Tales from the open air museum

The legendary ruins of Hampi span 19 kilometres. The ornate temples,  imposing courts, symmetrical streets and sophisticated urban planning here that pre-dated Europe by at least a couple of centuries are a marvel, and attest to its status as a World Heritage Site. No wonder that all these years it has been one of the favourite destinations of the more discerning kind of foreign tourist visiting India. Unfortunately, that no longer seems to the case this year.
For all the attractions of the capital of the 13 th century Vijaynagar empire, in 2008 the number of foreign tourists visiting Hampi has fallen by an astounding forty percent. Stalking of foreign tourists for their valuable equipment, peddlers turning eve-teasers, pathetic infrastructure and lack of hygiene and sanitation are some of the reasons for the downturn.

BAD REPUTATION
While the state government is trying its best to attract more and more foreign and national tourists with opulent celebrations like the just-concluded Hampi Utsav, its doubtful if its having the desired effect. Apart from the above-mentioned problems, certain sections of the populace and the local media tend to see the influx of western tourists as undesirable, as a corrupting influence.
According to senior police officers at Hampi, even though there have been instances of foreign nationals being eve-teased or stalked by local village youths or other native tourists, no case has been registered against anybody so far. A senior police official told, “It might happen at Virupapura Gadde, an island on the banks of River Tungabhadra which falls under the jurisdiction of Anegondi police limits. But in our area within Hampi we have been able to achieve 90 percent success pertaining to incidents of eve-teasing or drug-abuse. However, 10 percent of such incidents keep happening as it is difficult to control it fully.”

UNWANTED OVERTURES
But the three-day Hampi Utsav was indeed a testimony to the growing complaints of foreign tourists. Though overall, the festival witnessed a poor response from foreign tourists, there was a considerable number of them around, as their visit coincided with the festival. Even in public places, and despite the crowds, many foreign nationals, especially women, found themselves as targets of unwelcome attentions. Some of them were petted, others were subject to catcalls, a few had their cameras snatched by children who insisted that their photos be taken!

Alex, a tourist from UK, along with his friend said, “A group of youths has been following us for the last one hour. They don’t tell us what they want and run away the moment we try to approach them. But they keep following us and amongst the crowd try to touch us. No one here understands our language. Sometimes, even with the police we find it difficult to explain.”

COSTLY WOES
As though being subject to an indecent, and often intimidating, gaze were not enough, these foreign tourists are also fair game for hoteliers and shopkeepers. Despite shabby lodging and boarding facilities, foreign nationals are charged exorbitantly by the locals. According to Jessilica, a tourist from Poland, “Hampi is more expensive than Goa. It is OK, but you do not get the quality accommodation or food for the money you pay. I came today from Goa and I have decided to leave tomorrow itself.”

Another tourist, Christina, also from Poland, said that its been difficult to travel around Hampi. “We came to Hospet and then to Hampi by taxi. But the journey was pathetic and arduous on a bumpy road. Here there are no good hotels and lodges. Further, the place is also so hot,” she commented. According to these tourists, most lodge operators charge exorbitant prices though the rooms are small and dingy with improper ventilation.
Though many tourists manage to cover the ruins either by bikes or bicycles, it is again a paisa vasool trick. “I remember paying close to Rs 60 for a litre of petrol in Goa. But here a few charge Rs 100, some a little less at Rs 90. Cycling around under the scorching heat on a rugged terrain is too difficult to manage,” claims another tourist from Israel.

RAISING A STINK
Then there is the question of lack of proper sanitation in the area, which is a great put-off for the foreign tourists. Lack of toilets and improper maintenance at the lodging houses have made many tourists to go alfresco along the Tungabhadra river. But the ablutions here too come at a price. Greedy for their dollars and pounds, the locals charge the tourists for even that! A corollary to this: the vicinity of many monuments are a health hazard, not to mention the stink.

PROBLEMS OF RED TAPE
A majority of the tourists who visit Hampi are from Israel, Germany, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Norway. Even though the tourist season is considered to be between November and April, the number of visitors are calculated from January to December on the basis of details registered by foreign visitors. According to police, in 2007 the number of foreign visitors touched 12,500. But this year with one more month to go for the final tally, their number is still at 7,600. Admitting the lack of infrastructure and other facilities for tourists at Hampi, the Hospet (Vijayanagar) MLA Anand Singh said, “I am aware about the poor connectivity. The central government has already sanctioned Rs 160 crore for the upgradation of the Bellary-Hospet national highway. The work has already reached the tender stage and it will take off soon.”

