The great Congress mela

Pheroze L. Vincent

New Delhi, Dec 19: Putting to rest all queries about his religion, a huge banner with a smiling Rahul Gandhi read: “The Indian flag is my religion.” This was among a series of banners lining Dr. Hegdewar Marg, on the periphery of the The All India Congress Committee’s 83rd plenary session in Burari, near the Delhi- Haryana border.

The banners also had images of local Congressmen who had erected them, complete with even their aliases. Aliases like Bobby, Lalu, Bhairon unnerved a sexagenarian Congressman from Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh, who got off the van with me. “Yeh sab Kangressi hain,” (Are these Congressmen?) he remarked.

“Jaath se hum Brahmin hain. Naam hai mera Dubey,” (I am a Brahmin named Dubey) he said introducing himself. Dubey, visibly annoyed after realizing we had got off 4.5 km. from the main entrance, went on, “Corruption and price rise will kill this party. Coming here is just an obligation to the organization my family has been part of. Look how well, Nitish and Modi are working. Why can’t we abolish the (corruption ridden) MLA- LADS scheme like Nitish?”

The Burari complex is huge- an ocean of white tents and kurta-pyjamas- surrounded by a wall of khaki. Policemen from almost every state in the country have accompanied the Congressmen they guard. Though I didn’t have a pass, I could work my way through the Central Resreve Police cordon with the rudimentary Malayalam I know.

Budaun’s Suresh Goswami stood out among this white flood. Sporting a tattered tricolour kurta and bandana, with an array of shells and beads, he has been attending Congress sessions for 22 years. “Everyone knows me,” he said, rattling off names of every known Congress boss. “I want the Congress to win,” he shouted- his voice whistling between the four teeth he has left. “I dress like this for leaders to recognize me.”

The Burari complex also has a make shift post office, a railway reservation counter and a Directorate of Audio Visual Publicity stall selling “calandars” [sic] of endangered species. The post office says they haven’t made much of a profit. “We’re only here because we have been ordered to,” said a postal worker.

The stall with the largest crowd though is the ones selling Congress merchandise- flags, badges, diaries and posters of the Mahatma Gandhi, the Nehru- Gandhi family and even Ambedkar. Congressmen made a beeline at the section selling Kurta material.

“First me, mera teen metre kaato,” (cut three meters for me) barked a leader wearing a “We want Telangana” scarf. He wanted a mint green kurta for himself. He and a couple of others later took pains to explain to others that they were from Telangana, not Andhra Pradesh’s Congress.

There weren’t any foreign delegates of fraternal parties to be seen, except for Adrian Forster from London. Part of the West Bengal Congress’ theatre troop, Adrian is playing the role of Allan Octavian Hume- the party’s founder.

“The presentation will recreate the first session of the party in Bombay in 1885. It is a combination of theatre, dance, cinema and music. There is also film footage of the anti-partition movement of Bengal,” said the director and WBPCC spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy.

The 17 minute show has 60 actors drawn from various theatres of Calcutta. “We don’t want to mention their names else it may unnecessarily give political colour to these theatre groups,” Roy added.

Behind the scenes, an army of cooks stacked piles of jalebis, kachoris, and other sweets. Sambar, with an overdose of red chillies, simmered as Congress leaders and cops dropped by to sample the grub.

Some felt that the food wasn’t up to the mark and the power cuts were unacceptable. But for Chandy Oomen, of the Youth Congress, “the session gave a feel of India.”

“It’s a great exposure for youngsters to the party's line of thought,” he added.

At the exit, Mary Babychan of the All India Womens’ Association created a ruckus. “The Lord is coming she said,” holding up a bible. “I want to see Sonia. They should give each family 5 kg rice at Re. 1 per kilo like Tamil Nadu. You policemen, who are you to stop me? Will you stop me when judgment day comes.”

A crowd of Seva Dal cadre and police gathered. “Am I saying anything wrong,” Mary asked them. A plain-clothes police man came and took her name and address. On his list were a couple of other names too.

I asked him if he would take action against her. He asked me where my pass was.

