A CELLULAR JAIL IN MUNNAR

58. A CELLULAR JAIL IN MUNNAR

Rama ( That’s my wife ) and I planned a grand tour of hill stations in South India in the month of September 2015.  We would first drive up to Kodaikanal,  “An Island in the Sky”  as my dear friend Anil Choudhry poetically describes this quaint little town in the upper Pulnee Hills of Tamilnadu : Spend three nights in Kodai and move on to Munnar up in the Western Ghats of the same hill and forest range in the neighbouring state of Kerala.  Stay two nights in Munnar and head back to the pot holes of Bangalore after a brief one night comfort halt in Yercaud, a minor hill station in the Shevaroys near Salem, Tamilnadu.

The trip was meticulously planned with bookings in Club Mahindra resorts in Kodai and Munnar and at Sterling Resorts in Yercaud.  What we had not bargained for was our two nights of incarceration in the cellular jail of Munnar at Club Mahindra – Mount Serene.

Club Mahindra’s Mount Serene in Munnar is a faithful replica of the Cellular jail in Port Blair, Andamans which we had visited about three years ago.  Sheer greed and mindless pursuit of profit must have been the only motive to create this horror : the close similarity between the Cellular Jail and Mount Serene is extremely striking.

THE ORIGINAL CELLULAR JAIL                         FAITHFUL REPLICA OF CELLULAR JAIL

IN PORT BLAIR – ANDAMANS                            MOUNT SERENE, CLUB MAHINDRA MUNNAR

 

         

The view from the cell we were incarcerated in was nothing much to write home about : The front door opens out into a long corridor, the passageway that connects the cells of the one wing.  Beyond the corridor is the view of a similar set of cells in the adjoining wing.  The backside opens out to sit out facing a blank rock face at arms length. And on the ground below a stagnant puddle of dirty water with numerous cigarette butts.  Cigarettes smuggled in for a previous occupant by a kindly guard in a zone where smoking is a capital offence. 

The accommodation is a little larger than in the original cellular jail in Port Blair where revered freedom fighters like Veer Savarakar and others were left to languish for years together.  A saving grace was the attached toilet which is slightly more modern in comparison to the original which was simply a hole in the floor.

Escape from this Class A confined space to the outside world is a Herculean task since it is more than a kilometer and a half via an extremely steep, winding, narrow path designed to challenge a mountain goat.  There is heavy security at every turn of the road and this Eagles Nest may be accessed only using the shuttle transport provided by the management of this facility.

Communication with the outside world is disabled at this height since cell phones do not work.  Wifi was said to be available in the common mess and the toilet near the inmates reception area, both locations deliberately chosen to discourage even feeble attempts at contact with the outside world. 

And Oh ! the ultimate shame and ignominy, the kick in the stomach came at the time of signing the release papers from the facility after paying the dues.  The uniformed man behind the desk simply said credit cards not accepted.  We know your kind.  “ It will be cash on the Barrelhead Son “

Ah ! at last a glimmer of hope for this Godforsaken facility.  These closing words brought a smile to my face as I recalled one of my all time favourite songs with that identical title by the Louvin Brothers Ira and Charlie :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDbylmeOdaY

Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal                                                                                    September 24, 2015

ITS APRIL FOOL'S DAY FOLKS

57. ITS APRIL FOOLS DAY FOLKS – GRIN AND BEAR IT

On the First day of April 2015 ( April Fools Day Y’all) I was woken up from my morning stupor, all shook up, shocked and awed and stunned upon reading a glowing tribute heaped on a Sewage Treatment Plant (STP)  that apparently performs miracles day in and day out in a mega apartment complex on Bannerghatta Road, Bangalore.  An eminently newsworthy article in the Public interest no doubt which should serve to enthuse and goad other similar communities to aspire for similar great contributions to a worthy social cause.

Read all about this minor miracle in the Bangalore Mirror edition dated what else but April 01, 2015.

http://www.bangaloremirror.com/bangalore/others/Fingers-crossed-over-Puttenahalli-rejuvenation-bid/articleshow/46762006.cms?

