CONGRATULATIONS : Dr. Ronki Ram

AS IT COMES

I stared writing in this blog about the contemporary heroes but somehow could not pursue it further due one reason or the other. Today I read the congratulatory message to Dr. Ronki Ram in the Ambedkar Times on some more feathers in the cap of Dr. Ronki Ram. Though I have had no chance to meet Dr. Ronki Ram personally yet I have read about him and his intellectual inputs to the dalits and other related matters which have been received well and appreciated in India and abroad. I join the Ambedkar Times in congratulating Dr. Ronki Ram on getting the Shaheed Bhagat Singh Professorship at the Political Science Department of the Punjab University and the Head of the Chair of Contemporary Indian Studies of the Indian Council of Cultural Relations (ICCR) - a cultural and educational arm of the Ministry of External affairs (MEA) ( not long before I was a humble cadre of the MEA) at the prestigious Leident University of the Netherlands. I wish Dr. Ronki Ram all success and prosperity at his new assignments in the years to come.

I tried my hand at the Google search to know something more about Dr. Ronki Ram but could not succeed. I know from my basic information and knowledge that Dr. Ronki Ram is one of the worthy alumni of the Jawaharlal University for his doctorate. He remained a fellow at the prestigious Upsala University in Sweden in 1993 for a Diploma in Conflict Resolution ( I myself was posted in Embassy of India Stockholm from 1991 to 94 and visited the Upsala University a number of times but did not meet Dr. Ronki Ram). Currently, Dr. Ronki Ram is the Head of the Department of Political Science of the Punjab University, Chandigarh which is the proud Alma mata of Dr. Ram for his Masters degree.

As regards his positive contribution to the community and the country, he has done a seminal work on the matters related to the dalits, Dera Sachkhand Balan of Jalandhar, Babu Mangoo Ram of the Ad-dharam movement and Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, the founding father of the Indian constitution and the saviour of the dalits. The dalits and the community at large particularly the intellectual segments of the educational faculty shall be grateful and appreciative of Dr. Ronki Ram.

QUOTE & UNQUOTE

Without Comments

For the benefit of proponents of Merit with regard to social empowerment and affirmative action in India :

Quote
The world's second-fastest growing economy does not have an educational institute in the top 200 global list this year.

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay -- the only Indian varsity that found itself in the Top 200 Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings in 2010 at the number 187 spot -- dropped 38 places to 225. Similarly, IIT Delhi fell to number 218 from 202 in 2010 and IIT Madras dropped to 281 from last year's 262.

The rankings by QS, a leading networking organisation in higher education, are based on employer reputation, academic reputation and research quality.
Unquote
( a news item in the Rediff.com of September 9)

For the benefit of the Aam-Adami to jugde their elected representatives:
Quote
As the 26-day session ended, Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha both reported considerable loss of time to disruptions. Question Hour, the sole instrument that ensures government accountability, remained the biggest casualty as only 1.96 questions could be answered a day against the 19.2 listed in Lok Sabha.

As the Opposition disallowed work targeting the government for corruption, Lokpal issue, Gujarat Governor’s interference in Lokayukta’s appointment and cash-for-vote scam, Lok Sabha lost 45 pc of its scheduled time working for 77 hours out of the listed 138. Rajya Sabha lost 44 pc (57 hours) of time.

On the past lines, Question Hour was the hardest hit and not taken up in Lok Sabha on 16 days. Out of 500 listed questions, only 51 were answered by ministers; that’s 1.96 answers a day. Question Hour performance of this eighth session of 15th Lok Sabha was among the three worst since 2009 - preceded by the sixth session (winter session consumed by 2G Spectrum scam) in which 0.2 questions a day were answered and fifth session in which 1.76 queries were daily answered.

In the Upper House, too, only 65 out of 500 listed queries were answered. That explained Chairman Hamid Ansari’ valedictory address, “It being the monsoon session, the House has lived up to its appellation with stormy proceedings and many matters of public importance remained unattended. This is a sad commentary on the duty of the Members …and calls for introspection.” In Lok Sabha, Speaker Meira Kumar returned the sentiment saying, “I’m sure members are committed to check this tendency...”
Unquote

(a news item in the Times of India on September 9)

MERIT Vs OPPORTUNITY

Some Random thoughts


It has been often observed that, with reference to reservation and other related issues of empowerment of the socially weaker sections of the society, an argument of due weightage to merit is given. Yes, to my mind, merit shall be recognized and rewarded. But merit gets meaning only when the level playing ground is available to all. Otherwise the merit remains a one sided attribute. The purpose of this write up is not to dwell on the issue of merit but to indicate the findings of a cursory case study in which it has been found that merit and opportunity are co-related. We Indians, particularly those of us who talk of merit, should think that how many Nobel Prizes and how many inventions and patents, our fellow Indians living in India, have bagged over the years? The so called merit suddenly disappears in the international arena.

