wrasse-leela. or a trip to coral reefs.

am just back from a polymesmeric holiday in lakshadweep, an archipelago of coral islands off india’s west coast. learnt how to swim. kayaked. dived. saw turtles, dolphins, morays and more. and had my head turned inside out by the intricacy of coral ecosystems. am now back convinced that i need to read about coral reefs, and that i need to learn how to dive solo. (perchance, if i feel i can write eloquently enough to do justice to the trip, a longer post sometime).

IMG_3673 IMG_3668 IMG_3667 IMG_3648 IMG_3630 IMG_3626 IMG_3660 IMG_3589 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA IMG_3545 OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA IMG_3670 IMG_3563 IMG_3539

and hmmm, credit for all underwater photos goes to amod zambre. and that fifth snap from the top, those are the friends i travelled with. ramana, vidya, their daughter aarushi, and amod. a wonderful trip, indeed. also, in case you are wondering about the snap with the cars, kavaratti, the island where we stayed is about 5km long and 1 km wide. the government babus, nevertheless, feel the need to have cars to ferry them about.

i should also hastily add that credit for the horrible pun (wrasse-leela, wrasses are fishes found in reefs) goes to ramana.



7 responses to “wrasse-leela. or a trip to coral reefs.”

  1. What do you think – the babus will have sarkari cycles to travel? with a driver? or without?

    1. hahahaha. yes. they could have drivers and little red lights on a pole stuck to the handlebar. think eco-friendly. :-)
      s.

      1. maybe some cleaner wrasses as well for various parts???

  2. yes. cleaner wrasses for the body politic. oh waghoba. it will take a while to get over this trip. sigh. :-)

  3. srilakshmi sharma

    government babus sound like the softest, tenderest, tastiest part of the aquatic food chain. this is why they are in cars. like pearls in oysters. Just irritate gently with a pointed article, watch them all come out, then throw them to the cleaner wrasses. snack-time!

    1. hahahahahahahahahah. brilliant, akka. just brilliant. :-)

  4. yep. loads more. come to delhi and see ’em.

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I am an Indian journalist with interests in energy, environment, climate and India’s ongoing slide into right-wing authoritarianism. My book, Despite the State, an examination of pervasive state failure and democratic decay in India, was published by Westland Publications, India, in January 2021. My work has won the Bala Kailasam Memorial Award; the Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism Award; and five Shriram Awards for Excellence in Financial Journalism. Write to me at despitethestate@protonmail.com.

Reviews

…une plongée dans les failles béantes de la démocratie indienne, un compte rendu implacable du dysfonctionnement des Etats fédérés, minés par la corruption, le clientélisme, le culte de la personnalité des élus et le capitalisme de connivence. (…a dive into the gaping holes in Indian democracy, a relentless account of the dysfunction of the federated states, undermined by corruption, clientelism, the cult of the personality of elected officials and crony capitalism).” Le Monde

…a critical enquiry into why representative government in India is flagging.Biblio

…strives for an understanding of the factors that enable governments and political parties to function in a way that is seemingly hostile to the interests of the very public they have been elected to serve, a gross anomaly in an electoral democracy.” Scroll.in

M. Rajshekhar’s deeply researched book… holds a mirror to Indian democracy, and finds several cracks.The Hindu

…excels at connecting the local to the national.Open

…refreshingly new writing on the play between India’s dysfunctional democracy and its development challenges…Seminar

A patient mapping and thorough analysis of the Indian system’s horrific flaws…” Business Standard (Image here)

33 മാസം, 6 സംസ്ഥാനങ്ങൾ, 120 റിപ്പോർട്ടുകൾ: ജനാധിപത്യം തേടി മഹത്തായ ഇന്ത്യൻ യാത്ര… (33 months, 6 states, 120 reports: Great Indian journey in search of democracy…)” Malayala Manorama

Hindustan ki maujooda siyasi wa maaashi soorat e hal.” QindeelOnline

What emerges is the image of a state that is extractive, dominant, casteist and clientelist.Tribune

…reporting at its best. The picture that emerges is of a democracy that has been hijacked by vested interests, interested only in power and pelf.Moneycontrol.com

Book lists

Ten best non-fiction books of the year“, The Hindu.

Twenty-One Notable Books From 2021“, The Wire.

What has South Asia been reading: 2021 edition“, Himal Southasian

Interviews

Journalism is a social enterprise…,” Booksfirst.in.

Democratic decay at state level: Journalist M Rajshekhar on book ‘Despite the State’,” The News Minute.

Covid-19 en Inde : “des décès de masse” dont un “État obscurantiste est responsable,” Asialyst.

Allusions/Mentions

JP to BJP: The Unanswered Questions“.
Mahtab Alam’s review of “JP to BJP: Bihar After Lalu and Nitish”.

Urban History of Atmospheric Modernity in Colonial India“. Mohammad Sajjad’s review of “Dust and Smoke: Air Pollution and Colonial Urbanism, India, c1860-c1940”.

Westland closure: Titles that are selling fast and a few personal recommendations,” by Chetana Divya Vasudev, Moneycontrol. (Because this happened too. In February, a year after DtS was released, Amazon decided to shutter Westland, which published the book. The announcement saw folks rushing to buy copies of Westland books before stocks run out.)

Time to change tack on counterinsurgency” by TK Arun, The Federal.

All Things Policy: The Challenges of Governing States” by Suman Joshi and Sarthak Pradhan, Takshashila Institute (podcast).

The Future of Entertainment“, Kaveree Bamzai in Open.

On What India’s Watching“, Prathyush Parasuraman on Substack.

The puppeteers around us“, Karthik Venkatesh in Deccan Herald.

Will TN election manifestos continue ‘populist’ welfare schemes?“, Anna Isaac for The News Minute.

Why wages-for-housework won’t help women“, V Geetha in Indian Express.

The poor state of the Indian state“, Arun Maira in The Hindu.

Book discussions

26 December, 2021: Rangashankara, Bangalore, a discussion with Dhanya Rajendran.

16 November: Rachna Books, Gangtok, a discussion with Pema Wangchuk.

29 August: Books In The Time of Chaos, with Ujwal Kumar.

21 May: Hyderabad Lit Fest with Kaveree Bamzai and Aniruddha Bahal.

28 March: Paalam Books, Salem, Tamil Nadu.

19 March: The News Minute, “Citizens, the State, and the idea of India

6 March: Pen@Prithvi, with Suhit Kelkar

20 February: A discussion between scholars Usha Ramanathan, Tridip Suhrud, MS Sriram and me to formally launch Despite the State.

6 February: DogEars Bookshop, Margoa.

5 February: The Polis Project, Dispatches with Suchitra Vijayan.

30 January: Founding Fuel, “Systems Thinking, State Capacity and Grassroots Development“.

25 January: Miranda House Literary Society