Building castles on foundations of mud!

I find it strange, unacceptable and often hilarious whenever I witness bureaucrats buckling under pressure, more often than not for reasons that are not above board.  What right someone in authority has, to pressurize sub-ordinates to do what is not right for the organization or the nation, and continuing on a similar vein, what right the dam subordinate has for doing what he ends up doing while toeing the line of the unethical superior.

The previous year and a half made me and many of my elk witness acts that no sane organization should ever have to witness, acts of gross impropriety committed by none other than those supposed to lead by example. And the blatant manner in which these acts were and are still committed, with vehement vengeance at their core are pointers to a saga that is much more sordid than what appears on the surface. Perhaps times have changed and so have the methods. Obviously the acceptability of unethical practices has gained ground and being ethical is out of fashion in our society. 

And corruption is indeed the biggest malaise staring at the nation, yet unfortunately not regarded as such and that indeed is the sad story of governance. The tentacles of corruption are so widely spread that almost every single interaction of the ordinary citizen with the sarkari tantra is laced with graft, cutting across political, sectoral and state boundaries. How the hell will we really move forward in such a scenario should be the biggest worry of all those who matter in the matter of governance in this nation, but do they one wonders? 

What is even worse is the fact that grossly improper conduct has accompanied the penchant for putting the hands in the till. In the good old days, those in the sarkari sector who had a tilt towards milching the organization they worked for, generally maintained a façade of an impeccable conduct for perhaps deep inside their hearts they actually faulted their indulgence in unethical practices. But not anymore, with putting the hand in the till being considered a birth-right nowadays. And therefore the sordid spectacle of loot coupled with the lowliest form of conduct almost bordering on the inhuman that we all have been sad and silent witnesses to.

Yet we look the other way till our own turn comes and only then we cry out load against injustice, a scenario played often in the social environment we inhabit.

Good governance is the magic word of the present times. But should it not begin with emphasis on and also strict adherence to ethical and moral value systems. Shouldn’t’ eradication of corruption and propagating the need for maintaining an impeccable conduct amongst all those in the seva of the sarkar be the first major step in the direction of providing good governance? Great things will indeed happen, but only after the basics have been taken care of and inculcating the same is not really difficult. It is my belief borne out of experience that each and every one of us longs for Ram-Raj provided it is for real and not merely in name. 

Personally, after having gone through the grind lasting almost three decades and a half, I am neither in favor of nor believe that castles can ever be built on muddy foundations.

Mother Tongue in the Mother Land

The half baked sarkari attempts to implement hindi in Hindustan have always saddened me. I always regarded it blasphemous to implement the mother tongue in the mother land. Yet the efforts have continued since the nation came on its own during its tryst with destiny. And we created establishments whose primary job was to promote Rajbhasha, or the commonly spoken hindi within the plethora of sarkari setups in the country. Yet despite these attempts marked by a casual approach in almost all associated activities, the usage of our mother tongue has remained barely confined to name-boards, signage’s, noting sheets, a few official communiques and some ceremonial functions. The march of English on the other hand has continued unabated.

I often wonder whether there is any other country in the world other than ours where such attempts are being made, and despite my best efforts could not locate any so far. Perhaps our dabbling in the absurd is regarded as such by the rest of the world or maybe it is regarded as illogical and beyond comprehension by those who look upon their motherland and everything associated with it with a sense of national pride. Yet if our intentions were indeed genuine, we would have achieved the target a long time ago.

And almost everything retains the flavour and bias for English, beginning from infancy till we kick the bucket, to the extent that even in social interactions, people conversing in the mother tongue are looked down and often frowned upon. So is it in conferences, seminars and even discourses when one finds someone rarely using the mother tongue to communicate. And why not – our educational system is grounded in English with the hindi medium schools not qualifying even as a distant cousin to their English counterparts.

Even the authors and also the readers of hindi literature are regarded many notches below their counterparts in other languages. This bias permeates even the bureaucracy with the hindi speaking bureaucrats called “desi” in local parlance being regarded inferior to the one who frequently and also fluently dabbles in English.

During trysts abroad we notice foreigners generally communicating in their mother tongue without much concern for the ability of the receiver to absorb a language he may be unfamiliar with.  And the best part is that they are never apologetic about that, because for them it is the most normal thing to do. Indeed it should be!

