CONFESSION OF AN ACTIVIST

After meeting the Minister, Bheja Fry was quite keen to meet an “Activist or an NGO involved in the mass focused movement against the national industrial projects and also against certain companies.  I was looking for a very interesting conversation as a lot has been written about their mode of operation and also mode of finance. The prominent States where the “Activism of Activists” has been noticed include, Chattisgarh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal.  But I found my piece of “Activist” in Delhi.  I was confused to see him as he was quite in 3-piece suit, shining shoes and gave an appointment in a lobby of a prominent five-star hotel. His watch, his style impressed me as they were both, `slum dog billionaire’.

Bheja Fry:          Good Morning. It has been busy period for you.

Mr. Activist:     Yes Bheja Fry. India has a lot of potential. I say this to all my friends. India is a developing country and with the kind of supportive government you have, it’s a pleasure to be here.

Bheja Fry:          That’s so nice of you Mr. Activist. (sarcastically) What is your nationality ?

Mr. Activist:     Oh nationality is global. We belong to all and practically to none.

Bheja Fry:          Ok. (smiles) coming to the point. What is it that you are looking in India and not in China or Israel or US or UK. What attracts you in India ?

Mr. Activist:     India, as I believe and said is potentially strong for developing social activism. The other countries you named have a policy of ‘shoot at sight orders’ so we are careful. Who doesn’t love life Bheja Fry? We are humans too.

Bheja Fry:          You have been accused in stopping some of the flag-ships projects in India for decades.  This has certainly disturbed the investments in India and also industries. How did you manage all this ?

Mr. Activist:     (smiles) This is the success of our mission. See, three issues that India is vulnerable to the world – Environment, Land Acquisition, and Human Rights.

Bheja Fry:          How do you explain this?

Mr. Activist:     No one has been able to explain the meaning of Human Rights yet. But for Environment, the people have to become sensible. Do not cut trees as we need greenery to survive,  that is what we publicize.

Bheja Fry:          But then how do you build an industry, it needs land to construct a factory ?

Mr. Activist:     That is not our problem. Just don’t cut trees.  European countries, US and UK, look at them. They don’t have trees left any more. When I visit India and in Delhi I see a lot of greenery here. We don’t like it. So either be like us voluntarily or we will force you through international pressure.

Bheja Fry:          But what this has to do with poor rural people participation in your agitation ? Their focus and problem is more of roti, kapada and Makan.

Mr. Activist:     Sorry I didn’t understand the focus of poor people in India – Roti, Kapada and Makan !!!!!.  We don’t understand these needs. All we understand is that they are all our right hands in executing our mission -  “India Se Bachao”.

Bheja Fry:          “India Se Bachao”. Meaning ?  “India is dangerous”?

Mr. Activist:     Yes of course. See how much development it has done in the last two decades. India was dependent on prominent countries for its food, clothing, industrial products and other services.  Look at the situation now. Those very countries are dependent on India today. The coin has just turned.

Bheja Fry:          (thank god he is positive) India has its policy on forest and environment. It is quite firm and is being followed by industries. What is your problem?

Mr. Activist:     That is the problem for us. Your policy says plant trees in Non-Forest land when you cut them in Forest Land.  Industries are doing it quite religiously, rather more. So how do we complete our mission, “India Se Bachao”. Please understand Bheja Fry, and don’t fry my bheja. We need to have unrest or if not create unrest in public to achieve our mission – “India Se Bachao”.

Bheja Fry:          But some ministers have supported you in your mission, Isn’t it ?

Mr. Activist:     We are very grateful to them. Though they are very few but were quite influential. But your opposition party protested against them also. So these ministers had to retreat. 

Bheja Fry:          What about the second issue, Land Acquisition ?

Mr. Activist:     That’s the most interesting part in India. Tell me will anyone part with his land or house in any part of the world unless they are given sufficient compensation. In India we initially faced this problem. Here Government gives adequate compensation for land. So how to provoke people against industries, was the problem ?

Bheja Fry:          It would have been very tough for you?

Mr. Activist:     Initially yes but in India, if the ruling party is in favour take the opposition in confidence and if opposition party is in favour take the ruling party in confidence.  We only had to inform people that industries look for profits and not for their development. Some industries in Orissa, Chattisgarh, Karnataka and West Bengal deceived us and made the life difficult for us, but more or the less people do get fooled by Activists like us.

Bheja Fry:          But how do you make so many of them so much idiot ?

Mr. Activist:     We do not do any thing wonderful. We just need to connect with few local political or influential people.  Take him to our side on salary basis,  and rest they do the job for us. Its like hiring people for an assignment.

Bheja Fry:          This means you incite Indians against Indians.

Mr. Activist:     That is what you like. That is what your people understand. That is what your political parties do. What different are we doing. It is same, `divide and rule policy’. I am sure you have not forgotten the British rule book.

Bheja Fry:          This is ridiculous. Which also means, you hardly have any interaction with tribal people living in remote hills or distant villages.

Mr. Activist:     What Bheja Fry, can’t you stop frying my bheja. Your rural and tribal areas are so deep, some down the hill and some over the hills,  my luxury car cannot travel there.  Where there is no railway station or police station,  how can I connect or talk to your tribal or village people. It is impossible. We appoint your own people for the needful and pay them good salaries and other perks.

