When men in white do black deeds

This article was published in the Pioneer of 13/11/2013

Is this Kalyug at its worst? If so, is Satyug round the corner? After all, Time always goes round in circles. How much more do we have to suffer?

That Caesar's wife must be above suspicion, is an ancient saying. Julius Caesar said this when asked why he divorced his wife Pompeia. She was suspected of wrongdoing, and Caesar, therefore, could not associate with her anymore.

The essence of this pearl of wisdom is that the needle of suspicion, of wrongdoing, should not point at even the associates of men in power. Yet today, even distant associates consider it their birthright to steal from the till when a relation or a close acquaintance is temporarily placed on the pedestal of service, unfortunately regarded by many as the pedestal of power.

In ancient times, the power of the kings was considered to be absolute. Yet the welfare of the masses remained at the core of almost all their actions, with only rare exceptions. The kings of the present times, the politicos and bureaucrats alike, despite being temporary and chosen adornments of the state machinery, flaunt and blatantly misuse power for self-perpetuation. This is an act that we are witness to, with amazing regularity. In recent times, the ‘holy’ Tihar has been witness to many such kings landing in its lap, as retribution for the crimes that they committed, crimes that were often treacherous and amounted to a blatant betrayal of the trust that society imposed upon the perpetrators. This reminds one of another ancient saying: Vinaash kale viprit buddhi. Perhaps vinashkal or bad times is upon us, and rightly so. The sins of the society and the keepers of its conscience have perhaps exceeded what Bharat Mata can bear.

This leads one to another thought. Why do men in power in this country wear starched white clothes? Is it because it gives the false impression that the person is as clean as his clothes? White is cleanliness personified, and the ultimate depiction of purity, and, therefore, perhaps it is supposed to provide a convenient cloak to hide one’s dark deeds. The cloak of white has become so acceptable that it is flaunted with impunity almost everywhere. That white offers an opportunity for inner cleansing and purification of thoughts and emotions and, ultimately, of the spirit, while at the same time, refreshing and strengthening the entire energy system, is lost on this breed of people. The men in power present themselves in a cloak of white, attempting to fool the masses — an act in which they have generally been fairly successful. The naïve public, that generally accepts things at face value, is taken for a ride. In India, this ride is still continuing even after over six decades of existence as a free nation.

It pains one when the conduct of even apex-level functionaries in society is unbecoming of the high positions they hold in trust. Watching the incessant march of men in power into the precincts of Tihar jail, and other such places of atonement, is as satisfying as it is painful. The tremendous penchant for accumulation of wealth and power that one witnesses in society, pains — and so does the total lack of concern for justice and equality. The scams that surface with amazing regularity makes one feel like one has been duped by people for whom duplicity is a settled way of life. Men-in-white committing acts in black remind us of the story of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde. 

Is this Kalyug at its worst? If so, is Satyug round the corner? After all, Time always goes round in circles. Perhaps the ensuing ‘Mahabharat’ may provide the answers that the nation is seeking — for what now appears to be an eternity. Only time shall tell. Till then, keeping our fingers crossed is the sole option.

Jambooree on the horizon!

Election fever is on. ON are also accusations and counter accusations between the so called leaders of political parties who claim a right over governing the nation. The mulayam beni barbs, despite the lows that have been attained by men in power are symbolic of the dismal state of political governance in the nation. Yet despite the regular five yearly jamborees, the situation this time is palpably different with the federal government on a life support system with over a year of its assigned life still in the bag.

Too many aspirants for the top job, not for pulling the nation out of its abyss but merely for being the top honcho and the power and perks that go with it. The prevalent environment where almost everyone with power and pelf has their hand in the till, also makes government formation more attractive as well as lucrative.

Yet it stinks. An environment where we witness the law framers bashing up a uniformed official within the precincts of the legislature, or surreptitiously watching blue films on mobile while the august proceedings proceed ahead on taxpayers expense, or lining up for entry to holy Tihar for looting the nation hollow can at best be called sick. Yes it is true that in India, politics has indeed proven itself to be the last refuge of scoundrels.

