Mullaperiyar..the water bomb

Do you know how difficult it is to live each moment by listening to the footsteps of death? We are counting every second now as the worth of our lives. We count every heartbeat as the life span of our happiness or I can say our safety. I represent those millions of people who live in that 36 kilometers from Mullaperiyar dam to Idukky.

Its about Mullaperiyar, the water bomb is about to explode over 30 lakes of people spread across 3 districts in central Kerala.

It’s not something written on emotions, but based on the facts which are apparently ignored by the world today. Including the media, the politicians, the government, and the human rights commissions etc etc… Doesn’t matter whether they are national or local. The end result is the same. When some natural calamites happen, we often say, if we would have been informed in advance, we could have taken precautionary measures so that we could have avoided the lose of cores including human lives. Here, the scientists and the researches happened in all through these years have been warning us about the safety of the dam, but we never cared. We are still in fool’s paradise, believing that such kind of disaster won’t happen here in India, at least in Kerala. But, how long can we be in such a stupid assumption?

Let’s use some common sense here. In this earth, nothing is eternal. Whatever has been made by human being, everything is vulnerable and expected to have an end. This includes EVERYTHING like the satellites, building, dams, etc etc... In just a word, human made.  This dam has been constructed in 1895 which is 116 years ago. This dam is constructed in lime surkhi mortar when dam engineering was at infancy. The dam has been given a life span of 50 years and after that, it has to be decommissioned.

The history says,

A lease deed was signed between the Travancore Princely State and British Presidency of Madras in 1886 which gave the British the right to divert "all the waters" of the Mullaperiyar and its catchment to British territory (the Madras Presidency, now Tamil Nadu) for 999 years. After Independence, both the entities became non-existent. Further, according to Indian Independence Act 1947, all the treaties between British Government and Indian Princeley States have lapsed. Moreover, Article 131 of the Constitution of India denies Supreme Court of jurisdiction on pre-constitutional agreements. Kerala argued that the agreement is not an equal one, but imposed on the local King by the mightyBritish Empire. After independence, even in the absence of any treaties, Tamil Nadu continued to use the water from Periyar for extending irrigation facilities, and later for power generation on the basis of informal agreements between the governments of the two states.

When the treaty itself not existing now, why should we request TN to approve for new dam? I don’t say that the mistake is only of Tamilnadu. Since we never opposed, they have taken it for granted. 15 TMC of water at a kind of free of cost. No one will say that, “hey man, your dam is in danger. Do something; we will wait till you construct a new dam”. Isn’t it?

Same thing has happened here also. When we don’t have any value for our lives, how can we expect that someone else will care about that? Can you imagine the situation when 15 TMC of water is falling over us? Needless to say, the aftereffect would be more than of an atom bomb.

The dam and its associated area including the river, the starting point of the river is completely under the territory of Kerala. So the dispute is not even coming under Inter state river water disputes act 1956. To take a decision, Kerala really do not need any permission from neither the central government nor from Tamilnadu government. It’s a generosity of Kerala so that TN is still getting water. Have you seen the pipeline carries water to TN from Mullaperiyar? You should see it, only then you will understand how much water they are taking way from the dam. As if, we will drink the entire water in the dam in a single day itself.

From a study conducted by IIT Roorkee, Mullaperiyar falls under the regions with earthquake possibility of intensity 6.4 and they also say that, the dam cannot withstand an earthquake of intensity 5. In this year, already 22 times earthquakes have been happened in these regions. Thankfully, with low intensities. But how long we can be like this? Without doing anything, but expecting that nothing will happen?

They say, no one can impersonate other’s feelings until the same happen to them. It’s applicable here also. When I was discussing with the same with some of my friends, their response was “Oh, my home is not there, so no problem”. It really shocked me. Its not about a few people, it’s about the human being… Lakes of people. According to the pledge we used to take everyday morning in our school, it’s about our brothers and sisters. They how could they say so? I don’t understand. When something happens even in other countries like earthquake in Japan, tsunamis in Indonesia etc etc, we stand with them with our emotions and we empathize with them. Then, why it is not happening now? Are we not an integral part of our country and your life?

