By Maxwell Pereira
Making heroes out of criminals is the prerogative of we Indians, one feels! Especially going by our record in dealing with the likes of Charles Sobhraj, Phoolan Devi and lately the elusive Veerappan. But then one observes such tendencies now surfacing to noticeable levels majorly too in the land of Robin Hood the benevolent bandit and Jack-the-Ripper; where in a “youth culture intelligence report” a London ‘brand’ consultancy has recently declared that the boundaries between right and wrong are constantly blurring, and that understanding the appeal of criminal culture can teach us a great deal about contemporary attitudes and desires – to be capitalised for commercial and other gains.
This is based on the observation that criminals have become cult figures, leading to a steady flow of films and books on gangsters and international drug barons. Criminal involvement or convictions are observed to do little to dent the popularity of pop stars, and even of sportsmen… whose brush with the law seemingly enhancing their celebrity status.
The report further elaborates: “…not only does a glamorised view of criminality represent excitement and notoriety, it also signifies a need for clear value systems in our ambiguous society. Murderers, pimps, hustlers and hit men have become the latest cult figures to be appropriated by leading-edge culture as it searches for new heros and role models.”
Linked criminal references tend to effectively enhance brand edge, resulting in a growing trend for those in PR to hint at criminal activity to be a badge of pride rather than a negative factor or a slur. The appeal of the illicit and seeking of lifestyles that frequently involve breaking of the law – from wanton indulgence in minor traffic infringements to major and more daring crimes of violence, becoming influencing factors as ‘in’ things to raise one’s level in the popularity charts.
Applying these findings to home scenario, may be we could tell these Consultancy people a thing or two from our own vast repertoire of ‘criminal hero’ experiences. Take the case of Sobhraj. He did succeed in his objective to prolong his jail term in India till such time as he ceased to be a wanted man for the beach murders in Thailand. But had he succeeded in his ultimate designs to continue in India even after serving full term in Tihar, well… I have no doubt whatsoever that we would have elected him to Parliament at the first opportunity. And who can forget Bablu Srivastava’s widely televised statement on camera while being brought in by CBI extradited from Singapore through Interpol, that “…these very policemen holding me in handcuffs today will one day salute me when I become the Home Minister!” And nearer recent times, there was the confident statement by Phoolan Devi’s killer unabashedly telling all, that did the act with the belief that this would land him in Parliament within three years!
Looking back though, it is unfortunate that something that was started as a tool to give impetus to our freedom struggle by Gandhiji in the form of civil disobedience and courting arrest by ‘jail baro’ movements, has grown today into a license to violate law with impunity… even to the extent of arrest and jail being a desired qualification for an aspiring politician! And today, as is commonly perceived, we have graduated to sending our criminals to Parliament as its members, to enact for us, the milieu, such laws as these very lawbreakers were adept at violating.
The reason, our own election laws have not been able to come to terms with ground realities, to keep those perceived to be criminals by the society at large from contesting – on grounds of the inability of the system to really convict them of the crimes they were/or are accused of. For purposes of the Representation of People’s Act, only a conviction disqualifies a candidate, irrespective of the number of murder, dacoity, kidnappings for ransom or extortion cases he may have been involved in or been accused of.
On the contrary, the dictionaries of course clearly describe a criminal to be a person who has committed a crime or crimes – defining a crime as an “offence against the social order or a violation of the mores that is dealt with by community action rather than by an individual or kinship group”; …and more elaborately as an act of commission or omission that falls foul of a public law of a sovereign State to the injury of public welfare and makes the offender liable to punishment by that law in a proceeding brought against him by the State by indictment, by information, complaint or similar criminal proceeding.
Coupled with this, the penchant of the Indian people then to hero worship their criminals to the extent of considering them as more suitable and capable, and with more effective ability to represent or govern them, than the run of the mill academician or the dull clean imaged do-gooder or the social activist – is sure enough a perfect formula to encourage every don in the country to ultimately aspire for and graduate to the nation’s Parliament.
Through fair means or foul, booth-capturing vote-capturing, or sheer reign of terror. And the system lumps it… He gets honourably sworn in with pomp and splendour – gaining for himself a new found respectability and acceptability in society and even by those others already in Parliament, who it is expected would never have otherwise stooped so low as to associate with criminals.
Isn’t it strange then how many such accused of heinous crimes elevated so by their electorate to be worthies in Parliament can brush shoulders and share seats with the cleanest and the most elite of our leaders, with no signs of revulsion or ostracization from the latter.. !
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April 15, 2002: Maxwell Pereira, 60 Ashoka Road, ND-1: 3718822, 3731765;
email maxpk@vsnl.com
(published in the Delhi Mid-Day on Wednesday, April 24, 2002)
Monday, 15 April 2002
Tuesday, 12 June 2001
Driving After Cheers !
By Maxwell Pereira
June 2001
“Drinks and driving don’t mix” – is a matter of fact statement. It is also an advice often given to drivers by the authorities and others concerned and knowledgeable. With due reason. Though the level of awareness on this crucial issue among road users in most countries of the world – especially in those developed – is quite high, it is unfortunate that this matter has not been viewed with the seriousness it deserves, in our country.
The spectacular increase in the number of motor vehicles on our roads has indeed created a major social problem – of loss of valuable lives through road accidents. And drunkenness is among the major causes for road accidents in India. Also, a large number of persons are killed in road accidents due to excessive intake of alcohol – mostly by drivers before and while driving, and at times even by pedestrians or cyclists who venture on the road in an inebriated state.
In a number of research studies conducted throughout the world which have examined its effects on driving capabilities, alcohol has indeed been found to have dangerous effects on persons who cross limits. The judgement and skill of a driver can only be exercised so long as his sensory organs remain functioning unimpaired; which of course, do get affected with drinks.
Alcohol gives a feeling of well-being and outward calm – but actually it is, in medical parlance, a depressant. It slows down the processes in the central nervous system, especially the brain. The effects can be seen in the lessening of muscular control and coordination, and thereby increase in reaction time. Alcohol intake results in blurring of vision and decrease in awareness, especially in the dark. It also impairs ability to judge speed and distance, essentially needed to deal with unexpected situations…. and judgement with regard to how fit and fine one is to drive, so that under its influence one generally believes oneself to be driving better than one really does. All these factors greatly affect driving performance. Obvious consequences are, a higher risk of road accidents.
Effects of various amounts of alcohol on driver behaviour have been examined in a study conducted by Goldberg L. and J.D.S. Haward, D.E.C.D., Paris. Alcohol in the blood is measured in milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitre (ml) of blood. The Study states that when alcohol concentration in blood is 0-20 mg/100 ml, in some subjects there is deterioration in special skills that resemble driving skills; in which case, the accident risk while being there, is marginal. When blood alcohol concentration is 20-40mg/ 100 ml, there is further progressive deterioration in special skills and hence greater risk of accidents. In 40-50mg/100 ml, significant increase in accident involvement is noticed. As the blood alcohol level approaches and passes 50mg/100 ml, the overall accident risk increases rapidly; and at a concentration of 80mg/100 ml, alcohol emerges as a dominant factor in accidents. When blood alcohol concentration is greater than 80mg/100 ml, the accident probability of drivers is very high – it being 6 to 7 times (when the concentration is 100mg/100 ml) that of drivers with less than 10mg/100 ml.
