Yay! BT Brinjal out, for sometime..

Kudos to Jairam Ramesh! He did live up to his words..did a round collating views from all parts of India..and evaluate he did and came up with a genuine verdict.
But from the beginning I have been a bit worried about the whole issue becoming BT Brinjal centric..Now what about other GM foods?
Jairam himself is not clear and is not as emphatic in that as he is in Brinjal case.
So may be there is a ploy! may be some hidden agenda!
may be Brinjal is a trade off for the Monsantos..

But still, lets rejoice for a day or two and then focus on GM foods.. Genetic modification has no Business in our food. yes, pun intended.

I should admit, jairam Ramesh indeed has infused some hope in to our democratic process. That really needs recognition and appreciation.
But caution for all else concerning GM food.

Lets ROB said they and ROB we did!

Yeah lots of us joined hands with the youth for social change and ROBed..
Yeah, see here:
One of the cutest names I saw in recent times..
ROB- Reclaim our Beaches:-)

I didn’t join them earlier and even on this 30th Jan I just squeezed time to see whats happening than join their efforts full time..
It is quite tuff with time these days what with travel, restore activities and this big event on 30th jan..

I was very happy to have been there that morning as early as 6am..I was happy to see so many people (mostly youth) but wud hav been happier if it was a larger swell..
I wud have thought a good number from all those who pride and use the Beaches wud have come..
But iam dreaming, aint I?

To the better side: of the people who assembled, there was a good amount of enthusiasm and we all set out in to groups to various parts of the beach..
I accompanied some ‘not so youths’ to the far off broken bridge where the adyar river culminates..so obviously bringing along with it all our sins..the plastic, not so plastic, Styrofoams, chappals and what not!! All that disposed off recklessly comes and piles up here on the back waters and along the estuary..hmm..
What a shame??
Even for a conscious man like me (i.e for last 3 years) this was too much..
I was glad that some of the people who were there esp old ones who said it was a big realization and eye opener. One of them said “ hmm.. I know where all my discarded and carelessly thrown sandals end up..” another was commenting on the packing materials like thermocol..another on the innumerable small shampoo sachets..the best though was “ phew..if all this hadn’t piled up here as garage, I can imagine what wud be the plight of Madras..’ guessed that? he was picking bunches of condoms..

I seriously think all these people wud now go back and think twice before they splurge and throw..

While I congratulate this ROB team (& YSC too) I wish they organize more such trips for more people, colonies & school so that people have a first hand idea of our litters and sins.
Way to go ROB..
BT All you who read this- on the very next opportunity, pl go & ROB!!

BT Brinjal- protest, fast and walk

Jan 30th was a big day for anti GM protest(ors) all over India..That being gandhi's death anniv, there were lotsa protests (sathyagraha way) planned all over..
many of you would have received mails from me regarding our action plan in TN/Chennai
(sample here )
Vandana Shiva, actor Revathi and Carnatic singer Vijay Siva joined us and walked all the way from Marina beach to Gandhi statue. Many students, ladies and activists joined. Surprisingly there was lotsa media coverage..
Street play was also performed..
the coup was Mr.Kalyanam - Gandhiji's last personal secretary was brought at the culminating point and asked to read the pledge! This man was amazing and am told- now in his 80s this man still gets up at 4am and cleans the road in which he lives. just to state that doing something nice for the society in a small way is better than talking and remembering gandhi once (or twice) a year!

coming back to the protest
you can also see more photos in the coming days at SFA.

Meanwhile if you care, try and do all you can to stop GM foods entering our diet in any form.

for more on GM here at this blog, see here. Pl scroll down to see all earlier posts.

Piyush Arrested!

remember Piyush?
He is arrested for sedition!!!!
for trying to go on a peaceful cycle rally from salem to chennai via sivagangai.

This was to highlight the pathetic condition of the tribals who are being hunted by the govts (state & central) in the name of operation Green hunt.
whats their interest you ask?
The Tatas, vedantas, Jindals etc need the mineral rich forests which is the tribals' home! so this special hunt on the tribals..Govt needs to help these rich become richer right? development you see!
Piyush who visited Chattisgarh recently was witness to so many afflicted tribals (due to displacement, rape and happy-trigger-hunters).

