P o l i t i c k a

Cancer, poverty and you.

Shrinath — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 07:25:51 +0000

A month back, CANSTOP, had organized a “cancer awareness” walk. In the marina which also had the support of the local T-20 cricket team, Chennai Superkings. I was scheduled to take part but other priorities took over.

Now, I come from a family, where recently, two matriarch’s of the family were diagnosed with breast cancer. One was benign and the other was malignant. My aunt, let us call her Mrs. R, was diabetic. Though under control, she has been a pill eater for diabetes for the past 20 years. She had to under chemo-therapy but I cannot imagine the pain she would have had to endure. Luckily for them and us for that matter, treatment at a top-notch hospital is a given. No costs were spared.

Now, aunt #2 and the one with the benign tumor is young. In her early forties, she is also an educator. She is currently the vice-principal in a private school. The lump was removed and she has recovered fully.

So, having experienced the effect cancer has and the amount of research that still needs to be done to find a cure total cure is an uphill task. Our family was able to afford the costs involved in getting quality care. But what about those who cannot afford it? There are a few charitable institutions that do provide care for those who cannot afford it. I am referring to the Cancer Institute in Guindy, Chennai. However they face a large shortage for providing convalescence care.

In comes, Sri Mathaji Trust. The details of this place can be viewed by clicking here. They are a charitable institution and run purely on donations given by people like us. In the spirit of humanity, I have a proposal. Why don’t we, raise whatever amount we can and then donate it to them?

Here is what I have in mind. A sum of Rs. 100 would not be a big deal. We are indeed a large population. I am pretty sure that each one of you can raise at least a Rs.1000. Hopefully you can raise more than that. So do what you can and raise whatever amount you can by December 22. If it goes viral, which I greatly hope it will, just by word of mouth, we can provide a much needed contribution to those who sorely need it. I will post details of how to reach the amount to me (paypal? bank transfer? still not decided) electronically.

If you have any suggestions do let me know.

Update:

A small note. The idea is to provide them with a large contribution rather than small individual ones. You can of course contribute individually too. I am mostly reaching out to the twitterville for getting the message across.

Lion, Standard, Cock, Kuil et all.

Shrinath — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 01:09:35 +0000

One might remember those names. Especially on this day. It’s Diwali or Deepavalli, which ever you prefer. The triumph of good over evil.

Cut.

15 years back.

I would have been rushing around the city or my locality collecting price lists from various shops and comparing them. This is, in spite of the generous amount of crackers that my dad would acquire for me. Of course I would already given him a list of things to buy, from his dry canteen (there is a wet canteen {if you are from a defence background you would know what I mean}) and that would have arrived at home by the time I am out scrounging around the city for more crackers that I can buy with the money that I am surely going to get from various relatives. I would be seriously loaded by the afternoon and by evening it would all be in a large pile of burnt paper and thread in front of the house. The sole purpose being – the loudest bang for the longest period of time.

Cut

Present day.

For the last 7 years, I have not burst any crackers (this would also be my 2nd year at home( dad and mom’s place) for Diwali. I read an article about how the other creatures of this planet we share our space with react. We literally terrify them, they hide, not a peep from them in the morning. Birds do not chirrup, they do not proclaim that a new day has come. Our furry and feathered friends are perhaps cowering in some small corner of their nest or burrow.

I am emphatically sure that, our neighbors, who cannot talk in our language be it Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, English or whatever, do not understand the “triumph of good over evil”. I can make out only this from their excruciatingly loud silence. They DO NOT approve of this.

Right. You still are not convinced. I know, I know. I can almost hear you snigger, see your smug snarky grin. One day/evening of bursting crackers cannot harm them much. Some might even say, “Hey survival of the fittest”.

Fine. Now, let me spin this by you. It seems, 75% of the crackers, made in that illustrious town of Sivakasi, is by child labor. So, when as I a smug SOB attending school, I was out bursting crackers, the very stuff was made by kids probably younger than me. That dampened all the spirits. It was like a rainy Diwali (which rocks {sad this is not one of those}). Do these children have a career ahead of them? Do they go to night school? Are they learning anything apart from stuffing gun powder into paper, inserting a wick and gluing it? How much are they paid? A pittance, I gather from reliable sources. No education either.

Now, I am not a socialist. Quite the opposite really. I would stand out like donkey amongst horses. I like capitalism. I like free market. I like competition. I do believe in survival of the fittest. However, I also deeply, sincerely believe that, the kid making the crackers has as much right to education as much as I had. I do not want him to work away his childhood, for a pittance, so that some kid like me or adults can burst them away to glory.

