Double Standards vis-a-vis Dow Chemicals

Double Standards vis-a-vis Dow Chemicals

We're all conscious about the fact that politicians are prone to practice double standards depending on their vote banks at different points of time. However, with respect to the Bhopal Gas tragedy (a couple of decades back) & the sponsorship of the London Olympic by Dow Chemicals, the entire country seems to be going overboard without bothering about genuine justice. And without bothering at all about who ought to share the blame.

Here are a few points which sound odd, to say the least:

• People want to punish Anderson (preferably catch hold of him and hang him from the nearest pole in public). However, when it comes to Keshub Mahindra, a whole lot of folks claim that he played only a "non-executive" role, he happens to be "old", he happens to be a "gentleman", etc. I have no specific opinion as to whether or not Anderson deserves to be punished. However, Anderson's role and that of Keshub Mahindra are somewhat comparable. We ought to use the same yardstick to determine their guilt levels.
• Dow Chemicals runs a business in India generating an annual turnover of over 500 million dollars. That's perfectly OK. However, the UK government and IOC should not allow Dow to sponsor the Olympics.
• At the time of the Bhopal Gas tragedy, if my memory serves me right, the Madhya Pradesh Government had around half the stake in the local joint venture of Union Carbide's Bhopal factory. Now, people claim that Dow Chemicals should be made to bear the "liability" of Union Carbide (even though it was settled in accordance with the law of the land with the Indian government of the day well before Dow Chemicals took over Union Carbide worldwide.) By the same yardstick, the Madhya Pradesh Government should continue to bear its share of the liability. Further, if Dow Chemicals should not be allowed to sponsor the London Olympics, Madhya Pradesh Government should not be allowed to sponsor any sporting or cultural events, and all Indian public sector undertakings should boycott the state of Madhya Pradesh completely till all Union Carbide victims are totally satisfied with the compensation received by them.
• The Safety of the Union Carbide plant must have been the direct responsibility of specific individuals from the Government ranging from the Factories Inspector to the various licensing authorities at different levels, leading all the way to the Industries Minister, Chief Minister, etc. They ought to be held as liable as people like M/s Anderson & Keshub Mahindra. I'm not aware of any such cases that have been filed against such individuals.
• Several MIG-21 fighter jets keep "failing" resulting in multiple valuable pilots' lives being lost. A Google search will indicate the exact numbers involved. We should immediately take steps to boycott the Russion Company which manufactures all those jets
• Every year, thousands of people die in India due to road accidents. While some of these are due to reasons such as faulty vehicles and drivers folly, we're all fully aware of the condition of the roads. A large chunk of the roads are in such pathetic condition that a significant chunk of those unfortunate accidents could very well have been avoided if the quality of roads had been OK enough. I would like to know the number of cases that have been filed against road contractors who have built those roads, the civic authorities who declared the quality of such roads to be satisfactory, etc. Have any of such individuals actually been convicted?
• "Right to life" is supposed to be guaranteed by the Constitution of India. Yet we're aware of the number of farmer suicides every year. Has a single judgement been passed holding a single State or Central government as "Guilty"?

I could go on and on about the lacunae of our judicial system. The speed our judicial process leaves a lot to be desired. You can't go around holding all and sundry responsible for eternity to cover up your own follies of a slow judicial process. 

I'm no fan of Dow Chemicals. Nor am I unsympathetic towards Bhopal Gas tragedy victims. I just fail to appreciate the degree of such obvious double standards.

Reminds me of the general attitude that prevails in our cities:

• If there's an accident involving a cyclist and a bike rider, the bike rider is at fault, but ... ... ...
• If there's an accident involving a bike rider and a car driver, the car driver is at fault.

Have a heart!

Regards,

N

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Justice for Keenan - The complaint against the silent witnesses

Justice for Keenan - The complaint against the silent witnesses

There has been considerable outrage at the sad death of two young lads (M/s Keenan Santos and Reuben Fernandez) in Mumbai who were apparently trying to defend their friends (girls) against goons who were harassing them in the name of "eve-teasing".

Indeed, those goons had no business to do what they were doing.

Indeed, it is creditable that Keenan & Reuben chose to fight to save the honour of their friends.

Further, it is indeed true that if my own kith and kin, friends or colleagues were being "teased", I'd certainly be tempted to defend them with all my might, though, obviously, the precise manner in which I would have reacted would have depended on my perception of the circumstances at the time of the incident.

Having said all the above, I must confess that I don't agree with all the media folks, politicians and "page 3 socialites" complaining against the "silent witnesses" who were supposedly watching the tamasha without trying to intervene and save the lives (or subsequently assist in taking the injured to the hospital). I can understand the friends & relatives of Keenan & Reuben saying such things, as they would still be emotionally charged, and rightly so. I can understand the occasional cop / army person / student / brave-heart / social worker who happens to say such things, because, chances are bright that they would have actually plunged immediately to intervene and help in whatever manner they could under similar circumstances.

But then, folks, have a heart! The vast majority (probably 100%) of the people who were present on the eventful night would have been ordinary citizens who:

• Had no prior knowledge or skills required to intervene and stand a chance of survival against such goons, who were obviously well-prepared
• Had their own lives to lead
• Were stunned and scared into silence at the sheer audacity of the goons
• Have a clear idea about our cops - Most of us would want to have nothing to do with any cops at any point of time (after all, all of us have heard about how the cops barged into the ICCU room to "interrogate" Reuben. Imagine the kind of questions that we would have had to face for days thereafter from cops, paparazzi, et al)
• Have an approximate idea about our judicial system where even ordinary cases go on for years. It is one thing to invest an hour or two or even a day or two to help out a fellow citizen. It is another matter altogether if such a "help" would result in being called as a "witness" for years thereafter. Which boss or organisation is going to give permission / leave to attend such court cases? What if the good samaritan gets a job or an opportunity for higher education in a different city or country? The complications are way too many to even list down.

The easier and sensible option for the vast majority of us in such situations is to scoot / run / disappear before the event takes any ugly turn. If we're unable to disappear, the next best option would be to be a silent spectator and disappear quietly at the first available opportunity.

This would obviously appear heartless and cowardly. Unfortunately, that's the ground reality of life that prevails in India as of now.

