The Other Side

Foundations for Life: Memories of 86th FC @ LBSNAA

2011-12-22T22:49:00.000+05:30

Honestly, I have spent lot of time trying to pen down my LBSNAA experiences during the 86th Foundation Course(FC). No matter how hard I tried, my words couldn’t reflect the experiences. Was it my inability to pen down those memories or was it that the whole experience was something which cannot be described in words, but has to be experienced? I do not know. One thing is sure, so far, those three months in LBSNAA, Mussoorie were the best days of my life. What better way can I find than a short video to jog my memories of FC?
Take a look...

Click here to view on youtube, if you have a problem viewing here.

The Himalayan Odyssey: Memories of scaling new heights

2011-10-27T23:14:00.001+05:30

It has been my desire to go to those places or do those things which can truly test and scale up my physical and mental potential to conquer new heights. The nine day Himalayan trek as a part of our Foundation Course at LBSNAA provided me an opportunity to do just that! The freshness and purity of Himalayas, their untouched majesty, pristine beauty, divine aura, rich culture and wondrous history left me wanting for more.

I had read somewhere that, when God decided to descend on the earth as mountains, the earth asked: “Why do you come in the form of mountains and not in your own form?”. And God answered: “The pleasure that exists in mountains is greater than that of animate beings, for they feel no heat, nor cold, nor pain, nor anger, nor fear, nor pleasure.”

That is exactly why mountains humble me. They are always there and have stood the test of time. They have seen thousands of generations, stood there as mighty bastions of god’s creations, thrown away beautiful smiles when every man was awestruck by their beauty, they humble the mortals as nature always do.

One of the most memorable part of Foundation Course at LBSNAA, Mussoorie is the Himalayan trek. 260+ officer trainees were divided into 14 trekking groups (plus one group of officers who didn’t want to trek for various reasons and were made to visit NGOs and other places of pilgrimage. Many called them ‘Bhajan Mandali’!). The journey from Academy to Rudraprayag, Govind Ghat, Ghangaria, Hemkund, Valley of Flowers, Badrinath, Mana, Ghastoli, Auli, and back to the Academy was something special. The rivers separating the rocky and green mountains, confluence of rivers (Prayags), the music of flowing water streams, countless waterfalls, majestic snow covered mountains, the clouds moving across those mountains against the backdrop of a clear blue sky, chilling cold at the high altitude, and a feeling of sense of achievement after the difficult journey to the top will always remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come.

1. The first day
19 of us in my trek group were all excited to scale the new heights in Himalayas. The first day was kept just to reach Rudraprayag by bus and to stay there for a night. Throughout the journey, what struck me was the beauty of rivers effortlessly overcoming the obstacles of mountains to continue their hurried journey towards the ocean. On the way to Rudraprayag, the confluence of two heavenly rivers, Bhagirathi and Alakananda to form the holy Ganga at Devaprayag makes one to think about seeing Panch Prayags (five confluences) of river Alakananda. It was a great feeling after I crossed all five Prayags of Alakananda at the end of our 9 day trek.

2. The night trek and the fear of ‘Bhaalu’ (Bear)
We were quite late to leave Rudraprayag in the morning and it was close to 2PM by the time we reached Govind Ghat though we were supposed to reach there by 11AM. Govind Ghat is a starting point for the trek to Valley of Flowers and Hemkund via Ghangaria - around 15KM uphill from Govind Ghat. The worst part of our (planned) trek was to carry the rucksack ourselves which was around 20-25kgs. It was almost an impossible task to do that considering the 15km uphill that was quite steep towards the end. All of us in the group couldn’t resist the idea of hiring few mules to carry our rucksacks so that we can trek to Ghangaria peacefully. To our bad luck we had to pay lot more than the normal price because the mule owners were reluctant to come since it was already late and they cannot return back to Govind Ghat from Ghangaria on the same day. We had no option but to go for expensive hiring. But trust me, the decision to hire the mules was totally worth every penny that we paid. That day’s trek was something we had never done before. Had we carried our rucksacks, we might have abandoned that day’s trek midway!

Since we started the trek quite late, at around 3.30pm, we were sure about getting late to reach Ghangaria. But we had no option, we had to go according to our schedule to complete that day’s trek. One of the worst thing about that trek route was it’s full of mule dung, stinking every now and then! By 6pm it was dark enough to start using our torch light. Quite a few people who were returning from Ghangaria and also few shopkeepers on the way (sincerely) advised us not to continue the trek since it was too dark. One fellow trekker said the route is a paradise for Bhalu (the Bear). We found that assertion quite preposterous since the route was well known and there were quite a few food stalls on the way. However, we couldn’t escape from the element of fear in our minds. We decided to continue but stay close to each other and move slowly but steadily. This is the point where our comradery started to protect ourselves just in case the (non-existent, fictitious) Bhalu attack us! After all, life is important to every one and no one want to die or get injured for that matter!

Despite all the sweat (and fear), the night trek was something special. The gentle breeze from mountains, the deserted path with absolute silence, the music of flowing water, and a never give up attitude in all of us was an amazing combination for the night trek. At one point of time the road to Ghangaria never seemed to be ending. We walked and walked in a hope that we could reach at least by 8PM, but that was the time mules carrying our rucksacks reached Ghangaria. It took us another two and half hours to reach. We all just wanted to finish off that day’s trek and hit the bed, but the joy of scaling 3050m height after trekking 13km uphill had no bounds. Because of the night, though we missed the beauty of mountains and river on the way, it was really a special trek. The ‘Bhalu’ element made it even more interesting!

3. The Valley of Flowers and Hemkund Sahib
The third day’s trek plan by LBSNAA was over ambitious. We were supposed to cover both Valley of flowers and Hemkund Sahib on the same day. Valley of flowers is about 3km uphill from Ghangaria in one direction and Hemkund Sahib is around 6km uphill from Ghangaria in opposite direction. Many localites and trekking enthusiasts staying at Ghangaria told us that it’s very difficult to cover both places on the same day. I did not want to miss either of them at any cost. A localite at Ghangaria advised us to take Mules to cover one place so that we will have time to see the other. Only five of us including me volunteered to visit Hemkund and rest all fourteen decided to go to Valley of flowers. I was really hoping to scale Hemkund by lunch time and then the valley of flowers.

We started to trek soon after out breakfast and it didn’t take much time for me to realize that the trek route to Hemkund is extremely tough due to steep uphill. Couple of my friends were finding it very difficult to climb and I advised them to hire mules so that we could finish the trek in time. At first, they refused but after some time they convinced that my advise was right. I was still over confident about my energy to trek and thought i could keep up my pace with those friends on the mules. As the mules started climbing the hill effortlessly, rate of my breathing increased rapidly. The cold weather, dusty route and smell of mule dung (read s**t) made the situation worst. I knew i could scale the height of Hemkund but it would have taken two or three hours more than the mules and hence costing the visit to Valley of Flowers. The ITBP jawan who accompanied us advised us to hire mules on one way so that we can save plenty of time and effort in order to cover Valley of flowers. I thought that’s quite sensible advise and hired the mule to reach Hemkund. It took us just one and half hour to reach Hemkund. To my surprize, ITBP jawan - who was well trained to scale such mountains - reached Hemkund much before us!

Hemkund is the highest Gurudwara in the wold and a place of serenity. “With a setting of a glacial lake surrounded by seven mountain peaks and each peak is adorned by a Nishan Sahib on its cliff. It is located at an elevation of 15,200 ft / 4632 meters as per the Survey of India.[Wiki]” Though the surrounding mountains were not yet fully covered by snow, weather was extremely cold and the floor of the Gurudwara was almost freezing and water in the lake was ice cold. The atmosphere in and around Gurudwara gave a spiritual feeling and a state of serenity. I was in no mood to leave that place soon, but Valley of Flowers was there in the back of my mind. We started by 11.45 -12.00 in a hope that we could reach Ghangaria by 2 and then start to Valley of Flowers by 3pm. Downhill trek to Ghangaria was not easy either. After the half way i felt like i had no control over my legs, they were just moving on and on. Shoes were hurting and knees were in a bit of pain. But the beauty of surrounding mountains - some of which were partially covered by snow - and the view of the valley from the mountain were worth the pain and struggle. There was a feeling of great joy.

However, that joy did not last long. Few people on the way told us that the Valley of flowers will be closed by 2PM! I was thoroughly disappointed and started feeling guilty of hiring mules on the way to Hemkund Sahib. The moment i got that confirmed from localites on the way, we started walking slowly and reached Ghangaria by 3.30pm. The other friends who went to visit Valley of Flowers also came back by same time. All those who visited Valley of Flowers told me that there weren’t enough flowers since it was not the season for flowering. June-July is the time when the Valley of Flowers is at it’s majestic beauty. For a moment i thought i made a right decision to visit Hemkund Sahib first! In any case i will not miss a chance to visit Valley of Flowers at least once in my life time!

4. Downhill trek to Govindghat and journey to Badrinath
The very next day, as per our trek plan, we had to pack up and trek down to Govind Ghat where our bus was waiting to take us to Badrinath. Just a day before we had thoroughly enjoyed (uphill) night trek on the same 13km route between Ghangaria and Govind Ghat. But trekking down on the same route in the broad day light gave us a chance to enjoy the beauty of mountains, streams and river which we missed during the night trek. Eatery stalls and tea shops on the way provided some sigh of relief in covering the 13km route.

Though we were a big trek group of 19 people, we gelled well as a team. Got to know each other little better and supported each other well during the trek so far. After all, trekking is a wonderful opportunity to get to know your group better.

5. Badrinath and Mana
We reached Badrinath on the same evening after having a good lunch at Govind Ghat. The best part of our stay at Badrinath was the location of our hotel. The river Alakananda flows along the wall of that hotel, a bridge next to the hotel to cross the river and a beautiful Badrinath temple on other side of the river. The music of flowing water invokes the spiritual feeling when you look outside the window at the temple. The moment i got into my room, i thought i couldn’t have got a better place to stay in Badrinath.

It was really a tiring day after a downhill trek and travelling some distance by bus to Badrinath. The ITBP Jawan who accompanied us told me that there is a hot water spring at the temple and we could take holy bath there to get rid of all our tiredness. I had read somewhere in Geography while preparing for UPSC about hot water springs but i had never seen it before. I didn’t even know that Badrinath temple is known for hot water spring miracle. I was keen to visit that place and take a holy dip in “Taptkund”, a hot water well. The Taptkund hot spring is just below the temple and it is considered to be medicinal—many pilgrims consider it a requirement to bathe in the springs before visiting the temple. The water in the Taptkund was too hot in the evening to take a dip. I might have used some 20-30 buckets of hot water that day. All my tiredness was lost in that hot water and the feeling after bath was very very refreshing. I visited the temple and thanked lord Badrinath for giving me an opportunity to scale Himalayan mountains!

According to our trek plan, next day i.e. Day 5, was a day to rest and acclimatize. Some of us decided to trek to Mana which is around 2-3 km from Badrinath and some guys decided to spend some peaceful time in the hotel. Walking along the river Alakananda to reach Mana was a nice experience. Ice cold river water, plenty of pebbles surrounding the river stream, majestic mountains, and the Mana village next to the river was something special that day. Mana is called the last village of India close to the border. ITBP and IBEX army Brigade guards that area.

After 2-3 hours of walk, we decided to eat something at a small eatery in Mana. The maggie was cooked badly and none of us liked it. I thought of going to the kitchen and cooking the maggie in my own style which i had tried in Bangalore, a long ago. The shop keeper smiled when I asked him if i can cook. He agreed and was nice enough to help me with all ingredients i demanded. Trust me, the maggie was much better than what we were served before. Everyone liked it!

6. Trek to Ghastoli and a visit to ITBP Camp
After 5 days of hard trekking, we still had plenty of energy left to scale yet another height in Himalayas. Ghastoli is connected to Mana by road. There is a camp of ITBP and Indian Army to guard our borders. Our official plan was to trek to ITBP camp which is around 16km from Mana, and meet ITBP officials over lunch. The trek route wasn’t that difficult since it was a road for army vehicles maintained by Border Road Organization.

Before starting our trek we took few pictures in the last village of India and the last tea shop of India (Mana village)! It was a long winding walk, crossing several of mountains, each one showcasing the majestic beauty of Himalayan Mountains and it was literally a treat to watch. On the way, Arwa Nala, which was gathering more water from various streams, was in full force. It enters Mana through a deep gorge. A spectacular sight to see while walking on the bridge (near Mana). Arwa Nala joins river Saraswati at Mana and together they become Alakananda at Badrinath.

Throughout the route, clear blue sky covering the mountains, the white clouds hovering around the summit, the rock debris with numerous crossing of streams, the snow covered rocky mountains competing each other in their heights, the long winding road, the cold breeze adding to the feeling of being close to the nature was something which will remain fresh in my mind for a long time to come. One need not be a photographer to capture the surrounding beauty of those mountains and that was hardly a place to learn photography. Point your camera at any direction and blindly click it, it will certainly be one of the best picture. And yes, I am not exaggerating. It was wonderful to be so close to the nature!

The weather along the way was changing constantly, becoming more and more cold. Despite covering sufficiently, and walking for such a long distance, we still couldn’t escape from that freezing cold. For a moment, i just wondered how our Jawans survive there for months and years to protect our borders. After reaching ITBP camp, It was all together a different feeling to see our tricolour flying high in the backdrop of those majestic mountains. The camp was at an altitude of (aprox) 4000 meters. We were treated to all comforts there. They served us warm lunch and hot tea in that freezing cold surrounding. After such a long and tiring trek, with no energy left in us, their hospitality made us feel at home.

We spoke to ITBP Jawans for a while and decided to walk back to Mana. It was already late and we weren’t sure if we could reach back before the sunset. On the way back, we met a Captain from Indian Army. A truck was following his vehicle. We spoke to the captain and he readily agreed to take us in the Army truck. We all felt, “what a relief!”. The truck was so dusty, it looked like seats were covered with an inch of dust. But, who can think of luxury in those mountains? We never hesitated to sit and adjust to make ourselves as comfortable as possible. By the time we reached Mana, our cloths were full of dust! However, none of us complained, we thoroughly enjoyed our ride in that road. It was awesome!

Our original plan was to stay at ITBP camp over a night and return on the next day. But due to extreme weather and logistic problems to accommodate all of us in the camp, ITBP officials had made arrangements for our stay at Badrinath itself. By covering both the ways in one day, thanks to army truck, we saved another day for the rest.

On the next day (i.e. day 7), instead of just resting in the hotel, some of us decided to see Neelkant Parvat behind Badrinath. This small trek was a cake walk for us after successfully completing Ghastoli trek! Neelakant Pravat was snow covered mountain standing behind two adjacent mountains which weren’t covered with snow, giving contrasting look. Since we went there in first week of October, all the mountains were yet to be covered with snow.

