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Anna’s
growing pains Antarctica
ambitions |
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Beauty
crowns
Political
party reform required
Speed-breakers
Musical
nostalgia
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Antarctica ambitions
The
long association of Indian scientists with the Antarctica will be refreshed with the construction of a third permanent research station there. India had set up its first research station in Antartica almost 28 years ago. It has been a long journey for our scientists since the Dakshin Gangotri was commissioned in 1983. Our scientists are among the select band of people who have used the southernmost corner of the earth to study, among other things, climate change, meteorology, pollution and even the origin of continents. Ice gets accumulated over time and it preserves the history of atmospheric gases and records of the wind-blown dust, volcanic ash, or even radioactivity. These archives form invaluable information treasure houses. As such, it is a good repository of data that scientists can use to understand changes that have occurred over long periods of time. Indian scientists have dug deep into the thick ice sheets of Eastern Antarctica and the samples collected have been analysed at an advanced laboratory. The National Centre for Antarctic and Ocean Research has been leading the exploration of Antarctica by Indian scientists. It is heartening to know that our scientists have been praised for their cutting-edge research, and will now focus on geological structures and tectonics. NCAOR’s efforts will get a boost now that construction of the third station, Bharti, is underway. Dakshin Gangotri was buried in under the snow and thus there is only one permanent research station in Antarctica now. Our scientists will have a new home, albeit one that is 3,000 km away from the existing Maitri station. This will certainly give them a broader base to conduct their research and the nation will thus be able to benefit from their hard work in the frozen continent.
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Beauty crowns
Venezuelans
had every reason to cheer when Miss Venezuela Ivian Sarcos was crowned Miss World and brought home the 12th such crown in 50 years. Closer home in India, the disappointment with Miss India World Kanishtha Dhankhar who failed to make it even to the top 25, has given way to reflection. Not too long ago at the Miss Universe contest the Miss India (Universe) too did not figure in the final 16 contestants. Experts are wondering aloud as to why India has not won a major beauty pageant crown for a decade. Sceptics are quick to point out that the charm of India’s marketability has dwindled. Most associate India’s golden haul in the nineties, when India picked up not only Miss Universe and Miss World titles in quick succession but also many more crowns soon after, with liberalisation and the entry of multinational cosmetic giants in Indian beauty business. Of course, prior to this only an odd Rita Ferreira and a Zeenat Aman, winners of the Miss World and Miss Asia Pacific title respectively, had met the beauty standards of such pageants. While there may be some truth in the assertion that India’s glorious performance at beauty contests did fuel the beauty business, it would be uncharitable to dismiss the achievements of spirited and beautiful winners merely as the product of a shrewd marketing ploy. Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and beauty standards can be a very subjective business. Whether such pageants, which have attracted flak since the Miss America pageant in 1969, perpetuate the beauty myth and indoctrinate people across the world with toxic ideals will always be open to debate. While it is nobody’s case that the desire to look beautiful should translate into a psychotic obsession, yet another crown coming India’s way wouldn’t harm anybody. With the Miss Earth title yet to be decided in the Philippines this December, there is hope. After all, the last title India picked up at an international beauty pageant was Miss Earth when Nicole Faria became the first Indian to win the Miss Earth title in 2010.
