Myriad Shades of Mysticism

(By Shevlin Sebastian, The New Indian Express | February 22, 2009)

Long ago, a Tibetan monk dropped his cloak to enjoy sex – and spirituality, too. In 'The Angry Monk', French director Luc Schaedler profiles the life and career of the little-known Gendun Choephel, one of the foremost writers and thinkers of Tibet in the 20th century.

One day, in 1917, when a teenage Gendun Choephel was in the room of an elder monk at the Drisha monastery in Rebkong, he dropped a cup. Fearing that the monk would scold him, he stepped out, located a cat, put it in the room and locked it. The senior monk had no option but to put the blame on the cat for the mishap. This was Gendun's precocious intelligence at work. Not many people know that Gendun had been the foremost thinker and writer in Tibet in the 20th century. What set this monk apart was that he was also a libertine. He drank, smoked marijuana, and slept with women.

All this and more was revealed in the movie, 'The Angry Monk', directed by Frenchman Luc Schaedler, which was shown in Kochi recently by Design & People and Friends of Tibet, in association with Open Eyed Dreams. "It is essentially a road movie where the director retraces the footsteps of the monk taken during the course of his life," says Sethu Das, president of Friends of Tibet.

At 17, Gendun joined the Drepung Monastery's Gomang College in Lhasa. But, within a matter of months he fell out of favour with his teacher Geshe Sherab Gyatso. Says writer Topden Tsering: "Gendun attacked the monastic texts and also argued with his teacher. An exasperated Gyatso began calling him, 'Madman'.

Soon, Gendun left the monastery and earned his living by painting portraits, for which he had a knack. His life changed in 1934, when he met Rahul Sankrityanan, 40, an Indian scholar and freedom fighter. They travelled together to salvage rare Sanskrit scriptures from the monasteries situated in southern Tibet. All this is shown in the film in a documentary style, but the images are striking and beautiful.

Following this trip, Gendun accompanied Rahul back to India in 1937, and would spend the next 12 years in India, in places like Varanasi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Kalimpong, imbibing the culture and traditions of an ancient country. He also made a brief visit to Ceylon. And, perhaps, in a first-of-its kind experience for a Tibetan monk, Gendun also explored his sexuality.

It was in Kolkata that he grasped all the opportunities that the city offered, thanks to its thriving red-light district: Sonagachi. Golok Jigme, an 85-year-old monk, who had been Gendun's travelling companion, says, in the film, "Gendun was proud of his ability to sleep with four or five prostitutes in an evening and to get roaring drunk in the process."

One result was a book called, 'Tibetan Arts of Love - Sex, Orgasm and Spiritual Healing'. In the introduction, Gendun wrote: "As for me - I have little shame I love women. Every man has a woman. Every woman has a man. Both desire sexual union. If natural passions are banned, unnatural passions will grow in secrecy. No religion or morality can suppress the natural passions of mankind."

In a review in Amazon.com reader T. Short says, "This book has unflinching details, is well-written and thorough. Somehow, it is more accessible than the Kama Sutra."

Gendun went on to write numerous books, which included a travelogue, a guidebook, an English translation of a Tibetan tome on the history of Buddhism and Tibetan translations of Indian classics like the Bhagwad Gita and the Ramayana. He also wrote numerous articles and essays for the Kalimpong-based 'Tibetan Mirror'. In 1993, Sethu, of Friends of Tibet, went to Kalimpong to see the office. "Through broken windows and scattered furniture I could see the ruins of a small room which was once a gathering place for activists and individuals," he says.

It was in Kalimpong that Gendun became the member of the Tibetan Revolutionary Party. This act would have a fatal repercussion on the monk, because when he returned to Tibet some months later he was accused of being a Communist and plotting to overthrow the Tibetan Government. He was sent to jail and remained there for three years. Released in 1949, he was a physically and emotionally broken man. He died in 1951, just days after the Chinese Communists invaded Tibet and annexed the country.

The audience in Kochi, though small, watched the film with intensity. "I never knew such a monk existed," says social worker Jiss Victor. "Gendun was enjoying life, but at the same time he was chronicling his experiences. Since I hardly know anything about Tibet, it was an informative film."

Says architect Kunjan Garg: "I liked Gendun a lot - especially his drinking, womanising, wandering and irreverent ways. He tells us that life is not to be observed from somewhere high above, but to be experienced in its fullest, most material, even filthiest forms."

