O P I N I O N S

PERSPECTIVE

On Record
Anti-Laloo sentiment strong in Bihar, says Arun Jaitley
by S. Satyanarayanan
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which got a severe drubbing in the last Lok Sabha elections and in the recent Assembly elections in Maharashtra, is in a bind. It is desperate to score well in the forthcoming Assembly polls in Bihar, where it is contesting in alliance with the Janata Dal (U).

Time to restore the majesty of
vice-chancellors
by Vikram Chadha
Gone are the days when the enigmatic presence of the vice-chancellor made a university the vital hub of academic, research and policy formulating activities. Bureaucrats and politicians looked expectantly towards university researchers for policy suggestions and proposals. 

OPED

Profile
Brain behind tsunami warning system 
by Harihar Swarup
Years back, T.S. Murthy, also known as Tad Murthy, left his home state Andhra Pradesh for pastures new, not knowing what lay in store for him. Like him, many youthful talents left India at that time for better future.

Comments Unkempt
Democracy a bad word in Bihar
by Chanchal Sarkar
Who will, in Bhagalpur, save the dolphins, those wonderfully intelligent water-animals of the Ganga? And save the polluted Ganga as well? Reports say that people are catching the dolphins and eating them up. 

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Book of traditional songs for all occasions
by Humra Quraishi
What a flow of the written word! One book release after another this week. This winter diplomat writer Pavan Varma, heading London’s Nehru Cultural Centre, didn’t come to New Delhi for the launch of any of  his books. 

• A notable anthology

• Another gifted contribution

• Wearing the band of friendship

REFLECTIONS

PERSPECTIVE

On Record
Anti-Laloo sentiment strong in Bihar,
says Arun Jaitley
by S. Satyanarayanan

Time to restore the majesty of vice-chancellors
by Vikram Chadha

Gone are the days when the enigmatic presence of the vice-chancellor made a university the vital hub of academic, research and policy formulating activities. Bureaucrats and politicians looked expectantly towards university researchers for policy suggestions and proposals. The senior faculty adorned a subtle aura of exclusivity and glory because of their dedication and devotion to their respective disciplines. All worked conscientiously under the patriarchal leadership of the vice-chancellor who coaxed the teaching and administrative staff and strictly enforced accountability.

The vibrant ambience of varsity campuses was more an outcome of the dynamic and visionary stewardship of the vice-chancellors, whose iconic stature propelled the university system for stellar achievements. This was due to the fact that only men of calibre and repute, integrity and honesty in academics were selected and catapulted to the post of vice-chancellor.

In sharp contrast, the appointment of vice-chancellors these days is influenced more on political considerations than on their academic stature and acumen. Aspirants for this office have to virtually beg for favour from political masters, rather than being 'invited'. Consequently, when vice-chancellorship is treated as a symbol of power and false prestige rather than a responsible post of advancing the frontiers of knowledge, the majesty of the office is bound to be undermined.

In the regional universities, no sooner does the term of the existing vice-chancellor approach expiry, a sort of jocular race begins among the contenders to vie for the coveted job. Even academic non-entities get engaged in this maddening race, lowering the dignity of the hallowed office. The whole procedure of selection reeks with the odour of favouritism.

Obviously, the one who wins in this sordid political game cannot usually be expected to be a man of letters and repute. Throughout his tenure, he continues to reciprocate the favours earned from his political mentors, howsoever unjustified they may be. Outside interference makes inroads into an otherwise autonomous academic system of the universities which begin to be treated like administrative departments. Merit and research endeavour are overlooked due to external pressures and the required impetus for growth of knowledge fizzles out.

Not surprisingly, myopic incumbents relentlessly enmesh the universities with impunity in trivial and prosaic accomplishments, where run-of-the-mill activities take precedence over substantial and meaningful research, pedagogy and academics. Sycophancy and hollow flattery become more rewarding than sincere work culture.

Universities are the sacred seats of learning and knowledge. According to the Education Commission (1964-66), the vice-chancellor should be "a distinguished educationist or an eminent scholar in any of the disciplines or professions with a high standing in his field and adequate administrative experience". Similarly, according to the UGC Committee on Appointment of Vice-Chancellors in Indian Universities (1991-93), "the vice-chancellor should be a distinguished educationist and has commitment to the values for which the universities stand. He should be appointed solely on academic considerations and ability to provide leadership to the university by his academic worth, administrative competence and moral stature".