To my dear brothers and sisters in Tamilnadu, we have never told that we won’t give you water even if we break this dam down and construct a new one. For the last 125 years, you are living your day to day life with the water given by us with a very nominal price…  Understand that and think as a human being… How can you be so cruel to us? Don’t use the brain of your politicians, use yours and think..  Yesterday also, your CM has told that we are manipulating things. The dam is very secure and whatever Kerala says is not genuine. Can’t she think and say out something? Doesn’t she have sense? Is she a human being? I doubt. Jayalalitha and Karunnanidhi say that Govt of Kerala is spreading fake news about the dam security and this will affect the relationship between the people in Kerala and Tamilnadu. If any disaster occurs, do you think that the rest of the keralites will be friendly with TNs?

What you want? The destruction of Kerala? And whatever is left out, add the southern part to Tamilnadu and northern part to Karnataka so that the name of Kerala should be vanished from this world? Is that you want?

The possible solution is only one. Construct a new dam. But, the current dam may not be able withstand the pressure of construction if we start it now since the proposed location of new dam is nearby to the old one. So, this also can lead to a disaster. Only solution is, decommission the current dam, empty it, demolish it and then construct a new dam. E.g. Dam Victoria in Australia. TN is not just using the water to cultivate their land, but they use it for generating the electricity. The most interesting and f***** fact is they are selling the same vegetables and electricity to Kerala with a very high prize.

In these days, my dreams are about those people who smell death in each and every moments of their life. The people who are my life, my everything, My family, my friends, my hometown which include 3 million people, The place I love since when I opened my eyes for the very first time… each time I talk to my family and friends, I pray to the Almighty to help me in talking to them again and again and again… Can you imagine my pain? my tension? The intensity of my tears when I pray? If yes, please understand that it’s not only of mine; it’s of 3 millions people’s… Its about their lives, it’s about their dreams. It’s about their hopes. It’s about their prayers…

Pray for us... for our long life… so that you shouldn’t say there were a few people lived in the middle part of Kerala….So that the God’s own country shouldn’t be only in memories..

For more details:

http://jamewils.blogspot.com/2010/11/arugments-by-tamil-nadu-and-counter.html?spref=fb

http://jamewils.blogspot.com/2010/11/seismic-threat-to-mullaperiyar-dam.html

Maggi @ 2.30 A.M

Life is getting miserable day by day….over the past 5 months, after I’ve scribbled my last blog, a lot more things have happened in my life ,those changed the way of living and even my way of thinking too….some irreversible changes made me to be bold to make some strong decisions which eventually made me broken down…but I know I have to be strong ,else I’m gonna lose my life forever…..so better to be bold now rather go mad later…most paining part is, the things which are happening in my life, exactly opposite to the way I wanted for…so very difficult to get along with them…. But I know it’s all the part of this game…I’ve to move on by letting the painful memories to be dipped down in the past….and I do….

But I have to tell, I do get a few smiles too in my life. Those I cherished for my life time…with all love and affection….try to keep them close to my heart…. after the ridiculous shift ,which am got into now, I used to get back to my bed by 5’o clock in the morning….by the time I get up, my roomies won’t come back after their work..So though live in a single room, I do meet my friends only at the weekend… so we get fewer time frames to spend together…

Yesterday, after my shift, I went to bed by 5’o in the morning and slept for the whole day...After getting up, had a lot more stuff to finish so that I can sit aside for a while freely….but yesterday, we all set for DanceIndiadance grand finale in the late eve, again 3 hrs television took away…

In room, Deepa is completely engaged with her MBA exams (and if I write about her preparations, it will take another 2-3 pages...so better later) and Soumya is in the middle of “Twilight”, I forced myself to join the vampire wedding ceremony ….by the time Dachu has reached, I was on the dance floor with Edward…Seconds were being counted by heartbeats..and I started to feel hungry as I haven’t had my food properly for the whole day…at almost 2.30 I couldn’t control myself and started to search the boxes in cupboards….no way…not even some chips which I always deny to have… :( a fire started to burn in my stomach..Soon Soumya joined with me as she was also hungry…we were thinking of various possibilities of getting food at 2.30 in the morning…all restaurants must be closed…so what to do?? I guess feeling hungry is a kind of epidemic coz soon Deepa and Dachu also joined the group….

