Eunuchs

India is a great country. The world knows it is a great democracy. It does wonders to its writers, thinkers, activists, journalists, whistle-blowers and all those who yearn for better governance. It turns them into eunuchs. All of them end up making noises (akin to clapping by eunuchs), achieving nothing (no babies). But there is a difference. While the eunuchs combine to clap, the intelligentsia of India clap in isolation. Only if they could unite as eunuchs do, may be in effect they could have their sex changed and could also produce!

The Crown Prince and the Masses

We say we are a great democracy. They say India is a great democracy. Are we? We have the history of having been ruled by kings and their descendents. Were we a democracy then? Our governance at the top remains same; to be ruled by the descendents in a particular family remains our fate even after 64 years of having declared ourselves a democratic republic. The pride we take in servility becomes too glaring when none other than Rahul Gandhi is projected as the next Prime Minister of India by the seasoned and eminent leaders of the largest political party of the country, Indian National Congress or simply Congress.

What is so special or so great about Rahul Gandhi that he should be projected as the Prime Minister in waiting? Is he a great orator? Is he a great thinker? Is he exceptionally talented? Has he got exceptional organizing capabilities? Is he an exceptionally gifted leader? Does he possess an overall personality to stand out in comparison to all other leaders and eminent personalities? Answer to all above and any other such question will be a loud ‘no’. On the contrary, of late whenever he has conducted himself publicly, more often he has given the impression of being a moron, specially while reading out that borrowed idea on Lokpal issue from a text written by someone else during zero hour in the Loksabha in late August, 2011. Then why should he be projected as the next Prime Minister of such a vast, populous and challenging a country as India?

Rahul Gandhi as a congressman has a peculiar worthiness which no one else (except his sister) has or can have. He was born as a son of Rajiv Gandhi who was born to one Indira Gandhi who was daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru who had become the first Prime Minister of India. In ancient and medieval times, when kings ruled, their sons, the rajkumars, were groomed to be kings and normally took over from their fathers or after father’s death. They could be capable or couldn’t be capable but none other than them would be the next king. The loyal and servile congress leaders are doing their best not only in grooming and protecting Rahul Gandhi but also in projecting him as the next prime minister of India inspite of his inherent failings. They will do their best in attributing anything good (of late there has not been much) to the vision and leadership of Rahul Gandhi and any failure to other forces. Having born in India, it is my fate to be ruled by leaders who excel each other in sycophancy and for whom sycophancy of a particular family is the greatest virtue for being the leaders in the forefront and with power.

Congress leaders do it on purpose and to serve their self-interest. Understandable. Towards that end they all accept that they have to be less capable than the members of a particular family such that they must be ruled by that family. If they are happy considering themselves as asses why should I complain? But I do wonder about the rest of the country, the billion plus, specially the educated and the intelligentsia among them, who call themselves a great democracy and yet allow themselves to be ruled by a particular family. The uneducated ones may deserve pardon in this regard. But when a large section of the intelligentsia, specially editors, political commentators, the socially elevated, the dignitaries, the film-makers, the writers et-all fall over each other in promoting the crown prince as the next prime minister of India either overtly or covertly, to me education loses all its virtue.

I feel I am a normal person. It therefore beats me how a large section among the intelligentsia of this vast country could promote or even accept Rahul Gandhi as the future prime minister. How do they face their spouses and children with this servile mentality? What does life mean to them? What do liberty and freedom mean to them? Is to be materially well-off the ultimate in life? Is a sense of servility not a curse? I am apolitical and appreciate the capability of congress leaders. But it pains to find that capability not being put to right use. It pains to find even the best among them competing with each other in the art of sycophancy. My life and experiences so far have clearly shown me that I was born in a slave country and present indications tell me that I shall die in a slave country. But I shall continue to yearn that I die in a really free country, free from feudalistic mentality. How my countrymen respond to my yearning, time alone will tell. I doubt if they would bother about an unknown Indian?

Guilty

Suddenly there are new allegations made on Baba Ramdev every other day. Anna Hazare was publicly accused of having been totally corrupt. Arvind Kezriwal is being slapped with notices for dues worth lakhs of rupees. This proves they are guilty beyond doubt. Guilty of having been born in a country called India.

