How do our youth become communists!

Are they attracted by the thrill of shouting slogans together against the rich, the authorities and the successful?  Is it the thrill of marching behind the red flag throwing their fist up in the air opposing everything and whatever the party wants?

Do they know the fate of those societies which have embraced it? Do they study how USSR –such a rich, vast nation with abundant natural resources, became poor? The rulers adopted fascist tactics and they eliminated thousands who stood on their way. Stalin is perhaps the greatest fascist (along with Hitler) the world has ever seen. The dictatorship of the proletariat is an authoritarian rule and there is no way one can differ or hold a different view. Dissidents simply disappear as they do in Kerala even now. Do they know how East Germany (under communism) regressed and became an underdeveloped nation while the West Germans (following market economy)became prosperous, rich and developed? (Remember these nations enjoy the same geography, climate, they speak the same language and the people belong to the same race. The only difference was one was forced to follow communism and the other capitalism. Look at Cuba-how it turned into a poor country when its neighbor, the USA became the most developed and most powerful nation on the earth! Look at Vietnam, Cambodia and a dozen E. European nations which came under communism and became poor.   

W. Bengal, Kerala and Tripura have gone down the lane too. May be communism has made the people in these three states lazy-slogan shouters clamoring for their rights and more pay but unwilling to undertake proportional responsibility or increase production. People are not willing to do the available work.  They will do what they want by force at their terms. Head load workers are examples for this sort of mentality. The governments are there to give government jobs to the people (which will ensure good pay and life-long pension without much work but with ample free time and holidays). If the revenue of the state is (at the moment 75%) devoted for the salary and pension for the ever-increasing employees, who are highly inefficient, will the state advance? Not even 2% of the population can be accommodated in the government sector. And the vast majority is poor unorganized peasants and workers eking out a precarious existence. The ‘classless socialism’ has already created two distinct classes here: the well-off government servants and the poor unorganized peasants and workers.

 No society has improved without industrial advancement, and without the hard work of the citizens. In these three states no industry gets started, those which were established earlier have been forcibly locked up with labor disputes, protests, work stoppages.  People of these states do not seem to love work; three people do what one can easily accomplish, draining the state coffers.  There is no accountability, everyone will be paid equal amounts and will be promoted based on their years of service disregarding merit or efficiency.  At this rate if the remittances from those employed abroad and outside stop, the state will become a pauper like the USSR two decades back. I fail to understand what motivates our youngsters to line up behind the parties; maybe they want government jobs ensuring a care-free life with good pay and life-long pension. Or is it the sheer thrill of protesting against anything and everything as they have no clear aim in life or profession?    

     

The Mullaperiyar Paranoia

The people of Kerala and Tamil Nadu have been living in an ordeal for the last two or three months. Is It the result of a hype created by the politicians and the media? Or is there any solid foundation for the fear that has gripped the people?

 It seems the immediate cause has been the occurrence, and that too at closer intervals, of minor tremors less than four in the Ritcher Scale, in the Idukki district. Well, this area has been prone to seismic activity for a long time now but there has not been any quake above 4 in the Ritcher scale and seismologists do not predict any strong  earth quake in the vicinity of the dam.  If a strong quake does happen, the Idukki Arch Dam and the other dams of the district would collapse and the damage would  be much more severe than if  the Mulleperiyar one crumbles. Earthquakes are not in the hands of the politicians or rulers but are brought about by the tectonic movement of the plates of earth’s surface and sub-surface dynamics, and hence undue fear about what will happen when the dam bursts is simply a figment of imagination. Let us hope nothing happens  and the dam will stand.   Man has been subjected to natural calamities from time immemorial. Even if the dam fails, only 8tmcft of water will flow down and this can be easily contained by the Idukki Arch Dam which has a capacity of 73tmcft. It is generally less than half full and in the peak season only 75% full. Hence the Mulleperiyar water does not pose any threat on the Idukki dam and the velocity of flow would have come down to safe limits when it reaches the Idukki dam reservoir.  There is no engineering evidence to say that Idukki dam cannot contain the sudden inflow in case of a burst and this was declared by the Kerala Advocate General in the High Court.  But during the peak of the paranoia, there were fears raised about the safety of the people of even the Ernakulam district and that of Kochi itself! There is no limit for human imagination if it is under the grip of paranoia!

To avoid any collapse of the Mulleperiyar dam and to prevent casualties of people downstream up to the Idukki Arch dam, it has be fortified quite thoroughly as being carried out by the Tamil Nadu Government over a few decades since 1986. There are 3 phases of strengthening--emergency, medium and long-term-The first two have been completed successfully.  According to the engineers of the Central Water Commission appointed by the Supreme Court the dam is safe and strong and the level of water could be raised to 142 feet.  In fact Kerala has not allowed the strengthening process to go uninterrupted and does not allow now the same to be carried out to the baby dam and to build the parapet wall on the main dam which is required for the long –term -strengthening measures. If we are really concerned about the safety of the dam and the people around, we should see that the same goes on in a war while we try to build a new dam. It will take more than 5 years; it takes years to get even  the clearances from the environment and other concerned central ministries and agencies. By not allowing the strengthening work, we are making the danger higher if a problem arises due to a quake or any other reason.
Can we say the apex court of the land is not concerned with the welfare and the safety of the people living nearby? Judgements are passed after carefully studying expert opinions.  It irrigates 8000 acres of land in the rain shadow districts of Tamil Nadu -and without the water the people will lose their livelihood, go hungry and die. Is it not a humanitarian issue too like the threat to our people?  

