India - on the road to excellence

The launch of electronic visa for nationals of forty three countries yesterday is one of the brightest moments for the tourism industry of the country. That it will spur inbound tourism is not in doubt, but that it displays the intent of the new government to give a fillip to this so far almost neglected sector is the powerful message that comes across clearly. Railways and tourism, the two sectors that were on the radar of the ruling party even much before the last general elections now appear poised for a major upturn. The use of the word “appear” is because with governments it is always wise not to count chickens before one actually sees them hatching.

My stint in the federal ministry of tourism began with me wondering why we crave a national impact even before being able to do anything substantial about the city of Agra, often christened as the mecca of Indian tourism. Why this city still remains the epitome of civic mal-governance is what bothers me even at such moments that for all of us even remotely linked with the sector are moments of rejoicing.

The economic impact and the multiplier effect of tourism on the national economy has always been fairly well touted so far and why not – there are glaring examples of many national economies surviving on and also thriving on mere tourism. Yet our nation that has the finest and most diverse collection of destinations and climates, culture and heritage, lifestyles, cuisines and shopping has not been really successful in taking full advantage of its endowments. 

The reason really lies in our inability to let the private sector adequately delve in areas that directly impinge upon tourism. The reason also lies in lack of cleanliness almost across the national spectrum, our penchant to fleece and bureaucratic apathy to development. Perhaps the realization that a plethora of small steps if allowed to flourish are much more potent that grandiose plans that usually do not see the light of the day, needs to sink in deeper. And the almost surreptitious acceptance of the fact that governments have miserably failed in running their small tourism businesses combined with lofty proclamations of grand intent really does not make any sense to me.

Achieving excellence in whatever we do has to be the aim and the tourism sector offers us a big enough plate to do that.  It is one sector that does not really need major investments exclusively for itself but can thrive merely with commitment and intent is a reality that needs acceptance. Like tourists, the entire sector only needs to be facilitated with favourable policies and mind-sets. The introduction of electronic visa for increasing tourism and various other measures to facilitate economic growth are displaying the road ahead rather favorably.

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.

The land of the rising sun

Pun intended India is indeed the land of the rising sun. Spelt otherwise with an “o” replacing the “u”, the line defining the nation still holds good.

Almost all of us offer water to the morning sun, as a religious ritual as well as a daily practice borne out of habit, yet we never perform this ritual for the sun at dawn. And the penchant for a son also far outstrips the desire for a progeny from the fairer sex.

The massive national tilt and adulation for Modi even months before the battle for the ballot is also indicative of the national culture of caring only for the rising sun and consigning to the dustbins of history, the setting sun. On the other end of the political spectrum, the fortunes of the numero uno political dynasty of the nation, is on an all-time low right now and the tilt away from the family in favour of the rising sun was therefore on expected lines. The official working environment cutting across sectors and states also moves on similar lines and allegiances keep on getting shuffled around on considerations of who is the rising and who the setting sun is.

While some may call this adulation of the rising sun as unfortunate, perhaps it is the most natural thing for a human being except otherwise in those rare cases when greatness is achieved by one’s own acts of omission or commission and not merely resting backsides on a chair of authority. In such cases the sun never sets, it only rises and keeps on rising forever, Mahatma Gandhi being a fairly well entrenched example of this kind.

Perhaps therein lies the difference between power and authority. While the chair grants authority that men generally flaunt, power always remains personal. Men for whom the sun sets merely had authority, not an iota of power and that is the reason for their fading into oblivion after leaving the chair they enjoyed resting their backsides on.

The massive national shift of power and the emergence of a true leader after almost a decade of blatant mal-governance may indeed make the country the land of the rising sun almost literally.

Amen! 

Learning from the past

NOT MERELY SCIENCE, BUT DEDICATION TOO

Tuesday, 11 November 2014 | Ashwani Lohani | in Oped

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Human ego is the biggest stumbling block to progress and growth in today’s era. Bigger the ego, the lesser the delivery

The national penchant for re-inventing the wheel and invariably showcasing efforts as the first of its kind is as damaging as it is hilarious. I vividly remember the beginning of my tenure in the tourism sector when I was asked to take steps to prepare State-level master plans for the development of tourism. I tumbled upon a bookshelf and found that similar reports were prepared many times over in the past.

