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SINGAPORE AND INDIA

Singapore is one of the smallest island city-States of Asia. It bears a Sanskrit

name. Singapore means the City of the Lion (Sing derives from the Sanskrit
Sinmah and Pore from Pura meaning city). Singapore is ancient in name only;
otherwise it is a striking blend of the ancient and modern elements of culture and
society. Transparency International has pronounced Singapore as the “corruption-
free” State—a striking contrast to India that is counted among the most corrupt
countries of the world.

The first records of Singapore in Chinese texts date back to the 3rd century. It was
an outpost of the Sumatran Srivijaya Empire and had the Javanese name
Temasek, which became a significant trading city, but later declined. The
remnants of old Temasek are no longer extant in Singapore but its archaeological
evidence remains.
In the 15th and 16th century, Singapore was in the Sultanate of Johore. During the
Malay-Portugal wars in 1617, Singapore was burnt down by Portuguese troops.

Thomas Stamford Raffles is recognized as the modern founder of Singapore. In

1819, he, a British East India Company official, made a treaty with the Sultan of
Johore and established Singapore as a trading post and settlement, later to
become a crown colony in 1867. It soon grew into an entreport town due to its
strategic location on sea routes connecting Europe to China.

During World War II, on February 15, 1942, the Japanese forces occupied
Singapore after the British surrender despite the latter’s numerical superiority.
The Japanese renamed Singapore as Syonan-to (“Light of the South”) and ruled it
until they got defeated in September 1945. In 1959, Singapore became a self-
governing crown colony with Lee Kuan Yew from the People’s Action Party (PAP)
as the first Prime Minister. In 1962, Singapore was admitted into the Federation of
Malaysia but ideological conflict developed between the State and Federal
government in Kuala Lumpur. On August 7, 1965, Singapore was expelled from
the Federation. On August 9, 1965, Singapore became and independent nation.

Around 1970s, Singapore underwent immense economic development under the

leadership of Lee Kuan Yew. It overcame problems of unemployment,
infrastructure, housing, social stability and national defence. This elevated
Singapore to a developing and then developed nation.

On November 26, 1990, Goh Chok Tong assumed the office of Prime Minister.
Under his tenure the country tackled the 1997 Asian economic crisis, the SARS
outbreak in 2003, as well as terrorist threats posed by the Jemaah Islamiah (JI).
Lee Hsien Loong, the eldest son of Lee Kuan Yew, became the third Prime Minister
on August 12, 2004, after securing the confidence of a majority of PAP-dominated
Parliament.

“Practices such as the ban on imports of chewing gum and heavy fines for
littering, spitting, and not flushing in public toilets have led some to label
Singapore a ‘nanny State’. National service in Singapore is mandatory for all male
citizens and male children of permanent residents. Even though it has not been
engaged in any military conflict, the Singapore Armed Forces maintain a 100,000-
strong active force and 350,000-strong reserve force. Singapore has relatively
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warm relations with Malaysia, especially since the recent changes of leadership
in both countries. However, disputes still exist over issues such as the sale of
water and territorial claims over Pedra Branca.”

Singapore has played a significant part in India’s march to Independence. Many

Indian revolutionaries sought a haven here in their fight against the British Raj.
Rash Bihari Bose, Netaji Subhash Bose, General Mohan Singh, K.P.K Menon,
Lakshmi Sehgal of Rani Jhansi Brigade, all flocked to Singapore and carried their
anti-British activities. Netaji’s famous radio broadcast predicting the fall of the
British Empire after the British surrender to the Japanese and the formation of the
Indian National Army are all associated with Singapore. It was Padang, a part of
Singapore, where Netaji first gave the Indian National Army (INA) its war cry of
Chalo Dilli.

Since 1993, there has been a spurt of activity between India and Singapore, both
recognizing each other’s importance and role in the South-East region of Asia. In
February 1993, the two countries signed an MOU for co-operation in the Arts,
Archives and Heritage, renewable biannually. Under this agreement, several
cultural events have been organized, both in India and in Singapore. The Hindu,
one of India’s leading English dailies, has a resident correspondent based in
Singapore. Apart from government to government initiatives, the Singapore Fine
Arts Society, Nrityalaya, Kalamandir, the Expatriate Indian Women’s Club and
other similar societies actively propagate Indian culture. Indian films and music
are widely distributed in Singapore on a commercial basis, targeted at the Indian-
origin community and resident NRIs. There is no regular educational exchange
programme between India and Singapore, though Indian students are studying on
individual initiative. Many of them enjoy scholarships offered by local institutions,
including Singapore Airlines.

The increasingly close relations between India and Singapore in recent years are
dramatically reflected in expanding bilateral trade and investment. The major
items of Indian exports to Singapore are textile manufactures, including apparel
and yarn, precious stones and pearls, parts for office and data machines,
aluminium, electrical machinery, fish and fish products, fruits and vegetables.
India’s imports from Singapore are petroleum products, electronic valves,
telecommunication equipment, electrical machinery, office and data processing
machines, metallic ores/scrap, organic chemicals, primary plastics and scientific
instruments.

The Singapore public and private sectors (including NRIs) have invested in a wide
variety of projects in India, such as logistics, electronics, software, health services,
construction, industrial parks and other real estate linked projects. Several MNCs
are routing their investments in India through their Singapore subsidiaries. Major
international investment banks, chartered accountancy and management
consultancy firms have made Singapore their regional headquarters for servicing
the Indian market. Singapore’s Trade Development Board and Economic
Development Board have offices in India. Task forces to facilitate general
economic co-operation and co-operation in information technology have been set
up.

Besides seeking investments from Singapore, India looks to Singapore as a

gateway to the whole Asia-Pacific region. Many Indian trading and software
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companies have set up joint ventures and subsidiaries in Singapore to promote
their business activities in the region, covering diverse product areas such as
automobile ancillaries, precision tooling, enamelled wires, concentrates for soft
drinks, synthetic juice powders, palm kernel processing, micro and mini
computers, etc.

Air India, Indian Airlines, STC, MMTC, SCI, four Public Sector banks and two
insurance companies have branches in Singapore. CII opened a representative
office in September 1994. Other government agencies represented in Singapore
include EEPC, EXIM Bank and the Tourism Board. Air India and Indian Airlines also
have offices there and operate bilateral flights, as do SIA and SilkAir. In October
2001, the Economic Development Board of Singapore opened an India Centre to
help Indian companies, especially software and IT companies, set up shop in
Singapore.

Realignment in global politics after the break-up of the erstwhile Soviet Union and
the impact of the Gulf War on India’s economy ushered in a sea change in India-
Singapore relationship. India’s “Look East” policy and its economic liberalization
efforts coincided with Singapore’s regionalization strategy of investing in
emerging economies. Since then, there have been many high-level visits
exchanged between the two countries, including Head of State and Head of
Government visits. Bilateral agreements on Avoidance of Double Taxation,
General Economic Co-operation and Co-operation in Shipping, Tourism, Civil
Aviation, Information Technology and Science and Technology have been signed
between India and Singapore. On behalf of the private sector, CII signed a co-
operation agreement with the Singapore Confederation of Industry.

On the international front, Singapore has played a leading role in ensuring India’s
inclusion in ASEAN, first as Sectoral Dialogue Partner (Singapore, 1992) and then
as Full Dialogue Partner (Bangkok, December 1995), which in turn ensured India’s
membership in the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Singapore has also supported
India’s participation in the APEC Working Groups and India’s candidatures in other
multilateral fora, including UN organizations.

The Comprehensive Economic Co-operation Agreement (CECA) in 2005 paved the

way for the two countries to enhance their two-way trade to over $50 billion in five
years. The pact on easy movement of professionals is a part of the
Comprehensive Economic Co-operation Agreement (CECA). India and Singapore
have also agreed to ease visa restrictions for professionals in a wide range of
areas including IT, medical/nursing, engineering and pharmacy as also
metallurgists, surveyors, botanists, zoologists, university lecturers, accountants,
financial and advertising executives. India and Singapore would recognize the
degrees of specified universities and technical education boards of each country
for the purpose of issuing multi-entry/job or stay visas.

India and Singapore are playing vital roles in transforming South-east Asia, one of
the world’s most economically dynamic regions, into an ASEAN Economic
Community—a single market and production base with free flow of goods,
services, investment and skilled labour, and a freer flow of capital. ASEAN has
provided India with a new focus for projecting its trade and commerce possibilities
in its eastern neighbourhood. The sluggishness of the SAARC, because of the
obstructive attitude of Pakistan, has lent the ASEAN urgency and higher priority in
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India’s ‘Look East Policy’.

Singapore is a small country but opens a big door for India’s entrance to the
comity of world’s major economies in the coming decades
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Corruption and Quality of Governance

That India is one of the most corrupt in the world is not the news, the news is that there is no
hope for any respite from this evil which is essentially an anti-poor phenomenon. According to
the Transparency International, India ranks very high on the Corruption Perception Index.
There are a lot of things because of which one is proud of being an Indian. However, there are
a lot more for which one is ashamed of being an Indian, and corruption is one of them.

Courage, integrity and moral values of life have been major casualties in recent times. We have
seen how these qualities have nose-dived to absurdly low depths. Our leaders have lost total
sense of responsibilities and propriety and have misused and abused the power and authority
vested in them with impunity, and with utter disregard to public interests. They have literally
converted the governmental infrastructure as their personal fiefdom, resulting in series of
scams and scandals. As a natural aftermath of this degradation on moral values and quality of
leadership, everyday life of common citizens has become a living hell. Municipal services are
heaped in corruption and inefficiency, with erratic electricity and water supply, choked and
overflowing sewers, smelly drains, neglected roads and streets with potholes, and dotted with
rotting garbage dumps and stinking public toilets. Standards of education in government
schools and colleges have gone down and several money spinning private schools and
coaching centres have mushroomed, whose sole aim is to fleece the public.

In the present economic scenario, the basic prerequisites of an efficient administrative system,
conducive and growth-oriented environment and good and reliable infrastructure are not
available in our governing apparatus, which are essential for a sound economy. Inefficient and
inapt administration, which has no work-culture worth the name, and which is forever on
holiday or holiday-mood, has caused serious overruns on development projects, resulting in
losses and chronic shortages of power, roads, ports and means of communication. Family-
planning programmes have failed miserably, which has led to further inadequacies of our basic
facilities—education, health, housing and transport projects. Perennial shortage in our
infrastructure network has stunted our industrial and commercial growth. Absence of right
environments has failed the system and driven out our intellectuals to greener pastures in
foreign lands, thereby causing brain-drain. Even our space programmes have been jeopardized
due to flight of scientific talent. Our industrialists have also failed the nation. Inspite of
prolonged protection from foreign competition, they have not developed the indigenous
technology and have remained heavily dependent on outdated imported technologies to
produce substandard products, most of which cannot compete in international markets either in
price or in quality.

The root cause of all this is our poor work-culture and corrupt practices, which have now
become endemic in our national character. The main aim of the bulk of our citizens is to make
hay while the sun shines and not to worry about the nation and its plebeian designs.
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Our political system has proved to be the fountain-head of corruption. During elections, help
of industrial and business houses and criminal elements are invited to fund the extravagant
election expenses of candidates and use muscle power to muster votes, which results in nexus
between politicians, business houses and underground mafia. This nexus associates are later
reimbursed through scams and scandals by siphoning off public funds.

Huge amounts received from international agencies for welfare projects are pilfered and shared
among the nexus associates of the politicians in power. The bureaucracy has been made servile
through carrot and stick policy. In fact, most of them have now become conduit for slush
money for their political bosses, and in process have become drain into the vortex and are
partners in promoting corruption. They have forgotten the legacy of courage, integrity and
uprightness of their predecessors—the Indian Civil Services cadre of yore. They have forgotten
that their first duty is to serve the people and not their self-interests or their political bosses.

Corruption is an anti-poor phenomenon which can only be tackled by better governance and
less government. Apart from its moral and ethical dimension, corruption is the major cause of
poor becoming poorer and, of course, rich getting converted into super rich or filthy and vulgar
rich. In democratic set up, and in a plural economy like ours, everyone is guaranteed the right
to grow to one’s potential and create wealth by all legitimate means. However, corruption of
any kind deprives the common man from ‘climbing’ the next ladder and he either continues at
the same or slides further down to a more pathetic condition.

Corruption is really anti-poor. 31.5% of the food grains and 36% of sugar in the Public
Distribution System (PDS) gets diverted to black market. The fact is that Rs 20,000 crores is
the subsidy involved in the PDS and 30% leaks to the black market, in other words, more than
Rs 6,000 crores are made available for the politicians, corrupt officials of the PDS, the corrupt
shopkeepers and their protectors. We can, therefore, see how, while in the name of the poor, an
argument can be made for food security and subsidy. Different scams have shown the linkage
between anti-national elements. 300 people died in Bombay blast in 1993 and this was made
possible because RDX could be smuggled by bribing Rs 20 lakh to certain Custom officials.
We can, therefore, see that corruption is anti-economic development, anti-poor and anti-
national.

What is corruption and why should any government and its people fight corruption? The World
Bank definition of corruption is “Use of public office for private profit”. Some or all
government offices are public, and the use of these offices for ‘private profit’ by politicians,
bureaucrats and the others is common in India. So much so, we have created such systems in
our country that corruption has become endemic. Like Mark Twain’s statement that every one
talks about the weather but nobody seems to be able to do anything about it, the entire nation
talks about corruption but nobody is able to do anything about it. Former Central Vigilance
Commissioner, N. Vittal, used to compare corruption with a disease like AIDS. He felt as
AIDS is the result of uncontrolled sexual behaviour, corruption is the outcome of uncontrolled
financial behaviour.

The next aspect to be understood is why the government and responsible citizens must fight
corruption? The straight forward answer is, because corruption is anti-poor and anti-
development. The Human Development Report for South-Asia, pointed out that if India’s
level of corruption could be brought down to the Scandinavian countries, its GDP will improve
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by 1.5 % and foreign bank investment by 12%. Anything that is anti-poor and hence anti-
social must be on top of the government agenda to rectify the situation, but in a country where
populism takes priority over good governance, it doesn’t find even a mention. It is often said
that leaders of India have deliberately kept the people ignorant so that they won’t know how
badly they are governed. The present state of anarchy has made everyday life of the citizens a
living hell. They not only live in the fear of life and property, they also have to make do with
inefficiency in every government department.

Perhaps, the present state of affairs can be described in the words of Mahatma Gandhi whose
understanding of India and patriotism cannot be challenged. “India is a country of self-
suppression and timidity”, he said. This contributes to a common man’s low expectations from
anything Indian, including the administration. Many
intellectuals who are painted by others ‘as full of self-loathing’, perhaps also contribute to this
phenomenon—that nothing can be done to eradicate corruption and we have to resign to our
destiny and fate. It is not true. Of course, a lot can be done, provided there is a will to change
the present state of affairs.

Mahatma Gandhi’s dream was to see India with every face without a tear. Alas, in more than
60 years, we have not been able to meet the aspirations and objective potential of our people.
Official figures indicate that at least 36% live
below the austerely defined by the Planning Commission. Today, millions of our citizens do
not have the elementary freedom from economic poverty, social deprivation or political
tyranny. As famous Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen will like us to understand, we are only
technically free but not truly free.
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Privatisation of Education

The public choice strategy proposes that functions that are not being carried out
properly/efficiently or have received a lackadaisical approach towards them must be delegated
to the private sector. The world has been seeing a wave of privatization sweep across many
spheres. It is sometimes not only essential but also the only choice that remains when breaking
the monopoly of the government is concerned, especially in infrastructure. The impact of
privatization on education could not be contained either, as it seemed to help a cause and
diversify choice of resources available. At the school-level, privatization has become a very
normal phenomenon.

Even though privatization is a necessity, it does not come without drawbacks. The process
involves private sector in the ownership or operation of a State-owned enterprise. In reality,
the ideals that are upheld by the State in its enterprises has been overtaken by the underlying
mantras of business enterprise— profits and more profits. It becomes necessary at this stage to
understand that when the Constitution has laid down free and compulsory education for
children until they complete 14 years of age, why is the State not able to meet its responsibility.
And subsequently, even if it does involve the private sector to reach its goals, why is it unable
to hold the ideas of social equity and service to the deprived sections! Is privatization of
education really going to help or is it just another up-scale factory turning up nose on the
natives?

Miss A At the time of independence, Nehru’s vision to make India a socialist country placed
immense responsibility on the shoulders of the State to establish and oversee the expansion of
educational institutions. The highly ambitious goals of literacy achievement have been
shouldered by the State-run schools so far. In the rural pockets, the elementary schools are
State-aided and so are the majority of schools in the urban areas. In the present times, the
presence of private enterprise is being felt much in the area of school-level education
concentrated in the urban areas only. Even at the colleges and the university levels, the State’s
contributions loom large over the country’s education scenario. Now the time has come when
India’s burgeoning population demands more resource allocation and larger infrastructure to
combat illiteracy and promote education. With the paucity of funds being an almost permanent
feature of the departments of State, privatization has to be resorted to on a larger scale if the
targets are to be met. In this scenario, the unrealistic burden that has been cast upon the State
can be effectively met, too.

Mr B There are many myths about the private enterprise in education and how it can aid the
government’s efforts in scaling down illiteracy and building up a veritable force of educated
human beings. It must be realised at the very outset that the motives of the two organisations
are at cross-purposes and one cannot substitute for the other. It has been seen a lot many times
that corporate/religious bodies take up the onus of contributing to the field of education. There
is a great exhibition of the philanthropic spirit in the beginning, but it soon fizzles out. In
reality, these are the image-building exercises of these trusts, which transform into commercial
activities guided by motives of profit-making and diversifying operations to garner more
resources. In this arena also exists the misnomer of ‘public schools’, which are completely run
by private bodies or trusts. These schools have English as the medium of imparting education
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and are churning out children from the upper class exclusively, while the lesser mortals
continue to go to the State-aided schools.

Miss C The quantum of knowledge available to the world has increased rapidly in the past
few decades and that itself is a pointer to the fact that knowledge is power. It is of utmost
importance that the developing and the underdeveloped must focus on the education for
keeping the knowledge gap between themselves and the developed nations to the minimum
extent possible. Even the World Bank has corroborated the view, stating that the knowledge
explosion is fast dividing the world into fast moving rich economies and the slow moving poor
ones. Now, that this is the true state of affairs, education is no longer considered a part of social
service. It is a necessary area that needs careful investment that will be a greatly contributing
factor to the human resource development. The value of human capital has dawned upon the
world and it is much more important to invest in human being than to invest in assets of any
other sort. There can be no doubts about the required contributions of the private sector in the
enhancement of the education, as they are sure to benefit from such a move. Technological
developments across the country have fostered a need for skilled and knowledgeable
manpower. Without adequate infrastructure we will not be able to meet up the challenges,
therefore the intervention of the private sector is required.

Mr D It is true that we need a large and competent infrastructure to meet the demands of the
new times and that the current system will need a great revamp. However, calling for the
contribution of the private sector in a field like education can have serious ramifications. One
has to consider several aspects here. When the State undertakes the onus of educating the
masses, a certain non-partisan character of education can be guaranteed. But when the
management is in the hands of people who are private entities, they could have agendas for
fulfilment through education, ranging from generation of profits to promotion of an ideology,
to mould the children’s characters in tune with certain specific values, to mention a few. In that
the government think tanks have to get rolling and churn out ways and means to ensure the
meeting up of requirements and standards in the field of education. It is certainly one area that
cannot be left in the hands of private individuals. It is quite evident from the public school
experience that the children who come out of those systems have little powers to empathize
with anyone else but those of their own social class and ethos. However, when the idea is to
reduce gaps and foster social equity, one cannot rely on this option.

