Super Sundays, Melancholy Mondays

Well, maybe in another twenty-two years... It turns out that the Super Bowl was, in fact, televised in India, LIVE. This of course means that the coverage began at 4:30 AM on Monday (India time), and like good fans, Eric and I were up and ready to watch the Colts get shut down by our beloved Chicago Bears. Well, you all know how it turned out so I won't belabor the point, but what a bummer! It actually made me sort of grateful that we weren't in the suburbs at a Super Bowl party because, boy, what a letdown. The game SUCKED, I mean, by the end of the season one would think that the quarterback might actually be able to receive a snap!!! I guess what I stated in an earlier post is not true, it is not Eric and I, but instead the crappy offense that kills the Bears. Oh well, maybe 2029 will be our year.



Anyway, the previous Sunday was a much more pleasant experience than Super Bowl Sunday. Some of my lab-mates and I went on an outing about 100 kilometers (62 miles) outside of Bangalore to a place called Mekedatu, where the Cauvery River flows through a narrow, rocky valley which is surrounded by forest. This place is very beautiful and serene (especially in the morning before all of the swimmers come and fill up the relatively shallow pools of water that form around the river). The one thing that I have to keep reminding myself is that in India, water is a VERY precious commodity and it is rare to find unspoiled bodies of water that one can frolick in. As a result, many of my lab-mates were quite excited to jump right into the pools with their jeans and everything on. It was only later that people thought to remove shoes, watches, cell-phones, etc. I did end up going into the water up to my waist (in my jeans) and we played and relaxed in the water for a few hours before having a picnic lunch on the beach. By this time I had roasted to fiery red from the Indian sun, so we left to check out our next stop, Chunchi Falls, but not before we saw a herd of wild elephants come to the water's edge and bathe themselves! Chunchi Falls is a place where the Cauvery Rivers squeezes through a narrow gorge and falls in two cascades. As we went during the dry season, much of the riverbed was dried up, revealing huge boulders and the depths that the waters must reach during the wet season; I have never seen anything like it. There was a sign warning visitors to the dangers of the falls, among which are tide pools and crocodiles! We descended a rocky and treacherous path before finally seeing the falls. It was really beautiful and peaceful, with very few other visitors. I was mostly struck by the size of the rock formations and the depths of the valley; it left me thinking that I should really go to the Grand Canyon when we return. I have included some pics to give you an idea of what I am talking about.



After exploring the falls, we were all pretty wiped out, so we headed for Bangalore, stopping for some really delicious tea on the way. The downside of this trip was, naturally, by Monday I had become the host for yet another stomach bug. The drugs did the trick once again, I hope that these bugs never develop antibiotic resistance or I am up the proverbial creek without the all important paddle. This time though, the GI bug was worth it, as I had a great time on our outing.



A side note: A major ruling was just released from the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in the last couple of hours that ties in with the water issues that I mentioned earlier and underscores how important a resource water is here in India. There has been a long-standing dispute between the neighboring states of Karnataka (Bangalore is the capital of this state) and Tamil Nadu. The Cauvery River (which I spoke of just a bit ago) has its mouth and is dammed in Karnataka but runs through Tamil Nadu, supplying water for irrigation to both states. However, if Karnataka wants, it can refuse to release water to Tamil Nadu, and a battle between the two states has been raging for 16 years (it has really been going on since the 1800s, but the Tribunal was convened 16 years ago and has been hearing arguments since). After the Tribunal was set up, Tamil Nadu demanded the immediate release of water that they believed had been withheld by Karnataka over the years, the Tribunal refused and Tamil Nadu appealed to the Supreme Court which subsequently instructed the Tribunal to reconsider. So the Tribunal did and awarded Tamil Nadu a bunch of water and also mandated that Karnataka not increase its irrigated land area (both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu had happily been increasing its irrigated land mass throughout the dispute). After a bunch of lawyering, the ordinance was upheld by the Supreme Court. This caused a huge outrage in Karnataka, and the people went a little nuts with demonstrations which ended in violence with around 20 people killed as a result. Did I mention that the riots were in Bangalore, oh, well, they were, and they lasted for about a month.



Enough about the history and now back to the present. The Tribunal today ruled against Karnataka, demanding that the state release 419 billion feet of water to Tamil Nadu (the agreement of 1991 had Karnataka providing 205 billion feet of water), and everyone here is on edge worrying that there may be a repeat of the riots of 1991. There have already been reports of riots at Mehkri Circle (just beyond where we live) but I am not sure if that is rumor or fact. Anyway, here is an e-mail that I just received from one of the administrators at the NCBS to give you an idea of the state of things:



"Dear All



Due to verdict of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal there is a slight
concern about the situation in Bangalore. There are reports that most of
the schools and shops are being closed as a precautionary measures.



However, no incident has been reported till now. We are keeping a close
watch on the situation and we are in constant touch with the Police
Control Room also.



So, please do not panic. We will periodically review the situation and
will keep you informed.



thanks & regards
Ashok Rao."



Wish me luck making it home tonight! I will let you know if anything happens...