JUST ASKING

Monsieur Hollande and Frau Merkel,

Are you guys sure you are taking in Refugees and not migrants? Refugees are temporary shelter seekers, who are running away from persecution, genocide or mass hunger. They have a desire to eventually return to their homeland one day. Migrants are here to stay to eventually became a sharer of your destiny, your jobs, your wealth, education, healthcare and general well-being. We know the refugee variety well for we have been a generous host to nearly ten million refugees from our Eastern neighbour, who were running away from mass-murders, rape, plunder and unspeakable horrors of oppression. They went back largely in a couple of years. India was an extremely poor country then, but we welcomed them with open arms and sent them off with heavy hearts. We shared our bread and land, our civic facilities, our pavements, hospitals, homes and school buildings. More importantly we shared their grief. That they keep coming back as illegal immigrants to participate in the prosperity of a growing economy is a different matter. We understand that this new influx is of illegal migrants and not of refugees and will deal with it some day, when we have a strong political will.

But, are you sure that the ten million that stand at your gates are mere refugees? Are you certain you will be able to persuade them to go back? Or, will their home countries ever be back to civilised existence, where women and children of these refugees be safe again? When this happened to us, we helped the millions by fighting militarily in their country to drive out the tyrants and made their land liveable once again. Can you do that? Do you have it in you to be an Indira Gandhi? She won an entire country for its people and gave it back to them. And she did it hands-on, not by some remote bombing raids.

Do you see this picture of a 5 paisa postage stamp labelled "Refugee Relief"? The whole country of India, every single one of the 650 million poor people of this great country paid this cess gladly for months and months on every letter and postcard they sent to their loved ones. This was done out of a common concern for the burden that this country was carrying in looking after the Bangla Deshi refugees. We did not close our doors on them, but opened the doors of their own motherland so that they could go back and live again with dignity and self-respect.

No, Mr. Hollande and no, Madam Merkel! You are not an Indira Gandhi. You are now guided by bleeding heart liberals, the nano-sized civil society that has the megaphones, the political colleagues in your neighbourhood, who are competing with each other to prove that their tears roll down faster for the tyrannised and tormented than those of the aggrieved themselves. The self-proclaimed intelligentsia has captured the mindspace of entire nations. They think on our behalf, they are outraged on our behalf and they feel hurt, aggrieved and wronged on our behalf. They now control the news and they direct the discourse on television, in seminars and in human rights bodies and NGOs. Indeed, they have usurped the entire mechanism of governance, policing and policy. And, they have done it with no popular mandate, no elections won and no participation in wider debate. They have done it in the reassuring crony-comfort of TV studios and conference halls, without lifting a finger of their own. They produce and consume news, they speak and hear themselves and applaud. They verily revel in this incest of thoughts.

We have begun to see that in India, but have you?

हाय मेरा बिहार

भारत के प्राचीन देश में मेरा राज्य बिहार
सबसे पहले यहीं बनी थी प्रजातंत्र सरकार
प्रजातंत्र सरकार विश्व की पथप्रदर्शिका
संस्कृति की औ' मानवता की मार्गदर्शिका

यही बिहार का राज्य रहा जो विश्वगुरु कहलाता था
विक्रमशिला और नालंदा, ज्ञान से गहरा नाता था
जब किंतु वे नष्ट हुए, उबर नहीं पाया अबतक
क्लांतिहीन हो गया राज्य जो ज्ञानपुंज का था रक्षक

नये देश ने उत्साहित हो बागडोर सँभाली थी
जैसे ही इस अँधियारे में राह निकलने वाली थी
तभी डँस गया नाग विषैला फिर घेरा अँधियारे ने
सूखा ठूँठ बस बचा जहाँ फूलों की सुंदर डाली थी

छात्र हुए हैं दिशाहीन, शिक्षक कर्त्तव्य से स्खलित हुए
मात-पिता अति चिंतित हैं, संतान-व्यथा से गलित हुए
याद करो मागध, वैशाली और जनक के वैभवकाल
गंगा से सिंचित ये धरती क्यों होती रहती बेहाल

