Dec

31

Manu and Montu

December 31, 2008 posted by indiatime | 3 Comments

The American space agency NASA has just released an accident investigation report analyzing the tragic final moments of space shuttle Columbia, whose crew included the Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla. The report shines light on the hazards of space flights, and perhaps shows why the journey into space remains mankind’s most pursued dream. The Columbia astronauts seem to have endured almost a minute of heightened emergency procedures before losing their lives to loss of cabin pressure. And even in the face of death, they all, including Kalpana Chawla aka Montu, seem to have continued their actions with astonishing calm and professionalism.

Kalpana Chawla’s last minutes of courage and professionalism remind me of another brave woman of Indian history, Laxmibai, the Rani of Jhansi. In 1857, Laxmibai aka Manu, with her young son straddling behind her on the horseback, valiantly fought the British cavalry that encircled her Gwalior fort, calmly facing death and still continuing her calling as a warrior.

Paying tribute to the Columbia tragedy, the US president had described the Columbia crew as people of focus, professionalism and unbroken faith in the mission. Paying tribute to the fallen Rani Laxmibai, the victorious British general praised her as ‘the best and the bravest’ of the rebels.

Manu - as Rani Laxmibai was affectionately called by her family, and Montu - as Kalpana Chawla was affectionately called by her family, are both in my thoughts today. And I wonder how a country that can produce such women of matchless courage, can also produce witless and gutless politicians who, in face of mortal threats to fellow citizens, choose to run from their calling, and can’t seem to hold their country’s honor.

Dec

30

Goa police terror advisory

December 30, 2008 posted by indiatime | 5 Comments

“…Anything protruding unnaturally under the clothing…” is one of the ways Goa police is identifying suspected terrorists. By those standards, many beachgoers in Goa ogling at bikini beauties on the beach may soon find themselves behind bars for allowing anything to protrude unnaturally under the clothing. Anyone wearing unsuitable clothes for the season, e.g. anyone wearing a coat or a jacket in summer, is also an automatic suspect. Once again, by those standards, anyone wearing extremely skimpy clothing on the New Year’s Eve, is sure to get a second glance by the Goa police, and may even risk being frisked by the Goa police.

The Goa police is not just focusing on suspected terrorists but has some tips for suspected victims as well. What to do if you find yourself in the midst of a terrorist attack? Leave the site immediately, advises Goa police (Had the Taj and Oberoi Hotel victims left the site immediately, they would have been safer, the Goa police seems to be suggesting). What to do once the terror attack is over? Leave the area immediately, advises Goa police.

Also today, Goa police asked vendors and suppliers to bid for bulletproof jackets and patkas. Here are some salient points:

1. parts under warrantee should be replaced within 24 hours (page 6).

2. The bulletproof patka should not have an ill effect on the head of a wearer (page 18).

And then there are some other suggestions before, during and after the terror attacks:

1. Do not form or join the crowd (remember, two is company three is a crowd)

2. Observe your surroundings (report anyone with protruded clothing)

3. Move to an open or protected space (move to a protected, not protruded space. Avoid protruded.)

4. Watch out for vehicles with sagging rears (this advice is limited for suspicious vehicles, not suspicious persons)

5. Look for and observe people trying to blend in the surroundings (observe any bikini babes on the beach, but watch out for others observing you for your protruded clothing)

I already feel a lot safer reading all that advice. Now I know that as long as I avoid suspected areas where suspected terrorists may execute suspicious activities, I will be safe. The simple trick is to keep myself away from the terror site before, during and after the attacks.

Dec

29

Investing in lies

December 29, 2008 posted by indiatime | 3 Comments

Satyam, part of India Inc’s IT brand, continues to collapse, with some more resignations at the board. The question today is not why the resignations have been happening this week. The question is why they haven’t happened earlier. The world bank investigations of Satyam’s questionable business practices have been going on for a while. It was almost 2 months ago that I wrote a post about the alleged corruption and bribery scandal involving Satyam’s World Bank operations. In fact, the world bank had ordered Satyam off its properties several months ago.

