The real-life avatar..

James Cameroon's Avatar - A massive hit of the year and has mind-boggling collections all over the world. Is it only on the screen or does it happen in real-life?

I will take you through to a strikingly similar, with just the names-changed version of real-life happenings that I saw and see with my own eyes every day.

Place:

Pandora, a moon of the planet Polyphemus, some 4.3 light years away from the earth.

Orissa, a state in the country India, some 3.5*10^-10 light years away from Pyramid of Giza. (Pyramid of Giza chosen for obvious reasons).

Mineral:

Unobtanium, which can save the earth from present energy crisis.

Bauxite, which can flood the earth with more automobiles and aircrafts that cause these energy crisis.

Organisation:

Resources Development Administration, carrying out the Pandora mission.

Vedanta Resources Plc., carrying out the Vedanta Aluminium Project.

Affected:

Na'vis of the Pandora, especially the Omaticayas in particular, whose sacred "Hometree of pure sprits of Eywa" are encroached upon. HomeTree rests upon Pandora's biggest deposit of Unobtanium.

Common people of Orissa on the whole, with Dongaria Kondhs in particular, with their sacred mountain Niyamgiri hills in jeopardy. Niyamgiri has the biggest desposit of Bauxite.

Currently, Vedanta's Alumina-Operations have come to a standstill because of the agitations caused in the Niyamgiri mining area. But, since they already have an 0.28 mtpa aluminium smelter in full operation in Jharsuguda, Orissa, they are importing alumina from Australia. Someone, who is unsure about the way the mining rights case is going to go, won't produce aluminium at $1793 per ton when the market selling price is only $1953 per ton. The ulterior motives and hidden truth of bribes is clearly seen.

The undertaken CSR activities aren't that wonderful enough, to keep the agitators pacified. Now, caught in the wrong foot, the only safety net is the Indian government, which is going to turn the verdict in Vedanta's favor. That is because, if a person who sold Aluminium scraps from an Aluminium PSU - BALCO can woo the government to buy-out the same, with the then political family's support, he can repeat it once again, as the family hasn't changed in any dimension.

The factual analogies are clearly stated. And now comes the time, where we face the harsh reality that, it is not a happy ending in the real-life when compared to the reel-life. The Supreme Court is on the brink of issuing "No Objection" certificate to Vedanta Resources to resume mining in the Niyamgiri hills.

With money anything is possible, especially in India, as people's sentiments are secondary. Those of you, who think, "let the tribal people relocate" and support the argument that "let the tribal people step back to prosper the Industrial Revolution", I just want you to think about a situation and answer honestly. If there is a new metro rail project coming up in your city and the route that has to be laid is such that, your house which was built by your father's hard-earned money or an ancestral home has to be demolished, wouldn't you feel pathetic?? It is all the same.

I know when someone higher up the hierarchy reads this article, my appraisal or even my job is at stake. But, let me tell you, with my experience here in this place, I sometimes feel that uprising of Maoists is very much justified (although I don't support their acts). When they mean that they are poor and deprived, they are. I am very much aware that the money paid by Vedanta has given me the liberty to travel places, read literatures and write my opinions. But, someone has to be on the other side to deliver things to the world. My actions may not bring a change right now, but, my words would do, because I know this message would spread so that people will join me to oppose the non-sense and deliver a diplomatic solution to the affected.