लूट-खसोट और धमकी-बलवे दिनचर्या में आम हुए
अपहरण, फिरौती, बेदख़ली और कितने क़त्लेआम हुए
भ्रमित-भयातुर जन पशुओं की भाँति दुबके बैठ रहे
जातिवाद, लालच, हथियार प्रजातंत्र के दाम हुए

भ्रष्टाचार, निष्कर्म, निरर्थक-शासन, कुछ ना होता है
बेबस, मूक नागरिक बस अपनी क़िस्मत को रोता है
भई किसान की भूमि सूखी जो वृष्टि ने आँखें फेरीं
हर ग़रीब और हर किसान क़र्ज़ों का बोझा ढोता है

बुद्ध, महावीर की धरती तनिक शांति को रोती है
माँ बच्चों की क़िस्मत पर ना जगती ना सोती है
रक्षक भक्षक बन बैठे, अपनी रोटी हैं सेंक रहे
जनता वहीं चिता से लगकर ख़ाली पेटों सोती है

                    ---ooo---

टोपी-वापसी

दो गाँवों के बीच एक जंगल था। उस जंगल में एक ऊँचे-बड़े पेड़ पर अनेकों बंदर रहते थे। उनमें से कुछ अपने-आपको साहित्यकार कहते थे, तो कुछ कलाकार। कुछ वैज्ञानिक होने का दंभ भरते थे, तो कुछ फ़िल्म-निर्माता होने का दावा करते थे। वर्षों से गाँव वाले उस जंगल में नहीं जाते थे। इसलिये बंदरों को लोग भूल-सा गये थे। बंदर भी उपेक्षित महसूस कर रहे थे, या कहें कि आइडेंटिटी क्राइसिस नामक बीमारी से ग्रस्त हो चले थे।

एक दिन बंदरों को अपनी हालत सुधारने का मौक़ा मिल ही गया। एक टोपीवाला टोपियाँ बेचते-बेचते एक गाँव से दूसरे गाँव जा रहा था। उसने टोपियों से भरी टोकरी सिर पर उठा रखी थी। कंधे पर रोटी और गुड़ से भरी पोटली टँगी थी। रास्ते में टोपीवाले ने एक घना छायादार वृक्ष देखा तो सोचा क्यों न थोड़ा सुस्ता लूँ। ये वही बंदरों वाला पेड़ था। उधर जब बंदरों ने जब अर्से बाद एक आदमी को गुज़रते हुए देखा तो बड़े प्रसन्न हुए। जब टोपीवाले ने पेड़ के नीचे डेरा डाला तब तो बंदरों की बाँछें खिल गईं। पेड़ के नीचे बैठते ही थकान के कारण टोपीवाले की आँख लग गई।

बंदरों के सरदार ने आनन-फ़ानन में एक सभा बुलाई और फुसफुसाते हुए अपने साथियों से बोला - देखो, सालों से इस सुनसान जंगल में कोई नहीं आता। गाँववाले इधर का मुँह करते ही डरते हैं। अब इतने लंबे समय के बाद यह पथिक यहाँ आया है। चलो हम सब मिलकर इसकी इतनी सेवा करें कि हमारे आतिथ्य की चर्चा फैल जाये। गाँववाले फिर से इस रास्ते चलने लगेंगे और आते-जाते हम बंदों को दो-चार टुकड़े डाल दिया करेंगे। बंदर सरदार की बात सुनकर बड़े ख़ुश हुए। उन्हें सदा ऐसे मौक़े की तलाश रहती थी जिससे, उनकी पुरानी पहचान वापस मिल जाये, और खाने-पीने का कोई स्थाई इंतज़ाम हो जाये। अर्थात् पुरानी मुफ़्तख़ोरी की दुकान फिर से राशन बाँटने लगे।

लेकिन बंदर तो ठहरे आख़िर बंदर, चाहे वे साहित्यकार हों या वैज्ञानिक। उन्हें क्या पता मेहमान की आवभगत कैसे की जाती है। सबके सब नीचे उतरे और जैसे ही उनकी नज़र टोपीवाले की पोटली पर पड़ी, वे सारा संयम भूल गये और देखते ही देखते बेचारे टोपीवाले का सारा भोजन सफाचट कर गये। फिर उनकी नज़र टोपियों पर पड़ी। बंदरों ने एक-एक टोपी पहन ली और पेड़ की डालों पर जा बैठे। बंदरों की धमाचौकड़ी से टोपीवाले की नींद खुल गई।

आगे की कहानी आप जानते हैं कि कैसे एक बंदर की नक़ल करते-करते सारे बंदरों ने टोपियाँ वापस कर दीं। मेरा आपसे सिर्फ़ यह अनुरोध है कि हाल की पुरस्कार वापसी की घटनाओं से बंदरों की कहानी को न जोड़ें। बंदरों की भी भावनाएँ होती हैं।

                   ---ooo---

मनाओ दीपावली!

