When mediocrity rules the roost in governance!

During the course of my walk this pleasant morning, while crossing the newly renovated swimming pool in the officers colony at sardar patel marg I noticed a shining stainless steel plate adorning the names of a few officials who it was obvious were the leading lights of the ceremony held recently to finally permit the hoi polloi to dive in the waters. With the senior-most bloke actually doing the honors, three other officials by their dignified presence added to the grace of the sombre occasion; something to this effect is what the plate said.

This happens all the time. Even the fitment of a new commode is accompanied by an inaugural ceremony replete with an inaugural plate or a stone that mentions the names of all those who were there at the time the facility was either incepted or commissioned.

Often the matter written on the plate leads me to deep introspection about the roles that different players would have enacted on such solemn occasions. While the bloke occupying the top chair invariably would have cut the ribbon or pulled the curtain and also proudly broke the coconut and in the process had his name inscribed for posterity as the chief guest, the role of the blokes junior to the top guy is often not very clear. Invariably the plate makes a mention of the 2IC as having a “garimamayi upasthiti” or a dignified presence on the occasion. This leads me to wonder whether the presence of all others, with the exception of the top bloke and the 2IC was of an undignified nature and if so, how does the dignified guy distinguish himself from the undignified crowd, who generally are of similar elk as those mentioned on the plate. The last category on the plate is officials who were merely present unlike many others who were present but not fortunate enough to have their names cast in stone.

Have we indeed become a nation of ceremonies? True it is yet what right do mere officials have to get their names cast in stone for posterity? Are these attempts at attaining immortality by mortals in paid service of the society worthy of a pardon?

And so during all my assignments, one of the first tasks on hand is to purge all the foundation and inaugural plates from my territory. Often this work is carried out under cover of darkness as the persons named on the plate exist powerfully enough to have this exercise suspended and the perpetrator ostracized.

Quite often the official seeking immortality really ventures too far as noticed during my sojourns to Simla. Heritage structures built in the late nineteenth century have been adorned by ghastly plaques that mention, not the name of the engineer who built the structure but the names of officials who were in power when they decided to have the plaque installed to commemorate the heritage value of the structures. The large number of such plaques invariably adorning every single heritage structure and other places of importance made me wonder whether after a considerable lapse of time, these very officials would be regarded as the ones who actually built the structures.

While such attempts to usurp credit and come in the public eye even for historical works is definitely condemnable, what is really sad is the penchant to have names cast in stone even for works of a mundane nature that should have been done as a matter of routine. Do we really require a toilet, a gymnasium, a swimming pool or even a garden to name only a few representative categories to be incepted or inaugurated with the names of the senior blokes cast in stone. Despite the deeply entrenched practice, such attempts cannot be justified even by extremely far-fetched explanations.

Yes for the sake of historical records, we may sometimes need commemoration ceremonies for building a new bridge or laying a new railway line or for creating a new city or even a new stadium or say a metro system, but not for building loo’s or putting new taps or commodes. Unfortunately the lack of real achievements is propelling some elements of the society to take credit and basking in self-created glory for run of the mill activities. Definitely it is the surest sign of mediocrity ruling the roost in governance. 

Frightening Railways!

The existing state of affairs in the railways frightens me.

That the major issues of any large organization should always remain on the radar of the top management is a philosophy that is being defied with impunity in the organization. What is also being defied are the well established roles defined for the board, headquarters and divisional offices with almost everyone jumping on the bandwagon to perform mundane jobs. Mundane jobs because perhaps they come naturally even to those in the hierarchy who are meant to impart vision and a sense of direction to the organization.

It saddens me to witness that the use of intemperate language in meetings, discussions, file notings and official communications is on the ascension. Frayed tempers, high decibels and use of abusive language, traits that are identified with family owned under performing business houses have started emerging as a hallmark in the functioning of the railway bureaucracy. A grand spectacle of one up man ship based on belittling others is on display almost always in the ministry and headquarters offices. That the working of a commercial organization that is in monopoly in a massive sellers market can be unpleasant to the core is a reality that can be experienced only within the confines of the railways.    

It defies logic that after almost a hundred and sixty years of existence, we still lack clarity on the type of organization we are. We swing alternately from being a department of the government to a commercial setup and end up being neither. Our performance therefore takes a direct hit as we have perhaps emerged as one of the finest examples of a commercial setup defying the established practices and systems that should be the building blocks of any setup that identifies itself with commercial activities.

The smooth rise of mediocrity up the hierarchial ladder is a cause of discomfiture for all those, and there are still many of the kind, who have the welfare of the organization as their sole concern. Yet the state of affairs is likely to continue as long as pygmies continue to hold sway in this organization that till recently had a great prefixed to its name. How times change, for the worse?