And therefore the recent change with the chief executive of the nation speaking in hindi even during his visits overseas is gratifying to say the least. His stress on the mother tongue almost always in all his interactions is indeed genuine and also rare if we take into consideration many of those who earlier adorned the highest chair in the land. And that is what has given many of us that rare feeling of national pride surfacing after a long time. After all, only identifying ourselves with the core values and culture this nation stands for is going to give our society happiness and progress in the truest sense.

Alas there are no Ceasers anymore!

Somehow the depressing feeling that there are no doors to knock at, except perhaps the supreme court for a honest official in distress or for someone longing to bring to book those who loot the country, that had started taking root in my heart since the last decade or so refuses to ebb even in the recent times. The thieves, looters and the depraved seem to be getting away with ease is the popular public perception taking root.

The ancient saying the Caeser’s wife should be above suspicion is held more in breach in our nation. Perhaps even the Ceasers of modern times are generally not above reproach and that is sad for this nation that in ancient times was indeed the torchbearer for the entire global civilization.

The media splash in the last few days covering the activities of the head of the country’s premier investigating agency has indeed shocked the nation. Perhaps even the last bastion has fallen and unless the defenses are restored asap, the nation is indeed in for harrowing times.

Sometime back there was a whisper that an officer of the railway service was shunted out for refusing to supply toilet paper for the residential use of a senior honcho of the organisation. Well definitely this could not have been the first such indiscretion of its kind, but rather the one that emerged in the public domain and shocked everyone by the brazenness of the act. And it is not always that someone from the bureaucratic class possesses the courage to stand up against illegal orders. After all very few of us treat sarkari assets as amanat, while for the brute majority it is milkiyat. It is indeed sad that with minor exceptions the custodians are prepared to sell the nation along with their conscience for petty personal gains. It is not really a bargain that is worth it.

It is also true that the fear of retribution for committing gross misdeeds has receded and in its place a new kind of fear of speaking out against those in power committing gross misdeeds has taken roots, rather deep one at that. The full tantra cutting across services and states and to some extent even the common citizen remains in awe and fear of those in power regardless of the misdemeanors committed by them.

Yet there are some who rebel against the loot by those who are expected to protect. And it is this minority, comprising of individuals like the one shunted out who have kept the flag flying high.

Somehow it all boils down to a major decline in value systems in our society. A society that generally regards power not as a means to serve but as a means for self-aggrandizement and a display of superiority over mere mortals will never be able to achieve what is right. Yet a few right steps by a few men have the capability to bring about changes that can alter the course of history and perhaps the time for such changes is knocking at our door.    

In God and providence we trust.

Amen!   

Trivialities take the lead!

Trivialities should always remain what they intrinsically are, yet their very penchant to occupy centre stage in the sarkari way of working can neither be overlooked nor appreciated. They invariably continue to remain at the core of all that happens or does not happen within the sarkari tantra.

The most common example of trivialities overtaking the core issue is amply on display during functions relating to laying of foundation stone or inaugural ceremonies. On such occasions, the sitting arrangements, presentation of floral bouquets and unnecessary protocol effectively shrouds the primary reason behind the ceremony.

Even during the course of official working one often realizes that issues other than work play the major role in shaping careers. Concern for the boss and taking care of his needs and also that of the spouse is universally recognized far more important that the sheer act of delivery itself. Even during informal gatherings in club premises, kowtowing to superiors and their better halves is blatantly visible for that is a sure shot way of rising, if one calls it rise, within the organization.  Possessing or putting on display even a semblance of self-respect is almost fatal in bureaucratic circles, a lesson learnt fairly early in life by the bureaucrat of today.

So shorn of self-esteem many of us are that even a difference of opinion by someone lower down in the hierarchy is viewed as dissent, while at the same time even blatant abuse by superiors is taken as manna from the heavens. And in the process major issues that should normally be dissected threadbare and discussed, move as per the whims, fancy and understanding of the top honcho chairing the meeting ceremony.

Unfortunate it is that plain and simple work has become a ceremony in the sarkari sector where massaging the ego’s of those who matter occupies a much higher pedestal than delivery itself. This work culture needs to be shown the door and hopefully the new government would do so. After all a spade would continue to remain a spade regardless of what it is regarded as by those drunk on power.

