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Sunday,
August 4, 2002, Chandigarh, India   |
GUEST COLUMN A POINT OF VIEW |
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KASHMIR DIARY Doctor’s return an eye-opener David Devadas Dr Sushil Razdan was an outstanding professor of neurology at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences even before he was 40. However, he moved to Jammu with his family in 1990, when Hindus were being killed at random in Kashmir. The family returned to their native valley last month and the way the doctor was received was an eye-opener.
He ‘fixed’ VVIPs with his sketch pen
Bhajan Lal bounces back to centrestage
No frills or hypocrisy at Rosalind memorial lecture
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GUEST COLUMN GEN. Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State with his long experience in the armed forces said, “No war on the face of the world is more destructive than the AIDS pandemic. I was a soldier. I know of no enemy in war more insidious or vicious than AIDS, an enemy that poses a clear and present danger to the world. The war against AIDS has no front lines. We must wage it on every front...” The letter gave staggering data: “while 20 million of its victims the world over had already died, nearly 3 million more would reach the morgues this year”. This includes nearly four million discovered cases in India but our morbid indifference to the plight of victims is perhaps a part of our social attitude. I was in two minds about my response to the invitation till I learnt that Mandela, despite his poor health and age, had decided to undertake the hazardous journey to stir world’s conscience. The leaders’ meeting was appraised by the Presidents and Prime Minster of the Sub-Sahara and the Caribbean countries how desperately they were fighting this battle since the pandemic has hit them the hardest. Experts in the Conference believed AIDS will kill one in four adults. Mandela, as usual, was forthright in saying that terrorism may have killed many but 70 per cent deaths are caused by the AIDS. Clinton promised to lend his energies to mobilise funds to get needed 10 billion dollars annually. The Conference emphatically pleaded that the victims particularly the children should not be out-casted or stigmatised particularly when the disease is not infectious. A few women and children from various parts of the world narrated to audience the tormenting tales of social callousness and their brave fights. I cited to them the example of Mahatma Gandhi who despite his pre-occupations with the freedom struggle, had roused public consciousness regarding the victims of leprosy by visiting huts and shanties to dress their wounds with his own hands. He had said, “Leprosy work is not merely medical relief. It is transforming the frustration in life into the joy of dedication, personal ambition into selfless service. If you can transform the life of a leprosy patient or change his values of life, you can change the village and the country...” The victims of AIDS/HIV the world over are now seeking a similar response from the social and political leaders. I urged the world leaders to exert their influence to make the WTO revise the rigors of the TRIPs since millions of people are affected by this epidemic. The HIV/AIDs should be declared as health emergency in every country that will enable the local manufacturers to get ‘compulsory license’ under Article 31 of the TRIPs agreement. The WTO should be made to remove the stipulated restrictions on export of these drugs to the countries that are not capable of producing them. Because of the financial constraints, only a very small percentage of the patients are presently covered by the WHO sponsored programmes. The world organisations should also create a chest to encourage and finance research for discovery of preventive vaccines. HIV infection has not yet reached epidemic proportions in our country, providing us a window of opportunity that requires committed political and social support to combat it. Keeping in mind that the AIDS/HIV does not respect national boundaries, it is important for the SAARC countries to co-operate in this battle. The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), Washington has sounded the ball of alarm when it says that the first wave of the pandemic has hit Eastern and Southern Africa; the second wave threatens India, China, Russia, Ethiopia and Nigeria. In a similar vein the International Crisis Group report says that “while the AIDS does not cause wars, its fallout have far-reaching effects on a nation’s security. If , as is already happening in some countries, 15 to 20 per cent of adults become fatally ill, gains in health, longevity and infant mortality are wiped out. Agricultural production and food supply become tenuous; families and communities break apart; and surviving young people cease to have a viable future. Divisions among ethnic and social groups may be exacerbated. Economic migration and refugee seekers increase”. The writer is former Prime Minister of India. |
