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.

Redeeming Greatness

My visit to the Heritage Transport Museum near Rewari on the 12th was an eye opener. I could never have imagined that such an outstanding creation can emerge in India that too in a place regarded as backward by many. The museum that covers a wide cross section of road transport and a good genuine sprinkling of rail heritage with a little bit of air and marine heritage thrown in is a place to visit for an indian in love with his country and a visiting foreigner wanting to visit a place that the nation regards as a place of pride.

The visit was unique in that it reinforced in me the belief that there are still some good men (and women too) who care for their country and would go to any extent to live their dreams, dreams that are great in themselves and also contribute greatly in making this country great. That it is still possible to achieve so much despite the constraining environment is a thought that loomed on me for a long period after this brief visit.

Almost two decades back when I was appointed the director of the national rail museum, I inherited a file the subject of which was the creation of the nation’s first transport museum. In the backdrop of a dilapidated museum crying for attention, I perhaps rightly let that file rest in peace and concentrated on a number of minor improvements that to some extent redeemed the original glory of the place. Transport museum at that time appeared to me like an ambition whose time has not yet come.

And so when I walked into Tarun Thakral’s creation recently, I was pleasantly surprised but also satisfied that this national dream has finally been redeemed. Tarun Thakral, the managing trustee of the museum and the chief executive officer of Le Meridien in New Delhi has given to the nation many times over what the nation would have given him in his entire life. He has put his entire life’s savings and almost two decades of energy and effort in realizing his dream of giving the nation its first ever transport museum and in the process proved that there are many like napoleon for whom the word impossible simply does not exist. It is indeed men like Tarun who really deserve the Padma honors that the nation has been bestowing generally to the undeserving, in tune with the national policy of giving the cold shoulder to the meritorious.

Tarun’s achievement reinforced in me the belief that it is indeed individuals fired with inner zeal, conviction and commitment who are the real assets of the nation, that needs to nurture, encourage and reward such individuals if only with the selfish motive of inspiring many others to join this coveted league and propel the nation further towards progress.

The German nation is a classic example of being repeatedly led by individuals who have lifted the nation from pits to emerge as the most powerful nation in the world. Closer home Lee Kuan Yew of Singapore and Mahathir Mohammad of Malaysia are examples of one man powerhouses who in their lifetime positioned their nation much ahead of what it was when they came on the national scene. Unfortunately we have awaited the arrival of a nation builder on the national scene since long.

Indeed history has repeatedly shown that it is single individuals who have propelled organizations and nations forward, never a collective. And therein lies hope for the future of this nation, hope that almost the entire population now has in one man who has already proved his mettle by taking his state forward by decades in a matter of years. The arrival of Modi, the epitome of integrity, commitment and deliverance on the national scene is indicative of changing times, a change that the nation has been yearning for since the famous midnight tryst with destiny. Perhaps now is the time for this nation to redeem its greatness and emerge in the frontline of the league of nations.   

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. 

Hastinapur would show the way!

Kejriwal gives hope, to the nation as well as humanity. A meteoric rise indeed yet there may be many years when he finally arrives unless of course all poll predictions go wrong that they may and he emerges from the shadows to occupy the throne of Hastinapur.

A former civil servant whose better half still serves the national government and for one who still resides in accommodation provided by the very sarkar he seeks to replace, his guts are indeed amazing and therefore the slight tinge of envy in many of us who would love to be in his boots yet do not have the courage, integrity or the commitment to be so.

His incessant battle against the establishment and also the anti establishment is against all odds, yet a battle that he is fighting with gumption. For his cause is right and intentions noble and this is what really matters when one is fighting for righteousness. Perhaps his integrity and commitment to the cause is what gives him the strength to keep on fighting what appears to be a one sided battle. This reminds us of the Mahabharata, the epic battle between the kauravas and the pandavas, the battle between the right and the wrong, between evil and goodness where despite heavy odds the pandavas won and in the process gave eternal hope to the people of Bharatvarsh.  

“Ekalo Chalo Re”is his slogan and perhaps the right and the only way when the odds are stacked almost to the level of being regarded as impossible. It is always only one man who can take an organization, a state or a nation forward. Gandhi dressed in the barest of attires amidst a sea of immaculately attired adversaries achieved for this nation what even massive armies would fail in. Truth was his only weapon and renunciation of ego his biggest attribute yet he achieved what till the very end appeared almost impossible. 

Arvind Kejriwal is not a Gandhi, but the closest to Gandhi that the nation has got so far. His battle is for a cause that is right, though his means are more direct and do not totally abjure violence. India is not China or Egypt or Syria where the masses have sufficient inner conviction to move out on the streets and face bullets for a cause, yet many people have often come out at his call, not sufficient enough to cause an uprising, yet sufficient enough to create a nationalistic fervor.

The nation is staring at the toughest electoral fights in its history. The battles are bound to be severe and maybe violent at times as patna has recently displayed yet the thought that nectar emerges only after a massive churning exercise has kept the nation moving forward in search of good governance, something that we have missed in the first sixty seven years of existence of an independent yet not a free nation. 

