Commonwealth Games and Kalawati

The so called “irresponsible remarks” by Mr. Mani Shankar Aiyar (on the Commonwealth Games) have left the government and its beloved babus fuming. The routine and the alternative media is buzz with an outright condemnation of Mr. Aiyar, calling him anti-national and an unworthy son of this great motherland. It all amuses me. 

As an Indian, I know that the stakes of Indian pride on a global scene are too high to be meddled with at the last moment. The Beijing Olympics have showcased China to a global audience and we are told by the self righteous hawks that we too should use this opportunity to showcase the might of India, the next super-power. We are told that events like the Commonwealth Games bring with them employment and opportunities for developing and improving the existing infra-structure. The government sees the event as a boon for economic development and prosperity. I won’t be wrong in concluding that we have been made to believe that the woes of the common Indian will be laid to rest on October 3, 2010 as soon as the games are declared open!

Alas! This could have been true. The darker side of the organization of these games is not only murky but plainly speaking dirty to the soul. Corruption, malpractices, poor quality and irrelevant budgeting have plagued the games in a big way. The games will conclude with an approximate budget of 35000 Crore rupees (or 1.3 Billion USD). Imagine a sum of 3500 Crore Rupees just to develop a showcase of might and economic well being in a country where 47% of population earns less than 1.25$! What can we call this? Are there words to describe this inhuman and irrelevant extravagance?   

I agree with those who argue that events like the Commonwealth games shouldn’t be compared with governmental policies of public welfare. True but unfortunately it is not all about money; it is the irrelevance of thought of our policy makers which angers me. It was heartening to see Mr. Rahul Gandhi talk about Kalawati during the trust motion in 2008. But can he imagine that how many more Kalawatis would have been added to the system ever since the inception of construction work for the Commonwealth Games? I still remember Beena, the eight year old daughter of Ram Pyari, a migrant worker from Uttar Pradesh who had come to Delhi with her family to work on one of the stadia. Beena had bone cancer and of course the family could not afford any treatment. Beena died in one of the slums which had come out as an illegitimate offspring of the Commonwealth games village. The family wanted to take Beena’s body back home but couldn’t afford loosing the provisional livelihood as the contractor wanted the work to go on a war footing- he had a deadline to meet. Beena was buried in Delhi and Ram Pyari continued working at the stadia which is now ready as a symbol of India’s growing economic might- the ornament of the showcase which Mr. Kalmadi and his bunch of imbecile nitwits want us to appreciate. I am sure the story of Beena and Ram Pyari is not the only one. Many Beenas lie buried under the debris of what we think is the greatest sporting event in the country. Surely, the cost of organizing the games goes far beyond 35000 Crore rupees.

It is ironic that the logo of these games has been made to look like the Chakra (a symbol of India’s freedom) with four colors- red, blue, yellow and pink. Each color has relevance and they represent the “trinity of values” which symbolizes the games. Red represents a unification of humanity, yellow –a chance for the athletes to realize their destiny, blue promotes equality and pink we are made to believe adds an element of surprise and luxury to the games and reflects India in all its resplendent glory. On one of Beena’s visit to my clinic I had asked her which color does she like the best. It haunts me that she had abruptly said “Pink”. No wonder India’s “resplendent” glory could only be erected on her flesh and bones.

I am surprised why the “trinity of values” concept eludes our ruling class when it comes to prioritizing hunger, poverty and ignorance? Why can’t the red represent an equitable distribution of resources? Why can’t blue promote social equality and social justice? And how about assigning the yellow color to opportunities and hope to fulfill the destiny of millions of common Indians who are otherwise too effete to even stretch their imagination beyond the need and fulfillment of daily bread? It is indeed a matter of shame that we want to hold the Commonwealth games even when we have yet to sort out more pressing issues which require an in-depth and humane allocation of funds and resources. I won’t be exaggerating if I compare this to Pokhran-II where an incumbent BJP government found it appropriate to conduct the blasts and gain instant middle class popularity rather than mending India’s gaping economic and social wounds.   

The showcase of Indian glory will also be a hallmark of core values which define our ruling political and bureaucratic setup – corruption, lop sided priorities and a determination to pose an untimely, unasked and unnecessary agenda on the common man. I agree with Mr. Aiyar that with the conclusion of Commonwealth Games on October 13, the hungry hounds will look forth to future programs of loot. Maybe Asian games or even Olympics- the final sporting spectacle, the final event for unprecedented plunder of my and your money. In the mean time Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s Kalawatis and my Ram Pyaris can only curse their fates. Their numbers will grow. Many more Beenas will be buried under the debris of “resplendent” glory and phony pride of India. Pinks will elude their meaning for her and for the likes of her; black will be the color of the day.

Dr. Shah Alam Khan

AIIMS, New Delhi

Blog: www.indiaandbharat.blogspot.com

Tigers in sanctuaries to get ID cards, PTI, 8th  October

A turned-away tiger complains to the Supreme Court. Ashish Kothari reports on this strange case from the Maharashtra-Madhya Pradesh border
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In a first case of its kind, but one that many conservationists fear will become commonplace, a tiger from Panna National Park
(Maharashtra) was last week refused entry into the Panna National Park (Madhya Pradesh). The victim of this discrimination has filed a case in the Supreme Court of India, through its counsels in the Wildlife Protection Society of Hindustan (WPSH). She has complained that though she has been frequently going back and forth between the two parks, this time around she was told to turn back by Panna (MP)’s tigers, who asked her to show her ID card, and said that only those issued Panna (MP) IDs could henceforth be allowed in. This follows a move by the National Tiger Conversation Authority (NTCA) to issue IDs to all
tigers in India. The petitioner has named not only the Panna (MP) tigers as violating her rights, but also the NTCA for making such violation possible through its ID scheme.

