Monthly Archives: November 2008

Will No Smoking work in India?

Posted on by
Reply

The Indian government’s decision to ban smoking in public places, announced on October 2nd—Gandhi’s birthday—seemed almost laughable. I was skeptical about whether people would adhere to this new rule. During the first week after its implementation, media outlets captured images of people smoking in public areas and presented them to the District Magistrate (DM), questioning whether the rule applied to Benares. The DM responded that they had not yet received a written copy of the regulations, so they were unsure how to enforce the ban.

Recently, I visited Delhi and went to the Delhi High Court for some work. To my surprise, I saw many advocates and police officers smoking within the court premises. At first, I thought I must have mistakenly entered the wrong place because it seemed inconceivable that law enforcement and legal professionals would flout the very laws they are meant to uphold. There was a canteen inside the court where smoking seemed permissible, but many people, including advocates, were smoking outside the canteen.

After finishing my work, I went to a tea shop about 50 meters from the High Court and asked for a cigarette. The shopkeeper informed me that he did not sell cigarettes. When I inquired about the nearest place to buy cigarettes, he directed me to a shop inside the High Court. He explained that selling tobacco products near the High Court was prohibited, yet tobacco products were sold within the court premises. The inconsistency left both of us puzzled. It’s common to see people smoking in public spaces, including trains and buses, despite a long-standing ban.

Many restaurants catering to foreigners still permit smoking. Although there was some discussion about the new law in its early days, I doubt anyone follows it, and I believe it will continue to be ignored. The law seems to be ridiculed, and there’s a prevailing belief that it won’t work in India. Ironically, while the government sought to curb cigarette smoke with this law, it recently repealed the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA), which was enacted by the previous BJP government to combat terrorism.

Although terrorism persisted under POTA, the law kept it in check to some extent. Since its repeal, the number of terrorist activities has surged dramatically. While countries around the world are enacting new laws to combat terrorism, India appears to be moving in the opposite direction by withdrawing existing ones. The repeal of POTA was driven by political motivations rather than effectiveness. In the last six months alone, India has experienced sixty-four bomb blasts—a record high. This escalation highlights the urgent need for effective counter-terrorism measures, rather than dismantling the tools that helped control it.

Photo documentary about Ganga

Posted on by
Reply

A student from Singapore is staying with me. She contacted me through Couchsurfing, initially just to meet up. However, when I discovered she was conducting research on the Ganga, I asked if she would be interested in staying at my place as a paying guest. She was also looking for a homestay, so she agreed to rent my apartment. She is working on a photo documentary titled “Son of Ganga,” which explores the relationship between the people and the Ganga in Varanasi. Although she started this research as a personal project inspired by her father, her school became involved once she informed them and requested time off.

She wanted to collaborate with the Sankat Mochan Foundation for her research. She reached out to them about twenty days ago but has yet to receive a response. I’ve had many conversations with her about the pollution in the Ganga. I took her to a spot where untreated sewage is discharged directly into the river. She was stunned by the volume of waste and said she had no idea the Ganga was so polluted. When I told her there were over ten such discharge points in Varanasi alone, she was incredulous. I also showed her another sewage discharge point near Shivala Ghat and Assi Ghat.

The Assi Ghat drain has a rather ironic story. The government spent a significant amount of money diverting the drain to mix with the Nagwa drain to make the discharge less visible. Yet, the Assi Ghat drain has started up again, discharging untreated sewage directly into the Ganga. It’s baffling why such a large sum was spent merely to obscure the problem rather than investing in a proper treatment plant. There is another river in Varanasi called the Varuna, which has essentially become a large drain. Locals refer to it as “Varuna Nala,” with ‘nala’ meaning drain in Hindi.

I only recently learned that Varuna River and Varuna Nala are the same thing. A religious walk called Antargrih starts at Manikarnika Ghat and covers all of Varanasi. One segment of this walk involves walking along the Varuna River and performing rituals where it merges with the Ganga. The Varuna River flows through areas with numerous Muslim neighborhoods and slaughterhouses. Waste from over ten to fifteen slaughterhouses is dumped directly into the river, along with substantial amounts of sewage. The river is so notorious for its filth that it has become a preferred spot for criminals to dispose of bodies.

It’s not uncommon to find human remains in the river, which eventually mix with the Ganga after several kilometers. This walk is scheduled for later this month, and Nadia and I have decided to participate. I’ve heard that people drink water from the Varuna where it merges with the Ganga. Despite walking along the river, witnessing all the waste, both animal and human, and observing the immense sewage discharge, they still drink this water purely for religious reasons. I can’t fully imagine what we will encounter, but I’m excited for the experience.

