A Poem Dedicated to the Memory of Ruchika Girotra

Uspar zulm hua tha barson pehle,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Uspar musibaton ka pahar toot pada tha barson pehle,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Woh jujhti rahi oos zulm and oon musibaton ke beech,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Ek din iis bereham zindagi se chutkara paakar,
Usne oos zulm aur oon musibaton se bhi chutkara paa liya,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Achanak aaj barson baad,
Uspar huye woh zulm aur oon tamam musibaton ko lekar,
Mujhe kisi darinde par nafrat hone lagi hai,
Aur oos nafrat ki junoon mujhmein ek baghavat jagane lagi hai,
Magar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Kaash! Barson pehle mein uske oos jung mein,
Ek jaanbaaz ki tarah sharik hua hota,
Aur kaash! Woh oos darinde par fateh paakar,
Aaj hum sab ke beech hoti.

Yeh chaahat ab mujhe satane lagi hai,
Mahar woh meri kuch nahi thi.

Translated:

She was tormented long ago,
But she was no one of mine.

Mountains of trouble were heaped upon her,
But she was no one of mine.

She valiantly battled all the brutalisation and all the troubles,
But she was no one of mine.

One fine day, by relieving herself from this merciless life of hers,
She got a relief from all that brutalisation and all those troubles,
But she was no one of mine.

Suddenly now, after so long,
With all that brutalisation and troubles earlier heaped upon her,
I have developed a deep hatred towards a wretched person,
And this deep hatred in me is compelling me to revolt,
But she was no one of mine.

How I wish! Long ago in that valiant battle of hers,
I too had participated like a braveheart,
And how I wish! Today after vanquishing that wretched person ,
She was amongst all of us.

This desire is now really bothering me,
But she was no one of mine.

Taking off from Copenhagen...

The basic issue at Copenhagen was whether an adequate global response to climate change should be achieved, through enhanced implementation by all countries of their commitments under the existing agreements, or whether a new agreement should be negotiated to reduce the commitments of the developed nations, by shifting a large share of their responsibilities to the shoulders of the developing nations. The developed nations were pressing for replacing the Kyoto Protocol with a new agreement, designed to impose new legally binding commitments on developing nations.

The two existing international agreements on climate change - the Framework Convention and the Kyoto Protocol, are said to be based on concepts of equity and environmental justice. Developed nations are said to be primarily responsible for causing climate change, and moreover, they have a much greater financial and technological capability to respond to respond to climate change. It is thus attributed to them that, in accordance with the principle of “common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities”, they are required to implement time bound emission reduction commitments, and contribute financial and technological support, to the developing nations to enable them address climate change.

Developing nations, as per some section of the opinion, should have no legally binding commitments. Their mitigation actions should be of a voluntary nature and should be conditional on receipt of adequate financial support to cover incremental costs. And of course, since these actions are of a voluntary nature, they should not be subject o any form of review or verification.

Leaving the merits/demerits of the above for the time being, certain facts which merit or immediate attention of every nation in the world cutting across categorizations/blocs are :

a) When the climate change ultimately threatens the very survival of millions in both the developing and the developed nations, notwithstanding the fact that the latter are relatively better positioned as of now, to meet such challenges, is it worthwhile and wise now to waste more time by insisting upon shifting the burden and responsibilities mainly on the developed nations, to undertake the necessary mitigation actions, irrespective of the merits/demerits of the case ? None of the developed nations have really absolved themselves of their own share of responsibilities to meet the challenge of climate change, and

b) Have all the nations across the world including the developing ones undertaken such basic steps within their limited resources and capabilities, such as developing super critical technologies to drastically reduce emissions from thermal power plants and other highly polluting industries, enactment and strict compliance of laws to keep over polluting vehicles off the roads, due encouragements to the private sector to innovate environment friendly technologies and products, strict ban on the use of plastics and other environmentally hazardous materials ( where ever feasible as of now), extensive use of algae and other bio organisms to prevent waterbodies from getting polluted, due encouragement to the use of non conventional sources of energy, increasing the green cover by making it mandatory for every residential and commercial unit to have ‘X ‘number of trees/plantations per unit of open space available , and last but not the least making appropriate rainwater harvesting structures mandatory and non negotiable at each and every building etc etc ?

Such measures do not call for any significant financial and technological support, and the developing nations especially, can do the needful on their own as part of their moral commitment to save our planet from unmitigated disasters. And all this without in any way jeopardising their overall growth prospects. Needless to add, the same apples to the developed nations as well.

These critical minimum efforts taken voluntarily by nations across the world , including the developed ones, would be that first Giant Milestone in ensuring sustainable development , besides of course significantly reducing the threats posed to mankind due to climate change, and environmental degradation.

Once such a Giant Milestone is reached by every nation which considers its moral obligation to do its best to save our planet, without in any way compromising on its growth prospects and sovereignty, could the debate on legally biding emission targets, financial and technological assistance, from the developed nations merit any significance.

This may sound utopian, but its practical too given the kind of nerve wrecking deliberations which took place at Copenhagen.

In this context, the suggestion by the US at Copenhagen that all countries should take domestic actions as they like, and then pledge them together, in an international accord, and have a common level of international scrutiny of their work on mitigation assumes significance and relevance.

And of course, the Copenhagen accord which has agreed to cuts in emissions and hold increase in global temperature below 2 degree celcius, doing away with any binding commitments on emissions reduction, making it incumbent upon the emerging economies to monitor their efforts and report the results to the United Nations every two years with some international checks to meet the transparency concerns of the West, but ensuring the national sovereignty is respected, is adequate and appropriate as of now.

But in the interests of mutual trust and confidence between the nations, let this applicable to all the nations cutting across categorization and blocs.

Once this stage is reached, perhaps it would be time to reflect upon the need to fix emission targets, as well as determining the extent of financial and technological support required to reach the next Giant Milestone, which is bringing the global temperatures back to what existed in the pre industrialization era.

Till then, its time now for each nation to set its house in order, and do its best within its capabilities and resources, to save our planet and millions of our fellow citizens of the world, from unmitigated disasters.

You came in my dreams....

According to a feedback, I am getting too serious where my posts to this blog are concerned. So I thought of breaking this monotony, and posting something lively.

This is my work again ( seriously again, no pun intended). No prizes for guessing when I wrote it.