Authorities around the world have laid down their own standards for permissible maximum blood alcohol content. In the USA many states consider it a legal offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle, if the blood alcohol content is 100 mg/100 ml or more; in Norway and Sweden the limit is 50 mg/100 ml. In the UK the Road Safety Act, 1972 makes it a legal offence for a person to drive if the blood alcohol content is 80 mg/ 100 ml or more. The legal limit in India is 30mg/100 ml, as per provisions of Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
When a person drinks alcohol, the drink passes quickly from mouth to the stomach and then into the small intestines – through which it gets absorbed into the blood stream. Absorption of alcohol is very fast if a drink is taken on an empty stomach. It would be slow, if the route through the small intestines is impeded by food. From the small intestine the blood first passes through the liver where a small quantity gets constantly removed – and then onto the system, for general circulation; so on to the heart; the lungs, where a small amount passes into the breath; and finally it reaches the brain. The elimination process is slow, but eventually the liver removes most of the alcohol, while some of it finally passes out through urine.
Harder the drink, it is reported, more rapidly does it get absorbed into the body. The process of absorption is slower for drinks with less concentration of alcohol. Greater the quantum and time over which alcohol is consumed, more the effect on faculties that affect driving. Presence of food in the stomach influences and slows down the absorption process of alcohol into the blood stream. Among other effects of regular and excessive intake of alcohol, deterioration of health is not uncommon… at times leading to loss of livelihood. The probability of a road accident is high, apart from the consequential effects on the immediate family and likely inconvenience/loss to the community.
Ideally, one should not drink and drive. Even a small quantity of alcohol can impair the performance of a person while driving. So it is always advisable to wait until all alcohol has been eliminated from the body, before taking to the wheel. If one has to drive after drinking, the guidelines are – not to drink on an empty stomach; to drink slowly and limit the amount of intake; to eat while drinking; and to stop drinking at a stage much before taking to the wheel.
The legal penalty under section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act prescribes imprisonment of ‘6’ months with or without fine upto Rs. 2000/- for the First offence. For the second and subsequent offence – if committed within 3 years of the commission of a previous similar offence, the imprisonment is upto 2 years or fine up to Rs. 3000/- or more. There can be arrest without warrant u/s 202 of the M.V. Act, which also prescribes a breath test (u/s 203) and a laboratory test (u/s 204). Though not related to alcohol, the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 also envisage some drugs as rendering a person incapable of exercising proper control over the motor vehicle under the same Section 185 of the MV Act. These include Cannabis and Cocaine – which affect the central nervous system as depressants; hypnotic sedatives such as – Allobarbitone, Phenobarbital, Secobarbital, Cyclobarbitone, Barbitone, Methapolene, Chloral Hydrate; narcotic analgesics like – Morphine and Pethidine; psycho-tropic drugs like Lysergic acid di-ethyleawridge (LSD); stimulants like – Amphetamin, Methyl Phanidate Hydrochloride; and transquilizers like – Diazepam, Chloridiarepoxide and Nitrazepam;
To conclude, a balanced individual will remember always to stick to the advise of elders on drinks – “one is just fine; two is one too many; three is just not enough….” And beware of that friend who pressurises a departing guest with a – ‘one for the road’. Just be that wise guy then, not to let that one be, the ‘…one for the ditch’. Surely then, you’ll be the one that saves not only yours, but other’s lives too.
June 2001
“Drinks and driving don’t mix” – is a matter of fact statement. It is also an advice often given to drivers by the authorities and others concerned and knowledgeable. With due reason. Though the level of awareness on this crucial issue among road users in most countries of the world – especially in those developed – is quite high, it is unfortunate that this matter has not been viewed with the seriousness it deserves, in our country.
The spectacular increase in the number of motor vehicles on our roads has indeed created a major social problem – of loss of valuable lives through road accidents. And drunkenness is among the major causes for road accidents in India. Also, a large number of persons are killed in road accidents due to excessive intake of alcohol – mostly by drivers before and while driving, and at times even by pedestrians or cyclists who venture on the road in an inebriated state.
In a number of research studies conducted throughout the world which have examined its effects on driving capabilities, alcohol has indeed been found to have dangerous effects on persons who cross limits. The judgement and skill of a driver can only be exercised so long as his sensory organs remain functioning unimpaired; which of course, do get affected with drinks.
Alcohol gives a feeling of well-being and outward calm – but actually it is, in medical parlance, a depressant. It slows down the processes in the central nervous system, especially the brain. The effects can be seen in the lessening of muscular control and coordination, and thereby increase in reaction time. Alcohol intake results in blurring of vision and decrease in awareness, especially in the dark. It also impairs ability to judge speed and distance, essentially needed to deal with unexpected situations…. and judgement with regard to how fit and fine one is to drive, so that under its influence one generally believes oneself to be driving better than one really does. All these factors greatly affect driving performance. Obvious consequences are, a higher risk of road accidents.
Effects of various amounts of alcohol on driver behaviour have been examined in a study conducted by Goldberg L. and J.D.S. Haward, D.E.C.D., Paris. Alcohol in the blood is measured in milligrams (mg) of alcohol per 100 millilitre (ml) of blood. The Study states that when alcohol concentration in blood is 0-20 mg/100 ml, in some subjects there is deterioration in special skills that resemble driving skills; in which case, the accident risk while being there, is marginal. When blood alcohol concentration is 20-40mg/ 100 ml, there is further progressive deterioration in special skills and hence greater risk of accidents. In 40-50mg/100 ml, significant increase in accident involvement is noticed. As the blood alcohol level approaches and passes 50mg/100 ml, the overall accident risk increases rapidly; and at a concentration of 80mg/100 ml, alcohol emerges as a dominant factor in accidents. When blood alcohol concentration is greater than 80mg/100 ml, the accident probability of drivers is very high – it being 6 to 7 times (when the concentration is 100mg/100 ml) that of drivers with less than 10mg/100 ml.
Authorities around the world have laid down their own standards for permissible maximum blood alcohol content. In the USA many states consider it a legal offence for a person to drive a motor vehicle, if the blood alcohol content is 100 mg/100 ml or more; in Norway and Sweden the limit is 50 mg/100 ml. In the UK the Road Safety Act, 1972 makes it a legal offence for a person to drive if the blood alcohol content is 80 mg/ 100 ml or more. The legal limit in India is 30mg/100 ml, as per provisions of Section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act 1988.
When a person drinks alcohol, the drink passes quickly from mouth to the stomach and then into the small intestines – through which it gets absorbed into the blood stream. Absorption of alcohol is very fast if a drink is taken on an empty stomach. It would be slow, if the route through the small intestines is impeded by food. From the small intestine the blood first passes through the liver where a small quantity gets constantly removed – and then onto the system, for general circulation; so on to the heart; the lungs, where a small amount passes into the breath; and finally it reaches the brain. The elimination process is slow, but eventually the liver removes most of the alcohol, while some of it finally passes out through urine.
Harder the drink, it is reported, more rapidly does it get absorbed into the body. The process of absorption is slower for drinks with less concentration of alcohol. Greater the quantum and time over which alcohol is consumed, more the effect on faculties that affect driving. Presence of food in the stomach influences and slows down the absorption process of alcohol into the blood stream. Among other effects of regular and excessive intake of alcohol, deterioration of health is not uncommon… at times leading to loss of livelihood. The probability of a road accident is high, apart from the consequential effects on the immediate family and likely inconvenience/loss to the community.
Ideally, one should not drink and drive. Even a small quantity of alcohol can impair the performance of a person while driving. So it is always advisable to wait until all alcohol has been eliminated from the body, before taking to the wheel. If one has to drive after drinking, the guidelines are – not to drink on an empty stomach; to drink slowly and limit the amount of intake; to eat while drinking; and to stop drinking at a stage much before taking to the wheel.
