Issue 17 the observer by IIJNM Bangalore

The Observer An IIJNM Publication

Will the govenment help out with vaccines for canine distemper? | P2

Vol. 18, Issue 17

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Observer

@theweeklyobserver On the web: issuu.com/ theweeklyobserver/docs/the observer

Nobody is ready to make double-deckers for Bengaluru | P3

Never repaired, 12-yr-old Kumbalgodu overbridge is in a critical condition

Has holes due to rusting, trembles when it’s used Athul M

isible from half a kilometer away, the foot overbridge at Kumbalgodu on the Bengaluru-Mysuru road seems a symbol of reassurance to people who want to cross the road without risking life and limb. It is a prominent landmark for people travelling to or from Bengaluru. One can look at it from a distance, giving one a sense that it is properly located at an intersection on a busyinter-city road. A closer look reveals that the steel structure, built in 2004-05, is in a state of disrepair. Rusting has left holes in the floor and on the steps. Gaps are visible from the road below. Every time somebody steps on the breaches, small pieces of rusted iron fall on vehicles passing below. The overbridge, sways when people walk on it. Pedestrians use the bridge because it is dangerous to cross the road at the intersection, which lacks a traffic signal. The overbridge, on National Highway 275, is 80 feet long and 11 feet wide. “The bridge is extensively used by young and old people,” said Teja Ram, owner of the Mataji Stationery Store “The holes pose a serious threat to users,” he added. According to Kumbalgodu Gram Panchayat tax inspectors Manju and Sateesh, the bridge, on National Highway 275, is in a “critical condition”. “The bridge was under the state government’s jurisdiction until 2016, then handed over to the National Highways Authority of India,” Manju said. “No maintenance work has been done on the bridge,” Sateesh added expresing anger. Nagesh, an elderly resident of Kumbalgodu who uses the bridge every day, said: “I tremble while walking on the bridge, but have no option, especially in the morning.” His prime concern is school children who run on the bridge, causing it to shake verydangerously making it risky. According to Malik, who works at nearby Chaitanya Enterprise,“a lot of people use it especially in the evening when the market opens.” athul.m@iijnm.org

CITY

The Observer Wednesday, January 24, 2018

Will state government help out with vaccines for canine distemper?

Veterinarians say it should Manashaa G

anine distemper, a serious contagious disease, is on the rise in Bengaluru. The city witnessed an outbreak of it in 2017. The number of dogs affected spiked in the past couple of months, according to most octors in the city. Canine distemper is a viral infection with hardly any cure. It affects dogs, wolves and foxes too. If diagnosed early, dogs can recover and vaccination is not completely effective. “In our hospital, at least one dog is admitted every day. This disease is more common in stray dogs. Pets are prone to the disease as it is contagious. Sometimes vaccines have proven ineffective,” Dr Lohith, a surgeon at the Bangalore Pet Clinic, informed The Observer.Few pet owners are aware that affected dogs must be kept in isolation to prevent the disease from spread-

ing further. The government doesn’t seem to be doing much to gather data on canine distemper. Not all government veterinary hospitals in the city keep a record of this disease.The BBMP can provide canine distemper vaccines like they provide vaccines for rabies,” said veterinary consultant Dr Nagesh Reddy. Dr Lohith said: “Canine distemper has increased in the past few months. It has a 5060% mortality rate. Since the vaccines are very expensive, it is difficult to provide them on a large scale. We doctors do our bit. The other part must come from BBMP. They provide antirabies vaccines. So why can’t they provide vaccines for this disease?”Incidence of the disease has gone up with the rise in the population of street dogs. Initially, an affected dog gets respiratory infection and conjunctivitis. The infection then travels to the brain, killing the animal. Dogs that recover are left with aftereffects such as twitching of muscles and/or improper movements of their body. “We need to detect it at an early stage for treatment

Canine distemper decreases the immunity in dogs, thereby making them weaker and prone to other diseases. Veternarians say early detection would help cure it faster | Credit: Athul M. to be successful,” Dr Lohith added. The early symptoms of canine distemper include vomiting, fever and diarrhoea. Pups are prone to the disease because their immunity is low.Distemper spreads through water or air. Haemoglobin antibodies are administered to treat it. Sometimes even bird vaccination is used. Dr Anand Rao, joint direc-

Don’t feed pigeons, say city’s ornithologists

Morning walkers at Lalbagh religiously feed the pigeons everyday, resulting in a hoard of them flocking all over the botanical garden. Their number has gone up drastically | Credit: Rama Rao Kagalkar

