India emerges from obscurity as new global force!

An impressive article.. first of its kind in any of the Aussie New papers, I reckon.. Even not published in other fairfax news papers... exclusive to "The Canberra Times"Read here.

Parking at ANU and Canberra Times!

Canberra Times published an article regarding Fellows Oval at ANU and the parking issue titled ANU denials on paving paradise to put up a parking lot on 14th Nov 08. (read the article here: http://www.canberratimes.com.au/news/local/news/general/anu-denials-on-paving-paradise-to-put-up-a-parking-lot/1360560.aspx)

I wrote a reply. But it was NOT published! I dont know, what's wrong with these Australian Newspapers. They dont seem to accommodate any difference of opinions. Its a shame. Here you can read the reply.

----------------

ANU Parking

I am a research student at ANU. Parking in ANU is a pressing need for me and many others like me. ANU authorities have the right and duty to make sure that the staff and students get adequate parking space, so that they can pursue their academic activities with ease.

The response of the ANU staff and students as described by the article - "ANU denials on paving paradise to put up a parking lot" on 14th November is not completely true. In general, people love to save the Fellows Oval but not at the cost of acute parking shortage in the campus which is going to escalate due to the proposed construction work. As the article observes, the issue of parking came to limelight when "the opponents of the proposal" started circulating mass-emails over the last week. But when students including me send mass-emails seeking opinion about the other viable alternatives to spare Fellow's Oval, it was greeted with threats to suppress the emails by the moderators of IT department, which they allowed to "the opponents" at the very first place. And interestingly there were peaceful civil disobedience from even the staff members by hitting "reply all" button to express their concern for adequate parking in ANU.

The bottom line is ANU should be able to provide adequate parking service to its students and staff. Being a research oriented university, most of the ANU students are involved in research works whose timing cannot be restricted to office hours. That makes them and the staff members who guide them to resort to odd timings which are not supported by (infrequent and insufficient) public transport system in ACT. Moreover, Canberra is spread too much along different suburbs that ANU is not always accessible by bike or foot, unless someone is exceptionally athletic in most cases. Personally, I did my Masters in Melbourne and rode my bike to University and never own a car. I tried public transport in Canberra for first 3 months and it was horrible. Canberra has to increase its population and population density (instead of spreading too much), if it has got any good chance of providing a decent public transport system. And that is going to be a long term objective.

Till then, ANU should provide adequate parking space for its students and staff with reasonable parking fees (as we got now) to all those who want this service to keep ANU a destination for quality researchers from all around the world. If that could be achieved without Fellows Oval, we all welcome that move. But Fellows Oval should not be a hindrance to make this service available to its staff and students. The ecological cost of Fellows Oval could be off-setted by creative means like planting trees in even purchased new land.

Eco Warriors of ANU after me..

It started with an email to ALL @ CECS.

One Rita (I changed name to keep her privacy), encouraged us to Save Fellows oval, which was marked by ANU-parking to turned into a new parking lot. I clicked 'reply all' button to query whether they got any alternative suggestion to provide parking lot which is a pressing need for me and others. Then came a wave of e-mails to ALL@CECS and to me personally.

They want to link Oval & Parking with sustainability. But I got some very unconventional ideas about it. The following is an excerpt from the discussion. I purge the names of people to keep save their privacy.

Rita wrote:
--------------------

Anyone who would like to keep Fellows Oval as a nice green place of recreation, send an email to
parking.feedback@anu.edu.au
(email closes in 2 days).

Cheers

--------------------
Jaison Paul wrote:

Have you got suggestion for any other place for parking? Parking is a
pressing need for me and many.

Jaison

--------------------
W J wrote:

Hi Jaison,
By making more parking area available is not solving the parking problem. This new parking area will be filled up the moment it become available and more parking area will be needed because more people will take their car to campus.
The answer is to encourage to those who can take public transport or bike to do so.
Please don't try to solve the sort term problem by causing long term problem.