Acting quickly in her support, the Vidarbha units of the Maharashtra Nazi Samiti (MNS) and Sieve Sena (SS) have filed a supplementary affidavit arguing that their state’s tigers had full right to go into neighbouring states, or indeed into neighbouring countries, continents and planets if they so wished. It is learnt that the Pashus for Universal Citizenship and Liberty (PUCL) plans to file a counter-affidavit calling the MNS and SS hypocrites, pointing out that just the other month they had announced they would not allow anyone other than Marathi-manus and Marathi-pashu to come into Maharashtra.

Meanwhile, cattle of both states, united under the Can-graze Party, issued a resolution that tigers not be allowed to move anywhere outside the national parks assigned to them. One of the demands was that tigers that stray out be identified as terrorists and booked under the National Security Act. A congregation of wild ungulates, represented by the Deer Madhyabharat Kingdom (DMK) was reported to be confused about whether to support this stand, because though they agreed that tigers were terrorists (and not only those that went outside parks), they did not want to show solidarity with domestic livestock that competed with them for grass and water. A section of co-existentialist deer were last heard arguing that livestock did not
in fact constitute an incompatible competitor, and therefore they should all join hands against their joint tormentor.

Asked his expert opinion, famous environmental lawyer Raja Panja said the aggrieved tiger had a strong case. The Constitution of India allows all its citizens the right of free movement anywhere in the country (other than into the PMO, Indian parliament, all army establishments, most VIP zones, three-fourths of the offices of district collectors (on a rotational basis), and, if barefoot, Mumbai’s Willingdon Club). So the MP tigers were wrong in stopping their Maharashtra sister.

Wildlife expert Khallas Current concurred with this view, stating that back-and-forth and various other kinds of movements were crucial to maintain the exchange of jeans, otherwise tiger fashion would stagnate. He was critical of the MNS and SS, and wanted the author to use this article to send them a message: ‘Levis and let Levis’.

An obscure NGO named Clubvriksh was heard claiming that the entire problem was a result of the NTCA initiating its ID scheme without consulting with the country’s tigers, tigerwallas (and wallis), and the local communities living in tiger-bearing areas. Meanwhile the Cat Party of India (CPI) appeared to have been thrown into disarray, as its politburo was split neatly into two on the matter. The Cat Party of Mid-India-Leopardist (CPM-L) however was faring better; it was readying an affidavit arguing that the only resolution of the tiger vs tiger conflict was a tiger-free peace zone between the two Pannas. Obviously, though it was not saying so openly, the CPM-L saw in this the great prospect of a leopard-dominated zone. The National Cat Party (NCP), once very pawar-ful but now weakened by defections to the CPI and CPM-L, was maintaining a sullen silence.
The issue could snowball into a massive headache for the central Ministry of Environment vs Forests (MoEF). A number of other species are contemplating writing to MoEF asking for similar ID schemes or conversely, expressing concern about them. The Gujarati Lions Club has already sent a flurry of emanes … sorry, emails … demanding Gujarati IDs so they would once and for all be rid of the relocation sword hanging on their heads. With such IDs, they would be mercifully refused entry into Madhya Pradesh where the central government had readied, without seeking their prior informed consent, a new home at Palpur Kuno. The Bhalu’s Jaunty Party (BJP) was likely to demand IDs, in the hope that this might help unite their warring factions when they see their essential one-ness as bears. The Elephants’ Guild of India (EGI) was however undecided, not wanting to get into a situation
where their inter-state movement was hampered. The Birds Salvation Party (BSP) was examining various relevant statues, I beg your pardon, statutes, to work out a position. The Reptilian Jaago Dal (RJD) said they did not want IDs as it would make it tough to hide in the fodder. And so on.

Rumour has it that the Prime Minister’s Office was going to ask Misinfosis founder NRN Murky to devise a unique barcode ID for each animal, which, however, did not contain its residential details. This could reduce discrimination such as what the Maharashtra tiger encountered. However, this author could not confirm this with Mr Murky, as none of the telephone directory services seemed to have his identity. We could only get a quote from rival Shutyam’s B Ramalingu Fraudju, who from his prison-cell said, somewhat unkindly, that Mr Murky would only use the opportunity to increase his sher-holders.

The tiger case is not likely to be resolved by the Supreme Court any time soon, especially since the matter had been referred to the Centrally Empawed Committee. Aware of this, the petitioner is believed to have simultaneously approached one of Nagpur’s expert forgers, to make her a Panna (MP) ID. (Indeed there is now a thriving blackmarket in tiger IDs, but that’s the subject of another investigative story, watch this space). Armed with two IDs, and most of her teeth and claws (missing only the ones that she lost in fighting the brute fellow who had first stopped her from crossing over), she hopes that she will once again be able to roam freely.

Ashish Kothari is with the NGO Clubvriksh, and hopes this article will pull it out of obscurity.
Infochange News & Features, October 2009
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Ashish Kothari
Kalpavriksh
Apt 5 Shree Datta Krupa
908 Deccan Gymkhana
Pune 411004
India
Tel/fax: 91-20-25654239
Tel: 91-20-25675450
Email: ashishkothari@vsnl.com