The case in study is the game of cricket in India and the dalits. The population of the SCs & STs in India comes to around 25 % of the 1.2 billion of India’s total. The SCs alone are more than 166 million. How many dalits could make to the national level in cricket which is the most popular game in India? I tried to check the information. The Wikipedia mentioned about Patwankar Baloo and Shivram brothers of Gujrat in the early twenties century. Vinod Kambli made it the national and international level in the contemporary times. My knowledge and information is limited in this regard. I could un-surface two more names from the dalits of Punjab in the field of class one cricket in India. Amarjit Kaypee is a recognized and acclaimed player of the 90s. But could not make it to the national level. Chander Kanta Ahir (now Kaul) is yet another player who could make it to the top and captained the Indian Women Team in the international games more than once. It is just chance and I am proud of the fact that I happen know families of both Amarjit and Chander Kanta. Amarjit is the brother of Mohinder Singh Kaypee, Member of Parliament representing Jalandhar in the Lok Sabha and son of Darshan Singh Kaypee, a popular politician. Chander Kanta is the worthy daughter of my old acquaintances Harbans, her father, who himself was athlete of standing and her grandfather Munshi Ram who was a contemporary and fellow small businessman of my father and grandfather in Bootan Mandi, a famous leather market of Jalandhar. India is a big country and 25% of the people generally should have a good share in the things Indian. But, unfortunately, it is not so as we harp on lop-sided merit rather than equal opportunity and empowerment of the weaker sections.

Let me elaborate it further as to what is equation between merit and opportunity. Of late, many of the socially backward dalits of India have gone to developed countries of Europe and the USA etc. I think they really made a dent in improving their lot as they get fair deal and opportunity. I don’t have detailed information on the subject. But I have information and knowledge of some of the young people of my immediate family who have excelled in the game of cricket which was not possible in India given their social and economic background. Satish Kaul son of my wife Vidya’s brother Hussan Lal in Vienna (Austria) was born in India in village Nawan Pind near Nakodar. He went to Vienna to join his father about ten years before. He is, by now, one of the leading player in the Austrian national cricket team as an all-rounder. Satish had interest in the game even in India but there was no fair opportunity. Only the opportunity has brought out merit in him. Deepak Samra is the son of my sister Maya in Vienna again. He also plays cricket with distinction in various Austrian clubs. He was also born and brought up in Talwan and Deol Nagar in Jalandhar in his initial years before joining his father Manohar Lal about a decade ago. Yet another up-coming youngman is Sukhy Hira son -in –law of my wife’s brother Hussan Lal in Vienna. Sukhy also plays for well-appointed cricket clubs in Vienna. All the three of them are close friends with each other. I wish they come and play in India with their Indian counterparts and demonstrate that given the opportunity merit could be attained. There is enough to learn.


अपना मुकद्दर आप बनाते हैं अहले दिल;
हम वोह नहीं जीने जमाना बना गया !

THE GAME CHANGERS

The first phase of Anna's Movement against corruption and for the stronger and effective Jan Lokpal is over. It was a success in bringing the issues involved into focus. It was a great satisfaction that the agitation which had a pan-India appeal was peaceful. The Government and the Parliament was made to take a due note of it and act accordingly. The media, to my mind, did not have much else to do and went over board in projecting the Movement where as this important organ of the system was expected to do its job with more objectivity and unbiasedly. Nevertheless, democracy is a process which shall continue. I would like to comment on, in the process, a development which has been termed as a " Game Changer ."

General Secretary of the Congress Party, Rahul Gandhi made a statement in the Lok Sabha on August 26 on the issues of corruption and the Lokpal with reference to Anna's agitation. Rahul Gandhi did not speak on the subject before his statement in the Lok Sabha, in spite of the fact that the Government led by his Party was finding itself in a tight corner in dealing with the Anna's Movement. The crux of his statement was centred on something new which did not find mention in the controversy or debate so far. Rahul Gandhi said "Madam Speaker, why not elevate the debate and fortify the Lok Pal by making it a Constitutional body accountable to Parliament like the Election Commission of India." It is not a bad idea but why did Rahul Gandhi thought that he should say something new and out of the blue ? Outside the Parliament after his speech, Rahul himself termed the speech a " Game Changer". Let us see that how far it goes ?

