Infusing patriotism need not be through slogans alone

14^th March, 2016

Chennai, TN

A note:

Assaduddin Owaisi, the leader of the AIMIM party from the Andhra region said today that he will not say any slogans to hail mother India, at any cost. This was in reply to the call made by RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat to urge the younger generation to chant such slogans to arouse patriotism.

It is natural for the RSS chief to chant slogans to hail mother India and this is a fact that many would acknowledge. But what we must also acknowledge is that Mr. Owaisi is free not to chant such slogans. One can be a patriot of India without chanting any slogans. Being a good citizen is epitome, for actions matter and not the words that we utter and soon forget. Reaffirming patriotism does not necessarily mean saying Bharat Mata ki Jai or similar slogans, although one may choose to say so if one prefers that. Mr. Owaisi is right when he says that the Constitution of India, which governs us all and treats all the Indians alike, does not require anyone to make such slogans.

However, it would be great if Mr. Owaisi could understand that it is natural for the RSS to chant such slogans and acknowledge that they are as free to chant what they want as he is free to not to (provided they are within the rule of law). The RSS is also working within the Constitution and the RSS chief’s comments were not an imposition or a diktat but a mere suggestion.

If Mr. Owaisi could, instead of rebutting to what Mr. Bhagawat said, propose a better way to infuse patriotism among the youth, without chanting slogans that have Hindu connotations such as Bharat Mata, Hind or Mataram, then I am sure that it would do a world of good to the Indians.

J&K, university protests and a shaky government

23^rd February, 2016

Chennai, Tamil Nadu

  

A note on Jammu and Kashmir: My home state has not seen as much violence and/ or bloodshed as the Kashmiris have. The troubles that mar the northernmost state gradually abate in magnitude as we head southwards. But, each time we read about an attack on the Kashmiris by militants or insurgents, and each time an Indian soldier lays down his life to protect them and all of India we are deeply pained, even though we are miles away and safe from the bullets and shells that massacre the Kashmiris. We may not feel the pain they face in the physical sense, but our minds are deeply affected by them.

We are all well aware how J&K came to be a part of India. The circumstances which prevailed during the formation of India prompted the ruler of J&K to accede to the Dominion of India, in order to protect his state from the invaders who had come from across the border. However, autonomy of J&K was ensured by the Indian Government in the instrument of accession and it continues to be effective to this day to a great degree, despite a lot of water having flown under the bridge since its accession. The UN later declared that the decision on whether J&K should be a part of India or it neighbour Pakistan would be arrived at via plebiscite, which is a democratic means to self- determination.

Today, the noise, the frequent protests, terror attacks and many unconstitutional/ unlawful events are transpiring because some elements believe that the Indian Government is blocking plebiscite in J&K. I recently attended a talk by a Kashmiri, who has lived there most of his life and governed the state as its Chief Minister and his version of this issue was to the contrary. Omar Abdullah explained in simple words why a plebiscite is difficult now (and how it was never made possible earlier). The preconditions laid down by the UN to conduct a plebiscite were- one, withdrawal of Pakistani forces and Pakistani nationals from J&K and two, subsequent withdrawal of Indian forces from J&K. These were the conditions to be met for the plebiscite to be conducted. Although India accepted to these preconditions, Pakistan did not. The presence of Pakistani forces (military and non- military) continued, thus ruling out the abatement of Indian troops on ground.

Even today, insurgents and militants from across the borders are still on the soil of J&K. The withdrawal or even reduction of Indian army cannot happen with the presence of these elements. Four wars have been fought between the two countries over J&K and large numbers of Indian soldiers have become martyrs in these wars and they continue to lay down their lives in so many attacks that continue to occur even to this day. Wars and terror attacks have altered the dynamics between the two nations, including the practicality of implementing a plebiscite, among others issues. So, this calls for a relook into the terms of the referendum, from what was laid down earlier by the UN.

