The Diversity Blog

With the rapid growth of social media, Media Liability has assumed significant importance particularly in context of reputation. Today reputation risk is one of the top concerns for risk managers across the globe. Raheja QBE is a leading insurer of this line of business.

In this interview with Praveen Gupta (PG), Satyajit Sarna (SS) a rising star in the space of Media Law and Defamation shares some interesting insights on where it is all headed to. Himself an established author, Satyajit’s latest book The Profane, a collection of his poems, is receiving rave reviews.

PG: What are the origins of Media Law in India?

SS: The What we call media law practically is an amalgam of a number of fields of law: intellectual property law, constitutional law, and the law of torts, for example. Practically speaking, media law becomes whatever media organisations are interested in or affected by. Regulation of advertising, for example, is also media law.

PG: Is it a case of being warped in time? Does it reasonably address the emerging challenges triggered by the social media?

SS: There are voices that say that the coming of the internet has changed a lot of things. Just to take an example – defamatory content which is shared by hundreds of social media users might effectively become irremediable. How many people do you take to court? How do you counter it? In such a scenario, the traditional remedy of an injunction for example becomes a dead letter. As a phenomenon, “sharing” or replication has dissolved traditional measures of “reach”.

Another issue with social media is the end of “gatekeepers”.
Traditional media had a filter of a professional class of editors and publishers, which would exercise a level of discernment and risk avoidance. But where everyone is creator, editor and publisher, those filters disappear.

Similarly, copyright regimes worldwide are struggling to keep up with the ease of replication of data. Some solutions we come up with will be technological in nature. For example, a better class of metadata may be developed.

PG: Is defamation just about libel and slander? Are there any new risks emerging in this space?

SS: Classically, defamation was characterized into written libels and spoken slander. Over time, more of the cases we are seeing would be categorized as libel for the simple reason that slander does not carry easily, and is harder to prove.

In terms to the content of these torts, I am very interested in the space of privacy and invasion of privacy. The Supreme Court’s celebrated 9 judge bench judgment in the Puttuswamy case has opened up a lot of questions about privacy rights. Historically, there has always been a common law right to privacy, but the expansion of that right is very much a hot topic right now. Legislations going forward will have to take account of it. Another possible class of cases we may see more is business libels. Allegations of corruption against major industrialists have yielded litigations of late.

PG: As a society and businesses, how well do we risk manage our reputations?

SS: As a society, we are still not as litigious as for example, the United States. But we are getting there. Businesses have certainly become very protective of their reputations – also in a broader, brand oriented fashion. The first line of defense for reputational risk for businesses is usually public relations and correcting any misimpressions. Indian companies have gotten a lot more sensitive at brand management.

PG: Is there a growing legal activity and rising costs in the media domain?

SS: I would say that there is definitely a rise in the number of notices and cases flying about which is arising of out of the mushrooming of media outlets and the increasing level of access to media. Whistleblowers for example, as a class, now have the ability to bring public attention to their causes. The recent #MeToo phenomenon showed us the power of everyday complainants to get picked up and broadcasted by more popular accounts and bring to light wrongdoing across industries.

In terms of costs, professional legal representation is expensive but also unavoidable.

Myra, the young lady just over 4 years, wished to know first-hand as to who and why someone wanted to borrow the book dearest to her? So we met. Wide-eyed, her first question was how old am I? And I said a year older than your Dad! I could see the faint flicker of her eyebrows. Perhaps to a child at that age it does not matter how much older are you really – as long as you appear older! That is such pure innocence.

It was my turn next. Tell me Myra, I said, what happens when you read the stories from this book. Do they stay in your head or do they go back into the book? The smile turned into joyful laughter, the grip on the book eased and we were friends! I promised to return it but only after warning her that I may take some time coz am a slow reader. Very graciously and trustingly she gave me her consent.

It all started with a strong sense of curiosity. As to what narrative baby girls ought to grow on to deal with a not so diverse and inclusive world? That led me to Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls. It is important that girls understand the obstacles that lie in front of them. It is just as important that they know these obstacles are not insurmountable. That not only can they find a way to overcome them, but that they can remove those obstacles for those who will come after them, just like these great women did, say the authors Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo.

Why so special?

Good Night Stories For Rebel Girls is the most funded (more than one million dollars) original book in the history of crowdfunding, the astonishing number of backers from more than seventy countries, and the privilege of working with dozens of unbelievably talented female artists from all over the world – say the authors.

Each of the 100 stories is a rare treat. All you need to do is read one page. Young boys and men should not miss this experience either. I for one read about the characters and then search them on the internet (something that I could not when growing up) and watch the contemporary personalities talk or perform on the YouTube. But for this book I would not have found remarkable individuals like Xian Zhang; Sonita Alizadeh; Michaela Deprince; Mae Jemison and many more.

May these brave pioneers inspire you. May their portraits impress upon our daughters the solid belief that beauty manifests itself in all shapes and colours, and at all ages. May each reader know the greatest success is to live a life full of passion, curiosity, and generosity. May we all remember every day that we have the right to be happy and to explore wildly, remind Elena and Francesca.

