A state gone dry!

The last week or so has seen numerous jokes on the Govt. of Kerala's decision to put an end to the so called Alcohol abuse in Kerala. There have been numerous debates on both Malayalam and National News Channels on the pros and cons of the Ban and each side has had their own way of looking at the larger picture. While some individuals welcomed the move saying that alcohol abuse is bad and the state should not look at economical gains in curbing a social evil, some others were of the opinion that it is not good for the thriving tourism industry in the State. And then there have been those who have questioned the wisdom of a ban in order to curb a social evil.

That the State Government headed by the Chief Minister took this decision only for political reasons is a known fact. The desire to occupy the moral high ground and not lose base is what prompted the Chief Minister to score a point against his arch rivals in the Congress is no big secret. 

In a state that prides itself a the most literate state in the Country, I am baffled that the Government thinks that prohibition is the answer to the problem. My problem with the ban as a Non- Keralite living in Kerala is not so much as the ban itself, it is rather with the Govt's approach in addressing the issue. If the state is really serious about tackling this issue, then, why don't they introduce measures that will curb alcohol abuse, For eg: Drinking permit cards for every citizen based on pre-set guidelines. I believe that there is a big wide line between moderate drinking and alcohol abuse. 

 If the state is really serious, then drug abuse is a big problem especially amongst teenagers but the Govt, and the police establishment prefer to criminalise the user instead of stopping the supply chain. 

If bans are going to be the answer in solving or addressing issues, I am afraid that the Congress has just sown the seeds in giving a license to the so called guardians of Indian Culture to implement their version of a moral code of ethics which a lot of right wing thinkers associated with the ruling party at the centre seem to be advocating in some form or the other.  

I would be joking if I said that I don't like my drink. But I can think for myself and if my Parents and my teachers have taught me anything, it is the confidence to make my own decision. I cannot accept the state making a decision for me. I cannot and will not accept the state taking away MY ABILITY TO THINK. And this is my problem with my Mallu friends, for most of them, even though they do not agree to the ban, prefer to remain silent and instead have already started devising ways of working around the ban. We are a educated lot and what is Freedom if it does not give a person to make his or her own lifestyle choices. Unfortunately, its soon going to be a crime to have a drink in Kerala. 

And so, I cannot live in a place where I cannot spend my hard earned money and socialise the way I want to.. Anyway, its a Friday night and time for me to hit the bottle with a vengeance. 

And remember.........

In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria” - Benjamin Franklin

The baby is 3 years Old.

In a little less than 3 days from now, the 3rd edition of India's authentic camp out music festival will kick off at a brand new venue with a brand new feel. After being an integral part of the team behind Storm for the first 2 editions, I am left to watching it as any other person with the only Storm activity restricted to sharing and retweeting posts on the Festival on social networking platforms.

I have been writing this article for 3 days now and I have no clue as to where to start from. I wanted to write about the experience of creating this baby with the rest of the crazy set of people that have been a part of it for the last couple of years but Visakh and Sunil have already done a brilliant job with it (Storm Story on ww.stormfestivalindia.com)

Storm for me has truly been a festival of Friends; a festival put together by passionate individuals, some of who are not even from the Events Industry. I got a call the other day from a Friend who said, "Bro, I wish you were here" and that got me thinking, what was it that made Storm so special for all of us. Simply put, It was a way of life. Almost the entire team for the 1st edition was a team of novices. We just had 5 people who were experienced campaigners in the Industry. The rest of us, were at the most 3 years old in the industry. Some were into their first jobs and hadn't even been to a proper concert, forget a Festival. But what we had, was a vision, how would you want it to be? Everyone of the experienced campaigners in the team had their own baggage but they were willing to listen and listen they did. Every single one of those decisions in the first year was a democratic process so much so that, we could have given the AAP a run for their money.

