The following poem written originally in Tamil by one P.Thangamani, in a scantily circulated literary magazine (Aavigal, 27th Dec 1998) was translated by me during the late 90s and kept safe in my accumulated academic debris. To a great extent, these lines partly or fully capture the growing divide between the rich and the poor in both the developed and the developing societies. Globalization can never be fair, unless they have access to education or credit.
All of you are at home,
Comfortably leading a life of luxury
Blanketed with sweater, head adored with hat,
Hands and legs fully covered with socks
You warm yourself
Before fire and in the kitchen,
All the time munching something hot
You have many blankets,
More than adequate bowl of rice
You eat your dinner,
While watching TV and
Have a quiet, pleasant sleep on Foam bed.
We’re are not blessed like you
Into our slums, floating under
Knee deep water,
Unable to stand
Also can’t sit
With all our clothes drenched,
The body has turned into ice
Somehow we manage during day time,
But can’t bear it in the night
I could not help recollecting these lines getting mesmerized by the state of affluence while I was in Paris city. Although, Thomas .L.Friedman says the world is flat, meaning: there is level playing field for all, it’s all related to glass curtain economy- the weightless I.T. economy. Regardless of the stages of development in the affluent west and the poverty stricken East, one thing is sure there is more pain and poverty for the majority of the poor people.
This year,(2009) the winter and the rainy season during October- November was moderate in Paris city.With occasional drizzle, the sun shown brightly during my brief stay there. The weather was enjoyable and managaeable because, to insulate myself from the chill breeze, I had all the protective cover like sweater, shirt, coat, and on top of it, an over-coat with muffler tied around the neck. Any typical wage earner, must have enough Euro to have this kind of war chest against chill breeze, otherwise he or she will be frozen to death.
To what extent all the poor people in European countries can afford all these in an adequate measure is a moot point. In Paris too ,I have seen a few people begging in the train in a more decent way by placing cards on the seat or playing with musical instruments . On the way towards Saint .Michel church, I saw a old man with Dog alone as his companion , sitting and ruminating over life. I could not help , but comparing the noise and the dirt of my metropolitan cities with that of reasonable cleanliness and order even in that disorderly ordererly world.
All of you are at home,
Comfortably leading a life of luxury
Blanketed with sweater, head adored with hat,
Hands and legs fully covered with socks
You warm yourself
Before fire and in the kitchen,
All the time munching something hot
You have many blankets,
More than adequate bowl of rice
You eat your dinner,
While watching TV and
Have a quiet, pleasant sleep on Foam bed.
We’re are not blessed like you
Into our slums, floating under
Knee deep water,
Unable to stand
Also can’t sit
With all our clothes drenched,
The body has turned into ice
Somehow we manage during day time,
But can’t bear it in the night
I could not help recollecting these lines getting mesmerized by the state of affluence while I was in Paris city. Although, Thomas .L.Friedman says the world is flat, meaning: there is level playing field for all, it’s all related to glass curtain economy- the weightless I.T. economy. Regardless of the stages of development in the affluent west and the poverty stricken East, one thing is sure there is more pain and poverty for the majority of the poor people.
This year,(2009) the winter and the rainy season during October- November was moderate in Paris city.With occasional drizzle, the sun shown brightly during my brief stay there. The weather was enjoyable and managaeable because, to insulate myself from the chill breeze, I had all the protective cover like sweater, shirt, coat, and on top of it, an over-coat with muffler tied around the neck. Any typical wage earner, must have enough Euro to have this kind of war chest against chill breeze, otherwise he or she will be frozen to death.
To what extent all the poor people in European countries can afford all these in an adequate measure is a moot point. In Paris too ,I have seen a few people begging in the train in a more decent way by placing cards on the seat or playing with musical instruments . On the way towards Saint .Michel church, I saw a old man with Dog alone as his companion , sitting and ruminating over life. I could not help , but comparing the noise and the dirt of my metropolitan cities with that of reasonable cleanliness and order even in that disorderly ordererly world.
In the monsoon rain, Mumbai city floats, Calcutta or Chennai is dirty, for all practical purposes with all their glory and civilization roots. God alone knows the degree of congestion and pollution in the air conditioned city of Bangalore and its infrastructural bottle necks. The supreme Lord, sleeping in heavens alone would know the sufferings of the platform dwellers and those who get sheltered on the river bed and many other rain susceptible regions during the rainy season. Of course, the over all damage is less because, the rain God too is shrinking His responsibility to protect the mother India, mostly residing in the rural areas. How can we change Him, when reckless economic growth over heats the globe and unleash climatic change? Copenhagen meet at best would address the issue, but will it lead to any kind of positive resolution to the satisfaction of all?
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