By Geeta Padmanabhan

The Highways and Minor Ports Secretary to the Tamil Nadu government, in his letter dated 29 August, 2011 wrote to the Advocate-General of Tamil Nadu:… “the Government, now, after careful consideration of the objections and issues raised by various sections of people, have decided to drop the project.” He asked the A-G to inform the High Court about the decision of the Government. This was in reply to a case filed by a fisherman.

The “project” mentioned here is the absurd, illegal, anti-environment, anti-fishermen, anti-beach plan to build an elevated expressway along the shoreline of the four beaches in Chennai. [see the previous article here.] This four-lane expressway, by some miracle, was supposed to de-congest the southern part of the city of its high volume traffic. Car drivers – only four-wheelers would be allowed on the e’way – would take to the “scenic route” at once and all would be well with our interior roads. Never mind all those who were on the e’way had to go back to the city, through narrow hamlets. One side of the road is filled with sea water.

The words “objections and issues raised by various sections of people” is truly sweet to hear. And not just because I was in one of those “sections of people”. Whether completely meant or not, these words convey the recognition of an obligation of the government: that they should consult the people affected before embarking on a civic project. Projects are not one-sided, top-down affairs. They are not arrogant decisions made on the premise “The government knows best” or on the specious argument “While implementing such large projects, the welfare of a few may have to be sacrificed.” Lack of consultation was the main characteristic of the project from the time it was fraudulently introduced in the master plan for the city to the time a detailed project report was prepared by consultants Wilbur Smith & Co. Even the environment impact study was done in secrecy.

But we won. Some have said that the victory was made possible by the opposition coming to power and in an age-old practice, calling off the previous government’s projects. That would be belittling the three-year battle fought at various levels. Why would the current political party abandon the project unless there was some gain in that action? After all, the e’way would be a 1200-crore highly visible monument proclaiming government power.

So it was people power? Yes, with one qualification. It was people’s power exercised with sharp strategy. In this particular Tom-and-Jerry game, we ended up being Jerry. I am happy to share some of the approaches.

[1] Once we got the information about the proposal, Saravanan, a fisherman decided to pursue it through RTI (Right to Information Act). He applied for information so constantly that after a while he was probably “given” it without fuss. This required doggedness, and he had that in plenty. Every time we saw “progress” in the proposal, we formulated our counter-strategy.

[2] We educated the press. The national and local press had the government’s view which was all about de-congesting city roads. We invited them again and again for briefings. We talked about the fishermen and their livelihood, the impact on environment, the tsunami and the e’way, the Olive Ridley turtles that came to nest, the Adyar estuary, the Theosophical Society’s forests, the Kalakshetra (both run close to the seashore), the need for open spaces, the pollution and of course, the illegality of the construction. We made pamphlets listing the damage and distributed them. We gave traffic solutions. In the months of our quiet agitation, some of the reporters became so well informed that they began to dig up facts about the case. They came up with excellent reports. We were in the news – in local papers, in national dailies, on TV.

[3] We conducted seminars – in Kalakshetra, in the Madras Institute of Development Studies. We invited transportation experts to talk of the futility of building expressways to de-congest city traffic. We had representatives from all the stake-holders, including a students’ group that works to save the Olive Ridleys. We had statistics and examples. Through all this, our strength grew. Our Google group now swelled with IDs.

[4] We visited the beaches early Sundays and late Saturdays and talked to people about what they would lose, what the impact on the environment would be. We made banners, sold T-shirts, organized stilt-walkers with the message: “Say No to the Beach Expressway.”

[5] A group of college students meanwhile got together to form ROB (Reclaim Our Beaches). The beach is ours, was their message. Take ownership of the beach, keep it clean. They brought their college friends, played music, raised funds, conducted cleaning trips to the estuary. “The Expressway is the biggest garbage” they proclaimed.