The Way Forward

A write up on the recent uprising against corruption led by Anna Hazare.

The Way Forward

In the evening on Saturday, the 27th August, 2011, the electronic media headlines across India screamed ‘Victory of people’s power’, ‘Complete victory for Anna Hazare’ and more to that effect when nothing more than a face saving compromise for all the players involved was achieved. Anna Hazare himself said that it was half victory. The wise said that a ray of hope had appeared and battle had just begun. Cynics continued with their cynicism, history being on their side. Let us try to analyze the recent uprising objectively but with a positive frame of mind.

First let us try to understand the cynicism. Many patriots, their hearts filled with love for their countrymen and with anger for the unjust British regime, notably Bhagat Singh, Vir Savarkar and Chandrashekhar Azad, sacrificed their young lives for us. Mahatma Gandhi, a role model for the world even today, guided us till 1948. In post independent India, corruption became the key issue in 1974-75 and there was ‘total revolution’ led by Jai Prakash Narayan. What is the net result of those sacrifices and efforts? That many a leader thrown up by us, the people, today can easily compete with the most corrupt in the world. Corruption and injustice are all pervasive and at an all time high. History, thus, doesn’t give much hope from this popular uprising. The way forward, but, will be to learn from history rather than to get demoralized by it.

Cynicism also emanates from the fact that Jan Lokpal Bill, even as per draft put forth by team Anna, can’t be panacea for corruption. In fact, there is no dearth of institutions and laws already to curb corruption in India. If all these have failed, why proposed Lokpal also will not fail? Cynics may rightly ask. The examples of Hongkong and Singapore are given in support of efficacy of Lokpal. Not rightly. Because for one these two are miniscule states compared to India, and secondly one doubts if corruption ever would have had permeated so deep and vast in the societies there as it has in India. Anna did publicly challenge that if Jan Lokpal as envisaged by them came into being, corruption would come down by 60-65%. It is anybody’s guess. To my mind, time will prove Anna grossly wrong if their version of Jan Lokpal ever came into being. Lokpal could at best be effective in dealing with high level corruption cases. The irony is that the agitation in the end was precisely for a purpose which is farthest away from the realm of possibility –to ensure that common man’s life becomes hassle free, corruption-free and honorable (through broadening the scope of Lokpal).

If rules and laws could achieve what these are set out to, petty offenders won’t be languishing in jails for years without trial; innumerable people won’t be waiting to get information under RTI Act even after a year (having run from pillar to post) that they should have got easily within 30 days as envisaged in the law; 2G, CWG scams, and even worse scandals not taken up by popular media such as illegal and harmful drug trials on unsuspecting poor, along with fat Swiss bank balances won’t have come into existence; whistleblowers won’t be suffering victimization; police atrocities would be unheard of, and so on. An attempt to change character of a people gone base beyond imagination through the institution of Lokpal is as laughable as anything could be. One who has had a close encounter with Indian bureaucracy will readily understand what I mean to say. No doubt, there are gems of individuals adorning number of bureaucratic positions, but the collective effect of bureaucracy, the backbone of governance, manifests itself in the state of affairs country has witnessed of late. The other pillars are also not much behind.

Does it then mean that Anna and his team have been wasting energy and have been misleading the nation knowingly? Certainly not. What they have done is historical and no child’s play. To me their integrity is impeccable and selflessness is beyond doubt. They have galvanized a country of dead souls for a noble cause. This is all they have achieved since on the front of Jan Lokpal they have not accomplished much yet. But it itself is no mean achievement. It is through this creation of synergy through their hard labour that we have to find our way forward.

A question arises as to who are these people who have been supporting Anna and his cause so determinedly and so passionately, not in hundreds and thousands but in lakhs, across the length and breadth of the country. The government of the day has clearly been the adversary. Are these the same people who had voted the government to power, or the ones who had voted against the ruling parties or those who had not voted at all? I suspect a large chunk might be belonging to the last category. Whatever, thoroughly disgusted with exposure of multi-thousand crore scams on weekly basis on one hand and having to deal with sky-rocketing prices and injustice on daily basis on the other hand, it was natural for them to join the movement so spontaneously.

