So What is New?

 Mostly, it's a matter of perspective. Not much would change in a day. But just as books have chapters, we like to look at time in compartments. Calendars are on way to do it, and clocks are another. The stars were quite enough for our ancestors. They kept time by them.

Also, it gives us a chance to think about where we may be headed, in the next block of time-365 days approximately, in this case. Whole industries have been shaken up by the COVID pandemic, and countries too, in many cases. Some are on their way to recovery. It's not that we are new to man-made disasters..we have had plagues, cholera and lots of other killers-malaria, for example. Even though some of these are spread by rats or mosquitoes, we create conditions that help the spread.

If you want a one line summary of the learning from this pandemic, it could be -" Clean up your act, humans." In more ways than one, we have dirtied the planet, and ourselves. Soap is not going to cure all those ills, nor sanitisers. Unless we live sensibly (some sense has hopefully been forced on us), it will be another disaster, and then another. 

Here is hoping that we learn, and progress, as humans are meant to be (I think).

The Earth Quakes

An earthquake is extremely unpredictable in its magnitude and the distance it covers in various forms-like a tsunami, for instance. In December 2004, just as we were concluding an alumni batch meet, we heard of the tsunami that reached coastal Tamilnadu and caused huge damage. It had originated in Indonesia then.

The Himalayas are said to be sitting on a fault line-potential quake zone- and the earthquake yesterday seemed to prove that, as did an earlier one in Uttarakhand a few years ago. Some countries like Japan have got used to earthquakes, and seem better prepared than the rest to tackle it. We still seem indifferent, as typically, we value a life less than the advanced countries such as the U.S. or Japan.

While we need to reach out to those in distress, we can also take some preventive steps, like providing housing that is structurally safe to as many people as possible-not through doles, but through work that pays for it.

This government seems proactive on aiding those in trouble, as it showed in Yemen recently, and that's a welcome change from the past. Hope we get more proactive in preventing disasters too.

The Curious Case of the Malaysian Plane

Thankfully, it's a rare occurrence. And having been in some really stormy flights that seemed as if they would disintegrate mid-air, I understand that modern aircraft are fairly resilient. But that makes the current disappearance of a flight all the more intriguing.

My questions to no one in particular, are-

1. Don't we have a simple device that can help us track any flight after it falls off, even if it disintegrates? Apart from the black box, I mean. If not, is it possible to invent one, considering so many millions are now flying?

2. Can't our satellite technology which detects even small objects detect these planes somehow?

3. I am pretty sure military technology is pretty advanced. Can't some of it be applied in civilian distress management?

4. Shouldn't we be looking at rescue as early as possible after a plane goes off the radar? In this case, it was many hours before anyone did anything, it would seem.

5. Can someone (a hijacker, or a renegade pilot) simply switch off a plane's signals so it can't be traced?

6. Why not let passengers use some mobile phones if only to alert or send a message? Or enable the airline to send a coded SOS call if it loses height at an unacceptable rate indicating a disaster?

Of course, a stolen or hijacked plane is still a possibility, and if that is so, intelligence may help identify potential countries or locations where it may have flown.

A malfunction or a mechanical/structural failure is also a likelihood, either due to natural forces or a bomb.

Hope they find the truth soon.

Labels- Uttarakhand and Other Tragedies

Is it a man-made disaster, or a Natural one? Was it the Congress or the BJP that was responsible for letting construction happen? Did we ignore heavy rain warnings and delay the evacuation of people?

The act of trying to label things and pin the blame quickly on anyone or anything is not an adequately thought-out response, in my own view. And I could be in a minority. There are several things that contribute to a tragedy of this proportion. Primary among them are a sudden natural occurrence (such as a tornado, a tsunami fuelled by an earthquake) or an industrial accident (Bhopal, Chernobyl and so on). Other reasons are the population there, including the transient variety (floating population). Blind belief in worshipping specific idols rather than praying anywhere is another major cause, in this case. Building broader highways in hilly regions is not going to keep the fragile hills made of soft rock stable for too long.

Prevention is not easy, but sensibly thinking about it can help. Singapore manages to restrict the number of cars in the country. If we also tried to do so, some of these (and many others) disasters could be minimised. But two things are needed. Public transport-reliable, efficient and affordable, to replace private transport -not just in the Himalayas, but to commute to work or elsewhere, everyday. The car lobby and the oil lobby will not be happy, but we might just lower our oil import bill by a few thousand crores in the bargain.

Second, limits on development of every kind in any region, based on what it can sensibly take. Beyond a point, any piece of earth will give way, and lead to some disaster. Buildings crashing in many cities, not due to floods, but disregard for simple norms, are an example.

Development is necessary, but there are so many underdeveloped regions that we could develop, for industry, tourism and for living. Can we have a sensible action plan, rather than empty noises blaming someone or something? We are all in it together. At least, until we destroy it all.

Give us our Daily Soap

Here are some new prayers for the modern generation.

1. Give us our daily soap- as in mind-numbing soap opera, not the body-cleaner.

2. Give us a new Facebook profile- a new way to look at ourselves. Mirrors are so old-fashioned. Vanity, thou hast a new FACE!

3. Give us the daily dose of instant wisdom. Some out-of-context quotes from online storehouses which now replace Himalayan Masters and the Oracles of Delphi.

4. Give us a disaster a day, to keep our media alive. With only one condition, God, that I don't figure in any of them.

5. Give us our high fat, high sodium, high sugar diet so we can be on a permanent high.

Amen!