Amen!

The essence of good governance

GOOD INTENT, BACKED BY STRONG ACTION

Tuesday, 20 May 2014 | Ashwani Lohani | in Oped

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The welfare of the citizenry must form the basis of all the decisions and actions of the sarkari tantra. For this, a cultural change is necessary

With a new dispensation round the corner and the hopes of the common man firmly pinned on the ensuing change, the emergence of good governance to take this nation forward, not merely in rhetoric but in reality is the need of the hour.

Foremost is the need of a good intent. Yes it is true that intent alone is not adequate, a lesson reinforced by the Kejri episode, yet sans a noble intent to provide good governance for the sake of the nation and its constituents, the nation would never really move up the garden path. Intent has to be to govern and govern well and can and should never be to make hay adequate enough to last generations while the sun shines. The intent is also to be supplemented by concrete action, not mere plans and rhetoric, even if it ruffles more than a billion feathers in the process.

Integrity in governance has indeed been conspicuous by its absence since long. Having been unfortunate victims during the last decade of a series of scams of growing magnitude we the common man of this nation are the best suited lot on this earth to really appreciate the need for probity in public life. Yet the fact that corruption which engulfs our day to day existence cannot be wiped out easily needs a deep appreciation. Since our famous tryst with destiny, the system of governance based on mistrust spurred by the greed and luxurious lifestyles of those in power has dented the entire social fabric to the extent that it has become rare to come across even one single interaction of the common man with the sarkari tantra that is devoid of the customary greasing of palms. And that should lead the powers to ponder - if all the apples are rotten, there is much more than mere apples that needs to take the blame. Yes it is true that our decision making and contractual mechanisms that are based on mistrust and mired in scores of thumb impressions provide a convenient shroud to the corrupt and need to be replaced with a system where affixing responsibility is a simple affair. The nation sick and tired of scams like the CWG, 2G, Coalgate, Adarsh and Railgate is looking forward to a dispensation that does not permit a recurrence of incidences of similar elk and brings to book the perpetrators.  

The belief that deliverance alone can lift the nation out of the morass that it finds itself engulfed in needs widespread acceptance. That the economic prosperity of any nation is directly linked to the sum total of goods and services produced or in other words the GDP is a thought that needs to be repeatedly hammered across the sarkari spectrums engulfing the nation. It is indeed shameful that even after almost seven decades as a free nation, the bare essentialities of roti, kapda and makaan still elude the common man. While it is true that the GDP is a function of the basic infrastructure put in place by the sarkar and the produce of the private enterprise, yet the fact remains that the policies of the sarkari tantra that are meant to facilitate both have been miserably failing in giving a boost to both. Government policies that directly affect the creation of wealth and infrastructure need simplification and a fresh look.

Maintaining the sanctity of the laws and rules of governance is one of the foremost duties of the government. The laws, rules and the procedures should not be allowed to discriminate between the ruler and the ruled and the rich and the poor as is almost always the case in our country. Discretionary preferential treatment to the privileged, a sign of inadequacy of services as well as cultural degradation would need to be curbed by effective measures on the lines of the developed world that provide a level playing field to all their constituents.

Police and judicial systems that ensure swift justice, not like the present where even perpetrators of heinous crimes occupy await retribution in the premises of the holy Tihar for decades together is the need of the hour. These systems while instilling the fear of an almost instantaneous retribution in the minds of the criminal should act as a beacon of support for the common man. 

Fundamentally we are talking about bringing in a cultural change, a change in the thought processes both of the ruler and the ruled and the emergence of a scenario where the good of the citizenry forms the basis of the decisions and actions of the sarkari tantra. Despite the all-pervading rot and sloth and an environment marred by scandals and lack of probity in public life, the time has come for the nation to put a major step forward and emerge out of the league of forever developing nations.

The turncoat bureaucrat

The imminent change of guard at Raisina Hill will once again witness the emergence of the turncoat bureaucrats, this time in large numbers due to their long association with almost a decade of a continuing shade of governance at the centre. Misrule or otherwise, the penchant of the indian bureaucrat to disassociate himself with the previous government and actively associate with the next even at the cost of being termed a turncoat is perhaps beyond compare.