Anybody who does intervene, if he / she survives the ordeal, would become a huge role model. I would doff my hats to such a person.

However, chances are bright that I would NOT intervene for saving a stranger. I certainly would not recommend that any of my friends or relatives should intervene in similar situations to protect a stranger.

Sad, but true.

People who suggest that we ought to intervene ought to wake up to the real India.

Regards,

N

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Keenen's Murder - Is it a simple case of "Eve teasing gone awry"?

Keenen's Murder - Is it a simple case of "Eve teasing gone awry"?

The murder of Keenen & Reuben - Is it a simple case of a group of youngsters getting involved with a few goons who were indulging in "Eve teasing" and the whole thing went horribly wrong?

Do read the following article:

• Keenan & Reuben fought for the right cause

In particular, I'd like to draw your attention to the following part of the above article:

Keenan and his other friends had also tipped-off the police about the circulation of pirated film CDs three years ago. And two years ago, he had acted as decoy and helped the police during their raid on a Juhu pub. More than 240 youngsters were allegedly caught with drugs during the raid." Reuben Fernandez's friends, too, remember him as a fitness freak and who was always ready to fight for any "right cause". "He was very passionate about his country. He had gathered residents to join the protest march against corruption from Juhu to Bandra. He knew the Lokpal Bill by heart," said his brother Benjamin, an investment banker. (Source: Keenan & Reuben fought for the right cause)

I wonder if one of those 240 odd youngsters who allegedly got caught with drugs or someone who was against the Lokpal Bill was in any way involved. What if one of those obviously powerful people specifically hired these goons who actually went after Keenen & Reuben after following them discretely for a few days?

I certainly hope that the authorities look at all possible angles and do a thorough investigation.

Regards,

N

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Nation of Shoplifters???

Nation of Shoplifters???

Shame on us! A recent survey indicates that, in the 12-month period ending June 2011, consumers and shop employees apparently shoplifted goods worth a huge 3470 crores!

Read on for further details (From the DNA website):

• Shoplifting Nation - India No. 1 in Retail Theft - Once Again!!!

What disheartens me most is that:

• We're No. 1 in the world
• The article has used the phrase "Once Again" in the headline. Apparently, we're the reigning world champs
• Chances are bright that the survey must have covered only the major cities and the larger shops. Which means that the culprits are most likely from the segment of society that is most certainly above the poverty line. We're talking about the famous "Great Indian Middle Class" here. Obviously, we can't even use the fig leaf of abject poverty or hunger being the cause of plain, simple theft

I have a lurking suspicion that a good chunk of these shoplifters might have been supporting the Anna Hazare campaign against corruption.

Shame on us, indeed!

Regards,

N

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Super School in Tamil Nadu

Super School in Tamil Nadu

Deep inside Tamil Nadu, at a place called Ramampalayam, somewhere near Mettuppalayam, Tamil Nadu, a silent revolution is taking place at a "Government Elementary School".

• Super School @ Ramampalayam somewhere near Mettuppalayam, Tamil Nadu - This is a link which is written in Tamil. Even if you don't understand Tamil, the pictures of the school premises are worth taking a look. Given below is a brief translation of a small portion of the same:

Due to the efforts of a dedicated teacher by name Franklin, the school has transformed into a model school with, among other things, the following facilities:

• Proper flooring for all classrooms
• Good quality Blackboard
• Purified Drinking water (hot and cold) in each classroom
• False roofing
• Ceiling Fans
• Modern lighting
• Speakers / Microphones on walls
• Good quality labs
• Undamaged reading tables and chairs for students
• Uniforms
• Shoes & Socks for all
• First Aid box (functional)
• Fire Extinguisher
• Upgraded computers
• DVD Players

Apparently, he galvanised the village elders into taking things into their own hands and jointly develop all the above facilities for the school. In addition to "covering the syllabus", the school ensures that each child learns English, Drawing, Yoga, Different sports, Basic leadership, Reading a newspaper daily, Moral Sciences, etc.

May more such schools materialise all over India. God knows we neeed hundreds of them!!!

Regards,

N

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Terror strikes the towers

Terror strikes the towers

The 9/11 anniversary has come and gone. Once more, and many of the newspapers and TV channels had brought our attention back to Al Queda.

In case you missed out on the visuals for any reason whatsoever, take a look at the pictures in this link:

• Terror strikes the towers - All those years ago

Memories of terror changing the world view about terror - Forever.

Regards,

N

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One Word that can save your life - No

One Word that can save your life - No

This one scared the hell out of me:

• One word that can save your life - No

My problem - When I have a bit of any kind of health problem, I go to a doctor, say, my family doctor. Let's further suppose that he/she recommends either that I undergo a test or refers me to a "Specialist" who, in turn, recommends a test.

I, being a layman in the world of medicine, have two options: Either trust the doctor or do my own research to evaluate the pros and cons of the doctor's advice and act accordingly.

Simple question:

• When and under what circumstances should I say "No" to my doctor?

Can any of the doctor readers of this blog give me an answer that can be understood by laymen like me?

After all, it is a matter of life and death!

Regards,

N

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Climate Change - A young girl's view

Climate Change - A young girl's view

Take a look at this brief video clip:

• Climate Change - A young girl's view

Two quick facts:

• Undesirable changes in the environment around us is a ground reality.
• Every single minor act of each of us impacts the environment positively or negatively.

Guess that we just need to wake up to the above simple facts and start DOING - rather than simply thinking, talking, discussing, debating, writing, etc.

Let's start.

Now.

Regards,

N

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Thanks, Anna! We've regained Hope!

Thanks, Anna! We've regained Hope!

Dear Annaji,

If you've read my earlier posts on this blog, you'd have observed that while I support your cause, I don't approve your methods.

