A phenomenon called Arnab

Arnab Goswami is a recent yet a very powerful phenomenon that fortunately is good for the nation. The nine pm Times Now debates have now emerged as a must in the daily schedule of every educated middle class Indian. That the debates are contemporary is what adds to their irresistible attraction that almost everyone finds it difficult to put aside. A crystal clear elucidation of the issue and absolute clarity of the subject is what enables Arnab never to stumble or bumble, activities reserved for those panellists who do not carry conviction over what emerges from their lips.

That Arnab is very well prepared is beyond doubt. That he is committed to the cause of the nation is fairly evident. And that he possesses the courage of the tiger is not hidden from anyone. And his overall pleasing personality is like the icing on the cake.

Overall I am floored and also satisfied for here is one Indian who does not beat about the bush and is fearless in calling a spade a spade even when the spade belongs to the ruling dispensation. Solid inner courage is what really makes the difference between those who build nations and those who do not. Mahatma Gandhi was one whose courage was exemplary, whose commitment to the cause was unflinching and who was always on the side of the truth regardless of the consequences and this is what led him to victory over the might of the british empire.

Many regard Arnab as arrogant. Yes he is, but his arrogance is based on his inner courage, integrity and conviction and not merely a false sense of ego and pride. I wish the members of the bureaucracy and the political classes cutting across party lines had a similar brand of arrogance for then the nation would already have arrived in the real sense.  

This biggest contribution of these debates is that they have started instilling a sense of fear amongst the powerful wrongdoers who so far had none to dissect their acts. The voracious tearing apart of the arguments blatantly favoring the wrongdoers would, if continued in the same spirit bring the fear of god in the minds of every powerful aadmi from the ruling classes on the wrong side of law or humanity.

The new dispensation at the centre is from a party with a difference. With the inglorious decade of corruption and sloth behind us, the nation now eagerly looks forward to clean and efficient governance, an absence of scams, growth and development, swift justice and premium on merit. Perhaps all these would adorn the nation in the near future and the emergence of issues that are at the core of the debates would witness a rapid decline. Yet till such time it happens I am going to relish the grilling of wrongdoers at the hands of the phenomenon called Arnab.

Divine Intervention Solicited!

The Times Now debates have of late emerged as the widely accepted practice of killing time, killing time without later being able to recollect later what indeed the debate was all about. The debates that earlier started and continued with a flourish are now fast losing their relevance as discussions are being held merely for the sake of discussions. Perhaps it is a fine way of many to put on display their faces and thus remain in the reckoning in the public arena.

A couple of years back while living in Bhopal, the city of lakes, I often wondered at the architecture of Hotel Lake View Ashok a property of the tourism major going by the name of ITDC.  The hotel designed by an internationally renowned architect whom one would not like to name had a lobby that can never be air-conditioned for it had all high ceiling with all corridors opening in the vast open space. It was pretty obvious that the hotel was designed for the sake of architecture with perhaps only the architect getting a kick out of the design.

On a similar analogy, handing technical issues now, the injection of new technology in the form of latest international designs of locomotives and coaches always makes me wonder whether a technological upgrade merely implies a transfer of technology from beyond the shores and a couple of overseas junkets without handling the overall associated gamut. And therefore all such upgrades come with massive labor pains that carry well beyond the birth of the child.

I have now realized that a pinch of salt is what one should take while consuming rhetoric of any kind, whether it is a claim to a nationalistic fervor or trumpeting of efforts to heal the wounds of the humanity. The efforts to nail those found with their hand in the till also have to be taken with a lot of salt as the final punishments are never commensurate with the extent of the crime. At a lower bureaucratic level also the statements of intent often proclaimed from rooftops turn out to be falsity personified. The wheel continues to be invented again and again with the difference that unlike in the golden past, those inventing keep on taking sole credit ad-infinitum.

The last decade has indeed been the most horrifying in so far as decline in human values and a disgraceful conduct on display on the part of those occupying high chairs is concerned. Partially successful efforts at selling the family silver cheap marked the beginning of absence of probity in public life, a trend that continues unabated till today, with brazenness emerging as the hallmark of those in power.

Railways also have a long story to tell. While still being counted as an organization that delivers, albeit in a sellers market that too in monopoly, the standards of leadership, governance and management have witnessed a steep decline. The Mahesh Kumar episode is indeed the tip of the iceberg, but perhaps as matters stand today, the full iceberg is never going to be visible and things shall soon return to normalcy with corrupt and unethical practices continuing to rule the roost.

And that makes me certain that the only person capable of setting the nation in order through his impeccable standards of commitment, honesty and guts will never be allowed to rise and lead all of us to glory. Perhaps we can only wait for divine intervention to bail out the nation now!

A nation outraged!

Another rape in the metropolis and a ghastly one at that and the police is once again on the mat. The outrage over the incident poured onto the streets and the media and rightly so. The masses at large feel outraged and cheated, outraged over the sheer beastly nature of the incident and cheated over their right to a free and safe movement within the confines of the capital of the nation, right that needs to be guaranteed by the state meant to provide proper governance.

The Delhi police, one of the finest police forces in the nation is once again in the firing line. Perhaps they have been in the firing line so often, that by now they would have realized that the heat would melt away in a few days, anyway with the election results round the corner. The moot question however remains is whether the police could have prevented what happened and whether they are to be blamed to the extent they are actually being.

While watching the debate on Times Now yesterday, I could not help but commiserate over the plight of the young joint commissioner of police who obviously like all bureaucrats with little real authority over his domain had to respond to uncomfortable charges. I could visualize his request for additional force and police control vans doing the rounds of the great Indian bureaucratic system that does not fully authorize those accountable. I was also aghast at the attitude of some of the participants who were not in favour of capital punishment that indeed may prove to be the biggest deterrent for such crimes against humanity. Perhaps physical castration may be the best bet.

I often wonder how one sector of the massive governance machinery excel in isolation when the efficiency of the entire tantra is below par. When shall all of us who are a part of the tantra start appreciating that authority and accountability have to be in matched sets for delivery to be possible. Unfortunately empowerment and systemic improvements remain a utopian dream as much in the police as in the rest of the system.

Is it not unfortunate that merely beating around the bush is what keeps most of us in the sarkari tantra occupied? In the absence of adequate empowerment, quick decision making processes and complex contractual mechanisms topped up by a fair sprinkling of mistrust inherent in the governance machinery, we are indeed getting a taste of our own medicine!

Nation building requires the toil of generations and unfortunately we never toiled. The society is indeed at the receiving end of what it deserves.

Times Now Debates

The hotly contested "Times Now" debates find more than adequate viewership. The subjects are relevant to the times and the entire debating session is also well handled. The choice of speakers also does not leave more to be desired.

While the content is good and appreciable, what really stands out as a jarring note is the acrimony between the speakers. With daggers drawn out, the speakers attack each other as if they belong not to different parties but to different gangs whose only wish is to eliminate their rival.

It is a big change from the days of Jawahar and Patel, when mutual respect for the opposition was at the core of the working of the parliament. Even during Indira days, Atal compared her to Durga, when Bangladesh was liberated.

Gone are those days. We now have the likes of Tiwari whose pedestrian ways has considerably lowered the image as well as the dignity of politicians and political institutions. We have so called eminent people on the panel who opppose for the sake of opposition, who have no morals or character and who are more a bunch of chamaleons than responsible politicians of a democratic nation.

Perhaps the Anna Hazare crusade may result in the creation of a better nation and a saner political environment. It appears that the nation is in for good times now!