I for sure would have never got to know about Nancy Wake – the Spy – had she not been Myra’s most read character! All this while the narratives that children read have been skewed and stereotyped. The female voice has been muffled, under-represented and misrepresented. When little girls like Myra read the real stories and hear the authentic voices such as this book portray and generate – they will be truly inspired to blaze their own trail.

Dr. Lomarsh Roopnarine, from Guyana, has been teaching, researching and writing on Indian experience in the Caribbean and its diaspora for the past twenty-five years. Dr. Roopnarine has helped to shape the field of Indian Caribbean historiography by providing fresh models of resistance and adaptation to examine and analyse structurally dominant plantation domains. He has shown how the subaltern Indian peasantry has resisted domination and turned adverse circumstances to its advantage by using its own adaptive and adaxial capacity amid some degree of conformity.

He has argued that the Creole identity (Euro-African) cannot be totally applied to many Caribbean ethnic groups, including Indians, and has developed a multipartite analysis of local, national, trans-Caribbean and global to understand Indian identity. In 2018, Roopnarine’s book, Indian Caribbean: Migration and Identity in the Diaspora won Gordon K. & Sybil Lewis Book Award. In this interview not only does he allude to his book but also shares some exceptional insights into Indian experience from India to the Caribbean.

Praveen Gupta (PG): Can you explain why Indians were taken to the Caribbean?

Lomarsh Roopnarine (LR): Indians began to arrive in the Caribbean soon after the emancipation of African slaves during the latter part of the nineteenth century (in the British Caribbean in 1838; the Danish and French Caribbean in 1863; and the Dutch Caribbean in 1873). The movement of Indians to the Caribbean was one segment of a larger movement to have Indians replace slave labor wherever African slavery was abolished.Indians were shipped to Mauritius, La Reunion, Strait Settlement, Fiji, Natal,South Africa, British Guiana, Trinidad, Suriname, Guadeloupe, Martinique,French Guiana, Jamaica, Belize, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, St. Kitts, and St. Croix.

PG: So they were brought to replace slave labor but were they, slaves?

LR: In some respects, the treatment they received on the plantations from their overlords were like slaves but they were not slaves. They were brought under a conservative and cyclical five-year contract labor system or indenture initially but by the 1860s they were given a bounty of 50 dollars to re-indenture for another five years and by the 1870s they were given a small parcel of land in exchange for their entitled return passages signed in their contract to settle permanently. An estimated two-thirds of them stayed in the Caribbean. The planters, not the indentured servants, dictated the direction of the contract and so the changes occurred because the planters wanted to prune cost and maintain control over labor.

PG: What methods were employed to have these Indians sign contracts to labor overseas to which they had very limited knowledge?

LR: This is where we have a huge gap in the literature or differences of opinion on Indian indentured emigration to the Caribbean.We do not know exactly what percentage came freely or what percentage were duped, kidnapped or were falsely led to signing contracts because the recruiters in India provided a fanciful image of the Caribbean. My position is that Indians chose to work in the Caribbean mainly because of socioeconomic reasons brought about by their own internal oppressive social system, natural disasters, civil wars, and the impact of British colonialism. These contract workers were mainly rural peasants who were not totally aware of the terms of their contracts or the severity of plantation work that awaited them in the Caribbean. Some were duped and kidnapped into the indenture, while a majority left their homeland willingly.

PG: What parts of India did they come from?

LR: Majority of them were recruited from Bihar and Bengal, the Northwest Provinces (Uttar Pradesh), Oudh, Fyzabad, Gonda and Basti in the United Province. A minority of them were recruited in Punjab and South India.

PG: They must have been a diverse group of emigrants with a goal of becoming at least marginal economic beneficiaries of the indenture system?

LR: Exactly, they were as diverse as India itself in gender, social status, religion, language, and age. The proportion of women to men varied from less than one half to a third or even less. The common ratio was 25 women to 100 men. On the whole, the caste composition of the emigrants recruited reflected somewhat the caste composition of India, which meant that more low and middle-caste Indians were recruited to labor in the Caribbean.

The religious composition of the emigrants also mirrored the religious breakdown of India,with 84 percent of migrants being Hindu and 16 percent being Muslim or other religions. They spoke Bengali, Punjabi, Hindu, Urdu, Oriya, Nepali, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Oraons, Santals, Vanga, Radha, Varendra, Rajbangshi, Magahi,Maithili, Shadri, Awadhi, Bhojpuri, Eastern and Western Hindi, Bangaru, Ajmeri,and Tondai Nadu. Over time, however, Bhojpuri in Trinidad, Sarnami in Suriname,and various forms of Caribbean Creole became the main languages of communication among Indians. Young men between the age of 18 and 30 were the majority.

PG: What was the size of the Indian population that went to the Caribbean?

LR: Roughly speaking, 500,000 arrived, 175,000 returned, 350,000 remained in the Caribbean. Another 10,000 – 15,000 went back to India and returned to the Caribbean for the second time. Some came to the Caribbean without an indentured contract for the second time. Interestingly, an estimated 50,000 were rejected by immigration authorities in India to come to the Caribbean because they were considered unfit for labor. Those who remained in the Caribbean, over time, eventually formed the majority population in Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname through less out-migration, more births and fewer deaths (see my article Indian Arrival Day, May 5: May I ask for a moment of silence in Guyana Times).

