Social Time Telescope

Crystal Ball Daze

Last week, I have been wiki'ing about Arthur C Clarke, Isaac Asimov and Mike McQuay. All of that started after watching Star Wars Episode III the Revenge of the Syth. So I started wiki'ing for Star Wars and George Lucas and found tremendous material on the influences of Star Wars and the influences that started the Star Wars series of movies. I could relate to some great science fiction stories I had earlier read, like The Foundation series by Isaac Asimov. I had read a collection of Robot stories by Asimov and greatly liked the plain matter of fact style of writing. I felt that it was essential as there has to be some believability in the narrative as the subject matter is itself a fascination and fantasy. A Science book like matter of fact way of referring to miraculous gadgets and intelligent super computers, of course not to mention 'Robots' helps a lot by making the viewer believe that all these are indeed the natural course for human civilization. Once the awe associated with the subject matter is removed from the tone of the narrative, the reader can now focus more on the questions and the characters. This also leads the viewers to assume and construct their own premise in addition to visualization of objects in their own mind and in their own way. Thus by being stoic, the story makes the viewer think and spurts creativity in an hitherto barren (but receptive) mind. However Asimov's great success lies in the fact that he always went into how groups of people or robots or intelligent beings would react and behave after many milleniums of breath taking scientific accomplishments that would have eventually transported them to all corners of the galaxy. In particular, I felt that his stories were actually about emotions and the eternal struggle between intelligence and "sense" over emotions of a human being.

Now since I got started on this path, I was wondering how would Indians behave and evolve over centuries? Would they be able to solve all their internal problems and bickerings and integrate with "One humanity"? Will India lead the galactic quest or lag behind, or to be specific, left behind in Earth with caste system and regional bias pitting one below the other in a dog fight to stamp their narrow sense of identity and superiority over each other? Will women move forward and assert their position as equals without the helping hand of male counterparts? Will our family set up remain as is, enriching the intelligence and emotion equally? Will Indians evolve into visionaries and inventors instead of being implementors and cost effective alternatives? What would a space conquest entail on the Indian industry that is slowly limping into 21st century? What will happen to the farmers of India? Will their condition improve? will they innovate and succeed to be the terra - farmers of distant planets or will they be fighting for the last drop of water and brought down by huge loans?

Whenever I read of a western mind, like that of Asimov dreaming of a global human community participating in a "space conquest", I feel so confused when my India with its hundreds of languages, thousands of castes, millions of sub castes and sects ever join this thinking? I sometimes think that if you let an Indian team land and set up a base in Mars, how many sub groups will be formed? Will they be able to , lets say make a contact with an Alien intelligence in one voice? Or will they scare the heavens out of the Aliens when it finds out of the millions of prejudices in thier minds?

So with all these thoughts, I plan to write some snapshots on how various facets of Indian/partially global society will be in say 2 centuries from now, assuming that no killer asteroid or nuclear (unclear how to pronounce? contact white house) war has met humanity. My approach is to look at Indian society the way Asimov looks at the galactic empire's society. Shortly put a psycho historic extrapolation of Indian society. In case you dont follow what is Psycho historic, please read Foundation series by Isaac Asmiov or simply wiki for it. Somehow I feel that the picture is going to look bleak as I begin to peep into the crystal ball.

As I complete this post, butterflies are flying merrily in my stomach as to what P.Chidambaram has in store for me in this forthcoming budget. So much for someone who is thinking of looking 2 centuries from now!!!

God of unnecessary things

Mindless Media

This week was an altime low in terms of media behaviour. The events in question were both totally trivial when compared to serial suicides happening in the Maratha heartland or merciless brutalities unleashed on Dalits in the same state. There were also other major events like the spacewalk of Sunita Williams and mega defence deals signed on the runway in Bangalore. There was a mother of all river water disputes Cauvery, raging in Karnataka and Thamizh Nadu. However two events that were catapaulted into top coverage where.... blink and pinch yourselves...

• Marlon Samuels hotel room conversations and
• Celebrity car purchases

As far as Marlon Samuels talks with "so-called" bookie is concerned, every news channel registered with I&B ministry ran an "exclusive" investigations on it. The most hilarious was that of Times Now as they showed a house called "Kochars", one guy(bearded reporter) walked upto the gate and the watchman told this great reporter that "he is not there". Immediately the news anchor clarifies to the intelligent viewers that "Mr. Kochar is already hiding!!!". All this only to receive a phone call from Kochar 25 mins later that he is hiding no where!! This is scinitilliating investigative journalism at its very best. In the 25 minutes that preceded, Mr.Kochar(whom no one else knew before) was portrayed as everything except being Osama in make up. Very little concern was shown to the reputation of people involved or their feelings. Suddenly Robin Singh was made to be a shady person from being an unsung hero of Indian cricket team in late nineties!! Truly Media has become a monster indeed.

The second event that got generous media coverage was not even worth a microsecond of notice - of a gifted car to the talent less Abishek Bachan. Less said about the disgusting prominence given by reputed journos like Prannoy Roy and Rajdeep Sardesai to this non event the better. It was a horrible display of lack of priorities before the media. If it was un controllable thirst to "try" some one as guilty in the earlier case, it was callous waste of news time to the second one that was disgusting. In both the cases no news channel could acquit themselves better.