[6] Meantime, the fishermen got organized. We invited their reps to our meetings and told them of the government’s intention. The 14 fishermen’s colonies passed resolutions in their local-body meetings and sent copies to the officials. We attended their press meets, their human-chain protest. We visited their colonies and interacted with the women. We told them some bitter truths about the expressway (No public transport would run on it). We made their livelihood and re-habilitation major issues of our campaign. I would like to think that this was the first time that a middle-class group spoke passionately about the rights of the poor. Remember, we are all car-owners and the expressway was meant for us.

[7] International support came from the Theosophical Society whose world-wide members wrote to the state and central government. Local support was strengthened when we went to schools asking kids to send post cards to the Chief Minister with pictures of turtles or a clean beach or an e’way-free beach.

[8] We then got a copy of the Wilbur Smith Detailed Project Report. We analysed it for legal loopholes. It was absurd, but that wouldn’t help in a court argument. We found that the company had merrily claimed that they had done the public consultations and were given approval for the projects by four fishermen (reps of the people affected, as mandated by law). We registered a complaint at a police station about this fraud. We demanded proof in the form of signed documents.

[9] The government now tried to work at the central-cabinet level. The Coastal Zone Regulation that did not allow any construction 500 metres from the waterline was re-written to include “roads on stilts” where this was necessary. Once it came up, all the areas landward of the expressway would be free for commercialization. This was in line with calling the expressway a linking road (hey, all roads link!); laying dirt tracks overnight and showing them as pre-existing roads that the e’way would replace; carting sand away from the Adyar river-mouth in the name of de-silting. We registered our objection. We sent petitions to the Environment minister at the central cabinet. We liaised with the national fishermen’s forum on this one.

[10] We went on a fast for a day.

[11] When the elections were announced, we called all the candidates contesting in the relevant areas and asked them to take a stand on the e’way.

[12] We did not have the Ramlila numbers you saw on the screen. Convincing visitors to the beach to join the movement was our toughest task. Most thought an expressway was the panacea for their traffic woes. They could zip across 10 kms in 5 minutes! Ours was a small group. We never had more than 20 people at our meetings. But we won.

People say that Anna Hazare’s Ramlila grounds campaign got its sheen by the infusion of professionals, for whom strategizing is a well-honed skill. I’m thrilled that we’ve proved what the educated can do to thwart a government plan through a well-thought-out campaign, media education/support and thorough knowledge of the law.

This is the press release we put out two days ago. We are meeting this Sunday, September 11, 2011 to find out how we can keep this energy going to keep the beaches clean.

The Tamilnadu Government has formally declared the scrapping of the Rs. 1000 crore elevated expressway project from Lighthouse to ECR near Kottivakkam. Welcoming  the announcement (attached), residents of South Chennai, fisherfolk and environmentalists expressed their gratitude to the Chief Minister, the Fisheries Minister and the Highways Minister. The project would have affected 14 fishing villages, all four of Chennai’s beaches and caused great damage to the environment. This decision of the Government will be submitted to the Madras High Court by the Advocate General. A case challenging the Detailed Feasibility Report of the project was filed in the Madras High Court last year by Kasinathan, the former President of Urur Kuppam Panchayat.

Residents and fisherfolk who learnt about the details of the project by using the Right to Information Act have vigorously opposed the project since its inception. Fourteen fishing villages have even issued resolutions opposing the project. Leaders of the then opposition party — AIADMK — too had expressed their support to the campaign against the expressway. Residents have urged the Government to consider improving public transport systems so that the benefits accrue to common people.