What in the name of justice is the government doing? It is a large task to ensure, child labor is not used? Till then, I will continue to be a critique of this industry and this festival.

Having said that, Happy Diwali to all my friends and readers.

Are we, the Indians, the most selfish culture?

Shrinath — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 19:08:24 +0000

Every time I come to Singapore, what hits me is not the cleanliness but the order. My embarrassement is so acute that I feel to disown my country. We have become a culture that does not respect anything that is not related to the self. We litter, spit, fail to observe traffic rules thereby endangering others lives. An attitude, so callous, would have had the person either ostracized or much worse, behind bars, in any other civilized society.

Am I guilty of it? The answer is a resounding YES. In the past I have been guilty of the all the above said charges. What grates my nerves, is the fact that, Indians, when either traveling anywhere outside the country will adhere to the bloody rules and regulations. I do accept that there are always exceptions to the rule, but they are not the norm. Some of the most respectful and well behaved citizens are people of Indian origin or first generation immigrants.

While back in India, I have noticed a tendency to litter, spit and generally be a despicable human with absolute disregard for public property or civic sense. Why are we so pathetic? Is it something of a genetic disorder? Should we ban chewing tobacco or better yet. Should tobacco chewers carry a spitting pouch, which they are dispose of at a later time?

Two nights back, I happened to visit my favorite beach, the Edward Elliots beach in Besant Nagar. A few years back, about 12, it was not a favorite among the people. It was mostly frequented by a few, in and around the locality. This is the in middle and upper middle class of the society, an educated and well heeled demography.

Now, it has become a chaotic mess. The beach is strewn with filth all around. Beach goers like me, are shunned away by the mere sight of this garbage dumping lot.

I have lost hope on a clean environment. Thanks to the selfish bunch of assholes in India.

Man on a mission.

Shrinath — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 03:34:43 +0000

So tomorrow happens to be Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi’s birthday. I had certain, not so pleasant, views about Gandhi. Another fact, I refused acknowledge him as a “Mahatma” – Great Soul. They were the cumulative derivatives of what I had perceived as injustice towards Indians and Pakistanis. The fact that I was born, 29 years after Gandhi’s assassination held no sway. In the following days, I plan to write my tryst with Gandhi (I know I know) and how, after so many years. he is still a relevant figure.

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Too many distractions

Shrinath — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 05:22:52 +0000

Apart from the vagaries of day to day happenings, it has been a dull time so far. There are enough issues and happenings that had me ranting and generally getting on my nerves. However, priorites as they were, I am unable to pour my thoughts, frustrations, solutions and ideas into words. Hopefully I will be able to get some writing done today.

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Pokhran, Kalam, the fizzle, Santhanam and co.

Shrinath — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:46:09 +0000

The latest salvo has been fired. The controversy, whether the 1998 nuclear explosions conducted, was successful or not is reaching its apogee. Questions about the yield has been raised.

Yield of little_boy was estimated to be anywhere between 13 to 18 kilotons of TNT. Fissile matter was U235. I here quote data from the wikipedia page.

The Mk I “Little Boy” was 10 feet (3.0 m) in length, 28 inches (71 cm) in diameter and weighed 8,900 lb (4 000 kg). The design used the gun method to explosively force a hollow sub-critical mass of uranium-235 and a solid target spike together into a super-critical mass, initiating a nuclear chain reaction. This was accomplished by shooting one piece of the uranium onto the other by means of chemical explosives. It contained 64 kg of uranium, of which 0.7 kg underwent nuclear fission, and of this mass only 0.6 g was transformed into energy.

How can you describe an experiment as a success or a failure? That would indeed defeat the purpose. The main steam media has been, as usual, parroting the claims made by the warring factions. I am more inclined to believe Mr. Santhanam and Mr. P.K. Iyengar.

In today’s The Hindu edition, Mr. Homi Sethna, the former Atomic Energy Commission chief, expressed himself vociferously and backed Mr.Santhanam. He was the brain behind the 1974 Pokhran test.

Mr.Sethna’s most compelling statement though was -

“I don’t like politicians to interfere, specially lay politicians to interfere any more. I firmly believe that they should stay out. When we did the test … [in] the first test there was no politician. It was a raw one. We were lucky that the whole thing collapsed,” said Dr. Sethna.

The article can be found here. In the world of extreme sophistication and minute detailing, the words of these highly qualified scientists in their field, clearly solidifies the fact that President Kalam was out of his depth. Media is no better. Airheads expressing their illiterate views in a set news cycle, until some other issue explodes wherein, the “older” topic is dropped like a hot potato.

