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Reservations must in private sector On
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Tackling the cold wave
Profile Reflections Diversities — Delhi
Letter
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Reservations must in private sector IT is said that only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches. Extreme hope always takes birth from extreme miseries and back-breaking difficulties. Dr B.R. Ambedkar, one of the architects of the Constitution of India, belonged to a very poor section of society and had to face humiliation many a time during the course of his life and studies. He was the victim of social injustice and inequality, but he mustered the courage to break such shackles whenever he got the opportune time. Hence, he became the chief exponent of the cause of reservation for the down-trodden and left no stone unturned to incorporate it in Article 16(4), 4(A), 330, 332 and 335 of our Constitution, especially in the field of government. But with the passage of time, this constitutional facility became an eyesore for the well-fixed and well-fed people of the creamy layer. As a very thin minority of members of Parliament, State Legislative Assemblies and Government employees of reserved categories could be seen here and there, all negative epithets like backwardness inefficiency, corruption, etc. were tagged on to them and Herculean efforts began to be made to abolish this. Subsequently, strenuous endeavours were made to give reservation to OBCs (Other Backward Castes) and other minorities but the venom against these under-privileged people’s category was not lessened. As a result of this half-hearted and step-motherly approach of those at the helm of affairs, the people belonging to reserved category could neither get economic upliftment nor social mobility. Even today quite a large number of such families live below poverty line without food, clothes and shelter. Every fraudulent excuse is made to deny their due in Government jobs, except class IV, and autonomous bodies like universities and private colleges think that they are above the law in implementing any such Government direction and constitutional requirement. Menial jobs like washing, cleaning, scavenging and even serving the upper castes by becoming their bonded labour fall to their share. Everybody shall be surprised to note that a dalit girl — Mamta Nayak — belonging to Narsingpur village in Orissa was not permitted to go to college on a bicycle and when she insisted, the creamy layer of the area boycotted her tribe. Being disgusted with such penurious and hellish life several people start migrating to Christianity and other thought-to-be-safer alternatives. The Government of Punjab implemented the 85th Amendment of the Constitution of India with prospective effect. People of SC/ST/OBC heartily congratulate Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, Maharani Praneet Kaur, Capt Amarinder Singh and his cabinet colleagues for this welcome gesture extended to their legitimate cause. But those who have read the text between the lines allege that the injustice caused to them by the Jhanjua judgement shall remain in vogue for long and the affected people shall get the benefit in promotions only after about a decade. There is a discontentment simmering among the people who understand the intricacies and legal quibbles underlying this subtle decision. The farsightedness and benevolent approach of Smt Sonia Gandhi, Dr Manmohan Singh and all the Constituents of the UPA Government brought laurels when the 104th Amendment was passed in Rajya Sabha with 172 votes in favour and only two members voting against it. Even opposition parties deserve heartfelt thanks for helping in the cause of poor people. The new clause 5 of Article 15 explicitly provides for reservation in unaided private educational institutions to SC/ST and OBCs. It would have been a far better step if institutions of minority communities had also been included. But it is heartening to note that Mr Arjun Singh, Union Minister for HRD,, thanking the Rajya Sabha members, said “We request all State Governments to enact laws within the next month or so, before the next academic session begins”. It will be in good taste if all the State Governments, especially Congress Governments, act swiftly to enact appropriate laws for its timely implementation. It is worthwhile to mention here that the use of economic measures necessitated by limited resources, have compelled the Central and State Governments to think seriously of privatization, which implies that management of non-profitable PSUs, autonomous bodies and the like would be handed over to private individuals/institutions. There is a legitimate fear in the minds of people belonging to SC/ST/OBCs that the private managements shall not provide jobs and admissions to professional courses to their children, as per Government instructions and constitutional provisions. Their deplorable social and economic plight incapacitates them to compete with all which results into spending sleepless nights and may lead to suicides. It is the duty of those occupying responsible chairs today to dispel the above fear from the minds of the underprivileged class. This issue is not impossible to tackle if the authorities have the inclination and the firm will do it. All private and autonomous concerns – universities, educational institutions, professional colleges, large factories and business concerns take licenses/permissions from various Government institutions and those licenses are renewed after a fixed tenure. Such institutions should be instructed by Government to include a mandatory clause as a basic requirement of their licenses to implement Government instructions regarding reservation in jobs and provision of seats in professional institutions to the children of SC/ST/OBCs, and whenever they demand annual grants/renewal of licenses, they must be asked to supply necessary facts and figures regarding its implementation. Like various instructions pertaining to provisions and utilization of funds, and their audit and accountability, there should be no laxity in getting the constitutional provisions/Government guidelines implemented. Though random checks are made even now, we find things going from bad to worse day by day. It will be a feather in the government’s cap if the benefits of one category are not allowed to be given to other category under any duress excuse or exigency. Let all of us join hands and like Bhagwan Ram Chander not hesitate to taste the “tasted berries” of Shabiri which were arrogantly thrown away be Lakshman but later sprouted into Sanjivini, which he had to swallow to come to life when injured by Ravana’s son Meghnath in war. Let us be one from within and without and preach and practice the godly message given in the following immortal couplet — “Ibadat hai dukhion ki imdad karma / Jo barbad hain unko abad karma / Khuda ki namaj aur pooja vahi hai/Jo nashad hain unka dil shad
karma”. The writer is an IAS officer. The views expressed are his own.