What is astonishing is how ignorant or careless the average investor is about what goes on in the companies they put their money in. Or maybe it is not that astonishing at all. In fact, many investors were and usually are aware of the illegal, unethical or inappropriate means the businesses often use. In that case, nobody should be shedding a single tear about such greedy idiots anyways. But there are many (and I do know some myself), who have bought into the notion of a new generation of Indian companies making their mark solely on the basis of the merit of their people and the quality of their product.

The problem with most investors is that they do not want to know the hows and the whys when their money is doubling or tripling. When the stocks take the littlest dip however, they look surprized and aggrieved. I know at least half a dozen people who have lost most of their life’s savings during the last few months. It is painful to see this happen to good friends and it is sad that there are experts out there who sat on their behinds predicting nothing, ill-advising their clients and mostly selling out the small investors.

Getting back to our so-called tech giants, let me say it again (the n-th time) that India’s technological superpowerdom is a myth. We have a long way to climb to be able to compete and rank with the googles and the microsofts and the oracles. And that is because we do not produce inventors. Our educational systems were never built to encourage entrepreneurial inventions, but to produce excellence in bureaucratic subservience. Out of hundreds of known software languages, there is not even a handful that has come out of India. Out of hundreds of famous websites, there is not even a handful Indian ones that the whole world visits every day. Out of dozens of browsers available, there is not even one invented in in this country. Out of hundreds of new electronic inventions that dazzle the world every year, there is not even one during last several decades that came out of India.

Indians excel at slavery. Whether that is slavery to monarchies, colonial powers, political dynasties, criminal mafia, idolatry, or self-hype. And we suck at critical self-assessments, hindsight, foresight, and vision. An year has just gone by, another will soon begin, and not much has changed. Yesterday, former president Kalam warned India that corruption is the biggest evil plaguing us. It is a truth we’ve known all our lives. Kalam could have said the same thing last year, the year before or in 1960s for that matter. Unfortunately, most of us will continue to ignore Kalam’s truths, and invest in Satyam’s lies.

Dec

28

1908-2008: First look

December 28, 2008 posted by indiatime | 1 Comment

Looking up India’s industrial and scientific progress in ‘08, I stumbled upon two huge ones. One was the world’s largest electricity project. And the other was one of the first versions of an electric car. Turns out I’m a 100 years off, since India it seems, had already made that much progress in 1908. Krishna Vadiyar, the Maharaja of Mysore, had an electrically-actuated car running in his state’s yearly Dussera procession. And even before that, the same state had achieved the distinction of one of the longest (almost 100 miles) power transmission projects in the world.

Sure, a hundred years later, India can brag about a shuttle to the moon. But then again, a hundred years after the 1908 electric car procession in Mysore, the year 2008 has seen problems with the production of the world’s cheapest car, a much-vaunted coup only last year, now having become a nano success. And although India boasted about the largest power plant installations a hundred years ago, year 2008 has seen power problems all over India, including electrical load-shedding shutdowns for hours in major industrial cities. And just as a 1908 yearbook reported India to be ‘loyal to the throne’, India of 2008 too, has shown itself to be loyal to the western thrones, especially with its tepid non-response to the 26/11/2008 terror attacks, a non-gesture intended to appease the western interests in Pakistan.

Just as in 2008, a hundred years ago, Indians favored the sports that are played by only a few countries. And a hundred years before Mumbai’s moviegoers thronged to watched Amir Khan’s recently released Ghajini, Bhatavadekar had filmed and exhibited India’s first thrilling action flick, a wrestling match at Mumbai’s Hanging Gardens. And Delhi, too looked pretty much the same in 2008 as it did in 1908.

delhi1908.jpgdelhi2008.jpg

We really haven’t come that far then. Or have we?