The overall scenario was compounded by the recent scenario or intolerance and lack of cooperation prevailing in the country, be it objection to freedom of expression in Gujarat or lack of cooperative spirit in Kaveri issue. Media, instead of giving full throttle to speaking sense, was seemingly waiting for something sleazy, tabloidish or violent to happen for their TRP's sake. As they say in news circles, "nothing like a bad news". There was not even a single proper debate on river water disputes or continued farmer suicides. All hindi news channels were wasting hours on the prospective line up in world cup(not even 1/3rd of the world participates!!) in which there are only 8 serious competitors( recall a joke - son to father: I came second in the race. Father replies: how many participated? Son replies : Including me, two!!), who can remain in the side and who can be thrown out !! All while dalits continued to be treated as second class citizens in MAhatma Gandhi's villages in secular and democratic India. All this while educated and unemployed attended training camps conducted by naxals in the "Red corridor".

Media can be a true instrument of change. If and if only they do what they display in their logos "Whatever it takes" in chasing and exposing true stories instead of chasing sleaze, supermodels and expensive cars. Till then, politicians would be more concerned on getting chairman posts of cricket associations instead of stopping farmer suicides. I can only write this blog in the time I have, journalists have this as their career, and as an Indian media consumer, I expect more from them.

Arundhati Roy in her landmark speech called American free media as a "hollow pillar of democracy". The Indian mainstream media is fast catching up.

Cauvery ! Yet again

Kaveri

Kaveri is recognized in the Hindu scriptures as one of the sacred rivers of India. Originating from Western Ghats in Karnataka, the river replenishes and supplies life and splendour to millions of hectares of beautiful farmlands in Karnataka and Thamizh Nadu. As a Thamizh student, one would recall with joy, how Ilangovadigal describes Kaveri in his eternal classic "Silappadhigaaram". In fact the story of Kannagi, the hero(ine?) of the classic draws a parallel to the life of the river itself . Kannagi born in Sozha(chola!?!) naadu(province), gets married to kovalan who later moves to paandiya naadu(capital madurai). Her life culminating in the hill tops of Kerala(chera naadu) where she ascends to the heavens. This way her story united all the three thamizh provinces. Kaveri born in Ganga naadu(the dynasty who ruled karnataka in the old times), enters the old chera naadu(now parts of Erode) and flowing into soozha naadu to join the great Bay of Bengal, unites people of all this provinces in nourishing their life. Now centuries later, Kaveri has become a symbol of disintegration, disharmony and politics instead of peace and harmony.

As a thamizh settled in Karnataka, it has become a regular feature of my life to be concerned about the kaveri dispute. for people unfamiliar, here is a gyst. My personal, purely selfish concerns apart, I am wondering why both parties are not satisfied. The tribunal is not a court and is a body set up to amicably resolve the states concerns in this issue. I am puzzled as to what happened to the joint farmers' forum that was created some years back to really solve the issue sans any vote catching political machismo. I dont know whether JNU based media munnabhais would be able to bring in any useful "Gandhigiri" to really solve the underlying issue?? I have seen the best of both thamizhs and kannadigas in my stay in both the states. It is a pity that this issue has been regularly bringing out the worst in them!!! I hope that the next statement would be from Rajinikanth asking for river water unification!!

After crafting a good veenai

Nalladhoar Veenai Seidhe

Immortal lines of the mahakavi or great poet Bharathi is a song of longing of an intellectual mind trapped in a limited body and in a limited society. Whenever a talent goes waste due to lack of society's patronage, I am reminded of this poem.

The latest instance that made me remember this was a shocking letter posted at www.thinnai.com by a well known literary figure Mr.M.V.Sivakumar. M.V.Sivakumar wrote a number of short stories and novels. Many were published in renowned Thamizh magazines. However his forays into film world inspired by Kamalhassan has not paid dividends and is now left with failed attempts in film making. That is not the point of concern. The worrying aspect is that even his successful writings have earned him a lot of good name with no monetary benefits worth mentioning. Frustrated with the society's ignorance to his writings and to generally literature, he has decided to 'fast unto death'.

I personally do not agree with his decision. I do not agree with what he says are rejections he faces. However there is one thing that is very clear. Even if you are a literary figure, creative person, you cannot make it big unless you have some sort of cinema connection or success. To make things worser, there aren't many good films which have literary depth in their writing. Unlike the english writing which gets patronage of good publishing houses, in thamizh the money involved is lesser and the publishing houses themselves don't make much money to pass on to the writer. While we see a vairamuthu's poetry or a vaali's poetry collection getting a glossy paperback binding, not to mention "kirukkals" of celebrity's that attract huge media attention, a real, 'in it as a career' novelist's work don't even disturb our local press. Unless the media and the people start valuing our writers, the situation will not improve.

I am also guilty to a major extent as I read fewer and fewer books by people who are getting less media attention (I read Jayakanthan ferociously). This letter has prompted me to visit higginbothams in M.G.Road every month atleast once and buy some thamizh novels. I shall hopefully start writing more on them here.