Raju, Raja and Kani- Crime, Punishment and Destiny

Posted on May 25, 2011 by indra

Years ago as a child, I read a story of Valmiki, the poet of the great epic Ramayana. Valmiki was a bad man. He looted and robbed. Once he met a hermit and tried to take away his belongings.

The hermit asked, “Why have you taken to this profession?”

Valmiki said, “To provide my family members with food and their other requirements”

“Do you know that whatever you are doing is sin and you will have to suffer for it and end up on hell after your death?”

“Yes”

‘Have you asked them if they will share your suffering?”

“No”

“Will you go and ask them?”

Valmilki went and asked. None agreed to share the suffering. His family was eager to share the fruits of his bad actions; they would not share his sins.

Valmiki got changed and Ramayana was born.

Why should the siblings of those charged of sucking from the national exchequer be allowed to enjoy on the wealth amassed by the parents or family heads in wrong way?

I wonder if an arrest and/ or jail for the persons such as Raju, Koda, Raja, Kalmadi or Kani, is good enough as a deterrent. I can very well appreciate the inconveniences of these persons about heat, toilet, cleanliness, and bed. But I think as a first thing all the bank accounts of near in the family must be freezed. The family members unless one has been living independently and earning, must be allowed to withdraw only a sustenance allowance to the extent of 15,000 – 20,000 per month. Why should they be using the money amassed in wrong way?

Nitish Kumar has already got a bill passed for confiscation of the properties of the corrupt bureaucrats. SC also has stayed any objection against the act. Even the Lokpal drafting committee is also planning to a provision for confiscation. the nation wants the wealth created illegally to be be declared as national assets.

The punishment must be severe enough to deter the greedy ones in society and their siblings to resort to misuse the authority and manipulating the system to accumulate personal wealth.

Unfortunately, the present generation and even the Next hardly worry about the divine punishment or the fear of hell after death. So they must get into hell right here itself as soon as a prima-facie case is there.

I still doubt if CBI is not showing partisan approach in identifying all the real culprits. Is the destiny helping them to escape or skip Tihar?

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Bihar: Need of Water Conservation

Posted on May 23, 2011 by indra

I get amazed when I hear the news of water level in various parts of Bihar going down and wells for drinking water getting dried. It is happening in a state with large number of famous rivers flowing through it. Simultaneously it’s shocking that neither the government nor the people at village level are doing anything to understand the reasons of this malady in our own callous approaches in recent past. One can find misuse and wastage of water everywhere, irrigation water flowing out of canal going to waste land or in other rivulets to reach finally the main river. Over irrigation is also another factor. There is hardly any endeavour for preservation of water or water harvesting, leave aside the innovative methods of effective water requirements for farming through drip irrigation or other advanced methods.

I go down the memory lane, and find gradually the large number of water bodies, ponds, ahar etc disappearing in almost every village. Diesel or electric run water pumps were not there, but industrious farmers used to toil hard with the primitive means of irrigation for transferring water from the water bodies for cultivating the fields. Wells were dug even inside the farm to use for irrigation by Persian wheel that was perhaps the best mechanical equipment in use for irrigation. My mother got a well dug by me in one summer holiday to irrigate a plot of land that didn’t have facility to get canal water. One of my uncles got a pond dug in our village.

It is unfortunate that most of the water bodies of the villages have been filled up to create farmland or encroached for building habitation. It has happened because of lack of education and appreciation about the need of the water-bodies and short sightedness. Some bigger water-bodies have got silted over the years and hardly even with schemes like NREGA, some effective programmes have been undertaken to refurbish those water-bodies. Though years after years, the finance minister of India talked of renovating the hundreds of thousands of water-bodies of the countries in his budget speech budgets, nothing concrete happened on the ground. Death of natural water bodies must have been causing the fall of the water levels.

Even the government grazing areas and extra land used as road by bullock carts have not been spared and forcibly and illegally occupied. I am not against providing government land to the landless families for building their houses if required, but it must be done following some rules and recorded. It should not be free for all under particular scheduled categories. The mad rush to increase the land for paddy and wheat must stop.

1.As the most urgent step, the various types of water-bodies must be defined, recorded and mapped through a detail survey. And every panchayat must take the responsibility of maintaining the same through NREGA or other schemes and saving them.

