Man & animal conflict

By Manish Anand

Few years ago, giving the Civil Services Examinations, I along with many others were foxed by a short answer question on man and animal conflict. All did the guess works which turned out to be off the mark by quite a margin. In the evening, restless minds searched for the right answer and it turned out to be the Orissa farmers in conflict with elephants raiding their rice fields, as men had destroyed their natural habitat, thus forcing them to go into unknown territory in search of food. Our answers were just rubbish.

Reflecting on the issue, it seems that the phrasing of the question was just incorrect. Why call it man and animal conflict when man is just an animal; no better in any ways and rather far worse.

Few days back at a market place, one man was facing a group of people out to lynch him. His fault was that out of anger, as his vehicle was caught in the parking lot, he probably let his angst go on the window glass of the blocking car and which brought a dozen of people out to lynch him. Nerved at the size of the opposing party, he relished all the abuses and pushes and shoves offered to him. His plea to call the police to settle the issue had no takers. After an hour long ordeal, he was sent away.

But the show was not over, as one of his foe delivered another chaste abuse to him when he came back to the market after sometimes. Fed up with enough abuses, he barged into his foes' office and started abusing all, with even women getting no reprieve.

Take the fight into enemy's camp, you will either emerge victorious or will die with pride. And so he did. His foes had to do the explanings, with the issue looking too trivial for such a grand show. The man walked away having humbled his foes, with even onlookers remarking "bande me dam hai" even if he had committed any mistake. All the whiles, few dogs kept dozzing off and showed no interest at all in the show. Some had mocking smiles on their funny mouth.

In the HT City, which I rarely read, I found a piece which informed that lots of men come to Delhi from Mumbai and also go to Thailand for sex hunting, where they easily catch hold of college and other young girls in pubs and on dance floors for a one night stand. Nothing startling though, it also contradicts the phrasing of the question.

In a party in a five-star hotel, which I had a rare chance to attend, the liquor had made the base animal instincts of the people too explicit to take refuse in the man's dignity. Few were falling on a girl, who had committed the mistake of sitting a bit away from her friends, and were imploring her for dance, though their eyes were demanding much more. Liquor should not be blamed as it makes you just what you are. Though under heavy influence of liquor myself, I could not stop my critical faculties from obesrving people and their behaviour and keeping their records as well. I can not write more on this because of obvious reasons.

Dogs are really intelligent. They know that the UPSC had wrongly phrased the question. They mock at the man with all humility. It's no man, animal conflict, as it's all animals here.

City angst

By Manish Anand

Is Delhi a dying city? Certainly it's and in few years it's set to be condemned to the fate as that of Mumbai. The soul of Delhi is already dead and its body is just being dragged by millions of people slogging their days and nights out.

Few days back, dogs and a rag picker presented an interesting spectacle. In the morning, the rag picker, merely a boy, was collecting his cache. The nearby dogs, who must have been owning the place as their territory, did not like the intrusion of the rag picker. A group of dogs, all ferocious looking, had a go at the boy with all the shrillness of their barkings. Around half a dozen dogs were there.

The rag picker was not impressed with the daredevilry of the dogs and he just ignored them and continued with his job. The dogs lept further towards him and here our rag picker, incensed at the nuisance caused by the dogs, took a stone in hand and lept at them with all ferocity. The daring dogs beat a hasty retreat and when the boy got busied with his work they came a little near him, maintaining a safe distance, and continued with their barking business.

A couple of dogs were watching this spectacle from a distance with all the attention. For sometimes they might have weighed the option of joining the barking brigade, but eventually they chose the option of rather watching from a distance than joining the milieu.

In an afternoon in a restaurant in South Delhi, the owner, who is an old man, was losing the peace of his mind. Everything was wrong for him and he just had to shout at anybody. His staff bore the maximum brunt. A woman had a plate of "chaat" taken from outside and had come into the restaurant to taste the delicacy in the cool environment as her companion was busy buying something from the shop attached to the restaurant.

The old man did not like this and coming down from his seat he literally threw her out. Of course, the action came with verbal volley from the old man at the woman. In the meantime, his son came to take over the charge from him and very soon an old woman barged into the restaurant and just blasted him off. The reason was that nobody outside was telling her the ways to the restaurant! The son profusely apologised and immediately brought "lassi" as a complementary to pacify her. Later, when the things cooled down the woman politely refused the "lassi" saying that she was suffering from diabetes.

I too stay in a posh locality of South Delhi and mostly the flats here are owned by the "senior citizens". Recently, the PWD's work on roadside had damaged the water pipelines and one of the pipeline had been leaking, thus muddying the front of the entry gate.

