E D I T O R I A L   P A G E

EDITORIALS

Evening OPDs: reality check
THE setting was perfect, timing nice, dialogue delivery powerful — the only problem with the scenario was that there was no director to say “cut” so that things could return to reality. This was the real world. Union Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha has pronounced that the PGI will start an evening OPD. He was the star attraction of the day as he strode through the corridors of the PGI and interacted with people already in awe of his celluloid presence.

Shrouded in mystery
Thursday’s “provisional findings” of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) endorsing Railway Minister Nitish Kumar’s sabotage theory as the reason for the derailment of the Kolkata-New Delhi Rajdhani Express need to be viewed with scepticism. Clearly, when Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani, several experts and others do not see the possibility of sabotage, it would be difficult for one to agree with the CRS’ observations.

Is Bush listening?
US President George W. Bush made the world join hands against terrorism. That was last year after the 9\11 attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. It has taken him just a year to ensure the breaking up of the global coalition against the common enemy not of nations but mankind. The Afghan campaign has given the US strategic control over the energy belt of the world.

Questions that grinding poverty poses
Enhancing literacy is the only answer
Kiran Soni Gupta
On the issue of development most planners and governments get bogged down with the dilemma in placing the proper emphasis on different aspects of development to sort out the problems like poverty, unemployment, high population growth, etc which plague most of the countries. In other words, in evolving a rightful strategy for economic development.

A glutton’s heart-felt prayers
Amar Chandel
I am one of those millions who are taught right in childhood never to start a meal without saying a thanksgiving prayer to God who provided us that bounty. Call it blind faith or whatever, but the meal always tastes a lot better after that. Today, after all those decades of daily practice, those holy words start ringing in my ears as soon as any dish is placed before me.

‘Three Orbits’ & the system
Kiran Bedi
A question being constantly asked is whether the reported criminal behaviour of individuals who are rich and powerful are cases of individual deviance or something  germane to the prevailing environment? My short answer is that these persons are a byproduct of a culture which overflows with hypocrisy and has got  entrenched and well nurtured in our mindset.

SIGHT & SOUND

DD’s festive night
Amita Malik
No matter for which event Doordarshan gets exclusive rights, but they manage to turn it miraculously into an Information and Broadcasting jamboree. Take the international film festival, for instance, which opened last Tuesday, international in name, more or less. 

‘NSG not wasted on VVIP security’
Girja Shankar Kaura & Gaurav Choudhury
The National Security Guard (NSG) shot into the limelight last week with the successful storming of the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar. Despite the aura that goes along with being in the NSG, the force is not without its problems. The Tribune spoke to NSG Director General R S Mooshahary in New Delhi to know the problems of the force and its future plans.

R.S. Mooshahary 

Early sex linked to herpes infections
People who begin having sexual intercourse at age 15 or younger are likelier to be infected with the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV) than someone who has sex for the first time at age 20 or older, says a study. "As people acquire HSV-1 less commonly in childhood they are more at risk of acquiring it sexually when they start becoming sexually active in adolescence," lead researcher Frances Cowan, a senior lecturer in genito-urinary medicine at University College Medical School in London, told UPI.

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

EDITORIALS

Evening OPDs: reality check

THE setting was perfect, timing nice, dialogue delivery powerful — the only problem with the scenario was that there was no director to say “cut” so that things could return to reality. This was the real world. Union Health Minister Shatrughan Sinha has pronounced that the PGI will start an evening OPD. He was the star attraction of the day as he strode through the corridors of the PGI and interacted with people already in awe of his celluloid presence. “I am just a baby minister. Do not judge me on my performance, but on my transparency and honesty,” he said to an approving audience. We will not, but a reality check is in order. There is absolutely no doubt that this announcement will be greeted with applause by patients. They queue up at the region’s premier medical institution at an average of 3,000 a day for getting treatment at its OPDs. The evening OPD concept is fine, but its implementation will involve difficulties. The PGI was originally conceived as and is meant to be a “referral institution” with its focus on research. It was not meant to take care of common ailments, which was to be the job of other hospitals. Unfortunately, due to the lack of medical facilities in the area north of Delhi, this institution has become overburdened, and life of the doctors here is said to be even more harried than those at the AIIMS, New Delhi. As a result, the research projects, at the PGI, its primary concern, suffer.