Dec

27

Greetings from Karachi

December 27, 2008 posted by indiatime | 3 Comments

Indian politicians seem to be losing the war of words with their Pakistani counterparts. Pakistani media, however, seem to be struggling with words. Here is a Pakistani TV reporter reporting on his fellow citizens’ holiday travels.

Thanks Naren, for sharing this gem with our readers.

Dec

27

Delhi looking for a cop-out

December 27, 2008 posted by indiatime | 3 Comments

Yesterday there was news of inmates beating cops in a Mumbai jail. There’s more news from the same jail today about a robber escaping the cops’ custody as he was being escorted to the courts. Four police officials escorting robber Mohammad Dilshakh Shah on a court hearing, were unable to hold on to him as he fled their custody seconds before re-entering the jail after a day at the courts. The robber used the crowds in the area to his advantage. Plus it was getting dark, so the cops could not see where he had vanished.

Another few months, and we will be hearing about the only captured 26/11 terrorist making his way out of a Mumbai jail. He will escape the cops’ clutches (apparently the Mumbai police do not seem to have advanced equipment like shackles etc.), make his way to the Mumbai shoreline and wait for a luxury yacht from Karachi to pick him up. If the yacht takes a little longer to reach the Gateway of India, he will probably help himself to a breakfast or a lunch at the newly reopened Taj.

Those who think that such a scenario is entirely impossible are living in a fool’s paradise (Just think how unlikely the other-way-round scenario sounded a month ago). In fact, right this very minute, as Pakistan’s excellent diplomatic core (I think they are a at least hundred times brighter than their Indian counterparts) is making the case about India’s nonexistent aggressive posturing, I bet you its spy agencies are working hard and hand in hand with the militant radicals, to plan and execute the next terror attack that can kill a few hundred more Indian citizens anytime soon. So all this time as the geniuses in New Delhi chew the word ‘WAR’ 32×32 times over, Pakistan has already been at it, doing it, practising it, everything.

It’s amazing how the same attitude that allows the Mumbai cops to let loose a robber, allows the Delhi babybops to lose a war of words with the world’s worst nation. It’s called a cop-out and that’s exactly what New Delhi is doing this very minute. Then again, it’s hard to expect anything else with our military geniuses thinking of financial tactics and our financial geniuses thinking of military tactics.

Dec

26

The world is coming to and….

December 26, 2008 posted by indiatime | 8 Comments

I’m looking at 3 news items in this morning’s newspaper:

1. Inmates beat up cops in Thane jail

2. Satyam demands apology from World Bank

3. Pak blames Indians for the blast

4. Santa Clause kills 6 in Los Angeles

5. Time magazine chooses Zardari in top 20 world people who matter

6. Aishwarya Rai refuses to endorse a fairness cream

I get a feeling that I’m in some alternate universe or some twilight zone where everything is upside down, topsy-turvy, exactly the opposite of how it’s supposed to be. This just seems to be one of those days when you see what’s happening around you and you shake your head. Years ago, a crazy old man used to stalk visitors to the local temple where I grew up. “..The world is coming an end, the world is coming to an end….”, he would warn everyone. Up until now, I never believed him. Looking at today’s news, I’m having second thoughts. Maybe the old fool wasn’t that crazy after all.

Dec

25

Too much to ask?

December 25, 2008 posted by indiatime | 4 Comments

Reading about the recent revelations of one underground tunnel under the Indo-Pak border, one wonders how it is that 60 years after independence, India hasn’t managed to seal its borders knowing fully well that the border borders an enemy country with a known history of multiple attacks, invasions and violence against the world’s largest democracy. The tunnel news is even more astonishing because it points out that the border security personnel were unable to locate the tunnel described by Pakistani smugglers, the reason being the investigative party reached the area after sunset.

The reason this piece of news is not hilarious but serious is because of what this particular tunnel and several others like it are used for. Such tunnels are routinely used for passage of drugs, and probably for ammunitions and explosives as well. So we have a Border Security Force that has not been doing its job in the first place (since they have allowed such tunnels to be created - it takes several months to build such tunnels). And now there seems to be a possibility that some of the Border Security Personnel might be themselves entangled in the drug smuggling operations.