PG: Can you please throw some light on the sea voyage from India to the Caribbean and from the Caribbean to India?

LR: Briefly, the sea voyage from India to the Caribbean and back was about eleven thousand miles. Nineteenth-century wooden sailing ships would make this journey in about four to five months or just over one hundred days. After the introduction of iron steamships in the 1870s, the same journey was completed in about three months. Most ships left India during August and March when the weather was more favorable. Ships from the Indian Ports of Calcutta and Madras generally traveled through the Bay of Bengal and around the Cape of Good Hope and stopped at St. Helena to pick up fresh water and food, if needed, before continuing to the Caribbean islands. On the way back from the Caribbean, the ships left in the plantation off-season. Deaths, births, abuse, diseases, trauma were common events on arriving and returning voyages but more so on the arriving.

The emigrants’ Caribbean experience made them more robust to cope with the challenges of the sea voyage. Arriving emigrants normally bowed to authority figures but returning emigrants often times said: “how do you do, Sir.” The ‘Kala Pani’ was a floating prison but emigrants formed makeshift unions of brotherhood and sisterhood to console, cohere, and coexist in times of hardship (see my article Dynamics on board the Indian floating prison: the sea in Guyana Times).

PG: The plantation experience must have been tough since harvesting sugar cane is conceivably one of the hardest agricultural jobs?

LR: The emigrants were mainly rural peasants, urban dwellers or jobless but a majority had never harvested sugar cane and so many were maladjusted to plantation labor. Many died young while others deserted or became victims of social ills like rum drinking. But those who stayed on with their contracts worked hard and eventually were able to take home with them in the Caribbean and India some savings or branched out to independent communities in the Caribbean when their contracts expired. The toughest part was the restrictive ordinances in their contracts that controlled their very existence. They were trapped in a plantation prison without walls. But remarkably they survived indenture through sacrifice and hard work that by the 1930s they were comparably better off in the Caribbean than their village base in India.

They acquired some land, retained some Indian cultures and customs, and were not subjected to the caste system as known in India. The social structure of caste was transformed into a class system. They experienced no major famine, disaster or starvation as known in India; the reasons that drove them to indenture in the first place. I would say they were building a new society in a new environment using their homeland ways and incorporating new ones in the Caribbean.

Interestingly, a majority of Indians do not understand the meaning of the Indian songs since they do not speak Hindi but they will sing along and dance to the rhythm; something that will supposedly surprise someone from India.

PG: How well integrated is the diaspora of the ‘indentured’ Indian population into the ‘West Indies’?

LR: The Indians who went to the islands – Grenada, St. Lucia and so on – in small numbers, a few thousand, were quickly assimilated into the Caribbean creole culture through mainly Christian missionary work to a point where these Indians have little connection with the Indian culture in the Caribbean or India. In places where Indians have formed the majority population in Guyana, Trinidad, and Suriname, they have not only been well-integrated in terms of participating and competing for positions and places in politics, law, medicine, business, and civil service occupations but they have retained a remarkable aspect of “Indianness” like in religion, festivals and the likeness for Bollywood films, Indian songs and cricket.  Interestingly, a majority of Indians do not understand the meaning of the Indian songs since they do not speak Hindi but they will sing along and dance to the rhythm; something that will supposedly surprise someone from India.

PG: What particular cultural practices, language or religious beliefs have they retained?

LR: Holi, Diwali, Hindu wedding customs like matching potential couples but the latter is not as widespread as it used to be some thirty to forty years ago. Indians still speak Sarnami in Suriname and Bhojpuri in Guyana and Trinidad, which are really a broken form of plantation sort of Hindi. Of course, Indians practice Hinduism without the caste system in the Caribbean. Islam is also practiced as they are huge elegantly-looking Mosques in Guyana, Suriname, and Trinidad. Friction between Hindus and Muslims is minimal or non-existent. Actually, it is common to see Mandirs and Mosques situated within a stone throw of each other. The Indian culture, as elsewhere, is experiencing changes because of modernization and the impact of globalization.

PG: Do you still have any cultural roots in Guyana?

LR: Yes, I do, even though most of my immediate family lives in the United States. We do have a house and a small parcel of rice land in a rural village in Berbice, home to a majority of Indians in Guyana. I try to go for a visit every two years. I also go to Guyana and the wider Caribbean for academic reasons. My generation has out-migrated from Guyana in the 1980s because of bad politics in the country and so when I return I am somewhat a stranger in the village of my birth but I do like the Indian and the Caribbean way of life: the slow pace, the food, and the overall “traditional”culture. My cultural roots are analogous to the Guyanese adage “my navel string was buried in the backyard of my parents’ house in Guyana.”

PG: Are the people of Indian diaspora proud of their heritage? Does it anyway form part of their history curriculum in schools/ or at a higher level?

LR: I think the Indian people in the Caribbean, for the most part, are proud of who they have become over the past century, namely that they possess a uniquely Indian Caribbean culture that is not totally like the Creole Caribbean or like that of India but is a combination of both with more emphasis on things that are Indian-oriented like in religion, customs, and life in general.

Indian culture, and the entire notion of an Indian presence in the Caribbean, their history, for example, is not taught in schools as rigorously like African and European history. It may sound strange that Guyana is home to the largest Indian population outside of the United States in the Western Hemisphere but there is no such thing like an Indian studies program at the national University of Guyana.

