Thursday, December 30, 2010

2010-NO TITLE

2010 is nearly over. If we needed to be reminded about how fragile we are in the fabric of life, this year showed that with great clarity. While we continue to plunder and pillage the planet and make it uninhabitable for future generations, we are already feeling the intense heat, drought, floods, excess rain, excess snow, intense cold and so on.

The planet does not show any mercy on rich or poor nations and we are all equal to blame. For putting up stupid fronts and creating boundaries, for building walls and waging useless wars that cost lives, for lack of political will, we humans are nowhere close to evolution than we were when we lived in caves. I know, evolution for Gen X or Y or whatever the hell it is now, means connectivity and gadgets. I wish many of them can look beyond those tiny screens on their mobile devices and see that there's much more to the World and they may lose it from right under their nose.

This year I watched lethargy build, watched Government Babus sit on their fat behinds and do nothing, politicians brazenly looting the public while the public watched, of an intolerant/inefficient/corrupt system that fails people in each and every department. This isn't only about failed states and so-called "free" countries such as India, this is from a messed up World involving the now emerging bankruptcies (financial and moral) across the board in every Country. EU Countries are going broke and the US was always broke and didn't know about it. I watched a majority sit, sulk, blog and do nothing about it.

Personally this year, some good things happened too. I met more good people this year than ever before. I met dedicated people who are out there trying to do something for the common good, for the well being of all life forms and not with any intention of making money.

I finally got a long term goal in mind. Something that I can continue to do for a long time to come or at least till my time's up on this planet. None of that involves making tons of money, power or position for myself. That is giving me way more sense of fulfillment than anything else so far. I have found a closeness to our cousins, one that I had but never did anything about it in the past. The same cousins of ours that live in the marine environment, the ones I can relate to better than humans any day. The ones that have far superior intelligence, empathic, understanding, loving and yet remain threatened by most of our actions. Some of them are critically endangered and live in our river systems including my favorite Gangetic Dolphins. I'll work for them more this new year and the years to come and I'm glad about the building up of World wide support to my efforts.

This isn't about me. Not this planet, not this spec of dust at the edge of a vague galaxy among millions more. This is about the very fabric that runs through it, that binds us and holds us together, a fabric that is joy if it stays together in harmony, and causes destruction and misery when we meddle with it while exhibiting our selfish greed.

I hope and wish for a better life for all when the calendar changes dates. I hope and wish all people are successful at what they do. I hope I can blog more, when I'm not working with my cousins and bring their plight to everyone's attention.

This blog is a serious deviation from my previous year end blogs.
2005 I ended the year with a short blog about my trip to Colva, Goa.
The year ending 2006 was about aviation and that was my most prolific year of blogging.
2007 ending was about Singapore's New Year and I wrote hoping that humans would evolve and come out of this madness that overtook the region. Safe to say we haven't evolved even the tiniest bit so far.
2008 end piece was about an air show in Dubai, nothing hugely interesting.
2009 was about a visit to Bangkok. By now I had moved into a bit of travel writing. Maybe I was losing direction.
2010 awoke me. Showed me the dark side, personal loss of dad, chikungunya hit me with a vengeance, mom's health went erratic recently and so on. All well now. Sundarbans was a much needed release mid year. Dolphins kept me sane and focused. Working for their cause gave me inspiration. In future if you read or see me doing lots for them, know for certain that its them that matter, not I. Peace be with you!

21 comments:

ER Ramachandran said...

Your posts are always a source of valuable information and insight. The same here too...
Bundle of problems... but you have walked ahead of them, captain.Wonderful. wish you all the best of health, peace and prosperity, strictly in that order in the new decade and in 2011.
ERR

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

ERR Sir, many thanks for your kind wishes and words of encouragement. I'm sorry to know that you had problems too. Wish everything goes well for you and family for 2011 and in the new decade. I liked the order that you mentioned, quite apt: Health, peace and prosperity! Cheers Sir.

Swaram said...

So nice to know u r working for the dolphins Captain. It gives great joy and immense satisfaction to do something selfless. God bless u all with the best of things in 2011!

Anonymous said...

This was such a moving, thoughtful, heart-felt post. I loved it. People like you give one faith in humanity. Wishing you the very best in all your endeavours, and good wishes to you and your family for the year and years ahead.
Kamini.