The Minister’s announcement, when the hospital’s infrastructure is already over-stretched has, understandably, caused uneasiness among the medical fraternity. Where are the qualified people to man the OPD in the evening? Where are the funds to hire new staff? Such matters may be waved aside with the flick of a dismissive celluloid wrist on the big screen, but in an environment that stays after the sets are dismantled, they make all the difference in deciding whether the initiatives will be implemented or not. The public will obviously blame the medical and other staff for not honouring the Minister’s promise, but that will not be fair. The honourable Minister has admitted in Chandigarh that he is a “baby” as a public servant. Babies have to grow up fast when confronted with the harsh realities of public life. Grand ideas should turn into announcements only after a proper examination and making provisions for an effective implementation. Unrealistic announcements reflect the immaturity of the person concerned. 

Shrouded in mystery

Thursday’s “provisional findings” of the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) endorsing Railway Minister Nitish Kumar’s sabotage theory as the reason for the derailment of the Kolkata-New Delhi Rajdhani Express need to be viewed with scepticism. Clearly, when Deputy Prime Minister L.K.Advani, several experts and others do not see the possibility of sabotage, it would be difficult for one to agree with the CRS’ observations. Even though the findings are preliminary in nature, the CRS does not give any reasons — technical or otherwise — to justify his observations. Did the accident take place because of the faulty track, damage to track geometry caused by possible track subsidence during the monsoon or the poor tolerance level of the high speed train’s coaches? The CRS is completely silent about these aspects. More important, what about the “extremely fatigued” condition of Bridge No. 445 over the Dhawi river on which the train derailed? Reports suggest that on April 30, 2002, a Senior Divisional Engineer of Mughalsarai Division had prepared estimates for the repair of 11 bridges, including Bridge No.445 which had developed “internal fatigue” on one of the pillars. Obviously, the CRS has not examined whether the possible collapse of the bridge has led to the accident. He would have us believe that the removal of fishplates on the track led to the accident that killed 129 passengers on the night of September 9 — the same theory that was trotted out by Railway Minister Nitish Kumar, his Minister of State Bandaru Dattatreya and Railway Board Chairman I.I.M.S.Rana. But this possibility is remote on the high density Grand Chord sector where a train passes every 30 minutes. Reports suggest that while 50 minutes before the accident, the Sealdah-Jammu Tawi Express had safely crossed the bridge, and 20 minutes later, a goods train passed over the track.

Moreover, how credible is the CRS report — interim or final? The entire exercise is shrouded in mystery as there is no openness and transparency in the inquiries conducted by the CRS. The CRS reports on railway accidents or derailments are top secret and confidential, and neither the media nor the public has access to them. There is a general impression that even though the CRS of every zone is on deputation from the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation, they are hardly independent. Their reports are final and not open to any amendment by the Chief Commissioner of Railway Safety, but the problem is that they are vetted by the Railway Board. As soon as an inquiry into an accident by the CRS is over, and provisional findings are recorded, a Press note is issued fixing responsibility for the accident. It offers no explanation for the cause of the accident. The bone of contention for long has been the so-called sanctity of the CRS report. Only relevant extracts from its report are published, that too, after the accident has faded out from public memory. The CRS reports will be credible only when they are published with the views of the government on the findings and the views of the Railway Board. As the inquiry report on the Rajdhani Express accident is interim, the CRS would do well to examine all the important aspects in detail in the final report. The people are also entitled to know the findings and the follow-up action taken by the Railway Ministry.

Is Bush listening?