7. The confusion and subsequent visit to Auli
Auli, (alt. 2915 mts-3049 mts ) is an important ski destination in the Himalayan mountains of Uttarakhand, India. Skiing events happens in Auli only after January when it is completely covered by snow. In fact, 2011 South Asean winter sports were held at Auli in last January. Some of us in the group came to the conclusion that “there is no fun in Auli if there is no snow and it will all be mountains which we have been seeing in the last one week”. I wasn’t happy with that. Few others including me really wanted to see Auli no matter it was covered by snow or not. Some were suggesting to skip Auli and go back to academy a day earlier. I was certainly not for that. We decided to go by majority and majority of us raised voice for Auli trip!

Auli is a good tourist destination. Thanks to 2011 South Asean Winder Sports event, the infrastructure there is pretty good. “There are two different small lifts available for skiing during winter seasons. The chair lift of 800 meter & 500 meter of Ski lift are used to reach the top area of the slope to start the skiing.” The ropeway from Joshimath to Auli is called Gorson ropeway system. Joshimath to Auli Gorson ropeway system is the highest ropeway of India. This ropeway has two cable cars and has 10 towers. It covers a slope distance of 3.96 KM and a track distance of 4.15 KM. This ropeway takes you up by 1110 meters. [Read More]

“At Auli one can get 180 degree view of different snow peaks. The highest peak among them are Nanda Devi (7817 m), Choukhamba, Panch Chuli ( named after five Pandava brothers of Hindu mythology ), Doonagiri (7066 m) and many other peaks. “

The decision to go to Auli proved to be right and we had a good time. According to our plan Auli was a last place to visit. After a good lunch at Auli, we started our journey (by bus) to Gauchar for a night’s stay. “Gauchar is a small town located in Karnaprayag tehsil within Chamoli district of Uttarakhand state in India. It is situated on the left bank of river Alaknanda, at an altitude of 800 meters”.

The next day we, started our journey back to the Academy. From Gauchar, till we reached Dehradun, the journey treated us with the same mountains, rivers, and countless streams. There were quite few landslides here there to obstruct the road. Landslides were quite common in those Himalayan roads. By the time we reached Academy, it was around 9.00PM (9th October). It was hard to believe that those nine best days of my life have gone away within no time! Himalayan trek is one of the best thing that happened in my life.

I have said it many times earlier that the mountains always humble me. There is so much to discover from them. There is so much to learn from just being so close to the nature. For me, the mountains that I scaled during the trek represented nature at its best - most powerful, most awe-inspiring and spectacularly beautiful. As I mentioned earlier, “the pleasure that exists in mountains is greater than that of animate beings, for they feel no heat, nor cold, nor pain, nor anger, nor fear, nor pleasure.”

Here are some pictures clicked during the trek, will upload more pics on facebook... :)

At Devprayag

Hemkund

Hemkund Sahib

Trekking down to Govindghat

Taptkund, Badrinath (Hot water spring)

Badrinath Temple

River Alakananda in the background

Cooking Maggie in the Himalayas!

Dinner at Badrinath with Lord Rawat

On the way to Ghastoli

Look at the clear sky!

Neelakant Parvat

Auli Cable way

SA Winter Sport was held at Auli

Auli

Caption needed???

Fun Filled Treking and Adventurous Rock Climbing

2011-09-26T23:02:00.000+05:30

The George Everest Bungalow is about 7000fts high, 6km from Mussoorie. “The place provides an enchanting view of Doon valley on one side and view of Yamuna valley & (snow bound) Himalayan ranges on the other.” It was named after the first Surveyor General of India Sir George Everest (World’s highest peak Mount everest is also named after him).

After successfully completing three relatively difficult treks earlier, Saturday’s George Everest Bungalow trek was nothing but a cake walk. May be we were acclimatized enough not to sweat much for this trek! Though our horse riding instructor had promised a ride on horse back, the PT (Physical Training) instructor refused and forced us to walk with 10-15KG rucksack so as to acclimatize ourselves for 10 days Himalayan trek starting from 1st October. Nevertheless, few officer trainees managed to ride on the way back, which unfortunately I missed out.

360 degree view from the highest mountain near Everest Bungalow is majestic and something to remember for a long time. Initially though the sun was bright and sky was clear, the clouds lost no time in covering the beautiful mountains and thus depriving us from clicking breathtaking pictures. The best part of the trek was the loud music at the Everest bungalow. LBSNAA managed to get a generator at 7000ft high mountain to entertain us! Tug of war, music, dance made the trek more of a picnic type and completely enjoyable.

On the same day we had a DJ party in the evening and yeah, the drinks were also served! One of the best part of LBSNAA is the officially recognized bar within the campus and that too in the officer’s lounge. Officer trainees can drink as much as they want, just that the money will be duly deducted from their salary! Trainees and faculty thoroughly enjoyed the DJ and of course the drinks. :)

On Sunday, Rock Climbing activity at ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) academy in Mussoorie was adventurous and exciting. There were quite a few adventurous people in the batch who managed to climb the rocks effortlessly. There were few brave lady officer trainees who managed to reach the top. There were few who needed some cheer and support. And yes, the kind of cheer and support which lady officers received while climbing the rocks was something phenomenal compared to what other guys got despite putting up a brave effort!

I had tried rock climbing before while I was in Singapore. It was just an artificial rock created in Universal Studios (Singapore). But here in ITBP academy, there are real rocks, the scary ones. Despite a (small) shoulder problem, I had no issues in reaching the top of the rock and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Thanks to ITBP Jawans who made the rock climbing safe and enjoyable. What I realized was, making up your mind to climb the rock is half job done. The will to climb and physical strength will take care of the rest. It’s all about 50% will and 50% physical strength.

In the last four weeks, it was hard to notice how time just flies. Weekly trek on Saturday reminds us how quickly the week gets over. I must say, without any hesitation, the foundation course is just like a fun filled paid holiday! Long way to go before I even think about finishing it, the best is yet to come! :)

Here are some pictures clicked during trek and rock climbing:

On the way to George Everest bungalow

At the peak, when clouds covered the mountains.

Clouds engulfing mountains

Walking in the clouds!

Music, Dance, and fun at 7000ft!

On the way back.

Scaling the new heights!

Coming down from the top!

Lal Tibba: Blood, sweat and a summit to scale

2011-09-18T01:03:00.000+05:30

Clouds were clear, sun was bright, route was green, and the summit was high enough to test our endurance. Leeches sucked our blood, heat of the sun made us sweat more than required, the steep uphill and the concrete road on the way back managed to spoil the knees. Many travel guides on the web advised not to visit Lal Tibba during rainy days or even during any of the mansoon days. But, we had to go, we had to reach the summit to mark our attendance!

The only sigh of relief for many of us was, we could take a taxi on the way back (and of course, only after marking the attendance!). Many officer trainees skipped the lunch at Lal Tibba and rushed to Mussoorie for sumptuous meal. I was already exhausted not to try any new plan which takes more time before i eat! The same daal, chanaa, rice, puris, pickles which i had in last two treks really disappointed me. Just hope they change the menu in the next trek. But, you know, when you are hungry, taste really doesn’t matter, just eat and eat to get back to life!

Lunch and yeah, the “Neembu paani” provided some sigh of relief and helped me realize that though trek was tiresome but it was like a pleasure in the pain! The summit of Lal Tibba Hill is no less than 7500ft high. The majestic mountains around Lal Tibba just watched us struggling to climb them, throwing away their smile when we were awestruck by their beauty. Mountains still humble me, as they always did.

Many of my batchmates took taxi to get back to academy, but I didn’t want to give up, I decided to walk back as long as I can. The return route took me through the narrow streets of Mussoorie and the the famous ‘Mall Road’, a place for (plenty of) shopping in Mussoorie. As we walked on mall road, the clouds engulfed the surrounding mountains and hit us with the cold wind. There was a time when I used to look up to the sky to see the clouds, but now in Mussoorie, I have to look down from the clouds to see the road ahead. It’s like living in the clouds! Lal Tibba trek was pretty hard, but just get a feeling that I had an eventful and memorable day.

Some information about Lal Tibba:

The highest point in Mussoorie, over 7500ft high.
Located in Landhour area -- the oldest inhabited place in Mussoorie.
The buildings, the architecture everything tells a saga of an English past. After India gained it's independence, many Britishers settled here.
In 1967, the Municipal Corporation of Mussoorie ordered a Japanese Telescope which is placed on Lal Tibba. Through this telescope one can have a lovely view of many peaks in the Himalayan range like Badrinath, Kedarnath, Banderpunch, etc. [External Link]

Here are some pictures clicked:

Rashomon: "truth is relative, fragile, fleeting and uncertain"

2011-09-15T23:36:00.003+05:30

Rashomon is a 1950 Japanese crime mystery film directed by Akira Kurosawa. A masterpiece and a landmark in the history of films. Though, at the end of the movie, i found it extremely difficult to understand the overall philosophy behind, a bit of thinking and extra reading opened many doors for understanding. I have heard people saying, “This is my perspective”, “That’s his perspective, he may be wrong, it depends on the way you look at it”, “He is giving an altered perspective, that’s not the truth!”, etc.. the most famous one is, “If you put everything in perspective, you will understand the ground reality”. What Rashomon try to achieve is, “Perspective distorts reality and makes the absolute truth unknowable.”

There are four different perceptions/stories in the movie, all trying to explain, convincingly, how the samurai was killed. At the end of the bandit's version of the incident, he admits to the rape of a woman and the murder of the woman's husband (Samurai). In the trial court, the women (samurai’s wife) claims that she did not instruct the bandit to kill her husband. Samurai’s version (though he is dead, his version is heard by a ‘medium’) is altogether different. He (through the medium of a women in ghostly voice) claims that after the woman is raped and the bandit runs off after a furious fight with him and he commits suicide because he is ashamed that his wife had been raped and wants to abandon him for the rapist. Finally, there is a version from a woodcutter, a witness to the incident and his version seems reasonable though he try to cover the fact that he stole the dragger from the scene of murder. In the climax, the priest who lost faith in humanity after hearing all these “versions/perspectives”, finally see the humanity existed in the heart of that woodcutter, when he compassionately agree to take care of the unattended baby.

The message of the film seems that, "truth is relative, fragile, fleeting and uncertain. The movie is not about culpability or innocence. Instead, it focuses on something far more profound and thought-provoking: the inability of any one man to know the truth, no matter how clearly he thinks he sees things. Perspective distorts reality and makes the absolute truth unknowable [Read More]".

What I understand is, perspectives on “something” may differ, we may be forced to compassionately accept the divergent perspectives. It is only when we try to obviate the “self-serving” element in various perspectives, we may have a chance to walk on the path towards absolute reality/truth.

Rashomon is a great movie. Please do watch! :)

Binog hills, Chengez and I: An experience of lifetime!

2011-09-11T19:59:00.001+05:30

With a cloudy sky above, lush green mountains around and a wonderful horse to ride, the experience of trekking in the mountains of Himalayas is something I never imagined in the wildest of my dreams. Just before leaving for the trek to Binog Hills, the horses of LBSNAA were lined up near the gate. I was quick to find my horse Chengez and the instructor. The moment i came to know that at least for the first 4-5kms the horses will accompany us, i lost no time in asking if I can ride on Chengez. Just after two horse riding classes, I never thought my instructor would allow me to ride on risky mountains. He did and I thanked him with that “Yes!” feeling!

Chengez and I, just before leaving for the trek

As I mounted on Chengez, for a moment, I did realize that its not going to be a cow pasture ride, it’s a Himalayan ride and the terrain is not flat! The only encouragement was the presence of riding instructors and many of my batch mates who were walking with me. A no-nonsense horse Chengez beneath, a cloudy sky above and a spectacular beauty of lush green mountains around, the experience of Binog trek is something i will cherish for a long time to come.

Binog hills is one of the high peaks around Mussoorie. There is a small temple of Jwala Devi at the peak. A very beautiful place with a spectacular view, just 4-5kms from Clouds End. Clouds End is a resort situated at the extreme west of Mussoorie hill, around 4kms from the academy. “The resort is surrounded by thick forest, offers a wide variety of flora and fauna besides a panoramic view of (snow clad) mountains of Himalayas and Yamuna river.

After the breakfast at Clouds end, I had to leave Chengez behind and walk towards the Jwala Devi temple at the peak. 4-5kms path wasn’t that difficult to walk and the heavy rain on the way made the trek even more exciting. I decided to walk without an umbrella and a jacket, it had been a long time since i walked in the rain. The view of clouds engulfing the green mountains, the sky turning black, and the rain bringing the chilling cold, the experience was amazingly great!

On our way back from the peak, the clouds around us were so thick that the visibility was reduced to less than 10 meters. We had to be little careful due to the rain and slippery path. Leeches made it even worse. Reaching the bottom of that mountain was quite difficult but it was worth the pain. Soon after our lunch, we had to climb another mountain to reach the academy. Pushing ourself up the steep hill was really tough and the slippery concrete path on the way made our life even more difficult. After reaching the academy, a strong coffee at “Ganga Dhabha” near the hostels provided a sigh of relief!

“The experience of Binog trek, especially riding on Chengez, lasted a short while but the memories will last a lifetime!”.

Here are some pics clicked on the way.

Chengez and I

Single file!

Spectacular mountains.

Thick clouds in the b/g

With PK Gera sir

Lush green canopy.

OOOTAaaa (lunch) :)

Clouds engulfing mountains.

Kempty Falls Trek: The mountains always humble me

2011-09-04T01:22:00.000+05:30

On my way from Dehradun to LBSNAA Mussoorie, the lush green Himalayan (Shivalik) hills made me feel I am on top of the world. I thought i am really blessed to be here in Mussoorie, especially in LBSNAA. As a part of our foundation course, today (3rd Sept, 2011), academy had arranged for a short trek to Kempty Falls near Mussourie. Having spent 5 years in the concrete jungles of Bangalore, nature always provided me the much needed sigh of relief. The mountains and their lush green canopy always humble me. They are always there and have stood the test of time. They have seen thousands of generations, stood there as mighty bastions of god’s creations, thrown away beautiful smiles when every man was awestruck by their beauty, they humble the mortals as nature always do.

I am (i should say, i was) not a trekkoholic as many of my friends in college and office (Bangalore). Many a times, i found one or other reason to take the road rather than trek route to enjoy the beauty of mountains. But today, compulsory trek for OTs (officer trainees) made me realize that there is a pleasure in the pain of trekking!

The trekking group wasn’t small. All the 260+ OTs were made to trek down to Kempty falls and climb the shivalik hills to reach the academy. This was being the first outing and the first trekking for 86th FC (Foundation Course) batch, all the “officers” were trying to woo each other, especially ladies, and rightly so! After all, though it’s officially called “Short Trek”, it was long enough to exhaust all the energy and enthusiasm.