The uprising and its leaders also have had their share of critics. Who have been these people? First the political leaders from the ruling dispensation, they being the threatened lot. Then those who stand to gain from status quo and the present government. Quite natural. But seemingly a surprise pack have been a number of other social activists and luminaries who themselves have been and will be crusaders against corruption. It is here that the tragedy lies. All the good guys don’t combine to fight the evil. Very often, their egos, jealousy and flawed thinking come in the way. And evil continues to win.

The soundest piece of advice (I am not sure if it were original) to Anna and his team came from Mayavati in the last stages of the fast, “Fight and win elections, form government and make laws as you would like.” Why not if they have got the popular public support as was visible through media? Might is right and might will remain right whatever one may say or write. They must accept the challenge and start working on it, starting from the ensuing UP elections themselves. There is no alternative if they have to have their way, even if they needed nothing for themselves but the masses. Baba Ramdev and his Bharat Swabhiman Party may join and strengthen the cause. Other good forces also may join and do their bit. The converse is also true. If they lose elections, it would mean that people at large didn’t need them as yet and they may quit or strengthen themselves further. They have not achieved much as an outside pressure group in terms of their demands yet and shouldn’t expect to achieve much in future either.

The Lokpals and Lokayuktas are aimed at catching the culprits after irregularities or crimes have been committed. Prevention of corruption is much more desirable and is more effective in saving precious public money than running after the culprits. And various systemic structural reforms, for example in land management and public procurement, are the way forward to arrest large scale corruption. The willingness for same has to come from the political leadership and top bureaucracy who so far, to their own peril, have been impervious to the public outcry and the need of the hour.

The millions who so passionately participated in and supported the movement need not wait either for elections or for Lokpal. They can start fighting corruption at the micro level straight away by resisting taking or giving bribes. More importantly, they should combine and lend support to those around them who become victim of corruption or injustice, with same zeal and conviction with which they undertook the candle light marches and shouted slogans. If they do so, no Lokpal will be necessary to combat corruption. And if we don’t do so, any number of Lokpals will prove ineffective and helpless in arresting the malaise in present Indian society.

PS: This was also published in 'The Statesman' dated 7th Nov, 2011.

A Salute

I feel proud to be an Indian, may be for the first time in my life. The way lakhs of individuals on roads have united as one man irrespective of caste, creed, religion, age, sex, profession, class, geography, and political affiliations across the nation with the conviction and passion on display in support of Anna Hazare and with the objective of a corruption free India, I salute them. As Arvind Kejriwal said after coming out of jail a while ago, "now there is a ray of hope". Still, it is just a ray, nothing more. Those who understand Indian society will understand this.

During last couple of days, I have seen editors talking bullshit (Sh. Vinod Sharma of Hindustan Times among them) and editors talking what they should (Sh. N Ram of Hindu) on electronic media. I have seen leaders from ruling party and leaders not from ruling party (Lalu ji) repeatedly making fool of themselves through their utterances, a few lawyer Ministers being outstanding in this regard. But it hurts when people call PM names and blame the government for having been dictatorial and foolish beyond comprehension in having arrested Anna and his team. Why don't people understand that PM meant it when he said his government was determined against corruption? It is for this reason they have been acting (even though appearing too foolish) in a way such that the movement against corruption gains momentum in no time.

In Defence of Kalmadis and Yedyurappas

About a fortnight back, I penned my thoughts in the form of an article with above title and sent to 'The Statesman' if it could find any use for it. Disappointingly, it couldn't as it seems. So I reproduce below the article/write-up as I feel it is quite relevant in current times.

"In defence of Kalmadis and Yedyurappas

I am an ordinary citizen who reads newspapers and watches electronic news channels. For last one year my conscience has been bombarded with some big names who had been highly corrupt and were looting nation’s wealth or had been the facilitators for the loot. They must be prosecuted and put behind bars to cleanse the society of corruption. Suresh Kalmadi of CWG fame, Ashok Chavan for Adarsh Housing Society, A Raja and Kanimozhi for 2G scam, Yedyurappa for illegal iron ore mining in Karnataka, and now Sheila Dixit again for CWG. The list has ever been increasing. I wonder. I wonder why they should be prosecuted in first place and how their prosecution will help the society.