Rachel Dammala

re you among those who feed pigeons and think you are being kind to them? If yes, you would do well to heed ornithologists and birdwatchers. They say by feeding pigeons, you contribute to an increase in their number, resulting in a major sort of imbalance in the ecosystem. People feeding pigeons at Lalbagh is a good example. Since people began feeding these

birds, their number at Lalbagh has increased. This has resulted in other bird species becoming weaker than pigeons in the area. Ornithologists and birdwatchers say this could potentially result in other species losing their position in the ecosystem. Not only birds, this is the case with animals too. Ulhas P. Anand, a Bengaluru birdwatcher, informed The Observer: “Birds are an indicative species. This means a decrease in their number helps us predict bad conditions, as they (birds)

are sensitive to those conditions. Not just Lalbagh or Bengaluru, but the number of birds and number of species across the world has come down drastically. The number of birds we saw during the 1980s and 1990s is nothing compared to what we see today. They have come down by a whopping 98%. Since 2002, Bengaluru has seen a decrease due to extreme and rapid urbanization.” While many argue that not feeding these birds might result in them disappearing like the house sparrow, Anand said that it is not case, and that there is nothing to worry about the survival of pigeons. “The case of sparrows is completely different. They are nowhere to be seen now because they lost their nesting grounds as a result of more and more apartments and buildings coming up. But pigeons can nest in any corner of a building, anywhere,” Anand said. Ornithologists say the number of water birds in the city has declined most. Anand, along with other birdwatchers and ornithologists, has visited 172 Bengaluru lakes to count the number of water birds. They do this in December and January every year. Their exercise this year has been extended to mid-February. According to them, the difference in the numbers from last year and earlier when compared to this year, is “beyond huge”. dammala.r@iijnm.org

tor, animal husbandry, BBMP, informed The Observer: “Since this does not spread to human beings, we have not included it in our norms. Also, vaccination is expensive. Each vaccine costs between Rs 600 and Rs 2,000. If we receive more complaints, we can include it in our norms and arrange for vaccines like we provide for rabies.”

A resident of Banaswadi who owns a Cocker Spaniel said: “It would be fair if the BBMP or the department of animal husbandry provides vaccines for distemper. As the vaccine costs a lot, it is hard for many dog owners to afford it.” “The government should step in and help people in such conditions,” said Shyam Sunder, a retired bank officer. Vijay Kumar, who works for Compassion Unlimited Plus Action, an NGO based in Bengaluru, said: “I saw the highest number of cases in 2017. Vaccination cannot cure the disease 100%. I do not think the BBMP has a budget for a distemper vaccine. If they do, it would be helpful. There must be proper government schemes to tackle and track the disease.” A veterinarian at the City Government Veterinary Hospital, Bengaluru, said: “Separate rooms must be provided in Government Veterinary Hospitals in order to stop the disease from spreading to other pets. We do not have such separate rooms for them here.” manashaa.g@iijnm.org

Wood art new attraction at flower show this year

One of the sculptors at work at the the Lalbagh Botanical garden. They’ve used wood from close to 200 trees that fell this year | Credit: Pracheta Panja

Pracheta Panja

esides the flower show, wood art is going to be an attraction at Lalbagh this Republic Day. Wood from trees that were crashed in stormy conditions is being used to carve out attractive showpieces. “About 20 trees fell during the monsoon, we are making mementos from them. 60 people are working day and night to make this happen,” deputy director of horticulture M.R. Chandrashekar informed. A sculptor said: “This is from Brisbane, Australia, 240 years old. It was near Lalbagh Main Gate. We are making display objects” WIth a long weekend, we expect bigger crowds to visit the flower show,” the deputy director said. The horticulture department has imported numerous flowers

from Holland to be displayed. They have got some from Darjeeling and Assam. A stall owner from Sagara, Shimoga district, said: “We come here every year to sell our products. This year, sales are dull. We look forward to the last few days for sales to pick up.” The horticulture department organizes flower shows on Independence Day and Republic Day for nearly two weeks. The theme this year is Lord Bahubali to mark the mahamastakabhisheka (the head-anointing ceremony) of his 57-foot-tall statute at Shravanabelagola. The once-in12-years ritual will be held from February 17 and 25. On the sidelines of the flower show, the 207th, are stalls selling honey, millets, papad and other food products from Karnataka’s many taluks from various rural districts. pracheta.p@iijnm.org