Crumbling Verticals!

The battle for supremacy amongst various services of the railways witnesses new lows with each passing day. That such battles have no relevance for the well being of the organization or otherwise is fairly evident, yet issues and projects are regularly conceived and launched for petty personal as well as departmental gains.  Often the gains though not for the organization are immense as appears to be the case with new found penchant for train sets to be procured at costs, considered exorbitant by even western standards. Now for some time there shall be territorial disputes between those who espouse the cause of train sets for personal as well as departmental gains and those whose territory appears to be shrinking. The saga of growth and development of the railway system in our nation is heavily interspersed with such internal battles regularly played on different turfs by different groups, generally for unethical causes or causes beyond comprehension.

The nine verticals of the railways are the bane of this organization that once had a great affixed to its name. Till the railways crossed the two hundred million mark in the early eighties, the departmental verticals suited the organization, perhaps because of the easily manageable load both in terms of freight as well as the passenger traffic. During the following three decades, the load went up by almost six times, without any substantial inputs in terms of infrastructure or the human resource. This led to the ongoing mad scramble for scarce resources with attendant ramifications. Simultaneously the rapid rise in the number of officers led to diminishing of powers, authority and territory with consequent reduction in self esteem and pride. Lack of self esteem and pride in oneself is the reason behind the undignified conduct of the officer class in general in dealing with their subordinates that one is witness to day in and day out. Another glaring symptom is the crumbling infrastructure and the pride that once was the hallmark of a railwaymen.  

A vicious bind is what we find ourselves in now. The archaic structure throws up mediocrity for whom even the thought of structural or systemic changes is beyond comprehension. The mediocrity at apex levels taking solace in the routine day to day operations is the culprit behind the mess we find ourselves in at present.

Abhimanyu broke the chakravyuh of the kauravas during Mahabharata. A modern day Abhimanyu will lead this organization out of the morass that it finds itself in despite being in monopoly in a sellers market.

With hope we live!

Amen!

Fatal mediocrity!

Mediocrity is dangerous; it is almost fatal if it rules the roost at apex levels in organizations. The boss then resorts to belittling his subordinates almost always thereby ensuring that his mediocre abilities remain shrouded in curtains. Another star strategy is to engulf the entire organization in run of the mill affairs thereby ensuring that rank incompetence in handling major issues never comes to the fore.

It is indeed painful to witness a scenario wherein those manning top positions use abusive language with the officers and staff reporting to them and derive vicarious pleasure in the discomfiture of their subordinates. 

The future of the organization appears rather bleak on witnessing the top guy shrieking at his subordinates in fits of rage. The abusive language and the fits of rage however subside at sixty when the guy suddenly becomes an epitome of dignified behaviour and cherishes the company of very those whom he abhorred till very recently.

Inbreeding and that too in massive dosages is the reason for such behaviour. Injection of outside blood, at apex levels to begin with may give a fresh perspective and also perhaps the realization that shrieks and abuses are not the best way to run organizations.

God help such organizations. Amen!

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!    

Path Breakers

Being a conformist is what conventional success is all about in the railways. Conforming to what, I have always wondered. Is it conformance to the grand spectacle of rank mediocrity on display at all levels, the higher one goes in the conventional sense, the bigger and deeper it is.  And if the answer is yes, being a misfit is the only acceptable alternative.

I often wonder whether people like me, and I realize there are many, are misfits? Or whether the system is a misfit for an organization that needs to rise for its own sake and the sake of the nation? Unfortunately or perhaps fortunately, there are no clear answers as subjectivity rules the roost in all such matters.

Recently a top gun advised that keeping in view my age profile, I would complete 39 when I hang my boots, now is the time when I should take a cool job and work under a guy who is certain to give outstanding reports. However there is a catch. Turning cool right now shall ensure that I remain cool even when I occupy slots that really matter but generally serve only a ceremonial role. And in that scenario, the occupant would cease to have any relevance whatsoever to the organization and its cronies, except that he may hasten the demise. And that leads to another question, what the top slots are meant for? I bet there are no clear answers even with the occupants. Top slot just for being the top guy is the motive. 

Acceptance of the railway working in its present form is beyond me. With the operational issues being handled at supervisory levels that generally handle it much better provided   the officer clan does not interfere, we have miserably failed in performing our role that primarily constitutes imparting vision and direction and making things easier for the field levels. Yet what we remain busy in, defies logic and rationale. Perhaps our work study teams would make a much bigger contribution if they train their guns at the officer clan and start with the upper crust. 

