INDIA WINS

The spectacular win of Modi has proved that the people of this country are alive, they do not generally speak out against corruption and mal-governance, yet they speak out when it matters the most - during the polls.

The expectations are very high and so is the confidence of the masses in the BJP Govt led by Modi to be able to provide what the Congress failed at - good governance and to reverse what the Congress was good at - Corruption. Gone shall be the days of scams and open loot - CWG, 2G, 3G, Adarsh, Chara, Railgate and the Coalgate. The perpetrators and the incidents both shall be confined to the dustbins of history.

Happy days are here, not again but for the fist time in the history of an independent India. Hopefully the confines of the Holy Tihar will once again be teeming with scamsters of both varieties - corrupt politicos and bureaucrats and many of them shall be known faces. I only hope railways is not let behind in this race to the holy Tihar. Insha Allah we honest railwaymen shall not be disappointed.

The days of honest bureaucrats and politicos have arrived. Now we shall all be witness to a nation leaping forward. 

The rise of Feudalism and Sycophancy!

Feudal structures in 21^st century India are indeed the best mechanisms to keep the nation in the 19^th.  And yes they have helped mediocrity to rule the roost in both the political as well as bureaucratic arenas.

The Congress in the political and the Indian Railways in the bureaucratic arenas are perhaps the finest living examples of a cultural ethos rooted in a feudal and therefore sycophantic environment. Though there are many more examples in both arenas, but none as feudal and therefore as sycophantic as these two and their contribution in the national debacle is therefore unmatched and worthy of appreciation. 

Let us first look at the great Indian Railways, great because it was one of the biggest achievements of the british raj, an achievement that qualified to be cited as the economic lifeline of the nation ever since. Unfortunately when the british left and our home grown rulers took over, the feudal mindset of a ruler that regarded all others as slaves continued. The bureaucratic structure continued and rapidly grew to be more bureaucratic than ever, the reason being that the rulers soon realized that self perpetuation is more fun than serving the masses. And so the culture of saloons, personal attendants, big bungalows, gifts and graft blossomed with time. Work took a back seat, only to be handled by the supervisory staff who unfortunately were kept away from the loot that was always regarded as the prerogative of the officer cadre.  With passage of time newer tools like Mahila Samities and protocol emerged to further the cultural legacy of feudalism.  The mahila samities served as a convenient tool to massage the ego’s of the memsahibs in the garb of welfare. Reception parties for receiving and sending off senior officers moving on official and personal visits massaged ego’s at the cost of spine.

Yes it is true that the railways of today has a culture that encourages a very fine officer to convert to a leech by the time he occupies apex level positions – and we have perfect examples at present.

Congress also belongs to the same mold. Congressmen of various hues and mold have realized that sucking up to the first family is perhaps the best means to retain and enjoy power. And so we have odious comparisons to goddesses of someone who was not even born in this nation, all for the sake of holding on to power for personal gains, the nation can go to hell.

The arrival of Modi on the scene may make a difference to the nation. The only difference that one does not want to witness emerging is the culture of feudalism and sycophancy in the party with a difference.  

The cesspool that defines national politics

The recent statement by Masood the congress candidate from Saharanpur is reflective of the major malaise facing the political system of the country. While Masood indeed crossed all limits of social behavior, there have been similar incidents covering other political parties as well, though on a relatively lower scale in the politically volatile state of Uttar Pradesh. Is this reflective of the fact that goondaism has emerged as the core of the political system in our country I wonder?

How refined the language that the masses use is indicative of the state of development of the nation and if the recent statements that emerged during the ongoing Mahabharata are any indication, we have indeed come many notches down in so far as social values and behavior are concerned. The mere thought that people like Masood have a fair chance to sit in the hallowed portals of the parliament gives shivers to ordinary mortals like us. This thought also makes us hang our heads in shame as the parliament of the nation would stand disgraced by the presence of people like him as compared to people of the stature of Nehru, Shastri, Atalji, Piloo Mody and many others who raised the prestige of the august house by their presence and their words. Indeed the hallowed portals are meant for knowledgeable debates, not for flaunting muscle power or the ability to start or perpetuate goonda raj.  

And that leads me to wonder why all the leaders are not adequately vocal about the biggest malaise afflicting the nation at present – corruption. Why has no big leader ever expressed his resolve to root out this malaise from the face of the nation. Even none of our great and not so great prime ministers could find the courage or the resolve or perhaps the moral authority to announce the beginning of the battle against corruption while addressing the nation every independence day.

The answer is simple. The political as well as the bureaucratic system of the country is mired deep into corrupt practices and expecting one of them to announce the beginning of the battle would therefore be asking for too much. And it is not as if the menace is so big that it cannot be brought under control or eradicated. It merely requires the resolve and the morality of those in power who have the authority of the pen.

Perhaps the cesspool that the nation appears to have entered into is so deep and so thick that getting out of it is going to be difficult. Being a part of the system I appreciate the deep rooted spread of the mess, yet I wish that the leader who emerges would take this issue head on for only then the nation would have any chance of moving forward in the real sense.

If only wishes were horses!

Please do not let us down Mr Kejriwal!

That the rapidly changing political scenario would ultimately lead to rapid changes in governance is a hope that the aam aadmi of this country is carrying in his heart nowadays. The ascent of Kejriwal marks the beginning of the descent of corrupt politicians.

Sceptics should step aside and allow the man to perform by taking a path that he chooses – after all he has earned the mandate and also the goodwill of the people of Delhi.

Whatever one may say about the Times Now debates, Arnab has a commanding personality. For the aggression and the confidence that he displays he has to be a man of immense conviction and integrity. There are many who dislike him, but in this country of mediocre people, it is rare that a man like him will be lauded universally. Yet I like him and his trampling of puny people with unethical mind-sets, consistently and sanely.

The intransigence and petty mindedness of even well-known political leaders comes out sharply during Arnab’s debates. I fail to understand why even astute politicians are unable to understand that plain acceptance of good as good and bad as bad is what really appeals to the conscience of the ordinary man. Why Pinky Anand of the BJP continued to bat for Yeddy and Sanjay of the Congress for Virbhadra Singh, despite well-known connivance of these two in dubious deals baffled me yesterday.  And that too in the face of an environment suitably tempered by the Kejriwal effect. For once cant’ our political leaders accept that building a government based on integrity and value systems is much more important than building a government at any cost. The means are also as important.

Kejriwal spoke at length yesterday on the floor of the house. He spoke from the heart and that is all that matters. During the Times Now debate yesterday, the man from Samajwadi Party mockingly gave Kejriwal the advantage of a clean slate. He was not prepared to give Kejriwal the credit that is due to him if only for bringing the issue of corruption and mal-governance centre-stage, and I wondered why.

Even the good qualities of a rival need appreciation and acceptance and our so called leaders need to assimilate this basic premise. It is apparent that we have indeed travelled a long way from the times of Nehru and Patel when the battles were issue based and the welfare of the nation the core focus of those manning the treasury as well as the opposition benches.

Perhaps Kejriwal would show the light to the politicos, but who would be the torchbearer for the real culprits – from the bureaucracy. It is they who fail in their duty to function as the conscience keepers of the government and connive with all and sundry purely for personal gains. It is they who derail even the well-meaning politician with a clear intent. It is they who instead of showing the path to glory focus on the path to doom. Perhaps clean politicians with bureaucratic backgrounds on the lines of Kejriwal have a better chance of being able to clean the stables. 

Please do not let us down Mr Kejriwal. There is too much at stake!