N-Tech, No Way

I always thought nuclear technology, for energy or warfare, was a bad idea. As far as Im concerned, there is no such thing as nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.

One, because in our world-conspiracy, nuclear technology (for peaceful purposes. For ‘peaceful’ purposes), is denied to nations (think Iran), because of questionable trustworthiness- This coming from high and mighty, not to mention guilty, US of A.

Two, because of N-tech’s scope for misuse.

And three, because of N-tech’s potential to be hazardous, despite safety measures. All it needs is a tsunami to blow the reactor off the charts.

Japan is reliving pains of historical proportions. Only that this time, it is due to their civilian nuclear energy plants not being able to withstand the recent Sendai earthquake and tsunami.

In these days of energy insufficiency, radical environmentalists go all out in favour of nuclear power. They see it as a suitable compromise, between human supply and human demand, and their own concerns for environmental protection. Nuclear power is said to be a clean source of energy, even considering the dangers of radiation, and the dirty energy that is used to build and run the plants in the first place.

Given all my environmental concerns and activities, I cant agree to this settlement. Charge me with being a radical humanitarian over an environmentalist, but I think it wise to pre-empt problems- nuclear explosions and radiation can lead to irreversible environmental and human damage. Choosing N-tech is going from the frying pan into the fire, from a situation of an energy deficit to a situation of an energy danger.

What swings me away from N-tech is that the dangers are not worth it, given that we are not yet at a Hobsons’s Choice. We have coal. That’s right, I just said we have coal. And I would prioritize coal over living with a millstone around my neck. However I only speak in favour of coal, because policy makers, researchers and developers, haven’t yet found a way to make renewable and clean energy attractive on a large scale. What I truly mean, is that we have the ability to make clean energy more credible. Giving N-tech the kind of importance that environmentalists have given it, is as bad as giving coal the kind of importance that industries have. We are not better than them for having come up with this as a solution to the problem of energy, when it only poses other problems, if not bigger ones.

A note to you if you are concerned about the environment- Do not forget that you are concerned about the environment because at the very bottom of it all, you are concerned about humans. Apart from the fact that there is a public saturation with environmental needs, is the fact that environmentalists turn people off. Environment for environment’s sake is the idealist outlook, and a harder argument for you to sell if you want to gather momentum to the movement. And we are running out of time, that we can all agree on.

Mabrook

I should forgive myself for not believing in the Jasmine Revolution. I didn’t believe because no one expects a smooth functioning of democracy's organs in the Middle East, and because of the strategic importance Mubarak had to the US, and the Israeli-Palestine issue. In the past, if a leader had to go, in the Middle East and Latin America, the US played in the back to ensure that their puppets went on stage. How often do we see an event come to completion, that wasn't in the interest of the States.

The '68 Revolution in France didn’t mean that deGaulle wasn’t reelected, because he was. In spite of how often we cite the protests today, in some respects they failed, because they were unheeded except by the future. There is a tendency for protests to go down this way.

But Egypt has overthrown its President of 30 years, and we have a new legendary square on the world map.

*walks like an Egyptian!*

Extortion to Axetortion

You know, I often think of Facebook as a friendly neighbourhood. But that’s for another post, and I promise to link it here (I have finally figured out how to do it).

Today however, my aimless amble around my community turned into a hit and run when I was tagged in a picture for a gig this week at a club in the city.

The gig is called 'Axe-tortion' and indeed, it is promising to be night of face melting guitaring with four very prominent guitarists in the country! The montage of pictures of these four rocker men, were taken from various sources and put together in a line. Below the picture line-up was a list of their names. One of them is a friend of mine so I was able to immediately put the name to the face. That left me three more names and faces to match. However, something was amiss with the first two pictures and their names. The second name said Milind Deora. Milind Deora.. Deora, Milind.. And then my eyeballs began to grow unnaturally large as I took a closer look at the first guitarist. Was that a club dude waist coat, or I'll be damned, a neta suit? Or is that Mukesh Ambani? No fool, that's ridiculous!



Quick, give me Google!

So I googled his name. I had to be wrong, I'm sure I'm wrong, of course I'm wrong, I WILL BE WRONG!

I wasn't wrong.

Hello young India, guess what, your Member of Parliament from South Mumbai plays Jimi Hendrix.

My reaction to this news was violent to say the least.

