New Years Eve

On the coming of the year 2012, we can think about the poor people of India who are in perpetual poverty, unable to celebrate as the the rest of the prosperous world. May the Gods whom they pray deliver them from their troubles. May the political system they believe in brings them relief from poverty, and give them more equality amongst all.May we have feelings of brotherhood towards them, and empathise with their present state.May they be free of poverty in the coming year and achieve prosperity quickly. These are our thoughts while we usher in the bright brand New Year.

The Indian people should have faith in themselves.After the British left the people lost belief in themselves and thought that only by paying money they can get work done. They can restore faith in themselves because now there is e-governance. Now computerisation with citizen centric orientation has arrived. Citizens can get anything done on-line and track the results on-line.People, there is nothing to worry about.There will be transparency in government's activities with implementation of policies like e-tendering and e-procurement in government. Politicians will account for their wealth;and when they illegally acquire wealth will go to jail when found guilty. Judges will be judged too.

Larger issues of equity in distribution of wealth, faster industrialisation and modernisation are what we are concerned. How to improve living conditions of many, how to keep people happy will be the goal of government.

Road-blocks for Landmark bill

Yesterday night the "Rajya Sabha" ended its Winter session without passing the anti-corruption Bill(LokPal Bill)From the proceedings of the Parliament, it is clear that the ruling elite do not want to pass this Bill.They do not want anyone to check how they come up with money during their career as politicians. The coming elections also is kept in mind. Voting on the bill was not done, and it is postponed till the next session.

Always, when in session we can see the live telecasts of the proceedings of the Parliament;they show the people the real merits/demerits of ruling elite. The lack of consensus on issues  and their way of jamming each others' speeches do not indicate maturity amongst the elected people.When the elected elite is responsible for the well-being of the so many whom they represent, they should behave more responsibly.Knocking down each others statements is not parliamentary behaviour.

All play the mean mean "blame" game. They blame the other party of becoming the road block in the making of the Bill. Are we electing the right persons? This is the question the citizens would ask themselves when they witness the behaviour of the ruling elite.

Language in the Evolution of a people

The people of Goa state celebrated their Golden Anniversary--50years of freedom, ten days ago. They got their freedom from foreign rule in December1961 after 450 years of being a colony of Portugal. The aristocrats of Goa identified themselves with the foreign regime and did not want freedom struggle to succeed.The people held a referendum and decided on joining the Indian union. At freedom, the poor folks (farmers) got rights over the land that they farmed under colonial overlords.The peasants united under one commonality and that was their language--"Konkani".During their long history and contacts with various cultures, they could not unite as they they were unlettered, poor and isolated. Although, they spoke different dialects and they kept contact with each other. Their saint had devised a common script for Konkani and the people had begun writing their own literature.The written script helped the Goans to unite. Their children began going to school as they had valued education.Even with coming of Hindi and English, people kept their culture alive by speaking Konkani.They are united  by speaking a common language and thus shared a common culture.Democracy has given the people good governance-- to be able to legislate on what is good for all the people.Goan women have greater rights over money and property as laws were made for the benefit of them.Today they are very successful Indians.They are aware of their environmental rights and keep Goa green. They earn through the industries of tourism and mining. Fish is their staple diet. Along with fishing, they have invested in modernised farming too.Goans are an integral part of India.A famous talented artist hails from Goa. His name is Mario Miranda; in newspapers and magazines he had depicted with great accuracy what the Indian people were like;although stereo typed, his characters came out alive in his drawings(caricatures).

Landmark Bill

Landmark bill has been passed in Lok Sabha(first house) of our parliament to counter check corruption in government. A civil society group is able to bring about a protest to change the government is a phenomenon which should be greatly appreciated; and this is possible because we are a vibrant democracy. And media coverage and social networking in participation of the people are all modern methods by which the people mobilised themselves. Although the bill does not have constitutional status as anticipated, it will go a long way in eradicating off-record dealings of the government. The independence of the state’s investigation bureau was curtailed as its head would be appointed by the Prime Minister. Ten amendments were made before passing the bill. Now it is in the second stage. In the second house (Rajya Sabha),may be further amendments will be made before declaring it as a law.