पिछली बार, जब रामचंद्र जी लंका से आये थे तब ऐसी दीवाली मनाई गई थी। इस बार छोटा राजन जी के स्वदेश-आगमन पर दीपोत्सव की तैयारियॉं हैं।

छोटा राजन ने अपने आपको गिरफ़्तार करने दिया, बड़ी मेहरबानी। छोटा राजन से मिलने इंडोनेशिया में अवस्थित भारतीय दूतावास के अधिकारी जेल गये। वही अधिकारी, जो दूतावास कार्यालय में सहायता के लिये गये भारतीय नागरिकों से सीधे मुँह बात तक नहीं करते, छोटा राजन से सींखचों के पीछे गुफ़्तगू करके आह्लादित हुए। घर आए तो पत्नी और बच्चों ने ऐसा स्वागत किया जैसे कि राजनयिक महोदय रणथंभोर का क़िला फ़तह करके आए हों।

"पापा, पापा, छोटा राजन ने कौन से रंग की टीशर्ट पहनी थी? टी वी पर तो पिंक लग रही थी, पर मैं सोच रही थी कि मरून होगी। आख़िर इतना मैचो आदमी पिंक क्यों पहनेगा भला?" बिटिया ने पूछा।

"और, पापा," राजनयिक का बेटा बोला, "छोटा राजन अंकल आपसे क्या बोले? यू मीन, उन्होंने आपसे डायरेक्ट बात की, फ़ेस टू फ़ेस? आप डरे तो नहीं, मेरे बहादुर पापा?"

तभी बच्चों की मम्मी बोल पड़ीं, "अरे नहीं बेटा, तुम्हारे पापा ऐसे छोटे-मोटे राजनों से डरने वाले थोड़े ही है! और सुनो जी, मोटे से याद आया, तुम्हें ऐसा नहीं लगा कि मिस्टर स्मॉल राजन ने थोड़ा वेट गेन कर लिया है? सुना है स्ट्रेस में ऐसा होता है।"

साहब बोले, "चलो, अब घर का खाना मिलेगा तो मिस्टर राजन की हेल्थ फिर सुधर जाएगी। वे बोल भी रहे थे कि ऑस्ट्रेलियाई बेस्वाद भोजन उन्हें बिलकुल सूट नहीं करता।"

बेटा झट से बोला, "हॉं मम्मी, छोटा राजन अंकल के लिये आर्थर रोड जेल में स्पेशल इंतज़ाम हो रहे हैं।"

मम्मी - तुझे कैसे पता?

बेटा - आज ही तो अर्नब अंकल बोल रहे थे, टी वी पर।

मम्मी अपने सपूत के जेनरल नॉलेज पर गर्व से फूल उठीं। पर बोलीं, "बेटा, तुम किसी को भी अंकल बोलने लगते हो। छोटा राजन जी की बात और है, पर ये अर्नब गोस्वामी कबसे तुम्हारा अंकल हो गया?"

फिर मैडम थोड़ा शर्माकर बोलीं, "सुनो जी, वो डिप्टी चीफ़ ऑफ़ मिशन की वाइफ़ मिसेज़ शर्मा बता रहीं थीं कि वो भी मिस्टर छोटा राजन से मिलकर आई हैं। तुम मुझे भी ले चलते तो कितना अच्छा रहता!"

