Is it only me?

I will be turning 30 in a couple of months from now and as I am getting older, there is this frustration that is building up in me on the state of affairs in Coorg. Its been 7 months since I moved to the neighbouring state of Kerala and besides the guilt of not making it home often enough (3 trips in 7 months is not something to be proud of). While some might say that I have no right to comment since I do not live in Coorg nor have I in any way contributed to any major cause even if it is monetary and hence I should not be a hypocrite. Well, that is my home and no matter where I am or what I do, my roots are right where it has always been. 

This article is an attempt to put my side of the story and understand from my Coorg brethren if I am alone in my thoughts or if I am thinking what everybody else is thinking but not saying it out loud besides a conversation over a drink or two. 

The past couple of years has seen some significant developments in terms of the Govt. of Karnataka's so called initiatives in development activities in Coorg. I must say I am baffled that we are accepting everything being thrown at us in the name of making us an inclusive part of the state. The 80th All India Karnataka Sahitya Sammelana that took off in Coorg today is a plain and straight mockery of us Kodavas. How else would one explain the arrogance of the Government machinery in organising a Sammelana in a district that has largely been ignored in terms of basic infrastructure development?. Why should we normal Kodavas even put up with this kind of an arrogance when we do not even get our due or rather return of investment on taxes that we pay to the Government. I agree that Coorg/ Kodagu is an integral part of the State of Karnataka and besides the fight for our rights through organisations like the CNC, the Coorg Wildlife Society etc, there has never been a conversation on the actual state of affairs in Coorg. On one side, we have the lack of basic infrastructure and on the other side, the loss of our traditions and Cultural heritage. 

Basic infrastructural development that is a minimum requisite is sadly the last thing on our Govt.'s development agenda. The Hunsur Gonikoppal road has been in shambles since time immemorial so much so that people drive on this stretch simply because they do not have a choice. Its been nearly a year since we were promised that the road will be ready and sadly the stretch is as bad or worse at the moment. On one side, we have tourists coming in thousands to Coorg thereby creating an alternate means of an income to everybody concerned. And instead of developing this, we today have a scenario where money is being spent on activities that has no bearing on out lives whatsoever. 

The Gonikoppal Dasara had a budget that does not help anybody besides some quick money for the organisers. This Sahitya sammelana is another example of making money from a social cause (if that is what it is). If the Govt. or our very own elected representatives are so interested in developing the Culture of Coorg, then why isn't some money allocated to Kodava Culture itself. for example, I for one have never seen a "kolu mandu" on Puthari and I can say it is true for most of our generation. Is there any money been spent on preserving traditonal practices and art forms of Coorg. God forbid a day where we have a DJ dropping a valaga tune at a Ganga pooja simply because we do not have a valaga team. With most of us living outside, we do not even have time to make it for our very own festivals and we actually only have 4 of them of any significance (Kailpod, Kaveri Sankramana, Karana and Puthari). So, while a large part of the blame is because of our indifferent attitude;we are playing right into the hands of the politicians who would like nothing than cutting us down to size and snatching away our land and culture from us and thereby our very existence. 

There is a lot more that I can write home about and pent my frustration. But today it is about acceptance of who we are and where we would like to see ourselves 50 years from now. It is upto my generation to walk the talk and preserve whatever we have left. Agreed that we are a cosmopolitan and urbane,educated, liberal Community. We are global and exposed and we need to be pragmatic in accepting that we cannot expect all of us to marry into our own community. In layman terms, we are "modern". But nobody can deny that we are facing a crisis that we better accept and try to rectify before we are walked over in our own land because of our ignorance and indifferent attitude. 

Are we doing justice?

The event and entertainment industry has undergone a sea change in the last couple of years and I have been privileged to be a part of that change. There has perhaps never been a better time for the music industry in India. The advent of cable television and more importantly the access to the internet has exposed the average Indian to different genres of Music. The average listener today can listen to their favourite artists at the press of a button. Indian classical artists have in fact been performing the world over for the last 50 years or so but the new boom has helped independent Indian artists find themselves a new platform; also giving them a chance to perform with their idols on the same stage and some have even had international tours. Some have waited more than 20 years to reap the benefits while some have reached that stage in 2 to 3 years. From traditional players to non-traditional players, everybody worth their salt, now has a stake in the events industry. Is it a good or a bad thing? Well, time will tell but whichever way I look at it, this is how it needs to be? If you think you have it, then go for it!