For comments on this victory, please contact:

Kasinathan. (Urur Kuppam. Petitioner in the Madras High Court case): 9841429893

K. Saravanan.  (Right to Information Activist. Urur Kuppam): 9841868634

Suresh (Odai Kuppam): 9710072477

Veerabhadran (Thiruvanmiyur Kuppam): 9382138957

Kuppan (Kottivakkam Kuppam): 9383677999

Siddharth Hande (Reclaim Our Beaches — Youth Group): 9840295081

Navaz Currimbhoy (Save Chennai Beaches Campaign): 9841042470

Geeta Padmanabhan (Save Chennai Beaches Campaign): 044 24520535

When Michaele Salahi finagled her way into the White House in her red sari, the feminine Indian outfit took a giant leap out into mainstream fashion. Now Salahi wannabes have a way to indulge their inner Indian princess on a fraction of designer prices with a new service from Borrow it Bindaas (BIB), a Southern California company that aims to do for saris what Seattle-based Bag, Borrow, and Steal does for upscale handbags.

Sisters Siddhi and Riddhi Khara started the online venture only a few years after graduating from UC Irvine. Siddhi, who has a degree in international business, and Riddhi, who worked as an event planner, were keen on developing an organic business that was inspired by their Indian upbringing. “Our friends were constantly borrowing clothes from our extensive collection,” says Siddhi, and the sisters wondered if there was a business there.

The idea of lending saris is deceptively simple, yet BIB seems to have gone the extra mile to think of every contingency that faces a woman looking at six yards of sequined cloth. Along with the base product, BIB sends every accessory you might need – from the petticoat to safety pins. And a helpful guide on the website suggests pairing with suitable clutches and jewelry.

What about the blouse, you may ask. And here’s where BIB’s meticulous planning delivers a winner. As any woman who has struggled into blouses made for her thinner self (pretty much everyone!) will attest, this item is usually the biggest headache for the fashion conscious event-goer. BIB takes care of it by sizing their blouses by US clothing sizes and sending a second blouse a size up or down with tie-backs for easier fitting. Rentals are usually for a week and the shipment and return are pretty much the Netflix model, with a prepaid envelope for easy mailing.

And so far, BIB’s growing customer base has been appreciative and respectful. Saris have returned in very good shape and first time users are gratefully converting into repeat renters. The business, which just opened its virtual doors in May 2011, already has over 4,000 members signed up and ready to try its product during the upcoming festival season.

Borrow it Bindaas may be aimed at the Indophile Westerner keen to make an exotic splash at her next do, but it taps into a hidden need even in the Indian community. Given that most desis circulate within a small group, it is always a challenge to bring a new look to every event. And then there is the second generation desi, who rarely makes a trip to India to stock up.

Vrunda Merchant is one of those youngsters for whom BIB is a boon. The social worker doesn’t have much of a personal collection of saris, but like to dress up occasionally. She rented a vibrant orange Archana Kochhar sari form BIB with all the bells and whistles and was so delighted she borrowed another designer sari by Neeta Lulla soon after. “I can’t really afford these high end clothing items on my county salary,” she says. Vrunda paid about $60 for her 6-day rental per sari. She confirms that the receipt and return were both super easy.

Say ad girl Ruth McCartney, who describes herself as a “digital diva,” “I just love the idea.” McCartney rented abeautiful red sari from BIB for a business event at the Beverly Hills Hilton. “I decided to turn some heads,” she laughs, “Saris are a pretty feminine fashion for those of us who like to dress up.”

Adds McCartney, “Russell Brand and Katy Perry just had their wedding in India. I’ve seen people wear it on red carpets much more often these days.” The sari is everywhere, it appears. McCartney also accessorized her sari with earrings, bangles, and a purse from BIB. The tailors at BIB even stitched the pleats for her. “It was so comfortable I wore it the whole day,” says Ruth.

With more designers keen to explore the American market, BIB’s already diverse inventory is all set to expand. The BIB sari idea has been so enthusiastically received that the sisters have diversified into salwar kameezes and anarkalis. For the cash-strapped, US-based customer, BIB offers a great way to get a taste of high couture at bargain basement prices. I’m keeping an eye out for the IPO!

Hindu mythology is big these days; a source of inspiration to graphic artists, animated movies, and film plots. Virgin Comics (now Liquid Comics) made the biggest splash with their Ramayana 3393, Devi, and Sadhu series, bringing a touch of Eastern exotic to manga-style action and adventure.

