The Crush (2010) Oscar Winning Short Film

Fire in the Blood - Corporate Greed playing with millions of Lives

Note: All information in this article is derived from watching the documentary "Fire in the Blood" on Zoom TV.

Sunday afternoons can be quite difficult to go through, for the sheer lack of things to do, even after getting up at 2:00 pm. So as always, I turned to the usual resort, the Television today. While channel surfing, I came across something related to HIV -AIDS being aired on Zoom - India's equivalent of ET. The surprise value made me stay on initially, but soon, as the documentary progressed, all I felt was sheer horror at the apathy of the industry which at one point of time,I aspired to be a part of. I had no idea what the documentary was called, how much of it had already gone by, as there were no ad - breaks. It was only when it ended, I came to know that it is called "Fire in the Blood", listed on IMDB for a 2012 release (?????). To those of you reading the article, I can suggest that you either continue reading, or check out their website - http://www.fireintheblood.com/.

For those of us who have been subject to classes on Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Patents, the concept has been pitched as one which was introduced to protect the rights of tribal, indigenous populations, poor communities, and inventors in general, over their resources and creations. We were also given vague ideas about how, evil, corrupt multinational corporations used these patent laws to infringe on the rights of those very communities - case being in point the Basmati rice, turmeric etc. However, watching this documentary, you'd come to know that the gigantic scale of the greed of the most profitable business on earth - that of "saving lives" - the giant multinational pharmaceutical companies.

The basic crux of the documentary is the fact that how these multinational pharma companies arm-twisted the western governments, International bodies like the WHO, UNAIDS etc, to manipulated patent related legislation and trade agreements to prevent access to cheap, generic drugs, especially the Anti RetroVirals or ARVs to those countries which could not afford them - Africa, South America and certain pockets of Asia. More than 10 million people have died of AIDs and HIV, who could have in fact, been saved very easily, to lead longer, productive lives. Another startling fact, which made me proud of being an Indian, was that it was Cipla, an Indian company, headed by Yusuf Hamied, which has been at the forefront of providing these cheap, generic drugs to poorer African and other nations, and also providing the technical know-how on manufacturing them since the 70's. I have found a new idol in him, and I wonder why, in a country of hero - worshipers (cricket, Bollywood) such eminent personalities and their contributions not highlighted?? Or was it my own ignorance?

First, the basic facts - 90% of the pharma companies revenues come from just 10 -20 odd developed countries, with the United States of America accounting for 50% by itself. The entire continent of Africa accounts for just 1% - in other words, a market these companies can afford to ignore. of the top 500 fortune companies, the top 10 pharma companies (GSK, Pfizer, J & J etc) are more profitable than the other 490 companies combined. That gives a fair idea of the enormity of the money involved in this business.

The documentary features many people including an ex-CEO or something from Pfizer, a correspondent of the NY times who was instrumental in blowing the lid off this scam of gigantic proportions through his articles, an NGO worker from South Africa, doctors from India, Mr. Yusuf Hamied from Cipla himslef, an official from UNAIDS, Bill Clinton and many others, who reveal the hard - hitting truths behind this fiasco.

The cost of ARV therapy in the USA, and other countries, was more than $ 15000 per year in 2001. It still is so, in the USA at least. These costs, were unachievable for most people in any developing country, leave alone Africa. The giant pharma companies were just focused on the USA and other developed countries - the 90% of the market, which could afford to pay for them. As a result, in 2001 there were only 8000 people in the entire continent of Africa who could get these treatments. The others were diagnosed, if lucky, by hospitals, and then told to go home and wait to die. Somewhere down the line, Cipla, an Indian company manufacturing generic drugs, decided to provide ARV therapy drugs to the world at $800 per year ( as opposed to the nearly $800 per month prevalent then), at a global convention on access to cheap drugs, attended by heads of Governments, and the Pharma companies. Everyone was shaken, but not stirred. No one took up the offer. Ultimately, those fighting for the cause of access to cheap drugs for the poor world over did contact Mr. Hamied, and news spread fast and wide that it was possible to provide longer, fulfilling, productive, NORMAL lives to people in Africa, S. America and Asia too. He further agreed to cut production and other costs from the price, bringing it down to nearly $ 350, a dollar a day!!! This shook the very foundations of the pharma countries, which played all the dirty tricks in their books to keep the availability of such generic drugs at bay - from using patent laws, to launching mass advertising campaigns against "cheap, counterfeit drugs" from India.

Still, persistent efforts by NGOs, and individuals like Dr. Peter Mugyenyi from Uganda - who defied his country's patent laws to ship in cheap ARV drugs from Cipla, and facing arrest in the process, ultimately led to the inflow of generic drugs into Africa. The Governments ultimately relented, and now more than 6 million people in Africa, a number even higher than that of the USA, were availing of the ARV therapy, and leading, better, healthier lives. But the pharma companies' fear from the beginning, that once the American consumer learns that someone in Africa is getting the same drugs at $150 pa, for which they paid $15000 a year, they would want the same and their would be a backlash (which, never happened till now) made them turn a blind eye to social responsibility and ethics.

Till now they were manipulating the Western Governments and lobbying to keep generic drugs out of picture. Now they turned to the WTO (World Trade Organization), and at the Geneva Convention where TRIPS was adopted, it all fell apart. India too, along with other governments were signatory to an agreement which made it impossible to manufacture and market cheaper, generic drugs. The future generation of anti-AIDS and HIV drugs would be under these laws, protected by patents and laws, and the poorest of poor would again be denied the right to a healthy, productive life.