US President George W. Bush made the world join hands against terrorism. That was last year after the 9\11 attack on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon. It has taken him just a year to ensure the breaking up of the global coalition against the common enemy not of nations but mankind. The Afghan campaign has given the US strategic control over the energy belt of the world. But the fate of the most wanted terrorist Osama bin Laden is not known. Neither are there signs of terrorists ducking for cover in any part of the world. Now it wants to make an example of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. The fact of the matter is the USA wants more control over the energy bowl outside its territory. It is saving its reserves of fossil fuel for the future. It wants to attack Iraq on the strength of dubious evidence. It has found faults with the agreement between Iraq and the United Nations for resuming arms inspection. If Mr Bush were to shut up and listen to the voices of protest from countries that supported him in his campaign against global terrorism, he would realise that he is speaking only to himself and for himself. The United Nations is not interested in his rhetoric against Iraq. Neither are most permanent members of the Security Council. British Prime Minister Tony Blair is facing revolt from his own party and the people for supporting President Bush’s Iraq agenda. In America the Republicans have joined hands with the Democrats to thwart their President from plunging the country into an avoidable war. Finance Minister Jaswant Singh used diplomatic language for snubbing the USA for floating the doctrine of pre-emptive strike against a hostile nation. He asserted that the right to pre-emptive strike should be available to every nation and not just the USA. In any case, no nation has bought the US theory that its security was under threat because of Mr Saddam Hussein’s presence in distant Iraq.

President Bush should indeed look around to see how his reckless policy to get even with “the man who tried to kill my dad” has harmed the global campaign against terrorism. Malaysian Prime Minister Mohamad Mahathir, in a hard hitting letter to President Bush, the German Chancellor and the French President, has accused the developed world of destroying the spirit of democracy. He said even the so-called democracies were acting in an undemocratic manner. He dwelt at length on the Israeli siege of Mr Yasser Arafat and said, “the impression I get is that there is no justice in this world today. If someone is disliked, then anything can be done to him even though it is unfair”. He was equally critical of the US plan to attack Iraq. The message from neighbouring Indonesia is equally disturbing. President Megawati Sukarnoputri wanted to take advantage of the US-led global campaign against terrorism and introduce a law for dealing with the terrorist organisations within Indonesia. But President Bush’s support to the Israeli action against the Palestinian leader and his threat to invade Baghdad has made her task difficult. The anti-American sentiments, that were at one point equally virulent in attacking domestic terrorism, have struck deep roots that forced her on the backfoot. The coalition partners do not support the anti-terrorism bill because of the fear of losing popularity. The military, the police and the intelligentsia want the law to help them mount an effective campaign against domestic terrorism. But hostile public opinion has made the task difficult for Ms Megawati. Even American public opinion is against any adventure in the Middle East. Street demonstrations are being organised by the veterans of the campaign against US action in Vietnam to remind the new generation of the horrors of an unjust order waging an unjustified war against a helpless people. Is President Bush listening?

OPINION

Questions that grinding poverty poses
Enhancing literacy is the only answer
Kiran Soni Gupta

On the issue of development most planners and governments get bogged down with the dilemma in placing the proper emphasis on different aspects of development to sort out the problems like poverty, unemployment, high population growth, etc which plague most of the countries. In other words, in evolving a rightful strategy for economic development. The rise and fall of all great civilisations and history, is a sharp pointer to the fact that it is man, not nature, who provides the primary resource and that key factor of all economic development comes out of the mind of man. This constructive activity of man, through education and HRD has invaded all fields and maintains and strengthens itself through various kinds of schools. Therefore, education is most crucial of all resources.

Universalisation of Elementary Education (UEE) is a constitutional provision and national commitment in India. Elementary education is recognised as a fundamental right of all citizens in India. The directive principles of state policy envisage UEE as one of the major goals to be achieved and mandated in a timeframe of 10 years. Though still unachieved, the achievements are significant as reflected by the rising national and state literacy rates.

The Supreme Court in its judgement in the Unnikrishnan case (1993) has held that all citizens have a fundamental right to education up to 14 years. The Government of India introduced 83rd Constitutional Amendment Bill in Parliament in 1997 to make education a fundamental right of all children of 6-14 years. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments have provided a statutory base for decentralised education planning.

In fact, the 20th century has witnessed a global upsurge in UEE. Widespread ignorance, illiteracy and poverty often are stumbling blocks but still the mandate of alleviating poverty through HRD has initiated a change that now characterises every process of growth and development.