Also, J&K state was populated predominantly by a certain community, but large numbers of people from other communities were also living and continue to live there. If the people choose to merge with Pakistan, say, then there will be a reprisal of the effects of partition (if not of the same magnitude) where the majority community will be forced to drive out the rest, purely because the laws of Pakistan forbid practice of other faiths on its soil. If J&K continues to remain with India, then these other communities can continue to live and carry out their lives alongside the majority community, as India is a secular state. Now, the plight of so many members of so many different communities must be factored into while deciding the way forward. In the event of a plebiscite, the district to south of J&K may want to join Pakistan, while a north-western districts may want to continue with India, making it a geographical impossibility and a complex mix and match situation to arrive at a final settlement, leading to further discontentment and even violence (god forbid).

India has always acknowledged the autonomy of J&K. Although there are difficulties in implementing the UN resolution of the 40s, for reason(s) mentioned above, a relook can never be ruled out. A mutual acceptance of any solution that is explored by both countries alone can remove a stalemate and make positive progress towards a solution. Reaching a common ground by both the nations is vital. The Governments of both these nations have always endeavoured for this and today, the renewal of talks by various agencies and ministries of the Government are giving a renewed confidence.

Blocking infiltration of militants into J&K and other parts of India, curbing funding for terror activities perpetrated on the Indian soil, understanding the needs of the people of J&K, exploring multiple options for a peaceful solution and zeroing in on the most beneficial option is the way forward. Now, I am no expert on this issue, and there may be other factors that may be require a serious look. I am confident that there are people on both sides of the border who are best equipped to solve the problem.

Protests in Jawaharlal Nehru University: Now, while the Governments of the two nations are in discussion, with the Pakistani premier asking his countrymen to refrain from damaging the ongoing peace process, while the Indian ministers are trying hard to reach out to their counterparts in every conventional and unconventional way and while many separatist groups have decided to keep faith in these efforts,  there continues to be discontentment among people from J&K, probably over the pace at which the whole affair is progressing and also at the constant ups and downs that have become characteristic to it. It is thus natural for them to raise slogans in protest, to vent their displeasure. Protests help appeals, which are usually unheard or ignored, to fall into the ears of those concerned. This may be why the students at JNU began such a protest, so as to make their demands for Kashmir’s independence be heard. But, in their protest, they used a route which hurt the sentiments of many others. Some students of JNU decided to orchestrate their displeasure by invoking the name of a certain Kashmiri who was declared a terrorist by the Indian courts of law and sentenced to death by it. The slogans that were shouted on that day at JNU glorified this terrorist and told (although some may prefer the word ‘threatened’) India that many similar men will emerge from each household in Kashmir to fight for its cause and they vow to disintegrate India.

I do not want to get into the humanity and/or human rights aspects of a death sentence, as I have even lesser authority on that subject. I am confident that there are well read people who are doing something about that in a constitutional manner. The fact of the matter is that the terrorist and his associates were part of an attack in 2001 on the Parliament of India. People were killed in the attack and lives of many (including some of our elected representatives) were under threat. Although, it is natural for Kashmiris to view the terrorist and his associates as heroes, due to their position on liberating J&K, they must however take into consideration the unconstitutional methods that were employed in the due process and how a billion other Indians may react to it.

In my opinion a fight for the right to self-determination and the future of J&K, do not require invoking names of certain people (especially those deemed terrorists by Law). If nothing else, it’s a sensitive subject that must be handled with caution, lest is hurt someone else’s sentiments. If the Kashmiris really want their voices to be heard and their demands be met, they must try and avoid making such remarks which prove counter-productive to their cause. The students can take a more democratic route and affiliate with parties which are fighting for the cause already. The Hurriyat Conference is already doing that and it has serious people who are taking lawful steps to air their demands. Although they are deemed separatists, the Indian state has acknowledged their position and is actively engaging with them for a peaceful solution. The major political parties in J&K have people in them who are serious about this issue and endeavour to cautiously balance the interests of the people and the violence that is perpetrated in their land.