2.Every possibilities of creating water-bodies with huge projects of road building requiring a lot of earth digging must be explored and executed. Any new road project may create a large number of water-bodies too.

3.Every village and town, small and big, must undertake the schemes for conserving the rain water.

4.Possibilities of storing water in every river and water streams, even the seasonal ones such as Thora Baba in my district Rohtas or several rivers feeding Kosi through suitable barrages as executed in Gujarat for Village Pond, Check Dam, Boribandh dams (sand bag dams), must be explored.

5.It will not be a bad idea to encourage the old practices of creating water ponds by rich people in villages or by a community through donations.

6.Bihar government must invite and allure companies such as Hindustan Unilever Ltd with a plan of the setting up of the ‘India Water Body’ (IWB) to address water scarcity in India.

7.Agriculture and engineering universities must take innovation projects for water conservation related products and projects. Farmers need to be educated about farming system such as the rice intensification system that requires less water.

A lot of education is required to save water in rural Bihar. It can bring manifold improvement in the prosperity of the region. In absence of that, all dreams will remain on paper.

Use effectively every drop of water that comes from the sky, and all the water that flows through our rivers.

PS: Rohini Nilekani, the wife of Nandan Nilejani, had written an article, ‘How Not To Stop The Flow’ about the need for a water policy and water conservation in Times of India, May 28, 2011.

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A Conversation between an IITian and an Aspirant

Posted on May 22, 2011 by indra

OP Khanna, my friend from Bangalore mailed me this story. On a Sunday, it makes a good reading. Many a times, we hardly realize the worth of the man with whom we happen to talk. You enjoy and have your own conclusions:

There were two rickshaw-walas vying for our business when we wanted to go to Sankat-Mochan temple in Benaras. I agreed to go with the one who was about 20, seemed like a regular young rickshaw-wala, but I found something interesting about this fellow in his eyes. I was not proved wrong.
He wanted Rs 50, we said Rs 30. We settled for 40.
Here are the highlights of the conversation that ensued while he rode the rickshaw:
“aap kahan se aaye hain”
“Delhi”
“bijness ya kaam karte hain?”
“naukri karte hain”
“kismein”
“internet mein”
“humara bhi kuch wahin kaam lagwa do”
I just chuckled
“main try kar raha hoon engineering padhne kee. achchi naukri lag jaayegi tab”
“achcha?” I asked a little interested
“haan, delhi mein Guru Gobind Singh Indraprashta University mein engineering ke liye apply kara hai. achchi hai woh university”
“haan, achchi hai”, I agreed.
“haan, kal hee maine JEE bhi diya”
“JEE matlab, IIT ka?”
“haan, Joint Entrance Examination” he pronounced it perfectly just to make it clear to me what JEE stood for. “mushkil hota hai exam”
“haan, 2 saal toh log padhte hee hain uske liye, asaan nahin hai” I carried on the conversation
“Delhi mein Akaash coaching institute hain na?”
“haan, hai”
“aapne kya padhai kari?”
“main engineer hoon, aur phir mba bhi kiya”
“kahan se engineer?”
“IIT delhi se”
He swung back, surprised, a little delighted, and smiled. “Ok, aapke liye Rs 30”
Swati and I laughed
Swati asked “padhai kab karte they IIT ke liye”
“bas, rickshaw chalaane ke baad raat mein”. Then he added “kismein engineering kari aapne?”
“Chemical”
“toh aapki chemistry toh badi strong hogi”
“nahin, aisa nahin hai”
He continued “yeh bataiye….jab Mendeleev ne Periodic Table banaya tha tab kitne elements they usmein?”
Now it was my turn to get surprised. He was quizzing me. I said “shayad 70-80”
“no, 63” he said sharply. “kaunse element kee electronegativity highest hai?”
Swati was laughing, and I didnt try too hard and said “pata nahin”
“Flourine”, he said confidently. Without a break he asked,”kaunse element kee electron affinity highest hoti hai?”
Now I was laughing too and said “nahin pata”
“Chlorine. toh aapka kaunsa subject strong tha?” clearly having proven that my chemistry wasnt a strong point
“Physics”, I said
“achha, Newton’s second law of motion kya hai”
I knew this one I thought, “F=ma” I said
“Physics is not about formula, it is understanding concept!” he reprimanded me in near perfect english. “Tell me in statement”
I was shocked. Swati continued to laugh.
I said “ok, Newtons second law, er….was….”
” ‘was’ nahin, ‘is’!Second law abhi bhi hai!” he snapped at my use of ‘was’
Surely, my physics wasnt impressing him either. “yaad nahin, I said”
“Force on an object is directly proportional to the mass of the object and the acceleration of the object”, he said it in near perfect english. “aapne mtech nahin kiya?”
“nahin, mba kiya”
“mba waale toh sirf paisa kamana chahte hain, kaam nahin karte”
“nahin, aisa nahin hai, paisa kamaane ke liye kaam karna padta hai”
He said “arrey, rehene do” or some words to that effect. He didnt think too highly of me apparently anymore.
In a minute we reached our destination. We got off and I told him that he must and should definitely study more, and that I think he is sharp as hell. He took only Rs 30, smiled and began to leave. I got my camera out and said “Raju, ek photo leta hoon tumhari”. He waved me off, dismissed the idea and rode off before I could say anything more….leaving me feeling high and dry like a spurned lover.
Damn, what a ride that was! India is changing, and changing fast.

