Travel Memoirs: A Roadtrip to Ladakh - Part 3

Travel Memoirs: A Roadtrip to Ladakh - Part 3: Picture Courtesy: http://www.ladakhdevelopmentfoundation.com/ladakh.asp An Irish proverb says that a good laugh and a long sleep are...

22 - Maharashtra

SHEKHAR GUPTA is one of India's best journalist's. The Chief Editor of the Indian Express is also one of the most knowledgeable and intelligent men in our nation. The views he expresses always make one realise and understand the many points regarding politics or other matters which appear very hazy to us. One such article is his "National Interest - The Maha Crater" article in the Indian Express Editorial page (on 21/10/2009), which talks about the current Geopolitical situation in Maharashtra.

THIS ARTICLE IS A MUST READ FOR EVERYONE.

Read SHEKHAR GUPTA's brilliant article in the Indian Express dated 21/10/2009 at the link below(you will have to register to read it):
National Interest - The Maha Crater

National Interest - The Maha Craterread more...

or at this link below (no registration required):

National Interest - The Maha Crater

21 - Arunachal

Read KIREN RIJIJU's article in the Indian Express dated 17/10/2009 at the link below(you will have to register to read it):
Too far from Delhi

Too far from Delhi read more...

20 - Bombay vs Mumbai

A beautiful article by Soli Sorabjee on the recent Bombay vs Mumbai debacle in the Indian express dated Sunday the 11th of October 2009, in the Opnion page.

Read this article at the Indian Express Epaper site (you will have to register to read it):
Mumbai vs Bombay

Mumbai vs Bombayread more...

Or at this link (no registration required):

Mumbai vs Bombay

Mumbai vs Bombayread more...

19 - Wasteful Government Spending

Read Arvind P. Datar's (Senior Advocate of the Madras High Court) article in the Indian Express dated 10/10/2009 at the link below(you will have to register to read it):

Sanctioned by statue
Sanctioned by statueread more...

Or at this link(no registration required):
Sanctioned by statue
Sanctioned by statueread more...

18 - City Truths!

Now here are some facts that not only startled me and also proved me to be wrong in what I thought was right. I too like most people in Mumbai and its adjacent areas believe that migration of people into the city and its adjoining regions was among the highest in India and that this was proving to be a strain on the resources of the city. I also believed that most of the people who moved into Mumbai were from the rural areas and from the very low income groups hence resulting in increased number of slums coming up.

But the recently released United Nations Development Programme “Human Development Report 2009” presents some startling facts. Let me point out some of the important facts:

It states that migration is not a whimsical move but is a carefully thought out economic decision which boosts economic output at little or no cost to locals.

Other data, including our own census (2001) pegs the total number of people who migrated was no more than 98 million (1991-2001). Of this `rural to rural' was more than half, amounting to 53.3 million.

The `rural to urban' movement was only 20.6 million; `urban to urban' was another 14.3 million—the total of both these amounting to 35 million people.

Coming to the point of migrants from outside the state to that from within – there are only 7 cities where the component from outside is more than that from within the state. (Please note that this is the percentage of migration and not percentage of population in the city)

· Delhi tops the list with 94 per cent from outside.

· Faridabad comes next at 83.6 per cent from outside.

· Jamshedpur, Ludhiana and Dhanbad have percentages ranging from 71 to 64.

· Mumbai comes in at 63 percent from outside.

I suggest that one should read at least the Summary of the UNDP-HDR 2009. It would serve you as an eye opener.Download the Summary at this link: UN Human Development Report Summary 2009

What we need to realise is that migration helps all – both the migrant as well as the place he emigrates to and at a lesser scale the place from where he comes from. This can be highlighted by the case of Kerala – here I quote from the UNDP report: “in India, international movers from the state of Kerala have freed up positions in their areas of origin and their remittances spurred a construction boom that has attracted low-skilled migrants from surrounding areas.”

I do also quote the entire article by K.C. SIVARAMAKRISHNAN, Professor and Chairman of the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi which was published in the Indian Express dated 10/10/2009 with highlights over the key points – some that I have shown here above.

“THE Maharashtra Assembly elections have once again brought on to the surface the old controversy about migration, and `outsiders' swamping Mumbai. At the other end of the spectrum, the recently released UNDP Human Development Report asserts quite clearly that migration is not a whimsical move but is a carefully thought out economic decision which boosts economic output at little or no cost to locals.