The legal penalty under section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act prescribes imprisonment of ‘6’ months with or without fine upto Rs. 2000/- for the First offence. For the second and subsequent offence – if committed within 3 years of the commission of a previous similar offence, the imprisonment is upto 2 years or fine up to Rs. 3000/- or more. There can be arrest without warrant u/s 202 of the M.V. Act, which also prescribes a breath test (u/s 203) and a laboratory test (u/s 204). Though not related to alcohol, the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 also envisage some drugs as rendering a person incapable of exercising proper control over the motor vehicle under the same Section 185 of the MV Act. These include Cannabis and Cocaine – which affect the central nervous system as depressants; hypnotic sedatives such as – Allobarbitone, Phenobarbital, Secobarbital, Cyclobarbitone, Barbitone, Methapolene, Chloral Hydrate; narcotic analgesics like – Morphine and Pethidine; psycho-tropic drugs like Lysergic acid di-ethyleawridge (LSD); stimulants like – Amphetamin, Methyl Phanidate Hydrochloride; and transquilizers like – Diazepam, Chloridiarepoxide and Nitrazepam;
To conclude, a balanced individual will remember always to stick to the advise of elders on drinks – “one is just fine; two is one too many; three is just not enough….” And beware of that friend who pressurises a departing guest with a – ‘one for the road’. Just be that wise guy then, not to let that one be, the ‘…one for the ditch’. Surely then, you’ll be the one that saves not only yours, but other’s lives too.
Sunday, 10 June 2001
Rage over Road Rage!
By Maxwell Pereira
It is often said - "The character of a city's people is reflected in the manner its Traffic moves!" When people lack the cardinal three 'C's - Care, Courtesy and Consideration while driving on the road, they become potential victims of Road Rage. Be it as aggressor, or just at the receiving end. This coupled with lack of basic knowledge of road rules and/or the tendency to violate the accepted and expected norms of road behaviour... result, at times most unexpectedly, in situations where just about anyone on the road - more often the affluent, the elite, even the plebeian, or the likes of you and me, are hit with road rage.
Diminutively statured Lola Mathai couldn't control her tears as she narrated to me the other day an intimidatingly horrifying experience of a "burly black woman in her huge embassy car" - her expressions not mine - chasing her little Maruti down the road for over a kilometre, gesturing all the way most threateningly, stopping her at a road junction, and then thumping on her bonnet with her steely hard hands, even as her daughter desperately tried alerting the police on the cell phone.
But Lola Mathai’s encounter was insipid when compared to that of Deepak Singh and Kamalkant Jain on May 4 when mere rolling up of sleeves and letting go volleys of abuses at the other did not diffuse risen tempers - but followed into an eatery in South Delhi's posh GK-II, ending up with one person shot in the leg and another beaten black and blue. Zigzagging near Savitri led to this fracas, reported the press, the next day.
Policemen too were not spared, when a week ago within a span of 12 hours three traffic officials were at the butt end - assaulted in two separate incidents in the city's New Delhi and the trans-Yamuna areas, merely for doing their duty by intervening in situations. In one case, for mediating in an argument between a Blueline driver and the drunk occupants of a Zen. In the other, for restraining a cyclist for irresponsibly invading into the path of a VIP motorcade. And then on May 29 was this incident in which farm owners in Mehrauli who accosted him for crashing into their car, damaging it accidentally, allegedly shot at Sanjay Kumar of Gadaipur - consequently, landing themselves in Tihar jail with an 'attempt to murder' charge slapped on them.
Less than a year ago, Shammi Narang was shot in the abdomen following a minor road accident in West Delhi. And Jaswant Singh in South Delhi's Badarpur was shot dead from point blank range for 'not driving his vehicle safely'.
Road rage overcomes a driver without warning and tends to destabilise the human so completely enough to make him/her irrationally impulsive... to do things one normally wouldn't. Like chasing, abusing, ramming, hurting, bashing, and at times even killing. And the incidence of this demon road rage - often termed the "mad driver's disease", is no more a rarity, visibly rearing its head in ever increasing frequency in our cities in India, and more particularly in Delhi with its burgeoning traffic of over 35 lakh vehicles - whose mobility the administration and the Traffic Police are diligently (...or is it naively?) endeavouring to ensure in convenient, ostensibly safe, and greater speeds.
In an evolving life style where more and more people are finding themselves always in a hurry to reach their destinations and back, indulgence in mindless driving with wanton disregard to traffic rules today tends to be the general practice than the exception - despite the efforts of the authorities. There are far too many vehicles - and a variety of them too, jostling for priority on limited road space; and drivers are taking liberties with the rules, much to the annoyance of other road users. Resulting in the number and type of traffic offenders increasing steadily. The resultant tensions tend to convert into abnormal driver behaviour, getting violent by the day.
Stress levels are often aggravated also by weather and environmental conditions, especially with the onset of summer and its increasing temperatures. Making drivers lose their cool with tolerance levels touching the brim. "Heat brings out the worst in us" psychologists say, "and add fuel to fire, shooting up stress". When climate is uncomfortable, as it is in summers when most are not privileged to enjoy air-conditioners, irritation is round the corner; providing that spark to ignite mental instability and irrationality in impulsive persons... to commit aberrations and at times even crimes - not necessarily by such who normally exhibit a criminal bent of mind. That is why perhaps one experiences a plethora of accidents during the 'heaty' months and more particularly during the height of noon as compared to the rest of day.
Also, one doesn't need to be a doctor to know that the extra heat generated through consumption of alcohol further tends to make a person less in control of his faculties, more impulsive in his reaction and extremely irritable in the face of provocation. Correspondingly, the general aggression on the roads giving rise to violent situations and accidents is a common fall-out in instances of drunken driving.
And then there are people who are already hassled on account of various matters - matters, maybe totally not connected with driving. Be it a disturbed night without adequate sleep, or a disagreement with the spouse; may be a delayed start or a ticking off from the Boss; could be pangs of hunger, or the child's Report Card, or a financial crisis caused by a crash in the Stock Market - could be anything. All these, anyone or more, could make the pressure valve burst.. or snap the tensed up string of sanity. Triggering off that chord of depression or anger ever lurking and inherent in all. Distracting and disturbing the concentration levels required for safe and sane driving on the road.
Going by behavioural factors, road rage is found to usually strike those with ego problems. Also, a decade ago Delhi-ites talked not-too-kindly of the emerging behaviour patterns among 'yuppies' and the 'puppies' and condemned their nouveau-riche arrogance and irresponsible crudity while zipping across the city in their brand new Marutis and their inflated egos. The conflicting egos of different individuals get correspondingly reflected in road-user behaviour... more often transformed into anger. Anger levels rise and keep rising over each irrational act of the other road user (not necessarily just that of the vehicle driver.... but even of a pedestrian, cyclist, bullock-cart, camel or elephant) - justifiably viewed as such or not, by the one with ego hassles. More particularly when he feels that the other road user is getting the better of him. Which tends to make him break the barrier of sanity, lose his cool... and instead of concentrating on the road and the task of driving his own car with personal faculties fully under control, he succumbs to his rising temper... to reach a level when pressure valves burst, letting out the accumulated steam uncontrollably and unpredictably. Often with disastrous consequences.
Non-stop driving over prolonged lengths of time also impairs the cognitive functions of a driver and modifies his appraisal of hazards and stress. Resultant fatigue is another factor which affects the performance ability under varied driving conditions/situations; thereby resulting in accumulation of more stress influencing driver behaviour. Such heavy strain which the driver on the road is exposed to results in unreliable, invalid and un-quantifiable road behaviour which contributes to the irrational and unaccountable performance ability and other psychological error situations.
The complex interweaving of all these factors ‘midst the at times not-too-palatable and pressure–building traffic conditions is home ground for road rage. This and the resultant disregard to rules, I should not fail to say, the enforcers of traffic laws are tasked to try and control by restrictive and regulatory treatment, with appropriate fines and other enforcement measures for reasons of traffic safety and socio-political considerations. The potential of this exercise, one needs also to concede, is no less a contributory factor too, at times, as witnessed by many a prosecuting traffic official on the beat.