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A POINT OF VIEW AN attempt may be made to group the multiplicity of causes of exodus of people and refugee problems of today. The reasons for people fleeing from their countries are political, ethnic, religious and cultural differences, dissensions and disputes, leading to persecution of citizens. Economic and socio-economic discrimination on racial bias also contributes to a refugee "psychology". Taken together, within democracies and dictatorial regimes, the refugee problem is assuming colossal proportions now. On a conservative, unverified estimate there are probably 1 to 1.5 per cent of total population of the world which works out to about 50-75 million bona fide refugees who need sympathy, understanding and goodwill from the host countries. Together this group or refugees, due to a complex mental unease caused by oppression in a subtle or blatant manner on grounds of political dissidence, ethnic differences, religious and cultural diversity, form the largest group of people seeking protection and understanding outside their own countries. In developed and affluent countries as well, social discrimination is not unknown as bureaucrats who should serve people and subserve interests of all — minorities not merely communities — often behave like "masters" carrying out the orders of their political bosses. These assumptions bring us to the current inequitable, unequal economic world order, usually described in sophisticated jargon as "economic disparity" which has widened during the last 50 years. If there is to be "one world", exploitation of people within or outside a country must cease. What right, for instance, has a rich country with mineral or human resources, to "import" people from other countries to do their "dirty work" and then throw them out? Such an attitude is akin to serfdom, though perhaps for a limited period of time. The developing countries are the real "culprits". They initially welcome "refugees" and then mistreat them, the immigration personnel often regarding them as potential criminals. What are the remedies for the problem of refugees? It will be readily conceded by historians of human civilisation that exodus of people cannot be stopped, if only because we have to reach a "diaspora" for all, not only for one race, community or ethnic group, coloured or white they be. In the 19th century, before World War I there were no political or social barriers, no passports, no visas, no unwelcome or unwanted visitors. Only physical or natural hazards existed to deter "refugees" and, in the process, hamper cross-fertilisation or cultures which enriches the human race. To limit or hinder migration in a world of today is racism and economic deprivation of the people who suffer from natural or man-made disasters. The remedy is to train immigration officials, give them lessons in courtesy, make them understand that those who come as "refugees" must be received with sympathy and understanding and, if necessary, encouraged to acclimatise themselves or appreciate new ways of life. Such immigration officialdom should study cultural patterns of life or should be drawn from all major ethnic groups of the world. Generous funding agencies should also be organised to assist refugees and guide them from social welfare to lucrative work. All human beings have rights and privileges as well as duties and responsibilities. Universal rights do not imply a superior "complex" to people of super or great powers of the world. Unless all this is clearly understood "refugee" mania and persecution of people will continue. Finally, accumulation of capital represents frozen or surplus labour and if foreign investment is permitted in developing countries, it should be commensurate with "import" of labour to balance it. Mobility of labour and capital are inseparable movements towards an equitable world order. It is only in this context that the refugee problem can be progressively resolved for a better world of tomorrow. The writer, a retired diplomat, is former Chief Editor, Indian and Foreign Review, New Delhi. |
