The dark lady..

This one is dedicated to my new flame. A maiden dressed in bright dresses adorning stars in her hair and dazzling ornaments on her body. She presents a spectacular sight. I knew her from before but it is only now that I had the opportunity to know her up close. And now she is my muse-in-making.

She has many lovers. Her charm attracts men of all ilk. But she doesn't return the love of all. Only a few lucky ones manage to win her love. Mind you, it is not easy to woo her. One can find many of her moony lovers serenading her in all possible ways. But she is a material girl and only those who adorn her facade with ostentatious jewellery get her attention. The latest in her collection is a tiara with twenty-seven precious stones in it. She lovingly calls it 'Antilia - my precious'.

However, her brightness cannot hide her chapped skin and dirty underbelly. Her ostentatious dresses are too short to hide the filth covering all her body. She does not make any attempt to hide it either. For many, this frank acceptance of the grime adds to her charm. There are several dimensions to her personality. Sometimes rash and loud, sometimes polished and elegant. Sometimes her heat scares you away, at other times she showers you relentlessly with cool scented water, the scent depends on the part of her that you can afford to have, the dark underbelly or the bright and shiny exterior. Her multiple facets have made her the muse of many.

Like the succubus, she never sleeps. She wanders throughout the night screwing the dreams of millions, making them lose their touch with reality. Those whom she has managed to make her prey, walk like zombies with half-open eyes laden with dreams. Unmindful of everything else, these people doggedly pursue their dreams which are never meant to be fulfilled.

She manages to arouse the twin emotions of attraction and repulsion within me. But I guess that is how lovers feel for each other. You have to hate your lover a little for the love to have its worth. All love no hate is what a worshipper feels for his God and human love is far from being divine. I hate the way she ignores her grubby underbelly. Though I like the fact that she doesn't pretend to hide it, I do not like how she makes no attempt to wipe it clean. Unabashedly she exposes her insides to everyone who gawk at it with a mix of amazement and revulsion. But she is not ready to change her sordid ways. So I have to reconcile to it as my love for her is getting too strong now. Her enigma has cast such a spell that I have no way out of it.

Nowhere else can one find such diversity at one place. She is a living embodiment of contradictions, an organic whole that houses within her bosom every variety of human character. Millions sleep in her lap and she never fails to sing them a lullaby every night. I found her lullaby a little too loud at first. But now it seems so soothing that I can no longer sleep without it.

What is her name you ask? Well, people have different names for her. Some call her Mumbai and others Bombay. For me she is my lover-in-making.

बोलती तस्वीरें..

बात की है कभी तस्वीरों से? आज मेरी तस्वीरों से घंटों बातचीत हुई. कई कहानियां, कई किस्से सुनाये उन्होंने मुझे. हर एक तस्वीर एक नया ही किस्सा सुना के चली गयी. उन्हीं किस्सों में से कुछ आज मैं अपनी ज़ुबानी सुनाती हूँ.

सूरज का घर

सागर की अनंत यात्रा में आकाश उसका अकेला साथी है. रंगहीन सागर को आकाश ने अपना ही रंग चढ़ा दिया. अपने साथी के रंगों से सजा सागर अटठ्खेलियाँ खाता हुआ अपने सफ़र में नित आगे बढ़ता जाता है. कहीं दूर जाकर सागर और आकाश मिलते हुए दिखते हैं. कहते हैं वहीँ कहीं सूरज का घर है. सुना है कि उसका घर पानी से भरा है. जैसे जैसे वो अपने घर के नज़दीक आता है, वैसे वैसे घर की ठंडक उसकी ताप को कम करने लगती है. घर घुसते ही ठंडा पानी उसकी सारी ताप बुझा देता है और तब अँधेरा हो जाता है.  दिन भर की चढ़ाव उतार के बाद घर ही उसे शीतलता दे सकता है. खुद को जला कर पृथ्वी को जीवन देने वाला सूरज  कुछ ही घंटों बाद फिर से तपने को तैयार हो धीरे धीरे घर से बाहर निकलता है. तब आकाश उसके पानी को सोख उसमें अपनी तीली से आग लगा देता है और शुरुआत होती है हमारे दिन की.