Screening of 'Sicko' & 'Angry Monk'

Design & People and Friends of Tibet in association with Open Eyed Dreams to screen two controversial documentaries - “Sicko” by Michael Moore and “Angry Monk” by Luc Schaedler. While Micheal Moore (Director of Fahrenheit 9/11) investigates and compares American Healthcare system with that of Cuba, Luc Schaedler travels and documents the life of one of the most controversial monks from Tibet – Gendun Choephel. The documentaries will be screened at the OED Basement, Opposite Lotus Club, Warriam Road, Ernakulam on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 5.30pm. Entrance is free.

About Sicko: Opening with profiles of several ordinary Americans whose lives have been disrupted, shattered, and - n some cases - ended by health care catastrophe, the film makes clear that the crisis doesn't only affect the 47 million uninsured citizens - millions of others who dutifully pay their premiums often get strangled by bureaucratic red tape as well. After detailing just how the system got into such a mess (the short answer: profits and Nixon), we are whisked around the world, visiting countries including Canada, Great Britain and France, where all citizens receive free medical benefits. Finally, Moore gathers a group of 9/11 heroes - rescue workers now suffering from debilitating illnesses who have been denied medical attention in the US. He takes them to a most unexpected place, and in addition to finally receiving care, they also engage in some unexpected diplomacy. 

About Angry Monk: Tibet - the mystical roof of the world, peopled with enlightened monks? Only one of them would not toe the line - Gendun Choephel, the errant monk who left the monastic life in 1934 in search of a new challenge. A free spirit and multifaceted individual, he was far ahead of his time and has since become a seminal figure, a symbol of hope for a free Tibet. A rebel and voluble critic of the establishment, Gendun Choephel kindled the anger of the Tibetan authorities. The cinematic journey through time portrays the life of this unorthodox monk, revealing a face of old Tibet that goes against popular clichés. The film offers a fascinating insight into a country whose eventful past is refracted in the multiplicity and contradictions of everyday life. An outsider who was always open to new things, he eventually became a stranger in his homeland and homeless in foreign lands - a wanderer between worlds.

To know more, call: 9847044248, email: support@designandpeople.org or log on to: www.designandpeople.org

Design & People identify how design can intervene to make a contribution to the ongoing efforts to improve the lives of people disadvantaged by war, disability, and political and environmental conditions. We unite and encourage graphic, industrial and architectural designers to use their experience and skills towards social and humanitarian projects. Mission: Design For People In Need.

Open Eyed Dreams, a premier art promotion venture, was launched by Dilip Narayanan in 2002. The initiative that began with a collection from eight artists has today a growing portfolio claiming exclusive representation from over 40 eminent artists in the country. It has held six major shows and a National Art Meet in Kerala. More exhibitions, tours and camps are scheduled running up to 2009. The objective: Promote art and artists, going beyond regional borders.

Friends of Tibet is a people's movement to keep alive the issue of Tibet through direct action. Our activities are aimed at ending China's occupation of Tibet and the suffering of the Tibetan people. Friends of Tibet supports the continued struggle of the Tibetan people for independence. Friends of Tibet is also one of the principal organisers of World Tibet Day around the world.

Design & People at Buddha Smiles, Tamil Nadu

Educational Methodology at Buddha Smiles: Buddha Smiles is active in ten centres spread in different parts of the country. In our learning centres, volunteer-teachers conduct classes at the community level at least four times a week with each session lasting not less than two hours. The students are given basic instruction in their mother tongue/native language. The volunteer-teachers are in the process of developing an informal/non-formal education that will supplement the existing system of education at the primary level. It is envisioned to implement this project with a grassroot network of teachers, social activists, student-volunteers and the local community participants. This programme aims at a simple and cheerful interaction between the volunteer-teacher and the children through regular meetings that will result in a creative (supportive) social mechanism for developing interest in pursuing education.

The Buddha Smiles School at Vellore

In our non-formal learning centers, classes are held mostly in public places including temples, churches, street corners, public parks, community owned spaces and in certain cases within the homes of students whose parents take active interest in the education of their children and want to help other children as well.  However, Buddha Smiles has also recently built a new school in the village of Karumbapalayam of Vellore District, Tamil Nadu, that will offer a formal curriculum and education for children.

Design & People team consits of four architects - Niranjan Das Sharma, Kunjan Garg, Rajasekharan Menon and Suku Dass accompanied by Fr Augestine, a priest who is known more for his social activities arrives at the Buddha Smiles School, Vellore, Tamil Nadu on January 18, 2009 to continue the architectural work they started some years ago.

The foremost concern of this educational initiative is to reach the poor and marginalized sections of society in both the rural and urban areas of the country with a special emphasis on girls’ education. We seek to share and learn from the experiences of other people, societies and countries in the region and the world at large. This initiative is based on holistic approach to life and education.  Above all, it values the need for continuos education not only for children but also for teachers and communities, for the development and progress of our societies. We see this as a part of the global movement for peace, education and development.