The consequent effects of a conglomeration of all these factors are not necessarily uniform - depending on individual metabolism, mind frame and particular circumstance in time. Loss of cool and equanimity to start with, and most certainly irritation for the majority; leading to impulsive and excessive honking, verbal abuse at times accompanied by gesticulating threateningly - even obscene gestures; unnecessary and aggressive lane changing or driving obstructively or too slowly; cutting across the path of the other's right of way, angry flashing of headlights, and aggressive tailgating... the likes of which experienced by Lola Mathai.
So what's the remedy? Always keep your cool, say most. Easier said than done. But a good driver needs to be organized. Ensure your rest, and make time for relaxation. Start well in time, with sufficient sponge for stoppages and contingencies of traffic abnormalities en route... not forgetting to take whatever that needs to be carried along. Be in control of the wheel and yourself. And do not get provoked or overly excited - especially when driving. Be patient at intersections, and take heed of our suggestion for you to 'RELAX' painted for your benefit on every red light signal-head. And remember, with all the tension packed hurried attempt to reach the destination, you'd not really have gained more than a minute or two. May be it will help to develop that attitude of 'pehle aap' while on the road... and when provoked, never to react before mentally counting 1 to 10..... That will help!
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May 31, 2001: Copyright © Maxwell Pereira; email: maxpk@vsnl.com
(Published as main feature in the centre-spread editorial page of the Hindustan Times of Sunday June 10, 2001 under ‘Reflections’ – as “Drive carefully, road rage ahead”).
It is often said - "The character of a city's people is reflected in the manner its Traffic moves!" When people lack the cardinal three 'C's - Care, Courtesy and Consideration while driving on the road, they become potential victims of Road Rage. Be it as aggressor, or just at the receiving end. This coupled with lack of basic knowledge of road rules and/or the tendency to violate the accepted and expected norms of road behaviour... result, at times most unexpectedly, in situations where just about anyone on the road - more often the affluent, the elite, even the plebeian, or the likes of you and me, are hit with road rage.
Diminutively statured Lola Mathai couldn't control her tears as she narrated to me the other day an intimidatingly horrifying experience of a "burly black woman in her huge embassy car" - her expressions not mine - chasing her little Maruti down the road for over a kilometre, gesturing all the way most threateningly, stopping her at a road junction, and then thumping on her bonnet with her steely hard hands, even as her daughter desperately tried alerting the police on the cell phone.
But Lola Mathai’s encounter was insipid when compared to that of Deepak Singh and Kamalkant Jain on May 4 when mere rolling up of sleeves and letting go volleys of abuses at the other did not diffuse risen tempers - but followed into an eatery in South Delhi's posh GK-II, ending up with one person shot in the leg and another beaten black and blue. Zigzagging near Savitri led to this fracas, reported the press, the next day.
Policemen too were not spared, when a week ago within a span of 12 hours three traffic officials were at the butt end - assaulted in two separate incidents in the city's New Delhi and the trans-Yamuna areas, merely for doing their duty by intervening in situations. In one case, for mediating in an argument between a Blueline driver and the drunk occupants of a Zen. In the other, for restraining a cyclist for irresponsibly invading into the path of a VIP motorcade. And then on May 29 was this incident in which farm owners in Mehrauli who accosted him for crashing into their car, damaging it accidentally, allegedly shot at Sanjay Kumar of Gadaipur - consequently, landing themselves in Tihar jail with an 'attempt to murder' charge slapped on them.
Less than a year ago, Shammi Narang was shot in the abdomen following a minor road accident in West Delhi. And Jaswant Singh in South Delhi's Badarpur was shot dead from point blank range for 'not driving his vehicle safely'.
Road rage overcomes a driver without warning and tends to destabilise the human so completely enough to make him/her irrationally impulsive... to do things one normally wouldn't. Like chasing, abusing, ramming, hurting, bashing, and at times even killing. And the incidence of this demon road rage - often termed the "mad driver's disease", is no more a rarity, visibly rearing its head in ever increasing frequency in our cities in India, and more particularly in Delhi with its burgeoning traffic of over 35 lakh vehicles - whose mobility the administration and the Traffic Police are diligently (...or is it naively?) endeavouring to ensure in convenient, ostensibly safe, and greater speeds.
In an evolving life style where more and more people are finding themselves always in a hurry to reach their destinations and back, indulgence in mindless driving with wanton disregard to traffic rules today tends to be the general practice than the exception - despite the efforts of the authorities. There are far too many vehicles - and a variety of them too, jostling for priority on limited road space; and drivers are taking liberties with the rules, much to the annoyance of other road users. Resulting in the number and type of traffic offenders increasing steadily. The resultant tensions tend to convert into abnormal driver behaviour, getting violent by the day.
Stress levels are often aggravated also by weather and environmental conditions, especially with the onset of summer and its increasing temperatures. Making drivers lose their cool with tolerance levels touching the brim. "Heat brings out the worst in us" psychologists say, "and add fuel to fire, shooting up stress". When climate is uncomfortable, as it is in summers when most are not privileged to enjoy air-conditioners, irritation is round the corner; providing that spark to ignite mental instability and irrationality in impulsive persons... to commit aberrations and at times even crimes - not necessarily by such who normally exhibit a criminal bent of mind. That is why perhaps one experiences a plethora of accidents during the 'heaty' months and more particularly during the height of noon as compared to the rest of day.
Also, one doesn't need to be a doctor to know that the extra heat generated through consumption of alcohol further tends to make a person less in control of his faculties, more impulsive in his reaction and extremely irritable in the face of provocation. Correspondingly, the general aggression on the roads giving rise to violent situations and accidents is a common fall-out in instances of drunken driving.
And then there are people who are already hassled on account of various matters - matters, maybe totally not connected with driving. Be it a disturbed night without adequate sleep, or a disagreement with the spouse; may be a delayed start or a ticking off from the Boss; could be pangs of hunger, or the child's Report Card, or a financial crisis caused by a crash in the Stock Market - could be anything. All these, anyone or more, could make the pressure valve burst.. or snap the tensed up string of sanity. Triggering off that chord of depression or anger ever lurking and inherent in all. Distracting and disturbing the concentration levels required for safe and sane driving on the road.
Going by behavioural factors, road rage is found to usually strike those with ego problems. Also, a decade ago Delhi-ites talked not-too-kindly of the emerging behaviour patterns among 'yuppies' and the 'puppies' and condemned their nouveau-riche arrogance and irresponsible crudity while zipping across the city in their brand new Marutis and their inflated egos. The conflicting egos of different individuals get correspondingly reflected in road-user behaviour... more often transformed into anger. Anger levels rise and keep rising over each irrational act of the other road user (not necessarily just that of the vehicle driver.... but even of a pedestrian, cyclist, bullock-cart, camel or elephant) - justifiably viewed as such or not, by the one with ego hassles. More particularly when he feels that the other road user is getting the better of him. Which tends to make him break the barrier of sanity, lose his cool... and instead of concentrating on the road and the task of driving his own car with personal faculties fully under control, he succumbs to his rising temper... to reach a level when pressure valves burst, letting out the accumulated steam uncontrollably and unpredictably. Often with disastrous consequences.
Non-stop driving over prolonged lengths of time also impairs the cognitive functions of a driver and modifies his appraisal of hazards and stress. Resultant fatigue is another factor which affects the performance ability under varied driving conditions/situations; thereby resulting in accumulation of more stress influencing driver behaviour. Such heavy strain which the driver on the road is exposed to results in unreliable, invalid and un-quantifiable road behaviour which contributes to the irrational and unaccountable performance ability and other psychological error situations.
