Excellent article on the changing power equations in Asia:
Amitav Ghosh
Leaf through the Sea of Poppies' author's blog where you get to read between the lines of his work, life and more.
Amitav Ghosh
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Power Equations in Asia
June 14, 2009, 12:38 PM -
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elections
June 12, 2009, 9:37 PMIt has been fascinating to follow the coverage of the Iranian elections in the US. The coverage has been extensive and filled with excitement - the Indian elections by contrast, merited a scant few articles and very little interest. Nothing could better illustrate the shifting priorities of the US and the global community in general. It remains to be seen what the reckoning will be for New Delhi's tilt of the last few years.
Amitav Ghosh
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Cyclone Aila 2
June 07, 2009, 7:7 PMCyclone Aila is reputed to have been very similar, in its movement and duration, to the storm that hit southern Bengal in 1989. But there is one respect in which the two are quite different: the public response to Aila has been much more energetic and there has been much more coverage in the media.This is due no doubt, largely to the phenomenal growth of the media over the last few years. But peoples' increased expectations in relation to the government's delivery of services has also played a part, as has citizen activism. I have been very pleasantly surprised by the number of messages I've received from people who've gone to the Sundarbans to deliver relief. This is a very welcome development.Those who are interested in NGOs that are active in the Sundarbans might wish to look up 'HelpTourism' which is a very good organization run by Asit Biswas (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=85465385255). The Tagore Society for Rural Development, founded by Tushar Kanjilal, has been active for decades and runs an excellent hospital in Rangabelia (http://www.tsrd.org/). I know that Tusharbabu has been personally distributing supplies and would be glad of help.Amitav Ghosh
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Aila Website
May 29, 2009, 9:39 PMThis website offers regular updates on cyclone damage in the Sundarbans:
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Cyclone Aila
May 26, 2009, 9:42 PMAila is the first major cyclone to hit Kolkata in a long time. As with all such storms it has inflicted appalling damage, both in the city and in the Sundarbans. At the time of writing, the number of reported deaths, in India and Bangladesh, is below two hundred, but this is sure to change once the inhabited islands of the Sundarbans are properly accounted for. According to some reports several islands have been washed away altogether - but this remains to be confirmed.
Numbers do not provide an adequate reckoning of any tragedy: to those affected, it makes little difference how many others suffer in their company. I certainly do not wish to diminish, in any way, the sufferings of the afflicted - and nor indeed do I think that any such dimunition is implied in recognizing that bad as the toll has been, it could have been far, far worse. This becomes apparent when we compare Aila to some of the tropical storms that have recently struck heavily populated areas. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina killed at least 1,836 people, and more or less erased some of the most populous sections of New Orleans; Cyclone Sidr in 2007 killed some 3,5000 people and Cyclone Nargis, in 2008, may have been responsible for as many as 200,000 fatalities. Friends have told me that Cyclone Nargis has permanently ordered the appearance of Rangoon, stripping it of its beautiful trees.
Historically, cyclones that have reached Kolkata have inflicted terrible damage. The worst known example was in 1737, when the settlement, still in its infancy, was all but obliterated. This was an instance, not infrequent, when a st
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