Imagine working in a team where every single person wanted to prove a point. A digital team that realised that they had the perfect platform to announce their arrival to the World. They still continue to support Storm Festival and treat it as their own even today. If there was one thing that was talked about in the first year more than the experience at the Festival, it was the communication and interaction on social networking platforms. I still remember how each one of us scrutinized the answers to all those posts on FB and Twitter when we decided to postpone the Festival. While some fans were upset and angry and even calling us fly by night operators, all we did was answer to each and every one of them. I don't think we chose the easier way out and deleted any comment. I remember one of us actually called a former big boss contestant and spoke to her. That person actually landed up at the Festival and had a blast.

The team at LSE was even better. The entire ticketing and camp allotment for the first 2 years were handled by 2 girls who were fresh out of college and on their first jobs. On one side, they had to deal with the enormous responsibility of handling the most important part of the Festival, revenue and happy customers and on the other side, they had to deal with the bullets fired from the bosses. The only reprieve was the smoking sessions where we could bitch all we wanted and then get back to the grind. While on one side, there were customers, we had artists on the other side and these were people that you had to really take care of. Of Course, the artists were probably the best that you could deal with, While they were particular of what they wanted, we just had to tell them that this is what you get and that was it. This entire facilitation was handled by another person who was also fresh out of College. I don't think anybody else cried as much as she did during the run up to the Festival.

Storm was announced to the World at the first Submerge Supernova. While, the first draft of the logo was worked on, it was fine tuned and perfected with inputs from every person worth his salt and the entire responsibility of all the creative till today, is solely on one person. One of the most straight forward no- nonsense person I have met in my life. If there was and is a person that still believes in the Festival, I guess it is him. He was the one person who put all of us including the bosses in their places. I still think some of us are scared to say the wrong things to him for he will definitely tell you what you don't want to hear.

There are a couple of other guys from LSE that sadly will never get the limelight they deserve and the best part, they don;t even expect it. Imagine a guy who sends his wife and kid to their hometown simply because he has to be at Storm and has no time. Or a person who has come to Storm as a volunteer for the past 3 years only because he loves the damn festival.

This festival was definitely built on passion and a dream. The friends who were simply there all the time because they saw you put in the hard work. A businessman with his own establishment who closed his shop for 4 days and got his almost octogenarian father along to Storm Fields and the poor old man was actually sitting at the coupon booth the first year (that he is a Sindhi is a different issue altogether). The lady who spent more time at LSE than at her own home to help friends but also ended up getting all the shouting and emotional outbursts. The other friend who simply said, "Brother, you do what you do what you have to do and we will see the rest". Or the forever ready young lad who only told you those things that were not right with the whole set up but but stood by you and also got along his friends to help with the Festival. I remember the first year, we did not even bother with Artist travel and stay beyond a point simply because we didn't have to. There is an endless list of people that have helped with the Festival and they did not really do it for monetary gains or to have their names mentioned even once during the last 2 years They simply did it because they believed in somebody else's vision. The people of Napoklu who inspite of it being the only time of the year when they make their money (coffee season), taking a week off to be at Stormfields from dawn till dusk. They did not have to do it but they did it because they felt responsible for some reason or the other. The Father of the organizers who worked harder than anybody else at the Festival. For 6 months every year, he dedicated himself to Stormfield even with driving into Stormfields with a broken leg to finish work.

I really don;t know how we managed to conduct 2 years of the Festival without any real corporate or sponsorship backing. There were court cases by pseudo social activists, authorities who knew they had a once in a lifetime opportunity to use their power and look up at rules that they themselves did not know existed. But yet, the Festival ran for 2 years and is taking off in less than 2 days from now (I know I started with 3 days left, that's how long its taken me to be politically right). The truth is that for some reason and I am still trying to figure it out, the Festival has this unique ability to draw people to it not as audiences alone but as people willing to bend their backs for the Festival. I can go and on about people who come to Storm because they want to be there, like the General Manager of a leading 5 star property in Maharashtra who came to help with the bar and even helped carry crates of liquor. Or the person who came on his bike to help out with the Festival and had to give it for a proper service after that (I rode his bike more than him at the Festival)

 I know I missed out on some very important people but they will understand. They do get the limelight every once in a while but the people mentioned here are the Underdogs just like The Festival is... These unsung Heroes have given their heart and soul to the Festival and the old order has made way for some new ones who will also be experiencing the stress and the frustration of being a part of it. And to the new ones, don't fret, look at the bigger picture, you are creating something, ENJOY IT!!..