खेल खेल में

कभी बादलों के पीछे, तो कभी पेड़ों के, लुका छिपी सूरज का पसंदीदा खेल है. पर मुंबई की भाग-दौड़ भरी ज़िन्दगी में कहाँ किसी के पास समय कि सूरज के साथ खेल खेले. यहाँ पर तो सभी किसी अजीब सी होड़ में हैं. ऐसा नहीं है कि यहाँ लोग खेल नहीं खेलते पर इनके खेल थोड़े अलग हैं जो कि या तो गाड़ियों के काले शीशों के पीछे या फिर काली इमारतों के अन्दर खेले जातें हैं. पूरी दुनिया को रौशनी से भरने वाले सूरज में भी इतना दम नहीं कि इन अँधेरी दीवारों के अन्दर जा इन खेलों को उजागर कर सके. इन स्याह खेलों की सूरज को कहाँ समझ? वो तो भरी रौशनी में ही खेलता है. ऐसे ही एक दिन उसकी लुका छिपी में मैंने उसे पेड़ों के पीछे से झांकते हुए पकड़ ही लिया. अब तुम्हारी बारी है मुझे ढूँढने की, यह कहकर अपनी गाड़ी के काले शीशे ऊपर चढ़ाते हुए मैंने गाड़ी सुरंग के अन्दर मोड़ ली.

Who will judge the judges?

In November 2010, two member bench of Supreme Court comprising of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra indicted some of the judges of Allahabad High Court for giving judgments in favour of parties represented by lawyers known to them. This “uncle judges” syndrome has put a huge question mark on the integrity of these judges. “There is something rotten in the Allahabad High Court” and it needs some “house cleaning”, the Supreme Court judges said.

What the judges said about the Allahabad High Court can be said about other high courts too. It is a much common practice where justice is delivered when the kith and kin of the judges fight for the right persons. As this is not always the case, so justice usually takes a back seat over fraternity.

Higher judiciary enjoys greater credibility amongst the people than any other pillar of governance. However, this credibility has been undermined by a number of incidents in the recent past. The refusal of the then CJI Balakrishnan to disclose the assets of the judges under RTI gave a big blow to the clean image of the higher judiciary. What exactly was the CJI trying to hide? The excuse he gave was that he held the information regarding the assets of the judges in a fiduciary capacity. Therefore he couldn’t reveal them. This lame excuse did raise many eyebrows on the intentions of the CJI. The same CJI is now being questioned in various cases involving the assets amassed by his kith and kin after he assumed the highest judicial position obtainable by a judge in India.

Further, the procedure for selection and removal of the judges has created much consternation amongst public-spirited individuals. The procedure gives total control to the judiciary thus compromising the doctrine of checks and balances much needed in a federal, democratic set-up. Also, the process lacks adequate transparency. There have been cases when the collegium has selected those judges who have a poor track record. The case of Justice Dinakaran is a case in point. Here the Supreme Court almost elevated him to the Supreme Court despite complaints of illegal land-grabbing against him. It was only when much hue and cry was raised by the bar council of Karnataka High Court that the collegium reverted its decision. Even now the judge is not removed but is merely transferred to the Sikkim High Court. It is a common practice for the CJIs to simply transfer the tainted judges to smaller High Courts as if imparting justice to these people holds no importance. This practice has been continuing since years without significant protest from the civil society mostly due to the fear of contempt of court.

