ROADS TO HELL IN "GOD'S OWN COUNTRY"

The state of Kerala in India is a land of exquisite beauty, and Keralites call their land "God's own country."  There can be no quarrel about that since its beautiful beaches, coconut and mango groves, back waters of the Arabian sea, mountains of the Western Ghats, serene temples, etc., do captivate one's heart and make one feel a special affinity to nature there.   This blog , however, is unfortunately not about that beauty but about the roads of Kerala which are the worst death traps of absolute lawlessness and chaos.

Every life is precious, and Kerala, like any other state, owes to do its best to protect those of its citizens and visitors.  Bereft of much industrial development, the state depends on tourism and is becoming a major destination for international tourism. The sustenance of that industry and the ability to ensure that visitors return and recommend the state as a tourist destination make it absolutely critical that the State acts decisively and firmly to improve conditions on its roads.  Also, it should be a matter of pride and self respect for any state that it does not have to suffer a blog like this one.  In short, this is being written not to ridicule or vent but to inspire a clean up which takes only better driver education and some rules and their efficient enforcement without corruption.

  

It is the curse of India that at Independence it was left with little broad roadways except the very very few that the colonial powers had built leading to ports in Calcutta, Bombay and Chennai primarily to ship its shameless loot to England and to its markets.  While India has added much to its road network since independence, limitations in resources for expansion - and even more acutely for maintenance - have resulted in a situation where most roadways are narrow and in disrepair.  In Kerala, the problem is compounded (like in West Bengal) by decades of Communist rule that has created an entitlement minded, lazy, and unruly labor force and cadre of public servants.  Communist rule also left the state without much Central government support from the ruling Congress party over many decades.  But those alone do not explain away why road trips in Kerala are a death defying experience.  I have traveled in many cities and countrysides of Europe where roadways are narrow and even of cobble stones etc, and people do manage much better.  It is more a matter of discipline, law and order, and the efficiency and truthfulness of law enforcers.  In this, we can't blame the Britisher or anyone else but ourselves when we fail.

In case you are wondering what I am complaining about, let us take a typical experience of travel say from Coimbatore to Palakkad.  There is supposedly a highway with two lanes in each direction, but intermittently long stretches of the lanes are closed for repair or clogged up by long lines of trucks waiting for clearance from state authorities.  Traffic in a direction is rerouted onto a lane meant for the opposite direction and that too into the passing (overtaking) lane.  But there are hardly any warnings that the roadway in the latter direction has turned into a two way with only one lane available for each side.  One also wonders if such warnings would matter, for, even after near collision like experiences, drivers of all types of vehicles continue to recklessly overtake each other risking head on collisions at high speed.  See the short video clip






which is one of the benign ones I shot and can show since most others came out too shaky from all the last minute coliison avoidance efforts of our driver.

Indeed, even when two lanes are available in each direction, it is common for vehicles to use one in the wrong direction to gain speed, and sometimes they do this right under the nose of police officers who stand and watch.  See the video clip





An Australian friend of mine once described road travel in India as a macabre game of chicken, and the ones in Kerala are versions meant for the champion dare devils only.  Are there any studies on the rate of traffic accidents and those resulting in serious injury and deaths in Kerala and those especially related to careless overtaking ?  Why can't authorities post clear warnings of traffic reroutes repeating them periodically as reminders, make the affected sections no-passing zones, and above all enforce the rules strictly?  Aren't these a matter of common sense or a part of their duty?

In the least, authorities can stop contributing and adding to the problem.  Once again, the Vazhayar check point along the Coimbatore Palakkad route is a worthy example.  Many vehicles including trucks are stopped here by authorities right on the roadway causing tremendous headaches and delays for all. Tourist taxis and commercial vehicles are required to buy an interstate permit but do this at the check point shed leaving the vehicle on the roadway adding to the clutter; why can't this be done online and receipts simply collected or checked at a toll booth on a pass through basis?  Not only does a tourist taxi have to buy a permit to cross the state line, the driver has to go to a booth and pay a ransom in cash, an  extortion fee with no receipt, to avoid harassment and delay and that explains why the system encourages drivers to park and come into a shed.  The last time we got stuck there and endured this was not some random day but when the RTO was inspecting the check point. So much for official oversight.  Rumor has it that everyone from the constable to the ministers has a share in the extortion monies collected.  All we know is that our driver caughed up a 100 rupee bill with no receipt given.  Everyone complains but complies as though it is a God ordained ritual and rule to follow.

Look at the long lines of trucks with all kinds of industry and retail material and find out about the typical delays suffered by them at the check point which is measured frequently in days and not even in hours, and ask yourself what is the impact of all this on the productivity and economy of both Kerala and Tamilnadu.  It is fair to surmise that what we see here is a microcospic example of what goes on across the country.  Will some university economists and departments of economics study the economic impact of this and similar problems and suggest remedies instead of writing papers getting lost in mere words?  So also for the so called think tanks.

Whichever way you cut it, Kerala and any other place in India that is similar, needs to clean up its act if it is to progress and make life better for its own citizens.  Please pass this blog to someone if you agree and take steps to pressure the governments to act.

This is written on January 22, 2015.  I note this specially because nothing will please me more than to have to write someday that my blog of this day has become irrelevant since matters have improved significantly.

Tamaso ma jyotir gamaya !

Some glimpses of the Carnatic Music Season 2014 in Chennai

"The Season" in Chennai is now an institution to which flock music and dance enthusiasts not only from India but from around the world.  Indeed, these days the NRIs, a majority from the USA, form a sizable part of the audience in most major sabhas and a non-negligible portion of performers in the B-league programs. The NRIs also provide sustenance for some second rate sabhas which put them on stage for a fee disregarding the fact that there are many even more talented right in their backyard who cannot afford to pay even a nickel and could in fact gratefully accept even a paltry honorarium.