I believe that the Indian Caribbean population is in a flux and let me share what I wrote in my recently awarded book. “Caribbean Indians will continue to migrate because of inequities in the global system as well as political, economic, and social instabilities and tensions within each nation-state where Indians have migrated and settled – Guyana, Trinidad, Suriname, and in the European and North American Diasporas. Migration will also continue because a culture of migration has now formed among Indians that is predicated on the belief that in order to grow and develop one has to migrate, despite how temporally. ‘’

PG: As a historian and author what are your pursuits?

LR: I will continue to research and write on Indo-Caribbean experience for at least the next twenty-years for two fundamental reasons. The first is that even though the field of Indo-Caribbean studies has been receiving academic growth and attention, it still lags behind when compared to other Caribbean studies, and so in that regard, my aim is to continue to contribute to the field to a point where it will probably encourage others to do research and write on Caribbean Indians. The second is that I have a passion for Indo-Caribbean studies. I get excited when I discover new things, and in some ways, I am hooked to the field in a nice way!

PG: Grateful for these rich insights, Lomarsh. My best wishes in your explorations!

Mya Kerner is a Seattle based painter and sculptor. In her words, ”Inward, then outward, guided by the space between stones” – epitomises her devotion to the mountains. Says Mya “I regard the mountains as stoic icons reflected by mortality, records of the movements of the earth and the torrents of the sky”. In this interaction she highlights our role as ”stewards of the earth” and warns about ”Western civilization’s excessive anthropocentrism”. A rare artist on her ascent to greatness!

Praveen Gupta: The stark and rugged beauty of North American mountains seem to challenge your creativity almost exclusively?

Mya Kerner: Previously, when my work explored the idea of distance, I chose from a broader range of mountains. I was interested in learning about places and formations I had not experienced myself. These days, I like to respond to a specific place of which I have my own memories, so I am painting from locations I have visited. This includes the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, my home, as well as some in Europe and Scandinavia.

PG: The intense focus on the form, texture and nuance/s of your current passion kind of blurs out any flora. There is virtually no sky either in your scheme of things?

MK: In my process, I focus on a specific subject for a length of time before expanding the subject matter in the painting. My partner, Zak Helenske, often likens my painting process to that of a potter; each painting is a continuation of the last. When I began painting mountains in 2016, I only painted the peaks. My focus then was on the geologic formations and capturing the ever-changing view of the mountain. Once I felt confident in how I portrayed the peaks, I moved down to the foothills, developing marks to represent the visual boundary of horizontal and vertical. More recently, I have moved into the foreground. In this space, I am working on a language for the rocks. This is not a planned progression, just a tendency I have noticed over the years. I’m not sure what will come next, maybe a sky, maybe flora, maybe a completely different subject all together!

When I began painting mountains in 2016, I only painted the peaks… Once I felt confident in how I portrayed the peaks, I moved down to the foothills… More recently, I have moved into the foreground.

PG: Do the Himalayas, Alps or the Andes at all beckon your attention?

MK: Yes, definitely. I am interested in the differences found in geological formations across the Earth.

PG: In terms of colours you generally choose white as your background and a dominant interplay of black and grey in the foreground? Is this how one should expect it to stay?

MK: In this series, I feel strongly about keeping the sky as white. This may come from living under the solid grey or white sky in Seattle for at least half the year. For the last two years my color pallet has been primarily different shades of blue. I was thinking a lot about distance in these works, and so blue felt appropriate. However, as my focus has started moving down into the foreground, more colors have found their way into the work.

PG: Humans as ‘stewards of the earth’! How does this conflict with excessive anthropocentrism?

MK: My understanding in this role comes from my studies in permaculture, a system of principles relating to agriculture and society, developed by Bill Mollison and David Holmgren in the 1970s. The underlying ethics of permaculture are care of the Earth, care of people, and return of surplus to the Earth and people. When living these ethics, there is no room for anthropocentrism because the system is inherently interconnected. There are many mythologies which place humans in this role within the land, however, there are examples throughout history where civilizations collapsed due to an abuse of the land. I would say that the Enlightenment created the greatest rift, when we began to see nature as resource rather than Source and from this emerged Western civilization’s excessive anthropocentrism.

There are examples throughout history where civilizations collapsed due to an abuse of the land. I would say that the Enlightenment created the greatest rift, when we began to see nature as resource rather than Source and from this emerged Western civilization’s excessive anthropocentrism.

PG: How does one break the stoic silence of your subject matter – so as to wake up the mankind to the ‘unpredictability and grandeur’ that they represent?

MK: This is a question I continue to explore in my work.

PG: If you were to consider composing suitable music what could it be – to be compelling enough a wake up call?

MK: I am not sure. I think White Wanderer was a successful attempt at answering this question. In the public sound piece, Luftwerk used Douglas MacAyeal’s recordings of moving glaciers to create a soundtrack for climate change.

