Far Away From Real India

“Only two things are infinite, the Universe and the human stupidity and I’m not sure about the former” – ALBERT EINSTEIN

Kudus to Manmohan Singh for 9% G.D.P growth rate, large scale Industrialization, privatization, development projects, nuclear deals, so and so forth.

But at the same time the nation faces many challenges today. On one side we are eroding the basis of democratic policy. Threatening our environment, aggravating the violence and exploitation in our society in the name of many ‘so-called’ development projects. The lives and the livelihood of our people, particularly the depressed and marginalized sections are being ruined.

The state is collaborating with the corporates to plunder with the people’s lives and their resources like land, water-bodies, sea-coast, minerals and forest. The large scale displacement and destruction in the name of development has rendered the tribal’s and farmers helpless and powerless.

The Nandigram, the Narmada, the fish workers of our coast, Haligudi, Adharsh Housing Scam, Kakarapalli, Jaitapur, Kowada, are all the victims of land sharks. Land is gold today. After Odisha the South Korean company will now plunder Karnataka.

Land in the various cities is being taken by huge infrastructure projects like highways & expressways which are used by a minority of car owing population. The Hyderabad Metro Rail project snatches away livelihood of around 4 lakh, sparking protest.

The recent scams like 2G, common wealth games, Lavasa etc once again prove the deep nexus between the corporate, politicians and bureaucrats. The public outrage against corruption through various means shows the truth that even the middle class is affected by corruption.

We are pushing hard for damns, nuclear deals, and thermal plants to meet our never-ending demands of electricity, but to this day we still are facing the same problems, in addition to that, earthquakes, nuclear disaster, erratic climate have become common to us.

We seem to have innovated latest technologies, made our work through machines, build in new industries, but as of today we still face the issues of displacement and destruction, in addition to that the problem of unemployment has also risen.
We seem to have conquered droughts and contained floods with our big dams, increased our agricultural produce with the use of pesticides & chemicals, but still the poor and marginalized people in the country suffer from malnutrition and die because of hunger.

The Big Question?

The big question in front of us today is should we stop development then? The question should be how much and what kind of development do we need?

Do we need truly need any more technology than we already have? Or science and technology and gadget frenzy become the new madness of modern man?

Can we gain supremacy over nature? So far we have been shown thumbs down. Perhaps it is time to do a turn around and relook at the way of development we are adopting, and try to live in harmony with the nature like our elders did. Otherwise our children may not forgive us for giving a legacy of disease and distress.

The Way Out – Eco Friendly Development Alternatives

It Is Possible – You Only Need TO Take The First Step

Sashank Rajwadi
Activist
9483331587, srajwadi@yahoo.com
Associated with National Alliance of People's Movements (NAPM),
http://twitter.com/#!/srajwadi
http://srajwadi.blogspot.com/
http://napm-india.org/
Read NAPM Magazine Movement of India at - http://issuu.com/MovementOfIndia

It’s Time to Party

Hurray it’s time to Party as UPA -2 completes its two years in office for the second term. Manmohan earns plaudits from Sonia, Rahul, and other UPA allies for his record 9% growth in G.D.P. As the celebrations go on at 10 Janpath, the government continues to face serious charges of corruption in various sectors.

The Nexus of Corruption

Even as the key ministers of the government like Kalmandi, A.Raja, members of key allies Kanimozhi are in Jail and other ministers face serious charges, with growing anger among the masses, no strong action has been taken to tackle corruption. In the name of so – called development projects, coastal corridors, sez’s, slum- redevelopment, metro rail a nexus between the government, politicians, bureaucrats and corporate companies continues.

The on-going struggle of slum dwellers in Mumbai from past so many years exposes the deep rooted corruption and nexus between the Government and Builders under the cover of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) in Mumbai that has led to lakhs of slum-dwellers struggling for the basic right to a house. The people living in the slums are the one who comprise the major sections of people working in the service industry and small-scale industries. These slums are the natural habitats to them who have been staying there from years but who cares “It’s time to party!”

The Road to Shanghai

The expansion of the Mumbai airport at par to shanghai throwing out slum dwellers from the international airport vicinity and taking over the encroached land will not improve airport operations. Such a move will only mean big profit for the developers.

It is not what Raj Thackeray says that these people come from other states to earn a good living. They might be just few people who come to the cities with pull of the luxury lifestyle but the rest come there because they are pushed out from their natural habitats from the villages in the name of dam’s, thermal plants, nuclear plants and other so- called development projects but who cares “It’s time to enjoy!”

