Where We Spend to Buy Pollution...

Back again. In god's own country. Spiraled through the staircases without much of a hassle - I mean at the airport. Hassle-free immigration procedures and free from the hawkish porters. Phew! What if the flight was a bit delayed. The rest of it went smoothly.

Two months away did make a difference which I could not but notice. While I left for the Emerald Island exactly two months and two days ago, some of the main roads were being tarred near my home town. What a relief it was to see the roads being widened ! The traffic was congested because of the work, and people willingly and patiently supported the road development.

Guess what! I plied through the same road just two days ago - and believe me, most of it had been washed away and the very same road is full of pits, broken edges, and huge trenches - you name the destruction, you have it there; right where your wheels screech and refuse to move! And it had just been a few months ago that it was done up! ( Ahem! We are Communisit, pro-poor, with high Human Development Index, High Literacy, High Cost of Living, High Everything...and believe me I am not the Devil's advocate - but a very ordinary Indo-Sri Lankan). The roads that looked almost carpeted a few months ago have gone to the dogs ( no insult to dogs meant here, by the way; for all I know they are such endearing animals). Well, whom to say all these? After all, transparency and accountability are ‘western’ concepts, you know.

A heavy bone-shaking journey took me to my home sweet home.

Grrrrrr. It is the temple festival season close by. This is one tradition that we have earnestly kept ever since its inception - that is our fervent love for the loudspeakers. Man! Ever since I could remember, the temple festivals were celebrated with as many loudspeakers as possible, and that too playing Malayalam film songs - old and new( when our religiosity is at its ultimate, we play even the Hindi hot numbers). Had always detested it; and was considered a freak in not being able to relate to 'community living.' Well, even after several years, it still continues to be a pain in the royal 'ass' for me; and what is even more bugging is that the funds for this tamasha are collected from the community itself. How on holy earth can one comprehend that we - the pensioners, doctors, engineers, teachers, bank employees, loiters, waiters, civil society etc etc- spend to buy pollution? And that too, in the name of God or Goddess? A religious pundit, if needed, may even trace the importance of noise, or the indelible mark it has left on the annals of our pre-historic times and the Indian mythology, to justify the blatant use of loudspeakers! And here I am trying to understand why Indians are in blissful love with noise of all sorts, in public places, on the roads, railway stations...

It is a happening place; all the time. 24x7. And the mobile phone has no rest or respite. Every other hour or even less, your phone's memory stomach is filled with garbage - which the modern times call as marketing gimmicks! I counted. Five for half a day - 'Download your favourite songs' 'Enhance your beauty' and mind you, every bloody thing you want to keep away from, you are constantly reminded of. End of story. Full stop! And each time when the phone beeps to indicate a message, you look at it, for a personal message from work, friend or family. But no, don't get it wrong. It is mostly a service provider to tell you about their new ring tone, or the tip to colour your hair!

For the three days and two nights I had been here, have not had electricity for one and half days. One has to understand the vagaries of the monsoon ( see, it is not our problem. Climate change is a new fad, and they say, it is due to over-exploitation of natural resources, and that too by the developed nations (that US mainly, you know) and we are seated, lounging languidly in our developing country status) and presume that many trees have fallen due to heavy rain and 'understand' the situation. Can't complain. It is candle lit dinner all along! After all, what can the government do ( and that too, pro-poor Communist in the State and Congress at the Centre) for regular power failure? Hmmm.

Never a dull moment here. One is made to think constantly. Not at the cost of finding light in the greener pastures, but being forced to contemplate why we cannot get simple things right! And furthermore, how on earth, this country still survives as a nation, with all its complexities and extremities? More on this later.