Category: Opinions

ARMY CHIEF’S AGE – THE OTHER ISSUES

Herman Wouk remarked in Caine Mutiny, “Wasted years are as painful in the beginning, as in the old age; only, in the end it becomes more obvious.” Likewise, when General VK Singh joined the Indian Army some four decades back, he would have never thought that the question of his becoming younger or older by a year would become the subject of an urgent debate in a nation forever starved of debates on such insignificant but sensational issues. I am reminded of the time when Maharashtra was facing unprecedented suicides of farmers in Vidharbha. Its Home Minister, one RR Patil, was concerned about bar girls corrupting the lives of men in and out of Mumbai. Similarly, for those (mainly from the retired armed forces community) who are now putting up defence of the Chief of the Army Staff and commenting on the continued deterioration of civil-military relations, I have only one question to ask: Is this the right method of trying to teach a lesson to the gargantuan bureaucracy? Are we at our strongest when we try to make a purely personal matter into one of civil-military relations? We didn’t sort out civil-military relations when the government withdrew President’s pleasure in the case of Admiral Vishnu Bhagawat who was trying to fight an unequal battle with the bureaucracy that had become all too powerful; is this then the right jumping board to plunge into these matters? Is the belated realisation of the correctness of his date of birth of such significance to the health of our armed forces that we feel this is the litmus test of their importance?
No? Then, lets look into the other facets of the case. I am not taking sides or commenting on the merits of the case. All I am saying is that we haven’t exactly covered ourselves in glory that we, in India, have such poor record keeping that an Army officer rises to the level of the Chief and just before his retirement he wants to sort out whether he is one year younger or older; an issue that he has not been able to sort out for four decades but kept on becoming more and more senior “under coercion“. The only parallel I can draw is this curious case in Azamgarh, Uttar Pradesh, a few years back (the case was reported in Time magazine). In this district, in order to grab the property of their older relations, the unscrupulous elements would show the older relations dead, get a death-certificate made and then usurp the property. The old men, still alive, would go from one government office to another showing the proof of their being alive, that is, they, themselves in flesh and blood. However, the offices would reject their demands on the ground that without a birth-certificate, they had only the death-certificate to rely on. These unfortunate oldies then formed a ‘Society of the Living Dead’ to fight for their cause. Shocking? Well the reverse is equally true. There are any number of dead in India who are still receiving pension and hence each one of the pensioners is required to render a Life Certificate every year. A person was found in a jail for nearly thirty years since the records regarding his being jailed went missing.Is this what life in India means: a life from one certificate to the other? The media – in the name of transparency everywhere including in defence matters – loves to unearth such details as would scandalise the maximum people so that its TRPs would keep on the upward path. It has, therefore, taken upon itself to ‘not to consider Defence Forces as holy cows‘. As a result, the more demeaning facts about this erstwhile holy cow it can bring out, the more it feels it has done its whistle-blower job. Hence, for example, without even understanding the nature of maritme domain awareness, it labels the Indian Navy as inefficient when a derelict ship like MV Pavit gets grounded on the Juhu beach. It is only when someone professional explains them the facts that the media understands the poverty of its own thoughts. However, like we saw in the case of Radiia Tapes, the media is unlikely to admit that it has elements within its bastion that are as corrupt – if not more – than the corruption that they take pains to expose. The media, thererfore, is playing to the gallery bringing out facts, unearhted on a daily basis, on the age of the Army Chief.

Hence, we don’t expect or hear it from the media that, in India, it is not just Birth and Death certificates that are suspect (General VK Singh’s birth as well matriculation certificates are not products of defence record keeping; but, of bureaucratic record keeping of the country). In this bureaucratic record-keeping, perpetually, at the villages and cities level, we have never-ending court-cases arising out of land ownership. We haven’t been able to sort out the land revenue records. Our data of SC/ST/OBC etc, at best, is suspect. The planning commission data on poverty, electricity distribution, deaths in disasters, famine-hit areas; in short, you name it, everything is suspect. The other day, we read it in the papers that even the data about our industrial growth and eventually GDP is suspect.

Who gains by such suspect certification and data? Any guesses? The General, by his one act of commission or omission may just be interfering with the carefully laid-out succession plan of the Indian Army; but, it is mind boggling how such certification and data is used in India to siphon off funds, to derive power and influence, and to manipulate the stock-exchanges and economy.

We recently have UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority of India) battling with reams of data but with hardly any means available to check the veracity of such personal data. It is only computerising the entire process, but, one’s Unique ID and data associated with it, are still based on suspect certification and data at village and city levels; and is as suspect as any other data produced by our bureaucratic structures.

As far as the General age is concerned, in my characteristic impudence, I am reminded of my school-days joke about this young boy being asked by the bus conductor to tell his age (children between 5 to 9 years were permitted to travel on half-ticket). He, quite truthfully, replied, “I am eight now and ten when I get off the bus”. Regrettably, the players involved do not have the school-boy’s truthfulness: the General, the armed forces’ community, the bureaucracy, and the media.

INDIA AND PAKISTAN – CAN WE LIVE WITHOUT BEING ENEMIES?

India and Pakistan are like two separated brothers, for example, in a Manmohan Desai movie. A time will come when we will pull the sleeves of our shirts back and reveal the common tattoos that our parents had got etched for us before we parted company or were separated by a tumultuous cyclone or earthquake; and Manmohan will exult, “Bhaiyya or Bhaaji” to Zardari and the latter will, in euphoric denouement scream, “Bhaii jaan”.But, until then, we hurl rockets, bombs, artillery shells, accusations, abuses, brickbats at each other with a regularity that would put rising and setting of the sun to shame. The following anecdote describes it aptly:

A Pakistani and an Indian were travelling together from Dubai to London and by quirk of fate (just like the quirk of our Geography) had seats next to each other; the Indian had the isle seat and the Pakistani had the middle seat. After take off when the aircraft had settled at the cruising altitude the Pakistani was about to press the overhead button for calling the hostess when the Indian turned to him and said, “Now what are you doing that for? I am just going to the washroom; on the way back I will fetch you what you want.” The Pakistani told him that he wanted a coke. This being a long flight the Indian had taken off his jutties (slip on ethnic shoes) and he tip-toed to the washroom and the pantry and brought the Paki a can of coke. In his absence, the Paki had picked up the left jutti and had deposited a big blob of his spittle into it.

Pic Courtesy: CHUP! – Changing Up Pakistan

After some time the Paki had the desire to spit in the right jutti too. So he proceeded to press the overhead call button hoping that the Indian would fall for the ploy; and sure enough the Indian did and went to get another coke for the Pakistani.

It came to be time to land at Heathrow and in preparation for the landing, the Indian started putting on his juttis. As he slipped his feet in the Indian realised straightway as to what the Pakistani had done. So he turned to the Pakistani and said, “India and Pakistan are two great nations and civilisations. We have common heritage and can be great friends. Hence, it is not understood, why we keep spitting in each other’s juttis and cokes.”

Pakistanis are busy teaching ‘Hate India and Indians’ in their madrassas (Islamic schools) so much so that even their once great friends (but now not so great friends) Americans have taken notice of that. The think-tanks, media, movie-makers etc on both sides of the divide are busy churning out stories about how the other party has gone rogue and how “our love and consideration” can bring them back to good sense and decent friendly behaviour.

Pic Courtesy: The Internationalist

After the break-up of the USSR, Henry Kissinger wrote in an essay in Time magazine that having an enemy in the USSR (the Iron Curtain etc) provided focus to the NATO; both for the industry and the defence forces. Without USSR, such a focus would be missing. Arguably, a similar focus seems to exist between India and Pakistan. You only have to witness a cricket or hockey match between the two nations to see the intensity or extent of this focus. Our governments would really have to concentrate on good governance without the comic relief of accusations and counter accusations between the two nations. That people die and considerable blood and money is spilled whilst retaining this enmity only adds to the focus. There is a race, a competition in everything, which assumes ludicrous proportions. If they shower hospitality over us we have to somehow outdo them and vice versa.

Pic Courtesy: Viewstonews

There is a great opportunity that has come our way post second of May when, just as we in India guessed, ranted, expected and proclaimed, Osama Bin Laden was found living in luxury in Pakistan itself in Abbottabad with the Pakistan Army almost guarding his house and pretending to be unaware of his presence there. As expected, the US has tried to be tough with Pakistan and, as expected, the chasm between Pakistan and the US is increasing since then. Our opportunity is that the two countries can now get back to sorting out matters between ourselves without intervention and mediation that we were averse to but which Pakistan wanted. Hopefully Pakistan would have probably learnt its lesson that those who mediate or intervene don’t do so out of love or consideration for us but out of – what they call – their strategic interests; one of which is, though not expressed in such blunt words, that conflicts are the stuff that armed industries love – their motivation and indeed their raison d’être.

Pic Courtesy: Anil Kalhan

The other opportunity that has come our way is the current tussle that is going on betwen the army and the civil government in Pakistan post memogate scandal. Curiously, the tussel is not to take over the reins of the country but to give to the other party the first choice in ruling the country; knowing very well that the rule (whether of the civil government or the army) is bound to fail under the uncertain environment that Pakistan faces post disinterest/dienchantment by the US.

I can explain this with this game we used to play when we were in our primary school. Two contenders would keep a kerchief on the ground between them and the contenders would circle around, getting into a position to grab the kerchief and run without being tagged by the other. Often, when they were hesitant, a third party would grab the kerchief leaving both the ontenders high and dry.