Contempt of court provision in the constitution under articles 129 and 142 (for high courts and Supreme Court respectively) was incorporated to safeguard the judiciary from undue encroachments to its independence. However, the provision is misused by the judiciary to curb even healthy criticism against it. In 2007, the Delhi High Court held the journalists of Midday newspaper guilty for contempt of court for publishing an investigative story and cartoon about the former CJI Y. K. Sabharwal and sentenced them to four months of imprisonment. The journalists were later released on bail on the directive of the Supreme Court. Truth as a valid defense in contempt of court cases is accepted and the journalists here had concrete evidence against the said judge, yet were prosecuted. This is just one of several cases where judiciary has misused this power. It speaks ill of the judiciary and definitely needs to be reformed. It anyways goes against the principle of natural justice which says that “no one shall be a judge in his own clause”.

A prominent Supreme Court lawyer Prashant Bhushan recently filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying that out of the 16-17 CJIs, half have been of doubtful integrity. In his affidavit, he talks about various maladies that have inflicted the higher judiciary and need immediate redressal by the authorities. His affidavit can be found here: http://india.5thpillar.org/~pillar/india/daring-move-veteran-supreme-court-lawyer.html or here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/37841587/Prashant-Bhushan-s-Affidavit-in-SC

The credibility of our judiciary is at an all time low. It is important that it takes corrective measures before it gets slotted in the same league as our ‘beloved’ legislators. When there are no checks on the powers of individuals, they tend to misuse it unless they are of highest moral integrity. The judges have always been thought to belong to a higher moral ground but when the ground starts to sink the concerned authorities need to take quick actions. The Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, if passed, should help in restoring the lost trust. It is important that the citizens of the country do not lose faith in judiciary. Else the only pillar of democracy that still enjoys some respect from the masses will lose its standing and that would be a dangerous scenario to be in for our democracy.

PS I read an interesting article on contempt of court jurisdiction here : http://www.hrsolidarity.net/mainfile.php/2007vol17no05/2576/

The Silent Indian National Anthem

A poignant version of our national anthem by deaf and mute kids. Tears fogged my vision towards the end of the anthem. Their rendition of the national anthem seems to be so much purer than ours. Their passion can be clearly seen. No pretensions involved here. Happy Republic Day!

A tribute to Yashwant Sonawane

An Additional Collector was burnt alive by petrol and diesel adulteration mafia at Malegaon in Maharashtra when he raised an objection to the illegal activity. He was on his way to some place when he saw people adulterating petrol and diesel and like any dutiful officer reacted against it and had to pay the price with his death.

I am enraged by this piece of news. This is totally unacceptable! Can we now expect some action by the government? It's a free for all here in this country. When this is the fate that an Additional Collector can meet with in the country; what can be said about the common man? The petrol mafia is too strong in the country and powerful people are a part of it. So am really sceptical if the real culprits would be punished. And the real culprits here are not those who set Yashwant on fire but their bosses who operate the mafia and who have given them a free hand to remove all the 'obstacles' foolish or brave (depending on one's percetion) enough to come their way.

I do not know Yashwant Sonawane. I had never heard of him before today. But I feel that an invisible connection has been established today between us after his death. I would have acted the same way had I been in his place. How would he have known that the crooks would murder him for trying to stop them from committing a criminal activity in the broad daylight? Criminals usually flee away when they see authority against them. But here they had the audacity to kill him! This just shows that they knew they could get away with it. This is what hurts me the most.

These are troubled times for the country. The goons are getting increasingly powerful and men of integrity are being prosecuted. The scam ridden polity of the country is scaring the investors away. The credibility of our politicians is at an all time low. Corrupt people go scot free with a smirk on their faces. Here lex is not rex. Law is subservient to the interests of those in power.

My heart goes out to all those who lose their lives for serving the law. Be it Yashwant sonawane or Satyendra Dubey or Satish Shetty, all of them are people who believed that law would be on their side. Alas, it failed them! Youngsters want to get into civil services because they think it would give them power and prestige. But as this tragic case shows that one cannot really be powerful unless one colludes with the corrupt individuals. I wish that justice prevails in this case and the culprits are nailed.