Well, to those who are yet to figure that out, let me concede, this was when I was in college. How's that ???

Let me know what you feel about these (ex) feelings of mine. Cheers !!!


"You came in my dreams last night,
No issues, it's all right.

The weather was airy,
and you looked like a fairy.

I asked you for a dance,
You said ' forget it, no chance.'

But I could not resist the temptation,
I held your cheeks and kissed you,
Believe me, that was my salvation.

When I woke up, it was all over,
Yes, this is something, I'll always remember."

An Open Letter to The Hon'ble Chief Justice of India

A year after one of the most terrifying terrorist attacks on our soil, when we were rudely jolted from the self imposed slumber, it is time for introspection and reflection once again.

The question uppermost in our minds should be “ Are we any safer than what we were a year ago, and most importantly being on the receiving end of Pakistan sponsored terrorism for over two decades now, how determined is our political and bureaucratic apparatus to take on this menance head on, mustering all our political, diplomatic, and economic muscle to begin with, to root it out once in for all?”

No doubt much has happened since the past one year, the most notable change has been, the change of guard at the Union Home Ministry. One wonders why we had to suffer so many terror attacks and bear the loss of countless innocent lives, to finally show the door to the former incumbent who has been the biggest disaster for the UPA government‘s previous term?

We are being reassured time and again by our political leadership, that things are different now. However if the joint statement at Sharm El Sheikh, which created jitters at home, and perhaps made the Pakistanis laugh below their breath, as well the kind of vulnerability so pathetically displayed by our intelligence and law enforcing agencies in the recent fight against Naxalism are any indications, then the resolve and determination of our political leadership to address our internal security issues, leaves a lot to be desired.

Today, as we pay homage to those whose lives were tragically cut short a year ago in Mumbai including our valiant martyrs from various forces, empathize with those who have been maimed for life, as well as share the grief of those who have been bereaved by the tragic loss of their loved ones, we need to ensure that these sacrifices do not go in vain. Thus, it is highly incumbent upon each one of us to be on our toes, and once again remind ourselves of the dangers which have become a part of our lives. Needless to add, we do need to compel our political masters as well, to be on their toes.

Let us not forget that in the end, it is our lives, and the lives of our loved ones which are on stake. Those who are well protected with X,Y,Z class security, are the priviledged lot, and we can count on hem to utter politically palatable platitudes, and look for photo opportunities after such disasters.

The following letter was written by me a year ago, and though out dated, is now being reproduced in this blog, just to serve as reminder to all of us, that we just can’t be complacent anymore.

May the souls of all those who lost their lives a year ago rest in peace, and may the Almightly grant courage to those who have been maimed and to those who have been bereaved.

Hon’ble Mr. Justice K.G. Balakrishan,
Chief Justice of India,
Supreme Court of India,
Tilak Marg,
New Delhi – 110001. Dated 2nd December, 2008


Your Lordship,

Subject: Securing our Nation

I am pleased to introduce myself as a Delhi based fellow citizen, who has been observing with great interest and gratitude, the various landmark judgements pronounced by our higher judiciary, especially the Honorable Supreme Court , which have had a significant bearing on the lives of common citizens like me.

With a great amount of distress and agony, I am writing this letter to your goodself.

Although no amount of policing or the military might of any country in the world can prevent terrorist attacks on their soil altogether, yet the spate of terrorist attacks in our country last year, across various cities, and then with a mini war which was declared on our financial capital Mumbai, have made us wonder , if India is indeed that soft state as made out to be ?

For we common citizens who are not privy to the various decision making process in the higher echelons of our bureaucratic and security apparatus, the only source of information for us is through the media. And six months later post 26/11, we are yet to come across any decisive action plan to combat this menance, which has grown by leaps and bounds over the past few months. Yes, we are also quite fed up with the oft quoted phrases like,

“ Please maintain calm, this was a cowardly act, we will take strong action,” etc etc. or for that matter routinely blaming Pakistan, for its support to such attacks, or its inability to stop such attacks on our nation.

Yes, it is quite easy for the government to use the veil of secrecy in national interests in order to avoid spelling out the exact steps being taken to avoid an encore of 26/11, but then can our political masters give us a guarantee that it will not be repeated ? If no, then we the citizens do have a right to know how are we better off today as compared to Nov ‘2008, where our safety is concerned .

Without going into the merits behind the suspicion on Pakistan, let us admit the fact that there was a growing perception amongst some of us that the former incumbent in the Union Home Ministry at the time of the attack, was a totally incompetent person to occupy such a sensitive post, who was there, all thanks to the patronage he got from the powers that be of his particular political party. While no one expected him to shout at the top of his voice after every terror attack, yet at the very least , one did expect at least some innovative and imaginative steps to counter such acts of terror. In fact, some of his utterances in the past especially on issues relating to Pakistan and Afzal Guru have made one wonder, if he really was our Union Home Minister who was obsessed with the overall deterioration in the law and order scenario, not only with reference to terrorism but also the unabated violence in the naxal effected areas, besides of course the usual acts of crime across the country which makes headlines every now and then ?

Yes, while the subsequent change in the Union Home Ministry was welcome, though too late, the moot point which merits attention is that “ Is there no accountability for our political Executive, and should things come to such a pass that the high command has to step in and ask for the resignation of any of its non performing minister ? “ We hope that now things would be different especially where the accountability of the ministers are concerned.

Of course , it would be too much to ask for a moral conviction from the Ministers these days, who would gracefully step down the moment, there are serious questions in the minds of the public regarding their suitability to their respective posts.

Yes , this is not to suggest that just with the change of one individual, things would improve overnight. But at least, it is expected that hopefully, with a competent person at the helm of the affairs, the necessary steps would be taken to overhaul the internal security apparatus, to make things much better as what prevails today.

What adds to the agony of every citizen, is the usual announcement after every terrorist strike, that there were some intelligence inputs giving advance warning against a possible terror strike. In fact, in the second page of Economic Times dated 28th November 2008, there was a mention that both our NSA, and the Union Home Minister Mr. Shivraj Patil had warned on the terror outfit’s game plan to infiltrate through the sea route and target vital installations along the coast.

