What exists below the surface

Part I: What exists below the surface

The two ends of the title I have given to this write-up need a bit of writing to connect to each other.

The tidal wave that swept through the Indian Ocean, along with sowing disaster upon the populace there, has really uncovered a lot of themes that should be a real eye-opener for many. Yet, I do feel that many things still go unnoticed.

I do not know where to begin. There are a lot of things that I watched, with a more or less, prophetic vision, get enacted in front of me.

I can start with a variety of themes.

Let me just start with a theme that I had dealt with in my book. Persons in this site, who have read my book, may just go to Part II, Chapter 8, and go to subheading ‘An earthquake’.

Let me start. On the day of the tidal wave, when I watched the BBC, there was a continuous reporting that around 400 Indian fishermen were lost in the sea. I do not remember much importance being given to this report in the local Indian media. This report was on BBC for a long time, possibly for more than 12 hours. However, there was no official move to do anything about it. There is the Indian navy. Yet, I do not think that anyone had the nerve to instruct them to move their helicopters, to send help to the fishermen folk who were presumably swimming in the deep seas. When I say this, the reader may think that I am harping on silly things, missing the gravity of the whole scenario. Yet, it may be understood, that the gigantism of the issue was apparent to the Indian public (and officials) much, much later.

The major understanding to be had is that there is general disdain for the Indian people at the hands of the governing class, meaning the bureaucrats, and mediocrity of capacity in the political class.

The second thing is that even though I watched the BBC for a lengthy period, I found it lacking in entering into the inner sanctum of the Indian society, which had borne the brunt of the waves. Actually what had struck the Indian shores was minor in comparison to many other nations. Yet, even this relatively minor disaster, could not be managed at an intelligent level by the society. There was more or less a sense of hopelessness for the people, for it is common knowledge that there is no one of capacity to appeal to.

The people exist without much social training, and even when there is a greater need for intelligent social discipline, it is conspicuous by its absence. Now, if any British person were on the scene, he would be impressed by the sincerity of the people, and their steady mood to work it out, and go in for a united, and concerted effort to face the problems. At the same time, among themselves, these very people would not be able to do anything much. One may see a lot of activities going on, but in reality there would really be a great level of unintelligence in it. Creating scenes that really aggravate the pain in the tragedy.

As, I have harped many times earlier, there is a real lack of a soothing software to communicate among themselves. For, even in times of grave disaster, the communication software that exists in India, really hinders communication, especially when it has to move between people of unacknowledged social standings. For, suddenly everyone is bereft of all tangible things that help in positioning a person in the feudal language.

There are a lot of things that I need to talk about, including the issue of the anomalous looks of the Indian crowd that came stark on the TV screens (I remember that this was a part of my writing that caused a friction in this very forum).

There has been a few times when the trains fell into rivers (in the southern Indian state of Kerala, it happened twice). I do not know whether anyone did give the mouth-to-mouth breathing resuscitation to any of the victims. I do not think that anyone would do it; I do not think that many Indian doctors would do it on Indians. For, there is a general air of disdain for the Indians among Indians.

Compared to the size of India, the number of people affected by the Tsunami is very, very negligible. Yet, I do not think that those who have been affected have been taken care of it. Actually they are left to fend for themselves, at best. In the state of Kerala, the ministers continuously came visiting them, and promising things, and disappear. There is not enough water, space, toilets, and to add to all this, the general attitude of ‘touch-me-not of the officials, including the doctors.

One can’t blame the politicians; for they do not really have much control over the bureaucracy, which is very well entrenched. Whatever is told to the bureaucracy just gets stuck in the maze of mutually antagonising feudal hierarchies, in the communication structure, and nothing much comes out.

One of the major communication feature that is embedded in the Indian society is the fear to communicate with others whose relative social or positional hierarchy is unknown; or if this person cannot convey his or her intended positional seniority to the other. Actually this factor is gnawing at Indian’s social and functional efficiency in all areas where good English is absent.

Been born in a family with senior bureaucrats, I have seen the same striking feature in the Indian bureaucracy also. There is real hesitation to talk to persons, whom one suspects may be above oneself. In addition, one frowns on persons who try to be communicative of anything, if his or her position is not acknowledgeable.

When the minister and the local people’s representative came visiting one of the camps, the people surrounded their vehicles, and tried to vent their anger on them, for the general official apathy. The police were able to save the minister; but the local assembly member was soundly thrashed up. Here again the people displayed a common character.

The villain of the piece would naturally be the local bureaucrats, including the high and mighty, yet midget, collector. Yet, the people are generally indoctrinated to feel that the bureaucrats are superior to them, and should be treated with divine veneration. When there is evident lacking in official service and functioning, no one dares to question them. The tragedy is that if at anytime, any politician becomes assertive with the officials, many persons, including the media, come out with barrage of commentary on how to discipline the politicians, and that the person involved should be made to apologise.

Now, I come back to one of the phrases that I had used in my book, and was quoted by me in ‘What one could lose’. “Their very demeanour, anthropological features, and also their gestures would speak it out loudly.”

During the Tsunami days, one really got to see the facial, and anthropological feature of the majority Indian crowd. Why beat around the bush? They did not look a beautiful crowd. Nor could they give an impression that they can build up beautiful social set-ups and townships on their own.

At the same time, when one gets to see talks given by mighty Indians, film stars etc. their looks are sharply different. Actually the absolute opposite of the majority crowd. Now, it was my contention that looks are connected to the area in the feudal language, where one exists. Here, one can imagine the level the majority people exist in free India. Yet, this level need not always be superimposed, but can also be self-imposed.