Leaving the theories of migration aside, it is important to be clear about the quantum of migration within India and who is going where.

During the inter-censal period 1991-2001, the total number of people who moved was no more than 98 million. Out of this `rural to rural' was more than half, amounting to 53.3 million. Farm workers moving from Bihar or UP to Punjab or Haryana or from Orissa to Andhra are examples. The `rural to urban' component was only 20.6 million; `urban to urban' was another 14.3 million—making a total of about 35 million people.

Out of this number, about 12.5 million moved to the 34 major urban agglomerations. The 2001 Census does carry information about what portions of these migrants are from within the state and the number from outside. There are only 7 metropolitan cities where migrants from outside the state are more than the migrants from within. Delhi, of course, tops the list with 94 per cent from outside, but since the original settlers of Delhi are miniscule, it should be taken out of reckoning in a migration analysis. Of the remaining 6, it is Faridabad that tops the list for migration from other states with 83.6 per cent and not Mumbai as is commonly believed where the share of migrants from outside the state is much less at 63 per cent. Jamshedpur, Ludhiana and Dhanbad have percentages ranging from 71 to 64.

Of course in absolute numbers, Mumbai received about 15.7 lakhs during the 1991-2001 period, but in other cities of Maharashtra the proportion of migrants from within the state was much more such as 79 per cent in Nashik, 66 per cent in Pune and 54 per cent in Nagpur. Should the demand of some political leaders to close the doors against outsiders be invoked against the 13 lakhs people who moved into these 3 cities from within Maharashtra? Who is the insider, who is the outsider and how long should the label stick? The UNDP report also highlights the fact that most migration takes place within the region of origin.

The choice before a migrant is harsh and what he will face in the destination city is even more so. Assuming he does get a job on arrival, the migrant has to find his way through a complex web of illegality and extraction from ration card to shelter, enduring severe lack of basic services. The migrant also needs a minimum contact point at the destination city; a nail perhaps to hang his shirt on and after a few months, an outlet to charge his cell phone.

But he does not usually traverse long distances and he ends up within his state or region. About 80 to 90 per cent of the migrants moving into Rajkot, Vijayawada, Madurai, Coimbatore, Hyderabad or Patna are all from within the respective states.

The tirade against migration, especially from other states, also conveniently overlooks the simple fact that the economy and well-being of most of the destination cities depends on their access to the all-India market. The increase in employment in big cities also requires a steady supply of labour. The net domestic product and per capita income has been conspicuous in its increase in a few states. The 2006 per capita income figure for Maharashtra is about Rs 30,000/- and the net domestic product of Rs. 386,000 crores is a five-fold increase over the past 10years. So it is with Andhra or Tamil Nadu. It is also worth noting that Maharashtra has a little over 13 per cent of the country's factories and employment.

Tamil Nadu has 15 per cent of both and Andhra 11.3 per cent of the factories and 10.7 per cent of the employment.

These are parts of the country's economic engine and not to be regarded as the fragmented and exclusive preserve of the respective states.

It is pointless to argue that investment, capital and goods can move without hindrance, but not people.

The compulsion for striking political postures are understood, but they should not imperil the economic integrity of the country.”

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Read K.C. Sivaramakrishnan's (Professor and Chairman of the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi)
article in the Indian Express dated 10/10/2009 at the link below(you will have to register to read it):
Whose city is this?

Whose city is this?read more...

You can also download the United nations Human Development Report 2009 at the link below:
UN Human Development Report 2009

You can also visit the UNDP site at this link: UN Human Development Reports

17 - Wake Up!!!

The recent incident regarding the film Wake Up Sid! is a very sorry one. Seriously, it is a real shame someone like Karan Johar, who is such a well known and powerful personality (though not physically) does not have even a bit of spine to stand up to some crackpot like Raj Thackeray. If people like Mr. Johar whom these MNS hoodlums cannot touch, behave so, then what about the common man.

What is more disturbing is the fact that MNS objects to the fact that in the film the characters casually refer to the city official called "Mumbai" as what it is widely known - Bombay. That, when the lead characters are depicted as working at a magazine called Mumbai Beat. Personally, the renaming of the various Indian cities is a very sorry issue. Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Thiruvananthapuram... the last one is great, it will take you a year to spell that compared to what the British named it Trivandrum. Anyways we Indians didn't develop most of these cities, we still depend on what the British built so long ago. Even today in Mumbai/ Bombay, the best roads and city architecture - the mix of buildings and open spaces can be found only in South Bombay (what the British built), move out to the regions of Dadar, Andheri, Kurla, etc. and we can see what we Indians have done. Seriously Sick!