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On
Record
Tara Gandhi
Bhattacharjee, the granddaughter of the late Mahatma Gandhi, recently took over as the Vice Chairperson of the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti. She hopes people across the world will find inspiration to seek their own truth from the place where the Mahatma laid down his life. The place, she says stands for matru-shakti (mother power). “When I am here I want to forget that I am one of the seven biological grand children of Gandhi. I want to feel like one of these people who come here and for a moment are under his spell. I want to live under this spell forever.” Q: Take us through some of the memories you have of your grandfather and the Birla House which is now the Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti. A: I was a 14-year-old school going girl and used to attend the prayers here everyday. The only day I did not come was because I had a lot of homework to finish, and that was the day Gandhiji was assassinated. When we heard the news we ran here and there and found a huge crowd assembled outside the closed gates. I had to shout that I am his grand-daughter to be let in. There are many memories and stories of this place and that period when I got to know Gandhiji well. However, I got to know him also without his wife, Ba. She was the most important person by her absence. She had died at the Aga Khan Palace. We used to look at him and think of her only. Q: What are your plans for the place? A: I think this is a place that should be a world heritage site, though officially we have not done anything about it yet. Gandhi laid down his life for the values of truth and non-violence and he belongs to the whole world. We are sending out a message that is spiritual, human and practical, because Gandhiji was practical man. He had to lay down his life because people around him could not take the truth he lived for. This becomes a very powerful message from here. When people come here to pay homage to him it is so moving. I get strength from those people as well. The challenge is to find my own truth here and see if this place can inspire the truth for everyone. I would also like to find a solution to the problem that khadi faces. Q: Considering the threat that terrorism poses do you think the values and teaching of the Mahatma have become more relevant that ever before? A:
Absolutely. It is fear that is the reason for terrorism and violence. Meet anyone in the world today and he understands the meaning of fear. Fear that could be stemming from just about anything. It is not the courageous who resort to violence and terrorism but the weak. Q: There is a growing concern about violence against women and the tendency of the young to resort to it. A:
We often talk about mahila jagran but the word should be purush jagran (men’s liberation). The male child is always told that when he grows up he has to look after the parents whereas the girl child is taught home management. If a male child is given the right values of compassion, he will grow up to be more compassionate in the interest of women. Literacy is all right but it is not more important than education. You can make people literate but not educated. The shortest cut to the safety of women is to rethink about the education of a male child. Q: You have worked extensively with women and children in villages. What do you think should be done to ensure that they get education, health care and a dignified life? A: We want to invoke the Kasturba Gandhi philosophy — the philosophy of mother power. Gandhiji said he was inspired by the mother power that he learnt from his mother and wife. As for the uplift of women and children in rural areas, it takes time. There are about 24 Kasturba Gandhi centres spread across the country, along with other Gandhian institutions. But somehow they have not been able to give direction to the people of this county and to the government. So there has to be introspection within all Gandhian institutions. Q: You have mentioned that khadi is in a dismal state and you hope to find a solution to it. A: The weave in the web of khadi is so entangled that now we have to extricate the pure thread from it. I am certainly not happy with the khadi that is available. Gandhiji talked about khadi as self-reliance. The khadi institutions relied too much on Government subsidies and forgot to be self-reliant. Now after so many years they feel that without government subsidies they are without crutches and are falling. I think that purity of khadi is also going. You go to a khadi shop and you find a lot of stuff is sold as khadi which is not khadi. The buyers do not know what khadi is nor do the sellers. Any coarse cloth has become khadi. Spinners and weavers are not getting paid. First we should ensure that there is enough for the weavers and the spinners. We have to start afresh and ensure even that even if you produce only a little, it should be
pure.