Another bill, on Whistle-blower’s protection, was also passed by Lok Sabha and will be decided on the next session. Another one, Judicial Accountability Bill regarding the selection of Judges was debated and be taken up in the next session. Now further reduction of corruption in high places will be dealt with positively.Citizens Charter Bill was also taken up. 

It was revealed that 12,000 crores of Rupees were spent on import of pulses without opting for the lowest bidder during procurement. That means we bought pulses at high rates than that was available in the world market. So that explains the high cost of “dals” which are an essential part of our diets. When it comes to spending government’s money Politician does not recognise the right value. We should make more bills to amend this practise too.

Mood of the people

Civil society activist catches the mood of the country and is trying hard to change the structure of the government is indeed a phenomena worth examining. The nature of the people is reflected on the government it makes. Even if changes in the structure of the government are made, ultimately, the people’s nature will influence and alter it to back as it was. Those in the government bodies have a casual attitude towards work and do not care for the national goals. This nature of the people will not change whatever civil society does. Computerization in office procedure, tracking of files in the public domain, office automation, e-procurement, e-tendering are major alterations that will bring transparency in the activities of the government personnel. Monitoring of the elected people cannot be brought under any single head. And Prime Minister is supreme and his activities cannot be monitored or checked by anyone. Powers that constitution has given cannot be altered by anyone in the street, there are parliamentary procedures. Those who are working in government offices can be monitored by their superiors only and everyone does not have a say in it. A major lapse in government offices is that there is no stress on the primary goal and working together as a team is missing. This hampers the working of government and more improvements must be made in educating the people in the organization—training to work together. 
The mood of the country is that there is great disillusionment caused by economic conditions. The people are affected by--price rise of essential food items, the fall of the Indian currency, rising cost of living, rise of fuel cost and so on The Reserve Bank of India has increased the rate of interest 13 times in the last one year in trying to tame the runaway inflation. And it is not working The Indian Rupee has fallen in international market, that means we will be buying oil at higher cost, and there will be price rise again. In this mood, people will listen to any protest and try to revolt against anything; any civil right revolt can catch this depressed state of mind of the people and use it to catapult itself to the limelight. How long will this last?

What is wrong with us?

The reason that the educated elites do not see the problems of the nation or its people is because we Indians have always used the poor people as workers/helpers as servants, as drivers, as sweepers, as labourers, as maids, as watchman or as lesser people. The first thing a child learns as it goes to school is that the servant will carry the school bag. So the education that we give starts with how to use the lesser people. So we can never really become “educated elite” for we only see our own problems and never the problems of "others" who are people too. When we cannot even see "others", we cannot envision our nation’s problems. The nation is made of mostly poor people. Thus we have put a blind fold on ourselves. May it be the cashew nut barons of Karnataka or timber merchants of Tamil Nadu, or zamindars of Uttar Pradesh or mine owners of Bihar, we know how to use the workers to our best advantage. When the farmers commit suicide, or the workers/labourers suffer in the cold without shelter, we justify it and call it fate or even give a cultural name, ”karma” The truth is that we have always distinguished ourselves as superiors and can visualise only the mundane problems like the  availability of labour, or fuss over the cost of fuel, as we are the aristocracy. We do not think about minimum wages or loss of livelihoods;and we do not know of the cost of travel to work for the poor people.We do not identify ourselves with the real people of India nor do we have any sympathy for them.

 Even the police personnel see themselves as  the superior people and dominate over the simple citizens.Our attitudes pose giant repercussions in the conduct of the ruling class. They need the votes of the workers, and if they do not please the workers, how will they get re-elected. So they pretend to legislate, they act as if they are concerned about the well being of the general population. And they use the media to exaggerate progress, and they showcase industrialisation or alleviation of poverty. With good resources, good engineers, and best educators, we are not able to build our nation.This is India  of today, those who can survive this will make a better India of the future. By then loss of lives would be many many.