Life here in Hyderabad Slums

The condition is much worse than the Dharavi slum here in Hyderabad. Slime and sludge greet one everywhere. The stink from over-flowing drainage is overpowering. People live here in sub human conditions with no civic amenities. It is an unending narrow lanes dotted with asbestos-roofed one room tenements. And most shocking about this slum in Bholakpur is the total absence of toilets as they simply can't afford a latrine.

According to the testing done by Joint Action Water(JAW) in slum areas in Hyderabad 902 water samples lifted from 36 slums of Rasoolpura, Bholakpur, Chaderghat, Saidabad, Musheerabad and Sanatnagar between September 2010 and February 2011, 595 lacked adequate levels of residual chlorine (0.2-0.5 permissible limit per mg/I) and 52 had bacterial contamination. Good quality samples were 293. This clearly shows the unsafe condition of life in these slum areas but who cares “It’s time to rock!”

Similar story of Hyderabad Metro

Again in the name of city beautification and necessity of transport facilities the Metro Project was taken up surrounded with controversies. The project is not only questionable on the grounds of its destruction but the benefits of it. On one side it affects the livelihood of thousands of people in the vicinity of Hyderabad and on other side it’s a fact of the matter that it does not solve the traffic problems of the city. Instead of developing the existing roads, APSRTC bus services, MMTS service in the city unwanted metro development project is being implemented with investment of cores of rupees of the tax payer but who cares “It’s time to have a blast!”

The Struggle of Irom Sharmila Chanu

The hunger strike of Irom Sharmila Chanu has crossed 10 years, with a demand for repeal of AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958. She has been forced fed, arrested on several charges, criminalized as a high security prisoner, denying her access to family, friends, supporters .The civic spaces are militarized within the country but who cares “It’s time to dance!”

Fear of Chernobyl, Repeat of Bhopal

Again in the name of development and energy requirements, large scale work is in progress to develop many thermal and nuclear plants. People across the country, farmers, fisher folks, peasants, activists, and environmentalist have been opposing the project on various grounds of destruction of ecological balance and have also question the vulgar consumption of electricity by people like Mukesh Ambani, whose 27 storey house in Mumbai consume electricity worth 70lakhs.

The past experiences of incidents like Chernobyl and very recently in Fukushima were forgotten making illogical excuses. The Bhopal gas leak, for which the victims are still fighting for justice should have been an eye-opener but no lessons have been learnt from the past and the same mistakes are being repeated today in nuclear projects. The story Jadugoda in Jharkhand reminds us the pain of ill effects of uranium mines but who cares “It’s time to laugh!”

Where is Modern day ROBIN HOOD?

In the recent past a huge uproar was sounded by congress and Rahul Gandhi in Uttar Pradesh who had gone there to get political mileage for the forth coming elections in UP. But one wonders that where Rahul Gandhi is when his own party and respective governments in various states continue to exploit the poor. It not only shows the double standards but also his visit to UP on one side and silence on atrocities by the congress ruled states seems more like a political tamasha. People are illegally arrested in Andhra Pradesh or Maharashtra, open firing is ordered against them and many die but who cares “It’s time to for next elections!”

I am not Responsible

An easy answer to all tough questions. One wonders how a prime minister of a country can give an answer that he is not responsible to the actions of his cabinet ministers, even though the constitution has the provision of collective responsibility. 2G, commonwealth, S-band, slum-redevelopment, inflation or any other scam, the prime minister says he is not responsible.

After Green clearances given to various projects like nuclear plant in Jaitapur, thermal plants in Andhra Pradesh, POSSCO projects in Orissa and many like such the environment minister distances himself from the controversy by a simple answer that he his compelled to give a green nod and he is not responsible. Even though people are affected by these projects but who cares “It’s time to feel elated!”

Who Cares?

Whatever happens in the city, villages or anywhere in the country it does not make a difference to the politicians, bureaucrats or the government because the affected one are the poor, under-privileged and marginalized. The corporate companies are getting a special package, ministers are getting their salary, the rich are getting richer, the land mafias are getting more powerful, and UPA-2 has completed its 2 years term in office so “It’s time to party!”

Sashank Rajwadi.
Activist
Associated with NAPM

World Cup – A Nation’s True Victory?

World Cup – A Nation’s True Victory?

The crazy world cup fever is back again to India. Round the clock telecast by the media and the spirits going high. But the big question is- “Is Winning World Cup A Nation’s True Victory?”