साहब थोड़ा संकुचित हो गये और बोले, "दरअसल मुझे जल्दी में दफ़्तर से ही जेल जाना पड़ा। शर्मा जी तो घर जाकर कपड़े-वपड़े बदल कर गये, ऑकेज़न ही ऐसा था। तभी लग गई होंगी मिसेज़ शर्मा भी उनके साथ। अब तो कुछ हो भी नहीं सकता क्योंकि कल सुबह की फ्लाइट से ही छोटा राजन जी भारत जा रहे हैं।"

बेटा अपना सामान्य ज्ञान बधारते हुए बोला, "हॉं मम्मी, इंडिया से सी बी आई के बहुत सारे अंकल आए हैं राजन अंकल को रिसीव करने। सुना है कल उन लोगों ने बाली के किसी नाइट क्लब पर रेड भी डाली थी।"

मैडम बोलीं, "जाने दो, कोई बात नहीं। वैसे भी ये तो छोटा राजन था। लेकिन जब बड़ा राजन पकड़ा जाए तब याद रखना। सबसे पहले मैं जेल जाऊँगी।"

साहब ने बात गाँठ बाँध ली थी और फ़िर से चाय की चुस्कियाँ लेने लगे थे।

---ooo---

यह मुँह और मसूर की दाल?

आज प्रात: श्रीमती जी ने बड़े पशोपेश में डाल दिया। नाश्ते में एक कटोरी अंकुरित मूँग परोस डाली, साथ में कटा हुआ प्याज़। टेबुल पर नज़र पड़ते ही मेरी तो चीख़ निकल गई, "अरे ये क़ीमती चीज़ें यहाँ खुले में क्यों पड़ी हैं? कितनी बार कहा है, इनको सहेजकर रखा करो। ये जो गोदरेज की आलमारी ख़रीदी है, वो क्यों ख़रीदी है?"

श्रीमतीजी बोलीं - अब छोड़ो भी, तुम्हारी उमर हुई। अब यदि महीने में एक बार भी दाल नहीं खाओगे, तो प्रोटीन कैसे मिलेगी, सेहत कैसे रहेगी?

मैंने कहा - पर पूरी एक कटोरी? ज़रा सोचो, मैं पूरे महीने बैल की तरह खटकर पैसे कमाता हूँ, एक-एक पाई करके तुम बचाती हो। क्या इसी फ़िज़ूलख़र्ची के लिये? अरे एक कटोरी में तो एक महीने की प्रोटीन पूरा मुहल्ला खा सकता है।

वो बोलीं - चलो तुम एक चम्मच तो खा लो। बाक़ी मैं किटी-पार्टी में कैश की जगह डाल दूँगी। आजकल दाल और प्याज़ भी चलते हैं। ज़रा सोचो, अगर मेरी बारी आ गई और एकमुश्त सवा किलो दाल मिल गई तो हम क्या-क्या कर सकते हैं।

मेरी कल्पना उड़ानें भरने लगी - अगले हफ़्ते बॉस को डिनर पर बुला ही लूँगा। छौंक लगी अरहर दाल देखकर बॉस अपनी ख़ुशी संभाल पाएँ, इसके पहले ही एक पूरा कटा हुआ प्याज़ पेश कर डालूँगा। फ़िर तो मेरी इनक्रीमेंट पक्की। जी तो हुआ कि श्रीमती जी के हाथ चूम लूँ। क्या समझदारी और दूरंदेशी पाई है मेरी सहधर्मिणी ने। पर जैसे ही हाथ चूमने उठा कि खुली हुई खिड़की पर नज़र पड़ी।

बोल पड़ा - और ये खिड़की क्यों खोल रखी है? किसी ने मुखबिरी कर दी तो पता नहीं कब इनकम टैक्स का छापा पड़ जाये। उससे बड़ी मुसीबत तो तब होगी जब कोई पड़ोसन दाल ही माँगने आ जाये। 

श्रीमती जी बोलीं - देखो जी, मैंने ये कैल्कुलेटेड रिस्क लिया है। कल मिसेज़ शर्मा ने दाल की कटोरी जानबूझकर कर खिड़की पर रख डाली थी। मेरे तो सीने पर साँप लोट गया। अरे हम भी कोई ऐरे-ग़ैरे थोड़े ही हैं? आज शरमाइन भी देख लें। अरे तुम्हें भी पूरी कटोरी थोड़े ही खानी है। बस चम्मच ज़रा ज़ोर से टनकार देना।

