September 27, 2011
The Planning Commission of India,in its infinite wisdom, has come up with an amazing conclusion: people who make less than Rs 25 per day (50 cents) only need be classified as Below Poverty Line. According to the planning commission, Rs 26 is enough for the food, clothing, shelter and general running of a non-poor family. Half liter milk costs Rs 13, a reasonably sized banana is Rs 12. So basically if an Indian can afford these, he or she has crossed the poverty threshold. A recent newspaper cartoon showed a beggar refusing an extra rupee in alms because accepting it would send him above the poverty line.
Obviously,the members of the central planning commission are intimately familiar with poverty. With their planned incomes, travel allowances, dearness allowances etc, of course they know how much it takes to live comfortably in India. Thunderous applause greeted ex-Chief Minister of Kerala, Achuthanandan, when he said "ee naattile sthreekal ee planning commissione chooleduthadikkanam" (the women of this country should beat the members of the planning commission with a broom). Achuthanandan is known for playing to the galleries with low-grade statements but in this case, I agree with the clapping crowd.
Once more, within 7 months, a van carrying school children plunged into the same river in Thiruvananthapuram. Tragic death of 3 six-year olds. The number was less this time because the van hit a sand-loaded boat and stayed afloat for some time allowing rescue operations. Several measures were proposed at the time of the previous accident including strict verification of the vehicles and drivers, putting speed limiting devices on them, regular training for drivers, strict action against squeezing children into vehicles etc. All of them have remained proposals. I am sure the same and even better sounding proposals will be revealed tomorrow. But ultimately nobody cares.
Manorama newspaper headline screamed "Parvathi Puthanar Veendum Chathichu" (River Parvatiputhanar has cheated again) as if it is the river's fault. The prevailing attitude is that it is all fate, out of our hands, god's disposal etc. This driver was operating without license for years. He had swerved the vehicle because a dog jumped in front of the vehicles. Stray dogs, unsafe vehicles, careless practices, bribing to cut corners, these are all here to stay. The rivers, rain, mountains, lakes and weather are here to take the blame. Prayer meetings and astrological explanations galore!
Even if strict rules are going to be implemented, it'll be the parents who will be the first to allow their children to be squeezed into a van or autorickshaw so that some money can be saved. They will be upset that there is no time to get the kids ready if the van were to come early so that it can be driven slowly. Why can't they drive a little faster to school?! They do! Kids die! And then you cry!
Swinging to the opposite emotion, the Cochin Kalabhavan appears in the news time and again, mostly because of its illustrious alumni. Aabel achan (Priest Aabel) who pioneered this center for performing arts revived the art of mimicry and launched the careers of several luminaries of the Malayalam film industry. Now some of them like director Siddque have received national attention. Kalabhavan provided occupation (physical and mental) for plenty of young men and spurred the growth of similar clubs/troupes in a large number of villages in Kerala. I think this witty priest has been one of the greatest weapon this society has produced against Al-queda and other terror outfits. Employment and a creative channel for the energetic young minds is the best, long term defense against terrorism.
But then again Kerala's implementation of the "right to work" has had ridiculous consequences. People can work in their backyard and go to the village office to claim wages for over 200 days in a year. I was told about such "work" being done in a government school. A grand total of 35 dried leaves were removed from the school ground and deposited in a pile by the side only for the wind to promptly blow it back in. Such work gets submitted for 230 man-days wages paid out by the government. Achudananthan's government had announced a scheme to deposit Rs 10,000 in the government treasury in the name of every new born baby in the state. The current government has dismissed the scheme as impossible. On top of this, there is an ongoing discussion to make having more than two children a punishable offense! I wonder if the same politicians and planners will restrict themselves to two houses, two cars, two wives.....
Came across an old news item about the human rights commission restoring the right of the Sabarimala temple staff to wear underwear. When theft had increased in the temple, the temple management ordered that the staff cannot wear underwear, only mundu. With human rights commission interference, Swami Ayappa has lost his commandos. Now only Padmanabhaswamy has them.
Memories from the conversation at the temple on Saturday keep coming back to me. Here's a famous mythology based riddle that was recalled. A man was sitting under a tree by the side of the road. A passerby asked him who he was waiting for. He replied:
"oruthan poyi oruthi aayi
oruthipettiruvarayi
iruvarum karutharayi
karutharum virutharayi
virutharil oruthante
bandhuvinte shatruvinte
illam chuttu karichavante
thaathante varavum nokki irikunnu njan"
roughly translated as
"One man went to become a woman
the woman delivered two boys
the two boys grew strong
the strong ones were also brave
Of these brave brothers, one
had a friend who had an enemy
whose home was burnt down by someone,
I am waiting for that someone's dad."
The reference is to the Mahabharatha. The man who assumed feminine form is Aruna, my namesake and charioteer of the Sun god. Aruna had two sons, Bali, born to Indra and Sugriva, born to Surya. Of these two brave and strong brothers, Sugriva's close friend was Rama. Rama's nemisis Ravana. Ravana's home, Lanka, was burnt down by Hanuman. Hanuman is the "someone" in the riddle and Hanuman's father is Vayu, the wind god. So basically, the man was waiting by the roadside to catch some breeze or eating some wind ("hawa khana") as Hindi speakers do!
May be Rs.25 a day is enough if all you eat is wind. Besides, there is that other NASA-certified dude who lived for months by simply staring at the sun, without any food or water. The genius of India's Planning Commission had dawned late on me!
Mythology trivia: It is because Rama, an avatar of Vishnu, kills a son of Indra, Bali, in the Threta yuga (epoch/era) that the next avatar of Vishnu, Krishna, in the Dwapara yuga makes up for it by befriending and supporting another son of Indra, Arjuna.
Gone are the days when such elaborate riddles were commonly told. I am sure equally elaborate riddles can be made out of Harry Potter, Twilight series or the craze among the little ones of Kerala, Ben10 cartoons. But there is very little time to talk in riddles and precious little patience to spare in their thought. Riddles have been asphyxiated by the cult of monetary gratification.
Except those answerless deaths of 6 year olds!
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