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KASHMIR DIARY Dr Sushil Razdan was an outstanding professor of neurology at Srinagar’s Sher-e-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences even before he was 40. However, he moved to Jammu with his family in 1990, when Hindus were being killed at random in Kashmir. The family returned to their native valley last month and the way the doctor was received was an eye-opener. It graphically revealed the Kashmiri tendency to flock to anyone reputed for healing or solving problems, oblivious to that healer’s religious affiliation. It can be watched every day at a hundred sufi shrines dotted across the valley, most of them the graves of pirs or mystic healers. Women and men alike travel far to tie a minnat or request thread to the wooden screens that often surround such shrines, carried there by faith that their prayers will be answered, their problems solved, their ailments cured. Wherever he went, Dr Razdan was mobbed by the relatives of patients in search of his legendary medical skills. Oblivious to the dangers of commuting after dark in violence-wracked Kashmir, they turned up in droves at the village 30 km from the city where he stayed with Muslim friends. On the day he was to return to Jammu, his hosts woke to find their garden full of people, the flower beds trampled. While driving to the Sonamarg resort the previous day, they had been flagged by a taxi chasing them. Its passengers pleaded for the doctor to see their relative right there on the highway. They had searched half the valley for him, they said. Then, in the meadows beside the Sonamarg glacier, he treated malnourished Gujjar herdsmen. When they returned that evening, he and his hosts found it difficult to get to the house. The road outside was clogged with cars carrying patients. The faith of all these Kashmiris evidently had power. Within two days of taking his prescription for a nervous disorder, the owner of a renowned local hotel was cured of what had appeared to be a psychiatric problem. Another patient too recovered from an ailment, after the doctor just increased the dosage of the drug he was already taking. The lower dosage had made no impact at all, he said. Another two at least said they were cured after Dr Razdan simply stopped their medication. He advised two other patients who had been brought from hospital wards where they had been awaiting surgery to take a different course of medication instead of submitting to the scalpel. Kashmir’s tradition of honouring mystic pirs was reflected in its treatment of this other sort of healer. Wherever he went, the doctor and his family were invited for a meal, or to stay. Many were the Muslims who asked him to return to the valley and “stay with us”. Others, often older women, earnestly asked him when the current troubles would end as if the doctor could cure the region’s political ailments too. The affection they demonstrated ran on a two-way street. Without charging a paisa, Dr Razdan too showed an almost religious zeal in coping with the throngs of supplicants. He skipped dinner to meet patients until 1.30 am on his last night in the valley and then rose at dawn to meet more after just a cup of tea. Kashmir’s tendency towards devoted faith, Dr Razdan’s experience on his native soil also demonstrated that Pandits (as Kashmiri Hindus generally call themselves) are still held in the highest esteem by Kashmiri Muslims. Pandits have always excelled in academics and in various professions. Ironically, their brilliance contributed to their becoming targets of violence. An undercurrent of resentment had developed over the decades, particularly among younger Muslims, concerning the disproportionately high academic and recruitment scores of Pandit candidates. In 1990, some of them were forced to flee the valley after threats from militants. The fabric of Kashmiriyat, notwithstanding religion, still holds strong. Muslim teenagers mobbed Dr Razdan at the Tyndale Biscoe school, his Alma Mater. They were not only celebrating the return of an outstanding alumnus but the son of Sat Lal Razdan, who was recognised two years ago by the mission that runs that school as the “teacher of the millennium”. |
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REFORMING THE SYSTEM
Mr V.I.K. Sharma’s article ‘How to restore PPSC's lost image and credibility?’ (July 7) makes thoughtful and interesting reading. I remember Mr J.S. Basui, a former IAS officer, was the most honest chairman of the PPSC. He was widely known for probity and rectitude. No politician could have approached and bribed him. We need persons like him for the PPSC to stem the rot and restore its lost pride and credibility.
Ravi Sidhu has given a very bad name to Punjab. Mr Parkash Singh Badal and his team are equally to be blamed. Let the law give the severest punishment to those found guilty in the PPSC scam so that in future no body dares to repeat Sidhu's misdeeds. To clean up the mess, let the present government select men of integrity for the PPSC. We have not yet lost hope and still honest persons of high calibre are alive. We also have retired men of high integrity — judges and IAS officers. Let us select good people from every corner of the country. The present government can do it with a political will. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh should lead us and help stem the rot in the PPSC.