However, you've achieved several major things through your fast:

1. You have successfully galvanised the support of the masses to further your fight against corruption. As you're aware, politicians often have to drum up support through "minor rewards" to make sure that their supporters come over to their meetings. You managed to attract VOLUNTARY support from thousands and lakhs of people. At Ramlila & elsewhere in the country. All over the internet. Congrats!
2. You have motivated a vast majority of newspapers, TV channels to focus their attention on issues that genuinely matter to the Aam Aadmi rather than on comparitively trivial things. Prime time TV was almost exclusively devoted to issues pertaining to fighting corruption. Congrats!
3. You've brought to our attention several wonderful intellectuals, activists, communicators, leaders - both from those who form part of your movement and those who were opposed to one or more aspects of your movement. We would never have actually known their existence. Thanks a ton & Congrats!
4. Many of us have been highly sceptical about the political class. So much so that many of us have not only hesitated to become part of the political parties but have not even bothered to vote. During the past few days, we have seen the Parliamentarians in action. Barring a few rare exceptions, most of them have come out with flying colours. They have put forth their views with clarity and firmness. They have shown empathy. They have shown understanding of the pulse of the people of India. Most importantly, over the past few days, I've noticed that most of our parliamentarians, while debating in the hugust house, did not indulge in one-upmanship. Instead, they cared to listen to other views, though the views being expressed may not be aligned to their own. A few of them even went to the extent of publicly praising and complimenting leaders from parties opposed to their own ideologies. This, if it proves to be a stable and consistent reality in the style of behaviour of our parliamentarians, is a genuine transformation. Congrats!
5. There has been a sense of dejection among the Aam Aadmi that "we can do nothing" because "the politicians are all-powerful". Through your amazing movement, you have proved that if the cause is right, an otherwise ordinary citizen of India can actually convince the "high and mighty" political class to actually listen to Aam Aadmi. This is great. Congrats!
6. I was not even born at the time of independence. I was a kid when JP started his fight against emergency. But I was old enough to feel motivated. Later, in the eary 90's, when many of us were beginning to lose hope and started worrying about the stagnation of India, the then Finance Minister Manmohan Singh introduced a wide range of economic liberalisation and empowered an entire nation to blossom financially. The number of television sets, mobile phones, cars, etc. would stand testimony to that achievement. After a couple of decades, with global financial turmoil and a gloomy scenario with all our scams (accompanied by an oppostion that was not really having a focus), we were beginning to lose our way. Your movement has suddenly brought back our focus to start concentrating on matters that matter. Congrats!

Thank you very much for all the above. I just wish that you'll do one more thing:

You have to make it abundantly clear to the people at large that while corruption is a monster that needs to be eliminated, our Parliamentary Democracy and our Constitution are way too precious and ought to be nurtured with great care. You must not allow others to quote you and misuse the might of the mob to diminish the value of our Parliament in any way. The best method to achieve this would be for you to launch a political party (in some ways like what JP did in the 70's). That would really be a "Party with a difference". This ought to be done irrespective of whether you, as an individual, wants to become the Prime Minister or not.

Please do it. I'll gladly congratulate you once more!

Regards,

N

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Violence starts - in the name of Anna Hazare

Violence starts - in the name of Anna Hazare

On August 17, 2011, I had written in my post "Theatre of the Absurd" about my apprehension about some potential hazards of Anna's methods.

Another obvious hazard is that of thugs and hoodlums, hiding behind Anna's name, resorting to violence, looting and arson.

Unfortunately, it seems to have started already. Last night, apparently, a gang of thugs carring the National Flag and chanting slogans of support to Anna Hazare, went ahead, harassed and subsequently beat up a journalist of CNN-IBN. Visibly, it is an isolated incident, and will be justly condemned by all right-thinking people including Anna Hazare.

However, is it going to make any difference to the hospitalised journalist?

Further, how is the Government, the Police and Team Anna going to ensure that it remains an isolated incident?

To top it off, Anna Hazare has already asked his supporters to do a bit of "dharna" in front of the residences of all ministers, political leaders, etc. How is he going to ensure that the "dharna" remains non-violent? How does he ensure that one or more thugs with old scores to settle do not infiltrate his movement and use the "dharna" to ransack a chosen politician's residence?

And, if that indeed happens, how do we restrain political goondas from resorting to retaliatory violence all over the terrain?

The thought is scary.

Regards,

N

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Assumed guilty!

Assumed guilty!

Apparently, a new "advisory" to US colleges asks the authorities to assume that the male is guilty in cases where he is accused of committing rape.

Read on:

• College Rape Accusations & Presumption of Male Guilt

Crazy, indeed.

Is it a motivation for the hardcore feminists to blackmail men? Or is it an invitation to the male rapist to go ahead and kill to destroy evidence?

Regards,

N

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Theatre of the Absurd - contd. ... ... ...

Theatre of the Absurd - contd. ... ... ...

When I started writing a series of posts about Anna Hazare's Lok Pal bill & fight against corruption, I knew fully well that it will, in due course, become a combination of a tragedy, a farce, a theatre of the absurd, a tower of Babel, a Pandora's box, an Animal farm, all rolled into one.

Subsequent events have been proving reasonably prophetic.

Latest happenings and my interpretations:

• Govt Arrests Hazare & hundreds of other persons. Why? No clear answers.
• Govt gets 7 days judicial custody of Anna Hazare. Anna sent to Tihar. Apparently, some kind of legal process must have been followed. Enough lawyers on both sides to ensure that. Hopefully.
• Govt decides to release Anna Hazare with certain conditions. Is this decision based on a due legal process? No clarity on this one. Wonder when and where they found the judges to approve this virtually impromptu decision. If they have got the due approvals, was the original decision so legally and morally untenable that they decided to get that overturned in a few hours? If they have not got the necessary approvals in place, does it not amount to contempt of court?
• Anna Hazare refuses to get out of jail. If he really wants a "Good" Lok Pal bill, he would have promptly placed a single simple condition - to let bygones be bygones and restart the dialogue process, treating his arrest and subsequent release as a proper face-saving device for both sides. Apparently, his motives become questionable. What's worse is that the Government's motives appear to be absent!

Some additional questions about the hundreds of others who were arrested. Let's assume that 1572 persons were actually arrested, for the purpose of convenience. Let's further make the following assumptions:

• Other than, say, the top 60 individuals, the rest of the group (numbering 1512 persons) would have probably been genuine "Aam Aadmi" - ordinary people from ordinary walks of life. Doctors, Lawyers, Students, Software professionals, Teachers, Electricians, Plumbers, Drivers, etc. Perhaps some 50 persons out of this large group would further be opportunistic anti-social elements in one way or the other.
• In addition to the 1572 persons, let's further say that the Delhi police also arrested another 128 persons during the day for a variety of other genuine crimes, suspicion, etc., adding up to a total of 1700 arrests for the day.