In JNU, as a consequence of the sloganeering and the events that followed, the police arrested the student leader and now a case is pending against him in court, which I am sure it will reach its logical and fair conclusion. The arrest was called unlawful by the students of JNU and the whole question of anti- nationalism and what actually is nationalism arose. Today, the students who raised the slogans, which the police feel were seditious, are contemplating to surrender before court. I always felt that union leaders were gutsier and did not cry foul when courted arrest, well…

Protests in Hyderabad Central University: The other incident that has hogged so much of media space is the suicide of a student of the Hyderabad University and how his death is linked to him being from a lower class and to a certain MP whose letter to the union HRD ministry and the subsequent replies to it. This student had a case pending against him in connection to assaulting an ABVP activist on the University campus. The court of law upheld the case and the judicial proceedings were underway at the time of his death. As a consequence, he was expelled from the university and the hostel, although he continued to protest on the campus. His suicide and the circumstances surrounding it are being investigated by police and the courts, and I hope justice is delivered and the matter is brought to its conclusion fast, if not for anything else, to bring relief to an aggrieved mother who has lost her son. But the facts remain grim; this student had done the exact same thing as those students of JNU, when he empathised with the hanging of yet another convict, associated with terror attacks in Mumbai in 1993 which killed many and subsequently was sentenced to death by the court of law. The ABVP among others had raised objections to this. Now, the supporters of the hanging have as much right as the dissenters of it to air their views. Imagine if this student had lived and was proved innocent of his charges by the court. He could’ve fought a legitimate battle thereafter.

The case of one student from HCU sympathising with the hanging of a convict and another case where the students of JNU want to protest for a cause by invoking the name of another terrorist has a similarity- in each case the convicts were declared as convicts not by the ruling of a Government, but by the court of Law after thorough investigation, after several appeals to higher courts and pleading clemency. This is the very Law which provides us with the Right to freedom of speech and expression (subject to reasonable restrictions), the very law that they seek recourse under in the event of murders, robberies and among so many others crimes and the very law under which they seek bail and protection. So, if these students have the audacity to question the court of Law, then I really wonder what other institution they respect. I can understand dissent against Government, but is the dissent against a court judgement justified? I am sure the human rights violation card will be invoked here, but why does human rights have to be remembered only when terrorists are being sentenced to death. Should not the students and all human rights activists instead call for a systematic relook and a research into the concept of death sentence through constitutional routes? After all our constitution is organic and has metamorphosed since its ratification, thus providing room for change. 

The timing of these incidents is astonishing. First, I do not see merit in the suicide case of the HCU student being brought to mainstream news. Politicising a death, which is being investigated and from which no conclusions have been drawn yet and creating an atmosphere to pit one caste against the rest is in itself improper, and in this case unfounded. Second, it is suspicious how JNU’s Kashmir struggle and the subsequent slogans are being raised only on anniversaries of dead terrorists. Should not their struggle for J&K’s liberation be continuous? I wonder what would’ve been the fate of the freedom movement of India if our forefathers had decided to fight for freedom only on birth and death anniversaries of select dear departed.

  

Why the protests? From the turn of events, I feel that a smear campaign is afoot against the incumbent Government by forces which are unable to come to terms with the victory of this Government. But let me ask them- Why did you/ me (or your/ my country) vote such a Government to power? So, are you (me) wrong? Are the people of your (my) country wrong in voting such a Government to power? If we cannot digest the fact that the Government in power is in power, then we need to bear with them till the next general elections. That’s the hard truth in a democracy, the democracy that each of us are proud about and appears to have taken for granted. This seems too much like a smear campaign against the Government with the sole goal to block the Budget session of Parliament starting today. First, it was the Lalit Modi issue, to which the Minister of External Affairs was wrongly linked to and for which the Parliament session was blocked, with the Opposition running away (walking out) from debate and discussion. Next, it was the DDCA row against the Minister of Finance, where again the opposition had no legs to stand on and the matters, including the defamation suit filed by the minister, are now in court. This time I am sure it will be the HCU and JNU issues that will be used to stall proceedings of the Parliament.

Would any Government, left or right, have remained a silent spectator when such slogans are being raised? I ask a counter question. Should any Government, left or right in its leanings, take no action if such a speech or sloganeering is made? Will the same people who are protesting against the Government today, be happy if this or any other Government had left the students to go ahead with their sloganeering against the nation? Haven’t we complained enough between 2004 and 2014 because the Government and its leaders were too quiet on major issues that burned our nation then? It’s time to introspect on whether what we protest for is just or not? The matters are clearly political. These incidents have been capitalised (or were hatched to be capitalised?) in order to disrupt the upcoming Parliament session.