I will be lying if I said that I don't miss being there but sometimes you have to let go. The baby is almost 3 and good to walk alone.

So, as an audience if you still haven't bought your tickets, well, you will not get passes like other times. for one, pay for the experience and two, I AM NOT AT THE BOX OFFICE THIS YEAR TO HAND OVER A WRIST BAND SECRETLY ...

Is it only me?

I will be turning 30 in a couple of months from now and as I am getting older, there is this frustration that is building up in me on the state of affairs in Coorg. Its been 7 months since I moved to the neighbouring state of Kerala and besides the guilt of not making it home often enough (3 trips in 7 months is not something to be proud of). While some might say that I have no right to comment since I do not live in Coorg nor have I in any way contributed to any major cause even if it is monetary and hence I should not be a hypocrite. Well, that is my home and no matter where I am or what I do, my roots are right where it has always been. 

This article is an attempt to put my side of the story and understand from my Coorg brethren if I am alone in my thoughts or if I am thinking what everybody else is thinking but not saying it out loud besides a conversation over a drink or two. 

The past couple of years has seen some significant developments in terms of the Govt. of Karnataka's so called initiatives in development activities in Coorg. I must say I am baffled that we are accepting everything being thrown at us in the name of making us an inclusive part of the state. The 80th All India Karnataka Sahitya Sammelana that took off in Coorg today is a plain and straight mockery of us Kodavas. How else would one explain the arrogance of the Government machinery in organising a Sammelana in a district that has largely been ignored in terms of basic infrastructure development?. Why should we normal Kodavas even put up with this kind of an arrogance when we do not even get our due or rather return of investment on taxes that we pay to the Government. I agree that Coorg/ Kodagu is an integral part of the State of Karnataka and besides the fight for our rights through organisations like the CNC, the Coorg Wildlife Society etc, there has never been a conversation on the actual state of affairs in Coorg. On one side, we have the lack of basic infrastructure and on the other side, the loss of our traditions and Cultural heritage. 

Basic infrastructural development that is a minimum requisite is sadly the last thing on our Govt.'s development agenda. The Hunsur Gonikoppal road has been in shambles since time immemorial so much so that people drive on this stretch simply because they do not have a choice. Its been nearly a year since we were promised that the road will be ready and sadly the stretch is as bad or worse at the moment. On one side, we have tourists coming in thousands to Coorg thereby creating an alternate means of an income to everybody concerned. And instead of developing this, we today have a scenario where money is being spent on activities that has no bearing on out lives whatsoever. 

The Gonikoppal Dasara had a budget that does not help anybody besides some quick money for the organisers. This Sahitya sammelana is another example of making money from a social cause (if that is what it is). If the Govt. or our very own elected representatives are so interested in developing the Culture of Coorg, then why isn't some money allocated to Kodava Culture itself. for example, I for one have never seen a "kolu mandu" on Puthari and I can say it is true for most of our generation. Is there any money been spent on preserving traditonal practices and art forms of Coorg. God forbid a day where we have a DJ dropping a valaga tune at a Ganga pooja simply because we do not have a valaga team. With most of us living outside, we do not even have time to make it for our very own festivals and we actually only have 4 of them of any significance (Kailpod, Kaveri Sankramana, Karana and Puthari). So, while a large part of the blame is because of our indifferent attitude;we are playing right into the hands of the politicians who would like nothing than cutting us down to size and snatching away our land and culture from us and thereby our very existence. 

There is a lot more that I can write home about and pent my frustration. But today it is about acceptance of who we are and where we would like to see ourselves 50 years from now. It is upto my generation to walk the talk and preserve whatever we have left. Agreed that we are a cosmopolitan and urbane,educated, liberal Community. We are global and exposed and we need to be pragmatic in accepting that we cannot expect all of us to marry into our own community. In layman terms, we are "modern". But nobody can deny that we are facing a crisis that we better accept and try to rectify before we are walked over in our own land because of our ignorance and indifferent attitude.