The vice-chancellor should be absolutely uncompromising and unflappable in forging an encouraging environment for furthering the frontiers of knowledge and unraveling the unfathomed phenomena. He must be an icon and a role model for the faculty and administrative staff. He must be eager to set high standards in academics and research for others to emulate, and should spare no opportunity to boost the morale of his colleagues and juniors. He should not gloat over mundane matters but leave an indelible impression on the minds of young and budding scholars and researchers by inspiring and motivating them for achieving excellence. This cannot be achieved by funds alone but by creating a conducive environment for research.

Such men of elevated and uncanny ideals and scruples are hard to find today. Yet, a sincere and enlightened team of the selectors and appointees can deliver the goods. The selection committee for the high office should itself comprise outstanding and illustrious members who should persistently search around for well-accomplished men and women of calibre and competence in their respective fields of work for the august post. Preference must be given to those from outside the region because an outsider is most likely to adopt a non-partisan, objective and unbiased approach to reward meritorious academic and research activity in the universities.

The Kothari Commission had recommended for the appointment of a senior academic "more often than not from another university". The trend to install and favour a local and internal candidate has not shown results because of his preconceived and biased stance, which many a time does irreparable damage to the university system.

Similarly, the practice of appointing college principals as vice-chancellors should be abjured. Such functionaries may be on smart manoeuvres, lacking in providing an inspiring academic and research leadership in a highly dignified and specialised academic milieu of the campuses, unlike those in the colleges from where they manage to sneak into the universities.

The experiment of appointing bureaucrats as vice-chancellors has also proved disastrous in spite of their innate ability to administer, because of their insensitivity to research priorities and autocratic style of functioning. Both the Kothari Commission and the UGC Committee as mentioned earlier were fiercely against the appointment of government officials, serving or retired, or persons from other fields, as vice-chancellors.

Finally, the tenure of vice-chancellors, particularly in the regional universities, should follow the pattern of the Central universities. The provision for an extension should be summarily abrogated. The selection process should focus on the appointment of dedicated and enlightened educationists with proven ability and impeccable credentials.

— The writer is Professor of Economics, Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar

OPED

Profile
Brain behind tsunami warning system 
by Harihar Swarup

Years back, T.S. Murthy, also known as Tad Murthy, left his home state Andhra Pradesh for pastures new, not knowing what lay in store for him. Like him, many youthful talents left India at that time for better future. Some of them rose like meteor, excelled in their respective fields, earned name and fame and became internationally known. Tad Murthy falls in this category.

He was a young researcher at Andhra University before he decided to leave his country for new opportunities and carry on intensive study in a subject dear to his heart. Very few in India and, for that matter, in the world, had known about tsunami. Murthy’s talents and years of hard work sparkled in distant Canada. He played a key role in fine-tuning the tsunami warning system in Canada, having worked closely with collaborative warning centres in Alaska and Hawaii. He is currently associated with the University of Manitoba.

Now reeling under the trauma of devastation caused by tsunami, the Government of India thought of Tad Murthy; once a researcher of Andhra University who was asked to set up a warning system in the Indian Ocean. The irony could not have been sharper. For, the person who helped set up the Pacific Tsunami Warning System and a similar mechanism in Canada three decades back, is now being asked to evolve an identical device in India.

Murthy was quite aware of the likely threat from tsunami to the countries in the Indian Ocean region. As early as last June, a UN-sponsored Inter-governmental Oceanographic Commission concluded that countries in the Indian Ocean should have a warning network because of a significant threat from both from local and distant tsunamis. This is what Murthy had to say about India, Malaysia and Thailand: “They have never shown any initiative to do anything”. He says: “I have tried several times with the Indian government, but they said they do not have enough money to sustain a full-fledged system. It is largely seen as a Pacific country problem”.

Murthy has now developed a blueprint for setting up a tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean round the clock. A full-fledged system would require a seismograph, tide gauges and computer models and the need is to involve Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Thailand in the venture. This should be done under the umbrella of the UN, he suggests. Immediately after an earthquake, computer models can calculate how fast the waves will travel, as well as their amplitude.

According to Murthy, in spite of the speed of 400-500 miles per hour, it is possible to make warnings practicable. With population increasing on the coasts, these systems should have been set up long ago, says Murthy. “Anything more than an earthquake of 6.5 of Richter scale can trigger a tsunami”.

In Hawaii, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre was set up in 1965 and has almost mastered the art of forecasting destructive waves. Its member countries receive specific early warnings with exhaustive data on tsunamis and can bank on an extensive network of seismic stations to locate potentially “tsunamigenic earthquakes” in near real-time. The system is connected via satellite and telephone to nearly 100 water level stations throughout the Pacific that can be used to verify the generation and possible severity of a tsunami. India will have to start from scratch. Murthy has suggested Visakhapatanam in Andhra Pradesh as the ideal location for setting up the tsunami warning system.

