Generally fear lurks perpetually in the minds of sarkari officers, irrespective of their caste (service), creed (rank) or religion (place). The fear stems from their inability to truly serve, as was expected from them and as also accepted by them at the time of joining the service. The place of posting as well as advancement in rank was not meant to be guaranteed, yet an officer forever lives, works and manipulates in the expectation of a place of posting of his choice and unhindered advancement in ranks till he reaches what is generally understood as the pinnacle of his career. The higher one goes, the more fearful he is. Lick the boots of those above and boot out those below continues to be the motto of such cowards.
And so he compromises, yet always maintains a justification for all his acts of omission and commission to the extent that even blatant acts of dishonesty are justified by him and attributed to his “genuine” need of a desired place of posting and/or regular promotions.
Such officers, whatever may be the justification that they give, are serving only themselves and not the organization or the nation that unfortunately they would cheat at the drop of their hat, for personal gratification and yet profess to be honest. Such turncoat tribe of sarkari mulazims, I would say are more damaging for the system than the ones who are blatantly dishonest and have no pretensions of honesty whatsoever.
Whether one wants to lead a life of a tiger or a jackal is a call that one has to consciously make, with full knowledge of the established fact that there are no free lunches whatsoever in life and a price would have to be paid either way.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Misplaced loyalties
It is not only the scams in general and professional corruption at large that is irritating to the citizen, it is the petty corruption of the pettiest kind indulged into by the well-off category of bureaucrats that is difficult to really appreciate. Why should joint secretary level officers expect free rations, toiletries, gas supplies and even a free truck ride for their belongings whenever they shift on transfer. And these are not stray cases but almost a regular phenomenon.
Such incidences that I learn about almost on a regular basis lead me to three basic thoughts. The first is that greed of a person is not directly proportional to his poverty. In fact the opposite is more likely to be true and a person way below on the economic front is generally less greedy that the well-off kind. The second is that sarkari officers in general are loath to spend money on things that in their opinion they can fleece from the system. And the third and the most pertinent is the loyalty angle. Sarkari mulazims who permit or even turn a blind eye to such loot, are proving to be more loyal to individuals, not to the organization that pays them salary for their daily bread. And this brings us to the fundamental question - to whom a Sarkari mulazim is supposed to be loyal to? To a superior in the hierarchy who can favor the mulazim for petty personal gains, or to the organization and the nation. Despite what the majority feels or does, it has to be the organization and the nation. This is a call that all bureaucrats have to take, though I am convinced that hardly anyone shall. After all, loyalty to the organization and systemic loot cannot co-exist.
Such incidences that I learn about almost on a regular basis lead me to three basic thoughts. The first is that greed of a person is not directly proportional to his poverty. In fact the opposite is more likely to be true and a person way below on the economic front is generally less greedy that the well-off kind. The second is that sarkari officers in general are loath to spend money on things that in their opinion they can fleece from the system. And the third and the most pertinent is the loyalty angle. Sarkari mulazims who permit or even turn a blind eye to such loot, are proving to be more loyal to individuals, not to the organization that pays them salary for their daily bread. And this brings us to the fundamental question - to whom a Sarkari mulazim is supposed to be loyal to? To a superior in the hierarchy who can favor the mulazim for petty personal gains, or to the organization and the nation. Despite what the majority feels or does, it has to be the organization and the nation. This is a call that all bureaucrats have to take, though I am convinced that hardly anyone shall. After all, loyalty to the organization and systemic loot cannot co-exist.
Monday, November 15, 2010
"Adarsh" conduct
The fact that corruption has permeated the entire fabric of the society cannot be denied even by the extremely corrupt elements amongst us. But considering the fact that there is some honor even amongst thieves, the adarsh society scam has set new benchmarks in how deep our bureaucrats, politicians and even men in uniform can dive. Manipulating sea facing flats built in the name of Kargil heroes is perhaps the ultimate in the moral degradation of the society.
CWG 2010 was unique in that it set new benchmarks in the levels of corruption in our society. The “Adarsh” scam is unique in that it has shown how unethical and manipulative are even those who are supposed to guard the bureaucratic systems and also our frontiers. The “Adarsh” scam has overshadowed the CWG scam and has even pushed it out of media. Another recent scam has nudged the “Adarsh” from the media and soon something else will take over the media space.
Public memory being short and the new scams surfacing with almost amazing regularity, the perpetrators are likely to be soon forgotten and also get out of the net only to enjoy their “billions” in peace.
Long live the nation.