The front page of Hindustan Times dated 1st December carries a newsitem, “ Mumbai attack warning came a year ago” in which it is clearly mentioned that our intelligence agencies had information at least a year ago that the Pakistan based jehadi outfit Lashkar e Tayyeba, was planning to attack Mumbai’s five star hotels after coming to the city via sea. This was disclosed by Fahim Ahmed Ansari , a LeT operative arrested from Uttar Pradesh.

Then the front page of the same newspaper dated 2nd December states “26/11 could have been stopped”. In the said newsitem, it is clearly stated that on September 18th, September 24th, and on November 19th R&AW received various intercepts from the Lashkar e Tayeeba, which revealed their plans to attack some hotels in Mumbai including the Taj, and that that the attackers would be using the sea route. The newsitem further states that R&AW passed on the information contained in each intercept on the very day to the centralized intelligence group set up by the National Security Advisor. What happened subsequently is still a mystery.

Such newsitems, only add as that proverbial salt on our wounds. Who is to be held accountable for no action taken on such intelligence inputs ? The Coast Guard, Navy, Mumbai Police, or the Union Home Ministry ?

Secondly, are such kind of warning just taken with a pinch of salt, as is obvious with the events subsequently ? And above all, if Mr, Patil himself had the kind of information about such kind of an attack, did he consider his responsibility to be over after delivering that warning ? What was his or his ministry’s follow up subsequent to that warning ? If nothing, then what is the use of maintaining such kind of a bureaucratic apparatus ?

There is no use blaming the elements from Pakistan trying to sabotage peace and harmony of our country, to cover for our lack of preparedness and willingness to tackle the same. on a timely basis . Furthermore, there is also no point in taking up the matter with the Pakistani Government , as their capability as well as the necessary motivation to address our concerns could be doubted quite easily. Rather, a much better strategy would be to effectively combat the situation before it can create such kind of a havoc thereby raising the cost considerably for any such elements across the world, who may have such evil designs on our country

Your Lordship, though there is a talk of a creating a Federal Agency in India, to tackle the menance of terrorism, what we are conveniently forgetting is the fact that, any agency is as good or as bad as the overall competencies, attitude, motivation, and the state of preparedness of that particular agency. There is no dearth of intelligence agencies and law enforcing agencies at present, either at the central or the state levels. What seems to be lacking are the competencies, motivation, priorities, right infrastructure and equipment, and above all a perfect coordination between them, where sharing of intelligence inputs is concerned and subsequent follow ups to ensue that the end objective of securing our nation is realized.

I distinctly recall reading a newsitem sometime back, regarding a naxal attack at a police post in a town in Madhya Pradesh, where the policemen on duty did not offer any resistance at all, and on the contrary allowed the naxals to loot the weapons and ammunition which was otherwise meant to be used against those very naxals. Assuming this report to be authentic, who should be sharing the blame for this incident ? Certainly, this was not an isolated incident.

What we need to first evaluate and identify, are the various inefficiencies in the existing set of intelligence and law enforcing agencies , and rectify the same. To take a typical case, there are reports of political interference in the working of some of such existing agencies , by some unscruplous politicians, who are hell bent upon fulfilling their own interests by mindless pursuit of votebank politics etc, at the cost of our nation’s security. This is indeed a serious issue which needs to be addressed by a determined political leadership at the earliest.

What’s the use of creating more agency/ies, if we are not able to ensure that they would be able to function efficiently, effectively, and without any political affiliations or interferences ?

Above all, assuming that the reports of previous warnings of such terrorist attacks are indeed authentic, then one thing which comes out quite clearly, is the lack of coordination between the various agencies, and the defense units, coupled with the total indifference to such warnings, the result of which is there for all to see.

Who all are being held accountable for such irresponsibilities, and what is being done prevent a reoccurrence of such lapses in the future ? It would be better to reflect upon such issues, before we decide upon another agency to tackle the challenge of national security.

Now even if a Federal Agency is created, what is the assurance that it will deliver or will be allowed to deliver the end objectives effectively, efficiently, and impartially, and not be just a waste of the taxpayer’s money ? It would help if a serious consideration is given to this question beforehand.

Then, it is really disgusting to see some of our politicians both active and inactive, making a vulgar display of the kind of security apparatus, which they have been given, at the cost of we taxpayer’s money and at the cost of we tax payers’ security.

This needs to be rationalized. The state should extent the security cover only to those highly placed government servants, ministers, or any such important serving authorities like some of the senior members of our judiciary, against whom there is credible intelligence input of a threat to life from a either a terrorist outfit or any antisocial elements etc. Furthermore, the kind of minimum essential security cover that needs to be extended, on a case to case basis, should also be a decided upon judiciously.

Once that person ceases to be in office, or service, such facility should be reviewed, and be continued only if there are compelling reasons with specific respect to the overall law and order situation in the city, state or country. And if not, then such security should be withdrawn, and the affected individual could engage a private security at his own cost. Why should we taxpayer’s pay for the same now and at the cost of our own security?

Your Lordship, it would be naïve to suggest that this would be the last terror attack on our soil. But for God's sake now at least, let us realize the fact that we are at war with the terrorists, and declared an all out war, besides getting into the right preparations on political, diplomatic, and security related fronts on a war footing, so that we can meet any such eventually with relative ease, as and when it occurs in the future.

There is no use spending obscene amount of money in our defense preparedness and procuring the most sophisticated weapons to defend our borders, while remaining vulnerable to such highly motivated terrorists who are able to make a complete mockery of our intelligence agencies, and security apparatus.

And finally, after the late Inspector M.C. Sharma it was the turn of the high-profile chief of the anti-terror squad Hemant Karkare , and Mumbai's additional commissioner of police (east) Ashok Kamte, and encounter specialist Vijay Salskar to be martyred. While the late Hemant Karkare perhaps misjudged the situation, and took off his bullet proof vest which proved fatal shortly after, it appears that probably the other two were without such protective gear at the time of attack on them, while they were at the scene of the encounter. Yes, this issue also applies in the case of others as well who were martyred in this operation.

One wonders, what's really wrong with our systems, or procedures that we have to pay such a heavy price, and that too unnecessarily, during such combat operations ? Their lives are very precious to all of us, and our nation as a whole would suffer by losing such gems. Could the authorities take notice of this fact now at least, and develop proper procedures to minimize if not totally prevent such avoidable causalities during such encounters ?