BAKSHISH SINGH ARORA Why PSC at all? I have been closely following the debate on reforming the PPSC in these columns in response to Mr V.I.K. Sharma's article. Is there any real need for Public Service Commissions in the states at all? For, departments can recruit staff to fill in vacancies. For example, the Health department can recruit doctors, Education department teachers and so on. If all the officers and employees are recruited by the PSC, the selection process becomes time-consuming and expensive. Hence, the PSCs should be abolished and the departments concerned recruit the required staff. Dr
RAJESH GUPTA Evolve guidelines We should evolve better methods of selecting people purely on one’s merit and distinction. Those who get through the test paying hefty bribes can never be honest and we cannot expect efficiency from them. During their respective tenures, these corrupt recruits will only be interested to find various ways and means to recover the money they had given to get selected. This is a pernicious trend. The very edifice of democracy will crumble, if corruption is not checked forthwith. There should be no marks for interview and valuation and other related works should be computerised. Our experts should sit together and evolve suitable guidelines to select right people for government jobs. The system of results too should be computerised. There could be 10-12 cadres. The PPSC should evolve the right method to select right people for departments, boards, corporations, local bodies etc. DALIP
SINGH WASAN Apt suggestion Even though Captain Amrinder Singh, the Chief Minister of Punjab, is doing a wonderful job in curbing corruption, more serious steps will have to be taken for restoring the lost credibility of the Punjab Public Service Commission. Mr V.I.K. Sharma has aptly suggested a separate autonomous examination cell, completely detached from the PPSC's sphere of influence. A direct recruit IAS officer from the South may be made PPSC Secretary. Local examiners should not be involved in the evaluation of answersheets. Sack all thoseworking with Ravi Sidhu. SUBASH
C. TANEJA Get to the roots As the PPSC members indulge in corrupt practices usually while awarding marks in the interview, the marking system in the interview needs to be abolished. Only men of high integrity, probity and rectitude should be appointed as members without political or other extraneous considerations. The Punjab government should be congratulated for having appointed a retired Lieut-General to the PPSC. Retired Army people are straight-forward and difficult to be approached by corrupt people. Also, the suggestion for appointment of non-Punjabi IAS officers from outside Punjab and its neighbouring states merits a fair trial. HARKULDIP
SINGH BHATIA Of merit & dollars I would like to refer to another problem — merit versus dollars. If our Constitution permits jobs on the basis of caste, sex, area of residence (border or rural or backward), then, what is wrong with allotment of jobs on the basis of financial status? As dollars are greeted with open arms and NRI quota allowed for admission to engineering and medicine courses, merit has become the worst casualty. If admission to these courses by paying huge dollars is okay, call it NRI or any other quota, how is it wrong if somebody pays hefty amounts to enter government service? The need of the hour is to give absolute weightage to merit, right from admission to appointment and promotion. Only then our country can dream of becoming a superpower. Universities and colleges should be asked to look to other means of income. Dr
TEJBIR SINGH SANDHU Reduce their term Prolonged stay of an officer breeds familiarity and closer contacts. Therefore the terms of the PPSC Chairman and members should be reduced by half. A young IAS officer as Secretary, Examination Cell, is desirable, but he should not be from the northern states. Otherwise, Punjabis will influence him and it will be back to square one. Dr
B.S. CHEEMA Human factor Human factor plays a crucial role in the functioning of an institution. It can make or mar its reputation. Our Constitution prescribes no qualifications for PSC members. Consequently, it becomes incumbent on the appointing authority to select persons of repute, Punjabi or non-Punjabis, and also lay down a procedure to ascertain whether they are performing their duty properly. Once the seniors set an example of good governance, junior officers will, certainly, follow suit. What is needed at this juncture need an honest and conscientious workforce in the PPSC, and strict enforcement of the cult of ‘meritocracy’ in the matter of appointments made by the PPSC. B.S.