Project Cow Shed: Reviewing last years architectural work with Dr Ramu Manivannan, founder of the school.

Excavation for a meditation hall.

What Next? Project Discussion in progress.

Discussion with Shreedhar and Elka Cole, an architect from Canada who specialises in mud constructions (More about her work: www.elkecole.com)

A face-to-face discussion between Design & People architects and the 'client' in progress. (Project: New Kitchen Block at Buddha Smiles Campus.)

Lunch Break: Santosh, a Buddha Smiles Volunteer with slices of papaya grown at the organic farm at the Buddha Smiles campus.

Pongal Celebrations: Sheela, Dr Mani's wife and Santosh arranging the sugarcanes for pooja. Sweet pongal and salt pongal cooked in the foreground.

The End Users!

periyarriverkeeper.org Launched

www.periyarriverkeeper.org, the website of the organisation Periyar Riverkeeper led by VJ Jose, Greenpeace-appointed Riverkeeper was inaugurated by Vijay Crishna and Smita Godrej Crishna on July 27, 2008. The site designed and maintained by Design & People and hosted by Ibiblio was inaugurated by the Crishnas at Periyar River inside a boat while taking a ride to the polluted areas of Eloor in Kerala.

People from all walks of life attended the programme organised inside a boat which started its journey from Fort Kochi to the pollution-affected ares of Eloor, Kerala's industrial belt.

Hail Helvetica!

It’s the font that became the most widely used typeface in the 20th century. A film on it was screened in Kochi recently

(By Shevlin Sebastian | The New Indian Express | June 23, 2008)

In 1957, Eduard Hoffmann, a director of the Haas Type Foundry in Münchenstein, Switzerland, asked Max Miedinger, a former employee and freelance designer, to design a new font. Hoffmann wanted a sans-serif typeface that could compete with the popular Akzidenz Grotesk typeface. After a year of effort, with frequent inputs from Hoffmann, Miedinger came up with Helvetica.

The word, Helvetica, is a derivative of Helvetia, the Latin name for Switzerland. Within a matter of years, Helvetica became the most widely used sans serif typeface of the 20th century.

In 2006, filmmaker Gary Hustwit decided to make a film on the typeface. On the web site (www.helveticafilm.com), he gives the reasons why: “Since millions of people see and use Helvetica every day, I wondered, how a typeface drawn by a little-known Swiss designer become one of the most popular ways for us to communicate our words fifty years later?”

Helvetica is a gripping 80-minute film on the powerful impact of the font worldwide. Shot in New York, Amsterdam, Berlin, Zurich and London, it contains interviews with noted graphic designers like Erik Spiekermann, Wim Crouwel and Massimo Vignelli.

Italian designer Vignelli says, “Helvetica the king of all fonts.” While designer Michael Bierut says, “Helvetica is everywhere. It’s like air. You can’t help breathing it in.”

The film has been screened in 150 cities and last week it was shown in Kochi by Design and People and Open Eyed Dreams, an art promotion house. Sethu Dass, of Design and People, says that even though Helvetica is Europe’s contribution to typeface, it has been controversial.

“Thanks to its clean and neutral look, many companies, like Coke, which supported the Vietnam War, used this font, to give a good impression of itself,” he says. Designer Paula Scher says, “Helvetica is the font of the Vietnam War.”

Apart from Coke, some of the other companies, which adopted Helvetica, include Nestle, Intel, American Airlines, Lufthansa, Toyota, Microsoft and Panasonic.

In Kochi, there is a mixed crowd of graphic designers, architects, web designers and human rights activists who have come to watch the film.

Mathewkutty J. Mattam, who runs a graphic design shop, Blackboard, says he had heard about Helvetica during his college days. “But I really understood its impact only when I saw this film,” he says.

Mathewkutty uses Helvetica often because it is a neutral font. That means it can go along with any text or visual. “For example, if you put the word ‘love’ in Helvetica, and when you look at it, you can experience that emotion,” he says. “That is one of its strengths. It is a legible font: easy to read from close and from afar. It is good for logos and signboards.”

Vinod Laxman, a lecturer in applied art at the RLV College of Music and Fine Arts, says that Helvetica is the most readable font in the world.

“Fonts are the visual elements of any language,” he says. “I always tell my students that whatever they write should be clear and Helvetica fits the bill perfectly.”

Architect Raj Menon says the interesting part about the film was how it showed that Helvetica was accepted whole-heartedly in the sixties and seventies, but “later, there was a negative reaction to it. Then, in the nineties, people sort of began coming back to the spirit of Helvetica."