The Observer Wednesday, January 24, 2018

CITY

Nobody ready to make double-deckers for city

BMTC, KSRTC plans for these yet to get off ground Rayan Mitra

he BMTC has failed to keep its promise to run five double-decker tourist buses on Bengaluru’s roads by December 2017. The reason: It has not found a manufacturer. The proposal to introduce the buses for Bengaluru Darshan, day trips for tourists, was approved in June last year, but seven months down the line, the BMTC doesn’t know where to source them. BMTC PRO Shyamala S.Maddodi informed The Observer:“We plan to implement it as soon as possible, but no manufacturing company has come forward to take the contract for double-decker buses.”“They will not suit Bengaluru’s roads. The numbers of buses to be manufactured is meagre. But it is in process with no deadline set,” Maddodi added. Double-deckers, which plied in Bengaluru till 20 years ago, could prove to less efficient than regular BMTC buses because they require more space and time to turn. The city’s roads have become more congested than before because of an explosion in the vehicle population. How these tallboys will negotiate numerous

3 28 skywalks will be built in areas with heavy traffic Ayushi Singh

he government has floated a tender to build 28 skywalks in Bengaluru. These will come at places that have heavy vehicular movement, including Silk Board junction, BTM Layout and Devinagar Cross on Outer Ring Road. “The tender has been floated. Pedestrians and their needs have been taken care of. We have picked areas with maximum

A miniature of double-decker buses those were prevalent in the city back in 1970s and 80s | Credit: BMTC Archives skywalks flyovers and magic boxes is an imponderable.The KSRTC also plans to introduce these buses for intercity routes. KSRTC managing director S.R Umashankar was quoted by a newspaper in December 2017 as saying: “...we have launched a survey to finalize inter-city routes on which we can operate double-deckerbuses.”Not much seems to have happened on that front.“This is a very initial stage to talk about the inception of the service.More discussions are to take place, involving several organizations, to have clarity on the plan,” said a senior KSRTC official who did not want to be named.Senior KSRTC official, who does not want to be named informed The Observer:“We are planning to introduce double-

decker buses. It’s a new inter-city concept. This is the information I am authorized to reveal.” In their prime, doubledeckers used to ferry people to and from important locations such as Majestic, Shivajinagar, City Market, Jayanagar and Gandhi Bazaar. Madhu Gowda, a law student said: “If the buses are well designed and safe to commute by, I look forward to their success. ”Double-deckers were popular till the late 1980s. In the Nineties, the Bangalore Transport Service, the precursor to BMTC, reduced doubledecker services. The buses were withdrawn in 1997 after a bus carrying schoolchildren tilted in south Bengaluru. rayan.m@iijnm.org

Pedestrians waiting to cross the busy road in Kumbalagodu junction | Credit: Rayan Mitra traffic and pedestrians, and hope to solve the problem within a few months when the new skywalks are ready,” BS Prahallad, superintending engineer (road infrastructure), BBMP, informed The Observer.Some citizens The Observer spoke with said the city needs skywalks at places that really need them.“I see many people crossing roads every day while going to and coming back from work, and feel that there is an urgent requirement of a skywalk at Hebbal,” says Nandish, a resident of Koramangala who travels to Hebbal every day. In the absence of skywalks,

Powerlooms beat handloom

Manikankana Sengupta

he country’s handloom industry is under serious threat with the increasing popularity of powerlooms. Attempts to revive the craft have been successful to a certain extent, evident from the increased use of traditional handloom textiles in the fashion industry. However, for most part, weavers are still struggling to make ends meet. G.Chandrashekhar, secretary, Mysore Provincial Silk Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society Ltd, spoke to The Observer about the various issues plaguing the handloom industry in India. “Wages and production have been going down in the past 20 years. Earlier, people from all over the country would come to visit us, but from the 1990s, after globalization and liberalization, business started going down. The imposition of GST has further worsened the situation.”Speaking about the distress of weavers he said: “Handloom weaving is a slow process. It depends entirely on the skill of the weaver. It takes 2-3 days at a stretch for a weaver to complete a saree”. Powerlooms, on the other hand, work a lot faster. A powerloom can produce 2-3 sarees in a day. Another crisis the industry is

hundreds of people risk their lives while crossing roads at Silk Board, BTM Layout and Madiwala. On the other hand, there are skywalks in places like Jayanagar 3rd block and Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium that are hardly used; people prefer to cross the road instead of using these skywalks. “The city is still in need of a lot of skywalks to avoid accidents. Human life is a lot more than financial benefit.

