Published in Dwarka Express on 31.12.2022

Next time when you watch a tiger or a lion in a cage, just wait for a second to empathise with the animal. Is happiness, a sole property of a human being? Why should an animal with huge amount of energy confine in a cage with little moving space? Are we so inhumane to imprison the animal or a bird for no fault of it? According to PETA (PEOPLE FOR THE ETHICAL TREATMENT OF ANIMALS) about 40 million birds in the U.S. are kept caged and often improperly cared for—bored, lonely, and a long way from their natural homes. Circus and zoo are the important caging locations.

But still, one can find the unhealthy and weak animals in zoos. Tigers in the circus are always seen walking or moving within the insufficient cages to exert the extra energy it has to adopt to the circumstances. Elephants are seen chained heavily in temples often. While it is not advisable to leave the animals unchained, the temple authorities in many temples treat them with humane approaches. But we have seen snake charmers and bear tamers used to treat them cruelly. Even today, tigers and other animals are killed mercilessly for their body parts. Not just wild animals, even sometime the pet animals get harsh treatment. One can see the literally weeping sounds from pets just because they are not let out to answer the call of nature or just because they do not obey the pet parent’s commands (not always). Buffalos and bulls are harshly beaten quite often. Monkeys are seen beaten quite often and are made to perform somersaults. Birds, especially the exotic species are the worst sufferers. In India, though there is law to prevent caging birds in private homes, the same law does not seem to have any impact on the exotic love birds. An elephant being hit by the trains or electrocuted by the fences are not new to us. We enter into their territory but condemn them for intruding our villages next to the forest areas. Culling of camels in a massive scale in Australia is such an inhumane act of this century

Modern zoos, like Arignar Anna Zoological Park, Chennai, National Zoological Park Delhi or Nehru zoological park, Hyderabad are certainly conceptualised to accommodate the wild animals with enough space. In Tamil Nādu, elephant camps are conducted every year to facilitate the animals to enjoy certain amount of freedom and rejuvenate their energy. At the same time Indian wildlife act has been amended recently to remove certain wild animals from the schedules which provided them full cover against poachers. For example, certain species will not enjoy any cover under the amended wildlife act 2020 which is not a good sign. The biodiversity of the nation must be preserved at any cost. The cruelty towards animals must stop.

V. Selvarajan

Published in Dwarka Express on 24.12.2022

Rashtriya Kisan Diwas or National farmers day 23.12.2022!

A day to thank the farmers! This day is observed on 23^rd of December every year to commemorate the Birth anniversary of Choudhary Charan Singh, India’s fifth Prime Minister. But how many know that there is a day for farmers? If a survey is taken to know when is the National Farmers Day observed, perhaps 80% of respondents may not be able to recall. In a way, no one is to blame, as on the one hand there are myriad ‘days to celebrate’, and on the other, there are many other priorities from the day of genesis. If a day is celebrated to thank, wish or socialise, then did we do that for at least one farmer on this day. If you happen to travel in a train or a bus on the countryside on this day, one can notice the poor landless farmer toiling busy in their daily farming activities. Unless they toil this day, they may not reap their crop in the ensuing harvest month.  Come January, various regional festivals like Sankranti, Pongal and Makar Sankranti are eagerly awaited by all, especially the farmers. If alone the Rain God is kind enough and the storms cross the shores silently, there will be some relief or else, the farmer is not going to be happy.  

“Farmers, our annadattas are the reason we all can sit in our comforts and have food and live easy. But its important for us all as consumers to ensure a good fair portion of what we spend on the food produce goes back to them. We should also encourage and buy food that is produced without chemicals, organically using heirloom seeds with best practices. While we are at it, let us also resolve to recognise the invisible women and landless farmers too for their great contribution” says the Ananthoo, a Sustainable Agriculture & safe food activist, Chennai As per data from department of Agriculture & farmers welfare, The share of the agriculture & allied sector in total Gross value added in the economy, improved to 20.2 per cent in the year 2020-21 and 18.8 per cent in 2021-22. This may be a good trend but overall share of agriculture in GDP is not that encouraging

It is estimated that India’s agriculture sector accounts only for around 14 percent of the country’s economy but for 42 percent of total employment. As around 55 percent of India’s arable land depends on precipitation, the amount of rainfall during the monsoon season is very important for economic activity. Given the scenario, one may conclude that farmers may not and will not be happy unless timely action is taken for farmers welfare, food security and dependence on indigenous produces, preferably organic

V. Selvarajan

Published in Dwarka Express on 17.12.2022

The question may appear hilarious for many!  Yes, tree man, lake man, garbage man, river man or green man… and so on. Some of the titles are being liberally used and sometimes prefixed to names also. Someone whispers loudly, ‘so what, when God Himself is tagged to someone’s name as GODMAN…’, After all, when national awards are not that easy, many may venture out to find some short cut.