And so it goes !!!!!

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Mamata Miracle- Can She bring back Bengal’s old glory?

Posted on May 20, 2011 by indra

Mamata Banerjee fought as an indefatigable one-man army for three decade against huge and brute left, bruised physically and defeated many a times. But what a performance she gave in a memorable final assault that will be historic in every respect! And finally today Mamata today enters Writers Building, the seat of power of West Bengal like a real queen extraordinary.

Two news reports make me a little morose as well as happy.

Perhaps politics prevailed. Mamata would have worked with a small efficient cabinet. It would have given a good signal that she means business. But Mamata preferred accommodating all the interest groups, Muslims, women, Scheduled Castes and giant-killers in her cabinet. But the people of Bengal will expect Mamata to be constantly watchful and make changes based on actual performance. She must fix time frames for each of her projects and the ministers concerned must meet it. It must build fast the perception for performing team.

The best part that I liked was the way she went to invite Budhha and his wife to join the oath ceremony. I would have loved if she would have gone herself gone to him.

She must act and speak miserly. I would love if she gives priority to rebuild the images of West Bengal’s great educational institutes- Calcutta University, Presidency College, BE College, Jadavpur University, Viswa Bharati Shanti Niketan and Calcutta Medical College and to make it into world class.

As reported, Mamata will be sworn in at the Raj Bhavan in Kolkata at 1.01 pm. I wish Mamata gets the best from its auspicious oath taking time that has been fixed for 1 minute past 1 o’clock by her well-wisher priest.

Let Mamata really become Goddess Lakshmi, Sarswati and Annapurna for the state as the first woman Chief Minister of West Bengal.

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Why is Corporate India Greedy for Land?

Posted on May 18, 2011 by indra

For me who was attached with Hindustan Motors for almost 36 years, any good news however small it is becomes exciting. I was very happy to read such a headline in Mint- ‘Hindustan Motors posts Rs75 lakh net profit in FY 2011’.

Car and auto component maker Hindustan Motors Ltd (HM) on Monday said it wasn’t a “potentially sick company” anymore and that it would send an intimation to the Board for Industrial and Financial Reconstruction to that effect, after having posted a net profit of Rs75 lakh in fiscal 2011 as against a net loss of Rs51.1 crore in the previous year.

An exception income of Rs24.27 crore helped HM pare net loss in the quarter till March to Rs6.97 crore from Rs31.82 crore in the same period 2010. For the full year, the company registered an exceptional income of Rs96.8 crore as against Rs57.84 crore in fiscal 2010. This, according to a regulatory filing, came from sale of immovable assets and/or investments.

Hindustan Motors (HM), a Birla company has sold its land to get out of red. HM would have acquired the huge tract of land running into hundreds of acres by the then at nominal price or might have got it free from the then Congress government of Dr. BC Roy who at all cost wanted fast industrialization of the state.

HM grew until early ‘90s when there was hardly any competition from any quarter. But with strong competition from Maruti Udyog, the golden era of monopoly ended. Any growth or even survival demanded better management strategy, better products and better leadership. HM failed and kept on going down the hill.