Brain drain in India

Posted on by
Reply

The title of this post is “Upside Down” because it reflects how quality is often disregarded while mediocrity is upheld by both our people and our government. First, I want to talk about my brother, who is an Italian interpreter working for a major travel agency in India. Based in Delhi, he has been interpreting and escorting Italian tourists and researchers for the past two years. Though he doesn’t have an official tour guide license, he possesses extensive knowledge and experience. Many Italian travel agencies recommend him for their groups.

He started with a small group of just two people and has since progressed to leading groups of up to sixty. Despite his success, he must hire a government-authorized tour guide in each city he visits with his clients, as non-licensed individuals are not allowed to work independently. These guides are supposed to be passive, merely providing protection. However, many government-authorized guides resent him because he handles large groups, while they are stuck with smaller ones. Last week, at Jama Masjid in Delhi, licensed guides stopped him at the entrance.

They demanded to see his license, which he didn’t have, even though he was accompanied by a licensed guide. When asked if this guide spoke Italian, the answer was no, as he was an English-speaking guide. Despite the fact that all licensed guides hold the same credentials and are not required to speak specific languages, the government guides insisted on an Italian-speaking guide for my brother’s group, seemingly to obstruct him. At the same time, another group from my brother’s agency arrived with an Italian-speaking guide, but he was unable to work due to the same restrictions.

This pattern repeated in Rajasthan, where he faced similar issues and had to find an Italian-speaking government-authorized guide. Frustrated, my brother has decided to stop working in this field for now. He plans to continue with a few prearranged groups but is considering leaving the profession entirely. He is now transitioning to operations, a field he has no prior experience in. He feels compelled to learn something new, as government guides may continue to obstruct his work in the future. Although I’m confident in his ability to find another job due to his intelligence, I am concerned about the state of the tourism industry.

It’s disheartening to see a knowledgeable and experienced professional sidelined while outdated and less competent individuals are given support. This situation is truly “Upside Down.” Another story involves a relative of mine who is twenty-four years old and has always aspired to a life of crime rather than education. Despite being arrested multiple times, his father, who works at Sampurnanand Sanskrit university in Varanasi, managed to secure 10th and 12th grade certificates for him through bribery. He also obtained a graduation degree for his son from his own university, all without the son ever attending school.

The father then enrolled him in a B.Ed. course at a university in Gujarat, again through bribery, bypassing the admission tests. The son continues his criminal activities while his academic record remains intact. The father believes he can secure a government teaching job for his son through further bribery. Last year, I saw a newspaper advertisement for a peon position at the Benares municipality. The job required only an 8th-grade certificate and knowledge of bicycle riding. However, many candidates with Master’s and Ph.D. degrees applied for the position, illustrating the scarcity of jobs for highly educated individuals. Ultimately, the municipality hired these highly educated candidates as peons.

These overqualified individuals will now ride bicycles and monitor illegal construction sites, despite their extensive education. Their qualifications have not translated into the jobs they expected, and I suspect they will resort to bribery to supplement their meager salaries. Thus, a man who never attended school will become a teacher, while those with advanced degrees end up in lowly positions. It’s ironic to think about what the unqualified relative might teach—perhaps lessons in corruption or violence—while highly educated individuals are relegated to menial tasks. This situation epitomizes the concept of being “Upside Down.”

Corrupt Policing in India

Posted on by

I witnessed something truly bizarre recently, which might be considered quite unusual even for an Indian. While I was sitting in an auto rickshaw, the driver was pulled over by a policeman who then sat next to me. Typically, police officers don’t pay for transportation, whether it’s an auto, bus, or train. After a few minutes of driving, another individual tried to stop our auto, but the driver refused. He explained that this person was also an auto rickshaw driver and was looking for a free ride. The other driver was furious and began shouting loudly.

We encountered this irate driver again near the railway station. He had arrived ahead of us, parked his auto, and was waiting for us. This time, our driver stopped, and the angry driver approached, grabbing the policeman by the collar and hurling abuses at him. I, along with the others in the auto, was shocked to see an auto rickshaw driver berating a policeman so publicly. The second driver claimed that the policeman had tried to ride in his auto without paying, and when he refused due to his auto being full, the policeman had slapped him.

