India may not win gold medals. It may not top the world in economics, art or culture.But India is the world leader in breaking ships. Let the Americans, British and Japaneseargue about who best makes ships. We know who best breaks them. Nobody in the whole wideworld can break ships as quickly and thoroughly as we can. It makes me proud.
Last week Andreas Bernstorff and Nityanand Jayaraman of Greenpeace International held apress conference in New Delhi. They said that breaking old and toxic ships was veryhazardous, exposing those involved to death and disease.
We braved death and disease. We smashed the ships to smithereens. We became worldchamps. Earlier China was number one. We've beaten them hollow. Now 70 per cent of theships dismantled in the world are India's work.
I was naturally curious about this activity in which we excel over the whole world. Iconsulted an expert. He dwelt at length on the high skill Indians had developed inbreaking things. He agreed to take me to a scrapyard and act as my guide while a ship wasactually being broken.
When we reached the scrapyard we saw a strange sight. Men and women brandishing hammersand pickaxes danced around a battered ship. The ship's captain was tied to the mast. Analtercation was going on.
'They are arguing about whether the ship should be broken or salvaged, my guidewhispered. 'It's battered but I don't think it deserves to be broken just yet.
'What's the ship's name and who's that tied to the ship's mast? I whispered back.
'It's called the Ship Of State, he murmured. 'That's Captain Vajpayee. He says ifthey break the ship they will have to break him too. But the ship-breakers don't care!
Men in saffron were screaming and denting the ship with trishuls. 'They want to breakthe ship because they say it's been polluted by foreign waters, my guide explained.'The other chap pounding the ship with his hammer is Yashwant. He's complaining becausethe ship has left foreign waters!
Yashwant was shouting. 'We can't budge it chaps, let's break it! Let's sell theship as scrap to foreigners! We'll become rich!
The atmosphere became tense. We decided to leave. As we departed we heard the captainshouting, 'Listen fellows! Why not let the country decide....??
We'll act before we think, sir,
Not swim but rather sink, sir,
Smash the ship of state, sir,
Hurry to the pearly gate, sir!