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In separateness lies the world’s great misery; in compassion lies the world’s true strength. — Buddha
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Political party reform required Anna Hazare
has switched from tweeting to talking to threaten yet another fast if a “strong” “Jan” Lokpal Bill of his liking is not legislated by the end of the forthcoming winter session of Parliament. Why this “threat” when the Standing Committee of Parliament is seized of the matter which will thereafter go to the Lok Sabha with Cabinet approval? The constant reference to official and parliamentary “assurances” given to Anna that must be fulfilled (or else) is a gross misreading of the facts. The only promise made and accepted in black and white was that Anna’s proposals and last three “demands” would be placed before the Standing Committee for consideration. No more. No five or fifty or fifty thousand persons can presume to dictate to Parliament what it must do. To equate a “strong” Lokpal Bill with the “Jan Lokpal Bill” is another misjoinder. Corruption has to be fought in multiple ways and on multiple fronts. There is no single magic formula and a monolithic authority with all power over every domain is dangerous as it would be authoritarian and could impede good governance. Habitual resort to emotional blackmail — for that is precisely what constant threats of fast until death or near death, inevitably followed by mob violence, amount to — is a bluff that must be called if put to the test. The Anna Team has been anything but Gandhian, and has practised double stands of morality. Those who demand a “strong” Lokpal must themselves display “strong” ethical standards and not plead petty technical and procedural excuses that they scornfully deny others. Anna has properly turned to electoral reforms as a priority issue, as electoral funding is a major font of corruption and black money. But he has focussed on somewhat peripheral issues such as the need for “rejection” and “recall”. The Election Commission, which his team met has, explained the practical difficulties in implementing such suggestions, offering instead the possibility of introducing a “none of the above” button in the voting machines. The right to recall has been rejected by the BJP. This is a questionable proposition in a country with huge constituencies and diverse populations. Some argue that “representation” would be improved if candidates are not elected on a minority vote but are required to garner 50 plus 1 per cent of the total votes cast, something that could be achieved by a run-off. Here too the CEC pleads that this could lead to a five-day delay between voting, counting and re-polling and frustrate the electoral timetable and security arrangements in remote and troubled areas, which many already complain is far too stretched. A higher voter turnout, through voters’ education and some form of incentives and disincentives, and fewer candidates could give serious candidates a higher proportion of the votes cast. The EC is already working on these ideas. State funding has been mooted to curtail expenses, but there is reason to suppose that this will be an additionality unless given in kind. The EC now has an expenditure division that monitors expenses and the first scalp has been taken for paid news for which the concerned media houses must also be held accountable. The other approach would be to cut down election expenditure by further reducing the election period and mandating common platforms for all (leading) candidates through the electronic media, social media and in town halls, market squares and maidans. The Church in Mizoram has, with public consent, virtually abolished individual party campaigns by organising joint public meetings. Corporate funding should be permitted subject to a ceiling and approval by shareholders Anyone with a criminal record should be barred from contesting. All candidates must declare their family (wife, children and dependants’) wealth and tax returns over the past three years and must file annual declarations thereafter, including gift income from adoring citizens who seem prone to pour money into the coffers of those elected. The sources of such gifts and the tax returns of the “philanthropists” must also be examined and condign punishments for default awarded. However, electoral reform by itself will be insufficient without political party reform. The two have seldom been interlinked in public debate. The Constitution makes no reference to political parties except in Schedule 12 relating to defections. The Representation of the Peoples Act too is silent on political parties except with reference to their recognition. This constitutes a major lacuna. The Constitution should be amended to provide that representation in legislatures shall normally be through political parties that shall be registered. Such a formulation would not exclude independents. Given such a constitutional amendment, a Registration of Political Parties Bill can be introduced to flesh out provisions relating to the party’s constitution, roll of members by the state and constituency, subscriptions, election of office-bearers, public audit of accounts, and so forth. Supervision of such an Act could also be brought under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission so that all electoral levers are in one hand. Absence of any political party regulation gives licence to parties to collect and conceal funds, cook their accounts, enrol and jettison members at will, set up dummy candidates who can be adopted if they win, indulge in aberrant behaviour and allow cabals to gain control over the party machine. Most parties will baulk at this idea as they talk democracy but are themselves somewhat undemocratic entities. Public audit of funds for them is taboo. Nevertheless, it is desirable that such a one-line constitutional amendment be framed in the first instance and let any party that opposes the very principle of party registration and accountability explain why. The job could be entrusted to the Law Department, the Law Commission or the Election Commission or done through an inter-party meeting of recognised parties. Suitable legislation could be introduced in the Budget session after a national debate. Simultaneously, a draft Political Parties Bill could also be prepared for wider national consultation and enacted before the end of 2012. Meanwhile, the government is going ahead with enacting a wider citizens’ charter that will enable the public to enforce stipulated rights and compel officials to perform their duties in a timely manner. Steps are also being taken to get back black money secreted abroad. Things are
moving.