I usually attend some programs at the Narada Gana Sabha, and this year I did manage to attend five of them amidst what turned out to be an overwhelming India trip.  Art is, ipso facto, subjective and as I give my personal impressions, please do note that I understand that there are many who may disagree with them.   I pretty much list the concerts in the order of how I rated them as a listener.  I apologize for any errors and omissions (especially of accompanists' names) and certainly if I didn't put your favorite artist on top.

T.M. Krishna [H.K. Venkatesh/Violin, Karaikudi Mani/mrdangam, Bangalore Amrit/Kanjira]:  I was reminded of the famous lines "Those who came to scoff, remained to pray" of Wordsworth. Having heard and read many negatives about Krishna's recent stage performances,  I had gone there mainly to see first hand some gimmicks and not expecting to be able to remain for more than 30 to 45 minutes.  But Krishna's turned out to the be the best of the five concerts I attended.  Being free or whatever, the hall was full, but no one stirred a bit since the music was simply divine starting from the first piece in Saveri all the way to the very end.  The Bhairavi swarajati "Amba Kamakshi" reminded me of the best of Semmangudi and embellished as it was by the superb percussion and violin accompaniment transported us to a different world altogether.   The concert should have satisfied the more technical listener too through deft renderings in each of Kalavati and Kalanidhi ragas.  Yes, the concert didn't adhere to "tradition" in that after three kritis came a ragam, tanam followed by Valachi varnam !  But it was superb in every way.    What we call tradition today is only as old as Sri Ariyakkudi.  With no disrespect to that great performer, I consider it unfair to hit hard someone who departs from the format Ariyakkudi set especially in light of the fact that the music developed and thrived for centuries with diverse formats set by the musicians as their mood of the day suggested.  I personally don't care what format Krishna adopts as long as he will give us music of the caliber he gave in NGS with that wonderful sonorous voice of his that is unmatched today on the Carnatic stage.  I am with Kalidasa who said "Puraanamityeva na saadhu sarvam" - not all is best that is old.

Malladi Brothers: The concert oozed tradition all through and if there is one word to describe it, it would be "soukhyam" in the sense of uninterrupted bliss.  For me the most memorable piece was "Tulasi bilva" in Kedaragowlam.  After what was probably the best alapana of this raga I have heard, one of the brothers picked up the mic and said that it is only 10% of what their guru Nedanuri had taught them or could sing!  They touched our heart with their unabashed humility.  Professor Trichy Shankaran delighted us all through as though giving lessons on how to play for each song highlighting its nuances, and his tani stood out as a grand treat in what was already a wonderful feast.

Sikkil Gurucharan:  Honestly, I would call it a tie between the Malladi concert and that of Sikkil Gurucharan, and in fact some may even put Gurucharan ahead given some of the intricate pieces he chose to sing like the song "manita sada manita" that was technically quite a memorable piece for its swarakshara phrases and the deep meaning of the lyric itself.  His rendering of Nattakkuranji (Pahi janani) and a piece in Kharaharapriya were also quite memorable for the elaborate raga alapana and swaraprastaras.  The only discordant note was the mrdangist Raja Rao's comment on the mic expressing ire at some who were leaving the audiotirium possibly for a health break, "Gowravama vasicha ezhundu poiduva, nai adikkara maadiri adicha iruppa" [they will walk out if one plays gracefully but will stay if one beats like you beat a dog] although it was attenuated significantly by the much younger Sikkil telling him "Why are you looking at them, just look at me and play."  To his credit, Raja Rao played beautifully and embellishing various phrases of the kritis appropriately, and his playing overall appears to have mellowed down for the better with much greater emphasis on laya and sahitya adhered playing.

Kadri Goplanath: This concert was on the inaugural day where the delay in the arrival of the Chief Guest shortened the concert as also the visible discomfort of Kadri who didn't appear able to sit for more than an hour.  Two of the memorable pieces were "Entaro Mahanubhavulu" and "Vanchatonuna".  The former piece Kadri (and Kanyakumari) are known to ace each time and the tavil made it even nicer.  The real great piece is the latter, and Kadri really showed his mettle through an elaborate alapana that almost got people ready to dance to his tune.  Kanya deftly followed it with a brief alapana yet leaving her stamp reminding me of the Sangeethasaagara cncert of Semmangudi where a similar feat was achieved by Sri T.N. Krishnan for yadukulakamboji after an elaborate rendition by his guru.   In fact, throughout, Kanyakumari's playing did make me wonder if the sabhas of Chennai are not very remiss in not honoring her with some of their highest awards and if her gender is indeed getting in the way in the male dominated world of the Carnatic violin.

Sudha Ragunathan: Listeners in New Jersey have enjoyed Sudha's concerts of over four hours, not stirring an inch from their seats, the longest of them being over five and a quarter hours with an elaborate todi alapana lasting over 45 minutes with no repetition whatsoever.  Unfortunately, the Sudha that day was a different Sudha, and to say that the concert was spotty would be most generous.   There was Sudha for instance in the rendering of "Koluvama" and in the neraval and swaraprastara, but the alapana could not have been more unimpressive.  There was an udayaravichandrika piece, but once again the violinist Raghavendra Rao is the one who won the applause.  My father in law used to say that singing is like cooking, and even great cooks mess up once in a while.  Let us hope that is the case and the next time I hear Sudha, I can put her on top of the list as I would indeed like to.

Well, this is a quick glimpse of what I saw and heard.  Having written a piece on critics and how they should behave, I better rest with this.