Just like how people in my country have fear of not being heard, represented and a now the fear of not having the freedom of speaking what they want to, I too have a fear- a fear where development of my country is stalled by opposition parties under false pretexts and as a consequence of which the poor get poorer, working class gets poorer and we all dive into an age of darkness, economically and socially speaking. Our demands from the Government must be for reforms and not for what is already guaranteed under the constitution. If we feel our civil liberties and fundamental rights are violated and/ or that we have been deprived of them, then we have a solid judiciary in place from where we can get the recourse.

In conclusion I feel that the bitter and scathing attacks on Government by various forces are a pretext to hinder growth, growth which we have not seen in many years and which we hope and pray becomes a reality. The Government too has faltered in handling these situations in a diplomacy that it demands and has lost precious time in the parliament, falling victim to the opposition’s rants, however well-grounded or unfounded they may be. Allegations and protests can go on, but their repercussions on the people of India at large must be thought about. We must be thankful for having a judiciary in place which is largely independent in its actions and however slow it is in its functioning, history says that it is fair in the end. Negative propaganda may win opposition elections in the future, but what else can it do?

Tyre Trouble

It all started when I convinced my dad to buy me a bicycle, that shiny blue one. The usage was restricted at first although I slowly began to use it and ventured beyond my street to those around the block. It happened only after the first few rides- the tyre went flat. Somehow, the blame was on me for what had happened and only after much beseeching did I finally manage to get it fixed the first time. I was more careful how I rode thereafter; I avoided potholed roads and only took the less potholed ones, filled air to the tyres more frequently, kept the cycle in shade. As time passed, I slowly braved to bicycle to school. But, one day as I cycled up that road, I had to stop half way puffing and panting- punctured tyre again. This time I decided to let it be for a while and rested the bike against the coconut tree in my home. After several fixes, re-fixes, replacing tubes and what not, I gave up. I just thought it was a problem with the bicycle itself and blamed it for all the trouble; after all it was ominously named as ‘Devil’ (by the company, not me). 

Many repairs were funded by my parents out of pity, but the tyres just would not stop flattening out, and it became more and more difficult to ask for help when repairs became more and more frequent. By the end of high school I had given up cycling altogether as it was more pushing than peddling, and began walking to school and jogging back home. My bicycle had found a more permanent place inside my room. A few years into college, I began experimenting with my mom’s scooter. I had just got my learner’s license and mom agreed to let me use the vehicle. Since the scoter was not named Devil, I assumed the tyre trouble would be non- existent or at least lesser. I could not have assumed worse. To save costs, I ended up removing tyres myself, lugging it to the shop and then refitting it after repairs. I greased my hands a lot with that scooter.

Last year, I took an auto in Mumbai. The driver, an elderly kaka, navigated very efficiently through the morning traffic in the city, giving me confidence that I’d reach on time, in spite of having started late. It was not until a fellow auto driver yelled and notified kaka of the flat rear left tyre, did I realise what could possibly be the hard truth- It was I who caused the tyre trouble. Poor kaka. The jinx just would not wear off. My dad’s scooter, usually hassle free, was just what I needed one day, but I could only go as far as the tyre shop down the Bull Temple road. Maybe I had to consider modes of transport that have no tyres, like boats or bullock carts. The work doesn’t allow me to take the aircraft much, thank God for that.

Although it is still uncertain whether it is me who causes tyres to go flat on vehicles I sit in, there may be other, more probable causes. Bad roads, for instance. The mending of roads may have been slowed down by our corporations so that the innumerable puncture repair shops don’t run out of business. A tyre puncture for you means money for someone else. The impact on the tyres and the tyre’s wear and tear, both due to poor roads, are mainly what cause flat tyres. So, it may not be me after all. The next time you see me lugging myself on the streets, you may stop and ask for a lift.

(There is no moral to this story.)

Evening at Anna Square

T

his happened 2 months ago and I was meaning to write about it since, but procrastination is a habit. It was a lazy Sunday and I had little to do all day but laundry and taking out the trash. To top it, I was nursing a sore throat since 2 days and the medicine had made me groggy and had left me starved. As evening neared I decided to get something to eat, but just like that ended up in Anna Square, a place far from where I live. I got off at the Chepauk Station when my eyes caught the sea while I was on the train. I knew from a previous trip that the rear gate of the station would lead me to the cricket stadium and I had to walk a bit from there to get to anywhere, so I left from the front gate and walked past a line of Government Offices, which I later learned were the offices of the PWD. When I exited the archway, I once entered the famous Kamarajar Promenade, the road that runs parallel to the Marina. 