Menon also liked the way the history of the font was traced out. "It was quite mind-boggling how something as simple as a font became such a strong character in the film and in life,” he says.

The audience reaction has been strongly positive across the world and, as expected, the most intense reaction came from Switzerland.

Journalist Sukhdev Sandhu in London’s Daily Telegraph quotes director Gary Hustwit: "There were 800 people at the after-screening party at Zurich which went on till 6 a.m. They had a giant mirrored 'H' that was spinning above the dance floor with laser lights pointed at it. It was bizarre."

"Helvetica" Screened at Kochi

Gary Hustwit’s documentary “Helvetica” was screened during a programme organised jointly by Design & People and Open Eyed Dreams, a premier art promotion venture. The film was presented by Sethu Das, co-founder of Design & People at Kochi on June 14, 2008.

About the Film: Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. The film is an exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type. Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day. The font Helvetica celebrated its 50th birthday in 2007.

Interviewees in Helvetica include some of the most illustrious and innovative names in the design world, including Erik Spiekermann, Matthew Carter, Massimo Vignelli, Wim Crouwel, Hermann Zapf, Neville Brody, Stefan Sagmeister, Michael Bierut, David Carson, Paula Scher, Jonathan Hoefler, Tobias Frere-Jones, Experimental Jetset, Michael C. Place, Norm, Alfred Hoffmann, Mike Parker, Bruno Steinert, Otmar Hoefer, Leslie Savan, Rick Poynor, Lars Müller, and many more.

www.yesudasan.info Launched

www.yesudasan.info, a website on the Life and Work of Cartoonist Yesudasan is being inaugurated by the former Chief Minister of Kerala Honorable Shri K Karunakaran on June 12, 2008 - 70th birthday of Yesudasan. The site prepared by Design & People was inaugurated at Bharat Hotel, Ernakulam. Hundreds of people from all walks of life participated in the event.

About Yesudasan: Yesudasan was born on June 12, 1938 at Mavelikkara, Kerala in South India. His first cartoon appeared in 1955 in a magazine called 'Asoka' published from Kottayam. But it was only in 1960, he made an entry into the world of political cartooning, that too through 'Janayugam', the mouth-piece of the Communist Party in Kerala. In Janayugam he started a regular cartoon column with the character 'Kittumman', which became the first pocket cartoon in Malayalam. In 1963, he left for Delhi to join the Shankar's Weekly and became a disciple of cartoonist Shankar, the legend of Indian cartooning. On returning to his native place, he became the editor of 'Balayugam' and later started 'Asadhu', 'Cut-Cut', 'Tuk-Tuk' and 'Sadhu', popular satirical magazines on politics and cinema, in similar lines with Shankar's Weekly. In 1985, he joined the Malayala Manorama group of publications as a staff cartoonist.








An excellent political satirist, Yesudasan has written three books - 'Aniyara', 'Pradhama Dhrusti' and 'Post Mortem'. And his latest book 'Varayile Nayanar', a collection of cartoons on the late Chief Minister of Kerala, Shri EK Nayanar was released by Dr Manmohan Singh, the Honourable Prime Minister of India. Yesudasan has also made a reputation as a script-writer for Malayalam films. He is the founder chairman of Kerala Cartoon Academy and twice the chairman of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi. An excellent political satirist, Yesudasan may be one of the few cartoonists in the country who handles the maximum number of columns a day - in both Malayalam and English.

To know more , email: contact@yesudasan.info

Hunger Strike by Prof GD Agarwal

Dear friends,
I am writing this letter not only to inform you of a monumental decision taken by a person I regard highly but also to let you know about him and the context.

Professor G.D. Agarwal, now about 80 but in robust health, has been residing in Chitrakoot for almost 20-25 years now. He has taught Environmental Science in IIT Kanpur for a number of years. He also served as a Dean at IIT Kanpur for a number of years. After that, at the request of Nanaji Deshmukk he served as a faculty member of the Mahatma Gandhi Rural University set up by Nanaji in Chitrakoot. He worked here without accepting any pay in an honorary capacity as a service to the country. He is one of those legendary teachers whom their students remember even after years. He has inspired many most prominent among them was late Anil Agarwal who founded Centre of Science and Environment, which is now being looked after by Sunita Narain. He was founder member secretary of the Pollution Control Board. But above all Prof. Agarwal is man of deep understanding and high integrity inspiring hundreds of his students the world over.