PG: Many thanks, Mya! May you keep scaling greater peaks…

As a Fulbright Scholar Tressa Arbow spent time in Nigeria. Later as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Rwanda, she closely observed the much threatened Mountain Gorillas. Now in Seattle (Washington) she pursues her passion for marine and environmental issues. Here Tressa shares some amazing first hand insights ranging from Africa to the Pacific Northwest. She also highlights her concerns on carbon footprint, sea level rise, ocean acidification, threats faced by marine life – particularly the orcas and the importance of eco-tourism.

Praveen: What took you to Africa and where exactly and how long was it?

Tressa: I don’t remember when I first became interested in Africa, but I know by the time I was in 6th grade I was telling people that I wanted to work there. What work I wanted to do changed over the years and still continues to change as I learn. The first time I went to Africa was in 2007. I won a Fulbright-Hays Yoruba Group Project Abroad scholarship after studying Yoruba language for two years at UT. I went to Ile Ife, Nigeria with a group of students from all over the country to study Yoruba language and culture for about six weeks.

The second time I went to Africa was when I moved to Rwanda as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I was an Education volunteer, so I taught English to students and teachers for two years in a town called Mukamira in northwestern Rwanda.

PG: How important was your understanding of Swahili in adapting to parts of Africa you worked in?

TA: I’ve only been studying Swahili for a few months now, so this is a new skill I’m developing. In Nigeria knowing Yoruba was helpful but I was at a university where most people also spoke English so it wasn’t crucial. Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda so that’s the language I studied for my Peace Corps training. In the town I lived in, knowing Kinyarwanda was important for communicating with neighbors, in the markets, in public transportation, etc. My colleagues at school spoke varying degrees of English, but many people outside of the Kigali and Butare don’t. Since I lived there for over two years I became comfortable communicating in Kinyarwanda and sometimes it was my only option.

PG: After years of unsettled environment how stable is the Rwandan society?

TA: In terms of violence, Rwandan society is very stable. There are no major uprisings, protests, etc. It is also continually growing stronger and more stable economically. There are still some ethnic tensions underneath the political stability, though.

PG: How did the upheavals of the past impact the wellbeing of the mountain gorillas? 

TA: Political unrest is a big problem for the mountain gorillas. There are two places they live: in a forest in Uganda and in volcanoes shared between Uganda, Rwanda, and DRC. When there is violence in any of those countries, the gorillas are at risk. Sometimes people fleeing violence actually kill them for meat, although I don’t think this is as common. Gorillas can be caught in snares and traps that are meant for antelope and other animals, and they can be driven into smaller areas as their habitats are destroyed either through violence or development. As humans move closer into areas where gorillas live, they are also at risk of contracting human illnesses. Currently the population is doing well, though, and even growing.

PG: Do you believe eco-tourism is the way forward to protect threatened species?

TA: If managed, regulated, and secured properly, I think it’s a very important component of protecting them. Without tourism money coming in from people viewing the gorillas, it is unlikely (in my opinion) that the three governments mentioned above would be willing or able to spend money on conservation efforts. If done poorly, though, tourism can exacerbate the problem through some of the ways mentioned above.

PG: Why would anyone want to kill a mountain gorilla? 

TA: As I mentioned above, accidental killings, habitat loss, and a desperation for meat are the main reasons. One other important one is the illegal trade of animals. Sometimes gorillas will be kidnapped (especially young ones) to be sold to zoos, people who want exotic pets, etc. Unfortunately kidnapping a baby usually requires killing an adult because the adults are very protective.

PG: Now back in Washington – are there any unique challenges that you are seeing in the Pacific Northwest?

TA: The marine world is different from the terrestrial environment in that we don’t know as much about it as we do land. People also don’t understand the ocean as well as they understand land because they don’t live in it. Development is increasingly turning to the ocean as its natural resource of choice because land has been exploited for so long.

The ocean is also more difficult to share because there are no clear boundaries like we have for land (not political boundaries, but geographic ones like the edge of a continent). Unique challenges in the Pacific Northwest that I’m familiar with are related to threats to salmon populations, infringement on tribal fishing and custom rights, industrial pollution in waterways, and the orcas.

PG: What’s the status of Orcas? Are they under any threat/s?

TA: The Southern Resident orcas are endangered. Currently I believe there are only 75 left. They only eat Chinook salmon, so part of the problem is that threats to salmon populations have a huge impact on the orca populations. Also, the water is so polluted from PCPs from decades ago that the orcas’ fat and milk are toxic, leading to high mortality rates for calves.

This is another interesting case where tourism could help or harm. If tourism money went towards conservation efforts and business became invested in saving them, perhaps initiatives would happen faster. On the other hand, orcas are vulnerable to the noise from whale watching boats, strikes, carbon emissions, etc.

PG: How prepared are we to deal with climate change in this part of the world? What’s your vision for a safer global community?

TA: I personally don’t think we’re prepared enough. There are too many coastal communities who don’t know the urgency of sea level rise, emissions, etc. Thankfully here in the PNW the aquaculture industries are invested in climate change mitigation because several years ago they started noticing that shellfish weren’t able to produce their shells because of ocean acidification (caused by carbon in the water).

In my “bubble” individuals are doing a lot to change their own habits to reduce their carbon footprint, but until clean energy is incentivized and/or mandated we won’t be able to make the impacts we need. Washington is voting on a carbon fee during the upcoming midterms, so this could be an interesting thing to follow in terms of Washington residents’ opinions and awareness.