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

Thanks Swaram, Dolphins, especially the fresh water ones we have in India are only 4 of its kind in the entire World. As you know the Gangetic Dolphin was declared India's National Aquatic Animal in early 2010. They are in bad shape and there is a need to a lot of things for their conservation. I am already quite ahead with it and hope that in 2011 I can scale up the activities and make tangibe difference to them. Thanks very much for your kind wishes. All the best to you and your family for a fabulous 2011.

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

Thank you very much Kamini. All the best to you and your family as well. My extended Dolphin family, I'm sure, send their love and affection always too! Cheers for a peaceful 2011!

Madhukar - VU2MUD said...

Welcome back to activity and Many Wishes for a very evenful NEW YEAR 2011, Anup.
Life has different ways of awakening the inner instincts and in leading us to what we are requied to do for Nature.
As you have always been doing, you will certainly walk through this period of personal difficulties with courage and achieve your GOAL of doing your bit for the Gangetic Dolphins.
We are with you.

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

Thanks Madhu, for all your kind wishes. Thanks also for the encouragement. GD's are in dire straits and we need to scale up our efforts there. I have built quite a good network of field biologists, NGO's, WCS, volunteers etc. Cheers, all the best to you and family too!

YOSEE said...

Wonderful to read about the focus you've found and the life changing decision you have made. I congratulate you for your courage, conviction and faith and send you all my best wishes for fulfilment in everything you do.

Wishing your mother good health.

May we all have a saner and peaceful 2011.
Regards.

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

Thanks Yosee, for your support on FB as well. You've seen what I'm doing there. On the ground activities are also starting already. My focus was a little off for a while, Dolphins gave me that much needed long term direction. True, lets wish for a saner and peaceful 2011. Need both, sanity and peace in good measure.

Balachandran said...

Dear Captain,

If not anything else, there's definitely one common thing that happened in 2010 for you and me....Enlightened with a sense of Purpose, in a different dimension than the regular humanly matters....

Wishing you good luck and let 2011 be the roots on which future flowers bloom!

Swaram said...

Nice to know that Captain. Will be looking forward to reading more about them :)

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

@ Chan: Thanks for your visit to my blog. Thanks for your kind observations and all the best to you as well, for 2011.

@swaram: I have been uploading much of the info on FB and will write about them here also. I hope to blog about my personal experiences while working for the Gangetic Dolphin conservation. Thanks for your encouragement!

Teamgsquare said...

Happy new year . Hope everything gets back to normal sir . Wish to read more on Gangetic Dolphins .We need to preserve our nature before everything gets destroyed .All the best may all your project on gangetic dolphin become great success .

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

@Team G Square: Thanks for your kind greetings. I liked your blog too, all the best with your blogging. Thanks also for wishing me luck with the Gangetic Dolphin effort..happy to say that almost everyday we are getting to do something good for their conservation and our community has grown further. Cheers.

Baron's Life said...

excellent determination but more importantly conviction and determination...Happy New Year Captain Murthy and all the best for 2011

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

Baron's Life: Thanks very much for your kind words. All the best to you as well, for 2011. Cheers!

Bhushavali said...

Hope 2011 brings you lots of happiness, good health and peace!!!
My 100th post - Dedicated to all

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

Thanks Bhusha, all the best to you for 2011! Cheers on your 100th Blog Post. Keep writing!

Unknown said...

Hi.Your post here mirrors what I feel . I have only traveled so far to appreciate what God has given us. You , a well traveled person has experienced first hand and connected with our cousins,and is very lucky to have found a reason for life. sorry to hear about your father's loss. I completely understand what you mean. Here's to lots more good reads ..ami

Capt. Anup Murthy said...

Hi Ami, thanks for going through this blog, I wrote it with some difficulty because of the circumstances. It was actually worse than it sounds on my blog but I did not want to depress everyone who reads it. My blog archives paint a very different picture of my life, of having travelled widely (and I have)and living it up. Reality is that, I am at heart still very simple and my affections for our cousins of the sea is deep. Conservation has taken a big part of what I do. 2010 was a wake up call, I was perhaps lulled into a false sense of security like other people also face sometime in their lives. I am fortunate to find some very good people to interact with and that has been the highlight of my existence. Thanks again for reading!