Inaction Kills!

Inaction kills.

Almost six years of continuous batting on the field, first on the unknown but smooth turf of Bhopal followed by the familiar but undulating turf of Delhi has me thirsting for more. But I am temporarily rested, not to recoup as a matter of design, but more as a matter of policy of the top brass of the railways to clip the wings of whomsoever they perceive as a high flier and maybe a threat to their own mediocre existence.

The two innings separated played on turfs separated by almost eight hundred kilometres had some amazing similarities and some not so amazing differences. What was similar was the level of challenge, the pathetic condition of the terrain handed over to me and the integrity, commitment and capability of my boys. What was different was the complexity of processes, the level of empowerment and trust and the support of the top brass with the delhi turf taking the cake in so far as negativity is concerned. The powers that mattered at Bhopal left no stone unturned in ensuring my success, for the sake of the state of course while the support structure at delhi was virtually non existent with the top brass making its presence felt generally only for finding faults or giving unsolicited advice. Yet, my boys played exceedingly well and what a success it was, even on the delhi turf!

And this further reinforces my belief in the superiority of the people who man the apex levels in the golden service of the nation and those in the railways who man the functional levels, levels that are responsible for keeping the wheels moving.

Why we refuse to accept the ground reality, the truth, knowing fully well that a make believe world cannot be sustained for long. The reality and the basic truth has to be faced some day and therefore why not now? Why is it that the powers that be, refuse to grant basic dignity to all those subservient to them, and would only like to hear the voice of a mediocre or that of a sycophant? Any version other than theirs is normally considered high treason. We have to appreciate that the ivory tower approach suited the british who ruled over subjects of a slave nation, but has no place in a free nation. Perhaps this behaviour is what mediocrity is all about.

It is not physical activity that tires a person, it is physical and mental inactivity that really tires one down. This realization comes only after one is rested after a gruelling long drawn out match.

Amen!

The Delhi Division way!

My innings at Delhi got over yesterday and I am once again back at the stands awaiting the call of the captain. It is for the captain to decide my next role, whether that is of a batsman, bowler, fielder, standby or a spectator. Whatever be the role, the salary remains guaranteed and therein lies the solace.

The last two days have been memorable. Yet the only thing that needs to be taken care of is that the love and adulation of my men, that was on blatant display in abundance should not go to my head. I have to remain grounded, indeed firmly wedded to the ground.

The roller coaster called Delhi division has indeed left its indelible impression on me.  That despite what the majority of us say and feel, it is yet good to be good and bad to be bad and that is the only thing that really matters. That even in the heartless city of Delhi, the emotions have the capability to flow as freely as in the “back of the beyond” place called Patratu, where I spent some time during my heydays, is a thought that got embedded in the core of my heart. Yes, the basic human being is the same everywhere, with love and respect for goodness and human values and that made my eyes tearful  at the thought that I would be for sometime missing the goodness of the entire team of my officers and staff.  

I am reminded of the moment of my departure from Bhopal, the tremendous outpouring of love and affection, even on the streets of the city, of the excrutiating pain of separation from all those who gave me love, affection and success. I am reminded of ITDC, Patratu, DLW, the rail museum, even ICF and all those other places whose men gave me the meaning of life itself. That the true meaning of power is the ability to be able to do something for the masses is a thought that is slowly getting ingrained deep in my psyche for my own betterment perhaps replacing the deep rooted feelings of ego and self aggrandizement.

Prior to landing on the hot seat of Delhi, I could not have earlier imagined the brilliance and commitment of the entire team of my officers. I also could not have earlier visualized the tremendous commitment of the unions towards welfare of the men, besides miserably failing in assessing the deep love and affection of my men towards me. And that gives me a new line of thought – that despite the penchant of the officer clan for wielding power and exploiting the system for self aggrandizement, the men, the railway men remain the true soldiers the organization has. It is indeed hard not to fall in love with the men in the field, the people who keep the wheels moving. It is harder still to hold them accountable for the ills of the system despite knowing fully well that the nonchalance of the bureaucrats is responsible for the staid state of affairs.

Yes, the Delhi team has infused in me a fresh bout of hope, hope that all is not yet lost and that it is still possible to rise from the ashes and restore the glory of the great Indian railways.  