Last month, we found out that the much-vaunted Indian navy with its aircraft carriers and nuclear submarines, is not much of a force when it comes to stopping small rubber boats. Now we find out that the world’s second largest standing army is not much of a force when it comes to stopping people from building tunnels under the ground. Next month we may be up for revelations that our great airforce can find rocket launchers, but cannot defend against rubber slingshots.

As much as one would like to blame the actual personnel involved, the slacking off typically comes from the top. During the last entire month, India’s prime minister has hardly uttered a sentence or a word filled with inspiration or pride. His speeches to the nation have hardly included any action-oriented verbs. The defense minister whose navy failed at defending the nation, is still glued to his chair. The external affairs minister who seems incapable of getting an upper hand in an argument with international counterparts, has been left speechless as the middle east stands behind terrorist nations. And the first woman president has been busy inaugurating educational institutions in her home state, though in all fairness she has started looking like the strongest personality amongst all.

Is it too much to ask for a leader who can at least pledge to go after those who attack India? Is it too much to ask for a border security force that can keep awake and not join hands with smugglers and terrorists on the other side? Is it too much to ask for navy personnel who from their watchtowers can find a boatload of armed terrorists? Is it too much to ask for missiles that can instantly incinerate terrorist hideouts only a few miles from the border? Is it too much for an airforce, ever so vigilant that no unidentified aircraft would dare enter our airspace? And is it too much to ask for a media that can stop talking about Cricket and Bollywood in the middle of a damn war?

That’s all I had for my Xmas wish. What did you wish for?

Dec

24

Mrs. Santa Clause

December 24, 2008 posted by indiatime | 4 Comments

..do you know what I know
a Child, a Child shivers in the cold
let us bring Him silver and gold…

I must have been about 4 or 5 when I first heard of Santa Clause from my elder brother. He told me about a bearded old man who climbed down people’s chimneys on Christmas eve and brought nice toys to good little kids.

The moment I first heard about Santa, I knew something wasn’t right with the story. And that had nothing to do with Santa, rather everything to do with me.

First of all, I was suspicious of the source. See, the story came to me via my elder brother, and right off the bat I started wondering why my brother was telling me this story. Even if the story were to be true, I knew my brother very well. So why was he making me aware of such generous gifts and not claiming them himself, I thought.

But that wasn’t the only problem. Assuming a bearded old man really did come down people’s chimneys and brought toys and sweets to well-behaved little kids, it still wasn’t good enough for me. Well, we didn’t have chimneys, for one (we had sooty ceilings, though). And the heavy footsteps I heard on the roof couldn’t be Santa’s steps; I knew them to be that of the landlord’s wife (and boy, did I fear her falling through the ceiling in the middle of the night).

The story still seemed to have holes. I was hardly shivering with cold on Christmas eve and I just thought Santa wouldn’t pay much attention to hot and humid households. Then again, the biggest caveat was that one would get the gifts if one had been a good kid the whole year. I wasn’t too sure of that either. Then again, my brother had told me that one needed to hang a big stocking somewhere. I didn’t have a big or even a small stocking, so I thought of stealing my father’s socks, but gave up on the idea when I realized that Santa would permanently disqualify me if he had to stuff any toys in my dad’s unwashed socks.

So finally, I decided upon an old grocery bag, the resuable cloth bag we usually used to get onions and potatoes in. I hung it on the wall, wondering if Santa would ever forgive me for changing the rules. And then I pretended to go to sleep, promising myself to keep awake to see Santa in person.

The radio went to sleep after ‘Bela Ke Phool‘ ended at 11:30. Several minutes after that, I heard Santa’s nimble footsteps. With eyes wide shut, I stole a glimpse of the angel who, in spite of all my faults, didn’t seem to mind showering me with sweet gifts. And there, in the moonlight streaming through the window, I saw my frail old angelic grandmother, a devout Hindu old lady, stuffing the old grocery bag with a bunch of chocolates.