SAINI
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He ‘fixed’ VVIPs with his sketch pen
He did his last sketch (of Shankersinh Vaghela) for my column- “Profile”- published in the Sunday edition (July 28) of The Tribune before leaving for Bangalore not knowing what fate beckoned him. He died the same morning (Sunday) as he was sipping his morning cup of coffee at his brother’s house. “It was, as if, a switch was put off”, his brother told me on phone as I called him from Delhi. “Ranga was here last night; jovial as usual”, he told me, adding, next morning as he was sipping his morning cup of coffee, his head slumped to one side and he was no more. Ranga had done cartoons for the “Profile” column for several years and there was hardly a break. He would start calling me from Tuesday night itself: “Harihar ( he would always call me by my first name) what you have thought this week” and would go on pestering me. I had my own constraints; I had to discuss the subject of next week with the Editor; a hard task master, and seek his approval. Once the subject was decided, Ranga was just superb; took minutes to produce a first-rate cartoon with the idea given to him. So conscious was he about his sketches that if he would not get his copy of The Tribune on Sunday mornings, he would call me before I get out of my bed and his oft-repeated query was: “Harihar, have you got The Tribune. How it has come out ?”. My reply usually was “excellent” but, sometimes, I had to make a critical appraisal. He would always take it in the right spirit and improve upon his drawing. The evolution of cartooning in India has been linked to stalwarts like Shankar and Laxman and Ranga too had been part of the art of exposing the oddities of well-known people that evoked laughter all around for almost four decades. Cartooning is a form of caricaturing in which a person is presented in a comic form by distortion or exaggeration of his most obvious feature making the figure frothy, frisky with a touch of humour. The late Keshav Shankar Pillai, whose birth centenary was celebrated on July 31 was perhaps the first Indian cartoonist who began lampooning the rulers of British India during the independence movement. Later, he turned his prickly lance of humour to Indian leaders. The objective of his magazine — “Shankar’s Weekly”— was to create mirth and merriment by taking potshots at one and all, particularly the political leaders of his time. He must have cartooned Jawaharlal Nehru more than 1,500 times. Like Shankar, Walt Disney too began his career as cartoonist and created the popular character “Mickey Mouse”. Ranga belonged to Shankar school of cartooning having begun his career with “Shankar’s Weekly” in 1960 when his first caricature appeared. Ranga, in fact, developed his own style which has come to be known as “on the spot caricaturing”. With his black sketch pen and a pad, he would always be seen sitting in the front row of a press conference of visiting foreign dignitaries or Prime Ministers. The Press Conference over, his cartoon would be ready, and soon after the last question was put, he would be seen by the side of the dignitary — be it a President, Prime Minister, King or queen, a Sheikh or a dictator. He would get the sketch autographed and his treasure included autographed cartoons of Queen Elizabeth, Krushchev, Breznev, Z.A. Bhutto, Gen Zia-ul-Haq and Shah of Iran. If my memory serves me alright, it was Bhutto who flared up after seeing his caricature and virtually reprimanded Ranga: “I do not look like this. It is a bad cartoon”. Nevertheless, to Ranga’s delight, he put his signature on the cartoon. Ranga had collection of maximum number of cartoons of the world leaders autographed. Very few have that concentration to catch the vital contour of a leader amidst jostling and pushing by VVIP’s security; the black cats and commandos. The Shah of Iran had very tight security whenever he visited India. Ranga once managed to breach the security and reached up to the Shah, who smiled and autographed his caricature. Someone from the Shah’s entourage followed Ranga, offered $100 for the sketch but Ranga steadfastly refused. He then raised the price to $200 but Ranga told him rather curtly “I will not give you the original. If you like, I can give you as many xeroxes as you like. Please tell me the room number of your hotel”. Ranga did deliver the xerox to the Iranian in his hotel room. Ranga’s two-line sketches of Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru were master pieces. Published in “The Statesman” in 1975-76, the sketch of Gandhiji, as he looked from behind, was unique and never before done by any cartoonist. The caption manifested Gandhi’s message which was incorporated in his name; “G stood for generosity, A for agitation, N for non-violence, D for dedication, H for honesty and I for integrity”. With the downing of shutters by “ Punch” now and closing of “Shankar’s Weekly” 25 years back, the present-day cartoonists believe that “cartooning is a dying institution” the world over. One may not agree with this pessimistic view because humour can never die. Many more Rangas may be in making. A newspaper, somehow, looks incomplete without cartoons. |
Bhajan Lal bounces back to centrestage
If Hooda, who has now been made the Haryana CLP leader, also shares the new camaraderie with Bhajan Lal, it remains to be seen. But it surely must have been hard on Birender Singh who till the last was tipped to be the Haryana PCC chief. Earlier in the nineties when the Congress had won the polls with Birender Singh as PCC chief, it was Bhajan Lal who eventually became the Chief Minister. This time too, Bhajan Lal has edged past other contenders for the coveted post. While several theories are doing the rounds as to what made the high command finally opt for Bhajan Lal, in the case of the selection of Punjab PCC chief H S Hanspal, the matter was relatively easier. Apart from the backing of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Hanspal was supported by senior Congress leaders Ambika Soni and Natwar Singh. Changing colours
Changing attire according to the occasion is time consuming and to add to his woes Jaitley has to carry different set of papers for doing justice to his multifarious roles. Undeterred, Jaitley has innovated and refashioned his style of functioning. He changes his clothes while travelling and carries his papers in different briefcases so that he has a ready set of arguments to press his case.
