The Legends of Veerappan and Stalin

---

Before getting to the legends of Veerappan and Stalin, I want to begin by saying that after re-reading my last blog I feel that in my efforts to convey funny stories about my travels, I made some irresponsible and unfair generalizations about Indian society. After having lived here now for a total of almost one year, I fear that I'm taking for granted the things that I love so much about this country and writing only about the day-to-day irritations, which are undeniably present but which comprise a mere fraction of the overall experience, which is overwhelmingly positive and rewarding. I also am occasionally careless in making observations about India without noting that the same observations often hold true in America. For example, in explaining my friend's commentary on the South Asian tendency to talk a lot, I really shouldn't have used the word "Indians" as if it applies to all Indians, because it certainly doesn't. I do think that his comments apply generally to Indian politicians, which really is a profound problem in this country. But in the past seven years and beyond we've become all too familiar with the tendency of American politicians to pull the same crap. I guess it's a universal language. The real context in which my friend's comment takes on important meaning is in the arena of politics and law enforcement. Indian politicians unfortunately tend to be great at saying the right thing, yet for most Indians their assurances are illusory. There is a political culture of constant low-scale corruption and ingrained hierarchy that ensures that politicians' energies are often diverted from the real task at hand. In many ways I think this is a by-product of the British Raj. For all their obsession about polished administrative gears, the British colonizers failed to plant the seeds that would flower into a well-functioning administrative system upon their departure. Feeling Indians to be inherently inferior and unteachable, they neglected to provide basic educational resources except for a groomed elite that was "privileged" enough to partake in British high culture. This created an entitled class of sorts that was waiting in the wings when the British departed. Gandhi, who unlike many of these elite spent much of his time among the villages and slums of India, sensed the coming storm. He even suspended his push for independence for years, feeling that India was not yet ready to take the reigns responsibly from the British. He felt that most of India's politicians were seeking an independent India run not by Indians but by Britishers in Indian skin. This history aside, the sad truth is that today most Indians (excepting the well-connected) feel completely betrayed by their politicians and law enforcement officers. My former host father, who ran a travel company, rued the day that any of his drivers got into an accident, because he had to bribe the police to file a First Incident Report. I was talking last night with a friend about a case in which the police chased an alleged criminal into a river, where he drowned while the police simply turned and walked away. It's amazing to think that he'd rather jump into a river, unable to swim, than be apprehended by the police. So ultimately I think the real criticism lies with a leadership that fails to back up its words with actions. Again, to suggest that "Indians" are susceptible to this tendency, when most Indians suffer from its occurrence, is irresponsible, so I just wanted to clear it up.

So my goal now is to avoid taking this country for granted and to spend more time actively appreciating what I love about it. Although my travel experience is limited, I really think it's one of the most fascinating countries on the planet, and I can't overstate how much I've learned here. A brief list of what I love about it:

1. The strong feeling of family/community. In the field of community relations, I think that America has undergone a deterioration. We often become so work-obsessed that we become unconnected to any sense of community. Especially while working in Madri Village, I was so impressed by the strength of the glue that held the community together. Every adult could serve as a temporary parent to any child because they all knew each other so well. They had such a strong feeling of camaraderie and mutual support. The commitment to family is equally strong. My first host family, the Sharmas, never did anything without doing it as a family. They wanted to spend every waking minute together, which I found to be incredibly endearing.

2. The hospitality. I've never felt like I was in any sort of danger in India, despite the warnings, because there has always been someone there to help me or protect me in case of any problems. Every Indian with whom I've stayed has gone to every possible length to make me feel at home. Without exception, they've wanted nothing but to ensure my comfort. And they've never been judgmental about anything, never feeling that there's a "right" food to eat or "right" way of doing things. If they've thought that I'd be more comfortable eating with a fork, they've given me a fork, without fail.

3. The rich history. Thousands of years of incredibly rich history flow through the veins of this country. Countless religions, each dating back thousands of years. There's no limit to what you can learn about Indian history and culture. The country pulsates with beautifully ornate palaces, temples, and traditions, not to mention its own beautiful classical music tradition.

4. The trusting and gentle attitude. Although I often complain about being stared at and what have you, on the whole I find the Indian attitude towards foreigners to be incredibly refreshing. It's only to be expected that people will be surprised to see a foreigner when with the exception of some tourist hot spots few foreigners are ever seen. But what's great is that the attention is always positive. Whereas in America we have a history of fearing the unknown, here people want to say hello and shake your hand, or even invite you to their home. It's even more impressive given the history of colonization in this country. Of course people have their preconceptions about foreigners, as is the case anywhere, but I find the attitude towards foreigners to be extremely benign.

5. The largest democracy in the world. Despite my earlier criticism of politicians, the fact remains that it's a functioning democracy of 1 billion people. That's pretty cool.

The fact remains that I'll never give back to India as much as its given to me in the way of life experience and rewarding relationships.