I realised that I was getting hungrier and was in lookout for a hotel as I continued to follow a mob of people and moved where they were heading. In a distance I happened to notice a white marble structure of what I know too well to be the symbol of the ruling party of Tamil Nadu State- the AIADMK’s ‘two leaves’. On nearing it I got a full view of the ‘two leaves’ and the horse Pegasus. I began to remember that a colleague of mine had once told me that the resting places of AIADMK’s founder Dr. M.G. Ramachandran and former chief minister of Tamil Nadu C.N. Annadurai were around this area. Located on the sea front of the Marina, the breeze hit my face as I entered the monument. Politics aside, the grandeur of the place took me by awe. I first entered the MGR Memorial and moved towards the tomb of MGR. The crowd was enormous that day. I moved around the place appreciating the architecture of the facade and could not help but glance the sea every now and then. Next, I went to the museum by the side of the façade where artefacts and pictures of MGR are on display, with a queue of people viewing them with interest and what I realised, an unusual reverence. I too moved with the queue observing quietly. Only later was I told by a friend that the birth anniversary of Dr. MGR was the day before and that was the actual reason for the large crowd. A pathway connects the MGR Memorial to the Anna Square, the tomb of C.N Annadurai. There is much similarity between the structures and a similar museum is also there by its side. Once again I moved quietly in the line at the museum, wishing that I had brought a Tamil friend along to translate what was written. 

What amazes me is how the two historic figures draw people even today. A closer observation of the pictures on display needs no translation, these men worked for the upliftment of their people, the hardships they endure and lastly their selflessness and we can draw strong parallelism of their live’s work with so many others in India. I think history demands that we learn a bit more about such leaders. These regional leaders have clearly transcended the boundaries of their state, so much that even a Kannadiga (that’s me), was appreciative of the place and what it had to tell. A stone inscription with ‘Duty, Dignity, Discipline’ etched on it, with Annadurai’s signature below, particularly caught my attention and it tells how and for what the man lived and worked. People of all kinds were there that day and I do not know how many really understood what was there in those museums, but anyway they had come and that says a lot. 

Next time I want to take a Tamil friend with me and I hope he/ she can bear with me and explain what is written in Tamil. I am just a little curious whether my respect can be justified or not. I later walked for a while on the Kamarajar Promenade, passing by the Presidency College which faces the sea. As it was getting dark and since the weekend crowd was enormous and also since I lacked company I decided not to go to the beach. I boarded the train again and grabbed some food at last. I think it was the delirium from all the medicine I was taking that made me go all the way till the beach that day. It was highly unusual, but worth it.

Perplexing Morals

Two days back I sat in the usually noisy dining hall. All eyes around me were glued to the (noisier) TV, which was showing two girls from Rohtak, Haryana beating two men on a bus, apparently in defence to the advances made by them. The news channels had already declared that the boys were ‘molesters’ and the girls were giving interviews in these channels. The channels ran shows on the incident all day long (even the next day in fact). The girls became local heroes, an inspiration to many, the Chief Minister of the state declared bravery awards for the girls, importantly the news gave confidence to many women to face such untoward behaviour by men courageously. This entire episode transpired over just 48 hours. As much as I was happy that the two girls had defended themselves from the wrongdoers without any help from others, I wanted to know the whole story and the correct story and not what was being shown to me by the news channels. Also I was curious to know why the onlookers in the bus (highlighted repeatedly by the media) had not come to the girls’ aid?

Today, I got my answers when I read that some witnesses to the incident that transpired on the bus, have submitted affidavits with the local police saying that the boys had not done anything wrong and some reports say that they had in fact stood up against the girls when they had demanded an old woman to get up from her seat, so that they could occupy it. Their statements bring fresh perspective and though the story still remains unclear as to why the boys were subject to the wrath of those two girls, I was happy that people are coming out and stating the truth (or lie). It is too early to judge who is right and wrong, and I better leave that to whomever. I only want to tell that there are always two sides to such stories and we, the janta, must not jump and take sides with the more colourful version shown in the news etc. I am not a male chauvinist, but let me go ahead and ask- “What if those jailed boys, who were beaten up by those girls on the bus, are actually innocent?”