According to a study conducted by Murthy, Mumbai was hit by tsunami in November, 1945, after an earthquake off the Makran coast, Baluchistan, now in Pakistan. It was estimated that the quake killed 4,000 people and was severe in Baluchistan. Tsunamis caused damage as far as Karachi, Muscat and Iran and waves reached 11 metres high in Kutch, but subsided to two metres by the time Mumbai was hit in the morning.

The last tsunami is known to have attacked the Indian mainland from the coast on April 2, 1727, only five years after the Battle of Plassey. An earthquake at sea, just off the Arakan coast in Mynamar, shook Chittagong. Tremors were said to have been felt as far away as Kolkata and generated tsunami that flooded Dhaka, killing 500 people. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are no stranger to localised tsunamis. On December 31, 1881, an earthquake off the Andaman islands led to waves lashing the Coromandel Coast and shattering installations in Port Blair. On June 26, 1941, the Andaman Islands were hit by the region’s strongest earthquake. Tsunamis invaded the Bay of Bengal.

In the footsteps of tsunamis, a new word may be introduced to the Indian vocabulary and it is known as “Seiche”. Experts say, “Seiches” are huge movements of water in lakes and reservoirs caused by a knock-on effect following a distant earthquake.

Comments Unkempt
Democracy a bad word in Bihar
by Chanchal Sarkar

Who will, in Bhagalpur, save the dolphins, those wonderfully intelligent water-animals of the Ganga? And save the polluted Ganga as well? Reports say that people are catching the dolphins and eating them up. A great tragedy, but I was troubled by so many other questions, starting with who will save Bihar? The foundations of honesty, decency and of nationalistic traditions seem to be crumbling everywhere and people, Bihar’s patient people, seem to be accepting it as fate.

The old, gray-matted-hair woman carrying an excessively heavy head-load, the small children inadequately clad for the winter in a hutment colony of Musaharas just outside the curved gateway of the very large house I was staying in, do they go to any school? Were shall I see the children if I return even five years later? Playing under the same old and spreading peepul tree no doubt.

It is not abject poverty here but a slow grinding one, side by side with some glittering pools of wealth and good living. From their homes and cars it would seem that doctors, so many of them with singles up in a country crying out for doctors do well. As accessories there are a lot of “nursing homes” and innumerable chemists.

Who will straighten out the narrow, crooked, meandering streets of the markets, sardine-packed for much of the day with cycle-rickshaws, motor cycles, bicycles, hand-pulled and cycle-propelled carts and swarms of men and women out to buy whatever their means permit. The seamless rows of shops will, I fear, be straightened out never.

On the streets now there is the daub of the state election and with processions of parties with hired music and, presumably hired, flag-waving supporters. One gets caught between Congress and BJP processions coming from opposite directions with, sometimes, a candidate garlanded with marigolds accompanying. The pleasant thing, however, I noticed was the good humour. Processions clammed up the roads, blocking cars, rickshaws and scooters for almost an hour with loud music making business impossible inside shops and offices but people were patient and smiling. One hopes that this good humour will last. Even a spark could be dangerous. The Bhagalpur communal riots of 1989 are a terrible reminder.

Who will arrest the spreading red hue in the Survey of India Maps of the outposts of the “Marxist” underground parties with their ultra-modern arms from Nepal and elsewhere, their capacity to detonate remote-control landmines, their ability to live in the forest and make disciplined allies into the habitation? The police, pitted against them, have very much fewer resources and no ideological fervour. Some say that the “Marxist” forces levy their own taxes on businesses, transport firms, bidi making firms and development funds have thereby acquired considerable finance. Officers who know the area where the “Marxists” have set up their strongholds such as in Munger, Banka, Jamui, Simultala etc say that those areas have hills and river valleys as beautiful as in Switzerland but when will they be ever free for tourists?

So, question after question comes pouring in to a visitor of Bihar in the districts today without any optimistic answers. Even Tilkamanjhi would, I feel sure, have been at a loss. He was a local hero of the Santhal uprising who drove a mortal arrow into Cleveland, the British Commissioner who had made a great name for himself by pacifying the region. The arrow killed Cleveland and the British hung Tilkamanjhi after whom a university is named and a statue wielding that fatal bow and arrow stand in the town centre. But romantic names and memories cannot redeem the reality which is today’s Bihar.

It may seem farcical to compare Bihar with the United States. But democracy is exportable. Otherwise, India too might have become a military dictatorship. There is enough documentation to show how morally and politically corrupt were regimes like the “Camelot” of John Fitzgerald Kennedy. There were business scams like Enron which, in dimension, drowned scams of Bihar.