Does winning world cup make any difference to the people of the country...? Media has been live telecasting about it from past 2 days.., where they are many vital issues which had to be focused upon, nation is gearing up for a mass fast in support of ANNA ji and gearing up for second freedom fight, but none of the news channel focused on it. Apart from these they were many serious issue ignored.

In a recent survey by Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (Assocham) under the aegis of its Social Development Foundation (ASDF), It was found that drinking in the age group of 16-20 had risen by a thumping 100 percent, an official said. "Youngsters between 16-20 years who consumed one to two liters of beer a week have doubled their consumption during the day-night encounters. The consumption further increases to three to five liters a week when India is playing, the reason for this in the survey was found because of Easy availability of alcoholic beverages, cricket fever, lack of parental supervision, peer pressure, a means to de-stress and unwind are reasons for such an increase.

They have been blatant violations of law after yesterday’s win; Noisy crackers give patients, senior citizens a tough time even though the law says that residential areas cannot be subjected to noise levels above 55 dB. But what we saw on Wednesday and Saturday nights proves that the law was not enforced at all, celebrating such a momentous victory is understandable, but disregard of rules should not be tolerated. Ant law enforcers who do not hesitate to arrest and lathi charge if the people of displaced villages come onto streets for justice, failed to take any action against those who openly boozed on streets and were driving after getting drunked.

It’s good to gear up for a sport but we need to remember the fact that it is just a game. It does not make any difference in our lives. At the end of the day glory of the world cup will be forgotten within few days but the problems faced by the nation will continue, which requires the utmost attention by the media and the people of this country.

CAMPAIGN: What is the "Power" of your clothes?

Surprised? Yes, you clothes reflect power – not the power you have, but the “power” you have used.

Did you know that the clothes we wear are also polluting our rivers, destroying crops, making dead zones in the seas and most importantly, increasing global warming?

How is this happening?

Clothes and other textiles can affect the environment to varying degrees throughout their life cycles. Before textiles reach the consumer, they have gone through many different chemical processes. They may be treated with chemicals to dye them, make them more hardwearing or wrinkle-resistant, or less flammable. Some flame retardants that are used in certain textiles contain organic bromine compounds that break down very slowly in the environment, hence last much longer.

Some of these chemicals are carcinogenic or may cause harm to children even before birth. Others may trigger allergic reactions in some people.

All textiles processes have an impact on the environment. The industry uses large amounts of natural resources such as water, while many operations use chemicals and solvents. All companies use energy, produce solid waste, discharge effluent and emit dust, and toxic gases into the atmosphere.

The clothes we wear like everything else we use today in the modern day – use power or electricity and also energy – in the making of the thread / yarn, the making of the cloth, packaging, marketing, merchandising until it comes to you.

That would mean, use of gas and coal for making electricity to run the machines, making plastic for packaging and use of petrol for transportation; which in turn means more coal mining, oil drilling, more thermal power plants or nuclear power plants or large dams to produce more “power” or electricity and to have more “power” for transportation.

And what does all this mean? Increase in Green house Gases and Global Warming.

The greatest problem that each and every one of us is facing today is Global Warming.

The planet is in peril – the green house gases Carbon dioxide and Methane among others are increasing day by day, trapping the sun’s heat on the earth. Thus, the earth is warming up. Our glaciers are melting and if this goes on unchecked very soon, i.e., within the next twenty years or so, our perennial rivers like Ganga, Brahmaputra will dry out. The sea levels are already rising and will rise further submerging the coastal areas. In many parts of India and even in Andhra Pradesh, coastal villages have started to disappear under the sea. Not just this, flash floods have increased and as we saw last year, lakhs of acres of crops were lost under water. If this continues we will be facing a water and food crisis. And future wars will be fought for water and the day may not be far when we see people killing each other for a morsel of food.

So, is there a way out?

Yes, there is – Reducing our carbon foot prints – using low energy alternatives – Handloom and Khadi.

While Handloom clothes use mill made yarn, the rest of the process is entirely hand made, Khadi is a totally hand made cloth – right from spinning of the yarn to production of the cloth. Thus, low energy or no energy is used in this entire process.

Besides being eco-friendly, these clothes generate employment. Handloom is one of the three largest Employment generating sectors in India along with agriculture and retail. There is a total of 3 crore people dependent on Handloom sector.