This is the basic gist of the documentary, though there is much more. But seeing the miraculous power of these drugs, I was shocked. They showed people who were born with HIV / AIDS, or acquired it at some point, and were nearly on the verge of death, in a day or two.... 11 year olds who looked like a 5 year old's skeleton, a man from Manipur who went underground at his home, isolated for three years after his diagnosis. All these lives were miraculously saved, the girl is now 16, healthy and working, the man became a body builder, was the silver medalist in Mr. India body building competition and went on to qualify for the Asian championships and is a celebrity of sorts. As the girl said "its the same for me, having a cure or having these medicines. I have an incurable disease, but I am taking these medicines, and I am alive."

I got into Bioinformatics / research with the naive notion of it being a gateway to the pharma industry, which I later realized with experience, was not true. But I still wanted to get into the drug development and discovery industry. Watching this documentary, I wonder where are the ethics, where are the morals, where is the greater motive of doing good for the society? As the ex-top notch guy from Pfizer said, its simple, the drug companies are there to make money, not to save the third world. The world surely could do with a few more Yusuf Hamieds.

A very interesting bit of conversation....

http://www.ndtv.com/video/player/ndtv-special-ndtv-24x7/films-that-matter-can-make-money/215829

A very Interesting mash up of the omnipresent Rolling in the Deep with o re Piya

Pumped up Kicks by Foster the People

Amazing band to look out for, great track, great voices, and lyrics that will get you thinking!!!

Delhi 6

When it comes to movies, I somehow standout from the crowd. Many movies which have been panned critically and/or popularly, somehow have ended up appealing to my senses. Saawariya, and Raavan being the most glaring examples. Another one, which I just saw again today, lazing on the couch in the afternoon on account of Eid holiday, is Delhi 6. I saw this movie when I was in Pondicherry, and the only reason was the name. I used to be so Delhi-sick during those two years that anything even remotely related to Delhi was more than enough to lure me towards it. And needless to say, I fell in love with it. I always held this grudge against Bollywood for never paying a fitting homage to Delhi, while Mumbai has had plenty, especially in the form of this timeless ode from CID. However, Delhi 6 paid enough compliments to the city to fill that void a bit. Now those who like to keep up to date with worthless piece of trivia about movies would instantly point out that huge portions of the movie were shot in Jaipur, and not actual Delhi. But then, some bits were shot in Delhi, and overall, the spirit of the city was represented in all its glory and disgrace.Okay, I won't let this post too turn into an ode to Delhi.

So as I saw Delhi 6, it just struck me as a wonderful exercise in introspection. The movie was so well made, an old story so intelligently told in the mould of contemporary Indian society while simultaneously drawing parallels with the mother of all Indian tales, the evergreen Ramayan. And it definitely has to go down in history as one of the most beautifully shot and conceived movies, even if only for the song Dil gira dafatan.

Just see the video if you haven't and you'll see what I mean (hopefully). The juxtaposition of Delhi and New York to depict the central character's dilemma of dual belonging is masterpiece. The all too familiar green CNG autos and cycle rickshaws running in Times Square, or the Statue of Liberty looking over the Jama Masjid are visuals that will stay with you for long after the movie has ended. Even otherwise, the movie provides a wonderful glimpse of the contrast between the charm of Old Delhi, and the new city which aims to be at par with the best in world, with the pride of Delhi, the metro, being used heavily. It also shows how the middle class is coping with this transition, and trying to hold on to its roots, while embracing the new.

The entire movie relies heavily on symbolism, most of it derived from drawing parallels of the storyline with the epic Ramayan. Though there is nothing new in that, the presentation, and the intelligent use of the comparison is what makes this movie stand out. Another example is using the concept of the infamous black monkey of Delhi to expose the fragility of the human boiling pot that is Delhi, or rather India. It doesn't take much for a house of cards to collapse, just like the superfluous communal harmony of our society. One spark is all it takes, to turn you against the guy you shared bread with till yesterday. The movie deals with too many issues at once, communal tensions, the casteism running in our bloods, the values and traditions of a typical Indian family which the younger generations find tough to relate to and often a roadblock in the pursuit of their dreams, media's role in the society, corruption as a way of life, the old striving to survive in face of the onslaught of the new and a thousand other small things, without ever getting preachy. Aren't our day to day lives exactly similar? All of these things play out as part of regular life everyday. And the movie shows them just as such, without being preachy. It does drag, it gets boring in patches towards the end, which does disappoint by following the regular Bollywood mould. But overall, the movie manages to deliver a powerful message - the need to introspect, look within ourselves, as a nation, as a society, and as individuals - in an entertaining fashion, with loads of symbolism thrown in, sometimes subtle, and sometimes "in your face", like the crazy man with the mirror, urging everyone to look within.

The movie doesn't belong to any particular star, it belongs to the characters, the story, the director and his treatment. Though the entire supporting cast is efficient, Divya Dutta, in her blink and miss appearance, stands out. The music by A.R. Rahman was a major hit, and deservedly labelled as one of his best ever efforts. Anyhow, I fail to understand why this amazing movie failed to capture the imagination of Bollywood aficionados. Anyway, what the hell do I know? I am the guy who liked Raavan!!

Death of a Poet

As the pen laid dry,
the mind wandered,
grew restless and quivered,
exasperated,
struggling for freedom,
from the shackles of its own failings.
Longing for the free flow of a waterfall,
the carefree sprint of a deer,
the boundless flight of an eagle.

With quivering hands, it attempted to regain
the lost glory of the past,
like a fawn taking its first steps.
but was brought down to the ground,
by the ruthless claws of the predator,
Gasping for life,
Eyes longingly staring into space,
desperate to reach out,
for one last time.