The following queries merit attention:

• Out of the 1572 "Team Anna" persons, the top 60 would have certainly been accounted for - either released or still in jail, accompanying Anna. Out of the balance 1512 persons, most of them would actually be virtually faceless people, known only to their immediate family and friends. What assurance do we have that they have actually been either released by the end of the day or otherwise accounted for? To be even more direct, what assurance do we have that 30-40 of these ordinary 1512 persons have not actually been slapped with other long-pending criminal cases of theft, eve-teasing, rape, colluding with terrorists, drug-peddling, etc.? It is entirely possible that the cops, with all their negative reputation of being corrupt, are capable of yielding to temptation to close long-pending cases with these individuals. Who is going to come to the rescue of these poor individuals? It is likely to be quite a long haul before these "bechara victims" escape from the Loooooooooong arm of the law and get back to normal life.

• Out of the other 128 genuine suspects / criminals who were brought into jails today, how many have been able to escape from the clutches of law and get out along with the hundreds of Anna Hazare supporters by the end of the day due to a combination of bribery, political connections, etc.? What happens to the wasted efforts of the hard-working genuine cops who did a lot of investigation prior to the arrest of those individuals?

Fact is that both the above scenarios, while reasonably (and hopefully) improbable, are very much within the realm of possibility. In fact, we ought to be worried about these two categories of people much more than the "top 60" supporters of Team Anna.

For instance, if someone like, say, Arvind Kejriwal suffers so much as a minor scratch on his forehead while falling down accidentally within the jail campus, it will certainly be duly noted, taken care of, and attended to. If at all anything strongly positive or negative happens to him, it will be the result of conscious planning and execution of the plan by the appropriate authorities, and Team Anna will be fully conscious of this possibility, and hence would be prepared for the same. Unfortunately, in all such instances, if at all anyone actually suffers, it is the Aam Aadmi or the proverbial Common Man.

Watch this space for more!

Regards,

N

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Advancement in Sex-Determination Tests

Advancement in Sex-Determination Tests

Irrespective of our laws banning sex-determination tests due to social reasons and a widely prevalent bias for male children, scientific advances in the field cannot be stopped.

Take a look at:

• Boy or Girl? A simple Blood Test can tell you!

I'm sure that unscrupulous doctors in India (and other parts of the world) will very soon learn to use these "latest methods". I certainly hope that the government becomes aware of such tests and take appropriate steps to ensure that they are not misused.

Regards,

N

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Anna Hazare vs. the government - The ?hit hits the roof!

Anna Hazare vs. the government - The ?hit hits the roof!

Considering the importance of the subject matter, I've been making more posts on this topic than I normally do on most other topics. My earlier posts, in chronological order, for those who missed the bus:

Moral Peril in Supporting Anna Hazare - The title is self-explanatory.

Burning issue - The Lok Pal Bill - A strong criticism of Anna Hazare's act of burning the Government's draft of the Lok Pal bill.

1. CAG Report Leakage - In this post, I question the leakage of the CAG report on CWG and, as a corollary, the questionable practices of the media in procuring such confidential reports even before they are presented to the original and legal destination, viz., the Parliament.

2. Anna Hazare, No Blackmail Please! - The title is self-explanatory

As the date of the Fast - Part II comes closer, the whole issue is becoming a huge farce and tragedy roled into one. And the theatre of the absurd is being telecast live by all our TV channels. TRP ratings are rumoured to be far ahead of our cricket matches. And only partly because of our cricket team's poor performance.

If I've been harping on Anna Hazare's methods being a case of "hitting below the belt", the Government is proving itself to be a tough competitor - As any lousy movie in any of the Indian languages about bad politicians would normally do, the Government has started throwing a lot of muck at Team Anna.

Some simple questions arise:

• Why did the government suddenly realise about all this muck about Anna's birthday bash, Kiran Bedi - Lehman connection, etc.?
• If the government knew about it all much earlier, why did they keep quiet all along?
• Have cases been registered against the concerned "civil society members"? If so, when and why has there been no publicity? If not, why not?
• The other political parties, (especially the BJP) are enjoying themselves at the predicament of the UPA. Why did they not pass a strong Lok Pal bill in all those years when NDA was ruling the nation?
• Are the other parties supporting the methods adopted by Team Anna? If so, those parties must be violating half-a-dozen acts pertaining to insulting the Parliament, denigrating the political class, questioning the judiciary, etc. Why have cases not been filed for such violations?
• The government is claiming that "Police have not given permission for Anna's fast - what can we do?" - If the Police is so independent, there's probably no need for a Lok Pal! Let them tell that story to some kindergarten children.

Obviously, there's a lot of competitive mud-slinging going on, and the mess is becoming murkier all the while.

There are no easy solutions. However, I still maintain that Parliament is supreme and should have the last word when it comes to drafting and approving legislation of any kind.

Watch this space for more.

Regards,

N

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Anna Hazare - No Blackmail Please

Anna Hazare - No Blackmail Please

I've received multiple mails asking me to support his cause and his fight against corruption.

Even assuming that his cause is entirely just and that he is the next best thing that happened to mankind after Mahatma Gandhi, I still have several objections to his current style of fighting.

You'll recall my earlier posts on the subject (Moral Peril in Supporting Anna Hazare and Burning issue - The Lok Pal Bill).

First, take a look at one of the mails that I received asking me to support his cause.

Posted By: GD

To: Members in Support Anna Hazare against corruption! Corruption in India must stop NOW!

 

" A battle we must not lose " - Pritish Nandy

Forget Anna Hazare. The Jan Lokpal movement can go to hell for all I care. Let us just look at the issues over which the battle between the Government and us citizens is being fought. And then let's decide where we want to stand, each one of us, on the issue of corruption.

The first question is: Do corruption and bribery hurt you? If they do, do you want a solution? If your answer is yes to both, do you think such a solution lies with an independent authority? Or do you think a corrupt Government can fight corruption on its own, and within its own ranks? If your answer is no to that, then we need to create an independent institution to fight corruption. Right? Well, that's precisely what Anna is asking for. He is asking for a Lokpal that the Government cannot influence nor manipulate. This is the first battle.