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Speed-breakers Speed-breakers
serve a purpose. They slow down the speedsters and “shake-up” those who are unwary and unmindful of these. They come in different forms. Some are as a high ramp which can make the rear passenger of a car hit its ceiling, others in short blocks of metal, strung together, which give a sharp jolt, and some others as a number of low strips, where the jolting comes as a package. Each of these, in varying degrees, is hard on the suspension of the vehicle. These are required to be marked with white paint, but poor quality of paint, time and indifferent administration leave these as “once painted”. In such an event, these can be the nemesis for a speedster and can make a motorcyclist part company with his machine! In Ambala cantonment there was a profusion of such speed-breakers. When Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister, came on a visit to that town, all such speed-breakers, from the airfield to the Circuit House area, were bulldozed over night. The administration, of all things, did not want a careless driver making her hit her car’s ceiling! We live in a corner house at the entry point into our sub-sector in this town of speed crazy and reckless drivers. They take this blind corner in their stride rather stridently. If you are a cyclist or a pedestrian or a small child, beware and be on guard as you approach this turning: it could be the very turning point in your future journey on Chandigarh’s roads. One of these crazy drivers on approaching this bend in the road, with perhaps a cell phone glued to the ear, forgot to turn and crashed into the gate of the house opposite and ended up in its driveway. Yet another driver, equally speed crazy, put himself at this very corner on the distinguished list of the “hit and run” category. Faced with the possibility of someone being hit by a speeding car, I wrote to the municipal authorities suggesting that two speed-breakers —- on either side of this bend in the road —- should be installed. I also sent copies of the letter to the DC and our MP (a minister in the Central Government). As is the wont of our MP, he flashed off a letter to the Municipal Commissioner and the DC to execute the work on priority. A few days later the police turned up at my house to record my statement in connection with the complaint! I told the police that I have no complaint and had only made a request, in fact, a suggestion regarding the speed-breakers. But in no way could I make the police see the issue in its correct perspective. So, I told the police that since it is a complaint from me would they not register an FIR? That foxed the police, but only for a while. It was my statement that they wanted to record and so they did. Possibly, the DC had forwarded the letter from the MP to the police for investigation! Such weird are the ways of our bureaucracy! While there appears to be no move to instal speed-breakers, I keep my fingers crossed and pray for the unwary pedestrian or a child on the way to the
school!
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Musical nostalgia
Wandering
around the streets of a tiny German city Lübeck, the aural pull drew me to a church choir of teenage boys, singing Ralph Vaughan Williams’ ‘Turtledove’ with a heavy German accent. At their age they probably didn’t understand the British folk song about love and loss, but their voices and Vaughan Williams’ composition nearly moved two Indians in their informal audience to tears. Music does have that power over us. Plato warned the world of this power centuries ago as he thought music could affect human psyche. He preferred music only for the purpose of education. However, music hasn’t remained within the bounds of platonic point of view for a long time now. Passing through many evolutionary stages, music is often identified by the era, genre, artists, nations and cultures; as a continuum, evolving on the inspiration of the past. In his much talked about book ‘Why Classical Music Still Matters', musicologist Lawrence Kramer worries if classical music will eventually fade away or will it be confined inside the museum walls? Such worries seem needless so far, even today when a person begins to learn the piano, the first tune he/she would start with would be invariably Bach’s ‘Musette’ while the guitarists would initiate plucking the chords with Simon & Garfunkel’s ‘The Sounds of Silence'. Musical nostalgia is not limited to the West, even in India one can witness singers earn more points with old classics across talent hunt programmes. They say, the music you listen to in the years of growing-up stays with you forever. In later years people start complaining about how the contemporary music doesn’t make sense to them. Keeping such generalisations aside, the classics from the past few decades, especially the music of the 50s and 60s still seems very much around. Even for the new generation, The Beatles and the Doors share the same storage space on an iPod, and are merely divided by a play-list name from Katy Perry and Lady Gaga. Their relevance may be a subject of debate after 50 years, but the Beatles and the Doors have surely survived the test of time. In fact, one would easily find Jim Morrison’s face printed on t-shirts, hanging right next to Che Guevara even in some urban Indian corners. You may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one… The way music influences people and cultures is an interesting study for musicians themselves, to legendary pianist of the 20th century, Igor Stravinsky, "music expresses itself". This leads one to assume that interpretation of that ‘expression’ remains