Anti – smoking laws up in smoke: Butt still goes on

While the Delhi government is bracing itself for making Delhi smoke free by the Commonwealth Games of 2010, smokers are flagrantly abusing anti – smoking laws in public vehicles.

Ram Manohar an auto rickshaw driver with 25 years of experience lights a cigarette and says “I know of the laws that are in place. But every one does it. I only put out the cigarette when a passenger asks me to.” It is but obvious that Ram Manohar smokes in broad daylight both inside a public vehicle and at public places.

To curb smoking laws like the Central Tobacco Control Act, enacted in 2003 and Delhi’s own legislation - the Delhi Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers’ Health Protection Act, 1996 - have been passed. Under the Acts smoking in public service vehicles is prohibited. Kishore Kumar an auto rickshaw driver says “I know that there are laws which do not allow smoking in autos, buses and public places.” Just then a DTC bus stops next to his auto, with tufts of smoke coming from the diver’s side. He then says “Anti – smoking laws are regularly advertised, but many passengers still smoke. I cannot tell them not to smoke. Who wants to kick their own stomach lest the passenger feels upset by my nagging?”

Niharika Sharma a student who commutes by auto rickshaw everyday states “I never knew that there were laws that prohibit smoking in auto rickshaws. I have stopped an auto rickshaw driver from smoking only once as my friend was having a problem, never as a right.” As she looks out of an auto rickshaw she says “When you sit in an auto it seems as if it is private property. I never counted autos as a public vehicle and maybe that’s why people smoke sitting in it.”

Recent government estimates suggest that during 2007, there were only 7,000 people, including 100 women, who were fined for the offence during raids in 13,000 public places. Of these, 12 people were challaned and produced in front of a magistrate for not being able to pay the fine on the spot. But considering that the city has some 51 lakh smokers, and the figure is only increasing, this doesn’t seem to be enough.

The state health department has recently given all gazetted officers the power to fine people who are found smoking. The Delhi Prohibition of Smoking and Non-Smokers’ Health Protection Act has entailed that a person found smoking in public service vehicles will have to pay of Rs. 100 which may extended to Rs. 500 in subsequent offences. However these authorities are often lenient as Deepak a DTC bus conductor points out “I don’t deny anyone the freedom to smoke in the bus. Often gazetted officers don’t pull up a person caught smoking even when they are present in the bus.”

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has estimated that 8 lakh persons die from tobacco related diseases every year in India alone. Every cigarette reduces the life of a smoker by 5.5 minutes. The economic and health cost of this consumption is staggering and just as damaging is the smoke inhaled by passive smokers. The need for strict enforcement of anti – smoking laws has been long felt and mechanisms have been put in place. Now its time to act.

Its all about a free press

A free press is the bedrock of a democratic setup. But today our fourth estate is being victimised by many. The attack of the NDTV Ahmadabad office is a case in this point. A fledgling Hindu organisation attacked the NDTV office as a mark of protest and disapproval against nomination of M.F. Hussain in an opinion poll they were conducting on the Bharat Ratna. It's an act condemned by all quarters of Indian civil society or is it?

Veteran journalist K.M. Panikkar has said that among the institutions that contribute to the make-up of a public sphere, the media perform the most critical function. A public sphere is the core of democracy where issues of importance are debated and information is presented which is important to citizen participation. Why is the public sphere so important? American scholar Ben H.Bagdikian has pointed out that a lack of diversity in knowledge in a dynamic society, especially a democracy leaves the population "partially blinded."

It is perhaps not the first time that an office of the press was attacked. Mobs viciously attacked the office of Dinakaran last year protesting against an opinion poll published in the paper. The windows of the office were smashed, the furniture was broken.

What I found disappointing in these cases was that the citizens of India did not get much space to react. Criticisms of the Indian people were limited to small spaces in the print media and non existent in broadcast media. It is then I feel that our free press is stumbling in the face of increasing pressures as it is more a matter of pride and ego than genuine concern over the issue for both inside the media and outside.

Who likes to move it?

Run!! Run!! Swerve!!! Duck!!! Jump!!! Run you fool!!! Flail your arms!!! Move your hips like that... yeh like that! everybody now!!!! ...................................................................................
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hm.... pant...uf! if you're wondering whether these phrases are straight from the mouth of a fitness instructor or would give you tips on the latest cardiovascular exercise then you're wrong. Well at least this time.

Wondering why?Well you'l need these physical qualities to get away from the monstrous cosmic wave coming for you. The big bad.. bad wolfy unleashed by a really huge... huge... hhhugge supernova explosion. Thats what Aaj Tak claims. So pay attention in your fitness class mini and chini who knows the sky might fall?!