An ode to Madhya Pradesh

We saw "Rajneeti" yesterday. The reason being its locale, Bhopal and its surroundings and throughout the movie we were busy identifying ourselves with the various places where the movie was shot. The movie made both me and my wife nostalgic, even though it has been only three months since we left the state on a transfer to the heartless city of Delhi.

Madhya Pradesh, the heart of incredible India shall forever live in my and my wife's heart. It is the state that gave us a lot of peace, self satisfaction and most importantly "self actualization".

A wonderful state with a wonderful Chief Minister. Till I interacted with the gentleman, I could never have imagined that they still make Chief Ministers like him, a persona par excellence that is an ideal blend of integrity, simplicity, hard work and commitment. May he rise further, for the sake of the nation.

There is something about the state that gets on you. It is difficult to exactly pinpoint whether it is the climate, the simple populace, the beautiful landscape, beautiful tourist spots or the serenity about the place, the fact remains that one is smitten by the MP bug.

Bhopal the capital takes the cake. I often wonder why, it has not yet emerged as the best place for leisure tourism in the country, but am confident that in due course of time it shall. While en-route to Bhopal recently, my wife exclaimed that she is feeling as if she is visiting her "maika". Despite hailing from Uttarakhand, and having never been associated with the state except for the recent deputation, I also had a feeling of home coming.

Perhaps it has something to do with our past lives, when both of us had a lot of involvement with the state and its capital city Bhopal, yet left it with an unfinished agenda.

Reaching Delhi

My earlier post was on leaving Bhopal, and the very next post, this post had to be on reaching Delhi. And so here it is.
Having lived for over 11 years in Delhi, I am definitely not an alien here. But Bhopal still feels more like home. Is it because of the artificiality of Delhi, or the crowds, or the dirt and dust, I cant' say? But definitely it has something to do with the genuineness of the people of Bhopal. Delhi is more commercial, even in matters relating to personal relations. Here one is assessed and treated more on the basis of how powerful or wealthy one is. Human values count much less here.
Yet here I am to do a job, a specific job assigned to me. It is no doubt more difficult than the job at Bhopal, yet the same shall be done. After all, sheer will power is still a much more potent force than many other powers.
Delhi is preparing for the ensuing commonwealth games, at a speed that reminds me of a poor man preparing his house for a brief visit of a wealthy man. All areas that the foreigners may visit or see are either being spruced up or being hidden. Why do we have to put up an artificial facade that will soon revert to normal is something that I cannot comprehend? Perhaps it is in tune with the artificiality of the city, where even a smile is not without a specific purpose.
I also have to get on with the job of improving the three major stations of the city in right earnest. A monumental job no doubt, but possible. After all it was in Delhi only where I got mine and also the railways its first guinness by running the fairy queen and also where I almost achieved the biggest turnaround of the country at the (in) famous ITDC.
As always, I am excited and waiting for the non stop excitement to begin.

Leaving Bhopal

I have never felt so sad in my life as I have been feeling these days. The mere thought that I shall be leaving Bhopal on the 22nd of December is enough to make me feel a deep sense of sadness. But there is also a sense of satisfaction. Satisfaction that one gets when the work has been well done. Yes the stint in MPSTDC has been the most satisfying period of my life. I do not think that I could have done better.
Almost all my farewells have been heavily emotional affairs. Both me and my staff cry, togethor. I doubt if this is going to be any different.
Madhya Pradesh is a great state. Beautifully lansdscaped, innumerable tourist destinations, excellent climate, good crime and law and order situation and above all, simple people. Even the politicians are simple, no comparison at all to their brethren in other states. A starking example is the Chief Minister of the state. A simple and honest man, deeply committed to the development of the state. I am going to miss him too.
I always believed that in any organization, the disease or the cure, is vested in the top management, to be exact, in the top man. He can either take the organization forward or sink it. And this stint further reinforced this belief. The same set of staff and officers, who were earlier held accountable for all the wrongs, rose to propel the organization to the forefront of the nation, and that too in a remarkably short time frame.
Once during my first stint in Bhopal, an autorickshaw driver refused to charge me once he knew that I am a stranger to the city. That is the spirit of Bhopal.
I shall forever remember my days in Bhopal and shall relive them after retirement. Well that is the plan at present.