Isn’t it a wonder that after Sept 11, 2001 the US hasn’t had a single terrorist strike on its soil, while we, the oldest victim of terror since 1989, are still keeping our fingers crossed, wondering which city is next to be targetted ?

Your Lordship, if you do agree with my feelings and sentiments as expressed in this letter of mine, then perhaps, one fine day we could witness a directive from the Honourable Supreme Court directing our Executive to get its act in order, and be self reliant at least where the ability of our nation to protect the life and property of its citizens is concerned, besides of course preventing any perception in the world community that India is not a safe place to do business, something which could have dire consequences for our overall progress and development.


Most Respectfully,


Navneet Dhawan

The significance of Messers Raj Thackeray

Raj Thackeray and his MNS have been in the news for all the wrong reasons. They have become synonymous with vandalism, lawlessness, and a sheer nuisance value for all those who’d rather prefer peace and orderliness, without really bothering to identify the simmering discontent beneath. This discontent is mainly due to the shrinking job opportunities in the place of their domicile, and above all, being threatened by the so called ‘outsiders’ from other states of the Indian Union, who because of lack of progress, and relative underdevelopment in these other states, are out to grab even the limited job opportunities in place of their domicile.

The frontpage of Sunday Times (Delhi edition), dated 15th November, carried a news item “Recruit only Marathis, MNS warns SBI”.

The moment I read the headline, I said to myself, “Oh No! What a pest these MNS goons are. I wish someone had the guts to set them right.” But after going through the entire newsitem, I was somehow compelled to change my stance of an avid hater of Messers Raj Thackeray, to a reluctant admirer of a shrewd politician, who was very cleverly exploiting the most pressing need of his target audience, albeit in a highly controversial way.

Yes, what can be more important for any individual today, than a stable job, which is a source of steady income, which a PSU like SBI could provide ?

The newsitem further said, “ On Saturnday (14th November), a group of MNS activists led by MLA Bala Nandgaonkar, submitted a letter to the SBI recruitment cell in the city, urging it to give preference to the locals. They argued that if there were a state quota of 1100 vacancies, all of it should go to the locals.” Furthermore, MLA Bala Nandgaonkar was quoted, “ Why should people from other states be allowed to come to Maharashtra and give exams? They can appear for the test in their respective states.”

Prima facie, there is much merit in these two assertions of MNS. For an All India exam for 11,000 vacancies across the country, there is no justification whatsoever to counter these two assertions. Perhaps, the senior management of SBI could throw some light on their stand on the same.

This standoff, highlights a deeper malaise confronting our nation today. And that is, of a great divide that exists between the respective states, especially where the overall progress and development is concerned.

Maybe due to corruption, political indifference, populism, aimed at bankrupting the state’s coffers to win votes somehow, etc etc the relative backwardness of BIMARU (Bihar, MP, Rajasthan, and UP) states as compared to the icons of development like Maharashtra and Gujrat deserves serious attention.

If I were an aspirant for such a coveted job of a PSU like SBI, and from Maharashtra , I would hate the site of my fellow countrymen from such BIMARU states sitting next to me in the examination hall, and threatening to grab that job in my own place of domicile. Let all the sermons of ‘merit based selection criteria’ etc be for those, whose two square meals a day are assured, and their children don’t face an uncertain future.

“ If the political leadership of BIMARU states have been and are being, corrupt incompetent and indifferent, then does it mean that I being a resident of a highly progressive state, have to pay for it by forgoing the limited job opportunities in my own state just to accomodate those migrating from such backward states ?”

I am sure this would be the question uppermost in the minds of most job aspirants from a state like Maharashtra.

It is worthwhile to recall that recently, a leading politician from Madhya Pradesh, echoed “Raj Thackeray line” while pressing for preference to the locals in recruitments to various jobs available in the state. That he had to later change his stance by saying that people from other states like Bihar etc were also welcome to Madhya Pradesh, is another matter.

If the alarming threat of Naxalism, which has its support base among those marginalized sections of our society, who have been denied the fruits of our progress and development, is any indication, then it is high time that our political leadership in general, and the political executives of our states, wake up to this challenge of addressing regional disparities in development and general climate for overall progress, before it is too late. We just cannot afford any unrest among our citizens, which can threaten peace and stability of the nation as a whole.

Of course, another significant byproduct of such development related initiatives would be, that politicians like Raj Thackeray would be marginalized, and would lose their relevance in no time.

Time for Revival of 'Jai Jawan Jai Kissan' Slogan

Since the past few days, the news and the visuals beamed by a television channel, relating to suicides by some farmers in Andhra Pradesh, and the plight of some helpless widows in some remote villages of Uttar Pradesh who were struggling to keep their bodies and souls together, all due to the failed monsoons and drought like situation , shook me badly. Perhaps, there are many such tragedies across rural India, which have not caught the attention of the media, but nevertheless do deserve our attention.

Sixty two years after Independence , some of our farmers are still under the mercy of raingods ! A telling indictment of our policy makers and political leadership. Notwithstanding the impressive claims made by our respected Prime Minster and the Union Minister for Agriculture not long ago, regarding their assessment of the situation initially, and steps like NREGA being taken to counter the same, the fact of the matter remains, that some farmers who used to toil day and night to bring food to our tables at affordable prices, were driven to end their lives, leaving their helpless families at the mercy of God Almighty. Some of our rural folk who are dependent upon agriculture for their livelihood are literally on the edge. All due to a failed monsoon this time.

This brought back memories of suicides by more than 500 farmers in Vidarbha in Maharashtra just last year, due to failed cotton crops. After handing over compensation cheques to the bereaved families, and the much hyped loan waiver scheme announced in last year’s budget, the political leadership perhaps thought that their job was over.

While drought proofing of our agriculture may seem to be a tall order for our nation today, but what is amazing is that , is it too much to expect due importance to be accorded to the agriculture sector, especially to the marginal framers whose very existence can be threatened just by one failed crop or one failed monsoon ? Are our District Administrations headed by District Magistrates incapable or unwilling or both , to identify such vulnerable sections of our rural economy ,within the areas under their respective jurisdictions, and keep the higher ups in the state administration updated of the state of affairs alongwith suggested remedial actions from time to time ? Are the state governments incapable of taking timely measures to handle such alarming situations before it gets out of hand , instead of the Chief Ministers rushing to the Prime Minister when the damage is done, with huge demands to bail out their farmers from distress ? And above all, after the Vidarbha suicides not so long ago, was there any initiative thought and implemented to prevent such reoccurrence in the future, by our Prime Minister or the Union Agriculture Minister ?