We were asked to assemble at around 8.30AM, but we could leave the academy only at 9AM, after the mundane instructions were given. The Director of LBSNAA formally flagged off to mark the beginning of the trek. Unlike all the treks which usually starts with going uphill, reaching the top and coming down, our trek was quite opposite. We had to walk down the hill since academy was at a higher position than the trekking destination - Kempty Falls!

There were no risky places to cross and the route we chose to reach Kempty was well known. There were couple of settlements/villages on the way. But what was really fascinating was the scenic beauty of Himalayas. We were already at such a height that it was like walking “in the cloud”. The clouds kissing the mountains were at the same level as our path. It was a treat to watch clouds coming down towards the valley through the green canopy on the mountains. The water streams between the hills made those majestic spots even more beautiful.

There were plenty of photographic enthusiasts who were excited to photograph every beautiful spot they found. I never missed a chance to get myself photographed from others’ cameras since I didn’t have a good camera. All that I have is 5 mega pixel camera that came with my Nokia phone.

Our trekking group was so large that (260+ OTs), we covered 1 - 2 KM path at any given point of time. There was no need of any guides to lead us since our training instructors were with us and they traced the same path a day before to make sure “all izz well”, they even marked directions on the way. On our way, there was a tree plantation event coordinated by Ecological Task Force and LBSNAA. I too, planted couple of saplings just as everyone else did. The Kempty falls wasn’t too far from the event location, so we reached the falls without much of effort.

About the falls, i don’t think there is any need to copy paste from wikipedia, you can read all about Kempty Falls here (wiki).The water was really chilled and it falls from such a good height that you feel like some chilled ice crystals are falling on you. We spent some time in the water and had to start back soon.

The real test of endurance started from the Kempty Falls. I still had some energy and enthusiasm to scale the heights of Himalayas to get back to academy. We had chosen different route on our way back and it was again a treat to watch those beautiful mountains from different locations. Since couple of us had spent more time in the waters, I was again one of those last few OTs who were lagging behind. So, couple of times I chose some risky short cuts to cut short my path and it was worth the risk! It gave a sense of achievement to overtake many OTs who were far ahead of me!

When I reached the top, out of exhaustion or may be out of little sense of achievement I thought, I conquered the mountains around LBSNAA, but it was short lived. The mountains conquered me. Looking at those giant structures, I realized that, I overcame my weakness and gained a sense of determination and accomplishment. This trek did challenge my limits and crossing those limits and scaling the new heights is always fun. Nine days long trek (in October) is a part of our foundation course and I am looking forward to challenge this new limit and scale the new heights in Himalayan mountains!

Here are some pictures clicked (Will upload rest of them soon).

On the way

Shivalik hills in the b/g.

Shivalik hills

On the way back

Near the falls

With Rawatjee, instructor

Tired and finally reached!

Majestic Shivaliks!

Yes, this blog is still breathing, safely!

2011-08-31T22:56:00.000+05:30

It’s more than a year since I blogged regularly. A friend of mine had asked me if my blog is dead, just as many other blogs do soon after the initial enthusiasm of the author/blogger dives deep down! I never had a great number of followers to my blog and I never expected any of those subscribed readers to follow my blog. I used to blog so that i could improve my writing skills in Kannada and English and ultimately to do well in (UPSC) mains. I never expected that blogging as a hobby could help me a lot for UPSC interview.

After I got through civil service, i had this apprehension of writing something which might land me into some sort of trouble. So, never really bothered to write my views on some “issues” as i used to do earlier. But not “thinking” of something because of not writing for a long time might lead to some sort of bankruptcy of ideas. What I understood is, a hobby should never be let die down and I thought I should rediscover my hobby - blogging.

I just hope that my days in Mussourie and later on in NPA will have plenty of interesting things to share which might interest the readers. One might remotely feel who cares about what I write here, but I do! I am sure some day it will be of some help to some one, at least me!

So, before any one asks if my blog is still breathing, my answer is, “Yes, this blog is still breathing. Very safely, in fact, it is going to get a new life very soon.” :)

The more you see, the more you want to see!

2011-04-22T12:29:00.000+05:30

I remember reading Mark Twain’s quote on travelling, “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do”. Basically, on your death bed, if you look back and see your life through your memories, you should never say, “Oh s**t, I should have done that! or I should not have done that!”. It’s been quite some time since I have been trying to avoid that awkward situation.

I did know that, “the world I perceive is drastically simplified model of the real world”. I had a deep desire to travel and see places that I had never seen before and see life through them. With this inclination in mind, training in Faridabad came as a pleasant gift and I didn’t even try to change the training location (to Mumbai), so that I could explore North India.

After being “Bangalored”, last four months, far away from home, have been a wonderful experience. Every time you cross a linguistic or cultural boundary, there is always something which fascinates you. There will be plenty of “wow! this is really cool” kind of situations. In every such situation, you will have something to learn and take back home. “When you're traveling, you are what you are right there and then. People don't have your past to hold against you. No yesterdays on the road.”

Just as in my engineering days, training has given me a chance to make friends from all parts of the country. It’s not rare to hear, “Oh! this is totally different in our place! Or In our place, this is our favourite food!”, yet, there is something which connects people, something which brings them closer and give way towards making plenty of good friends and learn something from them. “The most important trip you may take in life is meeting people halfway[Henry Boye]”.

“To my mind, the greatest reward and luxury of travel is to be able to experience everyday things as if for the first time, to be in a position in which almost nothing is so familiar it is taken for granted. [Bill Bryson]”. I still haven’t travelled enough to say “I love travelling!”. But I am certain that I will, at least in the next one year and explore new horizons. So far, the more I saw different things, the more I realized that I should see more places and things in life!

NACEN Times : When 'e' starts empowering the 'governance'

2010-12-30T10:04:00.000+05:30

Having worked over five years in private sector that too in software industry, i (think i) cannot fall short of understanding how important technology can be in making life simpler. Talking to someone on instant messaging to get a quick info, exchanging emails to facilitate our understanding, or even better, using online collaborative tools to arrive at a logical conclusion, using analytics tools to predict the market, etc, have taken business and management to a new horizon. "Technology and business have become inextricably interwoven."

Most of us are of the opinion that usage of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in public sector is still in infant stage. Whether the government has sufficiently used ICT to deliver the services efficiently is a debatable topic. However, studying e-governance and ICT related projects under Government of India while preparing for civil services exam and after joining the services, what i have realized is penetration of technology in government is far greater than what most of us would think.

Civil services (IRS) training which began few days back reminds me of my Entry Level Training Programme (ELTP) in IBM Software Labs. Way back in 2005, I thought government sector could never beat the standards being set in private sector, at least in the training domain. E-governance initiatives in our training academy are far more futuristic than what i had imagined. In the academy, the e-governance initiatives deserve lot of appreciation.

National Academy of Customs, Central Excise and Narcotics (NACEN), is the Apex institution for training the IRS (C&CE) officers. "NACEN has taken a number of initiatives in the recent years for improving the training quality. It's state of the art website is rated as the top website amongst all National Academies of India. (I didn't like the UI though!). The most striking feature of the website is its hundred percent dynamic modules. [NACEN Quarterly]".

"In order to ensure the quality of the training, the online feedback module was developed which captures the feedback and suggestions of the participants and generates an automatic email to the trainer. All the Probationers (trainee officers) are registered with the website and they apply for leave online, discuss important issues amongst themselves and with faculty of the academy and ask questions from experts. The polling module helps the academy in conducting poll on any important issue while the SMS module sends important information to probationers and faculty within no time. The Attendance module captures the attendance of probationers and the punctuality is ensured by Biometric Attendance System. All the lecture halls of the Academy are connected with state of the art CCTV cameras which provides real-time 360 degree high resolution video of training, live in the room of Director General [NACEN Quarterly]."

After getting to know about all these initiatives in the academy, in my own interest, i had a small opportunity to have a glance at the back-end system which does all this. Trust me, it was nothing short of a well planned system. It is designed in such a way that trainees and faculty, with little bit of curiosity in computers and technology, can make the best use of it. Having said that, i have no hesitation in admitting that, User Interface (UI) would have been better, but the system still works better! I feel they should have given little more importance to UI aspect.

I guess this is just an example of one small entity of the government. Initiatives undertaken by National Informatics Center, National e-governance service delivery system, India portal, India Development gateway, etc, would reflect the spread of ICT in the system of governance. If you think government sector is no better user of technology, think again!

Stronger implementation mechanism, not Food Security Bill, can better feed hungry India

2010-08-01T14:56:00.000+05:30

There is no dearth of talent in Indian bureaucracy, since the selection process is highly competitive, but the problem lies elsewhere. We have some innovative food security schemes like Antyodaya Anna yojana (AAY), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), etc.. But the real problem is at the implementation stage. No matter how innovative the scheme is, if it is not able to deliver it’s benefits to targeted people, due to the hurdles in implementation, it’s of no use. The intentions of proposed Food Security Bill, no doubt, are novel and guided by principles of equality and justice, but if this becomes another scheme placed under the existing implementation mechanism, it will be a disaster for BPL families.

The Food Security Bill has proposed to,

Provide 25kg of rice/wheat at Rs.3 per month.
Benefit approximately 260 million Below Poverty Line (BPL) people.
Benefit the households headed by single women, HIV infected and mentally ill people, bonded labors, destitute etc..
Also, Senior citizen, single women and physically challenged can eat at ICDS centers or at Mid Day Meal in schools.
And policy makers have suggested that the construction workers, street vendors, rickshaw pullers, domestic workers, and all covered by Antyodaya Anna yojana (AAY) are also included.

It all sounds good and beneficial to common man. But there are hidden shortcomings under the scheme which we might end up realizing only when it fails to deliver to targeted people, as it happened in many good schemes before.

It proposes to provide only 25kg of rice/wheat per month which is 10kg less than the present 35kg of foodgrains provided under exising Public Distribution System.
More over, the bill, unlike what the Congress president had suggested in her note, limits itself to distribution of wheat and rice and does not take a wider view of nutritional security.
While the states have already distributed more than 10 crore BPL cards, the Centre's estimate of BPL families is way smaller, at 6.52 crore. And states have to bear the burden, if they decide to pass on the benefits to all the poor.
This bill, if passed, would replace the existing food security schemes [?] and this may put thousands of BPL families in a difficult situation. (Ex: Coverage, both population wise and the variety of foodgrains provided).
There are possibilities of increased food subsidies amounting to Rs. 70,000 crore per annum if the Bill becomes a law.

On the other hand, It is important to realize that, we need a law to bring the benefits like those enshrined in the Food security bill to the common man. What we need at this point of time is strengthening of existing schemes and our public distribution system. Instead of better implementation of the already existing schemes such as TPDS, AAY, ICDS, MDMS, etc the Food Security law might make things unduly worse and unnecessarily complicated.

The core problems arising out of all the shortcomings of Food security bill are,

Identification of “actual” poor,
Inefficient Public Distribution System,
Corruption (middlemen),
Widening the food basket.

Most of these core problems are faced during the implementation stages. As Economic Survey articulates, “To assume that all those entrusted with the task of administering the programme will do so flawlessly and then to blame them when the system fails, is not the mark of good strategist. For effective policy, what is needed is to take people to be the way they are and then create ‘incentive-compatible interventions’”.

There are many ways overcome the implementation hurdles, some of them can be noted here. These alternative mechanisms were suggested in many policy discussions and the Economic Survey 2009-10.

The Coupon System:
The two planks of this system are,

The subsidy should be handed over directly to the households, instead of giving it to the PDS store-keeper in the form of cheap grain and then have him deliver it to the needy households.
The household should be given the freedom to choose which store it buys the food from.

Suppose, the BPL household gets the subsidy of Rs.X for wheat each month. Instead of giving this by charging the household less than the market price of wheat, it should be given coupons worth Rs.X which can be used at PDS stores in lieu of money when buying wheat. And the poor consumer should be allowed to exchange the coupons with foodgrains at any PDS store rather than at a pre-allocated store.

Such a system will be more impervious to corruption. Since the store owners will get the same price for grain from all buyers, poor and rich, he will have no incentive, to turn the poor buyers away, as happens currently.

The UID Scheme:
For the full success of this “coupons system” what is needed is an effective method of identifying the poor. This is where the unique identification (UID) system, an initiative already launched, comes into play. Since UID system will come into effect in 2012, it is possible to plan on a switch to a coupons system by 2012.

The way forward
Thus, the core problems of identifying the poor, corruption (middlemen) and hurdles in public distribution system can be checkmated by such alternative system. Under this alternative implementation mechanism, even if the government substantially cuts back total size of the subsidy, we should still see more households getting more benefits than they currently do!

The proposed food security bill, if passed, without having foolproof implementation framework would be a disaster. The need of the hour is to strengthen the existing implementation mechanism before the Food Security Bill is enacted.

It's high time for the world to realize it's the time for Africa!

2010-07-03T23:21:00.007+05:30

Way back in 2006-07, when I saw Blood Diamond for the first time, plight of children who were conscripted into the rebel forces dragged me into continued catharsis for a long time. Just for the fact that such things (still?) exist in Africa. Today, when I saw a picture of kids in Africa playing “soccer with a ball made out of plastic bags on a dirt pitch in a small town in Branfort, outside Bloemfontein, South Africa, where the historical legacy of the Boer war is inescapable.”

Two contrasting pictures!

That picture of Dia, son of Solomon Vandy in Blood Diamond and the picture of those kids playing soccer gives a contrasting picture of Africa. Africa has come a long way from those days of slave trade, to the days of Boer war and reached a time where it can host the biggest single sporting event in the human history. The story of this transition has seen many wars and subsequent socio-economic crisis, violation of human rights, extreme poverty and many humanitarian crisis. Africa sees FIFA World Cup 2010 as an all-important event marking the end of ‘transition’ and the beginning of what it hopes will be a post racial era. The world cup is the final stamp of world approval that will help Africa put a lid on the past.

FIFA World cup 2010 will be remembered, for a long time to come, for various reason.

Firstly, for Africa. World Cup has given the continent a chance to present a more positive image to the world. Glare of international publicity helps Africa to draw attention on various issues like Rwanda, HIV-AIDS, Starvation, Darfur, Poverty, etc. The mega event has provided a stage for Africa to project it’s culture. It will help endorse the South African idea of “Rainbow Nation” which is supported by greats like Nelson Mandela. This African opportunity can be best described in the words of South Africa's President, Mr Thabo Mbeki, "We want to ensure that one day, historians will reflect upon the 2010 FIFA World Cup as a moment when Africa stood tall and resolutely turned the tide on centuries of poverty and conflict. We want to show that Africa's time has come.”

Secondly, for Geo-political and economic importance of Africa. As president Mbeki said, time has come for Africa. “If we have the World Cup [here],” said one African official, “we will not be the same again.” Africa is important to the world and especially to developed nations not just for trade in growing African market, but also for various issues of social, economic, humanitarian and also security issues. Entire world is in the verge of realization that, without peaceful and poverty free Africa, one cannot think of peaceful world and prosperous global society. This world cup can take this message far and wide.

