| 1) The Pandora’s | | | | meals a day and power supply. But the first and |
| box was already kept opened. You need not take | | | | foremost is a roof over the head. |
| credit for it nor share blame for the it. | | | | 6) I am not against |
| 2) I am not a | | | | any American. If such misunderstanding flashed |
| geologist and I don’t claim to be an intellectual. A | | | | through your mind in the course of reading, I feel |
| common citizen of India and I know my limitations. | | | | sorry. And I didn’t boast about the so-called |
| From what I have heard, what I have read, what I | | | | hard-working Indians. I mentioned the IT graduates |
| have seen and what I have experienced and still | | | | who work hard day in and day out to earn their living. |
| experiencing in my daily life I have come to certain | | | | As you had pointed out, barring a minority of |
| findings and as long as these findings are not | | | | government servants (I am not perfect either) are |
| contradicted by somebody, unfortunately your | | | | lazy. It is for the ruling regime to blame to a large |
| comments are not found to be satisfactory, I can | | | | extent and the bitter experiences you had |
| very well stick to my findings. | | | | undergone during your higher studies, the inordinate |
| 3) As I have already | | | | delay in getting the sanctioned scholarship for not |
| pointed out I am not a geologist and don’t have | | | | greasing the palms of the ‘babus’ in |
| a doctorate, you may take on well-known | | | | government offices, working without pay for months |
| environmental activists like Nobel laureates Rajendra | | | | together are touching, to say the least. This is not |
| Kumar Pachauri, Al-gore the former Vice-President of | | | | one person’s problem, it was here and it is here, |
| USA who is very much in USA and Lord Nicholas | | | | and only God knows when will such a curse going to |
| Stearns who has conducted a wider, intensive, | | | | be revoked. |
| in-depth study of the consequences of Global | | | | Sorry I have deviated from the point. |
| warming. ‘Yeah’, I do agree certain | | | | 7) Outsourcing of IT work in good measure to India |
| differences of opinion notwithstanding, you are also | | | | by the business tycoons and amassing huge amounts |
| conscious of the harmful effects of Global warming. | | | | with arrangements with the IT barons of India who |
| Kamalesh Sharma, the Secretary General of | | | | also benefit a big chunk from them by paying a |
| Common Wealth in his article “Considerations | | | | pittance to the IT graduates. The |
| before Common Wealth”, just days before a | | | | ‘unprecedented prosperity’ and the ugly |
| meeting of Common Wealth countries in | | | | secrets behind it were brushed under the carpet by |
| Port-of-Spain- his words I quote: “ For some, our | | | | the ruling mandarins of USA. But a few investment |
| homes are under an existential threat: that of climate | | | | bankers and corporates were anticipating the |
| change. The most threatened are those who have | | | | impending bubble-burst and inspite of these |
| done the least to bring us to this pass. Witness | | | | anticipations paid their CEOs huge bonus packets. The |
| flooding in Maldives, Kiribati, Tuvalu and Bangladesh; | | | | earth-quaking consequences of the collapse of |
| encroaching desert in Namibia and Nigeria; thawing | | | | American economy due to the corporate greed due |
| tundra in Canada; drought in Kenya and Australia; five | | | | to Market-Economy advocacy of the then President |
| times more hurricanes than usual in the | | | | George W Bush and Federal Reserve Chairman, Alan |
| Caribbean.” | | | | Greenspan have come to the surface to the shock |
| 4) Recently I came | | | | of all nations, developed and developing alike across |
| across an article in one of our national dailies about an | | | | the world. |
| widespread campaign by certain corporates by | | | | 8) I had already indicated that I am not against any |
| paying attractive incentives to their employees for | | | | American and the anger and outburst of President |
| writing blogs against environmentalists who fight for | | | | Barack Obama against the corporate CEOs for |
| Global warming by spreading absurd, baseless and | | | | paying fat bonuses to themselves and the young |
| illogical lies against the “so-called Global | | | | employed youth playing truant by indulging in video |
| warming”. These corporates will have certain | | | | games was very much in the news. At the time of |
| vested interests to pocket dollars caring two hoots | | | | his occupying White House, American economy was |
| for the welfare of the future generation. | | | | in a downward spiral and even the talk of |
| 5) On my arguments | | | | protectionism came to the fore which if implemented |
| against mega-hydro electric project along Narmada | | | | would have affected India badly. Now the |
| Sarovar citing the displacement of large number of | | | | unemployment percentage has reached double-digit |
| Dalit farmers without providing them rehabilitation | | | | level and Nobel laureate Paul Krugman writes columns |
| facilities, you talk eloquently about the necessity of | | | | repeatedly asking for an additional stimulus package |
| electric supply to the rural poor. Amusing really. Poor | | | | to keep the economy going smoothly. As you put it, |
| as well as well as rich are entitled to power. You | | | | a lady working in the ‘so-called capitalist nation |
| remain silent about the displaced lakhs without being | | | | has the right to talk frankly and with conviction is not |
| provided with a rehabilitation package. This is not the | | | | abhorrent to the Indian psyche’. India’s |
| only case with Narmada Sarovar and the Dalit | | | | educated, enlightened women are on the war-path |
| farmers. The Tehri Dam construction led to similar | | | | for more rights and welfare of women - their |
| situation, there also displacement of lakhs to nowhere | | | | demands are umpteen. Yeah, they are lagging behind |
| created uncontrollable refugee problems. The hapless | | | | USA in many aspects, it is due to the culpability of |
| ones with their belongings moved to urban areas | | | | the successive governments that ruled our nation |
| across India, even to Delhi, our Capital. This is not my | | | | since 1947. It seems, though an Indian, particularly a |
| figment of imagination. The argument I am driving | | | | Malayalee, in a remote corner of your mind, you have |
| home is nothing but the need for basic sanitation | | | | some kind of hatred towards this nation. Be that as it |
| facilities, pure drinking water, at least two square | | | | may. |