Dec

23

Burying the 26/11 butchers

December 23, 2008 posted by indiatime | 5 Comments

The Maharashtra Organised Crimes Act court (MCOCA court) yesterday rejected a private citizen’s request to bury the 26/11 terrorists. But this wasn’t just any private citizen. This was Saquib Nachan, an accused terrorist from 2003 Mumbai train bomb blasts, currently in jail facing conspiracy charges. Saquib, a Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) activist, and his co-conspirators had acquired arms and weapons from Lashkar-e-Toiba, the same militant organization that has been considered responsible for the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Earlier, Islamic religious organizations in Mumbai had refused to bury the 9 slain terrorists, contending that the terrorists were not true followers of Islam and had in fact brought shame to India’s muslims.

Saquib Nachan, who has claimed to be a kazi or a religious judge, had appealed to the Mumbai court asking to be allowed to bury the terrorists in his private property at Padga, near Mumbai. This is the same property that Saquib and his SIMI friends had used to train themselves and others for the bomb blasts that killed 11 innocent civilians back in 2003.

For now, the courts have rejected Saquib’s claim and there is no word on how or where the dead terrorists will be buried. That is a matter India’s government needs to be very discrete and secretive about. I can guarantee that if the terrorists’ burial location is disclosed, there will be some in India, who will eventually turn it into a martyr memorial. You can safely bet that such a known burial place for these terrorists will eventually become a big and a permanent headache for India for years to come. Nobody needs to know how and where their remains will be buried. Anything else than absolute anonymity and secrecy of their burial sites would be a disaster.

Dec

22

What Antulay wants

December 22, 2008 posted by indiatime | 8 Comments

AR Antulay, India’s minorities affairs minister, recently made a statement injecting new life into a conspiracy theory about the 26/11 attacks, and questioning who had really planned to kill the chief of the Anti-terrorism squad. Since Antulay, a cabinet rank minister hasn’t felt the need to verify his facts before opening his mouth, it is therefore a fair game to guess as to why this 79-year old ruling party loyalist did what he did and what he really wants. Here are some top guesses or conspiracy theories or hidden reasons, depending on your own perspective:

1. Antulay’s age is catching up to him -
Well, Hardly. Antulay made his biggest political mistakes in the prime of his political life. He was only 52 when he was removed for extortion charges. After that infamous scandal, Antulay made a comeback by keeping his head down and survived by staying under the radar for most of last 25 years. What he said last week is not an impulsive blurt but a calculated gambit.

2. Antulay is just helping an old buddy -
Aha. Antulay is a Konkani muslim. And so is India’s most wanted man Dawood Ibrahim. On the surface, this may seem like a far-fetched connection, but in a place like India, where politics and caste are inseparable, such connections are not a stretch. By creating a diversion in India’s parliament, Antulay is easing the pressure off of old buddy Mr. Dawood Ibrahim, who is now able to get away from wherever he has been hiding to a place where he will soon celebrate his birthday on December the 26th.

3. Antulay is upset -
You bet. After firing the home minister Patil and Maharashtra chief minister Deshmukh, the ruling party leadership did not consider this old loyalist’s name for either of those posts. Nor did they (or she, depending on who you consider to be the ruling party leadership) consider him last year while selecting India’s president.

Antulay, a longtime loyalist, a staunch backer of Mrs. Indira Gandhi during the days she found herself to be surprisingly lonely in Indian politics, has been fishing for some important and relevant political rewards ever since. And he had gotten his reward when Mrs. Gandhi gave him the Maharashtra chief ministership back in 1980. But Antulay chewed more than he could digest, was caught extortion-scheming real estate builders, and had to vacate his much-awaited prize position.