Surely enough, answers to these questions would require great amount of introspection within the political leadership at all levels, cutting across party affiliations, states and districts, besides of course within our bureaucratic apparatus.

At the very least, we should stop taking the rains for granted , and before the onset of monsoons every year, the entire politico – bureaucratic apparatus right from the Central, State, and district levels, should be geared up to face failed monsoons.

Yes, today our buffer stocks of food grains can meet the shortfall in production this year, and we can even shop abroad to feed our teeming millions should the need so arise. But then, do we not need to feed the farmer who feeds us everyday ? If our indifferent approach to the plight of framers continues, and our political leadership at all levels , besides our bureaucratic apparatus, wakes up only after the damage is done as witnessed this time, and worse still, if they refuse to take lessons from one set of disasters in the preceeding years , as witnessed by the approach after Vidarbha suicides, then the day is not far when foodgrains would rival oil in our import bills.

Time for a revival of “ Jai Jawan Jai Kissan “ slogan with a renewed vigour before it is too late.

As a footnote, let me add that my previous posts below , substantiate the need for the “Jai Jawan” component of the above slogan.

Our Tricolour

" Our Tricolour flies in the sky,
And I hold my head high.

The air around me is full of action,
Keeping our Tricolour is a state of perpertual motion.

I know we are celebrating our Independence Day,
In more than one way.

But I just hold my head high,
Not only to salute our Tricolour up in the sky.

Today we all pledge to ourselves,
That our Tricolour would fly higher than high.

After all, we the people of India ,
Can show to the whole world,
What it means, to aim higher than high."

http://www.blogcatalog.com/directory/writing

Kargil - A Decade Later

On the eve of the tenth anniversary of our victory in the Kargil war, one question which begs an answer is “ Can the nation be reassured that there would be no more Kargils in the future, even though the former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf, has gone on record saying, that “ Till the Kashmir issue is not resolved , more Kargils cannot be ruled out.”

These words coming from non other than the chief architect of Kargil war, should not be dismissed as yet another statement aimed at playing up to the gallery.

While reflecting back ten years ago, what is indeed astonishing, is the kind of bon homie we witnessed in Indo Pak relationship , just three months before we went to war to counter the infiltration by the Pakistani Army across our side of the LoC, with a clear mandate to cut off Leh from Srinagar by targeting NH 1.

The much hyped bus ride ferrying some of our VVIPs across the Wagah border, turned out to be an exercise in self deception, as it became clear later on , that hectic preparations were going on simultaneously for the Kargil Misadventure by the Northern Light Infantry Regiment of the Pakistan Army..

Political naivety apart, the Kargil war proved it beyond doubt, that our entire intelligence machinery was woefully ill prepared to detect the movement across the LoC, and above all, our mission in Islamabad perhaps also miserably failed to notice the hectic military activity close to the LoC. The price which the nation paid for such pathetic show of incompetence was especially in terms of loss of precious lives of some of our finest youth, who in the highest traditions of our armed forces, took on the enemy from a severely disadvantaged position, and in the most inhospitable climate with freezing temperatures at night. It goes to their credit that they ultimately managed to evict the intruders, at the cost of huge sacrifices made by them.

The ruling NDA alliance celebrated the victory by calling it “Vijay Diwas” , but failed to fix responsibilities on those who had miserably failed in discharging their duties to detect such intrusions on a timely basis, besides of course offering an answer to the nation, on what went wrong in their overall assessment of the intentions of the Pakistani leadership vis a vis India, and to what extent was our mission in Islamabad was to be held accountable for such lapses.

Sadly enough, answers to such questions are still awaited. That we were no better off at least till November 2008, especially where our overall abilities and capabilities to thwart off such nasty surprises from Pakistan were concerned, needs no further elaboration. Add to the fact the mass killings of our police personnel by the Maoists, which of late have become routine news, exposes the utter state of our helplessness to tackle such threats from within as well.

Such balant example of political indifference towards our overall security (both internal and external) environment , and absence of any clear strategy and vision to preempt any nefarious designs from across our borders aimed at creating mayhem in our soil, is alarming indeed, and does not inspire much confidence amongst ordinary citizens, regarding the security of our lives and our borders.

Yes, we are indeed proud of our defence personnel , who could be counted upon to meet any challenge or threat to our security and sanctity of our borders/LoC. But then, do we need to tolerate a totally inept and incompetent bureaucratic and intelligence apparatus, alongwith a relatively indifferent political leadership, just because some of the brightest youth of the nation, who too have loved ones back home, and who perhaps despite stiff opposition from their families, chose to serve our motherland through our defence forces, and are even prepared to make the supreme sacrifice, should the need so arise ?

A serious nationwide debate, and a sincere introspection on this issue, alongwith a changed mindset, and priorities at the level of our political leadership and bureaucratic intelligence apparatus on this front, would be a true homage to all those who had to lay down their lives at the prime of their youth, for the sake of our motherland and we citizens of India, just because of the incompetence or overall indifference of some powers that be.

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Education Reforms

The proposal by Mr. Kapil Sibal to make the class X board exams optional, and then ultimately doing away with class XII exams as well, is prima facie quite pragmatic. Instead he has proposed a grading system to evaluate the performance of the students. Among the reasons cited by him include the fact, that such board exams are traumatizing to the students, and the purpose of education should not be to traumatize any student.

I am sure that those of us are in their late thirties and beyond would recall that the first tryst with examinations we faced, was while in the kinder gardens itself , at a tender age of five or six. Besides the much potent threat of ‘failing’, and the social stigma attached with it, we also had to contend with rankings right since those days itself. Those who were among the last ten rankers in the class, were virtually treated as outcastes by others, while those among the top five rankers were looked upon with awe, with everyone clamouring to be among their close friends.