मेरी कल्पना अभी हवा से बातें कर ही रही थी। हाँ, तो बॉस के डिनर के बाद बची हुई दाल सहेज कर रख दूँगा। अब बॉस कोई सवा किलो दाल थोड़े ही डकारेंगे। कुछ बेचकर बेटे के कॉलेज की मोटी फ़ीस चुका दूँगा। बाक़ी से बेटी की शादी में बरातियों का स्वागत करूँगा, ज़रा धूम रहेगी।

पत्नी की बातों में मुझे मेरा और पूरे परिवार का भविष्य सुरक्षित नज़र आ रहा था। मानों जीवन बीमा की कोई अच्छी पॉलिसी हाथ लग गई हो। तंद्रा टूटी तो मैंने कहा - चलो, एक चम्मच मूँग दे ही डालो। फिर थोड़े काजू दे देना, उसी से पेट भर लूँगा।

फिर चलते-चलते मन ही मन सोचा - ज़रा देखो, अपनी श्रीमतीजी जिसे मैं घर की मुर्ग़ी दाल बराबर समझता था, आज बड़े-बड़े अर्थशास्त्रियों के कान काटती नज़र आ रही थी। आज मेरी धर्मपत्नी अरहर, मूँग और मसूर से भी ज़्यादा चमक रही थी। कितना भाग्यशाली हूँ मैं। तभी वो मुहावरा याद आ गया - यह मुँह और मसूर की दाल? दफ़्तर की बस आ गई थी और मैंने लपक कर हैंडल पकड़ लिया था।

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YOUR HONOUR!

Indian Railways are struggling with nearly 30% vacancies in the cadre of track maintainers. We are also short of 20% Loco Drivers over the sanctioned strength. Indeed, we are short of manpower by the given yardsticks in almost all areas. But, we run ALL the trains with 90% punctuality, we carry all the goods cheaper than any other mode and our safety is improving every day. We add new trains every year, run specials during festivals and holidays without additional resources. Our online ticketing is rated to be the best in the world. Our stations and trains are cleaner than ever, quality of food is improving and so is the passenger satisfaction across the country. True, we lack resources for expanding our network, but we do our assigned job well and without complaining.

Yet, we find that the media, political parties and public at large are ready to accept backlog of cases in our courts on account of vacancies! Surely, you do not subscribe to that view. Vacancies can never be zero. I read in the newspapers, after the NJAC judgement, that the real problem of the judiciary is vacancies – 30% of late. But the pendency is older than this recent spurt in vacancies, which has worsened due to the NJAC issue. I have learnt that twenty-four High Courts together sit on a pile of some forty-five lakh pending cases. Appeals in criminal cases against conviction are waiting to be heard for as long as thirty years, more than the maximum sentence in the cases. I am certain all this cannot be explained away by vacancies alone. The only way to overcome this problem is that those, who are in the saddle, work a little harder to compensate for the vacancies. All of us do that in government, public sector or private enterprises. We work longer hours till late evening, on weekends, forego personal leave and certainly do not go on summer vacations. Even Secretaries to the Government of India are now required to punch-in their attendance sharp at nine AM every day. Surely, working longer hours is not anathema to you, My Lordships!

I often get judgements and awards from courts for compliance within two months, one month, or even a fortnight. I have no option but to burn the midnight oil and fulfil the orders in the judgement. How I wish I could one day beseech or request, though certainly not order Your Lordships, to deliver a judgement in two weeks since an important developmental project is held up, a contract is getting annulled or an international agreement is at stake! But, that would be a contempt of court, I guess. Surely, the judiciary is entitled to its independence and autonomy, surely it can rightfully claim non-interference and neutrality, but it ought to know that like other organs of state, the legislature and the executive, the judiciary too is paid out of taxes and that it is ultimately answerable to the paymaster, the common citizen of the country. The common person is increasingly getting restless. She wants good governance, she wants delivery of goods and services and above all she wants a just society. And, she wants them quick. Judiciary is answerable to her for its own share of deliveries.

How does the common citizen force change in governance? He votes. He votes a party out and brings in a new government. He gets the opportunity to do so every five years. Political parties, after having fooled the masses and after their repeated failures have realised that the public means business. They have yielded to a change in discourse from caste, religion and freebies to development and performance. How does a common person pull up the executive? How does she seek relief from exploitation and unfairness? She goes to a court of law. Leave aside the delays for a moment, she still hopes for justice, solace and compensation. What is important is that she has a door, which she can knock. But, were does she go, when the same door is closed to her for thirty years in her face? Whom does she implore, when the very institution she implores, has queued up lakhs of relief seekers ahead of her?