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Tackling the cold wave IN north India, when the minimum temperature drops three to four degree centigrade below the long term (normal) average, cold wave conditions set in. Excessive drop in the temperature, frost and snowfall has significant effects on crops, vegetables, fruit trees, fishes, and the production of eggs and milk. If temperature departs from normal by more than five degree centigrade the overall environmental conditions become severe. Most of the Indus and Indo-Gangetic basins are vulnerable to cold waves injuries due to westerly disturbances which originate in the Mediterranean region and travel eastward over Afghanistan, Pakistan and India all along the mighty Himalayan range. Significant effects of a cold wave were also analyzed for 2002-03 by recording observations at Adampur (Jallandhar), Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana, Chandigarh, Dehradun, Agra, Patna, Pusa (Bihar), Jorhat (Assam) and Shilling (Meghalaya) by the Indian Council for Agricultural Research. About 600 hectares of mango orchards were damaged to the extent of 40 to 100 per cent around Hoshiarpur in the Shiwalik belt of Punjab. Maximum damage was recorded in mangos followed by papaya, banana, litchi, amla (Indian gooseberry) and pineapple (in Shillong). High chilling produced positive effects on temperate fruits like apple, peach, plum and cherry generally growing in the hills. Tomatoes and brinjals were damaged to the extent of 80% whereas higher productivity of vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, knoll-khol, broccoli, sugar beat, carrot, reddish and turnip was observed. Loss in the productivity of mustard, gram and wheat was recorded around Agra. Early sown winter maize in Bihar was the greatest causality of the 2003 cold wave. Boro rice was also partially damaged in Assam. Around Patna there was high mortality in fish ponds especially of Mrigal and Rohu whereas Catla remained unaffected. Some adverse effects on laying of eggs by the poultry, and milk production, were also observed. Orchards with scientifically designed wind breaks or shelterbelts were least affected by the cold wave of 2003. In 2004-05 weather remained warm during the last part of December and January around Amritsar. If such conditions prevail and remedial measures are not adopted by the farmers it may damage crops. The following measures are suggested; light frequent irrigation during January; use sprinklers, if available; young plants may be protected by covering with thatching material of kans, reeds, dried grasses, straw and plastic sheets; smoking in the orchard by partial burning of fallen leaves, dried grasses or other available biomass; windows, doors or ventilators of poultry and animals houses may be secured against the entry of cold winds; poultry houses may even be heated for sometime; water may be pumped or sprayed into fish ponds to ensure circulation; partially damaged tips of branches or shoots may be pruned in the end of February; raising of proper wind breaks or shelterbelts around the orchards will provide more lasting solutions against cold
injury. The author is Deputy Director General of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
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Profile No one had believed that a fair and bloodless election was possible in this caste-ridden state when the poll process began but Rao made it possible. Believe it or not, he has emerged as a cult figure in Bihar; fathers want their sons to make him their role model. People have been writing poems about him. According to reports, when he was taking a flight from Patna to Delhi, some co-passengers walked up to him and urged him to settle down in Bihar. One of them even offered, free of cost, a plot of land to him to build a house. Rao has been quoted as saying that he has developed a liking for the people of Bihar and its lush green landscape. People curiously ask about Rao’s background as he is entrusted with the task of overseeing the on going revision of electoral rolls ahead of assembly elections in West Bengal . He has already visited Nadia district, notorious for rigging during elections, and interacted with voters. This lean, thin and balding 63-year-old doesn’t look a toughie as he proved to be in his actions. Born in a religious family in a village of Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, Rao had his early schooling at a “Gurukul”, run by his parents and uncle. “They taught me to be honest and lead a simple life”, he says. He started his career in the Election Commission in 1966 as an assistant and retired as Secretary in 2002. He learnt a lot when he was appointed an Observer in the US Presidential election and, later, watched closely the polls in Afghanistan in 2004. Humility and dedication have been two traits of his personality which enabled him win confidence of his bosses, say his colleagues in the Election Commission. When he is entrusted with a task, there is no looking back. Will Rao be able to do a Bihar in West Bengal in the coming elections? Bihar’s youthful Chief Minister Nitish wonders whether even Rao would be able to repeat the process of free and fair elections in West Bengal. Rao, however, feels some tough measures are needed in order to check rigging and other poll mal-practices. The steps may include bringing presiding officers from outside the state, and posting polling officers outside booths for stringent checking of photo identity cards. Nadia has come to be known as most notorious in faking I-cards and ration cards. Rao discovered to his horror that hundreds