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Myanmar and its troubled borders
India losing an opportunity
by G. Parthasarathy
With
a population of 60 million and a ruling elite and military made up primarily of Bamars (Burmese), who constitute approximately 68 per cent of its population, Myanmar today is perhaps the most seriously insurgency-affected country in the world. Richly endowed with natural resources ranging from oil to rubies and perhaps the most fertile land in Asia, Myanmar has constantly confronted troubles along its borders with its eastern neighbours --- Thailand and China. The country has 135 distinct ethnic groups ranging from Christian Karen and Kachin on its borders with Thailand and China, to Muslim Rohingyas on its borders with Bangladesh. Ethnic insurgencies have torn the country apart ever since its birth. The Christian Karens took objection to Myanmar proclaiming itself a Buddhist state shortly after independence in 1948. They were the favourites of the British and the best armed group in the country. They came close to overrunning the capital Rangoon in 1949. Prime Minister U Nu and his government survived largely because of shiploads of military equipment from India. Ethnic insurgency amidst political infighting led to Prime Minister U Ba Swe asking the army chief Ne Win to take over the government in 1958 and later impose military rule in 1962. The Ne Win period was marked by continuing ethnic insurgences, exacerbated by China’s assistance till the 1980s, to the Burmese Communist Party, mainly operating through the Shan state and the Kachin state, straddling Burma’s borders with India and China. While the military regime’s General Khin Nyunt negotiated ceasefire agreements with most ethnic armed groups, ethnic conflicts have got revived in the recent past. Shortly after Aung San Suu Kyi and her supporters entered Parliament, ethnic tensions between the Muslim Rohingyas and the Bamar Buddhist majority revived in Rakhine (Arakan) province bordering Bangladesh. Over 115,000 people, mostly Muslim Rohingyas, were displaced. The Myanmar government permitted visits by independent observers from foreign governments and international organizations, after the army moved in and restored order. Myanmar’s influential Buddhist clergy was fully supportive of the violence perpetrated on those they believed were “outsiders” from Bangladesh. Quite evidently recognizing public sentiment, Aung San Suu Kyi chose to remain silent. Myanmar officials openly say that while India is a secular country which can absorb demographic changes along its borders, Buddhist Myanmar is a small country which is in no position to do so. Strangely enough, there was a violent agitation in Mumbai against the Myanmar Government for alleged violence against Muslims. One wonders whether a similar demonstration would be organized against the killings of thousands of Shias and Sunni Barelvis in Pakistan. The Myanmar Army recently stepped up offensive operations against Kachin separatists close to the Myanmar-China-India tri-junction. Under Article 337 of the Myanmar Constitution, the union armed forces come under the command of the defence services. While the Chinese have attempted to broker a ceasefire at the border town of Ruili, the Myanmar government will press the Kachin Independence Army to lay down arms. Talks on this issue were held between the Myanmar “Peace Making Committee” and the Kachin Independence Organization in Ruili on February 4. Indian insurgent groups like the ULFA, NSCN (IM) and the PLA and their leaders like Paresh Barua use the Kachin state as a safe haven and for getting weapons through China. There has been cooperation and exchange of information between the armies of India and Myanmar in dealing with cross0 border insurgencies for over two decades now. Myanmar and Thailand have been adversaries for centuries. In recent times, Thailand has provided haven to Christian Karen insurgents, resulting in cross-border shootouts. But across Myanmar’s eastern Shan state bordering Thailand and China, ethnic conflicts continue, with several armed groups ranging from the Karen Independence Army to the United Wa State Army --- a long-term Chinese protégé. But under pressure from donors from Japan and Western powers, it appears that serious moves are underway to seek a political solution to the ethnic conflicts. Eleven ethnic armed groups have formed a “United Nationalities Federal Council.” Talks have been in Chiang Mai in Thailand between the insurgents and a high-level ministerial team headed by Presidential Minister Aung Min. The talks covered the framework for a political dialogue and related issues. It does, however, appear that the Myanmar government will, for the present, maintain military pressure on the armed groups even as talks proceed. China cannot but be concerned as Myanmar seeks new avenues of cooperation with the Western world, Japan and others. Some of their prestige projects, like the Latapadaung copper mine, a joint venture between its Wanbao Company and the Myanmar military, are in the doldrums after a Parliamentary Commission under Aung San Suu Kyi was established to investigate the project. This followed the suspension of another massive project, the Myitstone Dam in Kachin State in September 2012, due to public