Friday, November 21, 2008

Clearway World Watch: Indian Evolution, World Economy and Darwinism

India has won in style. And to lose a series this way is not something that the Aussies are much used to. So much so, they were forced to make some face saving comments by diverting the issue and venting out their frustrations. One wonders why such comments are taken nicely by the ICC. Perhaps, because, it is not about cricket and ICC knows nothing but cricket!

But it was not one Hayden who sought to relieve his frustrations. The Aussie captain, gentleman Ponting, decided to have a go at Sunny Gavaskar, rather unnecessarily. Well, as Gavaskar said, the Aussies seem to be rattled, indeed.

The rise of India in world news was evident not just on land but in the waters as well. It would have been fun for our navy bro's chasing the pirates out of their ship and sinking it. The UN has recognised the Indian Navy's brave effort and even seems to have granted it the "License to Kill" on the pirate homelands.

This winning streak on land and on water actually, started from Space! The perfect launch and the touch down on moon by our Chandrayaan showcases India's capabilities - and the efforts of all those dedicated souls at ISRO. Forget the debate that sprouts up as always when anything significant happens - there seems to be no second opinion, now that ISRO has taken a page out of Abhinav Bindra's books on how to aim for and hit the target!

This clearly is Indian Evolution, if not a Revolution. As if land, water and space were not fuel enough, the American Intelligence has started taking serious note of India, among the other rising powers, as having a distinct possibility of capturing the lion's share of global dominance from the defending champions, the United States. Perhaps, the recession that started off with the Housing sector and the Financial sector debacle in the US underlines the vulnerability of the United States. Afterall, not many would have imagined that the stalwarts of manufacturing, the Big 3 Automobiles from Detroit would eventually have to chalk up a Business Plan and submit it to the Congress, to have a lease of life! That's not much of a pretty scene for a global giant. But then, reality is harsh - and the economy is even harsher!

The economy was, in fact, so harsh that it demanded a congregation of the Group of 20 Heads of Nations to assemble at Washington D C and chart the future path out. It was a quick reaction by the global leaders who promptly made it a point to do their bit about managing the intricately inter-connected world trade. Media reports have not talked lightly of the time and effort that the heavy weights have invested. There was this distinct sense of urgency in the high profile summit that is set to go on in a phased out manner. And not many such conferences would have yielded such a consensus so soon and so smoothly as this on has. Luckily for the world, this one wouldn't drag on for months and years like other political summits would.

Talking of urgency and consensus, the dark brown dust couldn't be all that transparent not to be seen at all! The layers of dust that could filter out the intensity of the sun as it reaches the earth should be quite a phenomenon. And a survey says how Governments around the world have been lethargic in protecting the oceans, falling far short of their own projections and promises. News items such as these warning of catastrophic rise in sea levels have appealed more to Film Makers in the Hollywoods than Governments.

One question strikes the casual eye: Why have these issues not been classified as being "Urgent"? If the dark clouds are such a serious threat that would affect rainfalls, visibility and health, if oceans are so precious to protect as would some endangered species be and if sea levels are rising alarmingly indeed, why doesn't the G20 or the G80 meet up in some serene place to read and understand the issues at least, even for discussion at a later date? If we are eventually to adapt ourselves to a waterworld, where would we play cricket and win matches against Ponting's men, where would we launch our rockets from and where would Wall Street be then?

Not to worry about the Indian Navy though. They could very well be close to home, chasing pirates away from the ocean above Madhya Pradesh and driving them onto the limited stretches of lands on the Himalayan Plains. We could have a G 20 summit with leaders fashioning Swim Suits. Or perhaps, by then, man would have evolved further with fins and gills. What's Darwin's take on this?