in India provide the best chances for its people to hold the whip hand and lash at erring politicians. For example, after imposing a period of emergency that curtailed freedom of all sorts, in 1977, Indira Gandhi’s Congress was reduced to a minority. Indira and her son Sanjay couldn’t even get votes enough for receiving back their procedural deposit money! In 1989, Rajiv Gandhi and his allies were sent to opposition benches after the explosion of Bofors scandal pertaining to defence purchase. 

Till recently, the Congress party used to boast that whenever their party was denied of a single party mandate, the country was left with unstable governments.  Their argument is but substantiated by evidences.  In 1977, 1989, 1996 and 1998 governments led by other parties toppled before completing stipulated five years. Many of them fell down even before a year. 

Alliances

A bold alternative to the Congress monopoly for stable governments was given in 1999 when AB Vajpayee completed a five year term forming National Democratic Alliance (NDA) of likeminded parties with his BJP in the lead. Thereafter single party rule in India became a story of the past. The Congress too changed its strategy in favour of alliances, and it worked well. In 2004 and 2009 Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) succeeded in completing their stipulated five years with Dr. Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. 

On the battle grounds of 2014 general elections, the UPA’s major strengths and major weaknesses emerge out of this past ten years of its rule. Strengths are the divergence and vibrancy of progress its rule could bring in for preparing well the country to take the pathways of the new century. Weaknesses are the unbridled corruption and allegations against its leaders. Naturally, when stained with corruption, no progress can shine. Incumbent Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh; and the UPA chairperson and Congress party president, Sonia Gandhi, many among their ministers and some leaders of their regional factions are all shot with one or other allegations by the opposition. Such allegations got a natural acceleration ever since the drumbeats of elections began audible.  Hence the long rule the Congress and its UPA had made in the country has become boon as well bane for them. When elections make merits and demerits of parties a subject for public debate, this becomes more important. 

All optimistic

However, with the prominence of young Rahul Gandhi, son of Sonia Gandhi and the late Rajiv Gandhi, in the election fray, the ruling Congress and its UPA seem to have got a bit invigorated. With youthful Rahul’s leadership the party looks forward of removing the mud already splashed over it. With strong Narendra Modi as its Prime Minister candidate, the BJP and its NDA are also racing with added energy.  The BJP’s enthusiasm is based on the fact that Modi’s Gujarat model of governance is secretly praised even by its enemies. Some of the opinion polls held since 2013, though very much controversial, are also seen tilted in favour of the NDA. 

Arvind Kejariwal: Name reckoned
Photo from: en.wikipedia.org

As in every general election, this time too there are new entrants showing their strength. Emergence of Aam Aadmy Party (AAP) is an example. In fact, the AAP’s seeds were sown during an extensive campaign against corruption recently unleashed by a pious leader, Anna Hasare. The campaign gathered huge public support and could set a major national agenda against corruption growing in horrific proportions. ‘Mr. Cleans’ of the anti corruption campaign later got together under the leadership of Arvind Kejariwal – a product of Indian Institute of Technology - to form a political party – AAP. By name, the AAP is meant as common man’s party. The AAP’s win in recent state elections in Delhi, the capital region of the country, has become a bolt from the blue for the major parties. 

Its naivety is AAP’s major challenge, especially while the matter comes to deal with diverse political issues. For example, after being chief minister of Delhi for mere 49 days, its leader Kejariwal resigned owing to a difference of opinion with the Governor. Thus others got a chance for criticising the AAP as politically incompetent and immature. The party’s candidates are already in the fray in almost every constituency. Hence one should wait and see its influence.

First time

For the first time, during the upcoming elections, electronic voting machines would contain the option, ‘None of the above’ (NOTA). If political parties force people to vote for infamous candidates, voters can press ‘NOTA’ button. This button has hence prompted political parties to give extra care on their candidates’ credibility. Also for the first time, 11844 Non Resident Indians (Indians living abroad) have enrolled for a chance to vote. Quite interestingly, over 11000 of them are natives of Kerala, a state well-known for its excellence in literacy and political awareness. 

In India democracy is as vast as the three oceans encircling the subcontinent. Political parties form the vessels that float on. There is no bar on freedom of expression; you can sail to any extent. Myriads of media in the country – English and vernacular; national and regional; print and electronic – enjoy full freedom and play a critical role in ensuring a free and fair pole.  In the fuming political debates, allegations will be there, alternatives will also be there. The Election Commission is playing a judicious referee, who ensures dignity and high morale of democracy.

Political parties, their actions and motives are already well sifted and weighed in the conscience of exactly 814.5 million voters of India. On the Election Day, they would express their ultimate will through a right push on the button of their exact choice in the voting machine. 

- K.P. Sivakumar

Shaken hearts and a ‘handshake’

This article was published in The Ethiopian Herald on 20 March 2014. 

This photo of the missing Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777-200ER that went missing on 8th March 2014 was published in www.thehindu.com yesterday. The photo was stated as taken by Laurent Errera on 26th December 2011 at Roissy-Charles de Gaulle Airport, France. 

