Curbing free speech - The Hindu

Curbing free speech - The Hindu

Theatre of the absurd

Sukumaran C. V.

A democratic discussion is going on on the topic of Progress. The delegates are the Development, the Politics, a Doctor, an Engineer, a Farmer, a Poor man, a Woman and a Tiger who represents the Environment.

Politics is presiding. In his inaugural address Politics said that he presides over the meeting because, of all the participants, he is the only one who stands to safeguard the interests of everybody. Then he called Development to speak.

Development: “Without developmental works, there will be no Progress. Environmentalists may argue that development is killing the planet. But they don’t see that the humans are able to eradicate poverty and live in prosperity only because there is development.” The poor man wanted to interfere, but he was not allowed by the president, and Development continued: “Now we want an airport in Aranmula. A feeder airstrip in Wayanad and the highway should be made four lane in Malappuram. People are agitating against land acquisition for these developmental projects that will change the face of the State.”

Doctor and Engineer: “Absolutely correct.”

            The paddy-fields at Cheekalloor in Wayanad where the feeder airport is proposed

Farmer: “Development wants to acquire acres of paddy fields and wet lands known as Aranmula puncha to construct an airport. For an airstrip or feeder airport in Wayanad, Development is trying to acquire 337 acres of biodiversity rich land. Of this, 169 acres are fertile paddy fields and to fill these fertile fields, many surrounding hillocks will be bulldozed. What a trail of destruction in the name of Progress!  However developed we have become or we may become, we have to take food to sustain life and the thing that helps us sustain life is paddy. If in the name of Progress you convert all our arable lands into roads and airports and rubber estates and concrete jungles what will we eat? If we bulldoze all hillocks and destroy all vegetation, how will we get fresh air and clean water? And for whom the airports are constru…” Development interfered and was allowed to speak.

Development: “Farmer is prejudiced against Progress. His argument is undemocratic.”

Doctor and Engineer: “Absolutely correct.”

Poor man: “I really don’t see how Farmer’s argument is undemocratic. He told the naked truth. Is speaking truth undemocratic? Do the farmers need airport? Do the poor need airport? Do the hillocks and plants and trees and rivers and the wildlife need airport?”

Woman: “As far as I am concerned, Progress means a peaceful atmosphere to live in without being harassed and molested. In the villages I feel safety and security while in the so called places of Progress and Development, I am being raped and harassed and molested and forced into prostitution. I am against converting the still remaining villages and forests into the concrete jungles in the name of Development or Progress. The Progress we have already had is more than enough. Let’s protect the still remaining villages, forests and the wildlife.”

Development: “I prefer the interests of the human beings to that of the forests and wildlife. My aim is to bring the fruits of Progress to each and every human being.”

Doctor and Engineer: “Absolutely correct.”

Poor man:  “Dear Mr. Development, in 1998, $6 billion was spent on basic education across the world; $9 billion on water and sanitation for everyone in the world; $12 billion on reproductive health for all women in the world; $400 billion on narcotic drugs in the world and $780 billion on military spending in the world. As the compiler of this list notes: ‘It would seem ironic that the world spends more on things to destroy each other (military) and to destroy ourselves (drugs, alcohol and cigarettes) than on anything else.’ Is this the Progress you refer to?”

Politics: “We are talking about Kerala and India. Take care not to go off the point.”

Poor man: “Sorry for the deviation. I didn’t know that India is not in the world. (The politician was happy to see that the Poor man noted and respected his presiding comment. He is not intelligent enough to note the satire.) But in the words of a well-known writer, ‘while 350 million people go hungry in India, former granaries in the country export tulips and dog food to Europe. While these same hundreds of millions starve, “their” government attempts to dump sixty million tons of grain into the ocean, because it cannot find export markets for that grain, and because it will not distribute food to those who cannot pay.’ Is this the Progress Development and Politics refer to?”

Development whispers something to Politics. Politics shakes his head in approval and says: “Time is over and if the representative of the Environment has anything to say without bias and prejudice, he is allowed a few minutes.”

Tiger: “Dear president Politics, I have been caught and caged and kept in a zoo ever since. My condition aptly expresses the hapless plight of the Environment which I represent. The ways of your democracy are really strange. The president says that he represents the interests of everybody and yet he supports Development blindfold! I know the president’s affiliation to a ‘progressive’ party that observed a hartal to protest the inclusion of forest patches into ecologically sensitive areas under the EPA, 1986. Development says that he prefers the interests of the human beings to that of the forests and wildlife. I would like to say that he prefers the interests of the greedy rich to that of the farmers, the poor, the women, the Environment and the wildlife. Many of the ‘absolutely correct’ people belong to the category of the greedy. The real name of Development is Business.”

Development whispers to Politics and he tries to stop Tiger, but his attempts are drowned in the roar and eloquence of Tiger: “The vast majority of the poor and the farmers need fresh air and clean water. To have both of these, pristine forest cover is needed and to preserve the forests, the wildlife is essential. The forest cover together with the wildlife is a prerequisite to provide a healthy atmosphere for the humans and other forms of life to survive. Development together with Politics has been destroying it long since. They have been destroying our habitats and killing us for centuries and they have been displacing the poor and the farmers, they have been annihilating the biodiversity of Mother Nature, they have been killing the planet our Mother for 30 pieces of silver….”

Again Development whispers to Politics and he shouts: “Guards.”

Guards of Democracy arrive with machine guns and are asked to take the animal away.

Development: (aside) “Brute, you are going to pay dearly for your guts and for revealing my real name.”

Farmer, Woman and Poor man: “It is undemocratic...”   

Politics: “The discussion is over. Let’s put the resolution for voting.”

Development, Doctor and Engineer voted for Progress. Farmer, Woman and Poor man voted against. Tiger was not allowed to vote. Politics used his casting vote in favour of Progress. (Thus the interest of the majority of the people and the Environment was crushed democratically). Development hands over a suitcase to Politics. Politics grins with happiness. Development scribbles something on a piece of paper and hands it over to Politics and after perusing it, Politics calls the Head Guard and orders: “Open the cage and when the brute is out, shoot and kill it for trying to escape.”

Politics and Development and Doctor and Engineer go hand in hand to the air-conditioned car of Development with the escort of the Guards of Democracy. A gun shot is heard in the distance.

Woman, Farmer and Poor man: “Democracy has successfully dealt with the Environment , ours is the next turn.”

A view of the vast expanse of paddy land (Aranmula Puncha) that has been converted to set up a private airport company at Aranmula. Photo: Leju Kamal (The Hindu)