Thirdly, for FIFA, this event will expand it’s territory. “FIFA’s conscious effort to go global began in 1994 World cup. First time the world cup exited its traditional Europe-Latin America orbit. The commercial success of 1994 despite the absence of prior fan-base, encouraged further expansion and 2002 saw the world cup entering Asia for the first time with South Korea and Japan as co-hosts. World cup 2010 effectively marks the conquest of the globe by brand FIFA and its efforts to market the most popular game known to humanity [EPW, June 12, 2010 issue].”

Finally, for the future of soccer in Africa. "You can't find anyone in Africa who says, 'I don't care about football.' This time, many African players might have been made to “watch others score the goals”, but future will not be same for African teams. Many African players like Samuel Eto’t(Cameroon, Inter Milan), Didier Drogba(Chelsea), Micheal Essien(Ghana, Chelsea), Frederic Kanoute(Mali, Sevilla) and others have shown their talent in European leagues. This world cup will take the soccer to African corners where it was unheard of and we aren’t too far from seeing world class players from Africa.

“The World Cup is the tournament by which most countries measure themselves. It is the most visible way nations are represented on the global stage [Alan Bairner].” With South Africa acting as ambassador for the whole continent in this FIFA world cup, Africa can project a dynamic image of the continent despite prevailing poverty. As I mentioned before, without peaceful and poverty free Africa, one cannot think of peaceful world and prosperous global society. It’s high time for the world to realize that it’s the time for Africa!

What really motivates insurgents to bloody their hands?

2010-05-29T17:50:00.000+05:30

On almost everyday in the last two months, I woke up with news stories depicting the brutality of insurgents. A 16 year old girl who fled the Maoist camp was allegedly raped by the Maoists [May 2]. Eight Indian paramilitary troopers were killed when Naxalite rebels blew up a police vehicle in the central state of Chhattisgarh [May 8]. Six villagers were murdered by slitting their throats by the maoists [May 16]. Two similar blasts in Dantewada killed over hundred security personnel [April 6 and May 17]. Gyaneshwari Express derailment before an oncoming goods train hit the loose carriages that killed at least 100 passengers [May 28]. Last two months were undoubtedly the bloodiest times in the history of insurgency and have given enough nightmares to Home minister and his team.

One thing that has always puzzled me is, the kind of motivation and support naxalites get for violence. We often say, "I will kill you!" in our day to day conversations, but most of us really don't have that 'driving force' to kill some one! Where does that come from? What really motivates the comrades in the red corridor to bloody their hands? The fundamental reasons like poverty, lack of education, lack of exposure to outside world, etc, have been used by our political leaders so often that, they no more appeal to our reasoning. But then, what really motivates the insurgents?

Other side of the story
“You cannot end the world’s injustices without stirring a revolution. No revolution happens without bloodying your hands. We are fighting a people’s war – a protracted people’s war”, says a maoist comrade. Another comrade says, their struggle is "to end exploitation, oppression and block aggressive moves of big corporates and the state. More importantly, it is a long term struggle projecting a different type of living."

What does he mean by "different type of living"? He says, "This type of living is nothing but sustainable development; people’s friendly education; growing emancipation of women; a halt to domination and plunder of foreign and Indian exploiters; a new culture that rebuilds Adivasi traditions anew instead of mocking them."

But what stops them to lead their life in that way? "Government thinks that Maoists/Naxalites are the real obstacles in the plans of government to open up the whole country to the ravages of globalization. This is why, the Central and State governments devote funds and forces to suppress them evenwhile they cut down on social services with the plea of resource shortage." "It is certainly true that a number of monopolies like Tata, Mittal and Vedanta are just waiting to plunder the resources of these areas. A good part of it is slated for export as raw material to imperialist countries. The only thing preventing this right now is the people’s war and politicised Adivasi masses led by the CPI (Maoist)."

Core issues
Thus, the question of "control over resource" is involved in the tussle between government and the Maoists/Naxalites. But, "this is neither the sole issue, nor even the main one", comrades emphasize. Privatisation, displacement, environmental destruction, atrocities of the security forces and many other issues surface every now and then to keep their struggle alive.

History of exploitation
Exploitation caused by "interference" in their lives or the misuse of official powers by security forces is not new. The construction of railways during British Raj worsened their misery. The railway contractors used brute force to employ them cheaply on construction work and even kidnapped and raped Santal women. The railways even took away the grains produced by Santals and created food shortage. Silent protest of Santals until 1855 did not help at all. They started attacking Zamindars and money lenders, disrupted rail traffic. The Santal declared the end of company rule and proclaimed Santal Raj.

In the post independence era, atrocities of security forces in the red corridor area is one of the important reason for their fight against security personnel. It is disappointing to note that, staggering 48,939 cases were filed against policemen in 2008-2009 for their (alleged) atrocities according to the report by the Crime Records Bureau [More here]. Government's mega projects in Naxal/Maoist affected areas have been the reasons for conflict and violence. Many of the acts passed by the parliament on land reforms and tribal rights have had a negative impact on the lives of Adivasis in insurgency affected areas. Their struggles and demands are mainly focused on Privatisation, displacement, environmental destruction, atrocities of the security forces, etc.

Demands of Maoists/Naxalites
The main premise of the Naxals was the upliftment of the poor peasants and they wanted the land tiller to be the land owners. But with time, the list of their demands kept growing. Now, following are the main demands [HT]:

A democratic atmosphere should be created in the State. The government should respect people's right to fight for their democratic demands.
Implement reforms in the agricultural sector like Land Ceiling Act.
Implement policies of industrialisation and other schemes based on local resources in place of the liberalisation, privatisation and globalisation policies being followed now.
Recognise the tribal people's rights on forest.
Form a separate Telangana State.
Cessation of atrocities on Dalits.
Recover money from the affluent who evade taxes.

Naxals never had a peaceful approach to attain their demands. They often resorted to violence. It's an irony that they soon started following what they had set out to crush--atrocities.

The way forward
There may be many factors motivating the Maoists/Naxals to create violence in our society. But nothing can justify the killing of innocent lives and security personnel. The so called "Gandhi with Gun"kind of reasoning is undoubtedly flawed and sounds like Gandhigir with Gundagiri! Something which can never co-exists. Such reasonings does not inspire the confidence of those who are trying to bring some peace in the lives of innocent people. There are certain genuine reasons behind Maoists/Naxalites struggle which definitely demand the attention from "mainstream government". Sooner the mainstream India accepts those genuine reasons, better it is for peaceful co-existence within our boundaries.

Two twitter fellas and the murky IPL controversy

2010-04-28T00:28:00.004+05:30

Mr. Shashi Twittoor's wicket in the IPL controversy has opened a Pandora's box and heads have already started falling with Lalit Modi's departure. The IPL controversy is threatening to become the biggest cricket scandal ever, bigger even than the match fixing story of the 90s. Politicians, Sports Administrators, Cricketers, Bollywood Celebrities, Gangsters, Mafia, Businessmen, Models.. everyone seems to be involved. The Indian Premier League owes its success to millions of cricket fans across the world. Cricket lovers in India certainly deserve an explanation for all the mess that happened so far.

What is IPL controversy all about?
It all started with Mr. Tharoor's so called mentoring of the Kerala franchise. The war of words with (former) IPL boss, Lalit Modi, revealed that, Mr. Tharoor negotiated with Rendezvous for a higher share of "sweat equity" for his (girl) friend Sunanda Pushkar. This is not the first time Mr. Tharoor is helping someone who is very close to him. "When appointed head of the public affairs division in the UN headquarters in New York, he moved his girlfriend to the office next to him." More over, he is no stranger to controversies. His statements on Pandit Nehru's foreign policy, about Mahatma Gandhi, about India's stand on Indo-Pak relations and his "equivocal" comments on Twitter have created more problems and embarrassment to the government than solving the problems.

Note: Sweat equity is a term used to describe the contribution made to a project by people who contribute their time and effort.

Firstly, Mr. Tharoor's explanations on the sweat equity for Ms Pushkar was unsatisfactory. The minister had told Lok Sabha that “Rendezvous has clarified that it issued sweat equity to its associates in lieu of salary, which is a common practice around the world for start-up ventures”. It must be noted that, Ms Pushkar was awarded 19% stake in the 25% free equity owned by Rendezvous Sports World Pvt Ltd, the company that led the consortium that finally won the team. The value of Pushkar's stake is $15.82 million (about Rs 70 crore). However,

According to Section 79A of the Companies Act 1956, a company can issue “sweat equity” only a year after commencing business. The Kochi franchise was registered only on March 17, 2010.
A company cannot issue sweat equity shares for over 15% of the total paid-up capital in a year or shares of the value of Rs 5 crore, whichever is higher and the firm has to get prior approval of the government. There is proof that Ms Pushkar got more than what is allowed under law.

More over, Mr Tharoor’s argument, that sweat equity was given to Ms Pushkar for providing “intellectual property” to the company, is flawed. For allotting shares for considerations other than tax, a company is supposed to conduct a valuation of the intellectual property. “It has to be carried out by a valuer before awarding sweat equity. In Ms Pushkar’s case, this was not carried out by the company. The explanation provided by the minister clearly shows his association with Rendezvous was not an indifferent one as he claims [Economic Times]. This triggered "trial by media" and Mr. Shashi Twittoor had to step down.

On the other hand, another Twitter fella, (former) IPL boss Lalit Modi, disclosed the names of some of the owners of the consortium that bought the Kochi franchise for $333 million. Modi has also alleged that he was told by Tharoor not to ask who these shareholders were. "The Franchise Agreement does have a confidentiality clause, which prohibits disclosure of the agreement, other than as might be required under the law, without the prior written agreement of both parties (the consortium and the IPL arm of the Board of Control for Cricket in India) [The Hindu]." Mr. Tharoor and the co-owner(s) of Kochi consortium have blamed Mr. Modi for betraying the confidentiality clause. The issue got even worst when a Kochi consortium co-owner has alleged that Mr. Modi offered the owners $50 million as a 'bribe' to withdraw from the bid after they had won it. The IPL Chairman has strenuously denied this.

This entire murky affair attracted the attention of the nation and raids by Income Tax department made the matters worst. BCCI and IPL governing council suddenly woke up (as if from deep sleep) and realized that there is something fishy in the entire gamut of IPL.

What really went wrong?
The primary purpose of corporate leadership is to create wealth legally and ethically. IPL management has given a decent burial to both legality and ethics. There are no well defined stringent rules to ensure the transparency in the management of IPL. There are serious doubts regarding the ownership of Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan Royals, Kolkata Knight Riders franchises [More here and here]. There is enough proof to show Mr. Modi's finantial irregularities and his influence on bidding process [More here and here]. He ran the IPL like a one-man show. His dictator like leadership has struck coup de grâce to democratic decision making in corporate body (IPL). "He antagonised the BCCI general body, whose support he may need to remain in control. Mr. Modi embarrassed the Government on the apparent boycott of Pakistan players by team franchisees in the run-up to IPL3. As controversies swirled around him over financial irregularities and him influencing the bidding process, he shrugged-or tweeted-off the allegations as if the laws of the land and public scrutiny were such banalities meant only for lesser mortals. [India Today]"

This forced the BCCI boss Mr. Shashank Manohar to assert that, "IPL doesn’t belong to any individual. It remains a BCCI property and we don’t want anybody’s advise on who should run the tournament or how to go about organising it. The IPL’s governance is BCCI’s prerogative."

The way forward
Shashank Manohar is a powerful man who, unlike Mr. Modi, doesn't speak much and when he speaks every one listens. Mr. Manohar seems to be the right man in the right place. One can only hope that he plays a significant role in cleaning up the IPL mess [More here].

BCCI has already appointed a 3 member committee to probe into IPL functioning and the members of the opposition parties are demanding joint parliamentary committee (JPC) to look into the matter which is definitely a good idea. Government should seriously think about constituting a JPC to probe into IPL affairs. There is an urgent need to ensure greater transparency and accountability on the part of both the organizers and the franchisees. The Indian Premier League owes its success to millions of cricket fans across the world and cricket lovers in India certainly deserve an explanation for all the mess that happened so far.

We definitely need Nuclear Liability Bill, but not in haste

2010-03-27T10:43:00.000+05:30

Ever since the Chernobyl disaster which killed thousands and affected millions, there have been number of efforts to create common international standards on liability and compensation; so that the responsibility of such a disaster can be fixed and the victims of the disaster are given a fair compensation. There are four international conventions on nuclear liability issue. The 1960 Paris Convention, The 1963 Vienna Convention, 1997 Protocol to Amend Vienna Convention and 1997 Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. India is not a party to any of these conventions and hence has no legal obligation to adhere to these conventiosn.

There are about 30 countries that operate civil nuclear power. Most of these countries have "some sort of nuclear liability act in force in their territory either as a result of adherence to these international conventions or through enacting national liability law." In India, "there is no provision in the Indian Atomic Energy Act, 1962 about either nuclear liability or compensation for nuclear damage due to nuclear accident or incident. Nor are there any other laws that deal with nuclear liability. It was in this context that the new law (The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill) has been proposed and also on the necessity of joining an appropriate international liability regime [Indian Express]."

The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill says, "The liability due to any damage caused by these plants are borne by the central government. ... It caps the liability of any incident at SDR 300 million (approximately Rs 2100 crore at current conversion rates); the maximum liability of any single operator is capped at Rs 500 crore. The liability of any damage beyond this level will lie with the central government [PRS]."

What does it mean?
The liability of the operator of (civil) nuclear facility is capped at Rs 500 Crore. This means, "Central Government shall be liable for nuclear damage in respect of a nuclear incident when such liability exceeds the Rs.500-crore liability limit of the operator or where the accident occurs in a nuclear installation owned by it [i.e. the Indian government]."

Currently, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is responsible for the generation of nuclear power for electricity. NPCIL is the only power utility company in India which uses nuclear fuel sources and hence it becomes the sole operator responsible for nuclear power generation. Since it is owned by government of India, NPCIL's liability becomes the liability of the government and hence the burden falls on tax payers. Thus, in case of nuclear emergency, the suppliers will have no responsibility whatsoever to compensate the victims and all the compensation has to be borne by government and hence tax payers.

On the other hand, "the foreign reactor builder (supplier) — however culpable it is for a nuclear accident — will be completely immune from any victim-initiated civil suit or criminal proceedings in an Indian court or in a court in its home country. So, even if the accident were triggered by wilful negligence on the part of the foreign supplier and the consequences were catastrophic, all claims would have to be filed against the Indian state."