Miss A There is not one but many maladies that ail the system of governance in our country.
And to think that it is easy to circumvent or surmount those issues to reach the goal of
equitable education and opportunities in the same field is like burying one’s head in sand, like
an ostrich. The government resources are on a real low as compared to the needs of the people.
It is not an inherent lack but it so happens that the funds allocated happen to disappear on their
way to the projects. It is not really possible to replace the people handling the affairs in one go.
In such a scenario, privatization can relieve the system of the enormous responsibility that is
important and yet not fulfilled. It can easily make up for the lack of funds, sincerity and
political will that effects the public sector. Privatization of education can be relied upon for
overcoming structural and operational rigidities and promote the effective and efficient steps
towards the implementation of education projects necessary for development of the human
capital. According to W.W. Rostow, the world is going through the fourth Industrial
Revolution and it needs true professionals to fit the slots created for employment.
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Mr B Against the backdrop of speck and span environments and efficiently run
organisations, are the other realities that need an equal mention. The new breed of
entrepreneurs—the educational entrepreneurs—take full advantage of the situation and
capitalize on the need for good education. Land allotment is done on a nominal cost and slowly
as the structure begins to take shape, students are charged with building fee, development fee,
maintenance fee and sundry other charges. These unaided schools, although they charge huge
sums from the students, come to be sweatshops for the teachers. The country has a high level
of unemployment, which helps these institutions hire well-qualified individuals at low salaries.
The teacher’s work under a system of rigid rules and regulations, where innovation in teaching
is not appreciated; they only have to tread the beaten path. The management has the
prerogative of hiring or firing a person any time and this is what keeps the teachers on their
toes. The State-run schools, however, have much attractive packages for their employees.

Miss C One has to look at the gains in terms of the output vis-à-vis the inputs given. The case
with the public sector education has been that it has failed to regenerate constructive resources
from the recipients of education. Over the years, time and again, as the State has been
identified responsible for the provision of education to the masses, services have been sought
from it, however, considering all that comes free in this deal and the number of subsidies that
are given, education has come to be a social service activity. People do not place the premium
on it as is required. It is just the same phenomenon that happens to all things—they are not
valued when they come free of cost. On the other hand, if education is privatized, and the
institutions charge a full fee at all times, the student is likely to value it, the parents will take
care that every penny worth is extricated and that efficiency and effectiveness in service is
maintained. It will stop the process of devaluing of education.

Mr D The position of our country, on the ladder of development, demands that great strides
be made in the direction of building up the human resource base. It is imperative and a need of
the times that education is necessarily provided to the people. The definition of literacy itself
needs a revamp, because simply learning to read and write does not bestow powers of
discernment on an individual. It has often been recognised by the experts that skill imparting
and development of areas where the aptitude of the learner lies, are prerequisites of good
education. The economic base of the country cannot support demands of the country, but there
is nothing impossible if there is willingness and the great Indian ingenuity is put to use. The
role of private sector has proved to be greatly facilitating in diverse fields, but the need for a
guarded approach cannot be ruled out in areas like education. Relevant legislations can be
worked out to ensure that privatization does not degenerate into commercialization. An under-
standing between government and the private sector can work miracles—universities can start
up R & D activities funded by the corporates. In so far as professional courses are concerned,
the issue of capitation fees must be taken seriously and here is where State intervention is
required.
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Is Justice Available only to the Rich?

It is often said that the one who has the riches has the power too and can call the shots
whenever and wherever he pleases to. In today’s world, it is not hard to find instances where
those wielding the clout can go scot-free even after having their hands muddied in cases of the
worst nature—it is either a word from the authorities or one of the many loopholes that exist in
the judicial system are exploited. However, one cannot generalize the impression for there are
instances where verdicts are delivered in favour of the ‘not so rich and powerful’.

Even though it is endeavoured to a great extent that the judicial system be kept immune from
all possible pressures from several quarters, there is no guarantee of success in this attempt,
for greed does not have an antidote but for a live conscience. Does this point to the fact that
current system of delivering justice is a mere farce, that is now only interested in jingle of the
coins, or is there still some substance to it? Are the judgements up for sale or can the average
man take recourse to this route without the fear of truth getting mauled somewhere in midst of
the process? Is justice available only for the rich and the powerful or can the commoners still
be sure about the truth always triumphing?

Mr A In my opinion, the term justice itself has changed in its meaning greatly. What was
once the right of one and all, irrespective of clout, has now come to be doled out in a measure
equal to moolah laid down in the other scale. Justice is fashioned on the terms dictated by the
rich and powerful. It is no more in favour of the right. Evidences can be easily doctored to suit
the needs. The dictum, survival of the fittest, conventionally implied that only those who could
endure all troubles, and were equipped to beat all odds would be the survivors. And now
“fittest” has come to mean “richest” in this context. Riches command power and power
commands riches. All that remains necessary to emerge as winner in all situations, irrespective
of being on the right or wrong side of it, is the power of money.

Miss B It is not as if the rot has overtaken the system, but merely a case of a few bad eggs.
I feel that it greatly depends on the integrity of men, whether they help in delivering justice or
become instrumental in derailing it. If a man is not corrupt, it will be difficult to keep him from
fighting tooth and nail to do an honest job. There are still good men left who do not buckle
under pressure and neither do they have a conscience beaten dead. It really helps, especially if
the person occupies a position of authority in the officialdom.

Mr C It does appear that the feeling of justice being meted out to the rich and powerful
sections of the society is gaining ground. It is not as if the idea is based on a few odd
judgements, but on the premise of questionable uprightness of the men sitting on judgement
and their support structure/auxiliaries. The old maxim that “there is enough for man’s need but
not for his greed” is only so true. Let us not forget that even those sitting to deliver justice are
humans and very much susceptible to falling under the spell of the Mammon.

Miss D I would not agree with such a view. Let us not look at the situation as if all is lost
and that the concept of justice has deteriorated beyond redemption. Let me ask you a simple
question—how do you think that the system is functioning still, if the bell tolls only for the rich
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and powerful? If every part of the machinery has gone defunct, why are the courts still doing
business as usual? People would not resort to the legal redressal at all if they perceived the
extent of fall to such great levels. In that scenario, only two things would have resulted—either
jungle law would have prevailed or people would have figured out an alternative mechanism of
arriving at a fair solution. Both are not in operation. A tree trunk that has been eaten up hollow
by termites cannot stand for long. Similarly, if the system has been, say, sold out, it cannot
appeal to the public any more. I think that there is still much to the judicial system and that a
biased judiciary can have a very short life span, if at all. If there are faults, then the entire
system of policing that supports the judiciary in carrying out its tasks by doing the basic works
should be re-examined.

Mr A I hope, my friend, that you will agree with the time tested saying that, "justice delayed
is justice denied". There are countless instances of decades going by with people waiting for
succour in form of a correct judgement. Cases are left hanging fire for one reason or the other.
Even the dates for hearing are allocated after months, making the exercise futile and
frustrating. What good is a compensation a decade after a person lost a job or suffered gravely
in a large-scale accident? A victim can be helped only if there is immediate relief. And delays
only amount to further victimisation. It only means that even if corruption and wrong doing
exists at the upper echelons, it can be gotten away with, for they know that even if their
devious activities are spotted, they are as good as safe. It is not only the judicial system and
laws to be held responsible, but also the law enforcing system—the police—that aids its work.

Miss B I have some reservations about my friend’s argument. It is not true that justice
works only for the rich and powerful. Let me tell you that there are concerted efforts on part of
the authorities to make the system better. Let it also be clear to one and all that any court of
law, or any able judge will only evaluate the case in light of evidences presented. If the
evidence collection is faulty and does not reflect the level of competence required in the
handling of the job, then the judicial system is not to be blamed. If a strict eye is kept on the
law-enforcing authorities, then pure and unadulterated justice is what you will get. After all,
the media does keep a check by reporting what it perceives as something not falling in line.

Mr C I would like to take you back to what my friend has stated earlier. I still feel that
despite reporting by the media, there is hardly anything good that happens. Most of the
celebrity and big name crimes do make news and create a short-lived furore, but what
ultimately happens is the miscarriage of justice. The fire dies down after everyone has had their
share of the peeps into the lives of the rich and powerful. What happened in the Jessica Lall’s
case is also known to all. It is the clout of the powerful section that makes either
mediocrity/incompetence take charge in their cases or merely prompt a lack of willingness by
the abler ones in collecting evidences against them.

Miss D Well, I think that the system does need a double look into its functioning. The rot of
corruption has set in and it is courtesy the people who promote it by buying out whoever they
desire to achieve their ends. A proper accountability needs to be introduced for the judiciary to
rule out corruption on personal level, and for the law enforcers too. It is also true that nothing
can keep a good man down, but if the number of this species is dwindling then
something needs to be done and quickly!
 14

Striking to win or Holding to Ransom?

Bandhs and strikes are something that affects the people across the country, as the smooth
functioning of everyday life is dependent on networks of supplies. The truckers union calls a
strike to register a protest, causing a paucity of several essential goods and the cost of
everyday consumables sky-rocketing. State-wide bandhs are called to protest the arrest of
political leaders, creating a tense situation where the common man is on tenterhooks about the
duration for which peace will prevail. The amazing fact is that one section of the populace can
throw the economy out of gear by refusing to do their bit.

What is debatable here is—whether the option exercised in the forms of bandhs and strikes is
legitimate? After all, it remains not just restricted to the major parties involved, but drags to
the common man who does not have any means or the capacity to deal with the tough
situations that emerge as a repercussion. On the other hand, does the aggrieved section have
any other option to make their voice heard and more so acted upon?

Mr A In my opinion there is absolutely no merit in the strikes and bandhs as forms of protest
against policies and decisions enforced by the authorities. These, in my view, are merely
coercive steps that fall short of blackmailing to have the demands met. If a particular section of
people are upset about a certain decision, then there is always the option of sitting across the
table and resolving the issue with the concerned authorities. A lack of forceful vocalization of
the ideas and demands should not be replaced by retaliation in the form of stopping the
services as such. Likewise, in a bandh there is an artificial shortage created of all kinds of
services and commodities. This hampers the smooth functioning of life and spells big time
problem for the common man.

Miss B How do you make a wayward child listen to you? Certainly not by offering him
more candies! Similar is the situation where a person with powers greater than the commoners;
he has to be made to see their point or even hear out their argument. The powerful here could
be seen as the law and policy enforcing authorities, the government. Many a times those in
power do not see the ground realities before issuing orders and then are not ready to listen to
genuine grievances caused by such orders. When the agitating side has no one to hear them
out, I guess they are left with only such strong measures to have their voices falling on deaf
ears. The feasibility of plans drawn up in plush offices, without any idea about the real
conditions, will without doubt be met with such treatment.

Mr C I do not agree with my friend here. In event of a strike or a bandh, the common man is
the hardest hit, with the supply of essential commodities falling short. There are cases like that
of political parties calling nation-wide or State-wide bandhs to protest against one party-related
issue or the other. It must be noted that all this is done, allegedly, on behalf of the people—
people who are hardly interested in upsetting their lives and letting a grim situation crop up
that could well take on communal colours and breed trouble. If a single step can bring about so
much of inconvenience and brew trouble, I do not suppose that there is any element of
desirability about it.
 15

Miss D I hope that my friends will agree that the modus operandi of the politicians and
bureaucrats is something that can have people spinning for years together, before they can have
anything substantial coming out of it. I do not intend to convey that this is always the case, but
it is definitely many times when the authorities want to have their way. Years and years of
exploitation, a feeling of powerlessness against this superstructure has left the people to devise
their own methods of having their voice heard and their demands heeded to. One man’s voice
is every easily drowned in the legal tangles and in the ‘smallness’ of his being, but when a
mass as a whole protests, cutting out the economic lifeline, it makes sure that the concerned
authorities sit up and take notice of the grievances and listen to the viewpoints. If such a
mechanism of protest were absent then it would only be those in power having their say all the
time, forcing decisions down the throats—irrespective of they being right or wrong.

Mr A One thing that clearly needs to be understood here is that strikes and bandhs are
becoming more or less like weapons with the unionised workers. And the workers are taking
resort to these weapons whenever something does not suit their interest. I feel that even they
have got to realize that they pay a heavy price for agitating in such a manner. Such sections are
not so economically sound that they could bear to go without work for days together.
Somewhere along the course, they might have to give up, making the whole thing look like a
lost cause. Those who gain in such scenarios are only a handful of people—the union leaders
who cash in on such situations to make a name for themselves and eventually start calling the
shots as per their convenience and, of course, the hoarders and the retailers who command an
exorbitant price for the essential commodities when the supplies are hit. The economic impact
of such coercive tactics is so large that sometimes it may prove to be counter productive. One
name that must be mentioned here is that of Datta Samant. During the time when he was active
as a union leader in Maharashtra, the production suffered so much so that the industries left
Maharashtra and set up base in neighbouring Gujarat. Likewise, the situation created in West
Bengal by the constant protests, in which the workers resorted to such steps like gheraos, had
the industry doing a disappearing act from the State. I really don’t see any good coming out of
the entire scenario.

Miss B I am afraid I still do not agree with your point. The basic premise that democratic
structure is based on is that one has the complete right to express one’s views and, in the
absence of a proper forum, one can be created and the grievances aired. I would like to reiterate
what my friend has previously said that it would be a long time before the people can even
expect any positive results. All they would be getting would be sheafs of papers filled with
legal and complicated clauses. Working out through this maze itself is quite a task and they
would have already lost the battle. For how long can you really keep a man down who depends
for life on his meagre earnings. How long can you have him tied down with empty words? The
common man isn’t so gullible any more. And, is especially weary when anything threatens to
reduce his little income to lesser. How else can he prove the significance of his remote
existence in the total scheme of things, if not by organizing strikes and staging bandhs? In a
democracy one cannot be taken so much for granted.

Mr C Everything in this world functions smoothly because the principle of co-existence

applies to it. One must not forget that the harsh step will definitely begot some harsh results,
 16
and let me make it very clear that the benefit from all these antics accrues to a small section
of opportunists who claim to be doing this in the name of democracy and on behalf of the
people. I, however, see nothing democratic about the whole process. People are put to great
discomfort, the economic processes suffer, and production comes to a standstill. How does it
do any good to people who depend on their daily earnings to feed themselves and their
families? It only seems as an easy way for a handful of people to shoot to prominence in a
short span of time. There is no sure way either, to ascertain the honesty and morality among
this group and also to make sure that none of them get sold out. After all, in any situation
where there is substantial power involved (even if it means carrying out negotiations on behalf
of a set of people), there is a good chance of the lure of the lucre corrupting one’s self. And one
must not forget that the repercussions of the strikes and bandhs will not remain restricted to the
‘others’ only, but the earnings and the procurement of everyday necessities for one and all is
affected.

Miss D The commoner is certainly at sea when it comes to the ways of ensuring his
welfare. Neither does he have the money nor the power to bring about the favourable changes.
All he can do is consolidate into groups so that he can at least rise to a position of challenging
what he thinks is not right. The power centres are known to be ruthless in their approach when
it comes to dealing with the commoners. Left with little else, mass protests like bandhs and
strikes are their only ways to express dissent. The flip-side is that there are opportunists
waiting to cash in on such occasions—politicos, union leaders waiting to enter the corridors of
power etc. The sifting out of this category has to be made sure in order to have the suitable
ends achieved.
 17

Capital Punishment for Crimes against Women?

Every so often there is reported a crime, so heinous that it makes one and all sit up. But, as is
expected, the pace of investigation and the action to follow slackens and it becomes another of
those unfortunate incidents that would be soon forgotten. This is especially true in the case of
crime against women, where, the extent of horror keeps extending the threshold of mental
acceptance and after a while the repeat incidents are reported often for sheer titillation! Even
today, it is not only the repressed and the uneducated woman or the unsuspecting children that
become targets of the sick machinations of the human mind, but it is also the emancipated
women who are not safe.

Surprising but true, according to a WHO study, a woman gets raped in India every 54
minutes! It is not unusual to find stories of minors, and even children under the age of ten,
falling prey to the wicked intents. There have been incidents that have escalated in the degree
of gruesomeness, but not one ruling in the cases to set an example. How else can one expect
the offenders/potential offenders to refrain from such acts?

So, where lies the solution? Should there be capital punishment for such offenders so that one
can put a stop to this soaring crime rate?

Mr A I completely agree that this category of crime should be totally unacceptable to the
society and the best way to put a curb on such happenings is to have capital punishment for the
criminals and offenders. What I am about to say should not be interpreted as a justification of
killing, but that of my contention here. When a murder happens, the person is killed and not let
to live and suffer the anguish. But here, in the cases of rapes and molestation, the offender
should not be let off even with limited punishment. If they are allowed to get away with it,
what is the guarantee that they will not come up again with another of such acts? There has to
be devised a way to simply stop the incidents. There has been a lot of argument against capital
punishment, but how do you get back the same life for a six year old who has been robbed of
innocence even before life did start meaning something to her, or that of a young woman who
has just started shaping her career? Agreed that the punishment will not revert their status, but
it just might prevent the others from even indulging in such acts.

Mr B I feel for the victims of such acts, but there is another way the entire picture can be
looked at. It is really not true that an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth can come into play
here. We cannot take away a life for a life. That is exactly why capital punishment of any and
every sort was done away with, in the first place. Things would have been different if a life
could be got back by taking away another, or that meaning could be imparted to a life by
sentencing the other to death. It is very difficult to judge the circumstances under which a
crime has been committed. If it comes to be proven later that the person, who had been
convicted and done away with, was actually innocent, how would you restore that life and give
reprieve to the close ones of that person. Capital punishment does not leave any room for
correction of mistake in judgement.
 18

Miss C I cannot agree with you. Just consider the scene in totality in the country. Numerous
incidents of sexual assaults and rapes of minors and women are reported... what happens to
them next. We don’t know. We just read about them, shake our heads in despair and then
forget the whole issue as we move on to read the next news item. In this country, the victims
would either die of shock, or commit suicide and those who cannot do anything would be
subjected to further torture—be sold to become a part of the flesh trade, which is a thriving
industry now. How do you account for the lives of the countless that have not known life in
even its simplest colours? The conviction rate of the accused in such cases is tremendously
low. Only five per cent of the accused in cases reported are convicted. In such a scenario where
the system of appeals lets the judgement move further and further away, how can one lie back
and promote this fearlessness. Do we want more half-lives or do we want the perpetrators of
such crimes dead? I feel that it is time someone took a stand and had something substantial
done about this problem.

Miss D I admit that whatever my friend here says is absolutely true, but then, is
establishing truth easy these days? Much to the dismay, but I would like to mention that the
number of cases of women wrongfully accusing men are coming to the fore. It is often seen
that in cases of animosity among families, the incidents are wrongly reported and stories are
fabricated to take revenge. Just consider a situation where an innocent could be sentenced
wrongly to death. Investigation takes time and the levels of corruption have enabled white lies
to seem real. It is not simply in the cases of molestation, but there are cases of women having
accused their men wrongly of harassing them for dowry to get even on certain counts. I agree
when my friend says that there must be some room for correcting mistakes if they are ever
made.

Mr A There is something about the whole issue that is very disturbing. Instead of simply
presuming mistakes in the judgement, would anyone consider the plight of the victim in such
incidents? Our society is such that the offender can still get away after committing the act and
find a place among the multitude. The woman, on the other hand, who suffers the violation of
her mind and body, is more or less transformed into a queer object for the society. She is
considered polluted and cannot be taken into the fold. This amounts to a condition in which the
victim is virtually ostracised for no fault of hers. The trauma extends to the family members
and is not evanescent. The stigma attached with being a rape victim is as bad. The life stands
almost ruined, as the mental balance is very hard to regain and with no one coming forward to
help the wronged, there can hardly be any motivation to carry on. It does not matter if the
victim does not die, for it is as good as dying many times over in the mind. How can one let the
offenders in these cases get away so easy or even allow leeway for them?

Mr B One can really see that the crime is gross and reflects the sad state of the society. But I
would want to know if pronouncing a death sentence against an offender will do much by way
of helping curb the crime? Fear is an antidote, but it will not work in all situations. In my
opinion, a lasting solution for the problem lies in a more constructive effort, that is educating
the masses and improving the outlook of the society as a whole. There can be a great change if
the women are made more stronger mentally and cautioned to carry some sort of weapons like
the stun guns to disable the assaulters. Patrolling must be increased in the areas that are
 19
potential places of attacks. Often, it is seen that the women themselves do not come out in
the open about such incidents having happened to them. They must be made to realize that it is
in the interest of the whole community and that they would not be ridiculed. Also, the NGOs as
well as the individuals must come forward and fight for the cause of the victims. Moreover, if
from the very beginning, the males are taught to respect the women counterparts, things will
become better. Literacy does work magic.

Miss C I still suspect how potent is our friend’s solution in doing away with the filth that is
there in the minds. There are several examples of debauchery on part of civil and educated
masses. Where does their sensibility and respect go in such situations? I would still prefer that
the strictest of punishments be meted out to the offenders. In the riots that gripped certain parts
of the country, it was astounding to see that educated men from middle class families indulging
in such gross activities. This is a real life happening that has belied all hopes of civilization and
chivalry. There is not only this one thing, violence against women exists in our society in so
many forms and it is disheartening that the women are so taken for granted. In my opinion,
unless and until a few examples are set up before all to see, there is hardly anything that would
refrain them from such despicable acts.