It is getting a little suffocating now. It is really painful when one cannot take actions against the thugs who are calling shots in the country. In a few days, the leaders would pay tribute to Yashwant Sonawane. Some promises would be made to his family, which invariably would remain unfulfilled. However, a real tribute to the Yashwant Sonawanes of the country can be made only if the goons of the country are prosecuted for selling our beloved India for pittance. Bit by bit our country is being lost to a coterie of a few with money and muscle power when the rest of us are looking helplessly at this shameless barter.

अतीत की परछाईयाँ

जंजीरों में जकड़ी हुई अपनी परछाई को देख के एक सिहरन सी मेरे ज़ेहन में दौड़ गयी। पहले तो मैंने उसे पहचानने से इन्कार कर दिया। ये मैं नहीं हो सकती! मैं तो पुरवाई सी स्वछन्द हूँ। हमेशा मैंने ज़िंदगी अपने ही नियमों से जी है। वही किया है जो अच्छा लगा, वही कहा जो दिल में आया। यह परछाई शायद मेरे साथ चल रहे राही की होगी। कुछ समय तक ऐसे ही झूठे आश्वासन खुद को देती रही। परन्तु झूठ तो लंगड़ा होता है। कहाँ देर तक चल सकता है? खुद ही धराशायी होकर मुंह के बल गिर सच का पता बतला देता है।

कुछ देर तालाब के किनारे बैठ अपनी थकान दूर कर रही थी की फिर से मेरी नज़र उसी जकड़ी हुई परछाई पर पड़ी। चौंक कर मैंने अपने चारों और नज़र घुमाई पर कोई नज़र न आया। उस तालाब के किनारे मेरे सिवा और कोई न था। मैं जो करती, परछाई भी वही करती। क्या यह वाकई मैं हूँ? ये क्या खेल खेल रही हैं मेरी नज़रें मुझसे? ये कैसी जंजीरों से जकड़ी हुई हूँ मैं जो आज तक मेरी नज़रों से दूर रही?

पास जा के मैंने उन्हें देखने की कोशिश की। पर ये क्या? ये जंजीरों की कड़ियाँ नहीं। ये तो छोटी छोटी खिड़कियाँ हैं। हर एक खिड़की एक कहानी। मेरे अतीत की कहानी। इन्हीं खिडकियों में से एक में झाँक कर देखा मैंने जहां पल रही थी इच्छाएं, जन्म ले रहे थे ख्वाब। उनमें से ज़्यादातर इच्छाएं अब मर गयी हैं। और ख़्वाबों का क्या है, वे तो ख्वाब बन कर ही रह गए। क्यों देखे होंगे वो ख्वाब? दिल और दिमाग के द्वंद्व में दिल अक्सर दबंग हो युद्ध जीत तो लेता है परन्तु बाद में जीवन की सच्चाईयों से हार कोने में पड़ा सिसकता रहता है। ऐसी ही कई हार जीत की कहानियों से लिखी यह डोर मेरे अक्स से लिपटी हुई है।

सच ही कहा है, अतीत हमारा साथ नहीं छोड़ता। कितना ही उससे दूर जाना चाहे वह साए सा हमारे साथ चलता रहता है। अतीत की डोर तो नितांत लम्बी ही होती रहती है, और उसकी हम पर पकड़, और मज़बूत। हमारे आने वाले कल पर बीते हुए कल की छाप मिटाए नहीं मिटती। हम चाहे खुद को कितना स्वतंत्र समझें, पर हमारे हाथ हमारे अतीत से बंधे हैं।

पर यह डोर लोहे की ज़ंजीर नहीं। यह डोर मुझसे लिपटी ज़रूर है पर जकड़ी नहीं है। मेरा अतीत मेरे भविष्य से juda ज़रूर है पर उसकी उड़ान रोक नहीं सकता। उड़ना तो इच्छा शक्ति पर निर्भर करता है। कई कहानियां कह कर यह डोर लम्बे क़दमों पर काबू करती है करती हैं ताकि व्यक्ति अपनी सीमा से अधिक तेज़ चल कर गिर न जाए।

A pill to kill?