of dead voters remain on the voters list. He ordered that their names as well as of bogus voters be deleted forthwith. According to a report from Kolkata over 19 lakh fake rations cards were detected in a recent drive. It is estimated that there may be 50 lakh fake ration cards, which enable persons to enroll as voters, in circulation in the state. What Rao faces in West Bengal is what the state’s opposition parties describe as “scientific rigging” by Marxists . They do so, say Trinamool Congress leaders, by putting their cadres comprising Primary and Secondary school teachers and other government employees in the election machinery responsible for conduct of elections. An Election Commission observer, Afghal Amanullah, had recommended that teachers should be kept out of the poll process as one of the steps to check “organized rigging”. Normally teachers constitute a large segment of the government machinery responsible for conducting elections. The strength of the teaching community in West Bengal — both primary and secondary — is estimated to be 3.2 lakhs. Almost 90 per cent of these teachers are members of one or other association backed by the CPI-M and their Left Front partners. Marxists were initially rattled with Rao’s visit to West Bengal as an observer of the Election Commission but veteran leader, Jyoti Basu, realised the gravity of the situation and told his party cadres to co-operate with EC observers. “Observers appointed by the Election Commission are not our enemies. Some people say they won’t allow us to win the elections. But why? They are coming to see that the elections are held without bias. We should co-operate with them”, said the former Chief Minister. On his part Rao is ready to take on the challenge if the Election Commission entrusts him to oversee the coming elections in West
Bengal.
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Reflections
I was recently asked to express my views on the woman of today and the challenges before her. This is what I stated: The Indian woman of today, across the land, is emerging to be a different person from the one I saw when I was growing up and preparing to join the ranks of the government. Most of my friends then were getting ready, by themselves or on the urging of their parents, to prepare for marriage. All their schooling or college was only in order to be married to a well-off family. Marriage to my friends meant a lifetime of security with a man and his family who would give them with a safe, well-provided and hopefully happy home with a number of children, preferably sons. The parents were found match-making, saving, and accumulating for their daughters’ marriages. Dowry was on display. I saw many, many piles of them, the gold, silver, saris, and expensive gifts, for all kinds of relatives. This made an impact on me and made me defiant to all this. It actually developed the rebel in me. While all this still exists in many different dimensions, a lot has changed for the better — thankfully! It has also changed dramatically! I see parents of girls so keen to see their daughters become independent for their own needs. They are preparing their girls to beat the dowry menace and the insecurities of marriage. The teachers are educating the girl students to stand up for themselves. They are making them conscious of their potential. The educational institutions are packaging special awareness programs to make girls stronger. The media is playing its major part in raising awareness. It has placed women’s issues strongly on the agenda. The courts, the law enforcement agencies and the lawmakers are under a search light on women’s issues. Never were there so many women non- government agencies with so much capability and resources to deliver. The creative writing has substantially become richer. Look at the women’s magazines. There are women authors and dedicated pages to womens’ issues in national dailies. It has all changed for the better. Women journalists in print and the visual media dominate and even crowd the scene. Women themselves have changed and continue to find their own places by their own merit. My visits to schools and colleges clearly reveal this. Today’s girl has become aware of her capabilities and strengths. She is asking, why not she? Why can she not be what she wants to be? Or achieve like her role models? Today’s woman is an aware woman. She is no longer prepared to be told what to do. She knows what she wants. They are inspired and moving on to achieve. They are identifying their roles and chasing them. The opportunities are as never before. There is no profession beyond them. They have seen it for themselves. They are coming by their own merit and not on patronage. They are also proving to be the new face of this country. This new woman is no more looking at marriage for security but for friendship and companionship with space to grow. She is rejecting and equally questioning the dominance of the man or her family as was the mind-set earlier. No wonder two things are happening. One, increased break-ups. There is certainly reduced tolerance for indignity or assault on her self-esteem. Second, marriage for such a kind is no more mandatory to make a place for her. This means late or no marriage is becoming an option. Motherhood too is becoming more planned with a small family the norm. This is India’s increasing energy. It is culture-rooted yet changing with the times. The onus now is equally on this class of women, specially the privileged, to craft and energize a new India which imbibes the best of the past and of the present and helps India become a superpower full of human
values.