Now if at this time my dear reader you are confused about what i'm saying then you'l have to wait no more. I a puny little creature will be wiped off this earth like a speck of dust. Probably you can save yourself from this apocalypse. After all Aaj Tak is sabze tez(pun intended).... i have no reason to disbelieve that a huge supernova has burst trillions of lightyears away from earth and we will witness this cosmic dance when it reaches earth.

I dont intend to scare you my dear reader that is only reserved for Aaj Tak, but the lethal rays emitted from the supernova are reaching earth as fast as they can. Sorry... i didn't hear the exact speed with which they are moving i was too busy writing my will. But I did hear the anchor pointing to the exact spot and aakar (form) of the supernova. I also heard her prophesies that the cosmic rays will lay to rest every confict and war... it will sweep the earth as caressing as a butterfly's wing flapping leaving serene and quiet in its wake.

No..no..no.. our earth! but where is it?? hoh its gone?!

Did I forget to mention? oh how forgetful of me!! welcome the cosmic rays into your home precisely after 150 million years... if you're alive till then that is.

The day the Gods were restless

Its not often that one comes across an intriguing article. One such article was in National Geographic titled "The Gods Must Be Restless" by Andrew Marshall. It's a very interesting insight into how mysticism is affecting the politics of Indonesia. The article starts with the description of various volcanoes in the country which tower the mass of the people. These volcanoes spew out not only volcanic ash but have also displaced millions of people. This is why most Indonesians fear destruction if the volcano gods are displeased, mainly from modern activities and actions of politicians, and hence revere these smoking mountains.

What piqued my interest was the phrase "spiritual contamination." Here's the context in which it was used :-

" As if economic malaise weren't enough, a recent catastrophe added to the litany of woes. A giant banyan tree that had shaded the village for centuries crashed to the ground during a storm, flattening the village temple, though miraculously sparing the holy statue of Dewa Ratu Gede Pancering Jagat, the local deity. A village elder, I Ketut Jaksa, blames the disaster on Balinese politicians and businessmen. He 'won't name names,' he says guardedly, but he insists they angered the volcano deity by praying to advance their careers while ignoring Trunyan's growing disrepair. Others blame the new road, which recently connected the village to the rest of Bali, destroying its isolation and leaving it open to spiritual contamination."

Just at this point an article called "Jihad vs McDonaldisation" bounced into the window of my mind. The equation the author gave meant that both jihad or the retribalisation of mankind and McDonaldisation made famous by the golden arches of McDonalds would be equal to a bleak future for mankind. Our world both yours and mine (yes, we live on the same planet!) is torn between whats modern... eh post- modern that is... and whats well.... ancient. We ARE Spiritually contaminated either ways, for either of the world's we're living on wont accept the other.

God can be very restless sometimes, when he doesn't like the offerings of one world and the rationality of the other. then came the day when he was really twitchy :-

"Two months after the president's inauguration in October 2004, an earthquake and tsunami struck Aceh Province on Sumatra, claiming 170,000 lives. A quake hit Sumatra three months later, killing perhaps 1,000. Then Mount Talang erupted, forcing thousands of villagers to flee their homes. A chain text message flashed across cell phones, imploring Yudhoyono to perform a ritual to stop the calamities....

One catastrophe followed another: a quake, a tsunami, floods, forest fires, landslides, dengue fever, avian influenza, and a mud eruption. Trains derailed, ferries sank, and after three major plane crashes—one at Yogyakarta airport—an editorial in the Jakarta Post advised air travelers to pray."

The calamities did not stop President Yudhoyono publicly refused to sacrifice the goats. He said

"'Even if I sacrificed a thousand goats, disasters in Indonesia will not end.'They didn't. There were more eruptions...."

But politicians never stop trying do they? Not in India nor anywhere else. They are breed devout in their ambitions to secure power and true worshipers of the votes of people.

"..... politicians appeal directly to the spirits. Before running for vice president, one candidate sneaked off to worship at a volcano near Lake Toba, where there is reportedly a helipad for visiting VIPs. The spirits must not have been listening: He was defeated.

Another time, members of the Indonesian National Unity and Fusion Party gathered high on Merapi's slopes for a ritual-laced political rally, even though the volcano was on the brink of erupting. Led by Arief Koesno, a portly ex-actor who believes he is the reincarnation of Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, the ceremony started with the slaughter of nine goats and ended with party members dancing wildly in a circle. 'After this ceremony,' Koesno declared, 'I am certain Merapi will not erupt.' Three days later, it did.... 'Indonesian politicians are hypocrites,' says Permadi, a professional soothsayer and member of parliament."

Mysticism is affecting Indonesian politics in visible ways. What will happen when the devotion towards these supernatural forces fade away? It is then that Marshal's conclusion seems well thought of and in proper perspective :-

"A happy thought, except that harmony seems hard to come by in a nation splintered by multiple beliefs and languages, and the incessant tug-of-war between the modern world and ancient traditions. Revivalist Hinduism, militant Islam, ancient mysticism: Which will prevail? Perhaps all. Perhaps none. Globalization is sweeping through Indonesia like a monsoon. A young Internet-savvy generation worships not volcanoes, but Asian boy bands and English soccer clubs."