Miss D It is really very demoralizing to see that in this age when we have made
advancements in all spheres, there are still aspects in the human character that have failed to
evolve. And what a pity, it only extends to the hapless woman to be let out! It is a shame that
women are still not recognized for the contribution they make to a family and the society as a
whole. The brutality and the barbarity of the incidents that one comes across is truly shocking.
Suggesting capital punishment for such crimes against women could be one way of
intimidating the potential offenders and making them refrain from mores of the sort. But then,
there is also the danger of closing all doors after pronouncing a judgment. The system of
investigation cannot be relied upon with a blind eye and one has to think twice when it is about
deciding about a human life. One cannot afford to decide in haste and repent at leisure here.
Nonetheless, a way has to be figured out to put an end to such tragic happenings.
 20

Does India Need Another Green Revolution?

This battle is against an enemy that is completely ruthless and spares none. And what can
come to aid if nature abets its rage. With most of the rural population depending on
agriculture for subsistence, it is not amazing that the maximum number of victims are from this
bloc during a drought year. It is pitiable that though India is generally regarded as a land that
abounds in food grains, there should be a substantial percentage of rural and tribal population
resorting to wild grass for feeding themselves. With the crop failure comes not only the
problem of starvation, but also of the increase in the number of suicide cases, as well as
increased exploitation of the small and marginal farmers at the hands of money-lenders. All
this only causes one to ponder whether it is time for another green revolution—to boost the
crop production so that the basic provision of food can be achieved.

Mr A I feel that India really needs to initiate the process of going about another round of
”Green Revolution”. It is a pity that having come so far we still have people dying of hunger.
Moreover, nothing can be more disappointing than the fact that after having seen success in the
sphere of food production, calamities like drought still bring as unmanageable and unwieldy
situations before us. Ensuring that enough food is provided for the population is one of the
basic duties of any government, and there should be no second thought about making this
possible. Human capital is the most valuable asset for a country and productivity depends on
how healthy and efficient they can be. What good is all the advancement if more than 70% of
the population that still lives on agro-based occupations in rural areas has to look skywards all
the time. We have to use the knowledge acquired over the years to make certain that no life is
lost to hunger.

Miss B In my view the second green revolution would be nothing but folly—repeating a
mistake all over again. It would amount to ignoring the long-term effects, and endorsing short-
term gains. Why are we a blind eye to what history has put in clear terms before us. Green
revolution did give bumper crop as yield, but not without strings attached. It used the high
yielding varieties of crops that depleted the soil nutrients to a large extent. This is a heavy price
to pay for one time crop. Let us not forget it is the same measure of arable land that will
depend on for cultivation and that we cannot afford to ravage it. I feel that in order to face
natural calamities like droughts, and to avoid starvation deaths, the government and its
agencies need to put on their think caps and step up their efficiency. Why does nobody seek
relief from the much hyped overstocked warehouses, rather than resorting to a measure that
will not only take time to show results but will also be high on the negative aspects.

Mr C I am afraid to see so much of resistance and pessimism in my friend. Agreed that in

long-term the green revolution showed more of undesired effects than benefits, but the
underlined problems of those times can be certainly rectified today. We have more than four
decades of hindsight to make use of. It would not make sense if one thought that the mistakes
then would be simply repeated again. What we are meaning to do is to boost productivity using
scientific knowledge that decreases dependence on weather conditions. Going by my friend’s
logic, one would abandon all experimentation upon meeting with failure once. And
mind you, though the green revolution had many negative effects, it
 21
marked hope for the Indian farmer, nonetheless. I strongly support the efforts for increase in
food production as it is one of the ways to ensure healthy and prosperous rural population, and
a promise of certain help in times of distress.

Miss D I have a different contention altogether. The issue is not so simple as my friend
puts it across to us. Any high-yielding variety would demand a lot of input too. That in case of
the last green revolution was in terms of water and fertilizer. Considering the plight of an
average Indian farmer, how far does one think it is feasible? In my opinion, the real problem
lies with the government agencies that are meant to deal with such situations. The Public
Distribution System (PDS) needs to be hauled up. There are tall claims of food surplus that are
made in the Parliament. So why is it that in times of crisis the surplus is unable to reach where
it is needed most. The assistance from the Centre to the affected States also needs to be
questioned—whether it is adequate or lacking? It is really worth a thought that at a time when
there are reports of people dying due to hunger, the politicians are spending crores on
celebrating their birthdays and distributing cakes and colour televisions as return gifts to the
guests. We have come very far in time and the politicians claim much more sensibility than
Marie Antoinette. It is high time the governing machinery was shaken up and was made to
answer all the difficult questions. The answer lies not in another green revolution, but in
hauling up the system.

Mr A It is not that I am not in agreement with my friend, but what I fail to understand is
that after having achieved so much of success in scientific agricultural practices, why is it that
we shrink from having a go at it once again. It is only a large-scale implementation of a
practice that will prove to be of mass benefit. It is not only the question of advanced
agricultural practices, but also of making sure that the multitude that makes India does not go
empty stomach, or worse still, resort to wild shrubbery for food. The country’s population is
our own, and more so is our responsibility to feed them in times of crisis. My contention is that
the Green Revolution would be nothing but a precautionary measure. The current reserves of
food will not last forever and we need to be prepared even if there is a succession of calamities.
A resistance to fostering such a positive step only surprises me. More- over, if there are
constraints for the small farmer, they can be overcome with some subsidies from the
government.

Miss B It would be worth noting that the agricultural subsidies form quite a large portion
of the burden on the State exchequer. Why should this be increased any more? One should also
consider that the land holdings in India have been fragmented to a very large extent over the
years and the average size of a holding is very small. In such a scenario, using a practice that is
capital intensive would neither be economical for the farmer, nor be of any help in terms of
yield. Green revolution and such like procedures spell profits for the bigger landowners, who
have already struck gold and who can afford to invest the money required initially to have it
going successfully. If one takes a serious look at the agricultural sector, most of the small and
marginal farmers already carry the burden of a debt that seems never ending. Also, it is only a
few who make the prosperous large land owning class. So, if in case a revolution like it does
come through, it would again accrue the benefits to an already rich section of farmers.

Mr C Solutions can be sought for most problems, and there is one for what my friend has
 22
just described. If serious efforts are made to consolidate the fragmented land holdings, a lot
can be achieved. The groups of farmers can form cooperative societies, that would help all of
them share benefits. The need is to educate the farmers and spread awareness among them,
about how they can benefit and prosper from such revolutions. One big advantage of going
about this exercise would be that it would reduce the distance between the farmers and the
official machinery. The small farmers can approach the banks for loans and become a part of
the benefit-reaping category. Besides, one cannot refrain from trying out newer techniques.
While we figure out ways of boosting food production, we also have to make sure that this
food reaches people who require it in times of crisis.

Miss D I feel that we definitely need to stock up for the future. Being prepared is better
than having to stare a disaster helplessly in the face. I feel that introducing new techniques and
new varieties of crops certainly would bring about some change for the good. But equally
important here is the reshaping of a few aspects of governance, and the spread of public
education and awareness. The various schemes launched to counter such bad times are not able
to generate good results, and that is all due to corruption pervading at various levels. Several
cases of ration cards being distributed after the setting up of enquiry commissions have come
to light. Also, it is seen that the village heads (often at the lower-most rung in the
implementation of such schemes) are very corrupt. We have to root out instances of the
sarpanches keeping the ration cards of the villagers with themselves, hoarding a portion of
each ones share of the free grain, only to sell it off later, while the latter starve. Corruption is
one cause that has to be rooted out if a hunger-free society is desired.
 23

Network Neutrality—To Stay or Go?

The face of the Internet is changing. From the basic applications and the repository of
information it is fast becoming a platform for diverse pursuits and activities. There has been
increasing speculation about the outcomes resulting from the tussle over allocation of
spectrum for wireless services. Whatever the result, the ramifications will be felt throughout
the world. It has been felt that the network neutrality principle would be threatened by this
move. The telecom companies are lobbying for levying surcharges on content providers that
are not their retail customers; prioritizing data packet delivery based on the ownership
affiliation of the content, or the source or destination of the content; as well as building a new
“fast lane” online that consigns Internet content and applications to a relatively slow,
bandwidth-starved portion of the broadband connection. So should the unspoken yet accepted
law of network neutrality go or should the Internet remain as it is today?

Mr A I feel that the Internet today enjoys the popularity that it does simply because it does
not make the user feel hindered at any step in his virtual journey. However, I do feel that if the
journey itself starts only after one has bought a ticket and that too with certain complexities
involved the charm of the exploration will wear off. It has always been felt that the remarkable
social impact and economic success of the Internet is in many ways directly attributable to the
architectural features that were part of its initial design. The Internet was calculated to be an
entity with no gatekeepers over new content or services. Experts often feel that the great strides
made in this sector are because of allowing the contributors to work unhindered for its growth
rather than attributing centrality to the controlling features. Consequently, the Internet has
created a platform for innovation. This has led to an upsurge of step ups—from VoIP to wi-fi,
to blogging—many innovations that might never have evolved if the regulations had been far
more pronounced. I really think that network neutrality needs to stay and there is no need for
changing the scenario drastically.

Miss B Today ISPs, and crucially telecom companies, are up in arms demanding that the
unwritten policy changes, with support from free market lobby groups. The reason for their
angst is the stunning growth of Web 2.0 services such as video, Voice over Internet Protocol
(VoIP) and file sharing. The ISPs feel the services demand too much of their infrastructure,
thus people need to pay for access to certain content which requires more bandwidth. The
telecom companies are definitely being threatened by VoIP. It would be only reasonable to let
phone and cable companies charge Internet firms additional fees for using their high-speed
lines. Telecommunication companies spend billions of dollars to construct a fibre-optic
network for delivering high-speed Internet and cable TV services. Network operators are
looking to recoup the cost of the fibre-optic cable and other infrastructure pieces that make a
high-speed Internet possible. They argue that the upgrades are necessary to deliver such
innovations as high-definition video-on-demand and high-quality teleconferencing. They
expect businesses and consumers to share the cost of network upgrades.

Mr C Ever since the commercialisation of the Internet began on a serious note, the number
of users has increased manifold. The tribe of loyalists have worked their way forward
contributing to its various aspects—the speed of their connections and the variety of things
 24
they can do on the Net. A remarkable feature of the process has been that all this came about
with a mere touch of regulation. Excepting pornography and gambling, no bureaucrats have
decided what services could be provided over the Internet, or who could offer them or how
they could charge for them. Some of the service ideas have been bad, and failed. Some are
wonderful. But many would never have been tried if there were regulations telling businesses
whom they could charge, how much or how little, or what they could or couldn’t sell on the
Net. Freedom, actually has been the Web surfer’s friend.

Miss D One major likelihood is that the telecom companies would move on to create a two
tiered ‘pipeline’, where the paid for priority data gets a faster movement and the low priority
data may be sidelined depending solely on the discretion of the provider. An individual’s
favourite Website may be relegated to the Internet’s slow lane if the companies that run its
backbone network have their way. Proposed services from telecommunications and cable
companies would let ISPs and other Web businesses pay extra to receive preferential treatment
for their data packets, carrying everything from video to music to text over the Internet. Such
packet prioritization would deliver a richer experience to the visitors of that particular site—a
valuable perk for high-bandwidth services like streaming video. Prioritizing content based on
type—meaning a quick, uninterrupted data flow, such as streaming media—is supported by
both consumers and content providers. The good part is that such services will give incentives
to the telecom and cable firms—by giving them a new revenue stream—to upgrade their
networks, which will boost overall service quality.

Mr A I really do not think that charging and such two-tier system by the telecom companies
is justified. The very scheme goes against a basic tenet of the Internet, that all packets are
treated equally. At this point in time the Internet now allows information to move in data
packets through networks of computers and routers on a “best efforts basis”. In other words,
the system routes packets with little regard for what type of information or applications they
contain or who created them. There are apprehensions that prioritization will allow established
firms with deep pockets to position the virtual deck against smaller, yet potential rivals. Also,
businesses already pay for bandwidth, therefore the extra charges are nothing but double-
billing.

Miss B A decade ago the big telephone companies were complacent about the Internet.
Now they see Internet applications beginning to have revenue impact on their core businesses.
Skype, for example, is an Internet telephony application that is capable of better voice quality
than telephony, with useful features impossible for a conventional telephone company to
deploy. It isn’t tied to the telephone company’s network and it can run on any Internet
connection. This is a simple yet effective example to explain why the carriers are now rooting
for their gains. The largest providers of today’s Internet infrastructure are also the strongest
opponents of network neutrality. If their profit stream diminishes, which it must if the Internet
is to remain neutral and open, then it is only simple to note that we strike at the root of
infrastructure. IP protocol inventor Robert Kahn also feels that net neutrality is a slogan for a
mandate that would prevent innovation on the networks. He and other engineers feel that
legislation could restrict developments that would improve data delivery and alleviate traffic
burdens.
 25
Miss D The issue of Net neutrality is so contentious that many people debating it cannot
even agree on a definition. But there are a few things that come across as logical observations
and need to be made a note of. The state of affairs as related to the Internet, and the carriers is
very fluid. Someone has to pay for the infrastructure. For many years the people who stood up
for the Internet, advocated that it should not be subjected to government regulations but rely on
interoperability and market forces to resolve itself. That idea was largely successful with only
physical network (spectrum, fibre, etc) coming under the ambit of regulatory law. But, so far
the Internet and applications remained outside. However, the business model has changed. The
physical network isn’t as important any more. And now the matters will have to be perceived
in a new light. What happens ultimately is for tomorrow to herald. And whatever the outcome
it will be felt across the globe.
 26

Do Women make Better Parents than Men?

Bringing up the children has been the mother’s duty since time immemorial. However, things
are changing fast as there are single persons opting for adoption and couples unwilling to tide
it through together who are opting to take up the job single handed. There is much to support
the mother’s role as the primary caregiver of the family and the young ones, especially
through reasons embedded in tradition as well as convenience. However, there have been
many examples of single men coming forward, with the nurturing spirit surfacing strongly.
Would they fare equally well as any woman or would they be at sea, if confronted by the
daunting task of caring for a real child 24/7?

The external responsibilities that a male usually carries out in a family—set up as the
breadwinner and the protector—give him a tough aura that comes in the way of visualising
him performing the mother’s role. However, this cannot be used as a benchmark to determine
whether the man is capable of providing children with equal, if not more, tenderness, love and
care. The perception that precedes any male when it comes to parenting may well have become
redundant now, or is it still the same? Are men likely to fare badly at parenting, or have they
become more sensitive to the needs of children in a changed environment? In fact some would
rather believe that they better than the mothers as well. So do men actually make better
parents than women?

Mr A This question is quite a poser as there cannot be a perfect answer to it. All individuals
are different from one another and may respond or perform at different levels as per their
individual capabilities. However, if a generalist idea has to be formed it would be so that
women generally make the better parents as they have the innate maternal instincts that allow
them to take the best care of their children. Women would have subconsciously built a bond
with the child even before it is born. Carrying a child in the womb for nine month is sufficient
for strong emotional ties to be formed that are beyond understanding of average human
relationships. Nature has implanted the nurture and care automatically in women. Bringing up
life in its first few years is extremely important and to ensure safety and survival the women
are attuned intrinsically to this need. For the men this part might be the difficult bit. They are
seen largely making valuable contributions in a child’s development after he/she has achieved
control over bodily functions and has reached a certain level of comprehension.

Miss B Well, the normal perception would be that a woman definitely makes for a better
parent due to her instincts and her innate capabilities. However, there are certain ways in which
a father or a male can contribute in the upbringing of children that women cannot do complete
justice to. Men are generally rational and logic driven and decisions/choices and actions are
based on sound reason. The way a father can allow a child to go all out and grow up would not
be possible with mothers, who are more protective and would be daunted by the slightest
crunch in the heart. Of course, the exceptions are always there but the go getting spirit, courage
and fierce determination can be imparted very well by the male only. It is important as it makes
the child more worldly wise and equipped with a skill that will not be taught in any school as a
part of the curriculum.
 27
Mr C Indeed this one is a tough call but I must admit that somewhere there is an initial
advantage that lies with the woman. She is the one who is physically and mentally
programmed naturally to do a better job of parenting. Women generally are more sensitive and
attentive to even the smallest needs exhibited by the children. They are inherently good
listeners, blessed with more patience to deal with hours of bawling. It can be very challenging
to keep comforting little children as they are not able to express or communicate at times about
what bothers, pains or frightens them. Mothers are usually patient at such time and are willing
to put aside hours to calm and reassure them. The important part worth taking notice of is that
the young years are really crucial in the formation of a self-confident and a secure individual. If
the children are neglected and ignored, they are likely to shape up as insecure somewhere and
no matter how much of inputs and care are given after they grow up, that deficit cannot be
made up for. I personally think that women are more capable of adding this tremendous value
to a child’s life.

Miss D Well, there may be a slight element of risk in generalising totally about who is
actually a better parent. My friends here have argued that women make better parents as they
are innately programmed to be so. However, in the light of recent developments I would like to
differ and cite the alternative point of view. The equations in today’s world are changing and
the women are actively seeking employment and pursuing very challenging careers. Though
the idea of motherhood is very fascinating, the actual process of bringing up a child can be
very demanding. And here is where the male’s rational, organised and practical outlook counts.
They can make it tick even in such a very demanding situation and hence men are capable of
being better parents.

Mr A I would still say that there is no doubting the fact that mothers make better parents as
they are known to be more balanced, especially in crunch situations. If we were to take a
neutral scenario where the financial pressure and the emotional mess of a broken household are
absent, women are capable of dealing superbly with the task. Usually, the women are projected
as emotional wrecks, poor decision makers and incapable of providing a secure future only in
situations where they are not educated enough to go out and earn. Other than that, there are
ample examples where independent single women have done a splendid job of parenting. I feel
that the women are capable of a healthy left brain- right brain activity balance and create and
nurture life adeptly.

Miss B I do agree that there are some very valuable skill sets that may be the exclusive
domain of women, but there is much that men may be capable of doing. Men are usually not
known to be very expressive about their ideas or their feelings. They are more of the doers. The
fact that I really appreciate about fathers is that they are capable of imparting many critical life
lessons to their children without actually making them look like lessons. Children emulate
their elders. A practical parent would teach the child to evaluate situations without really
reacting at the drop of a hat. Men are good at controlling their emotions and by exhibiting more
of the controlled reactions in crisis situations teach them calm, analytical approach. Then, there
is the general conduct adopted toward the various people that instils etiquette, politeness and
fist lessons in people skills. The other issue with the females is that even when the child has
grown up, they may still be clinging on somewhere. Men will not be so edgy about letting go. I
really feel that men are better parents as they are capable of a more hands off approach.
 28

Miss D Well this has been one really tough call where each one has tried to shed light by
expressing their perspective. It comes across as a logical conclusion of this debate that the role
of both man and woman is equally significant as parents and it is not necessarily so that women
make better parents. Most women make good parents as they are better listeners and tend to be
more attentive to one’s needs. Being more sensitive than males, women can forge a closer
relationship with their children. Father is commonly seen as the rationalist, but this is not
always true. Some fathers can make better parents than mothers; and this could be largely
attributed to an individual’s personal upbringing, the childhood he or she experienced and the
values that they believe in. If one has had a loving family unit and an environment that made
him/her feel loved, it inspires a quite confidence and self-assurance which further gets
translated into further parenting. Therefore, it is really immaterial as to whether men or women
make better parents. Anyone, with a more mature and balanced outlook is likely to do a better
job of parenting—being hands off when required and involved when desired.
 29

Ragging: A Criminal Act?

Ragging was supposed to be harmless fun where students could mix and become friends with
their seniors at educational institutes. In India it has taken an ugly face. Every year incidents
are reported where students are beaten and killed by their seniors, many young people commit
suicide than face the humiliation of ragging. And, for every case that is reported in the media,
there are thousands of cases of making students do unspeakable things in the name of ragging.
We question whether ragging should be treated like any other crime or whether it serves a
useful purpose.

Mr A The issue of ragging comes into limelight every academic year when some students either
commit suicide or are murdered in some college of higher learning in India. Mostly government
institutes are named in ragging excesses cases. Our society has been unable to deal with the problem;
apart from condemning the incidents every year, the government has not done anything. The present
debate is whether ragging is another form of crime, but I feel that everyone should not be painted with
the same brush. It is good fun to interact with new students and to make friends. If some people go
overboard and commit crimes, they should be dealt with according to the law. But to ban ragging or to
say that students who indulge in it are criminals, is going too far.