Saffron Mulayam Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, also known as Maulana Mulayam, has plans to challenge Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal and other self-appointed champions of Hinduism on their own ground. Mulayam, along with his General Secretary Amar Singh, is trying to rope in some prominent Hindu saints from Ayodhya and Haridwar. Carrying the Samajwadi banner, these saints would challenge the VHP and Bajrang Dal’s claim to represent the Hindus. These saints would also challenge the VHP and its main patron saints. Mulayam is also trying to bring in a Shankaracharya under the banner so that the battle becomes more credible. Advani’s clout
The growing clout of L.K Advani in the Government after he was elevated to the position of Deputy Prime Minister remains a matter of interest in the corridors of power. The recent spate of bureaucratic transfers and appointments in several departments is being seen as having the Advani touch. The speculation now is about the fate of the Cabinet Secretary T R Prasad, who is scheduled to retire next month after getting an extension. While a section of the PMO is in favour of Prasad getting another extension, people in the know say this won’t happen. Home Secretary and Advani confidant Kamal Pande is all tipped to take over as the next Cabinet Secretary. That would make Advani’s grip over the bureaucracy complete.
Neta &
abhineta
On Sunday, Mr Sinha will be in Jaipur to do justice to his role in ‘Pati, Patni aur Mein’ directed by Ramesh Talwar. Interestingly, the star campaigner had refused to campaign for the BJP during the assembly elections in UP this year saying he was pre-occupied with the play scheduled to be staged at various places. The play was recently staged at Thiruvanathapuram where Sinha had gone to inaugurate a conference.
Sour mangoes
At a time when sweet mangoes are selling at a premium in India, it appears there are no takers for a consignment of the king of fruits sent by the President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf to the top Indian leadership. Musharraf’s sweet diplomatic move was not appreciated by New Delhi which felt a curb on export of terror to Kashmir would have been better at this stage to mend the fences. The External Affairs Ministry has been cagey about talking about the mangoes which have turned sour in some godown in New Delhi, but privately officials say a heapful of sugar will not make the bitter pill any better. Contributed by T.V.Lakshminarayan, Prashant Sood, Satish Misra, Tripti Nath and Rajeev Sharma.
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No frills or hypocrisy at Rosalind memorial lecture THE UNDP’s Human Development Report ‘Deepening Democracy in a Fragmented World’ states that though the world is more democratic than ever, what with 140 countries holding multi-party elections, the actual reality is somewhat upsetting.” In practice, only 82, with 57 per cent of the world’s people, are fully democratic in guaranteeing human rights, with institutions such as the free press and independent judiciary; 106 countries still limit important civil and political freedoms... “ As expected, India has registered a decline in the Human Development Index (HDI). The country that ranks at the top for the second consecutive year is Norway. It ranks highest in factors such as human freedom, dignity and the role of people in development. There is no need for me to dwell on our sorry state of affairs on the human development front (in every sense of the term). But then, last weekend there was a pleasant surprise. In the sense people holding high offices have developed so as to say. They have begun to talk about their friendships with those they hold dear. On July 28, there were no frills, no facades, no hypocritic words at the tenth Rosalind Wilson Memorial lecture. Rosalind, a one-time school teacher and editor of Target, was a close friend of Attorney General Soli Sorabjee, had even co-authored a personal anthology of poems titled “Those we have loved”. That evening he spoke with feelings about their friendship and he had invited author Vikram Seth to deliver the memorial lecture. Vikram spoke as though he was conversing with the audience and though most in the audience had never met Rosalind (she died ten years back at the age of 49 years, battling for months with cancer), the way Vikram spoke about her and even read out her letters to the family (she was apparently a close friend of the Seth family and even when stricken with the deadly disease and in deep pain, she had travelled down to Shimla when Justice Leela Seth was the Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court) one could visualise Rosalind to be a genuinely warm and caring person. Confirms Khushwant Singh, who knew her and she had even stayed in his Kasauli home. “She was a fine person who really valued friendship...” Vikram Seth spoke largely on the concept and importance of friendship in our everyday lives — quoting literary excerpts from Johnson, Bacon, translated verses of Chinese poets. And then as though to top it all emphasising that the truest test of friendship is to spend an hour in silence with your friend without wearing of each other’s company...” And whilst on Soli Sorabjee and the latest news that HRD Minister Murli Manohar Joshi has asked Solicitor General Harish Salve to “rebut” Attorney General Soli Sorabjee’s submissions before the court, in the context of the latter’s views on the rights of the minority institutions, all that one can say is that his forthright views on friends and friendships made him stand out as a special person before a packed IIC auditorium.
