Crash course for foreigners on corruption in India

There was a debate going on, on the issue of plausibility of giving crash course to foreigners on corruption in India....

I thought we are prepared know...How is explained here...

'Athithi devo bhava’ is our cultural spine keeping us high on welcoming spree. Come anyone and we spread our red carpet, even not minding borrowing from our neighbours, if necessary, to give a feel good factor to the visitors. Moreover, if the visitor is carrying some different skin color than ours (particularly white), we do not mind stretching ourselves beyond all limits to leave an impression on them. So, definitely the foreigners will be exposed to best educational advising on corruption, if they wish to learn our favorite profession. We have shown immense progress in the field against all odds. Despite the worst economic meltdown the world is experiencing, our country has recorded growth in the field of corruption. Never we felt that there was any crunch of liquid money in the market to be exchanged between hands. We never left the demand and supply wane. Hats off to our relentless effort to keep our corruption spirit high. Commonwealth games have come at the right time to prove our resilience power. We have made our presence felt in international arena with enviable level of corruption in commonwealth games preparation. Now is there any need to win medals to make a niche in these games. Our popularity is all time high, preparing ground to attract many foreign students to take crash course on corruption.
The curriculum designed for foreigners will include extensive academic training, exposure to best practices and internship on multi-dimensional, coordinated and proactive approach to corruption. The course will integrate active and participative learning approaches. The objective of the course would be to develop a program involving reflection, advocacy and action to address their lack of understanding. Field visits with special projects specifically to gain insights on best practices of increasing the resilience of the community and expertise of perpetrators will be planned. It will also include case study analysis and comparative study.
I also envision the crash course program to focus on professional training and practice on actual coaching, outside the class room setting, on the application of corruptive means in varied situations. We have experts in all fields-Corrupt politicians, corrupt judges, corrupt police officers, corrupt bureaucrats, corrupt contractors, corrupt educationists etc. who have proved their expertise in our country for last sixty years. An ex CVC has recently corroborated our potential on the subject. Without mingling words he has ascertained that we are spreading our tentacles fast, leaving behind by miles other competing countries. There has been desire by many more to join the bandwagon of corrupts, embracing into its ambit major chunk of the public servants.
Crash course is basically meant for those who already are versed with subject and need mere polishing. My suggestion is not only to go for crash course but degree courses too. This discussion has now opened a prospective field of study in India. I am sure the higher education department will be deluged with offers from educational institutions to start the course. Hopefully, maximum students will be foreigners as the subject is too common for an Indian, taught with élan in schools, home and working places alike. I see coffers overflowing with foreign currencies with flood of foreign students coming to get trained. India jaroor aana jones for this course. We promise you the best.

30th Babri Verdict

Is the verdict on Babri case anyway going to change the life of a common man. As such no! but practically yes....we can feel the heat. As a part of law enforcement I can feel the change in air. Is this loyalty towards one's religion/community or sordid manifestation of crisis identity. I just wonder why a common man loses common sense (which is common in both) and gets passionately swayed by uncommon demands of uncommon few, who are just there to satiate their vested interests. I pray, let better sense prevail in all, and let everyone give a sound slap to these dividing forces, by defeating their ill-conceived desires. I have been always proud for our strong resilient culture, loaded with values that have passed on to generations as tradition. That has always kept us in good stead and helped us survive, fight back with vengeance against all negative invasions. I am sure we will puncture the unnecessary inflated hype created and take the verdict in its stride and move on peacefully.

FLAG MARCH

I was in a fix when I received a call from a student, dear to me, with a very peculiar request "Can I join you in the flag march". I had few words to explain my predicament. For him (perhaps), Flag March was an interesting sight with dozens of vehicles blaring hooter at full volume, sliding through on road at snails pace, with law enforcement peeping through the glass panes of vehicles with fixed warning 'no nonsense' stare. I would love to sit with that dear boy and understand his state of mind when he put me in that awkward situation by throwing this unexpected request. Was there an element of glamour or power that attracted him? I had no choice but to turn down politely. "Sorry, can't get you in, midway" was my weak excuse.

“Where are you” was another call from a learned friend. “Flag marching” was my crisp reply loaded with pride for being part of force entrusted to ensure peace and tranquility. “Are you not spreading tension? Your flag march is in fact making a non-knower realize that things are not normal. You are doing more harm than good” He quipped. How could I explain him how much psychological and physical pain we were taking to do this exercise. There was hell of men, money, material and energy involved in organizing this operation. And, the intention was undoubtedly benevolent.

Here I am not discussing the pros and cons of FLAG MARCH, but would merely add, we honestly wish that peace and tranquility prevails.

The facts of come-on-wealth games

I had a tryst with Jonty Rhodes in Delhi during my visit last week visit. No, I am not that big a fan of cricket to remember Rhodes, the legendary fielder of South Africa, even after his retirement a decade ago. Sorry, perhaps I mis-spelt. It was jaunty roads of Delhi giving me a memorable feeling of African Safari around concrete jungle. And all credit goes to our come-on-wealth games (sorry again, commonwealth games) for providing the pleasure of so many rides in one go. The potholes around Cannot Place (Cannaught Place-CP) was deep enough to rear sea animals. To all this, spices were added by the incessant rains, which certified that we are heading towards socialist state, our constitutional desire. Everyone who walked on roads had mud-drained pants, dissolving the class discrimination. No one dared to pick their eyes off the road to check if there was anything to be seen besides pants. Reflexively, my hands lifted to salute our most intelligent political heads for being so visionary to achieve the socialist goal, easily.