Prior to Independence, the system of education had limited access and denied mass education. Greater emphasis was laid on confirmism to the prevailing socio-political and economic system. Macaulay’s objective of education system was to create a new breed of Indians similar to Europeans. However, this approach was dismissed by the national movement leaders, which expressed global sentiments of education for all. Gokhale’s Compulsory Education Bill reflected the spirit of India’s freedom movement.

The first major education policy formulation was spelled out by the Kothari Commission Report (1964-66) in the year 1968. It led to restructuring of school education system in 10+2+3 pattern. A major attempt at transforming the structure and content of education in the country was taken in 1986, with the announcement of National Policy on Education (NPE). The intervening period between 1968 and 1986 was marked by considerable education expansion in educational facilities, which has reached more than 90 per cent of the country’s area and habitations having a learning centre within 1 km. In 1988, National Literacy Mission was launched. The year 1990 was celebrated as International Literacy Year reiterating the message of education for all.

The Government of India has made efforts to eradicate poverty in the country over the past decades. These efforts have met with considerable success. India’s past strategies for poverty alleviation has included strong policy and financial support from the government, economic and education reforms and increased community participation. The past experiments have brought home a point that a successful HRD approach through education is the only basis for alleviating poverty. This has been the experience of other developed and populous countries like China too. Zimbabwe achieved universal primary education in three years by taking measures to increase enrolments and cut down costs of UPE. In Vietnam, poverty incidence in households headed by those with no education is 68 per cent. It decreases to 54 per cent for those with primary education and 41 per cent for those with secondary education. In Niger, the incidence of poverty is 70 per cent in households headed by an adult with no education, compared to 56 per cent for those who have attended primary school. In Bangladesh, the average salary of secondary educated woman is seven times that of a woman with no primary education. In India, one year increase in average number of years of primary schooling of the workforce would raise outputs by 23 per cent.

India has undoubtedly been successful in evolving a national structure for elementary education in the last 50 years. National literacy rates have improved from 15 per cent in 1951 to 52 per cent in 1991 to 65.38 per cent in 2001. Rajasthan’s literacy levels increased from 38.55 per cent in 1991 to 61.03 per cent in 2001. While doubling the female literacy rates, during this decade, the male literacy rates touched the 75.49 per cent mark. The sprawling academic support system has been built up at national and state level through NCERT, NIEPA, NCTE, SCERTs, CIEMATs, DIETs, BRCS and CRCs to provide technical support and guidance to the elementary education system. The initiation of market mechanism in economic and adoption of an integrated approach by the government to poverty alleviation has been some of the key reasons for growth. Though literacy has enabled rural poor to acquaint themselves with technical skills necessary for increasing their income and thus, reducing the incidence of poverty.

Decentralised education planning, improving the quality of basic education and adjusting the structure of education system to local needs has had a positive impact on poverty situation in the country. Further, community participation and mobilising the communities to take responsibility for ensuring quality education for every child is the core strategy of new initiatives like DPEP, LJP, SKP, and BEB. Many of the state and local governments have taken up elementary education programmes vigorously. Kerala’s success in alleviating absolute poverty has been well recognised. Poverty and deprivation indication such as HDI when taken in the national context, have been at par with most industrialised countries of South East Asia and far higher than those at the national levels. While noting the substantial contribution of the Kerala Government in absorbing household consumption of the poor, through direct subsidies and indirect income transfers, a key explanation of the relatively low level of poverty has been the popular demand for literacy and education in the state. The Rajasthan government has launched recently in November, 2001, “Shiksha Aap Ke Dwar” with the objective of bringing all the children (10.65 lakh) of 32 districts in age group of 6-14 in the fold of education and considerable success (70 per cent) has been achieved so far.

The plan allocations for elementary education has increased steadily and the Central Government increased its allocations for elementary education after 1976 when education became a concurrent subject. Plan expenditure on elementary education has increased to nearly 50 per cent of the central expenditure on education. The external assistance and internationally assisted projects too have given priority to low literacy areas, girls and disadvantaged sections, with a view to their capacity building in making them productive and useful members of society. Though many factors have contributed in changing the country from “poor house to powerhouse”, investment in education and more education is probably the most important of all. The enhanced budget allocations have resulted in an amazing picture of access to learners at all levels. The implicit social and personal benefits to individuals also should be reckoned with, as even the modest level of education is most effective contraceptive and passport to better health and a road to empowerment.