But development of infrastructure around Hampi appears to be a difficult task for the district administration. “For any development work within Hampi you need to take permission from many departments like Hampi Development Authority, Archeological Department, Forest Department etc. If you start asphalting around Hampi, the archeology department objects that it would spoil their excavated sites. Further, there have been encroachments of monuments which we will soon vacate and we will also protect those structures. Since I got elected a few months ago, I took time in learning about the problems. I will soon convene a meeting with the officials of Hampi Development Authority and evolve solutions,” he explained.

MORE PATROLLING
Tourism Minister G Janardhana Reddy sought to assuage fears about lack of proper security for the foreign tourists. “I had requested the CM to grant sub-division status to Hampi for better services and security. He has okayed the proposal and from next week a full fledged unit with an official belonging to the rank of deputy superintendent of police heading the operations will start functioning. Besides, police personnel will also be provided with 15 patrolling vehicles and five check posts will be set up for 24X7 patrolling activities. If anybody is found disturbing and violating the rules they will be caught and punished severely. Further, the CM has presented a Rs 200 crore master plan for the development of Hampi in the budget and those funds will also be utilised for the development,” he revealed.

Wanna die? Try Bangalore borewells’ water

There is no doubt that water is the elixir of life. But in IT City, circa 2008, it would be advisable not to drink it raw. That is, if you value your health, and even your life. For the plain reality is that Bangalore’s borewells and even open wells are teeming with bacterial and faecal coliforms which are as lethal as any poison.
The Karnataka State Pollution Control Board’s analysis of water samples taken from the three major valleys of Bangalore has thrown up some alarming statistics about the water that we drink everyday. Thanks to our sewage system that goes back to the days of the Raj, domestic sewage has percolated into the underground water table and contaminated the city’s tubewells and open wells.
The analysis, covering the Bangalore-Vrishabhavati, Koramangala-Challghatta and Hebbal valleys, showed a high concentration of faecal residue along with high fluoride and nitrate content in the water samples. The study, following a directive by a recent Lok Adalat, included 29 different physico-chemical and microbiological tests. The samples were collected from water points which are used by a large part of the city’s population.
The study showed that more than 60 per cent of the samples were infested with bacteria that can adversely affect human health. “Total coliforms and faecal coliforms are very high in all the sites, indicating bacteriological contamination of ground water through constant percolation of domestic sewage,” the
report said.
The report has recommended to the government the need for continuous investigation to know how faecal coliforms enter the underground water table. The other recommendations include safe sanitary practices, alternative drinking water facilities for these areas, and banning of soak pits largely used across the city for the disposal of waste. The report also highlights the need to repair broken portions of sewage lines and calls for the integration of the city’s sewage network with the sewage treatment system for proper recycling of waste.
It is not just disease-causing bacteria, the water samples abound with toxic chemicals and heavy metals. Places around the Koramangala-Challaghatta valley have a high level of nitrates, again attributed to the seepage of sewage. According to experts, a high nitrate content in water can lead to the blue-baby syndrome, especially in infants less than six months old. The highest level of nitrate — 94.6 mg/ltr — was found at Kempegowda Layout close to the Ring Road.
In all these places, the pH level of the ground water stood at between 6.7 and 8.2, and the alkalinity between 263 and 612 mg/ltr. More than 86 samples revealed high concentrations of fluoride. More than the open wells, tubewell samples around Koramangala-Challghatta had a fluoride content ranging up to 2.1 mg/ltr. According to the report, such high levels of fluoride can lead to dental fluorosis (mottled teeth). Among heavy metals, zinc and iron were present in all samples while other metals like nickel, cadmium, chromium, lead and arsenic were not detectable.

‘Let’s kill Gandhi’!