This frustration with the judiciary has led to abject hopelessness in the masses and ridicule of the process of law. Undertrials and appellants spend the best years of their lives in incarceration, people resort to coercion and murder for solving land and property disputes and an occasional dejected one commits suicide. We cannot have a referendum for judicial reforms. Indeed, we have never had any referendum in the country on any issue. The only exercise closest to a referendum is the General Election. Nearly two decades of deliberations in civil society, enlightened discussions, opinions of retired legal luminaries the likes of Your Honour, administrative reports and Parliamentary debates resulted in the first ever legislation, a Constitutional Amendment, that was passed unanimously and also ratified by twenty States. We cannot have a louder voice of the people of India than this. Yet it has not been heeded! Yes, Your Honour! We have heard your voice asserting judicial independence and autonomy. But, have you heard ours?

Any organisation works with hierarchies, which are arranged in the fashion of a pyramid. The senior levels have fewer positions than the lower ones. Indeed, the entire supervision and management structure follows this dictum. Yet we have a State in the country, which has an inverted pyramid in the judiciary. There are one hundred sixty High Court Judges and just seventy-five district Judges! Yet, this High Court has the highest number of cases pending within its portals.

All organs of the State have undergone reforms and infusion of technology. Most departments of the government and companies in the private sector have become leaner as a result. The judiciary too has had its share of modernisation and IT embrace. But, the courts work at the same pace, actually slower than ever. One of the High Courts of the country has, on the 17^th October, invited bids for supply of iPhone6S for use by the Hon’ble Judges. This model of phone was launched in September, i.e. just a month ago. We do not mind Our Lordships owning the latest gadget in the world costing sixty thousand Rupees each, not even if the poor people of India pay for it. But, we want a return on that investment. Please give us that.

We have all heard Justice Ruma Pal, who candidly showed the mirror to the judiciary by enumerating its seven sins – turning a blind eye to a colleague’s indiscretion, hypocrisy, secrecy in appointment of judges, plagiarism and prolixity, verbose judgements, personal arrogance, professional arrogance and nepotism.* We have all heard you, Your Lordships! You want total independence and autonomy. We agree with that too. You also said that you will improve the system from within. We know from experience that insulated systems are the most difficult to change and often a change promised from within is more of a chimera than an action plan. Yet we trust you for this time once again. But, remember, the outcome of the reforms will be judged by the people of India and not by the government or the legislature. Next time, the call for change may not take the legislative route.

(http://www.rediff.com/news/column/ruma-pal-former-supreme-court-judge-slams-higher-judiciary/20111115.htm)

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Views of the lone dissenting judge (out of a bench of five) , Justice Chelameswar can be seen here:

http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/NJAC-Verdict-Excerpts-of-Justice-Chelameswars-Opinion-Against-SC-Judgement/2015/10/19/article3087047.ece

'Indian democracy cannot be a tyranny of the unelected': Arun Jaitley's 'alternative view' on NJAC verdict:

http://m.firstpost.com/politics/indian-democracy-cannot-be-a-tyranny-of-the-unelected-arun-jaitleys-alternative-view-on-the-njac-verdict-2473218.html

Usurping Parliament’s power: Instead of aborting NJAC, Supreme Court should have given it a fair chance to succeed: Abhishek Manu Singhvi's views:

http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/candid-corner/usurping-parliaments-power-instead-of-aborting-njac-supreme-court-should-have-given-it-a-fair-chance-to-succeed/

STOP THINKING FOR OTHERS

In a country saddled with leftists and activists, where everyone wants to become a "world citizen" and statesman by pulling down one's own country and countrymen, where government departments and tribunals often transform into activists, stopping all means of production, progress and economic activity in the name of environment and indigenous people, will we ever see leaders and politicians stand up for the well being of their own people?