Survival of the fittest

Graphic: B. Karthikeyan

HEALTH Local communities find ways to cope with food price inflation

Twenty paise (about 0.3 US cents). that's how much money is spent on veggies for lunch for a child in an anganwadi (Indian government creche) everyday.... click to read more

Forever young

Most people would be laid up in bed if they got blood clots due to acute physical strain; most people would be too demoralised to represent the country after their spouse and mentor died an unnatural death; most of us give up when faced with red tape. But homeo practitioner Dr. Vasantha Samuel isn't like most people...

Education loans X- rayed

Student loans and how, PHEROZE L. VINCENT finds out

DOCUMENTS NEEDED

Education records- Banks prefer students with 70 to 80 per cent marks. Carry your mark sheets along.

Proof of admission- Bring your admission letter, course details and duration, details of the university (should be accredited, preferably by a government agency). Admission should be on merit.

Identity- Banks insist on checking your passport, PAN card and proof of age.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS

Some banks insist that the guarantor be less than 65 years old. They also need proof of her/ his residence.

If you are giving collateral, then it has to be assessed by the bank's accredited assessor, the documents be verified by the bank's lawyer and a non-encumbrance certificate acquired from the sub registrar.

You may be asked to take a life insurance policy.

Banks insist that borrowers be account holders in the bank, living in its vicinity. This is only a guideline and not a reason for denying a loan.

Shoestring existence

Mahalingam has been hammering me for 15 long years. We met when he came from Tiruchirapalli to make shoes here in Coimbatore. Back then, working out of his shanty in Kamarajapuram, we could produce a dozen pairs a day. Even with a rudimentary anvil like me we could make a profit of 35 per cent.

But after our customers went away to the big footwear outlets, we had to shut shop seven years back. We now work, out of a room in Ramanathapuram, for a local businessman. We have a few direct customers but now we mainly supply shoes to the dealers. Mahalingam and his friend Velu often have to wait long before they get paid. After our boss gets his cut, we make a meagre five per cent profit. No wonder none of their kids want to become cobblers...

Networking for special people

Dr. M. N G. Mani tells Pheroze L. Vincent about his mission to win the battles disabled people fight everyday

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"“Even if a tenth of all buses were disabled friendly, commuters would wait for those buses. Little things like audio signals at road crossings, for the blind, won't cost much.”...

Beyond the Bhavani

The narrow road to Upper Bhavani Dam clings to the hills and is overshadowed by tall pines and oak. A check- post and a few electricity board buildings lay the bright copper sulphate blue waters of the dam. Beyond it is the Mukurthi National Park.

The forest department's main interest in the park is to protect Tamil Nadu's state animal, the endangered Nilgiri tahr. These stocky brown wild sheep have curved horns.
They thrive in the shola grasslands founds on the slopes here and relish the hypericum bushes with yellow flowers...

Scrublands of the Nilgiris

There's a certain romance in these dry thorn forests.

Masinagudi reminds me of Malgudi, with its quaint old Mysore charm and the Kannada-laced Tamil spoken by its taxi-men. It is a small dusty town on The Nilgiris border with Karnataka. Small hotels and eateries have come up to cater to tourists who come to the Mudumalai Tiger Reserve.

I'm travelling with British Council's International Climate Champions, an eclectic bunch of youngsters trying to stop climate change.

Our first stop: Indian Institute of Science Research Station, where we meet environment researchers Geetha Ramaswami and Rutuja Chitra- Tarak, who study the dynamics of a dry forest. The Nilgiris mountains boast of four kinds of vegetation: scrub, dry deciduous, moist deciduous and semi evergreen. Masinagudi is in the scrub and dry deciduous part....

http://www.thehindu.com/mp/2010/02/08/stories/2010020850520100.htm

Here come the champions!

Pheroze L. Vincent joined British Council's International Climate Champions on a trip through the Nilgiris

Photo album: p2 onwards http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=130322&id=712606572&l=a07110f4dd

Pondy’s best affordable restaurants

On public demand; here's something I had written a year back for our ACJ lab blog A Chance Journey

Puducherry is home to a wonderful array of cuisines ranging from Vietnamese to Tibetan. The perfect weekend getaway trip, be it spiritual or romantic, is incomplete without enjoying the fine food the town has to offer. A Chance Journey lists five great places for the palate, in and around Pondy, that won’t burn a hole in your pocket.