Everyday, music festivals are mushrooming all over the country and across various genres. From a sunburn, Rock in India or a One tree Music festival until about 6 years ago, we have now reached a stage where there are music festivals every other month and that too in places that we did not even imagine until it happened. Who would have thought that a music festival in places like Pune, or Coorg or Kasaul will have premium Indian and International artists performing? And most of these festivals are promoted by new age players with passion driving them more than monetary benefits.

Perhaps the biggest gainer in terms of genre has been the EDM scene? The last 3 months have seen the top artists in the World perform in India to sold out shows. A lot of people have worked tirelessly over the last few years and have raised the platform year after year to make India a must visit destination for these artists. While one cannot take it away from the promoters and the event managers and everybody else concerned, one must not forget that none of this would have happened without the support and the enthusiasm of the paying public.

I remember going for an Aerosmith concert about 7 years back; I was in college and did not have money to go for the concert. A cousin of mine who was going for the concert gave me money for 2 premium tickets for my brother and I, each costing around Rs. 1800/-. We did not want to leave another cousin out, so we bought 3 normal tickets for the same price. The point I am making is that spending mentality has changed today, College kids are willing to spend around Rs, 2500/- for a show just to watch their favorite artist perform.

However, in between all this mayhem of getting artists down and putting up production spectacles, have we forgotten the real Hero, the paying public? I really think, we as event managers have forgotten the paying public! I understand that there are huge costs involved in putting up these shows and no matter how much passion drives somebody, nobody likes to empty their bank accounts at the cost of putting up a show. And with the recession, sponsors are not really willing to bear the mammoth costs. So, it really boils down to getting out the money that has been invested. And the one who has to bear the brunt is the paying public. And the best part about is that the audience today understands this and is willing to spend money on a good experience and this brings us to the moot question, is the experience only about seeing an artist perform with great production, sound and lights or is there something more to it!.

A recent incident has left a sour taste in my mouth and being on the other side of the fence in that particular incident has made me realise that for all the effort that we put into an event as event managers, we forget to
think of the paying public. We have this thing in us that since we have been through a lot to put a project together, the audience better understand our predicament and adjust to all that we throw at them. I would say even that is alright for as long as you communicate the same with the public. In this day and age of social networking, it is very important that there is constant interaction with the audience.

As event managers/ promoters, we need to realise that we are moving to a stage where we are going to be increasingly dependent on the audience to be able to bring good artists down. Hence, the audience having a good experience is of paramount importance.

We are not far off from a day where an event will be wholly funded by the audience. Imagine a situation where the interested audiences pay the actual ticket price in installments right from the conceptualisation stage of the event itself, very similar to buying a flat where one gets to pay the actual amount in installments at the completion of every level of construction. But that will only happen as long as we create a conducive environment where the audiences start to believe in a brand/ promoter.........

Our obsession with numbers!

After nearly a year of waiting, the average Indian Cricket Fan has begun to breathe normally. Over the past year or so, there have been numerous opinions and discussions from the pundits, the not so pundits and almost anybody and everybody on how the landmark is affecting the game of probably the greatest cricketer of all times, the one normally associated as the God of Cricket in India. While some said that the milestone was affecting his game, a few others disagreed. But in the end, the God himself finally confessed that it was playing at the back of his mind for the past 1 year, and thereby made the average Cricket Fanatic understand that the God is Human after all.

However, there is an Indian side to this pressure that the Little Master was facing. To start off with, the God is Indian first and Human later; he has his routes in a humble Middle class Indian family, a family which most of us normal people can relate to. Ever since we learnt to read and write, we have had to deal with typical middle class statistics and comparisons. And this has crept into every part of our life, be it in class rooms, playgrounds, news rooms, elections, family gatherings; we Indian can go about it all the time, even while discussing our physical attributes.