As if the relentless pressure of the developed world to keep us from growing is not enough, we have our own going one up on them and campaigning for scaling down of economic activities - all in the name of emissions. And, just to make sure that we do not raise our head ever in the economic race to provide our people with better living, more food and basic comforts of life like electricity and cooking fuel, we import NGOs and activists from the very countries, who want to see us remain backward, to stop us in the tracks.

Compare this with Singapore, already a developed country, with one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. The PM of Singapore unabashedly promotes industry and wellbeing of his people, CO2 be damned. Read this article from the Scientific American. 

Extracts:

“Like every country, Singapore is interested in protecting its national interests while advancing the global efforts."

“Competitiveness is an issue for all the countries. I think Singapore would like to maintain a level playing ground so that it is not put at a competitive disadvantage.”

There are protests from research groups: “We rate this target ‘Inadequate,’ meaning it is not in line with any interpretations of a ‘fair’ approach to hold warming below 2ºC"

But Singapore is not deterred:

"government statistics also show the country’s total electricity consumption more than tripled between 1990 and 2012."

Prime Minister Lee says: "The energy and chemicals industry is a major carbon emitter worldwide. It is the nature of the industry,”

He goes on to say: “We must reduce our emissions, both of greenhouse gases as well as other more local pollutants, but at the same time, I want to assure all the energy and petrochemicals companies here that the Singapore government stands fully behind them and will continue to help them to succeed.”

LET US, FOR ONCE, THINK FOR OUR OWN COUNTRY AND COUNTRYMEN.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/wealthy-singapore-resists-tough-domestic-climate-action/

Coffee on the Highway, Part II

(For Part I, please visit http://generallyspeaking.blogspot.in/2014/08/coffee-on-highway_6.html )

On my favourite road journey to Coimbatore, the NH-47 continues to mesmerise. Rainwashed countryside and the lovely Cauvery are complemented today by the old faithful, the KDFC, or the Kumbhakonam Degree Filter Coffee dhaba. Only this time the KDFC wore a crown of a full rainbow. Salem makes me feel so welcome!

My heart cries to think that I am going to leave all this behind soon. O Tamil Nadu, O Salem, O The Queen of Hills Ooty and O NH47, I will miss you all! But, I am sure the caffeine from the umpteen cups of most authentic filter coffee I savoured here will continue to flow in my veins for long.

DOUBLE STANDARDS OF THE UPPER CRUST

The design to keep the poor and the less privileged perpetually deprived in the name of privacy has reflections of the "land is your mother, just don't part with it" campaign of the well-heeled and the self-styled champions of the poor. Now, they have raised the issue of privacy in Aadhar enrolments. Aadhar is the largest ever registration of citizens in the history of mankind. All developed countries have done it. India is doing it now. But the elite, mostly leftist, columnists have an issue with it. It violates privacy! As if Google and Facebook didn't already know everything about you. And they are professing this to the poor and needy, who must necessarily enrol for a leak-proof, fool-proof biometric identification system with near ironclad security.

Is an average citizen, leave alone the starving poor, really worried about his retinal scan records being leaked to the CIA, to RAW or even to the ISI? Is giving out one’s residential address or the mobile number to the government a step towards enslavement? The government has it anyway in its different records. Does the biometric records of a citizen make him easier to conscript? What privacy are we talking about?

The government has been able to successfully plug the loopholes of Direct Benefit Transfer in transferring thousands of crores to nearly ten crore families.  Aadhar identification, with its biometric security has been instrumental in enabling seventeen crore bank accounts of people, who had no other means to prove their credentials. The Aadhar identification has also enabled a one-rupee a month insurance for crores of poor and medical insurance for the masses at a mere ninety paisa a day.

It is surprising that this useful exercise of creating a national register is being stonewalled repeatedly by the judiciary. The elite thinkers have a big problem with this. They do not tire of telling the poor that their privacy is being invaded by the demon that is government. The same proponents of privacy and defenders of individual freedom have no qualms in getting fingerprinted for their passports and American visa. They will line up before a Western Embassy at midnight to be biometrically registered, an unavoidable requirement for their next flight to salvation. But the poor must resist biometric scanning even if they starve to death. After all with all the misery gone, the raison d'etre of the chatterati is in danger. No underdogs no NGOs, no Seminars and no international lecture circuits. It will be a sad day for them, when the poor are no more poor.