Yet, in our efforts that are directed towards self-perpetuation, we never learn, nor seem to be inclined to, despite the fact that there is really much that can be gleaned from the affairs of history. Napoleon’s conquests and his emergence as the emperor of France when he was merely 35, the rise of Germany as the most powerful nation in the world within 70 years of its being totally vanquished during the World War I and the ejection of the British Empire from the sub-continent almost single-handedly by Mahatma Gandhi, are classical examples from history that should  inspire us towards achieving greatness.

And it is not merely these great examples. There are many other equally important examples, albeit on a lower scale, that are within the realm of realisation by mere mortals. How many of us know that the great architectural masterpiece, Red Fort, took only 10 years to build — that too almost four centuries ago — and the iconic Howrah bridge took just five? That the three hill railways, namely, the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, the Kangra Valley Railway and the Kalka Simla Railway, each took less than three years to build, is also beyond the realm of comprehension. Unthinkable indeed in the present era, when the skills, technological as well as managerial, are far more advanced than the time when those masterpieces were created.

Perhaps then delivery was as sacrosanct as processes are today. And therein lies the folly of the systems of present times. And it is also about ego. “The bigger the ego, the lesser the delivery”, a statement that symbolises the working of all the enterprises today, says it all about the causes that underline our most glaring failures. That human ego is the biggest stumbling block to progress and growth is a fact that needs appreciation. Yet what really surprises me is adjustable egos that do not even whimper when a superior pulls one up but flare up in the presence of a subordinate at the slightest pretext. And the tantra is perhaps the finest example of egos that remain elastic throughout ones lifetime. What a great waste of life, human life that according to the Hindushastra is conferred after passing through 84 lakh life forms.

The great Indus Valley civilisation of the 5th century BC is an outstanding example of what our ancestors were capable of even in those days that were bereft of technological advancements of the kind that exist today. The strides that this civilisation made in the fields of town planning, trade and culture are really an eye-opener and make us wonder with awe — if so much could be achieved in those days, why not now?

Perhaps it is all about our ability to dream and having a single-minded focus and determination to convert the same into reality. Yet the same would not be possible without three things — leadership, absolute integrity and ethical behavior, the void of which this great nation had been experiencing for quite some time now.  Yet we remain engrossed in trivialities, things that really do not matter in the long-run or even in the short-run. Moreover self-gratification and an absolute lack of concern for the collective can never propel a nation forward.

Pledging to maintain Cleanliness

The mission to make India a clean place is indeed a noble one. And the 2^nd of October, being the birthday of the Mahatma was ideal for rolling it out this year.

While it shall definitely take some time for cleanliness in public places to attain desirable levels, it is of essence that the tremendous impact cleanliness has in creating a good environment should find root in the psyche of the citizens. The earlier it actually happens, the better it would be for the nation. 

Yet the fact that this mission is piloted by the Prime Minister himself gives solace that at-least some progress would definitely be achieved. The resoluteness with which issues are being handled by the present government gives confidence that in a couple of years, the nation would indeed be a much cleaner place with rhetoric having been relegated to the back seat at present.

A clean environment is at the root of almost everything including human happiness. It enhances productivity, creates a good living environment and enhances satisfaction and happiness levels. The Mahatma realized it almost a century ago when he called the cleaners “harijan” ie men of god. He also equated cleanliness with godliness.

Yet the nation remained dirty, the marketplaces, the roads, tourist sites, railway stations and the bus depots, almost all still bear the stamp of an unclean place. Even temples of worship have generally failed to maintain a semblance of cleanliness and that foxes me. How even tiny Asian countries are able to maintain cleanliness in their public places and private and why we have been a miserable failure on this important front?

Has it something to do with our culture and if so, why the same indian who litters on home soil displays perfect behavior even in matters of keeping his surroundings clean when not on the home soil. Perhaps more than culture, it is about conditioning and fear and also about pride. I clearly remember the seventies when the Kolkata metro emerged, the same “bhadralok” who considered defiling his city as his birthright, maintained impeccable cleanliness at metro stations even to the extent of admonishing one who littered within the confines of swanky metro territory. A difference made in a span of a few steps only. Perhaps this shows that a clean nation is indeed possible.

But not without a firm resolve. With my better half taking good (and clean) care of the home territory, I have pledged to ensure that the office space occupied by me and my team is always maintained in a state of pristine cleanliness. I am also inspired by the the clean india campaign of indiantopblogs (http://www.indiantopblogs.com/2014/10/diwali-and-clean-india.html) and am contributing my wee bit to their effort.