Now, 25 years later, Antulay wants another shot at that loyalist reward. He found his opportunity when Shivraj Patil, another Mahaashtra bigwig was fired from the home ministership. Back in 1980, loyalist Antulay’s choice for the CM post was also looked at as a challenge to Maharashtra’s Maratha lobby. In 2008, Antulay expected similar posturing from the supremos of his party. Unfortunately for him, they (or she) thought he was too old, and passed him over or maybe didn’t even consider him.

So of course he’s upset.

4. Antulay is exploring a third front -
By coming out against his own party bosses, Antulay has already won a backing from his party’s disgruntled former coalition partners on the left. Now, all he has to do is garner enough disgruntled votes, get some political venture funding, keep the issue hot for a few more weeks, and Antulay will have a new political party ready to try its muscle in the incoming elections. Unlike the Hindutva-oriented BJP, Indian Muslims currently do not have one party that is dedicated to their demands. Antulay has tapped into a goldmine.

5. Antulay wants to revive his Hutatma Smarak (Martyr Memorial) project -
Back in the early 1980s, Antulay and his party built a modernist-looking Hutatma Smarak building in almost every village in Maharashtra. Antulay wants to revive thatShaheed Smarak (martyr) project once again, and his current act is just an opening act for that soon-to-come drama. And although Antulay himself may not have the clout anymore, the martyrs sure do. Just as they did back then.

6. Antulay wants to go out with a bang -
Who doesn’t? Antulay, at the age of 79, is not going to be a choice for top cabinet posts if his party is back in power after the next elections. So this is his last hurrah. This is his last battle cry. And this is his last chance. He is using the political tool of dissent at a critical time, and even more so at a time when he is sure to get support from at least some fellow politicians, who suddenly find some good ground to stand and a chance to make political gains.

7. Antulay is just having fun -
He may very well be having fun. After the 26/11 attack in his backyard, he hadn’t said much, and was pretty much ignored by most media outlets and pretty much sidelined by party leaders who did not bother to ask him for any guidance. But he was perfectly placed by those same people in a position where he could create ruckus. So he is creating ruckus. And this time, he has nothing to lose.

Dec

21

A stray dog’s life

December 21, 2008 posted by indiatime | 5 Comments

“…To be followed home by a stray dog is a sign of impending wealth….”
- Chinese proverb

Sheru, the aged stray dog, who was hit with a terrorist’s bullet at the CST Railway terminus terrorist attack on 26/11, is said to be getting back on his feet. Immediately after the attack, Sheru was brought to an animal hospital by a news photographer who had lost his own dog the year before. There, under the care of some kindhearted doctors, Sheru the stray dog, who had made the Railway terminus his home, and several pigeons who had made the Taj Hotel building their home, they all have been recovering, slowly but surely just like the life of the humans outside the animal hospital recovers back to normal. “….Sheru’s life stands for something, for all of us (who are) getting back on our feet…”, commented J.C. Khanna, a former head veterinarian with the Indian army.

But Mumbai’s love and affection for Sheru the stray dog, may not last long. Day before, a Mumbai high court ruling cleared the way for execution-style killing of hundreds of thousands of stray dogs that call Mumbai their home. That target list includes stray dogs that cause nuisance, are incurably ill, are mortally wounded or are infected by rabies. The law will come into effect in another six weeks, just in time for Sheru the stray dog to find an owner and save his dog’s life.

In spite of the animal activists’ efforts to create a solution to Mumbai’s stray dog issue, the problem of stray dogs has ballooned into a public health threat, mainly because of the astonishingly huge population of such stray dogs (Metro Mumbai is said to be home close to 400,000 of them), and additionally because of the inadequate efforts by Mumbai’s local health authorities (Only 1500 of almost half a million stray dog population was neutered during the last year).

Mumbai is a city where humans of all ethnicities and animals of all species have usually coexisted in peace, without much friction. Many of those humans and many of those animals can be said to be stray animals. And just as Delhi has its monkeys, Mumbai has its dogs and pigeons. But in another six weeks, the high court and the Mumbai city commissioner may get their wish, and most of those stray dogs will go to dogs’ heaven leaving the dog’s life to the average Mumbaikar who is not too unfamiliar with it.