Prof. Agarwal has a deep understanding of Indian tradition and environment and thus has a very different perceptions about most environment related issues, more rooted and appropriate for our country and the world as well. He has been deeply disturbed, like many others, about the manner in which Ganga has been treated by successive governments over the years. We have been tampering with the Ganga, in particular the Bhagirathi (tehri dam is only one among many glaring examples) resulting it in only running like a trickle many times (because of the damning of the flow). At times there has been no water even in haridwar. This is a severe blow on the faith of a large majority of people in this country. And faith is a big thing. It gives tremendous strength to cope with adversities in life. It unites people. Dr. agarwal is much pained by what we are doing to the Ganga and the implications it may have on our people and our country. Having done the damage that we have done by building the Tehri dam he feels now at least the Ganga between Gomukh and Uttarkashi should be left alone, but we are tampering with it even in those areas. He has also been very disturbed about the river linking scheme of our government(s).

Unfortunately on such issues of so called ‘development’ all governments, all political parties (Congress, Samajwadi, BJP, the Communists) have similar views and hence the schemes go on undisturbed, with change in governments. It is almost a global phenomena – the way our elite, the powerful perceive ‘development’.

Under the circumstances he has decided to go on fast unto death from June 17th (Ganga Dusserra). He will find a suitable place in uttarkashi and start his fast from that place. He has written a letter to a few people close to him informing them of this decision and the reasons thereof asking them to pray for him to help him in his resolve. Dr. Agarwal is not a publicity seeker. He has not reached his decision in a hurry but after deliberating and contemplating about it for a long time.

I am writing this letter only to inform you and to request you to, if possible, try and talk about the reasons behind the decision of Prof. Agarwal with people you know. Faith has become a dirty word but is it so? Ganga is not only an environmental issue but much bigger than that. I know for a fact that during the month of Shravan (august- Sept) when people come top Haridwar to pick up Ganga water and carry it to different shiv temples – these people have amongst them not only upper caste Hindus but the so called scheduled clastes as well as a sprinkling of Muslims amonst the devotees! It is a strange country – this India _ we do not seem to know it fully as most of us have become alientated (thanks to the kind of education we have received).
Pawan Kumar Gupta
(SIDH)

Helvetica, the Film

Helvetica is a feature-length independent film about typography, graphic design and global visual culture. It looks at the proliferation of one typeface celebrating its 50th birthday this year as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. Helvetica is currently screening at film festivals, museums, design conferences, and cinemas worldwide. Design & People is planning a screening soon.


By Gary Hustwit, the Documentary Filmmaker: It was one year ago today that Helvetica had its World Premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival. Showing the film in public for the first time was surreal, and extremely stressful, but it was a life-changing event for me. I’d never made a film before, and it was incredible to have a sold-out audience respond like they did, and then do my first Q&A session (with David Carson, no less). Suddenly I was a filmmaker, where before that day I was just a guy who liked films and had helped some friends produce a few of their documentaries.

My head is still reeling from the 12 months that followed. Visiting 100 cities in 25 countries, meeting (literally) thousands of designers all over the world. Hearing from all the people who were inspired by the film. Seeing it broadcast on BBC1 in England, getting nominated for an Independent Spirit Award, all of this is way beyond what I ever imagined when I first came up with the idea to make a movie about a font. The result is that I’m addicted to the process of directing documentaries, and plan on making as many as I can until they stop me.

So on its one-year anniversary, I’d like to once again thank everyone who helped me make this film, everyone who’s actually in it, everyone who helped organize events during the past year, everyone who’s watched the film, and every graphic designer on the planet. You all rock.

What’s next? Helvetica focused on the people who make type, and how graphic design affects our lives. My next film focuses on the people who make objects, and how those objects affect our lives. Yeah, that’s sort of a vague description, I know. We’ll have a website up soon that’ll give you more details. I’ll try to continue blogging here for the near future, and then switch over to the new film blog at some point.

The one thing I’ve learned about making documentaries is that each one is an adventure. So I hope you’ll stick around to see me through the next one.

Tibet and the Politics of Olympics

(By Appu Jacob John of Friends of Tibet (Kerala) / appu.john@friendsoftibet.org)