Pic Courtesy: Ring Time Pro Wrestling

Now, what if India were to think strategic (for a change) and give the kerchief to the civilian government and make arrangements that it is not tagged by the army? It would be easy to assure the Pakistan government that we would together not allow the kerchief to be taken by a third party.

Else, I can visualise the frightening scenario a number of years later when Pakistan breaks up and instead of one adversary we have to contend with a few of them.

INDIANS – BARTERING CHARACTER FOR PROSPERITY

Dr Abdul Kalam, the former President of India, when asked by a small girl if he had a solution for rampant corruption in the country, replied, “Start with yourself, go on to the family and extend it to the community.” A very pragmatic advice.I saw hope in this.

Afterall, even when we were a poorer country we had values that the world admired. By and large the Indian society was peaceful, honest, modest, godfaring, more spiritual than materialistic, and regarded pursuit of knowledge higher than making money by hook or by crook. Yes, they were aberrations too; but their number was small and the majority looked down upon these and took such people to task both in the media and in moral debates. No one ever identified with them.

When did the dumbing down of the Indian society start? Surprisingly, or actually not so surprisingly, the decline of our values commenced when we started coming out of what was derisively called ‘Hindu rate of Growth’. It is around the same time that I read an essay in India Today titled ‘Evil Fascinates’. It was about the growing fascination of Indians towards things which were the opposite of ‘Good’. At around the same time, if you care to recall, Khalnayak (Villain) became an object of aspiration. Nayak (Hero), with all his ‘Goodness’ became dull, uninteresting, banal.

The result? Our collective acceptance of things which once would have shocked us or would have, at least, annoyed us. The list ranges from the small things to bigger scams etc. Are these the effects of rapid industrialisation or were we always like this? Most Indian towns are now unliveable. Why? Are the authorities, politicians, bureuacrats, etc, to be blamed all the while for degeneration of our values? Ain’t we always fond of short-cuts, blaming the authorities for the eventual mess? Yes, the authorities have coined this convenient phrase “the sentiments of the people have to be respected” to overlook rampant lawlessness and indiscipline whilst pandering to “vote bank politics”. But, a large amount of blame has to stick to us too.

Let me give a few examples. We recently finished with what used to be called Deepavali and which should now be called ‘Bombavali‘. What fun could it have been for the kids in our colony (and everywhere else) to burst crackers (the sounds that would bring afresh the horror of Hiroshima and Nagasaki) at odd hours of night and day? At one time, I was about to shout at them from my tenth floor window with, “Don’t your parents teach you anything?” But then, I heard the excited voices of the parents’ asking them to light a “big one”.

Next day, I sighted a kid of 8 years with his mother in the elevator. Just out of curiosity I asked him how much he had spent on his crackers. He replied Five Thousand Rupees; and I was shocked to see that the mother didn’t have a resigned look on her face but one of pride as if anything less would be unacceptable for their status.

Now, I am not the die-hard socialist trying to make a point that this kind of money should have been spent on the poor etc (I have, indeed, nil comments for a 30 ml peg of Remy Martin Louis XIII Black Pearl costing all of Rupees 1.25 Lakhs at The Leela Palace at Chanakyapuri; you can go ahead have all the fun in the world and flaunt your money without blowing smoke in someone’s face). Far from it. All I am saying is that whilst such consumption may not be evil but it certainly is hedonistic with scant regard for other people’s right for a noiseless colony at late hours in the night; and that unlike what is prescribed by Dr Abdul Kalam, the parents don’t teach values to the children. Hence, the dumbing down of even the next generation is assured.

You go for a drive anywhere in India and people are trying to kill you. Sounds like an over-statement? Think again. Yesterday, I went to Nagothane. On the way I noticed that whenever my driver got a few feet out to the right to see if it was safe to overtake the next vehicle, our position on the road was immediately taken by the vehicle behind us. Now, if we had to find (which actually happened) that it was not safe to overtake, we had no place to return to, making it dangerous and life threatening for us. Most of the drivers doing such dangerous things on the road were the younger generation, even girls and women. Surely, somewhere along, the upbringing and education of such people has been lacking in something. The utter selfishness and scant regard for others are traits that have got ingrained in the majority of our people. Traffic sense is just one manifestation of it.

Littering wantonly is another manifestation of this trait. Let the authorities clean up; afterall we pay them to do so. I have seen parents shouting at their kids for holding on to the wrapper, skin of fruit, other trash in their hands and slanging them for not immediately getting rid of these by chucking these outside the windows.

We have had great fun in the Ramlila Ground in New delhi recently and on the city streets singing paeans for Anna Hazare and his team. I suspect that majority of the people don’t want anything to change. And, hence, they are very relieved when something, however little, is found against Team Anna so that they can heave a sigh of relief that all Indians are alike and no one has any holier-than-thou right to think differently. This is similar to some of the members of my team visiting a spic n span foreign country returning to India and exclaiming, “Thank God we are back; the kind of restrictions there (not to litter etc) were stifling. Home sweet home.”

Mayawati is a Dalit Chief Minister. Her emotional bonding with her people is due to respect for meekness and poverty. What did she do after the elections? Huge elephants put up all over the state. I enjoyed the first ever F1 Grand Prix in India. But I hated Mayawati handing over the winning cup to Sebastian Vettel. What was wrong with that? Only this that she should not hoodwink people about Dalits and Socialism and eradication of poverty etc.

Talking about F1, yes it was a great circuit. But, however hard we try we can’t get rid of perpetual dust and smog in our cities. It is black dust, noise, confusion, weird smells; and yet, we somehow make believe that we are progressing and that India is a power to reckon with. When countries abroad hold F1 and other such jamborees their civic life matches with the culture of the event. In our country, F1 Grand Prix would only be representative of the growing chasm between the haves and have-nots.

India and its people, I feel, have lost character whilst seeking prosperity. We are somehow convinced that the abundance of material goods has made our lives better: cell phones, cars, electronic gadgets, money. However, arguably, our lives are worse than what these used to be earlier. What are the litmus tests of these? Well, let me hear recent tales (since I have not experienced these myself) of people respecting goodness, honesty, other people’s privacy; rights of minority to have peace and silence during festivals; respecting people who observe traffic rules; respecting those who don’t pay bribes or don’t take short-cuts as matters of principle. In short ‘Live and Let Live’.

At the present juncture, I am sorry to say, we are doomed to be what we bemoaned at one time: ‘a rich country inhabited by the poor’; except that now, poor is defined as ‘poor in character‘.

Everyone of us has to bring in (and do so proudly) discipline in our individual and collective lives.

VOYEURISM OF AN OPEN LETTER VERSUS SANE THOUGHTS

An open letter, the kind that a certain lady from the South wrote to a Delhi Boy recently, is like streaking in public. It is intended to provide voyeuristic pleasure to a number of people: media, who start salivating at the first promise of increase in TRPs through a flaming controversy; readers, who look forward to someone streaking in public since India is a semi prude society where porn and sleaze are not freely available; finally, commentators who like to share some of the popularity that the streaker suddenly obtains.
Through an open letter you not only seek fame, as a streaker would, you hope to get people to support your cause of putting the target of your letter in his place. “Idiot Delhi Boy ji; see you are reduced to a minority in your own territory. Most people are lapping up the absorbing stuff that I am dishing out.”An open letter is also an invitation to others to participate in the orgy. However, should you land up in a position whence people call you what you are – a racist – you cringe.

To many of us including me the Open Letter was a rude shock. The first reaction was that its openness was only in the modus operandi of exposing; else, it was the product of a closed mind. The rude shock was because of our fervent hope that the scourge of parochialism in India would be set right by the younger generation. Indeed, in a flight from Rajamundry to Mumbai last year, when I had argued with a fellow passenger that rampant communalism was sure to divide a divided India further, he said that fortunately the younger generation was rising above it and didn’t seem to care for caste, creed, and the region of their birth. Alas. I only hope that he was right and that the Madrasanis an exception.I am also amused at the way Madrasan has been slighted by having been called that; something similar to a man from Pakistan taking slight to being called a Paki. I doubt if a Punjaban would feel offended being called so.

Chances are that all of us who feel that my God or my region is better than others, do believe in oneness of God and that He (or She) made us all in His/Her likeness. I am sure even those who gave their state the moniker of ‘God’s Own Country’ don’t necessarily believe that the others were made by or have Devil residing therein.All of us privately believe that every man or woman on earth is a variation of the same essence that makes us. However, so intense is the desire to score brownie points over fellow humans that we are prepared to set this fundamental ‘Truth’ aside for the times when denigrating another human being becomes expedient. Could the Delhi boy that the Madrasan seems to calumniate so passionately be made by another God; perhaps not the God who made His/Her Own Country one of the smallest in India?

Our Religion is a serious thing as compared to the derision that we so light-heartedly subject all those who feel differently. Our great temptation to succumb to jeering (both unprovoked and provoked) is similar to what Kauravas did to Pandavas and before that Draupadi did to Duryodhan. How many more times we want Draupadi to be disrobed in public because of such continued attempts at mockery? Do we want a war to sort this out; another Mahabharat because a lady from the South has been called a Madrasan? I doubt it. We want the ridicule to serve our immediate purpose (of earning popularity) and then retreat into believing in oneness of God and every human being made in His/Her likeness.

What does the Religion say about how to respond to Evil or Bias or any other negative feeling? Simple: hate the Evil and not the Evil Doer. If the Delhi Boy has hurt your sensitivities, the best approach is not to do exactly what you accuse him of doing. For then, how do we decide which one of you is worthy of our empathy? When opportunity arose, both of you acted exactly in the like manner; he in his pompous style and you in your supercilious writing. Would you have written such a vitriolic and distasteful article if you had discovered, just prior to spitting venom, that he is related to you in some way, perhaps his grandparents were/are half Tamil/Malyalis?