Indian Handloom fabrics, were extremely famous the world over and were considered the best fabrics the world ever produced. However, today, Handloom is not valued by our own people. The market for Handloom is shrinking, forcing many skilled craftsmen and women to seek labour work elsewhere and some others, unable to bear the poverty are committing suicides. So, if we switch our choice to Handloom and Khadi, not only do we save these lives, but we can encourage more people to take up this craft.

We, the consumers, have the “power” to change the situation – to better their lives and to protect our environment and thus, our own Future. By using low energy Handloom and Khadi, we reduce the need to produce more Electricity, meaning, we need not set up more Power projects, need not displace any more people, need not disturb our environment, nor destroy people’s lives.

Make a Choice Today

Use your “Power” to Save lives &

Save our future.

USE HANDLOOM & KHADI

Issued in Public Interest

by

National Alliance of People’s Movements (AP Chapter)

204, GKR Mansion, 6-1-89, Saifabad, Hyderabad – 500004

Phone - 9866887299 /9989830711/ 9849718364

ELECTRICITY - WHO’S BENEFIT? AT WHO’S COST?

ELECTRICITY

 WHO’S BENEFIT? AT WHO’S COST?

Do you know what the cost of electricity you consume is? Here I am not talking about the amount of electricity bill you pay for your consumption; it is the cost which goes into the production of electricity. Surprised , yes apart from the natural resources used and other labour cost, a large scale destruction, displacement of villages and effect on their livelihood, along with a long lasting impact on the environment are involved in it too meet our never ending needs.

After Indian markets where opened to capitalization and foreign direct investments which lead to rise of big corporate companies and billionaires in the country and also the rise in population resulted in the demand for more electricity. To meet these “So Called Needs”, construction of dams on large scale took place. Dams on the Narmada valley throws light on how destruction and displacement have destroyed the lives of thousands of people residing there. Today thermal plants have come up in Srikakulam, Andhra Pradesh with protest from the locals as it not only destroys the wetlands in the vicinity but also has a long lasting ecological effect. And for the future, proposal have been made to built nuclear plants, for which the works have already begun in Jaitapur, Maharashtra and kowada, Andhra Pradesh leaving a scope for accidents like Chernobyl and Fukushima.

These entire projects are taken up with an argument by the administration saying that they are development projects for the “People” of the country. The incidents like police firing in kakarapalli, illegal arrest of locals in Jaitapur raise several questions. If these project where really for the benefit of the people then why are the locals opposing these projects? Why the government orders an open fire on the locals and the same being killed? Why today people are illegally being arrested? Why does the construction work take place in the presence of a huge police force? And who is actually being benefited from the electricity produced?

To draw your attention I would like to just take one example here, 27-storey building Antilia of Mukesh Ambani consumes electricity of worth 70 lakhs monthly for just three people which can be used by 7000 homes in Mumbai. During my interaction with some friends, one of them pointed out that it is his hard earn money and I have no right to question the way he spends it. Yes, it’s true I have no right to question the way he spends it but when people’s resources are exploited to produce electricity and the same is consumed in a Vulgar Fashion then we have a right to question. The people of Narmada have a right to raise their voice, the people of kakarapalli have a right to protest, the people of Jaitapur and kowada have a right to say NO and the nation has a right to ask for whom is this electricity being produced for? And who is paying a price for it?

As the heat is rising today we have started using air-conditioners. CFC’s used in air-conditioning depletes ozone. So the heat on earth increases everyday and we use more air-conditioning to get away from it. The big question today is should we stop development then? The question should be how much development do we need?

An Appeal – Do we truly need any more technology than we already have? Or has science and technology and gadget frenzy become new madness of modern man? Why have we stopped listening to nature like our forefathers did and like the animals and birds do even today?

 Dear friends the time has come that we all need to look into ourselves and do a self introspection over the worldly pleasures we have been enjoying at someone else’s cost. In the final checks and balances, we might win, but history has proved that it is more likely that nature will have an upper hand. We need to take up an initiative and reduce our electricity consumption and its wastage. Remember Newton’s third law - For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Today if we continue exploiting our mother nature, the days won’t be far when we will have to pay a price for it.

THE WAY OUT–CONSUME LESS & USE ECO-FRIENDLY ALTERNATIVES

IT IS POSSIBLE–YOU ONLY NEED TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP

Sashank Rajwadi

Student/Activist

9966932399, srajwadi@yahoo.com

Associated with National Alliance of People’s Movements (NAPM)

http://twitter.com/#!/srajwadi

http://napm-india.org/