Mahabharat

The battle for the throne of Delhi is indeed getting exciting by the day. With the ongoing affairs reminding us of the reign of “Bahadur Shah Zafar” it is apparent that a takeover is on the cards and rightly so, the kingdom of sycophants, robbers and people clueless about what character and value systems are all about needs a shakeup and an overhaul.

Arvind Kejriwal of the RTI and Anna brigade fame is eyeing the premier state of the sultanat and it appears that he may scrape through to victory. His strategy is simple yet may prove to be effective as the two main groups have more than disenchanted the aam aadmi with the result that the aam aadmi party that lacks money and muscle power may yet make the finishing line. Even if it does not, it appears absolutely certain that the party would have made its presence felt sufficiently enough to cause discomfort to both the national level dispensations. 

That the forthcoming hustings due in the spring of 2014 would turn out to be the battle royale of the century is beyond doubt. Never before in the history of independent India has its populace felt so helpless, so cheated and so angry at the bunch of nincompoops who constitute the ruling clan. The Durga Shakti incident of Uttar Pradesh, the wave of rapes and indignities heaped on the fairer sex and the repeated and blatant cases of loot with absolutely no concern for the aam aadmi have led to the ongoing wave of disenchantment with almost everything connected with the state. The fine line that distinguished the robbers from the rulers has become blurred. 

Closer home, the ongoing affairs in the lifeline of the nation have also deprived its constituents of any sense of pride and dignity that they possessed. We have shed both our wealth as well as dignity.  

At birthday parties of tiny tots, one often witnesses amusing fights for the cake. It is sad that in real life, in the political arena of modern India we are forced witnesses to fights over pieces of the cake with members of the ruling clan as well as prospective rulers leaving no stone unturned in ensuring a disgusting display of concern only for the cake with the sole intent of self gratification. The nation can and is indeed rapidly going to hell.

Yet being a hindu I believe in destiny and the almighty. With Modi around, perhaps the next hustings may provide us with the faint ray of hope that can lead to sunshine and brightness all around. 

India Shining!

The results of the mini general results ruffled quite a few feathers. The results not being what most of the pollsters expected them to be signifies the coming of age of the Indian electorate. That the Indian electorate cannot be taken for granted is a thought that the recent results reinforced further.

What surprised most were the UP results. The massive mandate for SP, the severe drubbing of the Congress and the inability of the BJP to maintain the leading position it had in the first two hours of counting were certainly not what the general electorate expected. The defeat of one of the honest politicians and the sitting Chief Minister General Khanduri accompanied by the majority of his cabinet colleagues also came as a shock to many. The results of Punjab also defied expectations and that Goa has finally been able to elect a stable dispensation is a welcome but fairy unexpected development.

That mere smiles and promising words can get crowds but not votes is also a lesson that many would have learnt from the results of this electoral battle.

The country has had enough of the rhetoric, both of the bureaucratic as well as the political kind. That it now needs a proper governance machinery is a thought clamoring for attention and acceptance. In recent times, the nation also had more than its share of financial scams and sexploits, indulged in both by the bureaucrats and politicos and it now appears that the people have decided not to take things lying down by clearly showing their preference for better governance. Yet what choice do they have, being stuck between the devil and the deep sea and do things really improve even after the voter has shown his choice fairly clearly?

Failed governance, yes India is now a powerful example of failed governance cutting across levels and sectors. Else how does one explain bad roads, inadequate water and electricity, acute poverty and beggary, truckloads of crime and corruption, right here in Delhi, the capital city of this nation of over a billion. The state of affairs in the rest of the nation, especially the hinterlands would not be difficult to visualize. India not for Indians but for the rich and the powerful is what aptly describes this nation of ours that in historical times was referred to as a golden pigeon. Yet there is a faint glimmer of hope.

Insha – Allah, we may rise again.

Great nation, not so great people!

Not everything is bad about India after all!

A country where elections see a change of power with amazing regularity, a country where the high and mighty are toppled even by new entrants into politics with amazing ease. A country that despite practising and displaying gross mismanagement cutting across sectors and state boundaries, is perhaps still the finest example of conducting free and fair elections from amongst the biggest conglomerate of electors in the world.

Yes, it is indeed gratifying that India is the finest and the largest example of a truly functional democracy in the world. A country where everyone is free to do whatever one pleases and this has also been our bane. A nation that acquired independence when almost eighty percent of its citizens were illiterate and the national infrastructure was in tatters, yet it made its constituents free and look where we are now.

Peaceful coexistence of contrasts is another feather in the cap of the nation. Here the dirty rich coexist with the abject poor, the powerful with the powerless and the gliteratti with the glitter less. A nation that offers the perfect platform for a revolution and yet nothing happens. The citizens happily accept whatever platter is offered to them.

Yes, India is indeed a great nation after all!