PG: My best wishes Tressa for all that you do for the environment.

Twelve years of association with a city is quite a time-frame. As a visitor over these many years – Seattle has kind of quietly grown within me. The Emerald city has all the energy, charm and passion that is bound to stir up emotions uniquely ones own. Could that be broken down into some form of algorithm? No way!

Over these years what has one seen not change or has indeed changed seems a tempting approach to take. And the downtown for me is essentially the focal point. So, the Yellow Leaf Cupcake Company continues to flourish. Looks like Studio Bad Animals, from across the road, must move on thanks to a proposed redevelopment. By the way the Emerald City seems to be the fastest growing in all of the USA. It has the highest number of operational cranes – perhaps more than all the resident sea gulls.

Whole Foods got acquired by locally headquartered Amazon with its recent landmark globe shaped entrance – truly has its global design in play. The takeover almost coincided with the demise of Sears. Owners of Kmart a pioneer of the retail revolution, an original favourite since my first visit to America. RIP Paul Allen. Virtually seems like he was the force behind everything visionary that has happened here.

Sights, sounds & the vibrancy!

The first ever Starbucks at 1912 Pike Place remains as busy as ever. Finally it has a foothold in India and is well past 100 outlets. Seattle averages one store for every 4000 people! Fall seems no different from summer when it comes to action around the  Farmer’s Market at the Pike. It’s the artists, musicians, vegetable, flower and fruit vendors and a whole lot of diverse food that can keep you hooked all day long. I am told people drive from Vancouver to savour the Piroshky offerings. The Pike Place Fish Company can never be short on drama.

Of course I do hear murmurs on how expensive the city has become particularly for artists and teachers. That is not good news though. Uber is finally a settled mode of mobility after years of protests by the yellow taxis. And with some luck you might run into good artists doubling as Uber drivers. I guess that applies to other equally fast growing cities like Austin (Tx), as well. A fall visit tends to keep you more indoors, thanks to the cooling weather, thus more time to interact with artists. Mya Kerner shared brilliant insights into her masterful devotion to mountains. Her paintings bring a rare grandeur into living rooms.

Let there be Music!

The range is truly phenomenal. Be this the prancing violinist at the Space Needle or the duo who play the piano and violin at the Pike Place – they are all outstanding entertainers. The masters of Western Classical or Jazz give you the uplifting experience at the likes of the Benaroya Hall and the Seattle Art Museum. Behzod Abduraimov, the Uzbek genius who started playing piano at the tender age of of five, recently mesmerised the audience with his phenomenal technique and breathtaking delicacy. His magical fingers were such a delight to watch as he played Beethoven’s First Piano Concerto. Thomas Dausgaard the renowned conductor gave glimpses into his virtuosity and what one might expect from the conductor in residence at the Seattle Symphony, effective 2019.

Earshot Jazz Festival, currently ongoing, is an outstanding showcasing that Seattle can take pride in. It’s Mission Statement says it all: To ensure the legacy and progression of the art form, Earshot Jazz cultivates a vibrant jazz community by engaging audiences, celebrating artists, and supporting arts education. Listening to the sparkling Tom Harrell Quartet was magical and the time just zipped past. Apart from the legendary trumpeter Tom himself were his regulars Ugonna Okegwo (bass) and sensational Adam Cruz (drums). They were joined by brilliant next-wave Cuban pianist David Virelles. Also performing in the course of the event is a Cuban all women’s band. A stunning four weeks of exotic musical treat making Seattle an irresistible Jazz destination!

City of Literature!

Quoting author and editor Ryan Boudinot ‘Central Connecticut State University, which conducts America’s Most Literate Cities poll, has ranked Seattle as number one or number two every year since the poll started’. He had his own set of challenges in getting Seattle the recognition to join this exclusive club. Having gotten there, It is now among 28 such cities around the world. Iowa City being the only other American location. But those of us who write here know in our bones that this is a city with rare devotion to the written word, says Ryan.

A must do each time I am here and wish to get high is to sit through a book reading or a launch – be it at the Public Library, Athenaeum or the Elliott Bay Book Shop. Ryan quips, The literary effects of our recently legalised cannabis remain to be seen. I have a hunch we’re in for a science-fiction boom.  Weed or not, listening to Bill Barry – the NASA Chief Historian’s fascinating account on the space agency’s past and the future plans – I reckon we are already into the realm of fiction. There could not be a better venue for Bill to present than the Charles Simonyi Space Gallery, at the Boeing’s Museum of Flight. Named after the first ever fare paying space tourist. Moreover, the two big boys of Seattle – Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos are significant investors in the business of space exploration. Looks like the critical mass for sci-fi is well in place!

Aqua!

Having covered the sky and the earth, how could one ignore the marine world. The Pacific and the glacial lakes are not only responsible for the sustenance but the dramatic landscape, adventure and the life underneath. The hordes of seafood at the fish market

and the exotic supply for gourmet lovers at all shades of restaurants can spin a mirage. Climate change is hurting and that includes man made interventions.

Tressa Arbow, a budding marine scientist, explains how building dams upstream has been blocking the breeding grounds of salmon. Thereby starving the transient orcas of their staple food. She also explains how PCP dumping in the wetlands, even though banned for a while, is poisoning orcas and killing the calves.