Though our society gives weavers Rs 800 per saree, individual master weavers pay much less, says G.Chandrashekhar Credit: Manikankana Sengupta facing is that there is a dearth of skilled weavers as the new generation does not want to join the profession. The health risks that are a part and parcel of this job are one of reasons for this. A weaver works for 12-13 hours a day putting extreme strain on his eyes. Weavers often suffer damage to their eyesight.” “Handloom weavers get around Rs 800 per saree, while for powerloom workers, it is Rs 300. So the cost of production for powerlooms is much less. Though our society gives weavers Rs 800 per saree, individual master weavers pay much less. Though the subsidy is providedit hardly

reaches them. aram,60, a weaver from Kudur village in Magadi taluk of Ramanagara district, echoed Chandrashekhar’s views. “I do not have any work for two or three months every year. It’s difficult because I do not have anything to do during that time. I have been working in the industry for 30 years, so am a little slow now. But I have to keep doing this job as I need to take care of my family. It’s hard work but I have to do it.I tried using a powerloom 3-4 years ago. However, I couldn’t continue because powerlooms have a very high volume. I have health

issues and I couldn’t adjust to that. My eyesight has further deteriorated worsening it.” Rajni Iyengar, who works with Gaatakatha, an NGO involved in the welfare of handloom weavers, spoke about the current situation of the handloom industry. “Handloom weavers are losing their jobs with the advent of powerlooms. The next generation is not willing to come into the profession. They are going to cities for other jobs. As a result, a number of looms are closing down. Many weavers have committed suicide because they have no other jobs to take up.” “We want to revive handloom. I know it is more expensive, but it is important to remember that a lot more work goes into it. We are trying to revive and restore some handlooms such as Kodali Karuppur which has become extinct. We have weavers in West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and other states. Whatever we make goes straight to the weavers, with no middlemen being involved in the process. We also focus on educating the girl child of the weavers since one of the major initiative of Gaatakatha is women’s empowerment,” Iyengar added, stressing on education for girls. and various issues plaguing handloom. manikankana.s@iijnm.org

The government must properly survey highly populated areas with a lot of traffic and plan skywalks accordingly,” said Abhinash, a resident of Jalahalli. Most pedestrians who cross roads are in a hurry. It is not uncommon to find them group and stop traffic to cross roads. This puts both pedestrians and motorists at danger. A pedestrian who requested he not be named said: “There are many skywalks in the city that remain unused. The same would have been of more help in areas that really need skywalks.” ayushi.s@iijnm.org

THE OBSERVER TEAM Editor: Ayushi Singh News Editor: Rayan Mitra Copy Editors: Manikankana Sengupta, Athul.M Page Layout: Manashaa .G Pracheta Panja Rachel Dammala Magazine Page Layout: Arlene Mathew Barnana H Sarkar

Culture & Society

The Observer SUPPLEMENT

Thursday, January 24, 2018

Displaced and Soon to Disappear? The Hakki Pikkis are living testimony to the short-sightedness of our tribal-relocation policies, writes Arlene Mathew

n the deep forests of Karnataka once roamed a freespirited nomadic tribe, the happy-go-lucky Hakki Pikkis. Originally from Gujarat, members of the tribe travelled the length of the country for years before settling down in several states across southern India. Inspired by commonly heard English words, they bear names like Division, Depot, and Orange! Well versed in the ways of the forest, they quickly adapted to the terrain. But attempts by the government to resettle the tribe in the fifties and sixties have threatened their survival. Skilled hunters, the tribesmen hunted birds and sold trinkets and ornaments made from their feathers in the villages they passed through. Some even traveled abroad, making a living selling medicinal herbs. “Our people have made a way of adapting to situations. A few of us have even gone to other countries, and learned their way of life there,” says Division. Once hunting became criminalized, the community was pushed out of the forest. The ‘rehabilitation’ of 15,000 Hakki Pikki families in Kar-

nataka by the government ended their nomadic way of life. One site they were moved to was a 350-acre plot of land provided by the government near the Bannerghatta National Park on the outskirts of Bangalore. The consequences could have been predicted. Most

to make a living. Hunting or collecting medicinal herbs, we were well-versed in what we did,” says Depot. “Either give us some work or send us back to our homes. That is all we ask of the government,” he pleads. Sikkidre Shikari Illdidre Bhikari, a documentary produced

well versed in. Else teach them to survive the urban way of life,” says Raja. The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 secures the rights of forest dwellers to the land, minor forest produce and community