The future strategies for poverty alleviation need to take care of practical skill training reforms in the education system, popularisation of science and technology and its application in vocational and technical education, gender awareness, women’s needs and linked issues, environmental education, entrepreneurship development, NGOs and community participation and participatory approaches on a continuous basis to combat and contain the tentacles of poverty. Education and HRD alone are the key for India becoming a super power in this century.

The writer is a senior IAS officer.

MIDDLE

A glutton’s heart-felt prayers
Amar Chandel

I am one of those millions who are taught right in childhood never to start a meal without saying a thanksgiving prayer to God who provided us that bounty. Call it blind faith or whatever, but the meal always tastes a lot better after that. Today, after all those decades of daily practice, those holy words start ringing in my ears as soon as any dish is placed before me.

What my grandfather taught me many decades ago, I now try to coax my children to follow. It is another matter that they take it only as a quaint ritual and go through the motions not out of any conviction but only to keep me out of their hair.

I don’t really blame them, because even my feelings have undergone a metamorphosis over the years. Today when there are more items on the taboo list prescribed to me by the doctor than on my table, even the wordings of my own little prayer have undergone a sea change. As my relationship with God has grown more intimate and personal, I have tried to be more truthful, informal and candid with Him. What I actually say with folded hands and closed eyes to Him sounds something like this:

Revered Lord, hallowed be Thy name. Thank thee for giving me my daily bread. Now also help me digest it fully, quickly and without any undue pains and gas.

O Great One, protect me against temptations, especially when these come before me in the shape of mouth-watering dishes. In the meanwhile, please don’t count as lies the alibis that I present before my wife after various dishes vanish mysteriously from the fridge every midnight.

The Mighty One, give me the strength of character so that I can treat as my staple diet the items prescribed by my dietician instead of polishing them off as an appetiser. Make me an authentic light eater, unlike the man I am today, who starts eating whenever he sees light.

Kindly forgive all my sins, past, present and future, and ensure that everything that melts on the lips in two minutes does not stay on the hips for two years. After all, what are a few spoons of sugar and a few pieces of barfi between a devotee and a God!

If possible, transfer all vitamins, proteins, minerals and other such essential ingredients from lauki, karela and tori to pizza, pasta and pastry.

At the same time, O Wise One, give me the wider vision so that whenever I see chocolates and shakes and soufflé and mousse, I am also able to see lurking behind them bottles of laxatives and antacids and enema tubes!

REFLECTIONS

‘Three Orbits’ & the system
Kiran Bedi

A question being constantly asked is whether the reported criminal behaviour of individuals who are rich and powerful are cases of individual deviance or something  germane to the prevailing environment? My short answer is that these persons are a byproduct of a culture which overflows with hypocrisy and has got  entrenched and well nurtured in our mindset.

The universe of our society can clearly be divided into three broad orbits. (as I would like to call them). The first orbit comprises the “inner core”. Rights to admission into this core are reserved for (a) filthy rich (b) patronised individuals (c) “indulgers” in wine or women (d) secrets shared (e) threat of blackmail (f) moneybags (g) blood relationships and a sense of insecurity, which keeps the flock together. (anyone of the traits could make them eligible).

Orbit 2 i.e. the “outer core”.  This comprises persons who are also sycophants, hypocrites, butterers, gift givers/receivers, repeat callers-on, name-droppers, informers, flatterers, frequent diners etc.— and also friends via caste, creed, community, affiliations, sect, relationships etc. and have money to flaunt. (Any of the above qualities may suffice).

Orbit 3 i.e. the “outer cover”.  This comprises those individuals  who live within their means, are principled, self-respecting, professionally capable, non-compromising, contented, spiritual, accessible, low in ambition, family-oriented, bookish, simple, cynical at times, with a few friends, return home after work, do not offer drinks or lavish meals if and when they hold one — or can afford one, and do not go gift-giving, or asking for favours. They seek no wrong help and give none. These kinds are generally unacceptable for admission into positions requiring individuals of the kind Orbit-1 and Orbit-2 could provide.