How does this "liability" work in US?
In the united states, Price-Anderson Act deals with the issue of nuclear liability. This act makes the suppliers legally liable for damages caused by the nuclear emergency. But, this liability is "channeled" to the facility operator. What this means is, "in US, the supplier is insured under the nuclear liability facility form policy written by the American Nuclear Insurers (ANI) and purchased by the facility operator." i.e. the supplier is insured under (or with?) ANI and that insurance is purchased by the facility operator. Thus, the supplier is virtually free from legal responsibilities. [More on this here]

Why US wants India to have a liability bill?
"India is on record wanting to buy 10,000 MW of nuclear reactors from the US suppliers. The US nuclear industry wants the billions of dollars in profits from Indian sales, but does not want any risks: good old risk-free capitalism, US style. This is the genesis of the nuclear liability bill – a hefty subsidy from Indian tax payers for the US to be able to market its reactors. [Read More]"

What do critics say about the bill?

The Price Anderson Act in the United States capped liability at an amount 23 times higher than the sum the Indian Bill seeks to fix.
Russians and the French were doing nuclear business with India without demanding this kind of legislation.
There cannot be a situation where the foreign supplier has zero liability, and the public sector and the Indian government have all the responsibility and the liability.
However, no liability will be fixed on the foreign supplier companies even if there is a mishap because of a manufacturing defect. This provision has been strongly opposed by the Left, the BJP and environment groups.
"Government was bringing the law in the PSU regime and may perhaps allow private companies to run nuclear power plants in the country who would be liable under the same rule of law". Though government doesn't intend to bring in private players, "Who knows what the government will do after the law is passed?" Read More.

The way forward
In the united states, American Nuclear Insurers (ANI) plays a significant role. ANI's purpose is to pool the financial assets pledged by it's member companies to provide the significant amount of property and liability insurance required for nuclear power plants and related facilities throughout the world. But in India, there is no institution like ANI and government becomes the insurer of last resort. Government cannot be lenient towards the suppliers and the responsibility of damages should be shared by suppliers at least to a reasonable extent. There cannot be a situation where the foreign supplier has zero liability, and the public sector and the Indian government have all the responsibility and the liability.

In the recent years, though the nuclear industry has achieved an impressive safety record, we cannot say we can obviate an unpredictable emergency situation. Under such context, The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Bill has crucial role to play and Government of India and the people of India cannot afford a hasty decision on this issue. Government definitely needs to take a second look at the framework of the bill.

Women's Reservation bill may be a blunt instrument, but no one has suggested anything better

2010-03-08T23:04:00.000+05:30

"The issue of empowerment of women has been raised in different fora in the country from time to time. Political empowerment of women is rightly perceived as a powerful and indispensable tool for eliminating gender inequality and discrimination." Positive discrimination has been one of finest discovery of the democracy in order to create equality of opportunity for the hitherto deprived sections of society. Indian women had been ignored since the time unknown. It is high time that our society gives enough attention to the cause of women's rights. After all, "Our full potential as a nation will only be realised when women, who constitute about half of our population, can fully realise their potential."

"What a gift it would be if in the centenary year of International Women's Day the Women's Reservation Bill were to be passed." Despite the noble intentions, the bill couldn't be passed in Rajya Sabha today. It is unfair to say that the issues raised by the opponents are not genuine. But in any case, women - whether they belong to upper castes or lower castes or middle castes - should be represented equally or adequately.

What does the bill say?

The Bill seeks to reserve, as nearly as possible, one-third of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and the state legislative assemblies (including Delhi). The allocation of reserved seats shall be determined by such authority as prescribed by Parliament.
As nearly as possible, one third of the total number of seats reserved for Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribes (SC/ST) in the Lok Sabha and the legislative assemblies shall be reserved for SC/ST women.
Reservation of seats for women shall cease to exist 15 years after the commencement of the Act.
Reserved seats may be allotted by rotation to different constituencies in the state or union territory. If a state or union territory has only one seat in the Lok Sabha, that seat shall be reserved for women in the first general election of every cycle of three elections. If there are two seats, each shall be reserved once in a cycle of three elections. Similar rules apply for seats reserved for SC/STs. Of the two seats in the Lok Sabha reserved for Anglo Indians, one will be reserved for women in each of the two elections in a cycle of three elections.

What do the critics say?

Opponents argue that it would perpetuate the unequal status of women since they would not be perceived to be competing on merit. They also contend that this policy diverts attention from the larger issues of electoral reform such as criminalisation of politics and inner party democracy.
Reservation of seats in Parliament restricts choice of voters to women candidates. Therefore, some experts have suggested alternate methods such as reservation in political parties and dual member constituencies.
Rotation of reserved constituencies in every election may reduce the incentive for an MP to work for his constituency as he may be ineligible to seek re-election from that constituency.
Reservation would not lead to political empowerment of women because (a) larger issues of electoral reforms such as measures to check criminalisation of politics, internal democracy in political parties, influence of black money, etc. have not been addressed.
it could lead to election of “proxies” or relatives of male candidates.

What do the proponents say?
The proponents of the policy of reservation state that although equality of the sexes is enshrined in the Constitution, it is not the reality. Therefore, vigorous affirmative action is required to improve the condition of women. Also, there is evidence that political reservation has increased redistribution of resources in favour of the groups which benefit from reservation. A study about the effect of reservation for women in panchayats shows that women elected under the reservation policy invest more in the public goods closely linked to women’s concerns. A 2008 study, commissioned by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj, reveals that a sizeable proportion of women representatives perceive an enhancement in their self-esteem, confidence and decision-making ability.

What is quota within quota issue?
To put it simple, quota within quota means, "sub-reservation for STs, SCs, OBCs and Minority communities within the 33 percent quota."

The main political parties who oppose the bill say that, the bill is a conspiracy by the Congress and the BJP to prevent Muslims, backwards and Dalits to get elected to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas. Contending that the reservation would benefit only upper caste women, they have demanded a separate quota for OBC women. On this issue, PMK has given a written view that,

“...this means that within seats reserved for Scheduled Castes men one third seats will be reserved for SC women. This implies that other women belonging to Backward Classes, Minorities and other weaker sections of the society, who now enjoy benefits under various Government programmes such as education, employment, development programmes are deprived of political reservation. This is against the concept of equality and runs contrary to Constitutional provisions. It discriminates between women of different groups and will enable increased representation of only women from upper castes, which would perpetuate the already raging disparities among women. This unjust situation has to be remedied...."

Noting that, "not a single Muslim was elected to Parliament from states like Gujarat, MP, Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana", the opponents say, "how can a Muslim woman could be elected without reservation? This bill is dangerous as women have been included in reservation being extended to Muslims, OBCs and SC/ST. If this bill is enacted, especially Muslims and OBCs would be at the receiving end."

Under this context it is interesting to note what Nationalist Congress Party has to say,

"...we don’t find any need for reasons for special quota for OBC within the women’s quota as suggested from certain quarters. Now there are 429 seats excluding reserved seats for SC/ST category in the Parliament. There is no reservation for OBC in the abovementioned existing unreserved seats. But still there is good representation for OBC category in the Parliament at present. Same is the case of OBC category in the State Assemblies as well....."

The way forward
If one takes a closer look at various opinions noted in the Parliamentary standing committee report, it is abundantly clear that, there is some truth in what the opponent parties like RJD and SP are saying. It may be foolishness to think of women empowerment if only women from political houses enter the houses of parliament and assemblies. The very idea of women reservation is to give opportunity to those who may not get that opportunity under normal circumstances. Reservation for women belonging Scheduled Caste and Scheduled tribes in local bodies have given a fruitful results (with some exceptions though). It is the responsibility of the government to address these genuine concerns and those concerns are too big to be ignored.

But in any case it is important for us to note what National Federation of Indian Women says, "we want reservation for women, they may belong to upper castes or lower castes or middle castes. We won’t mind, but women should be represented equally or adequately....... we cannot reject the Bill on any of these issues that are being raised and sought to be solved within the ambit of the Bill."

Some are of the opinion that, "Women's reservation bill itself is a bias towards women" and they would be happier "if women could stand up for their rights on the basis of merit, and not on the basis of reservations." True, but they must understand that the equality of opportunity must be seen in historical and constitutional context (follow the link for more on that). There was a time when women expected nothing but oppression and discrimination in the society. Today, there is a need for "positive discrimination" for attaining gender equality.

"Reservation may be a blunt instrument, but no one has suggested anything better." Do you think of any better alternatives to reservation so that "good things" that come out of reservation can still be retained?

Also Read:

This post has used the data and analysis already made by PRS Legislative Research.

What's your Idea of India? Do you have one?

2010-03-04T00:38:00.001+05:30

Every time a linguistic chauvinist attacks a helpless migrant from other state, every time the religious fundamentalists, terrorists, Naxalites and Maoists attack the innocent lives, we tend to question the very foundation of our nation - "The idea of India." When Thackerays test the idea of India, equality and freedom enshrined in our constitution are challenged. When religious fundamentalists desecrate the places of worship, the freedom of religion in our country is questioned. When Naxals and Maoists kill the innocent lives in the remote villages, our right to life and liberty is attacked. When we cannot convict the culprits even after decades of legal fight, the justice guaranteed in our constitution is challenged.

Looking at these challenges we are facing in our country today, don't you think we are going back to square one where we fought hard for these fundamental rights? Can these challenges be overcome? Yes!, says our home minister:

"Every challenge tests the will and determination of the people. The US emerged stronger from a civil war. Winston Churchill led the British people in the defence of their island against a powerful enemy and vowed “we shall never surrender.” Japan rose from the ashes to become a world economic power. Belying all predictions, the Wall was brought down and Germany was united. The peaceful rise of China is liberating millions of people from poverty. India is no stranger to the “can do” spirit; it was best exemplified by the life and work of Mahatma Gandhi who said “Be the change that you want to see.” Our challenges – formidable as they are – can be overcome."

As he rightly points out in his speech at 6th Nani A. Palkhivala Memorial Lecture, "The idea of India" is important to overcome the challenges we are facing today. It is interesting to note from his speech that, "we draw that idea from our own circumstances – birth, family, upbringing, education and the like. That idea is also shaped by our experiences like success and failure, joy and sorrow. It is also influenced by others such as family members, friends, adversaries, colleagues and superiors. Ultimately, each one of us forms an idea of India. In the case of most people, the idea of India is vague, undefined and with barely visible contours; yet with a little prodding, it is possible to draw out every person to define his or her idea of India."

In our country, we have thousands of individuals fighting for their own "idea of India". Some fight for "improvement in the living standards and access to all basic needs such that a person has enough food, water, shelter, clothing, health, education etc.", some fight for "A stable political, social and economic environment, with associated political social and economic freedoms, such as equitable ownership of land and property." And of course, there are many others fighting for many other noble causes.

As Mr. Chidambaram puts it, "all these ideas put together, makes the Idea of India". If Mahatma Gandhi's words - “Be the change that you want to see” - are taken under this context, each one of our ideas can change the lives around. However small or big is our idea of India, it is important that we have one.

Why Democrats need 60 votes in the Senate to breath safely

2010-01-22T01:03:00.004+05:30

Recent victory of Scott Brown has sent a cold shiver down the spine of every Democrat who supported President Obama's signature health care bill. With his victory, Brown becomes the 41st Republican vote in the Senate, the upper house of American Congress, having total membership of 100. Now, why is this number, 41, so important for Republicans? Why democrats are apprehensive of safe passage of the health care bill? Why could it possibly shatter Obama's health care dream?

Checks and Balances, Filibuster
Congress of the United States is bicameral and the Senate sees itself as a check against the more-populist whims of the House of Representatives, i.e. the lower house of American Congress. The principle of Checks and Balances enshrined in the American constitution ensures certain degree of control of one branch of the government over the other (Executive, Legislature and Judiciary being three branches of the government). Since the Congress of the United States is bicameral, the Legislative branch of the government has a degree of self-checking. In United States, for a bill to become law, both the houses must agree upon the bill (and sort out the differences if any). [You may want to know, How a Bill Becomes a Law in USA. Read here or here]. The Senate has created long-standing rules that make it easier for its members to block bills. One of the most famous way is a filibuster, which means a senator can control the floor indefinitely to block a vote.

Cloture
The Senate rules permit a senator, or a series of senators, to speak on the bill as long as they wish. This gives Republicans to go on debating health care bill indefinitely. However, this kind of marathon debate can be brought to an end if 3/5th of the Senators (i.e. 60 out of 100 Senators "duly chosen and sworn") agree to end the debate. In parliamentary procedure, this process of bringing the debate to an end with the support of 3/5th members of the house is called Cloture. i.e. "if a minority of 40 senators refuses to stop talking, then you need 60 of them to invoke the rule that shuts the others up and allows the bill to come to vote. If you don't have 60 votes to break the filibuster, it doesn't matter if you have 50 votes to pass the bill."

Why Scott Brown's Victory is so crucial?
Thus, if Democrats wants to stop the debate and make way for safe passage of the health care bill, they need the support of at least 60 senators. Since the Senate has 57 Democrats, 41 Republicans and 2 independents, Democrats alone cannot ensure the end of health care debate in the Senate, even if they have the support of 2 independents. They still need one more Republican vote. This is where Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts - that was long held by a democrat, Edward M. Kennedy - has become crucial for Republicans and thrown the democrats into disarray.

It's not just for the health care bill, but Republicans can frustrate Obama by using filibuster for each and every other bill. Thus, delaying or blocking the bills altogether. May be this is the reason why Obama said that the country's institutions are not matching up to those sound values of American people.

The way ahead: Available alternatives for Obama
Democrats could try to convince a Republican (and 2 independents) to support their bill. Olympia Snowe, of Maine, did vote for a health reform bill in committee, but Republicans such as Utah's Orrin Hatch seem confident Snowe would oppose a final bill.

Another obvious possibility is Democrats could scale down the scope of the bill to try to garner Republican support.

In the worst case, Democrats "could try to use a relatively arcane rule called reconciliation that only requires 51 votes in the Senate, but only involves budget items. Leading Democrats are even confused on how this works and are now discussing the matter with their lawyers." [Read more about reconciliation procedure here].

In the most unlikely case, Democrats with their majority in the Senate can choose to do away with filibuster itself and then ensure a safe passage of the bill (57 democrates, which is 6 more than the majority of the house). But, current Senate rules state that 67 (2/3rd majority) votes are required for future rule changes. However, in 1892 Supreme Court of the United states ruled that, changes to Senate rules could however be achieved by a simple majority. Thus, the filibuster could be changed by majority (51 out of 100) vote(s), using the so-called Nuclear option, also called the "constitutional option" for political reasons and because of its roots in constitutional majoritarianism. However this may not be in the democratic interest of American people.

Whatever the case may be, Obama has a rough road ahead.

Further Reading:

G.O.P. Senate Victory Stuns Democrats - NY Times.
Cloture, Filibuster on wiki.
Would a final reform bill need 60 votes?
The 50-Vote Senate by Ezra Klein
Dream Killer: How Scott Brown's victory in Massachusetts will kill health reform.