Read an article in Times of India on pharmaceuticals substance patenting in India. Indian patent law protects the rights of the people from the developing world to have access to life-saving drugs at low costs. India is one of the biggest manufacturers of generic drugs which are used the world over to treat diseases like HIV/AIDS.

Section 3d of our patent law does not allow "evergreening" of patents. This means that no company can claim for a patent on its existing product unless it brings about a meaningful change in the product. Pharmaceuticals company world-over bring about minor changes in their products inorder to prolong the patent once it expires. This way the patent remains though the product is essentially the same.

This practice, clearly, results in the companies making fortunes while the poor are left out to die. This social darwinism is what the Indian patent law does not allow. Also, it does not allow data exclusivity. What this means is that a generic drug manufacturer does not need to conduct clinical trials separately and can use the data of the pharmaceutical companies who have patented the product. This saves the time of the generic drug manufacturers as they are exempted from conducting unnecessary clinical trials when the efficiency of the drug is already proved.

The effectiveness of the patent laws is clear. But the Indian government is increasingly coming under pressure from pharma companies to undo these two provisions. It is to see if the government gives in to the demands of the powerful pharma lobby. The ever-increasing greed of those who are responsible for making medicines that save the lives needs to be curbed.

One can just hope that GoI doesn't buckle under pressure and maintains its stand on pharma substances. India has championed the cause of developing countries and has represented their cause at various international fora. As their de-facto spokesperson it would speak ill of its ability to lead if it relents on this issue which concerns the life and health of millions.

The above-mentioned article can be read here:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Dont-swallow-this-pill/articleshow/7312903.cms

Lessons not learned.

The Chinese decided to give us two gifts this new year. The first gift was when Chinese patrol officers entered the Demchok area of Leh district in Jammu and Kashmir and reportedly intimidated the construction workers building a shed as per plans cleared by the state rural development department. The Indian government went into a denial mode rejecting all such reports of transgression. Army, too, downplayed the incident attributing the incursion to perceptual differences between Indians and Chinese over the Line of Actual Control.

The second gift was to raise temperatures in freezing Arunachal Pradesh in these severe winters by issuing stapled visas to two sportsmen from the state. The Chinese have been issuing stapled visas to the people from J&K since long and this issue was raised during the recent visit of Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao to India. But nothing conclusive came out of the discussions. Issuing stapled visas means Chinese does not consider these regions as integral parts of India. This despite the fact that India now considers Tibet as a part of China. The Chinese have raised their pitch for the merger of Arunachal with China as they considers the former as their territory.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to react with equal intensity to such acts that infringe our sovereignty and territorial integrity. It is the same country against which we had the courage to fight a war couple of decades back. What happened during all these years after the war that we are now showing such docility?

Firstly, after the humiliating defeat in the 1962 war, the Indians got a clearer understanding of Chinese military superiority which has only increased in the decades that followed. Chinese are way ahead of India in all the different aspects, right from the number of military personnels to the quantity and quality of various defence equipments. Recently, Chinese tested their state-of-the-art stealth fighter aircraft while US defence secretary Robert Gates was on a visit to Beijing. The timing, of course, cannot be overlooked. Chinese are now in a different league altogether.

The second and more important reason is the economic superiority of the dragon. Chinese have a robust economy which is growing at a fast rate. It is the second largest economy of the world after the US. Its products are exported all over the world and has a major presence in the world market. It is the largest exporter in the world. The US has a trade deficit with China is around $227 billion and it also holds a significant amount of US Treasury debt.

China enjoys considerable clout in the world politics because of its economic might. The world polity today is more ruled by economics than anything else. Chinese are providing nuclear technology to Pakistan in violation of NPT and NSG guidelines. But have not met with the same objection as faced by Iran for flouting the rules of NPT. In fact the world has been watching silently while China continues to bend the rules of the game.

