The argument that Arundhati needs to live in a chawl (hovel establishment) so she be allowed to comment on the political establishment is much like the one which says an artist need necessarily be a poor one to portray pathos. True, she enjoys luxury. Why not? Aren't we all asking for sustainable development? Dams, my friends, are not the flags of the nation (5th class, St. Anns High School, Secunderabad, India)as we were taught. True they are "environmentally palatable" but not at the cost of human lives and livelihood. Im not vicariously arguing on Arundhathi's behalf. Many times, I have myself found myself questioning her claims. But what gets me every time is when we say that "some people will suffer" for the benefit of many more. No! we are not talking about "some people." We are talking of thousands of people. We are talking about people who have lived for many hundreds of years in their ancestral villages and have bulit their economies and livelihoods around the rivers. And incidentally, and I wonder why?, most people affected are the tribals and Dalits(the supposed lower caste of Hindu society.)According to
"Instead the project would displace more than 320,000 people and affect the livelihood of thousands of others."
We are also not talking about a one-time suffering. We are talking about sustained and prolonged displacement. We are talking about apathetic, corrupt government officials who care a shit about the displaced communities. And yes, lest I forget, I bet we wouldn't be talking about looking at the larger picture when there is a million tonne river staring at you and your home, threatening to flood and yes, kill you.
Research has shown that large dams are not only unsustainable but the only National Interest they are serving is interest of those ones with the power and money and enough corporate stake in the building of these large dams.
And why should organizations who are fighting for the residents be the ones to propoerly rehabilitate them? Isn't it the government who is displacing these people be responsible?
Before I came to the US, I made a documentary film about a similar situation in Hyderabad, India. Hundreds of families living on the banks of the river Musi, which runs through the city, were forced to relocate to tinderbox shelters about 30 kms away from the city. There were promised beautiful homes, schools and community centers. They got nothing. They continue to live today in the same conditions, while governments come and go. The reason for this being that the government planned to beautify the city by constructing amusement parks and multi-storey bulidings on behest of the World bank.
Big bucks ride on these big projects. Skewed developement reports from traditionally biased agencies like the World Bank are held up as the basis of equitous distribution of natural resuorces and wealth. And that is not acceptable, and to that effect Roy, who writes magically, writes.
And Ajay, ofcourse the BJP is "Hindu." They proclaim themselves to be that. They do not deny that so why should anybody, hmm?
As I wrote in my ealier post, the Congress is no better in their nationalistic agenda than the BJP. However, optimistic fool that I am, hope that there are no more progroms and genocides embedded in party ideologies anymore. And the more people talk about it the better.

And yes, Dalrymple, I love the guy. I am reading The White Mughals now. It is the most beautiful love story set in Hyderabad, India, (MY CITY.)

In the nice and cool burrow that I have dug for myself bad tidings threatened. Big keepers of somatic selfs pronounce omnious diagnoses that have me dig deeper into the aforementioned burrow. These days are green and blue and a lighter shade of yellow. Ah yes, dreaded moneylessness, you got me babe!
Ajay, it'll get better surely?

The green bills that is. I just calculated and found that the money ill be paying in students loans would have fed me for the next 20 years in India. Besides, my activist self (been dormant for many months) was very happy when I saw Moore's latest. Wept ofcourse. It should'nt be happening.

Everybody Tells Me Everything
by Ogden Nash

I find it very difficult to enthuse
Over the current news.
Just when you think that at least the outlook is so black that it can grow no blacker, it worsens,
And that is why I do not like the news, because there has never been an era when so many things were going so right for so many of the wrong persons.