--------------------
Jaison Paul wrote:

That's quite interesting.. I shared one of my genuine concerns. But I
get 'bashed'!

You did not answer nor addressed my concern. I am a research student
here who moved from Melbourne. If you are taking about public
transport system in Melbourne or Sydney, I can understand that. Where
is public transport in ACT? I depended on it for first 3 months..
HORRIBLE. Lucky that I could afford a car at last. Then about bikes..
Canberra is spread all around the place.. Not everybody, unless you
are so athletic and could bear 'cold cold' weather could resort to
biking.

So, dont be too emotional in the name of 'nature and nostalgia'. If
you dont have answers to the genuine problems of students like me.,
dont suggest anything. If you want to save oval, its good and fine.
But, WE NEED PARKING.

Jaison Paul

-----------------
J D Wrote:

Jaison,

Neither have you answered or addressed the concern in the email to which you were replying. To complain about the quality of the public transport here and then to support policies which will encourage people not to use it seems strange, to say the least.

-----------------
Jaison Paul Wrote:

This was the mail to which I replied: "Anyone who would like to keep Fellows Oval as a nice green place of recreation, send an email to parking.feedback@anu.edu.au". And my response was spot on.. Parking is a pressing need for me and many and "Fellows Oval as a nice green place of recreation" does not get more importance than that. Those who want to save it should come up with better suggestions.

I am not the person, who wants to play the "cool, nice guy" when it comes to ecology or sustainability. Here is my reply to another mail I got yesterday. That's my stand:

"I am not against saving the oval. But those who are for it should suggest means to provide Parking as well. I have also wrote article about Ecology and Sustainability in the past, when I was in India. But when I came to Australia and seeing "how we take of the planet's resources", I stopped writing it. An oval wont do any good to our status of world's worst emitters. For that we (AUS) has to shut down its coal power reactors or reduce the use of electricity to half or at least turn off half of street lights.

Best wishes in saving the planet."

The problem seems to link Sustainability issue with Oval and parking. Actually there's no link between them. The real challenge of sustainability demands too much, which will really hurt us and that we dont want to talk at all. So, we pretend to be "cool, nice guys" regarding these issues just to cover up our unwillingness to take the real issue head on . Coz it will hurt us - the developed world.

If we want to offset ecological cost of Fellows oval, what we could do is to purchase some land somewhere else and plant some trees there. That shouldn't be in Aus itself, may be in any of the Pacific islands or even in Christmas island - that will give 'refugees' some job.

And about public transport.. I support it fully.. But where is it? And there's no genuine effort to make it happen. Kevin 474 could give some 6 billion to car industry in Aus - bail out, but not to increase public transport facilities.. coz, there's no money in it.. economy of surplus.. That's what matters to us dear.. sorry. If you want to save the planet, do something in that line, not the 'feel good' flashy stuff.

I arrest my case.. coz I know, I am not going to save the world, when the ones who have the responsibility to take care of it is not up to it. Btw, I am an Indian. Thanks.

Jaison

Balance of power shifts to India!

That was the heading of "The Canberra Times" today. Very well said. India ends the Australian dominance in Cricket with a 2-0 series victory and retaining Boarder-Gavaskar Trophy. India outplayed Aus in every department. Congrats to Dhoni as the winning captain. The tactics were brutal and merciless. The same old medicine of Aus, but this time to them! Well deserved win.

The most gracious moment was when Dhoni asked Sourav Ganguly to take the captaincy after the 9th wicket fall. What a tribute to retiring Dada! Truely Indian attitude by Dhoni - respect the elders. Well done.

As I commented in an online newspaper, it's an Obama era. The black and brown and even the yellow will take the lead. What matters is only skills and just (not equal) opportunities.. Let's make sure that these things are taken care of.. and let the rest - the power swing according to it..

Why Australia is upfront in climate change debate?