Graphic designer Umesh Shukla turns this model upside down. His Pushpuck comic series aims to provide that touch of Western style and professionalism to readers of Indian mythology in India.

Shukla, a graduate from NID, moved into computer graphics after a brief stint in advertising. After earning his chops in Singapore and Sydney, Shukla moved to the United States, where he spent a grueling stint working for James Cameron’s Titanic. “That was an incredibly difficult, but amazing experience,” he recalls. “Everything afterwards was a bit of a letdown!” He moved to Disney and became a visual supervisor for a wildlife film which was later canned due to story issues. Inspired by the experience, and wanting to showcase a novel approach to animation, he started Auryn, a company specializing in bringing print graphics like watercolor and other art to life in the most authentic way possible.

The idea for Pushpuck came about during trips to India, when he realized that animation was at a turning point in the media environment there.  “I don’t think there really is a kids segment as such in Indian animation,” he says. “Roadside Romeo was touted as a kids’ film, but it was not something kids in India could relate to. Just having a dog as the central character, when we know what connotations calling someone a ‘dog’ has, should tell you something about the disconnect with its audience.”

However, with the success of the animated movie Hanuman, artists and film producers had found a potential market and soon a bunch of other look-alikes like Ganesha and Krishna started flooding the  market.  “The quality has been quite average so far, “ says Shukla, “but all the attempts have been reasonably successful so far.” This led him to believe there was truly a market for good quality children’s animation in the country.

The uniqueness of the Pushpuck comic series is that Shukla does not retell popular stories. Instead, he uses them as a launching pad for child characters he creates, who live in those times and whose lives intersect with the famous heroes of Hindu mythology. It is a daring attempt, but the reverential tone and sweet characters give the comics a sanctity of their own. In Anant, the title character meets Krishna during the episode of Mount Gowardhan. In Tarak, a young boy joins the celebrations following Rama’s return from Lanka.

The comics are also steeped in the principles and traditions of Indian culture, a culture that is perhaps under siege as Indian metropolises rapidly westernize. A voracious reader of Hindu scriptures like the Puranas and the Upanishads, Shukla is keen to preserve and disseminate the best of ancient teachings. There are subtle messages to respect elders, care for the land, while not sacrificing the adventure that draws kids to the books.

The comics are currently available only in digital form, though a transition to print seems like a breeze to accomplish, since the comics follow the format of an e-book. While the drawings are done by non-Indian artists, Shukla maintains close supervision to get the details right. “The biggest challenges are with the clothing,” laughs Shukla. “It’s hard for non-Indians to figure out the drape of a sari or a dhoti.” He also does the final colorizations himself. “People outside Indian cannot imagine the vibrant color combinations that are possible; some are unique to India.”

Check out the comics at http://pushpuck.com. The comics need to be enlarged slightly to be read, which make the exercise unnecessarily cumbersome, but Shukla is working on a fix. For now, it is a slight price to pay for the novel experience of seeing new mythology being created; indeed, in tone and in spirit, that is exactly what’s happening. The series is titled “Forgotten tales,” and with very little effort, one could imagine these tender stories being discovered by future generations as additions to the anthologies. One critic even calls Shukla a modern-day Valmiki. “I get so many letters thanking me for keeping our culture alive,” says Shukla. “Let’s hope they keep liking what I do.”

UPDATE 2: RESULTS..scroll down.

UPDATE: Came across this blog post by Digby. Read the whole thing. Then GO VOTE.

Voting isn’t just about making good things happen for yourself and your family. It’s about voting against things that will make your lives worse. And if this Republican party — at this point in history — wins big over the next two years, the lives of average Americans will definitely be worse.