Mr B You may be right but facts do not match up to your statement that ragging is mere fun. Young
students have died. They have been stripped and made to do sexually degrading acts. I fail to see how
these humiliating acts will result in any kind of friendship. On the contrary, young students may start
disliking their studies. There have been cases where students have run away from their institutes or
tried to kill themselves rather than spend days of being beaten or exploited. Unfortunately, only the
murders and suicides get the attention of the media. If the daily humiliation was reported, we would
realize the extent of this disease that has crept into education institutes. The problem seems to be
severe in prestigious institutes like medical and engineering colleges, but even in other cities and small
towns every group of senior students seems to take delight in the sadism they are able to inflict on
helpless fresh students. Instead of making learning fun, these students, who are nothing short of
goondas, ruin careers and lives. It is for this reason that we should be able to say that enough is
enough, and that ragging is nothing but criminalisation.

Mr C You have a point there. Ragging is not recognized as a crime, even though it has serious
consequences. So students who indulge in it know that they can roam around scot-free despite
committing the most heinous of crimes. Juniors suffer in silence because they are beaten up if they
complain. In the highly improbable event of being caught, they are suspended for some time, or in the
worst case, they might be expelled. So they go somewhere else and finish their education. These
criminals go about their lives without any fear of punishment. Is it a surprise that our society is
becoming more and more violent? When people fight on the streets, or when they beat up their families,
or when policemen beat up suspects mercilessly, it is just because they were not punished for doing
similar things in college. Our society is paying the price of letting people with sadist tendencies to go
scot-free. I would say it is high time we put a stop to this. Ragging should be equated with crime.

Mr D Friends, you seem to forget that not all ragging is bad. In most cases we just have fun. People
open out and become confident. They are not scared of anything anymore. I would say that ragging
should not be banned, since it helps in many ways. As seniors we see a lot of fresh students and there
is no way of getting to know them. In many colleges where there is no ragging, students go about their
studies and pass their three or four years without getting to know their seniors or their juniors. Through
ragging we can make a lot of friends; at least we know who is doing what.
 30
Mr E I am afraid that these are myths that are propagated to continue an evil practice of ragging.
No one makes friends by being subjected to sexual torture, or by being beaten up. Also, do not expect
anything from the Supreme Court or the government, apart from strong statements. Ultimately the
responsibility lies on the institute, and unfortunately, heads of institutes are busy protecting their own
turf than bother about hostels. They have no idea what is going on in their own institutes. Even after a
murder, the institute first tries to cover up, then denies responsibility. We have seen this happen
wherever cases have been reported. As for the Supreme Court, how will it ensure that its directives are
being heard in the states? Please remember that only extreme cases reach the Court’s notice. Can it
ensure speedy justice for murders and sexual crimes before the senior students are released on bail
and the case forgotten? I think these crimes require exemplary punishment but it is doubtful that the
courts will ever do that. So young people will continue to
suffer the indignities of going to college.

Mr A The problem exists, no doubt, and some demented students have given a bad name to ragging.
Beating up students or making them do degrading acts are certainly reprehensible, but let us not ban
ragging altogether. More control is needed at the college level. Unfortunately, the teachers and the
institute heads have failed to fulfil their duties. If only they are made accountable, such things might
cease. So the idea is to control such incidents and I would say ragging should not be banned
completely. Let the students indulge in their harmless fun. What is wrong with that?

Mr B Ragging is not harmless fun anymore. Let’s not deluge ourselves with this kind of logic. It is the
most harmful, the most devious form of criminality. When we gloss over these things, we are actually
encouraging the criminalisation and brutalisation of society. This has to stop. Even a small ragging
incident should be made punishable, in order to send a message to students that this is not OK. If you
look at the report of the incident at Rajindra Prasad Medical College, you will see that these colleges
are torture chambers. There is high degree of sadism involved. Yet, neither the colleges nor the
government has done anything. The Supreme Court must take it upon itself to make ragging a non-
bailable offence. We need to go further: students caught doing ragging of juniors should be debarred
from further studies and sent to do social service.

Mr C You have a point there. I think that in the long term interests of society, we have to award very
strict punishment. Ragging arises because senior students are frustrated and they vent their frustrations
on junior students. When they finish their education, they perpetuate the same system that causes
frustration among young people. The brutal policeman, the bribe-seeking teacher, the corrupt
bureaucrat, the husband who beats his wife, the father who demands sexual favours from his daughter
—these are all manifestations of ragging behaviour. This vicious circle has to be broken somewhere
and it should be broken at the college level. Let us send out a clear message that bullying the weak is
not acceptable in our society.

Mr D Friends, we are all agreed that ragging is a menace that has to be stopped. Some students felt
that not all ragging is bad, but since it has taken a very ugly face, especially in government institutes, it
is high time that we did something about it. When I read accounts of ragging on the Internet, I feel sad
at the uncontrolled sadism that takes place in hostels. Students have written that they preferred to sleep
outside on the drain-pipes rather than go back to their hostels; some students have written that ragging
left them hating their studies. There are some instances of people dropping out of college rather than
face the humiliation of ragging. We cannot just say that these are just fun things. The Supreme Court
has done well in its strict directions about ragging. It should be backed by severe government action as
well.
 31

Politics of Development
The best way to inspire and involve the Indian youth in making India an upcoming
economic power is for all political parties to engage themselves in politics of development.
In your well-considered opinion what measures should be adopted to achieve the goal.

Needless to reiterate and reaffirm that India needs politics of development rather than the
politics of polemics and populism. More than ever before, both people and political parties
should see to it that they work for harmony and not for acrimony among people professing
different faiths and practising varied ways of conduct and character in their day to day lives.
No other concern and consideration should weigh on the perceptions and priorities of
politicians, programmers and planners, except those that enhance developmental activities in
all walks of life and ultimately help improve quality of life of those subsisting at the lowest
levels of our socio-economic ladder. It is time now that political parties of every hue and hype
focused their manifestos, programmes and policies on developmental vision and pragmatic
approach and action to achieve the goals of social
justice. There is no denying that the most effective measure in this direction is the involvement
of youth in developmental activities and a harmonious harnessing of their youthful energies
and enthusiasm. For this to happen on the ground, we, as an upcoming nation, need to orient
ourselves towards development, whether on farms or in factories, on technologies or service
sectors, et al.

In order to make the best use of resources, both human and natural, all political parties must
converge on developmental politics, because without development we cannot hope to engage
our youth in constructive and creative activities, nor can we envisage a situation in future when
poverty would be a thing of the past. It is true that barring a few examples, we do not have
many icons among our political parties. The youth needs role models that only politicians can
provide, because they wield power and affect people and their proclivities in large measure.
Political parties should visualise a situation in future where our burgeoning youth should see an
imprint of great leaders in every action.

It goes without saying that people’s ethos, values and character are crucial factors that
determine whether the country will move forward on a progressive path or stagnate. The
education system, along with many other channels and sources of knowledge, must concentrate
on cultivating in every citizen a sense of eternal values, as well as instilling discipline among
them. The media, too, as partner in national development, should celebrate the success of the
people and become an invigorating instrument of inspiring the youth by highlighting the best
and the most unique among those who shine like stars in the firmament of our political
spectrum.
 32

Development and Social Gaps

Some right thinking people feel that breakneck development in the name of liberalisation
deepens social gaps. Express your views on the subject of development versus social
disparities.

Globalisation/liberalisation has given an unprecedented push to development, as a result of

which the tempo of life has acquired both success and stress, incentives and impatience,
achievements and angst. Besides these candid contradictions, research and development the
world over has opened new vistas of opportunities in service sectors, travel and tourism,
infrastructure and industry. The spread of a culture of emergency and the accelerated pace of
development has increased the volatility of economics which, in turn, has led to deepening
social gaps, thereby increasing social tensions and instability. Nearer home, the rise of
naxalism in different parts of the country is a strong pointer to the disparities that fast-paced
development has brought in its trail.

For a developing country like India, it is not only the urban-rural divide and deepening social
gaps that confront us, but we also have to cope with the sway of individualism over the binding
force of a collectivist society. There is, and will be a decline in social values.

It is feared that the ever-widening gulf between the haves and have-nots, knowledge and
ignorance is bound to increase if development without social equity is preferred and promoted.
Inequality and the feeling of being left behind and outside can be a seed to social conflicts and
confrontation between the privileged and the deprived. No doubt, without development the
multi-faceted problems of poverty, ignorance, disease, deprivation etc. cannot be tackled. But it
is equally true that the fruits of development should reach those who need them the most.
 33

State-funding of Elections
Some thinking people advocate State-funding of elections as one of the most effective
measures to rid our electoral system of the scourge of money and muscle power. On the
basis of your experience and knowledge, express your views on the proposition under
deliberation.

Despite occasional hiccups if the Indian democracy has acquired the image of a vigorous and
vibrant form of government, it has also earned the sobriquet of money and muscle-driven
democracy. Quite true and troubling description of our electoral process in some cases, the
right thinking people and parties are of the strong opinion that State-funding of elections would
go a long way in minimising the insidious influence of both money and muscle power in our
otherwise quite fair and free conduct of elections.
The extent to which money power has become the driving force in elections, it is not irrelevant
and irreverent to say that most candidates with limited means at their disposal find themselves
handicapped and victims of denial of level playing ground. This amounts to negation of equal
opportunity to one and all, as far as elections are concerned. In order to overcome this obvious
flaw and disadvantage, State-funding of elections is one way that should be fully explored and
worked out.

No doubt, State-funding of elections is one of the most immediate and urgent electoral reforms
that are required to cleanse the system that has become money-centric. While the idea is good,
there are some imponderables that may crop us during the course of raising funds by the
Central and State governments, the distribution of such funds, whether in cash or kind, among
a plethora of parties, both national as well as regional. It is too simplistic to assume that State-
funding of elections or more transparent flow of business money to political parties and
politicians will eliminate the evil impact of money over elections. State-funding has also its
limitations with multiple parties and candidates. Since the elections have become a very
expensive affair, State-funding may not help much in arresting the rot that results from
excessive flow of money expenditure that candidates tend to spend in the hope of making much
more money or assets once they get elected. Even if the State-funding is only in kind, such as
free supply of electoral/publicity material, diesel, petrol, vehicles etc., the expenses incurred by
parties, friends, relatives of a candidate, may defeat the very intent and purpose of the
proposition.

But still, with all these apprehensions lurking, there is no harm in hammering out a way so that
State-funding of elections gets a start, with the hope that the initiative would prove a healthy
step in the right direction.
 34

Reforming Criminal Judicial System

Suggest three effective measures to reform criminal judicial system in India. Based on
experience, knowledge and ground realities, state how the steps suggested by you would
prove effective indeed.

In India ‘justice delayed is justice denied’ does not provoke as much rage and outrage among
people as does the acquittal of those in high-profile criminal cases. In recent years, the high
and influential accused have so managed and manipulated to get themselves acquitted that the
people at large have begun to lose faith in the entire criminal judicial system. The words of
warning from various quarters that the judicial system in India is almost on the verge of
collapse, should send the right message to the powers-that-be to take immediate and corrective
steps to stem the rot that has set in the system, before it is too late to mend the matters.

Rightly, the letter and spirit of the entire legal system stresses on the fact that no innocent
person should be punished for the crime that he or she has not committed. It is equally
imperative that no accused or criminal should go scot-free simply on the technical ground of
‘benefit of doubt’. Since the Indian judicial system, especially the criminal system, has come
under a cloud, both for delay and denial of justice to the victim/aggrieved, it is the crying need
of the hour to reform the system without delay and dithering. The following measures, if
adopted with due deliberations and discussion, would go a long way in strengthening people’s
faith in the system and also help delivering justice that people expect from the courts.

The impression that crime has become a low-risk, high-profit business these days can be
effectively countered if the trial courts start looking into the loads of circumstantial evidence,
rather than entirely depending on witnesses who tend to turn hostile and buckle under the
weight/threat of money and muscle power. Recommendations of Justice Malimath Committee
that dealt with the problem of hostile witnesses should be incorporated in the Evidence Act and
Section 164 of Criminal Procedure Code.

Another measure that can help set the distortions right is the separation of investigation agency
from the law and order wing of the police. Since both need proper training in the modern
techniques of crime detection and control, investigation and prosecution should be handled
separately and the principle of accountability strictly followed.

The Evidence Act needs to be amended in such a way that the onus of proving not guilty is
shifted on the accused. It has been seen that wherever the onus of proof has been shifted on the
accused, the results have been quite different. Separation of civil and criminal wings would not
only cut delays in delivery of justice, but would also lead to greater specialisation and faster
disposal.
 35

Conserving Water
Water is the elixir of life. With sources of water drying and depleting every passing day,
it is time that we in India devised and developed some ways to conserve water, both for
the present and future generations. You are invited to suggest some steps that can help
save and conserve water.

Nothing could be more true and telling than the fact that water is the elixir of life. Conservation
of water is as much essential as preserving our flora and fauna and also protecting our heritage.
With the highly disturbing reports of our water sources drying up or depleting in nature and
nuance, it is time that we sat up and gave a serious thought and consideration to measures that
could help save water and conserve it for use, both for the present and future generations.
There is no denying that with the fast changing patterns of life, the demand for water is going
to increase, both for domestic and non-domestic purposes. Unless some prompt and purposeful
measures are taken to save and conserve water, the day would not be far away when we might
be asked to face the music for want of adequate and regular supply of water, for domestic,
agricultural, industrial and many other usages.

The problem of depleting water sources is real and therefore the measures to meet the
challenge should be equally robust and realistic. Knowledgeable people visualise the solution
in traditional wisdom and modern technology. Just as the subject of environmental studies is
being taught at different levels of school and college education, similarly the subject of water
(how to avoid its wastage and conserve it) should be included in school curriculum. If students,
in particular, and the public, in general, are made aware how to use water prudently and
conserve every drop, we can face the dilemma of scarce water resources and increasing
demand for this precious liquid.

With modern technology at our disposal, waste-water from cities and industry should be
recycled. A comprehensive water policy that addresses the issues related to water resources,
water-table going down in certain States, crop pattern or diversification ensuring linkages with
sectors like energy, forestry and agriculture, should be drawn up. Last but not least is the
crying need to work in harmony with nature and give back what we take. After all the havoc
that we have done to nature, the latter is still benign and bountiful. To make the best use of
nature’s benevolence, all users of water in India are required to know that discretion is the
better part of valour and prudence is the panacea for many a man-made mess.
 36

Sharing Knowledge Globally

In the highly compact and complex world of today, sharing knowledge globally is the
urgent need of the hour. Comment.

With the most sophisticated means of communication and connectivity at our beck and call, it
is but natural that today’s world has become a global village. With opportunities aplenty in the
fields of travel and trade, commerce and industry, science and technology it is in the fitness of
things that knowledge gained through legal and transparent channels is shared globally.
Barring a few areas of national security and the matters related to national pride/prejudice, the
sharing of knowledge to fight the scourges of terrorism, fundamentalism, natural calamities
and diseases should become the telling tone and temper of our times.

Ours is an age of convergence of ideas and information and if the contours and contents of
cooperation and coordination keep on expanding to the advantage of one and all under the sun,
the dream of having a world knowledge platform would become a ringing reality. The
evolution of world knowledge platform would surely be a meeting place for science,
technology, industry, management and marketing that, in turn, would enable joint design,
development, cost effective production and ultimately marketing of knowledge in various
domains. Such a scenario in future would not only accelerate and accentuate growth but also
improve the human lot.

In the years to come, the exploration of space can act as a motivator for natural collaboration
between nations. The thrust into space will benefit the world’s next industrial revolution that
will be triggered by missions of exploration of minerals as energy sources from planets and
asteroids. All this and much more can be visualised and achieved, once the nations of the world
voluntarily come on the world knowledge platform.
 37

Preventing Custodial Torture

Suggest three effective measures to prevent custodial deaths in India. State
how the steps suggested by you would bring about a qualitative change in the situation.

The frequent occurrence-cum-reporting of custodial deaths and fake encounters is not only the
negation of ‘rule of law’ but also a gross violation of human rights. In a democratic set-up like
ours, it is a matter of shame and shock that law enforcers tend to become law-breakers and yet
manage to go scot free. Having lived with this pernicious phenomenon for quite long, it is time
that public conscience is stirred and law-makers rise to the occasion and think of some concrete
and cogent measures to prevent such aberrations as cast a slur on the working of our law-
enforcing agencies. If the powers-that-be mean business in this regard, there is no reason why
the following steps should not bring about a qualitative change in the prevailing situation.

It is imperative that investigating work be separated from policing, thus restoring the
confidence of people in police force and its working. Things have gone wrong chiefly due to
the combining of investigation with policing and giving a free hand to the police to extract
confessional statements from the accused.

The law governing the entire hierarchy of law-enforcing agencies needs to be changed because
anything allowed to remain static for long loses its relevance and propriety. Instead of using
force/torture to extract information (right or wrong) the police should adopt scientific methods.
crimes are committed in all societies—both developed as well as developing. Whereas the
most advanced countries resort to scientific methodology to gather information from the
accused
and his accomplices, here in India we are still using age-old and time-barred tricks and tactics.
Custodial torture should be treated as a heinous crime and transparency should be brought into
the working of police across the board. Law-enforcing agencies should ensure that all
guidelines issued from time to time are adhered to while arresting and detaining an accused.
The UN Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or
punishment should be given a serious thought by the powers-that-be.
 38

Labour intensive industrialisation

In order to ensure that benefits of economic development reach one and all in India,
labour-intensive industrialisation is the urgent need of the hour. Express your views on
the subject.

Despite the fact that Indian economy has been surging ahead and the GDP growth showing a
steady rise over the years, the spectre of unemployment and imbalanced development among
various regions still keeps staring us in the face. Unless the fruits of economic development
reach one and all, there is every likelihood of the tremors of unrest erupting every now and
then.

Undoubtedly, we need credible policy solutions to reduce imbalances. Industrial development

must spread to new regions so that the feeling of neglect and alienation among people living in
the least developed areas of India is adequately addressed and pacified.

The hold of ‘crony capitalism’ must yield to capitalism with social concerns. In the present
economic-cum-market dispensation, industrialisation ought to be a winning process of social
transformation, intensive employment and economic development. A developing country like
India cannot afford to view industrialisation as a negative phenomenon. There are areas of
concern, like displacement of persons, environmental damage and alienation of working class.
These concerns must be dealt with and remedied before the situation gets out of hand. If our
labour laws are inhibiting the growth of new ventures, they have to be suitably amended
without harming the larger interests of workers, both skilled and unskilled. It should be clear to
one and all that without labour-intensive industrialisation, there can be no lasting and
meaningful solutions to the problems of unemployment.

There is an urgent need to impress upon research institutions to come up with all possible
solutions on how to prevent ‘crony capitalism’, inject greater competition in the industrial
sector and tackle problems faced by domestic enterprise. All said and done, efforts are required
to ensure that markets remain competitive by curtailing monopolistic practices.
 39

Tackling Hunger Globally

Hunger is one of the indicators of the magnitude of social injustices that exist in the world. Its
existence can be traced back very many years back. The French Revolution in the 18th Century
was driven not only by demands for political freedom, but also by the lack of bread in Paris.
Food has been the cause and effect of many riots occurring whenever government policies
caused severe economic hardship and clashed with the basic human right to food. Tea was a
non-edible food item that was used as a protest tool by a group of Boston citizens, to protest
the British tax on tea imported to the colonies.

The food crises around the world prompted the establishment of the World Food Programme.
In addition, many other United Nations agencies have included hunger or food security in their
work programmes. These include: The United Nations Children Education Fund, the United
Nations Development Programme, the World Health Organisation and the different United
Nations missions to war torn countries.

The term ‘hunger’ is loosely defined and the meaning is often adapted to serve the purposes of
those who may be experiencing it. For many, especially in affluent countries, hunger is the
gnawing pain in the stomach when a meal is missed. On the other extreme, hunger is the
physical depletion of those suffering from chronic under-nutrition.