Dec

20

They are rich, educated, well-respected in society, and have no prior criminal record. The Ansal brothers who were directly and indirectly responsible for the cinemahouse fire deaths of 59 victims, have gotten of easy, thanks to a callous and an insensitive ruling by the Delhi high court, that has further reduced the duo’s already light sentence to merely a few months.

The fire at the Uphaar cinema hall in Delhi killed 59 people in 1997. Ten years later, in 2007, the brothers were found guilty of safety code violations amounting to culpable homicide of 59 innocent moviegoers. The safety code violations included illegal constructions and seat additions that had blocked critical exits. When a movie theater owner adds 40 extra seats, that amounts to several hundred rupees per show and thousands per day. Over a month, that can easily add lakhs of rupees of extra income. But when the law says it cannot be done and people still go ahead and do it, that is greed and gross negligence. When such greed claims 59 lives, that is 59 counts of criminally negligent homicides. How much did the guilty party pay for it? About a year in prison. Why? Because, as the court said, these greedy bastards were well-respected in society. And because they were educated.

So let’s see what the court is saying here. Had the theater owners not been educated, they would be serving more because of their criminal negligence. And had they not been so well-respected by the society, they would be paying more for their crimes. Forgive my intrusion in this warm saga of well-respected people and a well-respected court but I am a little appalled. I would have thought being more educated would have meant their owning up more of the responsibility for their actions. As for the respect issue, I am sick and ashamed of the Delhi society that respects rich greedy bastards and spurns innocent poor people. And I really pity this uneducated judge who I’m sure, has not taken the pains to know how educated the 59 victims were or how well-respected those 59 victims were with their friends and families.

Of course there were other guilty parties such as the Delhi electricity board that neglected its duties, its corrupt officers and safety inspectors who probably accepted bribes from such establishments. The police officers who investigated the case, the CBI officials who probably did a half-hearted job. The judges who seemed to make light of 59 lost lives. And last but not the least, the society that bases its norms of respectability on how deep someone’s pockets are rather than how dark their hearts.

Dec

19

O whistleblower, where art thou?

December 19, 2008 posted by indiatime | 2 Comments

There is news from California that Mark Felt, the whistleblower of the Watergate scandal that broke the back of an infamous US presidency, has died. As the secretive ‘deep throat’, Mark Felt supplied Washington Post correspondents Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein with invaluable insight and inside information that nobody else knew, helping them bring down a corrupt administration back in 1973-74.

Everybody knows or agrees that India is one of the most corrupt nations on the planet. In simplest terms that would mean public officials and public servants elected or selected to serve the public, making personal gains through illegitimate means. In vaguer terms, it might mean any public activity that deviates from the way it is originally supposed to be, according to the rules and regulations set out by law.

Most of the corruption in our public life that we have gotten used to, happens at several levels of the government, spans several bureaucratic layers, and touches multiple parties. And while everyone may not be privy to the actual details of a corrupt process, there have to be many who must be witnessing such things every day.

So my question is where are India’s whistleblowers? How is that we see very little of such people who, like Mark Felt, would direct interested parties to the smoking guns? How is that in the vast ocean of bureaucratic wisdom, there aren’t too many who might venture to spill some dirty secrets out, in the bigger interest of cleaning up the whole mess?

One might argue that it is dangerous to do such things. The murders of patriots like Satyendra Dubey might still be fresh on many minds. At the least, losing jobs and lucrative careers would have to be a potential risk. Plus even if one were not caught blowing the whistle, there’s little personal gain in such disclosures. To hide from danger, one would want to be shrouded in secrecy as Mark Felt successfully did for over 3 decades. Such hiding would also mean foregoing any public praise or acclaim for long periods.

