The Mall and Social Divide… 14 December 2007

The other day I went to one of the many shopping malls in Bangalore along with members of my family.

The multi-level car parking lot was almost full. Fortunately, we got a slot in a higher floor to park our car. That floor led us to the Food Court; it was overcrowded with people gorging food of all varieties – North Indian, South Indian, Chinese, Indian version of Chinese, American, etc.

We went to a regular restaurant on another floor to have a buffet lunch, each costing some Rupees three hundred. All the tables were occupied excepting one, which we occupied.

After lunch I strolled around the various sales outlets. I had no money in my pocket; I don’t have a credit or debit card either. I saw hundreds of people just milling around, buying and buying; most, I thought were impulse purchases. Tens of thousands of rupees were getting exchanged.

Is this the true face of India? Are we not sitting on a social volcano waiting to burst? Hope I am proved wrong.

S. Gopal

…. Keying in is better than idling

Holy or Unholy ?….. 12 December 2007

When there was a hue and cry about thousands of acres of government land in Bangalore having been grabbed by influential citizens, the government instituted a joint legislature committee to probe the matter.

The committee has finalised its report.

As was expected, the list contains names of politicians and their relatives, film producers and stars, real estate developers etc. However, it also includes some names that I did not expect to be there, namely corporates like IBM, L and T.

What is worrisome is that religious institutions revered by the man on the street find a place in the list. The report says that the Adichunchangiri Mutt has encroached upon about 18 acres and the Art of Living Foundation has grabbed about 13 acres. I wonder:

· What signals do these institutions send to the public?

· Are such acts sanctioned by the religious texts?

· Should the common man follow the preachings of the religious leaders or imitate their institutions in real life?

· Should we turn a blind eye to this?

S. Gopal

… keying in is better than idling

Ira: What is it?……. 9 December 2007

No, it is not an endangered species. It is rare, but not an animal though. Read on.

· Ira is a village in the Bantwal taluk of the Dakshin Kannada district of the state of Karnataka, India.

· It houses 1 231 families.

· It is completely clean, fully literate, and plastic-free.

· All the houses will soon have toilets set up with the help of the government and donation from a private contractor.

· All the plastic garbage generated in the village are being collected and sent to Bangalore for recycling.

· Ira boasts of

o 4 schools

o 3 temples

o 2 child care centres

o 1 each anganwadi, primary health centre, post office, registration centre, telephone exchange etc.

· The elders of Ira are also planning to make it a dispute less village.

· Delegations from various states of India and even other countries are visiting Ira to study and replicate the system in their villages.

Will we urbanites learn a lesson or two from Ira? Your guess is as good as mine.

S. Gopal

…..keying in is better than idling

Safety….for whose sake? 19 November 2007

I asked the car driver: `Why have you not fastened your seat belt’ ?

`It is very inconvenient’.

`You have to use the seat belt for your own safety’.

`What safety, Sir, with such roads’?

`It is compulsory as per law’.

`What law Sir?; there is no police on this road’.

`If a constable spots you’?

`I will give him 100 rupees and drive off’

———

I asked the mobike rider: `Why are you not wearing a helmet?’

The conversation was similar to the one cited above.

—–

Such is the callous attitude towards safety, whether one is driving down the wrong side of the road, speaking on cell phone while driving a car or a two wheeler, working in a construction site, or using an un-insulated electrical wire.

It’s high time people start understanding the importance of following safe practices as laid down by experts after careful consideration. In fact, most of the rules are simple common sense.

Many of the violators are parents; what example are they setting for their young ones!

S .Gopal
….Keying in is better than idling

Deepavali-the Sensible and the Senseless 9 November 2007

Yesterday I visited a relative. While he was itching to burst crackers, his two school-going boys refused to do so saying that it would lead to environmental pollution and also support child-labour in the factories manufacturing fire-works !

On the contrary, another family (who are into jewellery business) boasted to me that they have purchased crackers worth Rupees one and a half lakhs.

The municipal authorities in Bangalore are losing their night’s sleep wondering how they will clear 14 000 tonnes of cracker-garbage that they will confront them tomorrow morning. They are also worried that it may get into the newly-cleared drains and clog them. In the meanwhile the garbage-clearing contractors have planned a stir in protest against the authorities not allocating enough dumping yard.

While the chest and allergy specialists have warned of increased incidences of breathing problems due to cracker smoke, a biology lecturer has a different take on the subject. She says: `Sulphur and nitreous smoke from fireworks will kill *microbial pathogens* and free the community from virus-related illnesses`.

S .Gopal
….Keying in is better than idling

They versus They…. 7 October 2007

Let’s all agree for a moment that politicians are corrupt, government officials are inefficient, teenagers are hooligans, and the working class unprofessional. That still leaves us with a large mass of highly educated, intelligent, and wise women and men. Let’s put these adjectives to test.

They (a good number, if not all)

• buy a big car, if they have a small one; buy a bigger car, if they have a big car
• don’t like to walk even for a kilometer for buying vegetables
• don’t like to travel by public transport and be seen in the company of `carpenters’ and `plumbers’.
• don’t obey traffic rules
• use mobile phones while driving
• show little consideration for others, especially for those below their `status’
• disregard the environment
• throw cigarette butts from moving cars and sprinkle ash; to hell with the two wheeler rider into whose eyes this ash gets in
• and keep cursing the government for all the ills of urban Bangalore.

You be the jury and the judge !

Gopal …..keying in is better than idling

Prouder, but poorer Bangaloorian…. 2 October 2007

Prouder, but poorer Bangaloorian… 2 October 2007

The central government has accorded A1 class status to Bangalore. This has made me prouder. The basic qualification for a city to be conferred as A1 class is that its population must be more than 50 lacs. As a consequence of this development, salaries of government employees will increase. As a domino effect, there will be pressure on private companies from their employees for higher salaries. More money in circulation may increase the cost of living in the city. That means that while Bangaloorians may become prouder, they may at the same time become poorer.. Not a nice thought !!!

The not-so-nice-thought was tempered by the statement of Dr. Y. V. Reddy, the governer of Reserve Bank of India, who said: `we are working towards an ideal rate of inflation of just 3 percent’.

While on the matters of money, I wish I were in the advertising circuit. Vodofone is spending Rupees One hundred crores for the Hutch-to-Vodofine rebranding exercise. Not all people are lucky to be at the right place at the right time !!!

Gopal
…..keying in is better than idling

Indian Farming Sector – Lurking Dangers

Indian Farming Sector – Lurking Dangers 3 August 2007

Ruling politicians, government officials, business leaders, and the three-hundred-million-strong Great Indian Middle Class (GIMC) are gloating over the 10 percent+ growth of our annual Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Bottles are getting uncorked and champagne is flowing freely. However, it’s time for reflection.

65 percent of people in India living in rural areas and depending on agriculture contribute ONLY 20 percent of GDP. Their GDP has to grow at an annual rate of 3 to 4 percent if overall GDP growth of 10 percent+ is to be sustained.

Unfortunately production of food grains has stagnated. If it does not grow fast, there are two issues: how to meet the growing demand for food, and food security.

The solution suggested is to introduce contract farming wherein corporates would provide inputs to farmers and at the same time agree to buy their prodcution. The questions are: Will the corporates dictate terms of pricing and what to produce? Will the farmers be forced to become their slaves? Will agriculture sector get skewed? Herein lies the real danger.

Gopal

…..keying in is better than idling