Police Reforms: Too Important to Neglect, Too Urgent to Delay

2010-01-17T17:17:00.000+05:30

"The public perceive the police as a "closed fraternity"; they are rude, cruel and corrupt; they are partisan during communal riots; they are not "popular"; they are politically pliable; they are "inactive if there is no pressure, excessively reactive if there is pressure and rarely professionally proactive"; they are "criminals in uniform"; they are also immoral [The Hindu]." Back in 2006, Noida (Nithari) killings "shook the conscience of the Indian society. The Noida incident was a pointer to the breakdown of policing at each level, particularly at the cutting edge level, and the complete erosion of police as the basic institution for internal security [src]." The recent Ruchika Girhotra case has aggravated the already damaged the image of police system. It is high time for us to realize that our country needs sweeping reforms in outdated, colonial era police system.

Need for Police reforms
The existing police system was created in an age in which the crimes as witnessed in the contemporary society were far from imagination. Indian police force was trained in the past to serve the objective of colonial rule and has not yet been granted the much needed autonomy, resources. Over the past one and half century, though the performance of police is NOT entirely disappointing, we have seen a "steady deterioration of standards of policing, the increasing lawlessness amongst the policemen themselves and the attitude of complacency and complicity amongst the leadership in the police organizations."

Existing police system functions in an authoritarian setting. "It has become a coercive apparatus of the government. We need reforms to make police efficient, effective, people friendly and accountable; to arrest the corruption and break the police nexus with anti-social elements; to bring attitudinal changes in police personnel to assist the community when needed. We need a new framework for police system which can "reflect the expectations of the people regarding the police in the modern democratic society. The use of scientific investigation methods to strengthen the criminal justice system, enabling the police to tackle futuristic trends and organized crime including cyber crime." All in all, we need 21st century police system to deal with 21st century crimes.

Efforts made so far
From 1947, commission after commission has criticized the police system. Justice Dayal commission of inquiry into the riots in various parts of the country in 1967 found that, "either there was no police force to deal with the mischief-makers or it had no directions to act." Dating from 1979, successive governments have promised police reforms to the people of India. Recommendations for reform made by several police commissions, at national as well as State levels, are kept in cold storage, all because of vested interests, bureaucratic and political.

Shah Commission of Inquiry appointed to look into excesses committed during the Emergency. The National Police Commission (NPC) chaired by Dharam Vira appointed in 1977 submitted eight reports between 1979 and 1981 suggesting wide ranging reforms in the existing police set-up. The reports were so comprehensive that, "the successive committees—Rebeiro (1998), Padmanabhaiah (2000), Malimath (2000), which situated the police reforms in the Criminal Justice System framework and Soli Sorabji (2005), appointed to draft a new Police Act—have used the NPC report and recommendations therein as the reference point."

More over, Supreme court has issued several directives to reform the existing police system. Ironically, many sought revision of orders by supreme court, albeit unsuccessfully. Directions of the Supreme Court to all State Govts. in a PIL filed by an ex-Police Officer (Prakash Singh vs. Union of India – WP No. 310 0f 1996) have been systematically ignored. Justice Mishra’s recommendations for police investigations, Supreme court Judgement in Vineet Narain 1998, Vohra Committee recommendations and several other measures suggested by various judgments/committees haven't found a place in governments agenda of reforms.

Soli Sorabjee Committee on Police Reforms
"The Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, having visualized the long-felt need to replace the 146 year old Police Act 1861, set up a Committee of Experts, under the Chairmanship of Dr. Soli J. Sorabjee, , former Attorney General, Government of India. in September 2005 to draft a new Police Act 2007 that could meet, inter alia, the growing challenges to policing and to fulfil the democratic aspirations of the people.The Committee had been tasked to draft a new Police Act in view of the changing role/responsibility of police and the challenges.[Read More]"

The committee has made sweeping recommendations and if implemented the country could see a new era of police system. Some of the recommendations include,

State Police Complaint Authority to look after the complaints of misconduct against the officers of the rank of SP and above. The "District Complaint Authority" would look into the complaints against officers of the rank DSP and below.
Noting that accountability of police officers is paramount, the committee suggested to introduce criminal penalties for some of the common derelictions like non-registration of FIR, unlawful arrest and detentions.
National Security Commission headed by the union home minister for the selection and placement of chiefs of central police organizations like BSF, CRPF, SSB, CISF, etc.. In states the State Security Commission would act as a watchdog and be headed by the Chief minister.
Fixed tenure for senior officers so that they are free of "political transfers". The "Police Establishment Board" would look after transfers, postings and promotion of officers below the rank of DSP and other personnel.
Bifurcation of investigation and law and order duties. This, if implemented, will definitely help improve the quality of investigation and hence the conviction rate.

The recommendations made by Soli Sorabjee committee have a far reaching implications and it is only hoped that these are implemented at the earliest and in letter and spirit. More over, in March 2008, Supreme court has expressed its willingness to have a committee in place to monitor the implementations of police reforms across all states, union territories including the center.

The way forward
Noida (Nithari) Killings of 2006, Ruchika Girhotra case have again ignited the debate of police reforms. As a first sign, Central Police Awards Committee (CPAC) "has taken a generic decision to authorize the Ministry of Home Affairs to recommend the withdrawal of police medal to all persons who are convicted for moral turpitude and for an act that brings disrespect to police forces, or any officer who is dismissed from the service by Centre or the state for his act which brought disrepute to the police.”

Modern day police need to be highly professional, service oriented, free from extraneous influences and yet accountable to the people. Today, there is a general agreement for replacing the colonial era Police Act of 1861. The new Police Act, as proposed by the government based on the recommendations of Soli Sorabjee Committee, has codified many reform recommendations in the past including measures for attitudinal changes of police. Also, the concern for human rights, weaker sections, women have been addressed.

It is high time that both the government and the civil society take responsibility for the police reforms. There are reforms that people can initiate. "Every society gets the police it deserves. After all, policemen come from the same society and reflect the attitudes and behaviors that are found in the society."Civil Society and the media can help improve the status and efficiency of the police by exposing the loop holes. If "people can cooperate in law enforcement, there is bound to be welcome response from other side that eventually results in better law and order situation." It is not fair to blame the government all the time. It's time for the people to accept their responsibilities and force the government to realize that police reforms are too important to neglect and too urgent to delay.

Further Reading

Police Reforms initiatives in India - A report
Police Reforms at Sixty.
CHRI: Police Reforms.
Analysis of Police Act 2007.
A judicial nudge to long-overdue police reforms - The Hindu.

Overcoming the implementation hurdles of NREGS

2010-01-07T01:23:00.000+05:30

In the last six decades, India has experimented large number of policies and programs to wipe out poverty. India has a long history and experience in creating unique policies and programs such as, Community Development Programme, Minimum Needs Programme, Twenty Point Programme, Training of rural youth for Self Employment, National Rural Development Programme, Integrated Rural Development Programme, Antyodaya Yojana, Indira Awasa Yojana, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojana, etc.. Long history of these programmes suggests that, there is no dearth of policy making talent in India. Our bureaucrats have come up with innovative ideas to change the lives around. But when it comes to the implementation of those innovative ideas, the government institutions have failed significantly.

All the programmes and policies experimented so far were intended more or less for three important tasks - reduction of poverty, creation of employment, and minimizing inequality. One of the major factor in the failure of many policies in the past is that they were all "supply driven", meaning, "giving fish to the poor rather than teaching him how to fish." Addressing this issue has been the major focus of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). In contrast to earlier programmes, NREGS is a demand driven programme, meaning, "providing work only if it is demanded." The demand is created through various projects in the scheme. On the one hand, this programmes is intended to build rural infrastructure and on the other hand, it is empowering rural India by providing employment (on demand). It is addressing all three requirements - reduction of poverty, creation of employment, and minimizing inequality - to empower rural India. More over, it is said that, "impressive participation of women in NREGS is a harbinger of social change."

"NREGS is one of the greatest experiments undertaken in India to eradicate poverty. The scheme has been launched to supplement the error and gaps of all previous schemes with involvement ofPanchayats , civil societies and local administration. Poor families were targeted to give benefits of employments and livelihood to supplement their family income [Kurukshetra, December 2009]." However, like in the past, this scheme too has suffered various implementation problems.

Accountability has been undermined. Example, In Orissa, out of Rs. 733 crores spend under NREGS, more than Rs. 500 crores was unaccounted for, probably siphoned off and misappropriated by government officials.
Fake job cards and fabricated muster rolls exaggerated the benefits of the scheme.
The social audit was non-existent, which is vital for transparency.
There was an apathy towards creating awareness about the programme. For example, in some districts it appeared that people knew very little aboutwork-site entitlements like place of rest during work, crèche facilities for the workers’ babies, safe drinking water facilities, and medical treatment in case of accidents and compensation entitlement in case of death during work.
Tampering of muster rolls, delayed payments, use of machines to siphon off funds, etc were common problems in many districts.
Lack of adequate and devoted administrative and technical staff for NREGS is the major reason for procedural lapses.

So far, there have been number of suggestions to tackle all these problems, but the inertia developed in the past has been proving difficult to overcome. Many policy analysts have suggested that,

Dedicated and fully trained full-time professionals should be appointed for the effective implementation of the scheme.
Role of panchayats in proper planning, implementation and monitoring of NREGS should be enhanced.
Proper maintenance of job cards, muster rolls and other records relating to the scheme at the block and panchayat level should be ensured.
Massive programme to generate awareness about NREGS.
Other measures to improve accountability and transparancy.

Though most of them sound important and "must have" procedures, they can still be deceived by those who siphon of the benefits. The fundamental problem in incorporating these suggestions is that, we do not have a strong Ombudsman system at local level (To give you a quick idea, Lokayukta is one good example for Ombudsman system at state level). There is a need to appoint district level and block level Ombudsman who will receive complaints directly from the 'common man' and facilitate their disposal in accordance with the law. District collector may be given adequate powers to facilitate this Ombudsman system. Just as higher officials are apprehensive of Lokayukta, the local level officials will be careful enough to avoid corrupt practices which would otherwise be brought to the light by local Ombudsman. It is interesting to note that Kerala has already set up a local Ombudsman system, take a look.

Also, in realizing the goals of government policies social audit plays an important role. "Social audit helps to narrow gaps between vision/goal and reality, between efficiency and effectiveness. Social auditing creates an impact upon governance. It values the voice of stakeholders, including marginalized/poor groups whose voices are rarely heard. Social auditing is taken up for the purpose of enhancing local governance, particularly for strengthening accountability and transparency in local bodies [FAO]." It is high time that the social audit procedures should be brought in the picture to enhance the quality of implementation of the programmes.

Unique Identification Development Authority of India (UIDA) has a significant role to play in the implementation of public policies. So far, identifying the real beneficiaries has been a major problem. For example, under many schemes, most of the benefits have gone to the powerful section where as 'poor man' continued to suffer. Unique identity card can play a significant role in identifying the real beneficiaries.

Programmes like NREGS are real drivers of rural economy. They are the foundations of rural empowerment. Unless we build sound mechanisms and frameworks for systematic and transparent implementation of these programmes, empowering India remains a distant dream.

PS: Some of the facts and data used in this post are from Kurukshetra, December 2009 issue.

Further Reading:

Know everything about NREGS.
NREGS's official website.
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"The Powers to LEAD" - by Joseph Nye

2010-01-02T20:51:00.006+05:30

One and half years back, I had bought this book, "The Powers to Lead" written by Joseph Nye, Professor at Harvard Kennedy school of government. Looking at the amount of dust it carried over the last many months, i decided to finish reading this book as soon as I can: as one of my resolution for the new year; glad i could finish it in two days!

Ever since the ruling power was transitioned from Kings to the Presidents and Prime Ministers, the interest in leadership studies received a new momentum. So far there have been 8 major theories of leadership. "Trait-centered approach dominated the scene up to the late 1940s, but scholars found it impossible to identify all the traits that predicted leadership under all conditions." Later scholars tried to figure out all the variables which could determine good leadership. But it was difficult to make a complete study by keeping some variables (of leadership) unchanged and allowing others to change. Simply because good leadership is determined by many variables depending on the given context. There have been number of efforts to study leadership based on "situations", "behaviors of leaders under specific circumstances", "Participation", "management", etc... But so far scholars haven't been able to come up with a comprehensive theory which can help societies to "create" good leaders who can change the lives around.

Professor Nye attempts to helps us understand "who is a good leader?", by focusing his analysis on the types of leaders needed for modern democratic organizations and societies. "He uses examples of political, social, and business leaders to illustrate various leadership styles, and he invites the reader to reconsider some accepted wisdom about leadership by introducing new approaches". Prof. Nye coined a new term and called it "Soft Power" to explain leadership (and power). He says, " Police power, financial power, and the ability to hire and fire are the examples of tangible, 'hard power' that can be used to get others to change their position. Hard power rests on inducements (carrots) and threats (sticks). But sometimes one can get the outcomes one wants by setting the agenda and attracting others without threat or payment. This is Soft Power: getting the outcomes one wants by attracting others rather than manipulating their material incetives. It co-opts people rather than coerces them".

He completely rules out the traditional argument that leaders are born and cannot be made. "Leaders can be made", he reiterates. Prof Nye gives various examples on hard and soft power and makes an in depth analysis of leadership under various contexts: public, private and social. Porf Nye finds out that, "the most effective leaders are actually those who combine hard and soft power skills in proportions that vary with different situations." He calls this "Smart Power". He emphasizes more on the context and leader's contextual intelligence for good leadership. He has dedicated one full chapter to analyze "good leaders and bad leaders". With wide ranging examples, he cogently explains how one can manipulate or balance hard and soft powers under various circumstances to become a good leader.

At the end of his book, it is interesting to note Professor Nye agreeing, "Leadership is not learned primarily from books, but books like this can help make people more aware of the lessons of the history.... Art history does not produce great painters, but it can help develop and educate intuitions." Certainly, this book from Professor Nye can help anyone build and strengthen the intuitions needed for being a better leader in the information age.

Pages: 145, (Total: 226)
Price: $21.95, Rs. 450 (hardcover)
Publisher: Oxford University Press.

See Also:

Prof. Nye on Soft Power - Watch on Youtube [50 mins].
Book Review by Christine Feroli.
Buy this book on Amazon.
Quick overview of this book.