Bureaucrats are expected to be non-political and therefore meant to guide and obey the diktats of their elected political masters, yet many of them emerge as bigger and wily politicians themselves in their perpetual efforts to have a good time almost always. Good times they invariably have, albeit at the cost of the nation and the hapless populace.

Bureaucrats also have another major role to play – that of keeping the nation in the throes of poverty and backwardness for it is only in developing nation like ours that the bureaucrat is the most important and the most powerful of the various clans that constitute a nation. Strutting like masters in developing and backward nations, the bureaucrat is almost always an invisible commodity in the developed countries of this world where bureaucracy is way down in the choice of professions as opposed to our own where being a collector or a superintendent of police is the height of ambition of the middle and lower classes.

Ambition for what? – serving the nation – unbelievable. Ambition is for flaunting power over the heads of those he is expected to serve, totally oblivious of the role that a servant – bureaucrats are government servants – is expected to perform. Besides in the past few decades, the tremendous opportunity for garnering ill-gotten wealth that a bureaucratic role offers has also added to the charm of being a part of the elite.

And in the process the true role of those who were once regarded as the steel frame has been lost sight of. While the political dispensation is expected to be temporary, the bureaucracy that had permanence of job was expected to provide stability and guidance to successive governments comprised of politicos ensconced in the chair of power for merely five years at a time. Unfortunately the servants, in connivance or on their own have become almost as powerful as the masters themselves without sharing the responsibility that generally comes with power.

The most dangerous fallout of this non adherence to the avowed role is the rapidly mushrooming cloud of corruption that has encompassed almost the entire gamut of machineries meant to govern at federal, state and local levels. Graft has become an essential ingredient of almost all sarkari decisions and contracts to the extent that it is rare to come across even a single act of governments that is straight and devoid of the customary manipulations.  

Yet the blame for the ills is invariably laid at the altar of the politician regardless of the fact that without a bureaucratic nod or misrepresentation of facts, it is almost impossible for the neta to move ahead on the short cut to prosperity. Yet the social pressure for acquiring materialistic gains bears hard on the bureaucrat who does not lose any substantial period of time in picking up the ropes. Sometimes, only sometimes it is also a case of lack of will or spine to be able to say “No”, rather than direct indulgence in money making on the part of the bureaucrat who finds himself in the soup without partaking of the loot. But even then it is only the bureaucrat to blame.

It is time that nation building through adept governance and development is realized as the only role of those who are in the business of governance in the nation. The primary issue in achieving the same would be the massive course correction that would be needed keeping in view the misdirected take offs attempted since the midnight tryst with destiny.

Yet in God and providence we trust! India shall once again rise and achieve its destined glory.

March towards Inequality

Gun toting black cat commandoes leaning out of the car windows and shouting at passing vehicles to keep out of the way is a sight that most of us Delhites witness on a daily basis and detest from the core of our hearts.  How often have we experienced being held up on the streets of Delhi when driving, and being confined to the footpaths when walking, whenever top political leaders in power move on the roads of the capital and other cities of the country?  

Even while travelling on trains, how often we are inconvenienced by gun toting bodyguards of the so called representatives of the public, who apparently are more for display and less for protection?

Is it not unfortunate that in almost all cases a gun toting policeman is being utilized as a mere adornment by the democratic rulers of an under developed nation? The incessant clamour of the political classes for a red beacon atop their vehicles merely to distinguish them from the masses and elicit a superior service in the process is also indicative of a feudal mind-set.  Perhaps red beacons, gun toting accompaniments, opportunities for accumulating immense wealth and shameless flaunting of power over the masses are what attract people to the electoral arena, not a penchant to serve and take the nation forward. It is indeed unfortunate that even though the nation swears by a democratic system, the mentality of those who occupy positions of power is that of a ruler that has absolutely no intentions of serving whatsoever.

Somehow over a period of time, the ability to sidestep the rules of the society and the machinery to govern it has emerged in this nation as the most prominent symbol of having arrived. What a difference from the developed countries where the rulers and the ruled intermingle within the same set of rules without favour to any. How often we read with amazement stories of the siblings of the prime ministers and presidents of such countries being challaned like a commoner by an ordinary traffic constable, or being hauled up for violation of tax or other laws. Amazement as we are used to the other extreme, the siblings often bashing up the cutting level functionaries of the law enforcement machinery.