Some of the finest Indian literature has come from Punjab, just as it has come from the South; some of the bravest Indian soldiers are/were Punjabis, just as some of the best Generals have been from the South. A Punjabi feels totally at home taking his friends out for Dosa and Coffee just as a Tamilian responds to the Punjabi hip-hop.

I did not know about India’s first freedom fighter Kattabomman until I commanded an establishment by that name near Tirunelveli. Similarly, people from the South probably have no idea of the sacrifices of, say, Guru Teg Bahadur. Is there a competition? Is there a race? Shouldn’t we be happy that both were Indian. Let me use your characteristic style Madrasan to make this point, “Do you know India? Indians? For your information, it is country where Delhi boy and you and others live and prosper whilst each one of you is hell bent in proving that India is only you and the Delhi boy with all your malevolence.” Hurts? Well, your characteristic style will always hurt.

By the way, I am a Punjabi married to a Tamilian. Both of us are convinced that your angry rejoinder to actual and perceived racism of Delhi boy and his family is no less racist. I maintain that all racism is bad; both original and rejoinder. My regards for the good in South India is not conditional on your finding something good about me. Similarly, I don’t hate you simply because someone from your part of the world has taken it upon herself to set right people from my community. My community is your community.

Here is what I read about Raag Shahana:

“However, a word of caution; this raga requires many years of experience at both performing and listening to other artists to master. Though singing the raga may seem simple, perfectly rendering the many subtle, delicate phrases and gamakas calls for a more practiced hand.”

I think it is same with knowing people from other regions and communities. Perhaps, Dear Madrasan, you should also read Harper Lee’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’. Most people, as Lee wrote, are really nice when you finally seethem.One last thing: do you think the Delhi boy is now suitably sobered to regard you as the last word in intellectualism; that your writing has changed his life forever; that he has finally seen light through your article? No? Well, I leave you to think then as to what the article has achieved.

Perhaps it has ignited controversy. Is that a big achievement in a country where we have never solved anything through controversy? Remember Ayodhya? Ram Janambhoomi?

In the end, Dear Madrasan, here is something from Kabir that you may like:

Avval Allah Noor Upaya Qudrat Keh Sub Banday (God Created Light Of Which All The Beings Were Born)
Aik Noor Keh Sub Jag Upajiya Kaun Bhale Ko Mandhe (From The Same Light, The Universe Was Born. So Who Is Good And Who Is Bad?)

ANYTHING BUT JOINTMANSHIP

On promotion to the rank of Captain in the Indian Navy, I was selected  to undergo the Army Higher Command Course at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh (the three services Higher Command courses have a token representation from the other two services). Just before I left Mumbai to go to the College of Combat (now Army War College), friends gathered around me, with drinks in their hands, re-enacting ‘The Last Supper’. The conversation veered around to the Army men and their peculiar habits. It was unknown territory. “Basically they are very nice people” said one in the manner of a good Samaritan consoling a cancer patient, “and you have nothing to worry”. A civilian friend wanted to confirm (“just to settle a bet”) if the Army men did “everything” with their boots on.It didn’t take me much time to report back that I had met some of the nicest people who were as normal and professional (if not more) as we in the Navy pretended to be. However, I also mused about how we had feelings towards officers from the other services ranging from harmless jokes and teasing to complete distrust.

A Navy officer refers to an army man as Pongo (mountain mule) and the army man is convinced the navy man is not just at sea in ships and submarines but also at knowledge and professionalism.

Everyone in the Indian armed forces now believes that the future battles are never going to be single service ones but joint. Everyone believes, in public that jointmanship is the order of the day. However, privately an army man would like the word itself changed to jointmantank; same with the fliers, they would rather that it be called jointmanplane. Both would question the wisdom of calling it jointmanship; which is reminiscent of the feminists insisting on calling a lady heading an organisation as chairwoman.

The cradle of joint training for officers in the armed forces is the National Defence Academy. Gentlemen Cadets undergo joint training there for two years (four semesters or terms) and there is further one year training of their respective subjects in the last one year (two semesters). One would think that joint training, whence they have to undergo physical and mental hardships together, would galvanise them into life lasting bonds. Yes, it does; however, surprisingly it is only at a personal level. Course mates are held in a special place in one’s heart but only as long as it is for partying, golfing, visiting each other’s places, and writing reminiscences in coffee-table books. However, there must be something about service specific training or indoctrination that even course mates draw a line and literally stop the advances of the other service into territories held as the exclusive preserve of their own services.

Lets look at the situation at the top level and at the ground level. At the top level there is considerable distrust; one feels threatened that the service to which one belongs and owes everything would lose its very identity if allowed to be “devoured” by the other. The champion in this belief is undoubtedly the top hierarchy of the Indian Air Force, both retired and serving. It is convinced that the other two services “encroachment” into what is the forte’ of the Air Force should not be allowed to go too far. Why should it be considered by the Army and the Navy that the raison d’ etre’ of the IAF is to provide support, they reason. An air force pilot normally fights alone. This psyche drives the conditioning of the mind of the senior or top hierarchy of the IAF that the future battles can be fought by it alone. Bravado? Well, in a way, a fighter pilot has to have this bravado since he is expected to go the harms way quicker than the counterparts from the other two services. However, he shouldn’t consider himself perpetually in a state of conflict, especially with his counterparts from the other two services.

The IAF fought tooth and nail trying to convince the MoD (Ministry of Defence) that as long as the IAF has the long range fighters and air-to-air refuellers, the Navy does not require “the expensive option of aircraft carrier(s).” Simple calculations of endurance of Combat Air Patrol (CAP) for the Air Defence of ships at sea, at even moderate ranges from the coast, bringing home the point that the IAF will never have the capability to provide the kind of support the carrier provides, did not convince the IAF top bosses. Precedents that there are no leading navies in the world wherein air defence at sea is provided by their air forces did not wash with them. Finally, joint exercises were and are held; and yet, the IAF is convinced that a carrier at sea is a wastage; a luxury that the nation shouldn’t afford when it has the IAF to support the Navy.

In sharp contrast, the Army has been crying from house-tops that they do require the Combat Air Support (CAS) particularly in a Cold Start scenario; but, since the Cold Start doctrine is primarily the Army’s brainchild, the IAF is convinced that in the first 3 to 5 days of the war, its assets would be so intensely engaged in Counter Air Operations (CAO) that it would be well nigh impossible to spare anything for the Army. Cold Start remains cold and no start.

I heard a talk by a senior IAF officer regarding ‘Dealing with Emerging Threat Scenarios’. The talk was to last for one hour. After going through the usual scenarios involving countries from the US to the Mediterranean, the officer embarked on our GDP growth and the need to secure Energy sources. He added that the threats to our SLOCS (Sea Lanes of Communications) are increasing everyday and that maritime terrorism is something that we need to have an answer against. Up to here he took about 45 minutes of his allotted time. In the next 15 minutes he concluded, as if he had naturally led us to it, that the answer, therefore, was the Indian Air Force who should be entrusted with the exclusive responsibility of ensuring security of SLOCS.

Ministers and bureaucrats have been the direct beneficiaries of the turf wars in the higher echelons of the armed forces. The friction between the services is made use of by them to perpetuate their power over the military. At the present juncture the relationship between the services and the MoD is at its worst. This has resulted in the three service chiefs even complaining to the PM.

I have only given the examples of the obduracy of the IAF, but, the other two services have also been equally myopic in their approach towards jointmanship. Take the case of the Chief of the Defence Staff. Post Kargil War and the obvious failure of intelligence that led to it, the Government of India constituted a Kargil Review Committee and later on 17 Apr 2000, a GOM (Group of Ministers). Amongst the various recommendations for restructuring national security apparatus, and synergy between civil and military hierarchies, was the recommendation to have a Chief of Defence Staff of the three services. CDS was supposed to be the “single point military advice to the GoI and to manage the nuclear arsenal”. The Army’s specious argument against the CDS was that as long as the “senior service”, that is, the Indian Army had one of its own officers as the CDS, it was fine; but, should an officer from the Navy or the Air Force become the CDS, how would he coordinate the response of such large Army when he won’t know anything about the terrain and the functioning of the Army.

Air Chief Marshal PV Naik, when he took over as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee deflected the CDS issue by pointing out that there were several models of CDS operating in different countries and said, “We don’t know which model suits us the best. Once we decide that, I am sure the CDS will come in.” Ah, does he want us to believe that a decade after the GOM report we still haven’t studied the “several models of CDS”?

Another issue on which the decision making was stalled was the powers given to the CDS. At present the services chiefs are both chiefs of staff of their respective services as well as operational commanders of the services. They don’t mind losing staff functions to the CDS. But don’t want to commit “sure harakiri” by passing operational command of their services to a rank outsider.

So, in the absence of the CDS we have a COSC (Chief of Staff Committee) and the senior most of the services chief as its chairman. Synergy between the three services is maintained here by discussing matters of little consequence.

Pending the institution of the CDS and in order to pave way for it, a decision was taken in 2001 to set up Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) headed by Chief of Integrated Staff to Chairman COSC (CISC), in rotation between the three services. Even though the services initially regarded IDS as parking slots for their mid and senior level officers, the IDS finally ended up doing a fair deal of good work in producing, for example, Joint Doctrine, Force Level Doctrine and Prioritisation, carrying out Net Assessments, and conceptualising policy and plans for joint training and procurements. However, the approach of the three services is tasking IDS in only those things that would not directly interfere with the individual service’s policy and plans.


