Elephants are elephantine creatures. Before
Veerappan, who made countless elephants vanish from the jungles of Karnataka
and Tamil Nadu over decades, there was Harry Houdini. Houdini, who was arguably
the greatest escape artist in history, in 1917, performed a single illusion
that has been hotly debated ever since. In New York’s theatre Hippodrome he made a live
elephant vanish under bright arc lights.
The EC by its order to cover the elephant statues
in a park in NOIDA may be attempting a ‘Houdini’. The similarity is that both
are an illusion. The jury is still out to decide what is more titillating – a
covered form or a naked exposure. It is beyond any doubt that both attract.
What it does expose is the fallibility of
inefficient laws difficult to implement in deed and spirit!!!!! – And yet why
do we insist on more such laws?
Cyclone Thane made a landfall on the East coast not far from Chennai when I was there last weekend. On that day I was in a hospital room (visiting) and watched Thane ravish some parts of the coast on television. The damage was controlled because of the warnings issued to those vulnerable along the path of the cyclone. Inside the air conditioned special ward I did not feel the effects of the (un)fair lady. Was I happy? To be fair to myself I was not. I wanted to be by the sea – my beloved sea. There is nothing more romantic than a raging sea dashing against the rocks and exploding into millions of molecules. Showering under those molecules of water is fun.
The sea in such a state has an ugly side too. It washes away some dwellings and even damages the flora along the coast. But then that is the way of the Nature. Those living on the edge are fully aware. Do they, unknown to them, derive pleasure in flirting with dangers the nature offers? Maybe; I can empathise with that feeling. Thane did not damage anything in Chennai. Incessant rains and an absent drainage system ensured flooding of roads and slow moving traffic. Both are par for the course in our country – what is the big deal? I was asked when I mentioned it to a Chennaite.
The following morning it was still raining and the cyclone had crossed the coast and sped inland all the while weakening, when I went to the Marina beach. I sat on a rock fully drenched and let the sea hit me.
Try it for rejuvenation. It is better than any spa.
There are various forms of governments of which democracy affords freedom to the people. If we chose democracy as our form of government the evils of politics comes free along with it. Political parties are a necessary evil in a democracy. Deceit, debauchery and deprivation in different forms were rampant even in the proverbial Ramrajya, if ever there was one. The travails of Indian democracy are not its institutions but the people. The people who are custodians of the Parliament and such other citadels of democracy. These people are part of the larger Indian society. When we create an institution we suppose that its leader will always be beyond reproach. But have we found one for all the institutions created by Independent India. Obviously the answer is disappointingly negative. We wallow in a philosophy but falter in execution. Majority of Indians, at least all those who can influence, do not practice their propounded belief.
II 47 (Gita)
Karmany eva dhikaras te
Ma phalesu kadacana
Ma karmaphalahetur bhur
Ma te sango ,stv akarmani
To action alone hast thou a right and never at all to its fruits; let not the fruits of action be thy motive; neither let there be in thee any attachment to inaction.
The makers of our constitution had great foresight, it is said. But an aspect that missed their collective wisdom is the fall in standards of our value system. The system failed to cultivate individuals with guts and selfless fortitude. When we created CBI, CVC and CAG we thought they will be headed by people of impeccable integrity. But alas, that it is not the case. In such a circumstance where is the case for creating another such institution?
The whole of the proposed bill or any version of such a bill, is full of misrepresentations that would not stand the scrutiny of the judiciary (Constitution). So, many ask, what is the answer to the rampant corruption prevalent in the Government, Corporate, and NGOs et al?
I say, let us agitate to strengthen the existing systems. I am not yet an expert. But I can suggest a couple of three actions which can be pursued forthwith.
1.Strengthen the judiciary. Create more judges and courts for speedy disposal of all judicial matters.
2.Revamp the CBI, giving it more autonomy.I am not going into the details as most know what they could be.
3.Make appointments tended by Bureaucrats also concurrently tenable by chosen experts in the respective fields. Say, men in uniform in MOD, A Javed Akhtar in I&B, a Mahesh Khera in Ministry of Telcom et al.
All of the above and other such reforms are feasible within the ambit of the constitution and existing democratic structure. As somebody said the institution of Lokpal will only empower 40,000 more bureaucrats and not the people of India as envisaged.