The second battle is over four things. One: Should the Prime Minister come under the purview of the Lokpal? Almost everyone I know thinks he should. A honest Prime Minister wouldn't care. A dishonest one must be supervised. Or else, we will have cases like Bofors that will never ever be resolved. Two: Should Members of Parliament come under the Lokpal? I have not met a single person till date who thinks that our MPs are so honest that they need not be supervised. My guess is if a referendum is ever taken, Anna will get a 100% yes to this question, given what people think of our politicians and the standards of probity in public life. The third question is even more obvious: Do all public servants need to come under the Lokpal? My guess is India's answer will be yes, yes, yes. Every day, in every area of our life and work, we are constantly harassed, intimidated and extorted by corrupt Government officers. The poorer you are, the worse is the torture. So yes, every public servant, every Government officer must come under the Lokpal. Question four: Who should give permission to file an FIR against a corrupt judge? If the Lokpal can look into corruption charges against the PM, the MPs and Government servants, isn't it only logical to expect it to do the same against judges?

The third and final battle is over an even simpler thing: The Citizen's Charter. Should every Government office have such a Charter which will clearly state which officer will do what work and in how much time? And should an officer who refuses to do his work in time or asks for a bribe to move a file be punished? The Government says a charter a fine but Government servants must not be penalised if they don't do their work! Anna believes that officers not doing their work in time amounts to corruption and must face the same treatment. Isn't it rather obvious what India thinks about this?

Do we really need a referendum on these simple, basic issues? I seriously doubt it. Every Indian will endorse the idea of a Lokpal as Anna and his team have envisioned it, with the help of thousands of Indians who have contributed online to the process of drafting the bill.

Yes, there are genuine fears that we should not create yet another monster out there, who will make life more difficult for us than it already is. But even that has been addressed rather adroitly by Anna's team. It is a complex process, true but it also ensures that the choice is wisely made. And what if there are charges against the Lokpal? Well, there's a provision there too. You can go straight to the Supreme Court and seek justice out there.

So why are we arguing so much over this Bill? Why is the Government digging its heels in and refusing to listen to us citizens? Why must Anna go on a hunger strike all over again to press home the point that corruption must be fought back? I guess it's a question of both ego and fear. No one likes to give up the power they have, and certainly not the Government. In fact, it's always trying to interfere more and more in our lives, grab more and more authority, more and more space. And fear? Well, I guess we all know the answer to that. This is possibly the most corrupt Government we have ever had. It has good reason to be scared

Let me take each of the above points and express my thinking on the same:

The first question about our thoughts on corruption and whether we want a solution is very much like a lawyer asking the witness as to whether he has stopped beating his wife. No sane individual including the most corrupt politicians and babus would state that they don't want a solution to corruption. Hence, such a homily or motherhood statement simply deserves to be ignored - If every Indian is going to answer in the affirmative stating that he / she wants a solution to corruption, is there any point or sense in asking such a question? I think not.

In a nutshell, the question itself is oxymoronic. Treat it with the contempt it deserves.

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The second question is about the specifics of who ought to be included and who ought not. I can appreciate the thought process of Anna Hazare. They are entitled to their opinion. I can even hypothetically concede the claim that the majority of Indians want, for instance, the PM to be covered by Lok pal (even though I think not).

However, what is the process of insisting on the inclusion of the PM or the Judiciary in the Lok Pal? Are we in a democracy where we follow a basket of norms, rules and processes while creating a new piece of legislation? Or are we in any kind of autocracy or anarchy where anyone who happens to have lots of so-called public support can lay down the law and the rest of us will simply have to obey it? With all the faults of democracy and all the follies of our politicians, I have to submit that the reality as it exists today is that we're still living in a constitutional democracy. The rule of law still prevails, despite the lacunae in our legal systems. Bills are still drafted, discussed and approved into law at the national level by the Parliament.

Any individual, with the most noble of intentions, can choose to like or dislike a specific proposal in a specific bill. He / she has the right to express that opinion. And request that such opinion be considered while drafting any new legislation. He/she has no business to either demand or insist that such opinion MUST be incorporated into law. Most certainly, going on a fast or agitating for such imposition of one's opinion is, to say the least, plain and simple blackmail tactics.

The way forward for Anna Hazare is to either form a new political party or become part of an existing political party, canvass public opinion in favour of his political party, come to power, and then, and only then try to create any new legislation along the lines that he wishes. He has no business to go around threatening a democratically elected government with dire consequences through fasts, agitations and what-not!!!

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The third question about the citizens charter. And whether "delay in performing duties" by government servants should be treated as "same as corruption"?

I seriously wonder whether people who make such claims have ever worked in either the government or a corporate entity for that matter. It is quite easy to sit on top of a nice tall ivory tower and give sermons to the world at large. To actually work in an atmosphere with deadlines is a different matter altogether.

Needless to say, I'm not trying to condone delays nor am I suggesting that one should tolerate briberies by way of speed-money.

However, delays can occur due to a whole gamut of reasons, including, but not restricted to:

Non-availability of decision making individuals due to illness, family functions, bandhs, etc.
Inadequacy of manpower
Inefficiency
Other priorities (in a situation with multiple tasks, it is inevitable that one task gets a higher priority over the other)
Budgetary constraints
Difference of opinion between "Option A" chosen by one person vis-a-vis "Option B" chosen by another person
Process-driven delays
Inadequacy of inputs
Power failure leading to inability to access computers
Malfunctioning computer servers
Expectation of speed-money
"Slow-down money" paid by some other rival who stands to benefit due to the delay

While the last couple of points mentioned above deserve to be treated as being on par with corruption, the rest of the reasons, while not necessarily acceptable, can't be treated on par with corruption.

Have the "Members of Civil Society" heard of such a concept as "Performance Appraisal"? Such delays, if they happen once in every decade, can perhaps be condoned. If it happens once in every couple of transactions, it is obviously a case to be investigated further. If it is due to stuff like resource constraints, that problem needs to be addressed. If it is due to reasons of inefficiency or attitudinal problems, it ought to be tackled through a combination of apt training programmes and by giving an appropriate rating during the performance appraisal process.