Commentators in India believe that India has not been able to progress at the same rate as China because India is a democracy and China is a communist regime. It is undoubtedly easier to take decisions and implement them in a communist regime. In a democracy one has to keep several considerations in mind before taking any decision. However, it should not be made as big an issue as it has been made. All the other major economies are democracies. It is not about the kind of political system we have in the country but the commitment of the leaders. A communist India could have been even worse. Now we can at least demand accountability from the government because of our democratic set up.

What we need to do is not to look for excuses for lack of development in the country vis-a-vis China but draw an inspiration from their success story and move ahead with bigger steps. We need to have a clear vision for the growth of our country. But most importantly we have to have a dedicated leadership that can steer the country in the path of development. We have a big economy but that growth in economy is not reflected in the human development indices. There is rampant corruption which cuts across the length and breadth of the country. It is sad that our leaders do not want to learn from Chinese leadership commitment towards one's country.

That economically powerful countries have a gretaer say in the world can be seen from our own experience. India's rising economic stature has resulted in the rise of India's political position in the world and increased its bargaining power at various international fora. But we haven't been able to utilize our potential. Lot of our public resources are used to feed the insatiable appetite of private individuals. It would be too naive to think that corruption doesn't happen in China and elsewhere. But the magnitude here far exceeds than that in any progressive economy.

It is time that our leaders play their role efficiently. The entire world says that one advantage that India has over China is that it is a democracy. A democracy is charactrerized by civil liberties granted to the citizens and the right for them to choose their government. The importance of these two things cannot be discounted. However, there have been cases where the government has stiffled the freedom of individuals. But this is not what I wish to ponder over just now.

What makes me wonder is that our politicians travel the world over. They see all the nice things around the globe. Don't they want to see their country as developed? Don't they ever feel like giving back to their country? Is money -making the soul aim of their lives? I don't expect them to give up corruption completely but at least the magnitude be reduced. If they make money, then at least utilize the rest of it earnestly. The Organizing Committee of the Commonwealth Games reportedly embezzled a massive amount of money and ended up constructing poor quality buildings. The CWG village is not finding many buyers because of low quality building material used. There needs to be a sense of belongingness which our leaders do not seem to have. Unless they think of this country as their own and link the progress of the country with their personal goals in life, it would be hard for India to come out of the clutches of widespread poverty.

Kashmir: The half-told truths.

Just finished reading an article in The Economist titled, "Kashmir's Troubles: Shaking the Mountains." Yet another of those countless articles on Kashmir by a foreign magazine which berates India. It has become a common practice for western media to criticize Indian policies in Kashmir, which by the way, is a part of India and not "controlled by India".

The article starts with portraying Indian establishment as a villain killing innocent Kashmiris. Well, I agree that there have been cases of police and army brutalities in Kashmir and the rights of the locals have been violated. However, this is not the complete picture. There are many instances where the army is wrongfully blamed for an act that it has not committed.

The article says, "Moderates who attempt to reunite the parts have been locked up or worse (one was shot and paralysed by a mystery assailant)", clearly pointing fingers at the Indian establishment for organizing such killings. The Moderate being talked about here is Mr. Fazl Haq Qureshi who is now believed to have been attacked by the hardliners in the valley. The recent revelations by Prof. Abdul Gani Bhat that killings of various separatist leaders in the past including Mirwaiz, Lone ,and Wani were organized by their own people, i.e the hardliners within the party, are significant. Sajjad Lone, the son of the slained Hurriyat Conference leader, agreed with Prof. Bhat and said that his father was killed by Pakistanis and ISI too was involved in his killing.