CWG 2010 was unique in that it set new benchmarks in the levels of corruption in our society. The “Adarsh” scam is unique in that it has shown how unethical and manipulative are even those who are supposed to guard the bureaucratic systems and also our frontiers. The “Adarsh” scam has overshadowed the CWG scam and has even pushed it out of media. Another recent scam has nudged the “Adarsh” from the media and soon something else will take over the media space.
Public memory being short and the new scams surfacing with almost amazing regularity, the perpetrators are likely to be soon forgotten and also get out of the net only to enjoy their “billions” in peace.
Long live the nation.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Anonymously secure!
In anonymity lies security and therefore we have anonymous complaints and anonymous expressions of opinions in various offices and forums. Such complaints and expressions of opinions by people who do not even have the courage to stand-by their own view point says much about the prevalent rot in the society. Cowards who want others to set the nation right, while they want to retain their anonymity and thereby enjoy a false sense of security. Cowards who do not even want to risk taking the responsibility for their own expressions! How shall they ever take responsibility for their own actions is a point to be pondered upon! Even in my own office where I am surrounded by people who are secure and comfortable in their guaranteed sarkari jobs, the presence of such cowards can not be entirely ruled out.
Can a society of cowards take the nation forward? I am afraid not, cowards can only multiply their own race by generally voicing their fear of the unknown at various forums, and that too with amazing regularity.
Can a society of cowards take the nation forward? I am afraid not, cowards can only multiply their own race by generally voicing their fear of the unknown at various forums, and that too with amazing regularity.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
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?
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?
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Protocol even in death!
A very senior railway officer suddenly passed away recently due to an unexpected cardiac arrest. A very fine officer and an equally fine human being, he left many of us who knew him well, teary eyed for days.
What really disturbed me, more than the death itself, was that the top echelons of the organization (with an exception of course) remained totally unmoved even by the death of a senior officer and did not care to pay even a fleeting visit to the residence of the diseased.
Should not an organization, represented by the very top management, just be there when a soldier and that too a senior one dies? Is it asking for too much to expect the presence of the top management at the death of an officer or are there other things that are more important. If so it would be interesting to know what can be more important than the death of your own men!
I find it demeaning when I find senior officers kowtowing before the powers that be. The birthdays of men in power are occasions to witness the presence of almost all the top officials marking their attendance with amazing ease and in high spirits. Yet the absence of top officials at the death of a senior officer of their own ilk! Is it not a disgusting and demoralizing state of affairs?
What really disturbed me, more than the death itself, was that the top echelons of the organization (with an exception of course) remained totally unmoved even by the death of a senior officer and did not care to pay even a fleeting visit to the residence of the diseased.
Should not an organization, represented by the very top management, just be there when a soldier and that too a senior one dies? Is it asking for too much to expect the presence of the top management at the death of an officer or are there other things that are more important. If so it would be interesting to know what can be more important than the death of your own men!
I find it demeaning when I find senior officers kowtowing before the powers that be. The birthdays of men in power are occasions to witness the presence of almost all the top officials marking their attendance with amazing ease and in high spirits. Yet the absence of top officials at the death of a senior officer of their own ilk! Is it not a disgusting and demoralizing state of affairs?
Thursday, October 21, 2010
The war within
Remaining forever busy in the war within has always enabled us to lose the external war.
The "Output does not matter" style of functioning of the country’s bureaucrats keeps them perpetually busy in the mundane pushing of files and proposals, while at the same time giving them a false feeling of having delivered. The system exists for its own sake and its effect on the nation is minimal and generally damaging in nature. The bureaucrats are forever busy in pushing their own petty interests and that invariably includes post retirement sinecures.
This is the essence of the Indian bureaucracy. A system that exists for its own sake and keeps its every component busy without actually delivering. A “corrupt to the core”system that is meant only to be milched by its constituents, serving the populace can go to hell.
How the hell would we ever win the external war against poverty, illiteracy and the infrastructural gap, when the system keeps us totally occupied in mundane stuff.
The "Output does not matter" style of functioning of the country’s bureaucrats keeps them perpetually busy in the mundane pushing of files and proposals, while at the same time giving them a false feeling of having delivered. The system exists for its own sake and its effect on the nation is minimal and generally damaging in nature. The bureaucrats are forever busy in pushing their own petty interests and that invariably includes post retirement sinecures.
This is the essence of the Indian bureaucracy. A system that exists for its own sake and keeps its every component busy without actually delivering. A “corrupt to the core”system that is meant only to be milched by its constituents, serving the populace can go to hell.
How the hell would we ever win the external war against poverty, illiteracy and the infrastructural gap, when the system keeps us totally occupied in mundane stuff.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)