The other night hearing author Kwame Anthony Appiah at the Seattle Public Library talk about his book The Lies That Bind: Rethinking Identity made me think. Rethink about the ongoing philosophical debate on granting human-hood to Cetaceans like whales and dolphins. The human race seems so caught up in its tribal mode that we are all prisoners of identities thrust upon us. Will we and if so when – embrace the super intelligent marine creatures as one of us? Perhaps Seattle will have that opportunity for greatness thrust upon it, too!

The venue was Charles Simonyi Space Gallery at Boeing’s Museum of Flight. The occasion was NASA Chief Historian Bill Barry’s talk about NASA’s impact over the last 60 years, where we’ll be going in the decades ahead, and the six things one probably doesn’t know about the NASA history. Some fascinating questions followed from an audience whose age ranged anything from six months to ninety years.

Yes, this is all about Ayuthaya – right here in Thailand. About 85 Kms up north of Bangkok! It was the capital of Siam (ancient Thailand) from A.D. 1350-1767. Thirty-three kings of various Siamese dynasties reigned in Ayuthaya, the full name being Phra Nakhon Si Ayuthaya or the sacred city of Ayothaya, until it was conquered and destroyed by the Burmese in 1767. The city was burnt and with it almost all the official records and annals were lost.

Flourishing hub for international trade

From the documents available it appears that the Portugese came to Siam in 1511. The Spaniards in 1594, having gained a foothold in the Philippines in 1565, next came the Dutch in 1607, the English in 1512 and the French in 1662. In those early days, Ayuthaya was a city built upon an island, which was surrounded by several other smaller islands interconnected by a rich pattern of canals or streams. The island on which the city stood was enclosed within a city wall. Inside was the king’s palace and government buildings, and no foreigner was allowed to live therein. All foreigners, whether French, English, Dutch, Portugese, Japanese, Chinese or Indian, who settled in Ayuthaya, lived according to their nationalities, in camps or villages outside the city wall.

De La Loubere, who was a French envoy in Ayuthaya during 1687—88 describes, “The City of Siam is not only an island but is placed in the middle of several islands, which renders the situation thereof very singular. The island wherein it is situated is at present all enclosed within its walls. It has almost the figure of a purse, the mouth of which is to the east and the bottom to the West. The river meets it at the North by several channels, which run into that which environs it, and leaves it on the South, by separating itself again into several streams.

The King’s palace the North of the canal which embraces the city, and by which alone as by an isthmus, people may go out of the city without crossing the river. The city is spacious, considering the circuit of its walls which enclose the whole isle, but scarce the sixth part thereof is inhabited, and that to the southeast only. The rest lies desert where temples only stand.

Tis true that the suburbs, which are possessed by strangers, do considerably increase the number of people. The streets thereof are large and straight, and in some places planted with trees, and paved with bricks laid edgewise. The houses are low and built with wood; at least those belonging to the natives who, for these reasons, are exposed to all the inconveniences of the excessive heat. Most of the streets are watered with straight canals, which have made Siam to be compared to Venice and on which are a great many small bridges of hurdles and some of brick very high and ugly”

Global trade routes

To and from Ayuthaya, there were two trade routes whereby goods could pass to and from foreign countries. One was from Paknam, in the Gulf of Siam, upto the river Menam (now Chao Phya), through Bangkok right upto Ayuthaya. In those days, the river was navigable for sailing ships as far as Ayuthaya, where most of the trade was done. This route was followed by ships sailing to and from China and Japan.

The other route was overland from Ayuthaya to the town of Tennaserim and on to Mergui on the east coast of the Bay of Bengal. The whole trip from Mergui to Ayuthaya or vice versa could be accomplished in ten days. Indian and Peyian traders preferred this route via Mergui to going through the Straits of Malacca and up the Gulf of Siam to Paknam. The Indian and Persian ships did not go all the way to China and Japan, and the Chinese and Japanese did not go direct to India. Siam was the halfway house where these traders met and exchanged their goods. The Chinese & Japanese brought to Ayuthaya silk, tea, porcelain, quicksilver and copper—bronze vessels, and took in exchange scented woods, pepper, hides & birds’ nests.

Along the overland route from the ancient capital to Mergui, dealers lived in Ayuthaya, Tenasserim and Mergui, received from China and Japan goods which were in demand in India and Persia, or vice Japanese articles could be sold in England at a large profit but the Japanese who came to Ayuthaya dealt mainly with the Dutch and the Muslims.

For many years the English East India Company had not considered the Siamese trade as a coast trade and although the Company had maintained agents in Ayuthaya on and off from the beginning of the seventeenth century, these agents had never been able to enter Japan trade. This was due to the opposition of the Dutch who had their headquarters in Java & a fine factory in Ayuthaya, and did their best to keep all other traders, including the Siamese, out of the Japan trade.

The downfall

Interestingly, history of this Ayuthaya too is not free of controversy. According to popular accounts, Ayuthaya met its downfall after four centuries of glory, when it was weakest under someone dubbed as the leper King, the incompetent King Ekadasna. Probably the most detested character in Thai history. During the wars, he reportedly ordered the soldiers not to fire mortars at the Burmese troops because his concubines were frightened of the noise. And he eventually met his pitiful fate by dying from hunger during his hiding!

