Why this universal unhappiness?

The universal unhappiness in India worries me. Almost everyone one comes across in this nation of well over a billion people is unhappy with the system, with the people around him and with his own state of affairs. Is it not symptomatic of a deep rooted malaise?
Rajesh Agarwal today defined organization as the co-ordinated working of organs. How true he is. But it leads me to ponder whether we have any organization in the nation except those in the corporate sector and a few in the public? Unorganized organization is a dichotomy that convinces me of the absence of organized systems in sectors that really matter and and are responsible for propelling the nation forward.
There is definitely something wrong with organizations that reduces brilliant individuals to nincompoops in just a few years. Brilliant individuals who excelled in academics perpetuate the established tradition and culture of honoring time-established (for failures) systems and procedures even though these very systems and procedures are at the root of unhapiness of those very individuals.
Mistaking a symptom for disease has become highly common with the results that almost all bodies (I will not call them organizations) remain perpetually sick. And this sickness is not confined to only the financial aspects, it is primarily related to the human ,index of that body leading to universal unhappiness or discontentment.
Is the situation redeemable?. I am convinced that it is. Belief in the tremendous potential and also the inherent goodness of mankind convinces me that the situation in the country is not yet beyond redemption. The challenge however lies in making the people aware of their untapped reservoir of strength and humanity.

Experts on advising others

My belief that we indians as a society are experts on advising others is getting stronger by the day. Ask any man on the street how the nation can go forward, and he would know. Everyone, each one of us has an opinion on how the nation should be run, how the railways can do better even under extreme climatic conditions or how the airlines should tackle problems during fog, how the crime rate can be reduced, how economic prosperity can be brought about or evn how to improve cities. What we do not know or rather do not appreciate is how we should be doing our own jobs.
We believe and quite often take pride in being busy, even though the deliverance might be zero. And that is the tragedy of our nation. We all believe in cleanliness even though we would like someone else to ensure it while at the same time we can continue to litter and make this country a giant dust bin. Since coming back to the railways, my conviction on this front is getting stronger by the day. I find it rater surprising that so far I could not locate even one establishment or evn one small room in this gigantic establishment that can be called clean and/or orderly by decent standards.
Perhaps the reason for such and many other similar issues lies in our inability to govern this nation properly, a fact that is amply reflected through our ranking on various international indices. I hope for the sake of the nation, that we as a society should mature as early as possible. Amen.

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.

Random musings

I often wonder why the present sarkari systems in the country lay more emphasis on loyalty to an individual than on loyalty to the organization or the nation. My tenure in MP was unique in that, the government - bureaucracy and politicians alike, appreciated the latter and therefore results flowed out in rapid succession. I wish other sarkari setups also appreciate and also inclucate in employees feeling of loyalty to the nation through the organization they are working for. But the wish is bound to remain a wish, that I am pretty certain of.
Our systems, sarkari ones have a trademark. They are characterized by sloppiness. And that is pretty much evident in the environment they radiate. And then everything else becomes a symptom. It becomes pretty difficult for someone not in love with the organization to differentiate between a disease and its symptom and so one keeps on running around a tree ad-infinitum without reaching or even having a hope of reaching the goal post.
But it keeps everyone busy. Busy like hell and it leads to a false sense of satisfaction, a satisfaction that is as temporary as it is fragile of having delivered. True satisfaction is different, but very few, perhaps the lucky ones like me are able to relish it.
HR is the issue, always talked about and flogged but rarely handled properly. And why not? Human relations and behaviour are the most simple as well as most complicated amongst all issues. Simple because everyone knows how he as an individual would like to be handled by the system as well as others and that the others are also individuals like him. Complex because despite knowing the same, people generally do not apply the same yardstick and measures while handling or dealing with others.
Enough for today.

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.

The predicament of the common man

I often wonder at the predicament of the common man in this nation of over a billion people. This is because I now stand fully conviced that our great nation has with passage of time emerged as a haven for only three categories of people. First is the politician, who with his single minded focus on loot for self and his cronies, friends and relatives has firmly enconsed himself in this country. The second category is that of people like me, the bureaucrats and also the lowly government servant. Being part of the power circle, this category has sufficient avenues to amply look after and take care of its breed, a job that is being carried out to the utmost satisfaction of this tribe. And the third category is that of the rich class, people who have an stupendous excess of income over expenditure. This class is able to purchase whatever it desires, especially from the government sector, where everything, repeat everything is on sale, provided ofcourse the price is right and the service provider, by a quirk of fate is not one of those rare honest government servants.
Then what does the common man do. The common man of this country, from whom almost all of us from the three categories expect sensitivity on all issues including preserving our heritage and dealing with others, is totally powerless and clueless. he is able to barely meet his basic necessities of life. His life is definitely not an envy of others. His major drawback is that he cannot, repeat cannot get anything done from the sarkari system without the conventional greasing of palms. And he accepts this situation without even once crying out loud for his legitimate rights. And he also regards those from the sarkari tribe as honest who do the work after taking a bribe. Dishonest for him is the one who takes a bribe and yet fails to deliver.
And that is where the difference lies between India and the other countries. Here the survival of the common man is at stake, there even the commonest of the common man can easily survive.
How much I would hate to be reborn as a common man in my own country!