The media and the politicians can make a hype out of any issue and bring it to a crescendo where reason is blinded by emotion and public sentiments. Of what good has the commotion made so far been? A lot of property has been vandalized, thousands have lost their livelihood and few innocent lives lost or maimed apart from the difficulties caused in the movement of people, transportation of essential goods, and inter state visits. The price of essential commodities has been skyrocketing in Kerala and people are put to unnecessary hardships. Who will compensate for all these? Let the concerned government work out a reasonable solution  without emotionalizing the issue. 

Flood and survival

It was 1961. The monsoon came as a chatter and the water gurgled down the streams. As days and months passed torrential rain battered our roofs. The sluice gates of the heavens were opened up and it was a continuous downpour. The rising of the water level thrilled us, children. We went to the riverside, stood their gazing at the one kilometer wide, muddy, foamy, mad flow down. There were logs big and small floating and whole trees uprooted in the brown, downward, drunken march. Villagers could be seen as specks rowing in their country crafts against the current collecting logs of wood and loading them on to their boats. When the crafts were full, big trunks were tethered to the boats by ropes and brought ashore deftly. So many people would gather at the steps leading to the water and  engage in animated discussions on the value of the timber collected and the possibility for a big flood that year.  We measured the rising level of the river by keeping marks on the steps. After two days, People started predicting a big flood as the skies grew dark and a storm burst out every other hour.  After a torrential downpour, pregnant clouds would gather up from nowhere and cover the entire eastern horizon. We knew the grim darkness would burst up in another thunder shower and we would run to the safety of our ramshackle homes. 

In a few days flood waters had reached the paddy field behind our house. We were quite happy and excited. We made rafts with trunks of plantain trees and rowed on the tranquil flood lakes. It was pretty enjoyable; the waters were still and shallow and the green patches of paddy shoots could still be seen. But heavy rain would come unannounced and drain us all. Hence, as the skies grew cloudy, dark we knew the coming of a storm and we oared towards our plot. We dashed home in the drizzle and later huge drops would lash our house with strong winds as we huddled up inside. 

When the skies cleared up, we went to play in the flooded fields again. We did not care the  discussions regarding the chances of a flood. The next day morning I could see that the entire fields were under the flood waters. It was inching towards our compound. Our well was at the brink of overflowing and I could see flood water in the low areas, in the southern side.  

Fear gripped everyone. Fearful shouts and screams could be heard from many parts of the village. People stopped by our fence and I could hear elders discussing moving out to higher areas. Towards the afternoon many of the villagers were seen moving en masse carrying a few pots, plates and provisions in a sack.  

The southern side looked like a huge tranquil lake but its level was rising up alarmingly. Our father was not home and mother did not know what to do with her 7 children. A few of the villagers on the move, asked her  just to follow them then and there.  

"You cannot remain here with your children surrounded with floods in the night. Come with us," villagers said.

We took a few things in a sack, and joined the exodus. Our destination was an elevated side of the village. We had to hurry up as reports reached us that the bunds connecting to the spot was under threat from the floods. We all moved faster in a trot and we safely crossed over. The same night it burst out and a new stream started flowing there as a branch of the swollen river.

The whole sojourn was sheer fun. There was no work; we could play all the time. The only sad thing was that we were not allowed to go near the flooded areas and there was very little to eat other than steamed tapioca and occasional gruel. Mother cooked with a country stove, with the twigs collected by us, in a corner and we all slept huddled up on the floor close by, on bamboo mats.

Water was rising up; there were rumors about the breakage of other bunds, and the possibility of a dam bursting out. Water had already entered our house I heard, and it was flowing west like a huge river. So many houses were collapsing and a few had died or were missing. Fear gripped us all; if water level rose another 10 feet it would enter our new quarters and everything would be over.

We were running out of provisions too. Tapioca, coconut, plantain and banana were collected, brought and shared. Everything became common property. Ownership did not matter. Before the prospects of imminent of death, survival alone counted.   

We were almost marooned as there was water on all the four sides of that elevated place. By the second day the water started receding. And on the third morning we returned home. It was a mess. Flood waters had deposited dark soil and dirt all around and the whole place looked like a battle ground.             

Facing death

I have encountered death twice. The first one took place when I was 11 and the next at 15. I was in grade VI and my school was on the other side of river, Periyar. We had to cross it every day to reach our school. We would be packed up (squatting on the floor) in a rowing country boat as the oarmen oared across the swollen river during the monsoon. We were scared as there was a chance of it capsizing. Rains would occasionally half- fill the boat making it sway dangerously as we clung to its sides. We had to alight onto  rows of bamboo rafts tethered to posts and walk along these swaying unsteady stuff to reach the shore and the road ahead.
 As the boat approached the rafts and was brought to a swaying halt, we all  would breath a sigh of relief and forget the ordeal of crossing the rafts precariously.  It required real acrobatics. One day I stepped on to a bundle that was loose and it started shaking badly. I lost balance and fell into the muddy waters.The current sucked me down with ferocious force. My torso was already underneath a long line of rafts arraigned down and my head was barely visible. A bystander caught hold of my hair and pulled me up in a sudden snap. I stood there soaked up, water oozing out from everywhere. It was a pitiable sight and I felt ashamed of myself. My elder brother, who was also in the same batch, stood by my side and helped me repack my wet books(which I managed to hold on to even when I became unconscious after the fall) and tie them with a  band. I was packed into the return boat like a commodity in the soaked up clothes  and I retraced my steps home sad, and afraid of the punishment that awaited me there for messing up the day. I never knew that I faced death and that it was a miraculous escape. I fail to recall the face of that good guy who had the presence of mind to save me from a certain death.  I am always grateful to him.  We should be grateful to   our family, neighbors, friends, all those who have helped us grow and develop, and to the universe for having given us this life.