The complex interweaving of all these factors ‘midst the at times not-too-palatable and pressure–building traffic conditions is home ground for road rage. This and the resultant disregard to rules, I should not fail to say, the enforcers of traffic laws are tasked to try and control by restrictive and regulatory treatment, with appropriate fines and other enforcement measures for reasons of traffic safety and socio-political considerations. The potential of this exercise, one needs also to concede, is no less a contributory factor too, at times, as witnessed by many a prosecuting traffic official on the beat.
The consequent effects of a conglomeration of all these factors are not necessarily uniform - depending on individual metabolism, mind frame and particular circumstance in time. Loss of cool and equanimity to start with, and most certainly irritation for the majority; leading to impulsive and excessive honking, verbal abuse at times accompanied by gesticulating threateningly - even obscene gestures; unnecessary and aggressive lane changing or driving obstructively or too slowly; cutting across the path of the other's right of way, angry flashing of headlights, and aggressive tailgating... the likes of which experienced by Lola Mathai.
So what's the remedy? Always keep your cool, say most. Easier said than done. But a good driver needs to be organized. Ensure your rest, and make time for relaxation. Start well in time, with sufficient sponge for stoppages and contingencies of traffic abnormalities en route... not forgetting to take whatever that needs to be carried along. Be in control of the wheel and yourself. And do not get provoked or overly excited - especially when driving. Be patient at intersections, and take heed of our suggestion for you to 'RELAX' painted for your benefit on every red light signal-head. And remember, with all the tension packed hurried attempt to reach the destination, you'd not really have gained more than a minute or two. May be it will help to develop that attitude of 'pehle aap' while on the road... and when provoked, never to react before mentally counting 1 to 10..... That will help!
----------------------------------------------------------------------
May 31, 2001: Copyright © Maxwell Pereira; email: maxpk@vsnl.com
(Published as main feature in the centre-spread editorial page of the Hindustan Times of Sunday June 10, 2001 under ‘Reflections’ – as “Drive carefully, road rage ahead”).
Thursday, 24 February 2000
Adulis in America
http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20000224/ied24056.html
Thursday, February 24, 2000
Time out
Maxwell Pereira
________________________________________
Adulis in America
Freedom, but not so palatable
GIVING Shakespeare's famed and oft-repeated quote somewhat of a twist `What's in a name?'' appears on the reverse of the menu card of an Ethiopian restaurant on College Street in New Haven, in the USA. I was dining there recently with my daughter Indira and Neda her Iranian friend, who were keen on me sampling the variety of cuisine available in restaurants from different parts of the world in this university town that hosts Yale in picturesque Connecticut of North America.
Whenever we were lucky to be free from familial constraints, Indira would plan for us a new experience, much to the delight of my taste buds. A different restaurant each time. The Ethiopian restaurant was obviously Eritrean, as I learnt from a revealing story on the menu card, which went on to educate me that `Adulis' was an ancient port in Eritrea's bay of Zula. Was that why the place was named Cafe Adulis? I wouldn't know. But apparently Adulis was one of Africa's great lost cities, which was the main port of the Axumite Empire that flourished in the Horn of Africa during the 3rd Century BC. Its ruins, supposed to stand even today across the Red Sea from what is now known as Yemen.
I found nestling amidst the so-called traditional Eritrean dishes of Tsebhes and Tibsies our own Basmati, as were dishes like `Professor Soares's Soiree', an exotic sounding oven-baked fish filet of Tilapia with a sautee of leek, sun dried tomatoes, dried apricots, whole roasted tomatoes finished with a cabernet wine, all served over a bed of couscous and toppedwith sliced roasted almonds. As again, were `Master T's Favorite', ÿ don't miss the American spelling, the Roman `Caesar Salad', the Arab/Turkish/Greek `Hommous', the Spanish/Mexican `Ficracho' and` Injerrito', alongside the indecipherable tongue-twisters `Timtmo' or `Tibsie Ah'melmlti' claimed to be true Eritrean delicacies among the "hearty and zesty" vegetarian extravaganza that make fine entr‚es by themselves or as great compliment to the meat dishes one orders.
I learnt that the Tsebhes that unlock for you the magic and mystery ofnortheast Africa are unique and unforgettable dishes of meat or vegetablescooked in tomato sauce, their secret being the long simmering with berbere-- Eritrea's unique blends of sun dried hot peppers. And these are served oninjera - a sourdough crepe made from Teff - a variety of millet from East African highlands.
Immersed as I was in my menu card, I saw the food had arrived - served bynot Africans, but pretty, white, university students. The stuff placedbefore us reminded me of the one common central dish round which all satand partook from together - in homes of my childhood Muslim friends. Forall that had been ordered, appeared to have been dumped into one large and flat thali-type of a serving dish and placed in the centre of the table.Everything appeared sauced and sauteed up with the same dull white sauce --with no gourmet special taste to write home about. Even as I left therestaurant the nagging question remained -- why call the cafe Adulis?ÿPerhaps the puzzle was there, only to divert my attention from the mediocrefare presented. A thought further troubled me that night -- was all thatexpensive African glitter worth it?
I read on. The origin of the name Adulis is not known, the menu card said,for it does not seem traceable to any of the area's languages. That Pliny,the Roman geographer, wrote, Adulis means `the City of Free Men' and amonument to Ptolemy without inscription once stood in the city. Apparently,the slaves escaping from the Pharaonic Egypt passed through Adulis on theirroute to freedom. May be this freedom now stands extended to American shores, to con one into eating whatever's placed before him -- andpay for it through the nose.
Published in the editorial page of the Indian Express on Thursday, February 24, 2000.
Thursday, February 24, 2000
Time out
Maxwell Pereira
________________________________________
Adulis in America
Freedom, but not so palatable
GIVING Shakespeare's famed and oft-repeated quote somewhat of a twist `What's in a name?'' appears on the reverse of the menu card of an Ethiopian restaurant on College Street in New Haven, in the USA. I was dining there recently with my daughter Indira and Neda her Iranian friend, who were keen on me sampling the variety of cuisine available in restaurants from different parts of the world in this university town that hosts Yale in picturesque Connecticut of North America.
Whenever we were lucky to be free from familial constraints, Indira would plan for us a new experience, much to the delight of my taste buds. A different restaurant each time. The Ethiopian restaurant was obviously Eritrean, as I learnt from a revealing story on the menu card, which went on to educate me that `Adulis' was an ancient port in Eritrea's bay of Zula. Was that why the place was named Cafe Adulis? I wouldn't know. But apparently Adulis was one of Africa's great lost cities, which was the main port of the Axumite Empire that flourished in the Horn of Africa during the 3rd Century BC. Its ruins, supposed to stand even today across the Red Sea from what is now known as Yemen.
I found nestling amidst the so-called traditional Eritrean dishes of Tsebhes and Tibsies our own Basmati, as were dishes like `Professor Soares's Soiree', an exotic sounding oven-baked fish filet of Tilapia with a sautee of leek, sun dried tomatoes, dried apricots, whole roasted tomatoes finished with a cabernet wine, all served over a bed of couscous and toppedwith sliced roasted almonds. As again, were `Master T's Favorite', ÿ don't miss the American spelling, the Roman `Caesar Salad', the Arab/Turkish/Greek `Hommous', the Spanish/Mexican `Ficracho' and` Injerrito', alongside the indecipherable tongue-twisters `Timtmo' or `Tibsie Ah'melmlti' claimed to be true Eritrean delicacies among the "hearty and zesty" vegetarian extravaganza that make fine entr‚es by themselves or as great compliment to the meat dishes one orders.
I learnt that the Tsebhes that unlock for you the magic and mystery ofnortheast Africa are unique and unforgettable dishes of meat or vegetablescooked in tomato sauce, their secret being the long simmering with berbere-- Eritrea's unique blends of sun dried hot peppers. And these are served oninjera - a sourdough crepe made from Teff - a variety of millet from East African highlands.