In the fifth place, we have Salem Biriyani on Nidarajapayer Street. Housed in a former customs godown, this place is a must visit for biriyani enthusiasts. What’s unique about this place, apart from the prison cell like chambers where the food is served, is that the biriyani is very different from the popular Hyderabadi or Delhi varieties.

The minimal use of tomato and the small succulent pieces of meat, with their special brinjal curry is the USP of this place. Ponni rice is used instead of Basmati. The taste and the whole theme of the restaurant is rustic, relaxing and proudly Tamil. The Biriyanis ranging from Rs. 50 to 60, are the perfect lunch solution for shoppers who throng the Mahatma Gandhi Road, Nehru Street and Goubert flea markets.

At fourth place we have Lhasa in Auroville. Just along the slope from Auroville bus stop, in Tamil Nadu- 8 km from Pondy, Lhasa is a delightful little thatched restaurant decorated with brilliant Tibetan wall hangings and flags. Run by Tibetan refugees who settled in Auroville in 1959, Lhasa is a popular hangout for college-goers.

The momos are large and the chilly sauce is just perfect. What’s even better is that eight momos cost only Rs. 35. The family that runs the place is very friendly and offers a special soup remedy to customers who look sick. It is impossible to figure out the ingredients of this therapeutic soup and the recipe is a family secret.

Lhasa is the ideal place to stretch your legs after a long day exploring Auroville. The green tea served with jaggery is also very refreshing. What’s unique here is the Tibetan music played, which sounds strangely familiar to old Hindi film tunes.

Coming a close third is Punjabi Dhaba on Sardar Patel Road. Known for its parathas and butter chicken, the Dhaba is run by a Sikh family, out of their apartment. Half a plate of the sinfully-floating-in-butter chicken is enough to feed three. A whole repertoire of parathas, made with potatoes, fenugreek and radish are served, also with butter floating on them. It is an excellent place for the health-carefree to dine. The complimentary mango pickle is coveted by most customers.

Ranked second is China Garden on Lal Bahadur Street. It is an elegant place just above the Baker Street bakery. The owners, from China Town, Kolkata, play western pop music and the Anglo-Indian and Gorkha waiters are more than willing to chat about anything from local politics to the best watering holes in the city. The servings are particularly generous and the food is not too spicy. Tipplers from Bussy Bar, across the street, love to gorge over the exquisite pork served here.

The crowning glory of the Garden is the lemon grass soup. The soup is a potent concoction with finely chopped lemon grass floating in it. It is an excellent appetiser and feels almost magical.

Standing tall at rank one is Aristo on Nehru Street. Do not be deceived by the small blue signboard. Aristo offers wonderful Mughlai and Deccan cuisine. The service is really good. It is particularly famous for its biriyanis and mutton dishes.

On the mezzanine floor, there is a French restaurant called Aristo Garden. This place boasts of the best affordable authentic French and colonial Vietnamese cuisine in town. The soups are works of culinary art. The steaks are also excellent. No liquor or wine is served here.

What’s wonderful about these places is that they are rarely crowded. They have a limited, loyal clientele and the service is always good. These family run restaurants feel just like home.

4 out of 5 Indian port labour unions agree to historic wage agreement

T.Narendra Rao,

General Secretary,

Water Transport Workers Federation of India,

Camp at: Mormugoa, dated: 20.01.2010. at 0800Hrs.

Dear Comrades,

First of all I would like to inform you all that the Historical wage settlement of the Port & Dock workers was at last signed on 19.01.2010 at Goa at exactly 12.30 Hrs of Indian Standard time. The lengthy process of wage negotiation which was started before 36 months and at last after 26 rounds of BWNC discussion has come to end and finally it was achieved with all of your co-operation and blessings. Really it is a good settlement for the Port & Dock workers of this Era.

However, there is a small itch, out of 5 recognized Federations, 4 Federation leaders have already signed the settlement papers including this Federation. The HMS (Kulakarni) federation did not sign the settlement so fact. Anyway, we hope the best, they will also be signing very shortly, they are waiting for word from their leader Mr.S.R.Kulkarni who is sick and staying at Mumbai.