It is not only those in power but also those rolling in money who have the ability to sidestep the rules of governance as we have often witnessed in the cases of rich brats in fast moving cars running over pedestrians and then getting away with it. It is only in extremely rare cases that a man like Subrat Roy has to spend a couple of nights behind bars, for the sarkari and the judicial systems of the country have developed an uncanny ability to give way for the powerful and the rich.

Perhaps the origins of this malaise lie in the distortions that entered in the “varna” system put in place by the great rishis of ancient India. The “varna” system degenerated into a birth based caste system and ultimately led to various modes of differentiating between men.  And so now besides the caste system we have various other combinations – the poor and the rich, the powerful and the power less, the more powerful and the less powerful and so on and so forth. Therefore even though our constitution strives for equality, in practice however there are differences of various shades and hues in the entire social structure of the nation. Our utter failure in even providing a semblance of an effort in building a society rooted in value systems is widely visible.

Our inability to give our mother tongue the same status that France gives to French, Germany to German, China to Chinese, Portugal to Portugese and so on speaks volumes about our lack of inclination for nation building. While building a nation, the language comes first and that is what we as a nation totally forgot in our race towards acquiring individual power and pelf at the cost of the society. One hopes the ensuing samudra manthan would give us the answers and also the solutions. 

Battleground India!

NATION MUST LEARN FROM ITS MISTAKES

Tuesday, 11 March 2014 | Ashwani Lohani | in Oped

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The Navy chief’s resignation after a series of accidents at sea will mean nothing unless the Government takes — and the people insist that it does — corrective measures

The recent catastrophe on the INS Sindhuratna and the subsequent furore over its batteries have brought out two things clearly: The first is the exemplary conduct of former Navy chief Admiral DK Joshi in resigning and taking full responsibility for the tragedy. How rare indeed is such conduct especially in the current age when the ruling classes cling to their jobs at any cost. Admiral Joshi's resignation reminded one of the resignation of Lal Bahadur Shastri from the plum post of Union Minister for Railways over a railway accident almost 50 years back. It, therefore, gives satisfaction that providence has a way of throwing up individuals even in the sarkari tantra, individuals who take the buck even when things go horribly wrong, besides not being enamoured of the seat of power. The second is that the processes in the Government machinery, be they decision-making or contractual, are inadequate to meet the needs of the nation and have, therefore, been failing us with astonishing regularity.

A lot of water has since flown since that famous tryst with destiny in 1947. The high ideals on which we all piggy-backed to independence have almost evaporated — ‘almost’ because at times people like Shastri and Admiral Joshi do emerge from the shadows in absolute variance with the prevailing conduct of the ruling classes. The incessant clamour for power that the nation witnesses in its two most powerful tribes — bureaucrats and politicians — lies at the root of the problem.

Power is always meant to be wielded for the good of the society and not for self-gratification. Yet invariably the ability to ensure self-gratification and self-perpetuation has emerged as the reason for the incessant battle for acquiring power and, therein, lies the great tragedy of this nation. In over 67 years of self rule, the populace has merely witnessed aspirations for occupying high chairs. After all the realisation that a post is only a means to serve the society, and not merely to satisfy one's own ego, does not seem to be dawning on the tantra.

And now about the batteries of INS Sindhuratna: We now know that the batteries did not cause the fire. Instead, burnt or damaged cables in the mess deck resulted in the accident. Still, that does not change the fact despite repeated reminders, new batteries never surfaced — old (but usable) ones were borrowed from another submarine which is under refit. It leads one to ask why the officers manning INS Sindhuratna were not empowered enough to be able to purchase an item as routine and petty as batteries. The answer lies in the complexity of our procedures and a total reluctance to delegate, perhaps in the mistaken belief that simplification and empowerment would lead to increased cases of graft. This is a classic example of not having faith in your own men.