Every thing in our day to day life has some form of a number associated to it. From personal experiences, I can relate to this Indian statistic at every step of my life. At school, its about the percentage of marks that you have scored, I remember when I first joined boarding School in the class 5, I got the 10th rank in the first mid term exam and that was my highest ever rank that I secured in my entire School Life. The first time, my parents were happy but the happiness came with a disclaimer, "Congrats my Son but you know you can do better; you just have to work a little harder". But that I did not surpass that rank ever is another matter altogether. Once the board exams came in, the days of the first class was out of the window, my generation was about topping the First class and achieving distinction. Most students today cannot even get a seat in a college of their choice if they do not score more than 90%. We are living in a society where society sets the parameters on happiness and satisfaction.

I for one thought that this whole pressure will wear off once I start working but it has actually turned out to be a Bethal that just doesn't seem to be getting off my back. Not bad enough I studied Law and then decided that it was not my thing and took upon a profession where most people initially thought I was arranging tables at weddings and corporate events. Today, they have seen my work but now its about the money being credited to my bank account and my bank balance and the comparison with an old classmate of mine and how he works lesser hours than me but earns a lot more. In a years time, it will probably be about getting married and settling down. It definitely is one vicious cycle and in a few years time, roles will change and my offspring will probably go through the same pressure that I went through.

This brings me back to the pressure on Tendulkar and his 100th century. The numbers game is a part of our culture and will continue to be. Tendulkar probably played a selfish innings just so that he reached the landmark and it must have been one of the factors for India to lose that particular match but it had to be done. An entire country was waiting for the landmark; mortals like us can just about manage the pressure from our families but imagine the expectations of an entire Country on your shoulders and carrying the burden for nearly a year and not able to achieve it. We might have lost back to back series in England and Australia at the cost of a particular milestone but that is the way we live. No matter how much we deny it and say we are different, this numbers mentality is in all of us; we might not apply the conventional traditional milestones to ourselves but we do set a certain yardstick in our way of life and that is the Indian Way of Life

And the GOD IS INDIAN!!.. He has got a couple of years of cricket left and let him at this penultimate hour play it like that 16 year old teenager who hit Qadir for those mighty 6's. He has carried the burden of the nation for more than 16 years, its time to let him enjoy the game....

Who is Responsible?

The image of Karnataka has taken a beating over the last couple of years. The "Nataka" in Karnataka seems to be getting worse or better for the Media who are getting far better air time than they could have even imagined a couple of years ago. No wonder then that there are numerous Kannada channels that have sprouted in the last couple of years. Each channel somehow seem to be inspired by a program that used to be popular on a popular channel a few years ago. From the programming to the diction to the voice over seem to be truly inspired by that particular program.

Yesterday's incident in the City Civil court premises has definitely taken this to a whole new level. All news channels across all demographics have been hell bent on blaming the Lawyer fraternity for the whole fiasco and they had me convinced that it was my Friends who were to blame. Fortunately I spoke to a good friend of mine and got to know the other half of the story and began to see the coverage in a whole new light.

I am not writing this to condemn the Police atrocities or defend the actions of the lawyers. I am instead glad that this happened. It was time that we mortal voting population actually understood the system and that this whole episode took place in a court complex actually gives me reason to celebrate.

For a few years now, The Media has been the eyes of the law as they like to call themselves and fed us with filth that I would not have accepted left to myself. My friends in the legal community to a large extent have actually been endorsing the views put forth by these news channels and spoken about how people like me are far removed form actual reality. I would instead say that a lot of people have been clinging on to things that didn't need clinging on to. There is in fact not one news channel in the country today that is not biased. Everybody has their own personal gains and if not for the remote in our homes, people like Arnab Goswami would have probably become a Dictator by now.