Plight of the Farming people

In just last two months in the month of October and November 2011, 90 farmers have committed suicide in the state of Andra Pradesh. Since 1997, 250,000 farmers have committed suicide in India.Karnataka state's silk farmers have committed suicides due to the repercussions following change in the government policy.State of Maharashtra also has farmer very high suicide rates. Cotton farmers cannot export cotton due to government ban.These are indication of a failed state-- which is looking at trivial issues and calculating on next elections without making solutions to the needs of the poor people of India.40% of farmers want to discontinue farming, what are other livelihood options that government facilitates? None. Agricultural policy of 2007,which agricultural scientists had proposed to the parliament has not been tabled yet.Implementing retail chain of food procurement has not been popularized because ruling people have changed their minds on it.

Why suicide?Low productivity and returns of agriculture.In some parts of Andra Pradesh farmers get no returns from crops due to drought; and in coastal places cyclones frequently lead to crop failure.Calamities arise due to global climatic change.Credits and loans which farmer is not able to repay due to lack of expected return are the real cause of suicides.Farmers want more technological improvements which they are denied, many times electricity is not provided where irrigation with motors is needed. Mechanisation is opposed.Merging for farmer's holding to make a bigger farm can be done using computerised land records and this possibility is not offered.Prices are determined by the government, and farmers do not have a say in it. Agriculture and marketing go together, the rich aristocrats who have access to market rates become richer at the cost of the poor farmers.The ministers argue that agriculture is subject that the individual state have to legislate, and this will not be dealt with by the central government.But production, procurement, export are subjects of the central government and they are are all essential part of agriculture. Joint work of commerce ministry, finance ministry, and agriculture ministry  in making effective policies can save the farmer.Farmer should get minimum support price.He should be given low interest loans. Change of livelihood should to offered to the farmer.Economic polices directly affect the precarious life of the farmer.For example decontrolling sugar prices affects the farmer. 

At last food distribution schemes are here

The granaries of the government were full and overflowing but people were without food as economic policies had failed. At last,the food Security Bill,will soon be implemented. This will give our masses access to nutritional food at affordable prices. The legal right to food is now made reality. The cost of this scheme would be 1.5 lakh crore of Rupees annually.It will ensure food for top priority group comprising of 46% of rural India and 28% of urban India who are under the poverty line. Although the category of poverty line has not been defined yet, the provision will give 7Kg of food grains per month per person for the poor at the rate of 3Rupees per Kg of rice, wheat at 2Rupees per Kg and coarse grains at 1Kg.There will be free lunches for vulnerable group of people. By 2013, these schemes would be fully functioning. With population so huge,this will be like feeding the fish in the ocean. The government will have to procure grains in great quantities.Other activities of the government will get less attention now. The classification of benefactors may take even more time, the groups will be determined by 'socio-economic and caste' census. This would be similar to the recommendations given by the National Advisory Council.

To obtain the rations of food grains,people would have to be informed of this; and people in remote regions will have to move to distributing centres to receive the state's subsidies. 

This cannot become a long term scheme.It would only be an 'adhoc' policy to solve food scarcity. The real solution is to make the poor to be able to afford food, medicine and shelter. Housing for the poor and medicines for the poor are yet to be thought about by the government.These are also basic needs of the poor.All these needs should to be fulfilled; we cannot allow people to live in the streets or die without medicines. Pharma industries flourish in India but there are crores of people without medicines.Builders are making many residential complexes and infrastructural expansion is phenomenal.But the poor don't have even a tent to live in...Some attention should be given for providing shelters and providing medicines too, along with food.

Winning a War for the Weak

Bangladesh is celebrating 40 years of freedom today. India had witnessed how the people of the neighbouring country were suffering; it had reasoned for their cause and had fought war for them and had won their freedom. Today, we are celebrating with them their victory day. Only by celebrating anniversaries,we re-live and rededicate ourselves to our fundamental beliefs and values. The causes we had fought for reassures us, that we would always protect the weak people where ever they are.

The people of then East Pakistan were controlled by then West Pakistan; their nationalist movement was suppressed, riots and strikes were dealt with cruelly;and because of the atrocities, many people had moved to India as refugees. We had rescued the suffering weak people;when reasoning with the perpetrators had became impossible, we had declared War. Within two weeks, under the able leadership of Chief General of Army Sam Manekshaw, we had won the War and had made Bangladesh a free country.