When ones see the crowd literally in a state of begging; no queues, no social discipline, one may just dismisses this as the typical Asian social behaviour, or as one ordained by the general overcrowding that exists in the space. Yet, this is not true. People cannot communicate to each other, in a state of steady dignity. The best thing is to push; for, one fears to tell another man to stand in a line; for, the other is surely to get offended to be told such a thing by a person, whose social standing may not be acceptable.

Now to another aspect. The Tsunami hit Indian coast around 4 hours after it had caused disaster in Indonesia. There are so many nationally reputed organisations, swallowing up an immense lot of tax money (on pomp and pageantry), functioning ostensibly in the field of remote sensing, ocean studies, seismology etc. None were officially aware of the impending disaster. Now, one may say that this reflects the low technological state of the nation. It is not so. Actually, this only reconfirms my contentions that the communication software hinders intelligent response at a collective level, even in a single organisation.

Actually the scenario in the higher ranges of the bureaucracy is starkly similar to that of the common man. There is a general level of buffoonery in communication. A bystander from, say an English nation, if he were to see things at close quarters, would wonder why one bureaucrat is not simply getting up and informing the required other bureaucrat as to what is the absolute necessity. It simply doesn’t happen. Each person, even when the majority people are simply waiting for speedy action would simply linger on with the information; his immediate need being to see that his respect, as well of the other person’s respect is properly maintained.

One may be impressed that India sent its aid to foreign nations. As to its own citizens, it is not bothered. The foreign adventure has showpiece value. Inside India, what is done would just be tiresome work, among people who are repulsive to the officialdom.

Now, the question of who should run the show at the international level. Should it be the UN? I believe that if UK, US and other English nations are going to hand themselves on a platter to the UN to gloat about, it is a sad mistake and a tragedy for the world community. Let UK go under the aegis of Union Jack. Not under the silly flag of a wastrel like the UN.

One may have very well perceived that the people of the nations, laid waste by the Tsunami, really do lack a quality to help themselves, in coordinated and united effort. Why? Simply because the routes of communication is not clear, as is required in feudal languages. Once routes are formed, things moves in perfect isolation to each group that is so formed. Yet, the process is very painful, and certainly disruptive. (I do not know if the reader understands what I am saying).

When the WTC was ravaged, I remember the general air here. It was one of deep gratification, and a feeling of supreme adoration for those who had committed the act. The media wrote of why it was time for someone to teach US a lesson. How, in spite of all its technological skills that can spy on even the tiniest object on earth (and associated arrogance), a group of dedicated youths under a committed man could dismantle US supremacy. There were jokes on the TV of how the ‘sahibs’ were seen running helter-skelter.

Now when British or US help comes, let the world know that it is coming. For, many vernacular media simply shut out such themes from the view of the local population. Even now, the local media here would linger on to find some British or US misdemeanour.

Apart from all this, did anyone notice that in India, the majority who died were those who were traditionally associated with the sea? Naturally these persons should be good in swimming. Yet, the reality is not so. Most of the women, and also the children do not know swimming. Once, when my small daughter (then around 3 ½ years old) was swimming in the sea, one senior man from the fisherman community tried to dissuade me from allowing her swimming. He simply asked me what was the need for such type of activities. What he said was a general truth. He also displayed, the general disdain for the fishermen that existed even among the fishermen community. They wanted their children to get a government job, of even a ‘peon’. There is more feudal respect in such jobs. (And infinite financial security).

Moreover the language structure, simply finds it disruptive to have women linger on in the beachside, instead of staying at home, covered from foot to shoulder in a very, very ingeniously stupid attire called sari.

Apart from all this, the general level of substandard living conditions of the majority population. This may easily be misunderstood as because of the inequitable distribution of world wealth between the rich nations, and the poor ones. Yet, the real fact is not this. There is enough and more wealth in India. Yet, the persons who corner almost cent percent of the national wealth is the officialdom, as fabulous pay, equally fabulous pensions rights, and innumerable other perks, none of which comes into the purview of the majority population. The officialdom, which is of negligible percent strength in comparison to the total strength of the population, gets all the national revenue. Moreover, the service rendered is of the abysmal levels. However, no one dares to talk about it, since with money comes reverence.

One of the major contributions of the British rule in India, was the destruction of the centuries old, officialdom that was literally looting the common population, with right to encroach upon anything the common man has. Since Independence, the officialdom is back to its ancient levels, with more legitimacy; for everything they want is given statutory status by the buffoons who call themselves the people’s representatives.

What I have claimed about the destruction of the ancient officialdom would not come written in standard history books written by Indian academicians; for they, themselves are part of the delinquents.

The absolute poverty of the majority population is the fodder that feeds all components of India’s foreign earnings. For, the small amounts earned abroad turns minor fortunes here, for there is a large amount of population that naturally comes nowhere near this in earnings. Hence in a state of slavish subordination.

This is also the factor that fuels all such aberrant phenomena’s such as BPO’s. (This is a phenomenon, which is not a creation of any internal planning, but just an eventuality created by the English nations).

Now about how the local bureaucracy and the national government would view the coming of UK, US etc. personnel for rendering aid. It would really give them the creeps; access of the local populace to persons from the free nations can really encrypt newer themes of right to dignity to the people, and can really have destabilising effects, from the perspective of the bureaucracy.

There would continuing emphasis on keeping out these foreigners on various pretexts.