Hunger is, however, multi-dimensional, encompassing the emotional and political aspects of
the society. It includes the anguish of a farmer faced with the choice of selling the produce
from his farm, to pay rent for the land or feeding his family with the food. It involves the grief
of watching in helplessness as loved ones die for breaking the practices and policies set by a
handful of elites. Restrictions and laws are put in place to ensure that the poor and hungry are
forced to provide their labour in exchange for low wages or small portions of food. In order to
maintain the status quo, regulations are in place to reduce the chances of self-sufficiency for
the poor. Even the Indian government’s schemes of rice and wheat at extremely subsidized
rates is a no-go—either that grain finds its way to the black market or the quality is too poor to
be consumed by any human being.

Population growth has been believed to be the cause of hunger in some parts of the world, as
there is pressure on the world’s limited resources. Thomas Malthus, an English economist,
argued that population growth would inevitably outstrip the food and water supply at some
point, since productive land and safe drinking water are finite resources. Mass starvation and
anarchy would, therefore, be a consequence of a high rate of population growth. This belief
and the problem of addressing the needs of a growing population led to drastic measures to
reduce the rate of population growth.

Hunger is a cause and effect of poverty. It is responsible for the debilitation of people
physically, physiologically and psychologically. The most abundant asset available to the poor
is labour, which could be used to earn a living. However, hunger means that this labour is
ineffective, entrapping the poor in hunger and poverty. For the abjectly poor, the daily struggle
of finding food for the family pushes aside any consideration of long-term development.
 40
While modern technology and medical research have discovered many innovative ways of
fighting many pests and diseases, famines has been a source of serious distress for many years.
The pressure to feed the world’s population has resulted in the use of marginal, erosion-prone
lands and deforestation. This makes the environment more prone to famine situations and the
fertility of the land is undermined. Natural disasters are indiscriminate and affect the poor and
rich alike.
An option to the hunger in present day is to reconstruct agriculture to be more self-reliant and
discourage specialization. Help from aid agencies has to be reduced by increasing self-reliance,
for that is a long-term measure. The development of farm cooperatives should be encouraged
to facilitate and support farming activities among farm workers and urban migrants wishing to
return to their rural homes. Increasing the amount of arable land under cultivation can also
enhance food security.

Reduction or cancellation of debts owed by farmers would be an incentive for their increased
contribution towards ensuring food security. The exploitation of farm workers and small
farmers is mainly because of their inability to exact a fair price for their labour and the goods
they produce in a monopoly-controlled market. No wonder the suicides have become a regular
feature in the rural districts. Unless the work is taken up on a war footing across the world, we
will be put to shame repeatedly by skeletal expressions of people in places like Somalia,
Ethiopia, and closer home in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh etc.
 41

Tradition and Modernity: Friends or Foes?

Modernity in the Indian sense is, in any case, a command from the West. India did not get
enough time to develop an indigenous idea of modernity because of the intervention of
colonialism. At the time of Independence, urban India had inherited a rather basic problem:
this was a contradiction between imposed modernity and age-old traditional values. There
were, as a consequence, three options for the average Indian urban man: whether to embrace
the Western model of modernity; or to go back, if possible, to her traditional roots; or to try to
create a synthesis between the two. It was colonial education that brought to us a historical
understanding of our culture. Western education gained currency which taught us to value our
past and it became fashionable to talk about our heritage—Jyotindra Jain, Former Director of
Crafts Museum, New Delhi.

Jean Baudrillard, a major theoretician of the European present, characterizes the present state
of affairs, at least in the Western context, as “after the orgy”: the “orgy”, according to him, was
the moment when modernity exploded upon us, the moment of liberation in every sphere—
political liberation, sexual liberation, liberation of the forces of production, liberation of the
forces of destruction, women’s liberation, liberation of unconscious drives, liberation of art. It
was an orgy of the real, the rational, of criticism and of anti-criticism, of development and of
the crisis of development. There has been an over-production now of objects, signs, messages,
ideologies and satisfactions. When everything has been liberated, one can only simulate
(reproduce) liberation, simulate the orgy, pretending to carry on in the same direction;
accelerating without knowing we are accelerating in a void.

The impact of technology is fast changing our everyday too: the major difference may be that
we are not in the age “after the orgy”, for, our revolutions have not succeeded, but have
aborted, got stopped midway, our utopia has taken an atavistic (reappearance of characteristic
or quality not seen for many generations) turn, our Janus now has both its faces turned towards
the past. Our struggles for emancipation—social, sexual, aesthetic—seem to have left us half-
way, having failed to bring about a transformation that embraces all the layers of society.

Nevertheless, tradition gives a sense of identity. There is an element of security in it; yet
innovation is necessary to prevent stagnation and rot. Society must and will continue to
innovate. Cultural exchange is the stuff out of which social processes are made. Traditional
medicine, for example, was humane and modern medicine is merciless; traditional science had
built in correctives, but modern science and technology is aggressively domineering; in
tradition there was respect for plurality, but modern societies are self-consciously
homogenising. Modern societies may breed fascists, but traditional ones had their share of
Changez Khans too.

True, modernity has got many emancipatory possibilities. But then, modernity is not free from
its discontent—dislocation of the individual from the protective context of family-kinship ties,
alienation from the communitarian ideal and loss of collective memory.
 42
Perhaps, in matters of faith and fashions, it is neither the hard stands taken by both, nor the
rigidity of their arguments that brings them nearer to each other. Just as all that meets the eye
may not be the only reality, in the same vein, to assert with authority that tradition and
modernity are incompatible is to rush in where even the angels would pause and ponder to
tread. Seemingly, both tradition and modernisation look to be at loggerheads with each other,
but on deeper analysis, one finds that even the most traditional/orthodox societies have
prepared themselves, though reluctantly, to accept new realities which modernity has unfolded
with an unprecedented speed. It is almost hypocritical to disown the advantages of
modernisation in our daily perceptions and practices.

Since no age or generation is fully static in thought and action, there are always some prudent
persons who take on the untenable and anachronistic spell of traditions and prefer new ideas
and concepts (that) are born out of the existing realities. For analytical/inquisitive minds,
tradition is stagnant in nature and nuance and modernisation is consistent with change and
challenge of times. If some knowledgeable persons opine that tradition and modernity are not
friends, they are not much off the mark. To them tradition is a morass of beliefs and customs
that refuse to liberate human minds from its stranglehold. On the contrary, modernisation is a
process that tries to update men, minds and machines. Since the trio holds key to all material
progress and prosperity, it is not unnatural that both tradition and modernity should live in a
‘love-hate’ relationship with each other.
 43

In Search of Happiness
He who is conditioned by the modes of material nature is subjected to threefold material
miseries due to forgetfulness of his relationship with Krsna.”
—Bhagvad Gita

After the fulfilment of the basic needs of food shelter and clothing, there is one quest that
makes men take the various courses in life that they do. Day and night one aches for few and
fleeting moments of happiness and contentment, that will brace them for going about the
routine of life, which may not give them any joy. Such is the quest for happiness! And this big
predicament has been pondered upon by the two sets of healers—the spiritual gurus and the
scientists.

The path of spirituality preaches the path of looking inward, and merging with the Almighty in
thoughts, words and action, to achieve that supreme bliss. Religions tend to be methodical
institutions of peace and happiness, by employing faith, meditation, mantra, prayer, yoga, etc.,
aimed at the present life, as well as the life beyond death. The scientists relate to physiological
conditions, such as the release of serotonin, which is the feel good factor for the brain. There is
also the effort in this way to reduce sorrow by finding cures to all kinds of maladies—that of
the body and the mind.

Sages like Samarth Ramdas have said that the more human beings yearn for happiness, the
faster they are drawn into the web of sorrow. Some would argue that it could be done
otherwise by involving oneself in the charitable works and dedicating oneself to the welfare of
mankind. Upon looking closely one would find that even the most charitable works have a
subtle selfishness underlying in them.
The individual keeps giving in to the devious mind, that is ever on a lookout for ways to fend
off even the slightest chances of pain. And it is because of the mind that the individual takes
recourse to memories from the past, that has given him immense pleasure, and pines to live it
up again. It races from one thing to the other, one hope to the other, and one possibility to the
other—always in perpetual agitation, always trying.

The search would only go on, but the spiritualists and scientists somehow almost agree to one
method of arriving at a truly happy state, devoid of any illusions of happiness. This they concur
can be found in a state of thoughtlessness and Pragnya—a Sanskrit word, meaning “ability of
the brain to naturally experience the life”. Pragnya, or Grey Matter, is the highest state of the
brain. It is even beyond the basic brain. One has to be aware that apart from the brain that we
know, there is the psychic mind, our everyday “me” or self that we live with.
It is not very difficult to understand that the memory of happiness is just a xerox copy of it, and
that particular feeling cannot be relived the way it was, the intensity with which it was. For
instance, one can photograph a beautiful occasion, but cannot feel or experience the beauty of
it just by seeing the photograph. Thinking about it will only trigger the process of memory
searching and once again the individual only can yearn to relive that experience. Since this
happiness dwells in the memories, one only spirals down in hopelessness when they cannot be
enjoyed when wished.
 44
Life changes every moment (the human body ages with it) and so do the things attached with
it. The definition of happiness, and for all other concepts and constructs for individuals, at
various stages of life, is different. Happiness is not the only concept here. Some changes
appear as losses, creating a feeling of sadness. There have been several methods devised for
comforting this perturbed mind, but the effectiveness of these ways is suspect. The mind or “I”
has been lusting for happiness for many ages. In every new body, it carries forwards the same
desires and the illusion continues in each life.

The inner happiness, on the other hand, is beyond the words. Thoughts cannot touch it. The
first step towards this eternal happiness is through Pragnya. The mind can do only what it has
learned. However quick the mind may be, it cannot speak the language it has not learned.
Therefore, its limitations are bound with what it has been fed with.

Mind has never actually seen the true happiness. It has only learned the word “happiness”.
Therefore, the being cannot be criticized for running after the happiness that it has known. But
for all the efforts, if it wants, it can arrive at thoughtlessness and experience a better state of
happiness than can be dished out by material world.
 45

Fast Life: Thrill or Thorn?

The present-day trends and tendencies on the part of individuals and nations hold the view that
‘speed and success’ are synonymous both in content and context. Opinions may differ among
knowledgeable persons on the subject of ‘fast life, fast buck and fast food’. For some the hectic
pace of life is heading towards a priceless possession, whereas for some it is a dubious drift
towards perils or problems. Polemics apart, like nations, individuals too have to grasp the basic
or rigorous reality that we live in a highly competitive world in which the rise or decline of
individuals is determined by the rapid pace of speed with which they respond to new
challenges and constantly changing circumstances. The ability to keep pace with the mobility
and momentum of fast moving times, as also the determination to sweep aside odds and
obstacles and press ahead with reform and restructuring is the key to success.

“Necessity is the mother of invention.” If today the requirements of combating forces inimical
to progress and prosperity are urgent and pressing, so is the urgency to accelerate the tempo of
our concepts and concrete actions. It is due to the rapid pace of life and other compulsions that
we are obliged to win the race against time and adopt all possible means to rush help to those
peoples who are in dire straits. Since there is no gain without pain, it is but natural that the
more we exert to break previous records and accomplish targets, the more we suffer the ill
effects of our burnt out energies.

It is not only individuals who have benefited the most from rapid strides made on the path-
breaking parameters of ‘speed and success’, but the world as a whole has achieved
unprecedented supremacy over ‘time and space’. The speed with which we can travel across
the globe, and even probe space and other planets, is a telling tribute to the tone and temper of
life that has adjusted itself so well with mind-boggling miracles brought about by ‘man, mind
and machine’.

Undoubtedly, speed offers thrill. The axiom ‘slow and steady wins the race’ has lost much of
its relevance. The need of the hour is to steal a march over others, be they natural phenomena
or human hindrances, and register success stories without delay. There is no denying that rapid
pace of life has contributed a lot to progress and prosperity (that we see around) in patches and
pouches.

No other era stands out for its conspicuous contradictions and palpable paradoxes as ours. If
there are path-breaking success stories, fully backed by race against time, there are
innumerable instances of anger, angst and alienation staring us in the face. We are living in the
best of times, as also in the worst of times. We are a living witness to enthralling, enchanting,
delicious, delectable paradoxical ironies and ironical paradoxes.

‘Sky is the limit’ has become both a motive and a marvel. Passions and pursuits are directed
toward tackling many a problem that confronts us. The state of helplessness in the face of
colossal upheavals is a thing of the past. Targets and deadlines no longer pose serious
challenges, because human beings, with their hearts in ‘proper place’ and minds in ‘meticulous
mould’, have learnt to outsmart or outwit them.
 46
To say or assert with authority that the spectrum of life is all colourful and there are no dark
spots, is only half-true. The other half is littered with the fearsome findings of psychiatrists and
psychologists, who see the emerging trends among the most successful and busy bodies highly
disturbing. A thrill in senses and a thorn in flesh—this is how one can describe the curves and
contours of the rapid pace of present-day life.

Given the pressure of the work place and stiff deadlines and targets, health is not a priority at
this level. Spondylitis, high blood pressure, and backache, ulcers that are directly related to
stress, even a niggling cardiac problem, are worries that today’s baby boomers are grappling
with. No doubt, the rewards offered for good work have gone up. So there is an urge to
outperform others. There is certainly a trend for people who are at the top and financially
comfortable to venture out into other unrelated areas, which they had missed out because of
their hectic life style. There is a massive trend and is visible more and more. The lament:
‘What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.’
—W.H.Davies
is both timely and telling.
 47

PAST IS NO PREDICTOR OF FUTURE

Readers will find this Essay useful in their preparations for Civil Services Exam and other
similar UPSC and SSC exams.

Like a triangle whose three angles are inextricably interlinked, so are the three periods of time
—present, past and future—closely inter-connected. Events and eventualities, causes and
consequences take place in the context or ambit of time and space, people and places. It may be
a normal or natural activity to sift chaff from grain, but in case of time, past and future, the
exercise may not prove fruitful because past is no predictor of future as we presume or
understand it to be.

Since no opinion or conclusion is final in nature and nuance, it is equally true that past is not
the mirror that always reflects the future course of events, as some historians, sociologists or
even scientists would like us to believe. Each age unfolds certain unforeseen eruptions of
national, regional or even global dimensions, that makes all our calculations based on past go
awfully awry.

Making predictions about future is a risky business. Even an astute astrologer couches his ‘so-
called’ predictions in a bag-full of ‘ifs and buts’. If human intelligence and intuition fail to
predict in exact terms the future course of happenings in an individual’s life, how can an entity
like ‘past’ make accurate or infallible forebodings about future that is always shrouded in
uncertainties. Since the role of the past as a predictor of future cannot be ruled out outrightly, it
is always prudent to take predictions with a pinch of salt. When natural calamities strike some
part of a country or region, there may have been no indications or warnings in the past. The
occurrence of earthquakes, their intensity, timing and location can seldom be predicted even
though we may have a plethora of records, analyses and other scientific details about them.

The way societies are undergoing transformations at neck-break speed is, however, a rebuttal
of the assertion that past always foretells such varied choices and visible changes in social
mores and modes of life and living. In the best or worst of times, past stands for memories,
sour and sweet, and future for hopes and ambiguities, with the present acting as catalyst or
bridge.

The world over the majority holds the opinion that past is no soothsayer. Had it been so it
would have predicted the disintegration of the Soviet Union and the subsequent developments
affecting both the developed as well as the developing nations. No doubt, some broad hints of
changes to come are always present in the layers of the past, but no definite shape of things to
emerge in future is ever possible to forecast.
 48
The question that stares in the face of each generation is: Does the past predict the future?
The answer may be both Yes and No. Since all the three periods of time chase one another,
there is every reason to agree (with quite a few reservations, of course) with the assumption
that events of the past have a bearing on developments in future. Despite our claim and
conviction that science and technology have nearly conquered and controlled the forces of
nature, there still remains the element of surprise and shock that time delivers when we least
expect it. The unfolding of some unforeseen events in future upholds the argument that ‘past is
no predictor of future’.

There is always some loose link between past and future but to invest the past with the powers
of prediction is like misreading the significance of past viz-a-viz its relationship with future.

Many a time, if not always, past proves to be the forerunner or precursor

of future. That the League of Nations (after the World War I) was doomed to die was aptly—
rather accurately—predicted by the past through its knowledgeable persons and credible
critics. The prediction came true and thus past acquired the
distinction of being a predictor of future, though for a brief period only. It goes
to the credit of past that it contains enough evidence to help write and interpret history in an
unbiased manner. In order to judge events in the right perspective, past is a reliable guide to
take corrective, steps, if need be, to prepare the roadmap for future planning and programming.
Through the warnings emanating from past, the contours of future can be set right. Although
we resist the attempt (with sound reason) to label past as the predictor of future, yet we can
learn a few useful lessons from the past and adjust our mental antennas for the future.

There goes a saying that ‘history repeats itself’, sometimes as a farce and sometimes as a dark
tragedy. When reason yields to rhetoric and discretion discards discourse or discussion, follies
overwhelm and give undeserved credence to the belief that past repeats or predicts. In fact, the
genesis of future happenings, like the outbreak of an armed conflict, some epidemic, drought or
floods, and similar situation, lies somewhere between past and present. If future too is affected
by the lengthening shadows of past acts of commission and omission, no one can help coming
to the conclusion that past does shape and sharpen the events in future.

It hardly matters, though, whether we call ‘past’ the predictor of ‘future’ or not, the future
shape of things is generally cast in the womb of past.
 49

Ideology or Technology?
The choice is not as baffling as Hamlet’s predicament: “to be or not to be.” If ideology means a
set of ideas that form the basis of an economic or political theory, or that are held by a
particular group or community, technology stands for scientific study and use of mechanical
arts and applied sciences. Over a period of time, both ideology and technology have acquired a
strong gravitational force that has rendered them more as combatants than as comrades-in-arm.
To the unsuspecting or uncritical, progressive ideology may appear seriously dealing with
issues like poverty, social inequality, deprivation, exploitation, et al and technology too may
seem trying to grapple with human problems that hinder faster economic development, better
means of communication and transport, improving quality of life and living conditions,
updating the frontiers of knowledge, et al. If their aims are meant for human welfare, why is
technology being preferred over ideology in the present world? The question is equally
rigorous and relevant and calls for cool consideration and discreet discussion.

In concept and complexion, ideology tends to become inflexible if new inputs are not allowed
to revitalise and rejuvenate its contents and contours. Technology, though flexible and
forward-looking, is also subject to becoming a terrible tool of death and destruction in the
hands of evil. Since technology has managed to occupy the centre stage of the world, and
rightly so, any conflict or competition between ideology and technology is not only untimely
but also untenable. There is no denying the fact that technology has acquired the power and
potential to turn and twist our senses and sensibilities. It is the practical application of
technology that determines its pivotal place in our concerns and calculations. Although
humankind desperately needs the three paramount pillars of Gandhian thought and practice—
Truth, Ahimsa and Goodness— yet it is the fast tempo of life, coupled with worldly success
and a candid control over time and space, that stands out as something tangible and telling as
compared to abstractions.

The question that needs to stir our conscience should be: Can we afford to abandon our
concern for socio-political causes and commitments to human values that lend meaning,
motive and mission to our perceptions and practices? Has ideology become irrelevant and
irrational in the deluge that science and technology has unleashed? No doubt, technology is on
the march to attain more and more milestones. But technology devoid of political philosophy,
economic egalitarianism and social justice for all is fraught with dangerous dimensions. A
world where only technology matters is likely to become as perilous as a single track mind
obsessed with fantasies bordering on phantoms.

There is near unanimity on the view held the world over that technology unites people,
irrespective of their colour or creed, whereas ideology divides them and puts them in water-
tight compartments. The memories of ‘Concentration Camps’, ‘Gas Chambers’ and other
forms of genocide associated with ideologies like Fascism, Nazism, Marxism and the like are
too chilling and blood curdling to be easily erased from mental screens. Equally unnerving and
unsettling are the events and their consequences that were the direct outcome or fallout of the
holocaust let loose by nuclear technology mindlessly employed during the closing years of
World War II (1945). The division of the world in two power blocs, and the traumas of Cold
War —all in the name of ideology—is too fresh an irritant that none in his/her senses would
ever wish their repetition.
 50

Technology is indispensable in whatever age we may be living. Equally important is the place
of socio-economic/political system that assures the benefits of progress reaching the last
person under the sun. Generally, when we talk of ideology, we seem to discuss some
philosophy that is retrograde, but when we eulogise technology, we appear to swim with the
current. If technology promises the best now, ideology holds the promise of the best to be in
future. In fact, technology has been called a great social leveller. What ideology fails to
achieve and fulfil, technology does without much pride and prejudice.