I had this question in my mind for a while.. And something which I admire Australia for. In my recent visit to Toronto and New York, I shared this view to my friends over there. Australia is really well ahead of them in ecological sustainability matters. They do really care about it and identify it as a major issue. But not the cultures of US and Canada I witnessed, the media I listened, the people I met there.

But then why Australia is well ahead?

Usually Australia goes after US.. But in this case even the government is well ahead of US.. WHY?

I think, I got a practical and may be the most reasonable answer. Australia is the one who is more prone to the negative effects of climate change. Being the driest continent on earth and already experiencing series of droughts and dwindling food basket, Australia feels the pinch of climate change already. And the political leadership can easily see it and calls the whole world to stop it - the climate change disaster! Even the people from pacific nation may have to be absorbed into Australia, which they dont want.

Now, Australia want not only US but India and China on board to tackle climate change.

Well, India and China should come on board, but with conditions. If it is basically to ensure the well off of Australia (and other "developed" countries), there should be a price attached to it. The climate change discussions in the future also should include the matter of climate change refugees (eg. from pacific islands) and immigration.

That is, India and China should come on the board with the assurance that those "developed nations" whose well being is to be ensured by climate action should be bound to accept climate change refugees. They also should open their borders for immigration from India and China, who have got the largest population on earth, because their effort is going to benefit them.

Tail piece: I listened to radio yesterday saying that the first climate change refugees from one of the pacific islands were displaced to Papua New Gunnia (PNG). Where was Australia, the champion of climate change debate? A'nt they clever? Or they may be preparing Christmas Islands for them.. lol

When is Australia going to get its first Aboriginal PM?

We got a black American president. Well.. When is Australia going to get its first Aboriginal PM? 40 years from now? How will it happen, huh? Australia does not allow them to come to the mainstream of social and political life and take their rightful position.. They dont have a definite plan to educate them or a reservation policy as in India. Australia does not have a single aboriginal person in its both houses of government.

There's a loooong way to go for the Aussies white supremacy.. The signs are written very clear on the walls.. not an aboriginal, black, brown, asian face on the many online/newspapers or in television media.. If at all something is there, that is just to portray the negativity - like the Gautham Gambir event in Cricket at the moment (only exception may be Sachin who gets comparatively good comments in Aussie media). As a person live in Australia I do really feel this. There's no racism in the peripherals .. but a lack of willingness to accept the goodness in minorities - aboriginals, asian, Indians without the barrier of color.

Australia has to work hard to come out of this divisive problem...

Ironically America shows India the way!

Till now I thought Indians are better than Americans in political inclusion.. India had a dalit president and got a female president at the moment. The Chief Justice is a dalit too.. But America never had a woman or black president..But Obama's presidency changes all. India never had a dalit PM nor in the near vicinity... May be Mayawathi could make it. Even then, we can only FOLLOW America! Moreover, Obama was born of a Kenyan father who is/was a Muslim. India (I dont blame all Indian, but some extremists) finds it difficult to accept an Italian lady who happened to be Catholic even if she is been elected by people to the parliament and supported by her party. WE GOT A LOOOONG WAY TO GO.. And.. ironically, America shows us the way..

My mum's sms

As I watched the winning speech of Barak Obama on BBC online streaming video, I received an sms from my mum in my small village in India - "Thank God, for Obama win".

Amazing how the whole world is looking at it..

As Obama exhorted, the climb will be steep. Hope he will be able to get them (and the whole world) there...

Finally, its Obama!

Finally Obama wins.. or about to win.. as I write this, the magic number of 270 has not yet come. But it is sure that he will. Not a landslide in big scale. But a reasonable landslide!

What does it mean. As somebody suggested America by-passed a civil war! If Obama weren't elected the black America would have felt cheated. That is over now. And a great PR success for America, something to be proud of in the midst of all negatives - the wars, the economy, etc, etc.

Good for World? Hopefully. As I commented earlier, the rhetoric and composure of Obama should help America to adjust themselves to the changing power shift in the emerging world order. Hopefully he will catalyze that shift. God save America and the world!