There was yet said to be another " Game Changer " act on the late evening of August 26. It was by a prominent member of the Team Anna, Kiran Bedi. While speaking from the Manch of the Ramlila Maidan, Kiran Bedi all of a sudden became hyper. She grabbed a scarf ( Gamsha) of a volunteer on the stage and started ridiculing the politicians by mimicking a veiled ( Ghoonghat) lady. She accused politicians of wearing "several masks.' When questioned on the purpose of such an action by a responsible member of the Anna Team and the so called civil society, She also termed it as a " Game Changer." She also claimed that her act got the attention of the opposition leaders, particularly of the BJP, and helped resolve the impasse between Anna Hazare and the Government on the issue of Jan Lokpal. Let us see that how many ' Game Changers' come on the way.

I was not very clear on the exact meaning of the " Game Changer " myself. The inter-net search gave me the following definition of a ' Game Change " A person who is a visionary ". The Investopedia further explained:

1. A game changer has new and different ideas that stand out from the crowd. This person has an idea that completely changes the way a situation develops. Companies employ this tactic to create ideas or events that change the outcome of a plan.
2. A visionary strategist uses creative innovation to alter their business plans, or conceives an entirely new plan by exploring new locations and different products.

I would rather leave it here with the hope that Om Puri, a renowned actor and Swami Agnivesh, the erstwhile member of the Anna Team may also not claim to be ' Game Changers 'in the forthcoming scenario.

TAIL-PIECE

'Who can say how the people of India and their political parties will behave? A bad constitution can work well, if the people involved are good, and a good constitution will turn out to be bad if the people working on it are bad '

(An excerpt of the concluding speech B R Ambedkar delivered as Chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee on the floor of the Constituent Assembly on November 26, 1949).

THE ANNA MOVEMENT & BABASAHEB AMBEDKAR

CONGRATULATIONS INDIA - ENJOY THE DANCE OF DEMOCRACY

I have been writing about Anna Hazare's movement against corruption in this blog. In my earlier blogs I also quoted extensively from the father of the Indian constitution Dr. B.R. Ambedkar and also mentioned about the dalits and the Movement. Let me continue on the same note as I feel that the entire media and the intelligentsia have been discussing Anna Hazare's crusade against corruption extensively for the benefit of the public. But, unfortunately, the debate is not necessarily unbiased or objective

First of all, Anna Hazare and his team deserve congratulations for winning a decisive battle in the war against corruption. I had already termed the Movement as a ' Refreshing in put ' in my earlier blog. We are to move ahead as Anna Hazare himself has said that it was a half victory.

It is also a day of victory for the dalits of this country, to my mind. It is a hidden victory. It has become clear again that dalits and Babasaheb Ambedkar will remain a factor in the future of India. Anna Hazare and his team of the civil society did not consider the dalits as part of the public opinion against corruption. They also did not consider the wisdom and contribution of Dr. Ambedkar in establishing the constitutional democracy in India a relevant input in Movement. Arvind Kejriwal did mention once that the Lokpal Bill introduced by the Government in the Parliament was ' anti poor and anti dalit ' but no other member of the Anna Team or Anna Hazare himself mentioned about the dalits and Dr. Ambedkar during 12-13 days of agitation from the Ramlila Maidan. Some media channels invited some of the experts on dalit matters like Chandra Bhan Prasad, Udit Raj, Vivek Kumar, Kanchan Eliah and others to the various talks. They did their best to flag the role and relevence of dalits in the movement against corruption and also that of Dr. Ambedkar in the constitutional set up of the country. The slogans like ' Reservation is corruption ' at the public rallies contributed to the misgivings in the minds of the vast majority of dalits. As the movement climaxed on August 26-27 in the Parliament and other fora, the relevance of dalits and Dr. Ambedkar dawned on the players and stake holders in this important national event. That is the victory I am talking about.