Experience is repeatedly showing that quite a few of the high-profile persons and positions usually gravitate to Orbit-1, still many to Orbit-2 with some presence  to Orbit-3.

Experience also shows that over a period, transformation or transfer from Orbit-1 to Orbit-3 or vice-versa becomes rather late in the day for many, unless of course there is a reformative experience or serious compulsion or traumatic necessity.

Most of the incidents of individuals in the limelight in the past, present or future will remain a “monopoly” of those belonging to Orbit-1primarily and Orbit-2 secondarily.

If we are collectively disturbed and do want a change or correction, then the public perceptions of differentiating the worthy from the unworthy will have to pick up courage. Publicly rewarding and continuing to give public space and high visibility to people of dubious character, instead of ostracising them, is the biggest contaminator of vulnerable minds.  

Personnel policies in regard to appointments in government services also require to be regularly brain-stormed in a decentralised manner, before adoption and implementation. Regular reviews would have to be integral to the system so that these continue to be corrected.

Additionally, we require to re-educate ourselves to respect the law and be subservient to it “equally”. I emphasise the word “equally” because we are in reality unequal before the majesty of the law. The law itself does not differentiate between parties or persons but the processes of law in their practice cause divisions.

We have one set of rules and processes for one person and completely another one for the other.  Interpretations change, based on strength of access to knowledge, intellect, resources, position, stature, clout, impact, social expectations, or anticipated fallouts. The kind of apathy we show towards dealing with economic offences and socially accept and even respect economic offenders is the most visible proof of this situation today.

A small pick-pocketer spends years in jail while a crorepati who swindles the country of crores walks out free. The tragedy is that the tribe of crorepati swindlers is outnumbering small pick-pocketers and we have no jails for them.

The ideal is needed but does not always happen. There is a huge case for sharing and surrender of power and resources by all those individuals who are, storing, hoarding, usurping, accumulating power and resources alike. I have my doubts if this can happen, except by a strong quirk of destiny (of this country). And miracles do happen. We have individuals who can perform miracles, but they belong to Orbit-3.

Till this happens Orbit-1 and Orbit-2 will continue to rule the roost and sabotage the system from within. Orbit -3 persons or institutions straying into sensitive positions will also continue to take the risks of doing their duty and serving the nation. And of course there will always be enough for the print and visual media to stay in business and get the TRPs, alongside asking the same questions again — on the “big fights”.

SIGHT & SOUND

DD’s festive night
Amita Malik

No matter for which event Doordarshan gets exclusive rights, but they manage to turn it miraculously into an Information and Broadcasting jamboree.

Take the international film festival, for instance, which opened last Tuesday, international in name, more or less. It was bad enough that the I and B Ministry and its minions in the Festival Directorate turned it into a Mumbai film tamasha, with not a foreign film personality in sight. Indeed, so obsessed was DD with Aishswarya Rai and Rani Mukherji that they did not even have a proper close-up or proper mention of film people from Eastern India, such as Mrinal Sen and Bhupen Hazarika and if there was anyone newsworthy from the South, well, they were neither shown nor mentioned. Mumbai was all, as usual.

In fact the political-cum-bureaucratic event that the festival has deteriorated into became evident throughout the coverage of the opening ceremony. The priorities, in that order, were the Information and Broadcasting Minister and her deputies, then the filmi duniya from Mumbai, which meant the same monotonous shots of Rani Mukerji and Aishwarya Rai smiling at each other and then at the camera. Lucky Lata Mangeshkar got a look-in. Then came the bureaucrats. Frequent shots and naming of the I and B Secretary and his colleagues, who even went up on the stage to take a bow. Frequent shots and mention of the CEO of Prasar Bharati and the DG of Doordarshan, hardly of interest to an international audience, which was mostly nonexistent for DD, which could spot and name only one foreigner fleetingly caught on camera. In other words, there was hardly anything international about the opening, even the participants as in the much-hyped Asian film competition being either absent or invisible to DD’s cameras. Surely the Brazilian team which went on the stage to take their bow for the opening film could have been shown on camera earlier, they and other foreigners must have been somewhere in the audience, even if no one thought of putting them in the front row next to the Minister and Indian stars. In fact the only touch of charm was when Lata Mangeshkar sang some slokas before she spoke on the stage. And the scramble by one and all, notably the festival director, to get into every shot capped what was more a political-bureaucratic spree than a serious film festival.

