Sacred Cows

Keralaaaah, continued

~By Anu. There is alot of bad stuff going on all over the world, but before I get into the Virginia shootings, Somalia and other big stories, I just wanted to share something I wrote while still in Kerala. I'm trying to hold onto that feeling of peace and tranquility!! Here goes:

"There's a pigeon coo-ing passionately in the eaves of the pitched tile roof above this divine little balcony overlooking Vembanad Lake. Its waters stretch north, south and west to the horizon. The cloudless, pale blue sky is broken only by arrowheads of ducks or the odd little cormorant flying past. Beneath it, the sun has lit a broad golden avenue on the slate-coloured waves. Occassionally, the wooden hull and squat bamboo cabin of a houseboat purrs gently past. Or a long canoe glides by, its wiry boatmen vigorously rowing. The crackly whisper of palm trees blowing in the wind.... the shameless caw of a crow... and the sweet 'whoo-ooo whoo-OOO!' of an Indian cuckoo (koel) complement the perfect silence. I have never seen a more bountiful, tranquil or balanced paradise."

Abbas says he's alive.

Click here to read the latest about Alan.

Bad day...

~By Anu. Today, news that a universally respected, much loved colleague, Alan Johnston, may have been killed by a Palestinian group. This is not confirmed. Nonetheless, all of us are worried and sad. Whenever a journalist or civilian is kidnapped in a conflict zone, nice things are inevitably said about them. The irony with Alan is-- nice things have always been said about him because he is one of the most quietly conscientious people you'll ever meet. He never moans, never criticizes, never showboats or seeks attention-- something that is truly rare in the world of journalism.

Meanwhile, equally upsetting and important... and something we've not shared with you in the past.

Our Iraqi friend, Ahmed*, has been living with us since last year, while he waits for Britain to grant him asylum. Ahmed received a personal death threat from a group affiliated with Al Qaeda in Iraq because he was working for an international media company.

It's important to note that the same group that threatened Ahmed has has now made the claim about Alan. Again, it's too soon to draw conclusions in Alan's case, but what's clear is that journalists are increasingly being used as political bargaining chips.

I was reading that threat letter again last night, as we went through his papers, thinking how chilling it must be to know that someone is watching you and planning to kill you and your family. Read this piece, if you want a sense of how brutally personal Iraq's war is.

As a result of that letter, Ahmed grabbed his wife and three children and immediately left home. He finally took them to Syria, settling them in as best he could, reassuring his wife, his 14-year-old daughter, 11-year-old son and 4-year-old baby girl... and then he returned to Baghdad, sleeping in the fortified compound where he was employed. He tried to get his bosses to move him anywhere outside Iraq, even asking to be sent to cover the war in Lebanon, which was still safer than being under death threat in Baghdad.

Keralaaaaah!

~By Anu. I've discovered my perfect paradise! Kerala, on India's southwestern coast, is the most tranquil, beautiful, bountiful place I have ever visited. This web-guide sums it up perfectly:

"Kerala is a land of surf, spice and magic and an ancient crossroads of cultures... Chinese fishing nets drawn up on the golden sand, Jewish synagogues, Portuguese forts, Dutch and Syrian churches, and of course beautiful Indian temples and palaces... backed by mountains, fringed with surf, beautiful beaches, alluring backwaters, paddy fields, spice plantations and swaying palms trees."

    Kerala is what I imagine India could be- clean, beautiful, exotic, polite and equitable... in touch with its natural heritage, but literate and rational too. The girls in the boat, paddling along the backwaters have good reason to smile. Although Kerala has a per capita income of only $265 and low 'economic productivity', it's people are among the most literate in the subcontinent and enjoy a fantastic standard of living. There are schools, homes and plots of land for everyone. True, many of the state's young people leave to find jobs, but with their excellent levels of education, they're got the upper hand. And life for those left behind is hardly difficult or full of wont. I'm still looking for a chink in the armor of the 'Kerala Development Model', but so far, thankfully, I've found nothing much!

    Meanwhile, for a consummate gardener like me, it was like being in the (Hindu) garden of Eden! At the Vanilla County Spice Plantation, I saw pepper, cardamom, bananas, cocoa, pineapples, cinnamon, pomegranates, turmeric, coffee, rubber, coconuts, teak and yes-- cashews growing naturally. Check out the photo on the left. It's a cashew fresh off the tree. The red bit is fermented to make feni. And the funny little hooked pod on the bottom is... you guessed it... the cashew nut!