Musings on solar power

I think I was reading Ramachandra Guha or someone when it struck me that of the many possible ways of doing things, two were the Gandhian way or the Nehruvian way. Gandhian way was bottom-up approach. The focus is on villages and communities. Small changes, small projects but several of them. Nehru on the other hand had a very top-down approach. Big vision... dams, hydroelectric power plants, public sector industry that built huge things. He genuinely believed that massive investment in grand infrastructure projects were the way to govern India and bring her into modernity. The problem of course was that while cities and urban centres enjoyed the fruits of these mega-projects, it didn't reach a substantial proportion of the population. One Bhakra Nangal

project could have funded a million smaller projects which collectively could have been more effective. Or so was the argument. It is a complex system and I don't know enough to tilt one way or the other. I suppose both had their pros and cons.

But what I do see, in the modern context is the repetition of similar dilemma. Take power for instance, India has a massive supply-demand gap. An increasing number of her citizens are able to afford electrical gadgets like airconditioners and refrigerators. Even in a state like Tamilnadu which used to be energy surplus, the demand has grown exponentially that there are now compulsory power cuts. The semi-urban and rural areas have scheduled load shedding between  6 and 8 hours and unscheduled power cuts of another 2 or 3 hours a day. Even in Chennai, there are 2 hours of compulsory power cuts everyday.

This is the problem.

Now, we could either go all Nehru and invest in a multimillion dollar coal plant or billion dollar nuclear plant. (I am confused if Nuclear power is good... so we won't go into it). There are several problems. One, it'd take a long time for these projects to start producing power. And two, demand may grow even further that the gap will still exist when the new plant comes into use. There is a separate problem of pollution and availability of fuels (for coal and diesel plants) and waste disposal (for nuclear plants). There is also an investment issue... we just can't afford it. Or if we did spend most of our money in power plants, there is less to go around for other equally important issues (like water, food and education).

So, what would Gandhi do?

I suppose that he would recommend that small communities become self-sufficient. which means not relying on the national grid for power. We know that while centralised electrical generation has its advantages of scale, electrical distribution causes major losses. What if communities can generate their own power or at least a major part of their power requirements locally? They'd become independent. Technology exists in renewable energy like solar and wind which can provide substantial power for small communities. Instead of thinking of massive power plants that will supply an entire state, we look to hundreds of smaller scale projects that will work for each town and village. Imagine, solar plants in each village supplying electricity to its residents. I understand that solar power cannot fully replace existing power plants, but they can narrow the gap between
supply and demand and use clean renewable technology doing it.
For me it is not about the technology. I think research is ongoing and remarkable advances are imminent. it is about reducing the time gap between invention of technology and adoption of it. We have seen with mobile phones that adoption of technology can be rapid. In less than 10 years, mobile phones have become ubiquitous. It has penetrated markets unimaginable a decade ago. So technology can, when it reaches a tipping point, be adopted rapidly over large populations. And this accelerated adoption also accelerates innovation and growth in the field. A future in which instead of each town and village, each house generates most of its own electricity needs may not be too far away. 


There you have it... incomplete thought. 

On caste system

Had a discussion with a friend about caste system in India and she was trying to convince me that the caste system was not meant to be an hierarchy and it was an organizational principle without value judgement. According to her, as soon as one stopped believing that people are born into a caste, the caste system almost entirely redeems itself. The idea of the caste system, she said, and it's original fluidity makes understanding life much easier. 


I wonder if there is any historic text that proves the existence of an utopian no-judgement caste system or a time when one was not born into a caste. Even in Mahabharatha, Karna is repeatedly humiliated for his caste (son of a charioteer). Ekalavya is denied education bcoz he is a hunter. Drona is humiliated by Drupada. Even earlier, in the Ramayana period, Vishwamitra becomes Vishwamitra because of being humiliated by a mere brahman, Vashista. The number of instances where people are treated badly for their caste is astounding. The very fact that Vyasa and Valmiki are extolled for breaking the barriers of caste would suggest that it was not a routine affair and they were the exceptions to the norm. According to Manusmriti, the Sudras were forbidden to participate in the Brahmin rituals and were subjected to severe punishments whereas the Brahmins were exempted from any kind of reprimand for crimes. So I don't think there is a historic instance where a sudra was happy to be a sudra. Even the sudra kings invented lineages that converted their sub-caste into kshatriyas.


I disagree with this notion that the caste system was a good and necessary system that lost its way. But more importantly, was there ever this "fluidity in the system"?  It would appear that social mobility was a myth. It is like the modern myth of America as a class-less society where even the poorest person can pull himself by his bootstraps and become the richest man. Economists have repeatedly shown that there may be a few individuals in a generation who have broken through but for the most part your economic and social standing depends almost entirely on your parents status. If you are born poor, you die poor (and middle class remains middle class).