The history of humans reveal that no human was spared from controversy, especially the great personalities who appear to be interlaced with enough controversies either in their life time or after the death. Unfortunately, not many biographies or autobiographies would venture to comment on those issues and opt to be reticent. In that context, even the life of our father of nation is no exception. Even though a lot has been written and discussed about the life and works of Baapu, the last days of Mahatma, which culminated in his assassination, are still shrouded in controversy. In fact a couple of attempts were made earlier to depict his last days such as Kamal Hassan’s ‘Hey Ram’ and few plays and books in a few vernacular languages. But none of them convinced readers and in fact took the raging debate over the assassination episode of Baapu to an all time high.
I think, the publication ‘Let’s kill Gandhi!’ by Tushar A Gandhi, Baapu’s great grandson, addresses the issue in detail which was hitherto unsung or less discussed in earlier biographies. The 900 plus pages book centered around Baapu’s last days, the conspiracy, assassination, investigation and trial, is a compilation of vivid records shedding light on the assassination episode. Judging by the content of the work, ‘Let’s kill Gandhi’ is quite well-timed as all of us are debating over the issue with no adequate documents to support any of our assumptions. Since independence, Gandhiji’s role in the making of Modern India has always been questioned and issues like his assassination and the conspiracy by the members of Sangh Pariwar have indeed become a fuel to the debate over him. Despite a few works, much of the witnesses were either in the print form of some archived files or the things that have remained with his associates’ family. With the absence of an official record which had both of these details, debates were often led to many controversies of various intensity.
Despite the intriguing controversies, many fundamental questions were undermined either with no answer or with biased answers. Was Gandhi responsible for the partition? Gandhi sheltered Muslims and abandoned Hindus, Was the assassination only way to save India? — are some of the questions diffused by many who are critical about Gandhi. The young generation, having brought up under the shadow of these issues may take different turn and none of the official biographies affirmed these facts with greater credibility. But Tushar’s work intends to put the facts straight as they were recorded in the government files. It is almost certain that, a subject as narrow as this, one may run short of resources and end up with an abrupt stand. But Tushar’s meticulous preparation spread over around four-and-a-half years has gathered much astute facts and witnesses gleaned from a number of verbal sources. Besides these, the usual archival materials and records penned by the trial commissions and excerpts from different newspapers have coloured the work with great punctuality.
With an intentionally chosen subject, Tushar tries to deconstruct some of the established myths and theories by the rightwing groups around Baapu’s assassination. It is indeed shocking to know that the plan was hatched with great care and nurtured and executed with utmost veneration to their ideologies. The fabrication of the topic through three different books (Parts) juxtapose the incidents as and when they occurred without taking any stand either from the victims’ or accused side.
It is common to all of us to boast off very well about Baapu without knowing enough details. But one goes clue less about the aftermath of the killing-the communal violence, trial of the assassins and the arguments put forward by defence lawyers at the court and much before the Kapur Commission which was set up by the union government to look into the conspiracy part of Baapu’s assassination. But the book supplants reader with exhaustive details and side references in the forms of quote jotted by Baapu’s associates like Pyarelal Nayyar, Aba ben and many others. Backed with agreeable records, Tarun questions the role of Police and the way they bungled the entire issue, callousness of Baapu’s political associates in resolving tensed moments.
It could well be recorded that nowhere in the history of political assassinations either in India or abroad has such a sequence of human errors and apathy conspired to let a bunch of perpetrators to succeed so easily. As it has been said, the book is a splendid chronicle of conspiracy that goes beyond Nathuram Godse, Baapu’s assassin.

“HEY RAM”

Unveiling the real Gandhi

I know it is already late. But it took me almost an entire month to finish with these two books on Bapu. But reading anything on Gandhi is as fascinating as reading chapters from the history. Here is a personality, who is sandwiched between both the schools of thought-Left and Right, critiqued from close quarters and explored from all possible angles, only to come out as a sparkling gem honouring the values of life. As a tribute to the father of the nation, here I write what I read.