The cub reporter of the rag goes on to blithely and dutifully narrate the story fed her by the extremely environmentally conscious, socially responsible community that the treated water from the STP will be used to rejuvenate the neighbouring Puttenahalli lake and “raise its water level”. No doubt this philanthropic community had also done a serious scientific study on the areal extent of the lake, permeability of the lake bed, solar evaporation rate of water from its surface, evapotranspiration rate from flora drawing sustenance and other such sundry losses from the lake to arrive at that happy, self congratulatory conclusion.

The story does not end here.  Reportedly, for several months previously, the Karnataka State Pollution Control Board, that August body tasked to protect and preserve the Environment in Karnataka by an Act of  Parliament, had allegedly tested the STP water and found the quality to be fit for “raising the water level” in Puttenahalli Lake.  And in consequence, the KSPCB had apparently given its nod by the shake of its head to go ahead and fill up the lake with STP water, and a promise of a written permission to follow the very next day.

Having seen and studied first hand hundreds of STP’s in Bangalore in over 30 years of being in this very business, and likewise having dealt with the KSPCB for the same length of time, all these  claims of the “pinch of salt variety “ woke me from my morning stupor, all shook up, shocked and... ………… etc.

By a queer turn of events, about a month ago we conducted an audit of this very same glorified STP with a view to determine whether we would be interested in taking up Operation and maintenance of the Plant on a long term basis.  This is our Company’s mandatory procedure and precondition before we enter into any such contract.  We do a thorough audit of the STP as part of due diligence to satisfy ourselves that we would be in a position to deliver satisfactory performance from the existing setup.  And if not, what further refurbishment, upgradation and surgery that would be required to bring the STP up to scratch.

The result of the audit comes as no surprise to me.  I have been maintaining for several years now and shouting from the rooftops to all and sundry who care to listen, including the KSPCB , the Government of Karnataka, the Lokayukta etc., that more than 80 % of the STP’s in Bangalore are in various stages of disrepair and for all practical purposes are either defunct or dead.  And so was the case with this STP.  The Design and engineering of the plant was such that it could handle not more than 50 % of the sewage generated from this complex.  Only mother earth knows where the rest of untreated sewage is discharged through a pipeline buried deep inside her.

What worries me even more is that there was absolutely no due diligence on part of the Newspaper which carried the story.  No due diligence by the KSPCB which certified the STP to be Aces.

Or was it all an elaborate April Fools day prank  that I ought to simply grin and bear it ?  I am glad I have made my peace with such crass display of monumental ignorance, incompetence, apathy and indeed deliberate falsehood.  Try as they might, these good folks certainly cannot ” raise my BP”.

Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal                                                                                    September 14, 2015

56. THE POWER OF A TV COMMERCIAL

56. THE POWER OF A TV COMMERCIAL

There are TV Commercials and TVC’s.  A vast majority of them entirely forgettable.  And then there are some which are indelibly etched in your mind and bring a smile to your face every time you happen to recall the words, the expressions and images from deep down your memory lane.

And then there is this EF Hutton Commercial from almost 40 years ago which shaped and moulded my persona and character which in turn replicates itself in the Company which I run today with great pride and joy.

In the years 1974-1978, as a graduate student in Nashville, I used to go home in the evenings and watch the day’s news on WLAC TV, an affiliate of CBS with the affable Chris Clark as the News Anchor and Oprah Winfrey his sidekick.  Yes the very same Oprah.

For me Chris Clark is memorable for his layman Americanisms such as “Vehicle moving at a great rate of speed” and “Newkilear” and many more such patently American usages, more particularly in the vocabulary of the South.

I do not remember Oprah from that time for any great accomplishments : remarkable in light of her later rise from a near non entity to a superstar.  Now back to the TVC’s that refuse to fade away :

1)  Karl Malden with his bulbous buffoon nose and his trademark hat holding up an American Express Travellers cheque and admonishing  “Don’t Leave Home without them”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0mEAYOKWo8

2) Brother Dominic for Xerox-  the novice scribe in a dark candle lit monastery presents a tome, his labour of love to the senior monk who after due scrutiny is so pleased with the work that he promptly orders 500 copies of the script to be made. Unfazed, Br. Dominic goes to the Xerox print shop, ( Xerox had just then launched the 9200 machine) saves himself decades of manual copying and presents on the same day the 500 sets, neatly bound to his superior.  At first a look of utter disbelief on his face, the Abbot then looks up heavenwards and exclaims in hushed tones “ It’s a Miracle !”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IgH2M02xek

And now the seminal commercial which guides me and continues to be the torchbearer for me to this day.