How can under such circumstances a company sell its land that ethically should not be considered as owned by the company? How can a government allow that to happen? What would have been the money that company would have earned in right and wrong way? I don’t know if some farmers were involved in the land that the government offered to HM. Was there any compensation given? If at all they would have got it, it must be in hundreds of rupees, when today the company would have got back in crores?

Corporate India must have made huge money in the similar manner all over the country. And the farmers who owned the land originally would have lost the track or would have been watching it helplessly from a distance.

The same game is going on all over the country. The government is backing or brokering such land acquisition at much larger scale. Companies demand hundreds of acres for setting up any industrial unit at the cheapest price from the farmers and for the same the companies are paying huge money underhand to those in government who matter for the acquisitions of the land. Is it not a corruption of the highest order? At least for the factories, why can’t the land remain the property of the nation that can’t be sold if the proposed enterprise fails to use the land for the purpose that was allocated? As I know HM has got officially hundreds of crore for the land it has sold. It should not be treated as revenue or earning of the company to take it out of BIFR and any executive must not boast about doing that.

HM is out of business of managing a car factory. All those who are still with the company are like those who wait to accompany the dead to the cremation.

1. Corporate India must take the land as leased one for the period they keep on growing and contributing to national economy. The day they fail they must return it to its right owners.
2. Corporate India also must learn to go vertical in plant design and construction or innovate other ways to require only minimum amount of land and particularly if it is fertile one producing food grains.

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Sashi Panja: HM’s own girl

Posted on May 17, 2011 by indra

Shashi Panja, 48 is the daughter of late PV Krishnaih who lived his whole life in Hind Motor colony, is the new MLA from Shyampukur.

Mr. Krishnaih, then Chief Industrial Engineer was from the first batch of IIT, Kharagpur. I was five batches after him and joined HM. I was in production. I vividly remember the last day of Krishnaih when he passed away. Mr. Bhatter asked me in hospital Belle View to go to Dinen Bhattacharya, the secretary of CITU union in Serampore to inform him about Krishnaih’s death and to request for the postponement of the meeting of negotiation that was scheduled next day.

Shashi is a doctor by profession, an MBBS from RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, specialization in ultrasound and infertility practice.

Shashi is the daughter-in-law of Late Ajit Panja, a well-known political personality from West Bengal who was also cabinet minister at centre. It will be her first stint as MLA, though she was elected councillor in 2010 and appointed mayoral council member in charge of education. As reported, she is interested in slum development and that is her priority.

Shashi is well supported by her husband Prasun and loving daughters Puja and Namrata. As reported, her hobbies are playing badminton and solving crosswords and Sudoku. Sashi is one of the most qualified women MLAs.

As I remember even in HM complex, she was a great organizer of various functions. I wish she gets opportunity to serve the state improving its education and health care, particularly in rural Bengal.

I wish Mamata uses her best and accommodates her in cabinet with a portfolio suitable to his qualification and capability.

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Insensitive Government, Meek Middle Class

Posted on May 16, 2011 by indra

I was surprised when yesterday Mother Dairy boy announced an increase of Rs 2 on a litre of all types of milk.

In the evening news I was shocked when I heard that petrol will be costlier by Rs 5 from midnight and commuters lining up the petrol pumps to fill up the tank. How much can a middle class consumer save with one full tank refill? Further, as reported, state-run oil marketing companies are mulling another similar hike that could come as early as next month. Pranab Mukherji hints at increase of diesel price. This price rise was the ninth in nine months. The government calls this rise as market based with no control from the government.

Surprisingly, as reported, the increase in petrol prices has made the fuel more expensive than aircraft turbine fuel (ATF), used to power planes. The reason is a skewed duty structure. Why is government so short-sighted?

All these are coming just after the results of various state assemblies are out. Is it not unethical arrogance? Can some protest marches of a particular opposition party provide relief?

How can the government keep on making the navratna PSU oil companies and Reliance profitable and collecting huge taxes in the government exchequer?

And interestingly, a government-appointed panel headed by former Atomic Energy Commission chairman Anil Kakodkar has proposed a four-fold hike in the IITs’ annual fee, from Rs 50,000 to Rs 2 lakh, so that the premier technology schools can become self-dependent. Will they make IITs elitist? I don’t understand how an IIT-alumnius can suggest that.