pressure. It is no secret that lands in major urban centres like Mandalay are being increasingly taken over by the Chinese. While the military government looked the other way, public resentment against what is seen as Chinese exploitation is growing. But it would be naïve to believe that all this will substantially weaken the immense Chinese political, military and diplomatic influence in Myanmar for the present. While China, Thailand and its ASEAN partners have acted efficiently, expeditiously and effectively in projects undertaken in Myanmar, India’s performance has been pathetic. Thailand is today the largest market for natural gas from Myanmar, receiving all 8.6 million cubic metres of current gas production. It is planning to develop port terminals for remaining a major recipient of Myanmar’s proven gas reserves of 200 billion cubic metres. A Sino-Myanmar pipeline will soon be carrying gas to China’s Yunnan province. India was given a contract for off-shore gas exploration. But thanks to delays in planning for a pipeline and a hare-brained scheme to take Myanmar gas to India through Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh, Myanmar became tired of interminable Indian delays and offered the gas to China. The much touted “Kaladan Multi-Modal Corridor” to link our north-eastern states to the sea through Myanmar’s Sittwe port is running behind schedule. After agreeing to undertake an 1800 MW hydro-electric project in 1994, we have not yet prepared a detailed project report. While we have constructed a road linking Tamu on the Manipur border to Mandalay, through Kalemyo, the road is used mainly for smuggling goods to India because of our restrictive border trade regulations. The redeeming feature is that South Block has resisted political considerations and is sending our highly competent Ambassador to Kabul, Gautam Mukhopadhyaya, as our next envoy to
Myanmar.
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MIDDLE |
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New ‘Indian’ car
by Harbans Singh Virdi
Alarmed
at the declining sales of their cheap model over the last few years, the famous Japanese car maker in its desperate bid to retain hold on the Indian market recently decided to launch a new ‘India’ car that will be based on the traditional silly habits of Indians. But before launching their innovative car, the Japanese manufacturers wanted to study foolish preferences of Indian drivers. Thus, the company sent a panel of auto experts to interview the motley bunch of Indian drivers. This included drivers of tractors-trolleys, auto-rickshaws and even “marutas”, something the Japanese had never heard of. But this was the best mode of transport in most villages. In order to make the survey exhaustive, the Japanese also interviewed tongewalas, rehrewalas and rickshawalas who complained to the survey team that drivers of luxury cars often obstructed the smooth flow of traffic on Indian roads. The Japanese did not deem it fit to interview the educated class which seldom drove in lanes. The survey was an eye-opener, for the Japanese found that they had been wasting money by equipping the cars with such facilities as the Indians damn bothered about. So, the company decided that its future ‘Indian’ car would be totally Indian, in style and look. How? Read on. Though changes in the future Indian car were a top secret, a ‘desi’ WikiLeaks guy a few months ago spilled the beans. Based on my unreliable sources, the following will be the design of the new dream car for Indians. This new Indian car will have no indicators since they never use them. The survey found that the Indians were 'short of hands'; they normally drove with one hand on the steering wheel while with the other they hold the mobile to their ear. Thus, frivolous gadgets like indicators were of no use to Indians. Secondly, there will be no parking lights since Indians have the habit of parking vehicles right in the middle of the road - hence no warning is needed, after all, you are supposed to look at the road while driving. Most Indians keep changing lanes, giving the impression that India is a free traffic zone. Some seem to drive looking at the sky. Going by the number of accidents in India, it appeared to the surveyors that the Indians hardly used breaks. All vehicles automatically stopped after a collision. Hence, to begin with, the company decided to remove the hand-break since Indians were, even otherwise, so fond of the leg-break. Remember Bishan Singh Bedi, L. Sivaramakrishna and now Piyush Chawla? So, there will be no hand-brake, only the foot-brake will be retained for halting the vehicle, to have cane juice, right in the middle of the road. Thirdly, this new car will be equipped with only beam lights which the Indians are fond of switching on, even during the day. Ordinary headlights have no meaning for Indian drivers who seem to race into each other with beam lights. However, the company has decided to provide an additional horn in the car since Indians are fond of honking even when the road is empty. But this WikiLeaks guy has done the damage. The Japanese car maker fears that the Indian auto maker, who shot to shame (read fame) with his ‘cheap’ car and recently bid ‘ta ta’, might launch his cheap version with only a steering fixed on four
wheels.