For heaven's sake, don't treat every single delay as a matter of corruption.

(Disclaimer: Neither I nor any of my "near and dear" family members are in any way either part of the Government establishment or the UPA. Nor are we in any way employees in any government or public sector organisation.)

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In the ultimate analysis, it finally boils down to "Who is the boss"! And I'm completely clear in my mind that as per the existing laws of the land, Anna Hazare and his team of "Civil Society" are most certainly NOT the decision-makers when it comes to creating new legislation. Equally certainly, our Parliament is indeed the empowered authority for this purpose as per the Indian Constitution.

Let us respect the Constitution of India at least as much as we are expected to respect self-proclaimed guardians of civil society.

Please!

Regards,

N

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Dow Chemicals Sponsoring some part of Olympics. So What???

Dow Chemicals Sponsoring some part of Olympics. So What???

As Superstar Rajnikant says in one of his movies, "We Indians will die if we don't keep talking".

So true!

Today, I happened to watch a full half-hour of prime time dedicated to why India should raise its voice and express our reservations against Dow Chemicals - Apparently, they are sponsoring some part of the London Olympics. Ahem ... ... ...

Oh! A few years back, they took over some company which in turn happened to own the erstwhile Union Carbide. So ... ... ...?

Now they're responsible for the Bhopal Tragedy. What was that? Oh - the one that happened in 1984. The Gas Leak matter.

Oops! I'm amazed and am perhaps too dumb. Can't get it.

If we were to extend the logic, ... ... ... ...

• A Sikh murdered our beloved Indira Gandhi - So, MMS should never be allowed to become the PM
• US Bombed Nagasaki & Hiroshima. So, no US citizen should be allowed to buy Oil from Saudi Arabia and to drive Toyota cars.
• British committed the heinous crimes at Jalianwala Bagh. So, Dhoni & co must not even think of playing the third test. They should pack their bags & return right away.
• Dr. XYZ, due to his negligence, allowed a patient in PQR Hospital to die. After 32 years, PQR hospital was taken over by JKL Hospital. Hence, we must ransack JKL Hospital and boycott all nurses & doctors working there.
• Ram killed Ravana. Therefore, we must not question the logic behind LTTE guys murdering our beloved Rajiv Gandhi.

On the other hand, it is perfectly OK for our own Government of India and all those corrupt politicians, bureaucrats, etc. to loot crores, hundreds of crores and thousands of crores in various scams year after year. The sum involved in any one of those scams could have been more than sufficient to clean up Bhopal. And we could have pursued the matter legally in international courts to bring Dow Chemicals or any other organisation to book.

Simultaneously, we're bothered only about Bhopal. Just because the perpetrator, conveniently, was a "recognised Multinational Corporation". What about all those poor citizens who get killed in road accidents due to poor implementation of traffic laws, poor quality of roads, etc.? What about all those accidents involving train accidents in unmanned level crossings? What about all those thousands of farmer suicides every year due to misguided policy initiatives? Not a word.

Incredible India, indeed!

Regards,

N

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CAG Report Leakage

CAG Report Leakage

Regular readers of my blogs will be quite familiar with my opposition to scams in general, irrespective of the political affiliations involved in the scam. However, we need to differentiate between investigative journalism and leakage of confidential information by people in power. The former is not merely OK, but actually essential for us, considering our present context. The latter, however, is another matter altogether.

Take the latest example of the CAG report about the CWG mess.

It is perfectly OK for investigative journalists to use their skills to obtain information and expose stuff like payment of bribery, inflation of bills, nepotism, favouritism, etc.

However, when it comes to releasing the CAG report to the media, it is obviously the handiwork of an insider within the bureaucracy. The duty of the people involved in collecting data, investigating people behind it, analysing the data, interpreting the same, and, finally preparing the report is obviously to submit the report to the appropriate authority. In this case, it ought to have reached the Parliament through "The Proper Channel". Instead, it landed up with the media folks BEFORE reaching the parliament.

This is just not acceptable.

In the event of the CAG report being either suppressed or not being acted upon, it will obviously be OK for the investigating journalists to have their say. However, to access the report and release the same without giving the Parliament an opportunity to look into the matter is nothing short of criminal on the part of the people responsible (or should I call them irresponsible) for the despicable leakage of the CAG report. 

I would like to call upon investigative journalists to show the same vigour that they show in indicting the politicians and expose those who are leaking such CAG reports. After all, if the reports can be leaked by Mr. X for a "Good" reason, how long will it take for another Ms. Y to leak another sensitive report to the wrong hands for a "Bad" reason. What will happen if some such sensitive report lands up in the hands of the ISI or some private sector corporate bigwigs or the Chinese or the CIA or Al Qaeda? What guarantee do we have that all such leaks will exclusively be for "Good" reasons?

Regards,

N

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Burning Issue - The Lok Pal Bill

Burning Issue - The Lok Pal Bill

Right from the outset, I've not been a great fan of Anna Hazare & his team of so-called "Civil Society" (Refer to my earlier post Moral Peril in Supporting Anna Hazare).

My worst fears have come true.

Right through their meetings with the ministers to discuss the proposed draft Lok Pal Bil, they were repeatedly saying, in essence, "You're going to agree to my version or I'm going on a fast". If threats to go on a fast is going to be the basis of negotiation, I wonder how any bill can ever be passed in a democracy like ours.

To top it off, now the "Civil Society" members, led by Anna Hazare, have gone one step further - They've started burning copies of the Government's Draft Lok Pal Bill as a mark of protest.

Ridiculous.

I do not even wish to write a whole list of reasons to point out why Anna Hazare and his team of "Civil Society" members are wrong.

Suffice it to say: "Blackmail can work for some of the time, but can't be the perennial basis of achieving results". As Gandhiji pointed out, "The means are as important as the ends".

Shame on you, Anna Hazare, Shame on you!

Regards,

N

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Samacheer Kalvi / Uniform Syllabi for School Children

Samacheer Kalvi / Uniform Syllabi for School Children

Tamil Nadu is an excellent microcosm of India.

At the national level, anything that the BJP/Congress does will promptly be found fault with / undone / criticized by Congress/BJP when the power equations change.