With the spread of liberal education, and cross migration of people from one region to the
other, it has become literally impossible for the die-hards to resist the vibrant influences that
technology has imprinted on human psyche. For the paradigms of ideology, that purport to
promote social services like education, health care, potable water, houses, employment, etc for
all, it better join hands with the ever expanding horizons of technology and thus play the role
of an interlocutor. Instead of being at loggerheads, both humane ideology and towering
technology can work hand in glove with each other.
 51

Life is Action, not Contemplation

The end of man, said Carlyle long ago, is action and not thought, though it be of the noblest. Is
it not logical, after all, that what man knows or thinks to be right should find expression in
what he actually does? If we go on thinking and contemplating about the rights and wrongs of
a particular course of action and do nothing practical, we might earn the reputation of being
ivory-tower philosophers, and that would be all. Total absorption with the thought processes,
and continual weighing in mind of the pros and cons of a concrete step or manifestation would
bring little gain; it would be very much like a vain search for the truth in a vacuum. Such a
search is characteristic of saints and sages; it would ill-become the citizens of today who have
to fulfil a host of duties and responsibilities. In modern life, man lives by actions, not by ideas,
though thoughtless actions often prove dangerous and even disastrous. In the ultimate analysis,
mere contemplation signifies indolence, while activity indicates life and speed, both of which
ensure gains.

In the divine account-books, Mahatma Gandhi warned us, only our actions are noted, not what
we have read or what we have spoken or thought of. Man’s actions are the best interpreters of
his thoughts; nothing else can be a sure index.

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, eminent thinker and also, by common consent, a man of action, knew
very well the near-fatal weakness of the Indian people. “Our chief defect”, he said, “is that we
are more given to talking about things than to doing them.” Even though we are quite familiar
with the theory of Karma, we are prone to believe that our destiny is already ordained, and
written in our “kismet”. There are countless people in this country who just lie low, waiting for
something to happen and also waiting for someone to give them food and succour. They
believe that since they are also God’s creatures, the Almighty Himself would provide them the
various means of subsistence. But they get a rude shock when they starve day after day and
find that they have to fend for themselves, to do whatever they can and leave the rest to God.
There are also those who are so indolent as to leave even the thinking to other people. Such
people indulge in even greater self-deception.

The author of the dictum “Life is action, not contemplation” was no less a person than Goethe
himself. He was known to be a great dreamer and thinker, but he also realised that it is action
alone that can lead to a nation’s salvation. Apparently, he was thinking of contemplation in the
narrow sense and action in the broad sense. He was reproaching the dreamers and idlers who
do nothing and are a burden to society. In India we have the theory of action called the Karma
Yoga. This theory, however, does not exclude fruitful contemplation. It disapproves of only
such contemplation as leads nowhere, and merely promotes lethargy and inaction.

Plato, the famous Greek philosopher, provided an excellent example of a thinker who indulged
constantly in the game of ideas and ideologies; he put across certain beliefs and theories and he
was convinced that ideas move and transform the world. While great philosophers, after
prolonged periods of meditation and contemplation, impart ideas to mankind, those who put
such ideas into action are equally great men. It is also well to remember that some ideas may
appear fanciful and impracticable initially, but in course of time they lead to marvellous
inventions which relieve human misery and distress on a wide scale. There is the classic
example of Newton who gazed at the stars and the sky so often and so persistently that people
 52
thought he was crazy and a drudge. But it was his endless contemplation that gave to the
world the theory of gravity and other invaluable discoveries that changed the outlook of
mankind and made it more scientific minded.

No less significant have been the sudden flashes of thought in the minds of geniuses that have
led to concrete manifestation. Archimedes of Syracuse discovered the principle of weight and
displacement of water when he was lying in his bath-tub. So excited was he on finding a
solution to the complex problem that he ran into the streets naked and shouting “Eureka” (I
have found it!). Similarly, India’s famous scientist Sir C.V. Raman is said to have made his
greatest invention when he was having rest on a sea-beach. His mind had been preoccupied
with a certain process and it was again a sudden thought, a flash of lightning as it were, that
indicated the solution, much to the benefit of humanity.

Whenever anyone deplores the habit of endless thinking, without translating most such
thoughts into action, one is reminded of the classic example of Hamlet who was constantly
contemplating action but was so engrossed in his thoughts that he lost several opportunities of
taking concrete action, by way of revenge on the wrong doer, and then he regretted his
lethargy. When he did act, it was too late and he actually lost his life. All this made
Shakespeare’s Hamlet a great and highly effective tragedy of an aggrieved hero who thought
much but did little.

It is not contended that thinking is not necessary or a dispensable habit. In fact, thoughtless
actions often prove troublesome and may even lead to disaster. If we act hastily and
thoughtlessly, we generally have to repent at leisure. So, well-thought-out actions are any day
preferable to hasty deeds, but care has to be taken that action is not unduly delayed on the
pretence that we must carefully think and consider the desirability of an action before taking it.
Contemplation and action are in effect inseparable in a normal and rational human being.
Besides, even for simple living there has to be high thinking. In his world-famous play “As
You Like It”, Shakespeare wrote:
All the world is a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exists and their entrances;
The Acts being seven ages.

We have to also examine another aspect of this question—good acts and bad acts, which are
preceded in turn by good thoughts and evil thoughts. If human thoughts are evil in nature and
designed to harm or destroy others, the consequent actions will also be wholly undesirable and
uncalled for. Melancholy thoughts and general pessimism do not lead to beneficial actions. It
was the generally pessimistic and gloomy outlook that prompted such sad thoughts in Hamlet’s
mind: “The earth seems to me a sterile promontory....this majestic roof fretted with golden fire,
why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.” In a fit
of despair, Hamlet even described Man as “the quintessence of dust”.

A jaundiced eye, it is said, can never see the brighter side of things. So people who think
constantly of the seamy side will always be sad and gloomy; what is worse, they can never
become men of action. Gloomy thoughts shut out all views of joy and happiness in human life
and also of all virtues of man. So, at times they prompt men and women to kick the bucket to
get rid of everything, in the totally erroneous belief that they can find happiness in the next
 53
world. If they had acted, they would have found relief, not only in creation but also in
relieving boredom and promoting happiness around them.

As to the question who deserves the greater credit for the progress of the world—the thinkers
or the men of action—it all depends upon what the thoughts and actions were. But generally it
would be fair to give the credit to both, and in more or less equal measures. All earnest thinkers
deserve veneration. It is true that thoughts and contemplation show the way and open up vast
possibilities for the welfare of mankind, but unless there is concrete action, there can be no
additions to practical knowledge or to human achievement. Both thinkers and actors have their
due roles to play; the point is that unless there are concrete actions, thinking processes serve
little purpose. So Goethe’s dictum is no more than a half-truth.

In sum, action has to be there in all walks of life but it cannot be divorced from thought; it
should rather flow from it as if in a logical sequence. The urge to action and the desire to
experience life through action influences the thoughts and activity of all men who make a mark
in life. Abstract thinking not followed by concrete manifestation naturally proves barren. So
the greatest satisfaction to man comes through a happy and fruitful synthesis of thought and
action.
 54

Promotion of Sports: A Social Necessity

The importance of sports and games is being increasingly recognised in India from both the
educational and social points of view. More and more funds are being allocated for
encouraging sports in schools, colleges and universities; in fact, sports have become an
essential part of the curricula. Time was when only a few students who were fond of certain
games, like hockey, football, cricket or tennis, were allowed special facilities. But now regular
programmes are drawn up in all educational institutions to persuade as many students as
possible, regardless of special aptitudes, to participate in games and not merely watch matches
occasionally to cheer up their favourite teams and attend the prize distribution functions at the
end of a sports season.

Educationalists and others have come to the conclusion that it is in the interest of society as a
whole that adequate facilities should be provided, depending of course upon the availability of
funds, for games and sports for the country’s youth, both boys and girls. Sports foster
friendship and amity. Nor does the belief hold good any more that those who take part in sports
or games would be no good at studies and that each year their absence from the class or
shortage of lectures would be condoned because they can either attend to their studies or be on
the playing field for some game or the other. It is felt that apart from some exceptional cases of
students showing extraordinary talent and skill in certain games, or students who are expected
to be high on the merit list in university examinations, most other students should play one
game or other, not necessarily for achieving distinctions but for the sake of sport.

Several factors need to be taken into account in this connection. First, physical fitness is of the
utmost importance for everyone, young and old. Participation in games and sports invariably
ensures good health, fitness and, generally, freedom from ailments of various types which find
easy victims among people who take no physical exercise and are either lazy, indolent or desk-
bound or are book worms and keep studying all the time under the mistaken concept that they
can win success in life by studying all the time and concentrating on the development of their
mental faculties. They feel convinced that brains matter, not brawn, that spending hours on the
play-field is a waste of time. But such students, sooner or later, find that unless the human
body is kept in smooth trim and in an overall fit condition, even the brain will refuse to co-
operate after some time. Actually, physical fitness is essential for proficiency in studies and for
winning distinctions in examinations. Ailing bodies do not make for sharp brains. Exercise in
some form or another is necessary, and sports provide an easy method to ensure such fitness.

Secondly, regular participation in sports provides a healthy channel for diversion of energies.
Wherever students and other youth participate in sports regularly ensure constructive
sublimation, misdirection of youthful vigour is much less and the tendency to indulge in
indiscipline and mischief, disruptive activity of various kinds is curbed. Young people have
surplus energy, and if this is fruitfully utilised, the foundations are laid for a healthy society
where people are fully aware of the need for discipline, co-operative effort, team spirit, the cult
of sportsmanship, of joint devotion to the achievement of a common goal in collaboration with
others. They also learn to cultivate the vital quality of learning how to work together, to
become not only good winners but also good losers. Both sides playing a game cannot win
simultaneously and ups and downs are common.
 55
The losers must learn to take their defeat sportingly. The right spirit can be learnt on the
playgrounds. There is no point in bearing a grudge against the rivals; today’s losers can be
tomorrow’s winners, as in society in general and the political arena in particular.

Thirdly, the statement that ‘‘the battle of Waterloo was won on the play-fields of Eton’’,
implying that playing games and the spirit of sportsmanship help to inculcate lasting values
which make for good soldiers, good fighters and good discipline, apart from promoting 100 per
cent physical fitness. In British schools and colleges the fullest importance is given to sports,
especially cricket and football. The result has been the creation of a healthy, well-developed,
disciplined and efficient society in which people know the right proportions in life, put
everything in the right perspective and seldom conduct themselves in an unsporting,
ungentlemanly and unbecoming manner. Playing the game on the playground naturally
instructs people to play the game of life in the right spirit, which is what matters most, not
victory or defeat.

According to sociologists, society gains in many ways when the government encourages sports
and games everywhere, provides playgrounds, the necessary equipment and other facilities,
rewards outstanding sportsmen so as to encourage others also to play games. The crime graph
dips, which means that the incidence of general crimes decreases because the right spirit and
the right approach to things is developed on the playground. Sport, it has been said, is not only
a manifestation of animal energy of surplus strength to develop more strength; it is, in addition,
a safe and wholesome outlet for the aggressive spirit in human beings.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines play thus: ‘‘to move about in lively or unrestrained or
capricious manner, frisk, flutter.’’ This definition, however, also conveys a wrong concept and
a misleading interpretation. In genuine sports there is no question of a ‘‘capricious manner’’;
the aim is to play the game in a fair manner according to the prescribed rules of which every
player is supposed to be fully aware. Those who violate the rules, play foul or exceed the
permissible limits, or indulge in tactics that are unfair, are promptly pulled up by the referee or
the umpire. Anyone who refuses to mend his ways or to repeatedly violate the rules is ordered
to quit the field and is replaced by another player. This helps to inculcate the habit of
respecting the judge and of observing the rules.

Obviously, society as a whole stands to benefit if its members play the game according to the
prescribed rules, which means the laws and regulations, and does not flout them. Those who
flout the law and become anti-social elements are hauled up by the forces responsible for
maintaining law and order. The executive authorities enforce the laws and the judiciary
punishes those whose guilt is duly established. Sportsmen generally tend to become good
citizens, and society is thus the ultimate beneficiary.

While most people concede the importance of sports in a healthy society and under a good
government, there has also been much criticism, which is fully justified, too, about the craze,
enthusiasm and fervour displayed by people of all ages, especially the country’s youth (except
the sober elders and duty-conscious officers and employees), whenever cricket Test matches
are being played in India or abroad and wherever India is one of the participants. Work
virtually comes to a stop in offices, factories, schools and colleges. Everyone starts listening to
cricket commentaries, forget their work and duty, in effect lose themselves mentally in the
process; all their attention is concentrated on the ball-by-ball Test commentaries. At wayside
 56
shops, in trains and buses, on ships and in aircraft, it is the same story during the cricket
season—people attentively listening to radio commentaries or watching the cricket matches on
TV.

Surely this is not what we mean by sport and sportsmanship. The right description for this habit
is ‘‘craze’’. It does not develop any of the values which sports and games inculcate—discipline
and playing the game in the right spirit. Tennis, hockey and football are more vigorous games,
and a match is over in about an hour. Watching such games is understandable and should be
encouraged but cricket Tests last for five or six days each, and the waste of time of the general
public who listen to the commentaries from morning to late afternoon can be well imagined.
Some observers have contended that there is a close link between sports and a country’s
industrial development and the general progress of society. That is why it is contended, most of
the gold medals at the Olympics are bagged by advanced countries such as the USA, Russia
and Germany, and Britain too manages to bag a few of them. Of the eastern countries, China
and Japan plunder most of the gold and silver medals.

Is there a link also between performance in sports and a country’s military might? Militarily
China is the most powerful country in the East, but Japan, which matches the USA in
industrial, especially electronic, advancement, does well in sports despite its small size. India is
a large country of continental size, and given the proper incentives and the necessary facilities,
this country’s sportsmen should do well on the sports field, but whether it is the climatic factor,
the lack of adequate nutrition and of incentives, our sportsmen do not compare favourably
with those of the USA, Russia, Germany and Australia.

In any case, the relatively poor show of our athletes in international competitions does not
weaken the case for encouraging sports which help to lay the foundations of a healthy, sound
society. The cost is returned several-fold.
 57

Technology—Bane or Boon?
he overt observation of some knowledgeable persons who passionately feel concerned for the
welfare of humanity, in the wake of scientific strides and technological triumphs, laments that
“technology creates more problems than it solves”. Their concern echoes the similar sentiments
of thinkers like J.G.Ballard for whom, “technology dictates the languages in which we speak
and think. Either we use those languages or we remain mute”, and for Omar Bradley “our
technology has already outstripped our ability to control it”. Despite these jarring notes,
technology has acquired a halo that is almost impossible to shake off.

Who can deny the robust role and range of technology that we experience in our every day life.
If we care to look at the scintillating side of technology, we find space technology and its
applications provide useful data for natural disaster monitoring, solving environment problems,
improve telecommunications and provide other basic services. Through fax, e-Mail and the
Internet, information technology has outstripped all barriers that time and space had placed in
man’s search for instant information. Though electronic information is hard to control, yet the
individual newsgatherer is visible and vulnerable. The latest in the success story is the likely
boom that bio-technology promises to unfold in the years to come. Rightly, biotechnology is
being seen by scientists and entrepreneurs alike as the next big thing with the potential to
revolutionise the fields of agriculture, health and medicine. The promises are many: disease-
resistant and high-yield crops that could solve the world’s food problems; new medicines and
drug delivery systems to cure diseases and prevent genetically inherited disorders; and new
enzymes that make industrial production more efficient and cost-effective.

For ages the axiom, nothing is good or bad but thinking makes it so, was the golden rule that
moulded human perceptions and concrete actions. With the advent of science and technology,
and their subsequent sway over human ideas, intuitions and ideologies, it is now ‘the use or
abuse’ of technology that renders it either a blessing or a bane for humanity that lives and
survives on the ever- spreading tentacles of technology. In short, it is the technology that rules
the roost now and keeps its ambience alive all the time in various manifestations. With the
frontiers of technology influencing all aspects of life, both in terms of time and space, it is
anybody’s guess as to what the future holds in store for humanity, that has become so
enamoured of technology.

If the past is any guide, one can learn a lot from the happenings of the 20th century, that used
and abused scientific and technological achievements for increasing physical comforts and
living standards, as also for fighting the two world wars, resorting to nuclear bombing and land
mines and other means of mass deaths and destruction, dislocation of millions resulting in
untold misery and suffering. In the face of so much good that we expect from science and
technology, scientist warn that if we do not change our ways, our civilisation is not likely to
survive.
 58
Man’s greed, aided and abetted by science and technology, has already over-exploited and
abused the earth’s material resources and destroyed its ecosystems. Forests are vanishing and
there is increased desertification, the seas and oceans are stained with death because of the
poisons that we have poured into them. We have even polluted the rain with poisonous smoke
from our industrial chimneys. We have not only raped the soil and denigrated the ecosystems,
but also lost touch with our inner self.

There is no denying that our cares and concerns are being controlled by technology, in its
various forms and facets. Whether in company or in solitude, technology has come to occupy a
pivotal place in our day to day life. If the despots use it to perpetuate their repressive rule, the
terrorists have employed it to explode symbols of progress. With no end to man’s rapacious
nature in sight, technology has become a hand-maiden of unscrupulous exploiters of natural
resources and immoral traders of wild life species.

Technology as it reigns supreme over our intellect and imagination, is redefining human
relations. In a bid to hit the jackpot, or make a quick buck, the individual has lost his identity
and, in the bargain, has fallen an easy prey to alienation and estrangement. Smarting under
physical fatigue and mental stress, he has become a victim of the phenomenon of being an
“outsider” among his own people. Despite a host of benefits that technology has conferred on
us in varying degrees, the onslaught of anger and angst is very much conspicuous. If today we
are scared of some impending disaster, it is because technology has given such powers to
individuals and groups which even the demons or deities of mythology did not enjoy.

We are standing at the threshold where technology as a source of boon or brazenness is staring
in our face. In moments of introspection, we must bear in mind what Aldous Huxley had said:
“technological progress has merely provided us with more efficient means for going
backwards”.
 59

Influence of Advertising on Daily Life

The half-truth is the essence of advertising.

—Nicholas Samstag

The impact of advertising is a matter of continuous debate. For and against claims about
advertisement have been made in different contexts. Cigarette manufacturers have been
claiming that cigarette advertising does not encourage smoking and their eventually successful
opponents just the opposite. Children under the age of four may be unable to distinguish
advertising from other television programs, as the faculty to judge a message
develops on attaining adolescence. There is, however, no doubt that Advertisement-loaded
media do influence our daily lives.

Marshall McLuhan, media thinker and philosopher of the electronic age, in his Understanding
Media observes: “The continuous pressure is to create ads more and more in the image of
audience motives and desires. The product matters less as the audience participation
increases.”

An observant netizen has culled a few nuggets from the currently popular television
advertisements that tellingly illustrate McLuhan’s point:
Before going to propose to a girl
Believe in the best—BPL.
Proposing to a girl
Vicks ki goli lo kich kich door karo—Vicks.
For writing a love letter
Likho script apna apna—Rotomac.
If you love someone
Go get it—Visa power.
Not satisfied with your date
Yeh dil mangey more—Pepsi.
Have many girl friends
The Complete Man—Raymonds.
Having many boyfriends
Yeh hai hamara suraksha chakra—Colgate.

Advertising promotes consumerism and encourages mass production. Some advertising

campaigns inadvertently or even intentionally propagate sexism, racism, and ageism. Is the
advertisement industry creating or merely reflecting cultural trends? Advertising often
reinforces stereotypes as it banks on recognizable “types” for telling stories in a single image
or 30-second time frame.

The public perception of advertising is getting increasingly negative. It is accused of dishing

out half-truths and hoodwinking the consumer to benefit the advertiser or Big Business.
Realizing the social impact of advertising, Media Watch educates consumers about registering
their concerns with advertisers and regulators.
 60

Advertisement sustains the media [newspapers, televisions, internet, e-mail, telephone] and the
media impact on our daily lives. They are full of advertisements. One has to search for the
news in the ‘national’ dailies. They justify advertisements as newsreaders can use. From
morning till late night, men, women and children have to bear a blitz of advertisement.

Our tastes, our habits, our clothes, modes of travel, entertainment, our choices of schools,
colleges, universities, leave aside products, get decided by advertisements. Our hopes and
frustrations too are ordained by advertisement. The electronic society is losing touch with
reality, as did the industrial society with nature. We now live, not in a real but virtual world.
We care more for the photograph than the face before us.

