professional impropriety is the bane

That corruption is not confined to merely currency exchanging hands for dubious reasons is a fact that is generally not appreciated by the clients and constituents of the great sarkari tantra of this nation. Is it therefore not sad that professional dishonesty invariably takes a backseat whenever issues relating to integrity are flagged? While it is true that insofar as the “aam aadmi” of this nation is concerned, demand for or expectance of illegal gratification in lieu of doing what should rightfully be done is the correct definition of corruption, it is also true that professional dishonesty by almost the entire fleet is the inherent reason behind our country continuing perpetually in the league of developing nations.

A Mahesh Kumar is thrust into the dungeons jolting the organization as well as the nation out of the slumber it has gotten into. Yet the celebration that many of the honest constituents of the railways are indulging into would prove to be short lived if even this golden opportunity is wasted and the stable not cleared of the accumulated muck of decades. Mahesh Kumar has been caught and perhaps deserves a life behind bars, but this organization has an excess of the Mahesh Kumar variety and perhaps many times more who are going through the transformation process only to later emerge as great thieves.

In my over three decades of active service, with the exception of only a handful, most of the officers that I had an occasion to interact with had absolutely no sense of propriety on professional issues. They were like a tumbler that may roll in any direction. Rules, processes, guidelines and yardsticks had absolutely no rationale whatsoever for this group that was always prepared to bend in whatever direction the powers that mattered desired. And as a result even the written word had a tendency to lose its sanctity within the confines of the 5’6” gauge.  

I am reminded of the penchant of many of the illustrious chief executives who encouraged abandonment of the rules and processes in the interest of shortsightedness yet like a chameleon switched sides whenever something went wrong and responsibility needed to be fixed. Our attitude towards our most prized asset, land appropriately fits the bill. While the top guy places ten minute punctuality issues ahead of land on a regular basis, yet he would leave no effort in fixing lowly subordinates in both cases, of his boss expressing annoyance on land grabbing or land reclamation. The recent exposures that reveal a penchant to be "his masters voice" rather than a custodian of rules and processes even in the matter of secretary level appointments by the apex levels of the railway board are merely a peek into what most of us have been silent witness to for many years now.

The route to financial corruption is via professional dishonesty and professional dishonesty would definitely lead one to the swamps of financial impropriety. This hard reality needs acceptance, the earlier the better, even otherwise the great Indian railways would stagger on.

Amen!

Caught with the pants down!

The great Indian Railways stands exposed. Managed by puny guys, one of whom has been caught with his pants down with a few more in the pipeline, this great organization that witnessed minimal contribution from its mandarins in the last few decades is indeed tottering. As I had mentioned in an earlier post, a great organization brought to its knees by its constituents is indeed a sad story.

It is a cultural malaise, a culture where a senior guy does not appreciate a junior bloke standing erect, a culture of supple spines, free lunches, self gratification, sycophancy and feudalism. Indeed, railways is very much out of place in the corporate environment of the twenty first century. A corporate sans sprinkling of a corporate culture.

Mahesh also must have been a budding youngster perhaps full of idealism and commitment when he would have joined the railways as a probationary officer. Like almost everyone else he also would have learnt to enjoy power and the perks that go with the job, steadily increasing as one climbs up the ladder. Trained in a staff college that does not regard instilling value systems or leadership traits in youngsters, as worthy of consideration, Mahesh would have grown up in the system that admires and places on pedestals sycophant pygmies. He also would have realized fairly early that for a price paid in cash or sycophantic behavior,  many of the important postings are negotiable. And therefore the dubious deal! While Mahesh deserves a couple of years behind bars, yet the major part of the blame should be apportioned to the rotten system that has percolated the nooks and corners of this organization that once had a great affixed to its name.

As the head honcho of the Delhi division I had ringside seats in so far as witnessing the conduct of the apex levels of the railways. And the view was disturbing to say the least. While the top guys never displayed leadership qualities, always had a supple spine and lambasted subordinates at the slightest opportunity, they invariably laid prostate at the feet of their bureaucratic and political masters. Many of the lot also never lost an opportunity to take advantage of their position almost always, even in the matter of whacking the curtains that are allotted to their official bungalow, at the time of their retirement. Whacking of curtains and adjusting the entire electricity consumption of their house as official are minor examples of unethical  practices, yet lays bare the conduct of officials in high places.

Large scale structural reforms are perhaps the only route to redeeming the greatness of the railways. The Mahesh Kumar episode is signalling a turning point provided the gravy train is able to negotiate the turnout it is faced with. 