3) EF Hutton the Broking House ran a series of TV commercials in varied settings all of which had a single common thread.  In the midst of a motley crowd, in a noisy environment two friends are talking stocks, shares and the stock market and one of them says “well my broker is EF Hutton and EF Hutton says …..”  and in that instant, all at once, there is pin drop silence, all heads turn, ears pricked to catch what EF Hutton had to say.  And after few moments of pregnant pause, the tag line – ‘When EF Hutton talks, people listen”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gX0X9i7J_JE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W30whkSj4M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNSr1MvWBA4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SX7ZEotoFh0

and several more.  Google and enjoy.

Ever since those days, the EF Hutton ad has been the polestar guiding me to my singular goal in life to achieve that status  -  “When Kodavasal talks, people listen”  or now for the Company which I run -  “When Ecotech Talks, people listen”.   I believe I am more than halfway there !

Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal                                                                               September 10, 2015

DENSITY OF WATER

The City of Bangalore faces a severe crunch in every aspect of infrastructure that citizens pray for ( and pay for) in the hope of better living conditions : As an environmental engineer, I may be excused if I put treatment of sewage and availability of water on top of the agenda.

With growing opportunities in this field, and more clients to serve, we as a Company are always looking to add to our resource pool of environmental engineers – no matter if they are not experienced, nor experts in the field : it is our job to train them and bring them up to speed. I am a trained trainer on the subject of Wastewater treatment for the KSPCB, from the days that DANIDA ( The Danish Govt. Aid Agency) set up the Environmental Training Institute ( ETI ) of the KSPCB over 15 years ago.  We look for candidates with a Bachelor’s Degree or a Master’s degree in Environmental engineering in the belief that these boys will already possess some knowledge of  fundamentals of environmental engineering, wastewater treatment etc.,  so we would not have to start with Do-Re-Mi.

One such candidate with an impressive Resume came calling for a job.  This boy had a Bachelors Degree in Civil Engineering ( First Class), followed up with an M.Tech Degree in Environmental Engineering ( 82.5 % GPA).  The degrees were from a well respected engineering Institution, one of the oldest in the State of Karnataka  - The BDT College of Engineering in Davangere.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_B.D.T_College_of_Engineering

Ganesh ( that was the name of the boy) walked into my office with a shy smile and a respectful mien, and I was overjoyed to see a candidate with such huge potential and promise.

Alas ! what was to follow was utter disaster.  And what I am about to narrate is the gospel truth.

After the usual pleasantries, I got down to the business end of the interview and questioning.  The shy smile remained, but Ganesh was Sphinx like and silent to all the questions I posed him on the subject of wastewater treatment.

-       pH Correction ? Acid ? What is H₂SO₄ ?  - No response, only the vague smile

-       Aeration tank ? Microrganisms ? Membrane diffusers ? – Silence once more

-       Settling tank ? Sludge Recirculation ? – The smile disappeared to be replaced with a slight look of concern on the poor boy’s face

-       Air ? Percentage of Oxygen ? delivery of Oxygen to Micorbes ? – The boy took out his handkerchief to wipe off beads of perspiration beginning to appear on that innocent face

Not wanting to prolong his agony any further, and to put him at ease, I asked him what I thought he would be able to readily answer and redeem a little bit of the pride he must have felt when he collected his M.Tech Degree in Environmental Engineering from BDT College of Engineering.

-       What is the Density of Water ? – Breaking his silence at last, in a pitiful voice the poor boy mumbled “ I do not know Sir. We were not taught these things.”

I don’t know who shares the greater part of blame. The Student or the Education System ? But I truly lament the state of our education system, even in the so called renowned, established temples of higher learning in Karnataka.  I am sure the situation is no different in other parts of our great country.

Dr. Ananth S Kodavasal                                                                                    March 08, 2013