In this part of South East Asia, we are very good neighbours. We seek to help those who are suffering, and we take bold courageous steps. We do not go to War to benefit money (or oil) but we want people to be free from suffering.

This is the make-up of the Indian mind-noble caring and daring.We will protect those who come to us seeking help(seeking "sharn")

India: land and its people

India is an ancient land but its people are all brand new. New people inhabit the old India.Only the physical India is old, the people are all new types--children of the priests/farmers are now professionals--engineers and doctors and teachers. We valued the role of education in shaping the mind of the new generation and we educated all of them very well.We do not cling on to the old way of life, we live in modern era with modern gadgets and ultra modern lifestyles.Eulogy of the old rustic life only reveals our nostalgia, for we know that we cannot go back to the old simple way of life.Showcasing ancient monuments is only a pastime and we know that we belong to this age.

In all professions they choose, Indians excel. The most numerous in all professionals in the world are the Indians.Our civil engineers are very skill full in the making of urban constructions, our mechanical engineers are involved in  industries all over the world,our computer professional are in demand everywhere. Our doctors are experts in all specialised fields they choose. Our teachers have brought up generations of children who have become perfect professionals. Then why is it we do not have a good education system in India? Why do we not have good health care policy? Why do our masses suffer with ill health?Why are we not urbanising fast? What ails our industries?We do not make efficient organisations,governments, or associations.In other words we perform very well as individuals but fail when we are in organisations.Well now,  Internet,mobile phones and more modern technology have come here to help us communicate better, organise ourselves better and grow together as a nation.

Living Civilization

1000^th Birthday of a temple was celebrated recently. Thanjavur's Bragadeeswara temple was opened and dedicated to its worshippers 1000 years ago.It is a living testimony to the architectural achievements of Raja Raja Chola I or Arulmolivarman.His reign was between 985 A.D. till1014 A.D.The apex of the pagoda(gopuram) consists of a monolith granite which weighs 50 tons. Its hight is 66ft. The temple was made with 130000 tons of granite.  The most amazing aspect of the Indian civilisation is that we still have continuity in our traditions. The priests who are decedents of the first priests who had started the “Puja” or prayers still continue the “Puja” as it was done then. Prime land was given to the priests by the kings who had built this temple.So we are a living civilisation which had never died out. All civilisations of the world came, prospered and died out but we were always alive, ever young and ever vibrant. And we will continue living, growing, praying and last forever. We are very special kind of people who can live through the ravages of time for we have enduring values. The priests were allotted land(farmer/landlord) and they continued tilling the soil and continued praying all through the last 10 centuries. When the tradition is so rich, it is lasting and it becomes timeless. Today we face challenges of industrialisation and modernisation. We will adopt and live through this too.

New Delhi: hundred years

Delhi is one hundred years old today. How will Delhi look hundred years from now?Those who live here would have moved away and new people would come here. Perhaps our great grand children would write about roots of family from Delhi recollecting with awe and bewilderment on how beautiful life was here.

Hundred years ago today,British had shifted their capital from West Bengal to Delhi and had planned city of New Delhi very well.They  had thought this would be their pride for centuries to come but within 16 years had to leave as we had become an independent country.Even now British writers recollect with nostalgia about the days of the British Raj.The English royalty or the ruling monarchs held Durbars like the Mogul kings presiding over the Indian masses.

Those days had vanished when India awakened and became free(64 years ago)Since then,Delhi has expanded several times. The people are extremely adaptable; as soon as the metro railways(5years ago) came people moved to newer areas-up to the reaches of the train and had colonised swiftly;mobile usage came very very fast, we have digital Delhi as we pay taxes and electricity bills on line.Internet usage is highest here.Bank transactions and shopping are all on line too.The city buses's services can be obtained from their websites. Delhi's citizens are high spirited people who will take up all challenges fearlessly.

Delhi people enjoy going out,shop and hang out in evenings.The annual trade fair is a big success here as more than one lakh 50 thousand people flock to the Pragati Maidan every day;they are visible on goggle maps.On those days when the fair is on,you can see Delhites from space!