An Encounter

As I approached the familiar traffic light that had disciplined my travel for over a year now, my auto rickshaw came to a jolting halt. The traffic light had switched its stance from burning amber to smouldering red. "Didi bas ek rupiah" said a scrawny child of nine as she nudged me out of my reverie. She was a young girl wearing dull green cotton pants and a t-shirt. Her hairs were cropped short and her palms were upturned for alms.

The Child Labour Act had recently been passed. This girl wasn’t in the definition of a child labourer as defined by the Act because she begged. Child labour has deeply entrenched roots in our country. This tree has been tough to uproot. Probably that can be attributed to centuries of class distinctions where a slave's child was a slave. Stirred with a pint of self pride and oodles of confusion on who holds what position meant children deprived of a childhood.

She looked expectantly as I started to take out a pack of chocolates that I carried for myself. Shimmering golden light streaked into the auto as I searched my bag. A sari clad woman walked past my auto with hurried footsteps. But the girl patiently waited.

I handed over the pack of chocolates to her. Hoping that she would be delighted at the sight of my favourite chocolates I looked towards her anxiously.

But then she said what I would have never expected – “Didi bas ek rupiah.” Aghast at her action and the thought that she wasn’t concerned for the chocolates I die for, I said the chocolates would have to suffice. I later realised that for her money was primary. She would have relished the chocolates, who knows? But would have been contented by them if she knew that she could buy more.

I saw her figure slowly dissolve in the milieu. She slid behind a girl performing on the beats of a dholak. The light cooled to a lush green and my auto moved forward.

Post to the Ministry of Environment

I urge everybody reading this e-mail I wrote to the Ministry to raise their voice against the unfairness of the situation against wildlife. The situation is fragile and needs your attention right now at this moment. Karuna or compassion is a profound principle which is true to all religions. Self righteousness and altruism are not concepts which are tasted only in textbooks and pravachans. We too can practice them. After all the true meaning of being human is to connect with our intellect, even if some of us don't like animals.

As a concerned citizen of India I would like to make the Ministry aware of certain reports in the mainstream media that have disturbed me. These are related to the increasing human-animal conflict in the various parts of the country.

You must be aware of the death of two critically endangered blackbucks recently. Another news report on Zee News on 13th January showed the burning of a live bear by villagers. In both cases the administration was extremely lax, veterinary doctors were unable to help and forest officials were unable to stop the death of such critically endangered species protected under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

It is extremely unfortunate and appalling that despite the best of efforts poaching still continues intensively. Policy decisions taken are apparently neither benefiting people nor saving our wildlife. Incidents like these are not one off and are repeated over and over again.

I can speak for myself and my family and innumerable other Indian citizens that we have been extremely disheartened by these incidents. I therefore request the Ministry on behalf of many other concerned citizens not only of India but of the world that it take strong and adequate steps to deal harshly with those guilty and ensure that the surviving number of animals and their habitat are protected virulently.

A Democracy called India

“Turn to Page 108, the Chapter on the Parliament of India” said my Indian Government and Politics lecturer almost in chorus with the cool winter wind. Since no heavy book had the fortune of finding any place in my bag, a friend passed me a spare book that she had. The lecture on the Indian Parliament started, my teacher discussing its importance and significance with reverence. Instead of flipping through the pages on the Parliament I scanned my memory for traces of similar classes I had attended in school. Still in the realm of these thoughts I heard frantic footsteps gliding through the tiled floor. Gushing with excitement a fellow student entered the classroom and announced that a trip to the Parliament had been organized by the college. This was for us to see first hand this idol of democratic worship.

As a student, this was the first time that I and many like me were to experience the abstract concept of our nation’s Parliament, and see it metamorphosise into concrete reality. The reason I say that this concept was abstract is because we had only seen the Parliament through images conjectured from books and pages and frequent news reports. It was on this short trip from college to the Parliament that I started my journey towards understanding my nation, the intense poise with which she stands and the problems that ail her.

One such problem is child labour. The Parliament has banned all forms of Child Labour under an Act and yet this loss of innocence continues. While traveling to college everyday I come across a little girl less than ten years old standing beneath the familiar traffic light. Everyday she hurtles towards halted cars as soon as the traffic light turns to flaming red. She begs for money using steel can wrapped with marigold flowers and adorned with Lord Shiva idols. She doesn’t come under the definition of child labourers because she essentially begs. But her friends sell books, magazines on the very same traffic light. Even after the Act is in force, children still work as domestic helps, necklace sellers and vegetable vendors. Why is there such a flagrant insult of the Parliament’s order? Surely things aren’t being done right.

