Walking along the outer circle of the Connaught Place on the sixty third anniversary of the republic day, I could not help wonder why it still resembled the remnants of a bombed out place, despite the (in)famous common wealth games being over more than two years ago. While one appreciates that the rampant loot during the games ensured the failure of the attempts to revive the glory of the round market place named after the duke of Connaught, what one is unable to fathom is the inability of the city government to finish the job even after a lapse of over two years, despite repeated promises made by none other than the chief minister of Delhi.
With half hearted restoration
efforts having been launched almost two years before the games began the time
period that has since elapsed is exactly equal to what it took to build the
market place from scratch during the period 1929 to 1933, almost eighty years
ago. The Duke of Connaught would indeed be turning in his grave at the plight of the place named after him.
Eighty years of nothingness! And what
a downfall and that is what saddens the heart of every nationalist who still
walks on the soil of the nation that was once regarded as the richest in the
world in terms of wealth, culture and civilization.
A nation brought to its knees by
its very own government elected by its own constituents and what does it
indicate? Perhaps our inability towards self rule, otherwise why should one
witness, day in and day out rank incompetence in almost every sector of
governance, irrespective of the party in power. The rampant loot that the
politicos and bureaucrats indulged into during the commonwealth games, that otherwise
should have been an occasion of national pride is ample evidence of our
inability to govern our own nation. Beggars on the street, abject poverty, lack
of basic infrastructure, rampant corruption and lack of value systems in the
society at large are symptoms of a nation that is yet to arrive on the world
scene.
That mere consumer goods and a
glamorous parade on the Rajpath does not make a nation is what all of us have
yet to learn to appreciate. We also have to realize that mere criticism
would not take us forward and the only way ahead lies in all of us setting an
example in delivery and value systems irrespective of the rot that one
witnesses all around.
Long live the Republic!
There is no doubt you would have completed the renovation work of Connaught Place in six months time( well before the Games) had it even been one of your additional duties over and above the Railways. But the majority are damn scared lest you change the standards of deliverance.So they will call you for the challenges only when their own survival is under question if performance is not there.In the case of Air India also I think they will call you when auction becomes almost inevitable.
ReplyDeleteIt's not only Air India but, true even for some dying PSU's under Rly.s with capacity to give life to millions.
ReplyDeleteWe are what we get, we get what we are Mr Lohani.
ReplyDeleteOn a public platform everybody is a preacher but a far cry otherwise, and this i think does not only apply to politicians or bureaucrats, but also to those seemingly at the receiving end. this is another kind of erosion or green house emissions happening to us human being and our psyche (name it greed, lust or whatever). While i may be sounding sincere and honest by these words, but I am not. So are you. So is this Anonymous gentlman.
Well you are a man of action and what I have learnt by watching people like you is to try to leave a better legacy.