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Tuesday,
September 2, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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From Kamla to Sabeena A measure of success A bronze at last |
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UP’s shadow on national politics
Colour me blue!
STATE OF UNIVERSITIES — 8
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From Kamla to Sabeena CIVILIZED world had got rid of slavery a long time ago but the vestiges of it continue in this country as the series of stories The Tribune has carried on the trafficking in women clearly suggest. The latest report from the Mewat region in Haryana is shocking. There is a brides bazar of sorts in several parts of Punjab. Girls are available for purchase in the open. There are traders who bring them by the dozen from "markets" in the Northeast, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal. Men who cannot find brides because they are simply not available among their own community thanks to rampant female foeticide or who want to try their luck for a son with a new wife flock these markets. The customers also include polygamous men who have a fondness for girls who could be their great-granddaughters. It is no surprise that touts who supply girls to the brothels in the cities also turn up at these markets. Over two decades ago when an intrepid reporter of a national daily "purchased" a girl Kamla from Dholpur and brought her all the way to the Capital, it caused a national shock and shame. Today when the picture of Sabeena, who was purchased by a villager in Faridabad district, is splashed on the front page, it does not evoke even a murmur of protest. The police who are busy protecting leaders do not have either the time or the inclination to bestir themselves when reports of the kind appear. Even when public opinion forces them to act as it did in Jalandhar, it is for the sake of form. Nothing really happens to the traders of human misery, who enjoy the patronage of those who matter. What is distressing is that all this happens when India has emerged as one of the most technologically developed countries in the 21st century. The incidents of human trafficking are a grim reminder of the extent of poverty in vast areas of the country forcing parents to sell their daughters. It is also a reflection of the low esteem in which women are held in this country. Whereas the poor parents have no qualms of conscience in selling their offspring, those who can afford to buy them have the least problem is using technology to prevent the birth of girls. They, perhaps, think that it is economical and convenient to buy girls, rather than to rear them. The police looks the other way. Political, social and religious leaders are simply not bothered about what is going on around them. The social consciousness seems to have become insensitive to human degradation. When will India wake up? |
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A measure of success LAST
week began with the twin blasts in Mumbai. But thereafter the security forces did a remarkable job of preventing the fire from spreading. Expectedly, the Pak-trained groups did try to create trouble in Delhi, Srinagar and elsewhere. But the authorities thwarted their efforts. Credit should also be given to the people for not being over-awed by the Mumbai blasts. Holding the Inter-State Council meeting in Srinagar was a bold initiative. It must have added to the sense of desperation of the militants. Providing security to the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chief Ministers of most States even in normal conditions is not an easy task. A knee-jerk reaction after the Mumbai incidents could have resulted in the meeting being postponed or the venue shifted to Delhi. This is what Pakistan and the outfits trained by it wanted. The Srinagar meeting was held virtually under a cloud of enemy fire. A group of militants holed up inside a hotel had been briefed to storm the venue. They were killed by the security forces after an exchange of fire that lasted nearly 18 hours. Most of last week saw groups of terrorists being busted or militants being killed by the security forces in encounters across the country. The biggest and the most significant success was achieved on Saturday when Gazi Baba, who planned the December 13 attack on Parliament, and three other militants were shot dead in a Srinagar suburb. At about the same time the Delhi police recovered a huge cache of explosives from the New Delhi railway station. In subsequent operations they were successful in killing two Jaish-e-Mohammad operatives in Delhi and arresting two others from a house in Bulandshahr in UP. The Akshardham attack too was solved with the arrest of five ISI-trained operatives from Ahmedabad. Two days later the Jammu and Kashmir Police too nabbed some suspects responsible for the Akshardham tragedy. The nation owes of debt of gratitude to the brave jawans who were killed in the Pak-sponsored proxy war. The tears in the eyes of a BSF jawan on the death of his colleague in the exchange of fire with the Gazi Baba group conveyed the pain of every patriotic Indian. These men in uniform indeed carry a heavy burden of protecting the nation on their sturdy shoulders. Now is the time for them to step up the vigil. Terrorism has been wounded, not destroyed. It should not be allowed breathing space. |