We are looking forward to a future when we will become a more just society, we will adopt newer technology to empower the people. We will industrialise fast and remove the drudgery that workers face in keeping up with the churning wheels of the economy. The peace loving and religious people of India will do well in the this century and the centuries to follow for we are full of hope,cheer and goodwill.We are a hardworking people and we have good value systems that pull us through difficult times. We will overcome all hurdles and become a good example of how a culture should be like-vibrant,daring and adaptable like Delhites.What would Delhi be like hundred years from now?Thousand years from now, people would be the same kind as they are now.

Today's Youth should play better role

Today another event of protesting took place in New Delhi.Fasting, donning caps, resorting to “slogans” of freedom struggle shows that the young educated  protesters are not modern enough.The present new generation must look for new methods of protesting and not just reenact the freedom movement(64 years ago). Revivalism is not required.There is no need to invoke patriotic fervour to express dissent.When there is hesitancy in progressive policy making, when elected people have behaved irresponsibly, we must protest. The old rituals of “fasting” and slogan shouting are not essential features of today’s changing times.Instead of protesting against a broad phenomenon (corruption), young protesters can point to how elected people have taken wrong steps (specifically) in making ineffective policies. We must to more exact.Easily, the youth make the event appear like a “mela” or carnival with music, and hurrahing.Now the Delhi administration staffs have become experts in managing big crowds. And people also seem to enjoy the merriment of “chalo aaj masti  karen” or “lets enjoy ourselves today” attitude. And the seriousness of the event is forgotten in the merriment. Media too has its story to munch on for the day. For most part, it’s a media event. This is enlarged by live coverage and exaggerated running commentary of talkative anchor persons. 24*7 media coverage makes one think what does media out of this.

Educated people should show more seriousness, and younger people should be more innovative in protesting. Young people should make speeches; form more intellectual communities, make more blogs on development,write more bigger emails to government,and “tweet” more on how to overcome corruption. This looks like a mass get-together,  it is too casual.People should give their protests more content.Trivialising of issues by slandering could have been averted by the seniors. Verbal mudslinging should not be adopted.And by inviting other parties,the organisers cannot assume compliance. Changing how the government functions is what this protest was about, and not changing the parliament. Now the head may make his own constitution and preamble and give outline for Directive Principles too.There are other ways of implementing better governance, for example altering the role of bureaucrat, promoting better appointment procedures for bureaucrat, stress importance of meritocracy and giving powers to those bureaucrats who adopt technological skills better.To give no space for corruption in practises like e-tendering, e-procurement and restructuring of office procedures with computerisation could be brought about. This was a success as it indicates that a civil society can voice its belief and propose a new frame work which the government will adopt.     

We are survivors

India cannot be described by geographic contours (peninsula of with so many sq miles), nor by statistics (population), nor by race (human genome is same) but it can be described by its culture and civilisation. The associations that we Indians form, the governments we have built and the policies we are making for the future are the indices by which we would be judged by. Most accurate description of India would be shown by the hopes and aspirations of the people. The values that we Indians hold dear are very unique. How we have adopted quickly to arrival of modern technology shows that we are a highly intelligent people. What determines our future? To put together new technology and keep our cultural identity is the key to our progress as a people and as a nation. Issues faced by our leaders are many. There is no panacea for all the problems faced. We the people survive because we are innovative, we are resourceful and we are hard-working. Our religion helps us to live with inequalities and makes us strong to face adversities. By communicating with one another, we solve our own problems. We are strong in mind and firm in our actions. And we feel we are determining our lives with our action. It is this faith in ourselves makes us survivors.And despite ineffective policies of the political system, people tolerate tough economic conditions, survive and live on.