Despite the rot, sloth and the loot, what really hurts is the absolute apathy of the common man to the prevalent scenario. Perhaps he has lost hope or worse still he has also joined the bandwagon, the strength of which is growing by the day. What else can explain the all pervading corruption, moral degradation and rampant disregard for value systems that one witnesses day in and day out in the Indian social milieu.

The nation is indeed bereft of true leadership at both the political and bureaucratic levels. Merely heading a political or bureaucratic setup or being born in a dynastic family does not confer leadership traits is a reality that needs appreciation and acceptance. What the nation is badly crying for is a dose of true leadership, beginning with the apex level and percolating to all levels below.  

The moot question remains whether the hopes of the conniving public would again be belied in 2014?

Retribution at the holy Tihar

The death of Ram Singh within the precincts of the holy Tihar was perhaps the only death in recent times that brought smiles on the faces of many. Vicious it may sound but the fact remains that this news gladdened many hearts for the act of his suicide was perhaps the best retribution for the heinous crime that this animal had perpetrated. Maybe God intervened for want of a swift and just punishment for this heinous crime against the human race.

Mad dogs should be killed at the earliest and what better than the mad dog killing himself and in the process making it easy for the overburdened machinery. Perhaps ours must be the only country in the world where even an act of killing a top honcho or an attack on the parliament itself takes decades to be taken to the logical conclusion of punishing the perpetrator. Dispensation of justice is also perhaps as deeply tied in knots as development and education are and rightly so, we all hail from same societal structure, howsoever good or bad it may be.

The Nirbhaya case has displayed the extent to which a human being can be brutal, merely for satisfying his basic instinct. The extent of brutality perpetrated shocked not only the common man but also hard core criminals who throng the holy Tihar and regarded Ram Singh and his gang as the ultimate scum amongst scums. Newspaper reports at times highlighted the vicious treatment that the men of Tihar inflicted on all those who defiled humanity by the rape and brutal murder of Nirbhaya. To that extent the men of Tihar gained the appreciation of many of us.

The affected party in almost all instances has a different and perhaps an appropriate viewpoint, yet the rest of us impose our, the society’s viewpoint even if it may be contrary had we been directly affected. During an earlier tenure as the head honcho of a major sarkari setup, I had as always cracked down on sexual harassment within office premises and suspended and transferred the male in many cases without going through the motions of an enquiry. On being questioned by a union leader during a staff interaction, I agreed to enquiries in future provided the leader would also seek an enquiry and not demand direct action even if his daughter or wife was sexually harassed in the office she worked. He and all other armchair critics were thus suitably silenced.

I am also unable to appreciate the clamour of many arm chair enthusiasts for a humanitarian handling of the criminals who displayed animal instincts while violating the girl and worse still showed no remorse thereafter. That this is distinctly a behaviour definitely not worthy of mercy or condonation is not in doubt, yet statements seeking the protection of the juvenile interalia seeking legal rights to rape and murder by adolescents keep on doing the rounds amongst the intelligentsia. Such pseudo protectionism encourages criminal tendencies, a familiar scenario in the capital city that has juvenile act in force.

Why cannot we be like Singapore or Dubai, nations where criminals are treated like one and crime therefore makes extremely rare appearances. That sheer deterrence is indeed the remedy for such crimes is a fact that needs appreciation even amongst that section of the society that remains fairly insulated from all that affects the common citizens of the nation. It is also beyond doubt that all those who are in favour of a treating the juvenile with kids gloves and abolition of death penalty for even heinous crimes, would like a chameleon change their stance the day someone from their immediate family and friends goes through even a hundredth of what Nirbhaya experienced. 