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A bronze at last SATURDAY
was a gold-letter day for India — well, a bronze-letter one actually. It was the first time an Indian was climbing the victory podium in a world track and field competition. Anju Bobby George’s bronze medal at the World Athletics Championship in Paris was the fulfilment of a billion prayers and fantasies. The 25-year-old Chennai Customs girl did what Milkha Singh and P.T. Usha could not. The excitement that this feat generated was understandable. Now that she has done the “impossible”, it is time for a country of a billion-plus people to raise the bar a little higher, not only in athletics but in all games. Potential is there; all that is needed is its suitable tapping and the nurturing of self-belief. Tennis great Bjorn Borg’s quotable quote needs to become the national credo: “Either number one or nothing”. The days of taking part in sports only for the sake of participation are passe. Competitive excellence is more in tune with today’s world - and also the laws of nature. That is what brings out the best in man. Of late, there has been some upward movement in overall sports fortunes but it is still too feeble to be praiseworthy. Anju has come into the world reckoning following her shift in June to the US to train under the legendary Mike Powell. She did have a bronze in the Manchester Commonwealth Games and a gold at the Busan Asian Games but was nowhere near the world class. Just two months of scientific training has brought about a sea change in her technique and physique. This is one opportunity not available to a majority of medal hopefuls of the country. A number of problems dog Indian sports. The handling of selection and training is inexorably tied in red tape. The whole show is meant to be for the benefit of sports administrators, who mainly happen to be political and bureaucratic bigwigs. They are more interested in arranging foreign trips for themselves and their families rather than looking after the poor players who are considered secondary. The nursery from which talent can be tapped is extremely small. Most of the schools and colleges have sports facilities which are only slightly better than elementary. Then there are rural areas which have none at all. Corporate sponsorship comes in dribbles, that too selectively. Even the old mindset that sports is something to dabble in if you have time to spare from your studies is yet to change. All these factors have to be eliminated if the Indian Flag is to flutter more often at victory stands.
Literature is a luxury; fiction is a necessity. — G.K. Chesterton |
UP’s shadow on national politics INDIAN political parties are scrambling to keep pace with events after developments in Uttar Pradesh hit them with the force of a tornado. The breakdown of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s uneasy alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party in the state has been a major setback for the leading ruling party at the Centre in negating its carefully laid plans for the general election next year. But other parties are also being forced back to the drawing board to rethink election strategy for the forthcoming state assembly elections and the general election. The political weight UP has traditionally occupied in national politics might have diminished a little but equations in the state remain a key factor in determining the emergence of the largest party in the Lok Sabha in an era of coalitions. The BJP’s central leadership was therefore prepared to suffer every humiliation at the hands of the feisty Bahujan Samaj Party leader, Ms Mayawati, in order to secure her party’s support in winning the majority of seats from the state in the general election. On its own, the BJP was a poor third in the last state election. But events were speedily leading to a confrontation between the BJP and the BSP, with the Taj Heritage Corridor scandal serving as the proverbial last straw that broke the camel’s back. First, Ms Mayawati overplayed her hand by seeking the resignation of Central Cabinet minister Jagmohan. Then a Supreme Court ruling for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe was bringing the needle of suspicion perilously close to the Chief Minister. Seeking the dissolution of the state assembly and later resigning her office was one way of resolving her dilemma. The BJP sought to cut its losses by not erecting roadblocks to the state Governor inviting the leader of the largest party, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, to assume the office of Chief Minister. It was thereby guarding its flock in a state that has become notorious for the fickle party loyalties of legislators. But it is also marking time before planning a brand new poll strategy taking into account the new arithmetic in a possible outcome that could deny it the crucial numbers it needs to return to power in New Delhi. The Congress, ironically the second largest party backing Mr Mulayam Singh, had no option but to support the Samajwadi Party in its endeavours if the new mantra — however half-hearted — of coalition politics is to have any credibility. Besides, the Congress was loath to run the