Lets briefly look at the concept of Joint Theatre Commands. In Port Blair, in Sep 2001, post recommendations of GOM, a joint command called Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) came up and replaced the Fortress Commander Andaman and Nicobar islands (FORTAN), a purely Navy Commander. The plan to have a FENC (Far Eastern Naval Command), mooted in 1995, was therefore shelved. It was understood that the ANC would be a precursor to having other joint theatre commands. However, except in seminars and panel discussions, the idea of other joint commands is not even conceptualised, let alone implemented. The Navy is therefore feeling short-changed and seriously considering recommending to GoI to do away with joint ANC and reverting to the earlier system of FORTAN or newer one of FENC.

At the field level, young officers genuinely enjoy cross service experiences both in training and in exercises. Navy Direction Officers (those who direct aircraft), for example, on deputation to the IAF to learn about Direction duties from their IAF counterparts speak high of the value and level of training as well as the “professionalism” of their Air Force counterparts. Similarly, when the Navy conducts the Amphibious training and exercises the young Army officers are only too keen to find answers to joint problems. And yet, as soon as these officers become senior enough to take decisions for their respective services, they become obsessive about preserving exclusivity of their service.

Privately, middle level officers talk about achieving jointmanship and the installation of CDS only if the government were to “impose” these on the services.

Until then ‘Divided We Stand and United We Fall‘ has been honed as a fine art.

HIPPOCRATIC OATH AND THE MODERN INDIAN DOCTOR

Following is taken from Wikipedia:
The Hippocratic Oath is an oath historically taken by doctors and other healthcare professionals swearing to practice medicine ethically. It is widely believed to have been written by Hippocrates, often regarded as the father of western medicine, or by one of his students.
A widely used modern version of the traditional oath was penned in 1964 by Dr. Louis Lasagna, former Principal of the Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences and Academic Dean of the School of Medicine at Tufts University:
I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant:
I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow.
I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required, avoiding those twin traps of overtreatment and therapeutic nihilism.
I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.
I will not be ashamed to say “I know not,” nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient’s recovery.
I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I tread with care in matters of life and death. If it is given to me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God.
I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person’s family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick.
I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure.
I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.
If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.
The most significant ommission from the original is:

In every house where I come I will enter only for the good of my patients, keeping myself far from all intentional ill-doing and all seduction and especially from the pleasures of love with women or with men, be they free or slaves.

There is, therefore, nothing in the modern version of Hippocrates Oath to directly remind the modern doctor that all seductions (of money and sex, for example) are to be avoided. There is, however, a pointer towards his social responsibility.
 Lets consider a few things, which were in the news recently:
  • The first one is that the doctors specify to patients from where to get medicines so that they would get a commission from the chemists.
  • The doctors ask a series of expensive tests to be done such as MRI, CT, blood tests and others by specifying where or in which lab these are to be done because they receive their cut from these labs.
  • Mumbai administration had to remind an elite hospital that the land for making the hospital was given to the hospital on subsidised rates on the understanding that at least 25 percent of the patients being treated in the hospital would be poor; however, the hospital had been turning away all poor patients.
  • After completing MBBS the doctors are required to serve in the rural areas. However, a large percentage of them circumvent this provision by hook or by crook.
Lets also take into consideration the exorbitant fees that some of the doctors charge. If, after all this, you reach the conclusion that medicine or being a doctor is now big business, you may not be far from the truth. There are many reasons for this:
  • It was in the news recently that to obtain a Post Graduation seat in a medical college in Navi Mumbai a candidate had to dish out Rupees 1.4 Crores.
  • Many of the medical insttritutions are either owned by the powerful like the politicians or they have substantial representation in the board of directors of the institutions either directly or through their kith and kin.
  • Most payments to the doctors are made in cash. Indeed, even the labs insist on cash payment so that no trace of payments can be made. Hence, in the Income Tax returns most doctors and chemists and labs show only a miniscule percentage of their actual earnings. It is so easy to insist on cheque payments but then even the patients or their relatives don’t insist on it lest the doctors should spoil their cases in anger. It is, afterall, many a times, matter of life and death.
  • As with the lawyers, the doctors often get away with this arrangement since everyone wants to keep the doctors on their right side. These include the authorities responsible for keeping tabs on their illegal earnings.

We have a situation now, for the first time after independence, whence Anna Hazare’s movement has given hope to the people of the country. Should we not try to break this vicious cycle of doctors spending astronomical sums of money to obtain their degrees and then fleecing the patients to recover such monies?

 

CHALLENGES OF SECURING INDIA’S ENERGY NEEDS

We are moving through very interesting times as far as India’s Energy scene is concerned. In the last few years, after the Indian economy was unshackled from some of the restraints (the period called ‘economic liberalization’), our spectacular GDP growth has been globally noticed. To fuel this fast growing economy, India needs to secure its Energy needs, both indigenously and through imports. The most exciting of the indigenous discoveries have been offshore. 

To keep pace with India’s growing energy needs, the government in 1997 came up with NELP (New Exploration Licensing Policy). For over four decades after independence, offshore exploration was dependent upon nomination by GoI mainly to ONGC. In the pre NELP period (from 1990 to 1996), India had just 28 offshore blocks with 29 oil fields. However, NELP saw a sudden surge in Offshore Development Area (ODA). From 12 companies engaged in the year 2000, India now has some 82 companies engaged in E&P (Exploration and Production). Licenses have been given for 263 blocks, with 200 blocks being operational, and 10 under production. With NELP IX, blocks will move as far away as Andamans and Mumbai Deepwater. 

The Directorate General of Hydrocarbons (DGH) was established in 1993 under the administrative control of Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas through a Government of India Resolution. Objectives of DGH are to promote sound management of the oil and natural gas resources having a balanced regard for environment, safety, technological and economic aspects of the petroleum activity. The latest DGH data shows that India’s offshore production now accounts for 2,16,000 BPD of oil and 65 MMSCMD of Natural Gas. These account for 28% and 48% respectively of India’s total indigenous production. So, therein lies the importance of offshore E&P. At a glance, the data for 2010-11 shows:

 

Crude Oil
MMT
Natural Gas
MMSCMD
Domestic Demand
141.8
82.1
Production
37.6
52.2
Self Sufficiency
26%
63%
 Mind boggling? Well, not really unless you think of the next 20 years. Today, US oil consumption is 1/4th of the world consumption. India’s is only 3% and China’s 8%. India’s oil consumption growth in 2006-07 was around 3.5%, much lower than that of China. India today is the fifth largest consumer of energy in the world, but accounting for 3.7 per cent of the world’s consumption. Per Capita primary energy consumption is still fairly low in the country (520 kilograms of oil equivalent, which is less than a third of the world average), with large disparities in the energy consumption pattern.
To sustain its slated GDP growth, its total primary energy demand is expected to almost double by 2030. Its primary commercial energy consumption in 2004 stood at 375.8mtoe (million tones of energy equivalent) and involved coal, oil, gas, and electricity generated from nuclear, hydroelectric, and renewable sources.  India’s commercial energy consumption is expected to more than double to 812mtoe in 2030.India’s indigenous production is unlikely to keep pace with the growing consumption and it is estimated that by 2030 India would be importing 87% of its demand. This, coupled with the increasing share of offshore production in overall indigenous production would stipulate that almost the entire Energy scene would shift to sea; that is import or offshore production.Together with this come challenges of securing India’s Energy needs. Protection of SLOCs is already well-known. However, with the Somali pirates moving away from Somalia and increasingly coming closer to India’s West coast, the task of securing these SLOCs, even in peace time, is becoming more trying. The Indian Navy has had some success in the last two years against the pirates. It has promulgated BMP (Best Management Practices) if vessels are confronted with pirates. However, as is probably natural, our countrymen remember the so-called failures more than the successes. This is even more so since the IN is also responsible for Coastal Security. So, in the last two months, the media and nation went to town demanding reasons for Navy’s failure to detect drifting MV Wisdom and MV Pavit that finally ran aground off Mumbai.

 

We have a VATMS (Vessel and Air Traffic Management (or Monitoring) System for the ODA in the West. Efforts are in hand to have one for ever-increasing assets on the Eastern seaboard. However, the fact that the Navy cannot be everywhere to protect these growing assets throws newer challenges in cooperative security. These are multifold for Indian seaboards since despite 26/11 and urgent need for the same, our fishing activity is still unregulated. Who knows that in the garb of fishermen we may have the terrorists deliberately trying to do damage to the offshore assets? We have to become more serious about both coastal security and security of offshore assets. The Somali pirates have, off late, reached our western coast, at least. We have to quickly have an effective security scheme in place, lest we should be surprised again. The sooner we start being serious about it the better it is for us. For the last two years, for example, we have read newspaper reports of 23 fast patrol boats to be acquired by ONGC for manning by Navy personnel for patrolling the ODA. It is understood that these are still more than a year away to become reality.

HOW CORRUPT OR HONEST ARE WE?

Suddenly, due to Anna Hazare’s movement, the subject of Corruption is everywhere. The focus or the target is still the Powerful and the Rich. It has been taken for granted that all of us are upright; but, like the good, sati-savitri, bathed in milk, Hindi movie heroine who is forced into prostitution by the cruel samaaj (society), we are somehow forced into giving bribes. Hence, we’d make ourselves believe that giving bribe has never been our first convenient choice but the last recalcitrant one.I don’t know how many really believe in it and can really say with conviction that they were forced into taking short-cuts; that their conscience didn’t go through an upheaval when they reached smartly for the wallet to sort out a minor, insignificant aberration of jumping a red-light and being stopped by the traffic cop; when, if he had any sense, he’d be really concentrating on those who do bigger and more serious offences? You reason it out with your conscience, “Red light hi jump kiya na; daka to nahin dala, chori to nahin ki hai?” (Only red light I jumped; (for havens sake) I didn’t commit dacoity or theft?)

