And all is not lost

Just a quick update on my earlier post in January of this year - Mad About an Airport   and the controversy in Kerala about the plan to construct a stupid airport amidst cast acres and acres of paddy fields,destruction of wetlands in the heritage town of Aranmula.

In an era of rapid loss of natural resources, accelerated deforestation and an insatiable need for high speed everything, I feel bouyant  that last week, the Chennai bench of the National Green Tribunal revoked the environmental clearance for the proposed Aranmula Airport project. The Aranmula Heritage Village Action Council chief patron Kummanam Rajashekharan, a senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh pracharak has been leading the struggle against the airport in 2012 .

Kummanam Rajashekharan, celebrating with Prasadam from the Temple, the NGT' s decision

 For those who have not read my earlier post, the Kerala government approved 2,000 acres in Aranmula for a totally unnecessary airport. Aranmula , a temple town known for its paddy fields, deep tradition and culture ,its boat race and for the unique Aanmula glass- known as kannadi, a rare handmade metal-alloy mirror, would loose  700 acres of paddy fields, its wetlands , have a negative ecological impact. For the airstrip to be operational the mast of the temple would have to be lowered and the entrance door of the temple changed. So rich and deep is its cultural heritage that UNESCO has declared it a heritage zone.

So when the southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), on May 29^th, cancelled the environmental clearance given to the controversial international airport project in Kerala, there was much rejoicing – full credit to the people of Aranmula and the man who led the struggle.

Here is the man and these are his stories

 http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/aranmula-stir-is-for-nature-kummanam/article5966220.ece

http://thiruvaranmula.blogspot.in/2013/03/facts-about-proposed-airport-at-aranmula.html

http://haindavakeralam.com/HKPage.aspx?PageID=16827&SKIN=K

http://newsturbate.blogspot.in/2012/05/aranmula-airport-investigation.html

Up and up and up

In a world that is obsessed with higher and higher growth, expressways and XUVs, where SUVs are becoming passé, where development  is equated only with highways, roads and spiffing airports, where man's insatiable consumption need  has to be met at any cost , where a desire to monetize any and everything , deforestation at the light of speed , where the slow dying of our coral reef does not seem to matter , where unsafe and high pollution levels make our cities unfit for us to breathe in or live in, the dropping dead of bee colonies by the millions, the drying up of our rivers, the destruction of wetlands that give way to sky scrapers, chemical riddled food, where nuclear contamination and radiation uncertainty is accepted, where we are unconcerned  about the acidification of our oceans and parts of our seas being declared sea dead,traffic jams

on the 8,848-metre high Everest caused by people who came from far away countries to “conquer” the peak ,instead leave behind  waste on the pristine white mountain , where dams are not good enough, but mega dams is the answer,  where glaciers melt rapidly, where peak summer temperatures are reached more frequently than ever, where we want growth at any cost,  a significant change happened to our planet.

We crossed 400 parts per million (ppm) of carbon dioxide (C0₂) in the atmosphere again, earlier this month. To preserve a liveable planet, scientists tell us we must reduce the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere from its current level of 400 parts per million(ppm) to below 350 ppm.  But instead, we are rapidly and rapaciously adding more C0₂   into the atmosphere, making a planet that will not be habitable by humans.

It is then that I am reminded about what Gandhi said that distinguished modern civilization from our ancient civilization - the distinguishing characteristic of modern civilization is an indefinite multiplicity of wants ,where ancient civilization were marked by an “imperative restriction upon, and a strict regulating of these wants “. He detested the thought of the distance that man would go to in search of their satisfaction – “If modern civilization stands for all this, and I have understood it to do so, I call it satanic .“   This was in the year 1927.

While I contemplate our present and brood our future, I often ask where is all this leading to, who gains and who benefits  - for it is in this pursuit of what we call a "good life"  that  the falcon cannot hear the falconer.

The barber's shop

It was the divine festival of Mahashivrati - one of the biggest Hindu festivals dedicated to Lord Siva, celebrated in the month of Maagha (or  माघ maagh in Hindi) of the Hindu calender. I was in a small town in the district of Chhatarpur in the state of Madhya Pradesh celebrating the night off- the most auspicious day dedicated to Lord Siva.

 
The days and nights leading up to the great night were intoxicating - the town was filling up with men, women, children and families,  all gathered by their love and devotion to Lord Siva, there were chants of Om Namah Shivaya, offerings of the sacred "bilva" tree (bael) , it is a day of renunciation and prayer, a night of fasting, with an all night vigil ,worshiping Lord Siva - this is Mahashivratri - the great night of Siva, when Lord Siva appears.


After the fasting, the puja and abulations over,  women wonder around, continuing their worship, and the street markets come alive selling odds and ends from bindis to bangles. 



 

The men in the town head to Dinesh - who gets ready at the crack of dawn , to set up his shop and start business. I am amazed at this small , nimble but well equipped barber shop. I watch him set up his shop,ask if I can take pictures. He smiles sweetly and nods his head.  I wait to see his first customer .

But before I knew it, Dinesh had his first customer and there were men waiting to be shaved and shined. There was no place for an onlooker like me.