This government justifies the collection of the interest rates of 24-26% from the underpriviledged poor entrepreneurs by the microfinance companies who are just the middle men between PSU banks and the customer. And RBI has further increased the repo rate making all loans to the customers, be it for car or home costlier. After all these customers are from the middle class and not Ambanis and Mittals who go for multimillion dollars palaces.

The government is forcing the farmers to sell their produce at less than MSP? The price may further crash. A person such as Ashok Gulati, the chairman of Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), a well-known proponent of reforms and an agricultural economist with diverse experience, has made a strong case for intervention to check falling wheat prices either by allowing exports or purchase of foodgrains by the government agency, otherwise prices will crash.

How long will it go on? Does it require some Anna Hazare to make the government sensitive to price rise?

PS:See another example of the insensitivity of Indian government. As reported, “ one name in the high-profile ’50 most wanted’ list of fugitives submitted to Pakistan, Wazhul Kamar Khan, is actually living in Wagle Estate in Thane with his ailing mother, a wife and five children.” Is this the way a responsible government to run the administration?

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Mamta and Nitish

Posted on May 15, 2011 by indra

I came across many columnists advising Mamta to take some lessons from Nitish and the way he focused on development politics that has made him win the assembly election second time.

Nitish replaced Lalu’s clan with 15 years of indomitable rule. Mamta has made a history throwing left out in Bay of Bengal after 34 years from the writer’s building. In both cases just few years before the change, many including the author thought it something impossible to happen. With thumping win just five years ago in 2006, I considered Budhha to have established himself for a long inning. But Mamata made a sort of miracle in just five years. It may take a lot of time for left to regroup and revitalize for win unless Mamta makes blunders.

I hardly understand the M’s Maa, Manush, and Mati. I wish some young great writers from West Bengal write a good biography of Mamta and her fight against Red with that caption. Nitish has confined himself to ‘litti-chokha’.

Mamta as Chief Minister has better chances than Nitish Kumar for getting West Bengal on the track of rapid development. Mamta had picked up many reputed persons with administrative experiences such as Amit Mitra and Manish Gupta and they won. I wondered why Nitish kept his team full of politicians.

Nitish with his engineering background and experience as minister at centre could also have induced some honest, willing and efficient technocrats and administrators of Bihari origin in to last election fray where the atmosphere was totally in his favour. But he didn’t. Was it his inferiority complex?

Centre because of alliance with Congress will be more cooperative with Mamta and will be more helping. I still believe that leftists did a wonderful job in improving the power and in establishing Haldia even after a lot of hurdles created by the centre.
Kolkata still is home of many billionaire businessmen and headquarters of many industrial houses. Ratan Tata may be feeling embarrassed, but many will like to work with her to change the industrial scenario of the West Bengal that has a long industrial culture.

Mamta will find the biggest hurdle coming not from the left politicians but the CITU leaders who remain the worst in world to damage any attempt of improving work culture in offices and workshops. I don’t know how strong the labour union wing of Mamta’s party is. I will be watching her way she uses for crossing this hurdle for industrial development. Will she defeat them with her strength or with her skill of handling the arrogant and militants?

But Nitish ranks high for his political shrewdness and coolness in dealing with even the worst of his enemies. He is not as ruthless and crude for which Mamta is famous. I wish if Mamta cools down with the responsibility that the popular mandate has provided.

There is one more difference. TMC is entirely Mamta’s baby. The party of Nitish was established and nourished initially by other stalwarts such as George Fernandes, Sarad Yadav and some others who were gradually forced to move on the sideline. Nitish has certainly become the boss today.

I wish Mamta to succeed to bring back the lost glory of Bengal taking lessons from all if she can.

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Corruption, Kautilya and Manmohan

Posted on May 12, 2011 by indra

It seems, Kautilya is relevant for India again today. I don’t understand why Manmohan though an economist doesn’t take note of some of his advices. There is one more unique aspect of his character- his transparent ruthlessness,that may not be considered today as politically correct.

Whoever imposes severe punishment becomes repulsive to the people; while he who awards mild punishment becomes contemptible. But whoever imposes punishment as deserved becomes respectable. For punishment (danda) when awarded with due consideration, makes the people devoted to righteousness and to works productive of wealth and enjoyment; while punishment, when ill-awarded under the influence of greed and anger or owing to ignorance, excites fury even among hermits and ascetics dwelling in forests, not to speak of householders. But when the law of punishment is kept in abeyance, it gives rise to such disorder as is implied in the proverb of fishes (matsyanyayamudbhavayati); for in the absence of a magistrate (dandadharabhave), the strong will swallow the weak; but under his protection, the weak resist the strong.