Bheja Fry:          When you have said so much, kindly also say about Human Rights issues in India?

Mr. Activist:     Honestly, there are no issues. We have created them.  Our think tank sits at many locations and most of them are abroad and works on such projects.  India is not struggling from human violence or apartheid.  We generated these issues out of people.  Every thing has been stage managed. I am sure you understand English cinema. We are expert in creating scientific thrillers.

Bheja Fry:          What is going to be most difficult for you?

Mr. Activist:     We would be worried once the government understands our agenda, which has happened in Kundankulam Nuclear Plant in Tamil Nadu. Even your Prime Minister took cognizance of our operations. The awareness has now started coming in West Bengal, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Orissa.

Bheja Fry:          Orissa has been your dream home run and you received a lot of international acclamation by stopping both POSCO and Vedanta Projects.

Mr. Activist:     Yaaaa.  (sign of relief). We are quite happy with these successes. But I must thank here the Government of India who gave us whole hearted support. We have been able to stall major industrial projects in some identified States.

Bheja Fry:          But how did you manage  all this ?

Mr. Activist:     You need to understand Bheja Fry. Indians are quite sentimental fools. Religious and very emotional.  See, I would not like to name the few companies where we created unrest, which include TATA, POSCO, Jindals, Reliance, and Vedanta, I would like to inform you that Orissa, Chattisgarh, Karnataka, West Bengal, Bihar and Gujarat are most valuable States in India and a biggest threat to the developed countries. 

Bheja Fry:          How Mr. Activist ?

Mr. Activist:     You have abundance of natural resource reserves in India.  If you start using them the already suffering economies of the world, particularly those of  US, UK, Canada, European countries, will become further worse.  What and where the industries settled in these countries sell their products. You have to think practically.

Bheja Fry:          So what you did ?

Mr. Activist:     We took the sentiments of people for a ride. We knew if we speak to them about religion, gods, water, trees they would become emotional.  We incited them towards their religious sentiments. Fortunately, these people are innocent and still believe in `white skin’ blindly.

Bheja Fry:          What was your challenge ?

Mr. Activist:     Our biggest challenge was to keep them away from interaction with the industries. You know industries do a lot of CSR work in villages and if industries and villagers have a good communication they would never listen to us. So we built a network of people who did not allow these innocent poor people to interact with industries representatives. We could manage this very well.

Bheja Fry:          So were you successful ?

Mr. Activist:     Yes of course. You can see nothing is taking up prominent States in India.

Bheja Fry:          Were you ever caught or feared you will be caught in a grave situation, a spot on your credibility.

Mr. Activist:     Yes it happened.  Recently when your Prime Minister gave a statement on Tamil Nadu nuclear project. Secondly, when people starting reading same tribal leaders names in creating agitation in India. Don’t discuss or write but ill tell you. We hired few tribal people in few states – about 7-8 of them, to spread all kind of unrest in tribal belt and remote areas. But some idiots starting writing their names on wires and they have become popular and now have political ambitions.  Worse is this has also started exposing that only few people are spreading unrest and otherwise the area is peaceful and industry friendly.

Bheja Fry:          What about the language barrier, how do you understand the tribal language. Have you taken some extra classes in tribal language ?

Mr. Activist:     Hello Bheja Fry. You are again frying my bheja. Harvard University does not teach you tribal language. What nonsense are you talking? What have I to do with what your tribal people eat, drink, live, speak, their sentiments, religion or their rituals?  I have my mission “India Se Bachao”.

Bheja Fry:          So how were you able to manage the unrest amongst these people ?

Mr. Activist:     When I do not know their language how could I have spoken with them ? It is your own people who have done these liaisoning.

Bheja Fry:          If suppose these people are identified, I mean people who are spreading unrest and you are funding them, what do you expect will happen ?

Mr. Activist:     Oh that would be horrible situation.

Bheja Fry:          For them of course ?

Mr. Activist:     Not for them, Who cares for them ? I am talking about our movement, “Bharat Se Bachao”.

Bheja Fry:          Final question, what support do you look from the government?

Mr. Activist:     The natural resources ministries should consult Activists, NGOs, International Human Rights Commissions, Foreign Governments, International Actors and Mimicry Artists, Foreign Tourists,  etc. before formulating laws for industries.  You cannot have Heun Sang or Fa-Hein like travelers but still. And keep the provision of changing the law as per our wish and will and in consultation.  You have had incidence in the past where your few Ministers have been like us.  We are grateful to them.

Bheja Fry:          What about people ?

Mr. Activist:     We sympathize with them. (he got up as he received a call)

Mr. Activist left abruptly not before promising me that we would talk about how the International NGOs or Activists work in spreading false information about anything and to what extent.

I pinched myself, it was not happening in a dream rather it was a nightmare in a broad daylight.

The next interview Part – II would be on “How International Activist and NGOs spread false and fabricated information, their network”. Till then, let your Bheja Fry.

Forward your comments to Bheja Fry at – Bhejafry.india@gmail.com