Suddenly bulb turned on...Maggi…….2 min wonder….but how to prepare?? No methods to boil the water…at last we got the vaporizer...But it was very tough to get proper boiled water….somehow we managed… poured water to the steel plate and put Maggi too…and at last Maggi was ready but due to the improperly boiled water, it was not too tasty to have…but due to the exaggeration of hungry, we never mind..We all had with loads of comments as the side dishes...Those I can’t pen down here :) …but it was a very lively atmosphere with hot Maggi and cold water…

If you ask me whether my stomach got full, I would say no...But if you ask me “are you satisfied”, I would surely say “yeah, I’m”….coz the Maggi was prepared by adding the taste of friendship and beauty of togetherness and the sweetness of the moments when I smile from my heart with my buddies….Although all of us now going through a very tough time in our office, we do keep all the worries there and celebrating each and every moments like we have never experienced….friendship is something like that..it’s not just calling/chatting with “hi ,hello”…it is something by which we do touch someone else’s heart with love…the feeling of having someone to share the smiles and tears….Dear friends,I love you all… :)

After all the hungamas, Deepa went back to her books, Soumya joined back to Bella’s team, Dachu gone for bed and I joined back to Edward on the dance floor in his happy place…. :)

Unforgettable breakfast...

It is our routine in every Sunday to go to Kairali (a hotel near to our hostel) for breakfast.’Coz I think, we will get better food even in the refugee camps in Somalia than the food in our hostel on Sunday. As usual, today morning also, we went. Most of the days, it’s not necessary that all will have their wallets in hand. But today, we had. But...

Kairali in Sunday morning means spending some time together, morning walk, some masti and Masaladosa for us...The uncle over there, who used to serve us, knows that we are going there for only masaladosa. Our all-time favourite and one tea also .So he doesn’t need to take the order at all. Today also, while leaving the room, we decided to have masala dosa.but after reaching there, we felt, “why’d the same item every time, why can’t we have a change. “We asked uncle for something different. He told “appam n chicken curry”. We Agreed. After some while I felt something n asked my friend (she is also deepa) “dii, you have money with you na? I have only 60/- with me”. She said “don’t worry di, I have” then she opened her wallet. With lots of depression, we came to know that she has only 35/- in her wallet. What happened was I was about to go ATM for taking money and she changed her wallet.obviously both of us didn’t have enough amount with us. Both of us thought that the other one will have enough money.

We were thinking, what should do? If the amount will exceeds the money we have.?? Then we thought, ok don’t take tea today. Then at least we can manage with adding the pennies too... For me, without tea, i feel my breakfast is incomplete. But compromised.but what happened was the uncle, who knows that we used to have tea also, without even asking, today, brought two teacups and kept beside us. We were like “blim” L...we didn’t know whether to cry or laugh...by seeing our expressions, uncle asked “what happened? Is there any problems with the tea?” we said, “no, no...It’s fine”. How would we tell him to take back the tea cups?

We looked at each other. What would do? We were rewinding the scenes in the films where the hero and his buddies are cleaning the plates in the hotel...(: P) We felt to laugh and cry together...then consoled each other “no dear, we can manage”...then we asked each other “can we?”

But, we, the brave girls (: P) continued our food...though we acted like “don’t care, let’s see what will happen”, we were bit afraid and tensed... at last the bill came...we looked at the bill. Our heart beats were like “dim dim...” but thank God, we escaped...it was bit smaller than our wallet...

After billing, we left the hotel...Uncle was waving his hand...we were laughing like anything by recollecting the moments...

Anyways, I have to tell....the food was awesome...We enjoyed it very well even in those tensed moments...

Guy @ the cab

It was one of the evenings and I was on the way back to my room after my morning shift. I got into the cab first and waiting for some other people also to my cab so that I can ask the driver to move. After some while, one guy came .he was on phone ...He sat on the front seat and continued his conversation. I am a kind of person who prefers to keep silence while traveling. Always try to find out new things in my way though it’s my regular route to the office. So I usually don’t care if someone is talking over phone next to me. Why coz I noticed him that he was also a malayalee and moreover he was talking like, no one else is there around him and he is absolutely alone with his phone and apart from him, no one else is a malayalee.

After few seconds, I got to understand that he is talking with his girlfriend…and after sometime, 2 more people joined us, so we became four in the cab. Then he was saying to his girlfriend that “hmm,cab niranju kavinju,ini eppol ethum ennu kandu ariyanam.” obviously, I didn’t like the comment. I thought of telling him “Saab,plz do mind that there may be another one who can understand your language” But how could I? He is 200% dedicated to his phone. Hmm... Ok...I let it off… -:)

After sometime, I realized that he is not just talking, but simply romancing with her(pacha malayalthil paranjal pancharayadikkuka). His pitch was so high that it overcame the volume of music played in the cab. We could clearly hear what all he is speaking. I got irritated. He was planning their honeymoon trip, the way of wedding video should look like, which are the songs to be included. I suppose she would be his fiancee .he was addressing her by her pet name. I heard many times “kuttaa nee kazhicho,nee urangiyo …”(:P).To be honest I cant write the whole dialogue sequence since they need censoring. I felt like laugh loudly, but, I didn’t…then also, I thought ok, he may not be getting enough time to speak with his girl. So let him speak.