Perhaps the most pernicious effect of advertisements is on middle-class children and their
relations with parents. Some of them have become “couch potatoes”, watching too much
television, and unavoidably, too many advertisements. Craze for fatty, fast foods among boys
and girls is due to advertisements. This is affecting children’s health and growth. Working
couples do not have time and give hefty pocket money to please their children who spend on
chips and candies, spoiling their teeth and digestive system.

Advertisers make viewer/consumer believe that their product will make them achieve goals or
fulfil desires. They are commercializing our festivals, religious practices, sports and cultural
events. Diwali, Eid, Christmas, Gurparb, all have been tuned into commercial displays of
saleable goods, bought, at times, beyond means.

There is also a brighter side. Advertising is a powerful tool capable of motivating large
audiences to participate in campaigns against disease, poverty and war.

Power of advertising is overwhelming. It may not brainwash overnight. It will change you
subtly, but surely. It has the power to prevail. Our daily living is tightly in the ad grip!
 61

Prosperity Through Environment

Protection of the environment in all its forms has been receiving much public attention at
domestic and international forums. The question is by no means new but it has acquired much
greater urgency than ever before because of the ceaseless pollution of the atmosphere, the
reckless destruction of the multi-faceted gifts of Nature by thoughtless human beings. Among
the offenders are people who are, or should be, aware of the folly of their deeds and the
irreparable damage they are doing to the safety and prosperity of mankind, the present and the
future generations. Hence the environmentalists' clarion call.

Human existence depends upon the environment. Few persons would now question the
statement that we have been poisoning or destroying valuable resources on earth (including
water) and also in the air—all in the name of economic development. In fact, development,
expansion and growth are the key slogans in the modern world; nothing else seems to matter.
Senseless poisoning is proceeding with unbelievable speed. While genocide rightly receives
severe condemnation, ‘‘ecoside’’—ruthless murder of the environment—has only recently
become a cognisable offence.

After all, it is the biosphere, that is, the air and water encasing the earth, besides the green
cover and the wildlife, that sustain life on this planet. In chemical terms, it is the mixture and
fine balance of oxygen, nitrogen, carbon dioxide and water vapour that is vital for life. These
are operated and maintained by multiple biological processes. For centuries man took for
granted that the bounties of Nature were inexhaustible and that the resources get renewed
automatically. Both these assumptions have lately been proved wrong.

The struggle now is for adequate renewal of such resources as man has to use every day, and
also for preservation and protection of as many resources as possible. Attempts are being made
to check the reckless destruction of precious environment. Scientists have warned that mankind
might have to return to the much-dreaded ‘‘ice age’’ if the reckless destruction of trees, other
greenery and natural resources continues at the pace associated with ‘‘modern’’ progress,
especially in industry.

A look-back in this regard would be helpful. Oddly enough, it was only in 1972 that the first
systematic international effort was made to take stock of the situation and plan adequate steps
to counter the process of destruction. The step was the UN Conference on Environment held in
Sweden. The conference was poorly attended, for political and other reasons. Then came the
UN Habitat Conference on Human Settlements in 1975 in Vancouver and the UN
Desertification Conference in Nairobi in 1977 to check the ruinous growth of deserts.

But in many ways the year 1990 marked a specific advance in the programmes for saving
mankind from disaster. The occasion marked recognition of the basic fact that the
environmentalists are fighting for the concept of sustainable progress with the belief that
environment and development are not opposite poles. In this connection, the observation of the
Brundtland Commission (in its report published in 1987) was recalled. The commission said:
‘‘Economy is not just about the production of wealth, and ecology is not just about the
protection of Nature; they are both equally relevant for improving the lot of mankind.’’
 62
The Montreal Protocol was very much in the news in 1990. The aim of the Protocol is to
save the precious ozone layer from chemical damage. All enlightened countries now concede
that destruction of the ozone layer will have serious consequences on human, animal and plant
life.

There is no denying that the major culprits in causing pollution and damaging the ozone layer
are the developed countries. These countries have benefited all through the years by using
cheap CFCs and have harmed the global environment. If they want the developing countries to
restrain themselves from following the same course, they should assist them. Though the
developing countries produce only a small proportion of the world output of CFCs, they
require massive assistance to switch over to new technologies and to less harmful substitutes.
Therefore, a large fund is needed.

The Government of India’s growing concern over this problem is obvious from the
establishment of a department and Ministry for Environment and the series of laws passed to
check the practices that endanger the environment. Among these are: The Air (Prevention and
Control of Pollution) Act, 1981, the Water (Pollution and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974, the
Environment (Protection) Act, May 1986, the Forests (Conservation) Act, 1980, the Wildlife
Protection Act, 1972, which has been frequently amended to make it more effective. Besides,
there is a full-fledged national forest policy, several programmes and projects to conserve the
environment and check the destructive practices.

There have been many social conflicts over the issue of natural resources in India. The
controversies over the Sardar Sarovar Dam and the Narmada Project are among the outstanding
examples. Competing claims and Inter-State disputes over water and forests are quite common.
As in the case of land disputes, the controversies over the natural resources involve vested
interests. There are, in many cases, unequal antagonists; several agrarian conflicts have
ecological roots. The grave consequences of some of the dam construction projects have been
highlighted by the numerous agitations carried on by voluntary agencies and courageous
individuals. The Chipko movement started by the brave Sunderlal Bahugana to save the
Garhwal forests won well-deserved international recognition.

The social good has to be weighed against individual benefit and a rational balance needs to be
struck. The writing on the wall is clear. If the present generation fails to preserve and protect
Nature’s bounty, the coming generations will hold us guilty of betraying an invaluable trust.
But in their excessive zeal the environmentalists ignore a vital aspect. India needs more
foodgrains, more water, more electricity, more industries for manufacturing and finishing
goods for domestic consumption and exports—all for the social good.

Dams over rivers and construction of large power houses to harness energy sources enable the
economy to flourish. These amenities can be made available only by sacrificing some of the
greenery. If the building of large dams is to be halted in response to the environmentalists'
agitations, where are the additional foodgrains, irrigation facilities and uninterrupted power for
industry to come from?
 63

Economic Reforms in India

The economic reforms or liberalization in India mark a shift from socialist economy to a market
economy. Initiated by the then Indian Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and his Finance Minister
Manmohan Singh, their immediate cause was a foreign exchange crisis during Chandrashekhar
government when India had to sell its gold reserves. Reforms ended the Licence Raj (investment,
industrial and import licensing) and several public monopolies.

The UF government brought a budget that encouraged reforms but the 1997 Asian financial meltdown
and political instability caused economic stagnation. The Vajpayee administration continued with
privatization, reduced taxes, introduced a firm fiscal policy aimed at lessening deficits and debts and
enhanced initiatives for public works.

India under Nehru and Congress followed the Soviet model of planned economy to rid India of the
exploitive colonial British economic policy and its vestiges after independence. Five-Year Plans
achieved much but also led to heavy centralization, inefficient State capitalism, State monopolies in
mining, machine tools, water, telecommunications, insurance, and electrical plants. The so-called Hindu
rate of growth became a joke as India stagnated at 3.5% from 1950s to 1980s, while
per capita income averaged 1.3%, even as Pakistan grew by 8%, Indonesia by 9%,
Thailand by 9%, South Korea by 10% and in Taiwan by 12%.

Today, the private sector has become an active participant in the telecommunications sector. Insurance
has been opened to private investors, both domestic and foreign. The economy has grown at more than
6 per cent, coupled with full macroeconomic stability. The rate of inflation is once again coming down
after spiralling alarmingly.

Rising incomes have helped reduce poverty. According to official figures, the proportion of poor in total
population has declined from 40 per cent in 1993-1994 to 26 per cent in 2000.

Most importantly, the attitude toward reforms has changed. Virtually every political party today
recognizes the need for continued reforms.

Though slow pace of reforms is credited with India’s firm fundamentals and weathering the shock of
global economic depression, yet all is not well with India’s reforms and the fiscal deficit remains in
doldrums. The combined deficit at the Centre and States exceeds 10 per cent of GDP. This deficit is
unsustainable; it is also crowding out private investment.

Infrastructure like roads, railways and ports all need expansion. Improvement in quality of service and
delivery systems is a must. The government has recently started building roads, but the pace remains
slow. India’s power sector is also in a horrible State.

Economic reforms have bypassed agriculture. Farmers are committing suicide and do not get full
market price for their product. Procurement prices are below the market price. Further, export
restrictions must be phased out.

If India grows at 6 per cent per annum on a sustained basis, it will take 14 years to reach the current
level of per capita income of People’s Republic of China, 36 years to reach Thailand’s, and 104 years to
reach that of the United States.

Thus, the need for accelerated growth can hardly be overemphasized.

 64

Successful Versus Effective Leader

According to some experts, the influence of leaders on organisational outcomes is overrated and
romanticized and this results into biased attributions about leaders. Still, it is largely accepted that
leadership is central to a performing organisation and leaders do contribute to key organisational
outcomes. In order to facilitate successful performance it is important to understand and accurately
measure leadership performance.

It is important to distinguish between performance and effectiveness. Performance reflects behaviour,

while effectiveness implies the assessment of actual organisational outcomes. So, it becomes important
to delineate the particular behaviours that contribute to key organisational outcomes versus the actual
organisational outcomes. At times, outcomes may be subject to external factors and beyond the control
of the leader and it may not be easy to determine what exactly is driving a particular outcome.

Leadership effectiveness refers to the ability to influence others and achieve collective goals, according
to Judge, Bono, Ilies, & Gerhardt study. Some researchers, however, suggest that leadership success
ought to be based on the effectiveness of the team, group, or organisation. But, leadership
effectiveness is “often based on the perceptions of subordinates, peers, or supervisors.

Many studies rely on peer rankings on who emerges as a leader in a given situation, even though
many personality traits have been associated with leadership emergence For example, extraversion
and openness to experience have been positively associated with leader effectiveness, while
neuroticism was negatively related to leader effectiveness.

The relationships between personality traits and performance outcomes were stronger for leader
emergence than for leader effectiveness. Another related concept is leadership advancement over a
long career span. Early longitudinal research had suggested that factors such as interpersonal,
cognitive, and administrative skills were related to leader advancement.

While overlap exists among these constructs, some distinction has to be made between job
performance and effectiveness of leadership. By Job performance is meant contributions of the leader
to organi-sational goal accomplishment (Motowidlo, 2003). Job effectiveness refers to evaluation of the
results achieved by the leader. Effectiveness can be influenced by a variety of external factors, outside
of the leader’s immediate control (Campbell et al., 1993). As such, it may not be accurate to attribute all
the achievement factors to an indivi-dual’s leadership capabilities. For example, so many CEO’s
became achievers only during the booming spree.

Therefore, while assessing performance, it is appropriate to examine elements within the leader’s
control, such as speci-fic behaviours that facilitate collective action and goal achievement. Evaluating
leadership in such a manner is necessary for more accurately identifying predictors of leader
performance. Likewise, analysts ought carefully weigh leadership behaviours in order to more clearly
establish the importance of leadership to organi-sational outcomes.

A leader is anyone who influences a group toward obtaining a particular result. Leadership is not
dependent on title or formal authority. Political examples are Gandhi and Jai Prakash Narayan. An
individual who is appointed to a supreme position has the right to command and enforce obedience by
virtue of the authority of his or her position. Mrs Indira Gandhi was, thus, an effective leader as Prime
Minister
 65

The Role of a Manager in an Organisation

A manager in an organisation is not always a leader. Management and leadership are two different
concepts, though often appear to overlap.

Modern organisations tend to be complex and operate in a global business environment. Therefore,
there is renewed focus on the importance of management and leadership and their distinctive roles in
promoting and advancing the interests of the organisation. Hard competition and continuous pressures
for change demand that managers and leaders work closely together for achieving business goals.

On the practical level, a manager is called upon to evince the quality of leadership and a leader the
knack for managing difficult situations in their respective roles in any organisation. Pragmatically
speaking, then, the distinction between a mana-ger and leader is not problematic. “A mana-ger is often
portrayed as a procedural administrator/supervisor—an individual in an organisation with recognized
formal authority who plans, coordinates and implements the existing directions of the organisation
(Koontz et al, 1986).”

A leader, on the other hand, is defined as someone who occupies a position of influence within a group
that “extends beyond supervisory responsibility and formal authority” (Vecchio et al. 1994: 504) and is
involved in devising new directions and leading followers “to attain group, organisational and societal
goals” (Avery 1990: 453). This distinction between the supervisory manager and visionary leader has to
be understood in terms of their respective tasks and functions.

Dunsford, a management guru, believes that management is concerned with ‘efficiency’—with tasks
such as coordinating resources and implementing policy, while leadership has to concern itself with
‘effectiveness’ of making decisions, setting directions and principles, formulating issues and grappling
with problems. Katz (1974: 90-102), however, has identified three critical managerial skills and the last
two happen to be attributes of competent leadership. These are: technical skills (the ability to perform
particular tasks or activities); interpersonal skills (the ability to work well with other people); and
conceptual skills (the ability to see the ‘big picture’).

Modern leadership theory supports an integrated approach to management and leadership. Early work
on leadership identified the various styles of leadership based on personal traits and behaviour of an
effective leader, such as drive, desire to lead, decisiveness, honesty and integrity, self-confidence,
intelligence, job relevant knowledge (Kirkpatrick and Locke 1991: 48-60). The behaviourist models
focused on the relationship between a leader’s actions and their impact on the
attitudes and performance of employees. These studies compared various styles of leadership, such as
authoritarian and democratic styles. They studied if an effective leader was more prone to efficient
accomplishment of a task rather than being inclined to the welfare of employees and subordinates.

The ideal style, as proposed by Stogdill in 1974, combined the best of

both approaches. In later work we find considerations of leadership theory as
part of a wider approach to modern management.

The traditional distinctions between a manager and leader is disappearing. Modern business operates
in the midst of uncertainties as the current global slowdown and enveloping financial crisis show.
Accordingly, the role of a manager demands flexibility, dynamism, management skills as well as
leadership quality.
 66

The Tasks of a Leader

There are several ways of defining a leader. The one who leads others is a simple and complete
definition. But, then, what are the tasks of a leader? Leadership is a much sought after quality and
every organisation needs good and effective leaders to lead the organisation to success and for
achievement of its goals. Some persons are born leaders, for others leadership gets thrust upon. In a
given organisation, the Head of the Organisation or the Chief Executive Officer is accepted as a leader
irrespective of his or her possessing the quality of leadership.

Management Gurus, more or less, agree on the following tasks for the leader of any organisation,
irrespective of its nature and goals:

A leader must be able to: (1) impart vision and direction to her/his organisation (2) affirm and articulate
values that she/he cherishes for her/his organization (3) set high standards of performance and raise
the level of expectations (4) she/he must make herself/himself accountable
(5) must be able to motivate others within the organisation (6) achieve unity in the organisation (7)
involve others in decision-making.

The leader’s most important task is to clarify the overall goals of the organisation. This is what
transforms a mere crowd into a community, a directionless mob into a group with a purpose. A crowd in
a fair, for instance, is joyous, free spirited but selfoccupied. In the same way, a gathering may have
individually talented and even highly motivated people but they will achieve nothing if they lack vision or
goal to achieve collectively.

The success of leadership depends on personal characteristics that include experience, imagination,
persuasiveness, farsightedness, and astuteness in inter-personal dealings.

The leader will not be able take his/her organisation very far if he is not able to generate, manage and
monitor the use of resources. Most organisations have resources available, but seldom are they
sufficient for everything that everyone wants to do. Resources do not manage themselves; allocation
and monitoring systems have to be established. Budget, timetables, staffing plans, policies, procedures
and priorities need to be set and worked out.

Empowerment and delegation of authority demands astute handling because human material is not like
machines or furniture that can be allocated in a fixed pattern. To select, develop, and share power with
subordinates/associates is an art that is not easy to learn or acquire. Winning trust and loyalty of
disparate persons can be demanding but is necessary for the task of assigning tasks to others.
Decision-making and responsibility need to be dispersed for accomplishing current tasks and preparing
others for future leadership.

Relations within and outside an organi-sation play an important role and this is yet another essential
task for a leader. Building relations and range of contacts require friendliness, wit, wisdom, negotiation
skills, and the ability to entertain or at least to hold the attention of a wide range of people.

A leader also has to be Enterprising because finding new opportunities and creating desirable change
is also his/her task. Every organisation has certain momentum that imparts it continuity yet,
obsolescence is a constant challenge for a leader. In large organisations this can require a massive
refocusing of people and resources.

Leaders are needed at all levels but most people would want to follow rather than lead.

Finally, a great leader creates more leaders. Like Gandhi.

 67

Management: Its Nature and Scope

Management studies are of recent origin but management is as old as man’s need for organizing
work and activities. Management now has become a ‘discipline’. Numerous Management Gurus have
emerged. They have been defining, redefining and commenting on the scope and nature of
Management. Question as to whether Management is a Science or an Art has been resolved by saying
that Management is the “oldest of the arts and youngest of the sciences”.

Management is different from other higher studies because of its inclusive nature. It, not only deals with
the theory and practice of production of goods and services but also with development and deployment
of human resources.

Manufacturing, procuring, distributing and delivering of goods in a competitive environment and

international markets demands efficient and effective operations. Selling, promoting and marketing of
goods too calls for coordinated efforts and innovative ideas. Services to customers and the analysis of
queue systems is yet another aspect of Management.

Historically, Management Studies have their origin in the body of knowledge stemming from industrial
engineering. This body of knowledge formed the basis of the first MBA programs, and has become
“central to operations management as used across diverse business sectors, industry, consulting and
non-profit organisations”.

It is not only the scope but also the nature of Management that demands proper understanding. How
the various “parts” of an organisation relate to their “whole” and what contribution they make to its
efficient and productive working are important issues. Looked at from these considerations, an
organisation needs to devise standards for measuring its performance. Here, the distinction between
efficiency and effectiveness assumes significance.

Often, Management is divided into Operations management and Production management. Operations
management is the process whereby resources or inputs are converted into more useful products.
Thus, there appears hardly any difference between “production management and operations
management”. However, “production management” is used for a system that produces tangible goods.
Operations management is used for a system that transforms various inputs into tangible services, for
example, banks, airlines, utilities, pollution control agencies, super bazaars, educational institutions,
libraries, consultancy firms and police departments, and, of course, manufacturing enterprises. The
second distinction relates to the evolution of the subject. ‘Operations management’ is currently in
vogue. Earlier, ‘Production management’ was in use. Both terms are interchangeably used.

Stanley Vance has defined Management as simply the process of decision-making and control over
actions of human beings for the attainment of pre-determined goals. Lawrence Appley says it is the
“accomplishment results” through others. According to John Mee, management is the art of maximizing
results and minimizing efforts for securing maximum happiness and prosperity for the employees and
the employer and giving the public best possible service. The scope as well as nature of Management,
thus, remains undefined but its goals are hotly pursued.
 68

Bribery in Business

The survey further reveals that a minimum of 13 clearances are required to start a new venture and
the ordeal could last a minimum of 33 days. Obtaining a licence requires 20 clearances and could take
224 days if you remain on the fast track with an open purse. Registering property involves six
clearances taking 62 days. Whatever new methods may be devised to check corruption, the Indian
ingenuity would find ways of checkmating them.

Still, the commission has recommended a unique company number to get all clearances at one go,
hoping that this would drive out corruption. Sometimes, one wonders how people are able to get into
business and make a success of it. It seems Indian businessman too is equally corrupt and soon learns
how to loot and rob the consumer because, ultimately, the costs of bribe are passed on to the buyer
and consumer.

National Knowledge Commission survey’s findings are startling. Sixty-one per cent—who started
businesses between 2000-07—said they did not get a bank loan when they started. “There was a high
perception among entrepreneurs that it is very difficult to get bank loans at the start-up stage though it
becomes comparatively easy at the growth stage”, the survey said. Naturally, once you are running an
operation, the Bank officials will themselves advise you as to how to hoodwink and overcome the Banks
and bypass rules and conditions for a loan at reasonable bribes because while documents may be
signed on the table, bribes are paid under the table. Perhaps not. Now even this formality is done away
with. Bribes are being taken and given in the open.

The biggest motivating factor for becoming an entrepreneur, according to the survey, was the
willingness to be independent of the family and a job. Ambition to become rich also plays a part. Strong
motivation appears to be the vital factor in entering and surviving in business because the business
world is no bed of roses. Bargaining and calculating risks are a necessary part of an enterprise. On top
of that, one has to do unlawful things for survival and success. There is a belief that behind every
million made, there is a big crime and hundreds of novels have been written on this theme. Both private
individual business and corporate business are rife with bribery. Corporate competition is often carried
out as a war and bribery and corruption are resorted to because “everything is fair in love and war”.