Midterm elections generate low interest among less partisan voters, who need the excitement of a Presidential election to drag them to the polls. But with the ideological lines being drawn sharper now than any other election in recent memory, and vast amounts of shadowy corporate money flushed into the system courtesy the Supreme Court’s Citizen United ruling, there are real costs and consequences to your decision to abstain. Take 5 minutes and GO VOTE on November 2nd.

Typically, propositions with real teeth are introduced in midterm elections, since there are only a handful of devoted poll-goers with very specific demographic profiles that need to be convinced. Let’s confound those expectations by making sure we all vote, and vote in an informed fashion.

PROPOSITIONS

Summary

Proposition 19 – VOTE YES Result: FAILED

Proposition 20 – Vote YES Result: PASSED

Proposition 21 – Vote YES Result: FAILED

Proposition 22 – Vote NO Result: PASSED

Proposition 23 – Vote NO Result: FAILED

Proposition 24 – Vote YES Result: FAILED

Proposition 25 – Vote YES Result: PASSED

Proposition 26 – Vote NO Result: PASSED

Proposition 27 – Vote NO Result: FAILED

Proposition 19-Broadly speaking, voting YES on this measure allows local governments to regulate and tax the use and sale of marijuana. It also allows people 21 or over to carry and use it for personal use.

It is  a testament to the increasing acceptance of cannabis that the opposition to this proposition is largely on the basis that the proposition is written badly. If that argument sounds familiar, it is because that is often the last resort of opponents who can’t offer any other convincing rebuttal. Is there some merit to the fact that by allowing each local government to set its own rules, there is going to be an enormous amount of bureaucratic confusion generated by this measure? Not really, since counties do set some of their own taxes.

The federal statute still considers the use and sale of marijuana illegal, so there is the added gray space around this proposition, but legalizing personal use of cannabis in California sends a message to the federal governement to start treating this product on par with cigarettes and alcohol.

VOTE YES. RESULT: FAILED
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Proposition 20 and Proposition 27 – In 2008, sick of districts being gerrymandered, voters passed Prop 11, taking the power of drawing district lines for the state legislature away from legislators themselves and handing it to an independent commission. However, the power to redraw Congressional districts is still in the hands of legislators.

Voting YES on Proposition 20 would mean that even congressional districts would be drawn by an independent commission. Voting NO would maintain the status quo.

However, Proposition 27 aims to rescind Prop 11. Voting Yes on Prop 27 would mean returning the power to redistrict state legislative districts to the legislators. Voting No would keep Prop 11’s provisions for an independent commission in place.

What if both Prop 20 and Prop 27 prevail? Whichever proposition gets more votes will win. If Prop 20 gets more votes, then both state and congressional districts will be handled by an independent commission. If Prop 27 gets more votes, then the power to redraw districts will return to the hands of legislators (members of Congress).

While the sentiment behind Prop 20  seems to be admirable, it is almost entirely funded by Republican millionaire Charles Munger in an attempt to take redistricting away from the Democratic party in California. However, I am going to take a stand based on my opposition to gerrymandering.

VOTE YES on Prop 20 RESULT: PASSED

VOTE NO on Prop 27. RESULT: FAILED

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Proposition 21 – This ballot measure would fund California’s park system through an $18 increase in the vehicle registration fee; currently, the system is funded through the state’s chronically squeezed general fund. (I am told this is something like a surcharge on televisions to fund the BBC in the UK.)

The new fee would raise roughly $500 million a year, compared to the current annual state park operations budget of $439 million.

In return for paying the new vehicle surcharge, California motorists would get free admission to all state parks, which currently charge a day use fee of $5 to $15 per vehicle.

Voting YES would impose the fee. Voting NO would maintain the status quo.

Our family uses the local State Park at Coyote Hills frequently, and we buy an annual $50 pass for the privilege. Even with 2 cars (total surcharge $36), this measure is a no-brainer.

VOTE YES. RESULT: FAILED
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Proposition 22- This proposition prohibits the State, even during a period of severe fiscal hardship, from delaying the distribution of tax revenues for transportation, redevelopment, or local government projects and services.