It all began firmly with the statement of Chief Minister of UP Mayawati on August 25-26. She asserted that their party BSP would support the Lokpal Bill or any other legislation under the constitutional provisions of the established procedure and the constitution. The tone and message were clear that she felt that dalits were being sidelined and there was a subtle move to bypass the spirit of the constitution. I followed the debate on the demands of Anna Hazare in the Lok Sabha on August 27 with interest. It was an interesting debate. The statements of the Leader of the House Pranab Mukerjee and that of the Leader of the Opposition were focused on the crux of the matter that is the demands of Anna Hazare and his fast unto death. But the others speeches of the speakers of various political parties pointed to the ground realities. Revti Raman Singh of SP said that the dalits and OBCs and also minorities shall get due representation in the bodies and fora of the Lokpal establishment. Dara Singh Chouhan of BSP reiterated the stand of Maywati on the constitutional norms so laboriously stipulaed by Dr. Ambedkar and made it clear that the dalits were definitely interested stake holders in these matters. Sharad Yadav was forthright in pointing out that Anna Hazare remembered Shivaji but forgot Joytiba Phule and Ambedkar in the run upto the movement against corruption. The RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav also referred to Dr. Ambedkar and pleaded for association of dalits and minorities with the process. The young congress leader Scindia also referred to Ambedkar in his spirited speech. The other day Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi referring to Anna's movement obliquely mentioned about the dangers ( I think he referred to the issue of Reservation and dalit empowerment) said " Today the proposed law is against corruption. Tomorrow the target may be something less universally heralded. It may attack the plurality of our society and democracy. India's biggest achievement is our democratic system. It is the life force of our nation. " All this clearly brought out the relevance of dalits and Dr. Ambedkar in the years to come.

The poetic assertion ' कुफ्फर टुटा खुदा खुदा करके ' came alive in the excitement of the morning of August 28 before Anna Hazare called off his fast. Arvind Kejriwal recognised that the dalits were not happy with Anna's movement against corruption. He refuted such impressions and mentioned Dr. Ambedkar and the constitution several times in his speech and said that they were not against the Constitution and added that they respected the Constitution and its architect B R Ambedkar. "We salute B R Ambedkar," Kejriwal said. Anna Hazare's fast was broken in a dramatic way. Two small girls Simran, a dalit and Ikrah, muslim did the honours by offering a glass of juice and honey to the beaming Anna Hazare. The gesture of the Anna Team reached home the obvious message - ' देर आए दरुस्त आए '. How would Anna Hazare mend the tone and tenor of the movement so far. Breaking his inhibitions, Anna said "This movement has created a faith that the country can be rid of corruption and we can go ahead with implementing laws and the Constitution made by Dr B R Ambedkar." The circle was complete. We salute Anna Hazare and support his Movement against corruption with the hope that he would lead a similar public uprising against the ' social corruption of caste and inequality ' from which the dalits of this great country are suffering. I conclude this with a couplet of Dr. Iqbal:


आ गैरिअत के परदे इक बार फिर उठा दें;
बिश्डों को फिर मिला दें नक्शे दुई मिटा दें !

ANNA HAZARE – A REFRESHING INPUT

AS I FEEL IT

Today’s headlines in the various media organs read – ‘ Anna Arrests Government ‘ - ‘ Anna Marches and Government Crawls ‘. I wrote in this blog about Anna Hazare’s agitation against corruption and the related issues. The situation and the ground realities have changed fast and are taking a new turn which has been reported by the media in flowery and poetic headlines. It is not an ordinary development in the national landscape of India. Though I have full faith in the constitutional set up of India and I have supported the constitutional means to affect any change to meet the new challenges yet Anna Hazare’s role and actions have provided some fresh inputs which may not be ignored. It is clear that Anna Hazare is, as of now, a potent force which has an ample and unstinted public support. The issue of corruption is important and the public upsurge in support of Anna Hazare and the Civil Society is a clear manifestation that the scourge of corruption needs to be addressed at a war footing. It is a matter of satisfaction that the constitutional machinery is still working and it shall remain so, if India has to survive. Some of the points which come to my mind and shall not be lost sight of are:

i) It is gratifying to note that the public uprising in support of the issue of corruption taken up by Anna Hazare and his associates is spontaneous and peaceful. It is not a small development. The credit goes to Anna Hazare and the Indian public. It is one of the most noteworthy inputs of the movement of Anna Hazare.
ii) The movement against corruption is wide spread in the breath and length of the county. It is so far is not marked by any political color generally. The movement is not sectarian and caste oriented luckily though Arvind Kejriwal in the initial stages termed the Lokpal Bill as anti-dalit and anti-poor. It is satisfying to observe that Kejriwal’s line of thinking did not find any mention later.
iii) The movement is no more an agitation alone. It has been supported by the wide spectrum of political establishment and parties as far as the issue of corruption and the mechanism to handle it is concerned. There may be differences in the means to achieve the goals but there is full convergence on the ends. The spiritual and moral Gurus like Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Baba Ramdev, who enjoy a consider clout and following in the general public have supported and stood by Anna Hazare.
iv) Media appears to be enjoying the festival of democracy spear headed by Anna Hazare. We all know that media has an important role to play not only in informing the public of the state of affairs as correctly and faithfully as possible but also in molding the public opinion to conform to the constitutional and desired needs in the larger interests of the country.