ಹೊಸ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಾಗಿ ಯಾದಗಿರಿ: ಕೊನೆಗೂ ನನಸಾದ ಬಹುದಿನದ ಕನಸು

2009-12-30T01:07:00.021+05:30

ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ಗುಡ್ಡ

1997ರಲ್ಲೇ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಾಗಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಕೂಗು ಕೇಳಿಬಂದಿದ್ದರೂ, ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ’ಗುಡ್ಡ’ಕ್ಕೆ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಮೆರಗು ಸಿಕ್ಕಿದ್ದು ಮತ್ತೊಂದು ದಶಕದ ನಂತರವೇ. ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯನ್ನು ವಿಭಜಿಸುವ ಯೋಚನೆ ಸರ್ಕಾರಕ್ಕೆ ಬಂದಾಗ, ಗೋಕಾಕ ಮತ್ತು ಚಿಕ್ಕೋಡಿಯ ಜನರು ರೊಚ್ಚಿಗೆದ್ದು ತಮ್ಮ ನಗರವೇ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಾಗಬೇಕೆಂಬ ಹಠ ಹಿಡಿದರು. ಪರಿಣಾಮವಾಗಿ, ಬೆಳಗಾವಿ ಇನ್ನೂ ಹಾಗೆಯೇ ಇದೆ. ಅಂತಹದೇ ಬಿಸಿ ಗಾಳಿ ಗುಲ್ಬರ್ಗ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಲ್ಲೂ ಬೀಸಿದಾಗ, ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಶಹಪೂರ ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕುಗಳೂ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಸ್ಥಾನಕ್ಕಾಗಿ ಸೆಣೆಸಿದವು. ಹಲವು ವರ್ಷಗಳ ಮಾತಿನ ಚಕಮಕಿಯ ನಂತರ ಕೊನೆಗೆ ನಕ್ಕಿದ್ದು ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ಗುಡ್ಡ.

ಯಾದಗಿರಿ, ಒಂದು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಎಲ್ಲ ಅರ್ಹತೆಗಳಿರುವಂತಹ ನಗರ. ಖರ್ಗೆಯವರಂತಹ ಧುರೀಣರ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಬೆಂಬಲ ಪಡೆದಂತಹ ನಗರ. ಸೆಪ್ಟೆಂಬರ್ 26, 2009ರಂದು ಗುಲ್ಬರ್ಗಾದಲ್ಲಿ ಜುರುಗಿದ ಐತಿಹಾಸಿಕ ಸಚಿವ ಸಂಪುಟ ಸಭೆಯ ನಂತರ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳು ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ನೂತನ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯನ್ನಾಗಿ ಅಸ್ತಿತ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ಬರಲಿದೆ ಎಂದು ಘೋಷಿಸಿದರು (ಈ ಘೋಷಣೆಯಿಂದ ಪಕ್ಕದ ಶಹಪೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗಬಹುದಾದ ಗಲಭೆಯನ್ನು ತಡೆಯಲು ಆಗಲೇ ಅಗತ್ಯವಾದ ಪೋಲೀಸ್ ಬಂದೋಬಸ್ತ್ ಮಾಡಲಾಗಿತ್ತು!). ಅಕ್ಟೋಬರ 31ರಂದೇ ಜಾರಿಗೆ ಬರಬೇಕಾಗಿದ್ದ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಸ್ಥಾನ, ನೆರೆಯ ಹಾವಳಿಯಿಂದ ಮುಂದೂಡಲ್ಪಟ್ಟಿತು. ಬಹಳಷ್ಟು ಜನ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಸ್ಥಾನ ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ದೂರ ಹೋಯಿತು ಎಂದೇ ತಿಳಿದಿದ್ದರು. ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಜನಗಣತಿ ಇಲಾಖೆಯು ಗಣತಿ ಕಾರ್ಯ ಕೈಗೊಳ್ಳಲಿರುವ ಕಾರಣ ಈ ತಿಂಗಳ 31ರ ನಂತರ ಕಂದಾಯ ಗ್ರಾಮ, ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕು, ಉಪವಿಭಾಗ ಹಾಗೂ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಗಡಿಗಳನ್ನು ಬದಲಿಸಲು ಬರುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಈ ಹಿನ್ನಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳು, ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 30ರ ಒಳಗೆ ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯನ್ನು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡುವ ಧೃಡ ನಿರ್ಧಾರವನ್ನು ಮಾಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ [ಪ್ರಜಾ ವಾಣಿ]. ಅದಲ್ಲದೇ ಜ್ಯೋತಿಷಿಗಳು "ಡಿಸೆಂಬರ್ 30, ಬಧವಾರ, ತ್ರಯೋದಶಿ, ರೋಹಿಣಿ ನಕ್ಷತ್ರವಿದ್ದು, ಬೆಳಗಿ ಜಾವ, ಅಂದರೆ, 5.30ರಿಂದ 11ಗಂಟೆಯವರೆಗಿನ ಮಹೂರ್ತ ಒಳ್ಳೆಯದಿದ್ದು, ಈ ಸಮಯದಲ್ಲಿ ಕೈಗೊಂಡ ನಿರ್ಧಾರಗಳು ಬಹಳ ಕಾಲ ಬಾಳುತ್ತವೆ" ಎಂದು (ಜ್ಸೋತಿಷಿ ಚನ್ನಬಯ್ಯ ಸ್ವಾಮಿಗಳು) ಹೇಳಿರುವುದು ಯಡಿಯೂರಪ್ಪನವರಿಗೆ ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯನ್ನು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಾಗಿ ಘೋಷಿಸಲು ಮತ್ತಷ್ಟು ಸ್ಪೂರ್ತಿಯನ್ನು ಕೊಟ್ಟಿರಬೇಕು!!

ಗುಲ್ಬರ್ಗಾ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ವಿಭಜನೆಗೆ ಸಂಭಂಧಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಹಲವು ಬಗೆಹರಿಯದ ವಿಷಯಗಳಿವೆ. "ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ಓಕೆ, ಮೂರೇ ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕು ಸಾಕೇ?[ಕನ್ನಡ ಪ್ರಭ]" ಎಂಬ ಪ್ರಶ್ನೆಯಾಗಲಿ, ಹೊಸ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯೊಂದಕ್ಕೆ ಬೇಕಾದ ಕಛೇರಿ-ಕಟ್ಟಡಗಳ ಬೇಡಿಕೆಗಳಾಗಲಿ [ವರದಿ], ಸೂಕ್ತ ಹಣಕಾಸಿನ ಬೆಂಬಲ, ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ವಿಷಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಂಬಂಧಿಸಿದಂತೆ ಸರಕಾರ ಕೂಲಂಕುಷವಾಗಿ ವಿಚಾರ ವಿಮರ್ಶೆ ಮಾಡಬೇಕಾಗಿದೆ. ಜನಗಣತಿಯ ಕಾರ್ಯ ಶುರುವಾಗುವ ಮೊದಲೇ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯನ್ನಾಗಿ ಮಾಡಬೇಕು ಎಂಬ ಅವಸರದಿಂದ ಇತ್ಯರ್ಥವಾಗದಿರುವ ವಿಷಯಗಳನ್ನು ಬಗೆಹರಿಸದಿದ್ದರೆ, ಜ್ಸೋತಿಷಿ ಚನ್ನಬಯ್ಯ ಸ್ವಾಮಿಯವರ ಭವಿಷ್ಯವಾಣಿ ಹುಸಿಯಾಗುವ ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆಗಳೇ ಹೆಚ್ಚು! ಒಂದು ಹಿಂದುಳಿದ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ ಮುಂದೆ ಬರಬೇಕಾದರೆ ಅದಕ್ಕೆ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ರೀತಿಯ ಸಹಾಯ ಅತ್ಯವಶ್ಯಕ. ಇಂದಿರುವ ಮತ್ತು ಮುಂದೆ ಬರುವ ಸರಕಾರಗಳು ಇದನ್ನು ಗಮನದಲ್ಲಿಟ್ಟು, ಅಗತ್ಯಬಿದ್ದಾಗಲೆಲ್ಲಾ ಸೂಕ್ತ ಸಹಾಯ ಒದಗಿಸಿದಾಗ ಮಾತ್ರ ಹೊಸ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗೊಂದು ಅರ್ಥವಿರುತ್ತದೆ.

ಅದೇನೆ ಇರಲಿ, ವಿಧ್ಯರ್ಥಿ ಜೀವನದ ಸುಮಾರು ಐದು ವರ್ಷಗಳನ್ನು ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯಲ್ಲೇ ಕಳೆದ ನನಗೆ, ಅದು ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಾಗುತ್ತಿರುವುದೊಂದು ಸಂತಸದ ಸಂಗತಿ. ಕೊನೆಗೂ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಸ್ಥಳದಲ್ಲಿ ಹೈ ಸ್ಕೂಲ್ ಮುಗಿಸಿದೆನಲ್ಲ ಎಂಬ ಹಗ್ಗಳಿಕೆ! ಮೊದಲ ಬಾರಿ ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯ ಹೆಸರು ಕೇಳಿದಾಗ ಅದೊಂದು ವಿಚಿತ್ರವಾದ ಹೆಸರಾಗಿ ಕಂಡಿತ್ತು. ಕೆಲವರು ಯಾದ್ಗಿರ್ (Yadgir) ಎಂದು, ಇನ್ನು ಕೆಲವರು ಯಾದಗಿರಿ, ಯಾದ್ಗೀರ್, ಯಾದಗಿರ್ ಎಂತಲೋ ಕರೆಯುತ್ತಿದ್ದರು. ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ಎಂಬ ಹೆಸರಾದರು ಎಲ್ಲಿಂದ ಬಂತು? ನನಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಉತ್ತರಗಳ ಪ್ರಕಾರ, ಹಿಂದೆ ಈ ಪ್ರದೇಶವನ್ನು "ಯಾದವ" ಎಂಬ ರಾಜವಂಶ ಆಳುತ್ತಿತ್ತಂತೆ. "ಯಾದವರ" ಪ್ರಭಾವದಿಂದ ಮತ್ತು ಯದಗಿರಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಒಂದು (ಭವ್ಯವಾದ?) ಗುಡ್ಡ ಇರುವುದರಿಂದ, ಈ ಊರಿಗೆ "ಯಾದವರ ಗಿರಿ" [ಗಿರಿ=ಗುಡ್ದ=ಬೆಟ್ಟ] ಎಂದು ಕರೆಯಲು ಪ್ರಾರಂಭವಾಯಿತಂತೆ. ನಂತರ ಅದು, ’ಯಾದವನ ಗಿರಿ’ ->”ಯಾದವ ಗಿರಿ’ -> ’ಯಾದಗಿರಿ’ -> ”ಯಾದ್ಗೀರ್’ (Yadgir) ಎಂದು ಸರಳೀಕೃತಗೊಂಡಿದೆ.

ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯಿಂದ ಕೇವಲ 17 ಕಿ.ಮೀ. ದೂರದಲ್ಲಿ ಮೈಲಾಪುರವಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿಯ ಮೈಲಾರಲಿಂಗ ದೇವರ ಜಾತ್ರೆ ತುಂಬಾ ಪ್ರಸಿದ್ಧವಾದದ್ದು. "ಹೆಬ್ಬಂಡೆಗಳು, ಸಾಲು ಬೆಟ್ಟಗಳು, ದೈತ್ಯಾಕರದ ಮರಗಳು, ಇವುಗಳ ನಡುವೆಯೇ ಮೈಲಾರಲಿಂಗನ ಜಾತ್ರೆ." ಜಾತ್ರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ "ಏಳ್ ಕೋಟಿ ಏಳ್ ಕೋಟಿಗೆ" ಎನ್ನುವ ಜೈಕಾರ ಸರ್ವೇ ಸಾಮನ್ಯ! ಒಮ್ಮೆ ಜಾತ್ರೆಗೆ ಹೋದಾಗ ನನಗೆ ಸಿಕ್ಕ ಅನುಭವ ಅಪೂರ್ವವಾದದ್ದು. ಅಲ್ಲಿನ ಜನರ ಜಾನಪದ ಬದುಕು, ಮೂಢ ಭಕ್ತಿ, ಶ್ರಧ್ಧೆ, ಜಾತ್ರೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾನು ಕಲಿತ ಜೀವನದ ಪಾಠಗಳು, ಮೈಲಾರ ದೇವರ ಇತಿಹಾಸ, ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ವಿಷಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಂಭಂದಿಸಿದಂತೆ ನನ್ನ ಅನಿಸಿಕೆಗಳನ್ನು ಬರದಿದ್ದೇನೆ, ನೋಡಿ: ಅಲೆಮಾರಿಯಾದಾಗಿನ ಅವಿಸ್ಮರಣೀಯ ಅನುಭವಗಳು - ಭಾಗ-೧, ಭಾಗ-೨, ಭಾಗ-೩, ಭಾಗ-೪, The End!. ಮೈಲಾಪುರ ಜಾತ್ರೆಯ ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು ಇಲ್ಲಿವೆ.

ಗುರುಮಠಕಲ್ ಯಾದಗಿರಿಗ ಹತ್ತಿರವಿರುವ ಪಟ್ಟಣ. ನಮ್ಮ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ರಾಜಕೀಯ ಧುರೀಣರಾದ ಮಲ್ಲಿಕಾರ್ಜುನ್ ಖರ್ಗೆಯವರ ವಿಧಾನ ಸಭಾ ಕ್ಷೇತ್ರ. ಅದು ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕು ಅಲ್ಲದೇ ಹೋದರೂ, ಖರ್ಗೆಯವರ ’ಕೃಪೆಯಿಂದ’ ಪ್ರಗತಿಪರ, ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಹೊಂದಿದ ಪಟ್ಟಣವಾಗಿದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿರುವ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳು ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯ ರಸ್ತೆಗಳಿಗಿಂತ ಎಷ್ಟೋ ಉತ್ತಮ. ಗುರುಮಠಕಲ್ ಪಟ್ಟಣದ ಸುತ್ತಮುತ್ತ ನೀರಿನ ತಾಣವಿಲ್ಲದಿದ್ದರೂ ಹತ್ತಾರು ಕಿ.ಮೀ. ದೂರದಿಂದ ನೀರು ಸರಬರಾಜುಗೊಳ್ಳುತ್ತದೆ. ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಪ್ರಾಥಮಿಕ ಶಾಲೆಯಿಂದ ಹಿಡಿದು ಪ್ರಥಮ ದರ್ಜೆ ಕಾಲೇಜಿನ ವರೆಗೆ ವಿದ್ಯಾಭ್ಯಾಸದ ಅನುಕೂಲವಿದೆ. ಇಡೀ ಗುಲ್ಬರ್ಗಾ (ಮತ್ತು ಯಾದಗಿರಿ) ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯಲ್ಲೇ ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿ ಹೊಂದಿದ ಪಟ್ಟಣವೆಂದರೆ ಗುರುಮಠಕಲ್! ಖರ್ಗೆಯವರ ಉತ್ತಮ ಕೆಲಸ ಕಾರ್ಯಗಳಿಗೆ ಗುರುಮಠಕಲ್ ಒಂದು ಕೈಗನ್ನಡಿಯಂತಿದೆ. ಶೀಘ್ರದಲ್ಲೇ ಗುರುಮಠಕಲ್ ಸಹ ತಾಲ್ಲೂಕು ಆಗುವುದು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟವಾಗಿದೆ.

"ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆ ಉತ್ತಮ ಆಡಳಿತಕ್ಕೆ ಮಾರ್ಗ. ಒಂದು ಚಿಕ್ಕ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಗೆ ಒಬ್ಬ ಜಿಲ್ಲಾಧಿಕಾರಿ, ಒಬ್ಬ ಎಸ್ಪಿ, ಮತ್ತಿತರ ಅಧಿಕಾರಿಗಳಿರುವುದರಿಂದ ಜಿಲ್ಲೆಯ ಸಮಗ್ರ ಅಭಿವೃದ್ಧಿಗೆ ಅನುಕೂಲವಾಗುತ್ತದೆ" ಎಂಬ ಯಡಿಯೂರಪ್ಪನವರ ಅಭಿಪ್ರಾಯ ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯ ಮಟ್ಟಿಗೆ ಎಷ್ಟು ನಿಜವೆಂಬುದನ್ನು ಕಾದು ನೋಡಬೇಕು.

ಇದೇ ಲೇಖನವನ್ನು ಸಂಪದದಲ್ಲೂ ಓದಬಹುದು.

ಯಾದಗಿರಿಯ ಕೆಲವು ಚಿತ್ರಗಳು:

ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ಗುಡ್ಡದ ಮೇಲಿಂದ ಕಂಡ ನೋಟ	ಗುಡ್ಡದ ಮೇಲಿಂದ ಕಾಣುವ ಕೆರೆ ಮತ್ತು ಭೀಮಾ ನದಿ
ತೋಪು	ನಮ್ಮ ಶಾಲೆ ("ನ್ಯೂ ಕನ್ನಡ")
ಯಾದಗಿರಿ ಗುಡ್ಡ	ಸೂರ್ಯಾಸ್ತ

ಇಹಲೋಕದ ಹಾಡು ಮುಗಿಸಿದ ಸುಗಮ ಸಂಗೀತ ಗಾನ ಗಾರುಡಿಗ ಸಿ. ಅಶ್ವಥ್

2009-12-29T14:50:00.001+05:30

ಹಿಂದೆ ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಓದಿದ ನೆನಪು. ನಾಗಮಂಡಲ ಚಿತ್ರದ "ಈ ಹಸಿರು ಸಿರಿಯಲಿ" ಹಾಡನ್ನು ಸಂಗೀತ ಕಟ್ಟಿಯವರು ಮೊದಲ ಸಲ ಹಾಡಿದಾಗ, ಸಿ ಅಶ್ವಥ್ ಅವರು ತೀವ್ರ ಅಸಮಧಾನ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಪಡಿಸಿದ್ದರಂತೆ. ಅವರ ಹಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿದ್ದ ಹಲವು ತಪ್ಪುಗಳನ್ನು ಹುಡುಕಿ, ತಿದ್ದಿ, ಅದ್ಭುತವಾದ ಹಾಡೊಂದನ್ನು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ಕೊಟ್ಟು, ಕಟ್ಟಿಯವರ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆಯನ್ನು ಎತ್ತಿ ಹಿಡಿದವರು ಸಿ ಅಶ್ವಥ್. ತಪ್ಪಾಗಿ ಸ್ವರ ಎತ್ತಿದ ಯಾರೆ ಆಗಲಿ, ಅಶ್ವಥ್ ಅವರ ಟೀಕೆಯನ್ನು ಸಹಿಸಿಕೊಳ್ಳಲೇ ಬೇಕಾಗುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಹಲವಾರು ಗಾಯಕ/ಗಾಯಕಿಯರು ಅಶ್ವಥ್ ಅವರ ನಿರ್ದೇಶನದಲ್ಲಿ ಹಾಡಲು ಹೆದರುತ್ತಿದ್ದರಂತೆ! ಅಶ್ವಥ್ ರವರ (ಆರೋಗ್ಯಕರವಾದ) ಟೀಕೆಗಳ ಉದ್ದೇಶ ಮಾತ್ರ ಇಷ್ಟೇ: ಒಬ್ಬ ಗಾಯಕನಲ್ಲಿ ಹುದುಗಿರುವ ಪ್ರತಿಭೆಯನ್ನು ಎತ್ತಿ ಹಿಡಿಯುವುದು.

ಧೂಳು ಹಿಡಿದು ಹಾಳಾಗಿ ಹೋಗಿದ್ದ ಹಲವಾರು ಜಾನಪದ ಗೀತೆಗಳಿಗೆ ತಮ್ಮ ಕಂಚಿನ ಕಂಠದಿಂದ ಜೀವ ತುಂಬಿದ್ದ ಅಶ್ವಥ್ ಇಂದು ತಮ್ಮ ಜೀವನವೆಂಬ ಹಾಡನ್ನು ಮುಗಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ಕನ್ನಡ ಸುಗಮ ಸಂಗೀತಕ್ಕೆ, ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರಿಗೆ ಇದೊಂದು ತುಂಬಲಾರದ ನಷ್ಟ. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಷ್ಟೇ ಅಲ್ಲ, ಅಂತರರಾಷ್ಟ್ರೀಯ ಮಟ್ಟದಲ್ಲೂ ಸಹ ಕನ್ನಡದ ಜಾನಪದ ಗೀತೆಗಳನ್ನು ಭಾವತುಂಬಿ ಹಾಡಿ ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರನ್ನು ಆನಂದಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. "ಬೆಂಗಳೂರಿನ ಪ್ಯಾಲೇಸ್ ಗ್ರೌಂಡ್ಸ್ ಒಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ Scorpion, Sting, Deep Purple, the sprawling, Bryan Adams, ಇನ್ನಿತರ ಪಾಶ್ಚಿಮಾತ್ಯ ಸಂಗೀತಗಾರರಿಂದ ಮಾತ್ರ ಕಿಕ್ಕಿರಿದಿರುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಅಲ್ಲಿ "ಕನ್ನಡವೇ ಸತ್ಯ" ಎಂಬ ಧ್ವನಿ ಎತ್ತಿ, ಸುಮಾರು ಇಪ್ಪತ್ತು ಸಾವಿರ ಪ್ರೇಕ್ಷರನ್ನು ದಿಙ್ಮೂಢರನ್ನಾಗಿಸಿದ ಹೆಮ್ಮೆ ಅಶ್ವಥ್ ಅವರದು [The Hindu]". "ಕನ್ನಡವೇ ಸತ್ಯ", "ಎಲ್ಲೋ ಹುದುಕಿದೆ ಇಲ್ಲದ ದೇವರ ಕಲ್ಲು ಮುಳ್ಳುಗಳ ಗುಡಿಯೊಳಗೆ", "ಸೋರುತಿಹುದು ಮನೆಯ ಮಾಳಿಗಿ", "ತರವಲ್ಲ ತಗಿ ನಿನ್ನ ತಂಬೂರಿ - ಸ್ವರ", "ಉಳುವ ನೇಗಿಲ ಯೋಗಿ", "ಗುಪ್ತ ಗಾಮಿನಿ, ನನ್ನ ಶಾಲ್ಮಲ", ಇತ್ಯಾದಿ ಹಾಡುಗಳು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರನ್ನು ಅನಂತ ಕಾಲ ಆನಂದಿಸುತ್ತಲೇ ಇರುತ್ತವೆ.

ಸಿ. ಆಶ್ವಥ್ ಅವರಿಗೆ ಸಂಗೀತ ಕಾರ್ಯಕ್ರಮಕ್ಕೆ ಹೋದ ಕಡೆಗಳೆಲ್ಲೇಲ್ಲಾ ಅಭೂತಪೂರ್ವ ಸ್ವಾಗತ ದೊರೆಯುತ್ತಿತ್ತು. ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ, ಗಡಿನಾಡಿನಲ್ಲಿ, ಕಡಲಾಚೆಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ಸಹಸ್ರಾರು ಕನ್ನಡಿಗರು ಈ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಟ ಕಲಾವಿದನಿಗೆ ಮನ್ನಣೆ ನೀಡಿದ್ದಾರೆ, ಗೌರವಿಸಿದ್ದಾರೆ. ನಮ್ಮ ತಲೆಮಾರಿನ ಶ್ರೇಷ್ಟ ಗಾಯಕರಲ್ಲಿ ಒಬ್ಬರಾದ ಆಶ್ವಥ್ ನಮ್ಮನ್ನಗಲಿದ್ದು ಕನ್ನಡ ಸಂಗೀತಕ್ಕೆ ತುಂಬಲಾರದ ನಷ್ಟ. ಸುಗಮ ಸಂಗೀತದಲ್ಲಿ ಅವರು ಗಿಟ್ಟಿಸಿದ ಸ್ಥಾನವನ್ನು ಮತ್ತಾರು ಪಡೆಯಲಾರರು. ಅವರ ಸಂಗೀತ ಅಮರ. ಮತ್ತೆ ಹುಟ್ಟಿ ಬರಲಿ ಅಶ್ವಥ್!

ಸಿ. ಅಶ್ವಥ್ ಅವರ ಕೆಲವು ಹಾಡುಗಳು:

Telangana state cannot be the solution for "Telangana problem"

2009-12-24T01:45:00.001+05:30

Telangana Rashtra Samiti (TRS) supremo K. Chandrasekhar Rao went hungry to redraw the political map of India by carving out a new state of Telangana from Andhra Pradesh. "There were questions on whether he was doing it for the cause of Telangana or to regain lost ground in State politics. Such apprehensions seemed vindicated when he nearly gave up his fast within two days of commencing it, in Khammam sub-jail, before being forced by agitating students of Osmania and Kakatiya universities to continue [Frontline]."

TRS was not formed on a deep rooted ideology, but was a result of political opportunism. When N. Chandrababu Naidu, then Chief Minister, denied a cabinet berth to Chandrasekhar Rao, he resigned as Deputy speaker of AP assembly and floated the Telangana Rashtra Samiti(TRS). "It is now debated whether K. Chandrasekhar Rao would have formed a party if he had not been denied a ministerial berth in Chandrababu Naidu's TDP cabinet."

What is the problem?
It is not just the political opportunism that has raised the Telangana issue, lack of socio-economic development of the region is true to the large extent.
1. Geographically, Telengana is a region of scanty rainfall, and accessing water for irrigation from Krishna, Godavari rivers has been difficult unlike the coastal Andhra where there is a comprehensive irrigation system. Thus, agriculture remained underdeveloped for decades.

2. People of Andhra have an advantage in securing jobs because of their higher levels of education. Though Mulkis are given adequate preference in jobs, such preferences are subjected to certain posts and only to certain extent. [Mulkis are those who are born in the region or had resided there continuously for 15 years].

3. Though people of Andhra and Rayalaseema in Telangana region are a microscopic minority, they dictate the terms with their money and influence, says Prof. K. Jayashankar, ideologue of TRS. To some extent, Telangana movement is also because of people whose identity has been eroded by dominant narratives.

Carving out a new state: does it help?
"If enhanced socio-economic development is the primary objective of the formation of the smaller states, the track record of Uttarkhand, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, created nine years ago, are disappointing. In case of Jharkhand, the past nine years have only produced one corrupt government after another, leading to total disregard for the economic and developmental concerns of the people. Recently concluded election results have given rise to a hung assembly and Shibu Soren is set to become a king maker. Yet another corrupt government in waiting! Chhattisgarh was virtually bled by Maoist and created chaos in the lives of citizen. Uttarkhand though fared comparatively better, but here too, there have been no spectacular gains.

Creating Telangana based on the objective of socio-economic development may prove to be incorrect. Unlike Jharkhand, Telangana is not blessed with rich natural resources. "Geography has been unfair to Telengana, and negligence by successive governments has added to the problem." Political loyalty in the region is divided. Less than two weeks before his "fast-unto-death", K. ChandrasekharRao was a marginalized politician whose principles were questioned even by some of his supporters. Not everyone in Telangana considers KCR as their undisputed leader. There are politicians within Telangana who oppose the formation of new state and Congress has a support in the region to a significant extent. Thus, political instability will be a death blow to the development work in the region.

Right from the beginning, Telangana movement is, to a large extent, deep rooted in political opportunism rather than socio-economic development. "The demand for a separate Telangana state has always been an emotive issue and politicians have frequently used it to their advantage. The region’s backwardness, unemployment and absence of development have repeatedly provided a rallying point for ambitious politicians [Frontline]."

What we need is a single pointed focus on socio-economic development within the existing setup. Carving out a new state for development reasons may not work as we have seen in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Uttarkhand.

Consequence of "Telangana State"
Andhra Pradesh was the first state to be created on linguistic basis and the creation of Telangana will raise serious questions about the states reorganization based on language. Support for Vidarbha in Maharashtra, Bodoland in Assam, Harit Pradesh and Buldelkhand in Uttar Pradesh, Gorkhaland, Kamtapur and Cooch Behar in Bengal, etc... would increase in the post Telangana scenario and would lead to violent situations. Such movements are not only against the federal spirit, they would strike a coup-de-grace to the philosophy of unity in diversity. "Furthermore, when a state is carved out of another, it will be a small state that tends to be at the mercy of the central government." Autonomy of the state will be affected and will raise serious questions on center-state relations.

What should government do to arrest such divisive forces?
There can be no alternative to 'development works' to arrest such divisive forces. Equal distribution of benefits from development activities should be the guiding principle. Though this may sound as a rhetoric and theoretical, there is no better solution yet. However, under the current scenario, following ideas can be noted.

Amend Article 3 of the constitution to restrict the power of parliament to freely alter the boundaries of states. Or may be give more power to the Rajya Sabha in the matters of altering the state boundaries. Article 3 has given parliament a liberal power to alter the boundaries of the states. Such power was based on historical and political reasons rather than social, cultural or linguistic divisions of the people themselves. This 'liberal power' of the parliament is not desirable should there be a cordial relation between center and states. Such amendment would discourage "politics" in creating new states.
Appoint a second states reorganization committee to study the issue of "separate state" comprehensively and suggest such measures which would help in strengthening the unity and raising the federal spirit.
Access to state institutions should be made easy. For example, regional high court benches should be established as it is done in Karnataka in the recent past.
Considering regional factors in state and central planning so that development policy implementation is more meaningful.
Leaders from the underdeveloped regions of the state should be given adequate ministerial berths in the state government.
Center should be proactive in providing positive discriminatory aid to the underdeveloped regions of the state.
Taking special measures to arrest regional disparities within the states. etc...

"Regional disparities have increased in the post-reform period. Greater attention needs to be paid to the specific needs of the backward regions and states to allocate adequate and more equitable investment of scarce resources."

The magical power of human mind!

2009-12-06T18:22:00.000+05:30

"I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid. Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!"