Today Tibet is known as the most problematic geographical area in the whole Asian continent. The Tibetan plateau which has an area of over 2.5 million kilometers is today under the hegemonic rule of the Chinese government. This has become a spark plug for many controversies which have even rocked international politics. Major nations of the World in the right - left wings and the central organizations like the UN have closed their eyes deliberately on the human rights violation of this land. The NGOs who do independent work are often doubted as receiving foreign aid and this has in fact affected in their true mission. Those political organizations who speak loudly for Iraq and Afghan have deliberately forgotten the troubles of Tibet. Here the ordinary people should wake up. Independent thought should arise. But even the independent thought of people is being banned by the government claiming on the policies of diplomacy and securities. People’s response to such bans is a topic of study. It is interesting to note that such a discourse has come up at the time of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The Olympic torch relay was blocked by the ‘Tibetan separatists’ (official notion) at many places. It is to be assumed that the protests will continue and in doubled strength. In this juncture it should be thought that the title of this essay too is confusing. As known or heard in the common sphere it should have been ‘Tibetan Politics and the Olympics’ and most of the times it’s like that too. The transfer of the torch relay from Mumbai to Delhi; the reduction of the relay path from nine kilometers to three kilometers; the eight feet high safety fencing of the Rajpath and associated security setups; the hacking of the servers of the External Affairs Ministry are all matters along with this. The Tibetan issue which is being known from 1949-59 was debated in many occasions and we got many new realizations on the topic. But this problem once again surfaced during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The media celebrated it. The discussions helped to understand Tibet in today’s light of events. It was at this juncture that the Captain of the Indian football team Baichung Bhutia announced that he is backing off from the Olympic torch relay. This was a great instance in the Indian athletic history. This has caused the non-sports personnel like Kiran Bedi to back off and Aamir Khan to publicly announce his support for Tibet. But almost the whole of the Athletic world was against it. The majority of the sports personnel suggested that sports and politics cannot be mixed. But it should be understood that sports has a universal political dimension above mere cheap sectarian politics. The athletic world assures a higher brotherhood. This ‘higher brotherhood’ is also the aim of Olympics.

Has the modern Olympics successful in achieving these goals? One has to check this question as the modern Olympics has passed a hundred years of existence. The Olympic movement has strong political undercurrents then and now. The decision on who, where, when and what way to play is done in political circles. The chairman of the Indian Olympic Association Suresh Kalmadi was the minister for sports in the former NDA ministry. The chairman of the Indian Cricket Board Sharad Pawar is the minister for agriculture in the current UPA ministry. The more sports politicians than sports personnel. This is because the present sports field is a million, billion and even a trillion dollar business. A seven star market! Even otherwise why sportstars are known in the name of their country? Even if this is a classification for easy conduct of the games; then why on the prize distribution ceremony the national flag and national anthem of the winner are used? Why the individual achievements like gold, silver and bronze medals are counted under the credit of the country? This political classification helps most of the athletes to get acceptance and honors from ones own land. It can also be thought that this desire for acceptance and political pressure are the cause for many a doping incidents. Thus the notion that sports is above all politics becomes a joke! If brotherhood and friendship was the aim there will be no place for competitions and records?! Perhaps the intentions of the French Baron Pier de Coubertin in starting the modern Olympics based on the ancient Olympics would have been political too!

It’s not much different in the individual side too. The cause for the well known Ranji player from Kerala Ananada Padmanabhan didn’t get place in the Indian team and the reason for why many other athletics teams don’t get even the basic requirements when seen against the Indian cricket team is not much different. They are all the real life examples of political intervention on sports. Much of the talented athletes have been thrown out in the selection stage itself. When Rajyavardhan Singh Rathode; India’s one and only Olympic silver medal; received Pathma Sree and Arjuna Award in the same year; many senior athletes were just not even mentioned. These sports stars are not nonentities in the field of sports; they have achieved their goals by hard work. The only difference here is in saying that sports have no relation with politics.

The common man has to suffer many changes as sports and games are held and related construction works are being undertaken. A very good example is the preparation for the 2011 Delhi Commonwealth Games. Though the 1982 Delhi Asian Games village had turned into a vast residential complex; there is a new games village and stages are being built on the banks of the great river Jamuna. If another games comes in the only option will be to build lodging and staging facility. Nobody looks into future and builds a permanent fixture. There is no fixed stage to host all types of games and there is no fixed village to include even the greatest of the athletes. The nation’s resources are being carefully wasted on here! More people mean more facilities. But since the facilities are few; it’s being robbed from the ‘have-nots’ and is being reallocated to the ‘haves’. This paradox happens in the same country where there are people living far under the poverty line. More people, more facilities, more vehicles - what ever is above the proper mark in the modern society makes an even greater problem in the society - pollution! Thus the associated activities of the sports field cause health hazards to ordinary people. The shop sealing controversy in which the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court YK Sabarwal was involved too was much the same. Prior to the 2011 games the ordinary auto, taxi and bus drivers in Delhi are going to lose their jobs. They have to seek for better vehicles according to the government norms. Nothing more should be said about the migrant workers who come in search of work. Here also with each associated work in the sports field those who are thrown out are the poor and wandering; in order to create better facilities for the middle class society. The story of the Indian Premier League too is not different. We have seen the IPL and the related auction of the players involving millions of rupees. The media presents a number of advertisements which are far more against the so called ‘thousands of years of Indian tradition’. They speak of a situation where one is deliberately attacking another for not supporting his team. There to Baron Coubertin says; “What matters is not victory or defeat: what is more important is participation.” Then why should the participation be like a preparation for war?

