In God we trust!

Ramdev's shadow loomed large over the sixty sixth anniversary of the independence day of the nation. It was only yesterday that he swarmed by his supporters had almost held the city to ransom over the basic issue of corruption. Yet he blinked first and left, in what was a battle that had just started getting fought.

Yes it is true that for the first time the nation is in the throes of a war on corruption launched by two citizens who are honest and have taken the nation by storm, and fortunately would not be cowed down by the might of the state. And this time the state also played its part tactfully, staying away from confrontation, and in the process making the other party blink first.

For the first  time many of us did not feel the fervor that occasions like the independence and republic day have the capability to rouse. How can one take a pride in a nation that has been taking rapid strides, merely in the realm of corrupt practices? In an environment marked by an all pervasive and deeply entrenched corrupt practices, how can one be inspired by independence day speeches that are not from the heart and at best  classify as mere rhetoric? It is indeed sad that even the might of the nation that is on full display on such occasions now fails to have the desired patriotic impact and merely assumes the aura of a grand spectacle.

That is what we have brought even the most sacred of our national events to, a mere grand spectacle. Sad yet true.

Anna is a ray of hope. Having ignited minds and brought the issue of corruption center stage, the issue now needs to be taken further to its logical conclusion. The entire tantra needs to be cleansed of inefficiency and corruption and a system based on integrity and justice that the existing pillars of our democratic system have failed to achieve in the over six decades of the existence of a free nation, needs to be firmly established. Thankfully India is not China where a Tianaman type strike can crush public movements in a single swipe. Yet India is also not a nation where the masses can resolve and say - this far and no further, for they have also, perhaps out of compulsion become an integral part of the the system that thrives on corruption.

In the absence of a suitable alternative, even 2014 may not provide a solution. The deep morass that has engulfed the entire tantra now needs a leader who has the integrity, understanding, conviction and courage in an abundant measure to be able to take on the might of the system for the benefit of the nation. But the horizon does not offer hope. The days of oral pills and surgery being over, what the system now needs is a massive dose of chemotheraphy on a sustained basis and perhaps that is the only treatment that may work, yet we need a doctor to initiate treatment.

In eighty four million gods we trust and they may bless us with a solution.

Insha Allah.

The Mumbai Nightmare

The recent incidence of a major fire at Sachivalaya at Mumbai shocked the nation. That an uncontrolled fire could take place literally at the seat of power that too in broad daylight is a shining example of unacceptable scenarios that we have over time learnt to expect as well as accept. The aftermath of the incident saw the media losing little time in questioning the fire prevention and fire redressal systems that apparently led to the catastrophe. The prompt initiation of the blame game and an enquiry, both failed to inspire confidence.

The simultaneous incident of Mahi, a child aged five falling into an uncovered borewell in Haryana is also a mirror of the state of affairs in the nation. Despite the full might of the state being activated for recovering the child from the sixty five feet deep pit, timely recovery of Mahi appears a bleak preposition. And once again there is a clamor at the root of which is our purported failure to learn a lesson from the similar case of Prince that happened around six years ago.

What catastrophe are we facing next? This question is always on the minds of the common citizen, for India is not the United States of America where one shattering episode is enough and never repeated. The 9/11 incident to be precise, howsoever horrific it may have been, had been enough to stir a nation into action and say “So far and no further”. A resolve so strong and so successfully implemented, that the country has since then not witnessed even a single act of terrorism.

But India is different. We have a brand new disaster almost every month. It may be a major fire, an act of terror, an accident or even children falling into uncovered borewells, incidents that shock and lead to widespread outrage and anguish, yet to no avail. The incident that is more of a symptom than a disease in itself is conveniently forgotten in a few days and remembered only when something similar happens somewhere else. 

When shall we learn to differentiate between a symptom and the disease it causes? Yet, it is sad that platitudes not resolves continue to be mouthed by the men who matter. The blame game remains on, only the subject matter keeps on shifting and what the nation gets are mere assurances of taking necessary action to ensure that such incidents do not recur. All till the next incident surfaces.

And then the whole story gets repeated again ad-infinitum.

The cause of such incidents that happen with amazing regularity has perhaps much more to do with the way things are made to happen in the realm of the governments. Expecting an isolated sector to perform well in isolation shall always remain a futile expectation. The fact however remains that in this country of over a twelve hundred million, we have miserably failed in even providing the basic necessities of sanitation, housing, education and food after almost sixty seven years of existence as a free nation. Does this not raise eyebrows, or have we started accepting this stark reality as fait accompli? I bet we have! Moreover how does one expect a nation that has been only a limited success in certain areas, be expected to do exceedingly well in all sectors. Yes we have entered the select club of atomic powers and space, but to what avail. We still have widespread poverty and beggers can be seen thronging the roads almost everywhere. 

 

The delivery orientation of the various organs of the state needs to be looked at in depth. The decision making and implementation mechanisms need overhaul. The delivery mechanisms in vogue in governments cutting across sectors and states, exceptions apart, have since independence remained archaic and over complex, thereby enabling only a cosmetic treatment of even minor issues plaguing the nation. The fault lies in the system that was designed to rule over a foreign populace, but being continued in a democratic setup in almost its original form with mistrust being at the core of it, and that hampers delivery. The complexity of the tantra leads to low productivity and massive corruption that touches the lives of the ordinary citizen almost always. 

How does a nation that accepts rampant corruption as a way of life, expect its organs to be efficient in delivery orientation and prevent the occurance of incidences that we inspired by the regularity are even forgetting to abhor. Yes, corruption exists even in the developed world but there it has neither emerged as a way of life, nor affects the common citizen in the manner it does here. It is perhaps only in India where a common citizen is unable to get anything done from the sarkari system, be it getting an FIR registered, a ration card, an electricity connection, a contract or the house registered without the customary greasing of palms. Here any act that requires interaction with the Governmental machinery is invariably sticky with exceptions that are a rarity. 

If we as a nation are really concerned that the nightmare like the one in Mumbai or in Haryana are not repeated, a determined effort to bring probity in public life will be needed. Integrity will then have to take a front seat, but that would also need a churning of the entire system of governance, decision making and implementation. Easier said than done, but nation building, peace and prosperity do not come easy or cheap. A hefty price would have to be paid either way. Are we ready?

The looking glass

Look in before you look out.

It is sad that the sarkari sector in general fails to look in before it looks out. Our attempts at changing the external scenario generally come to a naught because we do not, as a first step attempt to set right our own internal environment. The situation is ridiculous to the extent of trying to win a car race using a car that has a worn out engine, low tyre pressure and a bad suspension. The obvious solution lies in first setting right the car before taking on the world.

But we miserably fail at setting right the internal scenario before handling the external one. And the tragedy is that we fail not because of halfhearted or inefficient steps, but because we do not take any steps whatsoever.

How can worn out decision making processes, archaic rules and procedures and a dilapidated human resources structure take an organization anywhere, except down the hill? Is it not a pity that the majority of the Indian bureaucrats, especially the ones occupying the high chairs fail to appreciate even this basic ground reality and waste their as well as that of everyone else in their attempts to flog the system to achieve marginal results.

When shall we wake up and set our own internal machinery right before attempting to change the world?