Cartoonist
Ranga Though I had been covering cartoonist Ranga’s exhibitions for years, I never really got to talking to him, that is talking beyond cartoons and caricatures. We had a long conversation about a month back when I had last met him. He did talk of holding another exhibition. But then, in between the conversation he said that he was suffering from depression. He told me how it was affecting him. “Last month when I was returning from Bangalore, I couldn’t walk at the airport…no ailment save depression …Ever since my wife passed away, I haven’t been able to come to terms with that reality…we had no children and she was my best friend. So you can imagine how lost I feel without her…” Depression and loneliness taking its toll. This when Ranga was one of our well-known cartoonists who had captured the who’s who of the world. |
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Participation in the International AIDS Conference at Barcelona recently, was a traumatising experience for me. Candidly speaking, I had not taken much notice of this epidemic till Presidents Mandela and Clinton invited me to join them in the International AIDS Trust that they had set up to mobilise public opinion at the leadership levels. Their letter pointed out: “Twenty five years ago, hardly a soul on earth had heard of AIDS. Today more than 65 million people worldwide have been infected with HIV, and 25 million have lost their lives to AIDS. Our common cause at this hour in history must be to win the battle against AIDS.”
Fortunately the therapeutic research has discovered some helpful remedies though the prices are formidable. Till two years back the anti-viral triple was priced at $ 10,000 to $ 15,000 per patient per year. Some pharma companies in India, Thailand and Brazil have now made their own research to market the generic retrovial drugs at drastically lower prices. An India Company — CIPLA’s generic tri-therapy is available for US $ 800 per year per patient. This breakthrough is welcome but even this price — in terms of rupees, is beyond the reach of the poor victims in India or Africa.
“LIVE today. Have fun time now. Who knows what tomorrow has in store”! This was the philosophy of “Punch”, the 161-year -old British humour magazine that closed down in May, this year. Noted cartoonist Ranga literally lived by this motto not knowing what was in store for him tomorrow. 
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position of choice can do wonders to politicians. They become magnanimous, forgiving, all-embracing. Bhajan Lal, the new PCC chief in Haryana, does not seem to remember the rancour with previous chief Bhupinder Singh Hooda and is willing to take initiatives to build new bridges. Only about a month back, Bhajan Lal had bitterly complained to the Congress high command about his hooting at a rally in Delhi and had even questioned the wisdom of Mr Hooda leading a rally to Delhi against the firing by Haryana police on farmers.
Till his appointment as the party General Secretary-cum- chief spokesman, Arun Jaitley had a comfortable occupation as the Law and Justice Minister of the Vajpayee government but now he has to perform many roles simultaneously. Apart from the party and parliamentary work, Jaitley has also resumed his legal practice which he had stopped after his induction into the Union Cabinet. So while in the court he has to don a black coat over trousers after which Jaitley has to change into his political attire that is white kurta and pyjama outside the courtroom.
Film star Shatrughan Sinha who took over as the country’s Health Minister on July 4 is said to have already impressed his colleagues in Nirman Bhawan with his dedication and style of work. Clearing files till 9 pm, the actor manages to find time to travel and keep his theatre commitments.