I am reminded of the my young Sub-Lieutenant days. I was travelling by a train from New Delhi to Bombay. The train had started from Amritsar and there were these young students as my co-passengers in the Second AC compartment. They were playing cards and the subject was extolling the virtues of the TTE. Amongst other things, here is what I heard, “Marvellous and well behaved TTE (Traveling Ticket Examiner) really. Took a hundred rupees from each one of us and provided reservation without any fuss.” At this, another solemnly observed, “People like him are becoming rare these days.”

Then there is another incident I brought out in Adarsh Society, CWG, Corruption in Armed Forces and Public Morality; I am re-producing it here because of its relevance:

Most of the First Class compartments had been booked for our course as we headed towards Jamnagar. To pass time, we played Bridge and drank beer and rum. When the TTE (I still remember his name on the his name telly: V Srivastava) came to our compartment he saw that we were drinking. He was visibly shocked at this and addressed us in chaste Hindi which is translated thus: “Young men, you should be ashamed of yourself. You are passing through Mahatma Gandhi’s state wherein drinking liquor is prohibited. And yet, here you are – young men who would be responsible to defend our nation – shamelessly breaking the law and drinking.”I was, at that time (perhaps I still am) an idealist and moralist. I was so mortified by this that I left the gang, collected my Ayn Rand and climbed to the upper berth to hide my head in shame. I was so immersed in ‘The Fountainhead’ that after some time when I looked down I found the TTE having a drink with my friends. I got down from the berth and berated him, “Srivastava ji, you had no right to be pseudo moralistic. Look at you, now, a TTE on duty having liquor. I think at the next station we shall hand you over to the Vigilance people”.

His reply is pointer towards the central theme of this essay, “Ab chhodiye bhai sahib. Main to ek do peg pi ke chala jayoonga; vigilance wale kam se kam poori botal lenge aapse“. (Just forget it, brother. I shall (quietly) go after one or two pegs; the vigilance people would demand a full bottle, at the least).

Is this what we are, honest and upright by comparison to the bigger fish? If that is the case we should be conscious of the fact that where we are today and the nation is, is not merely because of the neta and the babu. In the Indian society, as of now, it is a smart thing to be a man (or woman) of the street and know the tricks of the trade.

Have you ever considered asking your lawyer or doctor for a receipt of the fees paid to him? Are you scared that in case he/she get annoyed with your effrontery he/she would spoil your case or your health, or worse still that of your children or aged parents? Does your not asking for receipt make a difference? Of course it does because he/she then obtains – what is called – black-money and the government doesn’t get tax on his black income. Have you ever thought why is it that whilst a doctor or lawyer gets large amount of fees he/she is shy of receiving these in cheque or even by credit/debit cards? Is it because all these instruments leave a trail that he doesn’t want to leave?

Have you looked the other way when the vendor tells you the price of a thing and that it would be cheaper by a certain amount if you don’t insist on a bill or receipt or invoice? Have you ever considered that the cumulative sum involved of these kind of sales is much more than the loss to the state caused by A Raja?

Well, chances are that you actually thought of these things but have argued that a drop is really a small thing as compared to the ocean of corruption. Isn’t it the same convoluted reasoning we give for not voting or for littering or for playing our loudspeaker?

Yesterday I was listening to Kabir’s dohai (couplets) and the most appropriate to the situation that I heard was:

“Bura Jo Dekhan Main Chala, Bura Naa Milya Koye
 Jo Mann Khoja Apnaa, To Mujhse Bura Naa Koye”
(I went looking for an evil one, I couldn’t find one;
Then, I looked into my inner self, I found I was the most evil.”

Lets do everything to set right public corruption. However, lets set right ourselves too.

PITFALLS OF MAJORITY RULE

Winston Churchill once said that Democracy is not really an ideal system of government. However, he quickly added that it is better than other systems that we have tried out. One big pitfall of democracy is that since it is a government chosen by the majority, at least in theory, the others have to make peace with their wishes, desires and needs being subsumed by those in majority. It also assumes that the majority is the good lot.Let me try to explain this point through a hypotheitical situation. A train is approaching at full speed and you notice that there are a dozen kids playing on the track. They are seemingly oblivious of the approaching train and you reckon that the train would run over them. In the available time you have only one option. You spot a lever next to the track by which the train can be diverted to a disused track on the left. The only problem is that there is a lone girl playing on that track too. You have only a few seconds to take a decision.

When this hypothetical problem is given to people, majority of them opt in favour of diverting the train to the disused track to the left thereby saving the lives of a dozen kids. In the process, their logic goes, if one small girl on the disused track is killed, that is a small price to pay for saving the others.

At first glance that appears to be the acceptable solution. However, think and you will find the following things wrong with the majority solution:

  1. The dozen kids who are playing on the used track are knowingly doing something wrong. The lone girl playing on the disused track is actually right.
  2. In the majority solution we have opted to punish the lone girl who is right and reward the majority who is wrong.
  3. The dozen kids who are wrongly playing on the used track should be expecting a train passing and hence expected to jump off the track, even if at the last minute. On the other hand, the lone girl would never expect the train on the disused track and would surely be killed.
  4. Lastly, why is it a disused track? By diverting the train on the disused track we would willy-nilly make the lives of hundreds of people on board in danger; and all for the sake of a dozen kids doing the wrong thing.
Hypothetical situation it may be; however, in our everyday life we come across situations that intrinsically favour the majority even if they are doing wrong and even illegal things. Let me give you just one example. During the last festival season the noise levels were simply unbearable. If India were a civilized nation, and Mumbai a civilized city, these kind of unhealthy noise levels would be banned. Well, they are banned in India and Mumbai. However, the majority indulge in it and none of us have a say. One Dr Sanjay Bedekar, in Mumbai, a few weeks ago, took up a PIL (Public Interest Litigation) that in several parts of the city the noise levels were far in excess of the maximum prescribed and the authorities should be asked to intervene. Firstly, he was heckled in and outside court. Secondly, the court ruled that such mobs as those making excessive noise during festival season are to be treated with great care lest we should have an unpalatable situation. As far as the government is concerned, it loves the majority (votes) and brushes away such nuisances by, “The sentiments of the people (in majority) are to be respected.”

Last season, at 0130 hrs (loud-speakers have a time limit only up to 2200hrs), with excessive noise of loud-speakers, I complained at the nearest police-station. After a series of questions about my name, address, phone number etc, the cop finally wanted to know what I wanted to do. I told him, “Mujhe sona hai.“(I have to sleep). Here was his prompt response, “Nahin, Navaratri ke time sone ka nahin.“(No, please don’t sleep during Navaratri). With this he disconnected.

Here is another incident. In the year 1990 I got posted to Naval Headquarters in New Delhi. I drove to visit a relative close to Rohtak Road. At one of the traffic signals when we stopped for the red light, a burly looking sardar got out of the taxi behind me, walked up to me and let me have it for my “poor traffic sense”. This is what he told me, “Naye aaye ho dilli mein? Ek hi lane mein chale jaa rahe ho; accident karwayoge kya?” (Are you new in Delhi? You are merrily continuing in one lane; do you want to cause an accident?) I looked at him. There was a genuine look of being wronged on his face. And, guess what? I realised that I might actually be a traffic hazard with my lone tendency to follow rules. The English were very good at devising mottoes that were not only practical but safe. One of these is, “Whilst in Rome do as the Romans do.” A friend of mine in Delhi has this sticker on his car, “Caution: I drive like you do”.

Lets, for a minute, turn to Anna Hazare movement against Corruption. The movement has (erroneously) assumed that only a handful of politicians, bureaucrats, and government servants are corrupt. The majority who are with Anna and take part in processions, fasts etc are good lot who look down on bribes, short-cuts, dishonesty etc. What if the majority are like-that-only? How will they right themselves?

In the end, I also want to bring out that historically great things that have changed the world are not accomplished by majority but people who thought and did differently than what the majority believed in. Take just a handful: Copernicus, Galileo, and Darwin. If we had continued believing in the majority we would have continued believing, say, the Sun revolves around the Earth. However, to reach there, they had to face castigation, mockery, and derision.

It is the same many centuries later.

ANNA HAZARE AND THE INDIAN MIDDLE CLASS

Last night as soon as the letter by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was read out by his emissary Vilasrao Deshmukh, Anna Hazare on the twelfth day of his fast, thanked the people for having come this far that they can rejoice about what he called “half victory“. 


Who are the “people” that he thanked? Well, largely these are middle class people of India who have made Anna’s movement against corruption so hugely popular. I also want to reflect on half victory later.

Middle class is variously described but the most recent definition is based on its earning capacity, that is, anything between Rupees 3 to 17 Lakhs per annum. In the pyramid of Abraham Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, starting from Physiological Needs and going up to Safety Needs, Belongingness & Love Needs, Esteem Needs and finally Self Actualization Needs; the middle class perceived that it is being neglected as far as Safety, Belongingness and Esteem Needs are concerned. To some extent the rich and the poor are responsible for taking the focus away from the middle-class needs, but to a large extent, the other middle class is responsible for the loss of esteem and belongingness of the middle class. Who is the other middle class? Well, the babus in government offices, the railway TTEs, the policemen, the patwaris, tehsildars, magistarates, collectors and the like. What A Raja and Kalmadi do affect the middle class only indirectly. However, what the other middle calss does affects the middle class directly.