In God we trust, Insha allah! 

Great Past, Uncertain Future

How deeper is the abyss still I wonder with each passing day. Yet it is indeed gratifying that the highest court of the land also thinks the same way. Its recent observations castigating the society itself on the repeated cases of rape of young girls followed by its remarks on the working and servility of the central investigating agency towards men in power reveals all that is rotten about this great nation. Rape it is, of young girls and the nation itself by perverted minds both at the base and highest levels in the land.

Yes we all live from news to news. First the news appears shocking enough, shockingly though its effect quickly wears of as some other glaring piece of news takes over through the breaking news route. Sad it is however to witness weak attempts of the government to either expose or in many cases as recently witnessed to cover or provide a justification, as the situation so warrants. Yet the conduct of the establishment and the powers that be makes the populace hang its head in shame. Is it not sad that rarely the establishment, irrespective of its shade of polity offers the nation something that its populace can indeed be proud of?

The seriousness of the recent excursion by the dragon, almost twenty miles deep within our territory and the casual approach of the establishment is shocking to say the least. Would we as an individual ever permit our neighbor, howsoever close a friend or rival he may be to park his chair permanently in our varendah. On a similar analogy, why such a casual attitude over an established enemy nation forcefully occupying a piece of land that is ours? Perhaps we as a nation are afraid of the might of the dragon that honed its biceps while we whiled away our time in petty affairs. Yet despite the might of the bully, it does not behove us, nor we have a right  as a nation to surrender our land without a murmur. I am itching to see how matters proceed.

The acquittal of one of the prime accused in the sikh riots of 1984 by the courts today also came as a surprise to many of us who root for justice regardless of the social status of the accused. Yet the very fact that it took almost three decades for the case to be finalized, even if to a conclusion not acceptable to many, sends shivers down my spine for it gives an inkling of the time one would have to wait for justice in this nation, even if one’s near and dear ones are murdered in broad daylight.

The awesome amount of money spent on the protection of those who attacked the state and its institutions is also beyond comprehension. Democracy and secularism does not imply protectionism for traitors and terrorists, perhaps pseudo democracy does.

And there are a plethora of minor incidences that keep on shaking us as we live on and survive in this great nation. A nation with a great past facing an uncertain future ever since it’s tryst with destiny.

The need is for reforms, large scale rapid reforms, but is it possible in the absence of a sense of purpose, commitment and professional integrity in the entire tantra?   

The mayhem continues!

Two recent news items disturbed me. The first was regarding the apathy of the passers by towards road accident victims in Noida and the second was Nirbhaya Part II, the brutal rape of a 5 year old in Delhi. Perhaps Kalyug has now fully descended on this great land of Rama, Krishna, Rahim and Gandhi?

Value systems have apparently gone for a six. Perhaps they were never there in our hindu society and we merely maintained a pretense of the same for centuries togethor. Else how can one justify the series of brutal rapes in a society the scriptures of which harp on maintaining the dignity of the fair sex. How else can one justify a total lack of concern towards fellow humans as displayed by the passers by on the highway in which an injured girl and his father along with their dead son and mother were merely shrugged of as an unpleasent scenery by others.

The father of the nation lived his life for others, yet his sone and daughters, we the people of India live only for self with absolutely no concern even for fellow citizens in extreme distress. 

And the leaders of this nation will continue to parrot their old line of defending the juvenile. As someone recently and rightly said that a guy fit enough to molest and rape is also fit enough to undergo punishment. Will the pseudo leaders of this nation ever understand? Perhaps they will, the day the daughter of one of the high and mighty ones goes through an ordeal Nirbhaya or the five year old went through. Till then they shall continue to parrot what in their opinion will get them votes. Yet they are wrong, any politician who comes forward and sets things right even by taking harsh and unpopular measures like hanging or castrating rapist juveniles is bound to emerge as the ladla of the nation at the next hustings. 

Expecting the bureaucracy to pilot measures for a value based society will however continue to remain a mirage. Yesterday's display of a rabid conduct by a senior police officer while handling aggrieved protestors at the hospital where the five year old lay is perhaps in tune with what the bureaucracy has on offer for the masses they are recruited to serve. 

I never found reasons to be proud of being a hindu, but today I am ashamed to be one. Even the much maligned islamic countries are far superior in so far as comprehensive handling of the masses by the rulers is concerned. They dont brutalize women like in our country nor do they allow one who brutalizes to get away without facing the same level of brutality that he inflicted on others. Our record at handling terror is also dismal. An american would indeed be proud of the bold manner in which his government has handled the boston incident. Our actions and reactions stand out in stark contrast with even responsible leaders clamouring to save the lives of those who butchered their own countrymen or defiled sacred institutions. Sadly our judicial machinery with all its inherent merits also never believed in the dictum that justice delayed is justice denied. 