But, no way, he prompted me to do something. he again commented on us by saying that,”hmm,avideyum ivideyumaayittu 2-3 ennam undu cabil.ithinyokke irakkiyittu njan eppozha chelluka?” I lost my control. I messaged my friend to call me and talk as if she called me to ask something. I asked the driver to stop the music, and then talked with her in Malayalam. I came to know that the other end sound became lower and then stopped completely. Then I too hang the phone. I could see his face and I really wish if you also could see him at that time. He was like paled and completely out of conscious. Not even single drop of blood is there on his face. If he got shocked this much, you could imagine, I guess, what kind of conversation he had. I couldn’t control my laughter and afraid whether I would . But I controlled my self coz I felt pity of him by seeing his paled and terrible face. After the other two people got down, we two were in the cab. Then I got another call so that he assured that am a malayalee and I guessed he might be fainted out….Then I got down. While closing the door, I looked at him and it was clearly written over my face that “boss, don’t think that the people around you are deaf and dumb so that you can speak out whatever you want to”. And am sure that he understood what I wanted to tell. -:)

Do you think that the way he behaved is the right one in the cab? I don’t. Coz, of course am admitting that it’s his personal life and he has the right to talk to his girlfriend/lover as the way he prefers. And others don’t have any rights to question them. But I believe, there are at times, when we need to take care of others who are surrounded to us, so that our personal things would be remain as personalized. I don’t think that my private details are needed to be shared by the public. But, nowadays, in this very busy life, we can’t assure that we will always be in a private place so that we can keep our personal things as secret. It may happen. Even though, I think its better we should take care of others, coz they may get irritated with our conversation.

I have gone through this type of experiences many times before. But this time I felt damn irritated. Coz the way he behaved as others are deaf ... I hope next time onwards, he will consider the people around him before going for a talk with his girlfriend. -:)_

The day after the blast….

Now the time is 2.46 AM...Late night, @ office… Stretching the shift…Because my team mates couldn’t come to office due to the unavailability of cabs after the serial bomb blasts in Bangalore city...

It has been one year over after I came here in Garden city, but this I my veryfirst experience, i.e., a live experience with a bomb blast...I can’t even imagine how the people in Kashmir living…?

Fig ->:The places were bomb is blasted…

I was thinking about the family of those two people who died in the blast…I was thinking mainly because, I also could be there instead of them since I crossed the same road where the blast happened just half an hour before…and even I never thought that there is going to happen such an incident shortly….instead of their family, my home could have received a bad news…but thank God, I was safe. But I know luck always won’t be with me…

After reaching office, I got to know about the blast…still me feel somewhat strange feeling while recollecting the moments…started to call each other and as usual, all network got jam. I was getting only one reply from both of my land line and hand phone “network busy, please try after sometime...”…Full of tension, anxiety, pain, fear, searching in news channels, net for latest updates, discussion ,rumors....Again keep on trying to reach via phone know whether my loved ones are safe and no issues with them...

I didn’t tell my parents about the blasts first…I called them in a moment when I not usually used to call them…I told them “I called simply, just want to talk to you”. My mom was telling me “I know, its not simply, there is something for sure...” but I didn’t say anything and hang the phone...after sometime, they came to know about the blasts from news channels and called be back...I could feel the tension in my papa’s voice...both of them were very tensed and like dying and asking me why I didn’t tell them in my previous call…in fact I just don’t want to make them afraid…my mom was saying “come back soon..”

I described my own feelings because I know you all might have gone through the same situation today…you all might be wished to back to home…my brother was saying “am rushing off to my home, enough of Bangalore...” But unfortunately we all know, we can’t run away like that by leaving our job, commitments all here…Heard that the terrorist's target was MNC’s…

There may be reasons for the terrorists for doing all those things…Government also might be taking actions to avoid unwanted incidents…but again all those incidents are repeating like an unavoidable thing in day-today life...who all are loosing their life/dear ones, we don’t know…just we can do pray that at least our dear ones should be safe…

And, once the network was started to work properly, there was a rain of calls, to know whether am safe or not, to know where am….to be honest, today only I came to know that there are so many people who do take care of me….who wants to see me safe…I got calls even form the very unexpected person...love you all….


Hopefully, I can see my dear ones again….