At the state level, the attitude remains the same, but the players are DMK & AIADMK instead of BJP & Congress.

An excellent example is that of "Samacheer Kalvi" or introducing a system of Uniform Syllabus for all school children.

In the dying months of their rule, the DMK had introduced / announced implementation of "Samacheer Kalvi", which essentially meant a system of Uniform Syllabus for all schools in Tamil Nadu.

Looks simple, sounds logical - at a superficial level.

The moment AIADMK came to power, they started finding fault with the proposal. And dropped it forthwith. The hot potatoes were promptly thrown around and finally landed up in the courts.

Official reason quoted by the AIADMK - "The standards of the proposed syllabi are simply not upto the mark".

Reasons quoted by the rumour mills - "The syllabus and new books had eulogised the DMK chief Karunanidhi".

My guess about the truth - Probably both of the above.

Though the matter is sub judice, I guess that it is OK to discuss the merits and demerits.

Here goes:

• Any system of introducing "Uniform Syllabus" would imply arriving at an "Average Standard" of syllabus from the various existing syllabi.
• This could and actually would create two sets of problems:
• Those coming from an "Easier Standard Syllabus" (typically from the poorer sections of society, often from families where both parents are "not-exactly-well-educated") would find the new syllabus to be very tough. The'll find it quite difficult to get used to it and may end up even contemplating the option of "dropping out", as they are not able to cope with the high standards.
• Those coming from a "Tougher Standard Syllabus" (typically from the richer sections of society, often from families where both parents are "highly-educated") would find the new syllabus to be way too simple. They will find things so simple that they will be tempted to "take-it-easy". Result - When the time comes for facing All-India competitive exams like the IIT-JEE, they will be at a disadvantage vis-a-vis those from other states or from the CBSE stream.
• In addition, there is always a problem of mid-way transition problems. For instance, for students moving from Class 7 to 8 or worse still, for those moving from Class 9 to 10.

In my humble opinion, there is no need for politicians (whether from the DMK or from the AIADMK) to get into matters of determining the school syllabus in the first place.

• If at all there is an intention to standardise the syllabi, the ideal situation would be to consider the option of introducing the "New Syllabus" on a prospective basis from a future academic year for children joining school, say, from Class 1. For all others, the existing syllabus ought to have been continued till they reach college. This would be the least disruptive arrangement.
• Even then, any such major change should certainly not be implemented in such a hasty manner. At the very least, any such changes should first be announced at least a full academic year in advance and all feedback from various sources ought to be taken into consideration before finalising the implementation process.
• Equally critically, if an announcement has been made by an erstwhile government about a change, the new government ought to have simply honoured it - AT THE VERY LEAST FOR THE CURRENT ACADEMIC YEAR. If at all they wished to introduce any further changes, including reverting right back to the older system, they ought to have done so only after advance notice as mentioned in the point above.

To sum it up, both DMK and AIADMK appear to have acted in total haste in this matter.

Result:

• Chaos
• Unnecessary Litigation
• Suffering children
• Potential loss of an academic year for those in critical classes
• Potential loss of their entire academic / professional future for those in higher classes who may need to compete for college seats in the not-too-distant future with their friends from other states and CBSE.

Regards,

N

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Height of Transparency

Height of Transparency

An imaginary story of Transparency in India:

Transparency International has been "cribbing" about the poor levels of transparency prevailing in India.

One thing led to another.

The whole issue became a heated topic of discussion in the corridors of power.

And was even a popular topic in the cocktail circuit.

So much so, that the children of the powers-that-be started pressurising their parents to do something about it.

The Political masters asked the bureaucrats to do something about it.

The Babus sought ideas from the scientific community.

The Scientific community sought assistance from the brightest of their ilk - the NTRO.

And guess what!

The NTRO decided to take things into their own hands and decided to make things totally transparent.

And this was how all those 750000 phone calls were "hacked & tapped"!

Transparent, indeed!

LOL!

Regards,

N

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British Perspective ... ... ...

"Firang"  Perspective ... ... ...

Often, we're still enamoured by the "firang" perspective - and tend to value them more.

Just wanted to highlight two articles:

• India's Guangdong - From the print edition of The Economist, July 2011 - Writes about how Gujarat is developing in an incredible manner, under the leadership of Narendra Modi

• The "New, Nationalist movement in India" - An article written by one Jabez T Sutherland way back in 1908 - Writes about how the British were exploiting India, and how their claims about a "just and fair" nation was far from valid.

Unfortunately, I do not know as much about the history of various "North Indian" princely states (and their achievements). I was indeed surprised to note that the author of the second article above was speaking very highly of the then "State of Baroda", which, I presume, covers the same terrain as today's Gujarat.

In 1908 and in 2011, Gujarat has apparently given a lot of emphasis on education, health and industrial development. No wonder the Gujarati folks are perceived to be much richer than those from the rest of India!

We can, of course, harp on the negatives, which, I'm sure, are available in plenty in every nook and corner of the world (and not merely in Gujarat, despite the notoriety that Godhra gave Gujarat).

Instead, I'd urge all of us to focus on the positives that we can learn from the enterprising Gujaratis and try to take the whole country forward in its quest for excellence.

In retrospect, it does not appear to be a mere coincidence that:

• Gandhiji was born in Gujarat
• He went on to obtain high-quality education - after all, he became a lawyer all those years ago
• He chose an interesting and emotive tool of "Satyagraha" to fight the British - And, ... ... ...
• He knew enough of economics to identify the precise product - SALT - to launch his "No Tax" protests

I'm indeed motivated to try and learn some more of History.

Regards,

N

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Why we are (And I am) responsible for the Mumbai Blasts

Why we are (And I am) responsible for the Mumbai Blasts 

There have been the usual flurry of articles, debates, views, points and counterpoints about who is responsible for the Mumbai blasts, 2011.

The late CN Anna Durai, the former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, was supposed to have stated: "When you point a finger at someone, the other fingers of your own hand are pointing towards you".

It is very easy to blame everyone from the big bad Pakistani forces, LeT, Al Queda, poor policy-makers, ineffective Mumbai Police, partisan politicians (who politicise everything), lazy bureaucrats, etc.

However, look at the facts of the case.