It seemed the policeman had come to our auto after this incident. The driver continued to yell at the policeman, demanding to know why he was slapped, while the policeman merely replied that he would deal with him later and threatened to arrest him. The driver then accused the policeman of routinely sitting in his auto without paying. He boldly said, “Do I give you Rs. 10 every time I drive to the railway station to get abused?” He revealed that police officers would charge him Rs. 10 each time he drove to the railway station, a practice that he had endured for a long time. The policeman, caught off guard by this revelation, fell silent.

The driver’s response was impressive. Another rickshaw driver shared that police officers have set rates for different routes, with drivers in the downtown area paying Rs. 60. Trucks and tractors are banned from entering the city center after 8 a.m., but they frequently do so by paying bribes to the police, who stop them at every intersection but only for show. As I watched the altercation unfold, I was quite entertained by the driver’s defiance. However, to my surprise, a few other bystanders started siding with the policeman.

Despite widespread knowledge of police corruption and harassment, these people began supporting the officer. The policeman seemed emboldened by their support and became more assertive. The crowd, now favoring the policeman, urged the driver to move and let the policeman go. Eventually, the auto rickshaw driver relented, and the policeman, now with the support of a crowd of over fifty people, was let go. As the station approached, the policeman got out of the auto without paying the fare, just as he had done before.

It was striking to witness such shameless behavior. The driver will likely face repercussions for his actions, but his bold response to the policeman was remarkable. It’s a stark reminder of the kind of bravery we need to tackle the most dangerous kind of corruption in India—often embodied by those in positions of authority like the police.

Meeting advocate for tour guide lawsuit

Posted on by
Reply

I went to Delhi on the 9th to be involved in the case against the Ministry of Tourism for failing to start the tour guide training program in 2008. The training was supposed to commence on October 6th but was delayed due to a lawsuit filed by the Guide Association of Jaipur, which challenged the government’s plan for organizing the training differently from their own. My arrival in Delhi was delayed by three hours due to the train being late, and I was only able to meet with the advocate because he was busy with another client.

I had planned to get my laptop and camera serviced and to take photos of the plastic waste around Delhi, but the train delay thwarted these plans. Upon reaching Delhi around noon, instead of the planned 9 a.m., I went to the High Court to meet the advocate. He was occupied with a significant matter and I had to wait in his office for over two hours. During this time, I overheard that he was dealing with a case involving the Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) concerning extra income beyond his official salary.

It seemed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) was also involved, indicating the DCP’s significant corruption. DCPs typically earn around twenty thousand rupees in salary, but they often possess expensive cars, bungalows, and other luxuries. If those at the top are corrupt, it’s likely that those beneath them are as well, since bribes generally flow through the lower ranks before reaching the higher-ups. When I finally met the advocate, I was surprised to find that a young High Court advocate, probably in his 30s or 40s, was struggling with basic computer tasks.

He took ten to fifteen minutes just to type my name and address and printed the wrong documents multiple times. Despite my offer to type the information myself, I chose to watch him navigate the computer issues. Eventually, after an hour of watching him struggle, my paperwork was completed. He asked me to call him on the 22nd to discuss the court’s judgment. His fee was Rs. 3,000, which was Rs. 1,000 more than the Rs. 2,000 he charged last time for a similar case. Despite the extra cost, it seemed reasonable if it meant securing the permit. He promised to appeal to the court to issue a license valid until the training program begins.

Previously, the permit was only valid for one month, requiring frequent trips to Delhi for renewals. I hope this time will be different. After leaving the High Court, I walked to Connaught Place and spent some time observing the modern people of India. It struck me that there is a growing issue with obesity, likely influenced by western fast food and soft drinks, despite the higher literacy rates in big cities compared to smaller ones. I saw many well-dressed people in luxury cars throwing trash out of their windows, which highlights the need for significant changes in our education system.

I had planned to photograph the plastic waste near the railway tracks but couldn’t due to the foggy weather. I had already taken a few photos earlier in the morning. Although the trip wasn’t entirely successful, I don’t regret going to Delhi, especially since I will likely obtain the license.

Politics over Language

Posted on by
Reply

Yesterday, I visited Delhi Public School, Varanasi branch, with a friend whose nephew attends the school. There was a music festival taking place. I enjoyed the event but was puzzled by why all the students and teachers were speaking English to one another. Although all the parents were expected to meet with the warden, my friend was reluctant to do so because his English is not strong. He mentioned that even though he speaks Hindi to the school staff, they always respond in English. My friend asked me to speak with them. I tried speaking English, but they continued to respond in Hindi.