Talking to these child labourers gives a sense of their unfulfilled wishes but undying spirits. Usually they don’t have the opportunity to study. Small classrooms started by some NGOs, proactive youth are too far and too few. Yet they are significant steps. But today we as consumers of child labour are at fault. Market economics dictates actions and events in our globalized world. Then if we cut the demand wouldn’t it actively uproot the supply? If we believe in the concept of no child labour and believe in equity, justice and democracy then we should certainly refuse to buy tea from a shop which employs child labour. Simply boycotting goods like crackers made out of child labour or high fashion garments which employ them effectively means the task be made easier for the government to enforce the Act. If we’re worried about the nexus between some government officials and child labour employers then we can use our Right to Information to weed out the fallacies in administration of the Act. Waiting for others to act on our behalf hasn’t helped till now and won’t help in the future.

Another trouble I see is that a rigid distinction between Urban and Rural in the minds of our planners and public alike has gained roots. Child labourers like the girl above follow their parents from villages to towns and from towns to cities in search of a better life. Cites are expensive to live in and usually migrant rural workforce don’t own any land in these areas. For shelter they construct slums, clusters of one room apartments to live in. In cosmopolitans like Delhi and Mumbai, spacious flats mute these slum dwellings. This is especially true when serious remarks and debates over migrant rural population and their stake in the cities are made primarily by the rich and affluent.

A skewed notion that the entire urban populace is “educated,” “cultured,” and “progressive” predominates. I can safely say out of my own experience that “urban” according to accepted views are middle class and upper class only. “Rural” are not only those who live in villages, but who also constitute the urban poor. This shortsightedness prevents us from seeing the causes that make the urban poor. Rural migrant populations are enticed towards cities for ensuring the illusion of a steady flow of income. I say illusion because in most of the cases just to get to cities means selling off prized ancestral land. The solution doesn’t lie in cutting off all access to rural workers towards urban industrial units so that they can’t make slums. This is a very dangerous alternative which would starve the majority of India’s population of the fruits of development.

Villages lie at the very core of our democratic framework. Then why not start development projects which would actually satiate their needs and desires and prevent migration in the first place? Usually ambitious development projects fail because of lack of effective communication between the planners and the receivers. In this case it is the Parliament at the centre and the wheat farmer who has just spent hours looking towards the sky for rain clouds. The amount of communication that goes through different layers of bureaucracy tends to tire the whole process with the ultimate outcome of the plan being distorted. If the bureaucracy at the village level who would administer the scheme, doesn’t have adequate knowledge and expertise of the plan then the developmental plan is bound to fail. An efficient system has to be established between the Parliament and the lowest cadre of administrative officials. Further a uniform concept for the whole of India is not possible. Plans should be made keeping in mind the diversity of needs and resources of different states.

The media is also at fault when it portrays Urban areas as modern India. An identifiable shift in media coverage has occurred, with rural areas increasingly losing weight to urban areas on this balance of scales. Rarely does news covering the lives of rural people appear in mainstream newspaper and T.V. channels. Often the ones that do appear are either based on superstitious beliefs, or famine relief. The possible solution in my view is the empowerment of the rural population with journalistic skills. The canons of journalism such as fair and balanced reporting may be compromised in this approach, but certainly the voice that will emerge will be awe inspiring. More importantly, rural people would be able to fill in the communication void existing due to lack of interest showed by mainstream media.

It is also unfortunate that our fourth estate has gone corrupt in its function of a watchdog. Occasional sparks of brilliance do show in events like the Jessica Lal campaign, but by and large topics like environment, global warming, wildlife depletion and governmental misdemeanor in saving them seldom get front page space. The fundamental dilemma that persists in the Indian media scenario today is the disfiguration of its role as a social crusader by strong forces of market economics. Thus the newspaper is now a commodity and the daily news bulletin a product, to be bought by consumers and sold by media retailers. Media cannot be treated as any other profession simply because no other profession has gained the respect as the Fourth Estate of democracy. The only way that the media can be made to wake up to this reality is through putting pressure on it by citizens. Just as the media informs public opinion, so does public opinion influence media decisions. Demanding for news pertaining to the environment or wildlife is as simple as the process can get. Ample forums like blogs, letters to the editors, citizen journalism are present to bring forth this demand.

What I have envisioned is what I try to practice in my life. The institution of the Parliament has not only wide powers within its ambit but also has wide responsibilities on its shoulders. However in the milieu of life we often forget that a democracy in its very essence is a system of checks and balances. Many times this system falters and all of us whether we are judges, lawyers, journalists, parliamentarians, engineers, rickshaw pullers, shop owners or farmers have the collective responsibility to support it. My journey as a student has just started, in the baby step I took from my college to the Parliament.