So I YouTubed his name, and a long result of 'Milind Deora addresses parliament, Milind Deora on RTI' turned up… but then you hit the 'underound culture' that this side-parted MP also endorses. And you see his name in the same video title as 'Stevie Ray Vaughn', 'Freddie King' and so on.


You've heard of teenage girls turning starry eyed when they see their heroes haven't you?
Well it was like that for me (except that he's not my hero), only that my eyes were glazed and I suddenly received an image of a large tri-colour with a sex-drugs-and-rock-and-roll button badge occupying the central position. Oh sorry, in these days of sedition, it is distasteful to talk of such things.


Anyway, this is not some pseudo guitaring that he does, or some sympathy gigs he is given along with some paid audiences. He's actually playing- no sheet music, no hangs. He's playing real riffs, not faff like the odd chords that I play. And he's playing hard stuff, by blues legends.


He is not much of a performer, and maintains a largely impassive face. But this in itself sent me into fits. If I played footsie with him under the table, would I find him tapping to some song? If I stole his iPod, would I find BB King? Does he sing in the shower?

Ugh.

So to greet his screaming fans, his one hand does the open-palm sign of the Congress at a political rally and his other does a sign of the horns at a gig? And then he brings both those palms together in a namaste?


If I swore, I'd swear now. And spit.


I have a feeling I am the only one who finds these things funny. Why am I flipping about this? Politicians can't play music?

No no, politicians can. Like when Bill Clinton played the sax, see now that was cool.

But our politicians are usually more beast than human. Just like our film and sports stars are more god than human. If Milind Deora was proficient in Hindustani music, I wouldn’t be this aghast. If he played chess, made a damn good chicken curry on Sunday or pursued taxidermy, it would still be passable. But this is music that is said to be from the devil, it's foren music! There is nothing remotely politically correct about Jimi Hendrix. This, is like a ball of wool falling out of Manmohan Singh's briefcase causing him to admit that he knits all the sweaters for his grandchildren. It is as random and ridiculous as that.


As a young person who loves her music like any other young person, and is trying to be a good citizen like any… never mind that, I'm being honest- I am not so sure any more.

Like my mum always told me that clubs were not safe, and my daddy told me to never trust a man with a drink. But Ma, Pa, Milind Deora plays on a stage with a large Tuborg sign behind him!
"Ma, Pa, I want to serve my country. Politics?"
"NO!"
"Ma, Pa, I want to be a musician!"
"NO!"
"Ma, Pa, but Milind.."
"Ma, Pa, I want to be a political musician.. " *pleased at the sound of that*
"Dear Child… " "I never did like Dylan."

So you can be a nine to fiver and a nine to twelver also? Hahaha just who says!


This is more than just a gig, at least for Bangalore, and I see this as quite significant. Bangalore currently frowns upon alcohol and music at the same place [Don't look at me like that, yes it's true, you go figure and we are not discussing this here].
"This is the police. We're breaking up this party."
"Good evening gentlemen, my name is Milind Deora."


When men of steel and women of iron become flesh and blood, when they are close enough to touch the hems of their robes, what do you do? Throw your panties on stage of course.

Everyone was hopeful last elections, when we realised there were so many young people- Sachin, Rahul, Varun, Priyanka, Omar and Milind. Sounds like my best friends at college. And now one of them sits in the general spectator stands at the CWG and the other, well, I wont start all over again.


Hey Milind, I presume I can be on first name basis with you, and that neta suit makes you look fat.

Global Work Party on 10/10/10

A brilliant thing is happening in the world this Sunday- 6127 parties are going to be held, all day long in 187 countries.

Spectators to the climate movement- or for that matter, even political movements, or any movement for change- have long asked why if we all want the same thing, can’t we come together and make it happen.

That’s just what the ‘Global Work Party’ is doing on 10/10/10. This worldwide campaign organised by 350.org has brought together thousands of NGOs and independents with the plan to combine their green activism with political participation. 6127 parties have registered to engage in carbon cutting gestures. Not only is this a ‘party-party’ in the sense, a celebration of what we can do together, but these are also ‘work parties’, quite like a ‘search party’ and in this, it ceases to be an oxymoron. Their slogan this year, is ‘Get to Work’ and they are all posing this question to their respective governments- if we can get to work, what is stopping you?

With 2010 being the hottest year on record, and floods in Pakistan, Gujarat and Jammu and Kashmir, what are some of the possible theme-parties people have come up with?