But something inside people keeps the flame of democracy alive. And practices like Senate Committee hearings scrape into sight much of the rust of corruption ever so much skillfully than in this country. Even then there are complaints posted that the guilty do not suffer enough. The butcher-soldier of My Lai was allowed to go more or less scot-free by Richard Nixon. The first American soldier to be sentenced after Abu Ghraib was given a laughable sentence; the second punishment was exemplary but there could well be some hera-pheri later. It is unbelievable that what was done did not have the orders and sanctioned of the High Command and of Donald Rumsfeld. Investigative reporters in the months and years ahead will reveal that. In India no prosecuted politician, officer of rank and filmstar has yet been sentenced.

Bihar is among the largest of India’s states. Its people are working enormously hard in the fields of Punjab and Haryana and are driving cars and trucks all over West Bengal, Delhi and elsewhere. What is missing is that spark which keeps democracy fluttering and refuses to accept unprincipled autocracy and nepotism.

Diversities — Delhi Letter
Book of traditional songs for all occasions
by Humra Quraishi

What a flow of the written word! One book release after another this week. This winter diplomat writer Pavan Varma, heading London’s Nehru Cultural Centre, didn’t come to New Delhi for the launch of any of  his books. However, for the release of his mother’s book — the late Shakuntala Varma’s collection of traditional songs for occasions like  marriage, childbirth, engagements from the Uttar Pradesh and Bihar belt, the so-called Gangetic plains.

Titled ‘Kahe Ko Byahi Bidesh’ (Roli), the book was released by her son, with  Shovana Narayan’s kathaking and Shubha Mudgal’s renderings in the backdrop. Though the late Shakuntala Varma had collected, penned and translated these songs in the last two years, they could be published only  now, exactly a year after her passing away.

I had seen her on several occasions at each one of her son’s book release. A slim, frail looking woman who after she was widowed brought up and looked after her four children single-handedly. She seemed to have a strong personality. As Pavan described her, she was “a woman of great  grit”. In keeping with that determination and grit, she continued writing  even when she was battling with health complications.

She completed this  book just three days before her death. As though she wanted to be certain that the traditional culture of the place of her roots (Varmas hail from Ghazipur in Uttar Pradesh) gets harnessed in book form.

A notable anthology

The well known Oriya poet and former IAS officer J.P. Das’ notable collection of  poems, ‘Dark Times’ (Virgo) gets rolling out from the Press to hit the book stands. He wrote these poems over a span of 30 years, with the latest one titled ‘After Gujarat’. They have been selected and edited by Paul St Pierre.

Surprisingly, the cover of the book is designed by none other than filmmaker-poet Gulzar’s daughter Meghna. Before I quote a verse from this collection, I must quote Bertolt Brecht’s lines which go as foreword: “Truly, I live in dark times/ The guileless word is folly/ A smooth forehead/ suggests insensitivity/ The  man who  laughs/ has simply not yet heard/ the terrible news.”

Here are some lines from J.P. Das’ poem: “After Gujarat/ poetry will be  written/ about Gujarat itself / beginning with / the shame of Ayodhya / and  following the bloody trail/ to Godhra, to Gujarat / and on to Mumbai”.

Another gifted contribution

If the French Embassy (together with Penguin Books and Oxford Bookstore) hosted  the launch of Dominique Varma’s ‘Shifting Sands’, the Canadian High Commission, again in association with Penguin Books, hosted the  launch of Shauna Singh Baldwin’s ‘The Tiger Claw’.

Shauna has already made a mark on the literary circuit when her first novel, ‘What the body remembers’ bagged the 2000 Commonwealth writers’ prize best book award in the Caribbean and Canada region. This new novel takes you backwards into history when the Nazis invaded France, the central  character being ‘Madeline’, the code name for Noor Inayat Khan who seemed to have played a vital role in those turbulent times.

Meanwhile, a book on cricket has just landed, ‘Cricket in India: Origin and  Heroes” by Raju Mukherji (UBSPD). This one, as the title suggests, takes you all over, right from the field to the top fielders.

Wearing the band of friendship

Thought those days of good old friendships are over. But politicians know how to wear the friendship band. For Amardeep Dahiya’s book release, it was Punjab Chief Minister who was expected to as they say grace the occasion. But in came Farooq Abdullah with a message that Amarinder Singh was unwell and had to get back to Patiala and so he will play the  chief guest’s role.

Well played with a crisp apolitical speech focussing on   the importance of motherhood etc (in the context of the writer dedicating this book to his mother).

REFLECTIONS

—The Buddha