The practices that the British created for ruling over the ‘natives' being wrongfully continued in a republic speaks volumes of our maturity as a free democratic nation. Sometime back we witnessed anarchy in the garb of winds of change. India is indeed desperate for change and reform, but that change can only be brought about by men of integrity with deeply rooted convictions and a thorough understanding of the way the machinery works. Change can only be brought by those who realise that nation-building requires the toil of generations spread over years, if not decades. A casual approach directed at short-term impacts (not gains) is going to take the nation anywhere but forward.

Our biggest tragedy is that the nation, despite being a regular witness to scams and catastrophes, merely agonises. It does not take measures to remedy the disease. Unless we learn from every catastrophes — and scams are indeed the major ones — and take corrective steps, we will never move forward.

The top guy matters!

It is indeed true that any organization is only as good as its top guy. If the top guy is good, the organization prospers, if not it goes down or sinks depending upon how nincompoop the top guy really is. Yet it is the misfortune of the nation that in sarkari organizations cutting across sectors and services, the criterion for selection of the top guys is generally based on subjective parameters other than deliverance and human values.  

The examples of rampant manipulations invariably set by the railways in selection of its top guys invariably leave a bad taste in the mouth. Murky dealings, few cases of which have tumbled out of the cupboard by chance not by design, rampant manipulations by the outgoing top guy to choose an unworthy successor, the search for a pliable spine and the web of complex rules of selection, all together have brought the organization to such a pass that make me certain that by the time the haze clears, we would once again have a master manipulator occupying the corner room.

Yet in official forums the debate continues, endless debates by people who are not delivering where they are planted yet consider themselves fit to pass value judgement on all matters under the sun. The “Know all’s” outnumber the “do all’s” by a wide margin and therein lies the tragedy of organizations like the railways. The top guys in railways do not lead and are invariably with rare exceptions of-course, never a part of the team. The job of the top guy(s) remains confined to finding faults with their team for activities being undertaken by them on their own or under the direction of the top guy.

Never before in the history of the railways has one witnessed an outpouring of hate and venom cutting across departmental and zonal boundaries as in the case of the current outgoing chief executive. The previous guy also achieved the distinction of the worst ever only to be overtaken by the current guy who would go down as the first top guy in whose regime the railways achieved the twin distinction of going bankrupt and and also losing its image. The unfortunate part however remains that the future appears to be as hazy as earlier with meager hopes of a humane leadership emerging at the apex level.

Yet with hope we live on.

Amen! 

professional impropriety is the bane

That corruption is not confined to merely currency exchanging hands for dubious reasons is a fact that is generally not appreciated by the clients and constituents of the great sarkari tantra of this nation. Is it therefore not sad that professional dishonesty invariably takes a backseat whenever issues relating to integrity are flagged? While it is true that insofar as the “aam aadmi” of this nation is concerned, demand for or expectance of illegal gratification in lieu of doing what should rightfully be done is the correct definition of corruption, it is also true that professional dishonesty by almost the entire fleet is the inherent reason behind our country continuing perpetually in the league of developing nations.

A Mahesh Kumar is thrust into the dungeons jolting the organization as well as the nation out of the slumber it has gotten into. Yet the celebration that many of the honest constituents of the railways are indulging into would prove to be short lived if even this golden opportunity is wasted and the stable not cleared of the accumulated muck of decades. Mahesh Kumar has been caught and perhaps deserves a life behind bars, but this organization has an excess of the Mahesh Kumar variety and perhaps many times more who are going through the transformation process only to later emerge as great thieves.

In my over three decades of active service, with the exception of only a handful, most of the officers that I had an occasion to interact with had absolutely no sense of propriety on professional issues. They were like a tumbler that may roll in any direction. Rules, processes, guidelines and yardsticks had absolutely no rationale whatsoever for this group that was always prepared to bend in whatever direction the powers that mattered desired. And as a result even the written word had a tendency to lose its sanctity within the confines of the 5’6” gauge.  

I am reminded of the penchant of many of the illustrious chief executives who encouraged abandonment of the rules and processes in the interest of shortsightedness yet like a chameleon switched sides whenever something went wrong and responsibility needed to be fixed. Our attitude towards our most prized asset, land appropriately fits the bill. While the top guy places ten minute punctuality issues ahead of land on a regular basis, yet he would leave no effort in fixing lowly subordinates in both cases, of his boss expressing annoyance on land grabbing or land reclamation. The recent exposures that reveal a penchant to be "his masters voice" rather than a custodian of rules and processes even in the matter of secretary level appointments by the apex levels of the railway board are merely a peek into what most of us have been silent witness to for many years now.