How to become a lake man? It’s seemingly simple. All that he has to do is file a few RTIs, PILs and highlight the issues concerned to a lake, a river, jungle or trees. If these missions get highlighted in the local circles as a crusader of environment, he will become a lake man. Or, if you are a political wizard, you confide in someone and ask them to do so for you. Often, we come across whispers, ‘that guy is not sincerely interested in promoting the environment, this guy wants to be known as lake man’. Such cynical statements are not new. There may or may not be truths. But every time, an activist emerges strongly and firmly stands for environment causes, there used to be criticisms.

Committed few do not last long. Either they give up or become extinct. Is it that Darwin’s theory of the survival of the fittest? Dr G D Agarwal alias Swami Gyan Swaroop Sanand, an 86-year-old environmental activist from India, died on 11 October 2018, after 111 days into his fast. He was protesting inaction on keeping the Ganga River free from pollution. True environmentalist, he had a vision for river Ganga. 4 years have gone, neither Ganga is clean nor he is remembered.

Green activism is indeed a red-hot subject and much debated about too. We are not discouraging volunteers or ridiculing genuine protagonist of a social cause. Fake ventures should be dissuaded. It is an era of materialism and identifying the fake is complex. Very few pursue environmental cause voluntarily and if someone ventures to do so, one should stir him.

Freedom fighters and those few who laid their life to free the nation from the clutches of the British rulers are seldom remembered for their sacrifices and dedication. Many faces were dumped in dusted photo frames and some have already reached the landfills. But human struggles persist. Hardly a modern youth comes forward to take the environmental cause, either voluntarily or professionally. Contemporary curriculum has opened up the environment stream and a plethora of opportunities are brewing up the form of enormous career options. Waste segregation, water resource management, plastic alternatives, eco-friendly products, carbon trading, organic farming, the list is endless. One may contribute to nature while simultaneously earn his livelihood. Environmental engineering and bio technology are emerging as preferred career option. Given the transformation, environment must turn better for future generations, but will it be so? A pertinent question, that only posterity could answer. So, lake man tag may not be that bad if one lives for the cause. Genuineness should be felt rather than seen!

V. Selvarajan

Published in Dwarka Express on 5.12.2022

If you land in Mumbai, you will never miss the bird’s eye view of Dharavi, one of the biggest slums in Asia and that too if you are allotted the window seat in any airlines. Your ‘love at first sight’ rendezvous with Mumbai will vanish in 17 years, hopefully, if Adani delivers a new look. Congrats Adani, for your ‘not so surprising’ win of the bidding. Dharavi will wear a new look, wow, what a new architype, says the protagonists of ‘redevelopment’. Yes, of late, the word DEVELOPMENT has been pushed to oblivion as the new paradigm REDEVELOPMENT has come to stay.

Dharavi Slum, Mumbai

The not-too-far-off ground breaking ceremony aside, coming to the ground reality, with nearly 7 to 10 lac people, Dharavi, the inimitable slum spread in just 2.1 KMs and is nonetheless a replica of an iconic Indian urban scene. But one cannot set aside the slum just like that. Many ‘architects’ of blockbuster films like Dheewar, Nayakan, Kaala prospered on Dharavi. One can’t miss a church, masque or mandir if he treks through Dharavi. Dharavi formed an asylum for migrant labourers, mainly Tamils. Unsustainable and haphazard growth of this area could be due to its easy susceptibility of the demigod Netas who made it indeed an endless political Kurukshetra. These ‘change-makers’ never risked any change in fact. However perpetual lobbying by inhabitants could equip Dharavi with water supply, electricity and suburban rail connectivity so far. 

Dharavi us not yet another slum that are equated with poverty. It exports textiles, jewelleries etc worth ~$500 million. The per capita income of the slum may be ~ Rs 3 lac per annum. It is rather a quintessence of Indian economy in general. If a Mumbaikar you meet says that he is from Dharavi, none looks them down. Dharavi is rather an ‘icon’ as good as its gateway of India or Dadar or Bandra. So, Dharavi is a developed slum sans hygiene and degraded environment. This probably may be the motive behind the corporatized ‘redevelopment’ of this area

Adani, the ‘buyer’ of the slum at a cost of Rs 5069 Crore, of this Rs 20000 Crore worth redevelopment project is the new saviour who could successfully snatch the deal from other bidders, DLF and Naman who quoted far less. But one has to live another 20 years to see how the metamorphosis takes place. Life goes on as usual; we plan, develop and redevelop. Will the Dharavikar or for that matter the Mumbaikar really benefit from the model in the offing? Let us wait… wait for, say, 2 decades to see. Many may not be there, many may forget, so what, life goes on!