The Authorities (Police etc), Media and the lawyers actually baffle me. To a large extent they are 2 sides of the same coin. And this is why I think so. I was impressed when the Media decided to go against the Govt. in power and actually showed 3 desperate Middle age Ministers watching porn in the Assembly and the same was carried all across the country. 3 weeks down the line, the Govt. is actually investigating the persons who brought this out and their friends in the Media has decided to play safe and I haven't seen one newspaper or a television channel condemning the Govt. and supporting their colleagues except for a stray article or a useless discussion on PRIME TIME TELEVISION. Its the same media that highlights a so called RAVE PARTY in a farm house and while one side gets the so called moral police to accompany them and then speaks about demoralizing standards of today's generation, the other side acts as the guardian of democracy and upholding the rights of a citizen to his fundamental rights. The truth is that the Media today is only after TRP 's. The Media in our country will do anything to stay afloat in their business. There was a huge support for Anna Hazare and the Media backed him all the way. Unfortunately for Anna and team the lack of a good PR agency did them in and the whole Janlokpal bill debate has become a bit of a joke. Of course, Anna's team has also messed up every step of the way is another matter altogether. If the Media is actually serious about its duty, they would have published the names of all those who have money stashed away abroad. Instead, they just make a huge hue and cry and think of new debates for PRIME TIME TELEVISION.

Dear Lawyers, wake up, you are as much to blame as anybody else. To a large extent, you prefer to keep the authorities in your good books so that you get the best desired results for your client and there is nothing wrong in it for you have a job to do. However, it is the same attitude that has today put you in the spot that you are in and tomorrow will also put us in a similar position. You know the law better than all of us and yet you prefer the easier route to get things done. It is time to stop being nice and the whole goody two shoes attitude needs to go.

I for one feel its time that we are not used as pawns in a chess game sand actually get our due. I am the voter and the tax payer. the Govt. will not be in power without me and the authorities will not get their salary if not for the taxes I pay. And its time I get my due.

Nobody can justify violence when there are various other means to get the point across. Though I personally feel that for somebody to take notice, violence is a necessary tool at times. India has seen it over the ages, The Quit India movement of 1857 was the first instance where the British actually decided that India needed a law and it was the Queens proclamation of 1858 that got the ball rolling towards actual governance in India. So, dear Lawyers The time to act is now. Let the Media and the Authorities understand that we will not be fed with bullshit anymore. Take this whole incident in your stride and uphold the sanctity of the profession that I would have loved to be a part of.

On a lighter note, if you need an activation plan to bring out your grievances, I am just a phone call away.

Like Bob Marley says,

GET UP STAND UP, STAND UP FOR YOUR RIGHT,

GET UP STAND UP, DON'T GIVE UP THE FIGHT!!!

Hypocrisy of the so called Moral Police!

Since the beginning of time, there has always been those who have taken the path less trodden and made a difference to the World at large. These individuals be it a Gautham Buddha or a Gandhiji or a Martin Luther King questioned the normal way of life and inspired people to rise up above petty issues and address the larger issues plaguing society. They abolished certain practices, made people understand their roots and be proud of what they are while also understanding the need to move forward as a group, community or a Nation. In a way, they were Moral Police of a certain nature.

Today, it baffles me that in this day and age, we have people who think they have the Moral authority to impose their line of thinking on free minded individuals. There are a lot of such groups operating in this country and I would be lying if I said I do not support a few of them myself. I am an ardent supporter of organisations like the RSS for reasons that I don't have the time to justify at the moment. Ours is a democratic country and our constitution grantees us 7 fundamental rights like Freedom of Free speech, Religion and so on which means every individual has a right to express their views. Of course in a country like India where we value our traditions and culture, one has to compromise on a few wants to get along in society.

Growing up in the technology era, we are far more exposed to the world at large. I studied in a Christian school in Tamil Nadu since class 5, did my college in a Government college in Bangalore and have been exposed to a whole lot of situations and these situations and people around me have influenced me and my thinking and way of life and this has helped create my own individual identity. I listen to Western Music, have friends across all communities and religions, have woman friends who smoke and drink and no I don't think its demeaning for me to have a woman friend who does what I do. I belong to a community that is very tightly knit, where marrying outside the community is generally frowned upon though the family comes around it is another matter altogether. I understand as a community we have our compulsions but what I do not and don't want to understand is how can a few individuals dictate terms to an entire community and get away with it. I am no less a Coorg than anybody else. I go for my Guru Karana every year, put Kali at Kunde Namme and Bodu Namme, can dance a traditional Coorg dance like any other Coorg, touch every elders feet in the way it is to be done but of course I don't go around branding and bashing people that I am a Coorg and showing my big fat stupid ego.