In other words, there was nothing to differentiate this function, certainly not any effort by DD, to make this function any different from the National Awards, or the Filmfare and other awards functions, which are completely commercial cinema events, without any international pretensions and much better planned and managed.

I have often wondered as a hardened TV watcher, what makes DD, no matter who is in government and no matter who are its fleeting bosses who take these decisions to focus only on the sarkar and, whenever possible the filmi duniya, to the exclusion of all other interests. Do the producer and camerapersons get a promotion? Does the DG or whoever get an extension? Do the minister and her officials threaten DD and say: “You show me all the time, or else?” Then, does the minister get brownie points from the PM for figuring so prominently on camera? I saw the fate of fleeting politicians when, at a recent event where Mr I K Gujral was present, DD which had been falling over backwards to project him when he was PM and I and B Minister, completely ignored him. I once tried to solve the problem by asking Rajiv Gandhi when he was PM “Don’t you find it embarrassing, Mr Gandhi, the way DD overplays you on TV?”.

What can I do?”, wailed Rajiv Gandhi: “I ask them not to all the time but they don’t listen to me.” A quote for all time, as far as DD is concerned.

Amid all the gloom, there has been something to smile about on the screen. I liked tremendously two cricketing jokes. The first, where a young woman, sitting on the floor with Alpana (Gangoli) chants mantras in English ending: “Om cricketum Namaah”.

And the street boy who has been asked to take a long run before delivering a ball to Kapil Dev. He runs miles down the lanes of a slum until Kapil pulls him short. He glares at Kapil and says “Dekh loonga”. And I like the adorable baby who feels his handsome father’s suit and gives a good chit to Raymond.

Of course there are also ads in execrable taste such as a young man talking to a body in a grave in a cemetery. It is an ad for some engine oil and truly a very sick joke.

ON RECORD

‘NSG not wasted on VVIP security’
Girja Shankar Kaura & Gaurav Choudhury
Tribune News Service

The National Security Guard (NSG) shot into the limelight last week with the successful storming of the Akshardham temple in Gandhinagar.

Despite being the most lowly paid among their colleagues in other para-military organisations, the elite “men in black” or “black cats” have gone about their duty without batting an eyelid about their personal safety.

Despite the aura that goes along with being in the NSG, the force is not without its problems. The Tribune spoke to NSG Director General R S Mooshahary in New Delhi to know the problems of the force and its future plans.

Excerpts of the interview:

Q: Is it difficult to provide training to commandos for Gujarat type operations?

A: Making a commando force is a very tough job. We give tough training to our commandos in the NSG.

As you may be aware the NSG is a completely deputationist organisation. There is no one permanent in the NSG. We want to keep the organisation young. We get our manpower from the armed forces, the central paramilitary organisations and the state police departments. So, there is a turnover of people every three to five years.

They go back to their parent organisation after the completion of their tenure.

Effectively, this means that we induct fresh blood into the force every three to five years. When new people join the force, we impart a very rigorous training, training to not only toughen them physically but also to enable them to respond to things quickly by analysing the situation and responding to such a situation. Only those successful in training are retained in the NSG, the rest are sent back to their respective parent organisations.

Q: What is the process of selection? The Army itself has a special commando corps. How is the selection of Army personnel made for the NSG?

We write to them what we need, whether it is the Army, the BSF or the CRPF. They give us a panel of names if it is the case of selecting an officer. The officer’s name comes to us with his record.

On the basis of his record we select them and send a request to the parent force to make the services of the officer available to us. After he is selected, he is put through a rigorous training schedule. He is finally inducted only if found successful in training. Otherwise, he is sent back.