No wonder, although whistleblowing is a courageous and a patriotic thing to do, few have the stomach for it. Still, one is surprised that in a country as large as ours, with a bureaucratic maze as confusing as ours, there aren’t that many who would either openly or secretly, blow the whistle or the dark deeds of the politicians and the public servants who literally steal, stash and steer public money towards personal gains. Our nation would be served well by a few like the late Mark Felt, those who still have the decency and the patriotic spirit that embodies the average citizen, those who still believe in making this country a better place.

There are those who are close to the ministers, the politicians, the IAS & IPS officers, the undersecretaries, the secretaries, maybe their friends and families, the victims, the aiders and abettors, the witnesses, the accomplices, all those who have had the privilege or misfortune (depending on their own perspective) to be in that loop. Why can’t they out what they know, why don’t they reveal what’s hidden in the dark dungeons and labyrinths of our corrupt systems? Like CCTV cameras that record the motions and details of things, such whistleblowers would be our eyes and ears and might already have the answers to so many of our questions.

Dec

18

Victims of stupidity

December 18, 2008 posted by indiatime | 8 Comments

I’m looking at the major headlines of the day

- Pakistan demands India provide Mumbai evidence
- West Asian media critical of India, sympathises with Pak
- No reason to doubt Pakistan’s sincerity: US
- Pakistan calls Mumbai attacks a ’setback’ for peace
- Increased Pak army movement across border

Is it just me or does everyone looking at these headlines get a feeling that it looks like Indian militants stormed some Pakistani city and murdered 200+ innocent people? If I didn’t know better, and if I hadn’t been awake for last 3 weeks, I would have thought it was Pakistan that had been attacked since the news headlines at least made it sound as if Pakistan was indignant about a cowardly attack by Indians in some port city of Pakistan.

So how has Pakistan managed to turn this around?

1. Pakistan has played the victim, tricking the world into thinking that they, too were victims of the recent attacks.

2. Pakistani president Zardari has continually invoked (CNN interview, NY Times article) his wife’s assassination last year, playing the victim

3. Pakistan lobby in the US has successfully diverted and expanded the Mumbai terror attack into a subcontinental terror issue

4. Pakistan’s friends in India have successfully played the moderate card, linking the Mumbai attack to Malegaon attacks and Godhra riots, focusing the attention away from the Mumbai incident

5. Pakistani government has successfully played a magician’s misdirection trick, garnering internal support and sympathy on the excuse of an impending threat from Indian military

6. Indian government successfully blew the issue by losing control of the argument

7. India’s external and defense ministers made stupid statements letting the whole world know that Indian military was not ready for any rapid attack

8. India’s prime minister never expressed enough rage or indignation, pretty much making light of his countrymen’s anger

9. Outgoing US administration kept dictating how they wanted India to react

10. India’s peace, Cricket and Bollywood-loving population wanted to put things behind rather quickly

I am okay with the idea that there can be different ways a country can respond to invasions and attacks. I don’t have a problem with the idea that measured initial response can be followed by immeasurable incineration at a later time. And I would wholeheartedly support a peace initiative with a willing partner provided that nation is honest and truthful about it.

But what I cannot condone is a passive, idiotic posture that signals weakness in the knees, indecisiveness of the heart and banality of the brain. There is no way for a nation to become a superpower if it allows lesser nations to violate its sovereignty and freedom. And not even a thousand shuttles to the moon can make up for a single act of border violation.

I am beginning to think that more than any terror attacks, more than any militant outfits, and more than any border countries, we are first and foremost the victims of our own stupidity. How have we allowed ourselves to be governed by the politicians and the bureaucracy that have sat on their asses a full 3 weeks after the terror attacks? I am just appalled that these people can sleep at night and wake up as if nothing ever happened on 26/11.

And I am just furious at all these people fighting for the legal rights of terrorists while the funeral pyres of the martyrs of 26/11 still burn hot. Don’t get me wrong, I’m for fair justice even for the damnest of devils. But I hope fair justice for the dastardly devils takes a backseat to fair justice for innocent martyrs. It would be a real shame if it doesn’t.

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