risk of losing more members of its pitifully small tally to the seemingly irresistible lure of power and pelf. Party leader Sonia Gandhi even chose to forget, if not forgive, the SP for blocking her chance to become Prime Minister before the BJP returned to power on the strength of being the largest party in Parliament. At the same time, the Congress is longingly looking at BSP support in the impending elections in the other states. Mr Mulayam Singh returns to power in the state eight years after his last stint and must show nimbleness in keeping his disparate flock together by spreading the loaves and fishes of office. He has to humour the former Central Agriculture Minister, Mr Ajit Singh, with his base in western UP and the former BJP Chief Minister, Mr Kalyan Singh, now the leader of his own party. Distressingly, this has become a familiar pattern in an increasing number of states. Much of UP politics will continue to depend upon caste equations and the interplay of the rather large Muslim community. The SP formula of the so-called intermediate castes and Muslim support remains valid. With the Jat votes of Mr Ajit Singh and the backward and Rajput votes Mr Kalyan Singh could bring and the diminished legacy of the Congress, the pendulum seeks set to swing away from the BJP. But the Rajput votes are in contention because the BJP hopes that, with the break in its association with the BSP, perceived as being anti-Rajput, it would not be deprived of all Rajput support. For its part, Ms Mayawati and her party are banking on their solid Dalit base in the hope of bargaining its influence in the other northern states before trying to return to power in UP. The BSP thus retains a strong bargaining chip for future alignments. How the Taj Heritage Corridor will play itself out remains to be seen, but in the murky world of politics, it is not uncommon for scandals of the most venal kind to disappear from public after the provocation is gone; Ms Mayawati has paid the price of leaving the Chief Minister’s gaddi. However, this intricate UP drama has a larger connotation by refocusing attention on the BJP’s dilemma in seeking to govern the country while following divisive and harmful policies in the state. This dilemma has become more acute after the recent Mumbai blasts; Maharashtra ministers have credibly argued that they are a consequence of the Gujarat pogrom of Muslims. It was not lost upon the country that senior BJP leaders lauded Mr Narendra Modi, the party Chief Minister, after the tragedy. Nor is it a secret that the BJP was planning to use the Ayodhya/Babri mosque controversy to milk Hindu votes in the state even before the archaeological report gave the Sangh Parivar new heart. Admittedly, the BJP is not the only party facing contradictory pulls in the string of elections that will dominate the political scene for the next year and more. But if it hopes to return to power at the Centre, as it does, it must pay some heed to the national interest, despite the party’s compulsion in striking strident notes on the fabric that goes to make up India. Surely, the greatest tragedy is not only the pogrom in Gujarat, horrific as it was, but the party being still in the denial mode. That the symbol of the pogrom, a tailor by profession, has had to seek refuge in the Marxist-ruled state of West Bengal speaks volumes for the BJP’s ethos. UP is casting a long shadow on national politics and the future of
India. |
Colour me blue! VIOLENT behaviour and madness cease when a person is placed in a room with blue lighting. Blue light has proved to have a tranquilising effect on human psyche. This peculiarity of the blue colour has been intuitively guessed by musicians who call their melancholy songs “blue”. Blue are supposed to be our sweetest songs. Is there a relationship between sweetness and sorrow? Shelley should know better! Under the influence of light and dark blue the blood pressure lowers while the respiration, rhythm and the beating of the heart slow down. These properties of the blue have been successfully used treating over-excited and violent people. The blue and violet rays also produce a favourable effect in the treatment of nervous diseases. The impression of red and yellow are associated with fire, the sun and day source of heat in general while those of blue are associated with objects and phenomena such as water, fog, and the sky. Night brings about passivity, quiescence and general slowing down of activity. Day brings with it action thus providing energy and incentive. The colours associated with these environments are the dark-blue of the night sky and bright yellow of day night. Blue is, therefore, the colour of quiet and passivity, bright yellow the colour of hope and activity, but because these colours represent the night and day environments, they are factors which control man rather than elements he can control. Thus, it is the colours which regulate us from outside. Night (dark-blue) compels activity to cease and enforces quiet; day (bright yellow) allows activity to take place. That is why the colours of spectrum represented by red and yellow are exciting and the colours representing green and blue tend to calm the nerves. In religious symbolism blue signifies truth. It is associated with creative power of God. It has the same hue as heaven. Blue