Let me give you just one personal example to make a point. A few years back I went to my home place, Kandaghat, in the Shimla Hills. My mother, after the demise of my father, stays there alone. Because of her helplessness in being a widow, some people have encroached on her land. Thereafter. whenever I went on leave, I had to run from pillar to post, with local bureaucracy, police and judiciary to get justice for my mother. Was it provided? You are mistaken. The local patwari, in order to show me down, even whilst acknowledging my rank Commodore, derisively told me, “Us din mujhe milne ek Brigadier Sandhu aaya. Maine kaha bahar baith; jab main bulayoon to aana.” (The other day one Brigadier Sandhu came to see me. I told him sit outside; when I call you then only enter). In the court, I took a request under Article 23 of the Navy Act requesting the judiciary to settle our case expeditiously during my leave period. Indeed, as per this provision the judiciary is required to record as to why the case was not settled during the leave period. The truth is that after more than a decade it is not settled. Navy Act is an act of Indian Parliament but they had no respect for it. There is a letter written by the Indian Home Minister to all the state governments to provide assistance to the members of the armed forces who can get things done only during their leave period. But, they care two hoots for it. Hence, the disrespect for the Indian Parliament, is erroneously being pinned on Anna Hazare and his team and movement. This disdain is to be found with the other middle class in villages, towns, cities, states; indeed, everywhere.

The focus of the middle class, therefore, should not be merely politicians, and bureaucrats or the big fish. But, those who defeat it and keep it from realising its needs; and that is the other middle class. Anna Hazare movement must realise that middle class is both the focus of its movement as well as the target.

The Indian middle class is defined not just in economic terms; but also by being the middle of nowhere; its voice not being heard at all. The authorities have no choice but to be seen as pro-poor (which includes even ignoring or permitting indicipline and lawlessness so that “people’s sentiments are respected“. The rich look after themselves. But, the middle class gets step motherly treatment. Who is responsible for it? Well, it doesn’t require knowledge of rocket-science to conclude that the middle class itself is responsible, to some extent, for this sorry state of affairs. During the very first elections held after 26/11, when the middle class in Colaba (the scene of carnage by Kasab and co.) took out candle-lit marches and other vociferous protests against the neglect of politicians towards such issues as terrorism and security, a dismal 40 percent voted in Colaba. Largely, this 40 percent comprised the poor in such localities in Colaba such as Murthy Nagar and Geeta Nagar. The middle class just didn’t bother.

Therefore, for the movement to succeed and really bring relief to the people, the moment has to be a catalyst for change for the middle class both within and without and not just target the politicians and babus at higher places. In short finally the middle-class awakening has to help the middle class become more effective in people regaining their national and individual character.
 Will the middle class, exultant at “half victory” of Anna Hazare, be able to look within as well look without?
Lets now focus on “half victory”. Have we really achieved half of what we wanted to achieve? Is a vague assurance by the parliament really “half victory”? Is passing of or even voting on Jan Lokpal Bill then full victory. Nothing can be farther from the truth. Here is what I wrote just a week back (Anna Hazare and the Indian Democracy):

The second is that our middle-class, the main pillar of the movement, has become quite impatient. It is true that we have been conditioned to it. But, the catch here is that in its impatience it may very well regard some quick wins (as passing of Jan Lokpal Bill) as the ultimate solution to set right our democracy. I laboured over the current shortfalls in Indian democracy to bring home the point that, at best, the movement and the passing of Jan Lokpal Bill can be only the beginning and not an end by itself.

So, I don’t think it is anywhere close to “half victory”, unless what Anna ji meant is the “half victory” of the first phase.

Anna Hazare’s movement has done for us Indians what nothing else in independent India did. It has suddenly given us hope. He has shown the kind of character and perseverance that all of us, particularly the middle class, must emulate. Lets not belittle the movement by assuming that all our problems will be sorted out by targeting the rich and the powerful. The middle class’s fight is mainly against the other middle class and the demon within. Anna Hazare has shown us the way. Lets now take the movement to the next logical stage.

ANNA HAZARE AND THE INDIAN DEMOCRACY

I brought it out, a few months earlier, in an article (How Proud Should We Be of Indian Republic at 62?) that despite the dream and objectives of the Indian Constitution, brought into force on 26 Jan 1950, the lot of the common Indian has not changed even 61 years later. The article was based on facts and figures (say, from UN Human Growth Index Report) rather than my perception or anyone’s bias. One of the main reasons that I found responsible for it is that the Indian style of democracy is not representational at all. With the multiplicity of parties and the average percentage of voting pattern in constituencies pan India, an elected representative, on the average, represents only 10 percent of the voters. These 10 percent too do not elect the MPs/MLAs on some issues that would make the lot of the common Indian better. The major issue, in our elections, as seen from the trend of the last two decades, is primarily the denigration of the previous or other party/candidate; so much so that our politicians nowadays talk about the inevitability of anti-incumbency factor as much as, say, the chances, in the bad old days, of one’s contacting cholera whilst traveling through an area hit by the cholera epidemic.

This single factor has made our elected representatives not just immune to the hopes and aspirations of our people but has also made them arrogant. Hence, even though we coined a phrase ‘public servant’ in the Constitution (the term used to describe a person who holds a government position either by election or by appointment), no one holding a government position has ever considered oneself a servant of the public. Both the elected and the appointed public servants have mainly been serving their own interests and those of their families. As far as the public is concerned, the main job these so called servants have ascribed to themselves is to exploit the public either collectively or by polarising it. Sardar Patel’s essay on British Policy had just three words: Divide and Rule. The modern Indian public servant did exactly the same. Elections are fought and appointments in government are made more on issues of caste and creed than on detailed programme and plans to improve the lot of the people.

Wikipedia describes governance (what governments are supposed to do) thus:

“The word governance derives from the Greek verb κυβερνάω [kubernáo] which means to steer and was used for the first time in a metaphorical sense by Plato. It then passed on to Latin and then on to many languages.”

Steer towards what? A government must steer the people and the country towards a better and more secure future. However, because of the self-serving nature of the Indian democracy, our public servants have steered the country towards chaos, poverty, corruption, polarisation and inefficiency.

An Indian electorate, it can be thus argued, does not exercise a choice when he goes to vote. After an average 10 percent elect the government, they are helpless and defeated by those who were to serve them. The result is that as a nation, we are a dismal 141 in the Human Growth Index. However, the elected representative, just like the appointed representative or even more so, often gives vent to the supremacy of the parliament. Recently, if you recall, Kapil Sibal and Manmohan Singh endeavoured to display this arrogance based on the mistaken notion of such supremacy; at least until people’s power, under the leadership of Anna Hazare manifested itself into a sobering effect for the government.

Team Anna has, directly or indirectly, conveyed to us that the momentum of the movement has now encompassed (or at least aimed at) much more than Jan Lokpal Bill, wherein the government and the so called civil-society differ over six points and not merely the inclusion of the PM and the judiciary in the ambit of the bill. People’s expectations, as manifested in the large crowds and rallies across India, have risen to the point of hope for 1.2 billion Indians, good governance, and a responsive democracy rather than only in numbers. To that extent each one of us should welcome the movement and await its strengthening, as opposed to its abatement that the politicians seek. I am not going to extol the good points and good fall-outs of the movement. By and large, the media has done it extensively.

I am, therefore, going to concentrate on the pitfalls and other considerations of the movement vis a vis the Indian democracy. I feel that if these are not taken into consideration, we may again have our hopes and aspirations belied despite the passing of the Jan Lokpal Bill.

The first and foremost is that it even though it may not have been originally intended, it has degenerated into a we versus they movement. The government’s mishandling of the response to the movement, Anna’s arrest etc, made it even more so. The movement is, therefore, seen as a expression of our contempt towards the elected representatives particularly the ‘corrupt‘ and the ‘inefficient‘ UPA government. Whilst all this is totally justified, it has the potential to change the focus of the movement into a narrower objective of tasting victory by bringing the politicians to heel. The media has even started keeping a score sheet such as Anna – 1, Govt – 0.

The other reason why the movement must steer clear of we vs they is that people at large (and not just the politicians) must share the blame for the rot or loss of character of Indians. Indians are, by nature, opportunists. From our driving habits of being just a few feet ahead of the next vehicle by hook or by crook, to getting ahead in business, school, college, debates, contests, and indeed life by taking short-cuts has come to be seen as a national character. Of course, the politician, or the bureaucrat, or the businessman is a crook but he/she does not stand apart unlike as portrayed in the movement. He is of the same stock as we are (We Are Like That Only). We have to do many a thing ourselves whilst asking this of him/her. We too have to show equal discipline in our individual and social lives.

The second is that our middle-class, the main pillar of the movement, has become quite impatient. It is true that we have been conditioned to it. But, the catch here is that in its impatience it may very well regard some quick wins (as passing of Jan Lokpal Bill) as the ultimate solution to set right our democracy. I laboured over the current shortfalls in Indian democracy to bring home the point that, at best, the movement and the passing of Jan Lokpal Bill can be only the beginning and not an end by itself.

The third is potential for polarisation. One reason why we have been exploited by the netas, babus and the like is because we can be easily exploited. The government after failing to peter out the movement by disdain, high handedness, and by labeling Team Anna as corrupt itself, will surely stoop to polarising it on lines of religion, caste and creed. We Indians are easy prey to such tactics.

Pic Courtesy Mail Today

The fourth is the rights of the minority. The movement must not get bloated in the belief that surging crowds, mobocracy and rights of the majority are all that matters. Indeed, once of the shortcomings of our current interpretation of democracy is the contorted belief that the rule by the majority is always right. We must be able to listen to that small voice of reasoning even when we are riding high on the wave of public support. In this, it may do us good to remember that the movement is primarily that of middle class and the majority is still the poor.