–Kautilya

Can Manmohan provide that protection?

I quote from Bruce Rich’s ‘To Uphold the World’:

For Kautilya the king’s duty and happiness lies exclusively with the happiness of his subjects, “what is beneficial to the subjects (is) his own benefit.

Tulsidas after many centuries wrote, ‘jasu raj priy praja dukhari so nripu awasi narak adhikari’. Ram was trying to convince Lakshman to stay back in Ayodhya with the argument.

Kautilya singles out corruption as a major threat to the state. He enumerates forty varieties of embezzlement and recommends again an elaborate system of espionage, paid informants, and incentives, both negative and positive, to check corruption. Penalties range from death for theft of objects of high value in state mines and factories to a varying scale of fines. Other penalties include publicly smearing the corrupt official with cow dung and ashes and ‘proclaiming the guilt,”shaving his head and exciling him. While a system of informers and publicly smearing corrupt officials with dung may not be politically correct in today’s mores, these approaches would certainly be more effective than the fullhearted measures we see today in international system….. Kautilya realized that corruption was a deadly threat to the state and that it is extremely hard to detect and requires rigorous controls, penalties, and incentives to keep it in check.

Will not Manmohan agree to Kautilya doctrine? But there is one difference Kautilya never look for the King’s favour for his primeministership unlike Manmohan. Kautilya created a king out of a brave boy, not the reverse of it happened.

Let Anna, Kejriwal, or Bhusans and the enlightened middle class of India realize this. It’s good that the whole of India is in its favour and backed Anna’s Jantar Mantar episode. But every one of them must also ponder over their own actions while sitting on both sides of the powerful tables. As consumers we are oppressed of corruption, as deliverers we expect to be corrupted.

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13 May: Unlucky for Some

Posted on May 10, 2011 by indra

Assembly election 2011 for West Bengal is over today. Voters of this most populous democracy have done a get job with percentage of voting going above distinction marks.

Will the Paribortan (change) come in West Bengal after more than three decades? Will the high voters lining up the election booths go in favour of leftists or as claimed by it will for Trinamool? Will the expert in psephology such as Pranay Ray and many who have predicted the change in favour of Mamtaa prove themselves right? And if the paribortan comes in the masters of Writers Building (the seat of the state’s power) will it change from red to green?

But the biggest of the doubt with change is about the security and safety of the common people particularly in rural Bengal. What will the people mentioned in the stories below will get and how will they behave?

Trinamul supporter Sheikh Hasrat Ali, 37, had both hands chopped off by CPM cadres on December 2, 1999, for protesting the party’s “interference in every detail of villagers’ lives” in West Midnapore’s Keshpur.

Badal Kumar Mondal, the 55-year-old CPM supporter in Nartha village of Pingla, West Midnapore provides his story. The schoolteacher’s eyes were gouged out and acid was poured in the socket by suspected Trinamul supporters on May 27, 1998, on the eve of the panchayat polls.

Will the cadre of Mamtaa’s party take revenge if not with physical tortures of the members of left parties with grabbing all the sanction benefits to its own members and to the aam aadami without any partisan?

I wish there is peace all around and Bengal works one single point agenda of getting back its past glory.

Will Mamta go in fast gear for development politics taking advantages of a favourable allied party ruling the country?

Many still doubt a Mamta’s win and what even its ally wishes. What will be Mamta’s next step if she doesn’t win? How the cadres of leftist parties react if left loses? Will the left leaders behave as mature enough democrats and able to control them?

Perhaps India and those interested in Bengal’s politics will have to wait till noon on May 13.

May 13 will certainly be an exciting day, perhaps lucky for some and really inauspicious for some.

PS: May13, 2011 at 11.45AM; The result rather gives a clear win for Mamta and Jailalita in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu respectively. Mamta has made history uprooting leftists after its 34 years if rule. Let me hope a Mamta leads Bengal with developments-based politics. Can after the five years in power she will keep herself equally darling to the people of Bengal to re-elect her?

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