Let us try to understand what society is. Simply we, the people, are the society. We say that the politicians, the judiciary, the media, and the bureaucracy are the four pillars that carry the society. Kalmadi and Yedyurappa are being accused of having been corrupt. Agreed. How did they get opportunity to be corrupt? Firstly they were voted for, supported and elected by us, the society, to represent us in the legislature. It is not that before their election they were honest or known to be honest. They were voted for not for their honesty or integrity but for considerations such as their political affiliations, their religions, their castes, how they would be useful to voter groups, how much money they could spend or had spent etc. Whatever they were, honest or corrupt, they were before the elections and yet they were elected through a majority vote in their favour. They didn’t change colours overnight after elections. Even after elections they didn’t become OC or CM of their own accord. Someone else entrusted them with the responsibilities out of many options that could be available. The Prime Minister in the former case and the Karnataka legislature in the latter. Is it fair and just on part of the society to ask for heads of those whom it itself gave power to be corrupt? Yes, they are the culprits, but those who empowered them are the greater culprits. And natural justice would demand that they are punished before Kalmadis and Yedyurappas are punished. What happens in bureaucracy? The rogues and corrupts are given top and choice postings (doesn’t mean all top postings go only to rogues and corrupts). And when scandals strike, fingers are pointed at them. Those responsible for having positioned them to indulge in loot go scot-free.

Let us look at it another way also. What does Indian society do to people who show exemplary courage in fighting corrupt systems and attempt to cleanse the same? It treats them as pariah, kills them, or abandons them to suffer. All the four pillars, the politicians, the judiciary, the media, and the bureaucracy combine to be perpetrators or to feign helplessness when such people are persecuted and more than them their families suffer. Sh. Sanjiv Chaturvedi, the forest officer in Haryana and me are two live recent examples (there are a number of dead examples, Late Satyendra Kumar Dubey and Manjunath readily come to mind). I am not aware if any one of them has been honoured even posthumously by the State. Does not the Indian society by its actions demoralize those who tend to serve it and does it not motivate one to be corrupt? Then is it just for the same society to ask for punishment to a few caught in acts of corruption? It is not to condone their wrong-doings but society must understand and accept that it had been prompting them all along to be corrupt. We are really a strange people. We make so much noise about corruption and yet indulge in or accept corruption in our day to day life nonchalantly, and look down upon those fighting corruption from within as unwanted or undesirable aberrations. Sh. Rajinder Puri, for different reasons, through a very well reasoned article in the columns of this newspaper (The Statesman) asked the other day whether world was sane or mad. Answer is evident.

I am none but an ordinary citizen who reads newspapers and watches electronic news channels. I come across great sense of proportion our media has. I come across a channel that goes on harping about matters involving loss of a few crores of rupees for months (CWG scam), but doesn’t find matters involving running loss of thousands of crores of rupees (railway procurement scam) even worth reporting or mentioning. Clearly behind postures, the big names have their own axe to grind. No problem. But when they selectively ask for heads of Kalmadis and Yedyurappas, it causes revulsion. Since they dare not point fingers at those really responsible, the source, continuing well entrenched in their seats of power.

I read and listen to a number of accomplished leaders and legal and social luminaries giving assurances, making convincing arguments, blaming one-another, taking credit for wonderful work done and so on. While they keep themselves engaged in game of one-upmanship, I learn that out of one rupee of public money spent, lesser and lesser is reaching the public. The number of people below poverty line and that of starving or malnourished children in my country is ever increasing by millions. The heads of Kalmadis and Yedyurappas don’t help me, the society or the country as long as the above trends don’t get reversed. And I know as a result of my experiences as a common man and out of whatever common-sense I have that rolling of a few heads among lakhs deserving same treatment hasn’t reversed and will not reverse the trend. Therefore I wonder how their prosecution alone will help the society.