These statements show us how certain hardliners in the Kashmir valley and the western media wrongly implicate the Indian security forces for every act of violence. There are several instances where the militants end up killing civilians for not cooperating with them. Such incidents go unreported. But if someone is killed by the security agencies, the valley fills up with anti-India slogans. I am not condoning the killings of innocent individuals by army or police, but the reaction needs to be similar for all killings. People are afraid of raising voices against militants for fear of brutal retribution but do so against the army without any fear and the politicians of the valley never fail to use such opportunities to increase their influence amongst the masses.

Clearly, this situation has arisen because of trust deficit between kashmiris and the administration. Various governments at the Centre have a role to play in this systematic decline of trust and increase of anti-India sentiment. The government needs to be more pro-active and needs to understand the aspirations of the Kashmiris and make them a part of the decision-making process. Kashmir is indeed a case of missed opportunities. But it is never too late. The government has an excellent opportunity right now to bridge the trust deficit. It has to start with buliding up the economy and the process has already started. India has to quicken its pace if it wishes to outsmart the radical elements in the state.

This said, it is also important that the western media and a section of Indian media play a positive role here. In stead of merely highligthing and exaggerating the wrongdoings of the Indian security forces and government, they need to also talk about the positives done in the state and also bring out the wrongdoings of the militants and hardliners. Truth half told is as bad as a lie. They need to stop sensationalizing the issue and play a constructive role. They also need to improve their understanding of the region and expand their sources on whose testimonies they base their news reports. Only then would they fulfil their press dharma.

PS For the above mentioned article go to http://www.economist.com/node/17797630

The ‘highs’ and ‘lows’ of Mumbai

I knew I was in Mumbai when I slept and woke up amidst noise of vehicles honking relentlessly and people talking their lungs away. It is the city that never sleeps. A fascinating city that lives in paradoxes! Where the most expensive house of the world co-exists with the world’s biggest slum, and pile of debris stares happily at the swanky malls. The city that allows people to dream- some of which get fulfilled, many remain unfulfilled. One can know the status of the dreams from the faces of the people who carry the burden of their dreams throughout their lives.

I happened to meet one such dream-laden face while travelling from Andheri to Goregaon in an auto. I had planned to take the local which would have been much faster but failed to push my way into the overcrowded compartments so ended up in an auto. The drive which is hardly 20 minutes long, took me an hour, thanks to the crawling Mumbai traffic. I started talking to the chatty autowallah. He had come to Mumbai from a town in UP to become an actor. He told me that he had acted in a couple of movies but since that was not enough to sustain him, he took up auto driving. He would still go to different studios whenever he managed to squeeze some time out. He harbored the dream of becoming a well known actor. A dream that I knew (and somewhere inside he too) was meant to remain unfulfilled in the city that waits for none.

Visit to Mumbai was incomplete without seeing the famous Bandra-Worli sea-link. So my sister and my brother-in-law took me and my parents for a drive there. The drive was meant to serve a purpose. A true mumbaikar, my brother-in-law was a little exasperated with my relentless comparison of Mumbai to Delhi with latter being labeled as better planned, less dirty, and having better infrastructure. He decided to take me to the posh south Bombay so that I could see the “true Mumbai”. The sea-link is undoubtedly an architectural wonder. A truly world class sea bridge, it is indicative of coming of age of India’s infrastructure sector.

We reached Worli after crossing the sea-link to see another architectural wonder, a 27-storied building meant for a family of five. Dubbed as the world’s most expensive house, it was a stark display of opulence. The entire building was lit up in lights of different colors and hue and stood out amongst other buildings in the vicinity that looked rather shoddy in its comparison. It served its purpose well!

It got me thinking again. In today’s materialistic world, size has acquired greater importance than ever before. Those who can, boast of their wealth in every way possible. I have no problems with that. People have a right to spend their money in whichever way they like. However, don’t the people who have such kind of money feel the need to use it for a social cause? Mumbai is probably one of the dirtiest cities of the world. If the big wigs of the city commit to spend a small percentage of their massive wealth for employing people to keep their city clean, it can create a great difference. It is a small thing that can bring about significant difference in the quality of life of the mumbaikars and also reduce the incidence of diseases.