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OPED
— The Arts |
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Designs of dilemma
Design has become significantly more complex in a global market where diverse cultural influences demand to be appeased. How do designers find a meeting ground for inspirations and influences from diverse cultures?
Vandana Shukla
There
used to be a single art world with a unified frame of reference. It's over now. The boundaries between different disciplines of art, design and architecture are getting blurred. Art works are taken up by global brand names to turn into consumer products and designer goods are offered space in reputed art museums like works of art. Tomás Libertiny's vase constructed entirely by honeybees, Marcel Wanders' chair made of rigidified macramé, shown at MOMA, New York, or Julia Lohmann's handmade lamps from Japanese seaweed, are treated as art works. But, they have changed the trends of public consumption.
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| “ Design is like utopia, in Latin utopia means absence of place, creation is making something out of nothing.” Fabio Novembre, Italian designer |
While designers create products that come close to art, more and more artists are designing utility items with their signature art works. Orra jewellery had sold S H Raza's Bindu turned into pendants, Damien Hirst's paint-spattered Levis jeans were a sell off while Subodh Gupta became part of a group of 10 international artists to launch a limited edition series of the white Fendi baguette. World-famous Meissen Porcelain vases of Germany have been tweaked and made into contemporary art pieces by Indian artists Thakral &Tagra. Now Sunil Sethi Alliance offers paintings by masters like Ram Kumar, Manjit Bawa, Jehangir Sabawala et al turned into carpets and wall hangings. Art is a plural word
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Lidewij Edelkoort
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The unified large world of art and its related commerce that spreads across dealers, collectors, galleries and museums, is now invaded by many more “miniature ecosystems", which are now interconnected; each with its own distinct culture, made up of a network of practitioners, galleries, advisers, auction house specialists, museum curators and private collectors. Designer is no more just a creative person, working on his 'idea' in a den. Design has become significantly more complex in a global market. Before a product ever gets to a consumer, it has been subjected to investment analysis, prototype development, focus-group discussion and advertising campaigns. Then, there are diverse cultural influences that play their role in a global pool of goods. Within this quest for design art, which is increasingly responding to a need for global vocabulary in a global market where consumer aspirations are diverse yet unique, how do designers find a meeting ground for inspirations and influences from diverse cultures? How do they assimilate influences to cater to the needs of a global consumer? All these and many more issues were debated for over three days at India Design 2013, organised at NSIC Grounds in the Okhla Industrial Estate from February 15 to 17, 2013. Why should objects be cloned?
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Marcel Wanders
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Industrial revolution democratised products but it took away originality. Machines started producing mass scale objects that looked alike. To sell these unimaginatively produced goods marketing chains had to be created more inventively. All kinds of tricks were applied; from smart packaging to offering freebees. But machines could produce simple functional objects, whereas we are complex human beings. Since we are not clones, we do not like keeping cloned things for long, setting in a culture of discarding goods. With money at their disposal, people, who want to live like kings and queens demand products that give them a feeling of exclusivity. Thus, the world of goods production needed to be challenged, if progress means bringing about a difference, it had to be at all levels. By the 1970s, things began to change, slowly though. Modernism was mainstream and designers in Italy, America, Britain and Japan began to depart from its strictures. Modernists had argued that design should be objective, rational and democratic whereas designers like Shiro Kuramata, Gaetano Pesce and Ettore Sottsass demonstrated that it could be outrageous, expressive and exclusive. Their self-consciously extreme objects remained props for an ongoing theatre of the absurd. They were, quite literally, made only for show, in the glossy pages of a design magazine, in the lobby of a boutique hotel, or standing on the well-lit platform of a museum. Postmodernism, designers have thoroughly absorbed the idea that mass production is trumped by mass reproduction-that design is, above all, a means to get an image circulating in the world. They are not much bothered about copyright issues, the more a product is copied, it just tells of its greater success. Artist and artisan
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Michele de Lucchi