Well, they’re planting trees in Tanzania and Kampala, having a bike-ride from Jordan to Israel, organizing a giant bike fix-up day to get every bicycle in the city back on the road in Auckland and installing solar stoves for a massive carbon neutral picnic in Bolivia. Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed already got on top of the job, and installed solar panels himself, at the Muliaa'ge, the President’s residence. Obama is sending out the message from his roof top as well. He is bringing a revival of something that Carter initiated and Reagan abandoned- he is having solar panels installed at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, the First Family’s residence.

India likes to party as much as any of these other countries, and the Indian Youth Climate Network in Delhi, Bangalore, Goa and Hyderabad, is organizing carbon cutting events as well. Delhi is having a photography competition and exhibition, Bangalore is planting trees, Goa is bird watching and Hyderabad is saving some lakes.

In the run up to COP 16, and with Kyoto expiring in 2012, with India being recently crowned as third largest emitter.. and with a leadership head start being made by Obama and Nasheed, let’s be typical, and throw a party, what say?

Freakonomics: Reason to Live

Hm.

What good can possibly come out of what happened at Mumbai?

Don’t beat me up for asking such a question.

We claim that unity in diversity is our specialty. Up until today, I saw many examples of diversity, but few of unity.

What this attack in Mumbai has done though, is to bring unity in adversity, as the people of Chennai are calling it. It is grief that united.

Did you see how local Mumbaikars, cheered with every truckload of army men that came in? Every time they shouted ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai,’ I got goose bumps. India has never been an aggressor. We have been at war only a few times in the last 60 years: The ones with Pakistan in ’65 and ’71 and then Kargil. This is why we have never given a thought to our troops. Thousands of young men and women sign themselves up to the army, in times of peace, with no guarantee that the future will remain the same, prepared for any circumstance.

Unlike the USA where their troops are in much use every day all over the world, India never got to see action out of hers. In the US not supporting their troops is considered an offence. Not legally. But the troops go into war confident that they have their whole country behind them and their country is grateful to them.

But today, these men and women who we never regarded, today we learnt how indispensible they are. We suddenly became aware of their presence.

It took terrorists to make us aware.

In times of peace, when a pacifist preaches his message, no one wants to hear it. Today, when one gets up onto his soapbox to preach peace, he has an audience. The audience knows that he either accepts to follow the path of peace and still maintain some hope for tomorrow. Or he accepts that violence is the order of the day and nothing can change it. And I think more of us want to see the victory of peace today than ever before.

What this attack in Mumbai has done is that it has brought the urgency of seeing the success of peace to the top of everybody’s mind and wish list. There is nothing more anybody wants.

It took violence to make us aware of peace.

Initially, the fear was that communal riots would break out.

It did not happen. At least not so far.

This time, those who dare make discriminatory comments are being hounded down.

Instead, all anger is being channelized towards a new target. I never thought this would happen, but it has. We have taken our politicians to task. This is how, this times attack, was different.

Politicians usually manipulate every situation to their convenience.

This time we didn’t allow it.

Scour the internet. Remember I said that’s where the youth of India lives? Every young person is suddenly demanding answers out of them. They are not all sitting back and complaining.

Suddenly every young person is aware of their rights. Their right to information.

Every young person today is resolving to go and vote at the next elections.

Suddenly every young person is aware of their duty. Their duty to vote.

NOW we have finally agreed, that ‘Enough is Enough.’

It took terrorists to make this happen.

Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte, Vijay Salaskar and all the other police and army personnel who died fighting for our security.

It appears to me, that India would not have been so shaken up if their deaths hadn’t happen. This reminds me of the movie Rang De Basanti. Talking about the movie later with a friend, I complained that the ending should have been happier. He said, “It just wouldn’t have been as good if they hadn’t all died in the end.”

So thick headed India required 102 deaths, along with 12 police and army men and 300 injured, to actually feel and be affected.

Why did it take an attack in our own country to get united? We see terrorism all over the world. But we had to wait for this to happen, to be affected?

If we continue on this path of reconstruction, those 102 deaths would not have been in vain. Or else, they will remain as wasted unfulfilled lives. They will remain statistics. And their blood, and the blood of more to come, will be on our hands.

I don’t think those 40 men anticipated that they would actually stir up the people like this. They dug their own graves. 1.13 billion people(according to the latest estimate made, in March this year) and more, are waiting to throw mud on it.

As one man said on NDTV, “The fire is not on in the burning buildings, and the many funeral pyres being lit. Now it is on in our hearts.”

Ask me again, what good could possibly come out of what happened in Mumbai.