But the reason which they are telling to their grass rood level cadres is different. That is the management is not providing the pay for the employees who got the promotion. However, the management, has circulated three model calculations of wage fixation for the employees who are getting promotions and method of their wage fixation other Public Sector Undertakings like M/s. Shipping Corporation of Indi a, M/s. Dredging Corporation of India and M/s. Cochin Ship Yard Limited, these three public sectors are coming under the purview of Shipping Ministry.

Any way the agreement is implementable by the Ministry, the sources from the Labour Department said. Because out of 12 BWNC members, 7 members have already signed the document. All efforts would be taken by the Port Management to pay the arrear amount within 60 days from the dagte of signing this settlement, copy of the original settlement papers would be sent to you after obtaininf the official documents from the Indian Ports Association, because they will give the papers only after obtaining the signatures from the HMS Federation.

Other details would be communicated as and when there is communication from IPA.

Thanking you all, with kind regards,

T.Narendra Rao,

General Secretary,

Indian port workers will finally get fair wages

T.Narendra Rao,
General Secretary,
Water Transport Workers Federation of India,
55/26.Moore Street,
Chennai-600 001, Phone/Fax: 044-2526 6794.
Dated: 04.01.2010.

Dear Comrades,
First of all, I would like to convey my happy New Year greetings to you all.

All the Five Federation leaders reached New Delhi on 1st January 2010. We attended the conciliation meeting convened by the Chief Labour Commissioner (C) at 02.30 p.m.

He requested us to find out a formula in between the proposal of the IPA and Ours. That is, the IPA was suggesting that we should accept the arrear amount from 1.1.2009. But we were demanding all the allowances from 1.1.2007. So consensus was not arrived.

Hence it was advised by the CLC that the BWNC must be convened by 4th January 2010, or otherwise the federation will resort the indefinite strike from 4th midnight.

So we, all the federation leaders stayed at the IPA Guest House.
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Today that is on 4th January 2010 at 11 a.m. the BWNC meeting was convened. Again all the eleven issues which were in the annexure of the Strike Notice, was taken for discussion.

Except the issue of payment of area amount, all the other ten items were discussed and a consensus was arrived, whereas no conclusion was arrived on the arrear amount to be paid form 1.1.2007 for HRA, Port City allowance, Transport reimbursement, washing allowance, and Night Weightage allowance etc..

When the meeting was going on debating on these issues, the CLC came to participate in the BWNC meeting at 1.30 p.m. and he said that if no consensus is arrived here, the Secretary (Shipping) has requested him to bring the entire team of BWNC to his Chamber at 2 p.m. for arriving a conclusion.

Accordingly all the federation leaders and the Port Chairmen representing the IPA went to his Chamber at 2 p.m.

At the conference hall the meeting was held. The Secretary (S) first proposed that the federation should agree the IPA proposal. All the leaders unanimously disagreed, and explained the reason for our genuine demand. Finally the Secretary (s) suggested that the HRA alone would be paid with effect from 1.1.2007, and all other allowances would be paid with effect from 1.1.2008.

Again, the General Secretaries of the Five Federations alone went to meet the Secretary at his room and requested that other allowances are also very small part of arrear amount to be paid, and very purpose of Minister’s offer of 23% fitment would be defeated if it is denied.

At last he agreed for that also, provided he requested the federation leaders to co-operate with the Port managements to increase the productivity.

After thanking the Secretary and all the Port Chairmen, the five federations’ leaders happily left his room and conveyed this message to all the Port workers of the eleven major ports and announced there itself withdrawing the proposed strike call given which could have been commenced from midnight of 4th January 2010.

The Draft copy of the full and final settlement would be prepared within a day or two then for signing the agreement we would be once again called by the Chief Labour Commissioner to New Delhi.

From the date of signing the settlement, every effort would be taken to pay arrear amount within 60 days.

This is really happy news for all the Port & Dock employees for this New Year, and Pongal (Sankaranti) festival. Celebrate with cheers. Do not hesitate to build up the Trade Union activities in the Ports. Try to strengthen your Trade Unions and their unity. Because without the Unity of the five federations this success could not be possible.

We once again thank one and all for supporting us during the period of struggle and whenever a call was given from federations.

Last, but not least do not hesitate to donate liberally to the unions/federations to which you are all attached.

Thanking you all,

With regards.

T.Narendra Rao,

04.01.2010. at 20.00 Hrs
Camp: at New Delhi.