And the genuine national effort this time in this direction gives me hope of being able to witness an immaculately clean and by corollary an economically strong and contented India in my lifetime. 

ethics in governance is the need of the hour

The recent arrest of a Director level officer handling allotment of coaches was shocking for the nation, but not for many of those who throng its economic lifeline. Perhaps in his own assessment, the officer was merely doing what he thought was his birth-right, having seen at close quarters what many of his elk have been seen indulging into.

Mahesh Kumar through his act of attempting to buy his place into a seat of power and money achieved infamy as an icon of corruption. At that time many thought that the organization has seen its nadir and that the government would have no option other than stepping in to stem the rot. Unfortunately all such hopes were dashed when the sordid saga continued unabated with blatant and brazen acts of corruption being witnessed daily. In fact with time they picked up speed and those who were bracketed in the honest variety quietly slipped into the shadows.   

And the sordid acts continued – the side lining of a very senior and fine officer for the top job and his subsequent harassment, blatant dispensing of favours to contractors for consideration, making the office meet household requirements and gross abysmal conduct of those in high place. On the other  hand we also witnessed many being moved from the confines of their cozy homes to becoming jailbirds, notable being the case of two officers working in the censor board and IRCTC.

And then the toilet thing happened where a senior officer was shunted merely because he played the role of a custodian and refused to succumb to demands that smacked of gross unethical conduct.   

Even while the officer community was reeling under the shock of these expose, the coaching scandal burst on the scene with almost a vengeance. It appeared as if some were trying to outwit the other in looting the organization that gives us our daily bread.

The organization bleeds incessantly and the corrupt revel.

But should they be allowed to? Is it not the time for all those who have the interest of the organization uppermost in their mind to come forward and save it from the clutches of the corrupt? Is it not the time for the honest minority to say “this far and no further” and then act accordingly? Shouldn't the national interest take overriding priority over everything else, even at the cost of harm to oneself that may occur in the process?

The answer is “Yes”. The silent minority of the honest and the right minded should not allow itself to be swept away by the torrent of the corrupt and self-seekers.  

For the first time in the history of the nation we have a Prime Minister who is brutally honest and also extremely intense about his intent to pull the nation out of the abyss that it finds itself in. All of us have to be on his side, not merely seen to be so but by battling corruption and sloth in whatever territory we find ourselves to be. That indeed shall be the best homage to the land of the Mahatma.   

Heed the voice of conscience!

The incessant babble – of voices imploring one to act or not to act is often maddening and at times dangerous, if one indeed acts on them. This babble is often so overbearing that lesser mortals which  most of us are, find it difficult to set aside.

We Indians are great at advising others, while at the same time often guilty of inaction ourselves. And therefore we have all these cases of blatant corruption, loot and rapes in glaring public view. People watch and walk away, wishing that someone else would pick up the straw and yet later grumble about the sorry state of affairs in the society, a society that is rapidly going bereft of men with spine.

We look the other way when the powerful custodians have their hands in the till. We continue to look the other way even after our Prime Minister, the greatest that this nation has ever had, exhorts us to rise above the “Mera Kya Mujhe Kya” syndrome. The top guy realizes, yet we do not, that a thief is hurting us irrespective of the ownership of the cauldron he is busy emptying. It is our nation and also our railways after all.

Often in life one encounters situations when a bigger general good is tipped against a petty personal gain or loss and unfortunately the latter tips the scale. Personal discomfort or comfort takes overriding priority over the need to be on the path of righteousness and the general good. Giants become pygmies on such occasions.

The very fact that organization and nation building does not come cheap needs to be grouted firmly and straight, in the inner recesses of our mind. The thought that good shall always remain good and shall always be the right thing to do even at the pinnacle of “Kalyug” needs to settle firmly in the collective psyche of the nation. Will it ever be so I wonder, yet the thought that now we have a true leader at the helm gives solace.

While we are all separate bodies with different likes, tastes, preferences, attitudes and actions, the fact remains that at the sub-conscious level, we are all one having emerged from the one single root of energy in the universe. Our conscience is therefore our best guide at such moments in life when the voice of reason starts wavering in the face of petty personal gains or losses. Brutal suppression of the voice of conscience that invariably emerges whenever there is a subconscious battle between good and evil is definitely not in order. Gautam Buddha the great, advocated looking within as the best means to lead a life, yet in the land he spent most of his life in, we have moved away from our souls towards materialism that really does not matter in the short or the long run.

Spiritualism needs to be at the core of all our actions and activities if the glory of this great nation or the great organization is to be restored.