The route to financial corruption is via professional dishonesty and professional dishonesty would definitely lead one to the swamps of financial impropriety. This hard reality needs acceptance, the earlier the better, even otherwise the great Indian railways would stagger on.

Amen!

Think Big Act Small

A simple mantra, yet almost never followed. Half hearted attempts at climbing lofty mountains when even crossing foothills is difficult, is an oft visible sight in sarkari territories especially railways.

The turnaround of the New Delhi Railway Station in time for the CWG was the culmination, not of a mega revival project but of a large number of small yet focussed action plans. And what a turnaround it was that made even the sceptical CAG take notice and record his appreciation in no uncertain terms. This simple turnaround with a massive impact could not happen earlier due to the dilemma that all my predecessors faced in light of the perpetual grand plan running in thousands of crores to give a world class look and feel to this station. A grand uncertainty over shadowing simple yet doable development plans for decades is an unacceptable scenario, a scenario that was accepted and justified at almost all functional and policy making levels in the railways. Sic.

Ambitious plans that generally fall flat on the ground, is the unfortunate ground reality of the sarkari sector in the country. That it is fashionable to talk about grand plans and pedestrian to talk about small matters is a trait that is rapidly taking us downhill.

My arrival in the state of Madhya Pradesh in mid 2004 as the head domo of tourism revived hopes even at the apex political levels. Everyone expected major changes almost immediately and hoping for an impressive response, the chief minister asked me about my plans. My plans were however confined merely to improving my chamber followed by the entire head office, the flagship hotel and then all other seventy odd properties and then only attempt something major. I was clear and hence could clarify to the chief minister that tourist destinations across the state would come on my radar only after setting my house in order, an exercise that would take around a year. The results that subsequently emerged exceeded all expectations and ultimately resulted in positioning the state as the numero uno in tourism.

We have to dream big, yet act small if the situation so warrants it. However the act should always be within the competence of the executive who is responsible for its execution. The reality is unfortunately otherwise. The people who occupy apex levels and are primarily meant to dream and provide leadership are so distant from the ground realities that neither, do they dream nor are they able to avoid becoming another roadblock. It is in the backdrop of this ground reality that it is necessary to instil in all sarkari executives a thought that doing something small is far better than not doing something great. This shall ensure that some things do happen and great plans on paper do not always over shadow small plans on the ground.

Rotting governance!

The ongoing mud slinging over the coal gate scam is perhaps one of the rare lows that the nation has ever witnessed. That the affairs of the nation shall come to such a pass would have been an unimaginable scenario for the founding fathers of the nation, who without even a shred of doubt would in recent times be madly turning in their graves.

After CWG, 2G, NRHM and Adarsh came Coalgate, the mother of all scams that has changed the way the people of this nation will perceive corruption in the future. The ballgame is now entirely different with figures of the money raked in being in trillions, millions and billions having hit the dust fairly early in the race.

Jokes apart, the situation is indeed tragic. If the office of the top guy and the top guy himself are now not above suspicion, the country has no option other than remaining resigned to its fate.  Cutting across party lines, almost every single politico, ably assisted and abetted by the senior bureaucracy, is busy generating wealth for himself and his family, at the cost of the nation. And the bureaucrats are also making hay while the sun shines.

How does the common man, the common man of Laxman, who is devoid of money or powerful connections survive and lead a life of dignity? The answer is that there is no way he can and therefore he does not. Perhaps the common man himself is involved, in his own small way in partaking of the loot that is on in the entire country, for how else does one explain that only the neta and the babu are corrupt and the common man is not. Both the neta and the babu are products of our society and therefore represent the same in true letter and spirit.

The tragedy of the scenario is not merely in the scams galore, but in the silent acceptance by many of the glaring loot by a few. Being a part of the complex sarkari machinery is even worse as being a close witness to the widely pervasive sloth and rot in the machinery for change and delivery dampens hope for many.

Yet, with a faint ray of hope, life moves on!

Amen!