• If you want to celebrate a simple birthday party of your 7-year old daughter inviting a few of her classmates and half-a-dozen relatives, you can very well imagine the kind of planning that goes behind the same:
  • Preparing the invitee list
  • Preparing an excuse list for leaving out certain names from the list
  • Getting the home spruced up
  • Arranging for adequate seating
  • Planning for "fun activities"
  • Planning for medical emergencies
  • Deciding the nature of menu and timing of dinner
• Actually, the list could go on. Ask any friend who threw such a birthday party and she / he will confirm the complexities involved

In a similar vein, a major terrorist act such as the Mumbai blasts that shook the country could not have been executed without an enormous quantum of advance planning, including, but not restricted to:

• Identifying target spots
• Identifying nature of bombs
• Planning the date and time
• Procuring the ingredients for the bombs
• Arranging for assembling and safely storing the bombs till the "D-day"
• Arranging "safe-houses" for all the people who need to be physically present on the "D-day"
• Planning for and arranging for vehicles, including get-away vehicles.
• Arranging for "duplicate" names, along with stuff like ID cards, etc. for people who will be driving those vehicles
• Planning for the appropriate get-away routes.
• Arranging for communication devices, including multiple sim cards, and ensuring that the calls will remain "under the radar" till the "D-day"
• Arranging for finances for the entire operation. While some of them can be through cash transactions, some of the activities will necessitate bank transactions, especially for transactions which would arouse suspicion if paid in cash (such as rent advance, for instance).
• Getting "volunteers" to place the bombs in those precise locations where they will (a) remain undetected and (b) cause maximum damage
• Planning for the exact time at which the bombs need to go off on the "D-day"
• Planning to ensure that the "Real Big Fish" remains outside the "Net" of people who have any chance of getting caught. After all, the soldier can be sacrificed, but not the General.
• Arranging for "Plan B" and "Plan C" by way of back up measures for all the above
• Planning and arranging a process

Now, for virtually each of the above steps, the terrorist will have to have active interaction with the society at large. They need to contact "Members of the Civil Society" (terminology being used intentionally) for a variety of purposes including, but not restricted to:

• Hiring homes to stay in - before and after the "D-day"
• Getting hold of mobile instruments, multiple sim cards for each of the mobile instruments.
• Getting ingredients for bomb-making
• Hiring safe places to assemble and store bombs
• Training people to assemble, store and handle bombs
• Training people to set-off the trigger mechanism perfectly
• Arranging for vehicles
• Getting hold of funds
• Ensuring that people who hold the funds don't disappear with the funds
• Arranging for duplicate ID cards such as driving licences, passports, ration cards, voter ID cards, etc. for key personnel
• Arranging for one or more trial runs for the entire operation
• Ensuring that none of the actual operatives gets caught
• Getting volunteers to perform various activities all along the way

Obviously, ALL the above need to fall in place perfectly in unison to ensure that the terrorist plan succeeds. Even if a single step fails, the entire plan will fall flat.

If You and I do not cooperate actively and passively with the terrorists, they simply can't succeed. How do we end up cooperating with the terrorists? Here are a few samples:

• We let out our houses on rent to people without proper verification. Often, we don't even have a rent agreement. To save on a few rupees of income taxes, we often agree to receive rent by cash. In most cases, we don't inform anyone when we notice that "some odd-looking / oddly behaving persons" occupy a neighbouring flat. Way too often, we don't even care to notice who our new neighbours are and what they are upto.
• We agree to hire servants, maids, cooks, security guards, plumbers, electricians, etc. with absolutely no care about their origin.
• If someone is sleeping on the pavement of the roads, we're not bothered. Even if it continues on a regular basis for several weeks on end.
• If someone comes to a shop selling mobiles & SIM cards asking for a new SIM card or mobile instrument, we hardly bother to do even the most basic of checking as long as "the papers are in place"
• When a new neighbour, new colleague, new classmate asks us to get a mobile connection in our name to "help him out", we readily oblige.
• When an "aunt" or "uncle" or "cousin" comes over to stay with a neighbour, we don't bother even if it appears to be obviously false.
• We're willing to pay a bribe of a few hundred rupees to get a driving licence, to get a passport, to "pay-off" the traffic constable who stops us for a "minor" traffic violation. When we do all these "minor bribing", the receiving party starts expecting it and the whole thing gains a bit of legitimacy. At the end of the day, how does a "bribe-taking" RTO official know whether it is merely "speed-money" being given by a software engineer hard-pressed for time or "blood-money" given by a prospective terrorist trying to obtain a driving licence for a non-existent person? To top it off, we justify the whole thing by claiming that
• "Everyone does it"
• "Everyone can't be fighting the system like an Anna Hazare"
• "After all, it is such a minor thing"
• "Actually it is not a bribe - It is just a 'minor gift' to show our gratitude"
• We're unwilling to pay our taxes properly and take all possible steps to evade taxes, thereby depriving the government of resources to fight terror to that extent. (For instance, by "paying cash without a bill" to buy clothes, jewellery, groceries, medicines, etc. - Each of which results in tax evasion)
• We're unwilling to sell our houses without accepting / insisting on receiving part of the money "in black". We agree / insist that when we buy a house, part of the money will be given "in black" - so that we can reduce stuff like stamp duty, property taxes, etc.
• We're willing to pay a bribe to school authorities to get a school seat for our 4-year old children.
• We routinely seek to get subsidised products even when we're not entitled to get the same.
• When we see a domestic LPG cylinder being used in a tea-shop round the corner, we don't bother to report to the authorities.
• We park our vehicles on public property and pay-off the local cops / corporation authorities to ignore the encroachment
• We litter the streets all the time and encourage the corporation folks to seek "bakshis" for Deepavali, New Year, Pongal, etc.

Folks, there is simply no sense in simply blaming the politicians, police force, bureaucrats, "big, bad businessmen", etc. You can't expect the government to fix CCTV cameras and provide Z-Category security to every square inch of property all around the country. All of us have got to wake up. And shoulder our share of the responsibility before pointing fingers at anyone else.

The problem starts with YOU and ME. We need to change before we can ever hope for others to change. Till then, terrorists will continue to strike at will. Whenever they want. Wherever they want.

Regards,

N

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