Albert Einstein, one of the geniuses of the last century once said of Gandhi, “Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood, walked upon this earth.” On the close heels, much has been written and discussed about the life and times of Gandhi which has made him more or less a metaphor for non-violence, peace and humanity. But none of the biographers or writers have ever tried to discover the real man in Gandhi. If there were any attempts, they were eclipsed by his virtuosity and made them benumbed. Moreover, with the genre of writing biographies itself witnessing a change, Mohandas: A True Story of a Man, his People and an Empire conjures up the arena with its flamboyant details about the Mahatma, which were hitherto unknown.
Ranging from Erik Erikson’s Gandhi’s Truth, which analysed Mohandas psychologically, to diaries of Gandhi’s personal secretary Mahadev Desai, all his biographical histories were either known for favoured treatment or deconstruction of Gandhi. Thus for anybody venturing to write yet another biography would be a herculean task, not content-wise but also in being true to the subject. Like all good batsmen who find gaps between the fielders and score runs, Rajmohan Gandhi has achieved an immaculate success with a ‘chronological, complete and candid portrayal’ — one in which ‘the whole life of the Mahatma could be looked at as one piece, and a touchable, comprehensible Gandhi brought out.’
In his attempt to construct a candid portrayal, he neither embellishes his work with historic factual details nor does he exaggerate any particular event but a perfect symmetry between both on a neutralist pitch. Spreading across 16 chapters, from his boyhood to his assassination, Rajmohan unfolds a verisimilitude and gravitated details meticulously chosen from ‘a mass of materials: letters, memoirs, diaries and published articles.’ The slow and elegant evolution of a timid and shy lad from the Saurashtra region to a remarkable leader in two different continents at first and gradually encompassing the whole world with his political and cultural philosophies which paved way for the emancipation of underprivileged across the world, is indeed a scintillating stroke.
Many times most of the biographies on Bapu were read to know more about the functioning of the Congress Party and internal disputes over the presidentship, dispute over the partition plan which mirrored his secular views, his confrontations with other national luminaries and of course, the assassination episode. Not divulging from the curious details, Rajmohan Gandhi with all punctual details appears to be an uninvolved observer. Being a twelve-and-a-half year old when Bapu was assassinated, Rajmohan has succeeded in recording both the parochial events important for any boy of that age and the political life coloured with the family life of Mahatma from either the archives or from his father’s words.
The biography hogged the limelight for the candid details about Gandhiji’s love towards Saraladevi which was omitted by other writers. Not much bewildered by the curiosity, like all other episodes, he treats Saraladevi episode but takes away the credit for bursting it. In fact, the episode goes eponymous with his wish to write a ‘complete and candid’ biography! Commenting about the communal clash during the partition plan, Rajmohan opines that it happened despite Gandhiji’s efforts to persuade people along with the leaders but not because of intermixing of politics with religion.
While recollecting some of the popular and familiar milestones too, Rajmohan strikes with his novel approach. Scrutinising the events from the point of view of people who were involved in the episode, he provides convincing background in the form of apt anecdotes from their diaries or personal letters. But the narration and the events smartly escapes the current debates and timely or momentary preoccupation with the Gandhigiri and attempts to remain within the self-imposed peripheries of Rajmohan Gandhi. The preface filled with open statements about the author’s disposition, well in fact becomes a prelude to the entire story and defends his attempt to retell the open story of the father of nation.
Admitting his attempt to embark on a challenging task, Rajmohan states, “I went for it in fear, praying that I might do some justice to the man and also to the truth. God only knows how far I have succeeded or failed.” But a reader having grasped the text would conclude that the author has done justice within his own limitations.

Remembering Shankar Nag

It is almost two decades since the Karate king of Sandalwood, a maverick film maker, theatre artist, Shankar Nag died in a road accident near Davanagere. Known for his visionary cinemas, technical skills, Shankar was nothing but a gift to not just the Sandalwood, but for the entire nation too. While the people from South India remembers him for his epic movies like Minchina Ota, Ondanondu Kaladalli, Ondu Muttina Kathe, Geetha, Accident and Nodi Swami Navirodu Heege, people from North India remembers him for his brilliant performace in Utsav, Ankur, Nishant etc.
Last week, while passing through the same stretch near Davanagere where Shankar met with the tragic end, memories of his films started popping up. Hailing from a remote hamlet of Mallapur village in Honavar taluk of Uttara Kannada district, Shankar was fluent in Kannada, Konkani and Martahi. In fact he started his career with Marathi theatre in Mumbai. However, Shankar’s stint with the success started when his elder brother Ananth Nag brought him back to Bangalore.
Continuing with his passionate theatrical activities, Shankar rose to national level after his brilliant performance in Girish Karnad’s epic movie Ondanondu Kaaladalli (Once upon a time)an adoptation of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai,. Displaying his acting skills while donning the lead role of a mercenary, Shankar won the best actor award at the New Delhi International Film Festival. Not confining his talent just to the parallel cinema medium, Shankar went on to do mass oriented masala movies which earned him the sobriquet – Karate King. His role of an auto driver in the Auto Raja, portraying the humbleness of autowalas, made him popular among the mass and several auto stands till today have been named after him.
When television media was making inroads into the household of every Indian, Shankar cast his spell there also. R K Narayan’s Malgudi Days was testimonial to Shankar’s oeuvre on small screen. Besides the serial’s impish character ‘Swami’, the title music composed by L Vaidyanathan through nasal twang, is a huge hit till today. While doing his best to the medium that shot him to the fame, Shankar and his wife Arundhati Nag set up Sanket, an amateur theatre group. The troupe was instrumental in bringing historic plays like Nagamandala, Anju Mallige by Girish Karnad onto stage.
But for a genius who could have earned many laurels for Karnataka, fate had something different in store. On his way to the sets of his movie Jokumara Swamy, directed by Girish Karnad, Shankar met with an accident and died on the spot. Nevertheless, every movie buffs, theatre enthusiasts remember Shankar and his contributions

Photo: D C Nagesh