Usual evening chat at our home was almost over. Yet we friends had something grave to share between.  We wanted all of us to be wary of recent glitches of Air India flights. We were possessed with a long list – all newspaper reports. If once it was a piece of tiles covering the aircraft was separated and flew into the air; another time there was a problem of some other sort; then there was an untoward skirmish between the crew and passengers... Majority's opinion was not to opt Air India until its lost repute is regained. But anti Air India comments awakened the chauvinist in me. I made a futile attempt to save the prestige of India’s official carrier. Mine was a common man’s attempt to keep intact the prestige of one’s country. It was an ant’s effort to save the elephant’s dignity. Alas! I could not get even my wife’s support!! Akhila sided with the majority and made a stubborn conclusion that as long as such reports continue to appear in the media, Air India should not be our first priority. With a good sleep in the night, chauvinist in  me went for its usual hibernation.  

One week prior to this discussion, we also heard the news of a co-pilot hijacking an Ethiopian Airlines flight on its way to Italy and landing it at his own in Geneva. The hero of this high drama, after making a rope dive himself from the cockpit of the landed aircraft surrendered before the security personnel and right away sought a Swiss asylum. Later he was adjudged mentally devastated out of his intimate uncle's demise. 

Hardly a couple of weeks later, the shattering news of Malaysian Airlines’ missing flight hit us. The Malaysian aircraft has become a painful mystery. Wherever people with sense exist in this world, the incident continues to be a patch of sorrow in their minds.

I’m more or less a big nothing with technology. My major familiarity with technology these days is limited to driving a car or operating my laptop, mobile or at the most some household gadgets. An induction cooker in the kitchen extremely mesmerizes me. But the reports over the missing aircraft continue to provoke many technological thoughts even in my lay mind. Thanks to myriads of news that appear. 

How large a gap the space-age technology has got to let that flying machine elude! All surveillance mechanisms were annulled before the MH370 got its 239 people onboard land over a thoroughly anonymous tarmac!! 

I always had a conception that the space-age technology has already put the entire world, the skies and the depths of seas under its scrupulous surveillance mechanisms. While reading some defence publications about how Saddam Husain was spotted precisely at his hideout, I thought of a world of no more hideouts. When pilotless ‘Drons’ bomb terrorist hideouts in Pakistan and when a ‘ruthless’ Osama was knocked down accurately by a ‘righteous’ Obama, my humble imagination drew the picture of an inescapable and inevitable mesh of technology that has already been spread over humanity. 

But the Malaysian aircraft has devastated those technology towers of my layman imaginations. The missing aeroplane has taught me that the technology’s mesh is too large at least for a big jet to zoom into a world of obscurity. 

'Handshake' 

Even after the civilian air control room lost transponder contact with the aircraft, the Malaysian military radars could spot the flight as flying far above the heights told for it! Even after the Malaysian military radars lost a clue of the aircraft, there was satellite named, Inmarsat that was collecting beeps from the flying aircraft. The satellite was just sensing a partly functional transponder flying in the sky. Many speculate that the transponder system of the missing aircraft was partly made inoperative by someone in the aircraft. No location was recorded, no human voice was received, but the satellite continued to sense the flying of a plane at an interval of each hour or so. Such hourly connection between a flying aircraft and a remote satellite is known as ‘handshake’, a newspaper quotes US scientists. 

What a satellite’s ‘handshake’ could offer in search operations? When the satellite establishes a 'handshake' with a moving aircraft, automatically its radars twist/turn in the direction of the aircraft’s position to make it either receive a message or send one. In case of the missing Malaysian flight, no message was sent or received. But the ‘handshakes’ repeated at every one hour or so. Now the scientists can check at which angle and how many times the Inmarsat’s antenna turned to establish 'handshake' with the missing plane. This would give enough information to know where in this vast sky was the aircraft when it was sensed by the Inmarsat. 

The scientists have already prepared two broad arcs based on the antenna positions of the satellite. One arc begins from northern Thailand and ends somewhat over Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan; the second arc begins from Indonesia and ends over southern Indian Ocean. See, how extensive the matter is!

If the flight has sunk into the sea, it is already time for the remnants and human bodies not tied with seatbelts to float over. Had the flight being engulfed by Indian Ocean, the vastness and the undercurrents would be among the biggest challenges.  Now the speed, force and direction of the sea currents should be analysed to make estimates about probable position of debris. 

Reports say that shortly before the plane disappeared, its Co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid said with a conspicuous calmness ‘all right, good night’. Was the calmness prelude to a catastrophe? Behind the mystery curtains, could there be something to smile? Something to swab the tears? 

News articles on the missing plane is elevating our thoughts over the skies and lowering at times into the depths of vast oceans...! Ashore, in reality, I’m perplexed... Which science would finally spread an arch of solace for the aching hearts!! 

K.P. Sivakumar