Now, without further ado:

The Legend of Veerappan

Veerappan was known to many tribal villagers in the border area among Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka states as a modern-day Robin Hood. He was known to the authorities as a lawless "forest bandit". Either way, his story is pretty friggin interesting, and a lot of People's Watches' work centers around the fallout from his hunt and capture. He joined a roaming gang when he was 18, engaging in the smuggling of millions of dollars' worth of sandalwood and elephant tusks. He also took special pleasure in terrorizing the authorities. He blamed the police for the suicides of his sister and brother. He would hold captive prominent officers, and even movie stars on occasion, for ransom. Among villagers in the area, he was renowned as a person who could avenge official injustice. He had a huge handlebar mustache, and supposedly evaded the cops by using bird and deer calls. He also escaped police custody at one point. It's claimed that at one point, he strangled his infant daughter to death because he thought her cry would give him away to the police. I don't claim that he was a good man, just an interesting one. At any rate, in 1990 the government set up a Special Task Force to catch him. That's where People's Watch comes in. In the name of extracting information, the STF went on to brutally torture many villagers, killing many of them. Some suggest that they were acting under pressure to produce some sort of results, given the huge resources at their command. Veerappan was finally killed in 2004 when a policeman, posing as a driver, took Veerappan and 2 of his associates to a spot where hundreds of officers were waiting in the hills with rifles. They pumped the van full of bullets, killing the forest bandit. So People's Watch does a lot of work with families and individuals that were tortured by the STF. In fact, the summer camp that they run for youths near Madurai is for kids affected by STF torture. Many of them lost family members in the violence. Some of these kids live at the Rehabitaiton Center for Torture Victims. Anyways, it's a very interesting story, and I hope that it gives some impression of the work that People's Watch does.

The Legend of Stalin

This story relates to a recent rally held by People's Watch. Basically, there are 2 major political parties in Tamil Nadu, the DMK (Dravidian Party) and the AIADMK (The All-India Dravidian Party), which is an off-shoot of DMK. The DMK is in power, and its leader is Karunanidhi, an elderly bald man in sunglasses whose picture graces billboards all over the state. Even down to his deep, raspy voice, he's the perfect characterization of a mob boss. Two of his sons (Stalin and Azhagiri), as well as a cousin of theirs, are in line for succession, but it's uncertain who will get it. Recently, a newspaper in Madurai had the audacity to publish a poll giving Stalin 70% of the vote to Azhagiri's 2%. Not only that, but the cousin came in ahead of Azhagiri. Shortly thereafter, the newspaper office was brutally attacked and set on fire, killing three young employees. There is a cloud of suspicion hanging over the whole thing. First of all, the newspaper is owned by Stalin. Secondly, although there's no proof, it seems highly likely that Azhagiri ordered the attack. The police, however, have shown no intention of investigating. So People's Watch organized a large rally to protest this inaction. There were supposedly 800 people there. The foreign interns weren't allowed to attend because it's too dangerous for us. The one Sri Lankan intern was allowed to attend so long as he didn't speak, because his different form of Tamil would give him away as a foreigner. Anyways, it went quite well and was supposedly the largest single action in the history of People's Watch. Again, an interesting story that I hope gives you a better idea of what People's Watch does.

I hope everyone is having a great summer.

-Aaron

---

Photos

Summer Camp I
Children performing at the summer camp for torture victims.

The Man Himself
The guy in the white shirt is Henri Tiphagne, the big boss of People's Watch.

Speech Time
Henri introduces the new interns. People's Watch has a philosophy of always including the interns and making their presence known, which is very nice.

Comments

[Manju]

politics, power and corruption
is Stalin his real name? That does not sound like a proper Tamil name to me. A lot of people talk nice without meaning a word of it. When I trained in Medicine in India, I learnt not to believe any claims until I saw the evidence with my own eyes. Doctors lied and patients lied too. Here in the US too, I hear patients constantly lying about their drinking history, and doctors making claims not substantiated by good medical literature. So I continue to check the 'data' after I hear claims about it. Politicians are corrupt everywhere. The corruption is more ligalized and less obvious in the western worls. The lobbying scandal in the US is an example. A few years ago, Doctors would accept all expenses payed-for 'CME' to some Island resort by pharceuticals who would then 'educate' them about prescribing their more expensive drugs. All that has been declared illegal (and rightly so). Doctors can now only accept pizza slices/or sandwiches and cheap dinners sponsored by pharmaceuticals. What amazes me though is how honest an average western man is, I mean, the police, the railway ticket collector, the nurse in the western world. Indeed, corruption plays a very small role in the daily life in the west. In India, and in most of the developing world, corruption is everywhere. The policeman, the railway clerk, the doorman at every goverment office building- it seeps in like cancer. I don't think the British gave us a corrupt society. Corruption and misuse of power was already part of the culture. But the British did get replaced by the 'British in Indian skin' or the 'Brown Sahib' who do believe that the privileged have different rights than the underprivileged. It was very hard for my father to work as an honest man. I and Avinash quit India because we couldn't take it anymore. By the way, the British have always accused Americans of talking too much. Take care and keep talking. Manju