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GOODBYE SHANTABAI

We love to look for new underdogs, so that we can "look after" them and feel good. This search for the underprivileged has reached ridiculous proportions. Each one of us, an NGO, a Mission, a Trust and now even the cours of law and various tribunals is in this game of finding one's own underdog, which one can cuddle, hug and care for. Even the government departments and ministries such as those for labour welfare, environment, women and child care have decided to jump on the band wagon. So, instead of governing, they too are looking for "victims" and the "persecuted" so that they can rescue them and feel good and worthy in their own eyes. In the same quest the a labour welfare body of the government of India has decided to "protect" the domestic workers, the housemaids and manservants. 

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These are the new proposals to "protect" domestic help:

Minimum wages: Rs. 9000pm, higher for skilled ones, like cooks .. .. .. Employer's Contribution to Social Security - PF, Pension .. .. .. Great emphasis on Welfare .. .. .. Maid Unions and collective bargaining .. .. ..

Here are my options:

Robotic Vacuum cleaner: 20,000
Washing Machine: 15,000
Dryer: 20,000
Dish Washer: 30,000
A deep freezer: 20,000
A steam iron: 2000 - 15,000
Semi-cooked or pre-cooked food
More home delivery service
(Total: Rs. One lakh approx.)

Or,

Litigation, harassment by labour inspectors, filing of returns, intimidation by maid unions and NGOs.

The choice is clear.

But wait, who are the gainers in this socialist "protection" game - LG, Samsung, IFB, Hair, Philips, MTR, Kellogs, Domino's ... (Koreans, Germans, Chinese, Americans ... ..)

And who are the losers - The maid, who was earlier happy with four thousand Rupees, which paid for her children's school fees, books, milk and enabled some savings. The servant, who could send five thousand Rupees home to his destitute family in Chhotanagpur since all his peraonal expenses were paid for in kind by the employer - food, clothing, medicines, toiletries ...

They will now remain jobless because some labour welfare department has decided to "protect" them!

LET'S APPOINT A COMMITTEE

61,000 High Net Worth Individuals have fled the country. Even considering each one left with just a million dollars each, that would be sixty one billion dollars! I am not even counting the loss of entrepreneurial spirit that went away with it or businesses they have wound up so that they could leave.

Reasons cited for this flight are turmoil in home country, security concerns and children's education. But, I think it was just a pursuit for a better quality of life. The countries they made their new homes are primarily the USA, the UK, Australia and the UAE. 

If only we could stop this flight, we wouldn't need to carry that begging bowl all over the world asking for FDI, which largely remains elusive. Let's appoint a committee to examine this phenomenon. I offer myself as the convenor.

ALLOW ME TO HAIL MY OWN TAXI

Till recently we had to stop a taxi (four wheeler or three wheeler) either by waiving a hand or shouting "TAXI ..." Then came radio taxis, which could be booked on phone for a planned journey. But, a casual commuter in the market still had to hail his taxi the conventional way. Now companies like Ola and Uber have enabled the commuter to call a taxi on the fly by a tap on the mobile phone. And, everyone is up in arms against this unstoppable march of technology.

The new generation taxi owners/drivers are happy for they are enrolling in thousands with the "App". Customers are happy for they do not need to crane their necks and shout. A tap on the phone and the nearest free cab locates you on GPS. They are also happy since the the service is "cashless". The App also provides for sharing of the fare if there are many riders and they decide to go dutch - a revolution in cab sharing and car pooling, easily enabled by technology. The taxi drivers get their payments with unfailing regularity every week from the company after due deductions. Fares have come down substantially and the scope for cheating and overcharging has been cut down significantly.

But, the entrenched taxi owners/drivers, radio taxi companies, TV and Print media, sections of the government and courts do not seem comfortable with this concept anywhere in the world. Conventional taxi drivers went on a nationwide strike in France. There have been protests against and attacks on Uber in China, South Africa and USA.

How can the main stakeholder, the taxi rider be so conveniently forgotten? Just a few months ago retailers of consumer durables, white goods and electronic gadgets raised a hue and cry against online retailers only to be told that there was nothing the government could do to help them. Why this activism in case of taxis.

My prediction - no matter what these guys and institutions do, Ola and Uber and many others like them are here to stay for technology marches unimpeded.