Without attending to basic problems, obsession with Kalmadis and Yedyurappas will be like wasting time in severing heads of Ravana as in no time other heads will prop up to take their place. And let us not deceive ourselves in hoping that basic problems will ever be attended to in current dispensation. In the words of Churchill, we have been allowing and facilitating rascals, rogues, freebooters and men of straw to lead us since independence. I tend to hope they have been more of freebooters and men of straw than rascals and rogues. Though of late those belonging to ruling dispensation have been distinguishing themselves in shamelessness in addition, through their daily utterances. The society allows these leaders to prosper and Baba Ramdevs who take up cudgels on behalf of the masses to pale away.

Gandhiji was not a fool when he compared the parliamentary system to prostitute and sterile woman hundred years ago. Having still gone for same system of governance and having chosen our leaders (leaders don’t chose themselves, we chose them) as prophesized by Churchill since independence, our finding scapegoats in Kalmadis, Rajas, and Yedyurappas will not help and will only be self-deceiving. Unfortunately, we have been past masters in self-deception all along."

PS (27/8/11): I, on the fine morning of the 24th Aug, found the above article on the editorial page of The Statesman duly edited as a special article. I did feel a great sense of satisfaction.

Necessity of Conflict

I reproduce below an article 'Conflict necessary for Creativity' by Sh. Raj Kachroo from today's TOI (Times of India dt 4/8/11). A perfectly written piece of wisdom. It is also relevant to my recent posts. I would request 'good' Indians to appreciate this article.

"When M K Gandhi was thrown out of a train in South Africa he had a choice to make - either to ignore the event and live in peace or enter into a conflict and face harassment, hardship and the possibility of getting physically hurt. He chose the latter. Why? Did he not have a guru who had taught him that living in peace and tranquillity was the ultimate objective of life and the best way to achieve this objective was to avoid situations of conflict? Why did he not walk away?

The Dalai Lama chose to live in exile rather than live in peace in Tibet. He is a spiritual master himself. He preaches peace around the world. Does he not know that living in peace requires avoiding situations of conflict?

Aung San Suu Kyi did not have to stay in jail. Winston Churchill did not have to join the World War. Nelson Mandela did not have to suffer in solitary confinement. Julius Nyerere did not have to fight a war with Idi Amin. There is a long list of people who have embraced conflict despite standing for peace, otherwise. They had the courage to stand up against repression rather than submit to it.

Both the Ramayana and Mahabharata, revered Indic epics, are stories of war, not peace. Krishna did not tell the Pandavas to ignore the incident of Draupadi's humiliation in court (the Draupadi vastraharan). He encouraged them to go to war. The Gita says engaging in war to uphold truth is not a matter of choice for a warrior; it is his duty. Islam says participation in jihad is the duty of a Muslim when the fight is to uphold justice when challenged by oppression, as a way of self-defence.

Most of us are confused between conflict and the method of resolving a conflict. We assume, incorrectly, that Gandhi, as a peace-loving person, must have avoided situations of conflict. On the other hand, he faced conflict head-on. Bhagat Singh and Gandhi were both gearing themselves to deal with conflict, except that Gandhi tried to employ peaceful means while Bhagat Singh chose aggression.

The duty of a scientist, artist or professor is also to engage in conflict against repressive regimes of knowledge. Any kind of limited knowledge is a form of bondage. Albert Einstein advanced the boundaries of scienti-fic knowledge. James Joyce did the same in the world of literature. He flouted rules of writing as he saw them as restrictions on creativity. Picasso and M F Husain, for example, explored realms beyond accepted rules in visual art. Mother Teresa redefined the concept of caring. Every one of them faced criticism and controversy, yet they remained convinced of the nature of their work and the methods they used to fulfil their vision. They remained engaged.

One can only conclude from this that the people we admire and even those we worship have all rejected the existing as being adequate and have chosen to engage in conflict to expand the existing. They have redefined the purpose of our life.

The purpose of our life is not to live in passive acceptance but to engage with conflict in order to be creative. Creativity is the purpose of life. The purpose is to advance an individual soul and the collective Consciousness. The only word of caution here is that we must first settle ourselves spiritually so that we know whether a conflict is justified or not. "