uniforms of the police originated in ancient Rome “True Blue” was a favourite of the sailors which meant no storms. Clear sky. Israeli women used “something blue” in wedding robes because they thought it symbolised love and purity. The colour is most preferred by women especially in sweaters and panties, because they think it is the favourite of men! Because of its sedative effect, it is most used in rooms meant for rest and relaxation. In a small room, it creates a feeling of vastness and expansion because of its affinity with sky. Dim blue steadily with romance and love-making. Spouses dim-light their bedroom with blue light. It is symbolically sedative as well as seductive. More than anything else blue has contributed its bit to enrich the English language. Look at the phrases it has given to the dictionary. Indigo blue (deep depression); singing blues; blue ribbon winner; blue jeans; bluenose; once in a blue moon, blue Monday (unromantic); blue blood; blue print; blue stocking. Have I missed anything interesting? Yes, blue
movies! |
STATE OF
UNIVERSITIES — 8
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is 6 p.m. An Ambassador car passes by. Quickly, the people talking to this journalist bowed with folded hands. The person in the car is Maj-Gen (retd) Bhim Singh Suhag, Vice-Chancellor of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak. The saluting men are senior teachers. Their reverence illustrates the atmosphere on the campus, promoting a culture of servility. University dons are not known to behave in this manner. But this is a different institution, run by a retired Army officer virtually as an extention of the Government of Haryana. The Vice-Chancellors in Haryana are political appointees with university autonomy having become a thing of the past. Maj-General Suhag is no exception. He owes his position to the present Chief Minister. When MDU was looking for a replacement for Lt-Gen O.P. Kaushik, the previous Vice-Chancellor, the Executive Council of the university constituted a Search Committee. Among the committee’s three members were Mr Subhash C. Kashyap, former Secretary-General of the Lok Sabha, and Dr Sarup Singh, ex-Vice-Chancellor of Delhi University, who dead recently. The name of the third nominee, a choice of the Chancellor, the Governor of Haryana, was yet to be announced when word came from Chandigarh that the recommendations of the Executive Council were not according to the scheme of things of the Chief Minister. His office, therefore, got the names replaced by those of Dr Bhagat Singh, former Vice-Chancellor of Punjabi University, Patiala, and Mr R. S. Chaudhary, then Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University. While the former was close to Akali leader Parkash Singh Badal, the latter was a retired state government employee indebted to the Chief Minister for his elevation. Both could not say “no” to a proposal from the head of the state government. And that is what happened. They proposed the name of Maj-General Suhag, who had retired from the Army Service Corps, and it was accepted. Since then there has been a different kind of “Army rule” at MDU, never seen before. This is the impression one gathers after talking to the people at the campus, particularly the current and former office-bearers of the associations of teachers and non-teaching employees. Student activists too have similar views to express. The university has had three other retired Army officers as Vice-Chancellors — Lt-General O. P. Kaushik, Brig O. P. Chaudhary and Gen G. C. Aggarwal. Maj-General Suhag has added a new feather to his cap by getting a second term. This has raised two questions. Has he been more useful to the powers that be? Or has he been rewarded for ensuring a healthy growth of the premier institution at Rohtak, the political capital of the state? One can draw one’s own conclusion as in the first week of July the Vice-Chancellor organised a function in his native village, near Rohtak, to share his happiness with the Chief Minister. This is being interpreted as an expression of gratitude to the top political authority. The misfortune of MDU is that all its Vice-Chancellors except for two have been non-academicians. Even the honourable exceptions were there not because of their extraordinary academic record but because of their proximity to the Chief Minister. Most of them had the reputation of being pliable. The late Hardwari Lal was different from the rest. He resisted political interference because he was himself a politician. It is, therefore, not surprising that the university, established in 1976, has degenerated into an academic slum. This is so despite the fact that it had great potential for growth. The seedling was planted in an area nurtured by the great son of the soil, Sir Chhotu Ram. Its proximity to Delhi was a major advantage. There were certain other helpful factors like Rohtak and the surrounding villages and towns being educationally most advanced in Haryana. The area has been the nucleus of the Arya Samaj movement in the region as well as the nerve-centre of state politics owing to the maximum Jat concentration. It attracted some talented people in the initial period after the then Regional Centre of Kurukshetra University gave birth to MDU. However, this could not continue because the