Soft pedalling on issues and softer still on deliverance and economic growth has led our nation to such a pass that even miniscule nations cock their thumbs at us more often than acceptable, and the recent snub is a case in point. Gandhi, the father of the nation wanted to build an India based on the foundations of truth, value systems and character, yet nation building has perhaps remained the least of our concerns. 

Today morning enroute to my office I read a graffiti on an auto that said “Please don’t honk. The nation is sleeping”. How true, yet how sad!

Corruption crusade - a holistic view

Anna Hazare is a crusader, a crusader against corruption, the most common virus afflicting the country at present. His mission is indeed noble and has caught the fancy of the masses. That Tihar has now become home to many of the erstwhile powerful and corrupt is sufficient evidence of both the widespread corruption as well as the recent efforts of the government in tackling the same.

The moot point however is whether the proposed Lok Pal bill would be adequate to eradicate the deep rooted corruption in the nation. No doubt, it shall help by instilling fear of god in members of the sarkari tantra, but will that be enough?

The answer is “No”. Corruption cannot be eradicated without going into and then eliminating the systemic causes of the same. The root cause of corruption in the sarkari tantra is its complexity. This tantra was designed by the british to rule over untrustworthy slaves. It is unfortunate that the same old tantra is still flourishing and new complexities are being added with each passing day. How can therefore one expect trustworthiness from a tantra based on mistrust? The complexity of the tantra attained through the web of thumb impressions on files provides a shield to the financially as well as the professionally corrupt. Besides it also adds heavily to inefficiency and consequently low productivity, thereby retaining the nation forever in the developing category.

Corruption, complexity and productivity have a direct bearing on each other. The earlier it is understood by the powers that be, including the crusaders, the better it would be for all of us. Trying to tackle corruption in isolation, howsoever good the intentions may be, would not yield the desired results.

Failed fast!

Baba Ramdeo is almost back where he came from, Haridwar. In a midnight swoop, the great show that he orchestrated was brought to a naught and the Baba escorted back to his karma bhoomi. If nothing else, this incident definitely displays the might of the Government of India, and also, considering the reception that the Baba got on his arrival at Delhi airport, the chamaleon nature of the politicians of this great nation.

Passing a value judgement on the incident may not be a very great idea, for the judgement can go either way, considering which side one is on. The plans of Baba were also not very pious, as they could have easily disrupted, the tranquility of this very sensitive city of ours, the city of Delhi. Post the initial euphoria, the citizens of Delhi would definitely have preferred to live without the troubles that a huge congregation right in the heart of the city can cause. To that extent, this action appears in the national interest.

Can such a congregation as had been planned, make a difference to the most talked about issue of the decade, the issue of corruption in high places? Doubtful, unless one was looking at a revolution on the lines of what happened recently in a few countries and what was attempted a few decades back at Tianamen. A revolution; why not, but is the nation capable of the same. So deep is the interlacing of corruption in our society that the critical mass of citizens essentially required for a revolution would never be available. Besides revolutions are almost always against one individual, and here in India, it would need to be against the social fabric itself, by the very society that has created the fabric in the first place. How ironic and therefore utterly impossible!

And therefore do we have to live in(and with)the corrupt society forever? How can the present state of affairs come to an end? Definitely a change of the party at the center would hardly make any difference at all, considering that the entire political milieu is almost of the same type and there is nothing much to choose from. Then what?

The answer lies in the simple issue of leadership. Perhaps someday, some leader may emerge who shall pull the nation out of the abyss it finds itself in. Another line that may have a fair chance of success is the framing and implementation of quickly implementable draconian laws against corruption. A swift punishment of the kinds as witnessed in the middle eastern countries for those who indulge in corrupt practices, would definitely deter even the hard core corrupt. Death by hanging, or amputation of a limb and that too withing a few days/weeks of the incident may perhaps create sufficient deterrence for the corrupt. Holidaying for a few weeks/months in the confines of the holy Tihar definitely disheartens some, yet would never prove to be enough deterrence for those who make their billions through corrupt practices.