This is the sorry state of politics of today. These crazed politicians have no issue that to speak of so they invent silly, divisive platforms to stand on. What these people who follow them fail to realise is that" is this any different from what the British did?" Divide and Rule. In such a case, why a nation of India... Why not Individual nations of Maharashtra, Bihar, etc.?? We need to realise that we exist because India exists and as Indians we are free to live anywhere in INDIA. WE LIVE IN INDIA AND NOT IN A STATE. A state is just an administrative boundary. Maybe after asking for jobs for Maharashtrian's, Mr. RajThackeray may later do that ask for a country called Maharashtra...you may never know. Today, looking back I feel that the reorganisation of the states based on Language was the biggest fallacy that the Union of India ever committed.

Let me quote Shekar Gupta's editorial in the Indian Express newspaper dated 5/10/2009, "The point is not that Raj Thackeray (and Bal Thackeray before him) have seized upon Marathi manoos disenfranchisement to define a coarse and resentful politics -- the point is that they get away with it. The city in Wake up, Sid is definitely not the hick town of Raj Thackeray's dreams -- it is indeed "Bombay", the fabled gritty city where young people come from Kolkata and Bangalore, seeking their own private grails. Why isn't our politics aggressively sticking up for that expansive vision? We know the uses of taking an extreme position: you help decide or determine where the centre will fall. By not countering the narratives, we -- and indeed, quite glaringly, Chavan's own administration -are letting goons forever blight the idea of Bombay.

"

Hope we realise this, that we are Indians and live as Indians!

You can read the full editorial at the link below(you will have to register to read it). If not I'll mail you the same if you give me your email address and please do leave your comments on this.
Wake up, Mumbai

Wake up, Mumbai read more...

16 - The Beauty of Life

Now I'm not one who normally does conform to the norms that most people follow. My idea of beauty is rather different from a common viewpoint. This scribbling is an account of what I saw this morning...

At present I'm engaged in learning certain CAD (Computer Aided Design) software's at an institute called ECIT in Andheri. This morning while I was at the Andheri station I happened to notice an event...no, it can't be called an event...to put it better let's say I saw something that brought a smile on my face and my mind. At the entrance to the station a lady sits adjoining the foot over-bridge selling flowers, also there are a bunch of street kids who beg for money mainly at the ticket windows adjoining the foot bridge. This is a regular scene everyday. But today was different, three of those kids were today suddenly interested in the flowers the lady was hawking as they happen to walk by. The three of them stood there as if mesmerized by the sight. Not sure whether it was so, anyways they seemed captivated enough. The eldest was a boy of maybe 6-7 years in age, the youngest was about 3 or 4 and the girl seemed of an age between the two.

After a while, as they blocked the view of her basket from potential customers, she told the kids to move away. The kids just slowly moved to the side, allowing oncoming people to see the flowers. They still stood there with their gazes fixed on the flowers with them having odd chat between themselves about something. So this continued for a while and then the lady asked them something and the boy answered her. Next thing I notice was that the kids were moving away with the boy holding a red rose in his hand...(I happened to be distracted for awhile in between, so I missed what happened). The three of them now wanted to hold the flower for themselves; the eldest gave them a chance to hold it but after a while took it in his hands. They later moved off from beyond my sight.

What I realised was even these little things found a certain beauty or something on that lines about the flowers. Now, what use would the flower be to them...for them money and something to eat or such would be of importance. But still an innate sense of something within them attracted them to the flowers... This is something what makes up the beauty of life... Simple :-)

15 - The Nuclear Deal is Through

Well, at long last the Nuclear deal that aims to supply nuclear fuel to India for civilian purposes is through. The N.S.G (Nuclear Suppliers Group) has passes the draft proposal. We can now hope that all cards will fall in place and that this deal will provide the much needed impetus to the Indian. Will write more on this in detail at alater date.

May I add that this last Saturday, 6th September 2008 was a momentus day in the History of our Nation. This was the day when the N.S.G allowed India an unprecedented deal, being the only nation not to have signed the N.P.T (Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty) and C.T.B.T (Comprehensive Test ban Treaty) to receive nuclear fuel for civilian purposes.