in the hands of the listeners. Projecting personal feelings and perceptions in Johnny Cash’s ‘Ring of fire’ or The Rolling Stones’ ‘I can’t get no Satisfaction’ allows every individual to come up with their unique interpretation of the songs in different age, under different circumstances. In dealing with the western music of the last century, one could be lost in a web of genres - ranging from rock, country, rhythm and blues to jazz, but from John Denver’s ‘Country roads take me home’ to ‘Across the Universe’ from the Beatles, the appeal of music is less based on the genre, and more on the audiences’ personal history with particular songs and bands. Some were introduced to The Beatles by their spouses, others learned about them from their parents and grandparents. Even if they simply bumped on to some of their song on a website, after listening to Lennon-McCartney combo crooning, ‘Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup,' they may not need further introduction. How exactly have these songs remained relevant at the moment? Apart from the fact that after half a century, compositions of Queen, Beatles or ABBA do not sound outdated, their words also appeal to the universal human nature. Paul McCartney had his mother in mind when he wrote the song ‘Let it be'. Co-incidentally she was named Mary, and McCartney’s words "When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me, speaking words of wisdom, let it be," end up with countless religious or inspirational interpretations even today. His fellow Beatle John Lennon’s lyrics in ‘Imagine’ made a political statement and also sounded like "a communist manifesto" in Lennon’s own words, today it is revered as a kind of peace anthem. Queen, another rock band from the 70s, too has its songs rooted deep in the pop psyche. Their songs like ‘I want to break free’ still rock the college festivals alongside Pink Floyd’s ‘Another Brick in the Wall'. Queen’s best known number ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is high on finding contemporary relevance. According to Freddie Mercury, Queen’s lead singer and lyricist of the Indian origin, that particular song was just ‘random rhyming nonsense'. Around the same time Jim Morrison from the Doors was busy singing about ‘Cancelling his subscription to resurrection'. The incoherence of life conveyed through these songs still finds a resonance in today’s climate of political and financial cacophony. Riders on the storm… While The Beatles, the Doors and Queen tapped into personal and cultural history and political ideas, artists like Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel were busy dealing with identity crisis. Dylan’s ‘Like a rolling stone’ strikes a chord with anyone who has dealt with feelings of disconnection with the world and loneliness. On a similar line, Paul Simon’s words ‘A rock feels no pain, and an island never cries’ have become the epitome of lonely souls across the globe. Simon simply regarded that song as an ‘adolescent’ effort but his songs speak to a whole new generation with identity crisis of their own. These are still instances of the ‘Popular’ music, as musicologist like Theodor W. Adorno would have us mark clear distinction between serious classical music and music that is created to please the masses. However, the lines between classical and popular are definitely blurring as music of Mozart is often used as background music for advertisements while Bob Dylan keeps getting nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature for his lyrics written in the past four decades. The popularity scale for music is changing because of the blurring of language and cultural barriers. Nena’s German protest song ‘99 Luftballoon (99 red balloons) ‘ still finds young international fans while A R Rahman and Gulzar’s ‘Jai Ho’ makes Scandinavian ladies tap to its beats in their Bollywood dance class. Fresh interest is generated in the Bollywood song-and-dance in the rest of the world, but the musical past hasn’t lost its relevance in India either. Har fikr ko dhuen mein
udata chala gaya… There are far more interesting and complicated musical genres and traditions in India, yet, popular music is still associated with movie songs. The process and purpose of composing music for movies in India is very complicated. Majority of songs are written or selected to suit the premise of a movie script. Despite these limitations the music of the 60s and 70s contained some gems penned by Sahir Ludhianvi, Shailendra, Hasrat Jaipuri, Kaifi Azmi and Gulzar, that capture complicated human emotions and seem relevant even today. The author is a free-lance writer, researcher and a blogger. She divides her time between India and Germany.
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The times they are a-changin'… 
On the one hand, Sahir found some outlet for personal feelings in songs like ‘chalo ek bar phir se ajnabi ban jaayein’ based on his failed relationship with SudhaMalhotra, his communist thought process emerges in ‘Saathi haat badhana’ from the film Naya Daur. The closest he comes to the tone of Bob Dylan-esuqe thought process is in ‘Mein zindagi ka saath nibhata chala gaya’ which comes from his personal experience of getting uprooted, overcoming many obstacles and moving on like a rolling stone. Shailendra, on the other hand was obsessed with the concept of death that he dealt with in the song ‘Jeena isi ka naam hai’. Apart from lyricists, music compositions of Shankar Jaikishan, S D Burman, Madan Mohan and other masters of the 60s and 70s earned the music of this era the distinction of ‘Golden Era of Music.' HMV still earns maximum revenue by selling music of this era.