The biggest capitalists of the US, which is the forerunner of capitalism, have decided to donate a significant portion of their wealth to various charities. I do not expect our industrialists to be as large hearted, but it would not create a dent in their assets if they pledge to create a pool of resources which can be used for various purposes.

Undoubtedly we have people like Narayan Murthy who are comparable to Gates and Buffet. However, we need more such people who can come up and be responsible industrial leaders. Gates-Buffet model seems a little too far-fetched for our country’s capitalists presently. But for now they can at least be expected to shoulder the responsibility of keeping their cities clean or do they fail to see the dirt from their high rise houses?

Incivilities of the Civil Services Exam

The craze for government jobs may have receded after the opening up of our economy; but Indian Civil Services remain an exception. The popularity of civil services can be gauged by the fact that approximately 4 lakh candidates take the exam each year to get into these esteemed services willing to let go of other lucrative career options.

The civil services form the backbone of our administrative system. The power and prestige associated with these services attract candidates of all ilks. They are ready to sacrifice several years of their youth to prepare for the exam as only a few clear it in their first attempt.

However, the sad part is that Union Public Service Commission, the premiere organization that conducts Civil Services Exams is not as transparent in its proceedings as it should be. This has led to mindboggling number of rumours that can leave candidates perplexed. To its credit, the UPSC does have a website of its own where it attempts to answer questions in the FAQ section answering some, but not all the questions of the candidates. Frequent rallies and demonstrations are carried out by disgruntled candidates who seek transparency from the institution. The civil servants are expected to be honest and open in their functioning. So is it unjustified to expect a certain level of openness in their selection procedure?

Lack of transparency mars the credibility of any organization. Even the credibility of the most respected institution of the country, the Supreme Court, was doubted when the CJI refused to divulge the details relating to assets held by the judges of the court. Lot many times the results of the Civil Services Exam seem to be erratic. One can understand the erratic nature in the main examination which is written and therefore subjectivity is bound to creep in. A candidate who scores astonishingly well in his first attempt may end up scoring equally low in subsequent attempts, though having greater understanding of the subjects. However, this is not the issue I would like to go into. Preliminary examination is wholly objective in nature. When candidates feel that they have not cleared it despite performing well, it creates dissatisfaction amongst them. They may of course be wrong in their assessment. Many end up casting aspersions on the UPSC to hide their failure. This would continue until the institution continues to wear its cloak of secrecy.

My only request to the UPSC is to make the scoring procedure more transparent. Also, disclosing the marks of preliminary examination should be made mandatory. This would help candidates understand their individual standing vis-a-vis other candidates. It would help them know exactly where they faltered. Further, it would be beneficial if UPSC brings out its own set of guidelines for the aspirants of Civil Services about the general expectations of the examiners from the examinees, especially for the written exams. A large number of websites and coaching institutions that have mushroomed all across the country have different suggestions for the aspirants who end up getting more confused than ever. When conducting an exam of this scale, the UPSC needs to recognize its responsibility of acting as a guide to candidates especially for those who do not have access to expensive coaching institutes. CBSE has its own helpline to deal with queries from students. Major newspapers have dedicated columns before the exams to deal with questions from students. Considering the fact that it selects our bureaucrats and diplomats, can UPSC not have a similar set-up?

I am in no way doubting the credibility of the esteemed institution. I only wish it to be more transparent. This would leave little space for rumors to spread. Currently, people do not miss an opportunity to blame the UPSC when they fail. This is given further credence by the dark veil worn by the institution. The most important thing in a democracy is that justice should not only be done but should manifestly seem to be done. The government of India realized this and therefore the RTI Act was passed in 2005 to increase the faith of people in the government. It is time that UPSC also opens up its proceedings so that the candidates can have faith in the institution. After all, we are not China!