One can see international politics in the International Olympic Committee (IOC) which organizes the Olympics. The IOC chairman is selected based on the decisions of nations - especially the mighty ones. The decisions of the IOC too are for the mighty ones. The leader in the boycotting of the 1980 Moscow Olympics was the then American backed IOC president. It was not just as coincidence that the next Olympics got staged in Los Angeles. None other than a European white male has become the chairman of the IOC. It hasn’t come out of the male chauvinistic attitude. There is no participation for women in policy making ventures. So there exists a big political play going on in there. Every Olympics is being selected by the mighty powers. The venue is being auctioned and the one which gets more support from the mighty nations will get the Olympics. This has started bribery for the support of nations and it was a great scandal in the 2004 Olympics. The reason for not holding Olympics in an African or an Arab nation or any where in Latin America except Mexico or only in the metro cities of Asia like Moscow, Seoul, Tokyo and now in Beijing in Asia and the selection of the European and the North American cities is none other than the above mentioned. This is also because of the Euro centered race-color-nationality politics of the IOC. The so-called motto of the Olympics ‘faster, higher, stronger’ is now a days only a market strategy. More than any sports event Olympics has become a celebrity item. The game is now controlled by the global market giants!

The Olympics today is another face of the global market. Sports and games are marketed based on the wishes of the market. This is the reason why global giants sponsor events or individuals. Under pleasant names of brand ambassador and official sponsor they have made sports into a market and the aid to make money. In all the relationships between the athletes, athletes and the government, athletes and the people all money and its transactions has become an important factor. The betting controversy in an earlier India South Africa cricket series; involving former South African skipper, the late Hansie Cronje with team mate Herschel Gibbs and the former Indian skipper Mohammed Azharuddin and team mate Ajay Jadeja is a good example for this. The Olympics also tells none different from these. All the objects sold in the name of the Olympics will be a memorabilia and will be treasured by the owner. It won’t be used for ordinary consumption. Thus even ordinary things can be sold of at high prices. Thus in almost all the locations associated with sports - especially the Olympics, the Asiad, the Commonwealth Games, the World Cup and all - becomes a stage for the global market. Here money flows freely without any constrain. This is a situation that has started from the 1976 Montréal Olympics from whence the expenditure for the Olympic Games has steadily increased. In short it is none other than a glorified bazaar. The justice rendered here is of the mighty ones. The modern world faces a situation where everything is being purposefully worked for the market. The response of the western nations towards this market based setup after the 9/11 disaster is to be studied in detail. They will bring in all sorts of tricks to get hold of this trillion dollar market space.

Ideologies are simply objects for sale in this market place. Thus human rights too become a subject for the market strategies. They simply forget the human rights violations they conduct in and around their country and start to speak about the violations in other countries. Even when blocking the import of goods from such alleged countries is being prevented by the state they never seize to stop their own exports to that country. This is the politics of the mighty. Hence with such techniques they get an unopposed market. If ordinary advertisements are two dimensional there is third dimension of ‘close understanding of the products’ in the athletic and non-athletic festivities. The profit is shared by the producer, supplier and mediator (applicable only for global trade monopolies) in this game.

All these things are unknown only to the IOC which keeps on saying that its aim is ‘world peace’. Not even the great Baron Coubertin criticized the First World War! The same was with the Second World War and the games were banned for two consecutive terms in 1940 and 1944. This was not a political subject for the sports personnel because they were fighting in different political sides. The 1980 Moscow Olympics was boycotted by the Western countries alleging that the Soviet Union had invaded Iraq. Immediately on the next issue in 1984 Los Angeles Olympics the whole Eastern block refused take part in the games owing to the chauvinistic approach of the United States. They even organized an alternate Olympics called Friendship Games too. Thus the argument that only the games which are held in Socialist (?) - Communist countries are boycotted is invalid. Here the game played by President Jimmy Carter and President Yuri Andropov are none other than politics. It’s even noted that Carter was the most popular president of the modern United States. This time other than that national politics since commercial politics comes in ‘the (mighty) World Leaders’ will only boycott the inaugural ceremony only and they will be in all other occasions. This conclusion is to be seen in the light of the current visits of the French president Nicholas Sarkozy to China after the disrupted Olympic torch relay. Another thing to be remembered is that none of these nations wishes to have an adversary rising up as global power. To prevent this they will even dress up as Tibetans and extinguish the torch. The real innocent ones are viewed under suspicion and they are blamed for all the problems while the real culprits’ sit happily in the pavilion. There are those who have succeeded fighting against all these odds like the legendary Jesse Owens (1936 Berlin Olympics) and the great Bob Bemoan (1968 Mexico Olympics). It is recorded in history that Owens came up with strong protest against Carter on the boycotting of the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Like wise ‘the whole concept of friendship above politics’ is a result of many political power plays.