The sentiment is worthy; during this recession, local governments have seen the state appropriate funds derived from local property taxes and fuel tax revenues, usually meant to be used for transportation related services, have been funneled to service debt. Voting YES on this proposition would severely restrict the ability of the state to make these appropriations. Voting NO would maintain the status quo.

However, propositions like these have slowly eroded the state government’s ability to make prudent and flexible budgetary decisions. If prop 22 passes, the state will have no choice but to impose new taxes to generate new revenue streams to make up for the $1 billion fiscal impact the new law will have. Also, richer communities will keep more of their wealth, and poorer communities will have to depend more and more on shrinking state revenues for essential services.

I think it is unfair for us to blame the state government for poor performance and budget woes and then help pass an initiative that hampers its ability to govern effectively.

Vote NO. RESULT: PASSED

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Proposition 23 – This is the infamous proposition to rescind AB 32, the Global Warming Act of 2006. AB 32, California’s landmark clean air act, required polluting companies to reduce emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

Voting YES would suspend AB 32 and allow polluting companies to operate under older guidelines.

Voting NO would keep AB 322 in place.

My first opposition to this is that AB 32 was a law passed by the legislature, which is their job. If we disapprove of their actions, we vote them out. Governing by referendum is just not something to be encouraged and exposes the state to the tyranny of a hyper-partisan minority that actually bothers to go to the polls.

Secondly, there is a battle being fought at the national stage to cap greenhouse emissions, prompting the White House to chime in on this proposition. “The president is opposed to Prop. 23 — a veiled attempt by corporate polluters to block progress towards a clean energy economy,” White House spokesman Adam Abrams announced Wednesday. “If passed, the initiative would stifle innovation, investment in R&D and cost jobs for the state of California.” (Source L.A. Times)

If you are concerned about the environment, and interested in encouraging the development of clean technology and alternatives to fossil fuels,

Vote NO. RESULT: FAILED
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Proposition 24 – Voting Yes on this initiative would stop several corporate tax breaks that are slated to go into effect in 2010 and 2012. The tax breaks include:

* The “single-sales factor”. This allows multi-state corporations to choose whether they will be taxed on property, payroll or sales.
* Loss carry-backs. This allows corporations that are experiencing losses in California’s current economy to get refunds for taxes paid up to two years previously.
* Tax credit-sharing. This allows companies with more tax credits than they can use to distribute the tax credits to affiliates.

These tax breaks benefit only about 2% of California’s businesses , the richest, multi-state corporations in the state. In these poor economic times, repealing corporate tax breaks for the wealthiest corporations makes sense.

VOTE YES. RESULT: FAILED
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Proposition 25 – Voting Yes on this proposition would end the current requirement in the state that two-thirds of the members of the California State Legislature must vote in favor of the state’s budget in order for a budget to be enacted. It also requires state legislators to forfeit their pay in years where they have failed to pass a budget in a timely fashion.

This is a no-brainer. Requiring two-thirds majority for budgetary decisions has caused tremendous gridlock in Sacramento. And this initiative keeps the two-thirds requirements for any new taxes.

VOTE YES. RESULT: PASSED

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Proposition 26 – Voting yes would mean that it would require a two-thirds supermajority vote in the California State Legislature to pass many fees, levies, charges and tax revenue allocations that under existing rules can be enacted by a simple majority vote.

The biggest donor to this initiative is Chevron, followed by the California Chamber of Commerce, which should tell you plenty about the motivation behind this amendment. If this Proposition passes, it will make it harder to impose fees on corporations that cause environmental or public health problems. Also, imagine if local governments had to go to the public every time they wanted to impose a fee; the costs of running the decision through the electoral process would be more than the fees levied.!

This is another case of pushing all these decisions into the hands of voters rather than their representatives, and neutering government.

VOTE NO. RESULT: PASSED
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Proposition 27 – See Proposition 20.

VOTE NO.