Immersed as I was in my menu card, I saw the food had arrived - served bynot Africans, but pretty, white, university students. The stuff placedbefore us reminded me of the one common central dish round which all satand partook from together - in homes of my childhood Muslim friends. Forall that had been ordered, appeared to have been dumped into one large and flat thali-type of a serving dish and placed in the centre of the table.Everything appeared sauced and sauteed up with the same dull white sauce --with no gourmet special taste to write home about. Even as I left therestaurant the nagging question remained -- why call the cafe Adulis?ÿPerhaps the puzzle was there, only to divert my attention from the mediocrefare presented. A thought further troubled me that night -- was all thatexpensive African glitter worth it?
I read on. The origin of the name Adulis is not known, the menu card said,for it does not seem traceable to any of the area's languages. That Pliny,the Roman geographer, wrote, Adulis means `the City of Free Men' and amonument to Ptolemy without inscription once stood in the city. Apparently,the slaves escaping from the Pharaonic Egypt passed through Adulis on theirroute to freedom. May be this freedom now stands extended to American shores, to con one into eating whatever's placed before him -- andpay for it through the nose.
Published in the editorial page of the Indian Express on Thursday, February 24, 2000.
Adulis in America
http://www.expressindia.com/ie/daily/20000224/ied24056.html
Thursday, February 24, 2000
Time out
________________________________________
Adulis in America
By Maxwell Pereira
Freedom, but not so palatable
GIVING Shakespeare's famed and oft-repeated quote somewhat of a twist `What's in a name?'' appears on the reverse of the menu card of an Ethiopian restaurant on College Street in New Haven, in the USA. I was dining there recently with my daughter Indira and Neda her Iranian friend, who were keen on me sampling the variety of cuisine available in restaurants from different parts of the world in this university town that hosts Yale in picturesque Connecticut of North America.
Whenever we were lucky to be free from familial constraints, Indira would plan for us a new experience, much to the delight of my taste buds. A different restaurant each time. The Ethiopian restaurant was obviously Eritrean, as I learnt from a revealing story on the menu card, which went on to educate me that `Adulis' was an ancient port in Eritrea's bay of Zula. Was that why the place was named Cafe Adulis? I wouldn't know. But apparently Adulis was one of Africa's great lost cities, which was the main port of the Axumite Empire that flourished in the Horn of Africa during the 3rd Century BC. Its ruins, supposed to stand even today across the Red Sea from what is now known as Yemen.
I found nestling amidst the so-called traditional Eritrean dishes of Tsebhes and Tibsies our own Basmati, as were dishes like `Professor Soares's Soiree', an exotic sounding oven-baked fish filet of Tilapia with a sautee of leek, sun dried tomatoes, dried apricots, whole roasted tomatoes finished with a cabernet wine, all served over a bed of couscous and toppedwith sliced roasted almonds. As again, were `Master T's Favorite', ÿ don't miss the American spelling, the Roman `Caesar Salad', the Arab/Turkish/Greek `Hommous', the Spanish/Mexican `Ficracho' and` Injerrito', alongside the indecipherable tongue-twisters `Timtmo' or `Tibsie Ah'melmlti' claimed to be true Eritrean delicacies among the "hearty and zesty" vegetarian extravaganza that make fine entr‚es by themselves or as great compliment to the meat dishes one orders.
I learnt that the Tsebhes that unlock for you the magic and mystery ofnortheast Africa are unique and unforgettable dishes of meat or vegetablescooked in tomato sauce, their secret being the long simmering with berbere-- Eritrea's unique blends of sun dried hot peppers. And these are served oninjera - a sourdough crepe made from Teff - a variety of millet from East African highlands.
Immersed as I was in my menu card, I saw the food had arrived - served bynot Africans, but pretty, white, university students. The stuff placedbefore us reminded me of the one common central dish round which all satand partook from together - in homes of my childhood Muslim friends. Forall that had been ordered, appeared to have been dumped into one large and flat thali-type of a serving dish and placed in the centre of the table.Everything appeared sauced and sauteed up with the same dull white sauce --with no gourmet special taste to write home about. Even as I left therestaurant the nagging question remained -- why call the cafe Adulis?ÿPerhaps the puzzle was there, only to divert my attention from the mediocrefare presented. A thought further troubled me that night -- was all thatexpensive African glitter worth it?
I read on. The origin of the name Adulis is not known, the menu card said,for it does not seem traceable to any of the area's languages. That Pliny,the Roman geographer, wrote, Adulis means `the City of Free Men' and amonument to Ptolemy without inscription once stood in the city. Apparently,the slaves escaping from the Pharaonic Egypt passed through Adulis on theirroute to freedom. May be this freedom now stands extended to American shores, to con one into eating whatever's placed before him -- andpay for it through the nose.
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Thursday, February 24, 2000
Time out
________________________________________
Adulis in America
By Maxwell Pereira
Freedom, but not so palatable
GIVING Shakespeare's famed and oft-repeated quote somewhat of a twist `What's in a name?'' appears on the reverse of the menu card of an Ethiopian restaurant on College Street in New Haven, in the USA. I was dining there recently with my daughter Indira and Neda her Iranian friend, who were keen on me sampling the variety of cuisine available in restaurants from different parts of the world in this university town that hosts Yale in picturesque Connecticut of North America.
Whenever we were lucky to be free from familial constraints, Indira would plan for us a new experience, much to the delight of my taste buds. A different restaurant each time. The Ethiopian restaurant was obviously Eritrean, as I learnt from a revealing story on the menu card, which went on to educate me that `Adulis' was an ancient port in Eritrea's bay of Zula. Was that why the place was named Cafe Adulis? I wouldn't know. But apparently Adulis was one of Africa's great lost cities, which was the main port of the Axumite Empire that flourished in the Horn of Africa during the 3rd Century BC. Its ruins, supposed to stand even today across the Red Sea from what is now known as Yemen.
I found nestling amidst the so-called traditional Eritrean dishes of Tsebhes and Tibsies our own Basmati, as were dishes like `Professor Soares's Soiree', an exotic sounding oven-baked fish filet of Tilapia with a sautee of leek, sun dried tomatoes, dried apricots, whole roasted tomatoes finished with a cabernet wine, all served over a bed of couscous and toppedwith sliced roasted almonds. As again, were `Master T's Favorite', ÿ don't miss the American spelling, the Roman `Caesar Salad', the Arab/Turkish/Greek `Hommous', the Spanish/Mexican `Ficracho' and` Injerrito', alongside the indecipherable tongue-twisters `Timtmo' or `Tibsie Ah'melmlti' claimed to be true Eritrean delicacies among the "hearty and zesty" vegetarian extravaganza that make fine entr‚es by themselves or as great compliment to the meat dishes one orders.
I learnt that the Tsebhes that unlock for you the magic and mystery ofnortheast Africa are unique and unforgettable dishes of meat or vegetablescooked in tomato sauce, their secret being the long simmering with berbere-- Eritrea's unique blends of sun dried hot peppers. And these are served oninjera - a sourdough crepe made from Teff - a variety of millet from East African highlands.
Immersed as I was in my menu card, I saw the food had arrived - served bynot Africans, but pretty, white, university students. The stuff placedbefore us reminded me of the one common central dish round which all satand partook from together - in homes of my childhood Muslim friends. Forall that had been ordered, appeared to have been dumped into one large and flat thali-type of a serving dish and placed in the centre of the table.Everything appeared sauced and sauteed up with the same dull white sauce --with no gourmet special taste to write home about. Even as I left therestaurant the nagging question remained -- why call the cafe Adulis?ÿPerhaps the puzzle was there, only to divert my attention from the mediocrefare presented. A thought further troubled me that night -- was all thatexpensive African glitter worth it?