Now to get to the point, I want to attend a Music Festival in Coorg that was scheduled for the 10th and 11th of November 2011 but has now been postponed to the 20th and 21st of January 2012 due to an act of God. But it is surprising to see a few individuals or the so called Moral Police opposing it because apparently it will spoil the serenity of Coorg, affect plants and animals and in a way will destroy our culture. So, over the past week or so, I have been pondering on the merits of their claims and unfortunately all I can see is the total hypocrisy of the so called Moral Police.

I do agree in saying that in today's day and age, Coorg needs a few of these so called Moral Police to control and save Coorg from becoming just another filthy tourist spot. But where are these people when we actually need them for a cause. The lucrative Real estate market is already destroying the serene beauty of Coorg, a highly non regulated tourist industry has wreaked havoc and destroyed the serenity of some of the most pristine places in Coorg to an extent that one does not even feel like visiting places like Dubare and Abby falls anymore. These so called Moral Police pull up tourists if they misbehave but until today, I have not seen a single one of these organisations doing anything about regulating tourism. These places are still intact because of the locals of the area and not because of these Pseudo social activists. The Roads in Coorg are in a state where driving on these roads is next to impossible. And these Pseudos have done nothing about it except for a letter submitted to the Chief Minister which is more of a PR exercise for themselves and their organisation rather than actually addressing the present problems. I wish these organisations would actually bring life to a stand still by blocking the roads for a couple of days until work actually begins instead of blowing their trumpets and making money on the sly. Instead, they are worried about a bunch of peaceful music listening people having a good time. It makes me wonder if they they are jealous because of their insecurity of not being able to fit into the crowd.

I don't mind these guys around but not at the cost of my Freedom and right to live my life they way I want to do it. These Pseudos are not present when you need them but want to protest against a clean Music Festival organised by people from Coorg with the best of artists from across the Globe. And apparently are even taking credit for the event being postponed (Guess these Pseudos have a direct line with God). They probably fail to realize that this Festival will help in showcasing Coorg in a whole new avatar while also reminding people from and Outside Coorg the need to conserve and do our bit to prevent further erosion of the natural beauty of Coorg. I do understand reservations in terms of Noise pollution but to call the Festival as leading to your version of the Goa way is saying far too much and that too even before it has begun. Don't we have loud music playing late nights at our weddings with drunk people dancing?

So, my dear Pseudo Social activists, let us be and do our thing. We care as much for a lot of issues as you do, if not more but unlike you Pseudos we do not look at monetary gains through these issues.

I rest my case with a poem from Robert Frost that will probably help you understand my point of view

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

Keep the Faith!!..

The Hot Topic in this Cricket crazy Country until the next Test Match at Trent Bridge is going to be the World's Number one Test Teams debacle in the Iconic 2000th test match at the Home of Cricket, Lords. Every single Cricket Crazy Pundit in this Country is going to have a view on what went wrong with the Test.

