From Now Scientwist:
Researchers in the field of Social
Psychology from NAMHANS in India have given a name to a phenomenon that has
been observed for quite some time now. This phenomenon has been known in the
field Organismic Social Psychology. (Study of communities as if they were
living organisms) The new name is Repetitive Ropeway Urge Syndrome (RRUS).
RRUS
Scientists have long observed that within
each Community there is a group of people elected, appointed or selected to
lead the Community and take care of the Community's interests. This group is
called Authority Group (AG). Every now and then AG loses touch with reality and
loses common sense and executes or plans to execute, things that are not in the
interests of the community, thereby not fulfilling the very purpose of AG. When
the Community wakes up to this, it has to organise itself to stop the plans from
being executed or undo or mitigate the effects of the things already excuted. A
struggle ensues in which the AG loses touch with the Community and reality more
and more. Much money, effort and time are lost in the process.
The name for this phenomenon was prompted
by one strange manifestation of it in a city in South India. This city boasts
of an extraordinarily beautiful range of hills rising a 1000 feet (locals always
use this archaic unit since 1000 (ft) is far more impressive than 330 (m),
whatever the units may be) from the plains around it. Atop it is a temple
dedicated to the deity of the erstwhile royal family of the kingdom which bore
the name of the city itself. The hills are eponymous with the deity.
Repeatedly, the AG of this city has been seized by an urge to build a ropeway to
the hilltop and has announced its plans. When the Community came to know about
the plans, it organised itself, gathered public opinion - strongly against the
plan - and thwarted the AG successfully. It has happened at least twice
already. The AG of this city is in the throes of the urge once again, at the
time of this report. It was during this latest episode that the researchers
coined the new name.
Now that the phenomenon has been defined
and named, the researchers show how the AG is disconnected from the Community
by enumerating the reasons why the Community feels that it does not want the
rope way. The reasons are many. Some are listed below.
1. It
is unnecessary and hence a waste of public money: If it is impossible or
very difficult to build a motorable road to the top of a hill, it may be
necessary to have ropeways. The hills in question have very good set of roads,
with hardly a hairpin bend. This makes the ropeway unnecessary, the members of
the Community feel.
1.1 The AG says
that that it will attract tourists. The city itself and the surrounding areas,
within a 15 km. radius, have so many tourist attractions that one more is of
not much value. As it is, many tourists have to choose from the many worthwhile
attractions and are forced to leave out a few. Some tourists may be tempted to
devote some of their time and money for a ride on the ropeway and miss the more
historically and aesthetically significant ones.
2. The
ecological impact: The hills are covered with thick scrub jungle.
Installing the ropeway will necessitate clearing parts of it. This and the
human activity during the construction will cause irreparable damage to it.
3. Noise
and Light pollution and garbage: Some members of the community are
concerned that the two ends of the ropeway will attract commercial activity -
eateries, curio shops and give rise to noise, lights, garbage and make the
hilltop more congested than it already is.
4. Sociological:
Some members of the community say that it is meant for the pleasure of the
rich and ask why the rest of the Community should bear the ill effects?
5. Suspicion:
Finally, one oft-repeated concern expressed by many members of the Community is
about the AG making money illegally from the ropeway project. If the project is
allowed, the AG "eats" a large portion of the funds allotted and very
little of it actually goes into the stated purpose – is how it is expressed.
People who express this opinion are called cynics. (One particular dictionary
defines a cynic as a realist)
Even though the name of the phenomenon described
has the term ‘repetitive’ in it, signifying that the same (stupid, as some call
it) idea keeps popping up repeatedly, it is not a necessary condition.
Repetitive may refer to different (stupid) ideas occurring to the AG one after
the other.
Here are some pictures of the Community
that has organised itself to stop the latest Ropeway Urge of the AG of the city
that gave rise to the name RRUS.
The first few steps of the thousand or so steps to the top
A poster explaining the reasons for the opposition to the ropeway
A signature collection campaign to oppose the ropeway
Some of the people conducting the campaign
*Photographs Copyright: J L Anil Kumar