CANDIDATES: Normally I would take a serious look at all candidates for office. However, if there’s one thing the last 2 years have illuminated very clearly, it is that the Republican party places a very high value on loyalty and ideological purity. There doesn’t seem to be any room for moderate Republicans with pragmatic ideas.  Instead, the Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has made it plain that his sole ambition, should the Republicans take the majority, is to take down Obama – not govern well, not reduce the deficit, but take down the President.

I am not going to enable this kind of shamelessness. I will, therefore, be voting Democratic down the line.

Plus, if you wanted a reason to vote for Jerry Brown, see this:

Ha!

CANDIDATES RESULTS:

GOVERNOR: JERRY BROWN

U.S. SENATOR: BARBARA BOXER

LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR: GAVIN NEWSOM

CONTROLLER: JOHN CHIANG

TREASURER: BILL LOCKYEAR

ATTORNEY GENERAL: STILL UNKNOWN AS OF WRITE TIME.

Thank you California voters, for keeping the state Democratic, even if you were quite bone-headed about the various propositions on the ballot!

Picture courtesy Alan Cleaver via Creative Commons.

This musical video says it all!

Expecting sanity and reason fro the opposition, though, seems foolish at this point.

By Geeta Padmanabhan

After being OD-ed by the filth, lies, corruption and the inhuman treatment of Delhi’s poor during the run-up to the Commonwealth Games 2010, I sat down to watch the opening ceremony, waiting for a miracle. It happened  – and exactly for the reasons you would have guessed. Together, India’s music, its art, original artists and artisans have nothing comparable anywhere you’ve been. India’s might is in her soft power.

This is what I saw in the spectacular show. Bullet-pointing it is the only way I can keep out the hyperbole.

[1] In shape, variety and sounds, Indian drums have no parallels. Appropriately, the Nagada drummers beat the opening rhythms to start the extravaganza. The Rhythms of India segment had the Pung Cholum from Manipur, the Chenda from Kerala and the Gaja Dhol, Wangala, Dholu Kunitha and the Bhangra. They beat in unison, the resonance of each standing out while blending perfectly with the other sounds. That’s when you felt your heart filling and the gooseflesh jumping.

[2] Among the hundreds of swirling drummers sat seven-year-old Keshav, a prodigy from Puducherry, playing the tabla like a maestro. He didn’t miss a beat!

[3] The earliest jaw-dropper was the helium-filled aerostat balloon, the centre piece acting like a giant round television screen. As “snake charmers” played their flutes, it rose, hoisting India’s touch with technology. Through the evening the aerostat floated, reflecting the colours and pictures of the programmes. Words from 18 different languages of India appeared on its surface, all translating to ‘Welcome’. Simply marvellous!

[4] What does one say about the Indian kids’ virtuosity on stage? Hundreds of Delhi school children piled in, swayed to Hariharan’s mellifluous “Swagatham”, changed formations smoothly, switched costumes, and in a mind-boggling sequence, painted mehendi on a cloth held above their heads. As they painted from below, magically the ‘namaste’ gesture appeared on the surface facing the audience. Where can one see something like this?

[5] The yoga sequence was a master-stroke. As hundreds of yogis in their smooth golden costumes performed asanas to soothing music, a shining wire-yogi sitting at Padmasana rose out of the middle of the homakundam-like stage. As explanation flowed in Hindi and English, the kundalini appeared inside the wire-figure as a hologram. It was a spectacle meant to pooh-pooh the sinister propaganda that yoga has nothing to do with Hinduism or India. Ha!

[6] Our classical dances – Kathak, Bharathnatyam, Kuchipudi, Mohiniattam, Manipur had their own striking segment. This is when you realised that experts in the classical arts have been entrusted with the job of putting the show together. The music, the mudras, the formations and of course the costumes were simply out of the world. Colourful, but elegantly so!