As a civilised society, we must prepare our women to face perpetrators of crimes on them, but we can’t allow them to take advantage of it. Forget men, what if they had beaten another woman for standing up against them, or an old man or a little child?

Now, at the same time when the Rohtak incident was taking its course, in Indore, MP, in the middle of India, there was a less televised incident of similar kind transpiring. Only this time it was a man who beat other men engaged in eve teasing. On receiving complaints from women and schoolgirls in Malaharganj, their MLA (a male), from the ruling government, trashed 15 eve teasers (who were on drugs too). The women, grateful for receiving support, joined the MLA in beating the perpetrators. However, the spokesperson of the opposition party of that state has called this incident a ‘law and order’ problem and has accused the MLA for taking law into his own hands rather than report and leave such matters to the police. But hey, I am confused.

Now, if the Rohtak girls are right for what they did, then shouldn’t the MLA be more right for what he did? But, if the MLA is wrong for what he did, then are the women who joined him also wrong?

Namesake

O

ff late I have been deprived of the local news of my home town, Bangalore. So, I make it a point to read the Deccan Herald epaper to keep myself abreast of the happenings in my city and also because the Deccan gives that slightly local flavor, which appeals to me and makes me feel less homesick. 

Recently I was late to the office, and I wanted to give a quick glance at the newspaper. While I was reading, I chanced upon the word Kempegowda. Kempegowda, the Nada Prabhu (Lord of the land) was the ruler of the old city of Bangalore, back when Bangalore was the vassal state of the erstwhile kingdom of Vijayanagara. For the myriad of good done by the former ruler, the city has immense respect for the personality and has honored the man by naming a few landmarks in Bangalore after him. As most of the readers of this article would know, the famous bus station in the Majestic area, at the heart of Bangalore, is named as ‘The Kempegowda Bus Terminus’.  Famous as it is, when I read Kempegowda in the paper, my mind automatically went to the bus terminus.

Later, at some point in the day when I happened to think about it again, I realized that it was actually the newly named airport in Bangalore that was being referred to in the newspaper. Now, I am sure that this confusion has happened to several of you and won’t stop with me either. Indeed a great landmark, the Bangalore International Airport, ought to be named after someone important, and who else can be more important to the Bangaloreans than its founder ruler. But why name two important landmarks in the same city, with similar nature of business with the same name? If a tourist friend of mine tells me “I’ll meet you at 0230 at Kempegowda and we shall catch a bus to your home from there.”, then he better meet me at the platform where the 31E busses stop at Majestic because that’s where I’ll be waiting.

India is a land of hero worshippers, from kings to movie stars, we love them all. We have also had a lot of heroes over time. I mean lots. So it only means that there was a broad scope for us to revere some other hero, by bestowing his/ her name to the airport in Bangalore, but since the issue got politicized, people had little say and there ended the matter.

Bangaloreans have been very diverse and it is reflected in the way they have named various places around the city. We have named places after scientists (C.V. Raman Nagar, C.N.R Rao Circle), kings (K.R. Circle, N.R. Colony, J.C. Road, Jayanagar), freedom fighters (Jawahar Bal Bhavan, Ambedkar Nagar, M.G Road), soldiers (Maneckshaw Parade Grounds, Field Marshall Cariappa road), saints (Thyagaraja Nagar, St. Marks Road), actors (Raj Kumar Road, Shankar Nag Circle), cricketer (Anil Kumble Circle), the British names (Frazer Town, Richmond Circle), the list is long and broad.

So, ultimately we can say that it is the politics (or certain pressure groups influencing the people in politics) that has its say in the big matters and since we vote certain people to power, we can’t even complain for what they end up doing. The ruling government, invariably names roads, buildings, bridges, even parks after leaders from its own parties. I have noticed that the Yashwantpur Flyover is called the ‘Pt. Deendayal Upadhyaya Flyover’ (after the prominent member of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, from which the current BJP was born) and the bus stand at Shanthi Nagar is called ‘The Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bus Terminus’ (after the BJP’s famous Prime Minster), both of which I am sure, was inaugurated during the BJP’s regime in our state. The value and integrity of the people whose names are given are unquestionable, they are indeed honourable, but the people who use their names are the ones who do it with all the wrong intentions. It would have been truly great if the same flyover and bus terminus would have been given the same names but when a different party was in power. But we do not see such non- partisan behavior even in a cosmopolitan city like Bangalore and end up with instances like the present the Kempegowda debacle. Forming a small committee to name a landmark, empowering the locals, to decide based on popular mandate and logic can do the trick which is apparently too burdensome to a few.