Source: ScoopWhoop

Unscientifically relocated, the Hakki Pikki find themselves lost and confused haven’t been able to find jobs or any permanent source of income. Many in the community have taken to begging. “If they are going to move us out of our homes, the least that they can do is provide us means

by Madhu Bhushan and Vinod Raja, addresses the problems faced by the Hakki Pikkis. “They have a simple request. Either make a law that permits them to stay in the forest and sustain themselves in manners they are

resources they have historically enjoyed. But its provisions have never been used to benefit the Hakki Pikki community. The community was relocated, but never really rehabilitated. “Why should we expect

them to adapt to our ways of life? They were thriving in the forest, doing what they do best. It is only their resilience that is still sustaining them,” says Madhu Bhushan, a women’s-rights activist with Vimochana, who has been helping rehabilitate the Bannerghata Hakki Pikki. ver the years, the community has been wracked by upheaval. They find themselves completely lost in a world where, in the space of a few decades, land has been transformed from a source of sustainable livelihoods to a scarce commodity in an increasingly market-driven society. The plight of the Hakki Pikkis reflect a mindless, coercive and corrupt approach to integrating the tribal communities into a larger, heterogenous society. Their ruined lives are a testament to the vulnerability of many such nomadic communities living on the fringes of the modern world. In the absence of suitable rehabilitation policies or enforcement of laws specifically designed to protect them, the Hakki Pikkis have, for all practical purposes, been abandoned.

Silence of The Lambs We’re blind to the pervasive abuse that children all around us are subject to, says Shiny Kirupa

“B

eauty is often associated with sexual abuse and myths prevail that only girls get abused. But that’s not the reality,” says Dr. Ashwini NV, psychologist and director of Muktha Foundation. “Every child, whether a boy or a girl, undergoes some level of abuse. Sexual abuse takes place inside homes, in schools, in streets and elsewhere. Spreading awareness and educating both parents and children is essential,” she says. The World Health Organization says that boys are the victims of beatings and physical punishment more often than girls. Ashwini says that abuse in any form, physical or verbal, big or small, is a social evil. Psychologist and director of Research and Training Institute, Dr. Shailaja Shastri says that without the support of parents, a child would not be able to protect himself/herself. “Teachers and parents should have an open discussion about such issues with their kids.” Most abusers or perpetrators are often known and trusted adults,” explains Dr. Ashwini. The United Nations Children’s Fund says that “Close to 300 million children aged 2 to 4 worldwide experience violent discipline by their caregivers on a regular basis.” The psycholo-

gists say that most often parents ignore their children’s complaints, which later turn out to be early warnings of abuse. Dr. Ashwini says that parent’s behaviour has an impact on the child’s mental health. Parents changing clothes in front of their children and fathers moving around the house half-clothed have a mental impact. Often inappropriate engagement with toys is seen as an outcome of anger and fear. The anger is often manifested through

texts and drawings. Due to psychological trauma that a child undergoes, it chooses to remain secretive about everything. Psychology calls it “selective mute”. They dislike their own bodies and stop taking care of their appearance. They skip meals and stop bathing. Much of the child’s anger expresses itself in self hurt, whether biting knuckles, hitting walls or staying hungry. Parents should not neglect unexplained bruises on a child’s body. The National Centre for Vic-

tims of Crime, a U.S. non-profit organization, warns “Child sexual abuse may cause a wide variety of emotional and behavioural problems that make it difficult even for adult survivors to discuss their victimisation because of the trauma, shame, and grief associated with the crime.” Parents should create space and freedom at home for their children to express their suffering, says Dr. Ashwini who also advises teachers to be keen and observant of children’s behav-

Source: Muktha Foundation

The trainers create an interactive conversation between the objects and children

ioural changes. She explains that the way children should be taught with “response based narrative therapies which focuses on retaliation and responding to a crime rather than being passive victims.” She says that victims should turn into survivors and survivors into ones who thrive against all odds. owmya Srinivasan, a storyteller and an ardent advocate of creative arts as a tool for learning in children and founder member of Bangalore Story Telling Society, says that mental wellness can be promoted in children by using stories in which the characters undergo certain difficulties. Dr. Sherin P Antony, a clinical psychologist and a practicing ‘play therapist’ says that verbal expression is very limited among children today. Play Therapy helps communicate with children easier and the very word “play” excites children so much. The method involves children playing with non-living and living things like puppets, miniatures, plants, clay and musical instruments. She says schools should take up this initiative of play therapy which tackles psychological problems of children in the 4-14 age group. “This is a very important vehicle to identify, understand and accept oneself,” explains Dr. Antony.