‘Can the Olympic Games be boycotted?’ is the next political riddle to be answered. Here also the sports personnel comment is the same; that it cannot be done. The boycott of the political personnel is set only on the achievement of political goals. But Olympics was boycotted by athletes themselves too. The first of such boycotts happened a hundred years back. The 1908 London Olympics was boycotted by the freedom loving Irish athletes. The Jewish population as a whole boycotted the 1936 Berlin Olympics which was part of the Nazi state’s propagandist policy. The 1964 Tokyo Olympics banned South Africa from participating and at the same time it was boycotted by Indonesia and North Korea. The 1968 Mexican Olympic Games was opened with the brutal massacre of two hundred odd Mexican students by the Mexican militia. The 1972 Munich Olympic was the cruelest of all. Eleven Israeli athletes were shot dead by the Palestine supporting ‘Black September’ terrorist outfit. The same story is reiterated in Spielberg’s famous film Munich (2007). The 1976 Montréal Olympics was boycotted by about twenty six African countries on a disputed rugby match between South Africa and New Zealand earlier in the same year. In the end of it all here in 2008 Beijing Olympics the Tibetan activists are protesting.

Now it’s the Olympic Torch relay that is targeted by the protesters. The 1928 Antwerp Olympics was the venue where it was decided to have an Olympic Lamp. The Olympic torch relay became part of the Olympic Games only with the 1936 Berlin Olympics. It was planned by Goebels, who was Hitler’s propaganda minister; to show off the development of Germany under the Nazi rule. From then on to 2000 Sidney Olympics the torch was lighted at the temple of the Greek goddess Hera and was brought to the Olympics venue. These are all market strategies claiming their origin to the ancient Olympic Games; just like the lavish opening and closing ceremonies. In any way isn’t there a stench of Politics creeping from the ritualistic performance of the Greek actresses dressed as priestesses of Hera in lighting the lamp from solar mirrors; the switching on and off of the ‘great’ Olympic torch by the authorities (2008 Paris protests) and in the consideration of the games as politics free! The Olympic torch and its global journey started with the 2004 Olympics aiming at the global market. In the meantime the IOC has come up with a new logo called ‘One Dream, One World’. One dream and one world for globalization! Every games village is the miniature representation of the global village (of the selected few) and it’s also the representation of a ‘use and throw’ living system. Here too the sports world sung the same old song as this journey cannot be missed due to its centuries of tradition. The IOC too backed this argument. There was also politics in it as many of the athletic/non athletic participants were selected by the earlier mentioned global market monopolies. The torch bearers were just contract laborers and once you break the contact it’s the end of your tenure.

Finally we live in a highly political world. Nation, race, language, customs are all the criterions through which we are politically stratified. In such a situation it is totally ridiculous to claim that a single subject has no relationship with politics. Thus our sports world ought to think in a more open manner. Accept what should be accepted; deny what is to be denied; participate or not tell your opinion to the whole outside world. It is not at all good to keep on muttering that politics and sports have relation with each other. Can’t you just put up a very small protest or opinion for the millions of ordinary sports lovers and the non-sports lovers with a strong back bone? Perhaps it is because of this same inability that will draw the athletes to oblivion in the days of their old age! When I am righting this too there is the controversy hot in the air. The new sports minister MS Gill has said that the Olympic torch is to be carried by sports personnel only. Many like Milkha Singh has agreed to this and the IOC disagree with it. In the meantime the rehearsal is disrupted by the protesters. The ‘people’s torch’ is held away from the people of Delhi. States like West Bengal bans the protesters and states like Kerala taking part with Olympic Torch solidarity pledges while some others protest against it. Don’t you smell the dirty stink of politics?

Design & People Joins Olympics Protest

Design & People joined the Candle Light Vigil organised by Friends of Tibet, Human Rights Law Network (Kerala), Periyar Riverkeeper, Kashi Art Gallery, Samajwadi Jana Parishad, Swadeshi Jagran Manch and World Tibet Day at the Theresa Square, Ernakulam, Kerala on April 17, 2008. The organisations were protesting the ‘Olympics Torch of Shame’ which was on the Indian Soil on April 17, 2008.
(Photo by Johnson Chirayathu of Madhyaman daily)