Interestingly, a day before a news channel thought of giving a boost to their TRP by continuously showing three parallel images of tribals crossing rivers/streams on rope bridge, while the central government had spent one lakh crore rupees for the game. I had a hearty laugh (hopefully it cleared all the blockades in my arteries) when one minister justified the expenditure by saying that many such lakhs of crores have already been given to this tribals and many more are coming. The discernible gist of the discussion to me (though I always doubt my intelligence) was that the minister was hinting that tribal welfare work was another come-on-wealth games for local, State agencies. So, we must not cry foul for happenings in Delhi. It is systemic and nothing new.

Mr Kalmadi, facing the heat of criticism showed a bold face by challenging his adversaries to institute judicial enquiry to ascertain his misdemeanors. For one moment I got puzzled, surprised on how could he dare to axe his own feet. Was not that suicidal? Then again, a man of wisdom came to my rescue enlisting all the past judicial enquiry promises made, and in case of institution the big cold storage warehouses were the reports are treasured. Hence, Mr Kalmadi was playing a safe bet.

Moaning on the prospects of success of the games, I cited that dengue had hit the citizens hard and added to the woes of Delhi administration. Someone called from the back, ‘equitable distribution of wealth is again a constitutional directive’. How municipality and health services could have compromised on having peanut share to the mammoth expenditure incurred for game preparation. Fighting dengue is money churning activity. We have to breed, annihilate and rebreed mosquitoes to fight dengue, and that is what is being done. Do I smell some conspiracy behind dengue, a foreign hand perhaps.

Our country’s philosophy says ‘Live and let live’. So, please don’t crib on the issue from so far, as you won’t get a piece of pie. Pray that the foreigners come, titillate their taste buds with that attractive menu of more than 30 dishes in one spread, in every meal, and return singing in chorus “Sare jahan se acha Hindustan tumhara”. Come on this wealthy game and help ‘India shine’.

Essential services? Who is responsible?

A new trend of flash strikes of junior doctors has emerged. It seems, similar to other epidemics like swine flu, dengue, bird flu etc the strike has become infectious. I guess, perhaps these doctors learnt the lesson of potency of infectious disease, in waking up the State machinery, while practicing their profession. ‘Unless you put to ransom the State, no head would turn for your cause’ is the guru mantra.

“Why are we given false assurance” is what doctor’s question from the system. God! Are they naïve or pretending as one? Our system is in a habit of brushing things under carpet once the incident is over. Are we not in a habit of making promises to break? Moreover, these doctors are no better. Didn’t they pledge to serve in all situations, odd or even? Is their behavior not a systemic reflection? The public administration thinkers while theorizing clearly envisioned the insensitivity of the system. We are born hypocrites. Munnabhai movie was a big hit but Gandhigiri catches our attention only with a wish for others to follow. Our blood is always warm to the boiling point ready to evaporate on one provocation.

Of late, within a span of one-month doctors in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and now Delhi (Safdarjung hospital) have gone on strike. Let us hope that as torch of commonwealth games after traveling the nook and corner of country ended its journey in Delhi, so does this series of strikes end with this Safdarjung strike. Let the States (health being state subject) and Center take a concerted decision, if required with intervention of Judiciary, and ensure that there is no more occurrence, even if it calls for imposing ban on strikes by doctors, as it is for police. There have been enough deaths due to lackadaisical attitude of strikers and government without actually fixing accountability. If we can easily shirk from being accountable to deaths in our country, then fixing accountability for other misdemeanors like financial irregularity etc is a far cry.

Surprisingly, one thing in common in all cases of these sporadic calls of strike is that they were instigated by incidents involving individuals. A doctor facing wrath of some patient, their attendant or some incident outside hospital premises. The main agenda of striking doctors is seeking preventive mechanism put in place where the chances of human error of others (mind it, not theirs) is totally eradicated. They wish, whosoever comes in their contact should behave like robots, dancing to their tune, non-complaining, bereft of racing passions for their wards, vehicles having the sense to discriminate between doctors and other citizens in case of accidents (as in Bhopal) and the like. What a genuine demand it is. The expected rule is, people encountering doctors should be immune to their (doctors) misdeeds and they (doctors) misdoing with impunity, as the reality of ‘Human is to err’ is applicable only to them. I fail to understand how can one case of misbehavior with a doctor be threat to whole breed of doctors. Is it not a solace for them to analyze the ratio of their conflict to numbers of patients they attend, when the situation around is witnessing exponential rise of physical offence in the community. They still are most respected lot in the community. Let them not threaten this perception by foolish acts of overstressed youngsters.

When are we going to understand the importance of essential services? Is there any comparison between loss of more than sixty patients in Rajasthan and misbehavior with one doctor (an instigating factor). Is there need to orient doctors towards ‘patient-customer dealing’. No doubt, they have to have exceptional tolerance power. It may be hundredth patient for the doctor in that particular day but for the attendants of patient it is matter of life and death of his near and dear one, and for him at that moment world is limited to that patient. So, it is quite natural to have charged passions. I hope better sense will prevail and this ill thought of trend will come to an end, once and for all. A utopian wish though. Amen!