Being misfit also implies feeling uncomfortable and angry in even witnessing sycophantic acts that are on display almost non-stop everywhere. Rampant disbursal of flowers and costly gifts to superiors in rank and their partners in tow, at every conceivable opportunity is sickening, yet the round of applause that accompanies such a spectacle makes the misfits have serious doubts about themselves. The foundation and inaugural stones for activities as insignificant as a new commode, that one bumps into at almost every corner are also an impeccable example of sycophantic behaviour. Yet the round of applause at the unveiling of such stones and the clamour for being mentioned on the stone itself, by almost everyone confuses. Is this the right thing to do, or the revulsion that many feel at such ceremonies is in order?

What however hurts the most is the rampant harassment of employees in the garb of disciplinary action for minor lapses. That the focus of an officer clan singularly responsible for the grand mess and also bringing the organization to near bankruptcy, should remain imposing punishments to its staff is definitely not in order.

The men ruining the organization, screwing the men running the organization.

During my stint at the division, I came across many youngsters who often felt suffocated by the mediocrity of superiors in rank.  Perhaps they may either break down with passage of time or join ranks with mediocrity. Yet how I wish that despite the road blocks and there would be plenty, they continue to be path breakers, for in path breakers lies the true salvation of the organization.

Contained brilliance!

I am surprised at the brilliance of my team. Frankly this realization has belied my expectations. A set of outstanding officers, each brilliant in his own way, yet the collective organization failing to correspondingly reflect the brilliance of its constituents. I am foxed!

This situation has led me to coin a new term "contained brilliance". It could also have been "suppressed brilliance". Does the organization suppress brilliance and in the process encourage mediocrity? Possibly true, perhaps because there does not seem to be any other apparent reasoning for the staid state of affairs.

We have to let brilliance "free". Let brilliance soar in the sky and achieve wonders that it easily can. For our developing country, not to remain forever in the developing mode, it is essential that brilliance and not mediocrity is allowed to freely soar in the skies.

Is it not unfortunate that every bharatvasi, including the self seeking bureaucrats, is able to perform exceedingly well in any country other than his own? Is it not equally unfortunate that in the first sixty years of existence as a free nation, brilliance, especially in the sarkari sector has always been looked down upon with disdain? And is it not unfortunate that mediocrity, the hallmark of which is indulging in the mundane and treading down the oft beaten path, has beaten brilliance in the traditional attainment of success?

Mediocrity Rules

Unfortunate but true. Bide your time doing nothing and if one also has the age on his side, the sarkari tantra is all yours to rule. The highly complicated art of not making decisions and the simpler mechanism of maintaining a disconnect from the ground reality is all that has to be mastered for an elevation to the top slot(s).

And so one has a battalion of men, over twenty million of them in the country biding their time and at the same time maintaining the nation in a sort of suspended animation. Led by the officers from the All India, Allied, Central and Other services the men quickly learn the art of survival and extracting the maximum juice from the system for personal gains - petty and not so petty.

If the aim in life is to occupy a slot, after the slot is occupied, the aim shifts to maintaining the occupation and later before the tenure ends, the aim shifts to finding another slot, occupying which shall continue taking care of the petty and not so petty needs of the person. And this precisely is what babudom is all about - the business of slots.

The babu's march forward in carefully crafted steps and the nation stays where it is, even at times sliding backwards.

It stinks!

Expecting Perfection from an Imperfect system

Expecting perfection from an imperfect system. It is akin to aspiring to win a car rally while at the wheels of a dilapidated old "FIAT". Loosing yet complaining that there is no time to change or overhaul the car.

How true for the sarkari systems of Bharatvarsh. Truer still for the "great" Indian Railways. We expect perfection from an imperfect system. It appears to be a vicious circle. We dont want to stop just to set things right and because we dont stop, things go further downhill. Why is it so that a set of bright individuals who can change the world are throttled by the system into submission into mediocrity. And why is it that the complainants, who ofcourse are many, dont ever realize that it is the poor system, the extremely inefficient machinery that is to be faulted, not the individuals per se. And the bright youngsters keep on taking the blame, without fighting back, without shouting out hard that the rotten way of "non-deliverance" is to be blamed.

The "complained against" subsequently rise to become the complainants and the story gets repeated ad-infinitum.

What is the answer. We have to realize and accept that a bunch of individuals can never bring about massive changes, quantitative or qualitative. It is just one individual who can change an organization, a state or a nation, by ofcourse providing leadership. We all have to wait for that individual who will emerge out of rank chaos and mediocrity to take us forward. People like Gujral or Ravindra maybe ........