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Diversities — Delhi
Letter GIVEN the ongoing re-focus on SAARC’s potential, there is now a SAARC journal. Aptly titled Beyond Borders, it is published by the Foundation of SAARC Writers and Literature (FOSWAL). In fact, writer-activist Ajeet Cour is one of those enthusiastic and vocal intellectuals who believe that there has to be cultural and social connectivity between South Asian writers. As she puts it “This fraternity of writers not only transcends geographical boundaries but also the deep rooted inhibitions of religious bigotry, ethnic chauvinism, sectarian schisms and other artificial divides that have been segregating the peoples of this region for centuries and slowing down their march towards a prosperous and egalitarian future. The economic development of the region depends on peace.” In this very first volume, published last month (December 2005), there is a focus on India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. And it is through the verse and prose of the leaders and writers of these countries that this focus has been brought about. Space constraints will not allow me to quote from many of these pieces but perhaps these lines of Ahmad Faraz do carry the message. They are from his poetic outburst titled To Indian Friends. “Many seasons have passed ,many climes changed/You too are sad, friends , and so are we/Your rags alone do not sadden you/The truth is that we are in tatters too/Your house lights are not quite radiant/ The stars of my skies are also palsied pale /Your glass bars are rusty /While my goblets are dusty/Neither can you view your own contours /Nor can I see what is in my glass /Our minds are so clogged with cobwebs /That we just don’t comprehend what’s gone wrong.” Or these lines of Fahmida Riaz from the verse titled The Laughter of a Woman.: “In the springs of stony mountains/Echoes the gentle laughter of a woman/Wealth, power and fame mean nothing/In her body, hidden, lies her freedom/let the new gods of the earth try as they can /They cannot hear the sob of her ecstasy/Everything sells in this market-place/Save her satisfaction/The ecstasy she alone knows/which she herself cannot sell /Come you wild winds of the valley/come and kiss her face.” I had been travelling in Mumbai and Hyderabad and the aggressiveness and pace in those two cities made me crave for my Capital city. I got back well in time for the release of Khushwant Singh’s volume — The Illustrated History of the Sikhs (Oxford University Press). Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released it on January 12 and as expected, the venue, the hall of a five star hotel, was packed beyond capacity. Khushwant came up with some very spontaneous inputs in his speech. He began by saying that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has a combination of four very vital qualities — academic brilliance, experience, honesty and humility. Then he added “I hope this does not go to his head.” And he further added that Mrs Gurcharan Kaur, his wife, should take care of that. Of course, together with these inputs, he spoke about Sikh history and how very important this volume has been for him. He had first written it almost three decades ago, and has been updating it, getting it up to the present times, in a detailed and comprehensive form. Khushwant made the audience laugh, clap and give him a standing ovation More books, cars
coming Another book all set to be released here next
week is Penguin’s It’s a Mom by Shefali Tsabary. And it has an important frill to it – It is endorsed by Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. I quote “I wish I’d read this book before I first became a mother! It takes a refreshing and honest look at the intense emotional journey of becoming a mother for the first time and validates all the feelings new mothers experience but are afraid to acknowledge.” Then, Kiran Desai is here to launch her second novel The Inheritance of Loss (Penguin) which is set in the North Eastern Himalayas in the backdrop of the turbulence that region has experienced. Her first novel Hullabaloo in the Guava Orchard had created quite a hullabaloo! There is also Sahitya Akademi’s annual book exhibition at the Rabindra Bhawan Lawns. And with the books, cars. I know cars and books just do not go hand in hand, but then the 8th Auto Fair 2006 also takes off here, at the Pragati Maidan, with such an abundance of cars that you have to ask yourself whether our roads are in a position to take in much more load. This
is my India! On this Eid, I had received this message from Delhi University academic Badri Raina, who is better known for his verse. The one liner carries so much and I feel only a Kashmiri can come up with such an abundance of sentiments in these few words: “Eid mubarak; hum aap se gale mil rahe haein!” Before I forget he did of course send this one liner greeting to several other
friends.
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The wearer of khadi from a swadeshi standpoint is like a man making use of his lungs. —Mahatma Gandhi Lust befriends beauty as spontaneously as hunger befriends the taste. —Guru Nanak
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ASK
a man on the streets of Bihar who is their hero number one, and pat will come the reply: K J Rao, Election Commission’s advisor in the October-November elections in the state. Even the rating of Nitish Kumar is second to him in popularity, reveals a survey conducted by a local news portal. Some attribute the holding of fair and free elections in Bihar to the “Rao factor”; some call it the “Rao magic”.