Such tough and often difficult academic environment with all its ‘so called negative impact or traumatizing effect’ on we kids those days, in fact toughened us besides familiarizing us with the concept of competition, right since our primary school itself. Further manifestation of such ‘competitive spirit’ was revealed on the play ground, and during sporting events in school, where the winners or the champions were adored and applauded , while the runners up had to contend with a few claps, forget about the rest who failed to make any mark at all.

Such kind of ‘baptism by fire’ right since a tender age of five or six, in fact enabled us to develop the right perspective and attitudes whole facing this omnipresent element of competition in our later years, be it in school, college, or in our professions.

Today, the extent of competition had increased manifold in every sphere of one’s life over the past few decades, and is likely to maintain its momentum in the years to come. Sadly enough, so has the extent of distractions available kids these days, have grown manifold than what we were bothered with as kids decades ago, and this too is also likely to maintain its momentum in the years to come. Witness the exponential growth in the number of TV channels , video games, websites, and other electronic gadgets which the kids these days are getting addicted to. Of course, while children today need to be technologically savvy and well aware , but they need to tread a fine line between what is beneficial and what can be harmful.

If unchecked such kind of addictions could severely dent the overall focus and mindset of the children these days. The school exams, and especially the board exams act as a strong counterforce to such distractions today, as the fear of failure or sub standard performance which could then adversely impact the prospects of getting admissions in reputed colleges and other institutions , is sufficient for serious students to concentrate and focus on their studies.

Now, by making the board exams optional , and doing away with them subsequently, aren’t we robbing the students of a powerful incentive to focus on studies, and kindle that sprit of competition within them ? If yes, then how do we expect them to sustain and endure the dog eat dog kind of competition later on their lives and especially in their professional lives later on, and which is likely to get fiercer by the day ?

Of course, it is assumed here that the grading system as proposed as an alternative would not be able to fulfill such requirements.

Yes, what is required is a change in the quality of questions which are administered during the school exams. Rather than testing the ability of the student to merely memorize a few facts, the examinations should test the comprehension and analytical powers of the students, a trait critically required during the later part of any student’s life.

While we certainly need to reform our education system, doing away with examinations and rankings are certainly not called for, as it would make the present and future generations of kids more vulnerable to evergrowing distractions in their lives, besides of course denying them any powerful and effective motivation to focus and concentrate in their studies, in order to excel academically, and have the skills and confidence to compete internationally, and especially when they enter their respective professions later on.

Why MJ couldn't do this ?

Even though I am no die hard fan of Michael Jackson, yet I have always been fascinated by him , as he had the guts to give himself a different look altogether , than what he had been endowed with genetically, and yet managed to raise himself to the status of a demi god in the field of entertainment.

Talent apart, what Michael had in him was a quest to win over the imagination of the world by his unconventional and implanted looks, as well as by pioneering a style in his music and performances , which became a trademark on their own.

However, despite such marvellous feats in his professional life, he also managed to stun his fans across the world in equal measure, by making a complete mess of personal life, which eventually led to his untimely and tragic demise.

According to the media reports, his overdependence upon the highly potent painkillers and other such powerful drugs, ultimately proved to be his nemesis. But on a deeper reflection, it would become apparent, that the very horse named ‘success’ on which he so merrily rode upon unchallenged, and to everyone’s envy and awe, went out of control , and ultimately ‘fell from a cliff taking its rider along with it’

One wonders, was it too much for him to announce his retirement after getting more than everything in life, and then live a long life like a commoner and devote his life to some worthy social causes like AIDS, environment etc ??

Reforms Required in our Defense Services

The crash of the Soviet origin AN 32 of the IAF has once again highlighted the grave threats to the lives of our defense personnel, who are constantly battling a formidable enemy within, in the form of either faulty or substandard equipment, or inadequate training to take on the mighty challenges in their day to day lives, while on duty.

Yes, danger or threat to lives is an inherent part of one's duty while serving in the defense forces, but then aren’t our systems, political leadership and bureaucracy aggravating the same, by not doing what is required, to lessen such dangers to a significant extent ?

Yes, an inquiry would be ordered into this incident, and the report would sooner or later join ranks with umpteen such inquiry reports, which inquired into various crashes in the past. And then it would be life as usual for all of us.

All those who lost their lives in this crash were young and promising youth of the nation, who had ambitious dreams to serve their motherland till age permitted. But tragically enough, these dreams were cut short so abruptly, leaving their bereaved families shattered for the rest of their lives.

It is high time that some reforms were initiated in the defense sector as well. Every incident, both during peace time and war, which leads to the death of any defense personnel on duty, should necessarily be followed with an inquiry commission , which should have a specific brief to suggest measures to prevent a repeat of the same in the future, besides thoroughly analyzing the cause behind the incident. The commission should submit this time bound report to the senior defense officials concerned including the chief of the staff, as well as the senior bureaucrats in the defense ministry.

Perhaps, in order to ensure that some concrete steps are taken to prevent a repeat of the same, recommendation and request for appropriate assistance from the defense minister should be put up jointly by the defense chiefs and the senior bureaucrats of the ministry. Specific recommendations should then be elevated to the cabinet level for the necessary approvals

The cabinet should also take the necessary steps on its own, by demanding a follow up action report from the defense minister on its approvals or any other serious incident such as this crash, matter which who inturn should source the same from the relevant defense chief, and so on.

Perhaps, even the Prime Minister’s office could be proactive on such matters and seek direct intervention of the defense minister to get into the details of such incidents which can have severely demoralize not only the existing serving defense personnel who may suffer from undue fear psychosis, but also from all the brilliant and promising high school students, who may be nursing ambitions to join our defense forces but would be facing stiff opposition in their families for obvious reasons

To begin with , the Prime Minister’s Office could seek a detailed report from the defense chiefs, on the issue of availability of quality spares for the equipments and weapon systems, capabilities available to ensure appropriate maintenance of the same, and available infrastructure for ensuring state of the art training of the defense personnel. This report should then be the basis for the reforms required, in the interests of our own security and of course maintaining the morale and motivation of our defense personnel at high levels, besides of course correcting the general perceptions about a career in defense forces among many parents who discourage their wards from venturing into the same.

And last but not the least, it should be the responsibility of the Defense Minister, to ensure that the past inquiry reports are not simply gathering dust, and are put to the right use by making the recommendations a part of the Standard Operating Procedures of the defense services.