Well, it’s done and I have to be careful when I read the newspaper from now on. But what if I were appointed to give the new airport a name, what would I have named it?

Wright Brothers International Airport? (after all they invented the aircraft), JRD Tata International Airport? (He brought civil aviation to my country), Rakesh Sharma International? ( He was the first Indian to fly to outer space and lived in Bangalore for sometime), Tipu Sultan International? (after the great ruler, freedom fighter from Karnataka), Rani Chenamma International? (after the patriot warrior, plus it would be the second airport to be named after a woman in India), Visvesvaraya International? (after the greatest engineer of the country, Kannadiga), Kuvempu International? (after the recipient of the Gnana peetha Award and our Rashtrakavi), N.R. Narayana Murthy International? (after the Employer for lakhs across the state and country and a Bangalorean), Rahul Dravid International? (after the International Cricketer who has won hearts of the entire nation and a Bangalorean).

Sunday at Chennai Central

The alarm in my phone went off and I woke up only to realize it was a Sunday. I had a whole day to spend. With very little plans for the day, I was sure I would get bored. So I got ready and headed to Guindy, which is the nearest train station from where I live and got a 2 way ticket to the Park Station. I had heard from my friends that the Park was one of the busiest stations and managed a large volume of people. The Park station was important as the Chennai Central Station, which is the main train terminus in Chennai, is right opposite to it. The crowd got me out of the station in no time and before I could realize, I was crossing the subway and was on the other side of the road, in front of the Chennai Central.

  

I began by exploring the Moore Market, which is right next to Central. It is similar to Avenue Road in Bangalore, where buying and selling of used books is the main business of the place. Students had thronged the book shops, bargaining hard. As I walked around Moore Market, I caught a glimpse of the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium before heading into the bustle of Chennai Central. There was a mob near the bus stand outside and a queue at the taxi stand. A flight of NCC cadets who seemed to have just arrived, were loading a truck with their luggage. Travelers had taken over the ticket counters and the waiting area was packed with people watching TV commercials. The tea and snacks shops too were thronged.

Amidst all this, I found an unusual lull on platform number 6. A train just started to Mumbai on the opposite platform as I entered, and another from Bangalore had just been emptied on Platform 7. The only people to be seen in sight were the shop vendors and a few travelers who seemed to have come early. So, in a hope to kill time I bought an Outlook magazine from Higginbotham’s and occupied an empty bench on Platform 6. As I read, the sea breeze took over the usually sultry air making it even more pleasant. Only the railway staff went about their work and there was no one else to bother me. By afternoon the crowd gradually increased and I too decided to leave. I walked about for another half hour and reached the Chennai Fort station. Hoping to get a local train back to Guindy, I crossed the road and entered the station.

A train whistled at a distance, so I hurried to the platform and boarded it. It was a train to Velachery, which is close to Guindy. Thankfully, unlike morning, I got a seat this time and the train began to move. As I noticed outside, the train stopped at stations that I had not come across in the morning and I thought the return route might be different. Without any suspicions, I sat gazing outside as the train chugged into the Chepauk Station, from where I could catch a glimpse of the lush green grounds of the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium. On the way to the next station, all the people seemed to look to my left and I too turned to look. Outside the window we all caught the vast blue emptiness of the Bay of Bengal. 

  

Though I catch the scent quickly, I missed the fact that I had boarded the wrong train this time. All the subsequent stations were new to me and finally the person next to me confirmed my mistake. I was supposed to catch a train to Tambaram and not Velachery. A few others joined our conversation and ultimately I was able to get my doubts clarified, in the very little Tamil that I can manage. All I had to do was get down at Velachery and take a bus to Guindy. The readiness of the people to help me increased my respect for them. As I headed back, I stopped at the Phoneix Marketcity and picked a few things from Big Bazaar before finally heading home.