[7] And the segment which had even those watching the show on TV stand up, laugh, scream and applaud: The Indian train. Our trains symbolise so many things – the British legacy, the aam admi’s life, the railways’ reach to the remotest parts of India. As the bogies rolled across the stadium each carrying its unique merchandise in exaggerated sizes and colours, you saw the India that you grew up in – the India of the masala chaiwala, the banglewala, balloonwala, roadside mithaiwala, highway chandelierwala, street rope-walkers. And scurrying to catch the train were the dubbawalas, the potted women, the coolies and others. In that chook-chook gadi, the true, honest, un-hypocritical India, the endearing India that you see in the hinterland was unveiled. Just think. This is how the ordinary, but extra-ordinarily resilient Indian lives his life. It’s a scene that cannot be replicated anywhere else!

[8] It was a day after Gandhiji’s birth anniversary – and isn’t Gandhi the pillar of our British legacy?  This is how the event organisers saw it. Around a brightly lit table on the stage stood painting artists, and “drew” the picture of the Dandi march in a few minutes by simply removing fine mud from the surface. As their thumbs worked creating white areas on the mud-filled surface, Gandhi, a woman carrying the national flag and followers miraculously appeared. In the background you heard “Vaishnava Janato” played live. There was stunned silence as history unfolded. The spectators had no energy left to suitably applaud this wonder.

[9] AR Rahman’s song was billed to be the last – his CWG signature tune had come into a lot of criticism from our classical dancers who had to accompany the beat. “Too slow, too uneven”, they had complained. He was asked to tweak it. Now he walked in followed by city dancers – women in dervish-like costumes and men wearing gloves in India colours. The dance began, Rahman began singing “Jiyo, Utho, Badho, Jeeto” and all waz well, almost. Our folk dancers bravely caught the rhythm and swayed, the drummers kept time. The hesitation vanished and the stadium pulsated with dance when Rahman switched to Jaiho and took it to its crescendo. That was a clever move.

A word about the spectators. They paid huge amounts – upto Rs. 25,000/- for the seats and filled the 60,000 seats. They were on cue, participating in the show, clapping encouragement. In a wonderful gesture, they cheered, very loudly, the Pakistan contingent. It was a moment that made us world class. We proved we are civilised in a way that only an old culture can bequeath. Well, they booed Kalmadi as he spoke, but that’s discussion for another day.

Summary: Finally, the cameras had something beautiful about the CWG to capture. The most remarkable part of the opening ceremony was that only one complete dress rehearsal had been held at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. For those who count the paisa: The ceremony cost 150 crores – an example that India now speaks in crores.

India’s clout went far in silencing a lot of criticism about the “unlivable” Games village and the apparent racism in allotting rooms, but it didn’t go far enough to acquire the privilege of declaring the games open. Prince Charles held on to the tradition by making the declaration at the end of his reading of the Queen’s speech. In a sort of compromise, the Republican lady shouted a “Let the Games begin!” with a flourish.

The show wasn’t about technology. It wasn’t perfect either. Among the 7000 artists there were a couple without costumes, the movements were a bit chaotic at times, but that just made it all so warm and endearing “unlike the show in Beijing that was so perfectly plastic,” as someone put it. This show was about who we are, what we should be proud of. In putting together a my-own kind of desi event that included a humourous take on our unique aspects of life, we definitely proved something. We Indians are not ashamed of our past. We get along, in our own inscrutable ways. We find our joys in spite of our politicians. That is a true show of maturity.

It is encouraging that the powers woke up to the fact that India’s cultural icons, and not some stiff-necked babus who must be given the task of choosing and organising the events for the ceremony.  India had arrived long ago. It’s the world that wore blinkers.

Will the Games bring us more biz contracts? Quite possible, and I hope it is in our garment designing and handicrafts, not in hard manufacture that strips the poor of land and water.
Will the Games give us a cocky gait? May be. A new accent in our speech? Quite likely.
But I’m living in the euphoria of our ancient cultural artistry. Let the feeling last!