Open Letter to Rahul Gandhi

Dear Rahul ji,

I am pleased to introduce myself as a forty five year old management professional based out of New Delhi. The historic mandate given to the Congress party in particular, and the UPA in general , is indeed a reflection of the kind of trust which we the people of India have vested upon the leadership abilities of Smt. Sonia ji, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh ji and your goodself.

At this point of time, I just can’t help but draw parallels between the overall mood of the nation in December 1984, when the Congress Party under the leadership of late Rajiv ji came to power with a highly convincing mandate, and the mood of the nation today, when we are confronted with various challenges, and have pinned up hopes upon the Congress led UPA to deliver us from the same.

There is hope, excitement, and renewed vigour, especially among the youth of the nation, about a new dawn , and a confidence to take up the challenges confronting us today.

Rahul ji, this mandate is also an indication of the kind of hope which we the people of India have placed upon the UPA government, to deliver an efficient, effective, transparent, and honest governance to the nation, without allowing anyone to exert undue pressure on the Congress party, to fulfill their selfish interests at the cost of national interests. Yes, the statesmanship skills of the Congress party would be put to test at times, as was reflected in the case of demands by the DMK, which eventually was sorted out amicably.

Going forward, the accountability of each Cabinet Minister has to be enforced in a manner similar to the one which prevails in the corporate sector. The 100 day action plan put forward by our Prime Minister, has to translate into well defined performance goals for each ministry, and the relevant Minister/s in charge , have to be held accountable for the accomplishment of the same. Anyone falling short of their respective accomplishments, need to meet the shortfalls within the next 100 days maximum , alongwith a commitment to meet new performance goals. The reasons for the shortfalls need to be investigated, and loopholes be identified and plugged permanently, to make way for the future. This could be a regular feature of the new governance practices of the present UPA government.

And yes, as our Prime Minster is committed to the effectiveness of the government, there should be zero tolerance towards constant non performers, irrespective of their overall status on the Congress party or its allies. On the other hand, those with the right attitude, and commitment to perform, should be given due encouragement by entrusting them with responsibilities, thereby grooming the leaders for tomorrow.

It would be a good idea to present a progress report to the nation every six months, via press releases, campaigning by the Congress party workers in their respective constituencies, and educating the electorate of such accomplishments on a periodic basis. By effectively doing so, much of your campaign strategy for the forthcoming assembly elections and the next general elections in 2014, would automatically be taken care of, and in way would also effectively blunt your opposition well in advance.

Rahul ji, there is no doubt about the fact that irrespective of the grand vision of the political leadership, its translation into an effective and efficient actionable programme, for the benefit of the intended beneficiaries, is possible only if the bureaucratic apparatus is highly motivated, professional in its outlook, and shares the vision of the political leadership. The practice of arbitrary transfers, encouragement of undue patronage by the bureaucrats of their political masters, are indeed major stumbling blocks in the effective realization of the vision of any political leadership. The mass transfers of the bureaucrats in UP just recently, from areas where the BSP had fared poorly in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections, is unique manifestation of the kind of rot which is being injected in our bureaucratic apparatus by some politicians, unmindful of the consequences.

Such arbitrariness on part of our political leadership has to stop. Its also high time that we introduced the much needed administrative reforms based upon the recommendations of some well known authorities on the same. Included is also a mention of the much needed Police reforms, which have been recommended in the past.

While the bureaucratic apparatus has to be subservient to the political leadership , yet there should be reasonable restrictions on the latter to prevent a virtual free for all kind of a situation, a classic example of which has been demonstrated in UP, as mentioned above.

Rahul ji, you have rightfully and deservingly earned our hope and expectations, for the future. And hence, we look forward to some innovative and path breaking actions from your end, which could motivate everyone, especially the youth of the nation, to work for a brighter tomorrow. Apart from what I have had to suggest so far, I would like to add that messages such as :

“ We have everything but time” “ Do today what can be done tomorrow, and just now what can be done today, “ “ Araam haraam hai” “ Forget talks. Show results” etc could be beamed to the nation in regular intervals, and in as many languages as possible to create the desired impact.

While the list of desirable actions could go on, I would now confine myself to just one more suggestion.

One of the pressing needs today for the nation as a whole, is to inculcate the fear of law in the right proportions. Yes our judiciary and our law enforcing agencies are doing a good job , despite their considerable limitations, yet we need to give a serious thought about reforms in our laws, our judiciary and law enforcing agencies. More specifically, there is a pressing need to prescribe harsher punishments for crimes such as - drug peddling, forgery, corporate fraud, rape, acid attacks, betraying and compromising the national interests, espionage etc.

We also need to upgrade the equipment, procedures, and morale of the police and paramilitary forces, who have often become easy targets of the naxals, terrorists, and other anti national elements. Above all , there is also a pressing need to upgrade our judicial set up to ensure speedier and relatively easier convictions.

While danger to life is apart of the job of our security agencies, yet we have to value their lives, and do everything possible to convince them that the nation cares for their precious lives and every drop of their blood. While the circumstances were totally different, yet we need to take lessons from the gruesome mutiny by Bangladesh Rifles some months ago.

God forbid, the day the realization dawns among some personnel of our law enforcing agencies that “ Why should I lay down my life? For whom and for what? “ that day we would be confronted with a challenge of unmanageable magnitude, which would take the winds off our sails.

Rahul ji, I wish you al the very best in all your efforts and vision, for a bright future ahead for our nation.

With Warm Regards

A New Dawn in Indian Politics

We the people of India, have proved to the world community that when it comes to the most prized and powerful priviledge granted to a citizen in a democracy, that is exercising the right to vote, our soundness of judgement matches the demands of our national interests.

Certainly, few could have imagined that in this hour of crisis in the world, which had had its ramifications in India as well, our electorate would unleash the most unxpected, but a highly desired revolution at the Centre, just by the click of a finger. Undoubtedly, the credit goes to the Gandhi family which has proved beyond doubt that they are the worthy inheritors of the mantle of their illustrious anscestors, and can carry their legacy forward, as well as to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who has silenced all his critics.

One can't forget the severe indignities heaped upon him by his principal opponents, as well as the bullying tactics so disgustingly displayed by messers Prakash Karat and company, who had held even our national interests to ransom. They have been shown their rightful place by our eledctorate. And of course, not to forget those regional chieftans, who nursed high ambitions at the centre, but could not go beyond their self interests at the cost of development, have also been shown their rightful place by the electorate.