The caste system was not nor was it ever intended to be a mere classification of tendencies.  It was about racial/ethnic purity. And therefore marriage and reproduction of "genetically pure" offsprings were the most controlled. Being born into a caste was a feature, not a bug. Anthropologically even in cultures that did not have a rigid caste system they had proxy-systems that controlled reproduction and inheritance of property - restricted who could marry whom. Caste system, then is seen as an extension of tribalism. 


Of course, like Marx would say, all conflict is class based. that is, it was based on economic exploitation. It is always about power and money. And there was always an hierarchy in which there was a pecking order and someone at the bottom of the floor. Even before a formalized caste system was in existence there were rich and poor, exploiters and the exploited. Caste system just made it a lot easier for the rich to screw the poor.


I suspect that caste system as a no-judgement system that turned rigid is entirely an invention of modern upper caste folk who wanted to rationalise the existence of caste system. And why did they have to rationalise? Because according to these distinguished people, Hindu way of life and the Vedas were the bestest thing ever. And it could do no wrong. So the caste system was a splendid spectacular thing which was tarnished by some bad apples. Somehow, I very much doubt it.

Wah! Taj!

I know this post has been a little late in the coming... but who cares!

It's been a week since Taj Mahal found its place in the New Seven Wonders of the World and the euphoria has just about worn out. I think it is about time that we took a moment and saw the madness of it.

The mainstream media in India went gung ho with the news of the "voting" for the new seven wonders. CNN-IBN, NDTV, why even SS Music went gaga over the Taj and urged its viewers to vote in favour of Taj. They even opened dedicated lines to sms your vote. A.R. Rahman came up with a song for the Taj and the day the results were declared, saw celebrations in every nook and corner of India.

Perhaps we forgot to ask some important questions. For instance, who is making up this list? Not many know that this was a private initiative by a Swiss concern, who as far as I can see, have no ruddy business or authority to mess up with an established list. UNESCO, which has the official mandate for preserving world heritage, has distanced itself from the campaign. So why do we even bother?

Next, how could a decision on the greatest wonders of the world involve voting from the general public? What are the parameters of selection? Do we have to accept "Might makes right"? With a billion odd population, can anyone even compete with us?

NDTV says, every patriotic Indian is proudly voting for the Taj with a very clear subtext that any one found not voting for the Taj is unpatriotic. And India voted.

One could even ask, why seven? Why not eight or nine or a hundred? Let's accept the "It's a tradition" answer for the moment.

Now that we have the Taj on the list, what next? I suppose it would become a tourist destination and find a place in the 'India Tourism' brochures. Wait a sec; it already is a tourist destination and is the most iconic building in India. So....

I am not an architect and I haven't the faintest clue as to what makes a building a wonder. Mind you, that ShahJahan constructed it for his beloved wife as a symbol of his undying love is no reason for it to be a wonder.

I remember watching a documentary on the 'Thanjavur Periya Kovil' and the filmmaker believed that the reason that the British historians/archaeologists liked the TajMahal better was that it was more closer to their concept of a spectacular building. He pointed out that the prudish Brit could not stand the extravagantly carved Hindu temples with their bare bodied Gods and Godesses. I am not sure how much of that it true. But the least that the Indian media could have done is showcase other architectural wonders of India. My apologies if I had missed such a programme but all I could hear on the tely was what a great wonder Taj is.

I am not against the Taj and please do not colour my views here. All I wanted to point was that we are being brainwashed by the media into believing whatever they dish out. Wake up!

Identity - Part 2

Have you heard someone point at an Indian-American and say, "Oh! He is an ABCD"?

ABCD, American Born Confused Desi is the title given to Indian kids born abroad, especially the States. It is believed that the cultural shock of growing up in an 'alien' environment and being far from our "traditions", "cultural heritage" and "mitti ki khusboo", these children suffer from an identity crisis. For instance, unable to decide if they are American-Indian or Indian-American. Whether to speak Hindi with an English accent or English with an Hindi accent.

I don't have any trouble with that classification. There are desis and there are confused desis. These desis can be born in any country and if born in America are ABCDs. What irks me is when people think that being confused is the prerogative of only the Indian diaspora.

If it wasn't clear from my previous post, which raised many questions and answered none, I am a confused desi. Very.

Yup! I am an IBCD. Indian Born Confused Desi.

We IBCDs aren't much different from ABCDs. You see, I wondered if my identity was of an Indian, Tamilian or Brahmin. As an ABCD, I might have wondered if I was American or Indian and perhaps Tamil or Brahmin too. I may not seriously consider my identity as a Brahmin but may use a substitute - 'Hindu'.