I read on. The origin of the name Adulis is not known, the menu card said,for it does not seem traceable to any of the area's languages. That Pliny,the Roman geographer, wrote, Adulis means `the City of Free Men' and amonument to Ptolemy without inscription once stood in the city. Apparently,the slaves escaping from the Pharaonic Egypt passed through Adulis on theirroute to freedom. May be this freedom now stands extended to American shores, to con one into eating whatever's placed before him -- andpay for it through the nose.
Copyright © 2000 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
Tuesday, 27 April 1999
“Saraswati’s Children”
“Saraswati’s Children”
Mangalorean Catholics – Bi-centenary of ‘Release from Captivity’
Maxwell Pereira
April 27, 1999
At one of Mangalore’s gateways of yesteryears – on its former outskirts at Nanthoor near Padav hills, stands a large Cross. Erected there during the mid-nineteen hundreds by late Bishop Victor Fernandes to honour the memory of martyrs in what Mangaloreans term as the ‘Canara Captivity’ during a not much known about chapter of Indian history.
It is believed that at this place were herded over two hundred years ago one of the groups of hounded and captured Catholics of the Kanaras, who were then marched 200 miles to Tippu Sultan’s Seringapatam via dense jungles and gorges of the western ghats, along the Kulshekar – Virajpet Coorg – Mysore route.
The Catholic community of Mangalore on Karnataka’s Konkan coast along the western peripherals of the southern Indian peninsula claims to trace its origins to a people of Aryan heritage – from Brahmavarta on the banks of the legendary but now defunct Saraswati River. On its drying up some 5000 years ago, a segment of these people are said to have moved to the Gangtetic plains and Trihotrapura of erstwhile Bihar – to still move on to and finally settle down on the fertile coastal plains of the Konkan. This thanks to sage Parasurama, whom legend credits with having reclaimed for them from the Lord of the Sea the strip of land, by throwing his hatchet seaward while standing atop the Sahyadri mountains (Western Ghats).
These “Saraswati’s Children” – so described in his shortly to be released book with the same title by author Alan Machado Prabhu – got exposure to Portuguese incursions in their midst in the 15th and the 16th centuries. And embracing Christianity, inherited the resultant Lusitanian legacy in Goa. For various reasons cultural and religious, some of them found need to still migrate southward – to the court of the Zamorin of Calicut as skilled artisans, craftsmen and agriculturists – making nevertheless their main base enroute at Kudala (confluence of two rivers), on the invitation of the Paleyagar of the then Mangalapura. By which name erstwhile Mangalore on the confluence of rivers Netravati and Gurpur, was known.
Following his defeat at the hands of the British in the 1st battle of Mangalore, an enraged Tippu, believing that the local Christian community’s aid and support to the British had cost him his battle, unleashed his wrath on them. In a ruthless swoop by his armies, 35000 Catholics were rudely uprooted from their village homes as scapegoats, and herded off for incarceration in the dungeons of Seringapatam. Not all of them reached the destination; many died enroute due to sickness and malnutrition; many others due to hardships and the rigours of the foot march. And many more died in harness during the fifteen years of captivity. Release came to the motley bunch of survivors only in 1799 after Tippu’s death and the fall of Seringapatam following the second battle of Mangalore.
But with release came a sense of purpose, a sense of common identity, for a people who had hitherto considered themselves mainly as an extension of the larger Goan community. In its rebirth, for the first time a distinct ‘Mangalorean’ identity was born. A people who on return to home soil faced harsh and stark realities of their lands and properties usurped, found reason to reconstruct, to toil together with diligence and determination to make an entirely new beginning and to grow from strength to strength. Prompting historian Jerome Saldanha while chronicling the history of the community on the eve of the first centennial anniversary in 1899 to call the intervening 100 years as the golden era for these people. In his ‘Outlines of the History of Canara’ he wrote, “….the deliverance of the people of Kanara from the tyranny and misrule of Tippu Sultan, is the most important and happiest of events in the history of their land……..”
Unlike the close-knit and homogenous small community of 1899, today Mangaloreans are diverging. Leaving their native shores they are spread far and wide pursuing new and rewarding careers elsewhere in India and all over the world. Having made inroads into all walks of life – national and international, Mangaloreans can be found anywhere and everywhere – be it in Norway, Chile or New Zealand; Korea, Japan, the Bahamas or Papua New Guinea. And in every country in Europe, every State in the USA. In India, other than that of a President or a Prime Minister, there is no seat of honour, profession, trade or virtue that has not been claimed, graced or enriched by a Mangalorean.
The bi-centennial anniversary of the ‘release from captivity’ of the forefathers of the Mangalorean Community falls on 4th May 1999.
April 27, 1999
Mangalorean Catholics – Bi-centenary of ‘Release from Captivity’
Maxwell Pereira
April 27, 1999
At one of Mangalore’s gateways of yesteryears – on its former outskirts at Nanthoor near Padav hills, stands a large Cross. Erected there during the mid-nineteen hundreds by late Bishop Victor Fernandes to honour the memory of martyrs in what Mangaloreans term as the ‘Canara Captivity’ during a not much known about chapter of Indian history.
It is believed that at this place were herded over two hundred years ago one of the groups of hounded and captured Catholics of the Kanaras, who were then marched 200 miles to Tippu Sultan’s Seringapatam via dense jungles and gorges of the western ghats, along the Kulshekar – Virajpet Coorg – Mysore route.
The Catholic community of Mangalore on Karnataka’s Konkan coast along the western peripherals of the southern Indian peninsula claims to trace its origins to a people of Aryan heritage – from Brahmavarta on the banks of the legendary but now defunct Saraswati River. On its drying up some 5000 years ago, a segment of these people are said to have moved to the Gangtetic plains and Trihotrapura of erstwhile Bihar – to still move on to and finally settle down on the fertile coastal plains of the Konkan. This thanks to sage Parasurama, whom legend credits with having reclaimed for them from the Lord of the Sea the strip of land, by throwing his hatchet seaward while standing atop the Sahyadri mountains (Western Ghats).
These “Saraswati’s Children” – so described in his shortly to be released book with the same title by author Alan Machado Prabhu – got exposure to Portuguese incursions in their midst in the 15th and the 16th centuries. And embracing Christianity, inherited the resultant Lusitanian legacy in Goa. For various reasons cultural and religious, some of them found need to still migrate southward – to the court of the Zamorin of Calicut as skilled artisans, craftsmen and agriculturists – making nevertheless their main base enroute at Kudala (confluence of two rivers), on the invitation of the Paleyagar of the then Mangalapura. By which name erstwhile Mangalore on the confluence of rivers Netravati and Gurpur, was known.
Following his defeat at the hands of the British in the 1st battle of Mangalore, an enraged Tippu, believing that the local Christian community’s aid and support to the British had cost him his battle, unleashed his wrath on them. In a ruthless swoop by his armies, 35000 Catholics were rudely uprooted from their village homes as scapegoats, and herded off for incarceration in the dungeons of Seringapatam. Not all of them reached the destination; many died enroute due to sickness and malnutrition; many others due to hardships and the rigours of the foot march. And many more died in harness during the fifteen years of captivity. Release came to the motley bunch of survivors only in 1799 after Tippu’s death and the fall of Seringapatam following the second battle of Mangalore.