The worker and his role in economy

The bottom of the pyramid of Indian economy is the position held by the poor workers. The rural poor live in forests, in pastures, banks and shorelines. They are the crucial part of the economy, their survival is important for they are the backbone of society. The farmers /workers/labourers are the poor people whose work is used or exploited by rest of the society.The farmer toils and produces grains which is the basis of entire economy. He makes more than he requires, and his produce is used by all others.Rest of the society, transfers this produce, transports it, distributes it, stores it and consumes it. To gain legal possession over his produce, we device value systems.We justify the unjust takeover, and we give no rights to the worker/farmer who deserves.He exists invisibly providing us with his labour; he holds no possessions. In rural India, the cultural invention of temples, ghats,chowpals and farms are his last hideaways/homes. In urban India he has no common space to live in, he is the modern nomad. But we still need his labour, and the urban India turns his labour into a commodity. When there is speedy development, there is loss of livelihood for many workers and he has nothing to fall back on. We legally make sure to extract work and pay minimum just for his food. He is forced to the limits of drudgery.He may become extinct.And if the base of the pyramid crumbles, the economy will be shattered. In  ocean ecology, the smallest living thing, the plankton, supports all lives including the whales. So the smallest person supports the whole population with his labour, and if he is lost, all will suffer. So the poor must be recognised and uplifted for the survival of all society.

Insecurities of a culture and its rustic people

Struggle for the very basic needs is common for all of us—water engulfs all our energies. There are states in India without true rivers. The Himalayan Rivers can only provide for northern parts. Southern parts have little rain fed rivers whose drainage system has isolated some states depriving them of water. They are dependent on other states for water sources. They have a sense of insecurity for they fear if a demolition/reconstruction of a dam takes place. The other state may reduce water quantity given, and then they may be deprived of water. 

A hundred years ago, the rulers (British) had made bridges between culturally divided India, made dams to provide water for dry areas and to stop flooding of wet areas. This ushered in an era of new drainage system. It opened up an entire new way of life for farmers who were previously praying for rains. These farmers loved their livelihoods. Thousands of years ago, their saint had extolled the role of the farmer. Their saint had said that “the true life of a human is led by one who farms and all others worship and follow him (seeking his blessings)”.They revere their way of life, and love to till the soil and work from dawn to dusk. They cannot imagine life without their Mother Earth. The dam is located in another state. Although the dam is theirs, re-defining water rights might come about. Now after reconstruction of the old dam, water may be channelled for the benefit of the other state. Their fear of losing their sources of water is very real, for water wars can ensue. It is the anguish of these farmers that moves us greatly. They must be assured that reconstruction of a dam can result in greater security. Fear, anguish and insecurity must be overcome, so that farmers can work in peace. They know that without water, there will be no harvest, which means no livelihood; no food would lead to migration which means loss of being near dear ones; adjusting to alien cultures is not possible for them. No foreign place can be like their homes. It is not dams or water rights that these communities are in danger of losing;they may have to change their lifestyles and culture totally.  Future Shock is coming soon.There is bigger shock waiting for them. They are not aware that as soon as industrialisation of farming takes place, only few farmers will be working, and farming as they know it may end as a profession. Eulogy of ideal rustic way life should not be encouraged, and soon their culture may change entirely altogether. It’s going to be a shock from which they will have to recover from

We have free minds for none can bind us

The most important rights that we Indians have is the freedom of keeping minds open and the freedom of expression.Expression is like breathing for us;and we yearn to breathe free..Any curtailment of this basic freedom would be a big set back for our democracy.The Indian personality comprises of speaking out and expressing to our fellow men what we feel about each and every aspect of our lives. It is through this gift of gab that we Indians continue to communicate our culture.We have advanced in our communication techniques—Newspaper, Television, Internet, Telephone, Mobile telephone etc. Now we cannot go back and be without these. Imposition of restrictions on freedom of speech or expression would imprison us to the dark ages when there was rigid bondage prescribed by an obsolete civilization. Our lives have changed due to the adoption of modern technology.Any alteration or step backwards would not be possible now. Any attempt to suppress expression would be unacceptable oppression.  So no political might is strong enough to affect our freedom in any way. When there is freedom, we also have constraint to exercise that freedom responsibly.So we auto correct ourselves.Therefore the other side of the coin of freedom is responsibility.Our ‘greedom’ for more and more power should not prison our freedom.Indians are free birds always soaring high,scaling new heights and exploring new horizons.No one can bind freedom lovers.