A co-resident, who is in his 70s, pressed the bell of my flat in a manner as if some calamity had come. When I answered, he was shouting at his peak of the voice, saying that it was my pipeline. I said with all respect to him that I am unaware which pipe is mine here but anyways whosoever it was it would be rectified as a plumber had to come to my place. This was nothing for the next two days, I got visitors from all the flats all shooting off their anger at me.

When the last gentleman came, who is also in his 70s, I had enough and after giving him a patient hearing I said: "Look, first and foremost this is not my pipeline as i have found out but my plumber would rectify it tomorrow nonetheless. Secondly, you tell me you people have been so disturbed at one leaking pipeline which would be rectified, how did you people permit the installation of a mobile phone tower at the roof of the building and do not tell me that you people are unaware of the mental health hazard that it poses to the people residing here."

The old gentleman was left speechless as according to him a "rogue" top-floor flat owner had got the tower installed despite their protest, letting them know how impotent they were. Now, he was begging me for help in removing the tower. He left after offering his apology for disturbing me anyways. Yes, that leaking pipeline turned out to be that of my neighbour!

Yesterday, a two-wheeler hit the front of the auto-rickshaw on a busy road. The bike driver seemed in great hurry and after the collission he did not waste a single moment in emptying all the anger that he was carrying. However, the auto-rickshaw hit him back in equal manner. In another auto, as my friend said that the fault was of the bikeer, our auto-man said it's not about fault but that of "aukat" (the sujective value) and the "autowallhas do not have aukat in the city".

Sporting windfall!

By Manish Anand


The Subhash Chandra backed Indian Cricket League has finally brought riches to the Indians sportsmen, which had been hitherto confined to few cricket superstars only. No one should be complaining as it's only good for the sports. This has also forced BCCI to open its huge cash reserves for the players. For BCCI, it might be collateral damage, but for players it's their dues kept away from them all these years.

The Yash Chopra film "Chak De, India" is doing remarkably well with the audience with a bunch of women players holding the hockey sticks. The people in movieplexes are clapping at most of the scenes as they fill them with pride as the women bring to them the charm of the National sport. Indian football team is also showing signs of resurgence hinting at the fleeting thought that the might elephant is finally waking up and raring to go for the kill in the international soccer meets.

Sania Mirza continues to pride the nation with her feats. Her youthful exuberance is inspiring a whole lot of generation to take to the sports with realistic dreams. Post-Greg Chappel, the Indian cricket team is also coming back to the winning habits though the fear of loss still cripple it.

Corporatisation of sports has been substantially responsible for the turnaround in the recent years. The inspiration for players have always been the visibility, praise and money. When the sportspersons around the world are digging in the riches, the Indians too can not be left behind. Sponsorships, advertisements and match fees are scaling up to boost the players to put in that extra effort, which makes them extraordinary from ordinary.

Big corporate houses who are sitting on high cash reserves thanks to the windfall of the new economy have reasons to foot the bills of the turnaround of the Indian sports. It will only benefit them, because the "image" has become all the more important. And, successes in sports are the easiest way to sneak into the hearts of the teeming millions of Indians, who have turned into crazy consumers now.

Nuke(d) polity

By Manish Anand

Indian political stability stands nuked thanks to the Left's allergy to anything that involves the US. The Central government is also to lose its credibility to do business with other countries. The immediate neighbour China must have been laughing its heart out at the ugly dance of the political divide of the Indian democracy. Also, the nuclear scientists, the blue eyed baby of the Indian policies for decades, would be whining for loss of chance to fill in the gap created by their lack of capabilities through the Indo-US nuclear deal.

As the Congress in an effort to cling to the chair at any cost would buy time in the name of holding more debate on the deal, it would be up front for it to divulge all details regarding the nuclear research in the country in the last six decades. The financial cost of the research as well as the tangible and intangible benefit out of it should be put into the public domain. And, also let the nuclear scientists tell the nation how many more years they would take to produce the dreamy 20,000 MW of nuclear power. Whether they can do it or not, they should tell the nation honestly.

Also, the Left must tell with which nation it wants India to have strategic relations and why and the rationale behind their formulations. China has been an enemy, which needs no further elaboration. Pakistan has given the "hundred cuts" and continue to do so with impunity. Russia is a power consigned to the history books. Europe has no political standing at all. So, Left should tell the nation if not the US then with which nation India should have strategic relations to protect its national interest.

The Left should also come clear on why it's helping quite tangibly China to remain the sole superpower in Asia. What it has to say on the issue of Tibet and China's claim on Arunachal Pradesh. At the same time, the Left should come clear on the question of its ideological sovereignty independent of the Chinese comrades.

It's definitely not the time for India to go to the poll. The outcome of a mid-term is known to all parties, hence the parties should inform the people why they are imposing an election and why in logical and clear cut terms.