It Hail Stormed

The sun guffawed.

By evening he laughed into weariness

And the weary sky grew grave,

The buildings stood lonely spectators.

Leafless trees swayed in protest,

And then, she lashed her abuses on earth.

I smiled inside, for she finally spoke.

I wanted to console her and learn from her.

I opened my window to catch her pearly explicits

I didn’t see them for the sun had resigned

Half-blind, I saw them as white glows.

But I felt them.

The earth ate all her wrath,

But I still have a few of it.

Let it sink into my soul.

Is the “fruit-bowl” only for show?

“Van Thana” is the latest word in policing in India. “Van Thana,” which means forest Police Station, was introduced in Himachal Pradesh in May this year to check the timber mafia that is becoming increasingly rampant in the state. The state which is 66 per cent covered by forest timber is an irresistible opportunity for the mafia.

It is no surprise that the first exclusive green task police stations of the country were in Himachal Pradesh—the state had been in the forefront of energy conservation and efficiency for quiet sometime. In the last quarter of the 2008 alone, the state witnessed three major energy efficiency initiatives:

In August that year, the state planted about one million saplings on a single day and in October the state introduced a voluntary “green tax” for automobiles. The money thus collected would go into planting indigenous varieties of trees across the state.

When the BEE (Bureau of Energy Efficiency) had reduced the CFL price to 15 rupees(same as that of incandescent lamps), Himachal Pradesh government supplied CFLs free of cost; four per household.

These initiatives though not revolutionary by itself, represents a public concern to the cause of environment and energy efficiency, something which is which is sadly lacking in rest of the country. Though the state was ranked only 7^th in power sector performance out of 29 states, this public mandate is the basis of sustainable and clean energy development.

Here, in this “fruit bowl” state, the life of the people is intertwined with its ecology. In the recently concluded General Elections in India, Himachal Pradesh was one of the few states where environment was an issue.

Though the government’s energy efficiency initiatives worked in paper, it often failed to work in the real world because larger social and economic aspects were overlooked.

Consider this: the states hydroelectric projects are facing delays because of protest by tribal. Besides environmental issues, livelihood of the people are a major cause of these clash. The Karcham Wantagoo Hydroelectric project on Sutlej river by construction major Jaypee Group, is a case point.

The hydroelectric projects are no doubt, a commercial viable clean energy source, especially for Himachal Pradesh which earns revenue, supplying power to the neighbouring states. The ADB’s Multitranch Financing Facility for the Development of Clean Energy, which in the last year ushered major hydroelectric projects in the state, over looked the water shortages its run-of-river projects will cause, besides the concerns of cutting down trees. Had the capacity development agency formed under this project focused on the environmental aspect of the construction, there wouldn’t have been so many hitches to its sixteen odd projects, and the resentment of the local people could have been avoided.

In India, the fact that Energy Efficiency does not stand in isolation seems to be often forgotten by the policy-makers. The Himachal Pradesh state governments promised “Enviornment Master Plan” should bring in a much broader perspective.

Playing the culture vulture

(Apparently culture vulture is an overused expression in America. But it is rarely used here in India. )


I was doing exactly that today. I had to meet some people who were in central delhi. The meeting was at 7 in the evening. Since my cousin stays nearby I went very early. By 2’o clock I was there. But I found their house locked. And their phone was not working and I couldn’t contact them earlier to tell them I’m coming. Sometimes the phone works..i don’t know... it’s confusing…


I had lot of time to kill time. So I went to Connaught Place. I intially thought I will go to Coffee Day and sit there sipping something cold. But I thought why waste the money? Instead I opted for a fountain Pepsi from the road side. I sat on the roadside bench drinking it, I was completely oblivious to the people around. These days when I roam around I’m completely lost in thoughts--thoughts about myself…whether it is too much introspection or self obsession I don’t know. Then suddenly from out of the blue, the old Beatles’ song came to my mind—I hadn’t listened to it for a long time:

"Why don’t you help me brother,
I’m a stranger in your town,
Why don’t you help me brother,
May be i'll settle down. "

What terrific song! It never occurred to me that this song is song is so good. Yeah it suited well the situation that I’m in now.

I walked looked at the roadside books and and did window shopping. I went to Jain’s book depot there and sat there for more than an hour, reading book. The book store guy was giving a buy- it or- leave-it kind of look. I waded through politics to military and defence to economics.I was going through one of Ramchandra Guha’s book, India after Gandhi wondering about the time effort and skill these people have. I found Steve Coll’s The Bin Ladens is also very interesting. I also saw one of Arun Shourie’s book.. I don’t remember the name..I could make out from his writing that he is not a writer.

(Though he is BJP’s writer and was earlier working with Times Of India and Indian Express,his skill is not as honed as that of MJ Akbar's or Guha's or Coll’s. I'm not prejudiced, I'm just commeting about the writing skill, not the content--though it is better for me not to comment about people like them.I know it will be amusing to hear my comments)

Writing is a skill that has to be perfected over time with discipline. Good writers don’t just write. They entertain. This is something I knew earlier but it is here in Delhi that I’m understanding it from a close quarters.

Finally I chose to buy M.J Akbar’s Nehru..

My roomie on seeing the book said “gimme a break”

I think I’m becoming a Gandhi family admirer; most times my roomie feels I orthodoxly argue for the Congress.

Ramchndra Guha’s was a very thick volume..I promised myself that if I finished reading Nehru soon will buy it. From there I also picked up Tehelka and The Caravan—the magazine whose ad says—

"Weight that carry words" ...eh …I mean..." words that carry weight."

I really love that magazine…Anybody I see I talk about it…I have told it n number of times to my dad..he used to read it when he was in college.. a really text-heavy magazine. They are developing it on the lines of The New Yorker and The Harper. What its ad says is really cool and whacky:

"As a food for thought it’s (The Caravan) is the cerebral equivalent of full service, multi-course, sit down dinner; not a bun-on-the run for casual snacker."

Bun on the run… hehehe…

Then I checked out some music cds at music world which is right opposite the Jain Book Depot…I mentally selectd the cds I will buy when I get a job…Then I went to Fab India..checked out the shirts and even tried one..but left without buying..

Went to a tea shop and sat there having tea and reading caravan, and laughing to myself if found some articles that tickled the funny bone.One cartoon said:

“Rahul worked really hard for election. But his second name worked even harder!”

I laugh alone. I shout if I feel desperate or happy. And I sing aloud while taking bath..’

But I’m loving it.’Earlier I cribbed inside me being alone; now I scream:

"leave me alone."

“let me be a ‘lonesome crow’”,

"Leave me alone...Let me figure out”

I met the people and was returning in the bus, I was in I think it was the bus number was 640,hit a biker…the guy collapsed on the road.. . death and accidents are such a common place things here…I came home and saw the news that 200 odd people had died as Air France plane crashed over the Atlantic…the kind of accidents that happen around gives me jitters.

P.S: Does this post of mine look like a collage of ad captions?-- "words that carry weight," "lonesome crow," "i'm lovin it."