Yet the common man on the street and the high and mighty in the comfort of their luxurious homes know what is wrong. Each and every one of us knows what is wrong with the nation and uniformly expects and also waits for someone else to set it right. This has forever remained the biggest tragedy of this great land known as Bharatvarsh.    

An inequal society!

Fresh from the 122^nd birth anniversary celebrations of the founder of the constitution of the nation, I wonder whether all that was said in the honor of the great man indeed came from the heart. If it had, perhaps the society would not be where it is and the nation would have been much ahead of its present ranking in the international human development index.

Baba Saheb Ambedkar lived and died for a singular cause, that of equality amongst human beings. For him this cause was bigger than any other including the freedom of the nation and rightly so, citizens of a nation that practised inequality perhaps had no right to be free when the freedom that they desired was not meant to be shared equally. For Gandhi, the cause of freedom was supreme followed very closely by the cause of emancipation of dalits. He also believed in the equality of mankind, a concept as alien for his followers as the liberation of our nation was then for the ruling britishers.

If it was not for the conviction and humanity of Gandhi and Ambedkar, perhaps the lives of dalits would not have improved to the extent it has, if only in the literate pockets of urban areas. Yes, the emancipation of the lower classes is still a mirage in our nation of over a billion souls.  

Social inequalities will exist wherever societies exist. Yet the extent of inequalities and differences that we witness in the hindu society of ours is indeed unacceptable.  Inequality in rank, hierarchy and social status often overshadow the age old caste based differences, especially amongst the educated classes and that leads us to the fundamental question of whether our educational system indeed meets the requirements of the twenty first century. And the answer apparently is a big NO.

Mere parroting of good intentions will not take the nation forward, nor will routine remembrance of personalities who showed us the true path in the past. Yet it is sad that mere rhetoric is what one witnesses on all such occasions that should indeed instil in all of us an enhanced feeling of national pride. Almost a decade and a half ago I had been actively and intensely involved in organizing an annual river based festival that was appropriately christened as the festival of national pride, and now I wonder whether mere festivals can indeed rejuvenate national pride in a populace devoid of the same. Pride follows accomplishment and accomplishment alone, and not mere noises that one makes about accomplishments of the future.

A true homage to Baba Saheb and also to the father of the nation would be to ceaselessly strive for establishing a just and equitable society in a reasonable time frame. The past almost seven decades of nothingness if merely wished away would lead to many more decades of a stationary existence and our impeccable constitution would continue to fail to have a sobering effect on the nincompoop governance machinery that we inherited and are continuing with.

Amen!

What is life without a beacon!

The rulers must indeed be shell shocked. Absolutely unfair on the part of the highest court of this land to come down so heavily on all those for whom the beacon is an essential part of their identity. Unfair for the guy who as a youngster cleared the civil services enthused by the while ambassador with a beacon atop that he would one day envelop himself with. Yes for a nation the mandarins of which adorn themselves with symbols not with successes or commitment, the recent castigation by the supreme judicial body of the land would have come as a bolt from the blue.

That the primary purpose of power is not the welfare of the masses, but self aggrandizement is an Indian reality that is realized fairly early by all those who are poised to rise in the cesspool of national governance. A beacon atop a white ambassador is therefore regarded as the most powerful symbol of a bloke who has indeed arrived.  It conveys to the aam aadmi the movement of someone powerful from the ruling clan. Clan it is despite democracy, a reality that is sad indeed! The unfair utilization of men in khaki ostensibly for guarding the bloke, but actually for giving him an aura that he does not deserve yet flaunts also deserves castigation and abolition on lines of the recent beacon episode.

The social milieu lays stress on symbols, not deliverance and therefore worships men who flaunt power and status, not those who place values and nation above self. The rapid decline in moral values cutting across the social fabric and our collective failure to attain a respectable place in the comity of nations are starkly visible traits of this national malaise.

I find it sad as well as strange that this land of the Mahatma is rapidly proceeding at variance with all that the great man laid stress on. His simplicity and truthfulness stands out in sharp contrast with the traits of the men in power today. If a man’s life is indeed his message, I shudder to think of the message that the national governance machinery is collectively emanating and the impact that it is having on the future generations.

We shall reap what we sow.

Amen!

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?