The challenge before the UPA government now, is to rise to the occasion and fulfill the expectations of the electorate, by working ceaselessly to deliver the nation from various perils confronting us, chiefly in the wake of the severe economic crisis, and of course doing whatever possible to secure our citizens and the nation, from the various threats both within and outside our borders.

Finally, as rightly suggested by Dr. Manmohan Singh to Shri L.K. Advani, regarding a new beginning, let all the political parties , irrespective of their strength in the new Lok Sabha, come forward to work constructively in our national interests. While we the people of India do expect a responsible opposition at the parliament, we certainly do not wish to see a pathetic display of immaturity, mindless personal attacks, and an outrightly irresponsible behaviour from any of our elected representatives.

Sincerely,

Navneet Dhawan

New Delhi.

After Satyam - The Soul Searching

Much has been written about the Satyam fiasco, and the prime focus has been on the role of the auditing firm PwC, and the former independent directors who in any organization are actually dependent upon the powers that be, that is the owners of the organization. These powers that be are the ones, who dole out such favours to these distinguished individuals by getting them on board, and by conferring the much misunderstood nomenclature of ‘independent directors’.

Now, the latest twist in this whole episode has been the sensational arrest of two senior partners of the accounting firm PwC, for their alleged role in the scandal, which quite rightly has sent shock waves in the entire auditing community.

There are two ways of looking at the aftermaths of this episode :

1. That the former founder CEO and other powers that be, had the final word in the overall affairs of the organization, and by getting various distinguished individuals as independent directors and a well known auditing firm to audit its books of accounts, these powers that be were only replicating the practise of ‘celebrity endorsements’ in a different way, to boost the overall image of their organization. Of course, as is the case with celebrity endorsements of various products and services, it is a well known fact that the involvement of such celebrities is limited to the extent of photo shoots or ad film shoots, in return for a huge sum of money.

Generally, no one expects any such celebrities to actually believe what they are saying or doing in front of the camera. Now, if such an analogy is drawn between the auditors and the independent directors with such celebrities, then one would be tempted to absolve all the former independent directors and auditors of Satyam, for their acts of omission and commission, which in a way contributed to such a disaster.

Furthermore, like any true professional who is out in the market vending his services, these former independent directors and the auditors, delivered what they were asked to deliver by those who paid a price for the same. Thus, why should they now be held accountable for what has happened ? Let’s think of it , if any product or service endorsed by a celebrity is found to be substandard or not what has been claimed by those celebrities in front of the camera, then would these brand ambassadors be held liable and taken to task, or would the powers that be of those organizations be proceeded against and dealt with appropriately under the law for fraud, perjury, or misleading the public ?

It is worthwhile to recall another scandal involving ‘Home Trade’, which was endorsed by none other than Sachin Tendulkar and Hritik Roshan. While the owner/CEO of Home Trade, Sanjay Agarwal is perhaps cooling his heels behind the bars, his brand ambassadors are busy endorsing other products and services, in return for fancy sums of money. If this is acceptable, then on what grounds have the two senior auditors of PwC been arrested ? After all, they too were simply vending their services, and had to deliver what their paymasters wanted them to deliver in exchange for the price paid to them for the same. Hypothetically, had they refused to play the ball, they would have been replaced by another ‘service vendors’ who would have merrily played along.

According to this line of thought, the two senior partners of PwC could be arrested if any only if, they had doctored the books of accounts of Satyam, by keeping messers Ramalinga Raju and company completely in dark, which as everyone knows is not the case. At the most, the auditing company PwC in general and the relevent auditors in particular should he held accountable with the loss in credibility for not upholding the high ethical standards of their profession, and presenting the books of accounts as deemed appropriate by them in utter disregard to the dictates of their clients. Of course, they should not face any criminal liability for the same,


2. The other way of looking at into this episode is that, the former independent directors of Satyam as well as the auditors were willing accomplice in a crime perpetuated by messers Ramalinga Raju and company. Thus, as in the case of a planned murder, in which the mastermind hires contract killers to carry out the job, which eventually leads to a stringent punishment for both the mastermind as well as the contract killers who were just vending their services for a fee, in this case too all the three parties, that is, messers Ramlinga Raju , former independent directors, and the auditors should be proceeded against for a criminal liability for perpetuating such fraud.

If this line of thinking is adopted, then the arrest of the two senior partners on charges of fraud (Section 420 of the IPC) and criminal conspiracy (Section 120B of the IPC) can be totally justified. But then one wonders, how come the former independent directors have been able to get away by mere criticism, instead of being proceeded against in a similar way?

Now if this line of thinking were to be carried forward and made applicable in other aspects as well, then it would mean –

a) Holding every celebrity personally liable for any misrepresentation of facts in the advertisement featuring him/her,

b) Holding him/her personally responsible for any subsequent drawback in the product/service so endorsed

c) Holding every salesman personally liable for any ‘sales talk’ done for pushing the product/service

d) Every lawyer is to be held personally liable for any act of perjury committed by his /her client in the court of law,

e) Holding every Chartered Accountant personally liable for concealing the real income of his client while preparing and filing the latter’s income tax returns. It is a common knowledge that some clients give a ball park figure to their Chartered Accountants, beyond which their tax liablity should not exceed. Those Chartered Accountants then need to work backwards,

f) And above all, holding every politician personally liable for the overall failure of his/hr political party to fulfil the various promises made in the election manifesto just before the elections.

No matter how desirable or undesirable may be the above, the feasibility of putting the same in practice is very much in doubt.

While the Satyam fiasco has certainly led to a much needed awakening in the various grey areas of our corporate sector, and would certainly lead to the much needed changes for the better in the times to come, the most crucial aspect which is being missed out is :

Can any service provider, be it a lawyer, or a chartered accountant, or even an independent director , be expected to deliver as is currently made out to be, as long as they are at the mercy of the powers that be of those organizations , which give them their bread, butter, jam, besides the a coveted status in society ?

If not, then is it fair to crucify them like this, instead of just baying for the blood of the real powers that be like messers Ramalinga Raju and company, who were the real masterminds of such crime ?

Satisfactory answers to above, would call for a lot of introspection and soul searching.