Of Course, the debate is going to start off with the Dhoni's decision to Bowl after winning the toss, the bowling and fielding decisions that he took as Captain. Well, all of it played a part in a sub standard performance from the Best Test side in the World. Of Course, a few Die Hard Pundits will have some other reasons; which I would like to call excuses. Excuses like Zaheer Khan bowled less than 14 overs and so there was no teeth in the attack, the changes in the batting order in the batting order in the second Innings as Sachin and Gambhir missed a large part of the Match and some might even say that the pressure of the 100th century got to Sachin.
All this said and done, India's performance in the entire Match was lackluster to say the least. A 400 test scalps Bowler struggled to even put pressure on the batsmen, forget taking wickets. The famed batting line up struggled to score more than 300 runs in each of the Innings. This considering tha fact that the English managed to score 269 runs after losing 5 wickets for 62 runs.The thing that baffles me is a complete lack of the instinct that makes Dhoni the person that he is. Suresh Menon his blog on "cricket next"is of the opinion that Dhoni needs to reconnect with his old self. According to him, Dhonis's statistics of better winning percentage than most other successful Captains of the Modern era has become an albatross around his neck. We all now the Indian team has the goods to defeat any Test side in the world at the moment. We did win a test series in West Indies without Zak and Sachin. What the Indian team is missing is the Dhonism. Captain courageous needs to buckle up and lead from the front. There is no harm in resting the team's most experienced bowler, Harbhajan for the next test or playing without an unfit Zaheer.Its time for the attacking Dhoni to rediscover himself and be brave in taking decisions rather than going along with the flow of things. Hope that by the time the next test comes about, we will be able to take 20 wickets and score more than 300 runs in each innings. More than all this, win or lose, Its time for the No. 1 Test Team in the World to play like the No. 1 Test Team and not like the Rabbits that they so often were in Foreign conditions.......Dhoni, The God, the Wall and the Craftsmen will anyways play their part but what they need is for you to be you...Go for it!! The birth of the game of Cricket is for us to take!!...

Mr. Chief Minister. Why did I vote?

Dear Mr. Chief Minister,

I turned 18 about 9 years back and since then I have had the opportunity to vote thrice be it the General Elections or the Karnataka Assembly Elections. I being a relatively new voter and like most other voters in the country did not look at Election Manifestos to decide on who I was going to work. I voted for the party that I thought was best suited for the job at hand. And today, I am a terribly disappointed Citizen especially when I see the state of affairs in my honetown.

I have come to realise that there is no political party in the country that is truthful and Nationalistic. By Nationalistic, I mean a party that believes in development and with a decisive agenda that puts the country's interests before anything else be it internal or external policies. Instead, we are still stuck with Vote bank politics.

Developmental policies in India is based on the importance of a particular region. i.e. a region that enjoys a clout in terms of votes and seats. I unfortunately come from a district that has 2 assembly constituencies and shares the MP seat with the neighbouring district of Mysore. And in that aspect, they fortunes of a political party does not depend on my region. And so, development of this place is not on the priority of any political party.

Its is time that we get our acts together. We as a community have been indifferent to the situation around us. We crib about the roads, the lack of basic infrastructure, the indifferent approach of our representatives, the dying of our culture, the advent of outsiders coupled with the boom in real estate and the influx of tourists. Any wedding, any family function or get together; this is the topic of discussion on all most all occasions besides the coffee prices and labour problems. But, what have we done about it? The answer, NOTHING!!!...

Its time for us to pull up our socks and be heard. There are a lot of pressing issues in regards to Coorg and it will take more than an article to write home about. My grievances is with the basic infrastructure in the "Scotland of India".

Without doubt, Coorg is today one of the fastest growing tourism economies in Karnataka. From one Orange County 10 years back, we today have about 5 high end resorts with another 5 or more on the way. and of course the 200 or more home stays. Yet the roads are pathetic. In some cases, the road seems to be on the map but not on the ground. And this in spite of connectivity being the most important factor for any industry to develop. Unfortunately, the powers to be think otherwise. We do not even have a proper Hospital in the entire district and for any problems we have to rush to the nearest city.

Mr. Chef Minister, now that you are going to be presenting the budget for 2011- 2012; kindly consider we not so important voters and give us what we deserve. We are not asking for a railway line as the Times of India article dated 23rd February 2011 suggested. We do not even need a railway line. Not bad enough, the real estate boom is already dwindling our Natural resources. We do not need a state sponsored catalyst to it. We are asking for good roads. Roads that prescribe to the standard set by your agencies and not few centimeters of tar as is presently being done.

There are a lot of pressing issues that I would like to bring to your notice and that I will do, but first give us the basic stuff that we require...

Signed,

A Frustrated Voter!