I am not concerened whether Pokhran II achieved its desired yield. What disturbs me more is the impact of that experiment and what it cost us socially and economically. A plethora of sanctions from nations. The country could not import much needed nuclear technology for energy generation. How many villages could have been provided with electricity? Last year, there was a severe drop in production. Industries suffered and many people where left without electricity. Growth that could have been achieved? Myopic views of the then BJP alliance, in this regard, is perhaps one of its biggest blunders. Did you think about the diplomatic advantage India would have had, if Pakistan govt. had gone with its nuclear test and we had not? Why did the government chose to go on a confrontational path rather than trying diplomacy?

To be fair to the media, I have not followed it too closely, but are they asking these very important questions? Is the government ever going to be held accountable for its actions?

Most of all, who in their right minds would think of deploying a thermo-nuclear bomb? Has the destruction caused in Hiroshima and Nagasaki not taught us enough?

SRK saga

Shrinath — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 08:48:51 +0000

Travel, to USA and other parts of the world will always be classified as pre 9/11 and post 9/11. Most Western nations have enhanced the security at all major international airports.

What is TSA?*

We are the Transportation Security Administration, formed immediately following the tragedies of Sept. 11. Our agency is a component of the Department of Homeland Security and is responsible for security of the nation’s transportation systems.

With our state, local and regional partners, we oversee security for the highways, railroads, buses, mass transit systems, ports and the 450 U.S. airports. We employ approximately 50,000 people from Alaska to Puerto Rico to ensure your travels – by plane, train, automobile or ferry – are safe and secure.

TSA website is detailed and there is a remarkable amount of transperency in what they do. The site has listed accepted indentification. We do live in a free society. However, our identity is challenged at almost every level. Reminiscent of the 20th century commumnist regimes, especially the erstwhile USSR, where un-documented person meant the gulag, we are forced to carry federal or state issued identification. It becomes all the more cumbersome if you are not a citizen of the country you are visiting.

So, when SRK reached the immigration counter, what do you think would have prompted the official to ask him to step aside for additional screening? Points to remember

SRK is a world traveler. That means his passport is thick as a book
he has traveled numerous times to USA
Was in the country just a few months back

Before digging further, let me glance through screening, visa issuance, baggage screening in the next post.

Edward Kennedy – RIP

Shrinath — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:34:39 +0000

Democracy has lost one of its illustrious icons. A champion for the underdog and a firm believer is equality for all. Senator Edward Kennedy is no more.

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SRK saga

Shrinath — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 08:25:53 +0000

Shah Rukh Khan's tussle at the Newark Intl. caused a major furore among the Indians and Indian community across the world. There were proponents who called it a publicity stunt, a stuck up attitude and others were sympathetic. During this entire high adrenalin emotional drama, a lot issues and scenarios were left undiscussed.

Mainstream media in India, came up with sensational titles. I am pretty sure their TRP's would have set a new record. News has become a commodity to be packaged and sold. Fact be damned. When media functions with such callous and self-aggrandizing manner, it is best to disseminate the facts from their version of it.

Travel across nations has become an adventure in itself post 9/11. Especially to USA. Prior to 9/11, travel into and out of USA was relatively simple. You arrived and Immigration official asked your purpose of visit and other such mundane questions. The type of visa you are traveling on also had an impact on the questions asked. Almost 95% of the time you would not be refused an entry. INS officers are a courteous bunch. The amount of people they process can fray nerves at the end of the day.

After 9/11 and terrorist threat, airports became semi-fortresses. Heightened security procedures are required and cannot be done away with, however annoying of laborious they are. Your each and every move inside the terminal is monitored. Thermal imaging, RF scanners, chemical scanners, face recognition software running on computers- you name it. It is all there.

Let me take you through a dispassionate view of how the Immigration official looks at you. You are classified as a risk or safe. Suspicion is paramount. You passport and visa are verified for its authenticity. Once that is cleared, a set of questions are asked. Typically these are information on your passport and visa. Single travelers are asked more questions. Guests are welcome, as long as they do not overstay. To fully comprehend this, you would have to travel to USA and see. What is the guarantee that you will leave their country once your business is complete, whatever that maybe? What if, I, after gaining entry, throw away my passport and become an illegal alien? All these scenarios and questions pass through the Immigration official's mind. But you are quite aware of the complexities. So I will let you ponder over this, while I work on my next post.

What caused the Immigration official to single our Mr. Khan for additional questioning?

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Khan, TSA and the whole enchilada

Shrinath — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 03:51:36 +0000

So, Mr. Khan, Shahrukh, was at the butt end of TSA screening which left him, in a room answering questions to him for a good part of 66 minutes. I plan to take a dispassionate look at how everything works at Airports post 9/11.

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