Alcatel, one of the “biggest and cleanest corporate entities”, finally got exposed in 2001 when Costa
Rica prosecutors combed through the bank records and found Alcatel made $15 million in illicit
payments to top politicians and bureaucrats and former President Miguel Angel Rodríguez was jailed
for accepting bribe from Alcatel.

In Europe, governments are finally cracking down on big business. Transparency International is
fighting corruption effectively. The OECD agreement took effect in 1999 in 35 countries, imposing
criminal penalties on companies found guilty of bribery. “The climate has definitely changed”, says
Susan Hawley, an anti-corruption research consultant. “The change in laws is beginning to bite.”

But India continues to be one of the most corrupt nations of the world.
 69

International Trade Barriers Work

Economists generally believe that trade barriers decrease overall economic efficiency. In theory, free
trade expects removal of all such barriers, excepting those considered necessary for well-being or
security of a country or nation-State. In practice, though, even countries promoting free trade heavily
subsidize some of their own industries, especially agriculture and steel. In recent years, free trade
agreements between two or more nations have become common. For instance, North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA), South Asia Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), European Free Trade
Association, European Union (EU), Union of South American Nations.

Other variants of trade barriers result from differences in culture, customs, traditions, laws, language
and currency. Countries and nation-States do differ from one another and do not follow common and
uniform laws, procedures and customs. According to an analyst, current debate and differences over
free trade include such barriers as:

1. Intellectual property infringement—including copyright, patent and trademarks.

2. Customs procedures that are not uniformly applied.

3. Lack of competitive bidding for foreign government tenders.

4. The application of direct or indirect subsidies by a foreign government in favour of domestic

suppliers.

5. Burdensome certification and testing requirements that are not required by domestic manufacturers.

6. Influence pedalling—A corporate entity or country is interfering with fair trade practices at other’s
expense.

7. Bribery, corruption and requests for payoffs—When foreign bribery prevents you from competing
fairly on the basis of price, quality or service.

Trade barriers work because they are effective in protecting a country’s own interests; both industry and
services sectors do need protection and promotion so that they continue to make their contribution to
the country’s economy and well-being, keep workers employed and increase country’s prosperity
without undue competition from other countries. But, in global context, trade barriers or protective
measures may not be so beneficial as some economic protections are more costly than others and can
trigger a trade war.

As far as subsidies are concerned, poorer countries do not have the ability to raise subsidies and are
more vulnerable than richer countries in trade wars. By raising protections against dumping of cheap
products, it risks making the product too expensive and beyond the means of its people.

Whether trade barriers work or are beneficial has different answers. When viewed from an individual
country’s perspective, in an unequal world it becomes necessary to protect its interests and trade
barrier is a handy protective tool for the purpose. But from the world perspective, trade barriers only
impede trade and raise costs of goods and services. Yet, the least developed countries remain helpless
because they are not powerful enough to use trade barriers as protective shield. They have to depend
on richer and powerful countries for their growth and well-being.

Rich nations must redress the deep inequities in the trade system and reverse the marginalisation of
poorer countries. However, World Trade Organisation’s current con-figuration makes this impossible,
and extending its work into new areas of the global economy will only make matters worse.
 70

Moral Majority

There is a general perception that informal subgroups or even disparate large segments within many
nations pursue a strict moral agenda, usually based upon a deep belief in a religion. The term Moral
Majority refers to such people. Whether such people form a majority or not is highly debatable and
remains unproven. Nor are there any reliable surveys devised to test such majority claims. But in the
name of Moral Majority, there are always some groups who launch campaigns, often smacking of
fanaticism and, even resort to criminal and offensive political or social, often a mob-like response
against individuals or groups whose actions and behaviour dare depart from the perceived moral
standards of the so-called majority.

Every country, including India, has this phenomenon of “Moral Majority” that from time to time causes
dissension or discord in society, distends issues to their extremities and pits opposing groups who
abuse, confront and clash with one another—all in the name of majority. Usually, such groups are
informal and disorganised but there are also some political or cultural or religious outfits who assume
collective burden of watching and guarding the society as a whole against any immoral influence or
action, imported manners, fads or fashions from an alien culture. In India, which is a big and secular
country, there are numerous such entities who are organised and always ready and eager to jump into
the fray whenever a slight occasion for moral reaction arises. It could be a book, cartoon, painting or
speech or some kind of entertainment and the Moral Majority is there to condemn, howl and hurt the
protagonist of any so-perceived “immoral action”.

In India, the concept of Moral Majority does not appear to have had much impact on politics. In the
USA, however, where the term “Moral Majority” gained wide currency, Ronald Regan’s election in 1980
and George Bush’s elections are said to have been greatly influenced and their victories attributed to
Moral Majority. In fact, the Moral Majority was a political organisation in the USA that had an agenda of
evangelical Christian-oriented political lobbying and set up conservative Christian political action
committees that campaigned on issues that, it believed, were important to maintaining its Christian
conception of moral law, a conception they believed represented the opinions of the majority of
Americans (hence the movement’s name).

Some Indian secularists label the Rashtriya Swayam Sevak Sangh and the Shiv Sena as organisations
that represent in India the equivalent counterparts of the US-based Moral Majority we have described
above but such a view does not have much basis simply because India is so vast a nation and is so
lacking in moral fibre that claims or accusations of being Moral Majority of any kind does not hold water.
The same is true of the Muslim outfit Deoband that pronounces fatwas of one kind or the other that
hardly rub on the majority of Indian Muslims. In India, it is the political parties and politicians who
dominate and hold sway over all so-called religious lobbies and Indian politicians are devoid of any
moral fervour. They are wily and make use of religion and religious moral groups only to grind their own
axes.

The devil is not a big concern in the Indian tradition, nor is Moral Majority an Indian concept.
 71

What is Wrong With Child Labour?

Not all work is bad for children. According to social scientists most kinds of work are unobjectionable,
if they are not exploitative. School boys delivering newspapers is a common sight in the USA and
Canada. This activity benefits the child as he learns how to work, gain responsibility, and earn some
pocket money. But if the child is not paid, the same work becomes exploitative.

The United Nations Children Fund (Unicef)’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report says:
“Children’s work needs to be seen as happening along a continuum, with destructive or exploitative
work at one end and beneficial work—promoting or enhancing children’s development without
interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest—at the other. And between these two poles are vast
areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.” Social scientists agree but draw
the line between acceptable and unacceptable work differently.

International conventions define children as aged 18 and under. Individual governments may define
“child” according to different ages or other criteria. “Child” and “childhood” are also defined differently by
different cultures. In fact, children’s abilities and maturity vary widely and, therefore, defining a child’s
maturity by calendar age can be misleading.

In 2000, the ILO estimated, “246 million child workers aged 5 and 17 were involved in child labour, of
which 171 million were involved in work that by its nature is hazardous to their safety, physical or
mental health, and moral development. Moreover, some 8.4 million children were engaged in so-called
‘unconditional’ or worst forms of child labour, such as forced and bonded labour, conscription by military
forces in armed conflict, trafficking, commercial, sexual and other forms of exploitation.

In India, child labour is exploitative in the extreme. Growing children are employed as domestic help
and live in miserable conditions. They are low paid and sleep in staircases or on the road. Those
employed by the roadside dhabas or teashops in the cities or on the highways likewise lead a life of
deprivation and dreariness. Yet, if they do not take up this type of work, they face starvation and ill-
treatment at home, even at the hands of parents and relatives. There are laws prohibiting child labour
but in India the laws are seldom implemented.

More boys than girls work outside their homes. Increasingly, however, more girls are working in some
jobs: for instance, as domestic maids. Being a maid in someone’s house is risky. Cut off from friends
and family, these little maids can easily be phy-sically or sexually abused by their employers and even
by neighbours or unknown visitors.

Children in hazardous and dangerous jobs are in danger of injury and death.

According to UNICEF, it is a myth that “[1] child labour is only a problem in developing countries. …
children routinely work in all industrialised countries, and hazardous forms of child labour can be found
in many countries. [2] child labour will only disappear when poverty disappears. [3] only a very small
proportion of all child workers are employed in export industries—probably less than 5 per cent. Most of
the world’s child labourers actually are to be found in the informal sector—selling on the street, at work
in agriculture or hidden away in houses—far from the reach of official labour inspectors and from media
scrutiny.”

In our view, poverty is largely responsible for what is wrong with child labour; other causes are not as
pervasive.
 72

Children on Crossroads

According to researchers at Stanford University and the University of California-Santa Barbara, stories
about crime and violence make up 40 per cent of the child-related newspaper coverage. Though we do
not have similar statistics and research-based analysis on Indian children, situation is alarming in India
also.

University of California also found “a general lack of public policy coverage” related to children in the
sources studied. In this behalf, the Indian situation is worse because our television and newspaper
presentations on children’s issues hardly mention, much less focus on policy issues that affect children.

Nor are the age groups clearly marked in the newsier articles and television discussions. It is the
adolescents mostly who get the media attention.

In news coverage of children the emphasis is on reports of crime, with children portrayed as both
victims and perpetrators of violence. Such an emphasis diminishes the public’s perception of the
relative importance of other child-related concerns.

A child who experiences any kind of maltreatment—neglect, physical or sexual abuse—is likely to get
involved with the juvenile justice system.

It’s not clear how many youths under 18 are tried in adult criminal courts in this country. Cases of three-
year old charged with rape and murder have been reported in newspapers.

It is no consolation that brutalisation of children is a world wide phenomenon. In India, situation is as

bad as anywhere else but cases of child abuse do not get reported.

Peculiar to India is female foeticide or selective abortion based on the foetus gender or sex selection
of child. This is a crime perpetrated against the yet-to-be born girl child. Often, parents themselves are
responsible for committing this crime. Besides, domestic violence too affects children badly. Children
get physically abused or hurt at home or get mentally damaged while witnessing violent fights between
parents and among relatives. Children some times intervene to protect the adult victim, endangering
themselves. Children also copy the violent adult behaviour they witness at home and elsewhere and
they, thus, expose themselves to stress-related problems. They lose self-confidence or develop guilt
complex blaming themselves for the violence at home, especially between parents.

Unlike the laws of many other countries, Indian Penal Code makes no distinction between child sexual
abuse from rape or molestation or other kind of crime. In fact, the laws against child sexual abuse are
only in their developing stage. Some parts of the law applicable to sexual abuse of a child are related to
sale, hire, distribution, or circulation of obscene objects of literature to children.

Several movements have been started to initiate amendments to the penal code, adding specific crimes
for sexual abuse. But, in an increasingly violent society, laws are no succour to the innocent victims of
crime and violence.

In sum, rape and sexual abuse of children in India is a large problem not easy of solution. India’s
corrupt and weak legal system renders the problem even larger.

However, the situation can be improved by appropriately educating children and adults on crime and
violence, and educating the police, law officers and judges to be more sensitive toward social issues.
 73

The Pros and Cons of Having Credit Card

Plastic money is much in vogue today. Like many other conveniences of modern age, credit cards are
a product of technology and clever thinking. These plastic devices have now become a ubiquitous
feature of our mundane, day-to-day, buy and sell world. Credit cards are geared to make life easier for
the common person, who is increasingly becoming a gargantuan consumer of goods and services.

A credit card is a piece of plastic with some engravings and codes that help one pay for goods and
services even if one has no cash or currency notes on hand. This part is easy. But this short process of
buying and paying through the card can become paying through one’s nose. Because, what happens
invisibly while transacting business with the help of a credit card is not always a smooth affair in the
long run. One must always remember that, ultimately, this card is as good as your credit and each
transaction made through the credit card has legal implications. At times, it is an invitation to get into
debt with all the attendant complications.

Each time your credit card helps you buy something, you, in fact, are borrowing from your credit line
with the credit card issuing company. As a borrower one is expected to make monthly payments on the
outstanding balance to the credit card company. A credit card holder may be required to pay just the
minimum amount until the due date, usually once every month. If the credit card holder fails to pay the
required minimum amount, a finance fee is charged to him/her. The fee is often hefty and inordinate.

Obviously, there are advantages in having a credit card. One can buy a lot of things without carrying
wads of notes in one’s wallet or pockets. Keeping track of one’s finances and expenses becomes easier
because a single accounts statement is made available by the company. Purchases can be made
simply by mail or phone. Payment of expenses can be made in easy monthly instalments. If the product
bought was defective, credit card allows one to withhold payment for it. The convenience is extensive
indeed—car rental, hotel, restaurant and other reservations. At times, it feels like a great bliss in a
complicated world where time is short and chores unlimited. In an emergency, one can use the credit
card to obtain cash. One’s credit card history helps one to enhance one’s credit-worthiness which can
prove to be a boon when one wants to avail of home loans and other larger borrowings.

But one must not forget that a credit card demands to be used carefully and very prudently. Like most
modern devices, a credit card is neither good nor bad but depends upon its user to make it so. Yes, the
credit card has its pros and cons. Only its advantages are immediately visible and readily availed of,
while disadvantages remain hidden. For impulsive buyers, credit card can become a burden so utterly
disproportionate to the weight of this plastic genie. It can turn its reckless user into a compulsive over-
spender and bury him/her into a heap of debts.

Plastic accounts are truly handy and serve the same purpose as money. With literally millions of
establishments the world over accepting credit card payments from their customers, paying for goods
and services has never been easier. Yet, despite all the convenience that credit cards bring, and
despite the purchasing empowerment the credit card holders experience, there are still things that need
to be considered before securing a credit card.
 74

ALL OF US LEARN FROM OUR FAILURES AS WELL AS SUCCESS

There is no finality about failure, said Jawaharlal Nehru. Perhaps, that is why learning from failure is easier than
learning from success, as success often appears to be the last step of the ladder. Possibilities of life, however, are
endless and there are worlds beyond the stars—which is literally true. What appears as success in one moment
may turn out to be a failure or even worse in the next moment.

We often do not know what is failure and what is success ultimately.

There are examples of people who became wealthy but renounced all their wealth achieved after a lifetime’s effort.
The kings like Bharthrihari gave up their kingdoms because of their failure in love. The Duke of Windsor abdicated
the throne of England for marrying an American divorcee Miss Simpson.

While we can see our failures clearly, success is prone to blind our vision. Yet, the time-world that we live in is a
mixture of pain and pleasure, sorrow and delight, light and darkness, success and failure! Success as well as
failure are parts of our life and experience. We gain from both and also lose from both. Failure dejects us, success
delights us, but experience accretes them both. After a while, success also loses its shine just as failure loses its
sting. An aware person learns from both successes and failures of life and begins to see life what it is.

Most people try to achieve what they want. They either fail or succeed in getting what they want. In a difficult world
trial and error become our way of solving life’s problems. Yet there are escapists who avoid undertaking the trial
because they are scared of meeting failure or committing the error. They, perhaps, consider making mistake as
wrong and harmful but the fact is that, for most of us, trial and error are both helpful and necessary.

Error provides the feedback for building the ladder to success. Error pushes one to put together a new and better
trial, leading through more errors and trials, hopefully, finding ultimately a workable and creative solution. To meet
with an error is only a temporary, and often necessary part of the process that leads to success or well-earned
achievement. No errors or failures, often, means no success either. This is more true in business and while
handling an on-going project.

According some business training programmes, an early partial success is not commended. In fact, early success
in a long-term project is regarded as a premature outcome of good efforts that is likely to cause complaisance and
slackening of effort to achieve the ultimate objective of the project. Early success might tempt one to get fixed on to
what seemed to have worked so quickly and easily and stop from looking up any further. Later, maybe, a
competitor will learn from the slackened ‘achiever’ to further explore for larger possibilities and push on to find a
much better solution that will push the earlier achiever out of the competition.

Yet, there are many organisations who believe in what they call ‘culture of perfection: a set of organisational beliefs
that any failure is unacceptable’. Only a hundred per cent, untainted success will be acceptable. “To retain your
reputation as an achiever, you must reach every goal and never, ever make a mistake that you can’t hide or blame
on someone else”.

But this is a flawed strategy because the stress and terror in such an organisation, at some point, become
unbearable and lead to attrition. The ceaseless covering up of small blemishes, finger-pointing and shifting the
blame result into rapid turnover, as people rise high, then fall abruptly from grace. Meanwhile, lying, cheating,
falsifying of data, and hiding of problems goes on and swings and shakes the organisation from crisis to crisis and,
ultimately, weakens it irreparably.

Some ego-driven, ‘experienced’ achievers forget that time and environment have changed and demand other
kinds of inputs. A senior lecturer of ten years’ standing was rejected and one with only one-year experience was
selected. When the senior protested, selectors told him: “You too have only one year of experience—only repeated
ten times. The selected lecturer has fresher and more relevant experience.”

Balance counts and a little failure may help preserve one’s perspective on success. Finally, life is more than a
count of failures and successes, as a humorist said: “try and try—only twice, the third time let some one else try” is
yet another way of looking at life’s struggle.
 75
Burnout

Daily living is becoming a war of nerves and each one of us is called upon to work out strategies to cope with
daily challenges of our existence. Gone are the laid back days when work was a pleasure that set the rhythm of
life. We now live in an age of anxiety and competition and willy-nilly are caught in the ongoing rat race. Right from
our first days in school to the last days of our career we are constantly reminded of competing or how to get ahead
of the next guy or keep abreast of him/her.

Every one these days is complaining of stress—at home, in office, on the road, anywhere and everywhere. Uneasy
lies the head that wears the crown is a proverb that is in need of immediate modification. Now even the common
man is seldom at ease and kings either have disappeared or no longer wear crowns. Life is full of stress for every
one, young or old, and when constant stress has you suddenly down you feel physically, mentally and emotionally
exhausted. Well, you may be suffering from burnout!

When you are burned out, you find yourself in maize of insurmountable problems. It is blank and bleak and you
cannot even think what has happened to you. Utter desolation surrounds you all the time. Energy? Where has it all
gone? There is not whiff of it left and you do not know what will support and sustain you! Will you ever come out of
this blackness or blankness or both mixed up together to get you sucked up into a darkening world!

Humans, however, are not without reserves and resilience. You will come back and feel the sanity returning; better
prepared for the next time because the war of nerves continues. Next time, hopefully, you will know what is coming
in time. You will understand the signs and symptoms of the impending burnout. It might not be all that difficult to
prevent it then. Effective burnout-busting is within your grasp. The strategy involves taking hold of yourself
emotionally and physically and seek out others who might be of help when you need it most. Psychiatrists suggest
that one must stay connected to others and this, in itself, is a reliable safeguard against burnouts.

Burnout happens gradually, though once in its middle you feel awful and unwilling to fight it. Therefore, one must
be always on guard and must recognise the signs of burnout and meet it head on, and most likely, one would
succeed in heading it off. Burnout is usually rooted in stress. And stress has a way of telling you when it is getting
on and over you. So recognise the symptoms of stress and overcome them. If you are vigilant, you stand a good
chance to avoid burnout even before it sets in.

We have been stressing the role of STRESS so far but mark that though extreme stress leads to burnout, burnout
and stress are not the same thing. An overstressed person is quite capable of imagining that if she/he could just
get organised, everything would be under control and okay. But burnout empties out all motivation. A burned-out
person sees no positive change happening. Excessive stress is like floating in a sea of tasks and responsibilities;
burnout is a total drowning.

While one is aware of being overstressed, one does not know anything once one is in the grip of burnout. The
process of burnout is seldom sudden. Long periods of hopelessness, the cynicism, and the detachment from others
bring about symptoms of burnout slowly and one loses one’s capability of recognising the symptoms. It remains for
others to notice that you are passing into burnout but will you listen to the other, your friend or colleague or any
well-wisher?

Workplace is a natural setting for burnouts but one or more bad workdays cannot be called a job burnout. An
effective way to head off job burnout is to just give up what one is doing and take up something else in its place.
Going on a vacation can also do the trick—change of scene, as they say. Change of scene helps one recharge
one’s batteries and return to oneself with a new perspective.

Besides reading books, you can join a support group, know your limits, accept your feelings, confide in others and,
most importantly, build or maintain a foundation of good physical health. Be sure to eat right, get enough sleep, and
make workout part of your daily routine. Know your own needs and find ways to meet them. And because burnout
is related to stress, many of the methods for countering stress can also help prevent burnout. Smile at life’s little
ironies and that will keep burnouts off limits!