Piyush felt bad that most of us in TamilNadu were not aware of all this and so wanted to spread the message about the atrocities committed on the tribals up there- in a peaceful manner..
But it was stopped even before he started and has been charged with sedition, a non- bailable law.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Write polite letters to the Commissioner of Police, Salem, after you have had a chance to read the contents of the pamphlet, expressing your outrage at considering pamphleteering a seditious act, and inviting him to restore your confidence that Tamilnadu still operates within the democratic framework set out by the Constitution.

2. Get people (including known names) from your city to sign a statement defending free speech, and have it faxed to the Commissioner of Police.

3. Get people who can write to write in blogs, opinion pieces in media.

Letters may be sent to:
Commissioner of Police
Salem City
Phone/Fax: +91 (0)427 2410217
mail to :spsalem@dataone.in,spsalem@yahoo.co.in

Model Message: "We are alarmed at the charge of sedition framed against Piyush Sethia for distributing pamphlets announcing the launch of a peaceful, non-violent public opinion mobilisation via a cycle rally to highlight and protest against the Government's atrocities against Adivasis in Chattisgarh. We are concerned about your office's clampdown on constitutionally guaranteed rights to free speech and expression on a day when the Republic is being celebrated. Kindly withdraw the charges, and honourably discharge Mr. Sethia."

124A. 1[ Sedition.-- Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, 2[ the Government established by law in 3[ India], a 4[ shall be punished with 5[ imprisonment for life], to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine. Explanation 1.- The expression" disaffection" includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity. Explanation 2.- Comments expressing disapprobation of the measures of the Government with a view to obtain their alteration by lawful means, without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section. Explanation 3.- Comments expressing disapprobation of the administrative or other action of the Government without exciting or attempting to excite hatred, contempt or disaffection, do not constitute an offence under this section.]

lost mobile phone

very bad..i lost my mobile phone in a crazy way, while driving thru the forest road of hogenekal to denkanikottai:-(
so please note that for next few days am out of reach on mobile phone!

the matter is not about how I lost it but of the perils later..
if your service provider is BSNL, you had it..
for all you BSNL users, if you were pissed by them as a service provider, you had it if you want their help at times of distress like this.
Its next to impossible to get a cust care person online and after hours of persisting, if some one comes up, he would say he/she is from prepaid if you are a post paid customer and vice versa..oh man! after some 10 such nonsense conversations and blowing your top, you may come across the right section but they will only be as helpless and demand some tiger's milk(puli paal) or such like to start the procedure..

But, you know what? this bloody affair has subsided the loss of my phone..how good, eh? for someone who has lost something for the first time and that too my right hand- a phone..hmm, still am sad..
let me see if I can be persistent enough and get the same number. (number portability- where art thou?)

farm visits

yeah, am travelling..
after a long time and its pondy, Trichy, Kallakurichi, Atthur, Salem, Darmapuri, Hosur Bangalore. Visiting many farms enroute..
so bear with sparse blogging here, but wait for more stories..
off i go*brrrr*

Half a day in the jail!

How sensational!
Yeah I spent half a day with prison officials and in the Puzhal prison..but don’t let ur imaginations fly..
It was to try and engage the prisoners in to agriculture..obviously organic farming!
See this and you know its not easy to handle prisoners..we cant ape the west in everything and then learn things the hard way..The prisons here (some of them)are modernized and the facilities and food too have been improved so much that most prisoners when they get back home find their homes very wanting..so they want to come back:-) comical as this looks, this is a serious issue the prisons have as stated by a top official there that day.
Hmm..so every one have their share of problems..
I was summoned by sevalaya Murali when he heard about the prison authorities wanting some plans to keep the prisoners engaged. Murali visits all prisons across TN and gives talks on Gandhi, Vivekananda and Bharathiar. I have been privy to many anecdotes from him about serious prisoners (like bomb making haneefa and likes) that if they were taught these when young they would not have gone this route..hmm, late but still, hopes..

So we took help of this man! Nammalvar is a walking organic encyclopedia…so I shud rate myself really lucky to go on this exploration trip..we shall now motivate the prisoners to cultivate their own food organically and change that whole place green and nice..what more we are already talking of what to do with the excess produce..hey they all jumped at me saying restore shud grab them..oh how I wish!
But the fact is they are serious..let us see how much we can put that in a paper, show them as a do-able report..Yes, all these govt projects will need more papers than deed:-( though not my cuppa, need to do that..any of u who can write flowery project report send me personal mail and you can help this whole thingy..