Q: Is the NSG predominantly manned by IPS officers?

No. As a matter of fact there are very few IPS officers in the NSG. It consists of personnel primarily drawn from the Army and para-military forces.

Q: Considering the fact the NSG is neither categorised as a paramilitary organisation nor as a corps of the armed forces, what is the mandate given to the NSG?

It is an armed force of the Union under the NSG Act. It is a federal contingency force for carrying out anti-terrorist operations.

The mandate given is to deal with situations arising out of terrorist actions and hijacking. In addition, we provide security to VVIPs and high-risk individuals.

Q: How well-defined is the role of VVIP security within the parameters of the NSG?

I don’t agree with the viewpoint that specially trained NSG corps commandos are being wasted in providing security to VVIPs. VVIP security is a very serious and important matter, especially the security of high-risk VVIPs.

For this we need specially trained personnel, whose reaction is very quick and are mentally alert. The NSG training centre in Manesar has been recognised as a centre of excellence for imparting training in VVIP security. We also impart training to state police forces in VVIP security.

Q: There is often lack of intelligence inputs in operations. Do you depend entirely on external intelligence inputs provided by the civil and military authorities or do you have an internal intelligence network as well?

No. We don’t have a specific intelligence unit. The NSG is a strike force. If there is a hold-up by terrorists or a plane is hijacked we are called upon to strike. It is a force for rescuing hostages. It is an action-oriented force. Elaborate intelligence inputs are not required for such operations. The NSG is employed when all other options have failed. Sudarshan Chakra of Lord Krishna is our symbol.

Q: What handicaps did the NSG face during the operation in Gandhinagar?

The Akshardham temple was a totally new place for us. But luckily for us when our men reached there we were given a model of the temple complex. This was supplemented by an elaborate briefing by the Gujarat police about the situation. The CRPF and other forces were also there and it was a well coordinated operation.

Q: But there have been reports that the night-vision equipment did not work during the operation?

Well I would like to tell you that night vision equipment will work only when things are visible during daytime.

If something is behind a bush, night-vision equipment will not work. Night-vision equipment does not mean that it will enable us to see through walls.

But during the operation in Gandhinagar, terrorists sought refuge behind the bush. So it was difficult to see them. We have good equipment and weapons with us and we are constantly updating them.

Early sex linked to herpes infections

People who begin having sexual intercourse at age 15 or younger are likelier to be infected with the herpes simplex virus-1 (HSV) than someone who has sex for the first time at age 20 or older, says a study. "As people acquire HSV-1 less commonly in childhood they are more at risk of acquiring it sexually when they start becoming sexually active in adolescence," lead researcher Frances Cowan, a senior lecturer in genito-urinary medicine at University College Medical School in London, told UPI.

Cold sores around the mouth are almost always caused by HSV-1. In the past, genital herpes has been caused mainly by HSV-2. But currently, in Britain, genital herpes is caused mostly by HSV-1. Once a person is infected with either HSV-1 or HSV-2, the virus normally lies dormant in nerve tissue with only occasional outbreaks into sores. IANS

SPIRITUAL NUGGETS

For the sake of fame to do

Meritorious deeds —

For this life’s sake to seek

The protection of Buddha —

To give alms for the sake

or returns and dividends —

To serve and offer for the sake

of vanity and pride —

These four ways will never give one peace.

For the sake of gluttony

To hold a sacramental feast —

For the sake of egotism

to strive for sutra learning —

For distraction and amusement

To indulge in foolish talk and song —

For vainglory’s sake to give

The initiations —

These four ways will never bring one blessings.

If for love of preaching one expounds

Without the backing of scripture;

If through self-conceit

one accepts obeisance;

If like a bungling, fumbling fool one teaches,

Not knowing the disciple’s capacity;

If to gather money one behaves

Like a dharma practitioner —

These four ways can never help the welfare

of sentient beings.

To prefer diversions to solitude,

To love pleasures and hate hardship,

To crave for talk when urged to meditate,

To wallow arrogantly in the world —

These four ways will never bring one to liberation.

— From The Thousand Songs of Milarepa

* * *

— Hindustani proverb