Eventually, I had to switch to Hindi. This was the second time I had experienced this situation; I had previously spoken with the same staff member about four to five months ago, and he had spoken to me in Hindi then. My friend was curious as to why they seemed to speak English only with him. It seems that the warden only speaks English to those who do not speak it fluently. English has become quite fashionable in India. Many people use English as their primary language, especially in major cities like Delhi and Mumbai.

About 80% of the upper class and 50% of the upper-middle class in these cities have adopted English as their first language and rarely speak Hindi. On some television shows where viewers call in with questions, big-city residents often speak English, even though the shows are in Hindi. When the host requests questions in Hindi, some callers claim they don’t know the language. I’ve noticed that even in smaller cities like Varanasi, people are increasingly using English and are reluctant to speak Hindi. While learning English is essential for job prospects in India, I find it troubling that English is being adopted as the first language.

Foreigners come to India to learn Hindi, yet Indians are increasingly embracing English and Western culture. This shift seems unnecessary to me. I once worked with Krista, a research scholar from the University of California, in Mehndiganj. We went to interview a worker at a Coke factory, but an American researcher was already conducting an interview. We had to wait for her to finish. She had a translator from Delhi working for an NGO called ASHA. The translator was gathering information for a book that the NGO was publishing. During the interview, the translator often spoke English to a local villager who didn’t understand the language. Despite knowing the interviewee could not speak English, she kept asking questions in English.

The interviewee could only respond by shaking his head, which seemed ineffective. I found it puzzling why the translator was insisting on speaking English. Most government and private sector offices have printed their letterheads stating a preference for communication in Hindi. However, they predominantly use English for correspondence. A letter written in English tends to receive quicker attention. It seems that Hindi is only used on Hindi Day, with 364 days dedicated to English. Raj Thackeray, the chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), protests against Hindi-speaking people from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar living in Maharashtra.

Raj Thakrey, Chief of MNS Party

His supporters have been known to assault people who speak Hindi and damage shops with Hindi signage. They want everyone to speak Marathi. This has led to riots and numerous fatalities, yet the government has taken little action. While promoting Marathi is within their rights, it’s unacceptable to prevent people from speaking Hindi in India. Hindi is our national language, and it’s shameful that a group would attempt to suppress it within our own country. It would be more constructive to protest against the dominance of English rather than Hindi.

MNS workers beating a person from UP/Bihar

The MNS was supported by Congress to split the Marathi vote, which benefits Congress politically. Raj Thackeray has been arrested a few times but never stayed in jail long, which seems to be a political maneuver by Congress to maintain support among the Hindi-speaking populace. I learned English to secure a job, but I don’t use it with Hindi speakers. Many people believe that speaking English makes them appear more intelligent. However, language is crucial for preserving culture. If we lose Hindi, we lose a significant part of our cultural identity.

The growing trend of adopting English as the primary language is concerning. If this continues, it could mean the erosion of our cultural heritage and national identity. I believe that some people, especially young women, seek to appear modern and impressive by using English in conversations. It often seems like they are trying too hard to show off. I find it more authentic to communicate in one’s native language, as it fosters clearer understanding and connection. Losing Hindi would be a profound loss for India. If English becomes the dominant language, it might signify a loss of our unique cultural identity and heritage.

Another case against tour guide training

Posted on by
Reply

It now appears that completing the guide training program will be delayed by another year. The Guide Association of Jaipur has filed another lawsuit against the government, demanding that the training be organized exactly as it was previously done for them. Their training consisted of three and a half months of classes followed by a fifteen-day orientation tour. This time, the proposed training includes forty-five days of classes, a fifteen-day orientation tour, and two months of research. I believe this updated training program is an improvement over the previous one.

The Jaipur association has alleged that some candidates in this year’s program have submitted fraudulent documents. They are demanding that the government verify each document with the relevant authorities. It seems their primary goal is to delay the training as much as possible. They are likely trying to prevent new guides from working during the 2010 Commonwealth Games, which is expected to attract around ten million tourists to India.

Due to the postponement of our training, this year’s candidates are planning to sue the government again for not starting the program. I received a call from the advocate handling the lawsuit, who informed me that the government will issue temporary licenses to all candidates who were scheduled to receive training this year. I will need to travel to Delhi to obtain this temporary license. While I am uncertain how long it will take to receive the permanent license, the constant trips to Delhi and the advocate’s fees are becoming quite overwhelming.