Hudhud - A nightmare in daylight

It was around 12 noon on the 11^th of October 2014 when I took my car to find a restaurant on the Vizag sea coast, which was recommended by lonely planet as one of the best in Vizag and where the biryani was supposed to be awesome! Driving along the coast of Vizag to Bhimli is one of my favourites as you find lush green trees on your left and the humongous blue sea on your right. It often reminds me of the “route 1” Pacific scenic drive in the United States. Rolling down my windows I was driving at a slow pace enjoying the beautiful weather and feeling the chill wind. There were groups of people at regular intervals standing and gazing at the sea hoping to catch a glimpse of something extraordinary. Yes, everyone was curious and wanted to find out how this cyclone could be different!

For the past one week, radios and televisions were all about the onset of Cyclone Hudhud. The Government, they say, had evacuated more than a lakh of people from the coast to safe areas. All through my drive I could see policemen posted at each and every entry point to the beach, persuading people to keep away from the sea. I, for myself was so excited that I would be witnessing this huge cyclone the next day, the 12^th of October and never did I imagine what the Hudhud was about to gift Vizag!

Being raised in Chennai, a port city, whenever there was a cyclone, we used to stay indoors sitting beside the balcony window with a cup of hot tea and some hot pokodas to eat and seeing the torrential rains. Now with this Hudhud, I was thinking that I would relive my childhood days again!

After a late night Saturday movie, I dozed off at 2 am and at that time I could hear the gushing winds. Well, Hudhud was arriving with much fanfare I guessed. It was 7 in the morning when I was forced to get up. There was a rattling of the windows, the glass panes broken and leaves from the trees of the nearby hill all scattered on my floor. Trying to open the door, I couldn't as it needed more strength and once I did, all I could see was glass shred from the nearby apartments flying around, slippers from my shoes rack gracing the next door. With much difficulty, I got down to the cellar to find my neighbour’s car being pushed a few metres! The metal grill of my balcony window came off like a chocolate coat on a pastry! There was an ongoing whistling sound like we hear in war movies. The low pressure of the cyclone blocked my ears and I could get the feel of being in a higher altitude. There was this gush of wind, and as I was bracing myself to protect from it, shreds of glass decorated the back of my T-shirt. Not to risk anymore, I had to run back to my flat and stay put the whole day, surrendering to the fury of nature!

a view of the kailasagiri hill before Hudhud

The next morning, Vizag was a devastated, ravaged city! Thousands of trees were uprooted, traffic movement was blocked, telephone and electricity poles were crisscrossing the roads, cables were strewn all over. Vizag, known for its greenery, is no more green, 

a view of the kailasagiri hill after Hudhud

the word was 

already removed from the city. Landmarks were gone. It was another war hit town, people queuing up for milk and water and other basic necessities. It was a god sent opportunity for the crooks who made a good sum by selling a loaf of bread for Rs.100, a can of water for Rs.300 and a packet of milk for another Rs.100. How life could be without the basic comforts for an average person – no electricity, no telephones, no internet (so no Facebook and WhatsApp!), a literal struggle for a can of water, for a packet of milk and of course vegetables – Ask a Vizagite, he would relate!

Thanks to the good governance at the center and at the state, mobiles were restored in 3-5 days, power was restored in a week, essentials commodities are now back in the stores and internet- Of course yes after 20 days!

                                     

I wonder the reason behind the naming of this cyclone after a bird called "Hudhud", probably the genius mind behind this naming had foresaw that this beautiful bird would peck out the beauty of Vizag!

Anti-Corruption - A political gimmick!!

Aam Aadmi Arvind Kejriwal has sounded the bugle to put an end to corruption through his toll free number. A welcome step! Reminds me of a Tamil movie called “Mudhalvan” by Director Shankar. It also reminds me of a biblical story of “David and Goliath” Well though our David – Kejriwal is all set to put an end to the Corruption called Goliath with his toll free number of slingshots, but what has to be seen is that, the today’s Goliath, is too powerful to be killed by a slingshot! All the actions of the new Aam Admi party seem to be like a movie portrayed in reality. What really intrigues me is that how come a former civil servant can ignore certain facts of statistics and behave like a run of the mill politician?