While history has made Ekadasna a bad guy, the Thai historians are questioning whether he was really incompetent or was he a scapegoat? Was Ayuthaya really militarily weak at that time? Were the Burmese troops mere guerrillas, not a fully supported army? An alternate school of thought seems to be emerging.

Today the ruins are but parts of a boisterous town. Booming largely on the account of upcoming industries in the neighbourhood. Tourism of course accounts for a sizable revenue. It takes an hour and half from Bangkok to drive down the excellent highway heading to Chiangmai, further up. There are regular luxury buses plying to and fro Ayuthaya.

Seats could be booked for a keen tourist by any hotel. Another alternative is a one-way cruise onboard ‘Ayuthaya Princess’ on the Chaophraya river. The package involves a return by airconditioned buses.

 

This time it wasn’t the Chanakya Cinema, New Delhi, that peak monsoon morning seventeen years ago. Where I sat drenched, in the front row. Having arrived after a marathon city bus ride from the Delhi University campus. The show btw cost me a mere sixty-five paise.

Yes, to be in time for The Bridge on the River Kwai. As the brilliant action unfolded, the extra efficient air-conditioning and the close proximity to the seventy mm version of this World War Il act, elicited all the willpower I could muster. Afterall I could not belittle myself witnessing the heroic deeds.

Tonight too I was in the very front row, but of prime seats at a sound and light show. Right on the water front of river Khwae (Thai for Kwai). Having driven 140 Kms from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi, close to the Burmese border.

Historic Kanchanaburi

Kanchanaburi is a small sleepy town abuzz with tourist activity. Having landed there during the mid-day, one started with the war memorial. It houses fifteen thousand graves of the allied soldiers. Laid neatly in the green backdrop and rose beds. One of the walls at the entrance bears testimony to the heroic deeds of the Indian soldiers. Its caption reads “These soldiers died serving their country and the cause of freedom and lie buried – elsewhere in Thailand”. They represent the various units of the Indian Armed Forces viz; The Corps of Royal Indian Engineers; Q.V. O. Madras Sappers and Miners; 13th Frontier Force Rifles; 14th Punjab Regiment; Indian Army Medical Corps; Indian Army Veterinary Corps; Indian Army Ordnance Corps and Indian Pioneer Corps.

A quick lunch at any of the several eateries and you could be back on your feet. The JEATH War Museum is not an absolute must. But if you are in Kanchanaburi during the River Kwai Festival Season, as I was, the entire place is like a big flea market. Wares ranging from woollens, to Chinese cigarette lighters, handicrafts and local jewelry are abundantly available. All for a bargain. Also on display at the official jewelry and gems exhibition is the country’s biggest 40 carats blue sapphire. Mined from the Bo Ploi District of Kanchanaburi province.

The eleven day festival which has now become an annual feature, (last week of November to the first week of December) commences with a Don Rak Thai religious ceremony conducted by dozens of Buddhist monks. It is followed by a Colourful Peace and Love Among Humans procession from the City Pillar Shrine to the Bridge. The 240 hours of festivities include special attractions such as traditional long boat races under the bridge, a mini marathon and a Miss Peace Thailand Beauty Contest.

Just as the dusk takes you by surprise, thousands of lights transform the bridge, river and the surroundings into a fairyland. The restaurants along the river front start filling up. There is also a scramble for getting the right seats for the show. The cool breeze  takes many a visitor by surprise. Sale of windcheaters and sweaters warms up. There is an air of expectation.

Simulating the war theatre

The sound and light show commemorates Allied bombing campaign that neutralised the infamous 415 Kms of Death Railway from Ban Pong to Thanbyuzyat in Burma during World War Il by Allied POWs . Working to the brutal Japanese chant of “speedo”. Commenced in October 1942 from both the Burma and Thai ends, the rails were joined at Konkuita wartime camp, some 37 Kms south of Three Pagoda Pass in October 1943. It is supposed to have cost lives of 16000 POWs and 100,000 Asian labour. Interestingly, today it is an enormous Japanese investment that has reportedly helped develop the provinces’ infrastructure.

The show commences dot on time. A train rambles across the bridge. An occasionally sharp whistle perhaps helps it to pierce through the artificial mist on the tracks. Chuck, chuck, chuck… And suddenly there is a commentary (in ‘phasa’ Thai). If you plug in the earphone you could hear the English version. But it is the sound effect that leaves you completely overawed. In no time you are in midst of a war theatre. The Japanese brutalities, cries of the POWs – all seem too real. Just when it begins to feel unbearable the aerial attack commences and so do the ack-ack guns, the sirens and the activities of the Red Cross.

Large amount of dynamite and other deafening explosives recreate the Allied bombing on the bridge. Explosive charges floating in the river are ignited to send huge columns of water spouting up into the air to imitate a near miss by a 2K pound bomb. The destruction of the bridge is quite spellbinding. It virtually creaks and ‘drops down’ into the river. Incredible, particularly for those who have strolled across it during broad daylight.

There is a feeling of shell shock as well as relief, as you emerge out of the show. And if you choose to drive back to Bangkok the same evening – as I did – the dramatic experience will surely keep you wide awake all through the next two and a half hours!