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In India, contemporary design is in a flux. Most designers, awed by the success of western designers try to ape them. Or, they go back to old handicraft traditions to get inspiration. Contemporary design is more about an idea that appeals to people and is usable. It may come from utility and creativity or both. If you look at all the path breaking deign concepts of the last couple of decades, you find, apart from aesthetic, theatrical element and humour has played an important role in popularising new designs. Successful design calls for a marriage between the art and the artisan. In the words of Dutch designer Marcel Wanders, whose designs are behind a number of high-end brands like B&B Italia, Cappellini, Christofle, Flos and Magis, to mass brands like Marks & Spencer, “You make a product that people feel so enriched with, they cannot throw it away." Products designed by him focus on the synthesis of functionality with absurdity, wit and madness. Wanders, 49, is one of the pioneers of an art-design phenomenon that has now become established. Across world designers are looking for novel concepts that appeal to global aesthetics. Michael Aram, an American artist who came to India as a tourist in the late 80s and while exploring the lanes of Chandni Chowk in Delhi discovered the artisans who made utensils and pots with kansa (an alloy of copper and tin). This was a life altering experience for Aram (also his international brand name now), who found in the creative energies of the hand operated melatworking traditions of the artisans a soulful quality. Like many other designers who now work with artisans, exploring the traditional wisdom of design which is rich in aesthetics and is durable as well as eco friendly, Aram allows western design interventions in the traditional crafts to keep them alive and evolving. “The craftsmen have to understand the consumer demands at the same time keep the soul of tradition alive, it's a challenge," says Aram. The energy of hand that makes these products is further enhanced by the tension of line, form, and meaning that is characteristic of modern designing concepts. The success story of fakes
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Jean -Marie Massuad
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Unlike the art world where fake reproductions ring doom and lead to legal complications, in the world of designer products fake spells success. For example, now a successful French designer, Ito Morabito, whose creative life began by creatively downsizing his name to Ora Ito, which also became brand name of his products, started designing virtual products and ads for Louis Vuitton bags and a camouflage-patterned carrying case for a Mac laptop which he launched on the internet, as if they really existed. He was barely 20 then. The Chinese manufacturing industry, masters of creating fakes, produced these bags and were selling them on the web. When Louis Vuitton started receiving orders for the fake products they discovered the source of abuse of their brand name by this young man. They were amused because his imaginary products were seen across the world and people were ordering them. These brands then accepted his design and produced the genuine bags designed by him. Now Ito Morabito spends his days in his studio creating real products for an impressive range of clients. He is only 35. 'Less is more' The Indianness of design, a highly saleable commodity in the global market for the romanticism attached to Indian craft and culture is sought after by almost all global brands. Celebrated designers like Jean -Marie Massuad whose works are showcased by all the major museums of the world says the challenge facing contemporary designer is, how to create 'without boundaries' and yet not make it obvious. He believes a good design is about bringing together vision and reality. While most Indian designers are going back either to the traditional Indian crafts or are using jugaad, or, improvisation. Ironically, one observes a strong tendency among the Indian designers to collaborate with European designers and to ape their minimalist approach, where less is more. On the other hand almost all the successful global designers like Jean -Marie Massaud, Marcel Wanders and Ito Morabito vouch for the Indian aesthetics. In fact one could easily place the influence of Indian jaali in Wanders' works. Morabito thinks the aesthetic of Indian Sikh men's get up is amazing, while Massaud is influenced by multi- hued noisy concoction called India where nothing is devoid of aesthetics and what the modern world perceives as ‘design.’ Dominic Dube, architect, is floored by rangoli and has used the rangoli patterns in many architectural concepts.
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Lidewij Edelkoort: “Products have character, metal is animated and objects are narratives” Jimmy
Lim, the celebrated designer who introduced the concept of sustainable design by using recycled materials: “Sustainability is a blind man's elephant, for me its humility towards nature.” Jean -Marie
Massuad: “The multi- hued noisy concoction called India where nothing is devoid of aesthetics and what the modern world perceives as ‘design’ inspires me.” Marcel Wanders: “I don't like shopping, I like designing. I know I can't sell what I can't buy.” Michele de
Lucchi, one of the pioneers of design: “ My mother conceived twins, not a person. My beard was my first design to choose a distinct personality.
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