A normal study of statistics (http://www.transparency.org/cpi2013/results on world corruption from a view point of a layman would reveal that corruption is indirectly proportional to development. Corruption is least in countries which are developed and is high in countries which are under developed.  That even shows that countries with a higher GDP are less corrupt than those with lesser ones. What is understood is that corruption can be removed only with development. Today’s Goliath can never be killed with a slingshot alone; a concerted effort needs to be taken from all the directions to put the demon to rest. India is one country where there is a great gap in the salaries of the private sector when compared to those in the Government. A person working in the IT sector earns pay in 6 digits whereas his neighbour, a government servant earns in 5 digits. With the upper class lifestyle creeping in to the middle class, it becomes tempting for a government servant to make a fast buck to keep up to the new lifestyle like sending his kids to an international school; medical treatment in corporate hospitals; buying a car; a posh house etc. In this unfortunate situation, it must be the work of the government to focus on a multi-pronged development, as development is the only available antidote for the poisonous corruption. The probable solution for a better society would be to

•  decrease the parity between the pays of government and     private sectors;
• focus on infrastructure;
• quality education at government schools;
• quality treatment at government hospitals like those in Singapore where Government hospitals are preferred to private ones;
• Proper work atmosphere in Government offices;
• Inclusion of Civics as one of the important subjects at school;
• Strict enforcement of rules and then
• Fitting punishment for corruption.

Punishment alone can never be a deterrent to corruption. There will always emerge another modus operandi to take a bribe.

Without overall development, corruption can never be wiped off this country.   I can draw a parallel to this. Recently after my visit to a host of countries - first, second and third world, in the American continent, I promised myself not to litter, as in all these countries I was amazed with the sense of cleanliness the people have and also found the countryside to be spick and span. So coming back to India with my new resolution I desisted myself from throwing rubbish and now my car has turned out to be a dustbin, and I am still looking for a dust bin to clear the trash. We don’t provide dustbins at regular intervals and we expect people not to litter. This goes the same for corruption too. They don’t provide the setting which deters a person to take bribe but expect him to be honest.

Each and every one has a share in nurturing the Goliath of today. We talk of corruption only when a government official demands a sum. We forget that it is we who in desperation to see our favourite actor’s movie look around to find if any tout is there selling movie tickets in black; it is again we who try to impress on the railway ticket examiner with cash to secure a berth in an otherwise filled train. Our attitude has to change. This goes a long way in killing corruption. As long as the corrupt feel it is wrong to take a bribe but still takes it due to circumstances, we still have hope as this situation can be changed with a focused all round development. But if a corrupt justifies his action then what ever be the development he still stays corrupt and there would be no recourse. We have to work towards the eradication of this evil by providing a scenario where corruption is treated with contempt.  

The introduction of the toll free number which was widely publicised and spoken about in the media where we were told that 4000 calls were made in 7 hours all seems to be focused in creating hype. Toll free numbers existed even before Mr. Kejriwal entered into politics. The portal of Central Vigilance Commission clearly provides the details. (https://portal.cvc.gov.in/portal/index.jsp). The people never took recourse to it. Those who took were able to nab the corrupt. Now projecting this highly publicised toll free number just shows it is a concerted effort to capture the imagination of the common man, and that the elections are around the corner I can see that this seems to be an effort to transform this generated hype into votes. Though the AAP can never form the government on its own at the centre, it can play spoilsports and try to offset the chances of a deserved person from coming to power. I guess the AAP is really getting good at it. I hoped that Kejriwal would be a statesman; alas he too is proving to be another Aam Admi Politician! 

Grow up Kejriwal people are counting on you!!