Lastly, the need to strengthen democracy. Civil disobedience cannot be the dharma of the Indian people, a cure or remedy for all ailments of democracy. We have to finally make our institutions stronger and then respect them.

I, like all other members of middle class, am breathless and excited abour Anna movement. I do wish it strength. But, at the same time I pray that it would steer clear of pitfalls as enumerated above and give serious thought to the considerations of this article.

Jai Hind

DEMENTIA – IS IT AN INDIAN NATIONAL DISEASE?

For something to assume the status of being ‘National’, it has to be accepted thus by the people of the country and not merely by the authorities. For example, though Hindi speaking people and the central government, sometimes in the sixties, claimed that Hindi is the National language, states and people from the southern and eastern parts of the country (non-Hindi belt) rebelled and rioted. They claimed that Malyalam, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali etc had all the right numbers and qualifications to be declared as ‘National Languages’. And so all these were included in the Indian schedule of languages.

So, other than common National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana..), National Currency (Rupee), National Bird (Peacock), National Animal (Lion), what are the other things that can be bestowed with the ‘National’ status?

I think ‘Dementia’ deserves the ‘National’ status; to be called an Indian National Disease or complication.I shall give my reasons later. But, first lets look at what is Dementia. Wikipedia describes it thus:

Dementia (taken from Latin, originally meaning “madness”, from de- “without” + ment, the root of mens “mind”) is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging; the affected areas of cognition may be memory, attention, language and problem solving.
Now that we have already read the brief description, we can straightway go to Kalmadi and his ilk. Of course they have a general dementia; the moment they are elected they forget all about the people who elected them. All the promises that they gave, the Common Minimum Programme etc are quickly forgotten and they invariably start from a clean slate. What could be the reason? Do they take the Indian electorate for granted? They themselves have coined a phrase called ‘Anti-Incumbency Factor’; which means that because of the excesses of being in power they hardly expect to be re-elected after their term gets over. Hence, dementia about election promises is not such a bad thing after all.
Suresh Kalmadi singing his own version of famous ‘Julie’ song
Smt Indira Gandhi is reputed to be the most efficient Prime Minister the country has produced. But, when her 1971 elections were declared null and void, on 12 Jun 1975, by Hon’ble Justice Jagmohanlal Sinha of Allahabad High Court, for “misuse of official machinery” during election campaigns, and she was debarred from fighting elcetions for the next six years, what did she do? She had the President, Shri Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, invoke Article 352 of the Constitution of India, and declare a State of Emergency in the country. Many civil liberties that people enjoyed were revoked and she threw many prominent leaders of the opposition into jail. These included Shri Jai Prakash Narayan, the leader of the people’s revolt against the Emergency, and two others who later became the Prime Ministers of India: Morarji Desai and Atal Behari Vajpayee. The State of Emergency was imposed on people not because we were attacked or at war (we decisively won the 1971 war against Pakistan, liberating one half of Pakistan and calling it Bangladesh); but, because a political leader was being unseated. Such is the reaction of “the most efficient PM of the country” in case she is being unseated by the power of the court of justice. She was not the only one who had scant regard for the judicial process. Most of our Netas even when convicted by the court disdainfully assert that they would rather go to “Janta ki Adalat” (People’s Court). They are absolutely certain that people of India, like they themselves, have contrived severe Dementia; and they actually have, as Indira Gandhi’s case would prove. Read on.

An iconic figure called Jai Prakash Narain channelised opposition against the Emergency and its excesses; she was left with no choice but to call for fresh elections. The result was already known: nearly two years after the declaration of Emergency, an opposition governement came into power on 23 Mar 1977. The people of India had given their verdict? Well, no; two years later, the same people brought down the Janata government and Smt Indira Gandhi, the erstwhile villain, was ushered in with vastly increased majority. She perpetrated the worst on the people of India in two years of Emergency; but, she, because of Indian national disease called Dementia, knew that very soon they would have loss of memory about the excesses of Emergency and re-elect her.

Our political leaders have various serious contrived complications at various stages. The first complication after they get elected is called Megalomania. They behave worse than the erstwhile feudal lords. They don’t ever believe they are ‘Government Servants’ (as the Constitution describes them). They believe they are all powerful and start using the pronoun ‘Hum’ (We), which the kings used to do at one time. For example, if you remind them of a specific election promise, they would inform you, “Hum poori koshish kar rahe hain.” (We Are Trying Our Level Best); and so on. In the meantime they are filling up their own coffers by hook or by crook; mostly the latter. Sooner or later they are exposed. Irrespective of whatever evidence you may have – for example a picture of them attending the Dubai bash of the biggest enemy of nation Dawood Ibrahim – they get to the next stage of Prevarication (“I have to attend so many parties; I don’t even know whose and where”). Then comes Amnesia, and False Daring (“Let the law take its own course”). During the trial, there is complete Denial. But, the law actually takes its own course (especially, if by that time, they are in opposition) and finally they are convicted. Now, starts the ‘Janata ki Adalat‘ routine. In case going to jail becomes inescabale, then chest pain (to start with) comes handy and later they are declared having a Cardiac problem. This ensures them to be treated with kid gloves; so much so that often the courts have to intervene that they are being given better (“Five Star”) treatment in the jail than 99 percent of our countrymen enjoy outside.
Loss of attention span is one of the several complications of Dementia. For this you ought to see our parliamentarians discussing the defence budget of several crores. All this does not interest them. They would, on the other hand, dissipate several days of debate on insignificant issues. A minister in Indian state of Maharashtra, for example, decided that most problems of Maharashtra would be automatically sorted out in case we banned the Bar Girls or Bar Dancers. More hours of debate took place on this earth-shaking issue than the drought in several parts of the state forcing some of the farmers to commit suicide.

Problem solving? You know as much as me how many problems of the people we have sorted out since independence. Forgetting language? Well, you should see our Netasin the Parliament or State Assembly. The only cognitive skill that they retain is that not a single one has forgotten that our ancestors were monkeys.

Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation members have acute Dementia. Let me give just one example: Year after year the city of Mumbai, during the Monsoons, is reduced to being a rough and tough country-side. Roads often resemble craters on the moon. Every year the courts intervene bringing out the plight of people driving through pot holed roads. (Read Mumbai Rains). Every year they give their firm commitment that roads would become better and road constructors and contractors would be penalised and so on. Every year it is back to the same old story.
I can go on and on and on; making this article so long that readers not suffering from Dementia will vie with those having this disease. So in order to end, let me give you a point-form list of several symptoms in people and authorities that I have noticed:
  • A few years back in a bar in Delhi a bar girl named Jessica was shot dead by a man in front of 350 people. All of them suffered from Dementia as soon as the investigations began.
  • A few years back when CBI raided the residence of our Communications Minister and found suitcases full of currency notes, the Minister did not remember who and why anyone left these in his residence.
  • Indira Gandhi dead was as dangerous as Indira Gandhi alive. On 31 Oct 1984, when she was assassinated by her own security guard, a pogrom of Sikhs took place in the national capital. More than 3000 innocent Sikhs were massacred. Her elder son Rajiv Gandhi, who succeeded her as the Prime Minister (dynastic rule is the most enduring policy of the Congress), justified this carnage by saying, “When a big tree falls the earth shakes”. The collective Dementia thereafter not only resulted in no conviction but two incidents described how acute is this disease amongst Indians. First, the Sikhs themselves presented shropas (a scarf of honour) to those accused of directly instigating the mobs to kill the Sikhs. Two, after a number of years when a similar pogrom (this time against Muslims) took place in the state of Gujarat, the Congress completely forgot that they themselves had participated in a similar and more heinous one in the national capital.
  • Many political parties, both at the Centre and at the States levels, routinely have alliance with those against whom they had started various enquiries of corruption and complicity. They forget.
  • Our External Affairs Minister at the UN didn’t know that he was reading the speech of Portugal until well over five minutes of the speech was read out.
  • India’s erstwhile PM, Atal Behari Vajpayee, couldn’t remember what he was saying at the beginning of a sentence even as he came to the end. Even people listening to him often forgot what he had embarked on.
  • Our countrymen have the sharpest intelligence to demand for their rights. But, suddenly, by the end of the financial year, a large percentage of them forget to file Income Tax Returns.
  • Most politicians whilst evaluating their assets, which they are required to do by the law, often forget to add a few hundred crores.
  • One of our airlines pilots, last year, did the country proud by sleeping through and forgot to land at Mumbai and continued undisturbed for another 500 kms to Goa.

Therefore, Indian  Health Ministry and World Health Organisation have probably got it wrong when they bring out facts about India having the larget cases in the world of Malaria and Tuberculosis. These are nothing in comparison to cases of Dementia.

Should we not do something about it, if we care and remember, that is?

WHY ARE WE RAPED AGAIN?

What exactly is a rape? It is essentially an act of force and violence perpetrated against a weak being who has no choice but to submit. It causes great trauma and changes the victim’s behaviour, hopes, anxieties, responses, beliefs, suspicions, complexes, proclivities, and emotions forever.

The keyword above is ‘weak‘. The carnage and trauma caused by repeated rape of Indians, through acts of terrorism, doesn’t fill us with resolve to never to allow such acts to be perpetrated against our people again. In contrast, each act of terrorism makes us weaker and impotent.