Jat factor came into play with politicians, bureaucrats and Army men holding the reins of the administration. Extraneous considerations became the determinants, opening the doors for mediocrity. Those committed to teaching and research got marginalised. That is why no serious research could be done to reverse the adverse sex ratio in the region. MDU has an impressive central library with facilities for research and career advancement. But it remains poorly occupied. According to a regular library user, hardly 10 per cent of the teachers visit it. A rush of students can be seen only when the examinations are round the corner; the library then remains open till midnight instead of closing at 8 pm, the usual practice. The Vice-Chancellor admits that the university has no fund shortage. Besides the fund flow from the state government and the University Grants Commission, it has found its own way of generating resources. This is not only through a fee increase for professional courses, a reality almost everywhere, or through distance education programmes. MDU generates enormous funds through the sale of prospectus for different courses with their prices increased considerably. The Haryana Government’s decision to give MDU the responsibility of conducting the state-level entrance examinations for admission to various professional courses came as a boon to it. Despite the fact that the examinations are conducted smoothly with the results declared quickly, the students are a harassed lot. In the absence of student unions, banned all over the state, there is no proper system for them to get their grievances redressed. The Academic Council does not have the students’ representative, though this is mandatory under the MDU Act. There is widespread demoralisation among teachers in the absence of a judicious promotion system. There are anomalies galore. They allege that there is no trasparency in the decision-making process. Ad hoc arrangements have been made to fill most key posts like that of the Registrar; Director, Distance Education; the Librarian; the Finance Officer; Dean, College Development Council; Director, Youth Welfare; Dean, Student Welfare; Director, Sports; and the Executive Engineer. They obviously cannot resist any wrong being done. Teachers association office-bearers feel that decison-making can be improved to some extent if the proceedings of at least the Executive Council and the Academic Council are video-recorded by an independent agency. The Vice-Chancellor must bring in writing before the competent authority all the decisions taken by him exercising his emergency powers. This can ensure transparency and reduce the chances of misuse of power. But, sadly, this is never done. The university’s Directorate of Distance Education is playing with the lives of students in the name of spreading information technology-related knowledge. It has authorised Gurgaon-based Haryana Computers Private Limited (HCPL), to give franchise to anybody anywhere in the country to open a computer learning centre. But the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between MDU and HCPL was never brought before the competent authority. HCPL has been favoured because its owners are close to the state’s ruling family. There is no proper system for inspection at the premises of those getting franchise, though students are awarded prestigious diplomas and degrees like MCA, PGDCA and BCA on the basis of the teaching done at these centres. The Vice-Chancellor may be helpless to stop the fleecing of students because of political problems. But he can definitely introduce a system to ensure that those enrolled receive quality education. The Vice-Chancellor does not reside at the campus. His official residence is at the nearby Medical College compound. His desire to shift to the university campus has led to a major controversy because he is converting the impressive VIP Guest House into the Vice-Chancellor’s residence. His critics question his decision as this will mean lakhs of rupees (the cost of construction of the Guest House) going down the drain. Besides this, the new project will require an investment of at least Rs 30 lakh. In their opinion, this is not a wise decision. The Vice-Chancellor could have chosen a vacant place, as there is no dearth of land on the campus. But he has an explanation. The VIP Guest House has had very few occupants. There is need to review the university’s various projects. It can still make use of the advantages it has to emerge as a major centre of learning. |
Let me make the whole earth my paper, And all the forest trees my pen Let me make ink of seven seas But Hari’s glory I can’t pen — Kabir Acts of sacrifice, gift and penance are not to be given up. — The Bhagavad Gita The one goal of life is to cultivate love for God, the love that the milkmaids, the milkmen, and the cowherd boys of Vrindavan felt for Krishna. — Vedas When a man sees with insight that all compounds are transient, he becomes fed up with them as unsatisfactory. That is the path to Nirvana, to purify. — Gautam Buddha The one who believes in the son of God has the witness in himself; the one who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed in the witness that God has borne concerning His son. — The Bible  |
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