The fall of icons!

The most glaring symptom of a society of mediocres is in the manner they treat their icons. While the icons are revered till the going is good, they start getting reviled at the slightest hint of reversal of fortunes. And this is precisely what is happening with our greatest national icon, Sardar Manmohan Singh. From the high pedestal on which the nation placed him in the early nineties for his economic reforms and even in the early period of the UPA-1 for his integrity and commitment, he has already come many notches down with many more to follow. Yet even his high pedestal built over a lifetime of integrity and sincerity has proved to be inadequate against the rising tide of scams, scamsters and mediocrity in this forever developing nation.

It is indeed sad that the mediocrity has not spared even Sreedharan, the man who single handedly built the Konkan railway and the Delhi Metro, both of which changed the faces of the territories they covered. Yes, it is with a tinge of sadness that I sense malicious satisfaction even on the IRSME site when rank mediocres having no claim to fame, pick up straws to unsuccessfully pull down this greatest of the greats.

Yes, most of us relish attempts to pull down icons and regale at the fall for that is symptomatic of the vincibility of all those whom we placed a notch higher than mere humans. The thought that the icon  is also like us with human follies or we are also almost like him is what most of us of the mediocre variety then merrily relish.

The media invariably has a heyday, almost every day in our nation. There is almost always someone fairly high up in the hierarchy whose neck is on the chopping block for his acts of omission or commission. And so keen is the public to lap up the ugly that all negatives that are written or said about the high guy are accepted at face value. Pronounced guilty without a trial is generally the scenario.

When will all this change for the better? Will we ever move on from the society of crabs that we have become? Indian crabs who will never appreciate one of them moving up and out of the dirty basket that they all have been occupying for long. Till then we shall remain in the “developing” league, perhaps till eternity.

Amen!    

The Common(WG) Dilemma

Almost everyone in the country is now worried whether our infrastructure would be ready before the games. The state of affairs at Rajiv Chowk, that are visible to almost all are mainly responsible for this persistent nagging doubt in the minds of all patriotic indians. Recent reports on the disastrous state of affairs at some of our stadiums add to the dilemma. Why the work could'nt have been completed earlier, instead of extending it to the last moment is the question everyone is asking.

Well the answer to this question lies in our way of working. Way of working of the sarkari sector in our nation is the answer to this genuine question. Our way of working that is aptly designed for non-deliverance is responsible for this mess, placing a finger on any individual would not be right.

Ultimately it all boils down to our inept decision making and contractual processes that were designed for a feudal era and are utter failures in the present "fast & furious" era.

My take is that if rains do not lash Delhi area during this monsoons, the civic and sports infrastructure being built will get completed and shall also hold, but if Indra Bhagwan is generous with the monsoon, things may become difficult.

Commonwealth at Delhi

The present condition of Delhi makes a common man wonder whether Delhi would indeed be ready for the commonwealth games. Construction sites, debris and filth almost everywhere, the entire city is choked with it. Traffic is moving at a snails pace.
I had earlier written that the entire scenario is similar to that of a wealthy person paying a brief visit to a poor man's house. I still agree with that.
The system has failed us, failed the nation yet I have faith in it. I remain confident that the chaos will beautifully subside before the beginning of the commonwealth games and India shall not be let down.

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.

Addressing railway officers

Yesterday I addressed railway officers at railway staff college vadodara. The lecture was a part of a series which they call "Achievers series" and the eminent speakers before me had been Mallika Sarabhai and Sredharan. I therefore considered it quite an honor to be on the same platform as these two eminent personalities, even if only for the limited purpose of giving a lecture.
Addressing railway officers or for that matter officers from the organized services is difficult. Difficult because these officers are generally skeptical about delivery as opposed to officers from the private sector or students. This group had officers of a varied seniority and I therefore was slightly wary before my lecture.
The lecture went off smoothly. I spoke from the heart, as always and the response of the participants was also better than expected. The session ended on a happy note with a group of charged up officers wanting to share their experiences, their moments of glory with me after the event. This is how an ideal lecture session should end. It made me happy and contented.
There was only one disturbing trend when one of the participants questioned as to why railway officers like Sridharan (self included) are able to achieve eminence only when working outside the railway system. What he said was generally true, primarily because railways being a closed organization does not offer the same platform for recognition that organizations like the Delhi metro or ITDC are able to provide. It is quite possible that Sridharan would have been a super outstanding officer in Railways, whose super eminence never got a chance to be displayed adequately because of the limited territory that railways offer and the closed nature of the organization. By the way, the gentleman who raised the issue also did not consider a national award, a guinness record and a limca record worthy of being considered as proofs of sufficient achievements while working in the railways. This brings us to the basic human failing of not recognizing achievements of others just because one has a poor opinion of his own self.
Not getting avenues to achieve is a common crib of officers, particularly railway officers. I have never witnessed IAS officers cribbing. Perhaps the cribbing kind are not able to differentiate between success and achievement. Success is when one recognizes his own efforts, achievement is when others recognize it. Being successful is therefore in one's own hands, achievement is not. Perhaps most of the officers value recognition by others more than by their own inner selves.
How sad but true!