I think the reasons and the solutions (intrinsic with each reason) are multi-fold:

1. To start with there is a complete failure of our type of democracy that elects governments that not only do not protect the lives of their people (their primary responsibility) but are increasingly out of sync with the hopes and aspirations of people. I brought out the cause of the malaise in an article in this blog: ‘How Proud Should We Be of Indian Republic at 62?’

2. Secondly, terrorist acts come under ‘law and order’, that is, a states subject. However, much of it is in the purview of the central government, especially when it is Pak sponsored. In case of Pakistan, as with most other things, we don’t appear to have a clear policy except for one point agenda (given to us by the US) of somehow to continue with talks.

3. Thirdly, from a politico-military point of view, Pakistan appears to be exercising Deterrence against us (through irrationality and Nuclear Weapons Enabled Terrorism) but we have willfully let go of our Deterrence despite our considerable superiority in conventional war means and potential. For a deterrence to work, we should be ready to demonstrate it sometimes (at least through signalling an intent); whereas, our national and military think-tanks routinely convey to Pakistan that we have lost the battle even before it begins. We are not averse to using our Army against our own people. But, against Pakistan, anyone who moots the idea is promptly labelled as a hawk (implying loony).

4. Fourthly, the primary security force here is Police. Over a period of time, Police has willy-nilly conveyed and demonstrated that they are there to discipline us through various ways (from bribes to lathi-charge). Protecting lives of citizens is not very high priority.

5. Fifthly, let us put the blame squarely on the media, which has not matured enough. The kind of coverage it gives of a terror incident is like playing into the hands of the terrorists. Did anyone see gruesome pics of terror victims in, say, London terror blasts? Our media’s main focus of coverage is that. The terrorist causes half the panic. The other half is caused by the media. The media also goes overboard in projecting the ineptness of the security agencies as if the enemy actually is the security agencies.

6. Lastly, lets not forget all of us. When peace prevails, we resist any measures by security agencies that would bring some order in our lives. For heavens sake, lets not forget that our people even oppose wearing of helmets on two-wheelers being “imposed” on them.

Therefore, when we get a statement from the PM, on visiting Mumbai, “I share Mumbaikars’ pain and anger”; we know that what he means is that he has shared this many times in the past, and will share many times in the future too.

POLITICISING BABA RAMDEV

I am an apolitical man. All articles in my blog and all my utterances have always been so. Baba Ramdev may have said something in the past, which appeared to be favouring one group or party. Afterall, manipulating an emerging leader by pulling him down to our level of moral and other values is a national pastime. But, despite this manipulation I believe that by and large Baba Ramdev is apolitical and has the best interests of the nation at heart.
 However, I am amused by the so called elite’s opposition towards Baba Ramdev. Is it because he cannot harangue in English language? Is it because he’s a common man? Our media that is ruled by the rich and the powerful has ascribed itself the power to make a demon out of a saint and vice-versa. Do they give a thought how such means of theirs help the nation?
Nearly sixty four years after independence, the fruits of a true democracy and freedom have not reached the common man (read http://sunbyanyname.blogspot.com/2011/01/how-proud-should-we-be-of-indian.html) and yet we still want to indulge in politics, mud-slinging, and above all corruption.
The indecent manner in which the government bore down on Baba Ramdev and his supporters today at the nations capital (of shame) reminded me of Lala Lajpat Rai: “Every blow aimed at me is a nail in the coffin of British imperialism.” Lalaji was proved right and the British were evicted. But, soon, the British imperialism was replaced by the imperialism of the political class. It also reminded me of ‘Freedom’ is always hard fought; even Freedom from Corruption.
Photo: Courtesy NDTV
THIS IS FOR THE ELITE:
Baba Ramdev’s forcible eviction from Delhi reminds me of a scene from 1970 movie Love Story. The scene is what a rich Oliver Barrett tells his son when he confesses to loving a commoner Jennifer, “Well, if you do, I shall not give you the time of the day”. The son Ryan O’Neal responds, “Dad, you don’t know the time of the day“.

I feel that Corruption is really the issue. The man on the street is fed up of having to pay underhand that should be legitimately his right. That’s the time of the day. I hope we all read it like that and don’t get it confused by politics, personalities, biases, proclivities and innuendoes. Lets not, in our cynicism, look down on every venture to steady the boat of our nation. This is precisely what the govermnent wants to do. Lets not make their task easier by a divided house.

Baba Ramdev is an above average Indian and I, like crores of others, have immense respect for him for rekindling love within us for Yoga and our ancient heritage. However, just to defeat the cynicism, I shall support even the local bhangi if he is capable of raising voice against the rampant corruption in the Indian system.

Lets not make fun. That’s an un-Indian thing to do. Lets also not get frustrated by the fact that it is a long journey. Lets take the first step and everything will follow.

REAL BEAUTY – A FEELING OF PURE JOY

Somerset Maugham, the great novelist I used to read in my school and college days, could never understand the brouhaha about Beauty. According to him a glass of beer on a hot summer day was beautiful.  “Beauty is an ecstasy” he wrote, “It is as simple as hunger. There is really nothing to be said about it. It is like the perfume of a rose: you can smell it and that is all”.

Rabinder Nath Tagore, on the other hand, felt that real beauty is to be felt and not just seen, because:

“Eyes can see only dust and earth,
    But feel it with your heart, it is pure joy.
    The flowers of delight blossom on all sides, in every form,
        But where is your heart’s thread to weave them in a garland?”

So, then, how does Beauty elevate from ‘something to satiate hunger’ to feeling of ‘pure joy’? The answer was provided by the Hindi films lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri writing for Badshaah (Monarch), a 1954 movie:

“Tu maang kaa sinduur tuu aankhon kaa hai kaajal
Le baandh le haathon ke kinaare se ye aanchal
Saamane baithe raho shringaar ham karen
Aa niile gagan tale pyaar ham Karen”

((My Love,) you are the vermillion in my hair, the kohl in my eyes,

Come, claim me as your own,
(to lead me around the holy fire of betrothal)
Your sitting in front of me completes my make-up
Come, lets love under the blue sky.

Real Beauty, therefore, according to me, involves at least two people: the object and the beholder. It doesn’t exist in the absence of either.

Real Beauty also has a certain degree of innocence attached to it. William Wordsworth brought out in the lyrical ballad ‘Three Years She Grew in Sun and Shower’:

“The Stars of midnight shall be dear
To her; and she shall lean her ear
In many a secret place
Where rivulets dance their wayward round,
And beauty born of murmuring sound
Shall pass into her face”.

Does this mean that Real Beauty is just an abstract for me, a dream or fantasy, an ideal to reach; but untouchable, unreachable? Nay, quite the opposite. I feel that Real Beauty is actually found in seemingly most ordinary things and people and animals. Indeed, if I were to come across an exquisite object or being that looked remote and isolated, like a ‘twinkle-twinkle-little-star- how-I-wonder-what-you-are’, I may be fascinated by it; but, I’d hesitate to call it beautiful. Real Beauty to me is like a gentle rain: it has to touch me, drench me, change me, want me to walk in it. Real Beauty, I believe, makes all beings and things more beautiful by its touch, by its presence.

Unless you revel in misery or forlornness, Real Beauty must also make you smile. At what? No, not at anything or anyone but simply smile, acknowledging the beauty of God’s creation.

In our recent life, in our family, our yellow Labrador Roger was the most beautiful being in our lives. He looked at you with such pleading, beautiful and innocent eyes that one had no choice to hug him, fuss him, kiss him. Unobtrusively, he made such a place for himself at home and in our hearts that we couldn’t imagine life without him.

Recently, when he died at the age of twelve, and we cremated him, for quite some time the entire family sat on a cement bench in front of the crematorium. A few days later my elder son Arjun rang me up and said, “Papa, so many of our beautiful memories are connected with Roger that even the period when he was not with us appears to have his presence”.

That one sentence, I would think, describes Real Beauty better than an essay. Real Beauty transcends Time.

Real Beauty also must have a degree of tenderness; a vulnerability that anyone would want to protect it against. As Ben Johnson said, ‘It is Not Growing Like a Tree’ that makes a plant beautiful:

“A lily of a day
Is fairer far in May,
Although it fall and die that night—
It was the plant and flower of light.
In small proportions we just beauties see;
And in short measures life may perfect be”.

If it is Real Beauty in a being, the feature that I’d look for the foremost is the Eyes. Eyes are windows to a being’s world. Since there is a saying that beauty like ugliness is skin-deep, I feel eyes bring to fore the inner beauty of a person. If that not be so, why is it that many blind women have the most beautiful eyes? They say when a woman is pregnant her eyes become beautiful. It is a fact that what she imagines her child to be gets reflected in her eyes. Who could have said it better than Byron:

“She walks in beauty, like the night
   Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
   Meet in her aspect and her eyes,”

A beautiful person, hence, must have beautiful imagination and deeds. These are what gets reflected in the person’s eyes. Was Mother Teresa beautiful?  Indeed, she was. She imparted beauty to everything that she touched. At beauty pageants, for example, every girl wanting to win the title, has a quote from Mother Teresa.

Being the romantic sailor that I am, Real Beauty must also hold a certain enigma for me; connecting me to yonder, to life and beyond. As Robert Browning said in Cristina:

What? To fix me thus meant nothing?
But I can’t tell (there’s my weakness)
What her look said!—no vile cant, sure,
About “need to strew the bleakness
“Of some lone shore with its pearl-seed.
“That the sea feels “—no strange yearning
“That such souls have, most to lavish
“Where there’s chance of least returning.”

And lastly, one beautiful look can enslave you for the rest of your life. You just see her standing there and like Beatles you are hooked:

“Now I’ll never dance with another
Since I saw her standing there.”

You carry that beautiful image with you wherever you go.

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