Likewise, our regional status fades into insignificance when we go out of the country. Not really!!? Let me put a qualifier. Most times, our regional identity fades into insignificance when we go out of the country. Tamil, Kannadiga, Bihari, Punjabi; we get along well. We are the Indian fraternity.

Even if it didn't, it is only an order of magnitude higher than an IBCD. Surely, we IBCDs deserve some recognition.

Maybe I just want company, but I think that being confused is good and that we need more messed-up people like me. Because, the opposite of being confused is blind acceptance. It is not that you know the answers to all questions; you simply don't ask any.

Wanna go for a drive?

There are no two opinions about it: driving in India is a nightmare. It's not that the traffic is undisciplined; it is so chaotic, it is a jungle out there. No! Jungles have certain rules about them. For instance, you wouldn't see a deer chase down a cheetah and paw it down on the National Geographic, would you? So! lawless jungle it is. And what an endearing lawless jungle it is.

And did I tell you the roads were a joke. Case in point, my autorickshaw ride from Dombivili West to East. I was visiting Mumbai to attend a wedding and the nice south Indian boy that I am, I decided to wear a dhoti for the big occassion. For those of you unfamiliar with the dhoti, it is a white piece of cloth that you drape around your waist, like a toga. I am not totally unused to it myself and can pull it off any day of the week. This particular ride was a little over 3 kms. And by the time I reached my destination, the dhoti had loosened to such an extent that I had not a little trouble getting out without making an exhibition of myself. Later, I ran three flights of stairs and half a dozen times while I was at it and nothing happened to the dhoti. It stayed on my self like a stain on a new dress.

The cloud, however is not without its silver lining. For starters, it is a good physical workout. Some say, better than an hour at the gym. Also, driving on such roads detracts people from over-eating (lest they throw up on the way). The National Obesity Institute says that people who have to drive more than 5 kms in a day are less prone to obesity. They also point that the hearts are stronger because they can't be scared by sudden events. Like an old lady (with two bags of groceries in her hand and a bag of flour perched precariously on her head), jumping in front of your speeding car or a cyclist who hurls himself from the left corner to the right end with a bus on his tail. You try scaring someone on the roads, cry boo, wear a dracula costume with red blood dripping from your fangs. Zilch. Nada. You wouldn't get as much as a moan.

In the boring west, pedestrians take pride in being able to strut across roads without checking both ways at pedestrian crossings (zebra crossing, if you please). To them, I'll say, here in India, you can walk in the middle of the road with such impunity that one may think that you own the road.

And there is the thrill. People don't have to spend tons of money to holiday in, say, the Gold coast, pay atrocious amounts to enter the theme park and ride on rollercoasters or try bungee jumping. Everyday is a rollercoaster ride. Every trip to office is a near-death experience. No wonder then, that Indians are very philosophical.

Silver lining, I should say it is a silver cloud.

So come on, ye boys and girls. Hearts in your sleeves, put your feet on the brakes and the thumbs on the horn and... lets go for a drive.

India on steroids

India is on steroids. All this rapid growth and development, it is just not natural. Oh! I know! I just committed blasphemy but I am not afraid of thunderbolts as much now. Call me a non-believer; a skeptic and a pessimist. It is true. Our speedy climb scares the shit out of me. The proverbial rise before the fall??!!

Then, it happened. I heard Amitabh Bachchan, and you know it is true when it is him, tell me that I was the leash that was holding the eager India from progressing. Oh! but conversions are on the rise and more and more people are joining the bandwagon. Yup! It's happening folks. Oh! he didn't use that bandwagon word.



Now, I so want to become a part of this India. Standing at the edge of a precipice, I wouldn't hesitate for a second. Believe me, I'll look up at the sky and jump. Hope my garage-built turbo-pack works though. Good enough to carry my steroid-muscled body. Up, up and away.

Listen, all ye rusty bastards who sit in your asses and make comments, raise questions and recommend moderation. Hear this. You are either with us, marching to a glorious future. Or you are against us impeding our parade, making it the 400m hurdles and by God you know, we suck at it.

We'll brand you unpatriotic traitors. If you are effective in actually making people question their faith, we'll have to throw you in prison. Silence you somehow. You know, we live in a democracy. The loudest voice has all the say. We can out-shout you anyday. We have the voice of India behind us.

And if you keep worrying about long term side-effects. Screw you. We don't care if the steroids shrink our testicles or lead to premature heart attacks, strokes, liver tumors, kidney failure and serious psychiatric problems. What if a third of our coutry dies of AIDS, the other two-third will be rich. We'll win this round of the bout, whatever it takes and that is all that matters. Anyone who says otherwise is an ignorant kook.

Now, choose. Are you with us?