All said, let me come to yet another aspect which is equally important. There are no two opinions that the issue of corruption needs urgent and tight handling. Anna Hazare and the Civil Society along with the Government, the Parliament and the other political players are seized of the matter. Anna Hazare and his associates intend to have a tough legal framework as against the so called soft approach of the Government. The agitation and movement of Anna Hazare has proved and demonstrated its strength in the form of peaceful public upsurge in the country. The Government has been made to relent and listen to the public demand. The forces of democracy are at work. Anna Hazare shall be mindful of the practical and constitutional requirements to deal with the issue. PM Manmohan Singh recognized the demands of Anna Hazare in the Parliament on August 17 and said “I acknowledge that Shri Anna Hazare may be inspired by high ideals in his campaign to set up a strong and effective Lok Pal. However, the path that he has chosen to impose his draft of a Bill upon Parliament is totally misconceived and fraught with grave consequences for our Parliamentary democracy “. Anna Hazare, to my mind, has made his point from the Tihar Jail. Ramlila Maidan shall send positive messages to the masses that we mean business in cooperation with the Government and in accordance with the constitution of India. It would not be good to further erode the authority of the duly elected and established Government. Anna Hazare and the public at large while celebrating the victory shall feel contented as their voice has made all the difference as, in the poetic words of Dr. Iqbal, the message is in the air and the Government cannot be oblivious of this:

उडाए कुछ बर्क लाला ने कुछ नर्गिस ने कुछ गुल ने,
चमन में हर तरफ बिखरी हुई है दास्ताँ मेरी !
उड़ाई कुछ कुमरिओं ने तुतिओं ने अन्द्लिवों ने,
चमन वालों ने मिल के लूट ली तर्ज़े फुग्हन मेरी !

THE FESTIVAL of RAKHI

It was Rakhi on August 13, 2011. It is a solemn festival dedicated to love and regard among brothers and sisters and all round harmony in the society.

We observed the festival of Rakhi with gusto and spirit in my younger days back home in Jalandhar. I moved to Delhi in the pursuit of my career in the Indian Foreign Service in early 1970. My sister Kamla also came to Delhi in 1973 to take up a job and later married to Kumar in 1977 and settled in Delhi itself. Till then the Rakhi festival was celebrated in the family as usual. My other sisters in Jalandhar sent the Rakhis through post occasionally. I started moving abroad in the process of my diplomatic assignments in 1977. The intensity and the spirit of Rakhi diminished over the years. The social norms, I think, also underwent change in view of the growing commercialization and economic considerations. On my side, I also did not have a ritualistic orientation. My other sisters, in the meanwhile, also got married and settled in life. The Rakhi was pushed to the back seat. We all got bogged down. We were engaged to the nitty gritty of life, in the process of earning our bread and butter and taking care of our families. The festival of Rakhi got confined to telephonic or electronic greetings, unconsciously or otherwise... Perhaps, it is the fact of life. We all got busy in our way.
I came back to India on retirement in January, 2011 after a long career during which we remained outside the country most of the years. The first Rakhi fell on August 13. My brothers politely, directly or indirectly, tended to sound me that it would be in order if we pay some attention to these social requirements and take the initiative to start and imbibe the spirit of Rakhi. It was good of them to help us in integrating ourselves with the family after our return to India. I with my wife Vidya, frankly, did not have any specific views, different from the routine, on all these matters. So far so good.
We are staying in our small flat in Gurgaon. We expected that Kamla, who lives in Delhi, would come and visit us on the Rakhi. Still just to ensure and take the initiative to revive the spirit of Rakhi, we spoke to her and invited her to come on the auspicious occasion. She said obviously she was planning to come. It made us happy. Accordingly, Kamla and Kumar came in the morning itself to avoid the usual rush and traffic jams. It was a great revival of the fine tradition of Rakhi in my family. My daughter Vaishali along with her husband JP also came, after synchronizing with Kamla Bhua, to tie Rakhi to her brother Rupesh and Sulekha, with whom we live. It was a good family get-together. We felt good. The spirit of Rakhi prevailed. I sent Rakhi greetings through e-mail to my other three sisters with the hope that the spirit of love and regard for each other will remain and prevail. Here lies the crux of happiness. I found with a sense of satisfaction that this wonderful festival of Rakhi is celebrated and rightly so with good spirit and gaiety throughout the country. Let me quote a poet to convey the spirit of Rakhi.
jaati dharm nahi vyavdhaan,
jaisi dharati khula aasmaan,
dhoop-chandani sa barse pyaar,
aaya rakhi ka tyohaar.