But with release came a sense of purpose, a sense of common identity, for a people who had hitherto considered themselves mainly as an extension of the larger Goan community. In its rebirth, for the first time a distinct ‘Mangalorean’ identity was born. A people who on return to home soil faced harsh and stark realities of their lands and properties usurped, found reason to reconstruct, to toil together with diligence and determination to make an entirely new beginning and to grow from strength to strength. Prompting historian Jerome Saldanha while chronicling the history of the community on the eve of the first centennial anniversary in 1899 to call the intervening 100 years as the golden era for these people. In his ‘Outlines of the History of Canara’ he wrote, “….the deliverance of the people of Kanara from the tyranny and misrule of Tippu Sultan, is the most important and happiest of events in the history of their land……..”
Unlike the close-knit and homogenous small community of 1899, today Mangaloreans are diverging. Leaving their native shores they are spread far and wide pursuing new and rewarding careers elsewhere in India and all over the world. Having made inroads into all walks of life – national and international, Mangaloreans can be found anywhere and everywhere – be it in Norway, Chile or New Zealand; Korea, Japan, the Bahamas or Papua New Guinea. And in every country in Europe, every State in the USA. In India, other than that of a President or a Prime Minister, there is no seat of honour, profession, trade or virtue that has not been claimed, graced or enriched by a Mangalorean.
The bi-centennial anniversary of the ‘release from captivity’ of the forefathers of the Mangalorean Community falls on 4th May 1999.
April 27, 1999
Thursday, 18 March 1999
The Casanova complaint
990318.ie.the Casanova complaint
http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19990318/iex18079.html
The Casanova complaint
Maxwell Pereira
________________________________________
I have this friend who thinks he has a problem. He looks like nothing on earth, and yet can't help being an object much sought after by the opposite sex. A phenomenon unexplainable to most of us, but the guy himself is quite unaffectedly complacent in the belief that there is nothing strange or wrong in members of the fair sex falling over each other in falling for him.
For a married guy, one would consider he is a little too friendly with women outside his marriage. Unquestionably, he is an incorrigible flirt, launching into unabashed flirting at the drop of a hat. No, he doesn't wear a hat, for he favours bathing in the light of the knowledge that his appeal is perhaps irresistible! For all his flirting ways, we his friends secretly know for sure he is one helluva harmless guy; a sheer touch-me-not. A thoroughbred modern Casanova, who is `all wind and no substance'. The kind perhaps the legendary Don Juan used to be.
What we feared for him, though, was something else. That not once had the possibilityof his being successfully accused of sexual harassment by an overly conscious and gender-sensitive female world of today, ever crossed his mind. Especially in these troubled times when woman-power is striving hard to spell doom for the aberrant male of the gender.
His wife, herself a delightful soul, appears to suffer his presence in a lovable way; but makes no bones about considering him a total misfit in society, lacking in etiquette and in accepted manners. Worst of all, she exhibits fear of his abysmally appalling sense of humour. She dreads moments when, like a tubelight, he flickers at length to grasp a joke, and himself attempts cracking some that invariably fall flat.
Yet, wonder of wonders, there are a bevy of females that go for him -- throwing all caution to wind, whether it concerns themselves, or poses a threat to what he considers his own marital bliss. I have watched females flip for him -- some beautiful, some not, some decidedly not what you and I would consider a dish. 'Babes' they are -of all ages, hues and colours. His conquests tend to include teenage schoolgirls, sizzling college and post-college chicks, and well-manicured dames ranging from straight-jacketed executives to fashion-conscious hip-shaking hep ones of the very `in' crowd; not to forget a few grandmothers, too, who suddenly find in him a reason to live! Sounds a real fantasy, but he is for real.
But it's not the females falling for him that is his major problem I spoke of at the start. He loves them all, and generally considers this world a great place to live in. But the one thing that's got him by his tail is the flood of presents that invariably accompany the female overtures.
Presents he can't keep pace with, or possibly reciprocate. To the extent that the issue of presents has become a paranoia, leading him to duck, make excuses to dodge, and palm off those that still land up as `pass-me-on's. Not the least of his worries being the limit to which an understanding better half can yet be driven to.
Without success,he's tried his best to let it be known that receiving presents embarrasses him, humbles him, fills him with a guilt complex, and makes him obligated which he'd rather not be. That, minus the `joy of giving', the `joy of receiving' becomes nil, as he is neither a `giver' nor could be bothered with such finer sentiments as are reserved by the Almighty only for a chosen few.
My friend is someone who hates to hurt, while invariably in a predicament of hovering on the verge of having to hurt. Having never learnt to say a `thank you' gracefully, and knowing not to say all that needs to be said without being crude or rude, it's me his pal he's now tasked to tell one and all and especially his female admirers all I have herein recorded.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Published in the editorial page: Indian Express on 18 March 1999
http://www.indianexpress.com/res/web/pIe/ie/daily/19990318/iex18079.html
The Casanova complaint
Maxwell Pereira
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I have this friend who thinks he has a problem. He looks like nothing on earth, and yet can't help being an object much sought after by the opposite sex. A phenomenon unexplainable to most of us, but the guy himself is quite unaffectedly complacent in the belief that there is nothing strange or wrong in members of the fair sex falling over each other in falling for him.
For a married guy, one would consider he is a little too friendly with women outside his marriage. Unquestionably, he is an incorrigible flirt, launching into unabashed flirting at the drop of a hat. No, he doesn't wear a hat, for he favours bathing in the light of the knowledge that his appeal is perhaps irresistible! For all his flirting ways, we his friends secretly know for sure he is one helluva harmless guy; a sheer touch-me-not. A thoroughbred modern Casanova, who is `all wind and no substance'. The kind perhaps the legendary Don Juan used to be.
What we feared for him, though, was something else. That not once had the possibilityof his being successfully accused of sexual harassment by an overly conscious and gender-sensitive female world of today, ever crossed his mind. Especially in these troubled times when woman-power is striving hard to spell doom for the aberrant male of the gender.
His wife, herself a delightful soul, appears to suffer his presence in a lovable way; but makes no bones about considering him a total misfit in society, lacking in etiquette and in accepted manners. Worst of all, she exhibits fear of his abysmally appalling sense of humour. She dreads moments when, like a tubelight, he flickers at length to grasp a joke, and himself attempts cracking some that invariably fall flat.
Yet, wonder of wonders, there are a bevy of females that go for him -- throwing all caution to wind, whether it concerns themselves, or poses a threat to what he considers his own marital bliss. I have watched females flip for him -- some beautiful, some not, some decidedly not what you and I would consider a dish. 'Babes' they are -of all ages, hues and colours. His conquests tend to include teenage schoolgirls, sizzling college and post-college chicks, and well-manicured dames ranging from straight-jacketed executives to fashion-conscious hip-shaking hep ones of the very `in' crowd; not to forget a few grandmothers, too, who suddenly find in him a reason to live! Sounds a real fantasy, but he is for real.
But it's not the females falling for him that is his major problem I spoke of at the start. He loves them all, and generally considers this world a great place to live in. But the one thing that's got him by his tail is the flood of presents that invariably accompany the female overtures.
Presents he can't keep pace with, or possibly reciprocate. To the extent that the issue of presents has become a paranoia, leading him to duck, make excuses to dodge, and palm off those that still land up as `pass-me-on's. Not the least of his worries being the limit to which an understanding better half can yet be driven to.
Without success,he's tried his best to let it be known that receiving presents embarrasses him, humbles him, fills him with a guilt complex, and makes him obligated which he'd rather not be. That, minus the `joy of giving', the `joy of receiving' becomes nil, as he is neither a `giver' nor could be bothered with such finer sentiments as are reserved by the Almighty only for a chosen few.
My friend is someone who hates to hurt, while invariably in a predicament of hovering on the verge of having to hurt. Having never learnt to say a `thank you' gracefully, and knowing not to say all that needs to be said without being crude or rude, it's me his pal he's now tasked to tell one and all and especially his female admirers all I have herein recorded.
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Published in the editorial page: Indian Express on 18 March 1999
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